The Importance of Time Congruity in the Organisation.

In 1991 Kaufman, Lane, and Lindquist proposed that time congruity in terms of an individual's time preferences and the time use methods of an organisation would lead to satisfactory performance and enhancement of quality of work and general life. The research reported here presents a study which uses commensurate person and job measures of time personality in an organisational setting to assess the effects of time congruity on one aspect of work life, job-related affective well-being. Results show that time personality and time congruity were found to have direct effects on well-being and the influence of time congruity was found to be mediated through time personality, thus contributing to the person–job (P–J) fit literature which suggests that direct effects are often more important than indirect effects. The study also provides some practical examples of ways to address some of the previously cited methodological issues in P–J fit research

Research priorities in the secondary prevention of atrial fibrillation: a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute virtual workshop report

There has been sustained focus on the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease and heart failure; yet, apart from stroke prevention, the evidence base for the secondary prevention of atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence, AF progression, and AF-related complications is modest. Although there are multiple observational studies, there are few large, robust, randomized trials providing definitive effective approaches for the secondary prevention of AF. Given the increasing incidence and prevalence of AF nationally and internationally, the AF field needs transformative research and a commitment to evidenced-based secondary prevention strategies. We report on a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute virtual workshop directed at identifying knowledge gaps and research opportunities in the secondary prevention of AF. Once AF has been detected, lifestyle changes and novel models of care delivery may contribute to the prevention of AF recurrence, AF progression, and AF-related complications. Although benefits seen in small subgroups, cohort studies, and selected randomized trials are impressive, the widespread effectiveness of AF secondary prevention strategies remains unknown, calling for development of scalable interventions suitable for diverse populations and for identification of subpopulations who may particularly benefit from intensive management. We identified critical research questions for 6 topics relevant to the secondary prevention of AF: (1) weight loss; (2) alcohol intake, smoking cessation, and diet; (3) cardiac rehabilitation; (4) approaches to sleep disorders; (5) integrated, team-based care; and (6) nonanticoagulant pharmacotherapy. Our goal is to stimulate innovative research that will accelerate the generation of the evidence to effectively pursue the secondary prevention of AF.Emelia J. Benjamin, Sana M. Al-Khatib, Patrice Desvigne-Nickens, Alvaro Alonso, Luc Djoussé, Daniel E. Forman, Anne M. Gillis, Jeroen M.L. Hendriks, Mellanie True Hills, Paulus Kirchhof, Mark S. Link, Gregory M. Marcus, Reena Mehra, Katherine T. Murray, Ratika Parkash, Ileana L. Piña, Susan Redline, Michiel Rienstra, Prashanthan Sanders, Virend K. Somers, David R. Van Wagoner, Paul J. Wang, Lawton S. Cooper, Alan S. G

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits—almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Arabidopsis FHY3 specifically gates phytochrome signaling to the circadian clock

Circadian gating of light signaling limits the timing of maximum responsiveness to light to specific times of day. The fhy3 (for far-red elongated hypocotyl3) mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana is involved in independently gating signaling from a group of photoreceptors to an individual response. fhy3 shows an enhanced response to red light during seedling deetiolation. Analysis of two independent fhy3 alleles links enhanced inhibition of hypocotyl elongation in response to red light with an arrhythmic pattern of hypocotyl elongation. Both alleles also show disrupted rhythmicity of central-clock and clock-output gene expression in constant red light. fhy3 exhibits aberrant phase advances under red light pulses during the subjective day. Release-from-light experiments demonstrate clock disruption in fhy3 during the early part of the subjective day in constant red light, suggesting that FHY3 is important in gating red light signaling for clock resetting. The FHY3 gating function appears crucial in the early part of the day for the maintenance of rhythmicity under these conditions. However, unlike previously described Arabidopsis gating mutants that gate all light signaling, gating of direct red light–induced gene expression in fhy3 is unaffected. FHY3 appears to be a novel gating factor, specifically in gating red light signaling to the clock during daytime

Inbreeding, heterozygosity and fitness in a reintroduced population of endangered African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus)

It is crucial to understand the genetic health and implications of inbreeding in wildlife populations, especially of vulnerable species. Using extensive demographic and genetic data, we investigated the relationships among pedigree inbreeding coefficients, metrics of molecular heterozygosity and fitness for a large population of endangered African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) in South Africa. Molecular metrics based on 19 microsatellite loci were significantly, but modestly correlated to inbreeding coefficients in this population. Inbred wild dogs with inbreeding coefficients of C0.25 and subordinate individuals had shorter lifespans than outbred and dominant contemporaries, suggesting some deleterious effects of inbreeding. However, this trend was confounded by packspecific effects as many inbred individuals originated from a single large pack. Despite wild dogs being endangered and existing in small populations, findings within our sample population indicated that molecular metrics were not robust predictors in models of fitness based on breeding pack formation, dominance, reproductive success or lifespan of individuals. Nonetheless, our approach has generated a vital database for future comparative studies to examine these relationships over longer periods of time. Such detailed assessments are essential given knowledge that wild canids can be highly vulnerable to inbreeding effects over a few short generations.This research was supported by the Smithsonian Institution Undersecretary for Science Endowment Fund, the University of Pretoria, Rotterdam Zoo Thandiza Fund, Humboldt State University Sponsored Program Foundation, Conservation Endowment Fund of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund, Knowsley Safari Park, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, Khaki Fever Work Wear, Pittsburgh Zoo Conservation Fund and the Morris Animal Foundation. International travel was provided by British Airways