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Global mapping of forest height is an extremely important task for estimating habitat quality and modeling biodiversity. Recently, three global canopy height maps have been released, the global forest canopy height map (GFCH), the high‐resolution canopy height model of the Earth (HRCH), and the global map of tree canopy height (GMTCH). Here, we assessed their accuracy and usability for biodiversity modeling. We examined their accuracy by comparing them with the reference canopy height models derived from airborne laser scanning (ALS). Our results show considerable differences between the evaluated maps. The root mean square error ranged between 10 and 18 m for GFCH, 9–11 m for HRCH, and 10–17 m for GMTCH, respectively. GFCH and GMTCH consistently underestimated the height of all canopies regardless of their height, while HRCH tended to overestimate the height of low canopies and underestimate tall canopies. Biodiversity models using predicted global canopy height maps as input data are sufficient for estimating simple relationships between species occurrence and canopy height, but their use leads to a considerable decrease in the discrimination ability of the models and to mischaracterization of species niches where derived indices (e.g., canopy height heterogeneity) are concerned. We showed that canopy height heterogeneity is considerably underestimated in the evaluated global canopy height maps. We urge that for temperate areas rich in ALS data, activities should concentrate on harmonizing ALS canopy height maps rather than relying on modeled global products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalytically active heterojunctions based on metal halide perovskites (MHPs) are drawing significant interest for their chameleon ability to foster several redox reactions. The lack of mechanistic insights into their performance, however, limits the ability of engineering novel and optimized materials. Herein, a report is made on a composite system including a double perovskite, Cs2AgBiCl6/g‐C3N4, used in parallel for solar‐driven hydrogen generation and nitrogen reduction, quantified by a rigorous analytical approach. The composite efficiently promotes the two reactions, but its activity strongly depends on the perovskite/carbon nitride relative amounts. Through advanced spectroscopic investigation and density function theory (DFT) modeling the H2 and NH3 production reaction mechanisms are studied, finding perovskite halide vacancies as the primary reactive sites for hydrogen generation together with a positive contribution of low loaded g‐C3N4 in reducing carrier recombination. For nitrogen reduction, instead, the active sites are g‐C3N4 nitrogen vacancies, and the heterojunction best performs at low perovskites loadings where the composites maximize light absorption and reduce carrier losses. It is believed that these insights are important add‐ons toward universal exploitation of MHPs in contemporary photocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mediterranean Basin has historically been subject to alien plant invasions that threaten its unique biodiversity. This seasonally dry and densely populated region is undergoing severe climatic and socioeconomic changes, and it is unclear whether these changes will worsen or mitigate plant invasions. Predictions are often biased, as species may not be in equilibrium in the invaded environment, depending on their invasion stage and ecological characteristics. To address future predictions uncertainty, we identified invasion hotspots across multiple biased modelling scenarios and ecological characteristics of successful invaders. We selected 92 alien plant species widespread in Mediterranean Europe and compiled data on their distribution in the Mediterranean and worldwide. We combined these data with environmental and propagule pressure variables to model global and regional species niches, and map their current and future habitat suitability. We identified invasion hotspots, examined their potential future shifts, and compared the results of different modelling strategies. Finally, we generalised our findings by using linear models to determine the traits and biogeographic features of invaders most likely to benefit from global change. Currently, invasion hotspots are found near ports and coastlines throughout Mediterranean Europe. However, many species occupy only a small portion of the environmental conditions to which they are preadapted, suggesting that their invasion is still an ongoing process. Future conditions will lead to declines in many currently widespread aliens, which will tend to move to higher elevations and latitudes. Our trait models indicate that future climates will generally favour species with conservative ecological strategies that can cope with reduced water availability, such as those with short stature and low specific leaf area. Taken together, our results suggest that in future environments, these conservative aliens will move farther from the introduction areas and upslope, threatening mountain ecosystems that have been spared from invasions so far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: A bioleaching process could offer the advantage of higher metal recovery in a sustainable manner even from lithium‐ion battery (LIB) samples with very low metal concentrations. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the use of secondary resources such as LIBs for various purposes including transportation, large‐scale energy storage and use in portable devices. RESULTS: The adaptation of a mixed culture of acidophilic microorganism (lab stock culture) to a representative LIB sample allowed the setting of 0.5% of the pulp density under lab scale conditions. The maximum metal dissolution by bioleaching in a 1‐L bioreactor for the as‐received and thermally treated samples was found to be Li (67% & 49%), cobalt (81% & 86%), nickel (99% & 87%) and manganese (86% & 75%). Likewise, on the 10‐L scale, the dissolutions observed were: Li (80% & 67%), Co (75%), Ni (91% & 88%) and Mn (63% & 75%) for the as‐received and heat‐treated samples, respectively. CONCLUSION: Parameters such as particle size, leaching time, pH and iron ions (Fe2+) affect the efficiency of acidophilic bioleaching of Li, Co, Ni and Mn from spent LiBs. © 2024 The Authors. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry (SCI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiral perovskites possess a huge applicative potential in several areas of optoelectronics and spintronics. The development of novel lead‐free perovskites with tunable properties is a key topic of current research. Herein, we report a novel lead‐free chiral perovskite, namely (R/S−)ClMBA2SnI4 (ClMBA=1‐(4‐chlorophenyl)ethanamine) and the corresponding racemic system. ClMBA2SnI4 samples exhibit a low band gap (2.12 eV) together with broad emission extending in the red region of the spectrum (∼1.7 eV). Chirality transfer from the organic ligand induces chiroptical activity in the 465–530 nm range. Density functional theory calculations show a Rashba type band splitting for the chiral samples and no band splitting for the racemic isomer. Self‐trapped exciton formation is at the origin of the large Stokes shift in the emission. Careful correlation with analogous lead and lead‐free 2D chiral perovskites confirms the role of the symmetry‐breaking distortions in the inorganic layers associated with the ligands as the source of the observed chiroptical properties providing also preliminary structure‐property correlation in 2D chiral perovskites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of multifunctional separators can address crucial drawbacks of the lithium‐metal batteries. Here, a novel Janus separator (JS) is developed with tunable properties to prevent internal short circuiting and improve the cathode/electrolyte interface. JS is a P(VdF‐HFP) composite with LLZO facing lithium (Li) anode (Layer A) and N‐CQDs contacting the NMC cathode. Layer A acts as Li‐ion flux regulator to hinder dendrite propagation; Layer B plays multiple roles: i) promotion of better carrier migration, ii) protection from side reactions at the NMC cathode and iii) action as physical barrier against dendrite penetration. Galvanostatic cycling of Li/NMC cells with JS including 5 wt% CQDs demonstrated that JS was effective to avoid self‐discharge and internal short‐circuiting due to dendrite perforation, resulting in enhanced cell lifespan. Specific capacity >150 mAh g−1 with capacity retention of 91 % was delivered over 130 cycles at 1C. This result contrasted with higher capacity loss (>25 %) and cell failure in case of P(VdF‐HFP) and Single Layer A separators, respectively. Post‐mortem SEM on JS confirmed that the introduced functionalities successfully intercept dendrites. ARC overheating tests on JS‐based cells demonstrated a remarkably higher thermal resistance and lower severity of the exothermic phenomena compared to Celgard separators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Neretva dwarf goby Orsinigobius croaticus (Gobiiformes, Gobionellidae) is an endemic fish native to the freshwaters of the Adriatic Basin in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, a Mediterranean Biodiversity Hotspot. Due to its limited distribution range, specific karst habitat and endangered status, laboratory studies on reproductive biology are scarce but crucial. Herein, we investigated the sound production and acoustic behaviour of the endangered O. croaticus during reproductive intersexual laboratory encounters, utilising an interdisciplinary approach. We also performed dissections and micro‐computed tomography (μCT) scanning of the pectoral girdle to explore its potential involvement