Search

This introduction presents the context in which digital participatory biodiversity science has developed. After describing its basic operating model and how it is affecting scientific practice, the text suggests that a science and technology studies perspective may shed light on some of the issues raised by new ways of doing biodiversity science. It highlights issues of authority and expertise, different modes of representation and visibility, and the importance of infrastructure. Finally, the introduction briefly describes each of the four papers in the special section and draws parallels among them. Digital technologies blur previous clear-cut dichotomies between producers and users of data and reconfigure the distribution of agency among living beings and technologies. They connect local practices and achievements of biodiversity monitoring with extended outcomes, produced by the transposition, and adaptation of practices or the interoperability of data in larger infrastructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proper management of woody ecosystems is fundamental for human livelihoods and biodiversity conservation. Strip cutting or selective harvesting are proposed as sustainable alternatives to clear-cut logging. However, their impacts are not fully understood, especially when we consider the harvesting intensity levels and the invasibility of an ecosystem by nonnative tree species. In this study we analyzed the impacts of different harvesting intensity levels on the establishment after 2 years of nonnative and native tree species. We conducted this study in a mixed forest dominated by Nothofagus antarctica, where we applied four strip harvesting levels: 0% (control), 30%, 50% and 70% percentage of vegetation removal in eight plots (1417.5 m2 each plot) Inside those plots, we had a total of 24 subplots (3 sites × 8 plots) were we sowed seeds of a total of six tree species, that can form dominant stands in the studied region. Three species were nonnative invasives in the region (Pinus ponderosa, Pinus contorta and Pseudotsuga mensiezii), and the other three were native species (Austrocedrus chilensis, Nothofagus obliqua and Araucaria araucana). We found that in the high harvesting intensity treatments, the establishment after 2 years of all nonnative trees and only one native species (A. araucana) was increased in spite of the ecological and structural differences (i.e., productivity levels) between sites. Invasion by nonnative tree species can have important negative economic and ecological consequences on the logged ecosystems, so their removal may be required to keep them away from colonizing and dominating the logged areas, especially at high harvesting intensities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complex systems are typically characterized by intricate internal dynamics that are often hard to elucidate. Ideally, this requires methods that allow to detect and classify in an unsupervised way the microscopic dynamical events occurring in the system. However, decoupling statistically relevant fluctuations from the internal noise remains most often nontrivial. Here, we describe "Onion Clustering": a simple, iterative unsupervised clustering method that efficiently detects and classifies statistically relevant fluctuations in noisy time-series data. We demonstrate its efficiency by analyzing simulation and experimental trajectories of various systems with complex internal dynamics, ranging from the atomic-to the microscopic-scale, in- and out-of-equilibrium. The method is based on an iterative detect-classify-archive approach. In a similar way as peeling the external (evident) layer of an onion reveals the internal hidden ones, the method performs a first detection/classification of the most populated dynamical environment in the system and of its characteristic noise. The signal of such dynamical cluster is then removed from the time-series data and the remaining part, cleared-out from its noise, is analyzed again. At every iteration, the detection of hidden dynamical subdomains is facilitated by an increasing (and adaptive) relevance-to-noise ratio. The process iterates until no new dynamical domains can be uncovered, revealing, as an output, the number of clusters that can be effectively distinguished/classified in a statistically robust way as a function of the time-resolution of the analysis. Onion Clustering is general and benefits from clear-cut physical interpretability. We expect that it will help analyzing a variety of complex dynamical systems and time-series data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares bilinguals of 2L1s with monolinguals and second language speakers. The experiment and statistical analysis reveals that the question whether bilinguals adopt a more extreme, intermediate, or monolingual-like approach may not have a clear-cut yes or no answer. Our finding demonstrates that bilinguals are more monolingual-like when they have greater control over their speech production. Additionally, bilinguals employ an extreme approach to positive VOTs, where they must distinguish among all the six stops in Japanese and English, though they adopt an intermediate approach to negative VOTs, where they just need to distinguish among the three voiced stops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clear-cutting is the most robust intervention in a forest ecosystem, causing marked changes in ecosystem processes. Although the effects of forest harvesting have been widely investigated, comparative studies can provide vital supplementary information concerning specific fields, including changes in soil microbiota structure and functioning. Our study examined the soil bacterial community composition, diversity, and activity of a mixed pedunculate oak stand over three years after clear-cutting based on 16S rRNA sequencing and substrate-induced respiration data. In addition, we conducted a yearly comparison with a control oak stand already in the regeneration phase. According to our results, the forest harvest caused only limited changes in the diversity, structure, and activity of the soil bacterial community of the oak stand, suggesting that soil parameters influence the soil bacterial community structure and functioning more significantly than the cessation of forest cover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on the intellectual structures and research trends in the field of Translation Studies (TS). Co-citation analysis and keyword analysis were conducted based on research articles in eleven prestigious TS journals indexed in Web of Science-Social Science Citation Index (WoS-SSCI) database from 2007 to 2021. In general, results indicate that TS has continued to flourish over the examined 15 years, evidenced by annual research outputs, number of publications per journal, countries/regions active in TS, as well as institutions and authors producing TS research. Meanwhile, the co-citation analysis not only unveils the intellectual structures that constitute TS, but also maps several relatively clear-cut research sub-areas within TS. Furthermore, a diachronic and comparative analysis of high-frequency keywords reveals that the thematic landscape of TS has undergone profound changes, with some early-dominant topics or concepts gradually losing their initial appeal; while a series of newly developed or borrowed concepts, methods and issues have gained increased popularity. The data confirms the multidisciplinary nature and continuous 'paradigm shifts' of TS. Based on these results, we discuss the achievements that TS has made as well as its drawbacks, before reflecting on the implications of the analysis for the direction of future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the detection of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), and a zoonotic transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) caused by the pathological prion protein (PrPSc) in two goats, the investigation of goat prions became of greater interest. Therefore, a broad collection of European goat TSE isolates, including atypical scrapie, CH1641 and goat BSE as reference prion strains were biochemically characterised and subsequently inoculated into seven rodent models for further analysis (already published results of this comprehensive study are reviewed here for comparative reasons). We report here the histopathological and immunohistochemical data of this goat TSE panel, obtained