bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the Centre‐Periphery Hypothesis Through Genomic Phylogeographical Comparisons of Two Sister Species of Liquidambar in East Asia's Tertiary Relict Forests
Authors: Wang Tian‐Rui , Xu Wu‐Qin , Comes Hans‐Peter , Zhang Xin‐Yi , Chen Jun , Li Yin‐Gang , Qiu Ying‐Xiong 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTAimUnderstanding the spatial distribution of genetic variation within species is a central tenet in evolutionary biology and conservation biology. This study explores how historical demographic processes and/or environmental factors interact to affect contemporary genetic variation and adaptive potential, with a specific focus on testing the ‘centre‐periphery’ hypothesis (CPH).LocationSubtropical China.Taxon
Liquidambar.
MethodsWe combined comparative phylogeography, landscape genomics and niche modelling to investigate the interplay between demographic history and past/current environmental factors in shaping genetic variation in Liquidambar formosana and L. acalycina, a sister pair of East Asia's Tertiary relict forests.ResultsIn both species, core populations occupied highly suitable habitats at highest densities. Consistent with the CPH, population genetic diversity decreased, and differentiation increased, from centre to margin in L. acalycina, but not in L. formosana, likely reflecting different demographic histories and different relative contributions of geography, past (LGM) and current climates to their present‐day genetic variation. In addition, L. formosana showed higher adaptive potential to future climate change than L. acalycina.Main ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that differences in contemporary genetic variation and adaptability among closely related species can be explained by contrasting demographic responses to multiple geographic/climatic factors. In turn, it should also expand our understanding of the CPH, while informing future conservation efforts for these two study species.
A Semiotic Approach to Social Meaning in Language
Authors: Babel Anna M. 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTLinguistic awareness is a complex and multi‐layered set of processes, existing in different forms of consciousness or knowledge. Social meaning resides in the ways that people perceive linguistic behavior as patterned and predictable, depending on their experience with, stereotypes about, and understanding of different groups. Ample evidence from experimental and ethnographic work indicates that sociolinguistic processes are actively engaged in the interactional construction of meaning. Furthermore, these processes hold material power over the world and how our positions in it are constructed. Theorizing these relationships is key to advancing research on sociolinguistic awareness and control and ultimately to understanding the complex linkages between language and social categorization, as evidenced in the contributions to this thematic issue. To illustrate these points, I present data from the Quechua–Spanish contact zone in Bolivia in which speakers report hearing differences in sounds that were not manipulated by the researchers in an experimental study. Second, I examine a case study in an educational setting in which Latinx students are categorized as English language learners based on racializing discourses and biased assessment tools. Both these examples demonstrate the importance of attending to listeners’ representations of socio + linguistic information, not only that which exists in a measurable way “in the world,” but that which is filled in by social expectation and pattern recognition at a sociocognitive level. I draw on semiotic theory, in particular the device of the interpretant, to argue that social information is perceived in dynamic and varied ways as part of the sign system that constitutes language. It is not something that is added on or filtered after linguistic information; indeed, the whole concept of “social vs. linguistic” is a false dichotomy that has led too many researchers astray. The interpretant incorporates elements of our theory of the world in our interpretation of signs and provides a third “leg” to the dualistic Saussurean sign–symbol relationship. That is, our perception of the relationship between sign and symbol is itself part of the sign. This recursive relationship helps us to access the sophisticated systems of social behavior and modeling that people contain and have knowledge of, information that not only assists them in interpreting but also plays a role in constructing meaning and content of socially laden signs. Social meaning resides in the ways that people perceive linguistic behavior as patterned and predictable, yet also dynamic and available for creative play. We cannot rely only on people's experience with, stereotypes about, and understanding of different groups but must also lean toward models that allow for creativity, innovation, and shifting hierarchies. These processes ultimately have material effects on our world and on the power structures that we inhabit and reproduce through our linguistic and intellectual practices.
