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Since the 1970's there has been a major increase in adventure sports participation but it seems that engagement in such sports comes with a stigma: adventure sports participants are often regarded as reckless 'daredevils'. We approach the questions about people's perception of risk and recklessness in adventure sports by combining empirical research with philosophical analysis. First, we provide empirical evidence that suggests that laypeople tend to assess the danger of adventure sports as greater than more mundane sports and judge adventure sports participants as more reckless than participants in non-adventure sports. We contextualise these findings within existing psychological risk perception paradigms and outline new philosophical explanations of the identified pattern in laypeople's risk perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research offers a minimal amount of direct evidence on the effect of gamification features such as top-donor leaderboards on medical crowdfunding, particularly regarding donor engagement, contributions per donor, and total campaign funds. The study analyzes data from 3,415 distinct medical campaigns, leveraging an unannounced change on GoFundMe. The findings reveal a complex scenario that defies simple expectations. The leaderboard is expected to increase donor engagement, but it appears to discourage larger contributions per donor, a phenomenon termed "crowding out." Despite these mixed outcomes, there is a positive correlation between the leaderboard's presence and the funds raised. These findings highlight the potential of leaderboards to increase engagement and total funds raised in medical crowdfunding campaigns. However, the crowding-out effect raises concerns about the Pareto efficiency of this motivation system. This research contributes insights to both practitioners and theorists, shedding light on the complex interplay between gamification features and crowdfunding outcomes in the medical context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools are ideal settings to promote adolescent physical activity (PA), yet school-based interventions have shown limited long-term impact. This position paper presents key issues surrounding school-based PA interventions. Collaborative conceptual thinking drawing on multi-author expertise and available evidence advanced our understanding and opinion. Key arguments: 1) the adoption of a systems approach, which maximizes partnership action and leverages policy, is crucial for understanding the complexities of implementing whole-school programs; 2) a reorientation to an assets perspective optimizes existing strengths and resources allowing greater emphasis on the full range of physical, cognitive, emotional and social benefits that PA provides, and 3) a move beyond traditional positivist research designs to advance our knowledge of what works better, for whom and in what context is needed for greater progress We provide suggestions, specifically advocating for systems approaches, as a realistic way to improve how we support PA in schools in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple observations now suggest that the hydrogen reionization may have ended well below redshift six. While there has previously been no conclusive proof of extended neutral islands in the |$z \lt 6$| intergalactic medium, it is possible that such islands give rise to the giant Ly  |$\alpha$| absorption troughs seen in the spectra of high-redshift quasars. Here, we present evidence that the deepest and longest known Ly  |$\alpha$| trough at |$z \,\lt\, 6$|⁠ , towards ULAS J0148 + 0600 (J0148), is associated with damping wing absorption. The evidence comes from a window of strong Ly  |$\alpha$| transmission at the edge of the J0148 proximity zone. We show that the relatively smooth profile of this transmission window is highly unlikely to arise from resonant absorption alone, but is consistent with the presence of a damping wing. We further argue that the damping wing is unlikely to arise from a compact source due to the lack of associated metal lines, and is more likely to arise from an extended neutral island associated with the giant Ly  |$\alpha$| trough. We investigate the physical conditions that may give rise to the strong transmission window, and speculate that it may signal an usually deep void, nearby ionizing sources, and/or the recent passage of an ionization front. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the impact of financial availability on illegal fundraising activities in China. By collecting 14,481 judgement documents from 2013 to 2019 in China Judgements Online and extracting data, we find that financial availability effectively reduces the amount of money invested, the actual loss and the number of related court cases. This effect remains robust under various robustness specifications. In addition, we find that the attention of investors can increase the negative impact of financial availability on illegal fundraising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide a commentary response to Li’s (2024) scoping review of supervision measures published in 1983 to 2023. Informed by Li’s work, we offer methodological considerations and recommendations for future clinical supervision researchers. Specifically, we discuss observations of change over time in the foci of the measures; the need for additional evidence of reliability, validity, and psychometric investigation for supervision measures; and implications specifically for counselors based on this interdisciplinary review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Post-discharge malaria chemoprevention (PDMC) is an intervention aimed at reducing morbidity and mortality in patients hospitalized with severe anaemia, with its effectiveness established in several clinical trials. The aim of this study was to better understand factors that would influence the scale up of this intervention, and to identify preferences for two delivery mechanisms, facility-based or community-based. Methods: Forty-six qualitative individual interviews were conducted in five sub-Saharan countries amongst malaria key opinion leaders and national decision makers. Findings were analysed following a thematic inductive approach. Results: Half of participants were familiar with PDMC, with a satisfactory understanding of the intervention. Although PDMC was perceived as beneficial by most respondents, there was some unclarity on the target population. Both delivery approaches were perceived as valuable and potentially complementary. From an adoption perspective, relevant evidence generation, favorable policy environment, and committed funding were identified as key elements for the scale up of PDMC. Conclusions: The findings suggest that although PDMC was perceived as a relevant tool to prevent malaria, further clarification was needed in terms of the relevant patient population, delivery mechanisms, and more evidence should be generated from implementation research to ensure policy adoption and funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium‐rich transition metal chalcogenides are witnessing a revival as candidates for Li‐ion cathode materials, spurred by the boost in their capacities from transcending conventional redox processes based on cationic states and tapping into additional chalcogenide states. A particularly striking case is Li2TiS3‐ySey, which features a d0 metal. While the end members are expectedly inactive, substantial capacities are measured when both Se and S are present. Using X‐ray absorption spectroscopy, it is shown that the electronic structure of Li2TiS3‐ySey is not a simple combination of the end members. The data confirm previous hypotheses that, in Li2TiS2.4Se0.6, this behavior is underpinned by concurrent and reversible redox of only S and Se, and identify key electronic states. Moreover, wavelet transforms of the extended X‐ray absorption fine structure provide direct evidence of the formation of short