in sound production. Finally, comparative acoustic analysis was conducted on sounds produced by previously recorded soniferous sand gobies to investigate whether acoustic features are species‐specific. The endemic O. croaticus is a soniferous species. Males of this species emit pulsatile sounds composed of a variable number of short (~15 ms) consecutive pulses when interacting with females, usually during the pre‐spawning phase in the nest, but also during courtship outside the nest. Pulsatile sounds were low‐frequency and short pulse trains (~140 Hz, <1000 ms). Male visual behaviour rate was higher when co‐occurring with sounds and females entered the male's nest significantly more frequently when sounds were present. Characteristic body movements accompanied male sound production, such as head thrust and fin spreading. Furthermore, μCT scans and dissections suggest that O. croaticus shares certain anatomical similarities of the pectoral girdle (i.e. osseous elements and arrangement of levator pectoralis muscles) to previously studied sand gobies that could be involved in sound production. Multivariate comparisons, using sounds produced by eight soniferous European sand gobies, effectively distinguished soniferous (and sympatric) species based on their acoustic properties. However, the discrimination success decreased when temperature‐dependent features (sound duration and pulse repetition rate) were excluded from the analysis. Therefore, we suggest both spectral and temporal features are important for the acoustic differentiation of sand gobies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: CD38 has been established as an important therapeutic target for multiple myeloma (MM), for which two CD38 antibodies are currently approved—daratumumab and isatuximab. CD38 is an ectoenzyme that degrades NAD and its precursors and is involved in the production of adenosine and other metabolites. Aim: Among the various mechanisms by which CD38 antibodies can induce MM cell death is immunomodulation, including multiple pathways for CD38‐mediated T‐cell activation. Patients who respond to anti‐CD38 targeting treatment experience more marked changes in T‐cell expansion, activity, and clonality than nonresponders. Implications: Resistance mechanisms that undermine the immunomodulatory effects of CD38‐targeting therapies can be tumor intrinsic, such as the downregulation of CD38 surface expression and expression of complement inhibitor proteins, and immune microenvironment‐related, such as changes to the natural killer (NK) cell numbers and function in the bone marrow niche. There are numerous strategies to overcome this resistance, which include identifying and targeting other therapeutic targets involved in, for example, adenosine production, the activation of NK cells or monocytes through immunomodulatory drugs and their combination with elotuzumab, or with bispecific T‐cell engagers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Assessing how different sampling strategies affect the accuracy and precision of species response curves estimated by parametric species distribution models. Major Taxa Studied: Virtual plant species. Location: Abruzzo (Italy). Time Period: Timeless (simulated data). Methods: We simulated the occurrence of two virtual species with different ecology (generalist vs specialist) and distribution extent. We sampled their occurrence following different sampling strategies: random, stratified, systematic, topographic, uniform within the environmental space (hereafter, uniform) and close to roads. For each sampling design and species, we ran 500 simulations at increasing sampling efforts (total: 42,000 replicates). For each replicate, we fitted a binomial generalised linear model, extracted model coefficients for precipitation and temperature, and compared them with true coefficients from the known species' equation. We evaluated the quality of the estimated response curves by computing bias, variance and root mean squared error (RMSE). Additionally, we (i) assessed the impact of missing covariates on the performance of the sampling approaches and (ii) evaluated the effect of incompletely sampling the environmental space on the uniform approach. Results: For the generalist species, we found the lowest RMSE when uniformly sampling the environmental space, while sampling occurrence data close to roads provided the worst performance. For the specialist species, all sampling designs showed comparable outcomes. Excluding important predictors similarly affected all sampling strategies. Sampling limited portions of the environmental space reduced the performance of the uniform approach, regardless of the portion surveyed. Main Conclusions: Our results suggest that a proper estimate of the species response curve can be obtained when the choice of the sampling strategy is guided by the species' ecology. Overall, uniformly sampling the environmental space seems more efficient for species with wide environmental tolerances. The advantage of seeking the most appropriate sampling strategy vanishes when modelling species with narrow realised niches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The andrological study of a species involves the macro‐ and microscopic analyses of the internal reproductive organs and the evaluation of seminal parameters and ultrastructural characteristics of the spermatozoa. As in other vertebrates, the male reproductive tract in chondrichthyans consists of testes and reproductive ducts (efferent duct, epididymis, Leydig's gland, ductus deferens and seminal vesicle). In this study the authors used three adult specimens of Zapteryx brevirostris from wild capture kept at the Ubatuba Aquarium, Brazil. Semen was collected by abdominal massage over the location of the seminal vesicle, preceded by ultrasonographic evaluation. The semen collected was diluted 1:200 and subject to quantitative and morphological analyses. Ultrastructural analysis was performed using transmission and scanning electron microscopy. Correlation was observed between successful collection and ultrasonographic image of an engorged seminal vesicle, as well as testicles with easily delimitable margins and higher echogenicity. It was possible to identify free spermatozoa with helical filiform appearance, as well as spermatozeugmata. The average sperm concentration resulted in 5 million packets per millilitre and 140 million spermatozoa per millilitre. The sperm nucleus is described as follows: cone shaped, parachromatin sheath less dense than the chromatin of the nucleus, smooth depression of the nuclear fossa, abaxial axoneme 9 + 2 and accessory axonemal columns in positions 3 and 8 and oval shaped, with flattened inner surface in cross‐section. These results broaden the knowledge of the andrology of this species, contributing to ex situ breeding programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Species distribution models (SDMs) have become a common tool in studies of species–environment relationships but can be negatively affected by positional uncertainty of underlying species occurrence data. Previous work has documented the effect of positional uncertainty on model predictive performance, but its consequences for inference about species–environment relationships remain largely unknown. Here we use over 12 000 combinations of virtual and real environmental variables and virtual species, as well as a real case study, to investigate how accurately SDMs can recover species–environment relationships after applying known positional errors to species occurrence data. We explored a range of environmental predictors with various spatial heterogeneity, species' niche widths, sample sizes and magnitudes of positional error. Positional uncertainty decreased predictive model performance for all modeled scenarios. The absolute and relative importance of environmental predictors and the shape of species–environmental relationships co‐varied with a level of positional uncertainty. These differences were much weaker than those observed for overall model performance, especially for homogenous predictor variables. This suggests that, at least for the example species and conditions analyzed, the negative consequences of positional uncertainty on model performance did not extend as strongly to the ecological interpretability of the models. Although the findings are encouraging for practitioners using SDMs to reveal generative mechanisms based on spatially uncertain data, they suggest greater consequences for applications utilizing distributions predicted from SDMs using positionally uncertain data, such as conservation prioritization and biodiversity monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The number of patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) undergoing radiotherapy (RT) for cancer treatment is growing. At present, prevalence and predictors of RT‐induced CIEDs malfunctions are not defined. Methods: Systematic review and meta‐analysis conducted following the PRISMA recommendations. PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar were searched from inception to 31/01/2022 for studies reporting RT‐induced malfunctions in CIEDs patients. Aim was to assess the prevalence of RT‐induced CIEDs malfunctions and identify potential predictors. Results: Thirty‐two out of 3962 records matched the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta‐analysis. A total of 135 CIEDs malfunctions were detected among 3121 patients (6.6%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.1%–8.4%). The pooled prevalence increased moving from pacemaker (PM) to implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), and cardiac resynchronization therapy and defibrillator (CRT‐D) groups (4.1%, 95% CI: 2.9–5.8; 8.2% 95% CI: 5.9–11.3; and 