after the first passage in Tgshp IX (tg-shARQ) mice, which overexpress the ovine prion protein. In addition to the clear-cut discrimination of all reference prion strains from the classical scrapie (CS) isolates, we were further able to determine three categories of CS strains. The investigation further indicates the occurrence of sub-strains that slightly resemble distant TSE strains, such as BSE or CH1641, reinforcing the theory that CS is not a single strain but a mixture of sub-strains, existing at varying extents in one isolate. This study further proved that Tgshp IX is a potent and reliable tool for the in-depth characterisation of prion strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reforestation after forest clear‐cutting is an effective measure to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration; still, the soil C balance under reforestation and the role of microbial communities in that process remain to be determined. Samples of organic (0–2 cm) and mineral (2–10 cm) horizons were collected from the 7‐, 15‐, 20‐, 29‐, and 36‐year‐old forest stands of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) after plantation clear‐cutting in subtropical zone under the condition of phosphorus limitation. Particulate organic carbon (POC), mineral‐associated organic carbon (MAOC), microbial phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs), and enzymatic activities for C, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) acquisition were analyzed. The lowest contents of POC (10%) and MAOC (13%) in the organic horizon were found in 7‐year‐old stands due to the slow tree regrowth and extensive decomposition of SOC in the first years of forest regrowth. POC (2.0×) and MAOC (0.8×) increases in the organic horizon with forest age were attributed to the stand development and accumulation of above‐ and belowground litter. The organic horizon had a higher POC:MAOC ratio than the mineral (0.7–1.1 vs. 0.2–0.5), indicating lower SOC stability in the first one. The ratio of POC:MAOC increased with the Gram‐positive to Gram‐negative bacteria (G+:G‐) ratio, pointing out that microbial communities developed a specific community structure and substrate utilization strategies of organic matter under plantation restoration. The increase of total PLFAs and the G+:G‐ ratio was closely linked with the microbial C and P limitations, indicating that microorganisms shifted community structure to slow‐growing species and increased their content to cope with the C and P restrictions. In the soils of young plantations, microorganisms were limited by C and P; however, the C limitation was alleviated in the 36‐year‐old plots in the organic horizon due to increased litter input, whereas the P limitation was not. This discrepancy between C and P limitation suppressed the decomposition of litter entering the soil, which was seen in decreased specific activity of C degrading enzymes and led to the accumulation of POC in the organic horizon. Thus, soil C sequestration under reforestation of Chinese fir can be controlled by the amount of litter entering the soil and by metabolic C, N, and P limitations that force microorganisms to shift community structure and change their activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The international market for plant‐based ‘milk‐alternatives’ (PBMA) is growing tremendously. There are concerns pertaining to their suitability for vulnerable people as they differ from natural milk in nutritional composition, flavour and digestibility. Currently, there exists no clear‐cut definition/identity/standards in almost all countries (except Canada) for them as well as for lab‐grown milk. The present paper focuses on novel areas of issues and challenges associated with their suitability to feed infants. It also raises concerns and priority areas for the regulators to develop policies regarding establishing standards and regulations for varied parameters to assure safety, health and wellness of consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migraine is a leading cause of disability worldwide, yet it remains underrecognized and undertreated, especially in the pediatric and adolescent population. Chronic migraine occurs approximately in 1% of children and adolescents requiring preventive treatment. Topiramate is the only FDA-approved preventative treatment for children older than 12 years of age, but there is conflicting evidence regarding its efficacy. OnabotulinumtoxinA is a known and approved treatment for the management of chronic migraine in people older than 18 years. Several studies examine its role in the pediatric population with positive results; however, the clear-cut benefit is still unclear. OnabotulinumtoxinA seems not only to improve disability scores (PedMIDAS) but also to improve the quality, characteristics, and frequency of migraines in the said population. This systematic review aims to summarize the evidence on the efficacy, dosing, administration, long-term outcomes, and safety of onabotulinumtoxinA in pediatric and adolescent migraine. Eighteen studies met the eligibility criteria and were included in this review. The mean monthly migraine days (MMDs), decreased from of 21.2 days per month to 10.7 after treatment. The reported treatment-related adverse effects were mild and primarily injection site related and ranged from 0% to 47.0%. Thus, this review provides compelling evidence suggesting that OnabotulinumtoxinA may represent a safe and effective preventive treatment option for pediatric migraine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores post-Soviet power hierarchies which constitute a unique system of vertical stratification in world politics. It does so by analysing relations between two former Soviet states, Tajikistan and Russia, in the aftermath of the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991. The article investigates the underlying reasons for power asymmetries between the two countries, the ways hierarchies are sustained and enforced, as well as perceived and navigated at political and social levels. It is argued that Tajikistan's relations with Russia are explicitly postcolonial without clear-cut colonial precedents in Soviet times. Postcolonialism did not automatically result from the Soviet breakdown. Rather, it has gradually emerged because of the two countries' very different paths of integration into the global capitalist economy, which subordinated Tajikistan to Russia. In this way, new economic asymmetries exacerbated Soviet-era legacies and reinvented them in a new, hierarchical manner. Overall, the article contributes to the debate on the nature of post-Soviet legacies and what it means to be post-Soviet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enabling natural seed regeneration is important because natural stands grown from seeds are more productive compared to vegetative and artificial ones; they are also more resistant to adverse environmental factors and climate change. The aim of the study was to assess natural regeneration after clear-cutting in oak stands in the north-eastern Ukraine. The research was carried out in stands where regeneration cutting was carried out in years with different oak fruiting intensity. According to the recent inventory, the total regeneration quantity in clear-cut plots was from 16,800 to 28,900 stems ha–1, including 12,600–19,300 stems ha–1 of oak (60–85% of the total number), and a greater number of the regenerated oaks was recorded in the years of medium, good and very good acorn yield. It was established that the cutting must be carried out precisely in such years, preceded by pre-harvest cultural activities to promote oak natural regeneration. The composition of the formed young stands is optimal and meets the objectives of forest management in the study region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herbicides are commonly used in forestry to enhance conifer tree growth by reducing the abundance of competitive, undesired, early successional species. Reducing the abundance of understory species could also lead to changes in community composition that need to be documented to aid the understanding of any downstream ecosystem changes. We examined the effects of glyphosate-based herbicides on the abundance, diversity, and community composition of the understory vegetation community of forests located in the temperate-boreal transition zone. We sampled 37 blocks in two ecoregions of the