bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
THE INFLUENCE OF HUMAN FACTORS ON AVIATION SAFETY
Authors: Prskalo Marija , Šahić Adnan
Published: October 2024

This paper explores the significant impact of human factors on aviation safety, with a particular emphasis on air traffic operations as a complex chain where human factors play a crucial role. With the rapid growth and technological advancement in aviation, operations are becoming increasingly complex, leading to increased workload on the crew and other personnel. This intricate chain encompasses various phases, including flight planning, execution, air traffic control, and ground operations, when human factors plac a pivotal role at every step. Air traffic operations are highly sensitive to human errors, especially under conditions of high stress, fatigue, or emotional tension. The rapid growth of air traffic and technological advancement often lead to the neglect of human factors. However, research indicates that these factors remain one of the primary causes of incidents and accidents in aviation. To ensure flight safety in this dynamic environment, it is crucial to understand and effectively manage human factors by providing support to personnel and ensuring compliance with regulations and best practices.
CRIME PREVENTION MODELS IN RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS
Authors: Kreso Inda
Published: October 2024

The aim of this paper is to identify models for preventive risk recognition as tool for crine prevention in the renewable energy sector through a systematic review of the available literature. These models should represent a formalized set of steps or protocols that can be used at any stage of renewable energy projects, particularly in the construction of renewable energy power plants, to mitigate and minimize the risk of criminal offenses. Models of preventive risk recognition ensure that the power plant construction project progresses smoothly from start to finish without unnecessary financial losses due to their ability to identify all weak points in the entire process. With the help of the models described in this paper, the transition to green energy is accelerated and sustainable development is fully supported,
JUVENILE MISDEMEANOR LAW IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA DEVELOPMENT OF MISDEMEANOR LAW AND ANALYSIS OF THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK
Authors: Čuljević Ilda
Published: October 2024

Juvenile delinquency is a social phenomenon characterized by socially unacceptable behaviors of minors. In a narrower sense, it refers to unlawful behaviors of minors that are criminalized as offenses under the criminal legislation of a state, while in a broader sense, it includes not only criminal offenses but also other forms of behavioral disorders, i.e., so-called risky behaviors of minors (committing misdemeanors, violating moral norms, and other socially unacceptable behaviors). Juvenile misdemeanor law contains norms that establish the age threshold for juvenile misdemeanor liability, the system of misdemeanor sanctions for juveniles, and other measures that can be applied to juvenile offenders. This paper aims to present the development of misdemeanor law and the current legal framework of juvenile misdemeanor law in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which consists of regulations enacted at the state level, the entities of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Srpska, as well as the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Role of Catalytic Converter in Vehicles
Authors: Mukhlis Sifatullah , Shinwari Saifullah , Kuchai Khudaidad , Sharafmal Din Mohammad , Ulfat Waliimam , Elmi Fazalkarim
Published: October 2024

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), diesel, and petrol are utilized in large numbers as energy sources for various vehicles in Afghanistan. Vehicles running on LPG are increasingly the primary source of ambient volatile organic compounds. Long-term observations revealed that the catalytic converter was quite effective in reducing the levels of nitric oxide (NO), NOx, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) linked to LPG in the air. Catalytic materials are used in car silencers to stop dangerous compounds from burning fuels in engines that cause air pollution, which poses a threat to human health. The role of car silencers is very important to the cleanliness of the environment because these silencers can protect the environment from harmful gases or change more harmful gases into less harmful gases. Those silencers that do not have a catalytic converter in them cause air pollution. Afghanistan's influence is spreading globally, releasing harmful gases into the atmosphere. To reduce these, transport equipment silencers are needed. Carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and partially burned hydrocarbon components can be converted into less harmful substances. Catalysts aim to reduce toxic gases, such as volatile organic hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides that are created when fossil fuels are not burned completely.
The Role of Catalytic Vehicles in the Reduction of Environmental Pollution in Nangrahar City of Afghanistan
Authors: Safi Bashir ullah , Safi Fazal Rahman Mukhlis , Atif Abdul Rabi
Published: October 2024

Due to the increase in the number of vehicles in the cities, air pollution is one of the serious environmental hazards because it increases the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and causes climate change. To reduce the bad effects of the gases produced by car engines, the gases are filtered with the help of a catalytic in the silencer of the car (carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide, nitrogen monoxide to nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbons to water vapor) before it leaves the silencer of the car. The catalytic was synthesized in 1895 from various expensive (platinum, rhodium, palladium) materials that work as a result of chemical reactions and have a high price. The purpose of this research is to inform people about the role and value of catalytic in preventing environmental pollution in the eastern zone of Afghanistan. Data was collected through online questionnaire and interviews from 102 participants. The findings of the research show that the catalytic play a vital role in the reduction of environmental pollution in Nangarhar city of Afghanistan. The study revealed that catalytic helps the cars in the prevention of air pollution. The catalytic breaks down dangerous gases into environment friendly gases before they leave the silencer of the car and so has a great role in the reduction of environmental pollution. Similarly, the catalytic is an essential part of the car that has a vital role in the health of the car i.e., the car having the catalytic will be in good condition for a longer period of time, will go with high speed and will use less fuel. Moreover, the use of catalytic is recommended in every car and other fuel consuming machines to avoid environmental pollution.
The Climate and Global Warming Responses to the Changing Greenhouse Gas Concentration in the Atmosphere
Authors: Ulfat Waliimam , Noori Shukrullah
Published: October 2024

