pyResearchInsights—An open‐source Python package for scientific text analysis

1. With an increasing number of scientific articles published each year, there is a need to synthesize and obtain insights across ever‐growing volumes of literature. Here, we present pyResearchInsights, a novel open‐source automated content analysis package that can be used to analyze scientific abstracts within a natural language processing framework.
2. The package collects abstracts from scientific repositories, identifies topics of research discussed in these abstracts, and presents interactive concept maps to visualize these research topics. To showcase the utilities of this package, we present two examples, specific to the field of ecology and conservation biology.
3. First, we demonstrate the end‐to‐end functionality of the package by presenting topics of research discussed in 1,131 abstracts pertaining to birds of the Tropical Andes. Our results suggest that a large proportion of avian research in this biodiversity hotspot pertains to species distributions, climate change, and plant ecology.
4. Second, we retrieved and analyzed 22,561 abstracts across eight journals in the field of conservation biology to identify twelve global topics of conservation research. Our analysis shows that conservation policy and landscape ecology are focal topics of research. We further examined how these conservation‐associated research topics varied across five biodiversity hotspots.
5. Lastly, we compared the utilities of this package with existing tools that carry out automated content analysis, and we show that our open‐source package has wider functionality and provides end‐to‐end utilities that seldom exist across other tools.

     

Living on fire: Deactivating fire coral polyps for larval settlement and symbiosis in the fire coral‐associated barnacle Wanella milleporae (Thoracicalcarea: Wanellinae)

Symbiosis is increasingly recognized as being an important component in marine systems, and many such relationships are initiated when free‐swimming larvae of one partner settle and become sedentary on a host partner. Therefore, several crucial questions emerge such as the larva’s mechanism of locating a host, selection of substratum and finally settlement on the surface of its future partner. Here, we investigated these mechanisms by studying how larvae of the fire coral‐associated barnacle Wanella milleporae move, settle and establish symbiosis with their host, Millepora tenera. Cyprids of W. milleporae possess a pair of specialized antennules with bell‐shaped attachment discs that enable them to explore and settle superficially on the hostile surface of the fire coral. Intriguingly, the stinging polyps of the fire coral remain in their respective pores when the cyprids explore the fire coral surface. Even when cyprids come into contact with the nematocysts on the extended stinging polyps during the exploratory phase, no immobilization effects against the cyprids were observed. The exploratory phase of Wanella cyprids can be divided into a sequence of wide searching (large step length and high walking speed), close searching (small step length and low speed) and inspection behavior, eventually resulting in permanent settlement and metamorphosis. After settlement, xenogeneic interactions occur between the fire coral and the newly metamorphosed juvenile barnacle. This involved tissue necrosis and regeneration in the fire coral host, leading to a callus ring structure around the juvenile barnacle, enhancing survival rate after settlement. The complex exploratory and settlement patterns and interactions documented here represent a breakthrough in coral reef symbiosis studies to show how invertebrates start symbiosis with fire corals.     

黔中喀斯特山地城市景观稳定性评价与特征分析

城市景观稳定性是对城市生态环境进行分析和评价的基础,对城市景观生态安全格局和景观可持续性具有十分重要的意义。以典型喀斯特山地城市贵阳市为研究对象,以2008年、2013年和2017年景观类型为主要数据。运用蔓延度指数、斑块密度和总边缘对比度构建景观稳定性评价模型,在分析2008-2017年景观格局变化状况的基础上评价景观稳定性时空特征。并运用探索性空间数据分析方法揭示贵阳市景观稳定性时空演变规律和冷热点特征。结果表明:(1)2008-2017年贵阳市景观格局发生剧烈变化,耕地面积大幅减少,林地和建设用地面积持续增加,景观破碎化程度加剧,但破碎化趋势有所减缓。(2)10年间,贵阳市景观稳定性水平整体较低,以不稳定和较不稳定为主,表现出"先降低、后提高,总体略有降低"的趋势。(3)贵阳市景观稳定性的空间分布与演变具有明显空间聚集效应,全局Moran''s I指数介于0.2008-0.4005之间,但聚集趋势呈"总体减弱,小幅提高"的特征;此外,景观稳定性热点区主要集中在城镇建设用地或林地斑块相对集中连片、完整的区域。研究结果可为喀斯特山地城市景观空间格局优化、生态安全网络格局构建和生态文明城市建设提供重要的科学依据。     