Se–Se units upon charging. The study uncovers the underpinnings of this intriguing reactivity and highlights the richness of redox chemistry in complex solids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A core task when establishing the strength of evidence for a gene's role in a monogenic disorder is determining the appropriate disease entity to curate. Establishing this concept determines which evidence can be applied and quantified toward the final gene-disease validity, variant pathogenicity, or actionability classification. Genes with implications in more than one phenotype can necessitate a process of lumping and splitting, disease reorganization, and updates to disease nomenclature. Reappraisal of the names that are used as labels for disease entities is therefore a necessary and perpetual process. The Clinical Genome Resource (ClinGen), in collaboration with representatives from Monarch Disease Ontology (Mondo) and Online Inheritance in Man (OMIM), formed the Disease Naming Advisory Committee (DNAC) to develop guidance for groups faced with the need to establish the "curated disease entity" for gene-phenotype validity and variant pathogenicity and to update disease names for clinical use when necessary. The objective of this group was to harmonize guidance for disease naming across these nosologic entities and among ClinGen curation groups in collaboration with other disease-related professional groups. Here, we present the initial guidance developed by the DNAC with representative examples provided by the ClinGen expert panels and working groups that warranted nomenclature updates. We also discuss the broader implications of these efforts and their benefits for harmonization of gene-disease validity curation. Overall, this work sheds light on current inconsistencies and/or discrepancies and is designed to engage the broader community on how ClinGen defines monogenic disorders using a consistent approach for disease naming. In this article, the ClinGen Disease Naming Advisory Committee presents guidance for establishing the concept of the appropriate disease entity to curate and discusses the broader implications of harmonizing disease-naming efforts to support curation of the strength of evidence for a gene's role in a monogenic disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strong coupling between light and matter in a microcavity can produce quasi‐particle states termed cavity‐polaritons. In cavity architectures containing more than one excitonic species, the photon mode can simultaneously couple to the different excitons, generating new ʻhybrid‐polaritonʼ states. It is demonstrated that such hybrid polariton states can energetically connect different molecular species, even when their intermolecular distance is much larger than the Förster transfer radius. Here, this mechanism is unveiled and observed in the time domain energy delocalization in a strongly coupled cavity containing two layers of donor and acceptor molecules, separated by an inert spacer layer of 2 µm thickness. 2D electronic spectroscopy is used, a technique that provides simultaneously high spectral and temporal resolution, to probe the dynamics of the energy flow processes following ultra‐fast excitation. It shows that energy is almost instantaneously delocalized among the polariton states, providing a direct connection between very highly separated donor and acceptor molecules. The results are of potential significance for light‐harvesting devices, optoelectronics, and bio‐photonic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cloud Research (N = 320) participants read a hypothetical description of an arson and police investigation. They were randomly assigned to one of eight conditions in a 2 (presence of alibi evidence) X 2 (presence of prosecution evidence) X 2 (presence of judicial alibi instructions) between-participants design. They completed alibi believability ratings, chose a verdict and evaluated the defendant’s character. Alibis were more believable in the absence of incriminating prosecution evidence and the presence of exonerating alibi evidence. Alibi evidence also led to more positive views of the defendant. The presence of judicial instructions decreased likelihood of guilt ratings. Most participants chose a not guilty verdict, yet guilty verdicts were more common when prosecution evidence was present. Scalar verdict-confidence ratings were higher when prosecution evidence was present and alibi evidence was absent. While participant recall on the judge’s instructions were poor, they performed well on two recognition questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is it for the verdict of a criminal trial to be just? It is widely agreed that a Guilty verdict is just only if the defendant did the relevant deed, and only if his rights were not violated in the process of apprehending, charging, and convicting him. I argue that more is required: he must be found Guilty because he is guilty, and not solely for other reasons. The conviction must be based on the guilt. I argue that many rules of evidence and procedural rules designed to protect a defendant's rights also encourage fulfillment of this basing condition and that the condition helps to explain how an erroneous conviction involving no misconduct can nevertheless be a moral wrong. I argue that the condition also gives an explanation (among others) of why a naked statistic is insufficient for a just conviction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fossils can unveil a long-vanished combination of character states that inform inferences about the timing and patterns of diversification of modern fungi. By examining the well-preserved stacked chained vesicular conidiophores developed in clusters from the basal stroma, we describe a new taxon of fossil Zygosporiaceae with a combination of characters unknown among extant taxa on compressed serrated-margined dicot leaf (cf. Fagaceae) recovered from the Siwalik sediments (Late Miocene; ca. 12–8 Ma) of Himachal Pradesh, western Himalaya. Based upon conidiophore morphology, our Siwalik fungal remains, similar to Zygosporium Mont. (Zygosporiaceae: Xylariales: Sordariomycetes), are recognized as a new fossil species, Z. stromaticum Kundu & Khan, sp. nov. Zygosporium stromaticum is the only known fossil anamorphic fungus that occurs on plant cuticles and has a cluster of stacked chained vesicular conidiophores arising from a poorly preserved basal stroma formed by irregular, thick-walled cells. Its combination of morphological characteristics is unknown in extant fungal taxa, so Z. stromaticum likely represents a new anamorphic foliicolous fungus that may now be extinct. This unique evidence may be essential for the calibration of divergence time estimations of fungal lineages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forensic examiners have come under scrutiny due to high‐profile exonerations, highlighting the consequences that contextual bias can have on investigations. Researchers have proposed solutions to reduce the effects of bias including blind testing and redacting task‐irrelevant information. Practitioners have concerns over the limitations of some of this research that uses untrained students to examine complex pieces of forensic evidence (e.g., fingerprints) (1; but see 2 for studies including trained experts and/or actual casework). This study sought to (a) examine the effect of contextual bias on examiners' evaluation of forensic evidence by varying the amount of pre‐comparison information available to participants, (b) compare student and expert examiners' performance and their vulnerability to contextual bias, and (c) examine the effects of contextual bias on examiners' evaluation of different types of forensic evidence. Expert fingerprint examiners and student participants were presented with varying amounts of pre‐comparison case information and compared matching and non‐matching fingerprint and footwear impression evidence. Results suggest no effects of blinding examiners