Recent ucd items

Structure and sequence evolution in the pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) pangenome

Thu, 14 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Eukaryotic genomes harbor many forms of variation, including nucleotide diversity and structural polymorphisms, which experience natural selection and contribute to genome evolution and biodiversity. Harnessing this variation for agriculture hinges on our ability to detect, quantify, catalog, and deploy genetic diversity. Here, we explore seven complete genomes of the emerging biofuel crop pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) drawn from across the species' current genetic diversity to catalog variation in genome structure and content. Across this new pangenome resource, we find contrasting evolutionary modes in different genomic zones. Gene-poor, repeat-rich pericentromeric regions experience frequent rearrangements, including repeated centromere repositioning. By contrast, conserved gene-dense chromosome arms maintain large-scale synteny across accessions even in fast-evolving NOD-like receptor immune genes, where microsynteny breaks down across species, but gene cluster positioning...

Single domain spectroscopic signatures of a magnetic kagome metal

Thu, 14 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Magnetic kagome metals host complex electronic states and real-space magnetic textures, but their small and temperature-dependent magnetic domains make experimental access difficult. Here we show that micro-focused circular-dichroic photoemission spectroscopy enables spectroscopic access to individual magnetic domains in the kagome metal DyMn6Sn6 at low temperature. By tuning to element-specific electronic states, we image domain contrast associated with Dy 4f levels and detect corresponding signatures from Mn core states. The energy dependence of the dichroic response is consistent with modeling and indicates ferrimagnetic alignment between Dy and Mn local moments. Measurements of Mn 3d-derived valence bands, supported by first-principles calculations, reveal features related to orbital magnetization. These results establish element- and orbital-resolved spectroscopy of single magnetic domains and enable studies of magnetic textures and electronic structure in complex magnetic...

Warm Hand-Offs Framework: K-16 Ecosystems of Support

Thu, 14 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Warm Hand-Offs Framework aims to support students, schools, and educational partners by spotlighting navigational supports to help students throughout their educational journey as they transition from K-12 to community college and/or a 4-year college or university. Developed as part of the Sacramento K-16 Priority Student Populations workgroup (which includes K-16, community college, and 4-year regional partners) in collaboration with UC Davis, the framework outlines the educational pathways students may pursue and the supports available whether students plan to enroll in a 2-year or 4-year college; transfer; or directly enter the workforce. Overall, each of these areas (advising and counseling; college academic retention initiatives and programs; career pathway supports) help to smooth postsecondary pathways for students, highlighting when a warm hand-off can occur for a student between systems. This document is intended to serve as a living resource to help facilitate...

Gals and Pals in Engineering: A First-Year Learning Community’s Impact on Women’s Engineering Identity

Thu, 14 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Women remain underrepresented in engineering, a historical inequity sustained by a "chilly climate" that challenges their professional identity development. This study examines a first-year learning community (FYLC) designed to narrate this history and construct more equitable futures by fostering engineering identity in women students. Grounded in Social Cognitive Career Theory and identity frameworks, the intervention incorporated a seminar, events, and peer mentoring. A pre-post survey with 10 students and paired t-tests assessed changes in identity and belonging. Results show statistically significant increases across measures, with a large effect size for performance/competence identity (d=1.34). These findings offer a promising model for how targeted, affinity-based interventions can help construct new possibilities for the persistence of women in engineering.

U.S. Q1 2026 EV MARKET BRIEF

Thu, 14 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

U.S. Q1 2026 EV MARKET BRIEF

Warm Hand-Offs Framework: K-16 Ecosystems of Support

Thu, 14 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Driving the Market for Plug-in Vehicles: Understanding Reoccurring Incentives

Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Driving the Market for Plug-in Vehicles: Understanding Reoccurring Incentives

Appendix B: Survey of Urban Habits

Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This survey was developed by Jo Novelli-Blasko at The Habitorium, in collaboration with Blagovesta Momchedjikova and Jorge de La Barre records urban habits. It was used to gather contributions to Streetnotes 31: An Anthology of Urban Habits.

