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Background: Globally, there are a large and growing number of researchers using biotelemetry as a tool to study aquatic animals. In Europe, this community lacks a formal network structure. The aim of this study is to review the use of acoustic telemetry in Europe and document the contribution of cross-boundary studies and inter-research group collaborations. Based on this, we explore the potential benefits and challenges of a network approach to identify future priorities and best practices for aquatic biotelemetry research in Europe. Results: Over the past decade, there was an approximately sevenfold increase in the number of acoustic telemetry studies published on marine and diadromous species in Europe compared to a sixfold increase globally. Over 90% of these studies were conducted on fishes and undertaken in coastal areas, estuaries, or rivers. 75% of these studies were conducted by researchers based in one of five nations (Norway, UK, France, Portugal, and Spain) and, even though 34% were based on collaborations between scientists from several countries, there was only one study with an acoustic receiver array that extended beyond the borders of a single country. In recent years, acoustic telemetry in European waters has evolved from studying behavioural aspects of animals (82.2%), into more holistic approaches addressing management-related issues (10%), tagging methods and effects (5%), and technology and data analysis development (2.8%). Conclusions: Despite the increasing number of publications and species tracked, there is a prominent lack of planned and structured acoustic telemetry collaborations in Europe. A formal pan-European network structure would promote the development of (1) a research platform that could benefit the acoustic telemetry community through capacity building, (2) a centralized database, and (3) key deployment sites and studies on priority species requiring research in Europe. A network may increase efficiency, expand the scope of research that can be undertaken, promote European science integration, enhance the opportunities and success of acquiring research funding and, ultimately, foster regional and transatlantic collaborations. It may also help address research priorities such as the large-scale societal challenges arising from climate change impacts and assist the EU’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive via identification of good environmental status of endangered or commercially important species. European tracking network, Acoustic telemetry, Flagship species, Acoustic arrays, Animal movement, Spatio-temporal movement, Biotelemetry

Background The lack of compatibility between acoustic telemetry equipment from different manufacturers has been a major obstacle to consolidating large collaborative tracking networks. Undisclosed encrypted signal coding protocols limit the use of acoustic telemetry to study animal movements over large spatial scales, reduce competition between manufacturers, and stifle innovation. The European Tracking Network, in collaboration with several acoustic telemetry manufacturers, has worked to develop new transparent protocols for acoustic tracking. The results are energy-efficient transmission protocols accessible to all researchers and manufacturers. Today, the Open Protocols (OP) are already available to manufacturers and developers, and the first transmitters and receivers to implement them are already in the water. Results The main objective of this study was to confirm the compatibility between devices from different manufacturers using OP, characterise the acoustic range of each transmitter–receiver manufacturer combination, compare the detection efficiency to the standard protocols used at present (R64K and encrypted protocols), and assess its robustness against spurious detections. An international collaborative effort was made to conduct acoustic range tests in four main aquatic habitats: a river, a coastal lagoon, a coastal habitat, and the open sea. Receivers and transmitters from different manufacturers were deployed at increasing distances from each other using the same experimental design at each location. The decay of detection probability with distance was modelled for each transmitter–receiver manufacturer combination by applying logistic regression using a Bayesian approach. Furthermore, to thoroughly assess performance differences in an applied research context, we conducted a direct field comparison between groups of smolts tagged with OP and R64K tags, tracking their migration to the sea. Conclusions Our results confirm full compatibility between the tested devices, with negligible differences in the measured acoustic ranges between OP manufacturers and when compared to encrypted protocols. The OP was also robust against spurious detections, and the field comparison between OP and R64K showed equal performance. We hope these novel insights will encourage international research groups to promote OP-based studies to ensure compatibility and maximise the benefits of acoustic telemetry networks.

Aquatic biotelemetry techniques have proven to be valuable tools to generate knowledge on species behaviour, gather oceanographic data and help in assessing effects from anthropogenic disturbances. These data types support international policies and directives, needed for species and habitat conservation. As aquatic systems are highly interconnected and cross administrative borders, optimal data gathering should be organized on a large scale. This need triggered the development of regional, national and international aquatic animal tracking network initiatives around the globe. In Belgium, a national acoustic receiver network for fish tracking, called the Permanent Belgian Acoustic Receiver Network, was set up in 2014 with different research institutes collaborating. It is a permanent network with 160 acoustic receivers and since the start, over 800 animals from 16 different fish species have been tagged and generated more than 17 million detections so far. To handle all the (meta)data generated, a data management platform was built. The central database stores all the data and has an interactive web interface that allows the users to upload, manage and explore (meta)data. In addition, the database is linked to an R-shiny application to allow the user to visualize and download the detection data. The permanent tracking network is not only a collaborative platform for exchange of data, analysis tools, devices and knowledge. It also creates opportunities to perform feasibility studies and Ph.D. studies in a cost-efficient way. The Belgian tracking network is a first step towards a Pan-European aquatic tracking network.

