Recent uci_postprints items

The imprint of cosmic voids from the DESI Legacy Survey DR9 Luminous Red Galaxies in the Planck 2018 lensing map through spectroscopically calibrated mocks

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The cross-correlation of cosmic voids with the lensing convergence ( κ ) map of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) fluctuations provides a powerful tool to refine our understanding of the current cosmological model. However, several studies have reported a moderate tension (up to ∼2 σ ) between the lensing imprint of cosmic voids on the observed CMB and the ΛCDM signal predicted by simulations. To address this “lensing-is-low” tension and to obtain new, precise measurements of the signal, we exploit the large DESI Legacy Survey Luminous Red Galaxy (LRG) data set, covering approximately 19 500 deg 2 of the sky and including about 10 million LRGs at z < 1.05. Our ΛCDM template was created using the Buzzard mocks, which we specifically calibrated to match the clustering properties of the observed galaxy sample by exploiting more than one million DESI spectra. We identified our catalogs of 3D voids in the range 0.35 < z < 0.95 and cross-correlated them through a stacking...

Reclaiming Public Parks and Public Health: Community-Led Safe Passages and Physical Activity in South Los Angeles, California.

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

BACKGROUND: Safe passage interventions aim to enhance public safety and improve access to community resources, including public parks, in underserved communities. However, no studies have directly compared community- and police-led safety interventions with respect to park-based moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). To address this gap, we compared associations between Community-led Safe Passage Services (SPS) and the Los Angeles Police Department Community Safety Partnership (CSP) program with MVPA in South Los Angeles public parks. METHODS: We conducted structured observations of 3997 park users across 8 SPS and 9 CSP parks in South Los Angeles using the System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities and the Physical Activity Resource Assessment. We applied t tests, analysis of variance, and hierarchical linear models to examine MVPA across park intervention types. RESULTS: Overall, MVPA was higher in SPS parks (P < .001). Black, male, teen, and adult park...

A Search for Millimeter-bright Blazars as Astrophysical Neutrino Sources

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The powerful jets of blazars have been historically considered as likely sites of high-energy cosmic-ray acceleration. However, the particulars of the launched jet and the locations of leptonic and hadronic jet loading remain unclear. In the case when leptonic and hadronic particle injection occur jointly, a temporal correlation between synchrotron radiation and neutrino production is expected. We use a first catalog of millimeter wavelength (95–225 GHz) blazar light curves from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope for a time-dependent correlation with 12 yr of muon neutrino events from the IceCube South Pole Neutrino Observatory. Such millimeter emission traces activity of the bright jet base, which is often self-absorbed at lower frequencies and potentially gamma-ray opaque. We perform an analysis of the population, as well as analyses of individual, selected sources. We do not observe a significant signal from the stacked population. TXS 0506+056 is found as the most significant,...

Simulating social network-based interventions for adolescent cigarette smoking

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Social network-based adolescent substance use interventions have demonstrated potential for reducing adolescent cigarette smoking. This approach is premised upon leveraging youths' social networks for the diffusion of peer influence. Determining which adolescents to select in network interventions for reducing smoking is a major consideration. We utilize a simulation approach that first estimates Stochastic Actor-Oriented models (SAOM) of adolescent smoking using data from two of the largest schools from the longitudinal saturation sample of the National Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) (n = 3,154). We then conduct Agent-Based Simulation models which mimic the consequences of intervention strategies selecting adolescents in network positions and structures that are salient for smoking and the diffusion of peer influence within school-based networks, and we select adolescents smoking at different levels. Our findings indicate that selecting adolescents...

The global epidemiology of gastrointestinal cancers attributable to high-BMI: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers collectively account for over 30% of global cancer-related mortalities. Obesity is a well-established risk factor for GI cancers. We aim to investigate the temporal trends of GI cancer attributable to high BMI between 1990 to 2021 on global, regional and national levels.

Methods

Data was obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Deaths, Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and age-standardized rates (ASRs) were used to measure disease burden. Estimated annualized percent change (EAPC) were used to assess the temporal trend. We explored the association between SDI with high BMI-attributed GI cancer burden across 21 regions, 204 countries over the three decades.

Results

Globally, between 1990 and 2021, all GI cancers had rising trends of deaths and DALYs attributable to high BMI. Colorectal cancer constituted the largest disease burden, with 99,268 (95% UI: 42,596-157,948) deaths and 1.17 (95% UI: 0.51-1.87)...

Laura Rahm. (2026). The global governance of harmful practices: Actors, networks, and knowledge transfer in transnational gender programmes. Bristol University Press.

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Laura Rahm. (2026). The global governance of harmful practices: Actors, networks, and knowledge transfer in transnational gender programmes. Bristol University Press.

Changes in Outpatient and Telehealth Visits Among Undocumented Patients.

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Importance

Anti-immigration policies in 2025 may influence outpatient care and telehealth among immigrant communities. Understanding visit patterns is essential for health systems leaders to prepare for shifts in health care use and ensure preventive care.

Objective

To compare outpatient in-person and telehealth visit completion rates among patients classified as likely undocumented and those likely with legal status, before and after 2025 federal immigration policy changes.

Design, setting, and participants

This cross-sectional study analyzed electronic health record data from outpatient encounters in a public safety-net system. Documentation status was approximated using non-English primary language without a Social Security number (SSN) to classify patients with likely undocumented status and using English primary language with SSN for patients likely with legal status. Analyses compared visits from January to June 2024 and January to June 2025.

Main...

Drought adaptation mapping in the Southern African Development Community: A scoping review

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Evidence on how people adapt to drought frequency and severity is expanding, yet remains fragmented and insufficiently informative for assessing progress, limits, equity, and key priorities. Previous global syntheses demonstrate that adaptation is occurring but provide limited insight into how, where, for whom, and with what risks. This scoping review addresses these gaps by mapping peer-reviewed evidence on drought adaptation in the 16 countries that make up the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, one of the few regions globally that exhibits an observed downward trend in precipitation while encompassing many countries, making it a valuable case for examining diverse approaches to managing changing risk. We review 141 studies published since 2020, documenting the geographic, sectoral, and thematic distribution of reported drought coping and adaptation strategies. We discuss the spectrum of adaptation strategies utilized in SADC, identify common enablers and...

From Permits to Samples: Addressing Key Challenges for High-Quality Reference Genome Generation in Europe.

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

High-quality reference genome assemblies have become essential for deepening our understanding of biodiversity, yet obtaining them for many species remains surprisingly challenging. Drawing on experiences from the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) community, we focus on permit and sample-handling procedures leading up to nucleic acid sequencing, covering tasks such as ensuring ethical and legal compliance, verifying accurate species identification, maintaining sample integrity during transport, and isolating high-quality DNA or nuclei. While many of the challenges and solutions we discuss are broadly relevant, our regulatory and logistical examples are primarily from Europe. By synthesising practical guidance, we highlight the crucial importance of taxonomic expertise, proper vouchering and biobanking, rigorous cold-chain management or alternative preservation methods, and emphasise adherence to packaging and shipping requirements for biological materials. We showcase examples...

Economic burden attributable to high BMI-caused cancers: a global level analysis between 2002 and 2021.

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background

Obesity and overweight are prevailing concerns in modern society, but high BMI shows an established correlation with the risk of cancers that impacts not only medical issues but also economic performance. This study analyzes the economic loss due to high BMI-caused cancers (HBCCs).

Methods

This study used the comprehensive Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 database and estimated the economic loss of HBCCs through the Value of Statistical Life approach (VSLA), incorporating a willingness-to-pay metric. Health burdens are expressed in age-standardized DALYs and death rates, and economic burdens are shown in dollars lost (2021 PPP) calculated from total DALYs. A joinpoint regression analysis was utilized to capture the temporal trends, cancer incidence, and economic losses attributed to high BMI across various countries and income levels. We calculated the average annual percentage change (AAPC) in total economic loss to evaluate the trend over the study...

Recovery of stem cell proliferation by low intensity vibration under simulated microgravity requires LINC complex.