Acadian Forest in eastern Canada that were harvested over the last 15 years. Species richness, Shannon's diversity, or evenness did not differ among blocks with different herbicide history. However, community composition differed between the non-herbicide and herbicide blocks in both ecoregions. Overall, 26.5% of the plant community variation was explained by the factors herbicide use (10.6%), Biomass Growth Index/site quality (8.6%), time since harvest (3.6%), and ecoregion (1.7%). We found 16 indicator species that differentiated the non-herbicide (9 species) and herbicide blocks (7 species). Indicator species for non-herbicide blocks included two blueberry species, three shrubs (two flowering), and two ferns, whereas indicator species for herbicide blocks were largely perennial forbs. Together, our results indicate that herbicide use does not alter species richness but does reduce shrub abundance, a change that persists throughout the 10 years post-herbicide application captured in our study. The reduced shrub layer likely leads to other changes in the plant community. Herbicide use is associated with subtle changes to the understory plant community, and these changes are missed when only alpha diversity is used to examine the effects of herbicides use on community composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the recovery of late-successional forests in the Acadian Forest Region of northeastern North America after anthropogenic canopy disturbance. Tree species were sampled in a chronosequence of post-clearcut (3–54 years) and remnant late-successional forests (100–165 years) in four demographic size classes in Nova Scotia, Canada: seedlings, small saplings, large saplings, and canopy trees. Clearcut forests acquired late-successional canopy species composition within five decades after logging disturbance. Resilience to clearcutting was due principally to the persistence of residual shade-tolerant coniferous species, mostly red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) and eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière) in recovering stands. Redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed that most residual canopy species responded positively to canopy removal as small saplings, but not as seedlings. Seedlings of all residual canopy species exhibited strong associations with stand age, canopy cover, and microhabitats characteristic of older forests, such as rotting logs and smaller pieces of decayed wood. These results show that managed late-successional Acadian forests can recover quickly after clearcutting if advance tree regeneration (seedlings and saplings) is present and protected in the understory during canopy removal. Such Careful Logging methods focused on advance regeneration remain under-utilized in Acadian forests, though our results indicate they could better address silvicultural objectives such as maintaining a viable conifer component throughout stand development, as well as broader biodiversity goals in the management of late-successional forest types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire suppression has negatively impacted thousands of acres of private and public lands in the United States. As a case study, the New Jersey Pine Barrens (NJPB) are a disturbance driven ecosystem that is experiencing serious ecological implications due to a loss of traditional forest thinning activities such as harvesting for forest products or thinning for wildfire fuel-load reduction measures coupled with a long-standing philosophy of fire suppression and dormant-season prescribed burning. Dense closed-canopy forest conditions, dissimilar to historic open-canopy forests of the NJPB, have reduced abundance and diversity of certain flora and fauna, including regionally imperiled breeding birds. In recent years, active forest stewardship (e.g., thinning, clear-cutting, and burning) has occurred on private and some public lands within the NJPB; however, the impact of such management on breeding birds is unclear due to a paucity of research on this subject within the NJPB. During 2012, 2013, 2016, and 2017, we conducted repeat-visit point counts (n = 1,800) for breeding songbirds across 75 control and 75 treatment sites within the NJPB to assess the influence of forest structure at three strata levels (groundcover, midstory profile, and canopy) on breeding bird communities. Specifically, we constructed a hierarchical community abundance model within a Bayesian framework for Bird Conservation Region (BCR) 30 priority upland birds (n = 12) within three species suites: Forested Upland, Scrub-Shrub (or Young Forest), and Grassland. At the community level, we found a negative relationship between bird abundance and live tree basal area. At the BCR 30 suite level, we found no relationship between Forested Upland suite-level abundance and any of the measured covariates; however, we found a negative relationship between percentage of woody groundcover and Scrub-Shrub suite-level abundance, and negative relationship between horizontal visual obstruction at 2 m above ground level and Grassland suite-level abundance. Furthermore, the two latter species suites exhibited a strong negative relationship with basal area. We recommend active forest stewardship that specifically targets opening the canopy to achieve basal areas between ~0–15 m2/ha via selective thinning, shelter cutting, and small-scale clear cutting. Mechanical treatment and prescribed burning would produce such conditions and have the added benefit of reducing fuel loads across this ~4,500 km2 landscape as well as assisting in carbon defense strategies for the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dissolved gas analysis of insulating oil in power transformers can provide valuable information about fault diagnosis. Power transformer datasets are often imbalanced, worsening the performance of machine learning-based fault classifiers. A critical step is choosing the proper evaluation metric to select features, models, and oversampling techniques. However, no clear-cut, thorough guidance on that choice is available to date. In this work, we shed light on this subject by introducing new tailored evaluation metrics. Our results and discussions bring fresh insights into which learning setups are more effective for imbalanced datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Talmy's (1991; 2000a; 2000b) influential work on motion events provides a strong two-way typology that can examine and account for the typology of a language, but this framework is basically synchronic. It may not be equally valid to explain language change. In this paper, we apply the event integration theory and its latest development, The Macro-event Hypothesis (Li, 2020, 2023), to account for the development of the causative verb 使-shǐ- make (SHI for short) in Chinese. This study reveals that, firstly, the multi-functional behavior of SHI represents a typical case of grammaticalization, with a full verb acquiring the role of conjunction and expressing abstract meanings. Secondly, the semantic division of the causative and non-causative uses of SHI in Contemporary Chinese is the most clear-cut. Thirdly, causative SHI shows a greater level of semantic bleaching, and the construction profiles a single causal activity and has a higher degree of event integration when compared to its lexical verbal use. The constructional grammaticalization of SHI confirms that event integration is key to its development. This study verifies The Macro-event Hypothesis of a continuum of grammaticalization in language and uncovers the process of semantic gradation that takes place in Chinese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the use of powerful and heavy vehicles for timber harvesting on flat or slightly sloping terrains has been widely expanded to provide safe working conditions and high productivity. However, soil disturbances during ground-based mechanized operations in South Korea are not fully investigated and difficult to avoid. Therefore, we compared the soil displacement and compaction (bulk density and hydraulic conductivity) between two different operations: cut-to-length (CTL) logging with a harvester and forwarder, and whole-tree (WTH) logging with a harvester and skidder. After clear-cutting, severe visual disturbances and rut depths were more prevalent in the forwarding trails than in the skidding trails. The CTL harvesting method created larger amounts of