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To the Moon and quack: Books in brief
Impact of vertical load, multiple passes, and speed on rut depth in soil under pneumatic and track wheels
Sexual partner number and distribution over time affect long-term partner evaluation: evidence from 11 countries across 5 continents
Abstract A prospective partner’s sexual history provides important information that can be used to minimise mating-related risks. Such information includes the number of past sexual partners, which has an inverse relationship with positive suitor evaluation. However, sexual encounters with new partners vary in frequency over time, providing an additional dimension of context not previously considered. Across three studies ( N = 5,331) with 15 samples, we demonstrate that the impact of past partner number on a suitor’s desirability as a long-term partner varies as a function of distribution over time. Using graphical representations of a suitor’s sexual history, we found that past partner number effects were smaller when the frequency of new sexual encounters decreased over time. This moderation effect was stronger, and often curvilinear, when past partner numbers were higher. We replicated these findings in 11 countries from five world regions. Sex differences were minimal and inconsistent pointing to a lack of a sexual double standards. Sociosexuality (openness to casual sex) was a consistent moderator and tended to mute the sexual history effects. These findings suggest that people not only attend to a potential long-term mate’s quantity of sexual partners, but also the context surrounding these encounters such as pattern and timing. Together, the findings raise the possibility of an evolved mechanism for managing mating risks present in both sexes and across populations and adds nuance to a contentious topic of public interest.
Preparation and improvement electrochemical performance of Ni-Fe doped porous LiMnPO4/C materials
Heart from organ donor restarted outside the body — technique offers new source of organs
Effects of different arterial occlusion pressures during blood flow restriction exercise on muscle damage: a single-blind randomized controlled trial
Abstract Blood flow restriction (BFR) training has been shown to induce exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) in some cases, although findings are inconsistent and the influence of the applied arterial occlusion pressure (AOP) remains unclear. This single-blind, randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of different percentages of AOP on EIMD and acute physiological responses in 40 participants allocated to four groups: no pressure (NP), low pressure (LP; 50% AOP), medium pressure (MP; 75% AOP), and high pressure (HP; 100% AOP). Participants performed unilateral knee extensions at 30% of their one-repetition maximum up to four sets of 20 repetitions or until failure. EIMD was primarily assessed by the changes in isokinetic peak torque 24 h, 48 h and 72 h post-exercise (Δ to baseline). Secondary markers included perceived pain, blood biomarkers (creatine kinase, myoglobin) and muscle swelling. Additionally, acute physiological responses were assessed, including continuous measurement of muscle oxygen saturation (SmO2) during exercise, perceived exertion (RPE) immediately after the exercise bout, and blood lactate concentration measured at 1, 3, 7, and 10 min post-exercise. NP showed greater strength loss at 24 h post-exercise compared to MP (MD = − 9.95, p = .042, 95% CI [− 19.7, − 0.19]) and HP (MD = − 10.51, p = .034, 95% CI [− 20.52, − 0.49]). Pain ratings were higher in NP compared to MP (p = .001) and HP (p = .003) at 24 h post, and remained elevated at 48 h compared to MP (p = .003) and HP (p = .047). NP and LP completed more repetitions than MP and HP. HP exhibited a greater reduction in SmO2compared to NP. Perceived exertion was higher in MP and HP. LP showed higher average lactate concentrations than NP (p = .020). CK and MB responses showed no time-specific group differences. These findings suggest that BFR training, even at higher pressures, does not increase EIMD compared to free-flow exercise, and that MP and HP may even attenuate strength loss and pain following exercise.
Leopard seal song patterns have similar predictability to nursery rhymes
Author Correction: Rational computational design and development of an immunogenic multiepitope vaccine incorporating transmembrane proteins of Fusobacterium necrophorum
Knowledge and attitudes toward nutritional deficiencies in celiac disease among medical students and healthcare providers in Egypt
Abstract Celiac disease is an autoimmune enteropathy caused by gluten intake in foods and cereals. Weight loss, persistent diarrhea, and starvation are all possible outcomes. A lack of awareness about CD and malnutrition among medical students and healthcare professionals can result in inadequate nutritional guidance and delayed diagnoses, ultimately compromising patient outcomes and treatment adherence. Greater education and training programs for medical students can help alleviate these concerns and enhance patient outcomes. This study aims to assess the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding nutritional deficiencies related to celiac disease among medical students and healthcare providers in Egypt. The secondary outcome is to identify knowledge gaps and potential barriers to effective implementation. This was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study. The targeted population included students enrolled in any Egyptian medical institution during the academic year 2024–2025, as well as healthcare providers. The questionnaire included sections on demographic information, knowledge about celiac disease and nutritional deficiencies, and attitudes towards nutritional management of celiac disease. Using a convenient sampling method, it was distributed electronically in the English language. A total of 1233 people participated in the study. The median knowledge of celiac disease was 13, indicating that only 11% of individuals had adequate understanding of the condition (8–19). The median knowledge of women and those who lived in cities was higher (p = 0.003 and ←0.001, respectively). Physicians in internal medicine had a greater median level of expertise than pediatricians, indicating a significant difference in specialty among healthcare practitioners (p = 0.01). Only 11.9% of participants demonstrated sufficient understanding of the nutritional inadequacies linked to a gluten-free diet. The median knowledge of women and non-Egyptian individuals was higher (p = 0.05 and 0.03, respectively). Different governorate regions had significantly different knowledge medians (p = 0.002), with Delta governorates having a higher median than Greater Cairo (p = 0.004). This study highlighted the gap in CD knowledge among Egyptian medical students and healthcare providers, particularly concerning symptoms, diagnostic methods, and dietary management.
