Royal Society Open Science最新文献

This study introduces a systematic framework for analysing heterogeneity through three principal measure classes: dispersion-based, expected-difference and divergent approaches. I demonstrate that these classes capture distinct structural aspects, with graph heterogeneity measures incorporating global topology beyond degree counts while degree-focused approaches quantify connectivity variation. Key findings establish that apparent inconsistencies across measures reflect heterogeneity's complex nature rather than methodological flaws. The framework enables context-appropriate measure selection for applications ranging from epidemiological modelling to cyber security, while highlighting the critical distinction between degree-focused and topology-aware heterogeneity quantification. The work advances network science by mapping methodological trade-offs and proposing future development of tunable hybrid measures for complex systems analysis.

Policy decisions during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic were important to contain the spread of the virus, but complicated due to virus variants and the varying impact of societal restrictions. In this paper, we report results from a model that utilized population behaviour to predict the impact of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in India over a number of months from June 2021 to March 2022. The model utilizes deterministic population compartments, incorporating a dynamic transmission factor dependent on the population's behaviour as a function of reported confirmed cases. The model also incorporates the state of vaccination and virus variants as part of the transmission dynamics. The model projections, used for formulating advice towards pre-emptive policy actions by pivotal government organizations involved in developing a national public health strategy, culminated in early warning projections for the Omicron variant. The projections of cumulative cases during the Omicron wave had a mean absolute percentage error of 18.1% when measured 15 days after the start of the projection on 1 December 2021.

The recently developed magnetic encoding beam microscopy approach to imaging with neutral atomic beams has a spatial resolution that is limited by the spread of velocities within the beam. Here we present a solution for overcoming this restriction which is based on adding a homogeneous magnetic field and resolving both the spatial resolution and the de Broglie wavelength of the particles using sequential Fourier transforms. Numerical simulations are used to demonstrate the enhanced resolution obtained with this approach, and how features which were lost in the spatial reconstruction due to the spread of velocities can be recovered. Wavelength/velocity resolved profiles that were reconstructed from experimental data are presented, demonstrating how the scheme can be applied in practice.

The dugong (Dugong dugon) is the first marine megafauna to be declared functionally extinct in China, yet its historical range and extinction dynamics remain poorly understood. Sighting histories were thus collected from 841 fishers to investigate this information based on a large-scale interview survey across the entire dugong historical range in 2024. Apart from a single incidental capture reported in 2021, there have been no other records reported by informers since the last stranding in 2008, with the average date of the last sighting being in 1983 ± 14. A notable discovery was that dugongs were once sighted in Shantou, extending the known historical range northward by 500 km in mainland China. We also document extensive past dugong sightings and seagrass meadows in the South China Sea, beyond the previously known range. The spatio-temporal analysis indicates that dugongs disappeared almost simultaneously across their entire historical range, without undergoing significant range contraction. These findings confirm previous conclusions that dugongs are now functionally extinct in China. Our study reveals how a once widely distributed marine mammal experienced a population crash within just 20-30 years, serving as a serious warning for dugong conservation worldwide and highlighting the urgent need to protect other marine megafauna in the South China Sea.

Dopamine is a highly conserved neurotransmitter that plays a pivotal role in regulating a wide array of behaviours. In vertebrates, it is best known for its involvement in motor control, motivation, reward processing and learning. Dysregulation of dopaminergic signalling is implicated in several human neurological and psychiatric disorders, most notably Parkinson's disease. The fundamental importance of dopamine has driven researchers to study it across a range of model organisms. Among these, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has proven particularly valuable. With a compact and fully mapped nervous system, genetic tractability and transparent body, C. elegans provides a powerful system to unravel the mechanisms of dopamine synthesis, signalling, receptor function and behavioural modulation. Like in mammals, dopamine is produced by a small number of neurons, yet it governs complex behaviours including locomotion, learning and responses to environmental cues. In this review, we explore the breadth of research on dopaminergic signalling in C. elegans, focusing on its synthesis, receptor signalling and downstream effects on behaviour. By integrating findings across molecular, cellular and circuit levels, we aim to highlight both the conserved features of dopamine signalling and the unique insights gained from studying it in this model organism.

