Input: Claim: All cognitive processes are the same across cultures. [SEP] Text: 137 0. 002 -0. 0001 0. 000–0. 000 -2. 236 0. 025 Invertebrates (k = 26) Intercept 0. 1486 -0. 322–0. 620 0. 618 0. 536 Number of Cities 0. 1480 0. 073–0. 223 3. 882 < 0. 001 Reptiles (k = 43) Intercept 1. 6053 0. 848–2. 362 4. 157 < 0. 001 Trait (morphological) -0. 7747 -1. 535 – -0. 014 -1. 996 0. 046 Distance -0. 0008 -0. 001–0. 000 -2. 763 0. 006 For birds, the best model, with the lowest AICc value, contained the predictors of number of cities, distance between cities, and difference in human population density, each of which significantly explained model heterogeneity (Q = 631. 46, df = 164, P < 0. 001; Table 1). This is similar to the model containing all species, which is not surprising, as approximately 67% of the effect sizes in our study are accounted by bird species. For invertebrates, the best model only contained number of cities as a predictor, and this also significantly explained model heterogeneity (Q = 68. 28, df = 24, P < 0. 001; Table 1). For reptiles, the best model contained trait and distance between cities as predictors (Q = 114. 02, df = 40, P < 0. 001; Table 1). Morphological traits had an average 0. 775 lower standardized mean difference between cities compared to behavioral traits, i. e. , the average mean difference in behavioral phenotypes between cities is larger than that of morphological phenotypes (as we predicted). However, this result should be taken with caution as behavioral estimates are on a single lizard species (Anolis cristatellus) across only two studies. There were no physiological traits in the dataset in reptiles. Within the top model for birds, phylogeny attributed approximately 22%, paper attributed 9%, and effect size id attributed 49% of the total variance. Within the top model for invertebrates, phylogeny attributed approximately 41%, paper attributed 15%, and effect size id attributed 16% of the total variance.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Rhizobacteria enhance plant growth by fixing atmospheric nitrogen. [SEP] Text: ), Mechanisms of Resistance to Plant Diseases, Kluwer, Dordrecht 574. 10. 1007/978-94-011-3937-3_13 2005. Modulation of plant ethylene levels by the bacterial enzyme ACC deaminase. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. , 251, 1–7. 10. 1016/j. femsle. 2005. 07. 030 of Science®2009. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria associated with leguminous and non-leguminous plants. Plant Soil, 321, 35–59. 10. 1007/s11104-008-9833-8 CASWeb of Science®2001. Characterization of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria isolated from polluted soils and containing 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase. Can. J. Microbiol. , 47, 642–652. of Science®1993. Evidence for direct utilization of a siderophore, ferrioxamine B, in axenically grown cucumber. Environ. , 16, 579–585. 10. 1111/j. 1365-3040. 1993. tb00906. x CASWeb of Science®2004. Isolation and characterization of soybean-associated bacteria and their potential for plant growth promotion. Environ. Microbiol. , 6, 1244–1251. 10. 1111/j. 1462-2920. 2004. 00658. x of Science®2007. Solubilization of zinc compounds by the diazotrophic, plant growth promoting bacterium Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus. Chemosphere, 66, 1794–1798. 10. 1016/j. chemosphere. 2006. 07. 067 of Science®2007. Chromium reduction, plant growth-promoting potentials, and metal solubilization by Bacillus sp. isolated from alluvial soil. Curr. Microbiol. , 54, 237–243. 10. 1007/s00284-006-0451-5 of Science®1991. Sulfur oxidizing bacteria as plant growth promoting rhizobacteria for canola. Can. J. Microbiol. , 37, 521–529. 10. 1139/m91-088 CASWeb of Science®2010.

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: Engineered microbes have been used to produce insulin and other important medications at scale. [SEP] Text: Recorded neurons (Ch2, green) are located two millimetres apart from the illuminated region in the caudal direction. (b) Representative traces showing membrane potential effect of PV interneurons photoactivation (blue line) during up states. (c) Average membrane potential values before (Pre) and after (Post) light stimulation (p = 7E-5, paired Student’s t-test, N = 7 cells from three animals). (d) Schematic configuration for intracellular recordings of layer II/III pyramidal neurons during optogenetic inhibition of PV interneurons expressing Arch in non-anesthetized animals. Light stimulation is delivered two millimetres apart in the rostral direction from the recording site (Ch2, green). (e) Representative traces showing the effect of PV interneurons photoinhibition (yellow line) on the membrane potential of the recorded cell during down states. (f) Average membrane potential values before (Pre), during (Light) and after (Post) light stimulation (p = 1E-6, one-way = 7 cells from four animals). (g–l) Same as in a-f but during optogenetic modulation of SST interneurons. In i, p = 3E-4, paired Student’s t-test, N = 6 cells from three animals. In l, p = 3E-4, one-way = 9 cells from three animals. Figure 6—figure supplement 4—source data 1 Source data for the analysis of membrane potential changes in pyramidal neurons located 2 mm far from modulated PV and SST cells in awake mice. Download elife-26177-fig6-figsupp4-data1-v2. xlsx Figure 6—figure supplement 5 Download asset Open asset Local optogenetic inhibition of interneurons modulates network MUA over large cortical territories in anesthetized animals. (a) Schematic of the experimental setup. Simultaneous extracellular recordings are performed in anesthetized mice during photoinhibition of PV interneurons expressing Arch. (b) Top: example of a multi-unit signal recorded in Ch1 during optogenetic inhibition of PV interneurons (yellow line). Bottom: average PSTH of Ch1 for all recorded animals (N = 12).

Output: pass


Input: Claim: All cognitive processes are the same across cultures. [SEP] Text: Within the top model for reptiles, phylogeny attributed approximately 0%, paper attributed 19%, and effect size id attributed 51% of the total variance. Our funnel plot for the meta-analysis without moderators showed significant asymmetry (Egger’s test: z = 2. 2992, P = 0. 022; 1, Figure S3) with small studies with large effect sizes being more likely to be published than small studies without significant or large effects. Using the trim-and-fill method, we found that the number of missing studies was 93 (out of 251) and the corrected model estimate (overall effect size) was 0. 428 (95% CI: − 0. 0356–0. 8911), which is smaller than our original estimate of 0. 653 and failed to be significantly different from zero effect at α = 0. 05 (Z = 1. 8095, P = 0. 070). However, it must be noted that the missing studies estimated by the trim-and-fill method had negative effect sizes, but our approach to calculate effect sizes (using the difference between the smallest and largest phenotype between cities) could only generate positive effect sizes. DiscussionWe compared different types of phenotypic traits in urban populations of invertebrate and vertebrate species across separate cities. Our main result is that the phenotype of urban animals differs across cities, regardless of the type of phenotypic trait investigated, and this was the case when we considered all taxa together, and when we considered separately birds or invertebrates. We also found that phenotypic differences across cities are more pronounced as the more cities are investigated and the farther away cities are from each other (except for our analyses on reptiles). Although there have been many recent studies investigating phenotypic changes across cities, it must be noted than in the majority of those studies the focus was in rural-urban comparisons, with the different cities simply providing replicates for those rural-urban comparisons (Evans et al. 2009b; Potvin and Parris 2012; Slabbekoorn and den Boer-Visser 2006; Tyler et al. 2016). Indeed, in some of these studies any potential phenotypic differences across urban populations are not even reported nor discussed (Eggenberger et al. 2019). In a review considering parallel evolution in cities (i. e.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Rhizobacteria enhance plant growth by fixing atmospheric nitrogen. [SEP] Text: Assessment of the plant growth promotion abilities of six bacterial isolates using Zea mays as indicator plant. Soil Biol. Biochem. , 42, 1229–1235. 10. 1016/j. soilbio. 2010. 04. 014 CASWeb of Science®2005. Analysis of rhizobacterial communities in perennial Graminaceae from polluted water meadow soil, and screening of metal-resistant, potentially plant growth-promoting bacteria. FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. , 52, 153–162. 10. 1016/j. femsec. 2004. 11. 005 of Science®2005. Cadmium-tolerant plant growth-promoting bacteria associated with the roots of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L. Czern. ). Soil. Biol. Biochem. , 37, 241–250. 10. 1016/j. soilbio. 2004. 07. 033 CASWeb of Science®2000. Inoculation of rice plants with the endophytic diazotrophs Herbaspirillum seropedicae and Burkholderia spp. Biol. Fertil. Soils. , 30, 485–491. 10. 1007/s003740050027 Web of Science®2007. Effectiveness of various Pseudomonas spp. and Burkholderia caryophylli containing ACC-deaminase for improving growth and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. ). J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. , 17, 1300–1307. of Science®2010. Mechanisms and practical considerations involved in plant growth promotion by rhizobacteria. J. Soil Sci. Plant Nutr. , 10, 293–319. 10. 4067/S0718-95162010000100006 Web of Science®2000. Effect of inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense on development and yielding of maize (Zea mays ssp. Saccharata L. ) under different cultivation conditions. Pol. J. Environ. Stud. , 9, 505–509. Web of Science®1993. Interactions of Acetobacter diazotrophicus with an amylolytic yeast in nitrogen free batch culture. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. , 106, 341–346. 10. 1111/j.

