Modern botanical gardens harbour collections that are usually a mixture of exotic and indigenous plants, frequently linked to the history of the garden. Their purpose is to awe or please their... Show moreModern botanical gardens harbour collections that are usually a mixture of exotic and indigenous plants, frequently linked to the history of the garden. Their purpose is to awe or please their visitors, to stimulate curiosity, raise awareness about the human impact on the environment and sometimes to actively preserve species that are threatened in their natural habitats. The earliest botanical gardens, however, started as places where prospective physicians learned to recognise medicinal plants. In this chapter we examineseveral herbaria collected in, or related to, the Leiden Hortus botanicus, from its origins to the mid-eighteenth century, showing how the collection, cultivation and identification of plant species intertwined with the education of physicians and pharmacists. Show less
Andel, T.R. van; de Campos Francozo, M; Alcantara Rodriguez, M. 2023
Direct plant growth promotion can be achieved by several mechanisms. Indirect plant growth promotion occurs by protection of the plant against pathogens, most often fungi but also bacteria and... Show moreDirect plant growth promotion can be achieved by several mechanisms. Indirect plant growth promotion occurs by protection of the plant against pathogens, most often fungi but also bacteria and viruses. This chapter discusses the role of companies in the complicated, time-consuming, and expensive process from harvesting seeds to food on the plate. Mycorrhizal fungi live in symbiosis with more than 80% of the land plants. Mycorrhizal fungi can be considered as an extension of the root system. A potentially valuable product is often patented to protect its application. Discoveries at universities are published, often in specialized journals. The authorization process of plant protection products consists of evaluation of dossiers of the active microorganism and of the formulated product. Many chemical firms have recognized the demand for biological products and have become active in the biological crop protection business. Show less
This chapter formulates and applies a range of learning analytics methods for the analysis of computer-mediated communication (CMC) to improve our understanding of CMC text in educational contexts.... Show moreThis chapter formulates and applies a range of learning analytics methods for the analysis of computer-mediated communication (CMC) to improve our understanding of CMC text in educational contexts. It uses data from a case study in which foreign language learners at a Japanese university were given the opportunity to interact with their peers in a collaborative online space, part of a strategic self-regulated learning course (N=178). Students generated about 700 online postings on the platform Google Classroom. This chapter demonstrates how Social Network Analysis can be applied to analyse and visualise the ways students negotiate content, discover new resources, develop critical literacy skills, and above all, socialise. It is shown how students establish rapport online and how they give rise to a shared repertoire of experiences, stories, tools, and ways of addressing recurring problems. Show less
Li, C.; Ma, J.; Groenewoud, A.; Ren, J.; Liu, S.; Snaar-Jagalska, B.E.; Dijke, P. ten 2022
The most important factor that defines citizen science is that non-professional scientists contribute to scientific research. Therefore, it is important to recognise the perspectives and... Show moreThe most important factor that defines citizen science is that non-professional scientists contribute to scientific research. Therefore, it is important to recognise the perspectives and experiences of these participants. Projects may provide ways for participants to contribute to scientific research at different stages of the scientific process according to different levels of engagement. Understanding what motivates citizen scientists to engage in a project, and subsequently matching the project to these motivations, will help project leaders to recruit and retain participants. In addition, it is important to understand what benefits participants gain from engagement in citizen science projects. For individual projects, this will help ensure that scientists as well as participants benefit. For the wider field of citizen science, this will provide evidence of the potential impact of citizen science on participants. However, participants may also encounter challenges during their engagement with citizen science projects. Project leaders and scientists should plan in advance to address these challenges and ensure that relevant expertise is present in the project team. Keywords Citizen engagement · Participant moti Show less
Gamelon, M.; Vriend, S.; Visser, M.E.; Hallmann, C.A.; Lommen, S.T.E.; Jongejans, E. 2021