from case information or redacting task‐irrelevant information. As expected, expert fingerprint examiners were more likely to correctly identify matching fingerprints and correctly exclude non‐matching fingerprints than students. However, expert fingerprint examiners were no better than student participants at comparing footwear impression evidence. These findings suggest that sample, stimulus selection, and discipline‐specific training matter when investigating bias in forensic decision making. These findings suggest caution when using forensic stimuli with student samples to investigate forensic decision‐making and highlight the need for more research on redaction procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 'vestigial social practice' is a norm, convention, or social behavior that persists even when few endorse it or its original justifying rationale. Begby (2021) explores social explanations for the persistence of prejudice, arguing that even if we all privately disavow a stereotype, we might nevertheless continue acting as if it is true because we believe that others expect us to. Meanwhile the persistence of the practice provides something like implicit testimonial evidence for the prejudice that would justify it, making it rational for members of the next generation to acquire the corresponding prejudiced beliefs. This paper distinguishes between three different types of vestigial social practice in terms of the underlying explanatory mechanisms, and argues that the persistence of prejudicial social stereotypes is most tightly linked not to others' beliefs or expectations, but to the ways that material infrastructure constrains options shapes social outcomes. Given that, the persistence of a practice only provides grounds to infer that most people endorse the corresponding prejudiced belief only if we are in a position to dismiss relevant alternative explanations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate whether individuals with long‐term reduced stereopsis were able to obtain the same level of surgical skills in simulated vitreoretinal surgery on the Eyesi Surgical Simulator as individuals with normal stereopsis. Methods: Twenty‐four medical students were recruited and divided into two groups according to their degree of stereopsis: Group 1 (n = 12) included subjects with normal stereopsis (60 arcsec or lower) and Group 2 (n = 12) included subjects with reduced stereopsis (120 arcsec or higher). Stereopsis was tested using the TNO test (Lameris Ootech BV, Nieuwegein, the Netherlands). The participants were trained in virtual reality‐simulated vitreoretinal surgery and continuously measured using a test with solid validity evidence and a pre‐defined pass–fail score. All data were analysed using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. Results: We observed no differences in overall performance scores for any of the four modules. The participants with reduced stereopsis used 5.8 more attempts in bimanual training (p = 0.04), 8.8 more attempts in removal of posterior hyaloid (p = 0.04), 9.1 more attempts in navigation training (p = 0.20) and 0.3 fewer attempts in removal of internal limiting membrane (p = 0.69). Conclusion: The final performance scores on the Eyesi Surgical Simulator were independent of the degree of stereopsis. However, the number of attempts to achieve the pre‐defined pass–fail score increased significantly with reduced stereopsis in two of four modules. These results indicate that a high degree of stereopsis is not necessary to become proficient in microsurgery but may prolong the learning curve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to evaluate multiple embedded performance validity indicators within the Digits Forward and Digits Backward subtests of the Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB), including Reliable Digit Span (RDS), as no published papers have examined embedded digit span validity indicators within these subtests of the NAB. Retrospective archival chart review was conducted at an outpatient neuropsychology clinic. Participants were 92 adults (ages 19−68) who completed NAB Digits Forward and Digits Backward, and the Word Choice Test (WCT). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, t-tests, and sensitivity and specificity analyses were conducted. Analyses showed that RDS demonstrated acceptable classification accuracy between those who passed the WCT and those who did not. The area under the curve (AUC) value for RDS was 0.702; however, AUC values for all other digit span indices were unacceptably low. The optimal cutoff for RDS was identified (<8). RDS for the NAB appears to be an adequate indicator of performance validity; however, considering the very small number of participants who were invalid on the WCT (n = 15), as well as the utilization of only one stand-alone PVT to classify validity status, these findings are preliminary and in need of replication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mesulam Cancellation Test is a low cost, quick measure used to screen for hemispatial inattention. The task is also useful for observing a patient's organizational approach. We developed a method to quantify the organizational strategy used by patients in completing this visual scanning task. In this study, we evaluated the reliability of the new method. Participants were 40 patients seen in an outpatient neuropsychology clinic. The 34 men, 5 women, and 1 transitioning individual had a mean age of 49 (SD = 13.94), and mean education of 13.59 years (SD = 2.15). Two raters blinded to patient information provided independent ratings of organization using our new scoring method. Scores ranged from 1 to 5 based on increasing organization. Cohen's weighted Kappa and Spearman's rank order correlation indicated good interrater reliability (Κ(weighted) =.84; rs =.89). The average absolute difference between the raters was.25 (SD =.54). We also found preliminary evidence for the validity of the organizational measure. This study supports the reliability of this new embedded measure of organization. A next step will be to gather normative data, to further establish its validity, and to assess the reliability of the scoring system with other cancellation tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Only a few physicians are willing to comprehensively concern themselves with how a legally watertight treatment documentation should be structured, in addition to their practical activities; however, the importance of the documentation cannot be emphasized enough, not only for a potential case of liability but also for the medical (further) treatment. This article therefore illustrates the legal foundations of the mandatory documentation and the most important questions associated with it for the practice, in particular on the content of the documentation, the timing of the documentation, the preservation of treatment documents and on the conduct in cases of an impending incident. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1683, Edward Massey, an obscure office‐holder in Braintree, Essex, provided the state with one of the most explosive accounts of conspiratorial activities in England during the so‐called 'Exclusion Crisis'. Massey, a prisoner in the King's Bench, named dozens of individuals in his native Essex, as well as the West Country and London, who apparently aired seditious grievances with King Charles II and his Roman Catholic brother and heir, James, Duke of York, and compassed participation in a national plot to ensure the succession of a Protestant in the form of Charles's illegitimate son, James, Duke of Monmouth. The colourful details of the alleged conspiracy bear reproduction in this article. Nevertheless, the difficulty of crediting the most radical implications of Massey's narratives calls for a cautious assessment of their reliability and value to historians. Fortunately, additional evidence enables us to treat Massey's account as a detailed testimony of how those marginalised by the Stuarts' post‐Restoration settlements were able to mobilise behind and sustain their discontents, and the anxious secrecy and cautious trust which, amid heightened state surveillance, defined their encounters. Moreover, the article demonstrates how necessarily secretive political and religious networks mapped onto, and drew strength from, bonds which were forged in experiences of parochial administration and business, particularly the production of and trade in cloth. The result is an account of the Restoration's 'politics of religion' which highlights the communicative and ideological importance of the politics of local office and (inter)national trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces a measure of self-condemnatory internal dialogue as an element of the relationship with the self: The Automatic Self-Recrimination Scale (ASRS). Using the construct validation approach to test construction, we describe the initial development of items and report on findings from a clinical and nonclinical sample showing the ASRS is best understood as a multidimensional measure of self-critical internal dialogue composed of one higher-order factor and four lower-order facets: Not Mattering, Self as Failure, Undeserving Self, and Loathsomeness. The overall scale and four subscales demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Moreover, there was evidence of good convergent and incremental validity of the ASRS subscales with measures of perfectionism, self-criticism, and dysfunctional attitudes. Overall, the ASRS appears to be a reliable and valid measure of an automatic self-recriminatory internal dialogue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite religion's deep historical roots, adults in modern societies express greater confidence in the existence of unobservable scientific entities, like oxygen, as compared to unobservable religious entities, like God. Challenging conventional explanations, we argue that testimony-based input, rather than direct experience, is the primary determinant of individuals' ontological beliefs in both science and religion. Disparities in ontological beliefs between the domains of science and religion, within each domain, and across diverse cultures are poorly explained by variation in direct experience. From early childhood, humans rely heavily on testimony to form and calibrate their beliefs. The credibility of testimony emerges as a key factor in understanding the nuanced dynamics of ontological beliefs in both scientific and religious domains. Understanding why individuals are more confident of the existence of invisible scientific phenomena (e.g., oxygen) than invisible religious phenomena (e.g., God) remains a puzzle. Departing from conventional explanations linking ontological beliefs to direct experience, we introduce a model positing that testimony predominantly shapes beliefs in both scientific and religious domains. Distinguishing direct experience (personal observation) from cultural input (testimony-based evidence), we argue that even apparently direct experiences often stem from others' testimony. Our analysis indicates that variability in direct experience cannot explain belief disparities between science and religion, within each domain, or across cultures. Instead, variability in testimony is the primary driver of ontological beliefs. We present developmental evidence for testimony-based beliefs and elucidate the mechanisms underlying their impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates how labour provisions in both EU and US trade agreements impact on decent work in countries that ratified such agreements. It uses a new database of workers' rights spanning a large cross-section of 125 partner countries. The results show that such labour provisions in EU trade agreements are only effective in reducing violations of workers' rights in member countries, while those of the US were not effective in reducing the total violations of workers' rights for member countries. Further evidence shows that both the EU and US labour-inclusive trade agreements significantly increase the violations of their rights in practice – indicating inadequate enforcement of labour provisions. Such evidence highlights that labour provisions in trade agreements may bolster the protection of legal labour rights without an improvement in their practical application. This calls for a strong commitment to the implementation of decent work policies by aligning domestic labour practices to international best practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the establishment of China's intellectual property (IP) courts, this article examines the impact of intellectual property judicial protection (IPJP) on corporate innovation using the sample of China's A‐shared listed firms from 2013 to 2021 by the time‐varying difference‐in‐differences (DID) model. The result shows that IP courts have a significant positive effect on corporate innovation, mainly by increasing innovation factor input, including expenditure of R&D funds and R&D personnel quantity. Additionally, the effect is stronger for invention patents and in non‐state‐owned firms, small firms, high‐tech firms, and firms with low financing constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of childhood pain, the knowledge and expertise of children has long been overlooked. Instead, adult knowledge has been privileged over child knowledge, despite contemporary understandings that the experience of pain is subjective in nature and can only be fully appreciated by the person experiencing it – regardless of age, stage, or status. In this paper, we report on a pilot study that combined virtual semi-structured interviewing methods with arts-based research methods (drawing or painting, produced offline in the time between virtual interviews) to explore children's experiences of chronic pain from their own perspectives. We use this study as a backdrop to make visible the 'behind the scenes' methodological work of arts-based research with children, paying particular attention to the ways in which our methodological approach created time and space for reflection, supported the co-production of knowledge, provided a means through which to visualize the effect of broader social influences on knowledge production, and provoked novel lines of analysis and inquiry. All these affordances call for deeply reflexive research practices. We suggest the methodological approach described in this paper can help amplify and add value to research with young children. The richness of the children's accounts concerning chronic pain add to the body of evidence demonstrating that 'even' young children have knowledge, expertise, and insights that should be elicited to expand understandings of children's pain and other similarly abstract topics, phenomenon, and lines of inquiry in health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring the safety of drugs is a critical aspect of healthcare. Accurate interpretation of drug safety evidence is vital to understand the safety profile and to evaluate the benefits and risks of the medicinal product. However, validity of this evidence has numerous challenges that must be carefully considered, highlighting the need for a heightened appreciation of data interpretation pitfalls. This paper aims to delve into the intricacies of analytic considerations in drug safety data interpretation aiming at providing insights into the safety profile of pharmaceutical interventions. The applicability of these analytic considerations extends to controlled and observational data as well as spontaneously reported individual case reports. Increasing the understanding of scientific underpinnings of evidence interpretation empowers Pharmacovigilance professionals to grasp fundamental concepts, use appropriate terminology, engage in meaningful discussions with colleagues conducting analyses, and critically evaluate evidence. These skills and knowledge enable them to make informed decisions and enhance their expertise in drug safety. By