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) rely on their ability to integrate physical and spatial signals at load bearing sites to replace and renew musculoskeletal tissues. Designed to mimic unloading experienced during spaceflight, preclinical unloading and simulated microgravity models show that alteration of gravitational loading limits proliferative activity of stem cells. Emerging evidence indicates that this loss of proliferation may be linked to loss of cellular cytoskeleton and contractility. Low intensity vibration (LIV) is an exercise mimetic that promotes proliferation and differentiation of MSCs by enhancing cell structure. Here, we asked whether application of LIV could restore the reduced proliferative capacity seen in MSCs that are subjected to simulated microgravity. We found that simulated microgravity (sMG) decreased cell proliferation and simultaneously compromised cell structure. These changes included increased nuclear height, disorganized apical F-actin structure, reduced...

Resource Allocation with Multi-Team Collaboration Based on Hamilton’s Rule

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This paper presents a multi-team collaboration strategy based on Hamilton’s rule from ecology that facilitates resource allocation among multiple teams, where agents are considered as shared resource among all teams that must be allocated appropriately. We construct an algorithmic framework that allows teams to make bids for agents that consider the costs and benefits of transferring agents while also considering relative mission importance for each team. This framework is applied to a multi-team coverage control mission to demonstrate its effectiveness. It is shown that the necessary criteria of a mission evaluation function are met by framing it as a function of the locational coverage cost of each team with respect to agent gain and loss, and these results are illustrated through simulations.

X17 with chiral couplings

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In recent years, the ATOMKI collaboration has performed a series of measurements of excited nuclei, observing a resonant excess of electron-positron pairs at large opening angles compared to the Standard Model prediction. The excess has been hypothesized to be due to the production of a new spin-1 or spin-0 particle, 17, with a mass of about 17 MeV. Recently, the PADME experiment has reported an excess in the cross section at center-of-mass energies near 17 MeV, perhaps further hinting at the existence of a new state. Studies of the spin-1 case have hitherto focused on either vector axial-vector couplings to quarks and leptons, whereas UV theories more naturally produce vector and axial-vector (i.e., chiral) couplings, analogous to the Standard Model weak interactions. We consider the ATOMKI anomalies in the context of an with chiral couplings to quarks and explore the parameter space that can explain the ATOMKI anomalies, contrasting them with experimental constraints....

Collective Care and Methodological Carework: A Framework for Healing-Centered Research with Immigration-Impacted Latinx Communities

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Latinx Sociology – and Latinx Social Science broadly – pushes against hegemonic research models by grounding inquiry in Latinx standpoints and incorporating critical methods. Yet it can be challenging for scholars to implement or innovate such methods. Through storytelling, we theorize collective care – defined as efforts to care for ourselves, each other, and community well-being – as a logic to guide research with Latinx communities. Drawing examples from two research projects with immigration-impacted Latinx young adults, we detail how we applied a logic of collective care in our methods and everyday research practices by centering healing, relationality, and reflexivity. We name these efforts methodological carework to capture the intentionality and effort required to develop, adapt, and sustain a logic of collective care. We argue that a logic of collective care invites an unruly research process but ultimately provides the flexibility needed to yield a liberatory research space.

The global epidemiology of gastrointestinal cancer burden attributable to dietary risks: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers collectively account for over 30% of global cancer-related mortality, with diet and nutrition playing crucial roles in their development. We investigated the burden, trends and disparities of GI cancers attributable to dietary risks.

Methods

Data was collected from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Disease burden was measured by deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), along with age-standardized rates (ASRs). Joinpoint regression, with average annual percent changes (AAPCs) were used to assess temporal trends. ARIMA models were employed to project the ASRs till 2040.

Results

Between 1990 and 2021, the AAPC of the age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) and age-standardized DALY rate (ASDR) of colorectal cancer (CRC) attributable to dietary risks were -0.87 (95% CI: -0.89, -0.84) and -0.88 (95% CI: -0.90, -0.86). Esophageal cancer showed the greatest declining rate, with ASRs declining more than 3%...

Distinct genomic architectures but the same gene underlie the convergent evolution of a plant supergene.

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Evolution reflects a balance between innovation and constraint, often repurposing existing components in new contexts. Convergent evolution exemplifies this interplay, with similar traits evolving independently in different species, yet the genomic mechanisms enabling this repeatability remain poorly understood. Here, by analyzing 10 chromosome-scale genome assemblies, including seven newly generated, we found that the S-locus supergene (a cluster of tightly linked genes controlling a floral dimorphism called distyly) arose independently multiple times within the primrose family, Darwin's iconic system for studying distyly. In each case, the same gene was independently duplicated and co-opted. However, the resulting genomic architectures differed, ranging from hemizygous (present on one chromosome copy) to heterozygous (on both copies), challenging the prevailing view that hemizygosity is intrinsic to S-loci and suggesting alternative evolutionary routes to distyly...

Streptococcus agalactiae glycolipids promote virulence by thwarting immune cell clearance.

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Streptococcus agalactiae [group B Streptococcus (GBS)] is a leading cause of neonatal meningitis, with late-onset disease (LOD) occurring after gastrointestinal tract colonization in infants. Bacterial membrane lipids are essential for host-pathogen interactions, and the functions of glycolipids are yet to be fully elucidated. GBS synthesizes three major glycolipids: glucosyl-diacylglycerol (Glc-DAG), diglucosyl-DAG (Glc₂-DAG), and lysyl-Glc-DAG (Lys-Glc-DAG). Here, we identify the enzyme, IagB, as responsible for biosynthesis of Glc-DAG, the precursor for the two other glycolipids in GBS. To examine the collective role of glycolipids to GBS virulence, we adapted a murine model of neonatal meningitis to simulate LOD. The GBS∆iagB mutant traversed the gut-epithelial barrier comparable to wild type but was severely attenuated in bloodstream survival, resulting in decreased bacterial loads in the brain. The GBS∆iagB mutant was more susceptible...

Circulating ambient population and crime across the hours of the day: What role does guardianship potential play?

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

There are theoretical reasons to expect that crime opportunities created by the ambient population impact when and where crime occurs. Due to the temporally fluctuating nature of the ambient population, it is necessary to measure it with temporal precision over the hours of the day to assess its relationship with crime. This study uses geo-referenced location-based services data from Streetlight to create measures of the ambient population over 2-h time periods across both weekdays and weekends, and assess its relationship with five major types of crime. A proxy for guardianship potential is created based on the percent of the population that voted in the last election. The results indicate that the circulating ambient population is positively associated with all five types of crime measured over nearly all 2-h time periods. The relationship was particularly strong late at night after midnight, and was particularly strong over most time periods on weekends for robbery. A greater...

An exploration of assembly strategies and quality metrics on the accuracy of the rewarewa (Knightia excelsa) genome.

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We used long read sequencing data generated from Knightia excelsa, a nectar-producing Proteaceae tree endemic to Aotearoa (New Zealand), to explore how sequencing data type, volume and workflows can impact final assembly accuracy and chromosome reconstruction. Establishing a high-quality genome for this species has specific cultural importance to Māori and commercial importance to honey producers in Aotearoa. Assemblies were produced by five long read assemblers using data subsampled based on read lengths, two polishing strategies and two Hi-C mapping methods. Our results from subsampling the data by read length showed that each assembler tested performed differently depending on the coverage and the read length of the data. Subsampling highlighted that input data with longer read lengths but perhaps lower coverage constructed more contiguous, kmers and gene-complete assemblies than short read length input data with higher coverage. The final genome assembly was constructed into...

Contextualising samples: supporting reference genomes of European biodiversity through sample and associated metadata collection.

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) consortium aims to generate a reference genome catalogue for all of Europe's eukaryotic biodiversity. The biological material underlying this mission, the specimens and their derived samples, are provided through ERGA's pan-European network. To demonstrate the community's capability and capacity to realise ERGA's ambitious mission, the ERGA Pilot project was initiated. In support of the ERGA Pilot effort to generate reference genomes for European biodiversity, the ERGA Sampling and Sample Processing committee (SSP) was formed by volunteer experts from ERGA's member base. SSP aims to aid participating researchers through (i) establishing standards for and collecting of sample/specimen metadata; (ii) prioritisation of species for genome sequencing; and (iii) development of taxon-specific collection guidelines including logistics support. SSP serves as the entry point for sample providers to the ERGA genomic resource production infrastructure...

