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Large gas bubbles can reach the surface of pools of mud and lava where they burst, often through the formation and expansion of circular holes. Bursting bubbles release volatiles and generate spatter, and hence play a key role in volcanic degassing and volcanic edifice construction. Here, we study the ascent and rupture of bubbles using a combination of field observations at Pâclele Mici (Romania), laboratory experiments with mud from the Imperial Valley (California, USA), numerical simulations and theoretical models. Numerical simulations predict that bubbles ascend through the mud as elliptical caps that develop a dimple at the apex as they impinge on the free surface. We documented the rupture of bubbles in nature and under laboratory conditions using high-speed video. The bursting of mud bubbles starts with the nucleation of multiple holes, which form at a near-constant rate and in quick succession. The quasi-circular holes rapidly grow and coalesce, and the sheet evolves towards a filamentous structure that finally falls back into the mud pool, sometimes breaking up into droplets. The rate of expansion of holes in the sheet can be explained by a generalization of the Taylor-Culick theory, which is shown to hold independent of the fluid rheology.

Magma ascent and eruption are driven by a set of internally and externally generated stresses that act upon the magma. We present microstructural maps around melt inclusions in quartz crystals from six large rhyolitic eruptions using synchrotron Laue X-ray microdiffraction to quantify elastic residual strain and stress. We measure plastic strain using average diffraction peak width and lattice misorientation, highlighting dislocations and subgrain boundaries. Quartz crystals across studied magma systems preserve similar and relatively small magnitudes of elastic residual stress (mean 53–135 MPa, median 46–116 MPa) in comparison to the strength of quartz (~ 10 GPa). However, the distribution of strain in the lattice around inclusions varies between samples. We hypothesize that dislocation and twin systems may be established during compaction of crystal-rich magma, which affects the magnitude and distribution of preserved elastic strains. Given the lack of stress-free haloes around faceted inclusions, we conclude that most residual strain and stress was imparted after inclusion faceting. Fragmentation may be one of the final strain events that superimposes stresses of ~ 100 MPa across all studied crystals. Overall, volcanic quartz crystals preserve complex, overprinted deformation textures indicating that quartz crystals have prolonged deformation histories throughout storage, fragmentation, and eruption.

Isomerized amino acid residues have been identified in many peptides extracted from tissues or excretions of humans and animals. These isomerized residues can play key roles by affecting biological activity or by exerting an influence on the process of aging. Isomerization occurs spontaneously and does not result in a mass shift. Thus, identifying and localizing isomerized residues in biological samples is challenging. Herein, we introduce a fast and efficient method using tandem mass spectrometry (MS) to locate isomerized residues in peptides. Although MS2 spectra are useful for identifying peptides that contain an isomerized residue, they cannot reliably localize isomerization sites. We show that this limitation can be overcome by utilizing MS3 experiments to further evaluate each fragment ion from the MS2 stage. Comparison at the MS3 level, utilizing statistical analyses, reveals which MS2 fragments differ between samples and, therefore, must contain the isomerized sites. The approach is similar to previous work relying on ion mobility to discriminate MS2 product ions by collision cross-section. The MS3 approach can be implemented using either ion-trap or beam-type collisional activation and is compatible with the quantification of isomer mixtures when coupled to a calibration curve. The method can also be implemented in combination with liquid chromatography in a targeted approach. Enabling the identification and localization of isomerized residues in peptides with an MS-only methodology will expand accessibility to this important information.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Sleep loss contributes to various health issues and impairs neurological function. Molecular hydrogen has recently gained popularity as a nontoxic ergogenic and health promoter. The effect of molecular hydrogen on sleep and sleep-related neural systems remains unexplored. This study investigates the impact of hydrogen-rich water (HRW) on sleep behavior and neuronal activation in sleep-deprived mice. METHODS: Adult C57BL/6J mice were implanted with electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) recording electrodes and given HRW (0.7-1.4 mM) or regular water for 7 days ad libitum. Sleep-wake cycles were recorded under baseline conditions and after acute sleep loss. Neuronal activation in sleep- and wake-related regions was assessed using cFos immunostaining. RESULTS: HRW increased sleep consolidation in undisturbed mice and increased non-rapid-eye movement and rapid-eye-movement sleep amount in sleep-deprived mice. HRW also decreased the average amount of time for mice to fall asleep after light onset. Neuronal activation in the lateral septum, medial septum, ventrolateral preoptic area, and median preoptic area was significantly altered in all mice treated with HRW. CONCLUSIONS: HRW improves sleep consolidation and increases neuronal activation in sleep-related brain regions. It may serve as a simple, effective treatment to improve recovery after sleep loss.

Glycosphingolipids (GSL) are a highly heterogeneous class of lipids representing the majority of the sphingolipid category. GSL are fundamental constituents of cellular membranes that have key roles in various biological processes, such as cellular signaling, recognition, and adhesion. Understanding the structural complexity of GSL is pivotal for unraveling their functional significance in a biological context, specifically their crucial role in the pathophysiology of various diseases. Mass spectrometry (MS) has emerged as a versatile and indispensable tool for the structural elucidation of GSL enabling a deeper understanding of their complex molecular structures and their key roles in cellular dynamics and patholophysiology. Here, we provide a thorough overview of MS techniques tailored for the analysis of GSL, emphasizing their utility in probing GSL intricate structures to advance our understanding of the functional relevance of GSL in health and disease. The application of tandem MS using diverse fragmentation techniques, including novel ion activation methodologies, in studying glycan sequences, linkage positions, and fatty acid composition is extensively discussed. Finally, we address current challenges, such as the detection of low-abundance species and the interpretation of complex spectra, and offer insights into potential solutions and future directions by improving MS instrumentation for enhanced sensitivity and resolution, developing novel ionization techniques, or integrating MS with other analytical approaches for comprehensive GSL characterization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Political polarisation, e.g. following the refugee movements of 2015 or the Covid pandemic, is often explained by emotions. The latter are widely exploited as a political strategy, while points of view are often discredited as based on mere emotion rather than "rational" thought. This development challenges the idea of participants being moved by the "unforced force of the better argument" (Habermas 2001) or the idea that consent was the goal of debating. Not only has this resulted in an environment of "post-truth" (Hyvönen 2018), but the motivation of participants to take issue with political questions can be described more interestingly than as a search for truth or a better reasoning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digital age has brought about fundamental questions about the viability of the public sphere. While a shared and inclusive communicative space is widely considered to be a fundamental requirement for democratic deliberation, the rise of social (and other digital) media has prompted concerns about a potential fragmentation of the public sphere. Accompanied by the simultaneous decline of quality journalism, social media have facilitated the emergence of semi-public echo chambers of like-minded people. Against the backdrop of debates on post-truth politics, such echo chambers are important arenas for the dissemination of false information, but they also undermine the