Wind Is a Primary Driver of Fungal Dispersal Across a Mainland‐Island System
Authors: Naranjo‐Orrico D. , Ovaskainen O. , Furneaux B. , Purhonen J. , Arancibia P. A. , Burg S. , Moser N. , Niku J. , Tikhonov G. , Zakharov E. , Monkhouse N. , Abrego N. 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTDispersal is one of the main processes shaping ecological communities. Yet, for species‐rich communities in natural systems, the role of dispersal in community assembly remains relatively less studied compared to other processes. This is the case for fungal communities, for which predictable knowledge about where and how the dispersal propagules move across space is largely lacking. We sampled fungal communities at their dispersal stage in a lake mainland‐island system in Finland, using a regular grid of 18 × 18 km, including sites on the mainland, islands and over the water. Fungal communities were screened by applying DNA barcoding to air samples. To assess the factors determining fungal dispersal, we modelled aerial fungal communities with a joint species distribution model, including spore traits, weather‐related predictors, and spatial predictors. We found that the probability of occurrence of most species (and consequently species richness measured as the number of OTUs per sample) was lower in low‐connectivity sites (water and isolated islands) compared to high‐connectivity sites (mainland). There was a strong phylogenetic signal in how the fungal species responded to connectivity, indicating that some taxonomic groups are more dispersal limited than others, although such responses were not structured by their trophic guilds. Furthermore, wind speed influenced how species with different spore sizes responded to connectivity: in low‐connectivity sites, species with large sexual spores were detected especially when wind was high, whereas, in high‐connectivity sites, they were detected especially when wind was low. This study demonstrates that air fungal dispersal might be more predictable than previously considered and contributes to the mechanistic understanding of fungal air dispersal.
Comparative Genomics Uncovers Molecular Adaptations for Cetacean Deep‐Sea Diving
Authors: Zhang Fan , Zhang Tong , Dong Hao , Jiang Jie , Yang Guang , Seim Inge , Tian Ran 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTCetaceans show remarkable diversity in diving capability, implying a range of adaptive strategies to hazards such as hydrostatic pressure and oxidative stress, but few studies have considered the evolution of extreme diving. Here, we first examined the relationship between morphological and physiological factors and diving capability and then considered the molecular evolution of candidate deep‐sea diving traits in a genomic dataset of cetaceans. Our dataset included six super‐divers, sperm whales (families Physeteridae and Kogiidae) and beaked whales (Ziphiidae), species that can dive deeper than 1000 m for about an hour or longer. We found a positive association between diving capability and oxygen‐linked globins, and super‐diver myoglobin (MB) is under positive selection and harbours a reported functional amino acid change. Blubber thickness was positively associated, likely to provide thermal insulation and hydrostatic pressure resistance. Super‐divers have gene changes that may contribute to differences in the composition of outer blubber neutral lipids (triacylglycerols and wax esters), fatty acids and cholesterol. Total lung capacity relative to body mass showed a negative association, ostensibly to limit gas bubbles that can cause decompression sickness. A functional assay suggests that an ATP8B1 amino acid substitution may reduce lung injury in super‐divers. Super‐diver XDH has two unique amino acids and a decreased ability to produce uric acid under hypoxia when its ROS‐generating XO isoform is prevalent, suggesting that it reduces cell damage from oxidative stress and uric acid accumulation in species with prolonged dives. Our study deepens the understanding of how deep‐sea diving emerged in the cetacean lineage.
Comparative Population Genomics Reveal the Determinants of Genome Erosion in Two Sympatric Neotropical Falcons
Authors: Dussex Nicolas 
Published: February 2025

Studying genetic diversity in endangered species has become an important component of conservation science over the past decades. Thanks to recent developments in sequencing technologies and bioinformatics, genetic parameters of conservation relevance such as neutral and functional genome‐wide variation are now routinely estimated. Since inbreeding and deleterious mutations represent significant threats to small and declining populations, assessing the dynamics of these parameters has received particular attention in many recent conservation genomics studies. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Martin et al. analyse the genomes of two Neotropical falcon species to assess the impact of their contrasting population histories on genome‐wide diversity. They show that the Orange‐breasted falcon which has had a low long‐term population size and has experienced recent population bottlenecks is more inbred but has relatively fewer deleterious variations compared to its sister taxon, the Bat falcon, which is characterised by a larger long‐term population size. This study not only provides insights into the role of past demography on the dynamics of deleterious variation in two species with contrasting population histories but also highlights the increasing importance of comparative approaches in population and conservation genomics.