correct utilization of analytic approaches while appreciating their strengths and limitations, one can advance drug safety and benefit-risk research using evidence-based decisionmaking and ultimately ensure better healthcare outcomes for patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Methods Results Interpretation Limb girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMDs) are a group of genetically heterogeneous autosomal conditions with some degree of phenotypic homogeneity. LGMD is defined as having onset >2 years of age with progressive proximal weakness, elevated serum creatine kinase levels and dystrophic features on muscle biopsy. Advances in massively parallel sequencing have led to a surge in genes linked to LGMD.The ClinGen Muscular Dystrophies and Myopathies gene curation expert panel (MDM GCEP, formerly Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy GCEP) convened to evaluate the strength of evidence supporting gene–disease relationships (GDR) using the ClinGen gene–disease clinical validity framework to evaluate 31 genes implicated in LGMD.The GDR was exclusively LGMD for 17 genes, whereas an additional 14 genes were related to a broader phenotype encompassing congenital weakness. Four genes (CAPN3, COL6A1, COL6A2, and COL6A3) were split into two separate disease entities, based on each displaying both dominant and recessive inheritance patterns, resulting in curation of 35 GDRs. Of these, 30 (86%) were classified as definitive, 4 (11%) as moderate, and 1 (3%) as limited. Two genes, POMGNT1 and DAG1, though definitively related to myopathy, currently have insufficient evidence to support a relationship specifically with LGMD.The expert‐reviewed assertions on the clinical validity of genes implicated in LGMDs form an invaluable resource for clinicians and molecular geneticists. We encourage the global neuromuscular community to publish case‐level data that help clarify disputed or novel LGMD associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bats (order: Chiroptera) are known to host a diverse range of viruses, some of which present a human public health risk. Thorough viral surveillance is therefore essential to predict and potentially mitigate zoonotic spillover. Astroviruses (family: Astroviridae) are an understudied group of viruses with a growing amount of indirect evidence for zoonotic transfer. Astroviruses have been detected in bats with significant prevalence and diversity, suggesting that bats may act as important astrovirus hosts. Most astrovirus surveillance in wild bat hosts has, to date, been restricted to single-gene PCR detection and concomitant Sanger sequencing; additionally, many bat species and many geographic regions have not yet been surveyed for astroviruses at all. Here, we use metagenomic Next Generation Sequencing (mNGS) to detect astroviruses in three species of Madagascar fruit bats, Eidolon dupreanum, Pteropus rufus, and Rousettus madagascariensis. We detect numerous partial sequences from all three species and one near-full length astrovirus sequence from Rousettus madagascariensis, which we use to characterize the evolutionary history of astroviruses both within bats and the broader mammalian clade, Mamastrovirus. Taken together, applications of mNGS implicate bats as important astrovirus hosts and demonstrate novel patterns of bat astrovirus evolutionary history, particularly in the Southwest Indian Ocean region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new species of genus Scorpiops Peters, 1861 are described from Tibet Autonomous Region, China. S. deshpandei sp. n. is described based on an adult male and an immature pair collected from Mêdog County, Nyingchi, with additional molecular evidence substantiating its validity against S. longimanus Pocock, 1893. S. kovariki sp. n. is featured by a single adult female from Zayü. This species is only weakly supported by its genetic distance from S. jendeki Kovařík, 1994, but empirical understanding of the morphological variation in Scorpiops species motivated us to consider them as distinct. S. matthewi sp. n. is based on three adult females, all collected from Xigazê. Its species delineation is based solely on morphological characteristics due to the lack of material of its morphological relative (S. rufus Lv & Di, 2023). New specimens of S. margerisonae Kovařík, 2000 are obtained from Nyêmo, Lhasa, and compared with S. wrzecionkoi Kovařík, 2020. A new term, "ocular islet", is introduced to portray the periocular morphology of Scorpiops median ocelli, categorized into four preliminary types. Finally, a comparative matrix summarizing the quantitative and qualitative diagnostic characters of Tibetan Scorpiops species based on preceding publications is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is common for a perpetrator’s appearance to change between committing the crime and later appearing in an identification procedure. The present study investigated how such appearance change (AC) would be evaluated by potential jurors, as well as tested mock jurors’ evaluations of the appearance change instruction (ACI) utilized by police. Recent research indicates that the ACI harms eyewitness identification accuracy and limits the predictive nature of confidence, but would mock jurors’ estimates of suspect guilt reflect this? In Experiment 1, AC reduced suspect guilt estimates, but the ACI eliminated this effect, indicating that potential jurors may not discount an identification if made after ACI. Experiment 2 introduced a hypothetical eyewitness expert who informs participants about the research that both AC and the ACI harm eyewitness performance. We also compared two types of expert instructions based on recent mock jury research: simple versus reason-based. Both types served to reduce suspect guilt estimates associated with AC. Participants still trusted the ACI even with expert instructions, but not as much as when there was no expert. Lastly, we also manipulated eyewitness confidence level, supporting recent research that manipulations have no effect on suspect guilt estimates when confidence is low (i.e. uncertainty trumps). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isospectral surfaces provide a rich family of benchmark problems. In this paper the efficacy of a hp -finite element method in such Laplace-Beltrami eigenvalue problems has been studied. In addition, for the p -version natural auxiliary space error estimators have been shown to be effective also in this context. As part of the numerical experiments further numerical evidence of the validity of the so-called Quarter Sphere Conjecture has been produced. For the isospectral surface pairs constructed via transplantation, the extension for perforated surfaces is derived. The lack of such constraints for surfaces with isothermal coordinates is also demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disrupted sleep due to nighttime eating can raise various concerns, impacting both physical health and overall well-being. Nevertheless, there is a lack of direct evidence linking nighttime eating with the female reproduction system, possibly due to the absence of suitable models. Here, we use the laying hen, a diurnal animal maintained under ad libitum feeding, as a vertebrate model to quantify the impact of nighttime eating on reproduction and aging. To do this, we have built an Arduino-based setup that regulates food availability and exclusively tracks the eating events of individuals. Our data indicate that synchronizing food availability with the natural sleep–wake rhythm substantially improves reproduction and extends healthspan in hens. With reproductive aging becoming progressively more prevalent in contemporary society due to the trend of delayed childbearing, synchronizing eating with the natural rhythm could help mitigate reproductive aging in vertebrates and potentially in humans as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Witnesses of moral violations stand up for their moral principles, despite facing substantial costs