epistemic added value of deliberation by inhibiting discussion on competing truth claims. Based on the argument that post-truth politics is intimately connected to the fragmentation of the public sphere, this article analyses the extent to which the German public sphere has shown signs of polarisation and fragmentation in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. This is done by investigating to which extent to which debates in leading German media have managed to adequately represent all relevant perspectives on the Russian invasion, and conversely to which extent dissonant voices have been excluded from such debates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protected areas play a crucial role in current global policies to mitigate the erosion of biodiversity and systematic reserve site selection models are increasingly involved in their design. These models address the optimisation problem that seeks to cover spaces hosting biodiversity features with nature reserves at a minimum cost for human activities. To increase the likelihood of a successful implementation, reserves need to be spatially consistent. Widely used decision support tools such as Marxan and PrioritizR commonly enforce compactness indirectly by penalising the reserve perimeter in the objective function. Few other optimisation models explicitly consider spatial properties such as limited fragmentation, connectivity of selected sites, and buffer zones around them, etc. So far, no reserve site selection model can guarantee the production of a connected, compact, and gap-free reserve all at once. The impossibility of designing reserve solutions with desirable spatial properties using existing models makes it difficult to implement such solutions in the real world. Therefore, we propose a mixed-integer linear program to build a reserve that is connected, compact, and gap-free. To enforce these spatial attributes within a reserve site selection model, we used a multicommodity flow approach. We tested the computational feasibility of our model on generated instances and the real instance of Fernando de Noronha. The results indicate that a single model can be used to enforce compactness, connectivity, and the absence of gaps. Using this optimisation model, conservation practitioners can design reserve solutions with desirable spatial properties, thereby increasing the likelihood of a successful implementation. • We provide a mixed-integer linear program that allows the explicit designing of compact, connected and gap-free reserves. • These spatial characteristics are essential for the successful implementation of protected areas in the real world. • We propose several variations in the formulation to give greater control over the geometric characteristics of the reserves. • Compact, connected, and gap-free reserves do not result in a significant increase in socio-economic costs. • Our model can solve instances of 500 planning units within a realistic timeframe, although larger instances may be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human activities have triggered profound changes in natural landscapes, resulting in species loss and disruption of pivotal ecological interactions such as insect herbivory. This antagonistic interaction is affected by complex pathways (e.g., abundance of herbivores and predators, plant chemical defenses, and resource availability), but the knowledge regarding how forest loss and fragmentation affect insect herbivory in human‐modified tropical landscapes still remains poorly understood. In this context, we assessed multi‐pathways by which changes in landscape structure likely influence insect herbivory in 20 Atlantic forest fragments in Brazil. Using path analysis, we estimated the direct effects of forest cover and forest edge density, and the indirect effect via canopy openness, number of understory plants and phenolic compounds, on leaf damage in understory plants located in the edge and interior of forest fragments. In particular, plants located in forest edges experienced greater leaf damage than interior ones. We observed that landscape edge density exerted a positive and direct effect on leaf damage in plants sampled at the edge of forest fragments. Our findings also indicated that forest loss and increase of edge density led to an increase in the canopy opening in the forest interior, which causes a reduction in the number of understory plants and, consequently, an increase in leaf damage. In addition, we detected that phenolic compounds negatively influence leaf damage in forest interior plants. Given the increasing forest loss in tropical regions, in which forest fragments become stranded in highly deforested, edge‐dominated and degraded landscapes, our study highlights the pervasive enhancement in insect herbivory in remaining forest fragments—especially along forest edges and canopy gaps in the forest interior. As a result, increased herbivory is likely to affect forest regeneration and accelerate the ecological meltdown processes in these highly deforested and disturbed anthropogenic landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the significant biodiversity in the Cerrado, the process of occupation, subsequent economic cycles, and intensification of agriculture in a predatory manner have caused profound alterations in this biome. This study analyzed changes in land use and land cover in the Cerrado of Mato Grosso do Sul between 1985 and 2022 by mapping and also investigating the formation and dynamics of sand dunes in the Bauru sedimentary basin, focusing on the Pardo River watershed. MapBiomas Network data, collection 8, were used for land use and land cover analysis. Arenization foci cartography was conducted using brightness index 2 based on Sentinel-2 satellite images in Sentinel Application Platform software. The historical analysis of land use and cover in the Cerrado of Mato Grosso do Sul revealed a rapid transformation of the landscape, with a drastic reduction of native vegetation and an intensification of large-scale monocultures. Between 1985 and 2022, the Cerrado of Mato Grosso Sul lost 4.6 million hectares of native vegetation (forest formations, savannahs, grasslands, and wetlands), representing 24.54% of this territory. Recent changes in land use include pasture-soybean and pasture-eucalyptus. In the Pardo River watershed, arenization foci cover an area of 17,834.34 hectares, with varying dimensions ranging from less than 1 hectare to 376.41 hectares. The arenization process occurs in different slope compartments, such as the base, slope, and interfluves. The physical and chemical characteristics of Quartzipsamments, such as low organic carbon content in soil, are associated with high rates of surface exposure and weakened load-dependent structures, leading to degradation. Arenization occurs where natural vegetation has been suppressed and soil has been depleted by poorly managed production processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild relatives of cultivars are crucial sources of genetic variation for further enhancement, yet they face potential threats due to contemporary environmental changes. Iris ensata var. spontanea, a wild progenitor of the Japanese iris cultivars (I. ensata var. ensata), is extensively cultivated in Japanese gardens, is distributed across mesic meadows and wetlands in Japan and East Asia. This species is currently threatened owing to habitat loss linked to land use alterations. We assessed genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships in 32 wild accessions and the 14 principal Edo Group of Japanese iris cultivars, originally bred during the Edo period (1600–1868). In the phylogenetic tree, the cultivars formed a cluster with low inbreeding coefficients, suggesting a singular origin and interbreeding between the genetically distinct accessions. Conversely, wild accessions exhibited greater overall genetic diversity and higher inbreeding coefficients than cultivars, indicating frequent inbreeding within divergent natural populations. Our findings highlight the distinct genetic reservoirs of both wild accessions and Edo cultivars, although the former may face inbreeding challenges. Urgent conservation action is needed to ensure the genetic diversity of wild populations as natural resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most cities in the world suffer from excessive population and unplanned urban growth. The objective of the present study was to investigate the spatiotemporal changes of built-up areas and their growth in the proposed Greater Silchar City (GSC) (Assam, India). The obtained LANDSAT satellite data from 1991 to 2021 for the GSC have divided into non-built-up and built-up land use categories, and recode tools in Erdas