bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Modified Oxymethylene Ethers Based on Technical Alcohol Mixtures and their Fuel Properties
Authors: Zaghini Francesconi Victor , Drexler Marius , Zevaco Thomas A. , Arnold Ulrich , Sauer Jörg 
Published: January 2025

AbstractOxymethylene dimethyl ethers (OMDME) have attracted interest as renewably synthesized diesel substitutes with low soot formation and NOx emissions. In order to enable a high compatibility of this new type of fuel in the already existing infrastructure, a modified oxymethylene ether (OME) synthesis based on technical alcohol mixtures, i.e., C4‐based alcohol mixtures of isomers, was evaluated and the new compounds were thoroughly characterized. The synthesized compounds can be used as neat fuel or as blending component for fossil or paraffinic diesel fuels. The modification of OME offers the possibility to adjust desired properties. This versatility could also be used to synthesize compounds for the chemical sector according to its respective requirements, such as applications as solvents, plasticizers, or additives.
YOLOv8‐ESW: An Improved Oncomelania hupensis Detection Model
Authors: Wei Changcheng , Fang Juanyan , Xu Zhu , Meng Jinbao , Ye Zenglu , Wang Yipeng , Erdenebold Tumennast 
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACTTraditional Oncomelania hupensis detection relies on human eye observation, which results in reduced efficiency due to easy fatigue of the human eye and limited individual cognition, an improved YOLOv8 O. hupensis detection algorithm, YOLOv8‐ESW(expectation–maximization attention [EMA], Small Target Detection Layer, and Wise‐IoU), is proposed. The original dataset is augmented using the OpenCV library. To imitate image blur caused by motion jitter, salt and pepper, and Gaussian noise were added to the dataset; to imitate images from different angles captured by the camera in an instant, affine, translation, flip, and other transformations were performed on the original data, resulting in a total of 6000 images after data enhancement. Considering the insufficient feature fusion problem caused by lightweight convolution, We present the expectation–EMA module (E), which innovatively incorporates a coordinate attention mechanism and convolutional layers to introduce a specialized layer for small target detection (S). This design significantly improves the network's ability to synergize information from both superficial and deeper layers, better focusing on small target O. hupensis and occluded O. hupensis. To tackle the challenge of quality imbalance among O. hupensis samples, we employ the Wise‐IoU (WIoU) loss function (W). This approach uses a gradient gain distribution strategy and improves the model convergence speed and regression accuracy. The YOLOv8‐ESW model, with 16.8 million parameters and requiring 98.4 GFLOPS for computations, achieved a mAP of 92.74% when tested on the O. hupensis dataset, marking a 4.09% improvement over the baseline model. Comprehensive testing confirms the enhanced network's efficacy, significantly elevating O. hupensis detection precision, minimizing both missed and false detections, and fulfilling real‐time processing criteria. Compared with the current mainstream models, it has certain advantages in detection accuracy and has reference value for subsequent research in actual detection.
Dynamics of Pyrene Excimer in a Cholesteryl‐Based Supramolecular Host Matrix
Authors: Verma Shubham , Roy Gargee , Doley Nikumoni , Asthana Deepak , Dev Verma Sachin 
Published: January 2025

AbstractAggregation‐caused quenching (ACQ) reduces luminescence and compromises brightness in solid‐state displays, necessitating strategies to mitigate its effects for enhanced performance. This study presents cost‐effective method to mitigate ACQ of pyrene by co‐assembling polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons within low molecular weight gelator. Synthesized from readily available materials – cholesteryl chloroformate and pentaerythritol – in one‐step reaction, gelator incorporates four cholesteryl units, reported to promote robust supramolecular gels in various solvents. Encapsulation of pyrene in a supramolecular host has effectively addressed the challenge of ACQ in the solid‐state. Utilizing steady‐state and time‐resolved spectroscopic techniques, we probed the excimer formation dynamics across solution, powder, and xerogel phases. Through time‐resolved emission spectra (TRES) and time‐resolved area‐normalized emission spectra (TRANES), we observed the monomer‐to‐excimer transition under various conditions. In solution, this transition occurs in a single step, characterized by a single isoemissive point (~443 nm) observed in TRANES. In powder, two isoemissive points (~445 nm and ~485 nm) were observed, indicating more complex process with an additional relaxed or trap state. The xerogel phase revealed an intricate excimer formation pathway, involving three isoemissive points (~418 nm, ~442 nm, and ~423 nm). These observations suggest multiple intermediate states in monomer‐excimer transition and distinct dynamics in the solid matrix.