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: The majority of synthetic organisms are being designed to self-replicate infinitely without any environmental impact. [SEP] Text: His theory, grounded in the second law of thermodynamics, suggests that life arises from the increase in the universe’s entropy. This perspective provides a physical explanation for the reproduction and continuation of life. Building on these theoretical foundations, I think the life and genetic materials should be redefined. Given that DNA or RNA, as genetic material, can replicate and generate life, I hypothesize that any molecules with replication capabilities, regardless of their environment, whether organic or inorganic, could potentially evolve into life. This speculation opens up possibilities for the discovery of new life forms in the universe. The expectation for reproduction of organismsWhy is there such a vast diversity of life on Earth? The prevailing understanding is that given varying environmental pressures and ample time, a single species can evolve into distinct species. Each species has a natural desire to reproduce and pass on its genes. Darwin elucidated, individuals possessing traits that better suit their environment have a higher likelihood of reproducing. This allows them to pass on these advantageous traits to their offspring, thereby enhancing the organism’s reproductive success and allowing the organism to reproduce more. Over time, this process results in the evolution of species that are well-adapted to their specific environments. The innate drive to survive and reproduce is fundamental to the perpetuation and diversity of life on Earth. But what exactly is the purpose behind the reproduction of species? Humans have established complex societies, systems of relationships and norms, to fulfil their social, emotional, and cultural needs. Naturally, human reproduction encompasses these needs, including sexual maturation, social support, and the continuation of the family line. In today’s world, there is no doubt that social and emotional needs have become paramount. However, these needs are not present in viruses, bacteria, or insects. Although viruses and bacteria seem to lack self-consciousness, they still carry out self-replication. A fascinating example is the male mayfly, which has a lifespan of only 24 hours (Araújo et al. , 2021). Its sole purpose from birth is to mate. What is the objective of this replication in bacteria and viruses and what drives male mayflies to behave in such a way? Selfish genes drive reproductionOne theory suggests that genes choose us, and they are selfish (Gardner and Welch, 2011). In his book, ‘Gene’, posits that genes, rather than individuals or species, are the primary units of selection in evolution.

Output: contrast


Input: Claim: All cognitive processes are the same across cultures. [SEP] Text: 2018); and a study on bumblebees in nine German cities found in some loci a high degree of genetic differentiation associated to urbanization (Theodorou et al. 2018). In our models, the most consistent moderator explaining phenotypic differences across cities was the number of cities investigated—as more cities were included in a study, the larger the difference between the smallest and largest mean urban phenotype reported in that study (i. e. , a higher standardized mean difference). This was the case for the models containing all taxa, and for models with only birds and only invertebrates, but it was not the case for the models with only reptiles, although this may have been due to the fact that the variation in the number of cities was relatively small in our considered reptile studies (range = 2–5 cities; average = 3. 2 cities). However, overall, the more cities for which data from a phenotypic trait were available, the greater the difference was in that phenotypic trait across urban populations. This result supports the idea that separate urban populations of a same species may diverge phenotypically instead of changing in a parallel fashion. Our result also highlights the importance of studying urban populations in many cities, as some biological patterns may only become apparent when doing so. For example, only by studying bird and plant biodiversity across many cities could researchers determine that the density of species was more affected by urban characteristics (e. g. , landcover and city age) than by non-anthropogenic factors such as climate and geography (Aronson et al. 2014). We also found that a greater geographical distance between cities is likely to lead to greater phenotypic differentiation across urban populations. This positive association was the case for the models containing all taxa, and for the models with only birds, but not for the models with only invertebrates (no association) or only reptiles (negative association). Such a difference in the case of invertebrates and reptiles may be due to the fact that geographical distances between studied cities tended to be smaller for invertebrates (range = 22. 12–645. 79 km; average = 124. 13 km) and reptiles (range = 17. 4–1661. 66 km; average = 162. 77 km) than for birds (range = 12. 31–9489. 13 km; average = 844. 68 km).

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Rhizobacteria enhance plant growth by fixing atmospheric nitrogen. [SEP] Text: Close search a journal Search calls for papers Open access publishing We’re here to help Find guidance on Login | in or Add to Cart Search, Browse, or Publishsearch Find a journal Search calls for papers Open access publishing We’re here to help Find guidance on 9 October 2024, 04:00-22:30 GMT, we’ll be making some site updates on Taylor & Francis Online. You’ll still be able to search, browse and read our 10. 1080/17429145. 2014. 964785 Crossthis 0. 05) increased the root length (8. 25-fold), root fresh (8. 36-fold) and dry (12. 6-fold) weight, shoot length (6. 92-fold), shoot fresh (7. 18-fold) and dry (6. 90-fold) weight, number of leaves (11. 0-fold), chlorophyll a (6. 25-fold), chlorophyll b (10. 7-fold), carotenoid contents (8. 80-fold), seedlings fresh (9. 0-fold) and dry (8. 71-fold) weight, plant macronutrient uptake, i. e. N (7. 7- and 8. 9-fold), P (10. 5- and 11. 4-fold), K (7. 8- and 8. 8-fold), Ca (12. 7- and 8. 2-fold), and Mg (12. 6- and 9-fold) in shoot and root, plant micronutrient uptake, i. e. Zn (6. 6-, 10. 2-), Cu (9. 3-, and 10. 3-fold), Fe (7. 7- and 10. 7-fold), and Mn (4. 7- and 5. 7-fold) in shoot and root and plant antioxidant enzymes, i. e. glutathione S-transferase (10. 7-fold), peroxidase (8. 1-fold), and catalase (10. 5-fold). Our results concluded that inoculation of agricultural crops with rhizobacteria is a very useful approach to increase the plant growth.

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: The majority of synthetic organisms are being designed to self-replicate infinitely without any environmental impact. [SEP] Text: Recently, significant progress has been made by the team led by Clemens Richert. They managed to replicate RNA sequences of up to 12 nucleotides in a dilute aqueous solution of an unactivated dinucleotide, without the involvement of any enzymes (Welsch et al. , 2023). The RNA world hypothesis offers a persuasive explanation for the early stages of life on Earth. However, is RNA an organic molecule that can be directly synthesized from inorganic substances? The Miller-Urey experiment in 1953 was firstly provided evidence that essential organic molecules, fundamental to life, could be synthesized from inorganic substances. In fact, scientists have developed more methods in recent years to synthesize organic molecules from hydrogen and oxygen under different conditions (Hudson et al. , 2020). Studies have demonstrated that all four of RNA’s major components can be efficiently assembled from simple chemicals under certain conditions (Figure 1). A paper published in Science presents a straightforward chemical pathway to the formation of ribonucleotides (Becker et al. , 2016). These studies underscore the remarkable ability of the natural environment to transform simple inorganic molecules into complex organic ones, such as RNA, a key characteristic of life on Earth. It suggests that the emergence of life could be a random event in nature, rather than being designed. However, what drives RNA to replicate itself? Entropic forces drive lifeFrom a physics perspective, the fundamental difference between living organisms and inanimate clumps of carbon atoms is that living organisms are much more efficient at capturing energy from their environment. This efficiency is largely due to complex biochemical processes, such as photosynthesis in plants and cellular respiration in animals, which allow them to convert energy from their environment into usable forms and dissipate excess energy as heat. Jeremy England, a professor at the of Technology, has derived a mathematical formula to explain this ability. According to this formula, based on established physics, when a group of atoms is driven by an external energy source and surrounded by a heat bath, it will often gradually restructure itself to dissipate increasing amounts of energy (England, 2015). It would suggest that the replication of genes is driven by entropic forces (Figure 1). This theory has been employed to elucidate the impetus behind evolution and the replication of DNA/RNA. DNA/RNA molecules prefer to be in their lowest energy conformation (the resting position with high entropy).

Output: contrast


Input: Claim: All cognitive processes are the same across cultures. [SEP] Text: It is also possible that for many invertebrate species distances between cities are magnified compared to birds and reptiles, and that thus there is a smaller distance threshold beyond which any further distance between cities has a superfluous effect. As for reptiles, we found that the difference between phenotypes was greater as distance between cities decreased (for each one-unit increase in distance between cities, the standardized mean difference in phenotypes decreased by 0. 0008). However, this result should be taken with caution, as 93% of effect sizes were associated to small distances between cities (average = 78. 61 km), whereas the remaining 7% of effect sizes (amounting to only 3 effect sizes) were associated to much larger distances (average = 1284. 87 km). A greater geographical separation between cities does not only minimize the occurrence of genetic flow but it can also maximize abiotic differences between those two cities, e. g. , related to latitude and climate conditions. Additionally, small distances between cities will promote a leapfrog process of urban colonization, in which new urban populations are not established by colonizers from adjacent rural populations but by colonizers from urban populations in nearby cities (Evans et al. 2009a; Evans et al. 2010). Cities that are close together in which urban populations were established via a leapfrog process should be more phenotypically similar compared to separate urban populations that were independently established from their respective adjacent rural populations. However, even in species in which the leapfrog process of colonization is at play, separate urban populations will have traversed separate evolutionary paths since their establishments in the different cities (assuming there is no gene flow between them), and phenotypic differences may have still arisen across cities, in this case being greatly determined by the age of those cities and thus the age of the different urban populations. Differences in the human population densities (a proxy of city size) between the compared cities did not have an effect on the degree of across-city phenotypic differences in the models considering all data, only invertebrates, or only reptiles. However, we found a surprising effect in the case of birds, with the difference in phenotypes between cities being smaller as the difference in population densities increased, although this effect was relatively small (estimate = -0. 001). In principle, phenotypic differentiation is likely to be higher in larger cities than in smaller cities.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Rhizobacteria enhance plant growth by fixing atmospheric nitrogen. [SEP] Text: The rhizobacteria having both 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase and nitrogen-fixing activity are more effective than rhizobacteria possessing either ACC-deaminase or nitrogen-fixing activity alone for growth promotion of crops. Keywords: -deaminasenitrogen fixationethylene and auxintomato IntroductionPlant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are free living microorganisms having beneficial effects on plants by colonizing their roots (Ahemad Citation2012). PGPR promote the plant growth by several direct and indirect ways (Ahemad Citation2012). Directly, PGPR provide the bacterium-synthesized compounds to the plants, facilitate the nutrient availability and uptake and production of certain phytohormones, e. g. auxin, cytokinins, ethylene, and abscisic acid and giberelins (Ahemad Citation2012). Indirectly, PGPR minimize or prevent the harmful effects of pathogenic organisms (Ahemad & Malik Citation2011), moreover, mobilize the nutrients in soils and improve the soil structure (Ahemad & Malik Citation2011). Inoculation of agricultural crops with PGPR results in multiple positive effects on plant, e. g. increase in the plant growth and vigor, increment in the chlorophyll, protein, proline, and antioxidant enzymes (e. g. peroxidase (POX), catalase, and glutathione reductase) activity that increase the plant immunity (Sahran & Nehra Citation2011). It has been observed that increased activity of antioxidant enzymes is correlated with resistance, against both biotic and abiotic stresses, in many plant species (Jan et al. Citation2011). At present, the use of microorganisms with the aim of improving crop production on sustainable basis has increased tremendously in various parts of the world (Glick Citation2012). This is due to the emerging demand for dependence diminishing of synthetic chemical products, to the growing necessity of sustainable agriculture, and a holistic vision of environmental protection (Hayat et al. Citation2010; Glick Citation2012). In this regard, the use of PGPR has found a potential role in developing sustainable systems in crop production (Hayat et al. Citation2010). It has been reported that, the bacteria inhabiting around or in the plant roots, e.