19.8%, 95% CI: 11.4–32.2 respectively). A higher risk ratio (RR) of malfunctions was found when neutron‐producing energies were used as compared to non‐neutron‐producing energies (RR 9.98, 95% CI: 5.09–19.60) and in patients with ICD/CRT‐D as compared to patients with PM/CRT‐P (RR 2.07, 95% CI: 1.40–3.06). On the contrary, no association was found between maximal radiation dose at CIED >2 Gy and CIEDs malfunctions (RR 0.93; 95% CI: 0.31–2.76). Conclusions: Radiotherapy related CIEDs malfunction had a prevalence ranging from 4% to 20%. The use of neutron‐producing energies and more complex devices (ICD/CRT‐D) were associated with higher risk of device malfunction, while the radiation dose at CIED did not significantly impact on the risk unless higher doses (>10 Gy) were used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystem structure, especially vertical vegetation structure, is one of the six essential biodiversity variable classes and is an important aspect of habitat heterogeneity, affecting species distributions and diversity by providing shelter, foraging, and nesting sites. Point clouds from airborne laser scanning (ALS) can be used to derive such detailed information on vegetation structure. However, public agencies usually only provide digital elevation models, which do not provide information on vertical vegetation structure. Calculating vertical structure variables from ALS point clouds requires extensive data processing and remote sensing skills that most ecologists do not have. However, such information on vegetation structure is extremely valuable for many analyses of habitat use and species distribution. We here propose 10 variables that should be easily accessible to researchers and stakeholders through national data portals. In addition, we argue for a consistent selection of variables and their systematic testing, which would allow for continuous improvement of such a list to keep it up‐to‐date with the latest evidence. This initiative is particularly needed not only to advance ecological and biodiversity research by providing valuable open datasets but also to guide potential users in the face of increasing availability of global vegetation structure products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of species distribution models (SDMs) is known to be affected by analysis grain and positional error of species occurrences. Coarsening of the analysis grain has been suggested to compensate for positional errors. Nevertheless, this way of dealing with positional errors has never been thoroughly tested. With increasing use of fine‐scale environmental data in SDMs, it is important to test this assumption. Models using fine‐scale environmental data are more likely to be negatively affected by positional error as the inaccurate occurrences might easier end up in unsuitable environment. This can result in inappropriate conservation actions.Here, we examined the trade‐offs between positional error and analysis grain and provide recommendations for best practice. We generated narrow niche virtual species using environmental variables derived from LiDAR point clouds at 5 × 5 m fine‐scale. We simulated the positional error in the range of 5 m to 99 m and evaluated the effects of several spatial grains in the range of 5 m to 500 m. In total, we assessed 49 combinations of positional accuracy and analysis grain. We used three modelling techniques (MaxEnt, BRT and GLM) and evaluated their discrimination ability, niche overlap with virtual species and change in realized niche.We found that model performance decreased with increasing positional error in species occurrences and coarsening of the analysis grain. Most importantly, we showed that coarsening the analysis grain to compensate for positional error did not improve model performance. Our results reject coarsening of the analysis grain as a solution to address the negative effects of positional error on model performance.We recommend fitting models with the finest possible analysis grain and as close to the response grain as possible even when available species occurrences suffer from positional errors. If there are significant positional errors in species occurrences, users are unlikely to benefit from making additional efforts to obtain higher resolution environmental data unless they also minimize the positional errors of species occurrences. Our findings are also applicable to coarse analysis grain, especially for fragmented habitats, and for species with narrow niche breadth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity monitoring is an almost inconceivable challenge at the scale of the entire Earth. The current (and soon to be flown) generation of spaceborne and airborne optical sensors (i.e., imaging spectrometers) can collect detailed information at unprecedented spatial, temporal, and spectral resolutions. These new data streams are preceded by a revolution in modeling and analytics that can utilize the richness of these datasets to measure a wide range of plant traits, community composition, and ecosystem functions. At the heart of this framework for monitoring plant biodiversity is the idea of remotely identifying species by making use of the 'spectral species' concept. In theory, the spectral species concept can be defined as a species characterized by a unique spectral signature and thus remotely detectable within pixel units of a spectral image. In reality, depending on spatial resolution, pixels may contain several species which renders species‐specific assignment of spectral information more challenging. The aim of this paper is to review the spectral species concept and relate it to underlying ecological principles, while also discussing the complexities, challenges and opportunities to apply this concept given current and future scientific advances in remote sensing. Plain Language Summary: Biodiversity monitoring based on field data is almost inconceivable at the scale of the entire Earth. Over the past decades, remote sensing has opened possibilities for Earth observation from air and space, allowing us to monitor ecological change, primarily expressed by changes in vegetation cover, distribution, and functioning, which can be subsequently linked to drivers of change in space and time, from local to global scale. Recently, the spectral species concept—an algorithm that clusterizes pixels from spectral images having a similar spectral signal (referred to as 'spectral species')—has brought attention. The aim of this paper is to review the ecological functioning principles of the spectral species concept and to refine its definition by a better linkage with field observations of plant species distribution data (i.e., presence‐absence data) available from vegetation surveys. Key Points: Remote sensing has opened possibilities for Earth observation from air and space, allowing us to monitor ecological changeBiodiversity monitoring based on field data is almost inconceivable at the scale of the entire EarthThe spectral species concept, relating field to remotely sensed data, can open new ways to measure diversity from space [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The management of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and malignancy is challenging given the paucity of evidence supporting their appropriate clinical management. Purpose: To evaluate the outcomes of patients with active or prior malignancy in a contemporary cohort of European AF patients. Methods: Patients enrolled in the EURObservational Research Programme in AF General Long‐Term Registry were categorized into 3 categories: No Malignancy (NoMal), Prior Malignancy (PriorMal) and Active Malignancy (ActiveMal). The primary outcomes were all‐cause death and the composite outcome MACE. Results: A total of 10 383 patients were analysed. Of these, 9597 (92.4%) were NoMal patients, 577 (5.6%) PriorMal and 209 (2%) ActiveMal. Lack of any antithrombotic treatment was more prevalent in ActiveMal patients (12.4%) as compared to other groups (5.0% vs 6.3% for PriorMal and NoMal, p <.001). After a median follow‐up of 730 days, there were 982 (9.5%) deaths and 950 (9.7%) MACE events. ActiveMal was independently associated with a higher risk for all‐cause death (HR 2.90, 95% CI 2.23–3.76) and MACE (HR 1.54, 95% CI 1.03–2.31), as well as any haemorrhagic events and major bleeding (OR 2.42, 95% CI 1.49–3.91 and OR 4.18, 95% CI 2.49–7.01, respectively). Use of oral anticoagulants was not significantly associated with a higher risk for all‐cause death or bleeding in ActiveMal patients. Conclusions: In a large contemporary cohort of AF patients, active malignancy was independently associated with all‐cause death, MACE and haemorrhagic events. Use of anticoagulants was not associated with a higher risk of all‐cause death in patients with active malignancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The representation of a land cover type (i.e. habitat) within an area is often used as an explanatory variable in species distribution models. However, it is possible that a simple binary presence/absence of the suitable habitat might be the most important determinant of the presence/absence of some species and, thus, be a better predictor of species occurrence than the continuous parameter (area). We hypothesize that the binary predictor is more suitable for relatively rare habitats (e.g. wetlands) while for common habitats (e.g. forests) the amount of the focal habitat is a better predictor. We used the Third Atlas of Breeding Birds in the Czech Republic as the source of species distribution data and CORINE Land Cover inventory as the source of the landcover information. To test our hypothesis, we fitted generalized linear models of 32 water and 32 forest bird species. Our results