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Heterogeneity in forests might promote biodiversity not only through an increase in niche volume but also through other processes, such as an increase in resources and their spatial distribution. However, negative relationships between heterogeneity and biodiversity have also been observed, which may indicate that heterogeneity acts as a filter for some species. This study examined the effects of different facets of heterogeneity in forest stands, i.e. deadwood, plant diversity, forest stand structure, and micro-scale topography, on the ecological (functional-phylogenetic) diversity and redundancy of nine animal groups: moths, true bugs, different functional groups of beetles, spiders, birds, and bats. Overall, we found positive effects of heterogeneity on ecological diversity and redundancy. Although the effect of heterogeneity at the local scale was moderate compared with the general effect of region, greater heterogeneity could be beneficial to some species groups and lead to more resilient species communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Sustainability transitions research and policy treat households in a narrow way. • A new conceptual model for deliberate household experimentation is presented. • Households appreciate the opportunity to experiment. • Households find low-waste living very difficult. • Future research and policy should explore the model in more domains and territories. Sustainability transitions research and policy treat households and the home in a narrow way. The paper reviews niche-based experimentation and social-practice theory informed sustainability transitions literature to develop a novel framework for deliberate household experimentation. The usefulness of the framework is explored in an action research project on low-waste living in Melbourne. Data was collected through interviews, weekly self-reports and three participatory workshops. The research confirms the usefulness of the framework and offers reflections on deliberate household experimentation. The conclusion is that similar to other niche spaces, household niches are instrumental in demonstrating, learning about, advocating for and critiquing different aspects of sustainability transitions. But in contrast to other niche spaces, households are deeply embedded in the everyday life of what matters to people. If the transition to low-waste living is to be successful, it needs to be planned from the perspective of everyday household life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multidimensional approaches examining complex trait-niche relationships are crucial to understand community assembly. This is particularly important across habitat transformation gradients because specialists are progressively substituted by generalists and, despite increasing functional homogenization, in both specialist and generalist communities niche partitioning is apparent. Here, in line with the continuum hypothesis, we expected that divergent trait-niche relationships would arise in passerine assemblages across the natural-to-urban transformation gradient. More specifically, we expected that traits linking form to function would be more important in less transformed habitats, while population density and traits linked to dispersal and dominance would predominate in more transformed habitats. Accordingly, we found that beak length and its interaction with tarsus length correlated significantly with isotopic niches in natural and rural habitats, where specialists predominate. Conversely, body size and aggressiveness only showed significant relationships with isotopic niches with increasing habitat transformation, where generalists prevail. Interestingly, we recorded a mix of these processes in rural habitats, which acted as a frontier between these two domains. Our study is thus important in showing that a complex combination of morphological and behavioral traits determine niche characteristics, and that these relationships are dynamic across habitat transformation gradients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a new semi-distributed differential evolution algorithm with best determination method and species evolution (DESBS). This algorithm is based on fact- evolution of species around niche. In DESBS, the best determination method determines the best individuals of population. These best individuals act as niches and the species are evolved around these best individuals. Over the period of time, each species evolved separately, using standard differential evolution algorithm. The evolving efficiency of each species evaluated separately and inefficient species are merge to nearby species. The scale-up study is performed to find out best parameter setting and the results are compared with other state-of-art algorithms like CoDE, EPSDE and standard differential evolution algorithm. The results show that the DESBS perform better than SDE in multimodal functions and CoDE, EPSDE in rotating optimization function [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research in the field of sustainability transitions (STs) has significantly extended our knowledge of variables influencing these processes. However, the field so far has barely considered religion. The bourgeoning debate on religion and ecology (RED), in contrast, highlights the potentials for religion to address environmental challenges. This article brings both academic debates together, systematizing and describing three types of religious agency from a transitions perspective: experimentation, upscaling, and regime support. These become manifest in ST processes at two levels: (a) internal transitions within religious