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: The majority of synthetic organisms are being designed to self-replicate infinitely without any environmental impact. [SEP] Text: Replication of DNA or RNA is a process that facilitates the attainment of this state. Interestingly, this theory is a manifestation of the renowned hypothesis (or the heat death of the universe) in the context of human evolution. Chill hypothesis posits that all entities in the universe are transitioning from a state of uniform high energy to one of high entropy based on the second law of thermodynamics (Fleck, 2023). Therefore, it can be inferred that every living organism will attain a state of high entropy. Molecules with high entropy are both disordered and disorganized. An interesting question is, is the theory of entropic forces contradictory to Darwin’s theory of evolution? Entropic forces theory as a supplement to Darwin’s theory of evolutionBased on the aforementioned theories and speculations, I propose that the emergence of life is associated with the heat death of the universe and is likely a byproduct of this phenomenon. During the heat death of the universe, the emergence of life was an accidental phenomenon accompanied by a decrease in energy. Importantly, it should be noted that the theory does not contradict Darwin’s theory of evolution; rather, they complement each other. Entropic forces are the driving force behind the emergence of life, explaining why life arises and its ultimate goal (the heat death of the universe). Darwin’s theory of evolution explains how species evolve over time through natural selection, where advantageous traits become more common in a population. It describes the evolution of species adapting to their environment after the emergence of life. Some argue that the increase in complexity (more orderly and organized) seen in evolution contradicts the second law of thermodynamics, which states that systems tend to become more disordered over time (Vanchurin et al. , 2022). A study points out that the second law of thermodynamics applies to closed systems, while living organisms are open systems that exchange energy and matter with their surroundings (Schreiber and Gimbel, 2010). This allows for local decreases in entropy (increased order) at the expense of increased entropy in the environment. I prefer to compare the Earth’s environment to a small-open system, relative to the universe, which we can understand as a large closed system, similar to the difference between the environment of a house and the entire Earth. This small-open environment may not necessarily follow the second law of thermodynamics at certain times and places.

Output: contrast


Input: Claim: All cognitive processes are the same across cultures. [SEP] Text: For example, gene flow between rural and urban populations may be more important in smaller cities as the distance between rural and urban populations is reduced (Santangelo et al. 2020). Larger cities will also provide more opportunities for population structuring, with more subpopulations within a city possibly diverging phenotypically from one another (Johnson and Munshi-South 2017). However, it is not clear that city size by itself is a main driver of phenotypic differentiation across cities. For example, the production of hydrogen cyanide in white clover was studied in many cities of different sizes across the same region, and although the trait was consistently less prevalent in urban than in rural sites, the size of the investigated cities did not affect the results (Johnson et al. 2018). We predicted that morphological traits would be more similar across cities compared to physiological traits, and especially compared to behavioral traits. However, our study does not support this prediction. The overall meta-analyses including moderators did not show significant differences between the types of traits. And the same was the case for the subgroup analyses, with the exception of reptiles. We did find more differentiation in behaviors in reptiles than in morphological traits (there were no physiological traits in the dataset), but behaviors were represented by only two studies on a single species. Phenotypic differences observed between pairs of cities were similar in cases in which cities were selected by researchers due to some intrinsic difference between those cities (e. g. , latitude or city size), and in cases in which the researchers did not mention any a priori differences between the cities. The fact that phenotypic differences between separate urban populations exist even when comparing cities that are not clearly different from one another emphasizes the importance of measuring traits across several cities. When cities are selected so that they differ in some ecological feature (e. g. , in relation to latitude, or biome), researchers can concurrently study the effects of urbanization and other ecological factors. This can allow to tackle questions like the effects of urbanization in different ecoregions (e. g. , temperate, desert, and tropical cities), or how the combined effects of urbanization and climate change may affect populations differently in separate cities. At the other extreme, if the selected cities are very close together and very similar in many aspects, one minimizes the likelihood of observing major phenotypic differentiation between any two urban populations (Sparkman et al.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Rhizobacteria enhance plant growth by fixing atmospheric nitrogen. [SEP] Text: g. rhizobacteria are more versatile in transforming, mobilizing, and solubilizing the nutrients compared to those from bulk soils (Hayat et al. Citation2010). Rhizobacteria are the dominant deriving forces in recycling the soil nutrients and, consequently, for soil fertility and can play cardinal role in the plant growth and production (Glick Citation2012). Chemical fertilizers not only nourish plants and microbes but also have harmful effects on the soil and plants life, especially when they are very concentrated and water soluble (Savci Citation2012). In recent years, fertilizer consumption increased (143. 88 million nutrient tons) exponentially throughout the world (Savci Citation2012). Excessive fertilization is a potential global threat to the soil and environment through soil salinity, acidification as well as neutralization of the soil, heavy metal accumulation, water eutrophication, and accumulation of nitrate (Savci Citation2012). Therefore, number of scientists worldwide is considering the possibility of supplementing chemical fertilizers with microbial sources (Naveed et al. Citation2008). Therefore, the use of PGPR as a biofertilizer in agricultural ecosystems is a judicious and viable technique. Ethylene is known as a growth hormone and a stimulator in germination by breaking the dormancy (Khalid et al. Citation2006). However, if the level of ethylene is higher than optimum level, then it acts as a stress hormone (Saleem et al. Citation2007). Zahir et al. (Citation2008) set an experiment to examine the effectiveness of rhizobacteria containing ACC-deaminase on the growth of pea (Pisum sativum) and concluded that rhizobacteria with ACC-deaminase facilitate plant growth by decreasing excessive ethylene levels (Zahir et al. Citation2008). The PGPR with ACC-deaminase take up the ethylene precursor ACC and convert it into 2-oxobutanoate and NH3 (Arshad et al. Citation2007). As a result, the major effects of seed inoculation with ACC-deaminase-producing rhizobacteria are the plant root elongation, promotion of shoot growth, and enhancement in rhizobial nodulation and nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and K uptake (Glick Citation2012).

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: The majority of synthetic organisms are being designed to self-replicate infinitely without any environmental impact. [SEP] Text: My explanation is that after life emerges, in the face of a small-open environment where entropy may dynamically increase or decrease, life constantly adjusts energy changes to form a steady state with the environment. Therefore, the evolution of life in such an environment can lead to either increased or decreased entropy, all in order to adapt. The new question is whether the Earth is developing towards low entropy or high entropy. Currently, there are no research reports on this. However, most scientists believe that the Earth, like all systems in the universe, is developing towards higher entropy, although the Earth absorbs energy from the Sun. While living organisms on Earth maintain a state of low entropy by consuming energy and creating order within their systems, the energy transformations involved in these processes result in an overall increase in entropy in the universe. Therefore, despite local decreases in entropy, the Earth as a whole is moving towards higher entropy. So, what impact does this small-open environment (on Earth) have on biological evolution? The small-open environments hinder the evolution of lifeAn interesting phenomenon is that when a large number of cells (a large number of genes) form a complex living organism, like humans, they may be better able to adapt to the special small-open environments (on Earth) under selection pressure and obtain energy, forming a steady state with the environment and gaining some survival advantages. However, I believe they also lose the ability to change because it violates the principle of entropic forces in the universe. Like flowers in a greenhouse, when the environment changes, they cannot adapt in time and will face faster death. For example, although humans have evolved to the top of the food chain and can alter some environments through scientific technology (such as by using air conditioning), allowing them to reproduce in large numbers and dominate Earth’s resources and energy, they cannot regenerate a broken tail like geckos, nor do they possess the rapid mutation and adaptation abilities of viruses in response to sudden environmental changes. Unlike humans, bacteria and viruses have not evolved to optimize their energy extraction from the Earth. Consequently, most animals are currently at a disadvantage within the Earth’s ecological system. However, a study discovered that an increase in entropy (decreased energy) leads to a more random replication process, potentially resulting in a higher rate of errors or mutations (Arias-Gonzalez, 2012). Actually, gene mutations are essential for the survival of genes under stress.

Output: contrast


Input: Claim: All cognitive processes are the same across cultures. [SEP] Text: Using a comparative framework would also be important, because different species may have undergone different processes of adaptation to urban environments, given their different ecological requirements. Finally, we recommend that future studies choose cities in different biomes, as urban adaptations may differ substantially in cities sited in different ecological matrices, e. g. cities in desert or tropical regions. Ultimately, a generalized knowledge about how organisms are affected by urbanization will only be possible when comprehensive biological patterns are similarly studied across separate and distinct cities. thank authors that provided us with unpublished data upon request. Funding. The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript. Competing interests. The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose. Availability of data and material. The dataset used in the analyses is provided as supplementary material. Code availability. code used in the study is provided as supplementary material. Authors’ contributions. The study conception and design, and data collection were performed by Javier delBarco-Trillo. Data analyses were performed by Breanna Putman. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Javier delBarco-Trillo and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Ethics approval. Not applicable. Consent to participate. Not applicable. Consent for publication. Not applicable. 8956. (2017) Global decline of bumblebees is phylogenetically structured and inversely related to species range size and pathogen incidence. B 284:20170204. ühn I, MacGregor-örtberg U, Pyšek (2014) A global analysis of the impacts of urbanization on bird and plant diversity reveals key anthropogenic drivers. B 281:20133330. ørgensen N, Skakkebæk (2001) Sperm morphological defects related to environment, lifestyle and medical history of 1001 male partners of pregnant women from four European cities. 16:2710–2717. (2018) Admixture of hybrid swarms of native and introduced lizards in cities is determined by the cityscape structure and invasion history. B 285:20180143. (2012) Hormones in the city: endocrine ecology of urban birds. 61:763–772. (2009) Introduction to Meta-Analysis.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Rhizobacteria enhance plant growth by fixing atmospheric nitrogen. [SEP] Text: Phytohormone auxin (indole-3-acetic acid/indole acetic acid [IAA]) played a vital role in many plant developmental processes, e. g. plant cell division and differentiation; seed germination; lateral and adventitious root formation; biosynthesis of various metabolites, and plant defense mechanisms (Glick Citation2012). The IAA produced by rhizobacteria likely, interfere the abovementioned physiological processes of plants by changing the plant auxin pool, and thus, rhizobacterial IAA is identified as an effector molecule in plant-microbe interactions, both in pathogenesis and phytostimulation (Spaepen & Vanderleyden Citation2011). An important molecule that alters the level of IAA synthesis is the amino acid tryptophan (L-tryptophan [L-TRP]), identified as the main precursor for IAA and thus plays a role in modulating the level of IAA biosynthesis (Zaidi et al. Citation2009). This suggests that rhizobacterial isolates, which can produce IAA in the presence of L-TRP, can play a vital role in the plant growth. Among macronutrients N and P are known as most essential and major macronutrients for crops, which plays important roles in plant growth and metabolism (Lal Citation2002; Raymond et al. Citation2004). These macronutrients can be applied through synthetic, i. e. chemical or biological, means, but chemical nitrogenous fertilizers are expensive and health hazardous (Regan Citation1988). Therefore, biological means, e. g. use of bio-fertilizers by N-fixing microorganisms, which are widely distributed in nature are of tremendous potential and importance (Raymond et al. Citation2004). To get vigor, plant growth, strong plant stand, and optimum yields, biological means need to be explored for acquiring ecofriendly and cheap sources of plant nutrients, e. g. N and P. Moreover, the wide-scale application of PGPR may decrease the global dependence on agricultural chemicals, and it is a technology which is easily accessible and adoptable for farmers in both developed and developing countries (Gamalero et al. Citation2009). Thus we can increase the plant growth and yield on sustainable basis by inoculation with PGPR.

