bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Migration matters in conservation and management: Exploring the 10% rule for demographic independence via simulation
Authors: Spies Ingrid , Spencer Paul D. , Punt André E. 
Published: February 2025

AbstractDelineating a threshold migration rate for demographic independence important for understanding connectivity among fragmented populations and defining management units for conservation and harvest regulation. In turn, defining management units is an essential step in sustainable management to avoid unintentional depletion of resources managed for conservation or harvest. The 10% rule of demographic connectivity is a rule of thumb that delineates the threshold of demographic independence when the behavior of two populations shifts from synchronous at >10% to independent at <10%. However, the accuracy of the 10% rule to real‐world scenarios and application to natural resource management is unknown. We evaluated the 10% rule using simulation for two life history types: Pacific cod, Gadus macrocephalus, a gadid with relatively fast growth, and blackspotted rockfish, Sebastes melanostictus, a long‐lived rockfish species. Results were obtained by simulating a real‐world tool for evaluating demographic connectivity, positive correlation in estimated population sizes. We assessed the effect of migration on demographic connectivity on otherwise independent populations under one‐ and two‐way migration, and with various population sizes and life history parameters. Sensitivity testing showed that positive correlation in population size does not occur in roughly a quarter of simulations, regardless of the migration rate. When positive correlation in population size does occur, mean migration rates over all simulations were between 5% and 10%: 0.089 (8.9%) for blackspotted rockfish and 0.058 (5.8%) for Pacific cod. However, the range of migration resulting in demographic connectivity was large, 0.02–0.44 for blackspotted rockfish and 0.02–0.40 for Pacific cod.
Scale‐Dependent Effects of Plant Diversity Drivers Across Different Grassland Habitats in Ukraine
Authors: Buzhdygan Oksana , Baldauf Selina , Borovyk Dariia , Vynokurov Denys , Ladouceur Emma , Chusova Olha , Iemelianova Svitlana , Budzhak Vasyl , Tietjen Britta , Bezrodnova Olga , Bezsmertna Olesya , Chorney Illya , Dembicz Iwona , Dengler Jürgen , Didukh Yakiv , Janišová Monika , Khodosovtsev Oleksandr , Kucher Oksana , Moysiyenko Ivan , Tokariuk Alla , Vasheniak Iuliia , Yavorska Olena , Chase Jonathan , Kuzemko Anna 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTUnderstanding the factors governing grassland biodiversity across different spatial scales is crucial for effective conservation and management. However, most studies focus on single grain sizes, leaving the scale‐dependent mechanisms of biodiversity drivers unclear. We investigated how climate, soil properties, abiotic disturbance, and land use influence plant diversity across two fine spatial scales in various grassland types in Ukraine. Using spatially explicit data on plant species presence and their cover, collected at smaller (10 m2) and larger (100 m2) grain sizes, we assessed spatial β‐diversity—the variability of biodiversity between scales. We analyzed whether the effects of ecological drivers on β‐diversity are mediated by changes in species evenness, density (total cover), and intraspecific aggregation in plant community. In our study, the most influential factors of local plant diversity at both grain sizes were climate variables, followed by soil humus content, litter cover, and soil pH. Soil and litter effects were primarily driven by the response of locally rare species, while climate and grazing effects were driven by locally common species. The strength of most of these effects varied between spatial scales, affecting β‐diversity. Soil properties influenced β‐diversity through changes in total plant community cover, while the effects of climate and litter operated via changes in species evenness and aggregation. Our findings highlight that biodiversity responses to climate, soil factors, and litter depend on the size of the sampled area and reveal the role of total plant cover, evenness, and aggregation in driving fine‐scale β‐diversity in grasslands across different habitat types.
