Archaeological research on early villages has repeatedly shown that despite their small size these settlements were anything but simple. Excavations at the Late Neolithic and early Aeneolithic village of Monjukli Depe in the Kopet Dag foothills of Turkmenistan contribute to a picture of this complexity. General uniformities in house plans and material culture conceal underlying variability in material and social practices. Small-scale analyses of the preparation and use of space in buildings, courtyards, and outdoor areas yield insights into how and where village residents pursued their daily activities. Studies focused on interactions among villagers, animals, and plants demonstrate the multiple relationships between them in this settlement. Animals were sometimes penned in buildings or courtyards, and their dung served as a source of fuel. Macrobotanical and phytolith analyses offer indications of the main crops grown as well as the plant parts that people and animals brought, intentionally or not, into the village. They underscore long-term continuities as well as changes in the relationships among plants, animals, and people between the Neolithic and Aeneolithic occupations. A series of studies examine the stone, bone, and copper tools made and used by the villagers. Items of bodily adornment, including beads and copper pins, add a distinctly personal layer of life.

Together, the assembled evidence offers a rich source of information on production activities but also on practices and materials that are otherwise largely invisible to the naked eye, from the adornment of the body, to the working of leather, fibers, and fabrics, to the harvesting of grain, to food preparation. Indirect connections to worlds beyond the village and the region are revealed via raw materials and objects from distant sources, including cherts and chalcedony, marine shells, lapis lazuli, and copper.

The resulting picture extends and refines our knowledge about this ancient village, making visible the dynamics of quotidian village life beyond larger-scale similarities.

Ostracods in Tibetan Plateau (TP) waters have well-constrained ecological preferences, pronounced with favourable moult season and last-instar shell calcification in summer, their shell (biogenic carbonates) stable isotopes, therefore, have a great potential use as a palaeoclimate indicator, notably on seasonal basis. However, our understanding of the isotopic fractionations in a long record remains elusive, particularly as biocarbonates frequently precipitate out of thermodynamics-based isotopic equilibrium with ambient waters. The knowledge gap arises from the different roles of metabolic and kinetic effects in disequilibrium fractionations, in addition to the impacts of various surface processes in the lake catchment on the input and output of isotopic flux of a lake basin. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview on multiple factors for value variation of biological carbonate isotopes in terms of ostracods from different lakes over the Tibetan Plateau, to reduce the knowledge gap for future study. We address (1) the ecological preferences of ostracod species used for stable isotope analysis on the TP and the analytical reproducibility error of an individual measurement on several genus/species; (2) multiple factors for different shell isotope values of modern ostracods including metabolic and kinetic effects in disequilibrium fractionations as well as the impacts of in-lake and catchment processes on isotopic signal change in ambient waters; (3) the differences and related indications of stable isotope values of nature and culture modern and fossil ostracods from the same species (Eucypris mareotica); (4) the spatial stable isotope distribution patterns of the reported ostracod populations and their controlling factors in one lake and/or between several lakes through time and (5) different temporal distribution patterns of stable isotopes and their relevant triggers in four selected TP lakes with comparable or incomparable hydrological conditions during a long period of the last 15,000 to 32,000 years. The successful use of difference transformation of stable isotope data from Nam Co Lake for further reconstruction of palaeotemperature anomaly in terms of various seasonal anomalies show a great potential of this tool in palaeoclimate reconstruction at interannual scale in the future.

EEG studies have identified ERP components at various latencies as predictors of conscious somatosensory perception, but it remains largely unclear which factors are responsible for this variation. Here, for the first time we directly compare the event-related potential correlates of stimulus detection under tactile versus electrical peri-threshold stimulation using single-trial modelling and Bayesian model selection within and between groups, while controlling for task-relevance and post-perceptual processes with a visual-somatosensory matching task. We find evidence that the P50 component predicts conscious perception under tactile, but not electrical stimulation: while electrical stimulation evokes a P50 already for subliminal stimuli and activity in this time window is best explained by stimulus intensity, there is almost no subliminal P50 for tactile stimulation, and detection best explains the data. In contrast, the N80 and N140 components correlate with detection and detection probability in both stimulation groups. The P100 and the P300 were modulated by detection in the tactile group, and by detection probability in the electrical group. Our results indicate that cortical processing in somatosensory target detection partly depends on the type of stimulation used. We propose that electrical stimulation of afferent nerve fibers that do not give rise to conscious perception may mask the P50 modulation associated with conscious somatosensory detection, and might contribute to subliminal evoked cortical responses.

