Preparing for an interdisciplinary future: A perspective from early-career researchers

Increasingly, research is moving towards more interdisciplinary endeavours. Effective collaboration between people from different disciplines is necessary to maximise the potential benefits of interdisciplinarity for future research activity. This paper analyses an approach to fostering the skills required for successful cross-disciplinary collaboration from the perspective of an interdisciplinary group of early-career researchers. Our reflection on how specially-designed encounters can help to shape future interdisciplinary research initiatives draws on the discussion of a four-day workshop, a post-event survey, and a review of other experiences. We conclude that interdisciplinary encounters are an effective means to support the development of future interdisciplinary researchers, with a major advantage of this approach being the opportunity for open communication. Depending on the organiser's aim, we distinguish between “cultivation” and “development” encounters. Among the multiple factors that produce successful interdisciplinary encounters, we found that selection of a theme, participants and location need to be tailored to the encounter's particular objectives. We recommend that funding bodies and other members of the research community should take note of the effectiveness of encounters to foster interdisciplinarity and generate space to develop more innovative and high-impact research that delivers solutions to the challenges facing humanity in the future

Camera traps enable the estimation of herbaceous aboveground net primary production (ANPP) in an African savanna at high temporal resolution

Determining the drivers of aboveground net primary production (ANPP), a key ecosystem process, is an important goal of ecosystem ecology. However, accurate estimation of ANPP across larger areas remains challenging, especially for savanna ecosystems that are characterized by large spatiotemporal heterogeneity in ANPP. Satellite remote sensing methods are frequently used to estimate productivity at the landscape scale but generally lack the spatial and temporal resolution to capture the determinants of productivity variation. Here, we developed and tested methods for estimating herbaceous productivity as an alternative to labour-intensive repeated biomass clipping and caging of small plots. We compared measures of three spectral greenness indices, normalized difference vegetation index derived from Sentinel-2 (NDVIs) and a handheld radiometer (NDVIg), and green chromatic coordinate derived from digital repeat cameras (GCC) and tested their relationship to biweekly field-measured herbaceous ANPP using movable exclosures. We found that a satellite-based model including average NDVIs and its rate of change (ΔNDVIs) over the biweekly productivity measurement interval predicted herbaceous ANPP reasonably well (Jackknife R2 = 0.26). However, the predictive accuracy doubled (Jackknife R2 = 0.52) when including the sum of day to day increases in camera trap-derived vegetation greenness (tGCC). This result can be considered promising, given the current lack of productivity estimation methods at comparable spatiotemporal resolution. We furthermore found that the fine (daily) temporal resolution of GCC time series captured fast vegetation responses to rainfall events that were missed when using a coarser temporal resolution (>2 days). These findings demonstrate the importance of measuring at a fine temporal resolution for predicting herbaceous ANPP in savanna ecosystems. We conclude that camera traps are promising in offering a reliable and cost-effective method to estimate productivity in savannas and contribute to a better understanding of ecosystem functioning and its drivers

Uphill and downhill walking in unilateral lower limb amputees

Objective: To study adjustment strategies in unilateral amputees in uphill and downhill walking. Design: observational cohort study. Subjects: Seven transfemoral, 12 transtibial unilateral amputees and 10 able-bodied subjects. Methods: In a motion analysis laboratory the subjects walked over a level surface and an uphill and downhill slope. Gait velocity and lower limb joint angles were measured. Results: In uphill walking hip and knee flexion at initial contact and hip flexion in swing were increased in the prosthetic limb of transtibial amputees. In downhill walking transtibial amputees showed more knee flexion on the prosthetic side in late stance and swing. Transfemoral amputees were not able to increase prosthetic knee flexion in uphill and downhill walking. An important adjustment strategy in both amputee Groups was a smaller hip extension in late stance in uphill and downhill walking, probably related with a shorter step length. In addition, amputees increased knee flexion in early stance in the non-affected limb in uphill walking to compensate for the shorter prosthetic limb length. In downhill walking fewer adjustments were necessary, since the shorter prosthetic limb already resulted in lowering of the body. Conclusion: Uphill and downhill walking can be trained in rehabilitation, which may improve safety and confidence of amputees. Prosthetic design should focus on better control of prosthetic knee flexion abilities without reducing stability. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All fights reserved

One-carbon metabolism biomarkers and risk of urothelial cell carcinoma in the European prospective investigation into cancer and nutrition

