Taxonomic Keys and Plates from The Myxomycetes

Digital work, reproduction of text and layout by Rojas Alvarado, Carlos y Lado Rodríguez, CarlosIn 1969, George W. Martin and Constantine J. Alexopoulos published a remarkable work on myxomycetes. Their monograph on this group of organisms became one of the references to the taxonomy and geographical distribution of the species in the world. The impact of this book was large, partially because they reviewed the previous works of Thomas Macbride (a large number of collections observed by Martin & Alexopoulos were collected by the former) and Arthur and Gulielma Lister (who sent European collections to the United States National Herbarium). In this manner, The Myxomycetes by Martin & Alexopoulos was in some ways, an update of the information already published in the books North American Slime-Moulds by Thomas Macbride (1922) and Monograph of the Mycetozoa by Arthur Lister (first edition in 1894). The original Martin & Alexopoulos The Myxomycetes book is found today in bookshelves of myxomycete researchers and institutional libraries around the world. It is the last worldwide monograph on myxomycetes. Despite being widely used for research purposes, the book has been out of print for many years and the younger generation of people interested in the fascinating world of myxomycetes has limited access to it. Both Macbride´s and Lister´s books have been rescued by the Biodiversity Heritage Library and can be accessed in digital format today, but The Myxomycetes by Martin & Alexopoulos is not available on the internet yet. Aware of that limitation, we obtained permission from the original publisher (University of Iowa Press) to create a digital version of the taxonomic keys and original plates contained in the book. Even though molecular techniques of myxomycete detection have been reshaping the nomenclature of the group in recent years and a number of binomials have changed over time, the original work published more than 50 years ago still offers important clues for taxonomic purposes. The drawings are much less detailed than those in Lister´s book, for example, but they are still useful for identification. However, they keys are comprehensive, detailed, and easy to use. We hope this digital compilation would contribute, even a little, to increase the access to scientific information in regions of the world where the original book has been difficult to read. We know it is not the same as having the actual book in your hands, but it is pretty close.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación de España/PGC2018-094660-B-I00//EspañaUCR::Sedes Regionales::Sede del Atlántico::Recinto de Paraíso::Finca Experimental Interdisciplinaria de Modelos Agroecológicos (FEIMA

Can computers foster human users' creativity? Theory and praxis of mixed-initiative co-creativity

This article discusses the impact of artificially intelligent computers to the process of design, play and educational activities. A computational process which has the necessary intelligence and creativity to take a proactive role in such activities can not only support human creativity but also foster it and prompt lateral thinking. The argument is made both from the perspective of human creativity, where the computational input is treated as an external stimulus which triggers re-framing of humans’ routines and mental associations, but also from the perspective of computational creativity where human input and initiative constrains the search space of the algorithm, enabling it to focus on specific possible solutions to a problem rather than globally search for the optimal. The article reviews four mixed-initiative tools (for design and educational play) based on how they contribute to human-machine co-creativity. These paradigms serve different purposes, afford different human interaction methods and incorporate different computationally creative processes. Assessing how co-creativity is facilitated on a per-paradigm basis strengthens the theoretical argument and provides an initial seed for future work in the burgeoning domain of mixed-initiative interaction.peer-reviewe

Can computers foster human users' creativity? Theory and praxis of mixed-initiative co-creativity

This article discusses the impact of artificially intelligent computers to the process of design, play and educational activities. A computational process which has the necessary intelligence and creativity to take a proactive role in such activities can not only support human creativity but also foster it and prompt lateral thinking. The argument is made both from the perspective of human creativity, where the computational input is treated as an external stimulus which triggers re-framing of humans’ routines and mental associations, but also from the perspective of computational creativity where human input and initiative constrains the search space of the algorithm, enabling it to focus on specific possible solutions to a problem rather than globally search for the optimal. The article reviews four mixed-initiative tools (for design and educational play) based on how they contribute to human-machine co-creativity. These paradigms serve different purposes, afford different human interaction methods and incorporate different computationally creative processes. Assessing how co-creativity is facilitated on a per-paradigm basis strengthens the theoretical argument and provides an initial seed for future work in the burgeoning domain of mixed-initiative interaction.peer-reviewe