Background Inhalers are essential for managing asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; however, their environmental effects vary significantly. Pressurised metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs) contain potent greenhouse gases (GHGs), resulting in a much higher carbon footprint (CF) than non-propellant inhalers (NPIs). Consequently, reducing the use of pMDIs is seen as an important contribution to reduce the healthcare sector’s effect on climate change. This study analyses inhaler dispensing trends in Germany, estimates their resulting CF and quantifies the potential GHG savings from increased NPI use.

Methods Dispensing data at the expense of statutory health insurances, covering nearly 90% of the German population, were analysed from 2013 to 2022 across three age groups. Annual dispensing shares and CF estimates based on life cycle assessment-derived CF values were calculated for four inhaler types: pMDIs with hydrofluorocarbon (HFC)-134a, pMDIs with HFC-227ea, dry powder inhalers (DPIs), and soft mist inhalers (SMIs). Two scenario calculations estimated the potential GHG savings.

Results Between 2013 and 2022, the total number of dispensed defined daily doses of inhalers increased by 14%, with no significant shift towards lower-emission inhalers (2013, 55% NPIs; 2022, 52% NPIs). Consequently, the total CF increased from 459 kilotonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (kt CO2eq) in 2013 to 525 kt CO2eq in 2022 (+14%). More than 95% of the inhaler-related CF was attributable to pMDIs. A GHG-saving scenario assuming 85% NPI use among patients aged 10–79 years projected an annual CF reduction of 55% (288 kt CO2eq).

Conclusion Despite climate neutrality goals, inhaler-related CF has continued to rise because of stable pMDI usage rates. The substantial potential for GHG reduction highlights the necessity and feasibility of a sustainable change in clinical prescription practice. Our insights could support the promotion of climate-friendly inhalers across other European countries with similar prescription patterns.

Sonication-assisted emulsification has emerged as a powerful technique for the preparation of microparticles in various fields, including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food science. This study aims to investigate the impact of different polymers in an aqueous system on the preparation of microparticles by the double emulsion technique. By understanding the factors that affect emulsification and stability, we can optimize the production of microparticles with desired characteristics. This study discusses the mechanism behind sonication-assisted emulsification, the various polymers used, and the analysis of particle size, morphology, and stability. The microparticle were prepared with a water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) solvent evaporation method, for various polymers (including EC 4 cp, Eudragit® RS 100, Eudragit® RL 100, PLGA (RG503H) and PCL) that solvent used dichloromethane. The particle size/distribution of the emulsion droplets/hardened microparticles was monitored using FBRM. The morphology of polymeric microparticles was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The transformation of the emulsion droplets into solid microparticles occured within the first 11.5, 20, 26, 30.5 and 56 min when EC 4 cp, Eudragit® RS 100, Eudragit® RL 100, PLGA (RG503H) and PCL were used respectively. The square weighted mean chord length of PCL microparticles was smallest, but the chord count was not the highest. The chord length distribution (CLD) measured by FBRM showed that a larger mean particle size gave longer CLD and a lower peak of particle number. SEM data revealed that the morphology of microparticles was influenced by the type of polymer. Sonicator helped in emulsification of polymeric system in aquous. FBRM can be employed for online monitoring of the shift in the microparticle CLD and detect transformation of emulsion droplets into solid microparticles during the solvent evaporation process. The microparticle CLD and transformation process were strongly influenced by polymer type.

Ferroelectric tunnel junction (FTJ) devices based on ferroelectric Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 (HZO) have recently gained significant interest as CMOS back-end-of-line integrable low power non-volatile memories for neuromorphic computing applications. In this paper, we demonstrate integration of metal-ferroelectric-dielectric-metal bilayer FTJ devices in the back-end-of-line of a 180 nm CMOS technology chip. We present electrical characteristics of the integrated FTJ devices, including the polarization switching and resistance switching behavior with an ON/OFF current ratio of ∼ 18, and an ON current density of ∼ 24.5 μA/cm2 at a read voltage of 1.8 V. Furthermore, we also demonstrate a 1-transistor-1-capacitor (1T1C) circuit by connecting a back-end FTJ device with a front-end nMOS transistor, which amplifies the ON current of the FTJ device by 2.6 times. Thus, we show the basic building block for the integration of HZO-based FTJ devices for neuromorphic applications.