show that for water bird species, models using binary predictors (presence/absence of the habitat) performed better than models with continuous predictors (i.e. the amount of the habitat); for forest species, however, we observed the opposite. Thus, future studies using habitats as predictors of species occurrences should consider the prevalence of the habitat in the landscape, and the biological role of the habitat type in the particular species' life history. In addition, performing a preliminary comparison of the performance of the binary and continuous versions of habitat predictors (e.g. using information criteria) prior to modelling, during variable selection, can be beneficial. These are simple steps that will improve explanatory and predictive performance of models of species distributions in biogeography, community ecology, macroecology and ecological conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Question: Vegetation around the alpine–treeline ecotone faces changes in both climate and land use (i.e. grazing abandonment). Broad‐scale shrub encroachment is considered an effect of these changes, but it remains unclear how this process is mediated by local‐scale environmental heterogeneity. Our goal is to determine which local‐scale environmental factors shape the spatial distribution and temporal trends of alpine dwarf shrub vegetation dominated by Juniperus communis in Mediterranean mountains. Location: Three sites in the Central Apennine Mountain Range (Italy): Mt. Terminillo, Mt. Duchessa and Mt. Ernici. Methods: Combining a set of environmental variables obtained at a fine scale (25‐m resolution) from multi‐year remote sensing imagery and field‐collected vegetation data, we modelled the occurrence and cover of Juniperus communis‐dominated dwarf shrubland, as well as its change over time, as a function of local climate, topography and land use, using linear and generalized mixed effects models. Results: Over a period of almost 60 years (1954–2012) shrubland occurrence increased by 12% and shrubland cover by 10% in our study sites. Its current distribution and change over time appear to be strongly shaped by the joint influences of fine‐scale topography, above‐ground biomass, land use and microclimate. Shrublands have been favoured locally in areas with harsher alpine environmental constraints and stronger resource limitations. Conclusions: Our study shows that in the Mediterranean high‐mountain environment J. communis dwarf shrubland acts as a stress‐tolerant pioneer vegetation, occurring in areas that are otherwise sparsely vegetated. Contrary to our expectations, at fine scales, warmer temperatures and the regional decline in grazing did not favour shrub encroachment. Despite increasing overall, J. communis shrubs have little competitive ability to successfully encroach grasslands, and remain restricted to less‐productive areas. Our results confirm that fine‐scale environmental heterogeneity can strongly influence shrub distribution and dynamics, thereby modulating future responses in evolving alpine ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this cross‐sectional retrospective study was to evaluate radiographically the technical quality of root canal treatment performed by undergraduate students using reciprocating NiTi instrumentation and single‐cone obturation. Methods: Endodontic treatment on 1102 teeth performed by undergraduate students from the School of Dentistry of the University of Santa Cecilia (Brazil) was evaluated. All root canal preparations were performed using Reciproc files and were irrigated with 1% NaOCl. The root canal was filled with gutta‐percha, along with AH Plus sealer, using the single‐cone obturation technique. The technical quality of the root canal treatment was evaluated based on immediate postoperative radiographs. Distance between the end of the filling and the radiographic apex, the filling density, and the taper of the root filling was assessed. Inter‐examiner agreement statistic (Kappa) and Chi‐square statistic test were used for statistical evaluation of the results. Differences were considered statistically significant when p < 0.05. Results: Anterior teeth, maxillary premolars, and molars presented better results than mandibular premolars and molars (p < 0.05). Mandibular premolars presented a high incidence of a short length of obturation (33.34%) and mandibular molars presented a high incidence of overfilling (6.55%). The majority of the treatment analyzed (62.46%) fulfilled all the criteria showing acceptable working length, taper, and density of obturation. Instrument fractures occurred in eighteen root canals (0.81%). Conclusions: The use of NiTi reciprocating instruments with the single‐cone obturation technique provided an acceptable quality of endodontic treatment in the majority of the cases performed by undergraduate students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The repeated administration of high doses of gabapentin may provide better analgesia in horses than current clinical protocols. Hypothesis and Objectives: Administration of gabapentin at 40 and 120 mg/kg PO q 12 h for 14 days will not alter serum biochemistry findings or cause adverse effects. Our objectives were to evaluate the effect of gabapentin on serum biochemistry, physical examination, and plasma pharmacokinetics of gabapentin. Animals: Six healthy adult mares. Methods: Horses received 40 and 120 mg/kg of gabapentin orally q 12 h for 14 days. Horses were examined and scored for ataxia and sedation daily. Serum biochemistry variables were analyzed before treatment and days 7 and 14 after gabapentin administration. Plasma disposition of gabapentin was evaluated after the first and last drug administration. Pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated using noncompartmental analysis. Results: No changes occurred in physiologic or biochemical variables. Median (range) maximal plasma gabapentin concentrations (μg/mL) after the last dose (day 15) were 7.6 (6.2‐11) and 22 (14‐33) for 40 mg/kg and 120 mg/kg doses respectively. Maximal concentration of gabapentin was reached within 1 hour after drug administration. Repeated administration of gabapentin resulted in a median (range) area under the curve (AUC0‐12 hours) last/first dose ratio of 1.5 (1.00‐2.63) and 2.92 (1.4‐3.8) for the 40 and 120 mg/kg regimens, respectively. Conclusion and Clinical Importance: Our results suggest that horses tolerate gabapentin up to 120 mg/kg PO q 12 h for 14 days. The analgesic effect of the dosage regimens evaluated in our study warrants further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The spectral variability hypothesis (SVH) suggests a link between spectral variation and plant biodiversity. The underlying assumptions are that higher spectral variation in canopy reflectance (depending on scale) is caused by either (1) variation in habitats or linked vegetation types or plant communities with their specific optical community traits or (2) variation in the species themselves and their specific optical traits. Methods: The SVH was examined in several empirical remote‐sensing case studies, which often report some correlation between spectral variation and biodiversity‐related variables (mostly plant species counts); however, the strength of the observed correlations varies between studies. In contrast, studies focussing on understanding the causal relationship between (plant) species counts and spectral variation remain scarce. Here, we discuss these causal relationships and support our perspectives through simulations and experimental data. Results: We reveal that in many situations the spectral variation caused by species or functional traits is subtle in comparison to other factors such as seasonality and physiological status. Moreover, the degree of contrast in reflectance has little to do with the number but rather with the identity of the species or communities involved. Hence, spectral variability should not be expressed based on contrast but rather based on metrics expressing manifoldness. While we describe cases where a certain link between spectral variation and plant species diversity can be expected, we believe that as a scientific hypothesis (which suggests a general validity of this assumed relationship) the SVH is flawed and requires refinement. Conclusions: To this end we call for more research examining the drivers of spectral variation in vegetation canopies and their link to plant species diversity and biodiversity in general. Such research will allow critically assessing under which conditions spectral variation is a useful indicator for biodiversity monitoring and how it could be integrated into monitoring networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rational design of heterojunctions based on metal halide perovskites (MHPs) is an effective route to create novel photocatalysts to run relevant solar‐driven reactions. In this work, an experimental and computational study on the synergic coupling between a lead‐free Cs3Bi2Br9 perovskite derivative and g‐C3N4 is presented. A relevant boost of the hydrogen photogeneration by more than one order of magnitude is recorded when going from pure g‐C3N4 to the Cs3Bi2Br9/g‐C3N4 system. Effective catalytic activity is also achieved in the degradation of the organic pollutant with methylene blue as a model molecule. Based upon complementary experimental outputs and advanced computational modeling, a rationale is provided to understand the heterojunction functionality as well as the trend of hydrogen production as a function of perovskite loading. This work adds further solid evidence for the possible application of MHPs in photocatalysis, which is emerging as an extremely appealing and promising field of application of these superior semiconductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal halide perovskites have drawn significant attention for their promising physical properties and their possible application in solar cells and light‐emitting diodes. Research and technology have made extraordinary progress in this field, but some issues are still to be tackled. In fact, most of the used materials contain lead, which is highly toxic. For this reason, many efforts have been made on substituting lead with other elements to design more environmentally friendly solar cells. However, devices based on lead‐free materials still show relatively low efficiencies. Physical properties tuning of such materials, to improve their performance, can be achieved in different ways, and among them pressure can be thought of as a green method for this aim as well as a powerful technique to systematically explore structure–property relationships. The possibility of unveiling and discovering novel and appealing optical and electronic features, resulting from the application of an external pressure, can open an effective route to design more performing materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shark skin is predominantly specialized for swimming and protection, with the dermal denticle being the main structure associated with these abilities. The dermal denticle is a mineral structure with a unique morphology for each species, which allows its use as a taxonomic tool. Few studies have investigated the microscopy aspects of skin and dermal denticles, considering the high diversity of sharks. Here, we investigated the three‐dimensional morphoquantitative aspects and mineral composition of dermal denticles in different regions of the angular angel shark, Squatina guggenheim, using scanning electron microscopy and dispersive energy system. With the microscopy, we were able to observe that the dermal denticle morphology changes according to the area it is located. It was possible to describe the dermal denticles individually, from root to the crown, highlighting all of their individualities. Through the dispersive energy system, we showed the proportions of each mineral found in the denticle, by area, demonstrating the composition and the particularities of crown, body, and root, where whitlockite was described for the first time in elasmobranchs. In this way, the present study presented the specificities of the dermal denticles of S. guggenheim, as well sought to understand the different structure functions for the animal, thus assisting future research in animal morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theory of island biogeography postulates that size and isolation are key drivers of biodiversity on islands. This theory has been applied not only to true (e.g. oceanic) islands but also to terrestrial island‐like systems (e.g. edaphic islands). Recently, a debate has opened as to whether terrestrial island‐like systems function like true islands. However, identifying the effect of insularity in terrestrial systems is conceptually and methodologically challenging because recognizing species source(s) and measuring isolation is not as straightforward as for true islands. We contribute to the debate by proposing an approach to contextualize the definition of insularity and to identify the role of isolation in terrestrial island‐like systems. To test this approach, we explored the relationship between insularity predictors and specialist species richness of edaphic islands in three systems in Europe (spring fens, mountaintops, and outcrops). We detected that insularity affected specialist richness of edaphic islands through island size and target effect (i.e. an emergent property of islands depending on their isolation and size). As predicted by the Theory of Island Biogeography, species richness decreased with increasing isularity. Given the comprehensiveness and ease of implementation of our approach, we encourage its extension to other island‐like systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human impacts on marine ecosystems are increasing and the number of fish species listed in the Red List is constantly growing. In the Mediterranean Sea, seven of the 10 bony fishes defined as Threatened by the IUCN are known to be vocal, including the target species of this study: the shi drum (Umbrina cirrosa Linnaeus, 1758) and the brown meagre (Sciaena umbra Linnaeus, 1758). As a result, non‐invasive passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) can be used to pinpoint their distribution at sea. However, for PAM to be effective, reliable acoustic discrimination is required because the sounds they emit during reproduction are remarkably similar (i.e. short broadband pulsed sounds).The shi drum and the brown meagre are closely related, elusive, vocal sciaenids, partially overlapping in their ecological niche. During summer 2019, three PAM surveys were conducted along the tidal inlets of the Venice lagoon (Italy). Here, the calls of both species have been recognized according to their temporal features: shi drum sounds were made up of a lower number of longer pulses with a different envelope, repeated at a lower rate than those of the brown meagre. Further, shi drum and brown meagre sounds of different origins (aquaculture and semi‐natural conditions) were analysed and compared with those collected during the survey of the study area in order to validate the field collected data.Call discrimination allowed for a fine‐scale species mapping, showing a partially overlapping distribution of the two species along the inlets. This is the first case in which two sciaenids have been documented to share their reproductive habitat in the Mediterranean Sea.This study demonstrates that it is feasible to acoustically monitor the target species even in those parts of the Mediterranean Sea where they co‐exist. This, in its turn, could provide managers with the required data for effective conservation measures to be implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The link between spectral diversity and in‐situ plant biodiversity is one promising approach to using remote sensing for biodiversity assessment. Nevertheless, there is little evidence as to whether this link is maintained at fine scales, as well as to how it is influenced by vegetation's vertical complexity. Here we test, at the community level in grasslands, the link between diversity of the spectral signal (SDiv) and taxonomic diversity (TDiv), and the influence of vertical complexity. Methods: We used 196 1.5 m × 1.5 m experimental communities with different biodiversity levels. To measure vertical complexity, we quantified height diversity (HDiv) of the most abundant species in the community. TDiv was calculated using the Shannon index based on species cover. Canopy spectral information was gathered using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) mounted with a multi‐spectral sensor providing spectral information via six 10‐nm bands covering the visible and near‐infrared region at a spatial resolution of 3 cm. We measured SDiv in a core area of 1 m ×1 m within the communities as mean Euclidean distance of all pixels in a feature space spanned between the two first components of a PCA calculated for the complete raster stack. We modelled SDiv through mixed‐effect linear models, using TDiv, HDiv, and their interaction as fixed‐effect predictors. Results: Contrary to our expectations, TDiv was negatively linked to SDiv. The diversity in plant height was positively related to SDiv. More importantly, diversity in plant height and TDiv had a significant negative interaction, meaning the more complex the vegetation was in terms of height, the more the SDiv–TDiv relationship became negative. Conclusions: Our results suggest that in order to exploit the SDiv–TDiv link for monitoring purposes, it needs to be contextualized. Moreover, the results highlight that communities' functional characteristics (i.e. plant height) mediate such a link, calling for new insights into the relation between SDiv and functional diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perovskites are attracting an increasing interest in the wide community of photovoltaics, optoelectronic, and detection, traditionally relying on lead-based systems. This Minireview provides an overview of the current status of experimental and computational results available on Ge-containing 3D and lowdimensional halide perovskites. While stability issues analogous to those of tin-based materials are present, some strategies to afford this problem in Ge metal halide perovskites (MHPs) for photovoltaics have already been identified and successfully employed, reaching efficiencies of solar devices greater than 7% at up to 500 h of illumination. Interestingly, some Gecontaining MHPs showed promising nonlinear optical responses as well as quite broad emissions, which are worthy of further investigation starting from the basic materials chemistry perspective, where a large space for properties modulation through compositions/alloying/fnanostructuring is present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In transitional water ecosystems, habitat loss is one of the major threats to fish biodiversity. This is particularly true in the case of temperate salt marshes. Good quality artificial novel habitats may compensate for the loss of natural habitats, acting as a refuge for fish populations.The aim of this study was to use coloured ornamental traits exhibited by the males of a small lagoon‐resident fish, the Mediterranean killifish Aphanius fasciatus (Valenciennes, 1821), to assess habitat quality in both the natural and artificial creeks of the Venice lagoon.The conspicuousness of two secondary sexual traits, the yellow/orange caudal fin