slash (6.9 kg/m2) along the trails than the WTH harvesting did (1.8 kg/m2). We found a significant difference in the compaction between the reference and the track and a negative correlation between the slash quantity values and the percentage increase in compaction. Our results showed that using skidding extraction can cause more severe impacts than forwarding extraction. Thus, these results may be helpful in understanding the influence of ground-based CTL and WTH harvesting operations and achieving best practices to minimize the environmental impacts on soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clear-cutting induces biogeochemical, ecological, and hydrological changes in the soil environment, especially in the conditions of climate change effect. This type of management affects soil carbon sequestration. In this paper, we generalize the effect of clear-cutting in mountainous mixed coniferous forests on the direction of organic matter transformation and the properties of humic substances. Soil samples of dystric Cambisols were taken two and ten years after clear-cutting (CC). Soil profiles located at the same elevation under forest cover without any harvesting were used as references. The contents of total organic carbon, total nitrogen, qualitative and quantitative characteristics of humic substances, as well as the mineralogical composition and the clay-associated C fraction, were analysed. Under mountainous conditions, clear-cutting in the mixed coniferous forest enhanced organic matter decomposition and decreased the low-molecular weight humic fraction. It also caused the accumulation of more stable humic acids, particularly in the upper soil horizons, and resulted in accumulation of humic substances with higher contents of C and O and lower H content in the first years after CC. Clear-cutting in the first two years reduced the aliphacity of humic acids in the topsoil. Ten years after harvesting, a significant increase in aliphacity in the Oa horizon confirmed organic matter recovery. Mixed coniferous forests are more resistant to biotic and abiotic disturbances, which is particularly important in the face of violent weather phenomena related to climate change. Thus, forest management plans should consider the conversion of spruce monocultures to mixed coniferous forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest disturbance threshold is defined as a critical disturbance level (e.g., % of forest cover change) in forested landscapes above which significant hydrological impacts are detected. Determining disturbance thresholds is critically important for supporting forest management to ensure the sustaining of ecological and hydrological functions. However, there are very few quantitative evaluations of forest disturbance thresholds globally. In this study, we applied a well‐tested methodology (the modified double mass curve) to derive the long‐term, continuous hydrological response curves and then to quantify forest disturbance thresholds on annual streamflow in 42 forested watersheds in British Columbia, Canada. The results show that forest disturbance thresholds for significant and cumulative hydrological impacts vary from 7% to 52% of cumulative equivalent clear‐cut area with an average of 17% or from 8% to 52% of disturbed area with an average of 19%. Climate (inter‐annual and intra‐annual) and watershed properties exert critical controls on forest disturbance thresholds. Watersheds with greater snowfall proportions (more annual precipitation falling as snow), more desynchronizations (temporal mismatching) of energy demand and water supply at the intra‐annual scale, less diverse ecosystems, and larger watershed sizes have lower forest disturbance thresholds. Given the present forest disturbance levels in the central interior of British Columbia, about half (53%) of the forested watersheds have already crossed the average disturbance threshold. These results highlight that watershed planning and management using forest disturbance thresholds must carefully consider local climate and watershed properties. The methodology can be effectively and robustly extended elsewhere around the globe. Plain Language Summary: This first‐ever study uses the hydrological response curves to quantify forest disturbance thresholds on annual streamflow in 42 forested watersheds in the interior of British Columbia, Canada. We find that forest disturbance thresholds range from 7% to 52% of cumulative equivalent clear‐cut area with the average of 17%. Climate and watershed properties play critical roles in controlling disturbance thresholds. Watersheds characterized by more annual precipitation falling as snow, more mismatching of energy and water at the intra‐annual scale, larger watershed size, and less diverse ecosystems exhibit lower disturbance thresholds. Management implications and future research needs for preserving hydrological functions are discussed. Key Points: A new approach with the hydrological response curves is used to quantify forest disturbance thresholdsForest disturbance thresholds for cumulative impacts on annual streamflow vary from 7% to 52% of cumulative equivalent clear‐cut area with the average of 17%Climate and watershed properties exert critical controls on the thresholds [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epistemic injustice is a widely discussed phenomenon in many sub-disciplines (including epistemology, ethics, feminist philosophy, social and political philosophy). Yet, there is very little literature on its connection to the philosophy of sports. Here I explore the intersection between epistemic injustice and sports, focusing on testimonial injustice. I argue that there exist clear-cut cases of testimonial injustice in sport that arise when athletes attempt to communicate information. After highlighting the theoretical connections between various cases, I explore the more ambitious claim that sport performances themselves carry linguistic content. This claim allows us to see the biased negative judgment of sport performances in a new light, as constituting a further and distinctive form of testimonial injustice. I show how the case of figure-skater Surya Bonaly can be understood as a real-life instantiation of this form of testimonial injustice. I conclude by explaining why it is philosophically fruitful to understand these wrongs through the lens of testimonial injustice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "Emotions and the Good Life" deals with the significance of self-regulation of emotions for criminal behavior. The authors use the Good Lives Model as well as neurological and psychological models of emotions and personality to explain how the self-regulation of emotions can be understood. The Good Lives Model postulates that criminal individuals strive for a good life and that treatment should aim to help them achieve their personal goals and improve their self-regulation. Various approaches to treating behavioral problems and aggressive behavior are outlined, such as emotion differentiation, mindfulness training, and the development of empathy for the victim. The role of empathy and compassion in criminal behavior is discussed, with the observation that the relationship between empathy and crimes is not clear-cut. The goal of the article is to find a manualizable way to create a shared and authentic therapeutic engagement of treatment groups. Various authors, journals, and publishers are mentioned that deal with the topics of emotions, empathy, incarceration, and rehabilitation. [Extracted from the article]