Variable Importance Measures Suggest Paramount Influence of Human Economics on Alien‐Species Introductions
Authors: Arranz Ignasi , Nally Ralph Mac , García‐Berthou Emili 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTIdentifying the most important variables that determine patterns and processes is one of the main goals in many scientific fields, including ecological and evolutionary studies. Variable or relative importance is generally seen as the proportion of the variation in a response variable explained directly and indirectly by a specific predictor. Although partial regression coefficients are perhaps the most frequently used, ‘standard’, statistical technique in ecological and evolutionary studies, they are inadequate indices of variable importance when predictors are intercorrelated, which tends to be the rule in most observational data sets. Among other statistical techniques, random forests and hierarchical partitioning are designed to cope with collinearity but are still much less used than beta weights to measure variable importance. Here, we compared random forests and hierarchical partitioning with linear mixed models to attempt to unravel the individual and shared variation of environmental, economic, and human population factors with success of alien species richness in eight taxonomic groups at a global scale. Results showed that random forests and hierarchical partitioning generally agreed in ranking variable importance but showed considerably different conclusions to the standard statistical approach. Specifically, random forests and hierarchical partitioning attached more importance to economic and human population variables in explaining spatial patterns of alien species richness than did region area and mean air temperature, which were emphasized more by the standard approach. Beta weights also tended to highlight less correlated predictors, such as sampling effort and precipitation. Variable importance in random forests attached more importance to economic than population variables and to absolute rather than relative predictors. In conclusion, using variable importance measures enable to better identify the most significant drivers of biological invasions but it can also be applied to other biological and scientific questions, leading to tackle more efficient management and conservation decisions in global change research.
Idiosyncratic responses to biotic and environmental filters in wood‐inhabiting fungal communities
Authors: Saine Sonja , Penttilä Reijo , Fukami Tadashi , Furneaux Brendan , Hytönen Tuija , Miettinen Otto , Monkhouse Norman , Mäkipää Raisa , Pennanen Jorma , Zakharov Evgeny V. , Ovaskainen Otso , Abrego Nerea 
Published: February 2025

AbstractQuantification of different processes affecting the assembly of ecological communities remains challenging, especially in species‐rich communities. While the role of environmental filtering has generally been well established, fewer studies have experimentally shown how other ecological assembly processes, such as biotic filtering, structure species‐rich communities. Here, we studied the relative roles of biotic and environmental filtering in the colonization of wood‐inhabiting fungi, a species‐rich, highly interactive, and environment‐sensitive group of species. We conducted a field experiment where we simulated colonization with inoculations of nine fungal species in habitat patches (i.e., logs) with varying biotic and abiotic conditions. We characterized the local resident communities before the inoculations and the colonization success of the inoculated species after one and two years using DNA metabarcoding. We asked what determined the colonization success of the inoculated species by comparing the predictive performance of alternative models. These models included either only abiotic environmental predictors (i.e., physical log properties) or additionally different aspects of the resident fungal communities (i.e., resident fungal species richness, community composition, and DNA amount) as biotic predictors. While all nine species successfully colonized the logs, the rate of success and the factors explaining their colonization success varied among species. The colonization success of four of the inoculated species was explained mostly by the abiotic environmental variables, while the colonization success of three species was additionally explained by the resident communities. The influential biotic predictors varied from the presence of individual species to the collective presence of multiple species. Finally, for two of the inoculated species, all the models showed poor predictive performance. Our results indicate how environmental and biotic filtering may jointly structure species‐rich communities. Overall, the results show that species vary idiosyncratically in their response to biotic and environmental factors, highlighting the need to consider the complexity of species‐level responses when predicting community‐level changes.
Analysing Coherence in Policy for Multi‐Functional Landscapes: An Exploratory Framework
Authors: Öhman Frida , Karlsson Mikael 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTTo address biodiversity loss and other negative environmental effects of land use, science and policy are increasingly recognising multi‐functional landscape governance. This approach involves place‐based policymaking across multiple governance levels, engaging various stakeholders and balancing multiple landscape values and functions. Due to the complexity involved, calls have been made for additional research addressing institutional challenges, policy coherence and practical tools and frameworks. This article introduces a novel framework for analysing coherence in multi‐functional landscape governance, designed to be useful for both researchers and policymakers in land use contexts. The exploratory framework is inspired by multiple policy frameworks such as the European Landscape Convention and IPBES and draws from the two literatures on multi‐functional landscape governance and policy coherence. By applying this framework, users can systematically analyse trade‐offs and synergies between multiple, interacting policies, with a focus on landscape, multi‐functionality and stakeholders throughout policy processes. The study includes an illustrative application of the framework to the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the Swedish Forest Strategy, revealing a lack of coherence on a series of parameters of relevance for biodiversity protection, including critical policy instruments. The article concludes by identifying areas that warrant further research to advance multi‐functional landscape governance and thereby potentially improve biodiversity protection.