organizations and (b) broader societal STs. Discussing transition activities of religious actors at these two levels, the article highlights the religious agency in STs, thereby contrasting existing transitions research where religion is often regarded as a passive landscape variable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we aim to understand what ICT-related automobility experiments are initiated in the Netherlands, who is involved and what promises they make, in order to get a better understanding of the magnitude and direction of change. We show an example of how to study a large variety of experiments to understand the emergence of niches before predetermining these as analytical constructs. By analyzing 118 experiments, we can identify the emergence of two niches: an automated mobility niche and a mobility services niche. The automated niche is characterized by large involvement of incumbents and a strong technological orientation. The services niche focuses more on organizational innovations and involves many new entrants. The involvement of a third actor category, ‘mature entrants’, applies to both niches and concern those actors that fall more or less in-between the common ‘incumbent-new entrant’ dichotomy. In general, experiments in the automated niche seem to strengthen the dominant role of the car in the automobility system, while services niche experiments mainly portray an altered role of the car in an alternative mobility system. We conclude that we gained a better understanding of the experiments and emerging niches, but at this stage, developments can still head in different directions. Nevertheless, the involvement of mature entrants in both niches, we argue, can be an important indication that more substantial change is likely to occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding of how environmental dynamics affect the ecological niche of populations is one of the great aims ecological research. Amphibian populations are taking part in a series of complex interactions with the environment. The aim of this study was to investigate potential differences in the use of spatial, temporal and trophic resources, and variations in size, mass, and the reproductive cycles of Phyllomedusa nordestina populations. These were studied from December 2009 to November 2010 in two different biomes, both Conservation Units: the Monumento Natural Grota do Angico (MNGA - Caatinga, a tropical semiarid climate); and the Refúgio de Vida Silvestre Mata do Junco (RVSMJ - Atlantic Forest, a tropical humid climate, in Sergipe State, Brazil). Within each area, we found the specimens in lentic environments, with grass and shrub stems as main substrates. Most specimens were calling next to water bodies, generally in open places with predominantly herbaceous vegetation. Among the consumed foods items, spiders were the most important resource in the MNGA, whereas insect larvae where the most important in the RVSMJ. Regarding the reproductive period, Caatinga specimens were present between February and July, whereas in the Atlantic Forest they were observed between January and November. This longer reproductive period may be related to the regular and evenly distributed rainfall characterizing the Atlantic Forest. The specimens in the Atlantic Forest were slightly smaller than were those from Caatinga. The reason of such differences might reside in differences in habitat types, as well as in the longer reproductive period in the Atlantic Forest area, and investments related to reproduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper responds to recent criticism from geographers that the ‘local–global’ niche model in transition studies is spatially naïve. A number of relevant geography literatures (buzz-pipelines, global production networks, policy mobilities) are mobilized to develop a more geographically nuanced understanding of niche development. The result complements the original model by providing center stage to (1) the spatialities of the production and transfer of knowledge, (2) the geographies of the actor networks involved and (3) the dynamics of embeddedness by which these global networks and knowledge discourses become entangled with place-specific power relationships, institutions and infrastructures. To illustrate this empirically, we trace the tortuous innovation journey of Bus Rapid Transit – a promising new mode of urban transportation that is spreading rapidly across the globe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Offshore wind has been positioned as a promising technology that could play a major role in moving towards more sustainable energy systems, but deployment varies significantly across countries. This article aims to explain the contrast between the boom in the UK versus stagnation in The Netherlands, by analysing the niche empowerment dynamics building on Smith and Raven's (2012) distinction between ‘fit and conform’ and ‘stretch and transform’ strategies. Analysis focuses on the actor networks and the narratives they use to enrol support for the deployment of the technology. We conclude that because the narratives mobilised are quite similar in both cases, an explanation must lie with the actors. We argue that the UK's relative success is partly the result of the presence of a proactive ‘system builder’ in the form of the Crown Estate which plays a central role in powerful public–private actor networks around offshore wind. We also conclude that the Smith and Raven ‘protected space’ framework fails to capture how different national institutional settings shape the possibilities for empowering work of technology advocates as our analysis shows that despite the highly international nature