Links and Distinctions Among Citizenship, Science, and Citizen Science. A Reponse to The Future of Citizen Science.

Mueller, Tippins, and Bryan (2012) presented a new conceptualization of citizen science that is meant to facilitate emerging trends in the democratization of science and science education to produce civically engaged students. I review some relevant trends in the field of citizen science, for clarity here referred to as public participation in scientific research (PPSR), and present overlooked styles and outcomes of PPSR. Education efforts should seize the opportunity to emphasize the key and distinct roles students can play in both the science and the values elements that inform decision-making processes

Links and distinctions among citizenship, science, and citizen science

Abstract Mueller, Tippins, and Bryan (2012) presented a new conceptualization of citizen science that is meant to facilitate emerging trends in the democratization of science and science education to produce civically engaged students. I review some relevant trends in the field of citizen science, for clarity here referred to as public participation in scientific research (PPSR), and present overlooked styles and outcomes of PPSR. Education efforts should seize the opportunity to emphasize the key and distinct roles students can play in both the science and the values elements that inform decision-making processes

'Green incubation':avian offspring benefit from aromatic nest herbs through improved parental incubation behaviour

Development of avian embryos requires thermal energy, usually from parents. Parents may, however, trade off catering for embryonic requirements against their own need to forage through intermittent incubation. This dynamically adjusted behaviour can be affected by properties of the nest. Here, we experimentally show a novel mechanism by which parents, through incorporation of aromatic herbs into nests, effectively modify their incubation behaviour to the benefit of their offspring. Our study species, the European starling, includes in its nest aromatic herbs which promote offspring fitness. We provided wild starlings with artificial nests including or excluding the typically selected fresh herbs and found strong support for our prediction of facilitated incubation. Herb effects were not explained by thermal changes of the nests per se, but by modified parental behaviours. Egg temperatures and nest attendance were higher in herb than herbless nests, egg temperatures dropped less frequently below critical thresholds and parents started their active day earlier. These effects were dynamic over time and particularly strong during early incubation. Incubation period was shorter in herb nests, and nestlings were heavier one week after hatching. Aromatic herbs hence influenced incubation in beneficial ways for offspring, possibly through pharmacological effects on incubating parents.</p

CluTCh invESTmEnT in ThE ChilEan SwallOw (TaChyCineTa meyeni) ShifTS wiTh TimE Of brEEding and pOSiTiOn in ThE SEquEnCE Of laying

abstract. within a population, the sizes of eggs and clutches vary, and the combination of both determines a female&apos;s reproductive investment. we investigated females&apos; investment in clutches of the Chilean Swallow (Tachycineta meyeni) at the southern limit of its range, where it breeds in an extreme climate. we analyzed variation in clutch, egg and yolk size in relation to the female&apos;s condition, date of laying, and position in the sequence of laying. as predicted by energy/nutrient constraints, clutch size and yolk size decreased over the breeding season, though egg mass increased. females&apos; investment strategy differed with clutch size: their investment in eggs increased with each successive egg in clutches of 4 and 5 eggs but decreased with each successive egg in clutches of 3 eggs. Eggs that were heavier for their size were more likely to hatch than eggs light for their size. females may make a strategic decision, with high investment in eggs laid early resulting in a short sequence (small clutch) and delayed investment resulting in a long sequence (large clutch). alternatively, the shift in clutch investment may simply be a consequence of physiology. better estimates of female body condition are needed for these options to be distinguished. Key words: egg size, laying order, clutch size, reproductive investment, Tachycineta meyeni. la inversión en la puesta en Tachycineta meyeni varía a lo largo de la Estación reproductiva y con el Orden de puesta Resumen. El tamaño del huevo y el tamaño de la puesta varían dentro de una población y la combinación de ambos determina la inversión reproductiva por parte de las hembras. investigamos la inversión en la puesta por parte de las hembras de Tachycineta meyeni que nidifican en un sitio con condiciones climáticas adversas en el extremo más austral de su distribución. analizamos la variación en el tamaño de la puesta, del huevo y de la yema en relación a la condición corporal de la hembra, a la fecha de puesta y a la posición en la secuencia de puesta. acorde a lo predicho por restricciones energéticas/nutricionales, el tamaño de la puesta y de la yema disminuyeron a lo largo de la estación reproductiva, pero la masa del huevo aumentó. la estrategia de inversión de las hembras difirió según el tamaño de la puesta: la inversión en los huevos aumentó con el orden de puesta en puestas de cuatro y cinco huevos y disminuyó con el orden de puesta en puestas de tres huevos. huevos pesados para su tamaño tuvieron una mayor probabilidad de eclosión que huevos livianos para su tamaño. las hembras podrían estar tomando una decisión estratégica, con una mayor inversión al comienzo de la secuencia de puesta lo que resultaría en una secuencia corta (nidada pequeña) o retrasando la inversión lo que resultaría en una secuencia larga (nidada grande). alternativamente, los cambios en la inversión en la puesta podrían ser simplemente una consecuencia fisiológica. Es necesario obtener o una mejor estimación de la condición corporal de las hembras para poder diferenciar entre estas dos alternativas

