Propagation of activity through the cortical hierarchy and perception are determined by neural variability

Brains are composed of anatomically and functionally distinct regions performing specialized tasks, but regions do not operate in isolation. Orchestration of complex behaviors requires communication between brain regions, but how neural dynamics are organized to facilitate reliable transmission is not well understood. Here we studied this process directly by generating neural activity that propagates between brain regions and drives behavior, assessing how neural populations in sensory cortex cooperate to transmit information. We achieved this by imaging two densely interconnected regions—the primary and secondary somatosensory cortex (S1 and S2)—in mice while performing two-photon photostimulation of S1 neurons and assigning behavioral salience to the photostimulation. We found that the probability of perception is determined not only by the strength of the photostimulation but also by the variability of S1 neural activity. Therefore, maximizing the signal-to-noise ratio of the stimulus representation in cortex relative to the noise or variability is critical to facilitate activity propagation and perception

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

Rearrangements of 1,2,4-Oxadiazole: "One Ring to Rule Them All"

[Figure not available: see fulltext.] 1,2,4-Oxadiazoles are heterocycles characterized by low aromaticity and the presence of a weak O\ue2\u80\u93N bond and are widely studied due to their tendency to rearrange into more stable heterocyclic compounds. This review covers literature from the last fifteen years, highlighting the general features of 1,2,4-oxadiazoles and their applications. Regarding the reactivity, the development of classical reactions (thermal and photochemical rearrangements) is presented in terms of synthetic utility and mechanistic insight. Among the relevant rearrangement reactions, the Boulton\ue2\u80\u93Katritzky Rearrangement (BKR), Migration \ue2\u80\u93 Nucleophilic Attack \ue2\u80\u93 Cyclization (MNAC), and Addition of the Nucleophile, Ring Opening, and Ring Closure (ANRORC) reactions are discussed, together with recent noteworthy syntheses and applications of the 1,2,4-oxadiazole ring