Unpacking Ventral Pallidum GABA Neuron Contributions to Opioid Drug Reward in Rats.

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Addiction is a heterogeneous disorder, and the specific psychological processes and neural mechanisms involved are hard to parse in humans. Animal models are useful in this regard, as biological substrates of addiction-relevant behaviors can be examined one at a time. Ventral pallidum GABAergic neurons (VP^GABA), are key players in circuits underlying natural and drug reward, but the exact behavioral processes to which they contribute are still not precisely defined. Here we systematically examined the necessity of VP^GABA neurons for opioid and food reward seeking and taking behaviors, using reversible chemogenetic inhibition in GAD1:Cre, predominately female, rats. We found that VP^GABA inhibition revealed their preferential roles in highly-motivated pursuit and choice of heroin, but lesser involvement in unconditioned heroin effects, or in similarly motivated pursuit and choice of another rewarding opioid drug, remifentanil. Specifically, inhibiting...

Strong constraints on dark photon and scalar dark matter decay from INTEGRAL and AMS-02 data

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We investigate the decay of bosonic dark matter with masses between 1 MeV and 2 TeV into Standard Model final states. We specifically focus on dark photons that kinetically mix with the Standard Model, as well as scalar dark matter models that have Yukawa couplings with the Standard Model. Using INTEGRAL and AMS-02 data, we constrain the dark matter decay lifetime into final states that include photons or positrons, setting strong constraints on the dark matter lifetime that reach for dark matter below 10 GeV and up to for dark matter above 10 GeV.

Student empowerment and creative classrooms: Making art when teaching about undocumented migration

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Student empowerment and creative classrooms: Making art when teaching about undocumented migration

Exercise leads to metabolic changes associated with improved strength and fatigue in people with MS.

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Objective

The goal of this exploratory study was to evaluate the effects of an exercise intervention - progressive resistance training (PRT) on the metabolome of people with MS (pwMS) and to link these to changes in clinical outcomes.

Methods

14 pwMS with EDSS <4.0 and 13 age- and sex-matched healthy controls completed a 12-week in-person PRT exercise intervention. Outcome measures included: plasma metabolomics analysis, cardiovascular fitness tests, EDSS, timed 25-foot walk (T25FW), six-minute walk test (6MWT), hip strength, and modified fatigue impact scale (MFIS). We identified changes in the metabolome with PRT intervention in both groups using individual metabolite abundance and weighted correlation network defined metabolite module eigenvalues and then examined correlations in changes in metabolite modules with changes in various clinical outcomes.

Results

In both groups PRT intervention improved hip strength, distance walked in 6WMT, speed of walking,...

Mathematical and Mouse Models Identify Regulatory T Cell Influx as A Key Determinant of Acquired Resistance to PD-1 Immunotherapy.

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The immune system can eradicate cancer, but various immunosuppressive mechanisms active within a tumor curb this beneficial response. However, unraveling the effects of multimodal interactions between tumor and immune cells and their contributions to tumor control using an experimental approach alone is time- and resource-intensive. To identify the critical immunological features associated with tumor control and escape, we built a mechanistic, structurally identifiable mathematical model of the interactions between CD8+ T cells, regulatory T cells (Tregs), dendritic cells, and tumor cells deeply rooted in current biological concepts. The model captured Treg accrual occurring after checkpoint blockade immunotherapy. After successfully fitting the mathematical model to experimental data from an immunogenic melanoma mouse model with acquired resistance to PD-1 immunotherapy and ensuring that the model was practically identifiable, hundreds of parameter sets were generated, each...

Building a Portuguese coalition for biodiversity genomics

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The diverse physiography of the Portuguese land and marine territory, spanning from continental Europe to the Atlantic archipelagos, has made it an important repository of biodiversity throughout the Pleistocene glacial cycles, leading to a remarkable diversity of species and ecosystems. This rich biodiversity is under threat from anthropogenic drivers, such as climate change, invasive species, land use changes, overexploitation, or pathogen (re)emergence. The inventory, characterisation, and study of biodiversity at inter- and intra-specific levels using genomics is crucial to promote its preservation and recovery by informing biodiversity conservation policies, management measures, and research. The participation of researchers from Portuguese institutions in the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) initiative and its pilot effort to generate reference genomes for European biodiversity has reinforced the establishment of Biogenome Portugal. This nascent institutional network...

Author Correction: The European Reference Genome Atlas: piloting a decentralised approach to equitable biodiversity genomics

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Author Correction: The European Reference Genome Atlas: piloting a decentralised approach to equitable biodiversity genomics

Mixed electoral systems: The best of both worlds or the worst of both?

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Mixed electoral systems combine majoritarian and proportional rules within a single institutional framework, promising what Shugart and Wattenberg (2001) called "the best of both worlds": local accountability alongside representational fairness. This article surveys the family of mixed systems—parallel, compensatory, proportional, and combined—and examines whether their constitutional promise has been fulfilled. Simulations of seat allocation under alternative mixed designs demonstrate that these systems generate markedly different seat distributions, undermining any unified claim about their representational properties. A systematic analysis of the paradoxes that have emerged over a quarter century of practice—excessive complexity, decoy parties, manipulative coalition coordination, uncontrolled parliamentary growth, and "zombie" legislators—reveals that strategic actors routinely exploit the gap between constitutional aspiration and institutional detail. We conclude by assessing...

Editorial: New insights into stellate ganglion blockade in basic and clinical studies

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Editorial: New insights into stellate ganglion blockade in basic and clinical studies

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila

Fos‐CreER Based Genetic Mapping of Forebrain Regions Activated by Acupuncture

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Acupuncture is an important practice used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and it generates therapeutic effects through the insertion of thin needles through the skin at specific acupoint(s) in the body to stimulate sensory nerves. Many of the acupoints have multiple therapeutic indications. Using rodent models, we have found that manual acupuncture (MA) at the Neiguan (P6) acupoint overlying median nerve inhibits excitatory cardiovascular reflex responses through its influence on specific regions involving in the regulation of autonomic nervous system in the brain stem. However, in TCM, it is also the acupoint for treating nausea and headaches. It is largely unknown whether MA at this acupoint activates neurons in the brain regions beyond the brain stem. To further understand neural mechanisms underlying acupuncture effects, in this study, we map P6 specific neural activation by MA in the forebrain using a Fos‐CreER based mouse genetic strategy. Identification of c‐Fos...

Influences of metabolism and lipid homeostasis on regulatory vs. conventional T cells and implications for autoimmunity

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Regulatory T cells are essential for suppressing an overactive immune system, especially concerning autoimmune disease, tumor growth, and inflammatory disease. This suppressive nature of regulatory T cells is largely due to their metabolic profiles determined by metabolic reprogramming upon activation and subsequent differentiation. As regulatory T cells tend to process and cycle energy differently from other T cell subsets, we are interested in what metabolic processes support regulatory T cell function. This review will consider how regulatory T cells compare with conventional T cells in terms of their participation in distinct metabolic pathways and how the presence of regulatory T cell-specific molecules influences proliferation and suppressive function. Additionally, this review will identify possible metabolic targets of regulatory T cells that could be targeted for development of autoimmune disease therapies.

Generative AI is untrustworthy

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Our reliance on the new wave of generative AI has increased exponentially in the last few years, with little sign of abating. This raises the natural question of whether we should trust this technology as a source of information. Drawing on the epistemology of trust, it is argued that generative AI does not meet the conditions for being a trustworthy source of information. In particular, it is argued that generative AI is untrustworthy because it is an unsafe source of information. This, in turn, entails that trusting generative AI as a source of information is not a route to knowledge.