Increase of the World temperature throughout the Earth is called Global warming. Studies have shown that Temperature of the earth have risen, if do not stopped on time, it will rise further. The reason of this global warming are Greenhouse gases like, Nitrous Oxide, Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Sulphurehexafloride, Nitrogen Trifloride, Hydrofluorocarbon, Perfluorocarbon. Global warming of the Nitrous oxide is 265 and can stay up to 121 years in the atmosphere. It has 298 times more potential in the warming up of the glob than Carbon dioxide, which are being produced by human’s industrial activities. Therefore Carbon dioxide is being produced with the burning of the fossil fuels and the ability of the Carbon dioxide in global warming 1. Methane is a gas which is being produced by the burning of the organic materials. Sulphur Hexafluoride is also a strong gas of the greenhouse gases and is unburnable and is able to wipe out the infrared waves. It keeps the earth warm for a long time. Nitrogentrichloride is a gas which causes skin and eye’s disease. Therefore, every molecule of the Hydrofluorocarbon is much stronger as compare to the Carbon dioxide. It prevents the distraction of the Ozone layer. On the other side, perfluorocarbon is a gas which has the ability to wipe out the Ozone Layer. Greenhouse is a place which protects Plants from direct sunlight. Greenhouse gases cause many problems which can cause climate change, like melting of the glacier, rise in the sea water and Increase in storms. In the reduction of the greenhouse gases, a number of processes have been started like using renewable energy, using Bicycle, Using local transportations, protecting forests and using air filters.
How to Control Carbon Dioxide Gas in the Earth's Atmosphere to Reduce Global Warming
Authors: Tayeb Hamed , Farahi Mohammad Husain
Published: October 2024

The burning of fossil fuels causes the release of greenhouse gases which acts like a wrapped blanket around the earth and traps the heat of the sun and increases the temperature, as well land clearing and deforestation also play a major role in increasing the carbon dioxide of the earth. The main greenhouse gas which causes climate change is carbon dioxide, based on the research conducted, the removal of carbon dioxide from the earth's atmosphere is inevitable, which is currently mainly has been established in the form of conventional methods in development countries. It is important to note that all possible scenarios for the reduction of carbon dioxide gas have been investigated and the method of removing carbon dioxide(RCD) from the earth is specially considerable. The application of carbon dioxide removal at the Gt level requires significant development of new technologies. Our findings form the main lines of research that can be considered for the construction of devices capable of potentially effective removal of carbon dioxide from the surface of the Earth and space, and allow us to identify sources of emission from point sources before fuel and collect carbon dioxide gas after fueling the earth’s atmosphere in order to prevent global warming.
Understsanding the Effects of UV Radiation on Climate Change: A Comprehensive Review
Authors: Zahirzai Mansoor , Azizi Ziaulhaq , Niazi Mohammad Jawad , Rafi Rafiullah , Waqar Ikramullah
Published: October 2024

‌This review paper explores the intricate relationship between ultraviolet (UV) radiation and climate change, delving into its multifaceted effects on atmospheric processes, global temperature dynamics, biological entities, and the intricate feedback mechanisms that shape the Earth's climate. Beginning with an examination of UV radiation's interaction with the atmosphere, we uncover its role in ozone layer dynamics and its potential to influence atmospheric circulation patterns.The discussion extends to the impact of UV radiation on global temperature patterns, emphasizing its contribution to the Earth's energy balance and its interaction with greenhouse gases. Moving beyond climatic elements, we explore the biological impacts of UV radiation, encompassing its effects on human health, plant productivity, and aquatic ecosystems. We unveil the intricate feedback loops, revealing how changes induced by UV radiation can cascade through the atmosphere, ecosystems, and human societies.The technological and policy implications are scrutinized, highlighting innovations in monitoring and mitigation strategies alongside international policies crafted to address UV radiation's impact on climate change. Looking toward the future, the paper offers insights into potential advancements, challenges, and opportunities, emphasizing the need for ongoing research, global collaboration, and sustainable practices to navigate the evolving dynamics of UV radiation and climate change. In conclusion, this review consolidates a comprehensive understanding of UV radiation's pivotal role in shaping our climate, offering a foundation for informed decision-making and sustainable stewardship of our planet
New soft tissue data of pterosaur tail vane reveals sophisticated, dynamic tensioning usage and expands its evolutionary origins
Authors: Jagielska Natalia , Kaye Thomas G , Habib Michael B , Hirasawa Tatsuya , Pittman Michael
Published: October 2024

