5,190 Matching Annotations
  1. Jul 2018
    1. principles from which mathematical formula are deduced of such a kind that they apply to every case which presents itself

      The analytical method begins with empirical observations, from which principles and formula are inferred (which can be applied to other cases).

    1. Global modeling results

      Climate models are created using complex mathematical representations of the interactions between the atmosphere, oceans, land surface, ice, and the sun. Such models are tested against real world data and once they can realistically reproduce past climate conditions, then they are used to simulate future conditions.

      Different models might use different mathematical equations in their calculations, some of which may have large uncertainties involved for certain environmental interactions. As our understanding of the environment improves, the models also improve in their predictive capabilities but because of the complexity of the global Earth environment there is still more to discover about the world around us.

      For more about the reliability of climate models, visit Skeptical Science: https://www.skepticalscience.com/climate-models.htm

    2. mid-tropospheric

      The atmosphere is not all uniform. There are layers of the atmosphere which differ in gas concentrations, temperatures, and density.

      The troposphere is the lowest layer and extends from sea level up to about 6.2 miles (10 km) into the atmosphere. This region is where weather occurs and the layer above is known as the stratosphere.

      Image from the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.

    3. vertical shear

      Vertical wind shear is a change in wind speed or direction with change in altitude. So if wind moves rapidly upwards or downwards, it would be a vertical shear.

      Strong vertical wind shear tends to inhibit cyclone development, but may also extend the lifetimes of individual thunderstorms.

    4. tropical cyclones

      Meteorologists use the generic term 'tropical cyclone' to describe a rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or subtropical waters. These large scale air masses tend to spiral around an atmospheric region of low pressure.

      Different places around the world will call these storm systems by different terms: hurricane, typhoon, or tropical cyclone.

      For more information visit: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/cyclone.html

  2. Jun 2018
    1. some participants may already be familiar with testing materials, particularly when these materials are used by many research groups

      Some research groups make their data and testing materials widely available for others to use.

      A feature from the American Psychological Association lists several advantages for doing this, including making science widely accessible and being able to reproduce previous results.

      However, participants who have already seen test materials in a different study might not give answers that reflect what they truly think, which may affect the study's results.

    1. ring-cleaved

      When a ring is cleaved, a set of atoms that were bonded together in a closed shape, like the hexagon in part B of the above figure, experience a bond breaking that opens up the closed shape.

    2. appendages

      We often think of appendages as being arms or leg in animals, but in bacteria they are thin tubes that emerge from the cell wall. Bacterial appendages help bacteria move and attach themselves to surfaces.

    1. FLAG-tag (which we refer to as the spaghetti monster, SM)

      A specific sequence of amino acids that can be added to proteins to "tag" them. Antibodies have been developed that have high affinity for the tag, so it is a popular choice in this kind of visualization experiment.

    2. multi-epitope tags

      An epitope is the part of a molecule that an antibody recognizes and binds to (usually as part of an immune response).

      Epitope tagging takes advantage of this by creating special versions of proteins that have specific epitopes on them. The proteins can then be detected using antibodies that bind to the specific epitope.

    3. messenger RNA (mRNA)

      A type of RNA that transmits information from DNA (where genetic information is stored) to the ribosome (where proteins are created from genetic information).

    1. hydrological regime

      refers to variations in the state and characteristics of a water body which are regularly repeated in time and space and which pass through phases, e.g. seasonal. (DJ)

    2. hydric conditions

      soil that formed under conditions of saturation, flooding, or ponding long enough during the growing season to develop anaerobic conditions in the upper part.

    3. vegetation dieback

      common symptom or name of disease, especially of woody plants, characterized by progressive death of twigs, branches, shoots, or roots, starting at the tips.

    4. marsh

      wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species. Marshes can often be found at the edges of lakes and streams, where they form a transition between the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. They are often dominated by grasses, rushes or reeds.

    1. Acknowledgments

      The acknowledgements section of scientific papers provides several pieces of information. This section identifies the funding sources that supported the work, as well as individuals who contributed to the research that didn't reach the level of being added as an author. This section also often provides details about the source of materials, data, information, and sometimes even ideas that are included in the paper. Here, the acknowledgements include links to the climate projections and reconstructions.

    2. RCP2.6 (16 simulations). RCP2.6 approximates the 2°C target

      This Pathway has the global emission peak between 2010–2020, and decrease substantially after that, with a reduction in the total concentration starting after 2050. This RCP results in a projection near the 2°C target.

    3. Representative Concentration Pathway

      Models of atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations that were developed to provide researchers with a common set of pathways and their data for modeling and research. These pathways were used in the IPCC report published in 2014, in advance of the 2015 Paris Conference. The numbers refer to the increase in radiative forcing values The numbers refer to the increase in radiative forcing values (W/m<sup>2</sup>—a measure of how much more solar energy Earth is retaining because of the greenhouse effect) that would be expected in 2100 compared to pre-industrial levels.