UHRF1 drives subtype-independent aggressiveness and immune evasion in small cell lung cancer through PRC2 interactions

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive neuroendocrine (NE) carcinoma characterized by early metastasis and an immune-cold microenvironment. We show that UHRF1, a chromatin-associated effector of RB1/E2F signaling, promotes SCLC growth and metastasis across major molecular subtypes. Using human SCLC cell lines, orthotopic and intracardiac xenografts, and genetically engineered mouse models, we found that loss of UHRF1 reduces proliferation, invasion, tumor burden, and metastasis while reprogramming tumors away from NE states toward an inflamed transcriptional program. UHRF1-deficient tumors upregulate chemokines and exhibit increased infiltration of CD8⁺ T cells and myeloid populations. Mechanistically, UHRF1 interacts with PRC2 to reinforce NE lineage programs and suppress inflammatory gene expression. UHRF1 loss derepresses DNA-methylation-silenced tumor antigens, including MAGE-A4, highlighting a potential vulnerability that could be leveraged therapeutically....

Cascade Dielectrophoretic Separation for Selective Enrichment of Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)-Producing Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Maintaining favorable biological productivities in photosynthetic biomanufacturing systems, especially when the risk of contamination with competing microbes is high, remains a challenge to achieve while maintaining economic feasibility. This study presents a dielectrophoresis (DEP)-based microfluidic approach for isolating a desired strain within a co-culture. The cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (a strain capable of producing the bioplastic precursor polyhydroxybutyrate, or PHB) was enriched from mixed cultures containing the competing cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 (which does not naturally produce PHB). A DEP cascade electrode system was established to increase purification efficiency through sequential enrichment, which leveraged inherent differences in cell morphology and dielectric properties, to achieve the selective separation of these strains under physiological conditions. A substantial increase in the relative abundance of PHB-producing...

Optimized Hough Circle Transform for Automated Microparticle Counting in Microfluidic Platforms

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Accurate identification and enumeration of microscopic particles are important for microfluidic analysis, electrokinetic studies, and microscopy-based characterization of microfabricated systems. This study presents an optimized Hough Circle Transform (HCT) workflow for automated particle detection, sizing, and counting. Gold interdigitated electrode arrays (IDEAs) were fabricated on wafer substrates to generate electroosmotic flow, and 3 μm and 5 μm polystyrene microbeads were used as model particles. The final workflow incorporates parallelized multicore parameter optimization and composite statistical metrics based on detection accuracy and frame-to-frame standard deviation, enabling a small manually counted calibration set to be converted into locked detection parameters. In the final validation workflow, 10 manually counted calibration frames were used to optimize HCT parameters for each of four scenarios, and the locked parameters were then validated on 50 new frames per...

Maternal allostatic load in pregnancy is prospectively associated with child adiposity and metabolic function across infancy and early childhood.

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

BACKGROUND: Empirical evidence suggests that the origins of obesity and metabolic dysfunction can be traced to stress-related exposures in prenatal life. The aim of the present study was to examine the prospective association of a composite, multi-system measure of maternal biological stress in pregnancy -- allostatic load (AL) -- with offspring adiposity and insulin resistance across infancy and early childhood. METHODS: In N = 55 mother-child dyads, maternal allostatic load was operationalized as a latent variable representing the following components: pre-pregnancy BMI, cortisol, interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), free fatty acids, and systolic/diastolic blood pressure. Offspring percent total (%FM) and abdominal (%AbFM) fat were quantified with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at birth (newborn), 6-mo, and ∼5 yrs age, and HOMA-IR was quantified at ∼5 yrs age. Generalized estimating equation modeling was used to...

Fat content in infant mesenchymal stem cells prospectively associates with childhood adiposity and fasting glucose

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

OBJECTIVE: In human studies, new model systems are needed for improved mechanistic investigation of developmental predisposition for metabolic disease but also to serve as benchmarks in early life prevention or intervention efforts. In this regard, human infant umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are an emerging tool. However, long-term clinical relevance to in vivo markers of metabolic disease is unknown. METHODS: In a cohort of 124 mother/child dyads, this study tested the hypothesis that triglyceride content (TG) of infant MSCs undergoing adipogenesis in vitro (MSC-TG) is associated with in vivo adiposity (percent fat mass) from birth to early childhood and with fasting glucose and insulin in early childhood. RESULTS: MSC-TG was positively associated with in vivo child adiposity at birth, age 4 to 6 months, and age 4 to 6 years. MSC-TG was associated with fasting glucose, but not insulin, at 4 to 6 years. Importantly, MSC-TG explained an additional 13% variance...

Proportional representation primer

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This primer provides a systematic introduction to proportional representation (PR) electoral systems for scholars and students unfamiliar with their mechanics and political consequences. PR is now used for legislative elections in approximately 118 countries, making it the world’s most common family of electoral systems. However, its formal structure and political effects are often poorly understood outside specialist communities. The primer covers the main families of apportionment algorithms (quota, divisor, and ranked-choice methods), the principal types of PR electoral systems (list PR, STV, mixed, and semi-proportional), and their key structural components, including district magnitude, thresholds, measures of disproportionality, volatility, and the effective number of parties. It surveys major empirical regularities, including Duverger’s Law, the impact of district magnitude on party fragmentation, women’s and minority representation, voter turnout, and coalition formation,...

Does unauthorized immigration drive community crime rates? Evidence from 11,500 U.S. neighborhoods

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Research on the immigration-crime nexus has grown substantially, yet few studies differentiate among immigrants of different legal statuses, including undocumented immigrants. Of those that do, analyses are conducted at state and metropolitan area levels, leaving unanswered the question of how the presence of undocumented immigrants is associated with neighborhood crime rates—our focus. To construct neighborhood-level estimates of the undocumented population, we access restricted-use individual-level Census data, where tract of residence can be identified, and apply an imputation procedure. We combine these estimates with a dataset containing crime information for roughly 11,500 neighborhoods across U.S. cities over a decade. Controlling for change in foreign-born citizens and lawful permanent residents as well as other correlates of community crime rates, we estimate neighborhood-level fixed effects models to determine how change in undocumented residents is associated with change...

Microdystrophins partially rescue deficits of Duchenne muscular dystrophy iPSC-cardiomyocytes

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe muscle wasting disease caused by the lack of dystrophin. Dilated cardiomyopathy is the leading cause of death in DMD patients. Smaller variants of dystrophin, called microdystrophins, amenable to packaging into adeno-associated virus (AAV), have been shown to be effective in improving skeletal muscle function in animal models. However, the functional benefit of these microdystrophins in the DMD heart remains unclear. To determine the efficacy of microdystrophin gene therapy, we compared three microdystrophin variants in DMD cardiomyocytes (CMs) differentiated from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). We used three DMD lines of different genetic backgrounds and benchmarked against controls expressing full-length dystrophin. We also tested a dystrophin variant, minidystrophin, which is larger than the microdystrophins. Our results show that microdystrophins partially rescue disease phenotypes; however, the results are variable...

The Joint Global Epidemiology of Pancreatic Cancer and Pancreatitis: Co‐Occurrence Patterns, Shared Risk Factors, and Projections to 2040

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis cause substantial mortality and morbidity, yet their joint global burden, epidemiology and determinants are rarely assessed together. We quantified their joint incidence burden, identified co-occurrence patterns, and examined shared risk exposures across countries. METHODS: Incidence rates for both diseases among adults aged ≥ 25 years across 204 countries and territories were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 study. Temporal trends were assessed through estimated annual percent changes (EAPC). Country-level co-occurrence clusters were identified using Gaussian mixture modeling. Random forest models with Shapley additive explanations were used to investigate associated risk exposures. Non-seasonal time-series models were used to forecast incidence to 2040. RESULTS: High-income countries predominantly clustered as dual-high for both conditions and showed modest to rapidly increasing incidence, whereas most...

The Land, The Law and Legitimate Children: Thinking Through Gender, Kinship and Nation in the British Virgin Islands

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Through twenty engaging essays exploring cultures ranging from ancient Judaic civilization to contemporary Brazil, Gender, Kinship and Power places important contemporary issues related to kinship--such as parental responsibility and female-headed households--in their proper comparative and historical framework.