Movement behavior of a blue whale between the Galapagos Archipelago and the Frontal System off Baja California Peninsula
Authors: Guzman Hector M. , Estévez Rocío M. 
Published: February 2025

AbstractThe movement behavior of blue whales in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) is not well understood, especially regarding the migration of Northeast (NEP) and Southeast (SEP) Pacific populations. This study presents tracking data from a satellite‐tagged blue whale recorded between the Galapagos Islands and the Baja California Frontal System. A Bayesian state‐space model (BSAM) estimated the whale's movement trajectory, and a hidden Markov model (HMM) classified behavioral states. Environmental factors like sea surface temperature, chlorophyll‐a concentration, primary productivity, and mesoscale eddies were analyzed to identify ecological drivers. The whale displayed foraging behavior in areas with lower temperatures, higher productivity, and elevated chlorophyll levels, with movements influenced by cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies. These findings improve understanding of blue whale migration and the potential overlap between NEP and SEP populations in key tropical regions. They suggest that areas like the Galapagos and Costa Rica Thermal Dome may serve as ecological corridors, influenced by eddies.
Comparison of the Outcomes of Endoscopic Posterolateral Interbody Fusion and Lateral Interbody Fusion in the Treatment of Lumbar Degenerative Disease: A Systematic Review and Network Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Hu Xijian , Yan Lei , Chai Jing , Zhao Xiaofeng , Liu Haifeng , Zhu Jinhuai , Chai Huo , Zhao Yibo , Zhao Bin 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTObjectiveAlthough endoscopic technologies have been increasingly applied in lumbar fusion surgery in recent years, the advantages and disadvantages of endoscopic posterolateral fusion compared with lateral fusion remain unclear. Six different single‐level lumbar interbody fusion procedures were compared to determine whether indirect decompression fusion could achieve levels of efficacy and safety comparable to those of minimally invasive direct decompression fusion in the treatment of lumbar degenerative disease (LDD).MethodA literature search was conducted in the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases, and studies on the treatment of LDD published from 2004 to March 2024 were retrieved. The data of preset clinical outcome measures, including operation time, intraoperative estimated blood loss (EBL), length of hospital stay (LOS), complications, visual analog scale (VAS) score, and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), were extracted from the studies.ResultsThirty‐five studies with 3467 patients were included in this review. Network meta‐analysis revealed no significant differences in improvements in pain and disability or adverse events among the procedures, except for uniportal endoscopic lumbar interbody fusion (UELIF), which resulted in a lower degree of improvement in the ODI than oblique lateral interbody fusion (OLIF). Stand‐alone lateral lumbar interbody fusion (SA‐LLIF) exhibited the best performance in terms of indicators of early efficacy, such as surgical time and LOS. OLIF and SA‐LLIF had higher fusion rates than did UELIF and minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS‐TLIF). MIS‐TLIF resulted in greater EBL than did OLIF, SA‐LLIF, and UELIF.ConclusionMinimally invasive lumbar interbody fusion achieves good therapeutic results in LDD patients regardless of the use of indirect or direct decompression, whereas SA‐LLIF has better early efficacy.