for intervening. Notwithstanding its importance, little is known whether responsibility attributions and the relation between the victim and a witness (i.e., kinship) have different effects on the intention to intervene in situations of different severity (e.g., moral courage situations). We predict an interaction between the situation's severity and the victims' responsibility for their plight. In less-severe situations, witnesses would be less willing to help when they perceive the victim to be responsible for their plight. However, those who are not seen as responsible would receive more help. For more-severe situations, responsibility is predicted to have no effect. Opposite effects are predicted for the relationship between the helper and the victim. We further predict that perceived costs for helping mediates witnesses' willingness to intervene. Two studies showed that people are more willing to help individuals who are perceived as being innocent, but only in less-severe situations. In more-severe situations, people's willingness to intervene increases, regardless of responsibility attributions. We did not observe effects for kinship. Moreover, we provide partial evidence that witnesses of more-severe situations indeed accept higher costs for intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrocephalus is a commonly encountered pathology in the neurosurgical practice. Since the first permanent ventriculo-subarachnoid-subgaleal shunt described by Mikulicz in 1893, there were multiple attempts to find solutions for draining the excess production/less reabsorption of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the brain. Nowadays, the most common technique is the ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS), whereas the ventriculoatrial shunt (VAS) is applied only in some rare conditions. To date there are still no specific guidelines or strong evidence in literature that guide the surgeon in the choice between the two methods, and the decision usually relies on the confidence and expertise of the surgeon. Considering the lack of established recommendations, this systematic review and meta-analysis aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of these two shunting techniques. This systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA protocol (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). No chronological limits of study publications were included. Prospective and retrospective clinical studies, and reports of case series with at least five patients per group and reporting data on comparison between VAS and VPS techniques were eligible for inclusion. Nine studies reporting 3197 patients meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were identified and included in the quantitative synthesis. The risk of shunt dysfunction/obstruction was significantly lower in the VAS group [odds ratio (OR) 0.49, 95%-CI 0.34–0.70, I2 0%]. The risk of infection was not significantly different between the two groups (OR 1.02, 95%-CI 0.59–1.74, I2 0%). The risk of revision was not significantly different between the two groups; however, the heterogeneity between the studies was significant (OR 0.73, 95%-CI 0.36–1.49, I2 91%). Additionally, the risk of death was not significantly different between the two groups; however, the heterogeneity between the studies was high (OR 1.93, 95%-CI 0.81–4.62, I2 64%). VAS remains a safe surgical alternative for hydrocephalus. The results of this study highlight a lower risk of shunt dysfunction/obstruction variable in the VAS group, with no significant statistical differences regarding the occurrence of at least one infection-related complication. In consequence, the choice between these two techniques must be tailored to the specific characteristics of the patient. Protocol Registration: The review protocol was registered and published in Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) (www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO) website with registration number: CRD42023479365. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of limited existing knowledge, we aimed to examine the connection between disclosure facilitators and delays in the context of forensic interviews. We examined interview records from 403 children under 18 suspected of sexual abuse at a child advocacy center. The forensic interview records, family interview forms, and psychiatric examination reports in the files were retrospectively examined. Frequency, mean, and chi-square tests were implemented to analyze the data. The reasons for facilitating and delaying the disclosure of abuse were evaluated using a descriptive analysis method. Of the cases, 79.4% were girls, and 74% were in the 12–18 age group. It was determined that the presence of witnesses, evidence, and messages (16.37%) and discomfort with the suspect’s/abuser’s behavior (11.66%) facilitated the disclosure of abuse. On the other hand, reporting of abuse was delayed due to the suspect’s/abuser’s threats (18.85%) and the victim’s fear, embarrassment and avoidance of her/his family (10.66%). The characteristics of abuse and disclosure reasons varied based on age groups and the intimacy level of the suspect. It has been observed that pre-adolescent children may face cognitive obstacles in disclosing abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the importance of expanding and coordinating global regulatory capacity to better prepare for future pandemics. Topics include the need for equitable access to essential medical products; the challenges posed by the concentration of regulatory capacity in high-income countries; and the benefits of decentralizing regulatory review to accelerate access to diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines.

When an electromagnetic (EM) wave propagates in a medium whose properties are varied abruptly in time, the wave experiences refractions and reflections known as time-refractions and time-reflections, both manifesting spectral translation as a consequence of the abrupt change of the medium and the conservation of momentum. However, while the time-refracted wave continues to propagate with the same wave-vector, the time-reflected wave propagates backward with a conjugate phase despite the lack of any spatial interface. Importantly, while time-refraction is always significant, observing time-reflection poses a major challenge – because it requires a large change in the medium occurring within a single cycle of the EM wave. For that reason, time-reflection of EM waves was observed only recently. Here, we present the observation of microwave pulses at the highest frequency ever observed (0.59 GHz), and the experimental evidence of the phase-conjugation nature of time-reflected waves. Our experiments are carried out in a periodically-loaded microstrip line with optically-controlled picosecond-switchable photodiodes. Our system paves the way to the experimental realization of Photonic Time-Crystals at GHz frequencies. Time-reflected waves are a critical feature of time-crystals, yet their properties are historically difficult to measure. Here, the authors experimentally demonstrate time-reflected electromagnetic waves including direct evidence of their phase conjugate nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Europe, physical activity levels tend to be lower in ethnic minority groups than the general population. Interventions and policies based on research examining isolated determinants of physical activity have had limited success in increasing physical activity levels. This study used systems dynamics theory and the capability approach theoretical framework to develop a conceptual model of how individual characteristics, institutional and physical environments and the migration context may interact to promote or hinder physical activity in ethnic minority groups living in Europe. Methods: A systematic update of Langøien et al.'s 2017 review of the determinants of physical activity in ethnic minority groups living in Europe was conducted. Our