Subseasonal Forecasting and MJO Teleconnections in Machine Learning Weather Prediction Models

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract In recent years, machine‐learning (ML) models trained on reanalysis data have rivaled physics‐based forecast models in terms of performance skill for global weather forecasting. With increased rollout stability, the question of how these models perform for subseasonal to seasonal (S2S, week 3–8) forecasting has emerged. In this study we run a large set of subseasonal hindcasts over 2004–2023 to evaluate two ML weather forecast models at the S2S time scale, SFNO‐HENS (Nvidia, fully ML) and NeuralGCM (Google Research, hybrid). Corresponding hindcasts from the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) are used as a baseline for comparison to a physics‐based model. Because our focus is on predicting moisture transport over the Western United States between October and March, we evaluate the models' prediction skill for the Madden‐Julian Oscillation (MJO) and its associated teleconnections in the North Pacific. We find that both ML models are competitive with...

Role of Dietary Antioxidants in the Preservation of Vascular Function and the Modulation of Health and Disease.

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In vascular diseases, including hypertension and atherosclerosis, vascular endothelial dysfunction (VED) occurs secondary to altered function of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). A novel redox regulated pathway was identified through which eNOS is uncoupled due to S-glutathionylation of critical cysteine residues, resulting in superoxide free radical formation instead of the vasodilator molecule, nitric oxide. In addition, the redox sensitive cofactor tetrahydrobiopterin, BH₄, is also essential for eNOS coupling. Antioxidants, either individually or combined, can modulate eNOS uncoupling by scavenging free radicals or impairing specific radical generating pathways, thus preventing oxidative stress and ameliorating VED. Epidemiological evidence and dietary guidelines suggest that diets high in antioxidants, or antioxidant supplementation, could preserve vascular health and prevent cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Therefore, the purpose of this review is...

Foundation Models for Zero-Shot Segmentation of Scientific Images without AI-Ready Data

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Zero-shot and prompt-based models have excelled at visual reasoning tasks by leveraging large-scale natural image corpora, but they often fail on sparse and domain-specific scientific image data. We introduce Zenesis, a no-code interactive computer vision platform designed to reduce data readiness bottlenecks in scientific imaging workflows. Zenesis integrates lightweight multimodal adaptation for zero-shot inference on raw scientific data, human-in-the-loop refinement, and heuristic-based temporal enhancement. We validate our approach on Focused Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscopy (FIB-SEM) datasets of catalyst-loaded membranes. Zenesis outperforms baselines, achieving an average accuracy of 0.947, Intersection over Union (IoU) of 0.858, and Dice score of 0.923 on amorphous catalyst samples; and 0.987 accuracy, 0.857 IoU, and 0.923 Dice on crystalline samples. These results represent a significant performance gain over conventional methods such as Otsu thresholding and standalone...

Polysomnography validation of SANSA to detect obstructive sleep apnea.

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Study objectives

Evaluate the performance of a novel home sleep apnea test with embedded ECG (SANSA, Huxley Medical, Inc.) in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Methods

This prospective multicenter validation study included 340 participants who underwent simultaneous polysomnography (PSG) and SANSA recordings across 7 clinical sites. Participants were diverse across age, sex, race, skin tone, and body mass index. Diagnostic performance was assessed with the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) using both Rule 1A and Rule 1B across standard cutoffs for mild, moderate, or severe (≥5 events/h), moderate-to-severe (≥15 events/h), and severe (≥30 events/h) OSA. The agreement for AHI and total sleep time (TST) between SANSA and consensus PSG scores from three independent scorers was evaluated using Pearsons correlation and Bland-Altman analysis. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated at each OSA severity level. Performance of participating site PSG scores were...

Phrenic nerve stimulation to treat patients with central sleep apnoea and heart failure.

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Aims

The presence of central sleep apnoea (CSA) is associated with poor prognosis in patients with heart failure (HF). The aim of this analysis was to evaluate if using phrenic nerve stimulation to treat CSA in patients with CSA and HF was associated with changes in HF-specific metrics.

Methods and results

All patients randomized in the remedē System Pivotal Trial and identified at baseline with HF were included (n = 96). Effectiveness data from treatment and former control groups were pooled based on months since therapy activation. Changes from baseline to 6 and 12 months in sleep metrics, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, patient global assessment health-related quality of life, Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ), and echocardiographic parameters are reported. HF hospitalization, cardiovascular death, and the composite of HF hospitalization or cardiovascular death within 6 months are reported by the original randomized group assignment for safety...

Adaptive servoventilation in clinical practice: beyond SERVE-HF?

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Adaptive servoventilation (ASV) has proven effective at suppressing breathing disturbances during sleep, improving quality of life and cardiac surrogate parameters. Since the publication of the SERVE-HF-trial, ASV became restricted. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical relevance of the SERVE-HF inclusion criteria in real life and estimate the portion of patients with these criteria with or without risk factors who are undergoing ASV treatment. We performed a retrospective study of all patients who were treated with ASV in a university-affiliated sleep laboratory. We reviewed the history of cardiovascular diseases, echocardiographic measurements of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and polysomnography. From 1998 to 2015, 293 patients received ASV, of which 255 (87.0%) had cardiovascular diseases and 118 (40.3%) had HF. Among those with HF, the LVEF was ≤45% in 47 patients (16.0%). Only 12 patients (4.1%) had LVEF <30%. The SERVE-HF inclusion criteria...

Automatic activation of neurostimulation for central sleep apnea results in high nightly usage.

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

PURPOSE: Adherence with mask-based therapies remains a significant challenge for patients with sleep-disordered breathing. Transvenous phrenic nerve stimulation (TPNS) to treat central sleep apnea (CSA) in adults offers a novel, automated approach to enhance nightly adherence by initiating therapy automatically based on patient-specific programmed conditions such as sleep schedule, activity, and body position. This retrospective analysis aims to determine the adherence achieved with TPNS’s automated activation approach. METHODS: Device data from 131 remedē®System Pivotal Trial participants were analyzed to calculate median daily hours of therapy within 14 days prior to visits. Therapy duration was defined as time when all conditions to activate therapy were met between the first-time therapy on to last time off during the night. RESULTS: Median [Q1-Q3] nightly therapy duration at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months was 5.9 [4.9–6.6], 5.7 [5.0-6.8], 6.0 [5.3–6.8], and 5.9 [4.9–6.5] hours,...

Repressed Futures: Financial Derivatives' Theological Unconscious

Sat, 22 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Repressed Futures: Financial Derivatives' Theological Unconscious

Feminist Challenges to Archaeology: Avoiding an Epistemology of the Other

Sat, 22 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Feminist Challenges to Archaeology: Avoiding an Epistemology of the Other

Empire's New Clothes, Reading Hardt and Negri

Sat, 22 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Empire's New Clothes, Reading Hardt and Negri

Caspase-3 Cleaves Extracellular Vesicle Proteins During Auditory Brainstem Development

Sat, 22 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Sound localization requires extremely precise development of auditory brainstem circuits, the molecular mechanisms of which are largely unknown. We previously demonstrated a novel requirement for non-apoptotic activity of the protease caspase-3 in chick auditory brainstem development. Here, we used mass spectrometry to identify proteolytic substrates of caspase-3 during chick auditory brainstem development. These auditory brainstem caspase-3 substrates were enriched for proteins previously shown to be cleaved by caspase-3, especially in non-apoptotic contexts. Functional annotation analysis revealed that our caspase-3 substrates were also enriched for proteins associated with several protein categories, including proteins found in extracellular vesicles (EVs), membrane-bound nanoparticles that function in intercellular communication. The proteome of EVs isolated from the auditory brainstem was highly enriched for our caspase-3 substrates. Additionally, we identified two caspase-3...

Women’s Place is Every Place: Merging Domains and Women’s Roles in Dominica and Barbuda

Sat, 22 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Women’s Place is Every Place: Merging Domains and Women’s Roles in Dominica and Barbuda

Cyberspatial properties: Taxing questions about proprietary regimes

Sat, 22 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Internet-based banking products, electronic commerce transactions, and internet-based offshore financial services are new objects of proprietary and regulatory concern. Each seems to circumvent state apparatuses such as community investment and taxation regimes designed, at least in principle, to serve the public weal. In this chapter I ask whether these new objects of property necessitate a rethinking of property's moral form. They are not merely challenging regulatory frameworks; they are challenging moral obligations involved in territorial state jurisdictionality. If property always entails moral claims, then new kinds of proprietary objects that trouble legal and regulatory obligations unsettle the moral orders in which property is constituted. Cyberspatial properties, by unsettling these moral orders, make visible the contours and the limits of liberal and critical theories of property, themselves bound up with its moral orderings.