Imagine 2014 software have been used to improve the accuracy of the output. The study area has been classified into 8 spatial directions and 11 concentric circles with radial distances of 1 km and resulted from intersected areas consisting of 60 gradient zones. The study used Shannon entropy model for detailed urban sprawl study of every nook and corner. FRAGSTATS v4.2 tools have been used to analyse landscape metrics in respective spatial directions. The built-up area growth of the city was 15.18 km2 during the mentioned period. The landscape metrics and LU/LC results show the maximum built-up growth has taken place in South to South-West direction (3243.87 ha) and the area within a 2–3-km radius (221.85 ha) of the central business district, which is the periphery of the existing Silchar municipal limits. The entropy values indicated that the GSC has compacted infill growth form in the core area, while the dispersed urban sprawl trends followed with increasing distance from the city centre. Moreover, the research findings will provide a conceptual model for assessing urban growth trends for other cities as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jet substructure in heavy-ion collisions is a rapidly evolving area with lots of intriguing new measurements. This contribution presents a selection of recent jet-substructure measurements from experiments at the LHC, in particular, soft-drop groomed radii of jets and reclustered large-radius jets from ATLAS, jet axis difference and generalized jet angularities from ALICE, as well as dijet shapes and b-jet shapes from the CMS experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accelerated by technological advancements, while online platforms equipped with recommendation algorithms offer convenience to obtain information, it also brought algorithm bias, shaping the norms and behaviors of their users. The filter bubble, conceived as a negative consequence of algorithm bias, means the reduction of the diversity of users' information consumption, garnering extensive attention. Previous research on filter bubbles typically used users' self-reported or behavioral data independently. However, existing studies have disputed whether filter bubbles exist on the platform, possibly owing to variations in measurement methods. In our study, we took content category diversity to measure the filter bubbles and innovatively used a combination of participants' self-reported and website behavioral data, examining filter bubbles on a single online video platform (Bilibili). We conducted a questionnaire survey among 337 college students and collected 3,22,324 browsing records with their informed authorization, constituting the dataset for research analysis. The existence of filter bubbles on Bilibli is found, such that diversity will decrease when viewing Game videos increases. Furthermore, we considered the factors that influence filter bubbles from the perspective of demographics and user behavior. In demographics, female and non-member users are more likely to be trapped in filter bubbles. In user behavior, results of feature importance analysis indicate that the diversity of information consumption of heavy users is higher than others, and both activity and fragmentation have an impact on the formation of filter bubbles, but in different directions. Finally, we discuss the reasons for these results and a theoretical explanation that the filter bubbles effect may be lower than we thought for both heavy and normal users on online platforms. Our conclusions provide valuable insights for understanding filter bubbles and platform management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In solution, analogues of the Breslow intermediate formed during catalysis by benzoylformate decarboxylase (BFDC) undergo rapid, irreversible fragmentation. The ability of BFDC to prevent this reaction and preserve its cofactor is a striking example of an enzyme 'steering' a reactive intermediate towards a productive pathway. To understand how BFDC suppresses the off‐pathway reactivity of this Breslow intermediate, a clear mechanistic understanding of the fragmentation reaction is required. Here, DFT calculations reveal an unexpected mechanism for the solution‐phase fragmentation that involves an intramolecular cyclization and a subsequent retro‐ene reaction to release the final products. Free energy profiles demonstrate that this pathway is significantly more facile than the previously proposed mechanism that invoked Breslow intermediate enolates as intermediates. Additional computations have been performed to understand why related Breslow intermediates do not undergo analogous fragmentation reactions. Calculations performed with two closely related Breslow intermediates suggest that subtle differences in the relative values of ΔG≠ for protonation and fragmentation dictate whether a given intermediate will fragment or not. These differences and the fragmentation mechanism unveiled in this work may have ramifications for the mechanism of BFDC and other thiamin‐dependent enzymes and could provide general lessons related to the control of reactive intermediates by enzymes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metapopulations often exist in a fragile balance between local extinctions and (re)colonisations, in which case emerging threats that alter species vital rates may drastically increase metapopulation extinction risk. We combined empirical data with metapopulation simulations to examine how demographic shifts associated with amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, Bd) have altered metapopulation viability for threatened amphibians in Australia. Comparing the ages of museum specimens collected before Bd emerged in Australia with individuals from geographically matched remnant populations revealed significant truncation of age structures post‐Bd, with a halving of annual adult survival probabilities. Spatially realistic metapopulation modelling demonstrated that reduced adult survival led to major reductions in the parameter space over which persistence was possible for the focal species, with contractions to landscapes with higher landscape connectivity, lower environmental stochasticity and considerably higher recruitment rates. Metapopulation persistence post‐Bd required greater landscape connectivity than pre‐Bd. This arises from a landscape‐level analogue of compensatory recruitment at the population level, in which higher (re)colonisation rates can offset more frequent local extinctions, enabling persistence of amphibians susceptible to Bd. Interactions between recruitment rate, environmental stochasticity and landscape connectivity were also more important for metapopulation persistence post‐Bd. Higher recruitment was required to mitigate the impacts of environmental stochasticity, and higher landscape connectivity was required to mitigate the impacts of environmental stochasticity and poor recruitment. Increased reliance on these interdependencies shrunk the parameter space over which metapopulations could persist post‐Bd. Our study demonstrates that emerging threats that alter species vital rates can drastically reduce the capacity of certain environments to support metapopulations. For our focal species, reductions in adult survival rates due to Bd produced major reductions in the conditions under which persistence was possible, providing a mechanistic insight into the processes underpinning observed range and niche contractions of amphibians impacted by this pathogen. More broadly, our study illustrates how environmentally mediated host resilience can enable persistence following the emergence of novel pathogens. This pathway to persistence is worthy of greater attention on both conceptual and applied grounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cylindrical samples made of siliconized graphite SG-P0.5 are experimentally studied in a wide range of strain rates (10-4 to 103 1/s). Quasi-static and dynamic loading is performed under conditions of fragment preservation. Quasi-static compression is applied and acoustic emission signals are recorded in situ. The data processing and the analysis of the fragmentation statistics show the destruction of siliconized graphite under the loading conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This study tested the use of Galleria mellonella larvae as a biodegradation strategy for various types of plastics that were provided to larvae as their sole food source. The physical and enzymatic action of the larvae fragmented and consumed the plastics in various proportions, but none were digested. This was confirmed by the presence of microplastics in excreta and in larval digestive tracts, which affected their life cycle continuity by inducing the early