pigmentation and the contrast between white and dark vertical bars on body sides, proved to be greater in artificial habitats compared to natural salt marshes, highlighting the refuge function of artificial creeks.The use of secondary sexual traits could be extended to other fish species and to other aquatic habitats as a non‐invasive approach. This would allow the identification of good quality habitats in the context of fish population management and conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystem heterogeneity has been widely recognized as a key ecological indicator of several ecological functions, diversity patterns and change, metapopulation dynamics, population connectivity or gene flow.In this paper, we present a new R package—rasterdiv—to calculate heterogeneity indices based on remotely sensed data. We also provide an ecological application at the landscape scale and demonstrate its power in revealing potentially hidden heterogeneity patterns.The rasterdiv package allows calculating multiple indices, robustly rooted in Information Theory, and based on reproducible open‐source algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Multiple functions of CD38 need exploring to expand clinical application of anti‐CD38 antibodies in multiple myeloma (MM). We investigated membrane dynamics of MM cells and subsequent events when CD38 is targeted by therapeutic antibodies. Human MM cells (BF01) were co‐cultured in vitro with therapeutic antibody (or control immunoglobulin G) and analysed using gene expression profiling. Microvesicles from antibody‐exposed cells were analysed for differential gene and microRNA (miRNA) expression, and for phenotypic characterisation. Exposure of BF01 cells to anti‐CD38 antibody resulted in CD38 membrane redistribution, upregulation of metabolism‐related genes and downregulation of genes involved in cell cycle processes. Microvesicles derived from antibody‐exposed cells showed increased CD73 and CD39 expression, presence of programmed death‐ligand 1 and significant up‐/down‐modulation of miRNAs. Microvesicles accumulated around immunoglobulin Fc receptor‐positive (FcR+) cells. Upon internalisation, natural killer cells displayed significantly increased expression of genes related to activation and immune response, and downregulation of genes involved in the cell cycle. Cells may use microvesicles to transmit signals distally as part of a survival strategy. Microvesicles are equipped on their surface with enzymatic machinery leading to production of tolerogenic adenosine. Further, they are internalised in FcR+ cells with significant functional modifications. These observations have relevance for improving anti‐CD38 therapeutic antibodies through targeting this mechanism and its sequelae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The majority of work done to gather information on the Earth's biodiversity has been carried out using in‐situ data, with known issues related to epistemology (e.g., species determination and taxonomy), spatial uncertainty, logistics (time and costs), among others. An alternative way to gather information about spatial ecosystem variability is the use of satellite remote sensing. It works as a powerful tool for attaining rapid and standardized information. Several metrics used to calculate remotely sensed diversity of ecosystems are based on Shannon's information theory, namely on the differences in relative abundance of pixel reflectances in a certain area. Additional metrics like the Rao's quadratic entropy allow the use of spectral distance beside abundance, but they are point descriptors of diversity, that is they can account only for a part of the whole diversity continuum. The aim of this paper is thus to generalize the Rao's quadratic entropy by proposing its parameterization for the first time. Innovation: The parametric Rao's quadratic entropy, coded in R, (a) allows the representation of the whole continuum of potential diversity indices in one formula, and (b) starting from the Rao's quadratic entropy, allows the explicit use of distances among pixel reflectance values, together with relative abundances. Main conclusions: The proposed unifying measure is an integration between abundance‐ and distance‐based algorithms to map the continuum of diversity given a satellite image at any spatial scale. Being part of the rasterdiv R package, the proposed method is expected to ensure high robustness and reproducibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphological and ultrastructural investigations are crucial for the identification and characterization of species such as microalgae, microorganisms that greatly change their morphology and physiology during their life cycle. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is an excellent tool for the ultrastructural observation of cells and their components. To date, limited ultrastructural studies have been carried out on microalgae, due to the difficulties in sample preparation. The aim of this work is to establish an appropriate fixation method that allows to better preserve the algal ultrastructure and test the suitability of the thawed algae for TEM observation. Fresh and thawed algae (Coccomyxa melkonianii SCCA 048) were fixed with different TEM fixation methods (a mix of glutaraldehyde and paraformaldehyde for several incubation times, sometimes preceded by a prefixation in cold methanol). The ultrastructural images obtained from fresh algae were compared to those obtained from frozen biomass. The best morphological results were achieved by fixing fresh algae in 1% paraformaldehyde and 1.25% glutaraldehyde for 5 hr. Pretreating with frozen methyl alcohol reduced fixation time to 2 hr. Both fresh and frozen algae ultrastructure were rather well preserved also with 1% paraformaldehyde and 1.25% glutaraldehyde for 2 hr. Ultrastuctural morphological images of the thawed algae demonstrated that also frozen samples can be used in TEM research, widening specimen suitability by means of this technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Humans have deeply eroded biogeographic barriers, causing a rapid spread of alien species across biomes. The Mediterranean Basin is a biodiversity hotspot but is also known as a hub of alien plant invasions, particularly in its European part. Yet, a comprehensive inventory of alien species in the area is missing and understanding of the drivers of Mediterranean invasions is poor. Here, we aim to identify the main alien plant species in the European part of the Mediterranean Basin and quantify their invasion success in order to understand the plant species flows from other biomes of the world. Location: The Mediterranean region of Europe, Anatolia and Cyprus. Methods: We analyzed 130,000 georeferenced vegetation plots from the European Vegetation Archive (EVA) and identified 299 extra-European alien plant species. We identified their biomes of origin and quantified the mean geographic distance, trade exchange and climatic similarity from each biome to the study area. After estimating the invasion success of each species in the study area, we tested which biomes have donated more alien species than expected by chance and which drivers best explain these non-random patterns. Results: We found that other Mediterranean climatic regions, as well as temperate and xeric biomes of the world, are the main donors of successful alien species to Mediterranean Europe, beyond what would be expected by chance. Our results suggest that climatic matching, rather than geographic proximity or trade, has been the most important driver of invasion. However, climatic pre-adaptation alone also does not appear to predict the invasion success of established species in the study area. Conclusions: Our results highlight the need to pay special attention to alien plant species from the same or climatically similar biomes, but also suggest that further research is needed for early screening of the most problematic alien species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water‐stable metal halide perovskites could foster tremendous progresses in several research fields where their superior optical properties can make differences. In this work we report clear evidence of water stability in a lead‐free metal halide perovskite, namely DMASnBr3, obtained by means of diffraction, optical and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Such unprecedented water‐stability has been applied to promote photocatalysis in aqueous medium, in particular by devising a novel composite material by coupling DMASnBr3 to g‐C3N4, taking advantage from the combination of their optimal photophysical properties. The prepared composites provide an impressive hydrogen evolution rate >1700 μmol g−1 h−1 generated by the synergistic activity of the two composite costituents. DFT calculations provide insight into this enhancement deriving it from the favorable alignment of interfacial energy levels of DMASnBr3 and g‐C3N4. The demonstration of an efficient photocatalytic activity for a composite based on lead‐free metal halide perovskite in water paves the way to a new class of light‐driven catalysts working in aqueous environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Question: Does spectral diversity captured by unmanned aerial systems (UAS) provide reliable information for monitoring the eco‐geomorphological integrity of Mediterranean coastal dune ecosystems? Can this information discriminate between two coastal areas with low (LP) and high (HP) human pressure? Location: Tyrrhenian coast, Central Italy. Methods: By processing UAS images, we derived the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and topographic variables at high spatial resolution (0.5 m) for 150 m wide strips starting from