Project description:BackgroundThe Systematic Review (SR) Toolbox was developed in 2014 to collate tools that can be used to support the systematic review process. Since its inception, the breadth of evidence synthesis methodologies has expanded greatly. This work describes the process of updating the SR Toolbox in 2022 to reflect these changes in evidence synthesis methodology. We also briefly analysed included tools and guidance to identify any potential gaps in what is currently available to researchers.MethodsWe manually extracted all guidance and software tools contained within the SR Toolbox in February 2022. A single reviewer, with a second checking a proportion, extracted and analysed information from records contained within the SR Toolbox using Microsoft Excel. Using this spreadsheet and Microsoft Access, the SR Toolbox was updated to reflect expansion of evidence synthesis methodologies and brief analysis conducted.ResultsThe updated version of the SR Toolbox was launched on 13 May 2022, with 235 software tools and 112 guidance documents included. Regarding review families, most software tools (N = 223) and guidance documents (N = 78) were applicable to systematic reviews. However, there were fewer tools and guidance documents applicable to reviews of reviews (N = 66 and N = 22, respectively), while qualitative reviews were less served by guidance documents (N = 19). In terms of review production stages, most guidance documents surrounded quality assessment (N = 70), while software tools related to searching and synthesis (N = 84 and N = 82, respectively). There appears to be a paucity of tools and guidance relating to stakeholder engagement (N = 2 and N = 3, respectively).ConclusionsThe SR Toolbox provides a platform for those undertaking evidence syntheses to locate guidance and software tools to support different aspects of the review process across multiple review types. However, this work has also identified potential gaps in guidance and software that could inform future research.
Project description:Widespread concern over declines in pollinating insects has led to numerous recommendations of which "pollinator-friendly" plants to grow and help turn urban environments into valuable habitat for such important wildlife. Whilst communicated widely by organisations and readily taken up by gardeners, the provenance, accuracy, specificity and timeliness of such recommendations remain unclear. Here we use data (6429 records) gathered through a UK-wide citizen science programme (BeeWatch) to determine food plant use by the nations' bumblebee species, and show that much of the plant use recorded does not reflect practitioner recommendations: correlation between the practitioners' bumblebee-friendly plant list (376 plants compiled from 14 different sources) and BeeWatch records (334 plants) was low (r = 0.57), and only marginally higher than the correlation between BeeWatch records and the practitioners' pollinator-friendly plant list (465 plants from 9 different sources; r = 0.52). We found pollinator-friendly plant lists to lack independence (correlation between practitioners' bumblebee-friendly and pollinator-friendly lists: r = 0.75), appropriateness and precision, thus failing to recognise the non-binary nature of food-plant preference (bumblebees used many plants, but only in small quantities, e.g. lavender-the most popular plant in the BeeWatch database-constituted, at most, only 11% of records for any one bumblebee species) and stark differences therein among species and pollinator groups. We call for the provision and use of up-to-date dynamic planting recommendations driven by live (citizen science) data, with the possibility to specify pollinator species or group, to powerfully support transformative personal learning journeys and pollinator-friendly management of garden spaces.
Project description:Neuroprotective strategies that limit secondary tissue loss and/or improve functional outcomes have been identified in multiple animal models of ischemic, hemorrhagic, traumatic and nontraumatic cerebral lesions. However, use of these potential interventions in human randomized controlled studies has generally given disappointing results. In this paper, we summarize the current status in terms of neuroprotective strategies, both in the immediate and later stages of acute brain injury in adults. We also review potential new strategies and highlight areas for future research.
Project description:There is growing interest in urban pollinator communities, although they may be subject to biotic homogenization in densely artificial landscapes. Paris (France) is one of the densest cities in the world, yet over the years many insect pollinator species have been reported there. We conducted in-depth surveys of Parisian green spaces for two years, in order to improve our knowledge of these assemblages. We explored several types of green spaces, monitoring pollinators throughout their activity season. We listed 118 species of wild bees and 37 species of hoverflies, updating pre-existing lists with 32 additional species. Bee assemblages showed functional diversity with 18.5% parasitic species and 17.7% oligolectic species. We also found several bee and hoverfly species under special conservation status. Over the study period, we observed seasonal succession of species, with diversified phenological niches. The greatest taxonomic and functional diversity was found in green spaces combining several habitats with ecological management. Despite its very dense urbanism, Paris is home to diverse pollinator communities. As a result, nearly half of the wild bee species of the wider Ile-de-France administrative region can be found within the city. This highlights the need to also consider dense urban environments in insect pollinator conservation strategies.