Automated Detection and Severity Prediction of Wheat Rust Using Cost‐Effective Xception Architecture
Authors: Syeda Fouzia , Jameel Amina , Alani Noor , Humayun Mamoona , Alwakid Ghadah Naif 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTWheat crop production is under constant threat from leaf and stripe rust, an airborne fungal disease caused by the pathogen Puccinia triticina. Early detection and efficient crop phenotyping are crucial for managing and controlling the spread of this disease in susceptible wheat varieties. Current detection methods are predominantly manual and labour‐intensive. Traditional strategies such as cultivating resistant varieties, applying fungicides and practicing good agricultural techniques often fall short in effectively identifying and responding to wheat rust outbreaks. To address these challenges, we propose an innovative computer vision‐based disease severity prediction pipeline. Our approach utilizes a deep learning‐based classifier to differentiate between healthy and rust‐infected wheat leaves. Upon identifying an infected leaf, we apply Grabcut‐based segmentation to isolate the foreground mask. This mask is then processed in the CIELAB color space to distinguish leaf rust stripes and spores. The disease severity ratio is calculated to measure the extent of infection on each test leaf. This paper introduces a ground‐breaking disease severity prediction method, offering a low‐cost, accessible and automated solution for wheat rust disease screening in field conditions using digital colour images. Our approach represents a significant advancement in crop disease management, promising timely interventions and better control measures for wheat rust.
Advancing treatment response prediction in first‐episode psychosis: integrating clinical and electroencephalography features
Authors: Dominicus Livia , Zandstra Melissa , Franse Josephine , Otte Wim , Hillebrand Arjan , de Graaf Simone , Ambrosen Karen , Glenthøj Birte Yding , Zalesky Andrew , Borup Bojesen Kirsten , Sørensen Mikkel , Scheepers Floortje , Stam Cornelis , Oranje Bob , Ebdrup Bjorn , van Dellen Edwin 
Published: February 2025

AimsPrompt diagnosis and intervention are crucial for first‐episode psychosis (FEP) outcomes, but predicting the response to antipsychotics remains challenging. We studied whether adding electroencephalography (EEG) characteristics improves clinical prediction models for treatment response and whether EEG‐based predictors are influenced by initial treatment.MethodsWe included 115 antipsychotic‐naïve patients with FEP. Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and sociodemographic items were included as clinical features. Additionally, we analyzed resting‐state EEG data (n = 45) for (relative) power, functional connectivity, and network organization. Treatment response, measured as change in PANSS positive subscale scores (∆PANSS+), was predicted using a random forest regression model. We analyzed whether the most predictive EEG characteristics were influenced after treatment.ResultsThe clinical model explained 12% variance in symptom reduction in the training set and 32% in the validation set. Including EEG variables in the model led to a nonsignificant increase of 2% (total 34%) explained variance in symptom reduction. High hallucination symptom scores and a more hierarchical organization of alpha band networks (tree hierarchy) were associated with ∆PANSS+ reduction. The tree hierarchy in the alpha band decreased after medication. EEG source analysis revealed that this change was driven by alterations in the degree and centrality of frontal and parietal nodes in the functional brain network.ConclusionsBoth clinical and EEG characteristics can inform treatment response prediction in patients with FEP, but the combined model may not be beneficial over a clinical model. Nevertheless, adding a more objective marker such as EEG could be valuable in selected cases.
Spectral unmixing of hyperspectral images revealed pine wilt disease sensitive endmembers
Authors: Jeong Seok Won , Lee Il Hwan , Kim Yang‐Gil , Kang Kyu‐Suk , Shim Donghwan , Hurry Vaughan , Ivanov Alexander G. , Park Youn‐Il 
Published: February 2025

AbstractThroughout the entire cycle of leaf phenological events, leaf colour undergoes changes that are influenced by either abiotic stress or biotic infection. These changes in colouration are closely linked to the quantity and quality of photosynthetic pigments, which directly impact the primary productivity of plants. Therefore, monitoring and quantifying leaf colouration changes are crucial for distinguishing damage caused by pine wilt nematodes from natural tree senescence. In this study, a hyperspectral camera sensor was employed for the non‐invasive and non‐destructive evaluation of needle colour changes in coniferous trees grown in field tests. Three distinct needle colour variations of six coniferous tree species were selected and monitored using a hyperspectral sensor: those displaying seasonal autumn colours, undergoing nematode‐infected necrosis processes, and experiencing natural death. To mitigate the inherently mixed spectral properties of hyperspectral data, endmembers were extracted from individual images using the Purity Pixel Index algorithm under the assumption of linear mixing of endmembers. From a total of 1,321 endmembers extracted from 378 hyperspectral images of six pine species, eight endmembers were ultimately chosen to reconstruct hyperspectral images and generate abundance maps. Among these eight endmembers, four represent varying levels of photosynthetic pigment contents—ranging from very low to high. Consequently, these coniferous endmembers hold promise for assessing seasonal leaf phenology and the extent of damage in pine trees infected by pine wilt nematodes. This comprehensive approach underscores the effectiveness of spectral unmixing of hyperspectral images in advancing precision forestry through meticulous coniferous needle trait analysis.