formation of pupae and reducing the number of eggs produced. The accumulation and unsustainable management of plastic waste generate environmental pollution that affects ecosystems, wildlife, and human health. We studied the possibility of using the consumption and digestion of oxo-biodegradable, compostable plastics and polypropylene from face masks by the fifth-instar larvae of G. mellonella as a strategy for the sustainable management of plastic waste. We used Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry (FTIR) to determine the percentage of consumption and presence of microplastics in the digestive tract and excreta for 10 treatments evaluated for 135 h. The effects of plastics on the continuity of the life cycle of the greater hive moth were also determined. We established that the larvae fragmented and consumed 35.2 ± 23% of the plastics evaluated, with significant differences between treatments. Larvae were able to consume more of the intermediate layers of masks (86.31%) than the other plastics. However, none of the plastics were digested. Instead, microplastics accumulated in the excreta, resulting in nutritional deficits that affected the continuity of the life cycle, including the induction of the early formation of pupae after 24 h and a reduction in the number of eggs laid by the females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The technique of multi-long-hole blasting with large empty holes has been used in practice to break rock mass. However, the damage mechanism of rock mass surrounded by empty holes and boreholes under this type of blasting has not yet been well-understood and identified, which may lead to inappropriate design of the configurations of empty holes for multi-long-hole blasting. The present study investigates the damage modes and mechanism of rock mass under multi-long-hole blasting with large empty holes by conducting a field test and numerical simulations. The results show that multi-long-hole blasting with empty holes mainly causes compressive damage of rock mass around boreholes, reflected tensile damage near empty holes and ground surface, bending-induced tensile damage between empty holes and boreholes, shear damage along the side tangents and bottom of empty holes and boreholes, and tensile damage along the connection of boreholes caused by the superposition of stress waves. In addition, parametric studies are conducted to examine the effects of depths and diameters of empty holes and the spacing between boreholes and empty holes on the damage and fragmentation of rock mass under blast loads. It is found that the flexural stiffness and confined levels of rock mass can be greatly influenced by the variation of configurations of empty holes, which thus induces different damage and fragmentation under multi-long-hole blasting. Analytical formulas for the evaluation of shear and bending-induced damage of rock mass under multi-long-hole blasting are finally proposed to provide references for the design of empty holes in multi-long-hole blasting. Highlights: Damage modes and mechanisms of multi-long-hole blasting with large empty holes are identified. Rock fragmentation characteristics under this blasting are examined. Effects of configurations of empty holes on the performance of multi-long-hole blasting are revealed. Analytical formulas are developed to evaluate rock damage under this blasting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stream drying is increasing globally, with widespread impacts on stream ecosystems. Here, we investigated how the impacts of drying on stream ecosystem connectivity might depend on stream network size and the location of drying within the stream network. Using 11 stream networks from across the United States, we simulated drying scenarios in which we varied the location and spatial extent of drying. We found that the rate of connectivity loss varied with stream network size, such that larger stream networks lost connectivity more rapidly than smaller stream networks. We also found that the rate of connectivity loss varied with the location of drying. When drying occurred in the mainstem, even small amounts of drying resulted in rapid losses in ecosystem connectivity. When drying occurred in headwater reaches, small amounts of drying had little impact on connectivity. Beyond a certain threshold, however, connectivity declined rapidly with further increases in drying. Given the increasing stream drying worldwide, our findings underscore the need for managers to be particularly vigilant about fragmentation when managing at large spatial scales and when stream drying occurs in mainstem reaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai, Philologia is the property of Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Realidad Economica is the property of Realidad Economica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Urban planning is essential for managing the diverse impacts of urban green spaces, such as public access, stormwater control, urban life quality, and landscape aesthetics, promoting sustainable urban development and urban residents' well-being by integrating green space considerations into city planning. The aim of this study is to use graph-based metrics to calculate the connectivity of UGS across the main municipal zones of Ardabil city over consecutive periods under different population growth rates. Another objective of this study is to compare the connectivity values of UGS in the four municipal zones and to evaluate changes in the connectivity indices at various distance thresholds of UGS patches. After identifying UGS in different periods, the changes in graph-based connectivity indices at various distance thresholds of UGS patches were analyzed. Additionally, the changes in connectivity indices over different periods and across various municipal zones were compared and analyzed. The findings reveal that UGS areas were larger in the past but have recently had smaller patch sizes. Connectivity between UGS nodes (dNL) decreased at various distances over the study years, showing a declining trend in different connectivity indices. UGS connectivity decreased in municipal zones 1, 2, and 3 but increased in recent years after a decline until 2012 across all four zones of Ardabil city. Zone 4 had the highest UGS connectivity due to newly developed urban areas and well-allocated UGSs. Integrating the ecological impacts of UGS connectivity in urban development and design will enhance trade-offs between conservation, public health, and social equity. New urban areas should allocate sufficient land for UGS and parks, ensuring accessibility to support health and leisure through municipal planning. The study highlights the need for sustainable urban development policies that prioritize the allocation and maintenance of UGSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyses the dynamics of green infrastructure (GI) in the cities of Bujumbura, Kinshasa, and Lubumbashi. A remote sensing approach, combined with landscape ecology metrics, characterized this analysis, which was based on three Landsat images acquired in 2000, 2013, and 2022 for each city. Spatial pattern indices reveal that GI was suppressed in Bujumbura and Kinshasa, in contrast to Lubumbashi, which exhibited fragmentation. Furthermore, the values of stability, aggregation, and fractal dimension metrics suggest that Bujumbura experienced rather intense dynamics and a reduction in the continuity of its GI, while Kinshasa showed weaker dynamics and tendencies towards patch aggregation during the study period. In contrast, Lubumbashi exhibited strong dynamics and aggregation of its GI within a context of significant anthropization. The evolution of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index demonstrates a sawtooth pattern in the evolution of tall vegetation patches in Bujumbura, compared to a gradual decrease in Kinshasa and Lubumbashi. It is recommended that urban growth in these cities should be carefully planned to ensure the integration of sufficient GI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Planning Education & Research is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Two mechanical metamaterials based on fragmentation-reconstitution (FR) deformation mechanism are designed herein not only to establish the condition of Poisson's ratio discontinuity but also to offer a simpler, and hence a technically more feasible, FR metamaterial. Each metamaterial consists of interconnected rigid rhombi with slits within every rhombus such that prescription of on-axis strain would fragment each rhombus unit into six sub-units, while a reversal of the strain would reconstitute every six sub-units into a single rhombus. By geometrical construction, the Poisson's ratio