Recent ucb items

Developing a Modern Data Facility for the Genesis Mission

Sun, 13 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Monterey Data Conference is an annual invitation-only meeting in Monterey which brings together researchers from DOE national laboratories, facilities, universities, and industry to showcase and discuss the latest advances and open challenges in scientific data analysis and computing. This talk discussed the state of the DOE High Performance Data Facility design and its impact on the Genesis Mission.

Generating adversarial inputs for a graph neural network model of AC power flow

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This work formulates and solves optimization prob- lems to generate input points that yield high errors between a neural network’s predicted AC power flow solution and solutions to the AC power flow equations. We demonstrate this capability on an instance of the CANOS-PF graph neural network model, as implemented by the PF∆ benchmark library, operating on a 14-bus test grid. Generated adversarial points yield errors as large as 3.7 per-unit in reactive power and 0.08 per-unit in voltage magnitude. When minimizing the perturbation from a training point necessary to satisfy adversarial constraints, we find that the constraints can be met with as little as an 0.04 per-unit perturbation in voltage magnitude on a single bus. This work motivates the development of rigorous verification and robust training methods for neural network surrogate models of AC power flow.

GPU-to-Grid: Voltage Regulation via GPU Utilization Control

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

While the rapid expansion of data centers poses challenges for power grids, it also offers new opportunities as flexible loads. Existing power system research often abstracts data centers as aggregate resources, while computer system research focuses on GPU energy efficiency and largely ignores grid impacts. To bridge this gap, we develop a GPU-to-Grid framework that couples device-level GPU control with power system objectives. We study distribution-level voltage regulation enabled by LLM inference flexibility, using batch size as a data- center-side control knob that trades off GPU power consumption, inference latency, and token throughput. We first formulate the problem as an optimization problem and then realize it as an online feedback optimization controller, implemented by the data center operator using its own empirical GPU power-performance model and real-time measurements from both the GPU and grid systems. Our key insight is that reducing GPU power alleviates lower-voltage...

Hybrid GFL-GFM Control for Converter-Dominated Power Systems: A Systematic Survey and Open-Source Implementation

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

With the large-scale grid integration of inverter- based resources (IBRs), power systems are rapidly transitioning toward a converter-dominated paradigm. This trend motivates hybrid grid-following (GFL) and grid-forming (GFM) control to combine fast power regulation with improved voltage and frequency support. This paper reviews classical GFL-GFM foun- dations and provides a structured taxonomy of hybrid GFL-GFM strategies for both converters and systems, including switching- type, dual-source, loop-augmented, and system-level categories. A parallel-branch hybrid architecture, which was recently ap- proved by the Western Electricity Coordinating Council, is then introduced. In this model, the GFL and GFM branches operate concurrently under a coordinating plant controller. Both the REGFM C1 converter control model and the REPCGFM C1 plant control model have been implemented and made available in the open-source ANDES simulator. Case studies on Single- Machine Infinite-Bus system...

Climate Impact on Residential Load: the Tale of 100K GAMs

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We design statistical methodology to project the impact of climate change on residential load at the level of substations. To achieve high-resolution load projections, we combine the outputs of downscaled global climate models (GCMs) with a statistical additive regression model. To this end we design a bespoke Generalized Additive Model (GAM) that links cooling/heating loads at given substation and hour of day to daily meteorological covariates. Our models are trained on the ResStock outputs for a realistic building mix and illustrated on the entire 1898 substations in the CATS synthetic grid. The results visualize feature relevance and aggregate climate impacts on California residential loads.

The Murder of J. L. Starkey According to Local Palestinian Sources: Anti-Colonial Struggle and Local Intrigues

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This article reexamines the 1938 assassination of British archaeologist James Leslie Starkey near Tell ed-Duweir in southern Palestine, challenging longstanding interpretations that have framed the killing as a random act of violence committed during the Arab Revolt. Building on the hypothesis proposed by Yosef Garfinkel in 2016, this study draws on overlooked local petitions, oral history interviews, British Mandatory records, and Zionist intelligence sources to argue that Starkey’s murder was a targeted response to unresolved land disputes between the excavation team and landowners from the nearby village of al-Qubayba. The article documents how Starkey’s acquisition of village lands (at times through expropriation) generated intense resentment, particularly among disenfranchised landowning families excluded from employment by the expedition. Oral testimonies, petitions, and archival evidence point to the involvement of local actors and rebel commander ʿĪsā al-Baṭṭāṭ in orchestrating...

Classification of early tuberculosis states to guide research for improved care and prevention: an international Delphi consensus exercise.

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The current active-latent paradigm of tuberculosis largely neglects the documented spectrum of disease. Inconsistency with regard to definitions, terminology, and diagnostic criteria for different tuberculosis states has limited the progress in research and product development that are needed to achieve tuberculosis elimination. We aimed to develop a new framework of classification for tuberculosis that accommodates key disease states but is sufficiently simple to support pragmatic research and implementation. Through an international Delphi exercise that involved 71 participants representing a wide range of disciplines, sectors, income settings, and geographies, consensus was reached on a set of conceptual states, related terminology, and research gaps. The International Consensus for Early TB (ICE-TB) framework distinguishes disease from infection by the presence of macroscopic pathology and defines two subclinical and two clinical tuberculosis states on the basis of reported...

Online Electricity Pricing from Frequency Measurements

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Frequency dynamics in power systems reflect active power imbalance in real time, thereby providing an instantaneous signal to inform electricity pricing. However, existing real-time markets operate on much slower timescales and fail to exploit this signal. In this letter, we develop integrated market–frequency dynamics that enable online pricing directly from frequency measurements. Representing the real-time market as a dynamic price-discovery process, and integrating this process with the grid frequency dynamics, we derive an explicit price formation mech- anism from frequency measurements. This mechanism manifests as a distributed PID-like controller for each generator, where frequency response is driven and remunerated by electricity prices derived solely from local frequency measurements.

Physics-Informed Non-Dimensionalisation for Neural Solvers

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The ability to assess and control approximation errors is key to the success of numerical methods. In contrast, learned approximations must ensure during training that error requirements are met, typically relying on statistical loss func- tions that do not account for the underlying physics. In this work, we argue that the assessment of learning errors in neural solvers should be aligned with numerical methods by evaluating errors in the residual norm of the governing equations. We show how this residual-based error measure can be integrated into the learning process through a physics-informed non-dimensionalisation of inputs and outputs, yielding a training objective that reflects physical sensitivities. The proposed construction reduces reliance on dataset-dependent statistics, improves robustness for limited training data, and provides an interpretable connection between training loss and engineering error measures. We demonstrate the approach on learning power flow solutions...

Lean management of crisis response and post-pandemic outcomes in US primary care practices.

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background

Primary care forms the basis for valued outcomes in health systems, including population health, high quality care, and reduced health expenditures. However, the primary care system in the United States (US) faces many difficulties, including financial pressures and clinician burnout that accelerated following the Covid-19 pandemic. This study examines the ability of primary care practices to adapt to post-pandemic challenges using a lean management system for quality and process improvement.

Methods

We used data from the National Survey of Healthcare Organizations and Systems II, a nationally representative sample of 1,245 physician practices located across the US. We first described the status of lean implementation among these primary care practices. We then conducted bivariate analyses followed by multivariate logistic regressions to examine relationships between lean implementation and outcomes of interest, including pandemic response activities,...

DC Link Capacitor Ripple Constraints Limit the Benefits of Utility-Owned Four-Wire Power Converters

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Utilities are increasingly interested in power con- verters to increase the headroom of their assets by actively controlling power flows on their network. In this work we demonstrate that thermal limits of dc link capacitors can result in substantially diminished benefits of these converters under unbalanced operation, due to constraints on neutral current and double-line frequency power ripple. Considering nine voltage source converter topologies with varying ripple capabilities, the upper bound (in terms of additional headroom released) increases by more than 80% compared to a no-ripple case for the application of phase current unbalance mitigation.

Wide-field optical eye models for emmetropic and myopic eyes.

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Ocular wavefront aberrations are used to describe retinal image formation in the study and modeling of foveal and peripheral visual functions and visual development. However, classical eye models generate aberration structures that generally do not resemble those of actual eyes, and simplifications such as rotationally symmetric and coaxial surfaces limit the usefulness of many modern eye models. Drawing on wide-field ocular wavefront aberrations measured previously by five laboratories, 28 emmetropic (-0.50 to +0.50 D) and 20 myopic (-1.50 to -4.50 D) individual optical eye models were reverse-engineered by optical design ray-tracing software. This involved an error function that manipulated 27 anatomical parameters, such as curvatures, asphericities, thicknesses, tilts, and translations-constrained within anatomical limits-to drive the output aberrations of each model to agree with the input (measured) aberrations. From those resultant anatomical parameters, three representative...

Incentive-Based Load Curtailment with Limited Information: A Bilevel Zeroth-Order Learning Approach

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Incentive-based load curtailment unlocks critical demand-side flexibility but is hindered by the limited knowledge of private user parameters and the inherent nonsmoothness of responses due to physical device constraints. We address this via a constrained bilevel optimization framework and propose the Bi-ZOL (Bilevel Zeroth-Order Learning) algorithm. Unlike conventional black-box methods, Bi-ZOL exploits the bilevel structure to decompose the hypergradient, integrating the exact analytical information of the SO’s objective with a zeroth-order estimate of the unknown response sensitivity. This structural decomposition-based learning method mathematically smoothes the nonsmooth response landscape and reduces hypergradient estimation error. We provide theoretical convergence guarantees to an approximate stationary point and demonstrate through simulations that Bi-ZOL achieves near-optimal performance.