Pterosaurs were the first vertebrates to achieve powered flight. Early pterosaurs had long stiff tails with a mobile base that could shift their center of mass, potentially benefiting flight control. These tails ended in a tall, thin soft tissue vane that would compromise aerodynamic control and efficiency if it fluttered during flight like a flag in the wind. Maintaining stiffness in the vane would have been crucial in early pterosaur flight, but how this was achieved has been unclear, especially since vanes were lost in later pterosaurs and are absent in birds and bats. Here we use Laser-Stimulated Fluorescence imaging to reveal a cross-linking lattice within the tail vanes of early pterosaurs. The lattice supported a sophisticated dynamic tensioning system used to maintain vane stiffness, allowing the whole tail to augment flight control and the vane to function as a display structure.
Temporal dynamics analysis reveals that concurrent working memory load eliminates the Stroop effect through disrupting stimulus-response mapping
Authors: Li Yafen , Lin Yixuan , Li Qing , Chen Yongqiang , Li Zhifang , Chen Antao
Published: October 2024

Concurrent verbal working memory task can eliminate the color-word Stroop effect. Previous research, based on specific and limited resources, suggested that the disappearance of the conflict effect was due to the memory information preempting the resources for distractors. However, it remains unclear which particular stage of Stroop conflict processing is influenced by working memory loads. In this study, electroencephalography (EEG) recordings with event-related potential (ERP) analyses, time-frequency analyses, multivariate pattern analyses (MVPA), and representational similarity analyses (RSA) were applied to provide an in-depth investigation of the aforementioned issue. Subjects were required to complete the single task (the classical manual color-word Stroop task) and the dual task (the Sternberg working memory task combined with the Stroop task), respectively. Behaviorally, the results indicated that the Stroop effect was eliminated in the dual-task condition. The EEG results showed that the concurrent working memory task did not modulate the P1, N450, and alpha bands. However, it modulated the sustained potential (SP), late theta (740-820 ms), and beta (920-1040 ms) power, showing no difference between congruent and incongruent trials in the dual-task condition but significant difference in the single-task condition. Importantly, the RSA results revealed that the neural activation pattern of the late theta was similar to the response interaction pattern. Together, these findings implied that concurrent working memory task eliminated the Stroop effect through disrupting stimulus-response mapping.
Temporal dynamics analysis reveals that concurrent working memory load eliminates the Stroop effect through disrupting stimulus-response mapping
Authors: Li Yafen , Lin Yixuan , Li Qing , Chen Yongqiang , Li Zhifang , Chen Antao
Published: October 2024

Concurrent verbal working memory task can eliminate the color-word Stroop effect. Previous research, based on specific and limited resources, suggested that the disappearance of the conflict effect was due to the memory information preempting the resources for distractors. However, it remains unclear which particular stage of Stroop conflict processing is influenced by working memory loads. In this study, electroencephalography (EEG) recordings with event-related potential (ERP) analyses, time-frequency analyses, multivariate pattern analyses (MVPA), and representational similarity analyses (RSA) were applied to provide an in-depth investigation of the aforementioned issue. Subjects were required to complete the single task (the classical manual color-word Stroop task) and the dual task (the Sternberg working memory task combined with the Stroop task), respectively. Behaviorally, the results indicated that the Stroop effect was eliminated in the dual-task condition. The EEG results showed that the concurrent working memory task did not modulate the P1 and alpha bands. However, it modulated the sustained potential (SP), late theta (740-820 ms), and beta (920-1040 ms) power, showing no difference between congruent and incongruent trials in the dual-task condition but significant difference in the single-task condition. Importantly, the RSA results revealed that the neural activation pattern of the late theta was similar to the response interaction pattern. Together, these findings implied that concurrent working memory task eliminated the Stroop effect through disrupting stimulus-response mapping.
Assessing the balance between excitation and inhibition in chronic pain through the aperiodic component of EEG
Authors: Gil Avila Cristina , May Elisabeth S , Bott Felix S , Tiemann Laura , Hohn Vanessa , Heitmann Henrik , Zebhauser Paul Theo , Gross Joachim , Ploner Markus
Published: October 2024

Chronic pain is a prevalent and debilitating condition whose neural mechanisms are incompletely understood. An imbalance of cerebral excitation and inhibition (E/I), particularly in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), is believed to represent a crucial mechanism in the development and maintenance of chronic pain. Thus, identifying a non-invasive, scalable marker of E/I could provide valuable insights into the neural mechanisms of chronic pain and aid in developing clinically useful biomarkers. Recently, the aperiodic component of the electroencephalography (EEG) power spectrum has been proposed to represent a non-invasive proxy for E/I. We, therefore, assessed the aperiodic component in the mPFC of resting-state EEG recordings in 149 people with chronic pain and 115 healthy participants. We found robust evidence against differences in the aperiodic component in the mPFC between people with chronic pain and healthy participants, and no correlation between the aperiodic component and pain intensity. These findings were consistent across different subtypes of chronic pain and were similarly found in a whole-brain analysis. Their robustness was supported by preregistration and multiverse analyses across many different methodological choices. Together, our results suggest that the EEG aperiodic component does not differentiate between people with chronic pain and healthy individuals. These findings and the rigorous methodological approach can guide future studies investigating non-invasive, scalable markers of cerebral dysfunction in people with chronic pain and beyond.
IFIT1 is rapidly evolving and exhibits disparate antiviral activities across 11 mammalian orders
Authors: McDougal Matthew B , De Maria Anthony M , Nakahara Emi , Boys Ian N , Schoggins John W
Published: October 2024