expressions of both metamaterials were developed for infinitesimal and finite deformations. Results show that each metamaterial has no unique Poisson's ratio at the original state, but instead has two distinct Poisson's ratio, with a consolidated value of −1 under compression but abruptly jumps to other values under tension. The observations made for these metamaterials suggest that each of them can behave as two different materials under tension and compression, thereby enabling them to function in ways that cannot be achieved by other materials and metamaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a model for the thermal evolution of asteroids that experience catastrophic fragmentation and reassembly into a gravitational aggregate. The three stage model comprises the initial radiogenic heating, fragmentation and cooling, and reassembly into a porous gravitational aggregate. The heat loss during catastrophic fragmentation is largely determined by the production of small particles that equilibrate thermally with ambient space. To determine this heat loss we combine a power‐law for the cumulative fragment mass distribution with analytic solutions for conductive cooling. To keep the model deterministic we fragment the parent body and reassemble the gravitational aggregate in shells ordered in decreasing volume. We use the resulting model to show that catastrophic fragmentation can lead to significant heat loss despite the short reassembly times (e.g., ≤ ${\le} $1 year), due to the production of many small fragments. Despite the heat loss during fragmentation, the reassembled gravitational aggregate will retain more heat than the undisturbed parent body in the long term, due to the formation of an insulating megaregolith. Applied to the H‐chondrite parent body, our model can reproduce both the fast cooling rates at high temperatures and slow cooling rates at low temperature. Plain Language Summary: Ordinary chondrites are the most common rocky meteorites. Their parent body is generally assumed to follow the so‐called onion shell model where internal heating by radioactive decay warms up the interior and leads to concentric shells of different rock types. This model fits a large number of observations, for example, that these asteroids cooled very slowly at low temperatures. Recently, this quiet evolution has been challenged by the observation of very fast cooling rates from the peak temperature experienced by these asteroids. This requires that the asteroid is broken up into a large number of pieces by a collision with another asteroid. The fragments resulting from the collision can then cool rapidly as they are exposed to cold ambient space. A majority of these fragments must then assemble into a gravitational aggregate. The gravitational aggregate cools very slowly because it is insulated by a thick coat of rubble. Here, we develop a simple model to investigate the main consequences of fragmentation and reassembly into a gravitational aggregate for the thermal evolution of asteroids. Our results show that this is a viable model for the H‐chondrite parent body, consistent with both fast cooling at high temperature and slow cooling at low temperature. Key Points: Model quantifies the conductive heat loss due to asteroid catastrophic fragmentation as function to fragmentation level and reassembly timeDespite energy loss during fragmentation the formation of a low conductivity gravitational aggregate leads to long term energy retentionAsteroid fragmentation with reassembly can reproduce both fast cooling at high temperature and slow cooling at low temperature [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Cultural Studies / Kültür Araştırmaları Dergisi is the property of Journal of Cultural Studies / Kultur Arastirmalari Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The influence of fragmentation per se on biodiversity is hotly debated, with evidence of negative, neutral, or even positive effects after controlling for habitat amount. Principles from this debate are often used to inform biodiversity conservation in remnant habitat fragments but are rarely considered in a restoration context. Habitat restoration is essential to work alongside conservation and reverse biodiversity declines. Although restored habitats vary along a similar fragmentation gradient to remnant patches, the importance of different processes likely varies. Communities in remnant patches are largely determined by existing populations, while communities in restored patches are shaped by colonization from nearby populations. We illustrate how fragmentation per se can have variable outcomes for biodiversity depending on whether habitat is conserved or restored. The fragmentation debate, in its current form, has limited application for restoration ecology, and we emphasize the need for ecologists and conservationists to consider the directionality of the fragmentation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to overexploitation and habitat loss, the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) is in such extreme decline that it is so rare in the wild as to be considered functionally extinct, even in Guangdong, which was historically a major distribution area for the species. This study sought to verify whether functional extinction has occurred using observation records from field surveys, infrared wildlife cameras, rescue and enforcement cases and the published literature. The results indicated that suitable habitat occurred within 63.4% of the forested land in Guangdong, but only 17.6% of this area was deemed highly suitable, and 82.3% of all suitable habitat occurred outside of protected areas. Thus, the Chinese pangolin is not yet functionally extinct in Guangdong, but urgent conservation and restoration actions must be taken to ensure its persistence. Chinese pangolins in Guangdong Province are primarily distributed in the Lianhua Mountain and Nanling Mountains, with 91.6% belonging to a single population. From 1980 to 2020, the urban area increased by 776 km2, largely via conversion from agricultural land (48.6%). Suitable habitat for Chinese pangolins was reduced and became more fragmented over this time period, highlighting the urgent need for the establishment of protected areas, habitat restoration and cooperation with local residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the Chinese government implemented many policies and actions to restore coastal wetlands. This study focused on assessing how these projects have influenced the landscape patterns of the Liaohe Estuary, an area of critical importance. By analyzing remote sensing images from 2009 to 2022, we determined the spatiotemporal changes in landscape pattern, fragmentation, and conversion. Results showed that (1) Reed (Phragmites australis) fields were the dominant landscape feature and covered 46.3–48.2% of the area; however, road was the serious factor in fragmenting these wetlands. Seepweed (Suaeda salsa) marshes, an iconic and characteristic wetland of the region, gradually expanded towards the estuary and coast over the study years. (2) Landscape fragmentation increased and seasonally changed during the study period and restoration measures actually resulted in more fragmentation of the landscape. (3) Ponds replaced 14.28 km2 natural landscape in the development stage and 40.93 km2 were restored to natural landscape during restoration and maintenance. (4) Active restoration projects caused landscape fragmentation to sharply increase initially, but then fragmentation declined as passive restoration continued in the maintenance stage. This study suggests that road construction should be carefully deliberated in ecologically sensitive areas and that ecological restoration (a combination of active and passive restoration) in the Liaohe Estuary region showed evidence of temporal lag and hysteresis that may be important for research in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research advances of microsphere particle attrition type, attrition test method and attrition mechanism model are introduced; the time-varying law of catalyst particle attrition and the influence of various factors on catalyst attrition are summarized. It is suggested that the research on thermal attrition, chemical attrition and attrition mechanism should be continued and developed, and a more perfect kinetic model should be established to improve the fluidization technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pampas grasslands' biodiversity is severely threatened by habitat modification, as is the case for the Pampas meadowlark (Leistes defilippii). Here we study the areas used by the species throughout the year in the Southern Pampas of Argentina, in association with seasonal changes in