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Incorporating Genetic Diversity to Optimize the Plant Conservation Network in the Third Pole
Full text linkClimate change poses a significant threat to the survival of many species. Although protected areas can slow down biodiversity loss, they often lack systematic planning and do not integrate genetic diversity. Genetic diversity is a key prerequisite for species survival and the ability to tolerate new conditions. Using population genetic and distribution data from 96 plant species in the Third Pole (encompassing the Tibetan Plateau and adjacent mountains), we mapped patterns of genetic diversity, projected climate-driven range dynamics and future genetic erosion, and designed an optimal conservation framework for the region. We identified several patches of high haplotype diversity (HD), with a relatively high number of haplotypes in southeastern Third Pole. Regression models revealed that climate and topography have interacted to shape patterns of genetic diversity, with latitude and precipitation being the best predictors for HD of cpDNA and nrDNA, respectively. Ecological niche modeling predicted an approximate 43 km northwestward and 86 m upward shift in suitable habitats under future climate scenarios, likely leading to a significant loss of up to 13.19% and 15.49% of cpDNA and nrDNA genetic diversity, respectively. Alarmingly, 71.20% of the newly identified conservation priority areas fall outside of the existing protected areas and planned National Park Clusters. Therefore, we recommend expanding the network by 2.02 × 105 km2 (5.91%) in the Third Pole, increasing the total conserved area to 1.36 × 106 km2 (39.93%) to effectively preserve the evolutionary potential of plants. This study represents an innovative attempt to incorporate genetic diversity into biodiversity conservation efforts
Applying time delay convergent cross mapping to Bitcoin time series
Full text linkThis paper explores the applicability of Convergent Cross Mapping (CCM) and its extension, Time Delay Convergent Cross Mapping (TDCCM), to assess the causal relationships between Bitcoin, the S&P 500 index, and gold. Unlike conventional causality analysis methods, such as Granger causality or transfer entropy, CCM accounts for non-separable, weakly connected dynamic systems, and TDCCM explicitly incorporates time lags during cross-mapping, enabling the detection of complex causal relationships in systems with shared nonlinear behavior. This makes it particularly suitable for financial time series that often exhibit chaotic and nonlinear dynamics, particularly during periods of market instability. We integrate TDCCM with simplex projection and sequential locally weighted global linear map (S-map) algorithms, applying a sliding window approach to identify short time intervals characterized by high levels of nonlinearity and chaoticity. Using this approach, we uncovered a strong causal relationship between Bitcoin and the S&P 500 index during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our analysis reveals a bidirectional causal relationship between Bitcoin and the S&P 500 index, highlighting their interconnectedness during periods of heightened economic uncertainty. Furthermore, we find a unidirectional causal influence of Bitcoin on gold, reflecting Bitcoin’s evolving role as a macroeconomic indicator and its growing relevance as an alternative store of value. These findings provide insight into the dynamics between cryptocurrencies and traditional financial markets, particularly during periods of global economic disruption
The FED Model: Is it Still With Us?
Full text linkThe Fed model, a stable relation between equity and bond yields, with accompanying predictive power for subsequent stocks returns has proved a controversial idea within empirical finance. This paper re-examines the equity-bond yield relation and its predictive power in the light of potential breaks or level-shifts. We argue that while a positive relation exists between the two yields it does not fluctuate around a single stable point. Notably, we demonstrate switching behaviour between high and low values of the Fed series, which correspond inversely to movements in the real interest rate and is linked to observed changes in the inflation-growth relation. Accounting for such shifts leads to an improvement in relative predictive power over a set of baseline models, including a linear, non-regime varying, approach. This occurs both in terms of point prediction and directional accuracy, including crash prediction. We also provide evidence in favour of bond return predictability, although predominantly at longer-horizons. The results here reveal that the equity and bond yield interaction is informative for investors, but only when accounting for shifts in behaviour
Understanding Older Adults’ Experience of Prospective Memory Errors and Strategy Use
Full text linkAmongst older adults the frequency of PM errors predicts difficulties with independent living. However, little is known about the nature and appraisal of everyday PM errors in older adults, and the strategies used to support PM. We addressed these issues in two qualitative interview studies (N=30) with individuals aged 55-86. Findings suggested that older adults were most affected by PM failures which impact others (e.g. forgetting to meet a friend, 19/30 participants). The importance of social support to help remember tasks was also highlighted. External aids (e.g., calendars) were seen as the most useful strategies (27/30 participants), but participants differed in their attitudes towards technological support for memory. Findings highlight the importance of social factors in motivating and supporting PM in older adults and may inform the development of effective strategies to support PM in aging