In Search of Less Parking: How Curb Management Is Failing Future Mobility

Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In Search of Less Parking: How Curb Management Is Failing Future Mobility

An Anthology of Urban Habits

Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Streetnotes 31, "An Anthology of Urban Habits" collects and showcases responses from "The Survey of Urban Habits" (see Appendix B) developed by Jo Novelli-Blasko at the Habitorium, in collaboration with Blagovesta Momchedjikova and Jorge de La Barre. The volume explores urban habits as repeated activities and behaviors that respond to and interact with urban environments. It asks: How do bodies shape the city through habit? Whose body can express a habit, where, when, and how? How does the body habitually sense a city? How does the body incorporate the city through habit? When and where does the body habituate to the infrastructure of a city? In keeping with the mission of Streetnotes, it invites readers to experiment with poetics of documentary as they pay attention to habitual behavior in the city.

Cross-Linguistic Variation and Efficiency

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This book argues that major patterns of variation across languages are structured by general principles of efficiency in language use and communication. Evidence for these comes from languages permitting structural choices from which selections are made in performance, e.g. between competing word orders and between relative clauses with a resumptive pronoun versus a gap. The preferences and patterns of performance within languages are reflected in the fixed conventions and variation patterns across grammars, leading to a ‘‘Performance–Grammar Correspondence Hypothesis.’’ The general theory that is laid out in Hawkins’s Efficiency and Complexity in Grammars (OUP) is extended and updated. New areas of grammar and of performance are discussed, new research findings are incorporated that test Hawkins’s earlier predictions, and new advances in the contributing fields of language processing, linguistic theory, historical linguistics, and typology are addressed. This efficiency approach...

Genetic Variation and Stroke Recovery: The STRONG Study

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

BACKGROUND: Genetic association studies can reveal biology and treatment targets but have received limited attention for stroke recovery. STRONG (Stroke, Stress, Rehabilitation, and Genetics) was a prospective, longitudinal (1-year), genetic study in adults with stroke at 28 US stroke centers. The primary aim was to examine the association that candidate genetic variants have with (1) motor/functional outcomes and (2) stress-related outcomes. METHODS: For motor/functional end points, 3 candidate gene variants (ApoE ε4, BDNF [brain-derived neurotrophic factor], and a dopamine polygenic score) were analyzed for associations with change in grip strength (3 months-baseline), function (3-month Stroke Impact Scale-Activities of Daily Living), mood (3-month Patient Health Questionnaire-8), and cognition (12-month telephone-Montreal Cognitive Assessment). For stress-related outcomes, 7 variants (serotonin transporter gene-linked promoter region, ACE [angiotensin-converting enzyme], oxytocin...

Table of Contents An Anthology of Urban Habits. Streetnotes 31.

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

List of contributions in An Anthology of Urban Habits.

Assessing Statewide Implementation of California SB 793 Banning the Retail Sale of Flavored Tobacco

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Assessing Statewide Implementation of California SB 793 Banning the Retail Sale of Flavored Tobacco

North Delta Arc Study 2020 Annual Report: Cache-Lindsey Slough Complex water quality, productivity, and fisheries

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

North Delta Arc Study 2020 Annual Report: Cache-Lindsey Slough Complex water quality, productivity, and fisheries

North Delta Arc Study 2023 Annual Report: Cache-Lindsey Slough Complex Water Quality, Productivity, and Fisheries

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

North Delta Arc Study 2023 Annual Report: Cache-Lindsey Slough Complex Water Quality, Productivity, and Fisheries

A France–Kenya Compact for Green Industrialization: Co-Investing in Two Transitions

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A France–Kenya Compact for Green Industrialization: Co-Investing in Two Transitions

California’s Behavioral Health Transformation Must Include Co-treatment of Tobacco Use Disorder

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

California’s Behavioral Health Transformation Must Include Co-treatment of Tobacco Use Disorder

The Long-term Impacts of the Pandemic on Ridehailing Use Could Have Negative Environmental Impacts

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Ridehailing services (such as those offered by Uber and Lyft) can contribute to increases in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by attracting demand from more sustainable modes, encouraging additional travel, and driving while not serving passengers . Pooled ridehailing services (i.e., ridehailing services that offer discounted fares in exchange for the potential to be matched with other customers traveling to similar destinations) have been identified as a means of addressing the negative impacts of ridehailing services. However, the impact of pooled ridehailing is heavily influenced by the uptake of these services. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic substantially influenced travel mode preferences, resulting in an increased preference for individual modes (e.g., private vehicles and active modes) and a reduced preference for shared modes (e.g., public transit and ridehailing)3 . Given the disruptive impacts of the pandemic on travel mode preferences, and the negative impacts of ridehailing...