Mate recognition is paramount for sexually reproducing animals, and many insects rely on cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) for close-range sexual communication. To ensure reliable mate recognition, intraspecific sex pheromone variability should be low. However, CHCs can be influenced by several factors, with the resulting variability potentially impacting sexual communication. While intraspecific CHC variability is a common phenomenon, the consequences thereof for mate recognition remain largely unknown. We investigated the effect of CHC variability on male responses in a parasitoid wasp showing a clear-cut within-population CHC polymorphism (three distinct female chemotypes, one thereof similar to male profiles). Males clearly discriminated between female and male CHCs, but not between female chemotypes in no-choice assays. When given a choice, a preference hierarchy emerged. Interestingly, the most attractive chemotype was the one most similar to male profiles. Mixtures of female CHCs were as attractive as chemotype-pure ones, while a female–male mixture negatively impacted male responses, indicating assessment of the entire, complex CHC profile composition. Our study reveals that the evaluation of CHC profiles can be strict towards 'undesirable' features, but simultaneously tolerant enough to cover a range of variants. This reconciles reliable mate recognition with naturally occurring variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the conservation laws that explain the chemistry process of isolating a single component from a mixture using column chromatography. We construct the modified Rusanov (mR) technique to solve the chromatography system. This technique is divided into two parts, the first of which is reliant on a local parameter which enables diffusion control. The conservation equation is recovered in stage two. It is crucial to make sure the numerical approach is built in a way that it is conservative on the overlap and, additionally, that the approximative solutions converge to the weak solution. This strategy is clear-cut, not difficult to use and precise. We compare the mR scheme via the Rusanov scheme and Lax–Friedrichs scheme via five test cases. This numerical research validates the mR scheme's efficacy. Finally, the mR approach can be utilized to solve a variety of conservation laws arising in natural science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence and popularity of audiovisual content in the current times has resulted in a wide range of practices which have been categorised within audiovisual translation (AVT) research as examples of fan translation, amateur translation, crowdsourcing or collaborative translation, among others. While some practices can be included under these categories, other forms of AVT that have recently emerged are not as clear-cut. Against this backdrop, this article explores the conceptual uncertainties surrounding these new AVT practices, with a focus on dubbing and subtitling, by revisiting the work carried out by the authors, who have previously suggested the use of the umbrella terms 'cybersubtitling' and 'cyberdubbing'. In addition to providing a revised classification, the paper emphasises the need to explore the wider social and ethical consequences of these innovative translational activities. As regards ethical implications, altruist and fan practices are the ones most exposed to malpractice, often because some organisations emulate corporate behaviour but rely on free labour, without any financial retribution or credit towards those involved in these activities. The article also concludes that more critical research should be conducted to unravel the impact of these practices on the role of translation as a socio-professional activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: As a renewable forest resource, bamboo plays a role in sustainable forest development. However, traditional cutting systems, selection cutting (SeC) and clear-cutting (ClC), result in an unsustainable production of bamboo forests due to labor-consuming or bamboo degradation. Recently, a strip clear-cutting (StC) was theoretically proposed to promote the sustainability of bamboo production, while little is known about its application consequence. Methods: Based on a 6-year experiment, we applied the strip clear-cutting system in a typical running bamboo (Phyllostachys glauca McClure) forest to assess its feasibility and sustainability. Using SeC and ClC as controls, we set three treatments with different strip widths (5 m, 10 m, and 20 m) for strip clear-cutting, simplified as StC-5, StC-10, and StC-20, respectively. Then, we investigated leaf physiological traits, bamboo size and productivity, population features, and economic benefits for all treatments. Results: The stands managed by StC had high eco-physiological activities, such as net photosynthetic rate (Pn), photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE), and photosynthetic phosphorus use efficiency (PPUE), and thus grew well, achieved a large diameter at breast height (DBH), and were tall. The stand biomass of StC (8.78 t hm-2 year-1) was 1.19-fold and 1.49-fold greater than that of SeC and ClC, respectively, and StC-10 and StC-20 were significantly higher than SeC or ClC (p< 0.05). The income and profit increased with the increase in stand density and biomass, and StC-20 and StC-10 were significantly higher than SeC or ClC (p< 0.05). Using principal components analysis and subordinate function analysis, we constructed a composite index to indicate the sustainability of bamboo forests. For the sustainability assessment, StC-10 had the highest productive sustainability (0.59 ± 0.06) and the second highest economic sustainability (0.59 ± 0.11) in all cutting treatments. StC-10 had the maximum overall sustainability, with a value of 0.53 ± 0.02, which was significantly higher than that of ClC (p< 0.05). Conclusion: The results verified that StC for Phyllostachys glauca forests is feasible and sustainable as its sustainability index outweighs those of traditional cutting systems (SeC and ClC), and 10 m is the optimum distance for the strip width of StC. Our findings provide a new cutting system for managing other running bamboo forests sustainably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to allocate resources and describe progress, frequently nations are grouped together by many international authorities. A variety of pertinent indicators can provide a more useful basis for classification for each specific area of interest. Based on commonalities between various variables connected to the global environmental sector, we developed a novel typology of country clusters. Four indicators were chosen after a review of the literature. In order to optimize data availability across as many OECD nations as feasible, indicators were chosen based on their relevance for all the OECD countries. Countries were arranged into a natural cluster using the hierarchical clustering method. Four groups, covering 31 countries, were the result of two stages of grouping. These four clusters were found to be more compact and clearly divided which gives policymakers a clear-cut idea as to how these environmental indicators are deteriorating day by day and year by year and what needs to be done to be more environmentally sustainable and responsible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retinoblastoma represents the most prevalent malignant neoplasm affecting the eyes in childhood. The clear-cut origin of retinoblastoma has not yet been determined; however, based on experiments, it has been suggested that RB1 loss in cone photoreceptors causes retinoblastoma. Pituitary adenylate-cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a pleiotropic neuropeptide which has been shown to be affected in certain tumorous transformations, such as breast, lung, kidney, pancreatic, colon, and endocrine cancers. This study aimed to investigate potential changes in both PACAP38 and PAC1 receptor (PAC1R) expression in human retinoblastoma and the effect of PACAP38 administration on the survival of a human retinoblastoma cell line (Y-79). We analyzed human enucleation specimens removed because of retinoblastoma for PACAP38 and PAC1R immunostaining and the effect of PACAP38 on the survival of the Y-79 cell line. We described for the first time that human retinoblastoma cells from patients showed only perinuclear, dot-like immunopositivity for both PACAP38 and PAC1R, irrespective of laterality, genetic background, or histopathological features. Nanomolar (100 nM and 500 nM) PACAP38 concentrations had no effect on the viability of Y-79 cells, while micromolar (2 µM and 6 µM) PACAP38 significantly decreased tumor cell viability. These findings, along with general observations from animal studies showing that PACAP38 has strong anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects on ocular tissues, together suggest that PACAP38 and its analogs are promising candidates in retinoblastoma therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prove a conjecture of Kleinbock which gives a clear-cut classification of all extremal affine subspaces of . We also give an essentially complete classification of all Khintchine type affine subspaces, except for some boundary cases within two logarithmic scales. More