Glial cells in the auditory brainstem

Sat, 22 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The auditory brainstem carries out sound localization functions that require an extraordinary degree of precision. While many of the specializations needed for these functions reside in auditory neurons, additional adaptations are made possible by the functions of glial cells. Astrocytes, once thought to have mainly a supporting role in nervous system function, are now known to participate in synaptic function. In the auditory brainstem, they contribute to development of specialized synapses and to mature synaptic function. Oligodendrocytes play critical roles in regulating timing in sound localization circuitry. Microglia enter the central nervous system early in development, and also have important functions in the auditory system's response to injury. This chapter highlights the unique functions of these nonneuronal cells in the auditory system.

Optimized hip-knee-ankle exoskeleton assistance at a range of walking speeds

Sat, 22 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract Background Effective autonomous exoskeletons will need to be useful at a variety of walking speeds, but we do not know how optimal exoskeleton assistance should change with speed. Optimal exoskeleton assistance may increase with speed similar to biological torque changes or a well-tuned assistance profile may be effective at a variety of speeds. Methods We optimized hip-knee-ankle exoskeleton assistance to reduce metabolic cost for three participants walking at 1.0 m/s, 1.25 m/s and 1.5 m/s. We measured metabolic cost, muscle activity, exoskeleton assistance and kinematics. We performed two tailed paired t-tests to determine significance. Results Exoskeleton assistance reduced the metabolic cost of walking compared to wearing the exoskeleton with no torque applied by 26%, 47% and 50% at 1.0, 1.25 and 1.5 m/s, respectively. For all three participants, optimized exoskeleton ankle torque was the smallest for slow walking, while hip and knee torque changed slightly with...

Towards AI-assisted neutrino flavor theory design

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Particle physics theories, such as those which explain neutrino flavor mixing, arise from a vast landscape of model-building possibilities. A model’s construction typically relies on the intuition of theorists. It also requires considerable effort to identify appropriate symmetry groups, assign field representations, and extract predictions for comparison with experimental data. We develop Autonomous Model Builder (AMBer), a framework in which a reinforcement learning agent interacts with a streamlined physics software pipeline to search these spaces efficiently. AMBer selects symmetry groups, particle content, and group representation assignments to construct models while minimizing the number of free parameters introduced. We validate our approach in well-studied regions of theory space and extend the exploration to a previously unexamined symmetry group. While demonstrated in the context of neutrino flavor theories, this approach of reinforcement learning with physics software...

Measurement of the Higgs boson production in association with top quarks in multilepton final states in pp collisions at s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A measurement of the associated production of a top-quark pair with the Higgs boson (tt¯H$$ t\overline{t}H $$) in multilepton final states is presented. The analysis is based on a data sample of proton-proton collisions at s=13$$ \sqrt{s}=13 $$ TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb−1. Six final states defined by the number and flavour of reconstructed charged leptons are combined in a simultaneous likelihood fit to extract the tt¯H$$ t\overline{t}H $$ signal and constrain the most relevant backgrounds. The measured tt¯H$$ t\overline{t}H $$ cross-section normalised to Standard Model (SM) prediction is σtt¯H/σSM=0.63−0.19+0.20$$ {\sigma}_{t\overline{t}H}/{\sigma}^{\mathrm{SM}}=0.{63}_{-0.19}^{+0.20} $$. This result corresponds to an observed (expected) significance of 3.3σ (5.3σ). Additionally, two other fits are used to measure the tt¯H$$ t\overline{t}H $$ cross-section differentially in bins...

Dual effects of erastin on aggressive osteosarcoma cells: ferroptosis sensitization and anti-ferroptotic gene activation

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a rare cancer, yet the most prevalent primary bone cancer in adolescents and young adults OS can be fatal and detrimental due to its high aggressiveness, early metastases, and chemo-resistance. Recent research suggests that drugs that induce ferroptosis could treat osteosarcoma. It is unknown how erastin-induced ferroptosis influences differential gene expression of System Xc, iron absorption, heme synthesis, and mono- (MUFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acid levels in aggressive OS cells. In this study, we show that erastin-induced ferroptosis decreases OS cell growth and survival by raising total ROS, mitochondrial membrane potential, and downregulating VDAC2. Furthermore, erastin induces elevated levels of SLC7A11 and SLC3A2, but downregulation of TFRC and HMOX1 in OS cells. Notably, the addition of Ferrostatin-1 protects against Erastin-induced cytotoxicity, implying that these agents induce ferroptosis. We also showed that Ferrostatin-1 provides partial...

A nut-and-bolt assembly of the bimodular large progenitor botulinum neurotoxin complex

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Botulinum neurotoxin serotype A (BoNT/A) is naturally produced by bacteria along with four nontoxic neurotoxin-associated proteins (NTNH, HA70, HA33, and HA17), forming a bimodular large progenitor toxin complex (L-PTC). The BoNT/A-NTNH complex protects the toxin from adverse environment, while the complex consisting of HA proteins facilitates toxin absorption during oral intoxication. How these two independent modules assemble into the L-PTC remains unclear. Here, we report the crystal structure of the BoNT/A-NTNH-HA70 complex at ~2.9-Å resolution. The structure reveals that the BoNT/A-NTNH complex is anchored into a concentric double β-barrel channel of trimeric HA70 through a short β-hairpin of NTNH (termed nLoop), resembling a nut-and-bolt attachment. We find that the nLoop of NTNH is strictly conserved across HA-containing BoNT complexes and that NTNH-HA70 binding is interchangeable among them. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the nLoop functions as a minimal motif enabling...

Search for higgsinos in compressed mass spectra using low-momentum tracks in pp collisions at s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This paper presents two searches for the electroweak production of higgsinos with compressed mass spectra using 140 fb−1 of s=13$$ \sqrt{s}=13 $$ TeV proton-proton collision data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. Events are required to feature an energetic jet, large missing transverse momentum, and at least one low-momentum charged particle that serves as a candidate higgsino decay product. In the first search, targeting higgsino mass splittings in the range of 0.3–1 GeV, the higgsinos are expected to predominantly decay into pions that are identified as low-momentum charged particles with large transverse impact parameters due to the long higgsino lifetime (cτ ≈ ?(0.1–10 mm)), and neural networks are used to discriminate between signal and background processes. The second search targets larger mass splittings in the range of 1–3 GeV, where the higgsinos are expected to decay promptly into low-momentum leptons, one of which is identified by dedicated...

Characterization of nuclear breakup as a function of hard-scattering kinematics using dijets measured by ATLAS in p+Pb collisions

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This Letter analyzes the sensitivity of event geometry estimators to the initial-state kinematics of hard scattering in proton–lead collisions. This analysis uses dijets as a proxy for the parton–parton scattering configuration, correlating it with event geometry estimators, namely the energy deposited in the Zero-Degree Calorimeter and the transverse energy recorded in the Forward Calorimeter in the Pb-going direction. The analysis uses data recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider with a nucleon–nucleon center-of-mass energy of 8.16 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 56 nb − 1 . The jets are measured within the pseudorapidity interval −2.8  <  η  <  4.5, where positive η values correspond to the direction of the proton beam. Results are presented as a function of the Bjorken-x of the parton originating from the proton, xp . Both event geometry estimators are found to be dependent on xp , with the energy deposited in the Zero-Degree Calorimeter...

Wiseman's and Fool's Gold

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Wiseman's and Fool's Gold

Re-formatting the economy: Islamic banking and finance in world politics

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Re-formatting the economy: Islamic banking and finance in world politics

A belt-buckle checkpoint regulates the onset of botulinum neurotoxin intoxication

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Fast-acting botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are highly desirable for both medical and aesthetic indications, but the underlying mechanism for the differing onset of BoNTs’ action remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the “belt” of BoNTs, a largely unstructured loop wrapping around their catalytic light chain (LC), is key to onset of intoxication. The more flexible BoNT/E belt promotes quicker LC translocation into the neuronal cytosol, leading to faster onset of action compared to BoNT/A. Furthermore, we discover a “belt-buckle” checkpoint that regulates this process. By loosening the BoNT/A belt-buckle via protein engineering, we enhance its sensitivity to acidic pH, leading to an accelerated onset of action. Conversely, locking the belt-buckle with an antibody neutralizes BoNT/A. Our findings open avenues for developing fast-acting BoNTs and effective countermeasures.