A 3-month-old Friesian colt presented with severe, progressive distal limb lameness in two limbs. Radiographic and postmortem full-body CT imaging revealed severe articular deforming osteolysis and osteoproliferation at the dorsodistal navicular bone margin and the adjacent distal phalanx proximo-palmar/proximo-plantar margin in two limbs, with the remainder of the distal interphalangeal joint being unaffected. Multiple other joints showed small osteolytic subchondral defects. Postmortem histopathological examination confirmed focal joint disease of both distal interphalangeal joints, without an identifiable cause. Based on clinical presentation, imaging findings, and histopathology, regional joint maldevelopment was suspected.

The mechanosensitive ion channels Piezo 1 and 2 induce a curved protein-membrane nanodome that flattens with increasing membrane tension γ. The tension-induced flattening of the nanodome is associated with Piezo activation and driven by the energy γΔA where ΔA is the excess area of the curved nanodome relative to its planar projected area. Based on extensive coarse-grained and atomistic simulations of membrane-embedded Piezo 1 and 2 proteins, we report here an excess area ΔA for the Piezo protein-membrane nanodome of about 40 nm2 in tensionless membranes, and a half-maximal reduction of ΔA at tension values of about 3–4 mN/m, which is within the range of experimentally determined values for the half-maximal activation of Piezo 1. In line with recent experimental investigations of Piezo proteins in cell membranes and membrane vesicles, the membrane-embedded Piezo proteins adopt conformations in our simulations that are significantly less curved than the protein conformation in the detergent micelles of cryo-EM structures. An elasticity analysis of the nanodome shapes and protein conformations obtained from our simulations leads to an elastic model for Piezo activation that distinguishes the different energy components of the protein and the membrane in the tension-induced flattening of the nanodome. According to this model, the Piezo proteins resist flattening with a force constant of about 60 pN/nm.

Paint-derived microplastics (MPs) are increasingly recognized as an overlooked but potentially significant source of terrestrial pollution. To investigate their ecological effects on soil health, we conducted a controlled six-week soil incubation experiment using 10 commercially available spray paints with varying polymer compositions and colors. Paint-derived MPs were applied at environmentally relevant concentrations (0.01 % and 0.4 % w/w). Soil pH, water-stable aggregates, soil respiration, and enzyme activities related to carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycling were measured. Results showed that paint-derived MPs increased soil pH at the high concentration and reinforced the stability of water-stable aggregates. Paints with distinct polymeric compositions generated MPs with different size distributions upon application; these paint-derived MPs modulated soil respiration dynamics. The influence of color on the toxicity of paint-derived MPs appears to be primarily associated with metal pigments. In particular, paint-derived MPs containing copper consistently showed significant negative effects on all measured parameters. Furthermore, paint-derived MPs exhibited concentration-related toxicity patterns, which may be attributed to the various additives embedded in their formulations. This study provides new insights into the environmental risks of paint-derived MPs and highlights the role of their composite composition in determining their ecological impact on soil ecosystems. These findings underscore the importance of greater transparency in paint formulations and stricter regulation of hazardous components.

Temperate semi-natural grassland plant communities are expected to shift under global change, mainly due to land use and climate change. However, the interaction of different drivers on diversity and the influence of diversity on the provision of ecosystem services are not fully understood. To synthesize the knowledge of grassland dynamics and to be able to predict community shifts under different land-use and climate change scenarios, we developed the GrasslandTraitSim.jl model. In contrast to previously published grassland models, we link morphological plant traits to species-specific processes via transfer functions, thus avoiding a large number of species-specific parameters that are difficult to measure and calibrate. This allows any number of species to be simulated based on a list of commonly measured traits: specific leaf area, maximum height, leaf nitrogen per leaf mass, leaf biomass per plant biomass, above-ground biomass per plant biomass, root surface area per below-ground biomass, and arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization rate. For each species, the dynamics of the above- and below-ground biomass and its height are simulated with a daily time step. While the soil water content is simulated dynamically, the nutrient dynamics are kept simple, assuming that the nutrient availability depends on total soil nitrogen, yearly fertilization with nitrogen and the total plant biomass. We present a model description – which is complemented by online documentation with tutorials, flow charts, and interactive graphics – and calibrate and validate the model with two different datasets. We show that the model replicates the seasonal dynamics of productivity for experimental sites of the grass species Lolium perenne across Europe satisfactorily well. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the model can be used to simulate the productivity and functional composition of grassland sites with different numbers of mowing events and grazing intensity in three regions in Germany. Therefore, the GrasslandTraitSim.jl model is presented as a useful tool for predicting the plant biomass production and plant functional composition of temperate grasslands in response to management under climate change.