This paper studies the effect of a single-issue referendum on political party realignment. We consider the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom in the aftermath of a referendum on the British exit from the European Union. We look at the change in positions of Conservative Members of Parliament using a novel dataset tracking their opinions on British membership of the EU and their election outcomes between 2015 and 2022. Our findings show that MPs who resisted switching to a pro-Leave position faced significantly higher electoral losses. We then consider various models of switching, showing that safe seats are strong predictors. These results highlight the sensitivity of political parties to single-issue politics, underscoring how such environments can contribute to broader populist movements in modern democracies.

Duration is a key characteristic of floods influencing the design of protection infrastructures for prevention, deployment of rescue resources during the emergency, and repartition of damage costs in the aftermath. The latter financial aspect mainly relies on the insurance industry and allows the transfer of damage costs from the public sector to the private capital market. In this context, the cost of catastrophes affecting a large amount of insured properties is partly or totally transferred from insurance companies to reinsurance companies by contracts that define the portion of transferred costs according to the temporal extent of the flood events synthesized in the so-called hours clause. However, hours clauses imply standard flood event durations, such as 168 h (1 week), regardless of the hydrological properties characterizing different areas. In this study, we firstly perform a synoptic-scale exploratory analysis to investigate the duration and magnitude of large flood events that occurred around the world and in Europe between 1985 and 2016, and then we present a data-driven procedure devised to compute flood duration by tracking flood peaks along a river network. The exploratory analysis highlights the link of flood duration and magnitude with flood generation mechanism, thus allowing the identification of regions that are more or less prone to long-lasting events exceeding the standard hours clauses. The flood tracking procedure is applied to seven of the largest river basins in Central and Eastern Europe (Danube, Rhine, Elbe, Weser, Rhone, Loire, and Garonne). It correctly identifies major flood events and enables the definition of the probability distribution of the flood propagation time and its sampling uncertainty. Overall, we provide information and analysis tools readily applicable to improve reinsurance practices with respect to spatiotemporal extent of flooding hazard.

Background The European Union has established a strategic objective to attain carbon neutrality across the continent by the year 2050; however, this complex undertaking is shaped by a variety of influencing factors. It is particularly important to monitor the effects of such a long-term strategy, as it will influence all aspects of the European Union’s sustainable energy development as well as the welfare of its citizens. Since no universally accepted methodology exists for tracking the effects of decarbonization, the use of machine learning as a method of artificial intelligence is proposed—not only to generate concrete results but also to evaluate its applicability for this purpose. The main objective of this research is to assess the trends of 13 selected energy indicators that are vital to the decarbonization initiative. The research was conducted on a sample of 27 countries for the period from 2013 to 2030 using a novel predictive model developed in the Python runtime environment. Results The primary findings of the research indicate that the EU is likely to experience significant fluctuations in the values of specific indicators. The anticipated progressive rise in electricity prices is expected across all EU countries, accompanied by an increase in consumption. In addition, the projected growth in energy imports presents a significant challenge that will affect the competitiveness of the European economy and the social standing of its citizens. Particularly disadvantaged in the implementation of the decarbonization strategy will be landlocked countries that are highly dependent on energy imports and therefore vulnerable to fluctuations in prices and security of supply. Also at risk are countries facing difficulties in the deployment and exploitation of renewable energy sources, as well as those with weaker socioeconomic indicators. The results further indicate a rising risk to energy security, even in the wealthiest EU countries. Overall, the projections suggest an increase in CO₂ levels up to 2030, followed by a gradual decline thereafter. A particular challenge for managing the decarbonization strategy lies in the significant fluctuations of the monitored parameters, which hinder planning in every respect. Conclusions In light of the geopolitical and supply chain shifts post-2022, it is clear that a comprehensive reassessment of the strategies for managing the decarbonization of the European Union economy is necessary. The research findings demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed machine learning approach, which has potential for enhancement due to its scalability and adaptability. The study provides governance and methodological recommendations.