Of Law and Belief

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Of Law and Belief

Lateral Reasons for a Post-reflexive Anthropolog INTRODUCTION

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Lateral Reasons for a Post-reflexive Anthropolog INTRODUCTION

Cloning, Expression, Purification and Characterization of the Twelve Subtypes of Botulinum Neurotoxin E1-E12

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Cloning, Expression, Purification and Characterization of the Twelve Subtypes of Botulinum Neurotoxin E1-E12

Innumerate Equivalencies: Making Change with Alternative Currencies

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Innumerate Equivalencies: Making Change with Alternative Currencies

In the Matter of Islamic Banking and Local Currencies

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In the Matter of Islamic Banking and Local Currencies

Mutual Life, Limited ISLAMIC BANKING, ALTERNATIVE CURRENCIES, LATERAL REASON Preface

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Mutual Life, Limited ISLAMIC BANKING, ALTERNATIVE CURRENCIES, LATERAL REASON Preface

Of Monetary Alternatives and the Limits of Values Past

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Of Monetary Alternatives and the Limits of Values Past

Mutual Life, Limited: Insurance, Moral Value, and Bureaucratic Form

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Mutual Life, Limited: Insurance, Moral Value, and Bureaucratic Form

Identification and denoising of radio signals from cosmic-ray air showers using convolutional neural networks

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Radio pulses generated by cosmic-ray air showers can be used to reconstruct key properties like the energy and depth of the electromagnetic component of cosmic-ray air showers. Radio detection threshold, influenced by natural and anthropogenic radio background, can be reduced through various techniques. In this work, we demonstrate that convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are an effective way to lower the threshold. We developed two CNNs: a classifier to distinguish radio signal waveforms from background noise and a denoiser to clean contaminated radio signals. Following the training and testing phases, we applied the networks to air-shower data triggered by scintillation detectors of the prototype station for the enhancement of IceTop, IceCube’s surface array at the South Pole. Over a four-month period, we identified 554 cosmic-ray events in coincidence with IceTop, approximately five times more compared to a reference method based on a cut on the signal-to-noise ratio. Comparisons...

Restaging Abstraction and Adequation CONCLUSION

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Restaging Abstraction and Adequation CONCLUSION

Mitigation of hydrogen crossover in liquid alkaline water electrolysers using gas recombination catalysts

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The rising demand for hydrogen calls for improvements in the efficiency of liquid alkaline water electrolysers (LAWEs), which can be fulfilled by advanced electrodes or separators. Nevertheless, they also intensify hydrogen crossover and safety concerns, thus mandating efficient mitigation strategies. Here we studied the correlation between cathodes and hydrogen crossover behaviours and mitigated safety risks by designing a gas recombination catalyst (GRC). We attribute the elevated hydrogen crossover associated with platinum-based cathodes to their preferential utilization for the hydrogen evolution reaction that creates elevated hydrogen supersaturation, as evidenced by direct measurements of dissolved hydrogen concentration. Varying the placement of platinum layers relative to the cathode–separator interface also supports this conclusion. The implementation of a GRC reduces hydrogen crossover by 95% without affecting LAWE performance and functions for over 1,000 h at 1 A cm−2....

Search for dimuon resonance in the 35 to 75 GeV mass range using 140 fb−1 of 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A model-independent search for low-mass resonances decaying into pairs of oppositely charged muons is presented. The analysis uses proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb−1, recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider between 2015 and 2018. The search targets hypothetical dimuon resonances in the invariant mass range from 35 GeV to 75 GeV. The modelling of this mass region is particularly challenging for conventional analytic background parameterisations. To address this, a Gaussian process regression technique is used to model the background. The dimuon mass spectrum is analysed for potential signals, and no statistically significant excess is observed. Upper limits at the 95% confidence level are set on the fiducial production cross-section of new resonances decaying promptly into muons, ranging from 20 fb to 110 fb, depending on the resonance mass. These results are further interpreted in the context of dark-photon and...

Globalization and Governmentality: An Introduction

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The future outlines of the new global order are the constant object of speculation-economic, political, and metaphysical. From the sunny new world proclaimed by global free marketers to the rebellion against globalization unleashed in the streets of Seattle and Genoa, to the doomsdays envisioned by transnational terrorists and counterterrorists alike, this emerging global-millennial epoch is foretold alternately as redemption or apocalypse. The authors consider these sweeping descriptions of humankind's future, as well as the discourses of globalization that filter and frame them, from perspectives in anthropology, geography, law, sociology, and cultural studies. Their goal is not to resolve the ultimate semantic or philosophical question of what "globalization" really is; instead, their essays explore the forms, practices, and effects of governmentality integral to global modernity's architecture. In Globalization under Construction, the authors ask: What are the rationalities...

Observation of structures in the J/ψ+ψ(2S) mass spectrum with the ATLAS detector

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A search for resonant structures in the mass spectrum is performed using proton-proton collision data at , corresponding to an integrated luminosity of , recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. The decay channels of and are analyzed. An excess near 6.9 GeV is observed in both channels with a combined significance of . No significant signal is observed near 7.2 GeV, and an upper limit on its yield relative to is provided. A simultaneous fit with the di- channel is carried out under assumptions regarding the resonance interferences, yielding a ratio of the partial decay widths between the and di- channels of for the resonance near 6.9 GeV.

Finance

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Finance

Foreword: Rusing Risk

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Foreword: Rusing Risk

International Political Economy as a Cultural Practice: The Metaphysics of Capital Mobility

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Recent discussions of globalization are founded on an assumption about the movement of capital, goods, people, and images—that movement generates change, and that movement is a self-evident phenomenon. Cultural approaches to globalization, such as Appadurai’s (1996) and Hannerz’s (1996), tend to posit thatincreasingmobility characterizes the contemporary era. Critics of these approaches note that capital, goods, labor, and ideas have been moving from place to place ever since the rise of capitalism, if not before, through trading routes and ancient empires (e.g., Abu-Lughod 1989; Friedman 1995). Within political science, “international political economy” (IPE) scholars, while not dipping quite...

Moral Economies, Economic Moralities: Consider the Possibilities!

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Moral Economies, Economic Moralities: Consider the Possibilities!

Implementing Empirical Knowledge in Anthropology and Islamic Accountancy

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This chapter contains section titled: Making Reasonable Accounts Mudarabah Accounting in Theory Mudarabah Accounting in Practice Accounts of Islamic Accounting Toward Anthropological Tawhid Notes Making Reasonable Accounts Mudarabah Accounting in Theory Mudarabah Accounting in Practice Accounts of Islamic Accounting Toward Anthropological Tawhid Notes

Fractions of Blood on Fragments of Soil: Capitalism, the Commons, and Kinship in the Caribbean

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Fractions of Blood on Fragments of Soil: Capitalism, the Commons, and Kinship in the Caribbean

Bureaucratic Entrapment: Refugee Experiences of the European Union (EU) Migration Regime

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract This article advances sociological scholarship on how supranational migration governance shapes the lived experiences of asylum seekers and refugees. It focuses on the European Union (EU)‘s Dublin Regulation (1990, 2002, 2013), which requires asylum seekers to apply for protection in the EU country where they are first fingerprinted—typically the country of entry. For individuals arriving via the Mediterranean route, this is most often Italy. Drawing on over 170 hours of participant observations and 42 in-depth interviews conducted at a refugee center in Rome, I examine the trajectories of asylum seekers transferred back to Italy following unsuccessful claims elsewhere in the EU. I argue that rather than streamlining pathways to protection, the Dublin system produces a process of “bureaucratic entrapment,” whereby overlapping national and regional bureaucracies amplify the well-documented administrative harms of national asylum governance. These intersecting systems...