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: The majority of synthetic organisms are being designed to self-replicate infinitely without any environmental impact. [SEP] Text: If a mutation provides an organism with an environmental advantage, that organism has a higher likelihood of survival and reproduction. This phenomenon is evident in the continuous mutation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus as it attempts to coexist with humans (Markov et al. , 2023). The latest story is about a bacterium that can surprisingly engulf plastic through a novel mutation, a pollutant that humans currently cannot solve (Kim et al. , 2024). I believe the reason is that, driven by entropic forces, some living organisms have strengthened their survival in small environments (e. g. , the environment on Earth) while losing their ability to cope with changes in the larger environment (e. g. , interstellar or cosmic space). The small-open environment sometimes contradicts the second law of thermodynamics of the larger environment, moving from low energy to high energy. For example, in winter, when a house is heated by air conditioning, people who stay in the room for a long time mistakenly believe that the world has always been warm, and their genes change in response to this warmth. When the house is broken, and the cold air from outside blows in, the creatures in the room are easily frozen to death. Therefore, the entropic forces in small-open environments can only produce fragile organisms, whether or not it is consistent with the entropy forces of the universe, and their ultimate fate is consistent with the entropy energy in the universe (the heat death). This may seem pessimistic, but as described in the science fiction novel “Question,” even if humanity expands to inhabit the entire universe, its ultimate fate will mirror that of the universe itself, moving towards heat death. This raises a new question: Can small-open environments only produce fragile life forms like those on Earth? RNA and DNA are not the only genetic materialsIf all the theories mentioned above are proven correct, it leads us to several intriguing questions. How many small-open environments exist in the universe? Are they all the same? Why is life, as we know it, only discovered on Earth so far? To date, there are no known types of genetic material fundamentally different from DNA and RNA. Since anywhere in the universe will transit from a state of low entropy to high entropy, does this imply that only Earth’s environment is suitable for DNA/RNA replication? In other words, does life in the universe require an environment similar to Earth’s to exist?

Output: contrast


Input: Claim: All cognitive processes are the same across cultures. [SEP] Text: (2020) Nests in the cities: adaptive and non-adaptive phenotypic plasticity and convergence in an urban bird. B 287:20202122. (2002) Model selection and multimodel inference: A practical information-theoretic approach, 2nd edn. öm å J (2019) Near-complete phylogeny and taxonomic revision of the world’s babblers (Aves: Passeriformes). Evol 130:346–356. Calcagno V, de (2010) glmulti: package for easy automated model selection with (generalized) linear models. J 34:1–29. -(2018) Urban rat races: spatial population genomics of brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) compared across multiple cities. B 285:20180245. -ón LF, Hendry AP (2010) The evolution of phenotypic plasticity in response to anthropogenic disturbance. Res 12:47–66 delBarco-(2018) Shyer and larger bird species show more reduced fear of humans when living in urban environments. 14:20170730. (2018) Evolution of thermal tolerance and its fitness consequences: parallel and non-parallel responses to urban heat islands across three cities. B 285:20180036. (2015) Adaptive evolution in urban ecosystems. AMBIO 44:194–203. (2019) Urban bumblebees are smaller and more phenotypically diverse than their rural counterparts. J 88:1522–1533. (1997) Bias in meta-analysis detected by a simple, graphical test. J 315:629–634. (2009a) Independent colonization of multiple urban centres by a formerly forest specialist bird species. B 276:2403–2410. (2009b) The effect of urbanisation on avian morphology and latitudinal gradients in body size. Oikos 118:251–259. (2010) A conceptual framework for the colonisation of urban areas: the blackbird Turdus merula as a case study. 85:643–667. (2021) Landscape-scale differences among cities alter common species' responses to urbanization. 31:e02253. (2008) Global change and the ecology of cities. Science 319:756–760. Groffman PM, Cavender-'Neil-(2014) Ecological homogenization of urban USA.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Rhizobacteria enhance plant growth by fixing atmospheric nitrogen. [SEP] Text: Keeping in view all these facts, the current study was conducted with the objectives: (1) isolation and selection of important rhizobacterial strains, (2) to examine the physical, chemical, and enzymatic responses of tomato plant to three different rhizobacterial strains, Strain 1: containing ACC-deaminase activity (TACC1 and TACC2), Strain 2: having nitrogen-fixing ability (Azotobacter and TRN1), and Strain 3: having both ACC-deaminase activity and nitrogen-fixing ability (TAN1, TAN2). Materials and methodsPhysiochemical analysisThe soil was collected at 0–5 cm depth with the help of an augur and was transferred into large polyethylene bags to the laboratory. The samples were air-dried and were passed through 2-mm sieve for further use in the incubation study. Soil texture, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), available P, N, extractable K, and organic matter (OM) and saturation percentage were determined by the method of Hassan (Citation2013), Hassan, Akmal et al. (Citation2013), Hassan, Chen, Huang et al. (Citation2013), Hassan, Chen, Cai et al. (Citation2013), Hassan, David, Abbas (Citation2014), Hassan, Chen et al. (Citation2014), Hassan, Bano, Khatak et al. (Citation2014), Hassan, Bano, Bashir et al. (Citation2014) and Hassan and David (Citation2014). Some pertinent characteristics of the soil used in this study are given in Table 1. Table 1. Physicochemical characteristics of experimental soil. of PGPRFor isolation of bacterial strains, rhizosphere soil was collected by gentle shaking from tomato crop. Dilution plate technique (Wollum II Citation1982) was used for the isolation of rhizobacteria on Dworken and Foster (DF) salt minimal media (Dworken & Foster Citation1958) containing ACC as a sole N source for PGPR possessing ACC-deaminase activity, and modified mannitol agar media was used to isolate PGPR having N-fixing activity (enrichment technique).

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: The majority of synthetic organisms are being designed to self-replicate infinitely without any environmental impact. [SEP] Text: I think perhaps misfolded prions are in a high-energy and low-entropy state due to changes in protein structure, and can only or optimally reach a high-entropy state by altering the structure of other prions. Actually, self-replicate has been seen in very different looking chemical systems, for example in rotaxanes, a self-assembling rotaxane that can replicate itself discovered by the scientists (Kosikova et al. , 2015). et al. discovered a self-replicator consists of a system of small molecules composed of hydrogen and carbon (Colomer et al. , 2018). This process of self-replication could occur anywhere in the universe, which encompasses a vast range of environments distinct from Earth. For instance, envision this process taking place in an atmosphere with a temperature of -63 degrees Celsius, a pressure of 600 Pa, and a composition of 95% carbon dioxide - conditions naturally found on Mars. Currently, the laboratory possesses the capability to simulate the self-replication of substances under such conditions. Actually, Schulze-Makuch et al. , has already proposed alien life could be based on different chemistries, solvents, and energy sources (Schulze-Makuch and Irwin, 2006). Given sufficient time, these simple organic molecules, capable of self-replication, could give rise to other forms of life, similar to the original genetic material RNA on Earth. In other words, the genetic material of life elsewhere in the universe may not necessarily be DNA or RNA, as these replicable molecules could potentially form other new life forms. An interesting question is, are organisms composed of other molecules with self-replicating abilities more robust? We can imagine life forms composed of different unique substances existing in various small, open environments throughout the universe. Some life forms might adapt to the universe’s environment without the need for air or water. Their bodies could be extremely hard, similar to the droplets in the novel The Three-Body Problem, tightly connected by atomic nuclei. Can we further explore the concept of life more boldly at this point in the paper? A bold perspectiveScience fiction movies engage in open-ended imagination based on scientific knowledge and present it to the audience for viewing. Famous science fiction movies related to the definition of life include “Transformers” and “Floor”.