target population included individuals of all ages who reported a familial migration background from any low- and middle-income countries or belonging to minority indigenous population in Europe. Outcomes pertaining to non-work related physical activity of light, moderate or vigorous intensity performed in any setting were included. Included studies provided an evidence base from which to derive the causal loop diagrams comprising our conceptual model. Sub-system causal loop diagrams were interpreted in co-author review sessions to explicate non-linear system mechanisms, such as reinforcing and balancing feedback loops. Results: Forty-one studies were identified, of which the majority was qualitative. The conceptual model consisted of 4 causal loop diagrams relating to psychosocial constructs; sociocultural constructs; health and health communication and social and material resources, in interaction with environmental/migration context. Four hypothetical mechanisms were identified, e.g. hypothesizing that participation in organised activities leads to increased self-efficacy, thereby enabling further participation. Conclusions: This study contributes an evidence-based conceptual systems model which elucidates how low levels of physical activity in ethnic minority groups in Europe could be supported by reinforcing and balancing mechanisms involving factors relating to physical and institutional environments, migration context and individuals. A pluralistic approach to literature review, integrating complexity methods such as CLDs into more conventional systematic literature review, supports novel insights into how factors could interact to support persistently low levels of activity, moving beyond the identification of potential relationships between isolated factors to indicating the ways in which these relationships are sustained and could be modified by intervention or policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the case study of a British doctor who posted videos on social media platforms denying the existence of COVID-19. The case examines the approach taken by the UK's medical regulator in dealing with doctors who espouse conspiratorial views at odds with accepted medical opinion. In such cases, there may be a conflict between the safety of patients and the public (which is the principal function of medical regulators) and the doctor's freedom of expression (whether under the First Amendment, Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, or another international human rights instrument). During this protracted three-and-a-half-year case, the UK's Medical Practitioners' Tribunal, High Court and--latterly--Court of Appeal have each made it clear that doctors remain free to express views contrary to medical orthodoxy except where they lack any supporting evidentiary basis. In September 2023, an order was made revoking the doctor's licence. Rather than accept the Tribunal's guidance following his initial suspension, he chose to continue promoting his conspiratorial views in a public forum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biological nitrogen fixation provides fixed nitrogen for microbes living in the oligotrophic open ocean. UCYN‐A2, the previously known symbiont of Braarudosphaera bigelowii, now believed to be an early‐stage B. bigelowii organelle that exchanges fixed nitrogen for fixed carbon, is globally distributed. Indirect evidence suggested that B. bigelowii might be a mixotrophic (phagotrophic) phototrophic flagellate. The goal of this study was to determine if B. bigelowii can graze on bacteria using several independent approaches. The results showed that B. bigelowii grazed on co‐occurring bacteria at a rate of 5–7 cells/h/B. bigelowii and that the overall grazing rate was significantly higher at nighttime than at daytime. Bacterial abundance changes, assessed with 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing analysis, may have indicated preferential grazing by B. bigelowii on specific bacterial genotypes. In addition, Lysotracker™ staining of B. bigelowii suggested digestive activity inside B. bigelowii. Carbon and nitrogen fixation measurements revealed that the carbon demand of B. bigelowii could not be fulfilled by photosynthesis alone, implying supplementation by heterotrophy. These independent lines of evidence together revealed that B. bigelowii engages in phagotrophy, which, beyond serving as a supplementary source of carbon and energy, may also facilitate the indirect assimilation of inorganic nutrients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic review provides an updated summary of the existing literature on the validity of screening tools for cognitive and behavioral impairment in people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (pwALS), and also focuses on their reliability. The following cognitive and behavioral screening tools were assessed in this review: the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioral ALS Screen (ECAS); the ALS Cognitive Behavioral Screen (ALS-CBS), the Mini Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (Mini-ACE), the Beaumont Behavioral Interview (BBI); the MND Behavior Scale (MiND-B); and the ALS-FTD Questionnaire (ALS-FTD-Q). A search, using Medline, PsychINFO and Embase (21/09/2023), generated 37 results after exclusion criteria were applied. Evidence of internal consistency, item-total correlations, inter-rater reliability, clinical validity, convergent validity, and structural validity were extracted and assessed and risk of bias was evaluated. The cognitive component of the ECAS was the tool with most evidence of reliability and validity for the assessment of cognitive impairment in ALS. It is well-suited to accommodate physical symptoms of ALS. For behavioral assessment, the BBI or ALS-FTD-Q had the most evidence of reliability and validity. The BBI is more thorough, but the ALS-FTD-Q is briefer. There is good but limited evidence for the reliability and validity of cognitive and behavioral screens. Further evidence of clinical and convergent validity would increase confidence in their clinical and research use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Criminal forensics in an Internet-of-Things (IoT) environment often requires complex investigations because IoT devices usually generate a large amount of electronic data, especially image data, which brings great difficulties to traditional digital forensic methods. Therefore, designing a secure management solution for image data and making it to be image evidence available in court is a new challenge. In this paper, we present a new secure image evidence management framework based on multi-bits digital watermarking and blockchain. In this framework, we first propose a flexible and robust self-learning based watermark embedding algorithm, which can embed both image marks and binary messages into the latent space of the input images and also improve the resistance of a broad range of attacks (geometric transform, JPEG, noise, etc.) to the watermarked images. And then, we design a smart contract resided in blockchain, which can achieve safe storage and automatically authentication of embedded watermarks. The experimental results on both watermarking algorithm and smart contracts have demonstrated the feasibility and efficacy of the proposed framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using Fineman's vulnerability theory, this paper argues that the traditional adversarial approach to examining witnesses in criminal trials – premised on the principle of orality – reduces the resilience of those giving evidence. This is because the adversarial setting often leaves those testifying in a heightened state of stress, reducing the quality and reliability of their evidence as a result. In turn, this traditional approach to securing oral witness testimony in criminal trials loses resilience, in that it becomes more difficult to justify as the general approach. The use of special measures – to adjust the way testimony is given and