Super-ineffability and Normal Welch Games

Sun, 16 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This paper generalizes infinite games played with filters on algebras from the Welch Games to playing normal filters that concentrate on a fixed base set.

Corrigendum to “Fingerprint evidence in exoneration cases” [Forensic Sci. Int.: Synergy 12 (2026) 100675]

Sun, 16 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.fsisyn.2026.100675.].

More saturated ideals

Sun, 16 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The proceedings of the Los Angeles Caltech-UCLA 'Cabal Seminar' were originally published in the 1970s and 1980s. Large Cardinals, Determinacy and Other Topics is the final volume in a series of four books collecting the seminal papers from the original volumes together with extensive unpublished material, new papers on related topics and discussion of research developments since the publication of the original volumes. This final volume contains Parts VII and VIII of the series. Part VII focuses on 'Extensions of AD, models with choice', while Part VIII ('Other topics') collects material important to the Cabal that does not fit neatly into one of its main themes. These four volumes will be a necessary part of the book collection of every set theorist.

Author Correction: Somatic chromosomal engineering identifies BCAN-NTRK1 as a potent glioma driver and therapeutic target.

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15987.

Targeting ubiquitin protein ligase E3 component N-recognin 5 in cancer cells induces a CD8+ T cell mediated immune response.

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

UBR5 is a nuclear phosphoprotein of obscure functions. Clinical analyses reveal that UBR5 amplifications and overexpression occur in over 20% cases of human breast cancers. Breast cancer patients carrying UBR5 genetic lesions with overexpression have significantly reduced survival. Experimental work in vitro and in vivo demonstrates that UBR5, functioning as an oncoprotein, plays a profound role in breast cancer growth and metastasis. UBR5 drives tumor growth largely through paracrine interactions with the immune system, particularly through inhibiting the cytotoxic response mediated by CD8⁺ T lymphocytes, whereas it facilitates metastasis in a tumor cell-autonomous manner via its transcriptional control of key regulators of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, ID1 and ID3. Furthermore, simultaneous targeting of UBR5 and PD-L1 yields strong therapeutic benefit to tumor-bearing hosts. This work significantly expands our scarce understanding...

Mad2 Overexpression Uncovers a Critical Role for TRIP13 in Mitotic Exit.

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The mitotic checkpoint ensures proper segregation of chromosomes by delaying anaphase until all kinetochores are bound to microtubules. This inhibitory signal is composed of a complex containing Mad2, which inhibits anaphase progression. The complex can be disassembled by p31^comet and TRIP13; however, TRIP13 knockdown has been shown to cause only a mild mitotic delay. Overexpression of checkpoint genes, as well as TRIP13, is correlated with chromosomal instability (CIN) in cancer, but the initial effects of Mad2 overexpression are prolonged mitosis and decreased proliferation. Here, we show that TRIP13 overexpression significantly reduced, and TRIP13 reduction significantly exacerbated, the mitotic delay associated with Mad2 overexpression, but not that induced by microtubule depolymerization. The combination of Mad2 overexpression and TRIP13 loss reduced the ability of checkpoint complexes to disassemble and significantly inhibited the proliferation...

A Small-Molecule Pan-Id Antagonist Inhibits Pathologic Ocular Neovascularization.

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Id helix-loop-helix (HLH) proteins (Id1-4) bind E protein bHLH transcription factors, preventing them from forming active transcription complexes that drive changes in cell states. Id proteins are primarily expressed during development to inhibit differentiation, but they become re-expressed in adult tissues in diseases of the vasculature and cancer. We show that the genetic loss of Id1/Id3 reduces ocular neovascularization in mouse models of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). An in silico screen identifies AGX51, a small-molecule Id antagonist. AGX51 inhibits the Id1-E47 interaction, leading to ubiquitin-mediated degradation of Ids, cell growth arrest, and reduced viability. AGX51 is well-tolerated in mice and phenocopies the genetic loss of Id expression in AMD and ROP models by inhibiting retinal neovascularization. Thus, AGX51 is a first-in-class compound that antagonizes an interaction formerly considered undruggable and that...

Rousseau's God: Theology, Religion, and the Natural Goodness of Man

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Rousseau's God: Theology, Religion, and the Natural Goodness of Man

Somatic chromosomal engineering identifies BCAN-NTRK1 as a potent glioma driver and therapeutic target.

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The widespread application of high-throughput sequencing methods is resulting in the identification of a rapidly growing number of novel gene fusions caused by tumour-specific chromosomal rearrangements, whose oncogenic potential remains unknown. Here we describe a strategy that builds upon recent advances in genome editing and combines ex vivo and in vivo chromosomal engineering to rapidly and effectively interrogate the oncogenic potential of genomic rearrangements identified in human brain cancers. We show that one such rearrangement, an microdeletion resulting in a fusion between Brevican (BCAN) and Neurotrophic Receptor Tyrosine Kinase 1 (NTRK1), is a potent oncogenic driver of high-grade gliomas and confers sensitivity to the experimental TRK inhibitor entrectinib. This work demonstrates that BCAN-NTRK1 is a bona fide human glioma driver and describes a general strategy to define the oncogenic potential of novel glioma-associated genomic rearrangements and to generate accurate...

ID1 is a functional marker for intestinal stem and progenitor cells required for normal response to injury.

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

LGR5 and BMI1 mark intestinal stem cells in crypt base columnar cells and +4 position cells, respectively, but characterization of functional markers in these cell populations is limited. ID1 maintains the stem cell potential of embryonic, neural, and long-term repopulating hematopoietic stem cells. Here, we show in both human and mouse intestine that ID1 is expressed in cycling columnar cells, +4 position cells, and transit-amplifying cells in the crypt. Lineage tracing revealed ID1+ cells to be self-renewing, multipotent stem/progenitor cells that are responsible for the long-term renewal of the intestinal epithelium. Single ID1+ cells can generate long-lived organoids resembling mature intestinal epithelium. Complete knockout of Id1 or selective deletion of Id1 in intestinal epithelium or in LGR5+ stem cells sensitizes mice to chemical-induced colon injury. These experiments identify ID1 as a marker for intestinal stem/progenitor cells and demonstrate...

Interploidy Introgression Shaped Adaptation during the Origin and Domestication History of Brassica napus.

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Polyploidy is recurrent across the tree of life and known as an evolutionary driving force in plant diversification and crop domestication. How polyploid plants adapt to various habitats has been a fundamental question that remained largely unanswered. Brassica napus is a major crop cultivated worldwide, resulting from allopolyploidy between unknown accessions of diploid B. rapa and B. oleracea. Here, we used whole-genome resequencing data of accessions representing the majority of morphotypes and ecotypes from the species B. rapa, B. oleracea, and B. napus to investigate the role of polyploidy during domestication. To do so, we first reconstructed the phylogenetic history of B. napus, which supported the hypothesis that the emergence of B. napus derived from the hybridization of European turnip of B. rapa and wild B. oleracea. These analyses also showed that morphotypes of swede and Siberian kale (used as vegetable and fodder) were domesticated before rapeseed (oil crop). We...

Two Faces of Mitral Stenosis: Uncovering Structural and Hemodynamic Signatures of Rheumatic and Mitral Annular Calcification–Induced Disease

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

BACKGROUND: Mitral annular calcification (MAC) is common and associated with increased cardiovascular risk and, when severe, mitral stenosis (MS). MAC-related MS differs anatomically and hemodynamically from rheumatic MS (RMS), challenging standard diagnostic methods. This study compares structural and flow characteristics, including kinetic energy losses, across MAC-related MS, RMS, and normal mitral valves, and evaluates the applicability of conventional diagnostic metrics in MAC. METHODS: Three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiographic data sets from 70 patients (22 normal mitral valves, 26 RMS valves, 22 MAC valves) were used to obtain linear, area, and volumetric measurements for valve comparison. Representative valves from each group were converted into 3-dimensional silicone models for in vitro testing in a heart flow simulator. Transmitral flow was assessed with particle image velocimetry, flow energetics were quantified, and coefficients of contraction...