Browse Articles

Temporary carbon dioxide removal to offset short-lived climate forcers

Colour polymorphism in the model aphid pest Myzus persicae as a survival strategy in tritrophic interactions

Laser-boosted microscopy opens view of elusive proteins

Enhanced cryo–electron microscopes reveal new drug targets and sharpen views inside cells

Collaborative innovation in sustainable fashion: A consumer-centric perspective on adoption and brand performance

Involving consumers in product ideation and development can generate innovations that better satisfy customer needs and, hence, are more likely to be adopted. Moreover, such customer-centric innovation processes reinforce the emotional as well as functional linkages between consumers and sustainable products, a dimension that is significantly more important than current collaboration at the firm level or in the supply chain for sustainability research. This study, therefore, explores how perceived collaborative innovation (PCI) affects perceived brand performance (PBP) in the sustainable fashion sector, particularly uncovering the key psychological mechanisms underlying how PCI affects consumer behavior. Specifically, this study reveals the mediating roles of the perceived benefits of sustainable fashion (PBSF) and consumer willingness to adopt sustainable fashion (CWASF) in the relationship between PCI and PBP. Using survey data of 602 Thai consumers (from an emerging economy), which can reflect the behavior of consumers in developing markets, and employing a Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) methodology, this study finds that PCI positively affects both PBSF and CWASF, leading to enhanced PBP. Moving beyond firm-level collaboration for sustainability by applying a consumer-centered perspective, the study introduces a framework that identifies the linkages between innovation perception, behavior, and brand performance. By demonstrating how collaborative innovation is a psychological driver of sustainable adoption and brand competitiveness, this study provides insights to help accelerate sustainability in the fashion industry, particularly in emerging markets.

A low-power buffer-assisted 14T ternary SRAM

Assessing the net climate benefits of improved grazing intensity in global rangelands

Improved rangeland grazing could mitigate climate change through carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) sequestration in soils and vegetation. However, altering grazing practices to increase ecosystem carbon storage may also decrease livestock production and/or increase greenhouse gas emissions through the supply chain, such that the net emissions impacts remain unclear. Here, we assess the global net mitigation potential of improving grazing intensity by quantifying potential CO 2 sequestration alongside systems-level impacts of plant productivity changes, livestock emissions, feed requirements, and production constraints. Improving grazing intensity in global rangelands could sequester 2.2 ± 0.43 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent (Gt/CO 2 eq) per year in the near term, but maintaining livestock production through supplemental feeding would reduce net mitigation by 2 to 31% (to 1.8 ± 0.45 GT/CO 2 eq per year). Our results suggest that neglecting systems-level emissions impacts may substantially overestimate the global climate benefits of improved grazing.

Signal combination in flutter vibration perception

While the brain’s integration of auditory and visual inputs has been extensively investigated, the mechanisms underlying somatosensory signal combination remain less explored. Here, we combine psychophysical thresholds with steady-state somatosensory evoked potentials (SSSEPs) to investigate how vibrotactile inputs are combined across fingers. We find that doubling the number of stimulated digits leads to a weak improvement in detection threshold, consistent with probability summation, whereas introducing a masking stimulus to interleaved digits induces inter-digit suppression. Correspondingly, EEG recordings reveal a ~ 1.4-fold increase in SSSEP amplitude when doubling the number of digits stimulated at the same frequency, reflecting a summation effect. In contrast, SSSEP amplitudes decrease when digits are vibrated at two different frequencies, further supporting the presence of suppression. These results are consistent with a model featuring inhibition between digits and reveal that the weight of suppression is intermediate between that observed in binocular vision and binaural hearing.

A study of the impacts sky view factor on urban environments and pedestrians’ comforts

Protein name confusion led to antibody mix-up

Cancer and cell-aging studies may have relied on antibodies to incorrect molecule

Evaluating Effectiveness of Sustainable Livelihood Development in Rural Communities along Mara River Basin, Tanzania: What Works, What Doesn’t Work, and Why?