general Jarník type theorems are proved as well, sometimes without the monotonicity of the approximation function. These results follow as consequences of our novel estimates for the number of rational points close to an affine subspace in terms of diophantine properties of its defining matrix. Our main tool is the multidimensional large sieve inequality and its dual form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ancient Greek colour terminology captures brightness, light, and brilliance rather than clear-cut portions of the chromatic spectrum, as scholars agree today. This also applies to the rich semantic of yellow, which we investigate starting from a philosophical and theoretical perspective. We then shift our focus to Graeco-Roman technical writings dealing with alchemical dyes, cosmetics, and other crafts that made use of the same set of ingredients and colouring substances. We compile a complete list of yellow-dyeing plants used in antiquity, which will update and enlarge the lists currently available in secondary literature on the topic, such as the seminal catalogue by Robert J. Forbes. Drawing on these data and on laboratory reconstructions, we address two main questions. First, which shades of yellow were usually associated with the colour of gold, and how were these tints produced by ancient craftsmen and alchemists? And second, how did these procedures contribute to the ancient discourse on the colour of gold and its artificial reproduction? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Thousands of species have been recognised as being at risk of extinction in formal listing processes such as those under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Less common is the recognition that some ecological communities are also at risk and for them to be formally listed. Under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) in Australia ~100 communities have been recognised as threatened. This number is likely an underestimate as many ecological communities lack available robust long-term data to facilitate assessment. Aims and methods: Using insights from a range of research studies and long-term monitoring in the Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans) forests of the Central Highlands of Victoria, we examine evidence for its listing as a Threatened Ecological Community. Key results: The structure and composition of the Mountain Ash ecological community and the key ecological processes that underpin its integrity have been radically altered in the past century. The community is extensively degraded, heavily fragmented, and suffering substantial biodiversity loss. It should be listed as a Threatened Ecological Community under the EPBC Act. Conclusions and implications: Insights from long-term ecological monitoring and other studies provide a strong case for listing the Mountain Ash forests of the Central Highlands of Victoria as a Threatened Ecological Community. The community meets four of the six criteria for listing as a threatened ecological community. Under those four criteria, the Mountain Ash forest community should be listed as either Endangered or Critically Endangered. We provide evidence that the Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans) community in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia, is extensively degraded, heavily fragmented, suffering widespread biodiversity loss, and at high risk of ecological collapse. Hence, we recommend they should be listed as a Threatened Ecological Community under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act Act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaboration is essential to advancing knowledge and, ultimately, entire societies. With the development of Web 2.0, the possibilities have risen to unprecedented levels and allowed for the collaborative creation of the world's largest compendium of knowledge that ever existed – Wikipedia. Collaboration is not a safeguard of quality per se, however. Rather, the quality of Wikipedia articles rises with the number of editors per article as well as a greater diversity among them. Here, we address a not yet documented potential threat to those preconditions: self-selection of Wikipedia editors to articles. Specifically, we expected articles with a clear-cut link to a specific country (e.g., about its highest mountain, "national" article category) to attract a larger proportion of editors of that nationality when compared to articles without any specific link to that country (e.g., "gravity", "universal" article category), whereas articles with a link to several countries (e.g., "United Nations", "international" article category) should fall in between. Across several language versions, hundreds of different articles, and hundreds of thousands of editors, we find the expected effect within Wikipedia: The more exclusively an article topic is linked to a particular nation, the higher the proportion of editors from that country is among the contributors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polysemy has only recently entered the debate on semantic minimalism and contextualism. This is surprising considering that the key linguistic examples discussed in the debate, such as 'John cut the grass' or 'The leaf is green' appear to be prime examples of polysemy. Moreover, François Recanati recently argued that the mere existence of polysemy falsifies semantic minimalism and supports radical contextualism. The aim of this paper is to discuss how the minimalism-contextualism debate relates to polysemy. This connection turns out to be far from clear-cut. This is partly due to the fact that the term 'polysemy' is used in a number of different ways in the literature, which will be reviewed in this paper. Finally, I discuss and reject Recanati's claim that the existence of polysemy supports radical contextualism against moderate versions and semantic minimalism. I show that minimalism has a number of plausible options to account for polysemy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous cover forestry (CCF) is gaining popularity as an alternative to rotation forest management (RFM), especially in forests with multiple uses. The success of CCF depends on the amount and quality of remaining seedlings, but the effect of harvesting on their status is not well known. In the present study, the proportion and number of undamaged seedlings after harvesting (and soil scarification) in Scots-pine-dominated stands in Northern Finland were modelled by applying logistic binomial mixed-effects and negative binomial count data models. The treatments included both CCF (gap cutting and selection cutting) and RFM (clearcutting and seed tree cutting) harvesting methods. The clearcut areas and most seed tree areas were treated with disc trenching. In the clearcutting and seed tree cutting areas, 25–34% of the inventoried seedlings were damaged. In the gap cutting and selection cuttings, c. 7% and 12% of the seedlings were damaged respectively. Harvesting machinery traffic and soil scarification were the most important causal agents of seedling damage. An increase in slash coverage also significantly increased seedling damage. The average number of undamaged seedlings in the selection cutting areas was ca. 1500 pcs ha−1, indicating at least satisfactory regeneration potential in the experimental stands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject of this paper is the development of a conceptual design proposal for the official residence for the President of Yugoslavia Josip Broz Tito on the Adriatic coast of Miločer, Budva (1975-1980). The research aims to unveil patterns of the regionalist approach within urban and architectural thought in the Socialist Republic of Montenegro (SR Montenegro) through the project of the presidential complex, shown here for the first time since its official presentation to the president himself in 1976. In methodological terms, the paper examines multiple layers of historical background of Miločer that affected the designers' process of thinking, followed by a clear-cut description of the planning procedures, methodologies and reasoning that emerged from the archives and first-hand witnesses of the whole process. The final results reflect on the critical approach within the practice of the post-war generation of Montenegrin architects, successfully balancing between the poles of power-representation and contemporary architectural