Nitrogen Modified Linear Polythiophene Derivatives with Polarized Charge Distribution for Red Light‐Induced Photocatalysis
Authors: Chen Qian , Tian Lin , Ren Wei , Zhang Xirui , Li Guosheng , Wang Sibo , Zhang Guigang , Lan Zhi‐An 
Published: January 2025

AbstractElevating the long‐wavelength activation of photocatalysts represents a formidable approach to optimizing sunlight utilization. Polythiophene (PTh), although renowned for its robust light absorption and excellent conductivity, is largely overlooked for its potential as a photocatalyst due to the swift recombination of photogenerated charge carriers. Herein, we unveil that the strategic introduction of an aromatic ring containing varying nitrogen content into PTh instigates polarized charge distribution and facilitates the narrowing of the band gap, thereby achieving efficient photocatalytic activities for both hydrogen and hydrogen peroxide generation. Notably, the best sample, PTh‐N2, even demonstrates photocatalytic activity in the red light region (600–700 nm). This study offers a promising avenue for the development of polymer photocatalysts with efficient photocatalytic performance for red light‐induced photocatalysis.
Narrow Dietary Niche With High Overlap Between Snow Leopards and Himalayan Wolves Indicates Potential for Resource Competition in Shey Phoksundo National Park, Nepal
Authors: Lamichhane Sandesh , Shrestha Bikram , Tharu Bhumi Prakash Chaudhary , Koirala Raj Kumar , Bhattarai Bishnu Prasad , Poudel Pratigyan , Adhikari Binaya , Khanal Gopal 
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACTUnderstanding species' dietary ecology and interspecific interactions is crucial for multi‐species conservation planning. In Central Asia and the Himalayas, wolves have recolonized snow leopard habitats, raising considerable concern about resource competition between these apex predators. Using micro‐histological analysis of prey species remains (e.g., hair) in their fecal samples, we determined the prey composition, dietary niche breadth, and the extent of diet overlap between these two apex predators in Shey Phoksundo National Park, Nepal. We analyzed 152 scat samples collected along 89 survey transects from April to June 2021. Our findings reveal a significant overlap in their diets (Pianka's index = 0.93), with snow leopard and wolf scats containing the remains of 11 and 10 prey species, respectively. However, the interspecific difference in prey selection was apparent, with significant deviations between observed and expected prey use indicating non‐random prey selection relative to availability: Snow leopards exhibited a higher occurrence of wild prey items in their diet (55.28%), primarily blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) (24.83%), whereas wolves relied predominantly on domestic livestock (67.89%), with goats (Capra hircus) accounting for over one‐fourth of their diet (29.15%). Yaks (Bos grunniens) comprised a significant portion of the biomass consumed by both predators, with higher for wolves (43.68%) than snow leopards (36.47%). Overall, the narrow dietary niche breadth with high overlap indicates potential resource competition between snow leopards and wolves. However, a comprehensive understanding of resource competition will require further study on other axes of niche partitioning, including habitat and time. Nevertheless, the region's low prey richness means that, with increasing human influence, any reduction in wild prey or increase in livestock could intensify competition between snow leopards and wolves, which could have implications for livestock depredation.
