Using tethered American cockroaches walking on a trackball in a spherical virtual reality environment, we tested optomotor responses to horizontally moving black-and-white gratings of different vertical extent under six different light intensities. We found that shortening the vertical extent of the wide-field stimulus grating within a light level weakened response strength, reduced average veloci

We present the widespread Ewald summation method in a new light by utilizing a truncated Gaussian screening charge distribution. This choice entails an exact formalism, also as particle mesh Ewald, which in practice is not always the case when using a Gaussian screening function. The presented approach reduces the number of dependent parameters compared to a Gaussian and, for an infinite reciproca

Nanowire tunnel field-effect transistors (TFETs) have been proposed as the most advanced one-dimensional (1D) devices that break the thermionic 60 mV/decade of the subthreshold swing (SS) of metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) by using quantum mechanical band-to-band tunneling and excellent electrostatic control. Meanwhile, negative capacitance (NC) of ferroelectrics has b

Background: The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) is the most widely used scale which assesses psychological resilience. Although it is recommended to be applied as a unidimensional scale, its factor structure, reliability, as well as discriminant and predictive validity need to be assessed when used in a new context. Moreover, the original five-factor structure has not been replicated in

Introduction This study aims to clarify the role(s) of endogenous sex hormones to influence health outcomes in men, specifically to define the associations of plasma testosterone with incidence of cardiovascular events, cancer, dementia and mortality risk, and to identify factors predicting testosterone concentrations. Data will be accrued from at least three Australian, two European and four Nort

Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (EEs) are expected to support high growth entrepreneurship. Yet, little is known about how they actually promote entrepreneurial activities. Based on Giddens’ structuration theory, this paper takes the entrepreneurs’ perspective to understand how they actually use the resources provided by an EE. Based on semi-structured interviews with entrepreneurs and other relevant a

The global transition to a low-carbon economy will involve changes in material markets and supply chains on a hitherto unknown scale and scope. With these changes come numerous challenges and opportunities related to supply chain security and sustainability. To help support decision-making as well as future research, this study employs a problem-oriented perspective while reviewing academic public

Background: The ongoing pandemic is having a collateral health effect on delivery of surgical care to millions of patients. Very little is known about pandemic management and effects on other services, including delivery of surgery. Methods: This was a scoping review of all available literature pertaining to COVID-19 and surgery, using electronic databases, society websites, webinars and preprint

High alkaline stability is critical for polymeric anion exchange membranes (AEMs) and ionomers for use in alkaline electrochemical energy conversion and storage devices such as fuel cells, electrolyzer cells and advanced batteries. Here, we have prepared and studied ether-free polyfluorenes tethered with N,N-dimethylpiperidinium (DMP) and 6-azonia-spiro[5.5]undecane (ASU) cations, respectively, at

AbstractThe public expenditure shifts that took place following the discovery of diamonds and gold during the second half of the nineteenth century had far-reaching consequences for southern Africa’s development. Using new data for public expenditure and foreign debt in the Cape Colony and evidence from Cape parliamentary budget debates, we trace and explain the growth of the publicsector. We find

The magnitude of variation in the gaze position signals recorded by an eye tracker, also known as its precision, is an important aspect of an eye tracker’s data quality. However, data quality of eye-tracking signals is still poorly understood. In this paper, we therefore investigate the following: (1) How do the various available measures characterizing eye-tracking data during fixation relate to

Episodic memories are formed by hippocampal binding of the "what" and "where" features of everyday events. The hippocampus minimizes interference between related similar episodic memories by pattern separation. Stress and psychopathology are associated with lowered pattern separation. While current behavioral paradigms typically use correct rejections of single object or context lures rather than Episodic memories are formed by hippocampal binding of the "what" and "where" features of everyday events. The hippocampus minimizes interference between related similar episodic memories by pattern separation. Stress and psychopathology are associated with lowered pattern separation. While current behavioral paradigms typically use correct rejections of single object or context lures rather than

Fusarium species are cereal pathogens that cause the Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) disease. FHB can reduce yield, cause mycotoxin accumulation in the grain and reduce germination efficiency of the harvested seeds. Understanding the biochemical interactions between the host plants and the pathogen is crucial for controlling the disease and for the development of cultivars with improved tolerance to FH

Plants have a variety of ways to defend themselves against pathogens. A commonly used model of the plant immune system is divided into a general response triggered by pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), and a specific response triggered by effectors. The first type of response is known as PAMP triggered immunity (PTI), and the second is known as effector-triggered immunity (ETI). To ob

Huntington’s disease (HD) is caused by CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin gene. The expanded polyglutamine (polyQ) repeat of the encoded protein leads to protein misfolding and aggregation, resulting in increased neuronal cell death. DNAJ co-chaperones play a crucial role in transferring misfolded/unfolded proteins to HSP70 chaperones, which play an essential role for protein folding. Here, we

A substantial portion of grassland photosynthates is allocated belowground to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), but controversy remains about whether this carbon (C) contributes to soil organic carbon (SOC) under warming. The goal of this study was to investigate how AMF biomass and C sequestered by AMF (CNew) are influenced by soil warming. We estimated the AMF biomass and CNew, assumed to be m

When saline water is used to irrigate crops in arid environments, appropriate irrigation management should be applied to avoid negatively impacting soil characteristics. In this study, the effects of irrigating date palms with saline water (2.24 g l−1) on soil physicochemical characteristics such as the electrical conductivity (ECe), the pH of the saturated soil paste (pHe), the concentrations of

3-Phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (3-PGDH) deficiency is considered to be a rare cause of congenital microcephaly, infantile onset of intractable seizures and severe psychomotor retardation. Here, we report for the first time a very mild form of genetically confirmed 3-PGDH deficiency in two siblings with juvenile onset of absence seizures and mild developmental delay. Amino acid analysis showed se

The National Fire Protection Association has recognized fast-response sprinkler technology, developed and promulgated by Factory Mutual Research Corporation (FMRC, now FM Global), with its 2019 Phillip J. DiNenno Prize. This technology was the result of three innovative efforts that produced Response-Time Index (RTI), quick-response (QR) residential sprinklers, and the Early Suppression, Fast Resp