Online identification of Mysida through NeMys

Identification of specimens is a task that every biologist is confronted with. The process of identification in many cases delivers many problems due to unavailability of keys, difficult specialised keys or old keys.Within NeMys (http://intramar.ugent.be/nemys) recently a new identification module has been added. Based upon morphological data derived from published literature, polytomous digital identification keys are made. This kind of keys has the advantage that users are not forced to follow a predefined pathway (as in dichotomous keys), users can choose their best suitable characteristics to work with and the keys can be easily updated with new insights through a fully online key-generation system.By using internet technologies, the identification keys are at any time anywhere available for use. As the data used in the keys is derived from the database system NeMys, it is also possible to check the identification process at any level, with literature sources, images, distribution patterns, … on the website of NeMys.This kind of technology opens new possibilities for biologists to share their taxonomic knowledge with a broader audience without being forced to go through the difficult process of creating dichotomous paper-based keys

Effect of Temporary Grasslands of Different Age, Composition and Management on Winter Wheat Yields in a Crop Rotation

Organic nitrogen (N) accumulates in the soil in temporary grasslands. This accumulation is especially important when mineral N fertilisation is high. Legume-based temporary grasslands may also supply the soil with nitrogen through fixation of atmospheric N, for instance in organic farming. When ploughing temporary grassland, great amounts of mineral nitrogen can be released through the process of decomposition and mineralisation of soil organic matter. This mineral nitrogen can be taken up by succeeding crops. The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of temporary grasslands of different ages, N fertilisation levels and legume contents on winter wheat yields in a crop rotation

Assessment of the Nitrogen Nutrition Index (NNI) by the Nitrogen Concentration of the Upper Part of the Sward

The Nitrogen Nutrition Index (NNI) is based on the concept of a critical nitrogen concentration, defined as the minimum N concentration in the aerial biomass necessary to obtain maximum yield. Values of Ncrit are high at the start of the growing period and decline during growth, in relation to dry matter accumulation (t DM/ha) according to the equation of Lemaire & Salette (1984): Ncrit(%) = 4.8(DM)-0.32. The NNI is calculated as the ratio of the actual N concentration of the sward to the N concentration required at a similar biomass to sustain non-limiting growth and biomass accumulation (Lemaire & Gastal, 1997). However, the evaluation of NNI requires the determination of aerial biomass per unit area, in addition to the determination of N concentration. This is time-consuming and is a practical limit to using NNI on farms. The objective of this experiment was to assess NNI by a more practical and easier method based on the determination of the N concentration in the upper leaves, as proposed by Gastal et al. (2001)

Prediction of Red Clover Content in Mixed Swards by Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy

Because of the legume fixation capacity, their high protein content, digestibility and intake characteristics, more and more attention is paid to grassland clover content. In field experiments, clover content must often be determined, for example to quantify nitrogen flux or the best practices to manage such species (Stilmant et al., 2004). However hand sorting of clover and grass, even if accurate, is time-consuming and has a high labour cost. In comparison, accuracy of visual estimation of clover content, directly in the field, varies according to training and experience. Near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) has been proposed as a method for the rapid determination of sward botanical (Petersen et al., 1987; Pitman et al., 1991) and morphological composition (Leconte et al., 1999; Stilmant et al., 2005). This paper describes the performance of a NIRS calibration developed to characterise red clover (Trifolium pratense) content when associated to different grass species and this at different phenological stages

Numerical investigation of crack self-sealing in cement-based composites with superabsorbent polymers

Recently the concept of crack self-sealing has been investigated as a method to prevent degradation and/or loss of functionality of cracked concrete elements. To obtain self-sealing effect in the crack, water swelling admixtures such as superabsorbent polymers (SAP) are added into the cementitious mix. In order to design such self-sealing systems in an efficient way, a three-dimensional mesoscale numerical model is proposed to simulate capillary absorption of water in sound and cracked cement-based materials containing SAP. The numerical results yield the moisture content distribution in cracked and sound domain, as well as the absorption and swelling of SAP embedded in the matrix and in the crack. The performance of the model was validated by using experimental data from the literature, as well as experimentally-informed input parameters. The validated model was then used to investigate the role of SAP properties and dosage in cementitious mixtures, on the water penetration into the material from cracks. Furthermore different crack widths were considered in the simulations. The model shows good agreement with experimental results. From the numerical investigation guidelines are suggested for the design of the studied composites

Neuroimaging Biomarkers and Cognitive Function in Non-CNS Cancer and Its Treatment: Current Status and Recommendations for Future Research

Cognitive changes in patients undergoing treatment for non-central nervous system (CNS) cancers have been recognized for several decades, yet the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Structural, functional and molecular neuroimaging has the potential to help clarify the neural bases of these cognitive abnormalities. Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional MRI (fMRI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), MR spectroscopy (MRS), and positron emission tomography (PET) have all been employed in the study of cognitive effects of cancer treatment, with most studies focusing on breast cancer and changes thought to be induced by chemotherapy. Articles in this special issue of Brain Imaging and Behavior are devoted to neuroimaging studies of cognitive changes in patients with non-CNS cancer and include comprehensive critical reviews and novel research findings. The broad conclusions that can be drawn from past studies and the present body of new research is that there are structural and functional changes associated with cancer and various treatments, particularly systemic cytotoxic chemotherapy, although some cognitive and fMRI studies have identified changes at pre-treatment baseline. Recommendations to accelerate progress include well-powered multicenter neuroimaging studies, a better standardized definition of the cognitive phenotype and extension to other cancers. A systems biology framework incorporating multimodality neuroimaging, genetics and other biomarkers will be highly informative regarding individual differences in risk and protective factors and disease- and treatment-related mechanisms. Studies of interventions targeting cognitive changes are also needed. These next steps are expected to identify novel protective strategies and facilitate a more personalized medicine for cancer patients

Grip Force Reveals the Context Sensitivity of Language-Induced Motor Activity during “Action Words

Studies demonstrating the involvement of motor brain structures in language processing typically focus on \ud time windows beyond the latencies of lexical-semantic access. Consequently, such studies remain inconclusive regarding whether motor brain structures are recruited directly in language processing or through post-linguistic conceptual imagery. In the present study, we introduce a grip-force sensor that allows online measurements of language-induced motor activity during sentence listening. We use this tool to investigate whether language-induced motor activity remains constant or is modulated in negative, as opposed to affirmative, linguistic contexts. Our findings demonstrate that this simple experimental paradigm can be used to study the online crosstalk between language and the motor systems in an ecological and economical manner. Our data further confirm that the motor brain structures that can be called upon during action word processing are not mandatorily involved; the crosstalk is asymmetrically\ud governed by the linguistic context and not vice versa

N-(4-Chloro­phen­yl)-1,1,1-trifluoro-N-(trifluoro­methyl­sulfon­yl)methane­sulfonamide

The title mol­ecule, also called 4-chloro-N,N-bis­(trifluoro­methane­sulfon­yl)aniline, C8H4ClF6NO4S2, has non-crystallographic twofold symmetry with the pseudo-axis aligned along the Cl—C⋯C—N backbone of the mol­ecule: the SO2CF3 residues lie to either side of the benzene ring. In the crystal, the presence of C—H⋯O contacts lead to the formation of a sequence of 12-membered {⋯HC2NSO}2 synthons within a supra­molecular chain aligned along [101]