Burst steroid therapy and quality of life in patients with acute heart failure: Insights from the CORTAHF trial
Authors: Pagnesi Matteo , Cotter Gad , Davison Beth A. , Freund Yonathan , Voors Adriaan A. , Edwards Christopher , Novosadova Maria , Takagi Koji , Hayrapetyan Hamlet , Mshetsyan Andranik , Drambyan Mayranush , Cohen‐Solal Alain , ter Maaten Jozine M. , Biegus Jan , Ponikowski Piotr , Filippatos Gerasimos , Chioncel Ovidiu , Sadoune Malha , Simon Tabassome , Mann Douglas L. , Mebazaa Alexandre , Metra Marco 
Published: February 2025

AbstractAimsPatients hospitalized with acute heart failure (AHF) treated with a 7 day prednisone course in the CORTAHF pilot trial had a greater improvement in health‐related quality of life (QoL) at Day 7 in both the overall population and in patients with baseline interleukin 6 > 13 pg/mL. This post‐hoc analysis examines the specific QoL domains and the relationship between clinical signs of congestion and QoL.MethodsIn the CORTAHF pilot trial, patients with AHF and high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hsCRP) > 20 mg/L were randomized 1:1 to once‐daily oral 40 mg prednisone for 7 days plus usual care or usual care alone. Patients completed the EQ‐5D‐5L, including the EQ‐VAS, at baseline and Days 7 and 31. We estimated baseline‐adjusted treatment effects on each of the five QoL dimensions and evaluated the interaction between baseline EQ‐VAS and treatment effect on hsCRP change at Day 7 (the primary endpoint). The correlation between changes in signs of congestion and EQ‐VAS were evaluated.ResultsAmong 100 randomized patients, the improvement in QoL at Day 7 was driven by significant effects on the EQ‐5D‐5L mobility [win odds 1.48, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05–2.12] and usual activities (win odds 1.50, 95% CI 1.05–2.20) domains. The treatment effect on 7 day hsCRP change was independent of baseline EQ‐VAS (interaction P = 0.13). Decongestion and EQ‐VAS improvement were correlated (r = −0.528, P < 0.0001).ConclusionsIn patients with AHF and high hsCRP levels, 7 day burst steroid therapy improved QoL mostly by affecting the mobility and usual activities domains. QoL improvement was correlated with decongestion and may therefore not be a direct effect of steroid therapy, but mediated through improvement in HF symptoms and signs. Inflammatory activation was reduced by prednisone irrespective of baseline EQ‐VAS.
A Platinum(0) Complex as π‐Lewis Base Catalyst for Asymmetric Friedel‐Crafts Reaction
Authors: Wang Hao‐Tian , Qin Xin‐Ting , Jiang Bo , Chen Zhi‐Chao , Du Wei , Chen Ying‐Chun 
Published: February 2025

AbstractHere we demonstrate that a Pt0 complex can function as an efficient π‐Lewis base catalyst to increase the nucleophilicity of deactivated heteroarenes upon η2‐coordination and resultant π‐backdonation, thus enabling asymmetric Friedel‐Crafts reaction with electrophiles. A diversity of densely functionalized adducts are produced in high yields with moderate to excellent enantioselectivity. Preliminary frontier molecular orbital (FMO) calculations and in situ 1H NMR analysis support the Pt0 π‐Lewis base catalytic mode.