Long-Distance Movement of a White-Tailed Deer Away From a Chronic Wasting Disease Area

Abstract: Chronic wasting disease is a fatal, transmissible spongiform encephalopathy found among cervids. Spread of the disease across the landscape is believed to result from movements (dispersal, exploratory, transient, or migratory) of infected deer, serving as the vectors for the disease. We document an unusual long-distance movement of a young female, out of the chronic wasting disease eradication zone in south-central Wisconsin. This type of movement could function as a rapid, long-distance dispersing mechanism for the disease only if the following conditions are met: the deer is infected and shedding prions, the deer directly contacts other deer and transmits secretions carrying an infectious dose of prions, or an infectious dose of prions is transmitted to the environment and taken up by other deer. Despite lower prevalence rates of chronic wasting disease among young deer, we believe managers should not dismiss deer making long-distance movements such as we report, as they could serve as potential long-distance vectors of the disease.     

Hormone-sensitive lipase is localized at synapses and is necessary for normal memory functioning in mice

Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) is mainly present in adipose tissue where it hydrolyzes diacylglycerol. Although expression of HSL has also been reported in the brain, its presence in different cellular compartments is uncertain, and its role in regulating brain lipid metabolism remains hitherto unexplored. We hypothesized that HSL might play a role in regulating the availability of bioactive lipids necessary for neuronal function and therefore investigated whether dampening HSL activity could lead to brain dysfunction. In mice, we found HSL protein and enzymatic activity throughout the brain, localized within neurons and enriched in synapses. HSL-null mice were then analyzed using a battery of behavioral tests. Relative to wild-type littermates, HSL-null mice showed impaired short-term and long-term memory, yet preserved exploratory behaviors. Molecular analysis of the cortex and hippocampus showed increased expression of genes involved in glucose utilization in the hippocampus, but not cortex, of HSL-null mice compared with controls. Furthermore, lipidomics analyses indicated an impact of HSL deletion on the profile of bioactive lipids, including a decrease in endocannabinoids and eicosanoids that are known to modulate neuronal activity, cerebral blood flow, and inflammation processes. Accordingly, mild increases in the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in HSL mice compared with littermates were suggestive of low-grade inflammation. We conclude that HSL has a homeostatic role in maintaining pools of lipids required for normal brain function. It remains to be tested, however, whether the recruitment of HSL for the synthesis of these lipids occurs during increased neuronal activity or whether HSL participates in neuroinflammatory responses.     

PA28α overexpressing female mice maintain exploratory behavior and capacity to prevent protein aggregation in hippocampus as they age

With age, protein damage accumulates and increases the risk of age‐related diseases. The proteasome activator PA28αβ is involved in protein damage clearance during early embryogenesis and has demonstrated protective effects against proteinopathy. We have recently discovered that adult female mice overexpressing PA28α (PA28αOE) have enhanced learning and memory, and protein extracts from their hippocampi prevent aggregation more efficiently than wild type. In this study, we investigated the effect of overexpressing PA28α on aging using C57BL/6N×BALB/c F2 hybrid mice. We found that the hippocampal anti‐aggregation effect was maintained in young adult (7 months) to middle‐aged (15 months) and old (22 months) PA28αOE females. While the PA28αOE influence on learning and memory gradually decreased with aging, old PA28αOE females did not display the typical drop in explorative behavior—a behavioral hallmark of aging—but were as explorative as young mice. PA28αOE lowered PA28‐dependent proteasome capacity in both heart and hippocampus, and there was no indication of lower protein damage load in PA28αOE. The life span of PA28αOE was also similar to wild type. In both wild type and PA28αOE, PA28‐dependent proteasome capacity increased with aging in the heart, while 26S and 20S proteasome capacities were unchanged in the timepoints analyzed. Thus, PA28αOE females exhibit improved hippocampal ability to prevent aggregation throughout life and enhanced cognitive capabilities with different behavioral outcomes dependent on age; improved memory at early age and a youth‐like exploration at old age. The cognitive effects of PA28αβ combined with its anti‐aggregation molecular effect highlight the therapeutical potential of PA28αβ in combating proteinopathies.     