    4. yr B.P.

      The formal term Before Present (B.P.) refers to years before 1950, which was set as the dividing point during the early years of radiocarbon dating. When the term is not capitalized, that may mean it is being used informally and has a different time frame for the "present," such as the year when the paper is published or the most recent year of the reported data.

      Were the authors using the term formally or informally? Given what you now know, what does the "present" mean in this description?

    5. historical reconstruction

      Some climate variables and characteristics, such as temperature, leave no direct evidence of their values and variations in the historical record before humans began to observe and record them. However, researchers can use analysis and modeling of related data that are available, such as pollen cores, to build reconstructions of these characteristics and variables, and fill in gaps. In this case, a model uses pollen core data to reconstruct information about climate and the types of plant ecosystems in the Mediterranean Basin over the past 10,000 years.

    6. preindustrial level

      The Industrial Revolution led to a large increase in the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of human activities, so this is a common dividing point for looking at climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change sets this dividing line at the year 1750 for their reports.

    7. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

      The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international treaty with the objective of "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system." In other words, to limit human-produced greenhouse gases in order to stabilize Earth's global climate.

      The treaty is a framework for negotiating future international treaties for action on those goals. It entered into force in 1994 after it was ratified by enough countries.

  3. May 2018
    1. Forest tenure reform

      Whereby land rights are formally recognized for people living on or near the forest, so that they may benefit from its use (or of harvesting of some natural forest products).

    2. restoration-friendly cultivation

      A term coined by Liu and colleagues that argues for an unconventional introduction approach, in which orchid populations planted in natural forests are sustainably harvested.

    3. limestone landscapes

      Sedimentary rocks (limestone landscapes) are formed from pre-existing rocks or pieces of once-living organisms. They form when deposits accumulate forming distinctive layers.

    1. Maxwell and Lorentz,

      James Clerk Maxwell and Hendrik Antoon Lorentz were physicists of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Their work is the foundation of the branch of physics called electromagnetism.

    2. theories of principle

      This is the second kind of theory that Einstein delineates. He tells us that a theory of principle is one that is formed from the most consistent and basic observations seen across all natural phenomena.

    1. subtropical dry forest

      Subtropical dry broadleaf forest biome, also known as tropical dry forest, monsoon forest, vine thicket, vine scrub and dry rain forest is located at tropical and subtropical latitude.

    2. captive-breeding

      The process of breeding animals in controlled environments within well-defined settings, such as wildlife reserves, zoos and other commercial and noncommercial conservation facilities.

    3. primary larval host plant

      The first host plant supplies food resources to micropredators, which have an evolutionarily stable relationship with their hosts - similar to ectoparasitism.

    1. hypermorphic

      Hypermorphic refers to mutations in the gene that result in an increase of gene expression. Therefore, hypermorphic alleles result in hyper-pigmentation as described in the paper.

    2. synergistic effects

      Synergistic effects refers to an effect where the combination of both is greater than the sum of the individual parts. So the whole is greater than its individual parts.

    3. aberrant

      Aberrant refers to something that differs from the accepted standard, so it could be something that is abnormal. For example aberrant Edn3 expression is that expression which differs from the norm.

    4. non-cutaneous

      Cutaneous refers to something in the body relating to the skin. Therefore, non-cutaneous refers to something that does not have to do with the skin. For example non-cutaneous melanocytes would be those that grow in areas not relating the the skin.

    5. murine NC cultures

      This study was done on the neural crests taken from murine cultures, so it is also an in vitro study of the effects of endothelin on the development on melanocytes but this time on a different species.

    6. contact inhibition

      Contact inhibition is a process in the body that regulates cell growth. For example, when the cells come in contact with each other, its a sign that its time to stop growing, hence the name contact inhibition.

    7. in vitro

      In vitro refers to a study that took place outside of the living organism, so in a test tube or culture dish, etc. The opposite would be an in vivo experiment that takes pace inside the organism.

    8. dorsolateral

      A dorsolateral pathway is one that is on the dorsal and lateral surfaces. Lateral refers to something away from the mid line of the body and dorsal refers to the upper back of an animal.

    9. melanoblasts

      Melanoblasts are cells that become melanocytes. They proliferate and pile up in the migrating stage area. Then they become part of developing hair follicles, where they differentiate into melanocytes.

    10. endogenous

      Endogenous refers to something that originates from within an organism, or something that has an internal cause or origin. A promoter that is endogenous originates from within.

    11. aganglionosis

      Aganglionosis is characteristic in megacolon and it means that there are no ganglia present. Ganglia, or ganglion cells, are a type of nerve cell responsible for moving food in the colon. As a result, their absence can lead to constipation.

    12. melanogenic

      Melanin is the skin-darkening pigment produced in melanocytes. Therefore, melanogenic refers to a melanocytes ability to produce melanin. If a substance is melanogenic it stimulates a cell to produce melanin.