Diversifying Large-Scale Participatory Science: The Efficacy of Engagement through Facilitator Organizations

Large-scale, scientist-led, participatory science (citizen science) projects often engage participants who are primarily white, wealthy, and well-educated. Calls to diversify contributory projects are increasingly common, but little research has evaluated the efficacy of suggested strategies for diversification. We engaged participants in Crowd the Tap through facilitator organizations like historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), predominantly white institutions, high school science classrooms, and corporate volunteer programs. Crowd the Tap is a contributory project focused on identifying and addressing lead (Pb) contamination in household drinking water in the United States. We investigated how participant diversity with respects to race, ethnicity, and homeownership (a proxy for income) differed between participation facilitated through a partner organization and unfacilitated participation in which participants came to the project independently. We were also interested in which facilitators were most effective at increasing participant diversity. White and wealthy participants were overrepresented in unfacilitated participation. Facilitation helped increase engagement of people of color, especially Black and lower-income households. High schools were particularly effective at engaging Hispanic or Latinx participants, and HBCUs were important for engaging Black households. Ultimately, our results suggest that engagement through facilitator organizations may be an effective means of engaging diverse participants in large-scale projects. Our results have important implications for the field of participatory science as we seek to identify evidence-based strategies for diversifying project participants

Project Categories to Guide Institutional Oversight of Responsible Conduct of Scientists Leading Citizen Science in the United States

A growing number of individuals who are not professional scientists are working with professional scientists to contribute to scientific research through a broad spectrum of volunteer activities and roles. To guide the regulatory oversight of scientists carrying out citizen science projects, we draw distinctions among five categories of projects in which volunteer activities and roles vary based on the combination of setting (institutional or not), subject matter (human or not), and the norms and expectations of handling volunteers’ personally identifiable information. Each category has potentially different ethical considerations and forms of institutional (or regulatory) oversight. We identify and assign numeric labels to these categories rather than names to avoid confusion and value-laden connotations regarding terminology. We hope the absence of terminology will initiate conversations and encourage rapid evolution of necessary vocabulary in this area. We focus on Type 4 research, projects led in academia and in which volunteers are not the subject of the research, but provide personally identifiable information with expectations of non-confidentiality. Our preliminary data show that current Type 4 projects generally lack informed consent, and most do not provide details about their handling of personally identifiable data. We identify areas where federal guidelines, as well as existing institutional ethics review protocols for protection of human subjects in research, might be applied to some forms of citizen science in ways that could either support, or inadvertently undermine, the Common Rule (the US regulation regarding protection of human subjects). We illustrate these areas with examples of projects from Cooper’s lab. By highlighting the complex and distinct challenges of responsible conduct with each project type, we urge professional scientists, citizen scientists, regulators, and other stakeholders to jointly determine the type of institutional oversight that will best mitigate risks without stymying innovation and benefits. We hope that this essay will spark a lively discussion and refinement of concepts, research, and improved practices