behavior, in an attempt to provide information for its effective conservation. We selected four grassland sites with livestock activities in which we studied vegetation characteristics and the abundance and behavior of the Pampas meadowlark, during breeding and non-breeding seasons. The species was absent in sites with higher bare ground cover and lower cover of >30 cm vegetation, and with high proportions of forb, shrub or exotic grass species. In those areas where the Pampas meadowlark was present during the breeding season, its abundance was higher where the grassland was entirely dominated by native grasses, and abandoned another site when the grassland became dominated by introduced plant species, after the breeding period. We are the first to report the behavior of a Pampas meadowlark population throughout an entire year with its seasonal changes. Our results and description of the behavior throughout the year highlight the importance of structural heterogeneity of the grasslands, determined by a low intensity of grazing, for the breeding of the Pampas meadowlark. Also, features associated with breeding habitat can't predict the presence of flocks during the non-breeding season, as noted in our results for vegetation structure, but vegetation composition, food availability and landscape variables could play an important role in determining which areas serve as appropriate habitat during the non-breeding season, when large flocks search the grasslands for food. A better understanding of the habitat requirements and the use of space at different scales by the Pampas meadowlark will allow the identification of the most urgent and effective measures for its conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environment of an organism exerts selective pressures that affect mobility, feeding, reproduction as well as predator–prey and conspecific interactions. Land use changes induced by human activities modify these selective pressures and may result in the adaptation of organisms. Amphibians are ectotherms that typically show a biphasic life cycle with an aquatic and terrestrial phase, which makes them particularly sensitive to environmental change. We studied the impact of habitat modifications on palmate newt populations in the Ile de France region across four types of habitats: urban, mixed, agricultural, and natural with at least two replicates for each habitat type. We measured the morphology of newts using callipers, quantified maximal running and swimming speed and acceleration using high‐speed video recordings, and quantified the swelling of the hind limb linked to an inflammatory reaction. Our results show that in urban habitats, newts are larger and heavier and have a better body condition. Females, moreover, have a larger head in natural habitats, possibly due to diet specialisation of females during the breeding season. In mixed and agricultural habitats, newts have longer limbs and show a tendency to run faster, possibly associated with the selective pressures on movement in mixed habitats. Differences in inflammatory responses were observed between sexes but not habitat types. Overall, our results show differences in morphology and trends for differences in performance in newts living in different habitats suggesting that animals are adapting to human‐induced changes in their environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The populations of many species of large mammals occur in small isolated and fragmented habitat patches in the human‐dominated landscape. Maintenance of habitat connectivity in the fragmented landscapes is important for maintaining a healthy population of large mammal. This study evaluated the landscape patches and their linkages on two carnivores (leopard and Himalayan black bear) and seven prey species (northern red muntjac, chital, sambar, wild pig, Himalayan goral, rhesus macaque, and langur) between Chitwan National Park (CNP) and Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA) by using the least‐cost path (LCP) approach and the Linkage Mapper tool in ArcGIS. A total of 15 habitat patches (average area 26.67 ± 12.70 km2) were identified that had more than 50% of the total studied mammals. A weak relation among the habitat patches was found for chital and sambar (Cost‐weighted distance [CWD]: Euclidean distance EucD >100), showed poor connectivity between the habitat patches, while ratio of CWD and EucD was low (i.e., low LCP) between majority of the patches for muntjac, wild pig and leopard hence had potential functional connectivity along the landscape. Similarly, low LCP between the habitat patches located in the mid‐hills was observed for Himalayan goral and Himalayan black bear. Furthermore, the multi‐species connectivity analysis identified the potential structural connectivity between the isolated populations and habitat patches. Therefore, these sites need to be considered connectivity hotspots and be prioritized for the conservation of large mammals in the landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural representations have traditionally portrayed the mother as a one-dimensional figure of sacrifice and unconditional devotion, but contemporary writing by women has examined the complexities of what allegedly is the most 'natural' of female roles. In her first novel Troubling Love (1992), Elena Ferrante places the mother figure at the centre of feminine identity while seeking to liberate it from stereotypes, thus presenting motherhood in all its nuances – unpleasant, contradictory, even unspeakable. The narrative unfolds as a thriller in which the protagonist Delia returns to Naples to confront the mysterious death of her mother. Her geographical descent into the depths of the Naples of her childhood to find out the truth about her mother's death will instead reveal the painful knots tying her mother's life to her own. The plot uncovers a shared story of gender violence that ruined the relationship between mother and daughter: by using feminist reflections on motherhood, this paper argues that the violence suffered by both women, while marginalizing and silencing their voices, disintegrated the bond between mother and daughter and thereby arrested the development of Delia's identity. It is only by recovering that bond that Delia will finally succeed in reconstructing a fragmented self. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: China is the hotspot of global freshwater crab diversity, but their wild populations are facing severe pressures associated with anthropogenic factors, necessitating the need to map their taxonomic and genetic diversity and design conservation policies. Results: Herein, we sequenced the mitochondrial genome of a Chinese freshwater crab species Bottapotamon fukienense, and found that it is fragmented into two chromosomes. We confirmed that fragmentation was not limited to a single specimen or population. Chromosome 1 comprised 15,111 base pairs (bp) and there were 26 genes and one pseudogene (pseudo-nad1) encoded on it. Chromosome 2 comprised 8,173 bp and there were 12 genes and two pseudogenes (pseudo-trnL2 and pseudo-rrnL) encoded on it. Combined, they comprise the largest mitogenome (23,284 bp) among the Potamidae. Bottapotamon was the only genus in the Potamidae dataset exhibiting rearrangements of protein-coding genes. Bottapotamon fukienense exhibited average rates of sequence evolution in the dataset and did not differ in selection pressures from the remaining Potamidae. Conclusions: This is the first experimentally confirmed fragmentation of a mitogenome in crustaceans. While the mitogenome of B. fukienense exhibited multiple signs of elevated mitogenomic architecture evolution rates, including the exceptionally large size, duplicated genes, pseudogenisation, rearrangements of protein-coding genes, and fragmentation, there is no evidence that this is matched by elevated sequence evolutionary rates or changes in selection pressures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that the first stage of mine-to-mill optimization is rock fragmentation by blasting. The degree of rock fragmentation can be expressed in terms of average grain (X50) size and size distribution. There are approaches in which exponential functions are used to estimate the size distribution of the pile that will be formed before blasting. The most common of these exponential functions used to estimate the average grain size is the Kuz–Ram and KCO functions. The exponential functions provide a curve from 0% to 100% using the mean grain size (X50), characteristic size (XC), and uniformity index (n) parameters. This distribution curve can make predictions in the range of fine grains and coarse grains outside the acceptable error limits in some cases. In this article, the usability of the hyperbolic tangent function, which is symmetrical at origin, in the estimation of the size distribution as an alternative to the exponential distribution functions used in almost all estimation models is investigated. As with exponential functions, the hyperbolic tangent function can express the aggregated size distribution as a percentage with reference to the variables X50 and XC. It has been shown that the hyperbolic tangent function provides 99% accuracy to the distribution of fine grains and coarse grains of the pile formed as a result of blasting data for the characteristic size (XC) parameter and the uniformity index (n). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sudden freefall is very common in high-velocity and long-runout rockslides. The combination of freefall and joints (a rock mass structure) may cause a high degree of fragmentation of sliding rock mass. However, previous studies often simplified fragmentation of rock mass with initial joints to be caused by impact after sliding, ignoring the contribution of freefall to rockslide fragmentation and spreading. Several multi-stage slope models are created in this study referring to the topographic characteristics of rockslides, including impact after sliding, inter-slope freefall, once-end-slope freefall, and twice-end-slope freefall. The rock masses are simulated by setting different numbers of persistent joints in analog blocks. The joints are described by the unbonded particles. The results suggest that the fragmentation of analog blocks consists of the fracture caused by tensile cracks and the local fragmentation caused by impact. Fragmentation is an effective sink, which shortens the runout distance of the center of the mass. Freefall and initial joints limit the momentum transfer between the front and rear fragments, so the freefall cannot directly promote rockslide spreading. However, freefall and initial joints facilitate the fragmentation of the block, producing a high sphericity of fragments, which are easy to roll and bounce under the disturbance of the freefall. This might be an important reason for the long-runout spreading of rockslides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What does 'Smith knows that it might be raining' mean? Expressivism here faces a challenge, as its basic forms entail a pernicious type of transparency, according to which 'Smith knows that it might be raining' is equivalent to 'it is consistent with everything that Smith knows that it is raining' or 'Smith doesn't know that it isn't raining'. Pernicious transparency has direct counterexamples and undermines vanilla principles of epistemic logic, such as that knowledge entails true belief and that something can be true without one knowing it might be. I re-frame the challenge in precise terms and propose a novel expressivist formal semantics that meets it by exploiting (i) the topic-sensitivity and fragmentation of knowledge and belief states and (ii) the apparent context-sensitivity of epistemic modality. The resulting form of assertibility semantics advances the state of the art for state-based bilateral semantics by combining attitude reports with context-sensitive modal claims, while evading various objectionable features. In appendices, I compare the proposed system to Beddor and Goldstein's 'safety semantics' and discuss its analysis of a modal Gettier case due to Moss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What are the consequential socio‐spatial vulnerabilities of fragmentation in flood risk governance (FRG) functions in Tana River County, Kenya? To answer the question, this paper utilises social differentiation theory to establish types and consequences of such fragmentation. It applies theoretical patterns and processes of social differentiation to expose that FRG diversification could result in fragmentation of FRG functions. The study employs an interview strategy that focuses on governmental and non‐governmental FRG actors. The results reveal that fragmented FRG functions in Tana River County was not an intentional policy decision, but rather a product of a transitional vacuum between policy promulgation and implementation. Furthermore, socio‐spatial vulnerabilities differentiated by patterns and processes related to age, gender, disability, and ethnicity, for instance, are consequential outcomes of fragmented FRG functions in the Tana River floodplains. The study recommends implementation of the National Disaster Management Policy in Tana River County and institutionalisation of a specific FRG policy and legal framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The forests of the Western Ghats (WG) of India are a highly diverse ecosystem though altered over time by human interference. The Northern Western Ghats (NWG) differ in bioclimatic and geological characteristics from the rest of the Western Ghats, featuring a mix of forested and open landscapes. Human activities such as shifting cultivation, cutting, lopping, periodic fire, constructions (road and dam), and mining have further increased their fragmentation, leading to a decrease in biodiversity. While the region has been extensively investigated for its floristic diversity, quantitative ecological studies are limited. This review seeks to identify research gaps and new research directions in the forest ecology of the NWG by compiling various periodical studies carried out in the region. It covers various works on vegetation types, species diversity and composition, and forest degradation due to anthropogenic activities. We provide compiled comparative vegetation types applicable to the region. The present review also discusses works carried out on forest areas under various protection regimes, such as legally protected areas, sacred groves, and private forests, using quantitative and remote sensing tools. We believe that understanding the NWG as an entire unit using uniform methods is essential, and this review serves as an important step in achieving this. It provides a comprehensive overview of the NWG, which can be used to plan out future research in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oecomys cleberi is an arboreal rodent little known reagarding its natural history, distribution, and ecology. In this paper, we present new records of O. cleberi within a region of the Atlantic Forest, in a transition zone with Cerrado, in the northwestern state of São Paulo. We investigated the effects of the structure of fragmented landscapes on its occurrence at 40 sites in this region. We detected O. cleberi only in seasonal semideciduous forests and palm forests, but not in pastures, wetlands, and young reforestation. Our results indicated that its occurrence was determined by the amount of habitat within a 500 m radius landscape, and extremely low occupancy probabilities in landscapes with less than 25% forest cover (ψ < 0.3). Our results show the importance of the amount of habitat at the landscape scale for the occurrence of Oecomys cleberi, and point out that most of the landscapes in the study region presented low occupancy probabilities by this forest rodent. Although O. cleberi should not be considered as an Atlantic Forest species, it seems to be a resident species in ecotone areas with Cerrado, within the Atlantic Forest domain. Thus, conservation actions are necessary to preserve their populations in these regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A technique is proposed for reproducing particle size distributions in three‐dimensional simulations of the crushing and comminution of solid materials. The method is designed to produce realistic distributions over a wide range of loading conditions, especially for small fragments. In contrast to most existing methods, the new model does not explicitly treat the small‐scale process of fracture. Instead, it uses measured fragment distributions from laboratory tests as the basic material property that is incorporated into the algorithm, providing a data‐driven approach. The algorithm is implemented within a nonlocal peridynamic solver, which simulates the underlying continuum mechanics and contact interactions between fragments after they are formed. The technique is illustrated in reproducing fragmentation data from drop weight testing on sandstone samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anatomic patellar components for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) have demonstrated favorable in vivo kinematics. A novel failure mechanism in TKA patients with an anatomic patellar component was observed prompting an investigation to identify patient- and implant-related factors associated with suboptimal performance. A retrospective evaluation was performed comparing 100 TKA patients with an anatomic