Assessing the Distribution and Richness of Mammalian Species Using a Stacking Species Distribution Model in a Temperate Forest.

This study was conducted as an effort to examine the association between mammalian species richness and environmental, anthropogenic, and bioclimate factors in the Province of Chungnam, Korea, using a stacked species distribution model (SSDM) approach. An SSDM model was constructed using an extensive dataset collected from 1357 mammal sampling points and their corresponding forest, geographical, anthropogenic, and bioclimatic information. Distance to forest edge, elevation, slope, population density, and distance to water channels were identified as important variables for determining species richness, whereas the impact of bioclimate variables was less important.

Binding affinity between coronavirus spike protein and human ACE2 receptor.

Coronaviruses (CoVs) pose a major risk to global public health due to their ability to infect diverse animal species and potential for emergence in humans. The CoV spike protein mediates viral entry into the cell and plays a crucial role in determining the binding affinity to host cell receptors. With particular emphasis on α- and β-coronaviruses that infect humans and domestic animals, current research on CoV receptor use suggests that the exploitation of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor poses a significant threat for viral emergence with pandemic potential.

Retrotransposons hijack alt-EJ for DNA replication and eccDNA biogenesis.

Retrotransposons are highly enriched in the animal genome. The activation of retrotransposons can rewrite host DNA information and fundamentally impact host biology. Although developmental activation of retrotransposons can offer benefits for the host, such as against virus infection, uncontrolled activation promotes disease or potentially drives ageing.

Association of Leopard Cat Occurrence with Environmental Factors in Chungnam Province, South Korea.

This study was conducted to investigate the association of leopard cat () occurrences and environmental factors in Chungnam Province, South Korea, using two different analytical approaches for binomial responses: boosted regression trees and logistic regression. The extensive field survey data collected through the Chungnam Biotope Project were used to model construction and analysis. Five major influential factors identified by the boosted regression tree analysis were elevation, distance to road, distance to water channel/body, slope and population density.