Assessing Evidence of Coverage of Tobacco Cessation Treatment in CalPERS Health Plans

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Assessing Evidence of Coverage of Tobacco Cessation Treatment in CalPERS Health Plans

Operationalizing Prescriptive Authority for Tobacco Cessation in Community Pharmacies

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Operationalizing Prescriptive Authority for Tobacco Cessation in Community Pharmacies

Sacramento’s “Healthy Food Exemption” Increases Tobacco Inequities but not Healthy Food Access

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Sacramento’s “Healthy Food Exemption” Increases Tobacco Inequities but not Healthy Food Access

Ending the Sale of Tobacco in California Pharmacies: Frequently Asked Questions

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Ending the Sale of Tobacco in California Pharmacies: Frequently Asked Questions

North Delta Arc Study 2021 Annual Report: Cache-Lindsey Slough Complex water quality, productivity, and fisheries

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

North Delta Arc Study 2021 Annual Report: Cache-Lindsey Slough Complex water quality, productivity, and fisheries

Degenerative temporomandibular joint disease in a lioness (Panthera leo)

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a synovial joint that consists of two articulating surfaces, the mandibular head on the condylar process ventrally and the mandibular fossa of the squamous temporal bone dorsally, with a thin fibrocartilage disc that separates the joint into two non-communicating compartments. Degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the TMJ has been evaluated in other carnivorous species; however, it has not previously been described in the lion (Panthera leo). This study characterized the histological, biomechanical and biochemical properties of the TMJ in health and disease in a lioness. The components of the articulating surface and general features of the disc of the TMJ were comparable to other carnivorous species described previously. Spontaneous DJD was observed unilaterally, revealing comparable features with other carnivores. Tensile strength and stiffness differed substantially between the diseased and healthy disc, with the diseased disc having altered...

Surveying Substance Use Treatment Programs onTheir Tobacco-Related Needs and Practices:Sacramento County

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Surveying Substance Use Treatment Programs onTheir Tobacco-Related Needs and Practices:Sacramento County

Surveying Substance Use Treatment Programs onTheir Tobacco-Related Needs and Practices:Alameda County

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Surveying Substance Use Treatment Programs onTheir Tobacco-Related Needs and Practices:Alameda County

North Delta Arc Study 2024 Annual Report: Cache-Lindsey Slough Complex Water Quality, Productivity, and Fisheries.

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

North Delta Arc Study 2024 Annual Report: Cache-Lindsey Slough Complex Water Quality, Productivity, and Fisheries.

Assessing the Implementation of Flavored Tobacco Sales Restrictions: Sacramento County

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Assessing the Implementation of Flavored Tobacco Sales Restrictions: Sacramento County

Increasing California Tobacco Retailer License Fees to Improve Enforcement of Flavored Tobacco Laws

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Increasing California Tobacco Retailer License Fees to Improve Enforcement of Flavored Tobacco Laws

North Delta Arc Study 2022 Annual Report: Cache-Lindsey Slough Complex water quality, productivity, and fisheries

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

North Delta Arc Study 2022 Annual Report: Cache-Lindsey Slough Complex water quality, productivity, and fisheries

Border Biomes: Ecological Imaginaries of Mexico's Edges

Fri, 8 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

What effect do heavily fortified national borders have on the natural environments that surround them? In Border Biomes, Emily Celeste Vázquez Enríquez explores this question by analyzing contemporary Mexican, Latinx, and Indigenous literature that has tried to highlight the human and ecological toll of Mexico’s borders with the United States and Guatemala. By challenging the very premise of borders as permanent, immovable boundaries, she shows how novelists and poets in Mexico and the United States have tried to represent and understand the vast social, political, and ecological harm caused by these constructions. She argues that the environmental destruction that borders create is inseparable from state‑sanctioned, anti‑immigrant racial violence. To do this, she structures the book around three main biomes: rivers, deserts, and forests. Within each chapter, Vázquez Enríquez considers how authors such as Dolores Dorantes, Natalie Diaz, and Ofelia Zepeda have drawn...