Embedding Neural Surrogates into Established Dynamic Power System Simulators

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The evolving landscape of power systems is leading to larger and more complex systems. Future power systems comprise more diverse components, exhibit faster dynamics, and are, in general, less predictable. As a result, time-domain simulations are becoming increasingly necessary for both offline studies and real-time stability assessment. This evolution renders dynamic simulations computationally more demanding, calling for improved simulation speed. Although classical solvers are reliable, their computational performance is limited by the need for iterative solution schemes. We present a modular method that allows Neural Network (NN) based surrogates of any power system component to be embedded within the decoupled Newton iterations of a time-domain solver. A case study integrates Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs) into a solver and demonstrates the general applicability of the proposed approach. The results reveal specific challenges regarding PINN accuracy but highlight...

Health and Health Care Access Among Afghan Refugee Women in the United States

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Importance: Afghans are one of the world's largest refugee populations. Afghan women face compounded health risks due to sociocultural restrictions, low literacy, forced displacement, and limited health care access, yet little is known about their experiences with health care after resettlement in the US. Objective: To explore health and health care access issues of Afghan refugee women in the US. Design, Setting, and Participants: This qualitative study was part of an ongoing community-based participatory research project started in July 2020. Bilingual investigators conducted semistructured interviews with Afghan refugee women in Dari or English. Dari interviews were interpreted to English by a fluent bilingual investigator, validated by a separate bilingual investigator, and then reviewed with an Afghan immigrant community member for accuracy. Transcribed interviews were analyzed using grounded theory from July 2023 to July 2024. Participants who self-identified as Afghan,...

Modeling Joint Optimal Transmission Switching and Bus Splitting via Reduced Bus–Branch and Bus–Breaker Representations

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Transmission network reconfiguration is essential for congestion management, yet substation reconfiguration (bus splitting) is often overlooked due to its modeling complexity. This paper proposes a unified framework to jointly optimize line switching and bus splitting. To maintain computational tractabil- ity, we employ two complementary representations: a bus-branch representation that models bus splitting as a line outage and power transfer; and a more detailed bus-breaker representa- tion that captures flexibility from substation reconfigurations beyond the bus-branch representation. We demonstrate that the bus-branch optimal solutions effectively guide the modeling of branch-to-busbar assignment policies of the bus-breaker repre- sentation, further enhancing performance under high loading levels with tight switching budgets. Numerical experiments on IEEE test systems confirm that this joint approach provides significant flexibility compared to line switching alone.

Admittance Matrix Concentration Inequalities for Understanding Uncertain Power Networks

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This paper presents conservative probabilistic bounds for the spectrum of the admittance matrix and classical linear power flow models under uncertain network parameters; for example, probabilistic line contingencies. Our proposed approach imports tools from probability theory, such as concentration inequalities for random matrices. This provides a theoretical framework for understanding error bounds of common ap- proximations of the AC power flow equations under parameter uncertainty, including the DC and LinDistFlow approximations. Additionally, we show that the upper bounds scale as functions of nodal criticality. This network-theoretic quantity captures how uncertainty concentrates at critical nodes for use in contingency analysis. We validate these bounds on IEEE test networks, demonstrating that they correctly capture the scaling behavior of spectral perturbations up to conservative constants.

A Hybrid Mean Field Framework for Aggregators Participating in Wholesale Electricity Markets

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The rapid growth of distributed energy resources (DERs) is reshaping wholesale electricity markets, where aggre- gators coordinate large populations of prosumers, end users who own DERs and can both consume and produce electricity, to participate at scale. Existing models typically either optimize a single aggregator under exogenous prices or analyze a small number of strategic agents; neither captures the scale, structure, and price feedback that arise when large DER populations interact through wholesale market clearing. We address this gap with a hybrid mean field framework in which each aggregator coordinates a large prosumer population through its infinite agent limit, while a finite number of aggrega- tors participate in wholesale markets. Each aggregator maximizes the collective payoff of its prosumers, a cooperative structure rep- resented by mean field control. Across aggregators, interactions are non-cooperative; as a starting point, we model aggregators as non-strategic,...

Structural Misalignment in Financial Transmission Rights

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Financial Transmission Rights (FTRs) enable elec- tricity market participants to hedge congestion risk in Day Ahead Market (DAM) operations, but for the market to be solvent, Independent System Operators (ISOs) must ensure that FTR payouts do not exceed the collected DAM merchandising surplus that funds them. We show that FTR underfunding (or conversely, hedging efficiency) can arise structurally from misalignment between the network models used in the FTR auction and the DAM, independent of bidding behavior. We develop a geometric framework in which both DAM mer- chandising surplus and the maximum supportable FTR payout are expressed as support functions of network-feasible injection polytopes. The resulting dual representation assigns nonneg- ative weights to transmission element-contingency constraints, enabling constraint-level attribution of model misalignment. Using this framework, we derive sharp implications for canon- ical FTR network modeling choices like uniform...

Energy storage resource adequacy contributions considering state of charge deviations

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Resource adequacy (RA) studies commonly repre- sent energy storage via economic dispatch, with the real-time state of charge (SOC) of storage units implicitly assumed to follow a predetermined schedule until scarcity conditions arise. This paper explores the implications of this assumption, by documenting how downward deviations in energy storage SOC in real-time operations affect reliability outcomes. Applying a probabilistic RA model to an ERCOT-like system with 5 GW of energy storage, we quantify the sensitivity of normalized expected unserved energy (NEUE) and marginal effective load carrying capability (ELCC) to SOC deviations across two-, four-, and eight-hour storage durations. We find that a downward SOC adjustment equal to 25% of maximum storage energy capacity increases system NEUE by a factor of 1.6–2.3 and reduces the marginal storage ELCC by 11–13 percentage points, both of which represent significant differences compared to reference cases. Metrics for shorter-duration...

A tuberculosis school outbreak in China, 2018: reaching an often overlooked adolescent population.

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Adolescents have been largely neglected from tuberculosis control efforts. In low- to medium burden settings much of the tuberculosis burden in this age group occurs from school outbreaks. We report on a large tuberculosis outbreak in adolescents from a boarding high school in Jiangsu Province, China. From March to June 2018, a tuberculosis outbreak occurred in a boarding high school. We conducted an outbreak investigation involving clinical diagnostic tests and molecular analysis to determine the outbreak origin. Cases were detected through symptom screening, tuberculin skin testing (TST), chest radiography, sputum smear, solid sputum culture and GeneXpert MTB/RIF. Mycobacterial interspersed repetitive-unit-variable-number tandem-repeat (MIRU-VNTR) genotyping and spoligotyping methods were performed on Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) isolates to identify the outbreak origin. A total of 845 students and 131 teachers/staff attended a TST screening for tuberculosis...

Decentralized Stability Certificates in IBR-Dominated Grids: The Role of the Network State

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Small-signal instabilities, such as unforced sub- synchronous oscillations (SSOs), are increasingly observed in inverter-based resource (IBR) dominated grids. While decentral- ized stability certificates offer a scalable means to avoid instability onset, they are typically derived under restrictive network-state assumptions–such as small angle differences or negligible voltage drops–that cannot capture how departures from these conditions affect system stability. In this paper, we develop a network model and a decentralized analysis framework that explicitly characterizes how reactive power mismatches, line loading, and inverter control parameters jointly determine small-signal stability. We show that increased steady-state reactive power mismatches and line loading lead to more stringent conditions on admissible inverter droop gains. These results make decentralized stability certificates explicitly network-state dependent, showing how network stress shrinks the set of stabilizing...

Zero-Shot Transfer Learning Across Reconfigurations for Three-Phase Unbalanced Power Distribution Systems

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Distribution utilities increasingly rely on data-driven methods for state estimation and forecasting as large-scale renewable energy integration causes rapid state changes, yet most learning-based approaches remain tied to specific feeder topologies and require retraining when networks are reconfig- ured. In practice, retraining models for every feeder and opera- tional configuration is infeasible due to limited data availability, modeling effort, and computational costs. This paper presents a physics-aware graph learning framework for three-phase un- balanced distribution networks that enables zero-shot transfer across unseen feeder reconfigurations, with potential extension to feeders sharing similar electrical and topological statistics. By combining scalar-weight graph convolutions grounded in power flow physics with adaptive graph pooling, the proposed model learns topology-invariant representations while accommodating variable network sizes. Case studies on the IEEE 123-bus...

Dynamic Storage Operation Under Uncertainty and the Reliability Externality: Implications for Capacity Investments

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Energy storage is increasingly relied upon to meet short-term demand uncertainties from renewable variability and electrification. Unlike conventional generators, storage’s contri- bution to reliability is policy-dependent and balances near-term arbitrage against future scarcity risk. We study how demand uncertainty alters such dynamic storage operation and how these operating decisions propagate into long-run investment outcomes. We formulate storage operation as an average-cost Markov decision process and embed the resulting stationary policies into a stylized capacity expansion framework. Demand uncertainty induces a precautionary storage policy which hedges against stochastic scarcity, leading to materially different post-storage demand distributions relative to perfect-foresight benchmarks. We additionally demonstrate that the reliability externality char- acteristic of electricity markets interacts with uncertainty in a manner that uniquely distorts both storage operation...