Recent Advances in Calix[4]arene‐Catalyzed Synthesis of Five‐ and Six‐Membered Oxa‐ and Azacycles
Authors: Wang Meiling , Li Tao , Shi Jing , Sun Xiaoqiang , Yang Ke , Li Zheng‐Yi 
Published: February 2025

AbstractHeterocyclic compounds are not only ubiquitous in natural products, pharmaceuticals, and organic materials, but also function as essential ligands in both organic and medical chemistry. Among the current synthetic strategies, organocatalysis has garnered considerable attention in recent years owing to its cost‐effectiveness, high catalytic efficiency, and environmental sustainability. In the realm of heterocycle synthesis via organocatalysis, calix[4]arenes have emerged as prominent catalysts. This review aims to highlight significant advancements in the calix[4]arene‐catalyzed synthesis of five‐ and six‐membered heterocyclic compounds using organic small molecules as starting materials over the past decade.
Insight Into Evaluation of Electrical Properties of Li2MSiO4/Li2M0.5N0.5SiO4 (M, N = Mn, Fe Co, Ni) Cathode Materials
Authors: Hassani Samin , Yousefi‐Mashhour Hatef , Lotfi‐Kia Nahid , Kalantarian Mohammad Mahdi 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTA new vision to evaluate rate‐capability and electrical properties of the cathode materials of a particular olivine structured family for Li‐ion batteries is established. These evaluations obtain electrical conductivity, by noble approaches using DFT, which is related to intrinsic/extrinsic bands concepts and electrical rate‐capability. Individual and alloyed transition metals‐containing cathodes are investigated, namely, Li2MSiO4/Li2M0.5N0.5SiO4 (M, N = Mn, Fe Co, Ni). Our analysis focused on the electrical properties, including band‐gap (BG) and rate‐capability, utilizing the GGA(+U)/LSDA(+U) approximations. The electrical properties of the Li2MSiO4/Li2M0.5N0.5SiO4 materials were thoroughly examined by evaluating both the band‐gap and electrical rate‐capability. For band‐gap assessment, we considered two types of band‐gap (ILBG/ELBG); while, two criteria (Delta/CCTB) were employed to evaluate the rate‐capability. The evaluation of band‐gap indicated that all the considered materials exhibited low conductivity. Nonetheless, our findings highlight that the electrical rate‐capability of a cell holds greater practical importance than the band‐gap property. Our approaches provided reliable predictions for the rate‐capability of the alloyed transition metals materials. The theoretically obtained results and conclusions are validated by available experimental data. We conclude that the rate capability approaches are more important than sole band gap. Also, the CCTB approach is more applicable for this electrode family than the Delta. This study can help understanding of behaviors of the alloyed electrode materials. Also, its methodology is worthy to use for other analogous materials.
Thermodynamic Aspects of Short‐Term Storage of High G‐Force in the Human Body
Authors: Mutlu Melis Nur , Özilgen Mustafa 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTThe gravitational force (g‐force) of the Earth is referred to as 1G. When pilots, astronauts, and race car drivers get under the effect of higher G‐forces, their blood accumulates in the lower parts of their bodies, although their heart rates increase, and their cardiovascular systems supply less blood to their brains and lungs. When insufficient oxygenation of the brain causes loss of consciousness, incapacitated pilots or drivers may cause accidents resulting in serious injury or death. Pilots receive high‐G training to prevent gravity‐induced loss of consciousness (G‐LOC). Wearing anti‐G suits on flights may help to decrease the G‐LOC. While the maximum G‐Force tolerance of a normal person is approximately 4G, it increases to 9G when a pilot is with equipment. In the experiments at 46.2G, a pilot, John Stapp, managed to barely stay conscious; his retinas were severed, but he got his normal vision back after a day and he showed that position and safety precautions could help the human body withstand high amounts of crash forces. This research helped to develop several safety changes in automobiles. Indycar is America's top single‐seater racing series. The crash recorders installed in their cars have shown that as long as safety systems are in place, the Indycar drivers can tolerate impacts over 100G without serious injuries. This study makes a thermodynamic assessment of the effects of the high G‐force when the race car drivers and the jet pilots are tentatively subject to it but get out of that effect when their task is over.
