Growth suppression of ice crystal basal face in the presence of a moderate ice-binding protein does not confer hyperactivity

Ice-binding proteins (IBPs) affect ice crystal growth by attaching to crystal faces. We present the effects on the growth of an ice single crystal caused by an ice-binding protein from the sea ice microalga Fragilariopsis cylindrus (fcIBP) that is characterized by the widespread domain of unknown function 3494 (DUF3494) and known to cause a moderate freezing point depression (below 1 °C). By the application of interferometry, bright-field microscopy, and fluorescence microscopy, we observed that the fcIBP attaches to the basal faces of ice crystals, thereby inhibiting their growth in the c direction and resulting in an increase in the effective supercooling with increasing fcIBP concentration. In addition, we observed that the fcIBP attaches to prism faces and inhibits their growth. In the event that the effective supercooling is small and crystals are faceted, this process causes an emergence of prism faces and suppresses crystal growth in the a direction. When the effective supercooling is large and ice crystals have developed into a dendritic shape, the suppression of prism face growth results in thinner dendrite branches, and growth in the a direction is accelerated due to enhanced latent heat dissipation. Our observations clearly indicate that the fcIBP occupies a separate position in the classification of IBPs due to the fact that it suppresses the growth of basal faces, despite its moderate freezing point depression

Anchor Retouching via Model Interaction for Robust Object Detection in Aerial Images

Object detection has made tremendous strides in computer vision. Small object detection with appearance degradation is a prominent challenge, especially for aerial observations. To collect sufficient positive/negative samples for heuristic training, most object detectors preset region anchors in order to calculate Intersection-over-Union (IoU) against the ground-truthed data. In this case, small objects are frequently abandoned or mislabeled. In this paper, we present an effective Dynamic Enhancement Anchor (DEA) network to construct a novel training sample generator. Different from the other state-of-the-art techniques, the proposed network leverages a sample discriminator to realize interactive sample screening between an anchor-based unit and an anchor-free unit to generate eligible samples. Besides, multi-task joint training with a conservative anchor-based inference scheme enhances the performance of the proposed model while reducing computational complexity. The proposed scheme supports both oriented and horizontal object detection tasks. Extensive experiments on two challenging aerial benchmarks (i.e., DOTA and HRSC2016) indicate that our method achieves state-of-the-art performance in accuracy with moderate inference speed and computational overhead for training. On DOTA, our DEA-Net which integrated with the baseline of RoI-Transformer surpasses the advanced method by 0.40% mean-Average-Precision (mAP) for oriented object detection with a weaker backbone network (ResNet-101 vs ResNet-152) and 3.08% mean-Average-Precision (mAP) for horizontal object detection with the same backbone. Besides, our DEA-Net which integrated with the baseline of ReDet achieves the state-of-the-art performance by 80.37%. On HRSC2016, it surpasses the previous best model by 1.1% using only 3 horizontal anchors

A randomized comparison of transradial and transfemoral access in uterine artery embolization

PURPOSEWe aimed to compare duration of uterine artery embolization, radiation exposure, safety and quality of life associated with the procedure in patients undergoing uterine artery embolization using transradial and transfemoral access.METHODSThis randomized controlled trial was conducted from February 2013 to March 2017 in three hospitals. Transradial access was used in 78 patients and transfemoral access in 75 patients. Clinical characteristics of the patients were comparable between the two groups. Patients were evaluated for the success and duration of the procedure, radiation exposure, major and minor complications. Quality of life associated with the procedure was assessed among patients with uterine fibroids.RESULTSEmbolization procedures were successfully performed in all patients in both groups. The duration of uterine artery embolization (32.27±7.99 vs. 39.24±9.72 minutes, P < 0.001), uterine artery catheterization time (12.36±5.73 vs. 19.08±6.06 minutes, P < 0.001) and radiation exposure (0.28±0.14 vs. 0.5±0.21 mZv, P < 0.001) were significantly lower in the transradial access group. The rate of major (0% vs. 2.7%, P = 0.37) and minor (11.53% vs. 17.3%, P = 0.42) complications was comparable between the two groups. Transradial access was associated with a statistically significant improvement in the quality of life associated with the procedure among patients with uterine fibroids.CONCLUSIONTransradial access in uterine artery embolization has the same efficacy and safety compared to transfemoral access. This access reduces radiation exposure and duration of the procedure

Влияние ролевой гендерной идентичности на представления о насилии у девушек-студенток