This article examines the contradiction in Kant’s writings concerning genius as both continuous and discontinuous with imitation, focusing primarily on whether genius imitates. While originality without any imitation is inconceivable and impossible, an original artwork is not imitative, as imitation is servile and entirely opposed to genius’s freedom. Some scholars have attempted to resolve this contradiction by selectively reconstructing Kant’s concepts of imitation, while others have reduced his thought to one side of it. Focusing on Kant’s evaluation of his own examples of genius (Milton, Shakespeare, and Michelangelo) and non-genius (Klopstock) in his lectures and handwritten notes, this essay proposes that his thinking about imitation and genius remains irresolvably contradictory. It also reflects on how this impasse shapes Kant’s conception of (in)imitability, deformity, tradition, and convention in art.

Environmental crisis narratives are used to justify the exercise of power, including against democratic state authority. In the cases of Danone in Volvic, France, and Tesla in Grünheide, Germany, activists are challenging the official state approval of multinationals’ exploitation of local resources amid declining water levels. This article compares the narratives that activists use in their campaigns regarding power and democracy. There are differences in the perception of the state and its potential. The Volvic water crisis in France is attributed to the state’s lethargy. In contrast, the Grünheide protest in eastern Germany is about more fundamental asymmetries. Activists reject the power of a global investor at the expense of the local institutions. This protest is about more than just protecting local water sources.

The ensemble Kalman inversion (EKI) method is widely used for solving inverse problems, leveraging ensemble-based techniques to iteratively refine parameter estimates. Despite its versatility, the accuracy of EKI is constrained by the subspace spanned by the initial ensemble, which may poorly represent the solution in cases of limited prior knowledge. This work addresses these limitations by optimising the subspace in which EKI operates, improving accuracy and computational efficiency. We derive a theoretical framework for constructing optimal subspaces in linear settings and extend these insights to nonlinear cases. A novel greedy strategy for selecting initial ensemble members is proposed, incorporating prior, data, and model information to enhance performance. Numerical experiments on both linear and nonlinear problems demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach, offering a significant advancement in the accuracy and scalability of EKI for high-dimensional and ill-posed problems.

Background

Reproduction in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) can be controlled by the insertion of intrauterine devices (IUDs) for females who do not reliably take oral contraceptives. Previous literature describes the use of improvised devices made from syringe cases as a speculum to accommodate the depth of the vaginal vault.

Methods

Copper IUDs (model T380A) were inserted in two sanctuary-housed chimpanzees. A disposable human small-sized vaginal speculum (Welch Allyn KleenSpec) with an illumination system provided a good view of the cervix. A 3/4 mm dilator and a uterine sound aided insertion.

Results

After multiple rounds of dilation, the uterine sound was still necessary to manipulate the IUD to the fundus of the uterus. Correct placement was confirmed by ultrasonography and radiology.

Conclusion

Inserting IUDs in chimpanzees can prove challenging. Having appropriate equipment available, such as varied sizes of speculums and dilators, is crucial. Gynecologists and ultrasonographers with experience inserting IUDs in humans can help ensure correct placement.

Emotion regulation (ER) is a dynamic, multi-stage process encompassing the identification, selection, implementation, and monitoring of ER strategies. Empirical studies on ER have increasingly focused on understanding the role of cognitive effort throughout ER processes. Cognitive effort is an essential component of various ER stages: from identifying the need to regulate emotions, through the selection and implementation of ER strategies, to the monitoring of regulatory behavior. The review highlights substantial inter-individual variability in effort expenditure across ER stages and explores the impact of cognitive costs on regulatory outcomes. To synthesize the reviewed evidence, we propose an integrative framework that outlines the potential impact of cognitive effort across the different stages of emotion regulation. Findings suggest that high effort demands can increase the likelihood of regulatory failure, perpetuating negative emotional states and impairing well-being. Conversely, automatic ER processes, while less effortful, may limit adaptability to novel emotional challenges. Understanding the interplay between cognitive effort and ER is crucial for elucidating key components of the regulatory process and their implications for individual well-being.