Various types of demographic data can be collected in the field: population censuses, capture–mark–recapture data, and so on. These data sources share common demographic information about the... Show moreVarious types of demographic data can be collected in the field: population censuses, capture–mark–recapture data, and so on. These data sources share common demographic information about the studied population. Bayesian integrated population models (IPM) make efficient use of these different types of demographic data by jointly analysing them. This chapter discusses the advantages and the possibilities offered by this integrated approach. It describes the different steps required to build an IPM and illustrates the usefulness of this approach using two case studies. The first case study is a short-lived bird species, the blue tit, taking advantage of different data sources collected in a Dutch population to highlight how an integrated analysis might help to obtain a comprehensive picture of its dynamics. This IPM also assesses whether and how beech crop size might influence vital rates. The second case study is an invasive plant species, the common ragweed. The chapter illustrates how seedling data, plant data, and seed bank data could be analysed simultaneously to estimate key vital rates such as the probability that a seedling survives up to flowering. Show less
The methylation of arginine residues in numerous protein targets is a post-translational modification that has gained increased interest in the scientific community over the past two decades.... Show moreThe methylation of arginine residues in numerous protein targets is a post-translational modification that has gained increased interest in the scientific community over the past two decades. Arginine methylation is performed by the dedicated family of protein arginine methyltransferases and is known to be involved in a plethora of cellular pathways and biochemical mechanisms in both healthy and disease states. The development of inhibitors for these enzymes for use as biological tools can lead to a more detailed understanding of the functions of the different members of the PRMT family. In addition, a number of recent studies point towards PRMTs as therapeutic targets for a number of diseases and the first clinical trials with compounds inhibiting PRMTs are now underway. We here provide a broad overview of the current status of the inhibitors that have been developed against PRMTs using both high-throughput screening and rational design approaches. Show less
Bacteria thrive in virtually all environments. Like all other living organisms, bacteria may encounter various types of stresses, to which cells need to adapt. In this chapter, we describe how... Show moreBacteria thrive in virtually all environments. Like all other living organisms, bacteria may encounter various types of stresses, to which cells need to adapt. In this chapter, we describe how cells cope with stressful conditions and how this may lead to dramatic morphological changes. These changes may not only allow harmless cells to withstand environmental insults but can also benefit pathogenic bacteria by enabling them to escape from the immune system and the activity of antibiotics. A better understanding of stress-induced morphogenesis will help us to develop new approaches to combat such harmful pathogens. Show less
Volten, H.; Devilee, J.; Apituley, A.; Carton, L.; Grothe, M.; Keller, C.U.; ... ; Wesseling, J. 2018
Here we describe conditions under which two reporter genes, encoding β-glucuronidase (gusA) and β-galactosidase (lacZ), can be used to simultaneously distinguish between the sites of expression of... Show moreHere we describe conditions under which two reporter genes, encoding β-glucuronidase (gusA) and β-galactosidase (lacZ), can be used to simultaneously distinguish between the sites of expression of plant and bacterial genes, respectively, in symbiotic tissues. These conditions involve the fixation of cytoplasmic proteins with cold methanol before detecting gusA expression, and the addition of detergents to the incubation solution in order to inactivate endogenous plant β-galactosidases. Show less
Immunolocalisation and in situ hybridisation allow the detection of proteins and RNA respectively, in individual cells of different tissue types. Hybridisation on serial 5–8 μm sections is most... Show moreImmunolocalisation and in situ hybridisation allow the detection of proteins and RNA respectively, in individual cells of different tissue types. Hybridisation on serial 5–8 μm sections is most frequently performed with tissue embedded in paraffin wax but it is often difficult to obtain high-resolution sections from soft tissue with this embedding process. To overcome this, alternative localisation protocols have been developed utilising plastic resins. We have used plastic embedded tissue from Lotus japonicus roots and young nodules successfully in immunolocalisation experiments and developed a protocol that can also be adapted for in situ RNA localisation studies. The different parameters tested are described, as well as the use of alkaline phosphatase- or fluorescently-conjugated secondary antibodies. Show less