Young infants are known to prefer own-race faces to other race faces and recognize own-race faces better than other-race faces. However, it is entirely unclear as to whether infants also attend to different parts of own- and other-race faces differently, which may provide an important clue as to how and why the own-race face recognition advantage emerges so early. The present study used eye tracking methodology to investigate whether 6- to 10-month-old Caucasian infants (N = 37) have differential scanning patterns for dynamically displayed own- and other-race faces. We found that even though infants spent a similar amount of time looking at own- and other-race faces, with increased age, infants increasingly looked longer at the eyes of own-race faces and less at the mouths of own-race faces. These findings suggest experience-based tuning of the infant's face processing system to optimally process own-race faces that are different in physiognomy from other-race faces. In addition, the present results, taken together with recent own- and other-race eye tracking findings with infants and adults, provide strong support for an enculturation hypothesis that East Asians and Westerners may be socialized to scan faces differently due to each culture's conventions regarding mutual gaze during interpersonal communication.

Logistics performance has become a decisive factor in export competitiveness. At the same time, and as a result of the continuous enlargement processes it has undergone, the European Union (EU) is a very interesting case to study how the reforms that enhance logistics performance have affected exports. Therefore, this paper aims to analyse the importance of logistics performance in regard to EU exports over the period 2005–2010 in an attempt to identify possible advances on behalf of Member States. Several gravity equations are estimated using the Logistics Performance Index (LPI) and its components as characteristic proxy variables of trade facilitation. In order to avoid the possible heterogeneity caused by sample bias, the two-stage model proposed by Heckman is used. The estimations of the gravity models using the two-stage Heckman model for all 26 EU countries have led us to conclude that logistics was more important for exporting nations than importing nations in both 2005 and 2010, reinforcing the interest in the exporter side of the paper. In reference to the components of the LPI, Competence and Tracking has acquired greater importance in recent years, in keeping with the weak domestic demand in European countries and the search for new international markets.

One field in which electronic materials have an important role is energy generation, especially within the scope of photovoltaic energy. This paper deals with one of the most relevant enabling technologies within that scope, i.e, the algorithms for maximum power point tracking implemented in the direct current to direct current converters and its modeling through artificial neural networks (ANNs). More specifically, as a proof of concept, we have addressed the problem of modeling a fuzzy logic controller that has shown its performance in previous works, and more specifically the dimensionless duty cycle signal that controls a quadratic boost converter. We achieved a very accurate model since the obtained medium squared error is 3.47 × 10−6, the maximum error is 16.32 × 10−3 and the regression coefficient R is 0.99992, all for the test dataset. This neural implementation has obvious advantages such as a higher fault tolerance and a simpler implementation, dispensing with all the complex elements needed to run a fuzzy controller (fuzzifier, defuzzifier, inference engine and knowledge base) because, ultimately, ANNs are sums and products.

Urban areas are increasing globally causing fragmentation and loss of habitats for many forest dwelling species. At the same time new habitats are created, which may be exploited by species with a broad ecological tolerance. Bats form the largest mammal group living in cities in Central Europe. Species diversity might be higher in some cities compared to rural areas. Yet, habitat-specialists struggle with rapid landscape change and urban development. The Bechstein’s bat Myotis bechsteinii is dependent on old growth deciduous forests that supply tree cavities to roost in. The use of small home ranges requires high prey abundance around roosts. Despite their habitat specialization we identified two Bechstein’s maternity colonies within the metropolitan area of Frankfurt/Main (Germany). The colonies numbered 25 and 31 adult females respectively. We radio tracked individuals from both colonies (n = 14) and compared their habitat use to that of females (n = 79) of 11 colonies from rural woodlands. We identified a total of 29 roosts used by the two maternity colonies during summer. Roost choice of the urban forest colonies was similar to the rural forest colonies with a preference for oak trees with woodpecker holes. The distances between roosts were similar between urban and rural colonies. Habitat selection was strongly towards old forest patches. We emphasize the importance of the persistence of old forest islands within urban areas to support remaining bat colonies with a network of bat areas, similar to the important bird areas (IBAs). Specialized species that fail to adapt to the rapid changes may survive within the urban environment relying on old forest patches.