Species turnover does not rescue biodiversity in fragmented landscapes.

Habitat fragmentation generally reduces biodiversity at the patch scale (α diversity). However, there is ongoing debate about whether such negative effects can be alleviated at the landscape scale (γ diversity) if among-patch diversity (β diversity) increases as a result of fragmentation. This controversial view has not been rigorously tested.

Basis functions for complex social decisions in dorsomedial frontal cortex.

Navigating social environments is a fundamental challenge for the brain. It has been established that the brain solves this problem, in part, by representing social information in an agent-centric manner; knowledge about others' abilities or attitudes is tagged to individuals such as 'oneself' or the 'other'. This intuitive approach has informed the understanding of key nodes in the social parts of the brain, the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC).

The earliest human face of Western Europe.

Who the first inhabitants of Western Europe were, what their physical characteristics were, and when and where they lived are some of the pending questions in the study of the settlement of Eurasia during the Early Pleistocene epoch. The available palaeoanthropological information from Western Europe is limited and confined to the Iberian Peninsula. Here we present most of the midface of a hominin found at the TE7 level of the Sima del Elefante site (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain), dated to between 1.

Hepatic stellate cells control liver zonation, size and functions via R-spondin 3.

Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) have a central pathogenetic role in the development of liver fibrosis. However, their fibrosis-independent and homeostatic functions remain poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that genetic depletion of HSCs changes WNT activity and zonation of hepatocytes, leading to marked alterations in liver regeneration, cytochrome P450 metabolism and injury.

Metabolomic profiling of cannabis use and cannabis intoxication in humans.

Acute intoxication from Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the primary active ingredient of cannabis) can lead to neurocognitive impairment and interference with day-to-day operations, such as driving. Present evaluations of THC-induced impairment in legal settings rely on biological drug tests that solely establish cannabis use, rather than cannabis impairment. The current study evaluated the metabolome in blood collected from occasional and chronic cannabis users (N = 35) at baseline and following treatments with cannabis (300 μg/kg THC) and placebo, with the aim to identify unique metabolic alterations that are associated with acute cannabis intoxication and cannabis use frequency.

Brain structural correlates of an impending initial major depressive episode.

Neuroimaging research has yet to elucidate whether reported gray matter volume (GMV) alterations in major depressive disorder (MDD) exist already before the onset of the first episode. Recruitment of presently healthy individuals with a subsequent transition to MDD (converters) is extremely challenging but crucial to gain insights into neurobiological vulnerability. Hence, we compared converters to patients with MDD and sustained healthy controls (HC) to distinguish pre-existing neurobiological markers from those emerging later in the course of depression.

[The sexual revolution and the rise of urologists in Germany].

The sexual revolution of the 1960s is not generally associated with urology. However, the general availability of sexual services combined with the lack of expertise of general practitioners to deal with this and the changed social conditions led to urologists once again becoming the "masters of the genital area". This reopened a discourse that had been interrupted in 1933.

Impact of treatment for adolescent and young adults with essential thrombocythemia and polycythemia vera.

Essential thrombocythemia (ET) and polycythemia vera (PV) are rare in adolescent and young adult (AYA). These conditions, similar to those in older patients, are linked with thrombotic complications and the potential progression to secondary myelofibrosis (sMF). This retrospective study of ET and PV patients diagnosed before age 25 evaluated complication rates and impact of cytoreductive drugs on outcomes.

Proteomic characterization of MET-amplified esophageal adenocarcinomas reveals enrichment of alternative splicing- and androgen signaling-related proteins.

Background: Esophageal adenocarcinomas (EACs) represent an evolving tumor entity with high mortality rates. MET amplification is a recurrent driver in EACs and is associated with decreased patient survival. However, the response to MET inhibitors is limited.

Illuminating ecology and distribution of the rare fungus Phellinidium pouzarii in the Bavarian Forest National Park.

Due to their cryptic lifestyle, hidden diversity and a lack of ecological knowledge, conservation of wood-inhabiting fungi continues to be a niche interest. Molecular methods are able to provide deeper insights into the ecology of rare fungal species. We investigated the occurrence of the rare wood-inhabiting fungus Phellinidium pouzarii across the Bavarian Forest National Park in Germany using a fruit body survey, amplicon sequencing and qPCR.

Functional reconstitution of plant plasma membrane H-ATPase into giant unilamellar vesicles.

Membrane transporters are essential for numerous biological processes by controlling the movement of ions and molecules across cell membranes. However, dissecting their molecular dynamics in complex cellular environments presents significant challenges. Reconstitution of membrane transporters in model systems offers a powerful solution.

Structural mechanisms for centrosomal recruitment and organization of the microtubule nucleator γ-TuRC.

The γ-tubulin ring complex (γ-TuRC) acts as a structural template for microtubule formation at centrosomes, associating with two main compartments: the pericentriolar material and the centriole lumen. In the pericentriolar material, the γ-TuRC is involved in microtubule organization, while the function of the centriole lumenal pool remains unclear. The conformational landscape of the γ-TuRC, which is crucial for its activity, and its centrosomal anchoring mechanisms, which determine γ-TuRC activity and turnover, are not understood.