Laboratory Protocols for Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus Transmission Biology and Management Research

Fri, 8 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), the causal agent of Huanglongbing, is transmitted by the Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri) in a persistent, propagative manner. Reproducible transmission studies require not only controlled inoculation assays but also standardized propagation of citrus host plants, maintenance of D. citri colonies, and reliable pathogen detection. This study presents a comprehensive set of coordinated protocols that collectively support controlled CLas transmission experimentation. The workflow includes propagation of Citrus macrophylla for colony and assay use; generation and maintenance of CLas-infected citrus and D. citri colonies; synchronization of D. citri populations to enable CLas acquisition; and a controlled single-D. citri transmission assay with defined inoculation access periods, and a Dellaporta-based nucleic acid extraction method compatible with citrus and psyllid tissues. Quantitative PCR detection is integrated throughout to verify...

Feline Creativity on the Eve of Modernity

Fri, 8 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Feline Creativity on the Eve of Modernity

Age-dependent reference intervals for cerebrospinal fluid and urine biomarkers of mucopolysaccharidoses

Thu, 7 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPSs) are characterized by deficient activity of lysosomal hydrolase enzymes, leading to progressive accumulation of glycosaminoglycans. These glycosaminoglycans can be assayed in biofluids as potential markers of disease severity and response to disease-modifying therapies. This study sought to calculate control reference intervals in a largely pediatric population for key MPS biomarkers: heparan sulfate (HS) and dermatan sulfate (DS) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and urine, and CSF monosialic gangliosides GM2 and GM3. We also explored the effect of age on biomarker levels. Biomarker levels were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in CSF and urine samples from pediatric and young adult donors and were compared with baseline CSF and urine biomarker levels from an ongoing Phase 1/2 study of children with MPS II. Age-specific reference intervals were estimated for CSF HS, DS, and GM2, and for urine HS, DS, and the sum of HS and DS,...

If You Build It, They May Not Come: Willingness to Participate in Managed EV Charging

Thu, 7 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

If You Build It, They May Not Come: Willingness to Participate in Managed EV Charging

Seeds of annual and perennial populations of Mimulus guttatus exhibit differential responses to cold stratification.

Thu, 7 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Life history theory predicts that temporal variation in fitness can select for either persistence in the seed bank or iteroparity, but rarely both simultaneously. However, this prediction has not been explicitly evaluated by testing for a negative relationship between these two life history traits. We conducted a germination experiment to measure the extent of seed persistence in semelparous and iteroparous populations of Mimulus guttatus across a factorial combination of cold stratification and water potential treatments. We performed a tetrazolium assay on all seeds that did not germinate to quantify seed persistence (i.e., viable seeds that did not germinate). Semelparous seeds were more likely to persist than iteroparous seeds only in the absence of cold stratification in two of the three water potential treatments; there was no difference at the lowest water potential treatment because almost all seeds persisted. These differences in seed persistence reversed or disappeared...

Female cortical cellular mosaicism underlies shared MeCP2 and PCB impacted gene pathways

Thu, 7 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Rett syndrome (RTT) is an X-linked, dominant neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in MECP2, encoding the epigenetic regulator methyl CpG binding protein. Variability in severity and timing of progression in RTT, influenced by factors including mutation type, genetic background, and X chromosome inactivation patterns, suggests potential interaction with environmental neurotoxicants such as lipophilic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). To understand shared mechanisms, we exposed WT and Mecp2e1 −/+ female mice to a human-relevant PCB mixture and dose, then performed single-nucleus 5′ RNA-seq from cortex. We identified significant overlap in dysregulated genes and 71 shared pathways between the effects of PCB exposure and MeCP2 mutation, and co-mitigation of their transcriptional impacts. PCBs influenced the non-cell-autonomous transcriptional effects of MeCP2 mutations in wild-type-expressing neurons within the mosaic mutant female cortex in both mouse and human, suggesting...