of the offshore wind sector, attempts by multi-national companies result in different outcomes in different countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Controlled modulation of immune response, especially the balance between immunostimulatory and immunosuppressive responses, is critical for a variety of clinical applications, including immunotherapies against cancer and infectious diseases, treatment of autoimmune disorders, transplant surgeries, regenerative medicine, prosthetic implants, etc. Our ability to precisely modify both innate and adaptive immune responses could provide new therapeutic directions in a variety of diseases. In the context of vaccines and immunotherapies, the interplay between antigen-presenting cells (e.g. dendritic cells and macrophages), B cells, T helper and killer subtypes, and regulatory T- and B-cell responses is critical for generating effective immunity against cancer, infectious diseases and autoimmune diseases. In recent years, immunoengineering has emerged as a new field that uses quantitative engineering tools to understand molecular-, cellular- and system-level interactions of the immune system and to develop design-driven approaches to control and modulate immune responses. Biomaterials are an integral part of this engineering toolbox and can exploit the intrinsic biological and mechanical cues of the immune system to directly modulate and train immune cells and direct their response to a particular phenotype. A large body of literature exists on strategies to evade or suppress the immune response in implants, transplantation and regenerative medicine. This review specifically focuses on the use of biomaterials for immunostimulation and controlled modulation, especially in the context of vaccines and immunotherapies against cancer, infectious diseases and autoimmune disorders. Bioengineering smart systems that can simultaneously deliver multiple bioactive agents in a controlled manner or can work as a niche for in situ priming and modulation of the immune system could significantly enhance the efficacy of next-generation immunotherapeutics. In this review, we describe our perspective on the important design aspects for the development of biomaterials that can actively modulate immune responses by stimulating receptor complexes and cells, and delivering multiple immunomodulatory biomolecules. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Basic & Applied Ecology is the property of Urban & Fischer Verlag and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: Understanding and supporting learning for different emerging low carbon energy supply technology fields is a key issue for policymakers, investors and researchers. A range of contrasting analytical approaches are available: energy system modelling using learning rates provides abstracted, quantitative and output oriented accounts, while innovation studies research offers contextualised, qualitative and process oriented accounts. Drawing on research literature and expert consultation on learning for several different emerging energy supply technologies, this paper introduces a ‘learning pathways’ matrix to help bridge between the rich contextualisation of innovation studies and the systematic comparability of learning rates. The learning pathways matrix characterises technology fields by their relative orientation to radical or incremental innovation, and to concentrated or distributed organisation. A number of archetypal learning pathways are outlined to help learning rates analyses draw on innovation studies research, so as to better acknowledge the different niche origins and learning dynamics of emerging energy supply technologies. Finally, a future research agenda is outlined, based on socio-technical learning scenarios for accelerated energy innovation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Cryptogamie Mycologie is the property of Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: According to a classic paradigm, surgery only plays a palliative role in patients with metastatic cancer in whom the possibility of a radical resection is non-viable. However, some convincing data proceeding from two randomized trials carried out in patients with metastatic kidney cancer have challenged this assumption. The hypothesis proposes that the resection of the primary tumour in metastatic cancer is the first generation of forthcoming therapies aiming at stem cell niches. It will independently improve the prognosis of metastatic cancer in patients that are fit enough to tolerate major surgery. The phenomenon of late relapses could also be explained on this basis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In studies of large scale systems innovations or technological transitions, niches have been given a prominent role as incubators for the seeds of future technological systems. It is often argued that immature technologies rely on niches for their development, before they are able to compete in mainstream markets. This paper combines insights from economic theory and from technology studies to formulate a framework for understanding the dynamics of technological change in niches, and applies this framework to the case of fuel cell Auxiliary Power Units (APUs). We conclude that the choice of technology for APUs will be of critical importance in determining the role this market could have in shaping future developments in hydrogen and fuel cells. However, a number of factors are not strictly dependent on the technology used in fuel cell APUs. These comprise factors influencing external economies of scale, network effects, the behaviour of users and expectations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]