The paper discusses the empirical results of the study of the inuence of gender&nbsp;role identity on representations of violence in young female students at the age from&nbsp;17 to 19. Attitudes towards violence, as well as the use of violence in interpersonal&nbsp;relations appear long before their realization in interpersonal interaction. Theauthors&nbsp;proceeded on the assumption that traditional ideas about gender dichotomy&nbsp;offeatures of violent behaviour were inadequate for the gender system of modernsociety. The study sample consisted of 100 respondents. The authors used thefollowing&nbsp;research methods: writing an essay, semantic dierential, and the Bem Sex-Role&nbsp;Inventory (BSRI).The obtained empirical data indicated that the girls with undierentiated(neutral)&nbsp;gender role identity had a wider range of representations of violence, if to&nbsp;compare with the respondents who were guided by dichotomous models of&nbsp;gender behaviour (with “masculine” and “feminine” patterns). The girls with&nbsp;undierentiated(not polarized) gender role identity are able to recognize a large&nbsp;variety of forms ofviolence; they can exibly use and combine various forms of&nbsp;violence for achieving their own goals in corresponding circumstances. In this sample&nbsp;the girls with typically feminine gender role identity were less able to notice unobviousforms of violence (especially in interpersonal relations); violence usually had polar&nbsp;forms in their representations: either physical, or psychological. Moreover, the girls&nbsp;with typically feminine gender role identity perceived violence in such behavioural&nbsp;patterns which could not be assessed as violent in the given context. The ndings ofthe study could be useful for improving the practices of prevention, correction and&nbsp;rehabilitation offemale violent convicts, as well as for reducing manifestations of&nbsp;extreme forms of female violence in society.В статье приводятся результаты эмпирического исследования, направленного на выявление функции ролевой гендерной идентичности в формировании представления о насилии у девушек в возрасте 17–19 лет. Установки в отношении насилия и его применения в межличностном взаимодействии формируются задолго до того, как они реализуются в межличностном взаимодействии. Авторы исходят из предположения, что привычные представления о гендерной дихотомии характеристик насильственного поведения являются неадекватными для современной гендерной системы общества. Эмпирические данные получены в ходе опроса 100 респондентов в форме свободного сочинения, заполнения семантического дифференциала и опросника гендерной ролевой идентичности С.&nbsp;Бем. Получены данные о том, что девушки с недифференцированным (нейтральным) типом ролевой гендерной идентичности имеют более разнообразный спектр субъективных представлений о насилии по сравнению с респондентами, ориентированными на проявление в межличностном взаимодействии дихотомических моделей гендерного поведения, относящихся к «мужскому» или «женскому» нормативному образцу. Девушки с нейтральным типом ролевой гендерной идентичности способны к распознаванию большего разнообразия форм проявления насилия, склонны к гибкому использованию и сочетанию различных форм насилия в качестве средства достижения собственных целей с учетом складывающейся ситуации. Девушки с нормативной фемининной ролевой гендерной идентичностью в меньшей степени способны обращать внимание на неявные и скрытые формы насилия, особенно такого, которое проявляется на уровне межличностных отношений. В их представлениях насилие чаще имеет полярные формы проявления: либо как только физическое, либо исключительно психологическое. Также они чаще воспринимают в качестве насилия такие формы поведения, которые не являются таковыми в контексте взаимодействия. С учетом этого обстоятельства можно улучшить практики профилактики, коррекции и реабилитации женщин, совершивших насильственные преступления, а также снизить уровень выраженности в обществе крайних форм проявления женского насилия

A transitional fossil mite (Astigmata: Levantoglyphidae fam. n.) from the early Cretaceous suggests gradual evolution of phoresy-related metamorphosis

Abstract Metamorphosis is a key innovation allowing the same species to inhabit different environments and accomplish different functions, leading to evolutionary success in many animal groups. Astigmata is a megadiverse lineage of mites that expanded into a great number of habitats via associations with invertebrate and vertebrate hosts (human associates include stored food mites, house dust mites, and scabies). The evolutionary success of Astigmata is linked to phoresy-related metamorphosis, namely the origin of the heteromorphic deutonymph, which is highly specialized for phoresy (dispersal on hosts). The origin of this instar is enigmatic since it is morphologically divergent and no intermediate forms are known. Here we describe the heteromorphic deutonymph of Levantoglyphus sidorchukae n. gen. and sp. (Levantoglyphidae fam. n.) from early Cretaceous amber of Lebanon (129 Ma), which displays a transitional morphology. It is similar to extant phoretic deutonymphs in its modifications for phoresy but has the masticatory system and other parts of the gnathosoma well-developed. These aspects point to a gradual evolution of the astigmatid heteromorphic morphology and metamorphosis. The presence of well-developed presumably host-seeking sensory elements on the gnathosoma suggests that the deutonymph was not feeding either during phoretic or pre- or postphoretic periods

Narcissism and the strategic pursuit of short-term mating : universal links across 11 world regions of the International Sexuality Description Project-2.