Electrificación de Vehículos Comerciales Ligeros: Perspectivas de la Industria y Oportunidades en México

Thu, 7 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Este reporte presenta los resultados de una encuesta colaborativa de la industria y una iniciativa de investigación aplicada sobre la electrificación de flotas de vehículos comerciales ligeros (LCV, por sus siglas en inglés) en México. Realizado por el Global South Center for Clean Transportation (GSC) de UC Davis, el estudio recopiló respuestas de más de 80 empresas en todo el país, con mayor representación de Ciudad de México (CDMX), Estado de México, Guanajuato y Nuevo León.

Los resultados revelan un panorama empresarial en el que muchas operaciones ya presentan condiciones favorables para la electrificación de flotas, aunque persisten barreras financieras y de infraestructura.

Are Consumers Myopic? Evidence from New and Used Car Purchases

Wed, 6 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Are Consumers Myopic? Evidence from New and Used Car Purchases

Oil in the Sea IV: Quick Guide for Practitioners and Researchers: Spanish Version (2025)

Wed, 6 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This booklet, translated in Spanish here, provides key insights from Oil in the Sea IV: Inputs, Fates, and Effects, published in 2022, which benefited from significant advancements in scientific methods to detect the input and fates of oil in the sea, and from lessons learned from the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in 2010. Going beyond previous reports, Oil in the Sea IV includes analysis of human health impacts of oil in the sea, oil in the Arctic marine environment, and prevention and response efforts that can help to both reduce the amount of oil reaching the sea and minimize its effects. The booklet is meant to serve as a reference guide to all those involved in oil spill research and response.

Rise of Machines in Disease Ecology

Wed, 6 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Rise of Machines in Disease Ecology

R‑MDDMA is a Safer Analogue of MDMA with Therapeutic Potential

Wed, 6 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Recent clinical evidence suggests that racemic 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) might be useful for treating a range of neuropsychiatric diseases including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. However, concerns about its abuse potential stemming from its monoamine releasing properties have hampered its clinical development. Thus, safer analogues of racemic MDMA with comparable therapeutic effects are highly desirable. Here, we compare the pharmacological effects of MDMA enantiomers with those of its methylated analogue 3,4-methylenedioxy-N,N-dimethylamphetamine (MDDMA). We found that R-MDDMA did not directly activate 5-HT2B receptors, induce serotonin efflux, produce a head-twitch response, impact body temperature, or induce hyperlocomotion at therapeutically relevant doses. However, it still promoted structural neuroplasticity in cortical neurons, facilitated fear extinction learning, and produced sustained antidepressant-like effects....

Comprehensive, multidisciplinary care for fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome

Wed, 6 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Objective: The authors reviewed the pathophysiology, clinical genetics, phenotype, and comprehensive clinical management of Fragile X-associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome (FXTAS), a neurodegenerative disorder affecting FMR1 premutation carriers (55-200 CCG repeats). Participants: A multispecialty and multidisciplinary team of authors with backgrounds in psychiatry, pediatrics, clinical psychology, speech and language pathology, and neurosciences. Evidence: Review of English language sources on the clinical phenomenology, genetics, pathophysiology, and clinical management of FXTAS from 2001 (the original report) through 2025, with emphasis on the general medical, psychiatric, and neurological features of FXTAS and its multispecialty and multidisciplinary clinical management. Consensus process: All authors contributed to the review of the literature. Major components of the manuscript were drafted by clinicians with clinical experience in the specific areas of management. Conclusion:...