Trust-Region Benders for Scalable Multiperiod Expansion Planning for Transmission and Storage

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Transmission expansion planning (TEP) seeks to identify cost-effective investment strategies that enable power systems to reliably meet future demand, while accounting for the location, timing, and operational impacts of infrastructure upgrades. As demand grows and renewable penetration increases, there is growing interest in jointly modeling energy storage investments to enhance operational flexibility. This work presents a multiperiod formulation that co-optimizes transmission reconductoring and energy storage installation across multiple planning periods. To solve the resulting large-scale problem efficiently, a Benders decomposition with per-period trust-region stabilization and a relaxation-based warm-start procedure is proposed. The approach is demonstrated on a 2,000-bus Texas system, producing an investment plan spanning 2030–2045 with optimality gap below 1.0%, and is compared against a rolling- horizon approach to highlight the benefits of multiperiod coor- dination

Locational Marginal Prices Obey DC Circuit Laws

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Electricity markets often utilize the DC approxi- mation of the AC power flow equations to facilitate solving an otherwise complex nonconvex optimization problem. These DC power flow equations have analogies to DC circuit laws such as Kirchhoff’s Laws, resulting in an intuitive understanding of power flows under this model. Variables derived from the Lagrangian dual of the DC optimal power flow problem, such as locational marginal prices (LMPs) and congestion cost, are less intuitive without an understanding of optimization theory. Even with this understanding, LMP behavior, such as the conditions in which negative prices occur or the impact of individual congested lines on network-wide LMPs, remains somewhat mysterious. In this paper, we show that prices also obey DC circuit laws, which can help facilitate an intuitive understanding of their behav- ior and relationships throughout a network without explicitly understanding duality. In particular, prices can be modeled as voltages,...

The Genetic and Molecular Drivers of Multiple Myeloma: Current Insights, Clinical Implications, and the Path Forward.

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy characterized by the clonal proliferation of malignant plasma cells within the bone marrow. The diseases complexity is underpinned by a variety of genetic and molecular abnormalities that drive its progression.

Methods

This review was conducted through a state-of-The-art literature search, primarily utilizing PubMed to gather peer-reviewed articles. We focused on the most comprehensive and cited studies to ensure a thorough understanding of the genetic and molecular landscapes of MM.

Results

We detail primary and secondary alterations such as translocations, hyperdiploidy, single nucleotide variants (SNVs), copy number alterations (CNAs), gene fusions, epigenetic modifications, non-coding RNAs, germline predisposing variants, and the influence of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Our analysis highlights the heterogeneity of MM and the challenges it poses in treatment and prognosis, emphasizing...

Next-Generation Grid Codes: Toward a New Paradigm for Dynamic Ancillary Services

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This paper presents preliminary results toward a conceptual foundation for Next-Generation Grid Codes (NGGCs) based on decentralized stability and performance certification for dynamic ancillary services. The proposed NGGC framework targets two core outcomes: (i) guaranteed closed-loop stability and (ii) explicit performance assurances for power-system frequency and voltage dynamics. Stability is addressed using loop-shifting and passivity-based methods that yield local frequency-domain certificates for individual devices, enabling fully decentralized verification of the interconnected system. Performance is char- acterized by deriving quantitative bounds on key time-domain metrics (e.g., nadirs, rate-of-change-of-frequency (RoCoF), steady- state deviations, and oscillation damping) through frequency- domain constraints on local device behavior. The framework is non-parametric and model-agnostic, accommodating a broad class of device dynamics under mild assumptions, and provides...

Productive Curtailment in Agrivoltaic Systems under Flexible Interconnection Agreements

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Flexible interconnection agreements are increasingly used to streamline the distributed generation interconnection process by limiting real power exports and avoiding costly grid upgrades. Agrivoltaic systems–solar photovoltaic (PV) panels installed over agricultural land–can provide added value under these agreements by adjusting the PV panels away from sun tracking while increasing the sunlight available to crops. This technical note investigates the operation of agrivoltaics under flexible interconnection limits and evaluates their impact on both PV energy production and crop outcomes. We formulate an optimization problem that determines the time-varying tilt of a single-axis tracking agrivoltaic system to maximize energy production subject to a real power export limit over an entire growing season. The resulting PV operating schedules are then used to evaluate PV energy production and crop yield. In a case study, we demonstrate that agrivoltaic systems can comply with flexible...

Strategic Spatial Load Shifting and Market Efficiency

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Large, spatially flexible electricity consumers such as data centers can reallocate demand across locations, influenc- ing dispatch and prices in wholesale electricity markets. While flexible load is often assumed to improve system efficiency, this intuition typically relies on price-taking behavior. We study price-anticipatory spatial load shifting by modeling a large flexible consumer as a Stackelberg leader interacting with DC optimal power flow (DC-OPF) based market clearing. We show that decentralized, cost-minimizing load shifting need not align with system operating cost minimization, and that misalignment arises at boundaries between DC-OPF operating regimes, where small changes in load can induce discrete changes in marginal generators or congestion patterns. We evaluate strategic load shifting on the 73-bus RTS-GMLC test system, where findings indicate reductions in system operating cost in most hours, but misalignment in a subset of cases that are driven by redispatch...

On the Concept of an Optimal Portfolio of Uncertain Flexible Loads

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Flexible loads can enhance power system stability by providing reserves, but their limited energy capacity and uncer- tain availability distinguish them from conventional generators. To accommodate these characteristics, the Danish Transmission System Operator (TSO) recently introduced new reserve market rules that incorporate energy constraints and relax reliability requirements. In this context, the optimal reserve quantification becomes a joint chance-constrained reserve quantification prob- lem, which is difficult to solve. In this paper, we derive two analytical reformulations of this problem: an exact one when a reserve direction dominates and an approximate one, otherwise. Furthermore, when flexible loads must collectively satisfy a reliability requirement, we introduce the concept of an optimal portfolio of flexible loads: adding loads with similar expected values but different stochastic behaviors to an existing portfolio may change the total portfolio’s reserves....

Influence of Fiber Deviation on Strength of Thin Birch (Betula pendula Roth.) Veneers.

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The currently pursued implementation of wood into novel high performance applications such as automotive parts require knowledge about the material behaviour including ultimate strength. Previous research has shown that fiber deviation seems to be the dominating factor influencing the strength of thin veneers. This study aims to further investigate and quantify the influence of fiber deviation in two dimension and different hierarchical levels on the tensile strength of thin birch veneers. The fiber deviation in- and out-of-plane as well as the micro fibril angle were assessed by means of wide-angle X-ray scattering. Tensile strength was determined in laboratory experiments. Results show a high variability for in-plane fiber deviation mainly constituted by knots and other growth influencing factors. Pearson correlations between strength and fiber deviation ranged from -0.594 up to -0.852. Best correlation (r = -0.852) was achieved for maximum in-plane fiber deviation directly...

Optimal Solar Investment and Operation under Asymmetric Net Metering

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We examine the joint investment and operational decisions of a prosumer, a customer who both consumes and generates electricity, under net energy metering (NEM) tariffs. Traditional NEM schemes provide temporally flat compensation at the retail price for net energy exports over a billing period. However, ongoing reforms in several U.S. states are introducing time-varying prices and asymmetric import/export compensation to better align incentives with grid costs. While prior studies treat PV capacity as exogenous and focus primarily on consumption behavior, this work endogenizes PV investment and derives the marginal value of solar capacity for a flexible prosumer under asymmetric NEM tariffs. We characterize optimal investment and show how optimal investment changes with prices and PV costs. Through this analysis, we identify a PV effect: changes in NEM pricing in one period can influence net demand and consumption in generating periods with unchanged prices through adjustments...

A Coalitional Stable and Fair Reward Allocation for Dynamic Virtual Power Plants

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This paper establishes crucial cooperation criteria for the operation of Dynamic Virtual Power Plants (DVPPs). We propose a control design and reward allocation mechanism to enable and incentivize Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) to provide dynamic ancillary services (DAS). Our results illustrate how the cooperative aggregation of heterogeneous DERs lever- ages technical complementarities to outperform standalone DAS provision. The proposed reward allocation fulfills critical game- theoretic criteria, including individual rationality, coalitional stability, incentive compatibility, optimality, fairness and ex- post consistency. The control design and reward allocation are validated using a case study based on the Finnish power grid.

Outage Identification from Electricity Market Data: Quickest Change Detection Approach

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Power system outages expose market participants to significant financial risk unless promptly detected and hedged. We develop an outage identification method from public market signals grounded in the parametric quickest change detection (QCD) theory. Parametric QCD operates on stochastic data streams, distinguishing pre- and post-change regimes using the ratio of their respective probability density functions. To derive the density functions for normal and post-outage market signals, we exploit multi-parametric programming to decompose complex market signals into parametric random variables with a known density. These densities are then used to construct a QCD-based statistic that triggers an alarm as soon as the statistic exceeds an appropriate threshold. Numerical experiments on a stylized PJM testbed demonstrate rapid line outage identification from public streams of electricity demand and price data.