Mammalian mRNAs possess an N7-methylguanosine (m7G) cap and 2’O methylation of the initiating nucleotide at their 5’ end, whereas certain viral RNAs lack these characteristic features. The human antiviral restriction factor IFIT1 recognizes and binds to specific viral RNAs that lack the 5’ features of host mRNAs, resulting in targeted suppression of viral RNA translation. This interaction imposes significant host-driven evolutionary pressures on viruses, and many viruses have evolved mechanisms to evade the antiviral action of human IFIT1. However, little is known about the virus-driven pressures that may have shaped the antiviral activity of IFIT1 genes across mammals. Here, we take an evolution-guided approach to show that the IFIT1 gene is rapidly evolving in multiple mammalian clades, with positive selection acting upon several residues in distinct regions of the protein. In functional assays with 39 IFIT1s spanning diverse mammals, we demonstrate that IFIT1 exhibits a range of antiviral phenotypes, with many orthologs lacking antiviral activity against viruses that are strongly suppressed by other IFIT1s. We further show that IFIT1s from human and a bat, the black flying fox, inhibit Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) and strongly bind to Cap0 RNAs. Unexpectedly, chimpanzee IFIT1, which differs from human IFIT1 by only 8 amino acids, does not inhibit VEEV infection and exhibits minimal Cap0 RNA-binding. In mutagenesis studies, we determine that amino acids 364 and 366, with the latter undergoing positive selection, are sufficient to confer the differential anti-VEEV activity between human and chimpanzee IFIT1. These data suggest that virus-host genetic conflicts have influenced the antiviral specificity of IFIT1 across diverse mammalian orders.
Evidence for a role of human blood-borne factors in mediating age-associated changes in molecular circadian rhythms
Authors: Schwarz Jessica E , Mrčela Antonijo , Lahens Nicholas F , Li Yongjun , Hsu Cynthia T , Grant Gregory , Skarke Carsten , Zhang Shirley L , Sehgal Amita
Published: October 2024

Aging is associated with a number of physiologic changes including perturbed circadian rhythms; however, mechanisms by which rhythms are altered remain unknown. To test the idea that circulating factors mediate age-dependent changes in peripheral rhythms, we compared the ability of human serum from young and old individuals to synchronize circadian rhythms in culture. We collected blood from apparently healthy young (age 25-30) and old (age 70-76) individuals at 14:00 and used the serum to synchronize cultured fibroblasts. We found that young and old sera are equally competent at initiating robust ∼24h oscillations of a luciferase reporter driven by clock gene promoter. However, cyclic gene expression is affected, such that young and old sera promote cycling of different sets of genes. Genes that lose rhythmicity with old serum entrainment are associated with oxidative phosphorylation and Alzheimer’s Disease as identified by STRING and IPA analyses. Conversely, the expression of cycling genes associated with cholesterol biosynthesis increased in the cells entrained with old serum. Genes involved in the cell cycle and transcription/translation remain rhythmic in both conditions. We did not observe a global difference in the distribution of phase between groups, but found that peak expression of several clock-controlled genes (
PER3, NR1D1, NR1D2, CRY1, CRY2,
and
TEF
) lagged in the cells synchronized
ex vivo
with old serum. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that age-dependent blood-borne factors affect circadian rhythms in peripheral cells and have the potential to impact health and disease via maintaining or disrupting rhythms respectively.
Systematic creation and phenotyping of Mendelian disease models in C. elegans: towards large-scale drug repurposing
Authors: O’Brien Thomas J , Barlow Ida L , Feriani Luigi , Brown André EX
Published: October 2024

There are thousands of Mendelian diseases with more being discovered weekly and the majority have no approved treatments. To address this need, we require scalable approaches that are relatively inexpensive compared to traditional drug development. In the absence of a validated drug target, phenotypic screening in model organisms provides a route for identifying candidate treatments. Success requires a screenable phenotype. However, the right phenotype and assay may not be obvious for pleiotropic neuromuscular disorders. Here we show that high- throughput imaging and quantitative phenotyping can be conducted systematically on a panel of
C. elegans
disease model strains. We used CRISPR genome-editing to create 25 worm models of human Mendelian diseases and phenotyped them using a single standardised assay. All but two strains were significantly different from wild-type controls in at least one feature. The observed phenotypes were diverse, but mutations of genes predicted to have related functions led to similar behavioural differences in worms. As a proof-of-concept, we performed a drug repurposing screen of an FDA approved compound library, and identified two compounds that rescued the behavioural phenotype of a model of UNC80 deficiency. Our results show that a single assay to measure multiple phenotypes can be applied systematically to diverse Mendelian disease models. The relatively short time and low cost associated with creating and phenotyping multiple strains suggests that high-throughput worm tracking could provide a scalable approach to drug repurposing commensurate with the number of Mendelian diseases.
Synaptic interactions between stellate cells and parvalbumin interneurons in layer 2 of the medial entorhinal cortex are organized at the scale of grid cell clusters
Authors: Huang Li-Wen , Garden Derek LF , McClure Christina , Nolan Matthew F
Published: October 2024