patellar component to 100 gender-, age-, and body mass index–matched patients with a medialized dome component. All surgeries were performed with the same posterior-stabilized TKA system with minimum of 1-year follow-up. Several radiographic parameters were assessed. A separate computational evaluation was performed using finite-element analysis, comparing bone strain energy density through the patella bone remnant. Patients with an anatomic patellar component had significantly higher rates of anterior knee pain (18 versus 2%, P <.001), chronic effusions (18 versus 2%, P <.001), and superior patellar pole fragmentation (36 versus 13%, P <.001) compared to those with a dome component. Radiographically, the anatomic group demonstrated more lateral patellar subluxation (2.3 versus 1.1 mm, P <.001) and lateral tilt (5.4 versus 4.0 mm, P =.013). Furthermore, there were more revisions in the anatomic group (7 versus 3, P =.331). On computational evaluation, all simulations demonstrated increased bone strain energy density at the superior patellar pole with the anatomic patella. Resection thickness <13 mm resulted in over 2-fold higher strain energy density, and negative resection angle of 7° resulted in 6-fold higher superior pole strain energy. Patients with an anatomic patellar component showed higher rates of anterior knee pain, chronic effusion, and superior pole fragmentation compared to patients with a dome patella, with higher superior patellar pole strain energy confirmed on computational evaluation. Avoiding higher resection angles and excessive patellar resection may improve the performance and survivorship of the anatomic patella. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Understanding habitat fragmentation is a critical concern for nature conservation and the focus of intense debate in landscape ecology. Resolving the uncertainty around the effects of habitat fragmentation on biodiversity remains an ongoing challenge that requires the successful delineation of multiple patch-landscape interactions. Objectives: We carried out a regional analysis on species richness of woodland mammals to determine the relative influence of structural, compositional and functional characteristics related to woodland habitat across different land-cover gradients. Methods: We calculated the Edge-weighted Habitat Index, an area-weighted measure of functional connectivity that incorporates a mechanistic estimate of edge-effects, for interior woodland habitat. We compared its influence on mammalian species richness to that of increasing edge and patch density, landscape diversity, and a habitat-only model, in different contexts of matrix hostility across Northern England in the UK. Results: Our results demonstrate the relevance of alternative drivers of species richness resulting from patch-landscape interactions across gradients of matrix hostility. Evidence is provided for positive and negative effects of increasing structural (edge density), functional (connected interior habitat) and compositional (landscape diversity) attributes, varying according to matrix type and intensity. Results were sensitive to dominant land-cover types in the matrix and the scale of observation. Conclusion: This study provides new insights into fragmentation effects on biodiversity and clarifies assumptions around the relative influence of structural, compositional and functional habitat characteristics on landscape-level species richness. We highlight the presence of thresholds, related to matrix hostility, that determine alternative drivers of species richness in woodland mammals. These drivers, and related thresholds, were sensitive to the scale of observation and landscape context. Landscape decisions aimed at promoting biodiversity should consider sources of matrix hostility and homogeneity at scales relevant to ecological processes of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cache memory is controlled by hardware, resulting in significant hardware overhead and power consumption. This situation necessitated the use of scratchpad memory as an alternative. Specifically, for utilizing scratchpad memory in multi-core systems, a Local Memory Storage (LMStr) structure has been proposed. However, the LMStr structure must address fragmentation issues caused by the use of variable-sized data blocks. In this paper, we propose a new structure called 'Paging LMStr' that applies paging to solve this problem. We implement a system capable of simulating it in gem5 and evaluate its performance through a comprehensive testbench. The results demonstrate that the proposed structure improves the hit rate by 3.6% and reduces system ticks by approximately 10.68%, leading to a significant overall performance improvement compared to the existing structure. This indicates that Paging LMStr can effectively enhance memory management efficiency in multi-core systems, providing a viable solution to the challenges posed by traditional cache memory systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing literature seeks to econometrically identify the link between tree cover change and malaria, two of the most pressing problems facing the Global South. However, we know little about the effect of tree cover fragmentation on malaria transmission, even though correlational evidence suggests that this effect may be important. We use municipality-level panel data from Colombia along with two-way fixed effects models to identify the effect on malaria incidence of changes in two measures of tree cover fragmentation—perforation and edge—as well as of a conventional measure of aggregate tree cover loss. We find that perforation in core areas of tree cover spurs malaria transmission. Evidence for the effects of changes in edge and aggregate loss is weaker. On average, a one-percentage-point increase in contemporaneous perforation leads to a 12.7% increase in malaria cases. This effect is stronger in municipalities with gold production and in those with coca production. These findings provide further evidence that forest conservation has significant benefits for local communities. They can also help stakeholders improve the efficacy of policies to stem malaria transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how patterns of fragmentation change across landscapes is important, but such analyses are complicated by the boundary and the modifiable areal unit problems. The cross-boundary connections procedure and moving window analysis improve our understanding but both have limitations. A new method for assessing changes in patch-based metrics across landscapes combining the cross-boundary connections procedure and a moving-window analysis is presented and applied at multiple scales across Nova Scotia. Comparisons of effective mesh size ( m eff ) across the province were made based on (1) reporting units (ecodistricts) and (2) a moving-window analysis. Both methods were conducted with and without the application of the cross-boundary connections procedure. m eff values increased with the application of the cross-boundary connections procedure, and in general the smaller the reporting unit or cell size, the greater the difference between the two methods, highlighting the need to consider the influence of size and shape of reporting units in these sorts of analyses. Combining the cross-boundary connections procedure and a moving window into the same analysis better captures the actual landscape structure than methods which rely on political or ecological boundaries that may be derived from forces unrelated to the pattern in question. In doing so, this analysis produces results that are more ecologically meaningful and thus can be used to make better-informed management decisions. The method presented provides a new way of analysing how patterns in patch-based metrics change across landscapes. Although m eff was used here, it could be applied to any patch-based metric that measures landscape fragmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We construct a coupling between two seemingly very different constructions of the standard additive coalescent, which describes the evolution of masses merging pairwise at rates proportional to their sums. The first construction, due to Aldous and Pitman, involves the components obtained by logging the Brownian continuum random tree (CRT) by a Poissonian rain on its skeleton as time increases. The second one, due to Bertoin, involves the excursions above its running infimum of a linear‐drifted standard Brownian excursion as its drift decreases. Our main tool is the use of an exploration algorithm of the so‐called cut‐tree of the Brownian CRT, which is a tree that encodes the genealogy of the fragmentation of the CRT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]