Bifurcation Analysis of Sub-Synchronous Oscillations Related to Grid-Forming Converter Inner Controllers

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

To ensure power system stability and security, it is vital to understand the complex nonlinear power system dy- namics related to converter-interfaced generators. For example, grid-forming (GFM) converters are expected to be a key asset for maintaining a strong and stable power system, but might cause wide-bandwidth stability issues with underlying mechanisms heretofore unseen or understudied, including sub-synchronous oscillations (SSOs). This paper details a continuation-based bi- furcation analysis of a GFM converter, revealing stability bounds with respect to operational conditions in addition to the time constant of the cascaded inner voltage and current controllers. We focus our analysis on the strong grid instability caused by an inner controller-related SSO, including continuation of the limit cycle past the Hopf bifurcation point, revealing rapid onset of unacceptably large oscillations. Furthermore, we investigate the impact of the circular current limiter, revealing...

Unlocking the Informational Value of Marginal Costs for Exact Time Series Aggregation in Generation Expansion Planning

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This paper addresses the generation expansion plan- ning (GEP) problem, formulated as a mixed-integer linear programming model with intertemporal storage constraints. Be- ing generally NP-hard, the problem’s computational complexity grows sharply with the planning horizon and the number of binary variables. While previous research has tackled this challenge using heuristic time series aggregation (TSA) methods, we propose a theoretically grounded marginal-cost-based TSA, designed to construct an aggregated model that preserves the active constraints of its full-scale counterpart, thereby explic- itly targeting exact temporal aggregation. This TSA method is embedded within solution algorithms that iteratively refine theoretically validated bounds on the maximum error introduced by the temporal aggregation relative to conventional full-scale optimization, thus offering a formal performance guarantee to the decision-maker. Numerical results highlight the computational advantages...

Historical slavery predicts contemporary disparities in mortality between Black and White Americans

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We tested whether contemporary Black-White mortality disparities in the United States may be rooted in the historical legacy of slavery and perpetuated through structural inequalities. Linking county-level data on the proportion of enslaved people in 1860 with structural inequality indicators from 1990 to 2000 and mortality outcomes from 2010 to 2020, we find that historical slavery is robustly associated with contemporary racial mortality gaps. Our model estimates ~22 additional deaths per 100,000 among Black Americans relative to White Americans for every 10% increase in the 1860 enslaved population. Path analysis models showed that segregation, economic inequality, and racial disparities in poverty and education statistically mediated this effect. We test the plausibility of a causal pathway using an instrumental variable analysis and explore the robustness of our theoretical model in multiple supplemental analyses. Our analyses held even after controlling for a comprehensive...

A Sparsification Method for Security-Constrained Optimal Power Flow

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

To ensure the security of power systems, operators solve security-constrained optimal power flow (SCOPF) problems to determine setpoints that satisfy operational constraints under credible contingencies. As the size of the contingency increases, the problem becomes computationally expensive, especially for very large systems with thousands of buses and lines. Solving SCOPF problems with large systems using the typical B-θ model can become intractable. Instead, a more tractable approach is to use a sensitivity-based model based on Power Transfer Distri- bution Factors (PTDFs). Sensitivity-based models solve SCOPF problems more efficiently when a subset of the constraints is active at optimal solutions. Although solving SCOPF with the PTDF has many advantages over the B-θ model, the PTDF matrix is very dense in real-world systems, resulting in slow computational performance. This paper presents a method for sparsifying the PTDF matrix without compromising solution quality. The...

Safe Reconnection Time for Large-Scale Data Center Loads: An Analytical Framework for Transient Stability Assessment

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The rapid growth of large, power electronics-rich data center loads (DCLs) is creating new operational challenges for bulk power systems. A key risk arises when a DCLs unin- terruptible power supply (UPS) disconnects the facility during voltage/frequency disturbances and then reconnects it while the bulk grid is still dynamically settling to a new equilibrium point. Poorly timed reconnection can amplify electromechanical oscillations, deepen frequency deviations, and lead to repeated connect-disconnect flapping. In this paper, we develop an an- alytical framework to characterize the safe reconnection time for large DCL after a disturbance-induced disconnection that avoids flapping. Using a model in the spirit of the classical single-machine infinite-bus system, we capture (i) swing dynamics during the disconnection interval and (ii) voltage-angle coupling at the load bus, which determines the electrical power step at re- connection under constant-power load assumptions. Using...

Tuberculosis incidence in foreign-born people residing in European countries in 2020.

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

BackgroundEuropean-specific policies for tuberculosis (TB) elimination require identification of key populations that benefit from TB screening.AimWe aimed to identify groups of foreign-born individuals residing in European countries that benefit most from targeted TB prevention screening.MethodsThe Tuberculosis Network European Trials group collected, by cross-sectional survey, numbers of foreign-born TB patients residing in European Union (EU) countries, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom (UK) in 2020 from the 10 highest ranked countries of origin in terms of TB cases in each country of residence. Tuberculosis incidence rates (IRs) in countries of residence were compared with countries of origin.ResultsData on 9,116 foreign-born TB patients in 30 countries of residence were collected. Main countries of origin were Eritrea, India, Pakistan, Morocco, Romania and Somalia. Tuberculosis IRs were highest in patients of Eritrean and Somali origin in Greece and Malta...

Self-Certifying Primal-Dual Optimization Proxies for Large-Scale Batch Economic Dispatch

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Recent research has shown that optimization proxies can be trained to high fidelity, achieving average optimality gaps under 1% for large-scale problems. However, worst-case analyses show that there exist in-distribution queries that result in orders of magnitude higher optimality gap, making it difficult to trust the predictions in practice. This paper aims at striking a balance between classical solvers and optimization proxies in order to enable trustworthy deployments with interpretable speed-optimality tradeoffs based on a user-defined optimality threshold. To this end, the paper proposes a hybrid solver that leverages duality theory to efficiently bound the optimality gap of predictions, falling back to a classical solver for queries where optimality cannot be certified. To improve the achieved speedup of the hybrid solver, the paper proposes an alternative training procedure that combines the primal and dual proxy training. Experiments on large-scale transmission systems...

A Welfarist Perspective on Fair Generation Curtailment

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This paper presents a welfarist approach to fair active power curtailment in distribution grids with distributed photovoltaics. We address the lack of consistent axiomatic foun- dations in existing ad-hoc curtailment rules by modeling the decision as a social choice problem over feasible operating points and by deriving curtailment objectives from a set of foundational axioms that express principled stances on fairness and grid access rights. Rather than relying on the typically assumed full comparability of utilities, which can lead to undesirable outcomes in heterogeneous residential systems, we adopt a cardinal non- comparability stance on utilities. This approach requires far fewer assumptions about prosumers’ private preferences while providing a rigorous basis for fair social ranking. We then present a unified framework that demonstrates that existing curtailment schemes represent specific instances of the Kalai- Smorodinsky rule applied to different normative reference...

Integrated Investment and Policy Planning for Power Systems via Differentiable Scenario Generation

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We formulate a method to co-optimize power system capacity planning decisions and policy investments that shape electricity load patterns. To this end, we leverage a gradient- based solution technique that enables the efficient solution of operation-aware planning models. To compute gradients with respect to the conditions that define daily electricity demand profiles, we introduce and formalize the concept of differentiable scenario generation and show that generative machine learning models satisfy the mathematical requirements needed to compute consistent gradients. We demonstrate the feasibility of the pro- posed approach through numerical experiments using a diffusion model–based scenario generator and a stylized generation and capacity expansion planning model.

Risk-Hedging Market Clearing for Flexible Ramping Products with Price-Maker Virtual Batteries

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Current Flexible Ramping Product (FRP) procure- ment relies heavily on gas-fired generators, which incur signifi- cant inefficiencies due to the “over-commitment” problem caused by minimum generation constraints. While HVAC-based Virtual Batteries (VBs) offer a flexible alternative, their large-scale aggregation transforms them from price-takers to price-makers, creating a unique financial risk: the HVAC load increasing phase may coincide with self-induced price spikes, eroding ramping revenues. To address this, this paper proposes a two-stage stochastic market clearing framework that co-optimizes energy and ramping services. We explicitly model the distinct “Up- Down” and “Down-Up” load shifting of VBs to provide ramping capacities. Crucially, a financial risk management mechanism is integrated into the optimization to hedge against the price volatility caused by the VBs’ own load-shifting behavior. Nu- merical results demonstrate that the proposed method effectively mitigates...

Interfacial Adhesion and Mechanical Properties of Wood-Polymer Hybrid Composites Prepared by Injection Molding.

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Birch (Betula pendula Roth.) and beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) solid wood and plywood were overmolded with polyamide 6 (PA 6) and polypropylene (PP) to investigate their mechanical properties and interfacial adhesion. In the case of PA 6, maximum tensile shear strengths values of more than 8 to 9 MPa were obtained for birch and beech, respectively. The values are comparable to bond strengths of commercial joints bonded with formaldehyde-containing amino-plastics. Perpendicular to the wood elements, bond strength values of 3 MPa was achieved for PA 6. The penetration of the polymers into the wood structure results in a non-densified interphase and subsequent plastic deformation of the wood structure beyond the interphase. These compressed areas influenced the interfacial adhesion and mechanical interlocking. SEM and XPS analysis revealed different interpenetration behavior of the polymers into the wood structure, with chemical interaction confirmed only for wood and...