Salicylic acid modulates its catabolic enzymes via proteasomal degradation linked to SCF-associated proximity networks

Wed, 6 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Salicylic acid (SA) is a central regulator of plant immunity, and precise control of its levels is essential to balance defense and growth. However, the mechanisms controlling the stability and abundance of SA-catabolizing enzymes remain elusive. Here we show that the SA hydroxylases DOWNY MILDEW RESISTANT 6 (DMR6) and DMR6-LIKE OXYGENASE 1 (DLO1) are targeted for ubiquitin–proteasome-dependent degradation. SA promotes DMR6 turnover but stabilizes DLO1, linking catalytic activity and conformational dynamics to protein fate. Structural and biochemical analyses indicate that SA binding induces conformational changes in DMR6, particularly in a conserved C-terminal helix, which may contribute to its susceptibility to degradation. Proximity labeling of DMR6 and DLO1 identified a previously uncharacterized Kelch-type F-box protein, which we designate as DMR6-ASSOCIATED F-BOX 1 (DAF1), that contributes to SCF-type E3 ligase-mediated proteasomal turnover of DMR6 in planta, thereby...

XAP5 CIRCADIAN TIMEKEEPER coordinates circadian rhythms and anthocyanin biosynthesis independently of splicing

Wed, 6 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Circadian clocks provide plants with an adaptive advantage by enabling them to anticipate daily environmental changes. The periodicity of circadian clocks is regulated at multiple levels of gene expression, including transcription, mRNA processing, translation, and protein modification. Numerous mRNA splicing factors have been implicated in maintaining circadian period length. However, these factors often play additional roles in transcription, making it difficult to determine whether they affect the clock through splicing-dependent or -independent mechanisms. We and others have shown that XAP5 CIRCADIAN TIMEKEEPER (XCT) and components of the PRE-MRNA-PROCESSING FACTOR 19 (PRP19) complex, including the functionally redundant PRP19A and PRP19B, physically associate and regulate both splicing and circadian rhythms. Here, our transcriptome analyses reveal that the antagonistic regulation of circadian period length by XCT and PRP19 likely occurs through splicing-independent mechanisms....

Cognitive performance and variability in dromedary camels: insights from a comparative psychometric approach

Wed, 6 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Contemporary research in animal cognition has expanded our understanding of non-human intelligence, yet behavioural and cognitive traits in dromedary camels remain largely unexplored. This study pioneers the empirical assessment of cognitive performance and variability in dromedaries (Camelus dromedarius) using a comparative psychometric framework adapted from human and animal cognition protocols. A total of 130 Canarian dromedaries were evaluated across thirteen cognitive traits, with individual performance indices calculated through a mental age-based model. Results revealed substantial interindividual variability in cognitive performance, with key modulating factors including group dependence, docility, and concentration. Animals with higher herd affiliation displayed above-average scores, suggesting the presence of a collective intelligence (c-factor), while independent individuals exhibited better memory and perseverance but lower attentional stability. Additional influences...

Materiality as Periphery, Revisited

Wed, 6 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This essay revisits the themes of an earlier essay on the peripheralization of materiality in art-historical practice and adds insights to it based upon disciplinary and cultural developments since 2019. Primary among these is the advent of artificial intelligence image-generating applications, which challenge the materiality of artworks in entirely new ways. This essay proposes that such mechanisms mask art’s materiality within and behind seductively sleek illusions that hide the true materiality of art. It also uses the repatriation of art objects to propose that art’s materiality still matters.

Profiting from Regulation: An Event Study of the European Carbon Market

Wed, 6 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Profiting from Regulation: An Event Study of the European Carbon Market

Psilocybin during the postpartum period induces long-lasting adverse effects in both mothers and offspring

Wed, 6 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Psilocybin increases social connectedness and has strong clinical transdiagnostic efficacy for mental illness, making it a candidate treatment to reduce maternal disconnect, anxiety, and blunted affect seen in peripartum mood disorders. However, the efficacy and safety of psilocybin in peripartum mood disorders has not been investigated. We used a social stress model to examine the effects of psilocybin in parous mice and their offspring. Social stress induced maternal withdrawal and increased stress-related behaviors – none of which were ameliorated by psilocybin. Weeks later, psilocybin-treated dams were more anxious, regardless of stress exposure. In contrast, psilocybin-treated virgin females were unaffected. Though reproductive status did not affect psilocybin pharmacokinetics, serotonin receptor transcription and 5-HT2A receptor-dependent responses were reduced in dams. Offspring exposed to maternal psilocybin during breastfeeding exhibited anhedonia in adulthood. Here,...