The “ Sustainable Livelihood Development of Rural Communities in Low Land Along the Mara River Basin ” project, implemented by Mogabiri Farm Extension Centre (MFEC) in Tarime District, Tanzania, seeks to address persistent socio-economic challenges in rural communities by promoting climate adaptation, income diversification, and gender equality. Despite its ambitious objectives, the project operates within a complex socio-economic and cultural environment that can undermine its intended outcomes. Evaluating such projects requires a critical examination of both their successes and the barriers that persist. Using a mixed-methods approach, this evaluation combined quantitative data from 265 smallholder farmers (SHFs) and qualitative insights from focus group discussions (FGDs), key informant interviews (KIIs), and document reviews. In terms of “ What Works? ”, findings indicate that 75% of SHFs adopted climate-resilient practices ( p  < 0.05), and 90% of communities implemented gender-responsive action plans ( p  < 0.01), with 68% of households engaging in income diversification activities such as poultry farming and beekeeping. However, the question of “ What Doesn’t Work? ” revealed notable shortcomings, including limited market access ( p  = 0.03) and cultural barriers restricting full gender participation ( p  = 0.04). The persistence of these challenges, despite project successes, underscores the need for a deeper investigation into structural and contextual factors that constrain the effectiveness of such initiatives. Understanding “ Why? ” these barriers remain highlights the interplay of systemic market integration challenges and cultural resistance to gender equity. While the project has made commendable progress, addressing these underlying issues is crucial for achieving long-term success. Strengthening market linkages, expanding gender-sensitive interventions, and fostering sustainability through community ownership and local partnerships are recommended to enhance scalability and impact.

Fine-grained classroom behavior monitoring for students with special education needs: an audiovisual fusion approach to posture analysis

Compound climate events threaten tropical semi-enclosed marine ecosystems

Anthropogenic ocean warming affects ecosystem functioning but is not necessarily the primary climate driver regulating tropical seas. Tropical semi-enclosed marine ecosystems are poorly understood, geographically distinct, and influenced by compounding impacts from global warming, cyclones, monsoons, freshwater influx, and massive sea-level and circulation variability. We unify climate risk understanding of these large-scale integrated ocean-atmosphere-biological systems, showing that compound climate events expose resident species to larger, prolonged fluctuations, causing reconfigured spatial patterns and lack of sustained hydrological connectivity. We attribute changes in species’ abundance in these systems to complex and cumulative combinations of extreme temperatures, exposure, turbidity, and hydrologic connections. We describe evidence of such climate-induced physical and biological regime shifts in tropical marine ecosystems in northern Australia and identify implications for other systems.

An assessment of the khat and vegetable trade in the local economic ecosystem: The case of northern Madagascar

Background Khat is widely grown and consumed in parts of Africa. Its trade supports the local economy through income generation and tax contributions. This research explores the economic impact of khat production and trade in northern Madagascar by comparing its income with that of the vegetable trade. Methods We compared the profitability of khat and vegetable trading using a mixed-methods approach. Qualitative data were collected through interviews with nine city managers from two major khat-producing municipalities and with two key khat producers in the city of Diego-Suarez. Participant observation was also conducted at sales points across the city. Quantitative data were collected to twenty sellers to complement and validate the qualitative findings. Khat and vegetable sellers maintained daily income diaries to record variables such as income and purchase prices. Data were collected using KoboToolbox and entered via KoboCollect. In addition, to analyze longer-term financial trends, we examined five years of municipal financial statements from the two main production areas, Joffre-ville and Antsalaka.. Findings The results confirm our hypothesis that khat boosts local economic development by generating employment and municipal taxes that support infrastructure and local development. Further, khat selling proved to be more profitable than vegetable selling, with higher overall earnings despite seasonal price fluctuations. We found that vendors with family ties to khat farmers earn considerably more than others. Vegetables remain attractive to vendors who lack social contacts or capital to invest in khat, or who desire more market stability. Discussion and significance Overall, our findings confirm that khat plays a central and complementary role in the local economic ecosystem. Despite its controversial status as a psychoactive crop that is illegal in much of the world, we argue that it should be supported and regulated like other psychoactive crops such as tobacco, tea and coffee. Limitations Limitations include a small sample size, the complexity of the phenomenon, and data collection limited to a single year. Limitations were mitigated through in-depth qualitative research, and triangulation through informal interviews and field observations.

Author Correction: Modelling late gastrulation in stem cell-derived monkey embryo models

Proof-of-concept study: longitudinal immune biomarker signatures in treatment-naïve IgG4-related disease

Ecological risks of orbital solar reflectors

Benchmarking newborn care quality in Ghana: Evidence from structured observations of clinical practice against WHO quality standards

Introduction The neonatal mortality rate in Ghana remains above the global average, which is far from meeting SDG 3.2. Notably, institutional neonatal deaths are on the increase, potentially due to healthcare professionals’ poor adherence to quality newborn care guidelines. This study assessed the adherence of clinical healthcare professionals to guidelines on quality newborn care in Ghana. Methods This observational study collected data from 158 healthcare professionals across six health facilities in Ghana. A data collection tool was developed based on the WHO standard for improving quality of care for small and sick newborns and the Ghana Health Services Standards for Newborn Health Services . The Mann-Whitney U test was used to measure differences in categorical data, while logistic regression models were employed to analyse the association between dependent and independent variables at a 95% confidence level. Six facility-level discussions with the observed healthcare professionals were held to validate and interpret the quantitative findings. Results Overall, only 31 (20%) of healthcare professionals demonstrated good adherence to infection prevention and control (IPC), while 73 (46%) adhered poorly. Moderate adherence levels were seen in essential care for every newborn (ECEN) at 53% and respectful maternal and newborn care at 51%. During validation discussions, healthcare professionals mentioned poorly located handwashing materials, parental preference for methylated spirit over chlorhexidine for umbilical cord care, and lack of protocols for pain assessment as key barriers to adherence. Conclusion The study findings revealed low adherence levels to quality newborn care practices, especially in IPC practices. Moderate adherence levels were found in ECEN and respectful maternal and newborn care. These findings highlight the need to improve adherence with quality newborn care standards in Ghana. The Institutional Care and Family Health Divisions of the Ghana Health Service should integrate these findings into ongoing quality improvement efforts to achieve better neonatal outcomes.

Correction: How pain intensity and mental disorders shape chronic pain sick leave and quality of life in the general Spanish population

A global map for introgressed structural variation and selection in humans

Genetic introgression from Neanderthals and Denisovans shaped modern human genomes; however, introgressed structural variants (SVs ≥ 50 base pairs) remain challenging to discover. We integrated high-quality phased assemblies from four new Papua New Guinea (PNG) haploid genomes with 94 published assemblies of diverse ancestry to infer an introgressed SV map. Introgressed SVs are enriched in genes (47%), including critical genomic disorder regions, and are most abundant in PNG genomes. We identified 11 centromeres likely derived from archaic hominins, adding unexplored diversity to centromere genomics. Pangenome genotyping of these 98 assemblies across 1363 samples revealed 16 adaptive SVs, many associated with immune-related genes and expression, in the PNG genomes. We hypothesize that archaic SVs contributed to reproductive success, underscoring introgression as a major force in human adaptive evolution.

Gaze dynamics prior to navigation support hierarchical planning

The task of planning future actions in the context of an uncertain world results in massive state spaces that preclude exhaustive search and other strategies explored in the domains of both human decision-making and computational agents. One plausible solution to this dimensionality explosion is to decompose the task into subgoals that match the information geometry of the task at hand. However, how individuals identify a productive hierarchy, and perceive and select subgoals suitable to planning, is not well understood. To investigate this topic, we designed a virtual-reality based behavioral experiment which collected eye movements during a pre-navigation planning phase. By capturing gaze dynamics correlated with the simulative processes used in planning, we were able to identify the spatiotemporal evolution of visual search under uncertainty. Our results highlight gaze dynamics indicative of a search process that exhibits hierarchical structure. These include a decreasing trend seen in gaze distance from origin and a broad to narrow shift (with reducing saccade distances and longer fixation durations) as plans are established. In line with prior work, critical tiles to which landscape connectivity is most sensitive were the strongest predictors of visual attention. We also find that deeper planning was correlated with success only on the most complex maps (e.g., those with a larger number of information-nodes, higher branching factor, and more forks, according to an info-graphical map analysis). This study highlights the role of embodied visual search during planning, and the skill-dependence of the specific subgoals and hierarchical decomposition used which unlocked successful performance.