Reticulation (single-access key)

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In biology, a reticulation of a single-access identification key connects different branches of the identification tree to improve error tolerance and identification success. [1] [2] [3] In a reticulated key, multiple paths lead to the same result; the tree data structure thus changes from a simple tree to a directed acyclic graph.

Biology is the natural science that studies life and living organisms, including their physical structure, chemical processes, molecular interactions, physiological mechanisms, development and evolution. Despite the complexity of the science, there are certain unifying concepts that consolidate it into a single, coherent field. Biology recognizes the cell as the basic unit of life, genes as the basic unit of heredity, and evolution as the engine that propels the creation and extinction of species. Living organisms are open systems that survive by transforming energy and decreasing their local entropy to maintain a stable and vital condition defined as homeostasis.

In phylogenetics, a single-access key is an identification key where the sequence and structure of identification steps is fixed by the author of the key. At each point in the decision process, multiple alternatives are offered, each leading to a result or a further choice. The alternatives are commonly called "leads", and the set of leads at a given point a "couplet".

Directed acyclic graph directed graph with no directed cycles

In mathematics, particularly graph theory, and computer science, a directed acyclic graph, is a finite directed graph with no directed cycles. That is, it consists of finitely many vertices and edges, with each edge directed from one vertex to another, such that there is no way to start at any vertex v and follow a consistently-directed sequence of edges that eventually loops back to v again. Equivalently, a DAG is a directed graph that has a topological ordering, a sequence of the vertices such that every edge is directed from earlier to later in the sequence.

Two forms of reticulation can be distinguished: Terminal reticulation and inner reticulation.

Taxon Group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms which have distinguishing characteristics in common

In biology, a taxon is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and given a particular ranking, especially if and when it is accepted or becomes established. It is not uncommon, however, for taxonomists to remain at odds over what belongs to a taxon and the criteria used for inclusion. If a taxon is given a formal scientific name, its use is then governed by one of the nomenclature codes specifying which scientific name is correct for a particular grouping.

Reticulations generally improve the usability of a key, but may also diminish the overall probability of correct identification averaged over all taxa. [4]

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In computing and telecommunication, a control character or non-printing character (NPC) is a code point in a character set, that does not represent a written symbol. They are used as in-band signaling to cause effects other than the addition of a symbol to the text. All other characters are mainly printing, printable, or graphic characters, except perhaps for the "space" character.

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Automatic Packet Reporting System Automatic Packet Reporting System

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In biology, an identification key is a printed or computer-aided device that aids the identification of biological entities, such as plants, animals, fossils, microorganisms, and pollen grains. Identification keys are also used in many other scientific and technical fields to identify various kinds of entities, such as diseases, soil types, minerals, or archaeological and anthropological artifacts.

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Identification (biology) process of assigning a pre-existing taxon name to an individual organism

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In computing and telecommunications, the capabilities of a terminal are various terminal features, above and beyond what is available from a pure teletypewriter, that host systems can make use of. They are (mainly) of control codes and escape codes that can be sent to or received from the terminal. The escape codes sent to the terminal perform various functions that a CRT terminal is capable of, but that a teletypewriter is not; such as moving the terminal's cursor to positions on the screen, clearing and scrolling all or parts of the screen, turning on and off attached printer devices, programming programmable function keys, changing display colours and attributes, and setting display title strings. The escape codes received from the terminal signify things such as function key, arrow key, and other special key keystrokes.

References

  1. Osborne, D. V. 1963. Some Aspects of the theory of dichotomous keys. New Phytologist, 62 (2): 144-160.
  2. Payne, R. W. & Preece, D. A. 1977. Incorporating checks against observer error into identification keys. New Phytol. 79: 203-209.
  3. Payne, R. W. 1977. Reticulation and other methods of reducing the size of printed diagnostic keys. J. Gen. Microbiol. 98: 595-597.
  4. Osborne, D. V. 1963. Some Aspects of the theory of dichotomous keys. New Phytologist, 62 (2): 144-160.