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We present calculations based on density-functional theory with improved exchange-correlation approaches to investigate the electronic structure of [Formula: see text]MnGa magnetic shape memory alloy prototype. We study the effects of hybrid functionals as well as a Hubbard-like correction parameter U on the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of the alloy. We show that the previously successful application of U on Mn should be extended by including U on Ni to describe the d localized electrons more accurately and in better agreement with experiments. The bonding interactions within this intermetallic alloy are analysed including the role of non-transition metal. We found that the strongest and most stabilizing bond is formed between the Ga-Ni pairs due to the delocalized s-s and p-s orbital hybridization. Our findings suggest that minimization of the over-delocalization error introduced by standard semi-local exchange-correlation functionals leads to a better description of the [Formula: see text]MnGa alloy. Furthermore we propose that the experimental total magnetic moment of Ni-Mn-Ga alloys could be increased after carefully selected heat treatment procedures., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The rapid disruption of tropical forests probably imperils global biodiversity more than any other contemporary phenomenon. With deforestation advancing quickly, protected areas are increasingly becoming final refuges for threatened species and natural ecosystem processes. However, many protected areas in the tropics are themselves vulnerable to human encroachment and other environmental stresses. As pressures mount, it is vital to know whether existing reserves can sustain their biodiversity. A critical constraint in addressing this question has been that data describing a broad array of biodiversity groups have been unavailable for a sufficiently large and representative sample of reserves. Here we present a uniquely comprehensive data set on changes over the past 20 to 30 years in 31 functional groups of species and 21 potential drivers of environmental change, for 60 protected areas stratified across the world’s major tropical regions. Our analysis reveals great variation in reserve ‘health’: about half of all reserves have been effective or performed passably, but the rest are experiencing an erosion of biodiversity that is often alarmingly widespread taxonomically and functionally. Habitat disruption, hunting and forest-product exploitation were the strongest predictors of declining reserve health. Crucially, environmental changes immediately outside reserves seemed nearly as important as those inside in determining their ecological fate, with changes inside reserves strongly mirroring those occurring around them. These findings suggest that tropical protected areas are often intimately linked ecologically to their surrounding habitats, and that a failure to stem broad-scale loss and degradation of such habitats could sharply increase the likelihood of serious biodiversity declines.