ameliorate some of the associated stressors – provides resilience to the individual testifying, the robustness of their evidence, and the safety of consequent criminal verdicts. The positive effects special measures yield therefore lend additional resilience to our commitment to the principle of orality and the principles upon which it rests. This article concludes that the State should maximise such resilience-building through more generous special measures provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perceptual awareness in infants during the first year of life is understudied, despite the philosophical, scientific, and clinical importance of understanding how and when consciousness emerges during human brain development. Although parents are undoubtedly convinced that their infant is conscious, the lack of adequate experimental paradigms to address this question in preverbal infants has been a hindrance to research on this topic. However, recent behavioral and brain imaging studies have shown that infants are engaged in complex learning from an early age and that their brains are more structured than traditionally thought. I will present a rapid overview of these results, which might provide indirect evidence of early perceptual awareness and then describe how a more systematic approach to this question could stand within the framework of global workspace theory, which identifies specific signatures of conscious perception in adults. Relying on these brain signatures as a benchmark for conscious perception, we can deduce that it exists in the second half of the first year, whereas the evidence before the age of 5 months is less solid, mainly because of the paucity of studies. The question of conscious perception before term remains open, with the possibility of short periods of conscious perception, which would facilitate early learning. Advances in brain imaging and growing interest in this subject should enable us to gain a better understanding of this important issue in the years to come. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction of evidence relating to the now-discredited behavioural-science syndrome known as 'child sexual abuse accommodation syndrome' in R v Ellis demonstrates the danger of syndrome reasoning in judicial fact finding. Comparable syndrome evidence is still used in the Family Court in the form of 'parental alienation syndrome'. Ellis should sound the death knell for all forensic applications of unreliable syndrome reasoning in the courts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inconsistent alibis often are viewed negatively, but they may be due to simple mistakes and not deception. The strength of alibi evidence also matters; alibis supported by strong corroborative physical evidence are more believable than alibis with no physical evidence. The timing at which the alibi is disclosed to the prosecution also can affect alibi believability. Two hundred and seventy online participants evaluated a consistent or inconsistent alibi that had corroborative physical evidence or not, and was disclosed early or late. Collapsing across the three conditions, more participants voted guilty than not guilty, and more believable alibis were associated with more not guilty verdicts. Consistent alibis were more believable, and the defendant was viewed more positively on five character traits than when the alibi was inconsistent. There were few effects of alibi timing. In sum, consistency led to positive views of alibis and defendants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Legislation permits or requires the use of audio-visual recordings and closed-circuit television where child witnesses give evidence in certain matters. Since its introduction, problems with the technology have been reported, such as poor audio-visual quality and connectivity issues, causing trial delays and exacerbating witness anxiety. This study analyses the perceptions of 18 professionals (n = 18) across 5 Australian jurisdictions (Queensland, the Northern Territory, the Australian Capital Territory, South Australia and Western Australia) who regularly work with the technology. We used non-directive prompts to determine what problems (if any) still exist in Australian courtrooms, the cause and impact of these problems, and potential solutions. Key themes emerged in the analysis. Problems were still commonplace, which included operator error, quality of the recordings, and issues with the recording technology and devices. The detrimental impacts of these problems included added stress to court employees and witnesses, extended and disrupted trial proceedings, poor quality evidence, and added costs of fixing problems. Tangible recommendations for change were provided by the participants, and the overall findings and their implications were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against the background of the integrated development of urban and rural areas in China, land disputes are gradually increasing and becoming a prominent focus of interest in current Chinese society. In the process of dispute settlement, it is challenging for land disputes to reconstruct the evidence chain with the help of systematic land evidence, and the information asymmetry between parties intensifies social contradictions. Currently, in the context of several research practices concerning evidence, China lacks a comprehensive and traditional system of integrated land evidence theory. Specific applicable rules for different types of land evidence can only be summarized by judicial referees. The challenge in the field of land evidence lies in establishing specific rules and addressing the issue of scattered individual rules. To overcome the challenges posed by various land evidence types and the difficulties in applying traditional evidence rules, we employ the land case analysis method to examine judicial judgment documents related to land disputes. This approach allows us to summarize the facts of land dispute cases, compare the judgments made in these cases and further highlight the similarities and differences in the land evidence considered by the referees. Through this process, this paper aims to establish a legally significant practical framework for the classification of land evidence, filling the theoretical gap in the operational mechanism of land evidence and unlocking the potential for applying evidence methods in land dispute resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the impact of discrimination publicity on employee opinion. The findings suggest that employees reduce their sentiments toward the firm and its leaders when discrimination becomes public via Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announcements. Following the stakeholder theory of capital structure, the effect clusters in firms with above‐average leverage. Additionally, discrimination announcements increase accruals and the E index, reinforcing a culture of negative management at the firm. These results suggest that human capital risk plays a vital role in employee reactions to discrimination announcements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cloud computing technology delivers services, resources, and computer systems over the internet, enabling the easy modification of resources. Each field has its challenges, and the challenges of data transfer in the cloud pose unique obstacles for forensic analysts, making it necessary for them to investigate and adjust the evolving landscape of cloud computing. This is where cloud forensics emerges as a critical component. Cloud forensics, a specialized field within digital forensics, focuses on uncovering evidence of exploitation, conducting thorough investigations, and presenting findings to law enforcement for legal action against perpetrators. This paper examines the primary challenges encountered in cloud forensics, reviews the relevant literature, and analyzes the strategies implemented to address these obstacles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]