Project description:This review summarizes the recent findings on the development of different types of single and multitarget nanoparticles for disease detection and drug delivery to the brain, focusing on promising active principles encapsulated and nanoparticle surface modification and functionalization. Functionalized nanoparticles have emerged as promising tools for the diagnosis and treatment of brain disorders, offering a novel approach to addressing complex neurological challenges. They can act as drug delivery vehicles, transporting one or multiple therapeutic agents across the blood-brain barrier and precisely releasing them at the site of action. In diagnostics, functionalized nanoparticles can serve as highly sensitive contrast agents for imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scans. By attaching targeting ligands to the nanoparticles, they can selectively accumulate in the affected areas of the brain, enhancing the accuracy of disease detection. This enables early diagnosis and monitoring of conditions like Alzheimer's or Parkinson's diseases. While the field is still evolving, functionalized nanoparticles represent a promising path for advancing our ability to diagnose and treat brain disorders with greater precision, reduced invasiveness, and improved therapeutic outcomes.
Project description:Despite the several-thousand-fold increase of brain volume during the course of mammalian evolution, the hierarchy of brain oscillations remains remarkably preserved, allowing for multiple-time-scale communication within and across neuronal networks at approximately the same speed, irrespective of brain size. Deployment of large-diameter axons of long-range neurons could be a key factor in the preserved time management in growing brains. We discuss the consequences of such preserved network constellation in mental disease, drug discovery, and interventional therapies.
Project description:Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) are electrical conductive materials with comparably low absorption of electromagnetic waves within the visible region of the spectrum. They are usually prepared with thin film technologies and used in opto-electrical apparatus such as solar cells, displays, opto-electrical interfaces and circuitries. Here, based on a modern database-system, aspects of up-to-date material selections and applications for transparent conducting oxides are sketched, and references for detailed information are given. As n-type TCOs are of special importance for thin film solar cell production, indium-tin oxide (ITO) and the reasonably priced aluminum-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al), are discussed with view on preparation, characterization and special occurrences. For completion, the recently frequently mentioned typical p-type delafossite TCOs are described as well, providing a variety of references, as a detailed discussion is not reasonable within an overview publication.
Project description:Information exchange is a crucial process in groups, but to date, no one has systematically examined how a group member's relationship with a group can undermine this process. The current research examined whether disidentified group members (i.e., members who have a negative relationship with their group) strategically undermine the group outcome in information exchange. Disidentification has been found to predict negative group-directed behaviour, but at the same time disidentified members run the risk of being punished or excluded from the group when displaying destructive behaviour. In three studies we expected and found that disidentified group members subtly act against the interest of the group by withholding important private information, while at the same time they keep up appearances by sharing important information that is already known by the other group members. These findings stress the importance of taking a group member's relationship with a group into account when considering the process of information exchange.
Project description:Gold standard datasets on protein complexes are key to inferring and validating protein-protein interactions. Despite much progress in characterizing protein complexes in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, numerous researchers still use as reference the manually curated complexes catalogued by the Munich Information Center of Protein Sequences database. Although this catalogue has served the community extremely well, it no longer reflects the current state of knowledge. Here, we report two catalogues of yeast protein complexes as results of systematic curation efforts. The first one, denoted as CYC2008, is a comprehensive catalogue of 408 manually curated heteromeric protein complexes reliably backed by small-scale experiments reported in the current literature. This catalogue represents an up-to-date reference set for biologists interested in discovering protein interactions and protein complexes. The second catalogue, denoted as YHTP2008, comprises 400 high-throughput complexes annotated with current literature evidence. Among them, 262 correspond, at least partially, to CYC2008 complexes. Evidence for interacting subunits is collected for 68 complexes that have only partial or no overlap with CYC2008 complexes, whereas no literature evidence was found for 100 complexes. Some of these partially supported and as yet unsupported complexes may be interesting candidates for experimental follow up. Both catalogues are freely available at: http://wodaklab.org/cyc2008/.