Impact of haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for benign and malignant haematologic and non-haematologic disorders on fertility: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) exposes patients to long-term complications like gonadal dysfunction and infertility. The European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation advised in 2015 that fertility preservation should be considered for children and adolescents requiring HSCT. This systematic review and meta-analysis is part of the FertiTOX project, which aims to close the data gap regarding the gonadotoxicity of anticancer therapies to provide more accurate advice regarding fertility preservation.

Extremely low frequency magnetic field distracts zebrafish from a visual cognitive task.

Electromagnetic fields emitted from overhead power lines and subsea cables are widely regarded to be a disruptive factor for animals using the natural magnetic field as orientation cue for guiding their directed movements. However, it is not known if anthropogenic electromagnetic fields also have the potential to disturb animals attending to information from other sensory modalities. To find out, we trained adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) individually to perform avoidance behavior in response to a visual signal (green LED light spot), which in the exposure group was presented simultaneously with a sinusoidally changing magnetic field (0.

Age of tobacco smoking initiation among Iranian adults based on National and Subnational data from the 2021 STEPS survey : Short title: Tobacco Smoking Onset Age in Iran.

Tobacco smoking is a significant global public health challenge, responsible for 8 million deaths annually. This study aimed to analyze the age of smoking initiation and its sociodemographic determinants among Iranian adults, based on data from the 2021 STEPwise approach to surveillance (STEPS) survey, to inform targeted public health interventions. The analysis of 27,874 adults revealed that the average initiation ages for cigarette and hookah smoking were 22.

FloodCastBench: A Large-Scale Dataset and Foundation Models for Flood Modeling and Forecasting.

Effective flood forecasting is crucial for informed decision-making and emergency response. Existing flood datasets mainly describe flood events but lack dynamic process data suitable for machine learning (ML). This work introduces the FloodCastBench dataset, designed for ML-based flood modeling and forecasting, featuring four major flood events: Pakistan 2022, UK 2015, Australia 2022, and Mozambique 2019.

Electrophysiological signatures underlying variability in human memory consolidation.

We experience countless pieces of new information each day, but remembering them later depends on firmly instilling memory storage in the brain. Numerous studies have implicated non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep in consolidating memories via interactions between hippocampus and cortex. However, the temporal dynamics of this hippocampal-cortical communication and the concomitant neural oscillations during memory reactivations remains unclear.

Photoinduced Dynamics of [N(C3H7)4]2Cu4Br6 Thin Films with Dual Self-Trapped Exciton Emission and Negative Thermal Quenching.

Organic-inorganic halocuprates(I) form a promising class of light-emitting materials with high photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield. However, the understanding of their emission properties and the PL mechanism is still limited. Here, we investigate thin films of bis(tetrapropylammonium) hexa-µ-bromo-tetrahedro-tetracuprate(I), [N(C3H7)4]2[Cu4Br6], which has a zero-dimensional (0D) molecular salt structure containing [Cu4Br6]2- ions.

Impact of Lewis Acids on the Reactivity of a High-Valent Cu(III) Complex.

Redox-inactive metal ions functioning as Lewis acids (LA) play a significant role in modulating the redox reactivity of metal-oxygen intermediates such as metal-oxo, metal-superoxo, and metal-peroxo species. In photosystem II (PS-II), the redox-inactive metal ion Ca is critical for O activation, although its precise function remains unclear. Inspired by nature's use of redox-inactive metal ions, this study aims to characterize complexes of high-valent Cu(III) bound Lewis acids, (where M = Zn, Eu, Yb, and Sc), through various spectroscopic techniques, including UV-vis and resonance Raman spectroscopic analyses.

European cancer mortality predictions for the year 2025 with focus on breast cancer.

Background: We predicted the number of cancer deaths and rates for 2025 in the European Union (EU), its five most populous countries, and the UK, focusing on breast cancer.

Materials And Methods: We derived population data and death certificates for all cancers and major sites for the EU, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the UK since 1970, from the World Health Organization and United Nations databases. Estimates for 2025 were computed by linear regression on recent trends identified through Poisson joinpoint regression, considering the slope of the most recent trend segment.

Community pharmacy services in the late COVID-19 period: What has driven change?

Background: Community pharmacy appears to have undergone considerable change over the years.

Objectives: The objective of this research is to study the range of community pharmacy services provided in late stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and during the last decades and to identify potential drivers for change.

Methods: Four European countries (Austria, England, Estonia, and Portugal), which represent a balance in terms of income, organization of the health system and pharmacy services, were selected as case studies.

The links between soil and water pollution and cardiovascular disease.

Soil and water pollution represent significant threats to global health, ecosystems, and biodiversity. Healthy soils underpin terrestrial ecosystems, supporting food production, biodiversity, water retention, and carbon sequestration. However, soil degradation jeopardizes the health of 3.

The Transformative Role of Artificial Intelligence in Dentistry: A Comprehensive Overview. Part 1: Fundamentals of AI, and its Contemporary Applications in Dentistry.

Artificial intelligence (AI) holds immense promise in revolutionising dentistry, spanning, diagnostics, treatment planning and educational realms. This narrative review, in two parts, explores the fundamentals and the multifaceted potential of AI in dentistry. The current article explores the profound impact of AI in dentistry, encompassing diagnostic tools, treatment planning, and patient care.