Output: contrast


Input: Claim: All cognitive processes are the same across cultures. [SEP] Text: Environ 12:74–81. Hedges LV (1981) Distribution theory for Glass’s estimator of effect size and related estimators. J 6:107–128 (2008) Human influences on rates of phenotypic change in wild animal populations. 17:20–29. Henmi M, Copas JB (2010) Confidence intervals for random effects meta-analysis and robustness to publication bias. 29:2969–2983. Johnson MTJ, Munshi-(2017) Evolution of life in urban environments. Science 358:eaam8327. (2018) Contrasting the effects of natural selection, genetic drift and gene flow on urban evolution in white clover (Trifolium repens). B 285:20181019. (2021) Adaptive evolution in cities: Progress and misconceptions. Evol 36:239–257. (2020) Biologia Futura: adaptive changes in urban populations. 71:1–8. íos (2019) Advancing urban wildlife research through a multi-city collaboration. Environ 17:232–239. McKinney ML (2006) Urbanization as a major cause of biotic homogenization. 127:247–260 (2021) Urban evolution comes into its own: Emerging themes and future directions of a burgeoning field. 14:3–11. (2020) Genes acting in synapses and neuron projections are early targets of selection during urban colonization. 29:3403–3412. Nakagawa S, Santos EA (2012) Methodological issues and advances in biological meta-analysis. 26:1253–1274. (2018) A new framework for urban ecology: An integration of proximate and ultimate responses to anthropogenic change. Biol 58:915–928. (2012) Song convergence in multiple urban populations of silvereyes (Zosterops lateralis). 2:1977–1984. (2020) Big city living: A global meta-analysis reveals positive impact of urbanization on body size in lizards. Evol 8:580745. Ritzel K, (2020) Behavior change in urban mammals: A systematic review. Evol 8:576665. de -(2019) A roadmap for urban evolutionary ecology. 12:384–398.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Rhizobacteria enhance plant growth by fixing atmospheric nitrogen. [SEP] Text: Isolation of rhizobacteria having both abilitiesThe isolated rhizobacteria were further grown on both (DF salt minimal and modified mannitol agar) media to isolate the rhizobacteria having both N-fixing and ACC-deaminase activity. The isolates having ACC-deaminase activity was grown on modified mannitol agar media used for N-fixing isolates, and the rhizobacteria having N-fixing activity was grown on media that was used for isolates having ACC-deaminase activity. The isolates TAN1 and TAN2 grew on both media and thus having both abilities. Selection of strainsThree different rhizobacterial strains were selected. Strain 1 rhizobacteria containing ACC-deaminase activity (TACC1 and TACC2) and Strain 2 rhizobacteria possessing N-fixing activity (Azotobacter and TRN1), and Strain 3 rhizobacteria having both ACC-deaminase and N-fixing activities (TAN1 and TAN2). Preparation of inoculaThe already autoclaved 250 ml flasks were used for the preparation of inocula. The autoclaved DF salt minimal media was used for the rhizobacterial isolates containing ACC-deaminase activity. Conversely, modified mannitol agar media was used for the rhizobacterial isolates having N-fixing activity. The flasks were incubated at 28 ± 1°C for 48 h in the orbital shaking incubator at 100 revolutions per minute. The optical density was measured to maintain the uniform population of bacteria in the broth at the time of inoculation. Characterization of isolatesThe method of Davies and Whitbread (Citation1989) was used to calculate the root colonization activity. Fleetingly, inoculated seeds were sown in glass jars containing sterilized sand, and the jars were kept in a growth chamber (18°C, 70% relative humidity, 16 h daylight). After 7 days of germination, the roots were cut off, dipped in phosphate buffer, and were shaken vigorously to remove the bacteria. After 2 days of incubation at 28°C, the number of colonies (CFU/cm) was calculated. Institute’s Phosphate growth medium (NBRIP) was used for the calculation of phosphorus solubilizing activity.

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: The majority of synthetic organisms are being designed to self-replicate infinitely without any environmental impact. [SEP] Text: Other examples of this beyond RNA and DNA exist on Earth, for example, prions and viral capsids. The distinction of these molecules is that they don’t necessarily involve templating their own replication. Rather, they drive their own self-assembly from simple substrates to more complex biomolecules. A clearer definition would enhance this essay from being a simple review of existing ideas to proposing a novel definition. Lastly, the author highlights indexed essays that discuss the relationship between life and entropic forces. However, the way the author discusses the relationship between life and entropy is unclear. For example, the author states that DNA and RNA are in a state of high entropy. This is perplexing, given that these biomolecules are highly ordered, and thus fighting against entropy. Therefore, is the author stating that the new definition of life should be any molecules that are moving to a state of low entropy, and thus, driving themselves away from natural tendency of the 2nd law of thermodynamics to increase entropy? In summary, this is an intriguing essay that will benefit by a more explicit definition of what should be considered “life”. Is the topic of the opinion 10. 5256/f1000research. 166604. r299580) The direct URL for this report is: I have considered this issue while writing my paper, but I have been very cautious. . . . Continue reading Authors' point by point response to the Reviewer comments is as follows - 1. I have considered this issue while writing my paper, but I have been very cautious. I am also concerned that my viewpoint may be too radical and difficult to accept. However, with the help of the F1000Research platform and the opportunity to answer questions, my response is: Yes. Traditional thinking defines life as having certain perceptions or consciousness, such as in humans, animals, and plants. However, the emergence of viruses has challenged this common understanding. A virus is merely a sequence of DNA or RNA, and although it is an organic substance (without consciousness, is it different from inorganic substances? ), it constantly replicates and is also a form of life. I believe we can be bolder. In my 2. This question is very interesting. The main point of the paper is that molecules capable of self-replication can be defined as life, similar to a piece of DNA (virus) that can self-replicate.

Output: contrast


Input: Claim: All cognitive processes are the same across cultures. [SEP] Text: Salmón P, Jacobs A, Ahrén (2020) Continent-wide genomic signatures of adaptation to urbanisation in a songbird across Europe. 12:2983. -(2020) Urban environments as a framework to study parallel evolution. In: Szulkin M, Munshi-South J, (eds) Biology. Press, Oxford, pp 36–53 (2010) Spider, bee, and bird communities in cities are shaped by environmental control and high stochasticity. Ecology 91:3343–3353. Slabbekoorn H, den Boer-(2006) Cities change the songs of birds. 16:2326–2331. (2018) Parallel behavioral and morphological divergence in fence lizards on two college campuses. 13:e0191800. (2002) Geographic differences in semen quality of fertile U. S. males. Perspect 111:414–420. (2003) Semen quality in relation to biomarkers of pesticide exposure. Perspect 111:1478–1484. Szulkin M, Munshi-South J, (2020) Urban evolutionary biology. čiūtė (2018) Genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism scan suggests adaptation to urbanization in an important pollinator, the red-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius L. ). B 285:20172806. (2016) Urbanization drives the evolution of parallel clines in plant populations. B 283:20162180. (2018) Speciation and the city. Evol 33:815–826. (2016) Tails of the city: Caudal autotomy in the tropical lizard, Anolis cristatellus, in urban and natural areas of Puerto Rico. J Herpetol 50:435–441. (2018) Prospects: The 2018 Revision. (2010) Conducting meta-analyses in R with the metafor package. J 36:1–48 Watanabe A, Fabre A-üller J, Herrel A, (2019) Ecomorphological diversification in squamates from conserved pattern of cranial integration. 116:14688–14697. DeclarationsNo competing interests reported. Supplementary FilesESM1. docxESM2. xlsxESM3.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Rhizobacteria enhance plant growth by fixing atmospheric nitrogen. [SEP] Text: Experimental designTwo PGPR isolates (TACC1 and TACC2) containing ACC-deaminase activity, 2 PGPR isolates (Azotobacter and TRN1) possessing N-fixing activity, and 2 PGPR isolates (TAN1 and TAN2) having both ACC-deaminase and N fixing activity were selected for incubation experiment. The inoculum for trial was prepared by growing the selected PGPR isolates. For inoculation of treatments, germinated seeds were dipped in broth containing selected ACC-deaminase and/or N-fixing isolates. For control (CK) treatments, the tomato seeds were dipped in sterilized flasks containing 0. 03 M MgSO4 and then dipped into the medium. Four inoculated seeds were sown in each pot having 500 g soil/pot. Sterilized ½ strength Hoagland solution was used to provide nutrients to growing seedling. free Hoagland solution was used to provide nutrients to growing seedlings inoculated with rhizobacteria containing N-fixing activity (i. e. Azotobacter and TRN1), there were four replications for each treatment. Pots were arranged randomly according to completely randomized design (CRD) in a growth room under axenic conditions. After 30 days of germination, tomato plants were harvested, and the parameters regarding root length, root fresh and dry weight, shoot length, shoot fresh and dry weight, number of leaves, chlorophyll a, b, and carotenoid contents, fresh and dry weight of seedlings (root + shoot), macro- and micronutrients in plant shoot and root and antioxidant enzymes, i. e. and Cata, were recorded. Statistical analysisThe data were statistically analyzed by Statistix 8. 1 statistical package (Statistix, USA). Parametric statistics of analysis of variance (ANOVA) was carried out to estimate the effect of rhizobacterial isolate inoculation on root length, root fresh and dry weight, shoot length, shoot fresh and dry weight, number of leaves, chlorophyll and carotenoid contents, fresh and dry weight of seedlings (root + shoot), macro and micronutrients in plant shoot and root, and plant enzymes activity. Mean separations were achieved using a least significant difference (LSD) test at p < 0. 05.

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: The majority of synthetic organisms are being designed to self-replicate infinitely without any environmental impact. [SEP] Text: If a molecule only drives its own self-assembly from simple substrates to more complex biomolecules, I believe this is growth, not replication, and therefore not life. I think the example of prions is also a form of life. Prion protein is coded by the PRNP gene. Prion proteins cannot self-replicate and cannot be considered life. However, while prions are composed of misfolded protein aggregates, they propagate by inducing conformational changes in normal prion proteins (PrP^C) to transform them into the abnormal, disease-causing form (PrP^Sc). The misfolded prion acts as a template, guiding the normal proteins to adopt the abnormal structure, exhibiting characteristics of life. This precisely supports the viewpoint of this paper that any self-replicating molecule, including misfolded prions, can serve as genetic material and ultimately become life. Additionally, I have included examples of prions in the revised version of my paper. Viral capsids are part of a virus and are composed of proteins encoded by viral genes. To my knowledge, I have not seen viral capsids self-replicate. If there were independent viral capsids that could self-replicate (no need for DNA or RNA), I would also define them as life. Thank you very much for your suggestion. I have added a clearer definition of life to my paper in the conclusion section and changed the title to " Life should be redefined: Any molecule with the ability to self-replicate should be considered life ". Additionally, it should be emphasized that self-replication should also include one molecule inducing another molecule to become itself (such as a misfolded prions induce prions). 3. I believe there may be a misunderstanding. According to England's theory, DNA or RNA molecules exist in a high-energy (low entropy, ordered and organized) state, which makes them ordered. The replication of DNA or RNA molecules progresses towards a lower energy state, ultimately leading to a low-energy (higher entropy, disordered and disorganized). This process is driven by the second law of thermodynamics, which governs the behavior of all matter in the universe, including life. However, an increase in entropy driven by the second law of thermodynamics does not necessarily indicate life; only molecules with active self-replication functions are considered life. The second law of thermodynamics drives all matter in the universe towards disorder and heat death.