Ultra-low thermal conductivity and promising thermoelectric performance in the structurally complex Zintl phase: Eu 14 GaAs 11

Wed, 6 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

New Zintl compound Eu 14 GaAs 11 shows ultra-low thermal conductivity and a high Seebeck coefficient due to its complex structure, indicating potential for further optimization to enhance thermoelectric performance. Intermetallic Zintl compounds of the Ca 14 AlSb 11 (14-1-11) structure type are intriguing materials for study due to their small bandgap semiconducting behavior and exceptionally low thermal conductivity. Eu 14 GaAs 11 is a new member of the family, containing zero-dimensional tetrahedral [GaAs 4 ] 9− subunits. This compound crystallizes in the tetragonal crystal system ( I 4 1 / acd space group), similar to other 14-1-11 compounds. Eu 14 GaAs 11 has been characterized as a semiconductor with a bandgap of 0.61 eV, as calculated using the Goldsmid-Sharp formula. Electronic transport measurements indicate a high Seebeck coefficient of 232 µV K −1 at 321 K, peaking at 424 µV K −1 at 713 K. The electrical resistivity is particularly high due to low carrier concentrations....

Mood Provoking Visual Stimuli Their Origins and Applications

Wed, 6 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Published in 1965 by the University of California Press, this illustrated book describes graduate research on visual perception conducted Richard G. Coss at the University of California, Los Angeles. The theoretical backdrop for his area of study was based predominantly on observations and experimental research on nonhuman species conducted by comparative ethologist and psychologists interested in innate visual perception. Coss argues that human ancestors subjected to ecologically important sources of natural selection involving successful avoidance of dangerous animals might still maintain an ability to recognize them quickly via their salient visual features called “releasers” by early ethologists. A variety of visual patterns derived from these animals were presented to subjects for measuring attitudes and physiological arousal via pupillary dilation. Emphasis was given to studying the provocative effects of pointed shapes and eyespot patterns resembling two facing eyes. Subjects...

One Cation Makes a Difference: Structure–Thermoelectric Interplay in Pseudo–Rock Salt Intermetallic Eu5–x A x Al3Sb6 (A = Sr and Yb)

Wed, 6 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Polar intermetallics are an emerging class of thermoelectric materials whose electronic properties can be finely tuned by cation chemistry. Single crystals of Eu5–x Yb x Al3Sb6 and Eu5–x–y Sr x Yb y Al3Sb6 were synthesized by flux methods and their structures determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, confirming monoclinic C2/m symmetry and an electron count near 3.5 e– per atom, consistent with polar intermetallic classification. The Al content in these phases can be increased from 3 to 4. A comparative study of polycrystalline synthesized Eu5Al4Sb6 and its Sr- and Yb-substituted solid solutions, along with the pseudoquinary phase Eu2.5Sr2Yb0.5Al4Sb6, is presented. Substituting Eu2+ with the more ionic Sr2+ enhances mobility and increases the magnitude of the Seebeck coefficient, while the more covalent Yb2+ drives the system metallic, lowering Seebeck values but improving zT to 0.8 at 873 K. The quinary phase further suppresses bipolar conduction, delaying the high-temperature...

Movement Ecology and Disease Exposure in Free-Roaming Donkeys in California, USA

Wed, 6 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Feral donkeys (Equus asinus) are well adapted to arid ecosystems and are found in large populations in the deserts of Australia and the Americas. We assessed resource selection and seasonal home range size of female donkeys in southern California between 2020 and 2022 based on telemetry data. We also examined whether dyads with greater encounter rates were more likely to test positive for asinine herpesvirus 5 (AHV-5) and/or Streptococcus equi zooepidemicus (SEZ). Donkey home ranges were non-significantly larger in the cool/wet season (November through March; mean 318.37 ± sd 417.65 km2) than in the hot/dry season (April through October; mean 159.35 ± 212.43 km2). Donkeys selected flatter areas closer to water year-round but selected greater herbaceous cover during the cool/wet season and lower heat loads during the hot/dry season. Individuals testing positive for SEZ selected lower elevations during the wet season and closer distances to water during the dry season; donkeys testing...