Interactions between excitatory and inhibitory neurons are critical to computations in cortical circuits but their organization is difficult to assess with standard electrophysiological approaches. Within the medial entorhinal cortex, representation of location by grid and other spatial cells involves circuits in layer 2 in which excitatory stellate cells interact with each other via inhibitory parvalbumin expressing interneurons. Whether this connectivity is structured to support local circuit computations is unclear. Here, we introduce strategies to address the functional organization of excitatory-inhibitory interactions using crossed Cre- and Flp-driver lines to direct targeted presynaptic optogenetic activation and postsynaptic cell identification. We then use simultaneous patch-clamp recordings from postsynaptic neurons to assess their shared input from optically activated presynaptic populations. We find that extensive axonal projections support spatially organized connectivity between stellate cells and parvalbumin interneurons, such that direct connections are often, but not always, shared by nearby neurons, whereas multisynaptic interactions coordinate inputs to neurons with greater spatial separation. We suggest that direct excitatory-inhibitory synaptic interactions may operate at the scale of grid cell clusters, with local modules defined by excitatory-inhibitory connectivity, while indirect interactions may coordinate activity at the scale of grid cell modules.
Functional characteristics and computational model of abundant hyperactive loci in the human genome
Authors: Hudaiberdiev Sanjarbek , Ovcharenko Ivan
Published: October 2024

Enhancers and promoters are classically considered to be bound by a small set of TFs in a sequence-specific manner. This assumption has come under increasing skepticism as the datasets of ChIP-seq assays of TFs have expanded. In particular, high-occupancy target (HOT) loci attract hundreds of TFs with often no detectable correlation between ChIP-seq peaks and DNA-binding motif presence. Here, we used a set of 1,003 TF ChIP-seq datasets (HepG2, K562, H1) to analyze the patterns of ChIP-seq peak co-occurrence in combination with functional genomics datasets. We identified 43,891 HOT loci forming at the promoter (53%) and enhancer (47%) regions. HOT promoters regulate housekeeping genes, whereas HOT enhancers are involved in tissue-specific process regulation. HOT loci form the foundation of human super-enhancers and evolve under strong negative selection, with some of these loci being located in ultraconserved regions. Sequence-based classification analysis of HOT loci suggested that their formation is driven by the sequence features, and the density of mapped ChIP-seq peaks across TF-bound loci correlates with sequence features and the expression level of flanking genes. Based on the affinities to bind to promoters and enhancers we detected 5 distinct clusters of TFs that form the core of the HOT loci. We report an abundance of HOT loci in the human genome and a commitment of 51% of all TF ChIP-seq binding events to HOT locus formation thus challenging the classical model of enhancer activity and propose a model of HOT locus formation based on the existence of large transcriptional condensates.
Patch-walking: Coordinated multi-pipette patch clamp for efficiently finding synaptic connections
Authors: Yip Mighten C , Gonzalez Mercedes M , Lewallen Colby F , Landry Corey R , Kolb Ilya , Yang Bo , Stoy William M , Fong Ming-fai , Rowan Matthew JM , Boyden Edward S , Forest Craig R
Published: October 2024

Significant technical challenges exist when measuring synaptic connections between neurons in living brain tissue. The patch clamping technique, when used to probe for synaptic connections, is manually laborious and time-consuming. To improve its efficiency, we pursued another approach: instead of retracting all patch clamping electrodes after each recording attempt, we cleaned just one of them and reused it to obtain another recording while maintaining the others. With one new patch clamp recording attempt, many new connections can be probed. By placing one pipette in front of the others in this way, one can “walk” across the tissue, termed “patch-walking.” We performed 136 patch clamp attempts for two pipettes, achieving 71 successful whole cell recordings (52.2%). Of these, we probed 29 pairs (i.e., 58 bidirectional probed connections) averaging 91
µ
m intersomatic distance, finding 3 connections. Patch-walking yields 80-92% more probed connections, for experiments with 10-100 cells than the traditional synaptic connection searching method.
Polarised Moonlight Guides Nocturnal Bull Ants Home
Authors: Freas Cody A , Narendra Ajay , Murray Trevor , Cheng Ken
Published: October 2024