Generalized Vector Locus Transformation for Unbalanced Three-Phase Systems

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Coordinate transformations significantly simplify power systems computations. Most notably, the classical Clarke and dq0 transformations are widely used in three-phase systems, as together they transform balanced abc quantities into constant- valued signals. However, during unbalanced operation, the utility of these transformations diminishes, since a null 0-coordinate cannot be ensured and oscillating signals emerge. While recently proposed transformations ensure a null 0-coordinate, they either do not lead to constant-valued signals in the dq0 domain or fail under various unbalanced scenarios. In this paper, we propose a Generalized Vector Locus (GVL) transformation that ensures both a null 0-coordinate and constant-valued signals. Moreover, we show that, in the balanced case, the classical amplitude- invariant Clarke transformation is an instance of the proposed GVL transformation.

Enigmatic intractable Epilepsy patients have antibodies that bind glutamate receptor peptides, kill neurons, damage the brain, and cause Generalized Tonic Clonic Seizures.

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Epilepsy affects 1-2% of the world population, is enigmatic in 30% of cases, and is often intractable, unresponsive to antiepileptic drugs, and accompanied by cognitive, psychiatric and behavioral problems. Tests for Autoimmune Epilepsy are not performed routinely, and limited to passive diagnosis of known autoimmune antibodies, without essential functional tests to reveal active pathogenic antibodies. We investigated two young Epilepsy patients with different Epilepsy characteristics, repeated intractable seizures, and enigmatic etiology. We suspected Autoimmune Epilepsy. We found that both patients have elevated IgG antibodies, and three types of glutamate receptor antibodies, to: AMPA-GluR3B, NMDA-NR1 and NMDA-NR2 peptides. In contrast, they lack autoantibodies to: LGI1, CASPR2, GABA-RB1, Amphiphysin, CV2, PNMA1, Ri, Yo, Hu, Recoverin, Soxi and Titin. IgG antibodies of both patients bound and killed human neural cells In vitro. Moreover, In vivo video EEG studies in naive rats...

Gender similarities and differences in dishonesty

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We review the evidence linking gender to dishonesty and conclude that men are often more dishonest than women, especially in competitive settings where lies advance self-interest. However, gender differences in dishonesty are often small and mutable across situations. We propose that attending to self-regulatory constructs such as moral identity might help researchers move beyond the evolutionary-cultural debates over the origin of gender differences toward identifying factors that promote honesty from both genders.

Abnormal Binocular Rivalry Dynamics in Amblyopia: A Potential Diagnostic Marker

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Purpose: Amblyopia is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by monocular deficits and interocular suppression. Binocular rivalry, where perception alternates between dissimilar images, is a powerful tool to probe this suppression. However, the dynamics of sustained binocular rivalry remain poorly characterized in amblyopia. This study aimed to comprehensively characterize these dynamics in individuals with amblyopia compared to visually-normal controls. Methods: Eleven adults with amblyopia and eight controls continuously reported their perception during a binocular rivalry task through keypresses. We used custom calibration to ensure stable fusion. Key metrics included complete reversal rates (transitions between differing monocular percepts), incomplete reversal rates (transitions to mixed percepts and back), and eye preference indexes. Results: Although most participants with amblyopia experienced sustained rivalry, their dynamics were severely abnormal. Complete reversal...

Oil and gas well development and coccidioidomycosis risk in Kern County, CA, USA: a case-crossover study

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

BACKGROUND: Coccidioidomycosis is an emerging fungal disease caused by inhaling Coccidioides spp spores. As spores reside in soil, activities that disturb soil and generate dust can aerosolise and transport the pathogen. The oil and gas industry has been extensively developed in some regions that are endemic for Coccidioides spp and has been associated with dust emissions. Although several adverse health outcomes have previously been associated with oil and gas development, its impact on coccidioidomycosis risk has not been investigated. We aimed to estimate the association between exposure to oil and gas well development (ie, wells in preproduction) and risk of coccidioidomycosis among residents living near new wells. METHODS: In this case-crossover study, we obtained information on reported coccidioidomycosis cases and oil and gas well development between 2007 and 2022 in Kern County, CA, USA. We then compared exposure to preproduction wells within 5 km of each individual's...

LDscaff: LD-based scaffolding of de novo genome assemblies.

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background

Genome assembly is fundamental for de novo genome analysis. Hybrid assembly, utilizing various sequencing technologies increases both contiguity and accuracy. While such approaches require extra costly sequencing efforts, the information provided millions of existed whole-genome sequencing data have not been fully utilized to resolve the task of scaffolding. Genetic recombination patterns in population data indicate non-random association among alleles at different loci, can provide physical distance signals to guide scaffolding.

Results

In this paper, we propose LDscaff for draft genome assembly incorporating linkage disequilibrium information in population data. We evaluated the performance of our method with both simulated data and real data. We simulated scaffolds by splitting the pig reference genome and reassembled them. Gaps between scaffolds were introduced ranging from 0 to 100 KB. The genome misassembly rate is 2.43% when there is no gap....

County-Level Efforts to Facilitate Systemic and Transformative Social and Emotional Learning in California

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

County-Level Efforts to Facilitate Systemic and Transformative Social and Emotional Learning in California

Selective inhibition of NOX2 after status epilepticus attenuates epileptogenesis and cognitive impairment: A sex-dependent study.

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Epilepsy, a chronic neurological disorder affecting approximately 1 % of the global population, is characterized by recurrent seizures that are often refractory to current antiseizure medications (ASMs). These pharmacotherapies predominantly suppress symptoms without intervening in the underlying pathophysiological cascade, which includes persistent oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, key drivers of epileptogenesis and pharmacoresistance. Among the primary enzymatic sources of reactive oxygen species (ROS), NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) has emerged as a central mediator of redox imbalance and neuroimmune activation in the brain. However, the sex-specific roles of NOX2 and its modulation as a therapeutic strategy remain largely unexplored. Here, we investigated the therapeutic efficacy of GSK2795039, a selective and functionally active NOX2 inhibitor, in a kainic acid (KA)-induced status epilepticus (SE) rat model. We examined both acute and chronic outcomes of early NOX2 inhibition...

Environmental Migration and Indigenous Cultural Degradation: The Wayuu in Colombia

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Environmental Migration and Indigenous Cultural Degradation: The Wayuu in Colombia

People prefer to negotiate with women, even when outcomes are identical and gender is unknown

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

While gender and economic outcomes in negotiation have been studied for decades, much less is known about gender differences in subjective outcomes, such as trust, rapport, and willingness to negotiate again, despite their importance for long-term success. In a series of studies with over 2,000 participants, we find that people consistently report better subjective outcomes when negotiating with women. This preference persists even in anonymous negotiations where gender is unknown and cannot be inferred from behavior, as well as in conditions where negotiation partner gender is randomly assigned. Importantly, we find no gender difference in economic outcomes. To understand why, we analyzed transcripts of real negotiations for any behavioral differences. These findings reveal an overlooked gender dynamic: While men and women achieve similar economic results, women foster stronger interpersonal relationships, which in turn lead to greater satisfaction and greater desire for future...

Thioredoxin-mimetic peptide attenuates epilepsy progression and neurocognitive deficits.

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures, in which oxidative stress and neuroinflammation play central roles in driving disease progression and pharmacoresistance. Approximately 30-40 % of patients are resistant to current antiseizure medications, which suppress symptoms but do not prevent epilepsy development or modify its progression. There is an urgent need for therapies with true disease-modifying potential. TXM-CB3 (CB3), a thioredoxin-mimetic tripeptide, has been reported to modulate redox and inflammatory pathways. In this study, we evaluated the therapeutic potential of CB3 in preclinical models of temporal lobe epilepsy, focusing on its capacity to suppress seizures, preserve neuronal integrity, and mitigate epilepsy-associated behavioral impairments. We first examined CB3 in an in vitro model of low-Mg²⁺-induced epileptiform activity, where pretreatment with CB3 (50, 100 μM) attenuated oxidative activity and reduced proinflammatory...

Next-Generation Grid Codes: Toward a New Paradigm for Dynamic Ancillary Services

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

SpecHLA enables full-resolution HLA typing from sequencing data.

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Reconstructing diploid sequences of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes, i.e., full-resolution HLA typing, from sequencing data is challenging. The high homogeneity across HLA genes and the high heterogeneity within HLA alleles complicate the identification of genomic source loci for sequencing reads. Here, we present SpecHLA, which utilizes fine-tuned reads binning and local assembly to achieve accurate full-resolution HLA typing. SpecHLA accepts sequencing data from paired-end, 10×-linked-reads, high-throughput chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C), Pacific Biosciences (PacBio), and Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT). It can also incorporate pedigree data and genotype frequency to refine typing. In 32 Human Genome Structural Variation Consortium, Phase 2 (HGSVC2) samples, SpecHLA achieved 98.6% accuracy for G-group-resolution HLA typing, inferring entire HLA alleles with an average of three mismatches fewer, ten gaps fewer, and 590 bp less edit distance than HISAT-genotype...