Predicting relationship quality with itself? A single general factor captures most of the variance across 34 common relationship measures

Wed, 6 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In relationship science, researchers have generated a wide array of constructs and corresponding self-report measures to characterize, explain, and predict relationship quality - the foremost studied outcome in the field. Collectively, however, the boundaries among these variables remain unclear. In the current research, we examined the extent to which measures of relationship quality and other important relationship constructs are empirically separable from one another. Across two studies of US census-matched participants (total N = 3,439), we applied latent variable techniques (e.g., exploratory bifactor analysis) on broad pools of items representing various prominent relationship-specific constructs. Results revealed robust evidence that a single general factor Q (representing global relationship sentiment) accounts for a vast majority of common variance across distinct relationship measures. Thus, respondents appear to draw primarily on their overall global relationship evaluations...

Hematological and Biochemical Profiles in Mule and Horse Neonates from Birth to 30 Days of Age: A Comparative Study with Clinical Perspectives

Wed, 6 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

BACKGROUND: Few studies have evaluated hematological and biochemical parameters in mule foals, and neonatal reference data remain limited. AIMS/OBJECTIVES: To compare hematological and biochemical parameters in mule and horse neonates up to 30 days of life. METHODS: Mule (n=15) and horse (n=16) neonates were evaluated at birth, 12 and 24h, and at 7 and 30d of age. RESULTS: Mules had higher mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (g/dL; 33.85 ± 0.18; P=0.04), platelets (× 10³/µL; 342,179 ± 15,691; P=0.0051), albumin (g/dL; 3.24 ± 0.05; P=0.0039), calcium (mg/dL; 12.27 ± 0.14; P=0.03), chloride (mmol/L; 100.78 ± 0.52; P=0.03), and magnesium (mmol/L; 0.82 ± 0.01; P=0.02). Iron (µg/dL; 35.01 ± 2.48; P=0.04), total leukocytes (× 10³/µL; 6,311 ± 260; P=0.0014), segmented neutrophils (cells/µL; 3,784 ± 193; P=0.0013), lymphocytes (cells/µL; 2,221.88 ± 94.11; P=0.0014), neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio (1.74 ± 0.10; P<0.0001), fibrinogen (mg/dL; 152.38 ± 10.81; P=0.01), total/direct/indirect...

Optimizing trap design, lure, and color for monitoring Chrysobothris mali (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) in California walnut orchards

Wed, 6 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Pacific flatheaded borer, Chrysobothris mali (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), is a reemerging pest of walnuts in California. With the expansion of walnut production acres and increased incidences of severe droughts that stress orchards, C. mali has gained economically important pest status in recent years. In this article, we explored different trap designs, colors, and lures for early detection and monitoring of C. mali in commercial walnut orchards in California. In multi-year studies, ground-installed 4-foot-tall purple triangular traps with adhesives on the outer surface were more attractive than the purple panel sticky traps with or without volatile lures. Furthermore, among multiple colors of triangular traps, yellow and red traps captured more C. mali adults compared to other colors, including purple, in replicated trials conducted in 2 walnut orchards. The yellow triangular trap captured adults in these walnut orchards most consistently and earlier in the season. The utility...

STREAMS guidelines: standards for technical reporting in environmental and host-associated microbiome studies

Wed, 6 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The interdisciplinary nature of microbiome research, coupled with the generation of complex multi-omics data, makes knowledge sharing challenging. The Strengthening the Organization and Reporting of Microbiome Studies (STORMS) guidelines provide a checklist for the reporting of study information, experimental design and analytical methods within a scientific manuscript on human microbiome research. Here, in this Consensus Statement, we present the standards for technical reporting in environmental and host-associated microbiome studies (STREAMS) guidelines. The guidelines expand on STORMS and include 67 items to support the reporting and review of environmental (for example, terrestrial, aquatic, atmospheric and engineered), synthetic and non-human host-associated microbiome studies in a standardized and machine-actionable manner. Based on input from 248 researchers spanning 28 countries, we provide detailed guidance, including comparisons with STORMS, and case studies that demonstrate...

Identification of Fungi Associated with Pear Branch Canker and Dieback Disease in California and Evaluation of Pruning Wound Protectants on Pear Trees