For the first time in any animal, we show that nocturnal bull ants use the exceedingly dim polarisation pattern produced by the moon for overnight navigation. The sun or moon can provide directional information via their position; however, they can often be obstructed by clouds, canopy or the horizon. Despite being hidden, these bodies can still provide compass information through the polarised light pattern they produce/reflect. Sunlight produces polarised light patterns across the overhead sky as it enters the atmosphere, and solar polarised light is a well-known compass cue for navigating animals. Moonlight produces an analogous pattern, albeit a million times dimmer than sunlight. Here we show evidence that polarised moonlight forms part of the celestial compass of navigating nocturnal ants. Nocturnal bull ants leave their nest at twilight and rely heavily on the overhead solar polarisation pattern to navigate. Yet many foragers return home overnight when the sun cannot guide them. We demonstrate that these bull ants use polarised moonlight to navigate home during the night, by rotating the overhead polarisation pattern above homing ants, who alter their headings in response. Furthermore, these ants can detect this cue throughout the lunar month, even under crescent moons, when polarised light levels are at their lowest. Finally, we show long-term incorporation of this moonlight pattern into the ants’ path integration system throughout the night for homing, as polarised sunlight is incorporated throughout the day.
Sub-cone visual resolution by active, adaptive sampling in the human foveola
Authors: Witten Jenny L , Lukyanova Veronika , Harmening Wolf M
Published: October 2024

The foveated architecture of the human retina and the eye’s mobility enable prime spatial vision, yet the interplay between photoreceptor cell topography and the constant motion of the eye during fixation remains unexplored. With
in vivo
foveal cone-resolved imaging and simultaneous microscopic photo stimulation, we examined visual acuity in both eyes of 16 participants while precisely recording the stimulus path on the retina. We find that resolution thresholds were correlated with the individual retina’s sampling capacity, and exceeded what static sampling limits would predict by 18 %, on average. The length and direction of fixational drift motion, previously thought to be primarily random, played a key role in achieving this sub-cone diameter resolution. The oculomotor system finely adjusts drift behavior towards retinal areas with higher cone densities within only a few hundred milliseconds to enhance retinal sampling.
Menopausal hormone therapy and the female brain: leveraging neuroimaging and prescription registry data from the UK Biobank cohort
Authors: Barth Claudia , Galea Liisa AM , Jacobs Emily G , Lee Bonnie H , Westlye Lars T , de Lange Ann-Marie G
Published: October 2024

Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is generally thought to be neuroprotective, yet results have been inconsistent. Here, we present a comprehensive study of MHT use and brain characteristics in middle-to older aged females from the UK Biobank, assessing detailed MHT data, APOE ε4 genotype, and tissue-specific gray (GM) and white matter (WM) brain age gap (BAG), as well as hippocampal and white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volumes.A total of 19,846 females with magnetic resonance imaging data were included (current-users = 1,153, 60.1 ± 6.8 years; past-users = 6,681, 67.5 ± 6.2 years; never-users = 12,012, mean age 61.6 ± 7.1 years). For a sub-sample (n = 538), MHT prescription data was extracted from primary care records. Brain measures were derived from T1-, T2- and diffusion-weighted images. We fitted regression models to test for associations between the brain measures and MHT variables including user status, age at initiation, dosage and duration, formulation, route of administration, and type (i.e., bioidentical vs synthetic), as well as active ingredient (e.g., estradiol hemihydrate). We further tested for differences in brain measures among MHT users with and without a history of hysterectomy ± bilateral oophorectomy and examined associations by APOE ε4 status.We found significantly higher GM and WM BAG (i.e., older brain age relative to chronological age) as well as smaller left and right hippocampus volumes in current MHT users, not past users, compared to never-users. Effects were modest, with the largest effect size indicating a group difference of 0.77 years (∼9 months) for GM BAG. Among MHT users, we found no significant associations between age at MHT initiation and brain measures. Longer duration of use and older age at last use post menopause was associated with higher GM and WM BAG, larger WMH volume, and smaller left and right hippocampal volumes. MHT users with a history of hysterectomy ± bilateral oophorectomy showed
lower
GM BAG relative to MHT users without such history. Although we found smaller hippocampus volumes in carriers of two APOE ε4 alleles compared to non-carriers, we found no interactions with MHT variables. In the sub-sample with prescription data, we found no significant associations between detailed MHT variables and brain measures after adjusting for multiple comparisons.Our results indicate that population-level associations between MHT use, and female brain health might vary depending on duration of use and past surgical history. Future research is crucial to establish causality, dissect interactions between menopause-related neurological changes and MHT use, and determine individual-level implications to advance precision medicine in female health care.
Wavenumber-dependent transmission of subthreshold waves on electrical synapses network model of Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Chang Iksoo , Chung Taegon , Kim Sangyeol
Published: October 2024

