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

Gingival eruption cysts induced by cyclosporine administration to neonatal dogs

Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to report the development of extensive, gingival eruption cyst formation in neonatal dogs during chronic administration of cyclosporine, which regressed after treatment ceased. Materials and methods: As part of an investigation of the efficacy of adenoviral-mediated gene therapy in a canine model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), 26 Golden retriever pups were given intramuscular injections of adenoviral gene constructs (at 2-5 days old) either with (15 pups) or without (9 pups) concomitant immunosuppression using oral cyclosporine (from 1 to 3 days old). Results: The daily administration of cyclosporine to Golden Retriever pups from 1 to 3 days of age resulted in the formation of eruption cysts over the incisors after approximately 3 weeks of treatment. The gingiva over the remaining teeth became swollen. However unlike the incisors, part of the crown erupted through the gingiva. Continuous treatment for 60-90 days was associated with persistence and expansion of the cysts over the incisor teeth. The cysts resolved within 1 month if cyclosporine administration was discontinued. Movement of incisors within the jaws was not appreciably affected when compared with age-matched controls. Conclusion: Chronic cyclosporine administration to neonatal dogs induces the formation of eruption cysts over the incisors, which is reversible once treatment is discontinued and does not affect intraosseous eruption

When Soft Controls get Slippery: User Interfaces and Human Error

Many types of products and systems that have traditionally featured physical control devices are now being designed with soft controls--input formats appearing on computer-based display devices and operated by a variety of input devices. A review of complex human-machine systems found that soft controls are particularly prone to some types of errors and may affect overall system performance and safety. This paper discusses the application of design approaches for reducing the likelihood of these errors and for enhancing usability, user satisfaction, and system performance and safety