Role of microbial mats in the genesis of soft‐sediment deformation structures in a siliciclastic environment
Authors: Cuadrado Diana G. , Maisano Lucía , Perillo Vanesa L. , Raniolo L. Ariel 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTThis study addresses gaps in existing knowledge about what triggers deformation structures in soft sediments and the siliciclastic rocks that form from them. These structures are extremely diverse due to the variety of processes and agents that cause them, although several studies have been carried out to disentangle the triggering mechanisms of their formation. This study considers the role of microbial mats (with characteristic millimetre to centimetre‐heterolithic lamination) in the formation of soft sediment deformation structures, and proposes what processes are involved in their formation. It is hypothesized that wet microbial mats exhibit extremely flexible and plastic deformation that may be analogous to some structures found in sedimentary rocks. The present study documents convoluted sedimentary structures characterized by deformation, which were identified at a depth of 10 to 15 cm in a coastal sedimentary supratidal flat subject to flooding during storm surges and studied using morphological and petrographic analysis. The research was conducted at a modern coastal site characterized by sediments colonized by thick microbial mats. Currents during storm surges create deformed microbially‐induced sedimentary structures, such as metre‐scale microbial roll‐ups, in which the laminated microbial mats exhibit multiple folds. Additionally, microbial folds and gas domes, characterized by a convex‐upward microbial mat, have a cavity when they form that is filled with sand due to liquefaction and/or fluidization during subsequent flooding by storm surges. These processes are related to the incoming seawater and the height of the water column (up to 70 cm) above the microbial surface, which is also influenced by wave action. The results may help to provide new insights into the genesis of some soft‐sediment deformation structures in the coastal environment, documenting a non‐seismic mechanism of formation in siliciclastic deposits.
Outfits Serve as Symbols for Overlapping Feminine and STEM Identity Goals
Authors: Zaman Sadia , Spychalska‐Waszek Hanna , Doerflinger Johannes T. , Gollwitzer Peter M. , Byrka Katarzyna 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTWomen in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) juggle between their feminine and professional identity goals. The present research views these struggles from the perspective of identity goal pursuits. Women in STEM may use different, sometimes even symbolic, ways to strive for the two identity goals, for example, by wearing outfits that reflect femininity, their profession, or both. In two studies, we tested to what extent these two goals overlap (are seen as similar) and whether the higher overlap between feminine and STEM professional identity goals is related to the preference for outfits that may serve two goals at the same time or only one of them. In Study 1 (N = 232), we found that willingness to wear an outfit serving both identity goals was positively related to the participant's identity goal overlap. Study 2 (N = 226) showed that overlap was related to the evaluation of the chosen outfits. Participants evaluating the chosen outfits as more multifinal reported higher overlap between the two identity goals.
Steenrod operations via higher Bruhat orders
Authors: Laplante‐Anfossi Guillaume , Williams Nicholas J. 
Published: February 2025

AbstractThe purpose of this paper is to establish a correspondence between the higher Bruhat orders of Yu. I. Manin and V. Schechtman, and the cup‐ coproducts defining Steenrod squares in cohomology. To any element of the higher Bruhat orders, we associate a coproduct, recovering Steenrod's original ones from extremal elements in these orders. Defining this correspondence involves interpreting the coproducts geometrically in terms of zonotopal tilings, which allows us to give conceptual proofs of their properties and show that all reasonable coproducts arise from our construction.