currents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pleasants has developed the idea of basic moral certainties. Analogous to Wittgenstein's basic empirical certainties, they are best described as universal moral certainties which are natural and nonpropositional, and show unreflectively in the way we act. A clear‐cut example is the wrongness of killing innocent human beings. Philosophers have levelled three damaging criticisms against Pleasants' proposal by (i) offering counterexamples to his proposed example of moral certainty, (ii) highlighting some disanalogies between moral certainties and Wittgenstein's basic empirical certainties and, lastly, (iii) showing the lack of arguments and evidence offered by Pleasants to substantiate the claim that moral certainties are natural. To address these criticisms, Laves has revised Pleasants' proposal by providing numerous amendments. In this paper, I develop some concerns about Laves' proposed amendments and indicate that, at present, they are unable to fully overcome the criticisms levelled against the idea of basic moral certainty. Whether Laves' proposal can escape these troubles demands further attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While research on second language (L2) vocabulary development after a study abroad (SA) experience has been largely investigated, findings are still not clear-cut because of the multifaceted nature of vocabulary and the different methodologies used when investigating its growth. For this reason, the aim of the present study was to elucidate the link between SA and lexical development. A multilevel meta-analysis including 25 studies was conducted to examine the extent to which overall, receptive vocabulary (RV) and productive vocabulary (PV) are impacted by a SA experience. A second objective was to determine whether length of stay (LoS) in the target country has an effect on L2 vocabulary development. Results showed that international stays have a significantly large impact on RV and overall vocabulary and a significantly moderate impact on PV. The analysis also showed that LoS alone cannot be used as a predictor of gains in the students' L2 vocabulary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the social perceptions of the voiced velar fricative (ghekanye) in the city of Voronezh, Russia. The voice velar fricative in place of the standard voiced velar stop (non-gyekanye) is a prominent linguistic feature found throughout Southern Russian. A matched-guise test was used in which respondents listened to a series of recorded audio stimuli and then evaluated the audio recordings in 18 different attributes. I analyze with open-ended questions the qualitative data of the respondents to uncover explicit attitudes about the phenomenon. The results show that Voronezh residents hold negative implicit attitudes toward the voiced velar fricative which manifest in negatively evaluated status-related attributes, while the explicit attitudes are not as clear-cut. This study provides further evidence for linguistic stigmatization and supports the claim that linguistic ideologies reinforce negative attitudes towards ghekanye and create perceptions of ghekanye as insufficiently intelligent and incompetent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest harvest detection techniques have recently gained increased attention due to the varied results they provide. Correctly determining the acreage of clear-cut areas is crucial for carbon sequestration. Detecting clear-cut areas using airborne laser scanning (ALS) could be an accurate method for determining the extent of clear-cut areas and their subsequent map display in forest management plans. The shapes of ALS-detected clear-cut areas have uneven edges with protrusions that might not be readable when displayed correctly. Therefore, it is necessary to simplify these shapes for better comprehension. To simplify the shapes of ALS-scanned clear-cut areas, we tested four simplification algorithms using ArcGIS Pro 3.0.0 software: the retain critical points (Douglas–Peucker), retain critical bends (Wang–Müller), retain weighted effective areas (Zhou–Jones), and retain effective areas (Visvalingam–Whyatt) algorithms. Ground-truth data were obtained from clear-cut areas plotted in the forest management plan. Results showed that the Wang–Müller algorithm was the best of the four ALS algorithms at simplifying the shapes of detected clear-cut areas. Using the simplification algorithm reduced the time required to edit polygons to less than 1% of the time required for manual delineation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In July 1965, members of the Permanent Committee for the First African Games, from diverse backgrounds, met in Congo Brazzaville three days before the games and discussed the formation of a supranational sport organisation in the continent. The Supreme Council for Sport in Africa (SCSA) was formally constituted in Bamako as a voluntary sport organisation in 1966. In 1977, it assumed the status of an agency of the Organisation of African Unity, until its dissolution in 2013. The SCSA is best remembered for its fight against discrimination in sport; instigation of boycott threats and the boycott of the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, and serving as the main host of the African Games. Based on hermeneutic enquiry, this research analysed archive materials from the International Olympic Committee Historical Archive and the SCSA in Africa Archive to establish a better understanding and interpretation of the internal and external divisions in which the SCSA operated. The historical enquiry provided evidence that, though the SCSA was not founded as a supranational governmental agency in sport, lack of a clear-cut vision and Africa's political, economic and social realities hampered its efforts to effectively coordinate the development of sport in the continent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay unpacks the hedging behavior of small and secondary states by focusing on Southeast Asian responses to the intense US-China rivalry and the emergence of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) in the Indo-Pacific region. It contends that the weaker states' perceptions of external realities are not black and white, but shades of grey, as uncertainty breeds ambiguity and ambivalence. The states often do not view a major power (and its initiatives) as either a clear-cut threat or a straightforward solution. Instead, they perceive a spectrum of risks and challenges, each with constantly changing manifestations and magnitude, all of which require complex combinations of mutually-reinforcing and counteracting measures. All ASEAN states have mixed attitudes towards the competing powers, viewing both the Quad's Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) strategies and China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as bringing not only opportunities but also risks and dangers. These ambivalent perceptions entail a process of 'riskification', where states identify and prioritize certain risks while downplaying others, in ways that serve elite interests at home. Hence, while nearly all the ASEAN states have stressed in varying degrees the risks of entrapment, abandonment, polarization and marginalization, many have downplayed the dangers of big-power aggressiveness and interference, some more so than others. The varying riskification patterns thus lead to varying hedging acts, prompting subtly different responses to the emerging realities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The logging of mature tree stands, where part of the forest is clear-cut, results in the formation of an ecotone complex (EC) consisting of the forest (F), a transition from forest to a clear-cut site under canopy cover (forest edge—FE), a transition from forest to a clear-cut site outside of canopy cover (clear-cutting edge—CE), and the clear-cut site per se (C). Ground vegetation descriptions (percentage cover of dominants and height of subshrubs) were carried out on the sampling subplots along the transects running from spruce forest into the clear-cut site. We studied the effects of the time since logging and some microhabitat factors (aspect, coniferous and deciduous regeneration, downed deadwood, microrelief, and the abundance of subshrubs, grasses, and forbs) on the abundance of the main ground vegetation dominants of the bilberry-type spruce stands and the clear-cut