Melanin‐Based Coloration Covaries with Hiding and Exploratory Behavior in Male Spanish Terrapins

Melanin‐based coloration reflects mostly social status and dominance in males of several species. However, the relation of melanism with other suites of behavioral traits has received less attention. Here, we examined whether the melanic coloration of the shell of male Spanish terrapins Mauremys leprosa was related to several behavioral patterns. To test this, we simulated predatory attacks of different risk levels and measured the time that the turtles spent hiding entirely in their own shells (i.e. appearance times). We also measured the activity level of the turtles in a novel‐environment test. The results showed that melanin‐based coloration was related to antipredatory behavior. Male terrapins with a greater extent of black coloration in their shells demonstrated shorter appearance times after a predator attack. However, this pattern was significant only when turtles were subjected to a high risk. In addition, darker turtles had longer latency times in a novel environment. The results of the present study support the hypothesis that melanin‐based coloration may be associated with some behavioral functions. Our study provides a good framework for future studies concerning the effect of melanin‐coloration on multiple behavioral traits that could be applied to further research using other animal models.     

Obtaining information by dynamic (effortful) touching

Dynamic touching is effortful touching. It entails deformation of muscles and fascia and activation of the embedded mechanoreceptors, as when an object is supported and moved by the body. It is realized as exploratory activities that can vary widely in spatial and temporal extents (a momentary heft, an extended walk). Research has revealed the potential of dynamic touching for obtaining non-visual information about the body (e.g. limb orientation), attachments to the body (e.g. an object's height and width) and the relation of the body both to attachments (e.g. hand's location on a grasped object) and surrounding surfaces (e.g. places and their distances). Invariants over the exploratory activity (e.g. moments of a wielded object's mass distribution) seem to ground this 'information about'. The conception of a haptic medium as a nested tensegrity structure has been proposed to express the obtained information realized by myofascia deformation, by its invariants and transformations. The tensegrity proposal rationalizes the relative indifference of dynamic touch to the site of mechanical contact (hand, foot, torso or probe) and the overtness of exploratory activity. It also provides a framework for dynamic touching's fractal nature, and the finding that its degree of fractality may matter to its accomplishments.     

Effects of Maternal Exposure to Piperonyl Butoxide (PBO) on Behavioral Development in F1‐Generation Mice

Female mice were exposed maternally to piperonyl butoxide (PBO) through diet to provide dietary levels of 0% (control), 0.01%, 0.03%, and 0.09% during gestation and lactation periods, and selected reproductive and neurobehavioral parameters were measured in the F₁ generation. There was no adverse effect of PBO on litter size, litter weight, or sex ratio at birth. The average body weights of male offspring decreased significantly in dose‐related manners on postnatal days (PNDs) 0, 4, 7, and 14 (p = 0.0019, 0.0096, 0.033, and 0.038, respectively) during the lactation period. In female offspring, the average body weights decreased in dose‐related manners on PNDs 0, 4, 7, and 14 (p = 0.0027, 0.0104, 0.0193, and 0.0062, respectively). The survival of dams slightly decreased (p = 0.0209) in the high‐dose group during the lactation period. With respect to behavioral developmental parameters, surface righting on PND 7 of male and female offspring was delayed significantly in a dose‐related manner (p < 0.001 in each). Swimming direction on PND 7 of male offspring was delayed significantly in a dose‐related manner (p < 0.01), and for female offspring it was delayed significantly in the high‐dose group (p < 0.05). Swimming head angle on PND 7 of male offspring was delayed significantly in a dose‐related manner (p < 0.05). Spontaneous behavior examination in males indicated that rearing increased in the high‐dose group in the F₁ generation. The dose levels of PBO in the present study produced some adverse effects in neurobehavioral parameters in mice