PFF in aquaculture
Full text linkStudies show that Atlantic salmon in captivity adjust their distribution in sea cages based on environmental gradients like temperature, waves, and photoperiod. This study used a computer vision algorithm at three marine farms to analyse fish group swimming behaviour termed “activity” (measured in percent), which includes fish abundance, speed, and shoal cohesion. The activity metric inferred the depth distribution of the main fish group and was analysed with respect to environmental conditions to explore potential behavioural drivers and used to assess changes in fish behaviour in response to a stressor, a storm event. During winter conditions, Farms A and B showed distinct thermal stratification, with fish activity demonstrating preference for the warmer lower water column (39.6 ± 15.3% and 27.5 ± 10.2%) over the upper water column (16.3 ± 5.7% and 18 ± 3.3%; p < 0.001). At Farm C, with thermally homogenous water, fish activity was similarly distributed between the upper (18.2 ± 6.9%) and lower (17.7 ± 7.6%) water column. Severe weather increased wave heights, influencing fish horizontal distribution differently at Farms B and C. At Farm B, a deeper site, fish remained in the warmer lower water column and avoided surface waves, while at Farm C, with shallower cages, they moved toward the side of the cage nearest the centre of the farm, presumably less exposed due to nearby cages. Understanding fish behavioural responses to environmental conditions can inform management practices, while using cameras with associated algorithms offers a powerful, non-invasive tool for continuously monitoring and safeguarding fish health and welfare
Assessing the reporting quality of published qualitative evidence syntheses in the Cochrane Library
Full text linkBackground Over ten years since the first qualitative evidence synthesis (QES) was published in the Cochrane Library, QES and mixed-methods reviews (MMR) with a qualitative component have become increasingly common and influential in healthcare research and policy development. The quality of such reviews and the completeness with which they are reported is therefore of paramount importance. Aim This review aimed to assess the reporting quality of published QESs and MMRs with a qualitative component in the Cochrane Library. Methods All published QESs and MMRs were identified from the Cochrane Library. A bespoke framework developed by key international experts based on the Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC), Enhancing Transparency in Reporting the Synthesis of Qualitative Research (ENTREQ) and meta-ethnography reporting guidance (eMERGe) was used to code the quality of reporting of QESs and MMRs. Results Thirty-one reviews were identified, including 11 MMRs. The reporting quality of the QESs and MMRs published by Cochrane varied considerably. Based on the criteria within our framework, just over a quarter (8, 26%) were considered to meet satisfactory reporting standards, 10 (32%) could have provided clearer or more detailed descriptions in their reporting, just over a quarter (8, 26%) provided poor quality or insufficient descriptions and five (16%) omitted descriptions relevant to our framework. Conclusion This assessment offers important insights into the reporting practices prevalent in these review types. Methodology and reporting have changed considerably over time. Earlier QES have not necessarily omitted important reporting components, but rather our understanding of what should be completed and reported has grown considerably. The variability in reporting quality within QESs and MMRs underscores the need to develop Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) specifically for QES
The social perception of social class: An integrative review
Full text linkSocial class profoundly affects people in a wide range of ways, leaving its mark on individuals’ behaviour, cognition, experiences, and outcomes. Social class also plays a role in social perception, and in this review, I provide a snapshot of the current body of knowledge related to the social perception of social class. Specifically, I review research examining accuracy and bias in social-class perceptions from nonverbal cues, in addition to the consequences of these perceptions. Altogether, perceivers show some accuracy in judging individuals’ social class from various nonverbal cues, indicating that nonverbal behaviour provides signal to individuals’ social class and that perceivers can detect this. A large body of evidence simultaneously highlights substantial bias in social-class perceptions, with social-class stereotypes meaningfully affecting impressions. Finally, research illustrates the broad range of consequences of social-class perceptions, perhaps most importantly in the domain of competence and hiring judgments, which can serve to perpetuate inequality.Output Status: Forthcoming/Available Onlin
Mobilising Care for Cultural Heritage in Russia’s War Against Ukraine.