Chromosome‐Level Genome Assembly and Whole‐Genome Resequencing Revealed Contrasting Population Genetic Differentiation of Black Bream (Megalobrama skolkovii) (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) Allopatric and Sympatric to Its Kin Species
Authors: Ding Ruijin , Yu Dan , Yang Ke , Wu Xinghua , Liu Huanzhang 
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACTThe black bream (Megalobrama skolkovii) is an economically important species widely distributed in China, with its geographic populations potentially having undergone differentiations and local adaptations. In this study, we presented a chromosome‐level genome assembly of this species and investigated genetic differentiations of its populations that are allopatric (the northern one) and sympatric (the Poyang Lake) to its kin species, the blunt‐snout bream (M. amblycephala), using whole genome resequencing analysis. The results showed that the genome size of black bream was 1.13 Gb, very similar to its kin species but larger than its close relatives, the four Chinese major carps. By resequencing individuals from the northern and Poyang Lake populations, we found that the northern population showed lower genetic diversity, larger genetic differentiation, and two sharp historical declines in population size through demographic analysis, indicating the possible bottlenecks after the allopatric isolation. In contrast, the Poyang Lake population, with its higher genetic diversity, higher Tajima's D value, and lower levels of linkage disequilibrium, reflects the ancestral state of black bream. In addition, we also found that the northern population shared more alleles with its kin species, indicating it may retain more ancestral variations. This was further analyzed to be caused by incomplete lineage sorting and ancient introgression. Some key genes related to reproductive processes, body size development, and muscle metabolism were found under selection in the northern population, possibly responsible for its local adaptation. Our findings that the black bream allopatric population had a loss of genetic diversity but retained more ancestral variations can expand our knowledge on population genetic differentiation and give us hints for future genetic conservation.
Strong benefits of hedgerows to bats in three European winegrowing regions
Authors: Chávez Fernanda , Entling Martin H. , Alcalá Herrera Rafael , Benítez Emilio , Möth Stefan , Reiff Jo Marie , Winter Silvia , Rösch Verena 
Published: January 2025

AbstractBats provide important ecosystem services as natural predators of, for example, lepidopteran pests. Thus, it is crucial to identify ways to enhance bat populations in agricultural landscapes. It has been shown that high landscape heterogeneity can benefit bat communities in arable fields. However, to date, the relationship between bats and the surrounding landscape within a viticultural matrix has received little attention, despite moths being major pests in viticulture. Here, we investigated how bats respond to different landscape elements in three European regions: Rhineland‐Palatinate (Germany), Burgenland (Austria), and Andalusia (Spain). We recorded bat activity using passive acoustic monitoring for four nights in 94 vineyards in total. Additionally, in Germany, we recorded bat activity along transects from hedgerows up to 120 m into the vineyards to describe the change in activity with hedgerow distance. We found that bat activity decreased with distance from the hedgerow, and the strength of the response was guild‐specific. Bat species adapted to foraging in the open space decreased their activity by half at a distance of 120 m from the hedgerow into the center of the vineyard, while bats adapted to foraging along vegetation (edge‐space bats) and those adapted to feeding within and close to vegetation (narrow‐space bats) decreased their mean flight activity by more than 80% at the same distance. Moreover, the presence of hedgerows between vineyards was positively related to a higher bat activity and feeding rate in all three countries, although this effect varied by functional guild and country. For edge‐space foraging bats, hedgerows had a positive impact in all three countries, while open‐space bats only showed a significant response in Spain. Hedgerows had consistent positive effects on bat activity in vineyards across the three study regions. Our study suggests that hedgerows should be conserved and restored as key elements to support a higher bat activity. This would also benefit other important groups of animals such as bees and birds along with the ecosystem services they provide.
Parasitoid avoidance of intraguild predation drives enemy complementarity in a multi‐trophic ecological network
Authors: Hennessy Andrew B. , Anderson Riley M. , Mitchell Nora , Mooney Kailen A. , Singer Michael S. 