Insights into thermal stress effects on performance and behavior of grazing cattle via multimodal sensor monitoring
Abstract Cattle have been observed to change their behavior and location in response to thermal stress. This study employs a multimodal sensor-based approach to assess if the behavior of grazing cattle changed in response to thermal conditions that occurred during two trials conducted in Queensland, Australia, over late spring and early summer. Each trial involved sixty cattle (Brahman and Droughtmaster) fitted with eGrazor collars containing triaxial accelerometer and GNSS sensors. Cattle were genotyped and weighed weekly, and relevant meteorological data was collected. Accelerometer data was used to classify cattle behavior at five-second intervals into six distinct categories: grazing, walking, ruminating, resting, drinking, and other. GNSS data and satellite imagery were utilized to estimate time spent in open areas, while the Comprehensive Climate Index (CCI) was calculated from meteorological data and used to identify the two warmest and coolest weeks of both trials. Correlation analysis revealed that, during days of higher CCI, cattle increased time in the shade (correlation coefficient $$r=0.66$$ ), reduced daytime grazing ( $$r=-0.49$$ ), shifted grazing to nighttime ( $$r=0.64$$ ), and prolonged daytime resting ( $$r=-0.34$$ ). Weather variations had a subtle influence on weight gain, while cattle with increased Bos indicus genetic proportion were more active during periods of higher CCI. These findings emphasize the potential of sensor-based monitoring to quantify cattle behavioral responses to variable weather conditions in relevant production environments.
Adverse childhood experiences impair cognitive function via social isolation and functional limitations in Chinese middle-aged and older adults
Classification accuracy of pain intensity induced by leg blood flow restriction during walking using machine learning based on electroencephalography
TIPE2 combined with immune cell infiltration predicts prognosis in colorectal cancer
Full length transcriptomic profiling reveals insights into the white coat phenotype in Waardenburg syndrome mice harboring the Mitf R324del mutation
Abstract Waardenburg syndrome (WS) is distinguished by depigmented patches of hair and skin, striking blue eyes and sensorineural hearing loss. Studies on alternative splicing (AS) in the abnormal pigmentation in skin in WS are currently poorly understood. In this study, we conducted comprehensive full-length transcriptome sequencing analysis on abdominal skin tissues from mice harboring the Mitf p.R324del mutation and wild-type controls. Our analysis revealed 3619 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), with 1916 upregulated and 1703 downregulated. Notably, pigment-associated genes and related signaling pathways were significantly enriched. Additionally, we identified extensive AS events in the skin tissue of Mitf mutant mice, including 97 A3, 85 A5, 101 AF, 42 AL, 8 MX, 44 RI, and 184 SE events (P < 0.05), suggesting AS events may contribute to the pigment distribution patterns in Mitf p.R324del mutation mice. Furthermore, we observed downregulation of Dct, Mlana, and Snai2, which indicates that Mitf mutations disrupt neural crest cells into melanocytes, melanosome structure, and melanin biosynthesis. Overall, our results support that variation in gene expression and AS are important and complementary mechanisms governing pigmentation defects in WS.
Observation of charge–parity symmetry breaking in baryon decays
Abstract The Standard Model of particle physics—the theory of particles and interactions at the smallest scale—predicts that matter and antimatter interact differently due to violation of the combined symmetry of charge conjugation (C) and parity (P). Charge conjugation transforms particles into their antimatter particles, whereas the parity transformation inverts spatial coordinates. This prediction applies to both mesons, which consist of a quark and an antiquark, and baryons, which are composed of three quarks. However, despite having been discovered in various meson decays, CP violation has yet to be observed in baryons, the type of matter that makes up the observable Universe. Here we report a study of the decay of the beauty baryon $${\varLambda }_{0}^{b}$$ Λ 0 b to the p K − π + π − final state, which proceeds through b → u or b → s quark-level transitions, and its CP-conjugated process, using data collected by the Large Hadron Collider beauty experiment1 at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). The results reveal significant asymmetries between the decay rates of the $${\varLambda }_{0}^{b}$$ Λ 0 b baryon and its CP-conjugated antibaryon, providing, to our knowledge, the first observation of CP violation in baryon decays and demonstrating the different behaviours of baryons and antibaryons. In the Standard Model, CP violation arises from the Cabibbo–Kobayashi–Maskawa mechanism2, and new forces or particles beyond the Standard Model could provide further contributions. This discovery opens a new path in the search for physics beyond the Standard Model.
AI-assisted intraoperative navigation for safe right liver mobilization in pure laparoscopic donor hepatectomy: an experimental multi-institutional validation study
Maternal parity modifies the association of birthweight polygenic score with fetal growth
Abstract Low birthweight is more common among children born to nulliparas (women with no prior pregnancy lasting ≥20 weeks of gestation) compared to those born to multiparas (women with one or more prior pregnancies lasting ≥20 weeks). We investigated whether parity modifies the association of maternal genetic risk score (mGRS) of maternal birthweight-reducing genetic variants with fetal size and weekly growth pace (i.e., change in fetal size over a 1-week gestational age interval) at gestational weeks 10–40 in two multi-ancestral cohorts of pregnant women. mGRS, derived from previously identified birthweight-reducing maternal variants was tested for association with fetal size and weekly growth pace using linear regression adjusted for fetal sex and top 10 genetic principal components. Among nulliparas, but not among multiparas, higher birthweight-reducing mGRS was associated with lower fetal size and slower weekly growth pace as measured by fetal weight, humerus and femur lengths, and abdominal and head circumferences beginning from gestational week 11. The findings suggest that the maternal genetic factors target major physiological changes at the first pregnancy that get less profound with multi-parity. Considering parity as a biological variable may facilitate the precision of identifying sensitive intrauterine periods and interventions for pregnancy outcomes using genomics.