Recent experimental studies showed that electrically coupled neural networks like in mammalian inferior olive nucleus generate synchronized rhythmic activity by the subthreshold sinusoidal-like oscillations of the membrane voltage. Understanding the basic mechanism and its implication of such phenomena in the nervous system bears fundamental importance and requires preemptively the connectome information of a given nervous system. Inspired by these necessities of developing a theoretical and computational model to this end and, however, in the absence of connectome information for the inferior olive nucleus, here we investigated interference phenomena of the subthreshold oscillations in the reference system Caenorhabditis elegans for which the structural anatomical connectome was completely known recently. We evaluated how strongly the sinusoidal wave was transmitted between arbitrary two cells in the model network. The region of cell-pairs that are good at transmitting waves changed according to the wavenumber of the wave, for which we named a wavenumber-dependent transmission map. Also, we unraveled that (1) the transmission of all cell-pairs disappeared beyond a threshold wavenumber, (2) long distance and regular patterned transmission existed in the body-wall muscles part of the model network, and (3) major hub cell-pairs of the transmission were identified for many wavenumber conditions. A theoretical and computational model presented in this study provided fundamental insight for understanding how the multi-path constructive/destructive interference of the subthreshold oscillations propagating on electrically coupled neural networks could generate wavenumber-dependent synchronized rhythmic activity.
The Autobiography of a Transylvanian Land Parcel
Authors: Verdery Katherine
Published: October 2024

This chapter presents an autobiography of Transylvanian village Aurel Vlaicu, focusing on its history of settlement and its territorializations under colonizing feudal, communist, and capitalist occupations. It follows the periods of late feudalism, socialism, and postsocialism. State power, in the form of the registration (Cartea Funciară or the Land Registry Book), mediates and guarantees relations between family holdings and the village community. The chapter also mentions that property rectification envisioned people as having biographies in which restitution aimed to repair prior injustices. It details how identities grew weak following too much emancipation, but most people see value in investing in trinkets instead of their relations with the earth.
“Sitting on Old Mats to Plait New”
Authors: Mitman Gregg , Yarkpawolo Emmanuel King Urey
Published: October 2024

This chapter covers the gendered struggle over land and livelihood in Liberia. Liberia is a settler colonial nation, whereby land dispossession, achieved through acts of violence, and legal and physical erasure of customary claims to land, was significant to the formation of a nation-state. The chapter elaborates on the interplay of settler colonialism and racial capitalism in shaping Liberia. It then discusses how rural women in Liberia have used the new land rights legislation as a vehicle to correct long-standing traditions that have excluded them from equal access to land. As farmers, rural women have mostly endured the layers of dispossession and violence that have accumulated over a century of Liberia's plantation economy.
Second-Class Passenger
Authors: O’Dwyer Attorney Paul , Polner Robert , Tubridy Michael
Published: October 2024

This chapter discusses Paul O'Dwyer's childhood in Bohola, Ireland, where he, like many other children, grew up expecting to emigrate due to limited opportunities. Despite the challenges, O'Dwyer was a contented child, unaware of his family's precarious circumstances. It describes O'Dwyer's relationship with Canon O'Grady, the parish priest, who contributed to O'Dwyer's skepticism of religious authority later in life. The chapter outlines O'Dwyer's daily life, which involved running errands on his bicycle and helping with farm chores, providing a brief respite from high expectations. It touches on the broader political context in Ireland, with the looming prospect of Home Rule before World War I erupted, disrupting these plans.
The Liberated Area of City Hall
Authors: O’Dwyer Attorney Paul , Polner Robert , Tubridy Michael
Published: October 2024

This chapter describes the dynamic relationship between Paul O'Dwyer and John McGettrick during the tumultuous political landscapes of the 1960s and early 1970s. It tells their story, beginning in Chicago in August 1968, amidst the charged atmosphere of the Democratic National Convention, where a young McGettrick first encountered O'Dwyer. Drawn to O'Dwyer's charismatic presence and commitment to civil rights and peace, McGettrick, a former Robert Kennedy volunteer, joined O'Dwyer's team during his Senate and subsequent city council campaigns in New York City. Despite O'Dwyer's loss in the Senate race, McGettrick became his dedicated driver and aide during his successful city council bid in 1973. The chapter underscores O'Dwyer and McGettrick's journey together, highlighting O'Dwyer's resilience in the face of political challenges and McGettrick's steadfast commitment to social justice causes.
“The Flashiest Losers in the League”
Authors: Criblez Adam J.
Published: October 2024

This chapter highlights the New York Knicks' challenging transition period under new head coach Willis Reed following the exile of Walt Frazier to Ohio. It mentions the mixed expectations for the Knicks, such as how some believed the team's talent could improve their previous 40–42 record and others were more skeptical. Despite this, the Knicks opened the 1977–78 season with an exciting win against the Kansas City Kings, marked by an up-tempo style and strong performances from veterans and rookies alike. The chapter recounts how the season saw struggles, especially in maintaining a cohesive team identity, and how Reed faced criticism. Concurrently, New York City, under Mayor Ed Koch, was battling its own issues, including efforts to clean up the crime-ridden Times Square, which had become infamous for its proliferation of sex shops and peep shows.
Prologue
Authors: Conroy-Krutz Emily
Published: October 2024