Item does not contain fulltex

Global phosphoproteome profiling reveals unanticipated networks responsive to cisplatin treatment of embryonic stem cells

Cellular responses to DNA-damaging agents involve the activation of various DNA damage signaling and transduction pathways. Using quantitative and high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry, we determined global changes in protein level and phosphorylation site profiles following treatment of SILAC (stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture)-labeled murine embryonic stem cells with the anticancer drug cisplatin. Network and pathway analyses indicated that processes related to the DNA damage response and cytoskeleton organization were significantly affected. Although the ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated) and ATR (ATM and Rad3-related) consensus sequence (S/T-Q motif) was significantly overrepresented among hyperphosphorylated peptides, about half of the >2-fold-upregulated phosphorylation sites based on the consensus sequence were not direct substrates of ATM and ATR. Eleven protein kinases mainly belonging to the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family were identified as being regulated in their kinase domain activation loop. The biological importance of three of these kinases (cyclin-dependent kinase 7 [CDK7], Plk1, and KPCD1) in the protection against cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity was demonstrated by small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated knockdown. Our results indicate that the cellular response to cisplatin involves a variety of kinases and phosphatases not only acting in the nucleus but also regulating cytoplasmic targets, resulting in extensive cytoskeletal rearrangements. Integration of transcriptomic and proteomic data revealed a poor correlation between changes in the relative levels of transcripts and their corresponding proteins, but a large overlap in affected pathways at the levels of mRNA, protein, and phosphoprotein. This study provides an integrated view of pathways activated by genotoxic stress and deciphers kinases that play a pivotal role in regulating cellular processes other than the DNA damage response

The impact of loco-regional recurrences on metastatic progression in early-stage breast cancer: a multistate model

To study whether the effects of prognostic factors associated with the occurrence of distant metastases (DM) at primary diagnosis change after the incidence of loco-regional recurrences (LRR) among women treated for invasive stage I or II breast cancer. The study population consisted of 3,601 women, enrolled in EORTC trials 10801, 10854, or 10902 treated for early-stage breast cancer. Data were analysed in a multivariate, multistate model by using multivariate Cox regression models, including a state-dependent covariate. The presence of a LRR in itself is a significant prognostic risk factor (HR: 3.64; 95%-CI: 2.02-6.5) for the occurrence of DM. Main prognostic risk factors for a DM are young age at diagnosis (</=40: HR: 1.79; 95%-CI: 1.28-2.51), larger tumour size (HR: 1.58; 95%-CI: 1.35-1.84) and node positivity (HR: 2.00; 95%-CI: 1.74-2.30). Adjuvant chemotherapy is protective for a DM (HR: 0.66; 95%-CI: 0.55-0.80). After the occurrence of a LRR the latter protective effect has disappeared (P = 0.009). The presence of LRR in itself is a significant risk factor for DM. For patients who are at risk of developing LRR, effective local control should be the main target of therapy

Cancer treatment induced metabolic syndrome:Improving outcome with lifestyle

Increasing numbers of long-term cancer survivors face important treatment related adverse effects. Cancer treatment induced metabolic syndrome (CTIMetS) is an especially prevalent and harmful condition. The aetiology of CTIMetS likely differs from metabolic syndrome in the general population, but effective treatment and prevention methods are probably similar. In this review, we summarize the potential mechanisms leading to the development of CTIMetS after various types of cancer treatment. Furthermore, we propose a safe and accessible method to treat or prevent CTIMetS through lifestyle change. In particular, we suggest that a lifestyle intervention and optimization of energy balance can prevent or mitigate the development of CTIMetS, which may contribute to optimal survivorship care. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

Successful learning: balancing self-regulation with instructional planning

Many recent studies have stressed the importance of teacher candidates’ (TCs) self-regulated learning (SRL) skills for successful learning. Because of the promising consequences of SRL for academic performance, teacher educators (TEs) are encouraged to increase TCs’ SRL opportunities in educational programs. Because of the difficulty and complexity for TEs to successfully guide TCs towards SRL, the present study contributes to the discussion how to best facilitate TEs in finding a balance between student- and teacher-control. For this purpose, a conceptual model is presented. The model draws upon literature related to the perspective of the learner, the teacher and the learning task. Besides the context of teacher education, the model is beneficial for higher education as well as teaching and teacher professionalization. It will help instructors provide a more balanced approach between teacherand student-controlled learning, and support students develop essential SRL skills