the coastline inland on two representative coastal tracts under low and high human pressure. We mapped the sea–inland heterogeneity applying Rao's Q index to the plant biomass (NDVI) and geomorphology variables (elevation and slope). Since Rao's Q index can be calculated in a multidimensional space, we summarized the variability of these three variables into a single eco‐geomorphological layer. We then inspected and compared how the Rao's Q index values for plant biomass, geomorphology and eco‐geomorphology change as a function of the distance from the sea between the two coastal sites. Results: Rao's Q heterogeneity values vary along the sea–inland gradient of well‐preserved sites (LP). The maximum eco‐geomorphological heterogeneity was found at intermediate distances from the sea and decreased toward the inner sector where the dune geomorphology was more stable and vegetation more homogeneously distributed. Instead, Rao's Q heterogeneity values featured constant low values along the gradient on the HP site, highlighting a simplified eco‐geomorphological gradient related to the high human pressure. Conclusions: Using UAS, the eco‐geomorphological gradient of coastal dunes can be quantified at a very fine spatial resolution over management‐relevant extents. Rao's Q index applied to sensing imagery successfully captured the differences in the eco‐geomorphological heterogeneity along the sea–inland dune gradient and among sites with different levels of anthropic pressure. This approach supports frequent surveys and is particularly suitable for spatial monitoring of key coastal functions and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: A deep elucidation of the mechanisms of action of anti‐CD38 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), such as daratumumab (DARA), is required to identify patients with multiple myeloma (MM) who are more responsive to this treatment. In the present study, an autologous ex vivo approach was established, focussing on the role of the monocytes in the anti CD38‐mediated killing of MM cells. In bone marrow (BM) samples from 29 patients with MM, we found that the ratio between monocytes (CD14+) and MM cells (CD138+) influences the response to DARA. Further, the exposure of the BM samples to DARA is followed by the formation of a CD138+CD14+ double‐positive (DP) population, that quantitatively correlates with the anti‐MM cells killing. These effects were dependent on the presence of a CD14+CD16+ monocyte subset and on high CD16 expression levels. Lastly, the addition of a mAb neutralising the CD47/signal‐regulatory protein α (SIRPα) axis was able to increase the killing mediated by DARA. The effects were observed only in coincidence with high CD14+:CD138+ ratio, with a significant presence of the DP population and were correlated with CD16 expression. In conclusion, the present study underlines the critical role of the CD16+ monocytes in DARA anti‐MM killing effects and gives a rationale to test the combination of an anti‐CD47 mAb with anti‐CD38 mAbs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of the electron transport layer (ETL) in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is critical due to the requirement of enhancing the electron collection selectivity. ETLs are essential for achieving a high open‐circuit voltage (VOC), high fill factor (FF), better transport of directional charges, better absorption of incoming light, and thermodynamically competent operation of photogenerated carrier populations. ETLs are sorted as organic, inorganic, or mixed, with different stability, cost effect, and directional charge transport ability. For instance, by using metal oxides as ETLs, power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) higher than 23% are reached for PSCs. Despite the advantages of metal oxide–ETLs and other organic or mixed ETLs, some questions still have to be addressed to achieve better PCEs, like how to passivate or eliminate the surface traps, how to upgrade the comprehension of the heterointerface, and optimization of morphology. Herein, different considerations of ETLs in different physical and environmental conditions, and different deposition methods used, are presented. Finally, the current studies and future challenges are analyzed in the domain of highly efficient PSCs with various ETLs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1.The brown meagre (Sciaena umbra) is a demersal sciaenid fish recognized as indicative of good environmental quality and is defined as an umbrella species for the ecological community of rocky coastal habitats. Sciaena umbra is classified as a Vulnerable fish species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and knowledge on the distribution of its spawning habitats is essential for its conservation.2.Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is a suitable tool to monitor S. umbra distribution because of the high consistency, over space and time, of the communication sounds that this species emits during the reproductive period, with irregular or regular rhythms, or with calls merging into a chorus.3.During the summer of 2019, the presence of this species was investigated acoustically at 40 listening points distributed along the tidal inlets that connect the Venice lagoon with the open sea.4.Longer sounds, comprising a higher number of faster repeated pulses, were found during the chorus and were used as a proxy of spawning activity; similar sound features have been recorded in different captive Sciaenids during spawning.5.The three inlets were classified as more or less suitable for spawning on the basis of the vocal rhythms identified, demonstrating a clear preference along a north–south gradient and indicating higher spawning activity in the internal‐facing areas of the inlets, compared with the seaward‐facing areas. The chorus occurred in localized areas consistently throughout the breeding season, suggesting that spawning is concentrated in preferred areas.6.For the first time a relationship between the sound features and vocal rhythms of fish has been highlighted by an in situ study. This validates the use of the chorus as a reliable natural indicator of S. umbra breeding sites, and in turn suggests a potential non‐invasive approach based on PAM for mapping the key reproductive areas of this vulnerable species in the Mediterranean Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms that use sunlight as an energy source, and convert water, carbon dioxide, and inorganic salts into algal biomass. The isolation and selection of microalgae, which allow one to obtain large amounts of biomass and valuable compounds, is a prerequisite for their successful industrial production. This work provides an overview of extremophile algae, where their ability to grow under harsh conditions and the corresponding accumulation of metabolites are addressed. Emphasis is placed on the high‐value products of some prominent algae. Moreover, the most recent applications of these microorganisms and their potential exploitation in the context of astrobiology are taken into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species occurrences inherently include positional error. Such error can be problematic for species distribution models (SDMs), especially those based on fine‐resolution environmental data. It has been suggested that there could be a link between the influence of positional error and the width of the species ecological niche. Although positional errors in species occurrence data may imply serious limitations, especially for modelling species with narrow ecological niche, it has never been thoroughly explored. We used a virtual species approach to assess the effects of the positional error on fine‐scale SDMs for species with environmental niches of different widths. We simulated three virtual species with varying niche breadth, from specialist to generalist. The true distribution of these virtual species was then altered by introducing different levels of positional error (from 5 to 500 m). We built generalized linear models and MaxEnt models using the distribution of the three virtual species (unaltered and altered) and a combination of environmental data at 5 m resolution. The models' performance and niche overlap were compared to assess the effect of positional error with varying niche breadth in the geographical and environmental space. The positional error negatively impacted performance and niche overlap metrics. The amplitude of the influence of positional error depended on the species niche, with models for specialist species being more affected than those for generalist species. The positional error had the same effect on both modelling techniques. Finally, increasing sample size did not mitigate the negative influence of positional error. We showed that fine‐scale SDMs are considerably affected by positional error, even when such error is low. Therefore, where new surveys are undertaken, we recommend paying attention to data collection techniques to minimize the positional error in occurrence data and thus to avoid its negative effect on SDMs, especially when studying specialist species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gobioids (Gobiiformes: Gobioidei) are a large group of vocal fishes with four sound types documented during aggressive or reproductive interactions in 23 species. Most attention has been dedicated to sound production in Gobiidae and Gobionellidae, while acoustic communications in other phylogenetically distant gobioid groups have been neglected. Odontobutidae, a basal family within the gobioids, is a poorly studied fish assemblage, with sounds documented in only a single species. The goal of this study was to record and describe the acoustic signals produced by Perccottus