This chapter introduces Divie Bethune McCartee, a missionary in Ningbo, China, during the Taiping Rebellion, which paralleled the US Civil War in its crisis and impact. McCartee joined a US delegation to negotiate with the rebels, balancing his missionary duties with his responsibilities as a US citizen. The chapter details how McCartee exemplified the intertwining roles of missionaries and diplomats throughout his career, serving as a medical missionary, consul, translator, and professor of international law. The chapter reviews McCartee's work, which highlighted the essential role of Protestant missionaries in US foreign relations during the nineteenth century. It underscores how missionary diplomacy was a key aspect of projecting US power and advancing both national and religious interests during a transformative period in American history.
The Pathology of Justice in Post-Occupation Japan
Authors: Kushner Barak
Published: October 2024

This chapter looks into the pathology of justice in post-occupation Japan. It discusses how Toyota Kumao and his Ministry of Justice team worked on a new strategy for a change in the Japanese public's attitude toward war crimes and former war criminals. The Japanese Communist Party (JCP) and the Japanese Socialist Party (JSP) insisted that unless Japan took measures, peace in Asia would be short-lived. The chapter examines Japanese and Chinese efforts to remove the obstacles put in place by the burgeoning Cold War alliances and attempts to establish a new stage on which to build future political relations. However, the JCP lost the main role in bridging the divide as they slid into decline and theoretical squabble.
Evaporating Legal Memory and KMT War Criminals
Authors: Kushner Barak
Published: October 2024

This chapter tackles the efforts to erase legal memory concerning KMT war criminals. It highlights how the push for global justice after World War II became significant to the political shaping of East Asia. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) made a clear attempt to implement justice and act magnanimously toward Japanese prisoners, but the records of those trials were buried alongside the law adjudicating historical reconciliation after the military tribunals. The CCP's obsession with acknowledging one's crime was central to its personal renovation process, but it is an interesting method despite the lack of actual trials for KMT prisoners. The chapter also considers the issue of KMT war criminals between Taiwan and China.
An Anticolonial Crime Wave?
Authors: Kalman Samuel
Published: October 2024

This chapter focuses on policing banditry in Constantinois. From 1914 to 1918, the department of Constantine, and particularly the rural communes in Kabylia, experienced a sudden resurgence of banditry. Wartime banditry appeared to be explicitly political. Thus, law enforcement officials unleashed a massive counterinsurgency operation designed to simultaneously eradicate banditry in the region while criminalizing political dissent. As a result, crime increased dramatically in the region after the declaration of hostilities, but the number of desertions and evasions remained high throughout the war. The chapter notes that banditry evolved into a wave of violent crime determined to strike back at the settlers, French administrators, and the entire colonial enterprise.
Introduction
Authors: De Groot Michael
Published: October 2024

This chapter provides an overview on the shift in the global balance of power. Although the United States and the Soviet Union both sank deep into debt, the former had risen to the zenith of its power while the latter dropped to its nadir. The global economic shocks of the 1970s created an international political economy that magnified US power in unexpected ways and fractured the Soviet bloc. The chapter also explains how the new order of power prefigured the end of the Cold War. It notes that the West's great achievement during the Cold War was mobilizing the combined power of the core capitalist countries and defying communist declarations that intracapitalist conflict would erupt.
Introduction
Authors: Blum Susan D.
Published: October 2024

This chapter provides an overview of the deeply held structures of schoolishness. It explains how anthropologists have documented the varied ways people learn, which occurs all around the world at all ages and in all domains regardless of curriculum, grades, or evaluation. Similar to any pervasive institution, schools are both influenced by and in turn influence the rest of society. The chapter then discusses the education gospel in East Asia and the elements of schooling like its structures, principles, and values. It also highlights the scale and scope of schoolishness by considering several key concepts, such as schools, people, time, spending, and nuances.
Tabanca Time
Authors: Mahadeo Rahsaan
Published: October 2024

This chapter serves as a temporal break or caesura to linger in a previous spacetime and enduring funk and to resist the literary urge to rush to a conclusion by privileging an “endless pause” over progress. It invites the reader to “hold up” and “wait a minute” to perform additional memory work and to enter tabanca time, a concept from Trinidad and Tobago that refers to an agonizing feeling of unrequited love or longing. It also explores a father's engagement in the “fast life,” a transgressive temporality he saw as necessary for survival rather than criminal. This lifestyle led to his deportation, which demonstrates how time and space collaborated to deny him and his family shared moments of coevalness. The chapter presents deportation as a process rather than an event, with the father continuing to “do time,” a period that can never be completed or heal the harm it caused.
Oligarchs and Politicians
Authors: Jancsics David
Published: October 2024

This chapter explains that the most far-reaching consequence of the Hungarian march toward privatization was its contribution to state capture by oligarchs, the dominant form of grand corruption during the late 1990s and up to 2010. State capture refers to the process of seizing state regulatory authority and using it for private benefits. Oligarchs were able to manipulate legislation and government policies for their own benefit; however, because their economic success depended on particular political regimes, their power was not absolute. The chapter differentiates between partial and systemic political state capture. In the new, political version of state capture after the Fidesz government came into power in 2010, formerly independent and powerful oligarchs were domesticated, forced to go out of business, or excluded from public procurement tenders, while new loyal and subordinate oligarchs were “created” by the corrupt political elite.