Nrf2 is predominantly expressed in hippocampal neurons in a rat model of temporal lobe epilepsy.

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background

Drug resistance is a particular problem in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy, where seizures originate mainly from the hippocampus. Many of these epilepsies are acquired conditions following an insult to the brain such as a prolonged seizure. Such conditions are characterized by pathophysiological mechanisms including massive oxidative stress that synergistically mediate the secondary brain damage, contributing to the development of epilepsy. The transcription factor nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) has emerged in recent years as an attractive therapeutic approach targeting to upregulate the antioxidative defenses in the cell, to ameliorate the oxidative stress-induced damage. Thus, it is important to understand the characteristics of Nrf2 activation during epileptogenesis and epilepsy. Here, we studied the temporal, regional, and cell-type specific expression of Nrf2 in the brain, in a rat model of temporal lobe epilepsy.

Results

Early...

Not All Powerful People Are Created Equal: An Examination of Gender and Pathways to Social Hierarchy Through the Lens of Social Cognition

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Across four studies (N = 816 U.S. adults), we uncovered a gender stereotype about dual pathways to social hierarchy: Men were associated with power, and women were associated with status. We detected this pattern both explicitly and implicitly in perceptions of individuals drawn from Forbes magazine's powerful people lists in undergraduate and online samples. We examined social-cognitive implications, including prominent people's degree of recognition by individuals and society, and the formation of men's and women's self-concepts. We found that power (status) ratings predicted greater recognition of men (women) and lesser recognition of women (men). In terms of the self-concept, we found that women internalized the stereotype associating women with status more than power implicitly and explicitly. Although men explicitly reported having less status and more power than women, men implicitly associated the self with status as much as power. No gender differences emerged...

Kohn-Luttinger effect in dense matter and its implications for neutron stars

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Repulsive short-range interactions can induce p-wave attraction between fermions in dense matter and lead to Cooper pairing at the Fermi surface. We investigate this phenomenon, well known as the Kohn-Luttinger effect in condensed-matter physics, in dense matter with strong short-range repulsive interactions. We find that repulsive interactions required to stabilize massive neutron stars can induce p-wave pairing in neutron and quark matter. When massive vector bosons mediate the interaction between fermions, the induced interaction favors Cooper pairing in the P23 channel. For the typical strength of the interaction favored by massive neutron stars, the associated pairing gaps in neutrons can be in the range of 10 keV to 10 MeV. Strong and attractive spin-orbit and tensor forces between neutrons can result in repulsive induced interactions that greatly suppress the P23 pairing gap in neutron matter. In quark matter, the induced interaction is too small to result in pairing gaps...

Repurposing dimethyl fumarate as an antiepileptogenic and disease-modifying treatment for drug-resistant epilepsy.

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background

Epilepsy affects over 65 million people worldwide and significantly burdens patients, caregivers, and society. Drug-resistant epilepsy occurs in approximately 30% of patients and growing evidence indicates that oxidative stress contributes to the development of such epilepsies. Activation of the Nrf2 pathway, which is involved in cellular defense, offers a potential strategy for reducing oxidative stress and epilepsy treatment. Dimethyl fumarate (DMF), an Nrf2 activator, exhibits antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and is used to treat multiple sclerosis.

Methods

The expression of Nrf2 and its related genes in vehicle or DMF treated rats were determined via RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Neuronal cell death was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining. The effects of DMF in preventing the onset of epilepsy and modifying the disease were investigated in the kainic acid-induced status epilepticus model of temporal lobe epilepsy in rats. The open...

Donkey genomes provide new insights into domestication and selection for coat color.

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Current knowledge about the evolutionary history of donkeys is still incomplete due to the lack of archeological and whole-genome diversity data. To fill this gap, we have de novo assembled a chromosome-level reference genome of one male Dezhou donkey and analyzed the genomes of 126 domestic donkeys and seven wild asses. Population genomics analyses indicate that donkeys were domesticated in Africa and conclusively show reduced levels of Y chromosome variability and discordant paternal and maternal histories, possibly reflecting the consequences of reproductive management. We also investigate the genetic basis of coat color. While wild asses show diluted gray pigmentation (Dun phenotype), domestic donkeys display non-diluted black or chestnut coat colors (non-Dun) that were probably established during domestication. Here, we show that the non-Dun phenotype is caused by a 1 bp deletion downstream of the TBX3 gene, which decreases the expression of this gene and its inhibitory effect...

Psychological drivers of gender disparities in leadership paths

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Despite decades of progress, gender inequalities in workplace authority and compensation persist. This review reveals recent advances in understanding how gendered careers emerge through three psychological mechanisms prevalent in organizations: (i) intrapersonal gender biases, (ii) interpersonal power dynamics, and (iii) intergroup gender relations. Because power is perceived as masculine, women in authority face systematic backlash. While status offers women an alternative leadership route, it proves less valuable than power - lacking resource control and requiring constant social validation rather than conferring formal authority. We suggest that mindsets about human malleability moderate these dynamics: fixed mindsets amplify stereotyping and power-based challenges for women leaders, while growth mindsets attenuate barriers. Our framework aims to illuminate gender disparities and to suggest promising intervention pathways.

Salvage Salvation Counterculture Trash as a Cultural Resource

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Salvage Salvation Counterculture Trash as a Cultural Resource

Designing Math Classrooms for Equity: Intersecting Critical Theories With Powerful Instruction to Create Critically Inclusive Mathematics

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Despite a widespread recognition of the need for greater equity in mathematics, inequities persist in the subject for those historically marginalized in mathematics—such as students of color, students labeled as English learners, students labeled with a dis/ability, and women. In this paper, I argue that equity can only be achieved via an integrated understanding of the ways in which mechanisms of oppression have served to exclude students in education writ large and in mathematics specifically. Drawing on the framework of Critical Inclusion (InCrit), I aim to integrate efforts seeking to dismantle such mechanisms—including racism, linguicism, colonialism, ableism, and the specific exclusionary culture of mathematics—into a unified whole. I contend that this vision of critically inclusive mathematics might offer a vehicle by which to envision an emancipatory mathematical future for all students.

Atlantic Reconstruction: Democracy, Abolition, and the Making of Political Personhood

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Atlantic Reconstruction: Democracy, Abolition, and the Making of Political Personhood

The Gendered Returns to Power: How Gender, Structural Power, and Perceived Resource Sufficiency Shape Meritocracy Perceptions in Organizations

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

ABSTRACT Why do women remain underrepresented in positions of power? The present work leverages four studies ( N = 99,293) spanning archival, qualitative, and experimental methods to surface one novel antecedent to this gender gap. Men (vs. women) tend to perceive their organizations as more meritocratic as a function of their structural power (Studies 1–2). This gender difference is statistically accounted for by the fact that men's power is more often accompanied by perceived resource sufficiency , or the appraisal that one has adequate instrumental and material resources to meet role demands and exercise authority effectively (Studies 1–3). A preregistered experiment finds that higher (vs. lower) perceived resource sufficiency increases meritocracy perceptions, which in turn increase career investment intentions but weaken support for equity‐enhancing initiatives (Study 4). Together, these findings reveal that structural power's psychological consequences are not uniform across...

Effects of Landau quantization on neutrino emission and absorption

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Some neutron stars known as magnetars possess very strong magnetic fields, with surface fields as large as 1015 G and internal fields that are possibly stronger. Recent observations of the radio pulsar GLEAM-X J1627 suggest it may have a surface field as strong as 1016 G. In the presence of a strong magnetic field, Leinson and Perez showed and Baiko and Yakovlev confirmed that the energy levels of electrons and protons are quantized and the direct Urca process allows neutron stars to cool rapidly, even at low density. For the case of magnetic fields B≳1016 G, we find features in the emissivity due to energy quantization that are not captured by the frequently employed quasiclassical approximation where energy levels are treated as nearly continuous. Resonances can result in amplification of the neutrino emissivity at specific densities compared to a calculation that neglects quantization, particularly at low temperature. These effects are not important for the thermal evolution...

Does Hoodwinking Others Pay? The Psychological and Relational Consequences of Undetected Negotiator Deception

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Lies often go undetected, and we know little about the psychological and relational consequences of successfully deceiving others. While the evidence to date indicates that undetected dishonesty induces positive affect in independent decision contexts, we propose that it may elicit guilt and undermine satisfaction in negotiations despite facilitating better deals for deceivers. Across four studies, we find support for a deceiver's guilt account, whereby dishonesty triggers guilt and lessens negotiators' satisfaction with the bargaining experience. This pattern is robust to several factors, including the size of negotiators' incentives and individual differences in negotiators' moral character. It holds for both lies issued of negotiators' own volition and in compliance with others' orders. Large incentives also exacerbated dishonesty-induced guilt. Further, dissatisfaction stemming from dishonesty-induced guilt had downstream relational consequences. Despite going undetected,...

Phytochemical Screening, Quantification, FT-IR Analysis, and In Silico Characterization of Potential Bio-active Compounds Identified in HR-LC/MS Analysis of the Polyherbal Formulation from Northeast India.