Temporal Interference Stimulation Boosts Working Memory Performance in the Frontoparietal Network
Authors: Zheng Suwang , Zhang Yufeng , Huang Kun , Zhuang Jie , Lü Jiaojiao , Liu Yu 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTTemporal interference (TI) stimulation is a novel neuromodulation technique that overcomes the depth limitations of traditional transcranial electrical stimulation while avoiding the invasiveness of deep brain stimulation. Our previous behavioral research has demonstrated the effects of multi‐target TI stimulation in enhancing working memory (WM) performance, however, the neural mechanisms of this special form of envelope modulation remain unclear. To address this issue, here we designed this randomized, double‐blind, crossover study, which consisted of a task‐based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment, to explore how offline TI stimulation modulated brain activity and behavioral performance in healthy adults. We conducted a 2 × 2 within‐subjects design with two factors: stimulation (TI vs. Sham) and time (pre vs. post). Participants received two stimulation protocols in a random order: TI (beat frequency: 6 Hz, targeting middle frontal gyrus [MFG] and inferior parietal lobule [IPL]) and sham stimulation. Neuroimaging data of a WM task with different cognitive loads were acquisited immediately before and after stimulation. We found TI stimulation significantly improved d′ in the high‐demand WM task. Whole‐brain analysis showed the significant time‐by‐stimulation interactions in two main clusters in IPL and precuneus with lower activation after TI stimulation. The generalized psychophysiological interaction (gPPI) analysis revealed a significant interaction in task‐modulated connectivity between MFG and IPL, with improvement observed after TI stimulation. Notably, this increasing functional connectivity induced by TI stimulation was positively correlated with better behavioral performance. Overall, our findings show specific effects of TI stimulation on brain activation and functional connectivity in the frontoparietal network and may contribute to provide new perspectives for future neuromodulation applications.
Highly Efficient Numerical Method for Modeling Mofs Containing Transition Metal Ions
Authors: Raenko D. D. , Tchougreeff A. L. 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTEmploying a group‐function based semiempirical approach, a new program package (seethoo), targeted to modeling of metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) containing transition metal ions (TMIs) with open d‐shells is developed. In this proof of concept study it is shown that the package has potential to accurately compute d‐shell low‐spin (LS) —high‐spin (HS) gaps and charge distributions in MOFs in time with reasonable accuracy. The calculations were carried out for a variety of MOFs and MOF‐like systems containing doubly and triply charged Mn, Fe, Co and Ni ions. For Fe‐containing systems, parameters of Mössbauer spectra were also computed. For the test runs, the results reasonably agree with available experimental data up to errors introduced by use of the CNDO parametrization in the test manner.
Effects of a Polarizable Force Field on Membrane Dynamics: Surface Viscosity, Lipid Diffusion, and Peptide Induced Pore Formation
Authors: Venable Richard M. , Pane Anthony J. , Rice Amy , Pastor Richard W. 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTThe effects of the newly developed CHARMM polarizable lipid force field (FF), Drude2023, on selected lipid dynamical properties are compared with the additive CHARMM36 (C36), and an extension of C36, termed C36/LJ‐PME, which includes long‐range Lennard–Jones (LJ) interactions. Polarizability and long‐range LJ interactions increase the membrane surface viscosity, which decreases the translational diffusion constants. Simulated diffusion constants for dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) extrapolated to infinite system size agree well with experiment for Drude2023, but overestimate experiment by 60% (on average) and a factor of 2.5 for C36/LJ‐PME and C36, respectively. The relaxation time of lipid wobble is described about equally well by C36/LJ‐PME and Drude2023, as consistent with the hexadecane viscosity for the FF, and both are more accurate than C36. Hence, physical improvements in the FF, which slowed down these dynamic processes led to better agreement with experiment. Lastly, bilayers containing 10 influenza fusion peptides and high fractions of lysolipids (which are known to accelerate pore formation) were simulated with C36 and Drude2023. Pore formation rates were comparable for the two FF for the bilayers with 80% and 90% lysolipid. However, while no pores formed in 24 μs (including a single 20 μs trajectory) in the 70% lysolipid with C36, 4 of 15 replicates formed pores in less than 1 μs with Drude. While the pathway to poration is qualitatively similar for the additive and polarizable FF for the systems studied, Drude2023 should be considered for quantitative studies of pore formation, and, in some cases, will accelerate the process.