sites: Vaccinium myrtillus, V. vitis-idaea, Deschampsia flexuosa, and Epilobium angustifolium, in different EC zones. The factor found to have the greatest modifying effect on the abundance of all the species in the CE and C zones was the time since clear-cutting. The clear-cutting pioneer species Deschampsia flexuosa and Epilobium angustifolium preferred open areas in the clear-cut site, whereas the abundance of V. myrtillus and V. vitis-idaea positively correlated with the amount of coniferous and deciduous regeneration. Some factors (downed deadwood, microrelief, coniferous regeneration) were found to act similarly on subshrubs both under the tree canopy (F and FE) and in clear-cut microhabitats (CE and C). The shoot height of subshrubs as well as its percentage cover varied depending on the time since clear-cutting and the microhabitat conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the difficulty of determining a clear-cut boundary of a cluster, three-way clustering methods search for a new type of cluster structure characterized by a pair of a core region with tightly connected objects and a fringe region with relatively loosely connected objects. The density peak clustering (DPC) algorithm is a noniterative process that does not require a predetermined number of clusters. In this paper, taking advantage of these two classes of clustering methods, we propose a new three-way adaptive density peak clustering (3W-ADPC) method. The main contribution of proposed method is that the 3W-ADPC algorithm can adaptively select the most applicable neighbor (i.e., the natural nearest neighbor) for each sample and does not need the parameter of a cutoff distance threshold based on two improved definitions of local density and local distance. In other words, 3W-ADPC is a parameter-free three-way clustering algorithm. The experimental results show that the 3W-ADPC algorithm can not only provide an explainable clustering structure, but also has good performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spermatozoa vary in quantity, quality and design across species and individuals. Here, we reported the first detailed analysis of sperm traits in two primitively eusocial paper wasps, Polistes dominula and Polistes gallicus , which differ in their nuptial strategies and body size as follows: lek-territoriality of the large P. dominula males, defending exclusive territories at landmarks; scramble competition of the small P. gallicus , where serial mating may occur because males interfere with rivals and replace them during copulation. We compared the number, viability, and length of sperm, and its coefficient of variation, between these sympatric paper wasps patrolling and marking the same landmarks during the same summer: a good opportunity to analyse sperm across species while controlling for environmental variables. Spermatozoa were more numerous and longer in P. dominula than in P. gallicus males. Viability was similar in both species and positively covaried with male body size. Intra-male variation in sperm length was significantly reduced in P. gallicus , as predicted in the case of selection for an optimal sperm design. We hypothesized that precopulatory sexual selection (lek-territoriality vs. scramble competition) may affect sperm traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates how the Swedish forest industry, as represented by the three largest Swedish private forest companies (Svenska Cellulosa AB, Stora Enso, and Holmen), through their main public relations (PR) channels frame the current dominant Swedish forestry model and alternative models that are promoted by the European Union (EU). The content analysis of the three companies' trade magazines published between 2019 and 2022 explores the patterns in the PR framing of the forest management models with respect to economic, environmental, and social aspects. The time interval is centered by the July 2021 announcement of the EU's new Forest Strategy for 2030. The magazines' target audience is private forest owners, from whom Svenska Cellulosa AB, Stora Enso, and Holmen buy 40-50% of the timber used in production. The main finding of the study is that these corporations did not present alternative methods as viable options to replace the Swedish forestry model. The magazines, with some individual variations, respond to the alternative methods promoted by the EU and environmental associations by an increased emphasis on the benefits, mainly environmental, of the Swedish forestry model - framing the model as not only the most profitable but also the most ecologically sustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In riparian forests, clear‐cutting causes long‐lasting changes in both riparian and aquatic biota. In this work, we examined if past clear‐cutting events occurred at different times have imprints on riparian forests in a Mediterranean river in central Italy. We carried out a randomized, plot‐based vegetation survey of riparian forests in systematically sampled 500 m‐long sectors along the whole river, dividing the riparian zone into two internal and two external strips. From historical aerial photos, past clear‐cutting events within plots were detected and classified in age classes: (i) cut in the past 8 years (recent); (ii) cut between 8 and 19 years ago (intermediate); (iii) no signs of clear‐cutting in the last 19 years (distant). We analyzed the responses of vegetation to clear‐cutting and strip position. Alien species richness was higher and woody species richness was lower in recently clear‐cut areas compared to those with a distant clear‐cutting event. Moreover, recently cut woods had more alien and synanthropic species. Intermediate clear‐cut areas had higher levels of invasion by alien species compared to areas with distant cut. Riparian forests of internal strips are impacted by clear‐cutting, but seem to recover in 8–19 years thanks to their natural resilience. Conversely, recent or intermediate clear‐cutting events did not affect any of the investigated vegetation attributes in the external strips since such forests were already invaded by alien and synanthropic species after human disturbance. Our results confirm that clear‐cutting events can have long‐lasting effects on Mediterranean riparian forests, confirming the vulnerability of river ecosystems to clear‐cutting and suggesting the need for more caution in management practices to improve the conservation status of riparian forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The composition and stability of soil aggregates are important characteristics for evaluating soil health. The objective of this study was to explore the effects of different restoration modes and secondary succession sequences of Korean pine on the stability of forest soil aggregates after clear cutting and their causes. The stability and composition of soil aggregates in 0–10 cm, 10–20 cm, and 20–40 cm were analyzed in four natural forests in the secondary succession sequence and a Pinus koraiensis plantation in the clear-cutting area of Liangshui National Nature Reserve, and the effects of forest community characteristics and cementing materials on these aggregates were explored. With the advancement of succession, the large soil water-stable aggregates and mechanical aggregates increased, and the stability increased. From the pioneer community to the top community, the proportion of macroaggregates in the soil mechanical aggregates in the 20–40 cm soil layer increased by 36%, while that in the water-stable aggregates in the 10–20 cm soil layer increased by 19%. Compared with plantation, the stability of soil aggregates in natural forests with a similar age was stronger. Water-stable aggregates were negatively correlated with bulk density, density, and porosity, and positively correlated with organic-matter-related cement. The volume of the dominant tree, litter yield, tree species diversity, biomass of various tree species, and litter biomass in the undecomposed layer were the key indicators affecting the stability of aggregates. In terms of restoration measures, natural restoration is better than plantations with a single tree species. In addition, succession makes forest soil aggregates more stable. The change of dominant tree species leads to changes in soil aggregate stability, and the effect of organic-related cementing material was stronger than that of iron oxide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]