Output: contrast


Input: Claim: Aliens are living among us disguised as humans. [SEP] Text: ALAN v39n2 - Aliens among Us: and Identities in Literature Number 2 Winter 2012 Aliens among Us: and Identities in (noun) 1: a person of another family, race, or nation. 2: a foreign-born resident who has not been naturalized and is still a subject or citizen of a foreign country. (adj) a: belonging or relating to another person, place, or thing. b: relating, belonging, or owing allegiance to another country or government. c: differing in nature or character typically to the point of incompatibility. Growing up, I always knew I was different. I had no word for what I was, no story to which I could affix myself. So it’s only natural that I considered myself an alien. I remember sitting at my bedroom window night after night, searching the starry sky for hours and hoping to catch a glimpse of some tiny speck, proof that my extraterrestrial tribe was on its way back to earth to get me. Then at 15, I was invited to be an apprentice at a summer stock theater located on an island off the coast of New Jersey, and everything changed. Even before I knew what the job entailed, I jumped at the opportunity to escape my hometown. The lure of the something “other” was too great, and despite the objections of my parents, I took off. The theater’s schedule was grueling—14 musicals in 14 weeks—and as an apprentice, I was expected to do anything and everything in exchange for a bunk in a crowded room crammed with eight or nine other boys. Along with my fellow apprentices, I served meals, cleaned and maintained the theater, built and moved the scenery, hung and ran the lights, and eventually (to my great delight) was asked to grab a costume and step onto the stage. The job involved long hours, little sleep, no pay, and a slavish devotion to the legendary Joe Hayes, the man who had founded and managed the theater. What kept me in the game, what made me lose sleep and run myself ragged that whole summer, was the discovery of story. At the time, I knew very little about the business of telling stories; I knew even less about the theater.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Rhizobacteria enhance plant growth by fixing atmospheric nitrogen. [SEP] Text: ResultsRoot lengthThe inoculation of tomato seedlings with rhizobacterial isolates containing N-fixing and/or ACC-deaminase activity increased the root length as compared to uninoculated control that ranged from 2. 21-fold to 8. 26-fold under normal growth conditions (Figure 1). The isolate TAN1 showed maximum increase in the root length that was 8. 26-fold as compared to uninoculated control. Conversely, TAN2 was the next effective isolate in promoting root length (6. 79-fold) as compared to uninoculated control. The other isolates, namely, Azotobacter, TRN1, TACC1, and TACC2 caused 5. 76-, 4. 77-, 3. 28-, and 2. 21-fold increase in root length as compared to uninoculated control. Figure 1. Comparative effectiveness of ACC-deaminase and/or nitrogen-fixing rhizobacteria on root length of tomato. Different letters (a–g) on bars indicate significant differences of mean values for root length. Bars represent standard errors. CK, control; AB, AzotobacterDisplay full sizeRoot fresh weightResults showed that inoculation of tomato seedlings with rhizobacterial isolates containing N-fixing and/or ACC-deaminase activity increased the root fresh weight over uninoculated control that ranged from 2. 09-fold to 8. 36-fold (Figure 2). The isolate TAN1 presented highest increase in root fresh weight that was 8. 36-fold higher as compared to uninoculated control. The TAN2 was the next effective isolate that resulted in 6. 81-fold higher root fresh weight as compared to uninoculated control. The increase in the root fresh weight due to other isolates, namely, Azotobacter, TRN1, TACC1, and TACC2 was 5. 54-, 4. 63-, 3. 18-, and 2. 09–fold, respectively, as compared to uninoculated control. Figure 2. Comparative effectiveness of ACC-deaminase and/or nitrogen-fixing rhizobacteria on root fresh weight of tomato. Different letters (a–g) on bars indicate significant differences of mean values for root fresh weight. Bars represent standard errors.

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: The majority of synthetic organisms are being designed to self-replicate infinitely without any environmental impact. [SEP] Text: For example, if a drop of ink is added to a cup of water, the ink will eventually distribute evenly among the water molecules due to the second law of thermodynamics, which is unrelated to life, vice versa. I am very grateful for your suggestions on my paper. I have been contemplating new perspectives on life during this period, and I have added new paragraph accordingly. Authors' point by point response to the Reviewer comments is as follows - 1. I have considered this issue while writing my paper, but I have been very cautious. I am also concerned that my viewpoint may be too radical and difficult to accept. However, with the help of the F1000Research platform and the opportunity to answer questions, my response is: Yes. Traditional thinking defines life as having certain perceptions or consciousness, such as in humans, animals, and plants. However, the emergence of viruses has challenged this common understanding. A virus is merely a sequence of DNA or RNA, and although it is an organic substance (without consciousness, is it different from inorganic substances? ), it constantly replicates and is also a form of life. I believe we can be bolder. In my 2. This question is very interesting. The main point of the paper is that molecules capable of self-replication can be defined as life, similar to a piece of DNA (virus) that can self-replicate. If a molecule only drives its own self-assembly from simple substrates to more complex biomolecules, I believe this is growth, not replication, and therefore not life. I think the example of prions is also a form of life. Prion protein is coded by the PRNP gene. Prion proteins cannot self-replicate and cannot be considered life. However, while prions are composed of misfolded protein aggregates, they propagate by inducing conformational changes in normal prion proteins (PrP^C) to transform them into the abnormal, disease-causing form (PrP^Sc). The misfolded prion acts as a template, guiding the normal proteins to adopt the abnormal structure, exhibiting characteristics of life. This precisely supports the viewpoint of this paper that any self-replicating molecule, including misfolded prions, can serve as genetic material and ultimately become life. Additionally, I have included examples of prions in the revised version of my paper.

Output: contrast


Input: Claim: Aliens are living among us disguised as humans. [SEP] Text: I’d seen a few plays and had been involved in the odd school production featuring Pilgrims, but the business of people actually making a living by dressing up as someone else and telling stories on a well-lit stage in front of an eager audience was a revelation. Every night, I stood in the wings and watched as a leading actress transformed herself into a or a or a Mame; I studied Doug and Tom and Bob as they turned themselves into Tevye or or Trapp. I befriended these people during the day and then watched at night as they conjured a more fantastic persona, one designed for happy endings. I had discovered a nexus where two entirely separate realities were allowed to meet, where the story of Tevye lived inside the story of Doug. Might there be a more fantastic story rolled up inside of my everyday life, my own alternate persona waiting to be conjured? I was determined to find out. Then one night about halfway through the summer, I found what I was looking for—I kissed a boy in the left mezzanine of the theater, and just like in those Greek myths that I’d been reading in school the year before, I was instantly transformed. Overnight, I was allowed to shed my alien status. I had found my tribe, my story. Before that summer, homosexuality was something to be avoided, ignored, resisted, and love was meant for movie stars. Way back in the Twentieth Century, homosexuality was rarely mentioned; it was a time when being gay or lesbian was still considered a form of mental illness, a crime, or worse. But ever since I could remember, it also had been a part of me, an urge that by its very nature couldn’t be separated from who I was, because it was my nature. And yet, it had to remain unspoken and unacknowledged, even to myself. Disowning it took so much work, and in jettisoning that essential part of myself, I naturally lost touch with other parts as well—like my ability to love and the confidence to be fully myself. The fact is, I was so busy policing myself into a kind of submission, forcing myself to be someone other than myself, I didn’t need anyone pushing me around. At 15, I was an expert at bullying myself.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Rhizobacteria enhance plant growth by fixing atmospheric nitrogen. [SEP] Text: CK, control; AB, AzotobacterDisplay full sizeRoot dry weightThe results of root dry weight showed that inoculation of tomato seedlings with rhizobacterial isolates containing N-fixing and/or ACC-deaminase activity increased the root dry weight over uninoculated control that ranged from 3. 1-fold to 12. 6-fold (Figure 3). The maximum increase in the root dry weight was observed in the treatment inoculated with TAN1, i. e. 12. 6-fold. The inoculation of other rhizobacterial strains, namely, TAN2, Azotobacter, TRN1, TACC1, and TACC2 also significantly (P < 0. 05) increased the root dry weight ranged from 8. 6-, 6. 1-, 4. 6-, 3. 7-, and 3. 1-fold, respectively, as compared to uninoculated control. Figure 3. Comparative effectiveness of ACC-deaminase and/or nitrogen-fixing rhizobacteria on root dry weight of tomato. Different letters (a–g) on bars indicate significant differences of mean values for root fresh weight. Bars represent standard errors. CK, control; AB, AzotobacterDisplay full sizeShoot lengthThe shoot length of tomato seedlings increased in response to inoculation with rhizobacterial isolates containing either N-fixing and/or ACC-deaminase activity that ranged from 2. 20 to 6. 92 fold as compared to uninoculated control (Figure 4). The most effective isolate was TAN1 that caused 6. 92-fold increase in shoot length of tomato seedlings over uninoculated control. The TAN2 was the next effective isolate that increased the shoot length up to 5. 93-fold as compared to uninoculated control. Tomato seedlings also responded better when inoculated with Azotobacter, TRN1, TACC1, and TACC2 and showed increase in the shoot length i. e. 4. 95-, 4. 26-, 3. 04-, and 2. 21-fold as compared to uninoculated control. Figure 4. Comparative effectiveness of ACC-deaminase and/or nitrogen-fixing rhizobacteria on shoot length of tomato. Different letters (a–g) on bars indicate significant differences of mean values for shoot length. Bars represent standard errors.