Published: January 2025

AbstractHow consumer diversity determines consumption efficiency is a central issue in ecology. In the context of predation and biological control, this relationship concerns predator diversity and predation efficiency. Reduced predation efficiency can result from different predator taxa eating each other in addition to their common prey (interference due to intraguild predation). By contrast, multiple predator taxa with overlapping but complementary feeding niches can generate increased predation efficiency on their common prey (enemy complementarity). When viewed strictly from an ecological perspective, intraguild predation and enemy complementarity are opposing forces. However, from an evolutionary ecology perspective, predators facing strong intraguild predation may evolve traits that reduce their predation risk, possibly leading to niche complementarity between enemies; thus, selection from intraguild predation may lead to enemy complementarity rather than opposing it. As specialized predators that live in or on their hosts, parasitoids are subjected to intraguild predation from generalist predators that consume the parasitoids' hosts. The degree to which parasitoid–predator interactions are ruled by interference versus enemy complementarity has been debated. Here, we address this issue with field experiments in a forest community consisting of multiple species of trees, herbivorous caterpillars, parasitoids, ants, and birds. Our experiments and analyses found no interference effects, but revealed clear evidence for complementarity between parasitoids and birds (not ants). Parasitism rates by hymenopterans and dipterans were negatively associated with bird predation risk, and the variation in the strength of this negative association suggests that this enemy complementarity was due to parasitoid avoidance of intraguild predation. We further argue that avoidance of intraguild predation by parasitoids and other arthropod predators may explain enigmatic patterns in vertebrate–arthropod–plant food webs in a variety of terrestrial ecosystems.
Root microbes can improve plant tolerance to insect damage: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Tronson Emily , Enders Laramy 
Published: January 2025

AbstractTo limit damage from insect herbivores, plants rely on a blend of defensive mechanisms that includes partnerships with beneficial microbes, particularly those inhabiting roots. While ample evidence exists for microbially mediated resistance responses that directly target insects through changing phytotoxin and volatile profiles, we know surprisingly little about the microbial underpinnings of plant tolerance. Tolerance defenses counteract insect damage via shifts in plant physiology that reallocate resources to fuel compensatory growth, improve photosynthetic efficiency, and reduce oxidative stress. Despite being a powerful mitigator of insect damage, tolerance remains an understudied realm of plant defenses. Here, we propose a novel conceptual framework that can be broadly applied across study systems to characterize microbial impacts on expression of tolerance defenses. We conducted a systematic review of studies quantifying the impact of rhizosphere microbial inoculants on plant tolerance to herbivory based on several measures—biomass, oxidative stress mitigation, or photosynthesis. We identified 40 studies, most of which focused on chewing herbivores (n = 31) and plant growth parameters (e.g., biomass). Next, we performed a meta‐analysis investigating the impact of microbial inoculants on plant tolerance to herbivory, which was measured via differences in plant biomass, and compared across key microbe, insect, and plant traits. Thirty‐five papers comprising 113 observations were included in this meta‐analysis, with effect sizes (Hedges' d) ranging from −4.67 (susceptible) to 18.38 (overcompensation). Overall, microbial inoculants significantly reduce the cost of herbivory via plant growth promotion, with overcompensation and compensation comprising 25% of observations of microbial‐mediated tolerance. The grand mean effect size 0.99 [0.49; 1.49] indicates that the addition of a microbial inoculant increased plant biomass by ~1 SD under herbivore stress, thus improving tolerance. This effect was influenced most by microbial attributes, including functional guild and total soil community diversity. Overall, results highlight the need for additional investigation of microbially mediated plant tolerance, particularly in sap‐feeding insects and across a more comprehensive range of tolerance mechanisms. Such attention would round out our current understanding of anti‐herbivore plant defenses, offer insight into the underlying mechanisms that promote resilience to insect stress, and inform the application of microbial biotechnology to support sustainable agricultural practices.
Niche partitioning in a periphyton metacommunity peaks at intermediate species richness in midsized rivers
Authors: Fuß Thomas , Thuile Bistarelli Lukas , Ptacnik Robert , Singer Gabriel A. 