Stimulation of glucose utilization in 3T3 adipocytes and rat diaphragm in vitro by the sulphonylureas, glimepiride and glibenclamide, is correlated with modulations of the cAMP regulatory cascade

The long-term hypoglycemic activity of sulphonylurea drugs has been attributed, in part at least, to the stimulation of glucose utilization in extra-pancreatic tissues. The novel sulphonylurea, glimepiride, gives rise to a longer lasting reduction in the blood sugar level in dogs and rabbits compared to glibenclamide (Geisen K, Drug Res38: 1120–1130, 1988). This cannot be explained adequately by elevated plasma insulin levels. This study investigated whether this prolonged hypoglycemic phase was based on the drug's abilities to stimulate glucose utilization and affect the underlying regulatory mechanisms in insulin-sensitive cells in vitro. It was found that in the absence of added insulin, glimepiride and glibenclamide (1–50 μM) stimulated lipogenesis (3T3 adipocytes) and glycogenesis (isolated rat diaphragm) not, vert, similar4.5- and 2.5-fold, respectively, and reduced the isoproterenol-stimulated lipolysis (rat adipocytes) up to 40–60%. The increased glucose utilization was correlated with a 3–4-fold higher 2-deoxyglucose transport rate and amount of GLUT4 at the plasma membrane, as well as with increased activities of key metabolic enzymes (glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase, glycogen synthase) within the same concentration range. Furthermore, the low Km cAMP-specific phosphodiesterase was activated 1.8-fold, whereas the cytosolic cAMP level and protein kinase A activity ratios were significantly lowered after incubation of isoproterenol-stimulated rat adipocytes with the sulphonylureas. In many of the aspects studied the novel sulphonylurea, glimepiride, exhibited slightly lower ed50-values than glibenclamide. This study demonstrates correlations existing between drug-induced stimulation of glucose transport/metabolism and cAMP degradation/protein kinase A inhibition as well as between the relative efficiencies of glimepiride and glibenclamide in inducing thse extra-pancreatic processes. Therefore, it is suggested that the stimulation of glucose utilization by sulphonylureas is mediated by a decrease of cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of GLUT4 and glucose metabolizing enzymes. The therapeutic relevance of extra-pancreatic effects of sulphonylureas, in general, and of the differences between glimepiride and glibenclamide as observed in vitro in this work, in particular, remain to be elucidated

Citizen Science Terminology Matters: Exploring Key Terms

Much can be at stake depending on the choice of words used to describe citizen science, because terminology impacts how knowledge is developed. Citizen science is a quickly evolving field that is mobilizing people’s involvement in information development, social action and justice, and large-scale information gathering. Currently, a wide variety of terms and expressions are being used to refer to the concept of ‘citizen science’ and its practitioners. Here, we explore these terms to help provide guidance for the future growth of this field. We do this by reviewing the theoretical, historical, geopolitical, and disciplinary context of citizen science terminology; discussing what citizen science is and reviewing related terms; and providing a collection of potential terms and definitions for ‘citizen science’ and people participating in citizen science projects. This collection of terms was generated primarily from the broad knowledge base and on-the-ground experience of the authors, by recognizing the potential issues associated with various terms. While our examples may not be systematic or exhaustive, they are intended to be suggestive and invitational of future consideration. In our collective experience with citizen science projects, no single term is appropriate for all contexts. In a given citizen science project, we suggest that terms should be chosen carefully and their usage explained; direct communication with participants about how terminology affects them and what they would prefer to be called also should occur. We further recommend that a more systematic study of terminology trends in citizen science be conducted

The problem with delineating narrow criteria for citizen science

No abstract available.http://www.pnas.org2020-01-30hj2019Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI