Browse Articles

Gender gaps in reading increase during unplanned and planned school closures

Why do girls outperform boys in education? One contributing factor might be that girls read more than boys, which fosters competencies relevant in education. Moreover, boys might rely more heavily on schools to support and encourage reading, meaning that unplanned and planned school closures disproportionally affect boys. We map the gender gap in reading in the period 2020 to 2022 using two large-scale datasets from Denmark, one measuring students’ weekly reading in school via a popular reading app and the other measuring students’ borrowing of library books. Our data document a clear gender gap in reading that increased during unplanned school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic and planned closures due to vacations. Our findings underscore the role of schools in mitigating gender differences in reading.

Long-term visual field evaluation of trabeculectomy patients with a mean intraocular pressure below 15 mmHg

The purpose of this multicenter, longitudinal, retrospective, observational study was to evaluate the long-term visual field (VF) outcomes of glaucoma patients with a mean intraocular pressure (IOP) of less than 15 mmHg who underwent trabeculectomy (TRAB). Patients who underwent TRAB with at least 3 years of follow-up were divided into two groups: G1 (mean postoperative IOP between 6 and 9 mmHg) and G2 (mean postoperative IOP between 10 and 14 mmHg). A total of 49 eyes from 47 patients were included in G1, and 111 eyes from 90 patients were included in G2. The mean follow-up time was 4.72 ± 2.72 years in G1 and 4.63 ± 2.46 years in G2 (p = 0.832). The mean IOP was 7.88 ± 1.06 mmHg in G1 and 11.83 ± 1.41 mmHg in G2 (p < 0.001). The mean progression rate according to the mean deviation (MD) of the VF was −0.25 ± 1.09 dB/year in G1 and −0.27 ± 1.16 dB/year in G2 (p = 0.786). The changes in the visual acuity or VF indices over time were nonsignificant between the groups (p > 0.05 for all). TRAB is a safe procedure with mean IOPs either in the single digits (i.e., between 6 and 9 mmHg) or between 10 and 14 mmHg.

Synergistic predictive value of dynamic glycemic trajectories and variability metrics for 28-day mortality in critically ill heart failure

Spinning carbon and sinking phosphorus: Misaligned cycles in the sea

Determination of factors that allow cryogenic nanoscopy with high power illumination without devitrification

Cryogenic fluorescence nanoscopy, also known as super-resolution fluorescence light microscopy, has been demonstrated to be useful to close the resolution gap in cryogenic correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM). Importantly, under cryogenic conditions fundamental resolution barriers that are imposed by molecular motion and photobleaching on fluorescence microscopy are circumvented. Due to combination of intrinsically higher resolution on the one hand with strong photobleaching and slower acquisition speed on the other hand, nanoscopy methods show the greatest resolution gain under cryogenic conditions. Therefore, cryogenic fluorescence nanoscopy has great potential also beyond CLEM. However, cryogenic nanoscopy is often limited by heating of the sample through strong laser irradiation. If the sample is heated above the glass transition temperature, diffusion and conformational changes perturb the sample and the sample eventually devitrifies. Reported tolerable power densities on different systems vary by several orders of magnitude. We therefore investigated the laser-induced heating in different setups for cryogenic nanoscopy by time-dependent finite-element simulations complemented with absorption measurements of mammalian cells. This showed that laser-induced heating happens in milliseconds in these setups, precluding efficient sample preservation by intermittent illuminations unless the laser power is modulated in the kHz regime. Under moderate (kW/cm 2 ) light densities used for single molecule localization microscopy, absorbance by mammalian cells was too weak to explain devitrification. Here, heating is governed by absorption of supporting material and can therefore be alleviated by optimizing this material. However, the much higher power densities used in stimulated emission depletion nanoscopy (MW/cm 2 ) resulted in temperatures clearly above the devitrification temperature from absorption by cells alone. Therefore, samples should be mounted on an efficient heat exchanger, such as a diamond, for high power illumination schemes.

Advancing sustainable machining of inconel 718 through nanoparticle-enhanced coconut oil and RSM–GA optimization

Correction for Li et al., Functionally heterogeneous intratumoral CD4 ⁺ CD8 ⁺ double-positive T cells can give rise to single-positive T cells

Correction: Artificial intelligence-based dairy cattle behavior recognition for estrus detection via ensemble fusion of two camera views

Bang-bang control optimization in infectious disease model with incorporating breakthrough and reinfection

Inhibition of coronaviral exoribonuclease activity by TRIM-mediated SUMOylation

Members of the TRIM E3 ligase family are effectors of the host innate or intrinsic defense against various viruses; however, how specific TRIM proteins antagonize coronavirus infection is still largely elusive. Through an RNAi screen targeting 71 human TRIM genes, we identified multiple TRIM proteins with antiviral or proviral activity against SARS-CoV-2. TRIM32 potently restricted SARS-CoV-2 replication in a RING E3 ligase-dependent but interferon-independent manner. Mechanistically, TRIM32 binds to and SUMOylates the 3′‐to‐5′ exoribonuclease (ExoN) of Nsp14, an enzyme essential for SARS-CoV-2 replication. TRIM32-mediated Nsp14 SUMOylation at K9 and K200 inhibits RNA binding and Nsp10 cofactor recruitment, respectively, ultimately suppressing ExoN activity. Our study further revealed that Nsp14 SUMOylation by TRIM32 and its antiviral activity are broadly conserved for coronaviruses. These results identify the coronaviral Nsp14 protein as a direct target of host restriction via SUMOylation, which may uncover ways to therapeutically inhibit coronavirus infections in humans.

Power and influence in world-level sport coaching: A Foucauldian and Raven-informed interpretive vignette study in underwater rugby

This study examined how world-level underwater rugby coaches mobilise interpersonal power to shape athletes’ behaviour, cohesion and self-regulation under high-pressure, low-verbal conditions. Anchored in Foucauldian accounts of power/knowledge and Raven’s interpersonal power bases, we examined how trust, expertise and authority were narrated within an embodied coaching ecology. An interpretive qualitative vignette design with a hermeneutic sensibility was employed with three world-champion coaches (aged 42–44; ≥ 12 years’ international experience). Data were generated via an online questionnaire comprising ten high stakes coaching scenarios. For each vignette, participants selected the single response option that best approximated their likely first-line action (mapped at design time to French and Raven’s power bases, including informational power) and provided a brief open-text rationale. Analysis combined a deliberately modest descriptive use of the closed selections with reflexive thematic analysis of the written rationales, treating the taxonomy as a sensitising framework at interpretation. Three themes captured coaches’ influence work: relational anchoring under aquatic risk; expertise as embodied pedagogy, in which brief reasons were folded into demonstration; and boundary-setting governance, in which formal authority was framed as selective and proportionate. The contribution is not a general revision of power theory, but a context-specific refinement. In low-verbal aquatic settings, influence was narrated as a compressed choreography in which referent trust opens receptivity to expert demonstration, informational reasoning is nested within expert guidance, and formal authority operates mainly as a bounded safety and standards resource.

The role of CUEDC1 in suppressing JAK1/STAT3 signaling pathway in esophageal cancer

The effects of combined balance and plyometric training on change-of-direction and dynamic balance: A meta-analysis

Background Preceding studies have demonstrated that a combination of balance and plyometric training can enhance change-of-direction and dynamic balance. However, to date, a paucity of meta-analyses has precluded the provision of a comprehensive summary of the extant data. Objective The meta-analysis aims to examine the effects of combined balance and plyometric training on change-of-direction and dynamic balance compared to active controls. Method The present meta-analysis was conducted in strict adherence to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. A systematic search was conducted in five electronic databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, EBSCOhost. The present study incorporated studies published from inception until June 2025. Eligibility was assessed using the PICOS method. The quality of studies was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool. For the meta-analysis, the random-effects model was utilised, and the Hedges’ g effect size (ES) and its 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were reported. Subgroup analyses were conducted (age, gender, training frequency, duration). Results A total of 10 studies with 270 participants were included. Compared with the control group, combined balance and plyometric training significantly improved change-of-direction (ES = −0.77, I 2  = 65.6%, P  < 0.05), Y-Balance (ES = 1.32, I ² = 67.5%, P  < 0.05), dynamic postural stability index (ES = −1.27, I² = 0.0%, P  < 0.05), and center of pressure (ES = −1.25, I ² = 58.8%, P  < 0.05). Subgroup analysis showed that age, gender, training frequency, and duration had no effect on the training effect of change-of-direction. Conclusions Combined balance and plyometric training can significantly improve change-of-direction and dynamic balance, and existing evidence shows that the training effects of change-of-direction are not affected by age, gender, training frequency, or duration.

Evaluating coastal urban underground space for ecological and marine-pollution suitability using AHP–TOPSIS

Alternative splicing rewires banana aroma biosynthesis

BGSC-Net: Boundary-guided semantic compensation network for remote sensing image segmentation

Deep learning has recently made remarkable progress in remote sensing image segmentation, with hybrid architectures that integrate convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and Transformers emerging as a promising solution, particularly for high-resolution imagery. However, challenges remain in complex remote sensing scenes, particularly in capturing detailed boundary structures and small-scale targets. One key limitation lies in the suboptimal cross-level feature fusion within the encoder, resulting in semantic misalignment that hinders the precise segmentation of small objects and fine structural details. Additionally, during the decoding stage, the lack of explicit boundary guidance frequently causes the loss of edge information during feature reconstruction, compromising the delineation of object contours in intricate environments. To address these issues, We propose a novel hybrid architecture named Boundary-Guided Semantic Compensation Network (BGSC-Net). Our framework integrates two key components: a Cross-Level Semantic Compensation Module (CLSCM) that dynamically fuses high-level semantics with low-level spatial details to enhance small object segmentation, and an Auxiliary Boundary Supervision Module (ABSM) that enhances structural modeling for blurry or complex boundaries through explicit boundary modeling and an auxiliary supervision strategy based on joint optimization of the edge and main segmentation branches. Experiments show that BGSC-Net achieves superior segmentation performance, with mIoU scores of 87.57% on Potsdam, 85.61% on Vaihingen, 55.05% on LoveDA, and 74.77% on UAVid. To further validate its generalization capability in specialized fine-grained segmentation tasks, we evaluated the model on our challenging self-constructed Mangrove Species Fine-grained Segmentation Dataset (MSFSD), where it achieved an mIoU of 89.58%, confirming its practical utility for precise mangrove species mapping.

Quantifying genus-level divergence using 18S rDNA and its application to heterolobosea with discovery of a novel genus from Mombasa Kenya

A mitochondrial–neuroinflammation–D-serine connection in epilepsy

Editorial Note: Small object detection algorithm incorporating swin transformer for tea buds

An integrated multi-criteria decision framework for outlet mall location selection using fuzzy DEMATEL–DANP–VIKOR

Abstract Outlet malls, as integrated retail spaces combining shopping, dining, and leisure, have rapidly expanded in global markets, and their location planning involves multiple interconnected, strategic criteria. This study develops an integrated multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) framework that includes Porter’s diamond model within a fuzzy DEMATEL–DANP–VIKOR approach to support the comparison of outlet location options. Seventeen evaluation indicators were identified through a literature review and a modified Delphi process. The fuzzy DEMATEL method was used to analyze causal relationships among criteria, while the DANP method was used to determine interdependent weights. VIKOR was then applied to rank three candidate locations shortlisted during the initial planning stage in Tainan, followed by sensitivity analysis. The results show that the proposed framework clarifies the patterns of structural influence and preference-sensitive rankings while maintaining stability across different decision preferences. Overall, the framework offers a systematic, theory-based decision-support tool for retail investment and outlet location planning.