The Interstellar Dust Experiment (IDEX) onboard NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) is dedicated to measuring the flux, size distribution, and composition of Interstellar (ISD) and Interplanetary (IDP) Dust Particles while stationed at Lagrange point L1 of the Earth-Sun system. IDEX is an impact ionization Time-of-Flight (TOF) mass spectrometer that measures the elemental and/or molecular and selected isotopic composition of impacting dust particles. Due to its high sensitivity and large detection area, IDEX is expected to detect and analyze approximately 200 ISD and 1250 IDP particles over the first two years of the mission.

Developing geoenergy technologies such as Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) requires underground fluid injection operations, which, under certain conditions, can induce large-magnitude earthquakes. To mitigate the seismic hazard, various injection protocols have been proposed to regulate operational parameters. This study evaluates the impact of injection protocol on induced seismic hazard, using theoretical models, numerical simulations and field data. Within the theoretical framework, perturbed rock volume was inferred from the concept of triggering front that serves as a proxy for pressure perturbation, whereas numerical modeling captured the spatio-temporal evolution of pore-pressure. Our results indicate that short-duration injection protocols are likely characterized by lower seismic hazard, as they perturb smaller areas of pre-existing critically stressed faults. This decreases the likelihood of larger ruptures, that might propagate beyond the pressurized rock volume. Given the same (net) injected fluid volumes and geological conditions, the duration emerges as a key factor controlling the extent of the perturbed rock mass. The findings are further illustrated by the 2017 ML 5.4 Pohang earthquake, which was triggered by the hydraulic stimulation of the nearby EGS. Previously in 2006, the injection of roughly similar fluid volume in Basel induced an earthquake of magnitude ML 3.4. This difference in energy release is likely linked to the duration of the injection protocols, being approximately 600 days at Pohang and 6 days at Basel. Our findings highlight the importance of injection protocol, detailed subsurface characterization and real-time seismic monitoring of perturbed rock volumes to mitigate the seismic hazard during EGS developments.

Heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense across the globe due to global warming. Heatwaves – unusual daytime and nighttime high temperatures over three consecutive days – can disrupt physiological functions of organisms, reducing fitness. Insects are stressed because of the increasing frequency and intensity of temperature extremes. While many studies have focused on insect behaviour during heatwaves in laboratory settings, the impact of natural heatwaves in the wild remains understudied. Here, we investigated the impact of natural heatwaves on mating behaviour, flight activity, and local abundance in the damselfly, Xanthagrion erythroneurum. We found that damselfly mating frequency decreased, while flight number and net population abundance remained unchanged during natural heatwaves. The decreased mating frequency may suggest a sex-specific decoupling of mate-searching efforts under thermal stress. Heatwave driven disruptions in mating behaviours and the occurrence of more frequent and acute heatwaves in the future may have long-term consequences for damselfly populations. Our results provide crucial data of the behaviour of thermally sensitive insects to heatwaves, which could assist in developing effective conservation strategies for maintaining biodiversity in a warming world.

The confinement of electromagnetic radiation to subwavelength scales relies on strong light–matter interactions. In the infrared and terahertz spectral ranges, phonon polaritons are commonly employed to achieve deeply subdiffractional light confinement, with such optical modes offering much lower losses in comparison to plasmon polaritons. Among these, hyperbolic phonon polaritons in anisotropic materials offer a promising platform for light confinement. Here we report on ultraconfined phonon polaritons in hafnium-based dichalcogenides with confinement factors exceeding λ0/250 in the terahertz spectral range. This extreme light compression within deeply subwavelength thin films is enabled by the large magnitude of the light–matter coupling strength in these compounds and the natural hyperbolicity of HfSe2. Our findings emphasize the role of light–matter coupling for polariton confinement, which for phonon polaritons in polar dielectrics is dictated by the transverse–longitudinal optical phonon energy splitting. Our results demonstrate transition-metal dichalcogenides as an enabling platform for terahertz nanophotonic applications.