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: The majority of synthetic organisms are being designed to self-replicate infinitely without any environmental impact. [SEP] Text: Viral capsids are part of a virus and are composed of proteins encoded by viral genes. To my knowledge, I have not seen viral capsids self-replicate. If there were independent viral capsids that could self-replicate (no need for DNA or RNA), I would also define them as life. Thank you very much for your suggestion. I have added a clearer definition of life to my paper in the conclusion section and changed the title to " Life should be redefined: Any molecule with the ability to self-replicate should be considered life ". Additionally, it should be emphasized that self-replication should also include one molecule inducing another molecule to become itself (such as a misfolded prions induce prions). 3. I believe there may be a misunderstanding. According to England's theory, DNA or RNA molecules exist in a high-energy (low entropy, ordered and organized) state, which makes them ordered. The replication of DNA or RNA molecules progresses towards a lower energy state, ultimately leading to a low-energy (higher entropy, disordered and disorganized). This process is driven by the second law of thermodynamics, which governs the behavior of all matter in the universe, including life. However, an increase in entropy driven by the second law of thermodynamics does not necessarily indicate life; only molecules with active self-replication functions are considered life. The second law of thermodynamics drives all matter in the universe towards disorder and heat death. For example, if a drop of ink is added to a cup of water, the ink will eventually distribute evenly among the water molecules due to the second law of thermodynamics, which is unrelated to life, vice versa. I am very grateful for your suggestions on my paper. I have been contemplating new perspectives on life during this period, and I have added new paragraph accordingly. Competing Interests: No competing interests were disclosed. a concern Respond or 20 Sep 2024 20 Sep 2024 Authors' point by point response to the Reviewer comments is as follows - 1. I have considered this issue while writing my paper, but I have been very cautious. . . . Continue reading Authors' point by point response to the Reviewer comments is as follows - 1. I have considered this issue while writing my paper, but I have been very cautious. I am also concerned that my viewpoint may be too radical and difficult to accept.

Output: contrast


Input: Claim: Aliens are living among us disguised as humans. [SEP] Text: But if I ever slacked off, there was no shortage of those who were happy to step in and do it for me. And not just people—a book could do it nicely. My brother owned a precious and dog-eared copy of to Know about Sex. I remember pouring over it, page by page, looking for some kind of validation or permission to feel the feelings that I thought were mine alone. Instead, I was shocked to discover that homosexuals were a class of men who had sex in bowling alley bathrooms and enjoyed activities such as putting light bulbs up their butts. Really? Homosexuality, I decided, was not for me. And so I kept quiet, fell below the radar, and made a decision to be less than myself. At a time when my peers were busy pressing themselves on top of girls in the back seat of cars, renting tuxedoes, and coming into their own, I was trying desperately to pass. In a world where emotional development depended on my ability to participate, I fell behind a bit. I took to my room, imagined that I understood the lyrics of popular singing divas, sulked, decoupaged my lunch box, made hand puppets with human hair, wore a dickie, read Jane Austen, and was cast in musicals. Fortunately, that first kiss was more powerful than anything I’d yet encountered, and it managed to trump even my own desire to remain invisible. Love was no longer meant for other people, normal people, people in movies and books—it belonged to me as well. I was part of the human race, and no one would deny me that right ever again. Love provided me with a story that I could believe in. Story is how we locate ourselves in the world and how we identify ourselves to one another, but even more important, it’s how we come to know ourselves. We are all storytellers. Every one of us arranges, discards, upends, and transforms the flimsy details of our personal circumstances until our lives and the world all around us makes some kind of sense, until we recognize ourselves in the landscape. Creating stories about ourselves, our parents, our ancestors, our work, and place of worship is one of the main features of our species and sets us apart from all others.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Rhizobacteria enhance plant growth by fixing atmospheric nitrogen. [SEP] Text: CK, control; AB, AzotobacterDisplay full sizeShoot fresh weightInoculation with rhizobacteria containing either ACC-deaminase and/or N-fixing activity increased the shoot fresh weight that ranged from 2. 0- to 9. 33-fold as compared to uninoculated control. The most effective isolate was TAN1 that caused 9. 33-fold increase over uninoculated control (Figure 5). The next effective isolates were TAN2, Azotobacter, and TRN1 that caused 7. 66-, 4. 33-, and 3. 66-fold increases, respectively, whereas the isolate TACC1 and TACC2 caused least increase of 2. 66- and 2. 0-fold, respectively. Figure 5. Comparative effectiveness of ACC-deaminase and/or nitrogen-fixing rhizobacteria on shoot fresh weight of tomato. Different letters (a–g) on bars indicate significant differences of mean values for shoot fresh weight. Bars represent standard errors. CK, control; AB, AzotobacterDisplay full sizeShoot dry weightResults revealed that inoculation of tomato seedlings with rhizobacterial isolates containing N-fixing and/or ACC-deaminase activity significantly (P < 0. 05) increased the shoot dry weight as compared to uninoculated control that ranged from 2-fold to 6. 91-fold under normal growth conditions (Figure 6). The isolate TAN1 showed highest increase in shoot dry weight that was 6. 91-fold higher than uninoculated control. The TAN2 was the next effective isolate that resulted in 5. 71-fold higher shoot dry weight as compared to uninoculated control. The increase in the shoot dry weight due to other isolates, namely, Azotobacter, TRN1, TACC1, and TACC2 was 4. 63-, 3. 9-, 2. 91-, and 2-fold, respectively, as compared to uninoculated control. Figure 6. Comparative effectiveness of ACC-deaminase and/or nitrogen-fixing rhizobacteria on shoot dry weight of tomato. Different letters (a–g) on bars indicate significant differences of mean values for shoot fresh weight. Bars represent standard errors.

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: The majority of synthetic organisms are being designed to self-replicate infinitely without any environmental impact. [SEP] Text: However, with the help of the F1000Research platform and the opportunity to answer questions, my response is: Yes. Traditional thinking defines life as having certain perceptions or consciousness, such as in humans, animals, and plants. However, the emergence of viruses has challenged this common understanding. A virus is merely a sequence of DNA or RNA, and although it is an organic substance (without consciousness, is it different from inorganic substances? ), it constantly replicates and is also a form of life. I believe we can be bolder. In my 2. This question is very interesting. The main point of the paper is that molecules capable of self-replication can be defined as life, similar to a piece of DNA (virus) that can self-replicate. If a molecule only drives its own self-assembly from simple substrates to more complex biomolecules, I believe this is growth, not replication, and therefore not life. I think the example of prions is also a form of life. Prion protein is coded by the PRNP gene. Prion proteins cannot self-replicate and cannot be considered life. However, while prions are composed of misfolded protein aggregates, they propagate by inducing conformational changes in normal prion proteins (PrP^C) to transform them into the abnormal, disease-causing form (PrP^Sc). The misfolded prion acts as a template, guiding the normal proteins to adopt the abnormal structure, exhibiting characteristics of life. This precisely supports the viewpoint of this paper that any self-replicating molecule, including misfolded prions, can serve as genetic material and ultimately become life. Additionally, I have included examples of prions in the revised version of my paper. Viral capsids are part of a virus and are composed of proteins encoded by viral genes. To my knowledge, I have not seen viral capsids self-replicate. If there were independent viral capsids that could self-replicate (no need for DNA or RNA), I would also define them as life. Thank you very much for your suggestion. I have added a clearer definition of life to my paper in the conclusion section and changed the title to " Life should be redefined: Any molecule with the ability to self-replicate should be considered life ".

Output: contrast


Input: Claim: Aliens are living among us disguised as humans. [SEP] Text: Story is how we locate ourselves in the world and how we identify ourselves to one another, but even more important, it’s how we come to know ourselves. But as adolescents, we don’t yet have the ability to create a proper narrative of our lives; we don’t have the perspective necessary to make sense of certain events and to place each episode in its proper context. What does this mean? Why did that happen? How will this affect that? And that is one of the reasons why storytelling is so important to us when we are young adults; we are in the early stages of learning how to construct a narrative of our lives, and we need all the help we can get. As my summer of love was coming to a close, my boyfriend slipped me Mary Renault’s novel of the Wine. A parting gift. He told me to read it while we were separated and perhaps I might see a bit of our own love reflected in the story. Though the book had been published in 1956 and the story was set in Ancient Greece, I was thrilled to discover that the plot involved a relationship between two men. Here was evidence that someone (other than me) believed that such a love was not only possible, but also desirable. If only I lived in ancient Greece. returned to the routine life of a high school junior, I tried to make up for the loss of excitement by submerging myself in books. I read the stories of T. H. White, Charles Dickens, F. . D. Salinger, Charlotte Brontë, and Kurt Vonnegut. To be honest, I also turned to books because I wanted to find some kind of validation of the life I dreamed for myself, a blueprint; and though I never did find exactly what I was looking for, the habit of reading took hold in me, and eventually I found my way to writers like and Djuna Barnes, writers who presented, if not exactly a homosexual slant, than certainly a queer one. That same year, I was assigned to Mr. Shust’s English class. Mr. Shust was a cranky and fastidious man of middle years who dressed in tweeds and flannel and insisted that his students keep a journal. He told us that the experience would enrich our lives (whatever that meant) and that we would be graded not on the quality of our writing, but on our willingness to participate.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Rhizobacteria enhance plant growth by fixing atmospheric nitrogen. [SEP] Text: CK, control; AB, AzotobacterDisplay full sizeNumber of leavesAll rhizobacterial isolates caused increase in the number of leaves that ranged from 3. 1- to 11. 0-fold as compared to uninoculated control (Figure 7). Among all the isolates, TAN1 and TAN2 showed most promising results and caused 11. 0- and 9. 0-fold increase in the number of leaves as compared to uninoculated control. Azotobacter was the next effective isolate that caused 7. 31-fold increase in the number of leaves as compared to uninoculated control. Conversely, TRN1 and TACC1 showed 6. 19- and 4. 38-fold increase in the number of leaves over uninoculated control, respectively. While isolate TACC2 showed minimum increase in the number of leaves as compared to uninoculated control, i. e. 3. 01-fold. Figure 7. Comparative effectiveness of ACC-deaminase and/or nitrogen-fixing rhizobacteria on number of leaves of tomato. Different letters (a–g) on bars indicate significant differences of mean values for number of leaves. Bars represent standard errors. CK, control; AB, AzotobacterDisplay full sizeChlorophyll a contentsThe inoculation with either ACC-deaminase and/or N-fixing activity containing rhizobacteria significantly (P < 0. 05) increased the chlorophyll a contents that ranged from 1. 82- to 6. 25-fold (Figure 8). Isolate TAN1 was found to be the most effective that caused 6. 25-fold increase in chlorophyll a contents over uninoculated control. The next effective isolates were TAN2, Azotobacter, TRN1, TACC1, and TACC2 that resulted in about 4. 81-, 3. 78-, 3. 11-, 2. 21-, and 1. 83-fold increase in chlorophyll a contents, respectively, compared to uninoculated control. Figure 8. Comparative effectiveness of ACC-deaminase and/or nitrogen-fixing rhizobacteria on chlorophyll a content of tomato. Different letters (a–g) on bars indicate significant differences of mean values for chlorophyll content. Bars represent standard errors.