Previous studies have documented links between sub-clinical narcissism and the active pursuit of short-term mating strategies (e.g., unrestricted sociosexuality, marital infidelity, mate poaching). Nearly all of these investigations have relied solely on samples from Western cultures. In the current study, responses from a cross-cultural survey of 30,470 people across 53 nations spanning 11 world regions (North America, Central/South America, Northern Europe, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, Middle East, Africa, Oceania, Southeast Asia, and East Asia) were used to evaluate whether narcissism (as measured by the Narcissistic Personality Inventory; NPI) was universally associated with short-term mating. Results revealed narcissism scores (including two broad factors and seven traditional facets as measured by the NPI) were functionally equivalent across cultures, reliably associating with key sexual outcomes (e.g., more active pursuit of short-term mating, intimate partner violence, and sexual aggression) and sex-related personality traits (e.g., higher extraversion and openness to experience). Whereas some features of personality (e.g., subjective well-being) were universally associated with socially adaptive facets of Narcissism (e.g., self-sufficiency), most indicators of short-term mating (e.g., unrestricted sociosexuality and marital infidelity) were universally associated with the socially maladaptive facets of narcissism (e.g., exploitativeness). Discussion addresses limitations of these cross-culturally universal findings and presents suggestions for future research into revealing the precise psychological features of narcissism that facilitate the strategic pursuit of short-term mating

The evolutionary history and timeline of mites in ancient soils

Acariform mites play a crucial role as primary soil decomposers, impacting the carbon cycle. However, the timing of their diversification is uncertain, with estimated dates ranging from the Precambrian (no land plants) to the Carboniferous (diverse terrestrial ecosystems). One factor affecting these time estimates is an uncertain phylogenetic position of the earliest unequivocal fossil mites from the Devonian Rhynie Chert, which have been classified in five modern families and three suborders. Here, we thoroughly examine these specimens, assign them to a single species Protacarus crani (family Protoacaridae, fam. nov., suborder Endeostigmata) and integrate this information into a time-calibrated phylogenetic analysis. Our phylogeny suggests a Cambrian basal divergence of Acariformes (508-486 Ma), coinciding with the land colonization by bryophytes. At this time, the mites' ecological niches were probably diversified beyond the upper soil. Our study provides temporal context, improves the accuracy of fossil dating, and underscores the importance of mites' diverse habitats and their potential roles in soil food webs.Copyright © The Author(s) 2025. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommo ns.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. The attached file is the published version of the article.NHM Repositor

Narcissism and the Strategic Pursuit of Short-Term Mating: Universal Links across 11 World Regions of the International Sexuality Description Project-2

Previous studies have documented links between sub-clinical narcissism and the active pursuit of short-term mating strategies (e.g., unrestricted sociosexuality, marital infidelity, mate poaching). Nearly all of these investigations have relied solely on samples from Western cultures. In the current study, responsesfrom a cross-cultural survey of 30,470 people across 53 nations spanning 11 world regions (North America, Central/South America, Northern Europe, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, Middle East, Africa, Oceania, Southeast Asia, and East Asia) were used to evaluate whether narcissism (as measured by the Narcissistic Personality Inventory; NPI) was universally associated with short-term mating. Results revealed narcissism scores (including two broad factors and seven traditional facets as measured by the NPI) were functionally equivalent across cultures, reliably associating with key sexual outcomes (e.g., more active pursuit of shortterm mating, intimate partner violence, and sexual aggression) and sex-related personality traits (e.g., higher extraversion and openness to experience). Whereas some features of personality (e.g., subjective well-being) were universally associated with socially adaptive facets of Narcissism (e.g., self-sufficiency), most indicators of short-term mating (e.g., unrestricted sociosexuality and marital infidelity) were universally associated with the socially maladaptive facets of narcissism (e.g., exploitativeness). Discussion addresses limitations of these cross-culturally universal findings and presents suggestions for future research into revealing the precise psychological features of narcissism that facilitate the strategic pursuit of short-term mating.publishedVersionCreative Commons CC-BY-SA licence