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Diabetes is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by elevated blood sugar levels, leading to many undesirable health consequences. There are many herbal formulations, traditionally used by the Northeast Indian population for disease management. These formulations require scientific validations to optimize their efficacy and increase their popularity. In this study, we attempt to scientifically validate a polyherbal formulation traditionally used for the management of diabetes through preliminary phytochemicals investigation, characterization of potential phytochemicals using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, high-resolution liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (HR-LC/MS) analysis, and in silico characterization of physiochemical, drug-likeness, and pharmacokinetic properties of identified phytochemical compounds. Qualitative phytochemical screening of various extracts of the formulation confirmed the presence of alkaloids, phenols and tannins, flavonoids,...

It All Went Up In Flames: An Analysis of Northern California’s Colonial Fire Policies

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

It All Went Up In Flames: An Analysis of Northern California’s Colonial Fire Policies

“This Is How I Fight”:Reimagining Softness Across Scales in Everything Everywhere All at Once

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

“This Is How I Fight”:Reimagining Softness Across Scales in Everything Everywhere All at Once

Decentralized Stability Certificates in IBR-Dominated Grids: The Role of the Network State

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Zero-Shot Transfer Learning for Three-Phase Unbalanced Power Distribution Systems

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Enhancing insights into diseases through horizontal gene transfer event detection from gut microbiome.

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) phenomena pervade the gut microbiome and significantly impact human health. Yet, no current method can accurately identify complete HGT events, including the transferred sequence and the associated deletion and insertion breakpoints from shotgun metagenomic data. Here, we develop LocalHGT, which facilitates the reliable and swift detection of complete HGT events from shotgun metagenomic data, delivering an accuracy of 99.4%-verified by Nanopore data-across 200 gut microbiome samples, and achieving an average F1 score of 0.99 on 100 simulated data. LocalHGT enables a systematic characterization of HGT events within the human gut microbiome across 2098 samples, revealing that multiple recipient genome sites can become targets of a transferred sequence, microhomology is enriched in HGT breakpoint junctions (P-value = 3.3e-58), and HGTs can function as host-specific fingerprints indicated by the significantly higher HGT similarity of intra-personal...

Targeting Hsp90 with cemdomespib reduces seizure burden and alters disease course in preclinical epilepsy models.

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Objective

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures and frequent cognitive and psychiatric comorbidities. Although current antiseizure medications provide symptomatic relief, they fail to prevent or modify epileptogenesis. Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is increasingly recognized as a regulator of neuroinflammatory and oxidative stress pathways implicated in seizure generation and disease progression. Here, we investigated the therapeutic potential of cemdomespib, a novel and selective Hsp90 inhibitor, across complementary preclinical models of epilepsy.

Methods

In vitro, cemdomespib was evaluated in the low-magnesium model of epileptiform activity for its effects on neuronal calcium dynamics, mitochondrial membrane stability, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. In vivo, acute seizure protection was assessed in the pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) model, and antiepileptogenic efficacy was tested in the kainic acid-induced...

Data Centers Lower Nearby Housing Values

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Artificial intelligence is driving unprecedented investment in data centers, yet the local costs and benefits of these facilities remain largely unmeasured. We estimate how households value nearby data center development using a newly constructed database of U.S. data centers and housing transaction data. Our statistical analysis uses a matched stacked event study design that compares housing transactions near newly announced large data centers with transactions in observably similar areas near data centers that are announced later. Large data centers reduce housing values within 3 miles by 3% on average over the following 5 years. The effect is highly localized: prices within 1 mile fall by 7.2% on average, with smaller effects beyond 1 mile. Price declines persist for at least 5 years and are larger for hyperscale and high-capacity data centers, urban locations, and the first large data center in an area. Consistent with increasing public awareness of data center externalities,...

Why Lies Don’t Pay in Negotiations and the Workplace

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We discuss the consequences of undetected lies for professional relationships. Lying is common in various professional contexts and typically goes undetected. However, recent research on deception in negotiation reveals that, despite potential economic benefits, undetected lies have hidden relational costs. In our studies, lies were designed to enable lucrative economic deals, and lies typically remained hidden from unsuspecting targets. Nevertheless, lying undermined negotiators’ satisfaction with their own deals and reduced their desire to interact with their counterpart again. We conclude that despite the potential short‐term benefits of deception in negotiation, encouraging honesty in the workplace is crucial for building high‐quality relationships and promoting employee engagement.

A Scalable Framework for Comprehensive Typing of Polymorphic Immune Genes from Long-Read Data.

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Long-read sequencing promises to unravel the complexity of polymorphic immune genes including HLA, KIR, IG, and TCR, yet existing tools fall short in accuracy and scope. Here, we present SpecImmune, the first unified computational framework to simultaneously genotype these genes alongside the intricate CYP family from long-read data. Employing an iterative graph-based haplotype reconstruction algorithm, SpecImmune delivers precise diploid assemblies for each locus from diverse data types. Validated on 1019 samples from the 1kGP ONT cohort, 42 PacBio CLR and 9 PacBio HiFi samples from HGSVC, and 47 PacBio HiFi plus 37 ONT samples from HPRC, SpecImmune achieved 98% four-field HLA typing accuracy, surpassing HLA*LA by 11% and SpecHLA by 12%. It also delivers robust KIR and germline IG/TCR genotyping and supports multi-locus CYP allele detection, positioning it among the first integrated long-read solutions across immune gene families. Beyond superior performance, SpecImmune uncovers...

Educational Labor Migrations and the Suturing of Forgotten Places: Puerto Rican Teachers, Oklahoma City Schools, and the Ongoing Networks of Colonialism

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In 2014, Puerto Rican educators were recruited to teach in Oklahoma City Schools. What resulted in a seemingly small labor migration illuminates a deeper understanding of the actual relations among colonial experiments. It functions as no minor illustration of the centrality of educational labor experiments to the militaristic, capitalist, and other relations between the United States and its occupied territories. In this article, we observe educators as migrant laborers, whose lives are shaped by a nexus of colonial forces and whose labors and migrations suture two “forgotten places” (Gilmore, 2008) through new formations. We seek to understand how a “fly-over” state and an archipelagic possession are both related and central to educational colonization, how educational colonization is a labor project, and how all of this maps emergent analytic possibilities. How does this labor migration help us understand the unlikely interplay of two contexts in the colonial project? Through...

B vitamin-mediated interactions in synthetic microbial communities

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Microbial communities drive fundamental processes across the globe, from biogeochemical cycling to human health. Yet, their complexity often obscures mechanistic understanding. Synthetic communities (SynComs) have emerged as powerful tools to distill this complexity into tractable, rationally designed systems to study community function. Metabolic interactions - competition and sharing of resources between organisms - are a frequent focus of these controlled studies. The role of B vitamin cross-feeding remains a critical frontier because B vitamins are required in trace quantities for metabolism, but not all organisms can make their own, necessitating cross-feeding interactions. Here, we review recent advances in microbial ecology that use SynComs to investigate B vitamin-mediated interactions through mechanistic approaches across scales, domains of life, environments, and disciplines. We highlight key findings that demonstrate how auxotrophy, obligate cross-feeding networks,...

Specific inhibition of NADPH oxidase 2 modifies chronic epilepsy.

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Recent work by us and others has implicated NADPH oxidase (NOX) enzymes as main producers of reactive oxygen species (ROS) following a brain insult such as status epilepticus, contributing to neuronal damage and development of epilepsy. Although several NOX isoforms have been examined in the context of epilepsy, most attention has focused on NOX2. In this present study, we demonstrate the effect of gp91ds-tat, a specific competitive inhibitor of NOX2, in in vitro epileptiform activity model as well as in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) model in rats. We showed that in in vitro seizure model, gp91ds-tat modulated Ca²⁺ oscillation, prevented epileptiform activity-induced ROS generation, mitochondrial depolarization, and neuronal death. Administration of gp91ds-tat 1 h after kainic acid-induced status epilepticus significantly decreased the expression of NOX2, as well as the overall NOX activity in the cortex and the hippocampus. Finally, we showed that upon continuous...

“Feminine” strengths, “masculine” costs: Rethinking gender gaps in negotiation research

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

“Feminine” strengths, “masculine” costs: Rethinking gender gaps in negotiation research

Engineered Wood Products (EWP)—Resource Efficiency and Environmental Performance

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Today, the construction sector has access to a vast array of resources, ranging from non-renewable materials like steel and concrete to natural materials like stone and timber. These materials are either used alone or in combination as part of composites. Driven by the need to reduce the environmental impact of the built environment, Engineered Wood Products (EWPs) like Glued Laminated Timber (GLT) or Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) have gained increasing interest in the construction sector in recent years. This chapter explores the resource efficiency and environmental performance of these EWPs, by examining established literature on production processes, material yields, and life cycle assessments. The chapter highlights the role of different wood species, processing methods, and mechanical as well as environmental performances. It also discusses circularity and potential areas for future research to enhance the overall sustainability of the wood value chain. This comparative approach...

GutMetaNet: an integrated database for exploring horizontal gene transfer and functional redundancy in the human gut microbiome.

