Thresholds for adding degraded tropical forest to the conservation estate

Logged and disturbed forests are often viewed as degraded and depauperate environments compared with primary forest. However, they are dynamic ecosystems1 that provide refugia for large amounts of biodiversity2,3, so we cannot afford to underestimate their conservation value4. Here we present empirically defined thresholds for categorizing the conservation value of logged forests, using one of the most comprehensive assessments of taxon responses to habitat degradation in any tropical forest environment. We analysed the impact of logging intensity on the individual occurrence patterns of 1,681 taxa belonging to 86 taxonomic orders and 126 functional groups in Sabah, Malaysia. Our results demonstrate the existence of two conservation-relevant thresholds. First, lightly logged forests (68%) of their biomass removed, and these are likely to require more expensive measures to recover their biodiversity value. Overall, our data confirm that primary forests are irreplaceable5, but they also reinforce the message that logged forests retain considerable conservation value that should not be overlooked

Introducing storage operators for coordinating residential batteries in distribution networks under time-of-use tariffs and adaptive power limits

The transition towards Time of Use (ToU) tariffs has become a promising solution for addressing power system challenges resulting from increased installations of renewable energy systems. ToU tariffs encourage residential Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) adoption to reduce customers' bills through maximizing energy storage during low-price intervals (e.g., middle of the day). However, simultaneous BESS charging affects diversity of load, which may lead to the violation of distribution networks constraints. Traditional network management with conservative fixed and static power limits leads to inefficient network capacity use since they do not consider changes in network operating conditions and status of BESS facilities. Specially, these approaches do not allow higher import limits when proportion of BESS facilities are in idling state. To better allocate the capacity of distribution networks to active BESS facilities (charging/discharging), this work introduces an independent storage operator to coordinate BESS control actions by employing time-varying and adaptive power limits. For this purpose, a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) algorithm is proposed for storage operator to manage BESS facilities while respecting network constraints and customers' desired bills. At each time step, the algorithm decides power limits for active BESS facilities based on predefined linear functions. These functions are generated offline by using Optimal Power Flow (OPF) to establish relationships between power limits and number of active BESS. The application of the algorithm using a real Jordanian distribution network demonstrates its effectiveness to allow a larger number of customers achieving their desired bills compared to using fixed power limits

A systematic review and narrative synthesis of the use and effectiveness of extended reality technology in the assessment, treatment and study of obsessive compulsive disorder

Extended reality (XR) technologies including virtual and augmented reality are seeing increasing research interest in the field of mental health. Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a condition that remains difficult to assess and treat despite the availability of effective therapies. This systematic review synthesises the current knowledge regarding the use and effectiveness of XR in the assessment, treatment, and study of OCD. The protocol for this review was registered on PROSPERO (ID: CRD42021248021). Searches of six databases were conducted. The xReality framework was used to define which technologies would be included as XR. Studies that recruited analogue samples as well as clinical OCD populations were included. A narrative synthesis of the findings was planned. There was consistent evidence for the use of virtual reality as a tool for symptom provocation in people with contamination-related OCD, as part of exposure and response prevention. Significant heterogeneity exists between study designs found in both symptom provocation and treatment outcome studies. This review has important implications about the narrow focus of research in this area thus far, highlighting the need for further study of different uses of XR in providing positive treatment outcomes across a broader range of OCD symptoms

Simulating flood hazard in Wye Valley during Storm Dennis using Hec-Ras

A 2D Hec-Ras flood model is established at the middle reach of the River Wye, from Ross-on-Wye to Monmouth, along the English-Wales border. The flow conditions during Strom Dennis, which occurred on 15-16 Feb 2020 are used to simulate the flood extents in the study area. The flood hazard rate, suggested by EA, is analysed to assess the risk level of flooding in the area. The results show the extensive flood extents at the study site. The flood hazard rate map shows that large part of Wye Valley is at high risk of flooding

Motivational dynamics and training experiences among female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners

This study explored achievement goal orientations, perceptions of the motivational climate, and experiences during training among female Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) practitioners. 137 active female practitioners from 26 countries were included. Our findings revealed that female BJJ practitioners shared a similar emphasis on mastery approach goals as their male counterparts. A notable difference was observed for perceptions of the motivational climate, with female practitioners perceiving the climate as more mastery-oriented than males. We also found relationships between motivational dynamics and factors such as rank, training duration and experience, instructor status, and competition participation. Overall, female BJJ practitioners exhibit a strong emphasis on mastery goals and generally perceive the training climate as mastery-orientated, suggesting an inclination towards adaptive behavior in challenging situations. These results reaffirm the compatibility between mastery goals and competitive martial arts practice and provide a novel characterization of the motivational dynamics of active female grapplers

Accelerating multi-step sparse reward reinforcement learning

After the great successes of deep reinforcement learning (DRL) in recent years, developing methods to speed up DRL algorithms for more complex tasks closer to those in the real world has become increasingly important. In particular, there is a lack of research on long-horizon tasks that contain multiple subtasks or intermediate steps and can only provide sparse rewards at task completion point. This paper suggests to 1) use human priors to decompose a task and provide abstract demonstrations – the correct sequences of steps to guide exploration and learning, and 2) adjust the exploration parameters adaptively according to the online performances of the policy. The proposed ideas are implemented on three popular DRL algorithms, and experimental results on gridworld and manipulation tasks prove the concept and effectiveness of the proposed techniques

Developing small Cas9 hybrids using molecular modeling

The contraction of CAG/CTG repeats is an attractive approach to correct the mutation that causes at least 15 neuromuscular and neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington’s disease and Myotonic Dystrophy type 1. Contractions can be achieved in vivo using the Cas9 D10A nickase from Streptococcus pyogenes (SpCas9) using a single guide RNA (sgRNA) against the repeat tract. One hurdle on the path to the clinic is that SpCas9 is too large to be packaged together with its sgRNA into a single adeno-associated virus. Here we aimed to circumvent this problem using the smaller Cas9 orthologue, SlugCas9, and the Cas9 ancestor OgeuIscB. We found them to be ineffective in inducing contractions, despite their advertised PAM sequences being compatible with CAG/CTG repeats. Thus, we further developed smaller Cas9 hybrids, made of the PAM interacting domain of S. pyogenes and the catalytic domains of the smaller Cas9 orthologues. We also designed the cognate sgRNA hybrids using molecular dynamic simulations and binding energy calculations. We found that the four Cas9/sgRNA hybrid pairs tested in human cells failed to edit their target sequences. We conclude that in silico approaches can identify functional changes caused by point mutations but are not sufficient for designing larger scale complexes of Cas9/sgRNA hybrids

Fueling innovation management research: Future directions and five forward‐looking paths

Research about innovation management explores how the future is created—who is creating it (organizations, collaborations, etc.), for what aims (customer satisfaction, market performance, etc.), and with what broader effects (social, environmental, etc.). With this extended essay, we explore the potential futures of innovation management research in three ways. First, we briefly review the history of past research agendas and priorities published in the Journal of Product Innovation Management (JPIM), highlighting three broad topic areas (technological, social/environmental, and organizational) that have emerged over time and their potential disruptive implications for innovation management research. Second, we describe the outcome of a gathering of leading scholars in innovation management tasked with the challenge of identifying critical research paths for our field. This collaboration resulted in five “deep dive” essays into areas ripe for innovation management research in the years ahead: liquid innovation, artificial intelligence in innovation, business model innovation, public value innovation, and responsible innovation. Third, we reflect on this expansive effort and offer a discussion of implications (tensions, challenges, and opportunities) for future innovation management scholarship