Salamanders of the genus Ambystoma in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt are experiencing severe population declines due to habitat loss and fragmentation. This study evaluated critical protection gaps for four Critically Endangered microendemic species: A. amblycephalum, A. andersoni, A. dumerilii and A. mexicanum. We compiled and cleaned 89 validated presence records from databases and the literature. Refined areas of occupancy were calculated using minimum convex polygons adjusted with elevation masks, hydrographic network filters, and species-specific buffer zones (50–100 m). Bioclimatic variables (temperature and precipitation-based) were derived from MexHiResClimDB, and overlap with protected areas, and the Ecosystem Integrity Index (EII) was quantified. The resulting areas of occupancy (0.38–108.19 km2) were larger than previous IUCN estimates for A. amblycephalum and A. dumerilii, yet showed null or minimal overlap with protected areas for these two species (4.79% and 0%, respectively). Ecosystem integrity was low across all species (EII 0.05–0.43), indicating severe degradation. Climatic niches were narrow, differentiated, and associated with restricted altitudinal ranges. These results reveal a crisis of effective protection, where expanded distribution knowledge does not translate into improved conservation status, demanding urgent expansion of active conservation strategies to counteract severe habitat degradation caused by urbanization, intensive agriculture, pollution, and invasive species.
Electromagnetic waves are the foundation of modern communication and information transmission which take advantage of strong penetration and fast propagation. To prevent electromagnetic radiation pollution and improve application efficiency, the development of new types of electromagnetic wave absorption and shielding materials that can convert electromagnetic wave energy into thermal energy for absorption and shielding has become increasingly important. Although progress in different electromagnetic wave-absorbing and shielding materials is exciting, there are few reviews of new materials, especially two-dimensional materials. By analyzing the structure and loss mechanism of two-dimensional materials, this review systematically summarizes the current research status and unique advantages of two-dimensional materials in electromagnetic wave absorption and shielding. By extending traditional synthetic two-dimensional materials to natural two-dimensional mineral materials, the potential applications of these materials in future green development havee been explored. Based on different application scenarios, new challenges and future directions for highly efficient electromagnetic wave absorption and shielding materials are presented. The prospects for the development of two-dimensional materials are also clarified from aspects of macroscopic and microscopic structural design and functional integration.
Enantioselective photohydrogenation using semiconductor photocatalysts remains challenging because of the heterogeneity of solid surfaces and the difficulty in controlling adsorption geometries. In this study, we systematically investigated the enantioselective photohydrogenation of aromatic ketones using TiO2 photocatalysts in the presence of chiral co-adsorbents, focusing on the combined effects of co-adsorbent structure and TiO2 crystal morphology. Chiral aromatic amino alcohols, such as 2-amino-1-phenylethanol (PhEA), were identified as effective and relatively photostable co-adsorbents, affording moderate enantioselectivity with reduced inhibition compared with carboxylate-type co-adsorbents. Structural analyses revealed pronounced differences in particle size, lattice distortion, and inferred exposed crystal facets among anatase TiO2 samples. TIO-13, composed of larger particles with relatively well-defined surface structures, exhibited higher and more reproducible enantioselectivity, whereas TIO-7, composed of smaller nanoparticles with more heterogeneous surfaces, showed higher reaction rates but lower enantioselectivity. Consecutive photohydrogenation experiments provided supportive evidence that residual surface-adsorbed chiral co-adsorbent contributes to both asymmetric induction and inhibition of the reaction. Although the present work should be regarded primarily as a fundamental study rather than a practically optimized catalytic methodology, it provides useful insight into the design of chiral semiconductor photocatalysts for heterogeneous asymmetric photocatalysis.
The microcirculation typically refers to those capillaries less than 100 μm in diameter. We have shown that blood can clot into an anomalous amyloid form, manifesting as microclots of typically 2–200 μm equivalent diameter that are rather resistant to fibrinolysis. Because they contain fibrin and other proteins in an amyloid form, we have referred to them as fibrinaloid microclot complexes. We have also previously developed the idea that endothelial dysfunction can both lead to and be caused by the fibrinaloid microclots so formed, such that this can slow or block entirely parts of the microcirculation. The microclots might be thought of as a ‘structural’ manifestation in that they are actual, observable structures. This impairment of the microcirculation is referred to in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as ‘blood stasis’. It is thus desirable to have ‘functional’ methods that can measure these effects on the microcirculation directly. As a complement to a recent survey of nailfold capillaroscopy, the present paper provides a wide-ranging review of the utility of laser speckle imaging (LSI) and laser Doppler imaging (LDI) for assessing the microcirculation in a large variety of diseases in which it is considered to be involved. These include Long COVID, sepsis, and ischaemic stroke. In all cases in which fibrinaloid microclots have been observed, so too do these methods detect an impairment of the microcirculation. Notably, blood pressure is raised while blood flow in the microcirculation is lower; this clearly speaks to occlusion and/or capillary rarefaction, and indicates that the raised blood pressure is the effect and not the cause of the decrease in flow rate or stasis of the microcirculation. As rapid, information-rich and non-invasive methods, LSI and LDI seem to have outstanding potential for assessing the role of fibrinaloid microclots in affecting blood stasis in the microcirculation, in a huge variety of inflammatory diseases and syndromes.
Understanding the macroeconomic determinants of environmental degradation is critical for designing effective and evidence-based sustainability policies in emerging economies. This study provides a comprehensive empirical re-examination of the growth–energy–environment nexus in India over the period 1990–2023 within an extended macroeconomic framework. It integrates key structural drivers—economic growth, energy consumption, industrialization, trade openness, urbanization, and renewable energy—into a unified analytical model to capture the complex interactions between development processes and environmental outcomes. Methodologically, the study employs the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach within an error-correction framework, allowing for the estimation of both long-run equilibrium relationships and short-run dynamic adjustments under mixed orders of integration. The robustness of long-run estimates is further assessed using alternative cointegration techniques, while diagnostic and stability tests ensure the reliability of the empirical specification. The results confirm the presence of a stable long-run cointegrating relationship among the variables. However, the estimated long-run elasticities are heterogeneous and generally weak in statistical strength. Economic growth and energy consumption exhibit positive but modest associations with environmental degradation, indicating the persistence of scale effects and structural dependence on fossil fuel–based energy systems. In contrast, the effects of trade openness and industrialization are not statistically robust, suggesting that structural transformation and globalization have not yet translated into consistent environmental efficiency gains. Renewable energy does not demonstrate a significant long-run mitigating effect, reflecting its limited penetration and integration within the broader energy system. Short-run dynamics reveal asymmetric adjustment patterns. Energy consumption shows a negative and significant short-run effect, implying transitional efficiency gains, whereas industrialization contributes positively to environmental pressure in the short term. Urbanization exhibits divergent temporal effects, with short-run improvements but long-run environmental costs. The significant error-correction term indicates gradual convergence toward equilibrium. Overall, the findings highlight a nuanced and evolving relationship between macroeconomic processes and environmental degradation in India, underscoring the need for structurally aligned and context-specific policy interventions.