No full textThis report provides an overview of key transnational networks, trends and challenges in the provision of care for cultural heritage in Ukraine between the 2022 Russian full-scale invasion and February 2025. Approaches to heritage protection in war have developed considerably over the last 20 years, as have the range of actors involved, extending beyond state administration and public bodies to diverse INGOs and NGOs. However, the complex networks and political economies involved in this crowded landscape are not well understood. It is increasingly recognised that cultural emergency responses intersect with humanitarian ones, but how this happens in practice is rarely explored. Without this understanding, calls for greater coordination and coherence, as well integration of heritage interventions with humanitarian ones, will be difficult to implement. Our research therefore aims to advance knowledge of how care for cultural heritage in war is mobilised through aid and capacity-building, alongside legal and regulatory frameworks, including civilian support and emergency responses. Based on extensive qualitative social research across Europe, the report identifies the actors, resources and reasoning involved, as well as the financial, political and practical contexts of their operation. We unpick the networks, supply chains and organisational alliances entailed, both inside Ukraine and among Ukraine’s allies, showing what actions are taken, by whom, and with what consequences. We also identify factors that facilitate or hinder how care is delivered in practice, particularly constraints that local professionals might face in their effort to shape the agenda of international support. Our results provide new knowledge about cooperation and collaboration in various phases of the war, and show how cultural heritage emergency response, humanitarian aid, and support for social cohesion and resilience, intersect in practice. Analysing care for cultural heritage in this broader, cross-cutting framework transforms understanding of both the social role of cultural heritage in wartime, and the true extent of the networks and resources involved. The Ukrainian example also powerfully illustrates the relevance of ongoing heritage and memory work in the pre-recovery phase with important wider implications for policy and practice. The overarching objective is to produce more effective and better coordinated support for projects and activities involved in caring for Ukraine’s heritage, and the professionals, activists and lay communities involved in them.Please cite as: Vonnák, Diána and Siân Jones, (with contributions by Josephine Munch Rasmussen and Samuel Andrew Hardy). 2025. Mobilising Care for Cultural Heritage in Russia’s War Against Ukraine. University of Stirling, DOI: 10.34722/n9m2-tv8
Postponed Olympic Dreams: High-Performance Athletes' Experience in Coping with Postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
Full text linkThe study aims to understand how high-performance athletes preparing for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games coped with challenges caused by the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to postpone the Olympics as well as the COVID-19 pandemic by analysing varying experiences across different social contexts. It also investigates the organizational support in place to assist them during this unprecedented period, from sports governing bodies such as NOC’s and NGB’s. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with sixteen high performance athletes from Poland, Portugal, and South Korea, who had either qualified for Tokyo 2020 or were due to complete their qualification events. Thematic analysis was applied to analyze the data collected from these interviews, providing insights into the athletes’ experiences and coping strategies as well as organizational support they have received. Athletes reported utilizing internal resources such as goal setting, showing high resilience. They also relied on external resources, including organizational and social support. Support from sport governing bodies varied by country. Regardless, athletes highlighted the need for organizational, informational, psychological and financial support to address challenges and prepare for the postponed Olympics. The findings suggest sport governing bodies should maintain ongoing and up-to-date communication with athletes and conduct regular wellbeing checks to address potential concerns. By examining the immediate and practical impacts of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics postponement and the COVID-19 pandemic on high-performance athletes, this study offers empirical evidence on their perceived needs. These findings highlight the need for structured support initiatives from sport governing bodies and organizations as well as the proactive development of targeted support strategies for future sports mega events. Such measures will facilitate that athletes are better prepared and adequately supported during times of crisis
Friendships Need to Go Wrong in Order to Go Right
Full text linkCompanion friendship is a paradigm example of a trusting relationship and is a central good in human life. These friendships are also complex; navigating this complexity carries risk. Philosophical work has largely overlooked questions about how friends might navigate this morally risky space in ways that protect and develop their relationship over time. More specifically, although it is generally accepted that friendship involves acting to promote the well-being of one’s friend, ethical analysis of such interpersonal action has not addressed questions such as: How does acting for a friend’s well-being follow from and affect the trust within these relationships? What are the risks of acting for a friend’s well-being? Do genuine but unsuccessful attempts to promote a friend’s well-being, that bring about a rupture to the trust, necessarily cause lasting damage to trusting relationships? If not, why not? We argue that getting it wrong when acting for a friend’s well-being can provide an opportunity to protect and develop the trusting relationship, even while it causes harm to one’s friend and temporarily damages the relationship
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