Published: January 2025

AbstractThe trait‐based partitioning of species plays a critical role in biodiversity–ecosystem function relationships. This niche partitioning drives and depends on community structure, yet this link remains elusive in the context of a metacommunity, where local community assembly is dictated by regional dispersal alongside local environmental conditions. Hence, elucidating the coupling of niche partitioning and community structure needs spatially explicit studies. Such studies are particularly necessary in river networks, where local habitats are highly connected by unidirectional water flow in a spatially complex network structure and frequent disturbance makes community structure strongly dependent on recolonization. Here, we show that taxonomic turnover among periphyton communities colonizing deployed bricks (microhabitats) at multiple sampling sites (local habitats) in a river network came along with a turnover in traits. This niche partitioning showed a hump‐shaped relationship with richness of periphyton communities, which increased along river size. Our observations suggest downstream dispersal along the river network to increase the regional metacommunity pool, which then ensures local colonization by taxa possessing diverse traits allowing them to efficiently partition into environmentally different microhabitats. However, at the most downstream sites, the excessive dispersal of widespread generalists drove mass effects which inflated richness with taxa that co‐occupied several microhabitats and swamped niche partitioning. Further, efficient niche partitioning depended on communities rich in rare taxa, an indication for the importance of specialists. Alarmingly, richness and rare taxa declined with high phosphorus concentrations and conductivity, respectively, two environmental variables which potentially reflected anthropogenic activity.
Priority effects can be explained by competitive traits
Authors: van Steijn Tamara L. H. , Kardol Paul , Jansson Roland , Tjäder Jessica , Sarneel Judith M. 
Published: January 2025

AbstractPriority effects, the effects of early‐arriving species on late‐arriving species, are caused by niche preemption and/or niche modification. The strength of priority effects can be determined by the extent of niche preemption and/or modification by the early‐arriving species; however, the strength of priority effects may also be influenced by the late‐arriving species, as some species may be better adapted to deal with niche preemption and/or modification. Therefore, some combinations of species will likely lead to stronger priority effects than others. We tested priority effects for all pairwise combinations of 15 plant species, including grasses, legumes, and nonleguminous forbs, by comparing simultaneous and sequential arrival orders in a 10‐week‐long, controlled, pot experiment. We did this by using the competitive effect and response framework, quantifying the ability to suppress a neighbor as the competitive effect and the ability to tolerate a neighbor as the competitive response. We found that when arriving simultaneously, species that caused strong competitive effects also had weaker competitive responses. When arriving sequentially, species that caused strong priority effects when arriving early also had weaker responses to priority effects when arriving late. Among plant functional groups, legumes had the weakest response to priority effects. We also measured plant functional traits related to the plant economic spectrum, which were combined into a principal components analysis (PCA) where the first axis represented a conservative‐to‐acquisitive trait gradient. Using the PCA species scores, we showed that both the traits of the focal and the neighboring species determined the outcome of competition. Trait dissimilarities between the focal and neighboring species were more important when species arrived sequentially than when species arrived simultaneously. Specifically, priority effects only became weaker when the late‐arriving species was more acquisitive than the early‐arriving species. Together, our findings show that traits and specifically the interaction of traits between species are more important in determining competition outcomes when species arrive sequentially (i.e., with priority effects present) than when arriving simultaneously.
Stability and Shelf‐Life Modeling of Lemongrass Essential Oil‐in‐Water Nanoemulsions
Authors: Rabbani Ahmad , Srikumar Shabarinath , Niroula Anuj , Khan Muhammad Kashif Iqbal , Nazir Akmal 
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACTThis study investigates the stability and shelf life of lemongrass essential oil‐in‐water (LGEO/W) nanoemulsions, a rich source of bioactive compounds (e.g., citral and citronellal) and a promising natural preservative. Initially, LGEO/W emulsions were produced through premix membrane emulsification (PME) and traditional methods such as high‐pressure homogenization (HPH) and ultrasonication (US) to generate micron‐ and nano‐sized emulsions. Subsequent investigations focused on assessing the stability of nanoemulsions under various storage temperatures, employing a range of physicochemical and antimicrobial tests. Results revealed that neither the emulsification technique nor emulsion droplet size (in the range of 0.1 to 10 µm) affected the antioxidative or antimicrobial properties of LGEO/W emulsions. Additionally, a combined approach of principal component analysis and traditional reaction kinetics was employed to examine the decline in antioxidative activity of PME‐generated nanoemulsions, to model the quality degradation kinetics over time under various storage temperatures. These findings offer valuable insights into the production, stability, and application of LGEO/W nanoemulsions, highlighting their potential as effective natural preservatives.