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Soil microorganisms regulate the decomposition of organic matter. However, microbial activities can also be rate-limited by the resource in lowest supply. Arctic ecosystems are being exposed to pronounced climate warming, with arctic greening, treeline advance and shrubification resulting in increased plant-derived carbon (C) inputs to soils, and faster rates of decomposition releasing mineral nut
The political and institutional crisis in Brazil from 2015, fueled largely by corruption probes and lawfare, had severe repercussions within the Brazilian construction and energy sectors. While many international investors withdrew from Brazil in this period, Chinese investment surged. This article accounts for the particular characteristics of Chinese investments, such as sectorial complementarit
Species distributed across climatic gradients will typically experience spatial variation in selection, but gene flow can prevent such selection from causing population genetic differentiation and local adaptation. Here, we studied genomic variation of 415 individuals across 34 populations of the common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis) in central Italy. This species is highly abundant throughout thi
The Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) is considered an importantimaging biomarker contributing to the assessment of tissue microstructure and pathophy- siology. It is calculated from Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DWI) by means of a diffusion model, usually without considering any motion during image acquisition. We propose a method to improve the computation of the ADC by copin
Background: Semiconductor gamma-camera systems based on cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) detectors present new challenges due to an energy-response that includes effects of low-energy tailing. In particular, such energy tails produce effects that need to be considered when imaging radionuclides with multiple emissions such as 177Lu. Monte Carlo simulation can be used to investigate the behaviour of su
Asynclitism, the most feared malposition of the fetal head during labor, still represents to date an unresolved field of interest, remaining one of the most common causes of prolonged or obstructed labor, dystocia, assisted delivery, and cesarean section. Traditionally asynclitism is diagnosed by vaginal examination, which is, however, burdened by a high grade of bias. On the contrary, the recent
Willingness to pay (WTP) for booster doses of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines is an under studied research topic. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the WTP for the booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines and its predictors in Indonesia using an online survey distributed all over the provinces of this low-middle-income country. The WTP was evaluated using a basic dichotomous
Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy is a popular tool for the detection of extremely small quantities of target molecules. Au nanoparticles have been very successful in this respect due to local enhancement of the light intensity caused by their plasmon resonance. Furthermore, Au nanoparticles are biocompatible, and target substances can be easily attached to their surface. Here, we demonstrate th
Background and Objective: Waste in clinical trials remains rife. We developed an economic model to predict the cost of trials based on input costs, duration, power, number of sites, recruitment eligibility and consenting rates. Methods: We parameterised the model for three proxy placebo-controlled surgical trials using data from a systematic review, a bespoke cost survey, and from the literature.
Comparative cognitive and behavior research aims to investigate cognitive evolution by comparing performance in different species to understand how these abilities have evolved. Ideally, this requires large and diversesamples; however, these can be difficult to obtain by single labs or institutions, leading to potential reproducibility and generalization issues with small, less representative samp
The specific viscoelastic mechanical properties of Achilles tendons are highly dependent on the structural characteristics of collagen at and between all hierarchical levels. Research has been conducted on the deformation mechanisms of positional tendons and single fibrils, but knowledge about the coupling between the whole tendon and nanoscale deformation mechanisms of more commonly injured energ
In this work, a waxy barley starch-PEG aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) phase diagram was constructed, and starch microsphere preparation was explored at different phase diagram positions. The aim was to investigate starch-PEG ATPS phase behaviour and relate this to starch crystallisation and microsphere formation. The hypothesis was that phase diagram position would influence the starch microspher
Although the 2023 Budget set the stage to finance a renewable-energy transition, ensuring that energy can be used as a tool to deliver environmental and socioeconomic well-being across all brackets of society requires multilevelgovernance and diverse actor networks. Some levers that all stakeholders – including investors – can use to embed justice in the financial architecture of renewable-energy
This article reports on the development and validation of the Informal Second Language Engagement questionnaire (ISLE) for capturing various aspects of learner engagement with informal second language practices. Whereas other questionnaires have primarily focused on learner behavior (the frequency, quantity, and diversity of informal activities in which learners engage), the ISLE additionally targ
Quantifying air-borne and structure-borne sound insulation is an important design consideration for the indoor comfort in a building. Although sound insulation performance is commonly measured experimentally, numerical methods can have time-saving and economic benefits. Further, numerical methods can be incorporated within building simulations to provide an estimate of the acoustic environment. In
Stakeholder involvement in wildlife management is important and requires knowledge about factors motivating such participation. With several goose populations increasing in Europe and goose management incorporating multiple objectives, involvement of stakeholder groups with diverse interests is needed. In this study, we examined how evaluations of geese (attitude and acceptance capacity), but also
One of the most challenging problems in paleoclimate research is how orbital cyclicities forced Earth’s climate variations during the late Quaternary. To address this issue, we investigated the differences in silicate weathering, a sensitive climate indicator, at different latitudes on orbital timescales by examining geochemical and clay mineral data from the mid-latitude Sea of Okhotsk and integr
Irradiation and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) are widely utilized tools in hematopoietic research to generate myeloablation and assess blood recovery dynamics. A comprehensive understanding of their effects on the hematopoietic system is essential for optimizing therapeutic strategies, refining experimental models to modulate hematotoxicity, and interpreting research outcomes. Despite their widespread app
Massively parallel sequencing (MPS) is increasingly used in forensic DNA analysis for SNP and STR genotyping, though accredited proficiency tests remain limited. To address this, five forensic DNA laboratories from four countries participated in a study to assess MPS methods across different kits and platforms. In this study ForenSeq DNA Signature Prep Kit, ForenSeq MainstAY kit, Precision ID Glob