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Metagenomic studies have revealed the critical roles of complex microbial interactions, including horizontal gene transfer (HGT) and functional redundancy (FR), in shaping the gut microbiomes functional capacity and resilience. However, the lack of comprehensive data integration and systematic analysis approaches has limited the in-depth exploration of HGT and FR dynamics across large-scale gut microbiome datasets. To address this gap, we present GutMetaNet (https://gutmetanet.deepomics.org/), a first-of-its-kind database integrating extensive human gut microbiome data with comprehensive HGT and FR analyses. GutMetaNet contains 21 567 human gut metagenome samples with whole-genome shotgun sequencing data related to various health conditions. Through systematic analysis, we have characterized the taxonomic profiles and FR profiles, and identified 14 636 HGT events using a shared reference genome database across the collected samples. These HGT events have been curated...

Now, Women Do Ask: A Call to Update Beliefs about the Gender Pay Gap

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

For over two decades, gender differences in the propensity to negotiate have been thought to explain the gender pay gap. We ask whether a “women don’t ask” pattern holds today among working adults. We compare estimates of gender differences in negotiation propensity (Study 1) with actual patterns from master’s in business administration students (n 5 1,435) and alumni (n 5 1,939) from a top U.S. business school (Studies 2A and 2B). Contrary to lay beliefs, women report negotiating their salaries more (not less) often than men. We then reanalyze meta-analytic data on self-reported initiation of salary negotiations to reconcile our findings with prior work (Study 2C). While men reported higher negotiation propensity than women prior to the 21st century, the gender difference has grown neutral and then reversed since then. Negotiation propensity rose across time for both men and women, although to differing degrees. Finally, we explore the consequences of the now-outdated belief...

Direct physical interaction of active Ras with mSIN1 regulates mTORC2 signaling.

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background

The mechanistic (or mammalian) target of rapamycin (mTOR), a Ser/Thr kinase, associates with different subunits forming two functionally distinct complexes, mTORC1 and mTORC2, regulating a diverse set of cellular functions in response to growth factors, cellular energy levels, and nutrients. The mechanisms regulating mTORC1 activity are well characterized; regulation of mTORC2 activity, however, remains obscure. While studies conducted in Dictyostelium suggest a possible role of Ras protein as a potential upstream regulator of mTORC2, definitive studies delineating the underlying molecular mechanisms, particularly in mammalian cells, are still lacking.

Methods

Protein levels were measured by Western blotting and kinase activity of mTORC2 was analyzed by in vitro kinase assay. In situ Proximity ligation assay (PLA) and co-immunoprecipitation assay was performed to detect protein-protein interaction. Protein localization was investigated by immunofluorescence...

Occurrence of aflatoxins in maize, groundnuts, and cassava from retail markets in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Wed, 9 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Aflatoxin contamination of staple food commodities is one of the most critical food safety threats in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, systematic surveillance data from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remain exceedingly scarce. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), B2 (AFB2), G1 (AFG1), and G2 (AFG2) in 43 food samples comprising maize (Zea mays L.) raw grain (n = 18), cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) raw tuber (n = 11), and groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) raw grain (n = 14), collected from two retail markets in Kinshasa, DRC. Analyses performed by reverse-phase HPLC coupled with fluorescence detection and Kobra® electrochemical post-column derivatization revealed the presence of aflatoxins in 41 of 43 samples, with AFB1 being the most prevalent aflatoxin (95.35%), followed by AFB2 (55.81%), AFG1 (44.19%), and AFG2 (34.88%). Total aflatoxin concentrations ranged from below the detection limit to 191.20 μg/kg, with a mean of 16.40 μg/kg. Most samples...

Interview: The Other Side of Algorithms: Reclaiming the Body, Voice, and Labor

Wed, 9 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Interview: The Other Side of Algorithms: Reclaiming the Body, Voice, and Labor

Best Practices for Biotin Ligase-based Proximity Labeling Proteomics in Plant Systems.

Wed, 9 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Proximity labeling (PL) proteomics, primarily powered by engineered biotin ligases such as BioID and TurboID, has emerged as a transformative approach for mapping protein association networks and subcellular proteomes in living cells. By covalently biotinylating proteins within a nanometer-scale radius of a bait protein, PL captures transient, weak, and spatially restricted associations that often escape conventional affinity-based methods. However, applying PL in plants introduces distinctive challenges, including rigid cell walls that can limit biotin penetration, tissue-specific variation in substrate accessibility, enzyme temperature sensitivity, and the difficulty of removing excess free biotin after labeling. Here, we outline best practices for designing and implementing biotin ligase-based PL experiments in plant systems, drawing on experience across multiple species. We discuss key considerations, including enzyme selection, expression system design, fusion protein validation,...

Stepping Through Cures/Curses, or Herbary: Co-respiration (2023)

Wed, 9 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Stepping Through Cures/Curses, or Herbary: Co-respiration (2023)

A Signal‐Derived Retrieval Reduces Bias in TEMPO NO2

Wed, 9 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract Satellite measurements of are widely used for investigations of emissions, pollution exposure, and photochemical ozone production. The most commonly available data products compromise on accuracy and spatial resolution in favor of lower compute time. In addition to limited spatial resolution, inaccurate modeling of winds and misrepresentation of the lifetime contribute to large systematic errors in the satellite retrievals that depend on these modeled outputs. We introduce a signal‐derived retrieval (SDR) for Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) which derives instrument‐resolution a priori profiles from measured slant column densities. This approach enables fast reprocessing of TEMPO data and removes the gradient smoothing caused by low resolution priors and systematic errors in models. The SDR product reduces the negative bias of TEMPO total against Pandora reference measurements by , with a larger impact on the tropospheric column. This bias correction...

Materiality, Geoaesthetics and Planetary Futures: The Geology of Media in the Context of Anthropocene

Wed, 9 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The geology of media is an emerging topic in the field of media studies in western nations, aiming to provide a geological perspective for the study and criticism of media art, and to help analyse four levels of geology of media artworks: the geophysics of the production and disposal of media materiality; the geological events represented and reconstructed by media art; the interpenetration and entanglement of geological events and human material activities; the intersection of traces of geological objects and human affective memories; and the Intersection of the geological objects and human emotional memories. By analysing the geological theories of Jussi Parikka and Sasha Litvintseva, as well as the films Salarium and Behemoth , this essay aims to develop a more dynamic and complex geological framework with which to try to deal with the particular place of Chinese eco-cinema in the global Anthropocene, with a view to contributing to the current field of ecocriticism.

The Influence of Model Spatial Resolution on Rainfall-Induced Landslide Prediction for a Basin in Utuado, Puerto Rico

Wed, 9 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Rainfall-induced landslides are driven by intense storms in mountainous regions. However, drainage basin-scale modeling faces challenges due to uncertainties in input parameters and computational limitations. Particularly, the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) resolution used in the hydrological and slope stability models can impact the prediction of landslides. Hence, understanding the influence of the domain’s resolution on the results is critical. This study uses a pseudo-three-dimensional slope stability approach coupled with the Parallel Integrated Hydrological model (ParFlow) to predict failures by Hurricane Maria in a watershed in Utuado, Puerto Rico. A 1-m resolution pre-hurricane DEM is used as the base scenario for both ParFlow and the slope stability analyses. The DEM resolution was then varied, and the results were compared to the base scenario with a focus on the landslide area density, timing of failures, and associated failure mechanisms. Results demonstrated that a...

Promoting resident well-being in permanent supportive housing: insights from community-driven indicators

Wed, 9 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Promoting resident well-being in permanent supportive housing: insights from community-driven indicators

Pseudo-Three-Dimensional Back-Analysis of Rainfall-Induced Landslides in Utuado, Puerto Rico

Wed, 9 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Regional slope stability analyses can provide a system-level assessment of landslide susceptibility. This study aims to develop a regional back-analysis model for rainfall-induced landslides to compute ground shear strength that can be used for landslide prediction. Most commonly, mechanistic-based models for regional slope stability consist of simplified one-dimensional (1D) analyses compared to more realistic three-dimensional (3D) procedures. A pseudo-3D methodology is applied on 788 landslides over two 2.5 km2 areas in the plutonic rocks of the Utuado Batholith. First, an infinite slope stability triggering model is applied on a 1 m-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) to identify the triggering grid cells. A spatial 3D projection procedure is then implemented to generate 3D landslides with defined location, area, and volume. Two inversion procedures are considered herein: inversion against landslide area density and inversion against individual landslides. Unlike inversion...

Raphael, the Farnesina, and the Angels: A Seventeenth-Century Urban Landscape Rediscovered

Wed, 9 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Raphael, the Farnesina, and the Angels: A Seventeenth-Century Urban Landscape Rediscovered

Spatial close-kin mark-recapture methods to estimate dispersal parameters and barrier strength for mosquitoes

Wed, 9 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Close-kin mark-recapture (CKMR) methods have recently been used to infer demographic parameters for several aquatic and terrestrial species. For mosquitoes, the spatial distribution of close-kin pairs has been used to estimate mean dispersal distance, of relevance to vector-borne disease transmission and genetic biocontrol strategies. Close-kin methods have advantages over traditional mark-release-recapture (MRR) methods as the mark is genetic, removing the need for physical marking and recapturing that may interfere with movement behavior. Here, we extend CKMR methods to accommodate spatial structure alongside life history for mosquitoes and comparable insects. We derive kinship probabilities for parent-offspring and full-sibling pairs in a spatial context, where an individual in each pair may be a larva or adult. Using the dengue vector Aedes aegypti as a case study, we use an individual-based model of mosquito life history to test the effectiveness of this approach at estimating...