The voice is a key marker of gender identity, yet gender non-conforming speakers often diverge from binary vocal norms. This review synthesizes findings from 45 studies published between January 2020 and January 2025 examining how gender is expressed and perceived for the voices of gender-diverse individuals. We report how gender identities and expressions are measured, how gender-diverse voices are perceived, and how acoustic features relate to both self-reported and perceived gender. While binary frameworks still influence the experimental methods used, a shift towards more inclusive models is emerging. Gender-diverse voices are frequently externally perceived or acoustically represented as falling between binary categories or as misaligned with affirmed gender identity. Similar to binary voice gender, fundamental frequency and formants are key components of expressed and perceived gender. However, these findings may be biased owing to the binary understanding of gender in the methods used, a general focus on transfeminine voices, and few investigations on the impact of listeners' identity. A few studies reported that gender non-conforming listeners tend to have a distinct understanding of voice gender compared with cisgender listeners. To move forward, future research should adopt inclusive perceptual tasks, account for listener demographics, and further explore self-perception of voice gender.

The social networks of interest to biologists, ecologists and social scientists are often multi-layered, with the same set of individuals interacting with one another in complex, multifaceted ways. Each type of interaction can be represented as one layer in a larger multiplex network. Important research questions often hinge on how ties or flows in one network layer impact ties or flows in another layer. Similar questions focus on the relationship between nodal characteristics across layers: for example, is an individual with a high out-degree in one layer more likely to have a high in-degree in another layer? These questions are effectively addressed by multiplex extensions of generative social network models, like the social relations model (SRM). Here, we present a multiplex implementation of the SRM in the STRAND R package and provide tutorials teaching end-users how to run the model on their own data. We provide worked examples of data analysis, parameter visualization and results interpretation, using datasets from experimental economics and animal behaviour. Our software package allows end-users to deploy powerful multiplex models, using only simple base-R model syntax, permitting wider use of generative network modelling approaches across disciplines.

Avian malaria parasites pose a significant threat to conservation, affecting populations worldwide. Despite this, our understanding of factors influencing the transmission of avian Plasmodium parasites by vectors is limited to the study of mosquito immune responses. However, the complex life cycle of Plasmodium within the vector suggests that non-immune physiological and metabolic pathways may play equally, if not more, crucial roles in determining whether the parasite completes its development and successfully transmits to the next host. We review some of these pathways, uncovering a fragmented and contradictory body of knowledge. Through transcriptomic analysis of infected and uninfected mosquitoes at various stages of infection, we identify differential expression of numerous metabolic pathways that are essential for Plasmodium development. These include genes involved in meeting the parasite's energetic needs, digestive enzymes facilitating midgut barrier traversal, and salivary enzymes enabling blood meal uptake, among others. This suggests that the parasite has evolved mechanisms to modulate these pathways, thereby enhancing and prolonging infection and transmission. Our findings emphasize the need for a broader, integrative approach to better understand the reciprocal selective pressures between malaria parasites and their vectors and to find novel targets for controlling parasite transmission and ultimately improving malaria control strategies.

Ecosystems are undergoing global changes that disrupt energy transfer across trophic levels, reducing energy availability and destabilizing predator-prey interactions. In marine systems, small pelagic fish (SPF) are key energy vectors to higher trophic levels. In the Bay of Biscay, common dolphins rely heavily on SPF, which have declined in size and condition in recent decades, while dolphin by-catch has increased. To explore whether prey field changes could explain shifts in dolphin distribution, we mapped prey energy by integrating biomass, size and energy content for four SPF species (sardine, anchovy, sprat and small horse mackerel), representing 80% of the dolphin diet. We analysed acoustic survey data from PELGAS (2000-2023) and JUVENA (2009-2023) to assess temporal and spatial changes in prey energy. Energy per prey has declined, mainly due to decreasing fish length and energy density. Total energy available for common dolphin remained stable, through increase of lower-energy anchovies and decrease of larger, higher-energy sardines. Spatial redistributions were also evident, with sardine energy becoming more coastal and anchovy energy expanding northward. These energy seascapes dynamics, probably climate-driven, may have led dolphins to forage closer to shore, in areas of higher fishing pressure, thereby contributing to the recent rise in by-catch.

Joint attention is crucial for the development of social cognition, but whether the type of relationship (i.e. cooperative or competitive) or interaction (e.g. addressed or witnessed) modulates joint attention is unclear. This study investigated these factors in 96 neurotypical adults using a video object-choice task. Here, participants chose between cups based on an actor's pointing cue, either while being addressed or witnessing an interaction between two actors. Participants were primed about the actor's cooperative or competitive intent. Experiment 1 found no significant interaction between these factors. However, Experiment 2, considering spatial attention (cue direction), revealed nuanced effects. In addressed interactions, more social cues led to faster responses, especially during spatially congruent cooperative trials. In witnessed interactions, responses were faster to spatially incongruent cues in cooperative trials and vice versa in competitive trials. These findings suggest that joint attention is not solely a passive response to social cues, but is actively shaped by the social context and spatial configuration, highlighting how individuals actively interpret and adapt to others' attentional cues.