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: The majority of synthetic organisms are being designed to self-replicate infinitely without any environmental impact. [SEP] Text: Additionally, it should be emphasized that self-replication should also include one molecule inducing another molecule to become itself (such as a misfolded prions induce prions). 3. I believe there may be a misunderstanding. According to England's theory, DNA or RNA molecules exist in a high-energy (low entropy, ordered and organized) state, which makes them ordered. The replication of DNA or RNA molecules progresses towards a lower energy state, ultimately leading to a low-energy (higher entropy, disordered and disorganized). This process is driven by the second law of thermodynamics, which governs the behavior of all matter in the universe, including life. However, an increase in entropy driven by the second law of thermodynamics does not necessarily indicate life; only molecules with active self-replication functions are considered life. The second law of thermodynamics drives all matter in the universe towards disorder and heat death. For example, if a drop of ink is added to a cup of water, the ink will eventually distribute evenly among the water molecules due to the second law of thermodynamics, which is unrelated to life, vice versa. I am very grateful for your suggestions on my paper. I have been contemplating new perspectives on life during this period, and I have added new paragraph accordingly. Authors' point by point response to the Reviewer comments is as follows - 1. I have considered this issue while writing my paper, but I have been very cautious. I am also concerned that my viewpoint may be too radical and difficult to accept. However, with the help of the F1000Research platform and the opportunity to answer questions, my response is: Yes. Traditional thinking defines life as having certain perceptions or consciousness, such as in humans, animals, and plants. However, the emergence of viruses has challenged this common understanding. A virus is merely a sequence of DNA or RNA, and although it is an organic substance (without consciousness, is it different from inorganic substances? ), it constantly replicates and is also a form of life. I believe we can be bolder. In my 2. This question is very interesting. The main point of the paper is that molecules capable of self-replication can be defined as life, similar to a piece of DNA (virus) that can self-replicate.

Output: contrast


Input: Claim: Aliens are living among us disguised as humans. [SEP] Text: So every evening after my homework was finished, I dutifully made an entry into the black-and-white speckled composition book. I began by chronicling the minor and major moments of my life, the hurts, hopes and heartbreaks, and soon writing had become a habit as well. That first journal turned into many, and by the time I was in my early twenties, I had a shelf filled with the written record of my adolescent years. These books certainly came in handy years later when I began to write novels for young adults. My first book, (Harper Teen), is especially indebted to these journals for the many details of my summers on the Jersey coast. And my second novel, (Egmont), also set in a seaside town during the summer months, explores issues of faith and love that I was struggling with and writing about in those early journals. So, picture me a grown up, sitting at my desk and sipping morning coffee at the age of 35. Behind me, those composition books are lined up like witnesses never called upon to give their testimony. On the radio, a news report about teen suicide. According to the statistics, a young person who identifies as Gay or Lesbian is three to four times more likely to attempt suicide than his or her heterosexual peers, and of all teen suicides, 33% can be attributed to homosexuality. I am appalled by this fact, shocked that nothing is being done to prevent the loss of what I consider our greatest natural resource—our youth. Instinctively, I turn to my old journals and I begin to read. For the first time in years, I am reminded of just how confusing it was to be an adolescent, how painful and lonely. It is my story. I then write the first few lines of a story about a 13-year-old boy who confides to his journal. I call him Trevor. Dear Diary, walked into the living room while Mom and Dad were watching TV. Fell dead to the floor. No response from them. I think that television reruns have replaced their natural spontaneity. I mean, unless I’m on the eleven o’clock news, I don’t think they’d care. And even then they might sleep through it. And so the story began. Eventually, Trevor discovers that he is different— different from his parents, different from his schoolmates, and different from his best friend.

Output: pass


Input: Claim: Rhizobacteria enhance plant growth by fixing atmospheric nitrogen. [SEP] Text: CK, control; AB, AzotobacterDisplay full sizeChlorophyll b contentsResults showed that inoculation with rhizobacteria containing either ACC-deaminase and/or N-fixing activity increased the chlorophyll b contents that ranged from 2. 23- to 10. 7-fold as compared to uninoculated control (Figure 9). Among all the isolates, TAN1 and TAN2 caused highest increase in the chlorophyll b contents, i. e. 10. 7- and 8. 2-fold compared to uninoculated control. Azotobacter was the next effective isolate that showed 6. 28-fold increase in the chlorophyll b contents compared to uninoculated control. Similarly, TRN1 and TACC1 showed 5. 0- and 3. 11-fold increase in the chlorophyll b contents over uninoculated control, respectively, whereas isolate TACC2 showed minimum increase in the chlorophyll b contents as compared to uninoculated control that was 2. 2-fold. Figure 9. Comparative effectiveness of ACC-deaminase and/or nitrogen-fixing rhizobacteria on chlorophyll b content of tomato. Different letters (a–g) on bars indicate significant differences of mean values for chlorophyll content. Bars represent standard errors. CK, control; AB, AzotobacterDisplay full sizeCarotenoid contentsThe inoculation with either ACC-deaminase and/or N-fixing activity containing rhizobacteria significantly (P < 0. 05) increased the carotenoid contents that ranged from 1. 85- to 8. 81-fold (Figure 10). Isolate TAN1 was found to be the most effective that caused 8. 81-fold increase in carotenoid contents over uninoculated control. The TAN2, Azotobacter, and TRN1 were the next most effective isolates that resulted in 7. 25-, 5. 85-, and 3. 91-fold increase in carotenoid contents, respectively, compared to uninoculated control. The TACC1 and TACC2 isolates showed minimum increase in the carotenoid contents as compared to uninoculated control that was 2. 86- and 1. 85-fold. Figure 10.

Output: corroborate


Input: Claim: The majority of synthetic organisms are being designed to self-replicate infinitely without any environmental impact. [SEP] Text: If a molecule only drives its own self-assembly from simple substrates to more complex biomolecules, I believe this is growth, not replication, and therefore not life. I think the example of prions is also a form of life. Prion protein is coded by the PRNP gene. Prion proteins cannot self-replicate and cannot be considered life. However, while prions are composed of misfolded protein aggregates, they propagate by inducing conformational changes in normal prion proteins (PrP^C) to transform them into the abnormal, disease-causing form (PrP^Sc). The misfolded prion acts as a template, guiding the normal proteins to adopt the abnormal structure, exhibiting characteristics of life. This precisely supports the viewpoint of this paper that any self-replicating molecule, including misfolded prions, can serve as genetic material and ultimately become life. Additionally, I have included examples of prions in the revised version of my paper. Viral capsids are part of a virus and are composed of proteins encoded by viral genes. To my knowledge, I have not seen viral capsids self-replicate. If there were independent viral capsids that could self-replicate (no need for DNA or RNA), I would also define them as life. Thank you very much for your suggestion. I have added a clearer definition of life to my paper in the conclusion section and changed the title to " Life should be redefined: Any molecule with the ability to self-replicate should be considered life ". Additionally, it should be emphasized that self-replication should also include one molecule inducing another molecule to become itself (such as a misfolded prions induce prions). 3. I believe there may be a misunderstanding. According to England's theory, DNA or RNA molecules exist in a high-energy (low entropy, ordered and organized) state, which makes them ordered. The replication of DNA or RNA molecules progresses towards a lower energy state, ultimately leading to a low-energy (higher entropy, disordered and disorganized). This process is driven by the second law of thermodynamics, which governs the behavior of all matter in the universe, including life. However, an increase in entropy driven by the second law of thermodynamics does not necessarily indicate life; only molecules with active self-replication functions are considered life. The second law of thermodynamics drives all matter in the universe towards disorder and heat death.

Output: contrast


Input: Claim: Aliens are living among us disguised as humans. [SEP] Text: But when he realizes that he is gay and has no one in whom he can confide, he considers ending his life. Trevor is a poignant and surprisingly funny portrait of a boy in crisis, but it’s about anyone who has ever felt as though they just can’t get it right, that they don’t fit in no matter how hard they try. It wasn’t that difficult to find the inspiration for Trevor. All of us have felt this way at one time or another, especially during our teenage years when we are just beginning to piece together a story of ourselves. Fortunately, my story was close to hand and my journals were stuffed with poems, rants, dreams, prayers, vows, ideas, and remembrances of what it meant to be 14, 15, 16. . . . The irony is that just as I was beginning to discover myself, I was becoming a stranger to the people I loved the most—my family. They couldn’t know me, not really, because if they knew who I was, they would most certainly reject me. I couldn’t live with that—not even as a possibility. And so I kept myself a secret from them, removed myself further and further from them, and began to explore life and love without them. I went on to perform Trevor on stage as part of my solo show, Word of Mouth and eventually the show found its way to the HBO in Aspen, and then to where, incredibly, I won the Award for best solo performance of that year. One night following a performance of Word of Mouth I met and they asked me to consider writing the screenplay for a short film based on the story of Trevor. This 18-minute film (produced by and directed and produced by Peggy Rajski) went on to win many awards, including an for Action Short. It was an exciting time as we watched our little film find an audience and spread the word that gay was okay—and at a time when LGBT issues were just beginning to find their way into the news. The times were changing, and Trevor was in some small way able to contribute to that change. In 1997 when we sold the film to HBO, we thought it might be a good idea to flash a telephone number at the end, just in case there happened to be a kid out there who could relate to the character of Trevor and needed someone to talk to.

Output: pass