    13. mitogenic

      Mitogenic refers to stimulating a cell to start dividing through mitosis. For example, a mitogen is a chemical that stimulates division in a cell, so it has mitogenic properties.

    14. kinases

      A kinase is an enzyme that catalyzes the transfer of a phosphate group from ATP to a desired molecule. For example, a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase is in charge of transferring a phosphate group from ATP to tyrosine in proteins. Tyrosine is one of the 20 amino acids found in proteins.

    15. adenyl cyclase

      An enzyme that is in charge of catalyzing the formation of cyclic AMP into ATP. To catalyze means to increase the rate of the reaction, so this enzymes speeds up the rate at which ATP is produced from cyclic AMP. ATP is the energy molecule of the body.

    16. heterotrimetic

      Refers to a macromolecule that is made up of at least three subunits where one of the subunits of the molecule differs from the other two. A G-Protein is an example, because it is made up of an alpha, beta, and gamma subunits.

    17. G-protein coupled

      G-Protein Coupled Receptors are located in the cell membrane of eukaryotes. Their function is to receive signals from the outside, that will then produce a cellular response. There are many different types of these receptors talked about in the paper.

    18. paracrine factors

      Paracrine Factors are produced by certain cells in order to communicate with adjacent cells around them. They are a form of signaling between cells to alter the behavior of cells around them.

    19. Antagonists

      A receptor antagonist functions by blocking a biological response by binding to the receptor that would have previously stimulated this response. For example, for the endothilin receptor type b (Ednrb) discussed in this paper, an antagonist would bind to it and block the response that would have been produced originally. So they function as biological blockers.

    20. metastases

      Metastases refers to when a malignant tumor grows at a site away from the original site. For example, if you say that lung cancer metastasized to the liver it means that the lung cancer is now also found in the liver. It developed at a site away from the original, in this case from the lungs to the liver.

    21. differentiation

      In cells, differentiation refers to a cell that is less specialized becoming more specialized. This occurs during development, so melanocyte differentiation is when developing cells specialize into melanocytes.

    22. precursors

      A precursor is something that happens before something else. So in terms of biology it refers to a cell or tissue that will give rise to another cell or tissue that is more specialized, or mature. In this paper, a melanocyte precursors are cells that came before and will differentiate into melanocytes.

    23. neural crest (NC)

      The neural crest is an embryonic structure in vertebrates that gives rise to many types of cells, primarily cells of the peripheral nervous system. So during embryonic development, the neural crest differentiates and migrates to give rise to specialized cell types. They also give rise to melanocytes which will be further discussed in the paper.

    24. Endothelin (Edn)

      Endothelin is a vasoconstrictive peptide produced in endothelial cells. Vasoconstriction means that these peptides constrict blood vessels, increasing blood pressure as a result. These peptides are composed of 21 amino acids and there are three types: endothelin 1, endothelin 2, and endothelin 3.

    1. transdiagnostic

      Characteristics, symptoms, or behaviors that are shared across different psychological diseases and that may represent similar underlying causes.

      The authors use the term to highlight the similarities between CUD and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The connection may represent a similar underlying mechanism and suggests that CUD patients could be more prone to developing compulsive habits.

    2. striatal dopaminergic neurotransmission

      The flow of dopamine within the striatum.

      The striatum is a part of the brain that is involved in the motor and reward system. This part of the brain receives dopamine to mediate motor and reward behaviors.

      Dopaminergic neurotransmission is the regulation of the release of dopamine from the terminal end of a neuron (axon), the clearance of it (mediated by transporters), diffusion, and its metabolism.

    3. dopamine receptor blockade

      A drug that competes with dopamine for binding to the dopamine receptor. When the drug binds to the dopamine receptor, dopamine can no longer bind to it, preventing the effect of dopamine signaling.

    4. Preclinical evidence

      Evidence gathered using model systems like rats and mice. Model organisms are useful for understanding how a treatment or therapy might affect humans, and are often used extensively before human trials begin.

    1. MITF binding site

      A locus in DNA where the Melanogenesis Associated Transcription Factor (MITF) binds to exert its effects on gene expression.

      MITF earned its name because it is a transcription factor associated with pigmentation. So, MITF binding sites are likely to be near genes involved in pigmentation.

    2. FST

      The F<sub>ST</sub> is the fixation index, which describes genetic differences between populations by measuring genetic differences among and between populations.

      An F<sub>ST</sub> value close to 1.0 indicates that the populations being compared are highly divergent (very different) from one another.

    3. lysosomal protein

      A lysosome is an organelle in animal cells where unwanted material gets digested. A lysosomal protein is a molecule that performs its function inside (or on the surface of) the lysosome.

    1. herbarium vouchers

      A pressed plant sample deposited and used for future research, this is used when a specific plant cannot be determined during the field work, so it is later researched to determine its species.