Mixed-initiative co-creativity

Creating and designing with a machine: do we merely create together (co-create) or can a machine truly foster our creativity as human creators? When does such co-creation foster the co-creativity of both humans and machines? This paper investigates the simultaneous and/or iterative process of human and computational creators in a mixed-initiative fashion within the context of game design and attempts to draw from both theory and praxis towards answering the above questions. For this purpose, we first discuss the strong links between mixed-initiative co-creation and theories of human and computational creativity. We then introduce an assessment methodology of mixed-initiative co-creativity and, as a proof of concept, evaluate Sentient Sketchbook as a co-creation tool for game design. Core findings suggest that tools such as Sentient Sketchbook are not mere game authoring systems or mere enablers of creation but, instead, foster human creativity and realize mixed-initiative co-creativity.peer-reviewe

Iconoscope : Designing a Game for Fostering Creativity

This paper introduces Iconoscope, a game aiming to foster the creativity of a young target audience in formal or infor- mal educational settings. At the core of the Iconoscope de- sign is the creative, playful interpretation of word-concepts via the construction of visual icons. In addition to that, the game rewards ambiguity via a scoring system which favors icons that dichotomize public opinion. The game is played by a group of players, with each player attempting to guess which of the concepts provided by the system is represented by each opponent's created icon. Through the social interac- tion that emerges, Iconoscope prompts co-creativity within a group of players; in addition, the game o ers the poten- tial of human-machine co-creativity via computer-generated suggestions to the player's icon. Experiments with early prototypes, described in this paper, provide insight into the design process and motivate certain decisions taken for the current version of Iconoscope which, at the time of writing, is being evaluated in selected schools in Greece, Austria and the United Kingdom.peer-reviewe

Effect of alirocumab on mortality after acute coronary syndromes. An analysis of the ODYSSEY OUTCOMES randomized clinical trial

Background: Previous trials of PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin-kexin type 9) inhibitors demonstrated reductions in major adverse cardiovascular events, but not death. We assessed the effects of alirocumab on death after index acute coronary syndrome. Methods: ODYSSEY OUTCOMES (Evaluation of Cardiovascular Outcomes After an Acute Coronary Syndrome During Treatment With Alirocumab) was a double-blind, randomized comparison of alirocumab or placebo in 18 924 patients who had an ACS 1 to 12 months previously and elevated atherogenic lipoproteins despite intensive statin therapy. Alirocumab dose was blindly titrated to target achieved low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) between 25 and 50 mg/dL. We examined the effects of treatment on all-cause death and its components, cardiovascular and noncardiovascular death, with log-rank testing. Joint semiparametric models tested associations between nonfatal cardiovascular events and cardiovascular or noncardiovascular death. Results: Median follow-up was 2.8 years. Death occurred in 334 (3.5%) and 392 (4.1%) patients, respectively, in the alirocumab and placebo groups (hazard ratio [HR], 0.85; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.98; P=0.03, nominal P value). This resulted from nonsignificantly fewer cardiovascular (240 [2.5%] vs 271 [2.9%]; HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.74 to 1.05; P=0.15) and noncardiovascular (94 [1.0%] vs 121 [1.3%]; HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.59 to 1.01; P=0.06) deaths with alirocumab. In a prespecified analysis of 8242 patients eligible for ≥3 years follow-up, alirocumab reduced death (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.65 to 0.94; P=0.01). Patients with nonfatal cardiovascular events were at increased risk for cardiovascular and noncardiovascular deaths (P<0.0001 for the associations). Alirocumab reduced total nonfatal cardiovascular events (P<0.001) and thereby may have attenuated the number of cardiovascular and noncardiovascular deaths. A post hoc analysis found that, compared to patients with lower LDL-C, patients with baseline LDL-C ≥100 mg/dL (2.59 mmol/L) had a greater absolute risk of death and a larger mortality benefit from alirocumab (HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.56 to 0.90; Pinteraction=0.007). In the alirocumab group, all-cause death declined wit h achieved LDL-C at 4 months of treatment, to a level of approximately 30 mg/dL (adjusted P=0.017 for linear trend). Conclusions: Alirocumab added to intensive statin therapy has the potential to reduce death after acute coronary syndrome, particularly if treatment is maintained for ≥3 years, if baseline LDL-C is ≥100 mg/dL, or if achieved LDL-C is low. Clinical Trial Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01663402

Morphology of plants and fungi

819 ha

Introductory Mycology

xviii,632 hal,;ill,;20 c

Morphology of Plants And Fungi

x,912 hal,;ill,;23 c