glenii (Odontobutidae) under laboratory conditions, with particular focus on the reproductive phase (courtship and pre‐spawning), and to provide insight into the anatomical basis of the sound emission mechanism. We recorded two acoustically different call types, thumps and tonal sounds. Thumps were low‐frequency sounds (~95 Hz) with an irregular waveform, produced by males during both the courtship and pre‐spawning phases. Thumps were frequently organized in long trains, a thump burst, composed from approximately five thumps and lasting over 10 s. Tonal sounds were short vocalizations (~90 ms) produced only during courtship interactions, characterized by a sinusoidal oscillogram and a single frequency peak (~120 Hz). Additionally, anatomical examination focusing on the pectoral girdle identified the muscles that could be responsible for sound emission. The levator pectoralis muscle, originating on the neurocranium and attaching to the cleithral bone, is separated into three bundles: a pars lateralis superficialis, a pars lateralis profundus and a pars medialis. These results expand the knowledge about gobioid vocal behaviour and underline the importance of acoustic communication within this group of fish. Odontobutidae is a sister group to rest of the gobioids, and therefore, our results have significant impact for future comparative studies dealing with sound production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research suggests that robotics can provide an engaging learning experience for learners with special educational needs. However, further work is required to explore the impact of robots within the classroom, particularly for learners with intellectual disabilities (ID). This paper seeks to further explore the potential effects of robots on such learners through examining engagement and goal achievement within teaching sessions. Eleven participants with ID were recruited from two countries to take part in the study using an ABAB design where the participants acted as their own controls. An appropriate learning goal for each participant was selected by the teacher and equivalent control sessions designed seeking to achieve the same learning goal but without the robot. Engagement, using eye‐gaze, learning goal achievement with and without help and goals not achieved provided the outcome measures from the sessions. This study found no significant difference between the robot and the control sessions for any of the outcome measures utilized suggesting robots are as effective as teaching tools as traditional methods. Through an increased sample size and a rigorously applied experimental protocol, this study provides new data and methodological considerations for further work based on the techniques applied in this study. Practitioner NotesWhat we already know about this topic Robots can encourage engagement in the learning process for students with intellectual disabilities.There is a lack of work examining the potential use of robots within formal learning.There is a lack of work utilizing experimental protocols to study the use of robots.What this paper adds Knowledge of the impact of robots on learner engagement using eye‐gaze as an outcome measure.Knowledge of the impact of robots on goal achievement in pursuit of structured learning objectives.Knowledge of the experimental protocol and suggestions for refinement of the outcome measures in future trials.Implications for practice and/or policy Robots can be as effective as traditional teaching methods in promoting engagement in learning for students with intellectual disabilities.Robots can be as effective as traditional teaching methods in the pursuit of learning goals for students with intellectual disabilities.The effect of robots on learning appears to be variable depending on individual learner characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aim: Habitat fragmentation and loss are two of the most important factors driving current biodiversity decline. Nonetheless, the relationship between biodiversity and landscape patterns appears more complex than generally expected, depending on the species and communities involved. We aim to enrich knowledge concerning the relationship between plant diversity and landscape patterns along linear landscapes, such as Mediterranean coastal dunes. A dedicated buffering method considering multiple nested extents was developed for sampling linear landscapes (e.g. coastal or fluvial), which traditionally present a challenge for standard round or square sampling buffering approaches. Location: Tyrrhenian coast of central Italy. Methods: Based on a database of plant community plots and functional traits from field measurements, for each plot we calculated taxonomic (TD) and functional (FD) diversity, which was further decomposed in functional evenness (FDeven) and mean trait dispersion (FDdisp). Relying on a land‐cover map, we computed a set of landscape metrics describing habitat loss, fragmentation and direct human disturbance at multiple extents around each plot. Diversity measures (TD, FD, FDeven and FDdisp) were then related to the landscape metrics at different scales via linear mixed‐effect models. Results: Overall, the relationship between plant species diversity and landscape patterns was weak. We observed different responses of TD, FD, FDeven and FDdisp, which only emerged at fine‐medium scales. TD decreased with habitat loss and disturbance, while FD only with disturbance. FDeven decreased in more fragmented areas, while FDdisp was not affected by the selected landscape parameters. Main conclusions: Like other transitional areas, coastal strand and dune ecosystems exhibit steep gradients in biotic and environmental factors, are dynamic in location, and could be among the earliest to be affected by environmental drivers. However, the response of Mediterranean coastal dune plant diversity to habitat loss and fragmentation is weak. For these reasons, we propose that these plant communities are adapted to the ever‐changing nature of the coastal environment and consequently to changes in landscape pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Many studies stress the usefulness of fish calls as effective indicators of distinct species occurrence. However, most of these studies have been undertaken in a given area and during restricted periods of time. There is a need to show passive acoustic monitoring is a reliable method to study vocal species over space and time. This study aims to use passive acoustic methods to follow the brown meagre Sciaena umbra at relevant temporal and spatial scales. Specimens of S. umbra were recorded in both aquarium and in the field. In situ recordings were made at two regions (Corsica and Sardinia) during four summers (2008–2012–2013–2015). Temporal and frequency parameters of the fish calls were collected by different teams and compared to test the ability to unequivocally identify the fish sound. The comparison between our data and the bibliography highlights the capability to identify S. umbra during a period of 17 years in different Mediterranean regions, clearly supporting the usefulness of acoustic monitoring to discover and protect aggregation sites of this endangered species. The sound producing mechanism in S. umbra consists of high‐speed sonic muscles surrounding dorsally the posterior end of the swim bladder, which can explain the low acoustic variability that helps in the species identification. Similar mechanisms are found in other Sciaenidae, suggesting that a similar conclusion can be drawn for many other adult sciaenids that could be used as sentinel species. This study should be of high interest to policymakers and scientists because it shows passive acoustic can be confidently used in resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Display of bright and striking color patterns is a widespread way of communication in many animal species. Carotenoid‐based coloration accounts for most of the bright yellow, orange, and red displays in invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and birds, being widely considered a signal of individual health. This type of coloration is under the influence of several factors, such as sexual selection, predator pressure, pigment availability, and light transmission. Fish offer numerous examples of visual communication by means of color patterns. We used a small cyprinodontid fish, Aphanius fasciatus (Valenciennes, 1821), as a model species to assess habitat constraints on the color display in male caudal fin. Populations from natural and open/closed artificial habitats were tested for differences in the pigmentation of caudal fins. The most important factors explaining the intensity of coloration were the habitat type and the chlorophyll concentration in the sediment, followed by water turbidity; yellow fins were observed in natural habitats with low chlorophyll concentration and high water turbidity, while orange fins occurred in artificial habitats with high chlorophyll concentration and low turbidity. Furthermore, A. fasciatus in artificial habitats showed a higher somatic and a lower reproductive allotment with respect to natural habitats, according to the existing literature on the species. Furthermore, in closed artificial habitats, where the most intense reddish coloration of caudal fins was observed, a trade‐off between somatic growth and the coloration intensity of a carotenoid‐based sexual ornament has been observed; in these populations, intensity of caudal fin coloration was negatively related to the somatic allotment. Results of this study suggested how both the pigmentation of male's caudal fin and the life history strategies of the species are constrained by habitat characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]