Recording Victim Video Statements as Evidence to Advance Legal Outcomes in Family Violence Cases (ReVEAL) 2.0: Case Characteristics and Initial Impact

Funding Acknowledgement: The ReVEAL 2.0 Study was funded by the Texas Office of the Governor, Criminal Justice Division Grant Number 3070403. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Texas Office of the Governor.Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (IDVSA

Global musical diversity is largely independent of linguistic and genetic histories

Music is a universal yet diverse cultural trait transmitted between generations. The extent to which global musical diversity traces cultural and demographic history, however, is unresolved. Using a global musical dataset of 5242 songs from 719 societies, we identify five axes of musical diversity and show that music contains geographical and historical structures analogous to linguistic and genetic diversity. After creating a matched dataset of musical, genetic, and linguistic data spanning 121 societies containing 981 songs, 1296 individual genetic profiles, and 121 languages, we show that global musical similarities are only weakly and inconsistently related to linguistic or genetic histories, with some regional exceptions such as within Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Our results suggest that global musical traditions are largely distinct from some non-musical aspects of human history

Global musical diversity is largely independent of linguistic and genetic histories

Music is a universal yet diverse cultural trait transmitted between generations. The extent to which global musical diversity traces cultural and demographic history, however, is unresolved. Using a global musical dataset of 5242 songs from 719 societies, we identify five axes of musical diversity and show that music contains geographical and historical structures analogous to linguistic and genetic diversity. After creating a matched dataset of musical, genetic, and linguistic data spanning 121 societies containing 981 songs, 1296 individual genetic profiles, and 121 languages, we show that global musical similarities are only weakly and inconsistently related to linguistic or genetic histories, with some regional exceptions such as within Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Our results suggest that global musical traditions are largely distinct from some non-musical aspects of human history

Sub-wavelength diffraction-free imaging with low-loss metal-dielectric multilayers

We demonstrate numerically the diffraction-free propagation of sub-wavelength sized optical beams through simple elements built of metal-dielectric multilayers. The proposed metamaterial consists of silver and a high refractive index dielectric, and is designed using the effective medium theory as strongly anisotropic and impedance matched to air. Further it is characterised with the transfer matrix method, and investigated with FDTD. The diffraction-free behaviour is verified by the analysis of FWHM of PSF in the function of the number of periods. Small reflections, small attenuation, and reduced Fabry Perot resonances make it a flexible diffraction-free material for arbitrarily shaped optical planar elements with sizes of the order of one wavelength.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Identification of Genes Involved in Lipid Biosynthesis through de novo Transcriptome Assembly from Cocos nucifera Developing Endosperm

Cocos nucifera (coconut), a member of the Arecaceae family, is an economically important woody palm that is widely grown in tropical and subtropical regions. The coconut palm is well known for its ability to accumulate large amounts of oil, approximately 63% of the seed weight. Coconut oil varies significantly from other vegetable oils as it contains a high proportion of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA; 85%). The unique composition of coconut oil raises interest in understanding how the coconut palm produces oil of a high saturated MCFA content, and if such an oil profile could be replicated via biotechnology interventions. Although some gene discovery work has been performed there is still a significant gap in the knowledge associated with coconut’s oil production pathways. In this study, a de novo transcriptome was assembled for developing coconut endosperm to identify genes involved in the synthesis of lipids, particularly triacylglycerol. Of particular interest were thioesterases, acyltransferases and oleosins because of their involvement in the processes of releasing fatty acids for assembly, esterification of fatty acids into glycerolipids and protecting oils from degradation, respectively. It is hypothesized that some of these genes may exhibit a strong substrate preference for MCFA and hence may assist the future development of vegetable oils with an enriched MCFA composition. In this study, we identified and confirmed functionality of five candidate genes from the gene families of interest. This study will benefit future work in areas of increasing vegetable oil production and the tailoring of oil fatty acid compositions

Identifying opportunities for upstream evaluations relevant to child and maternal health: a UK policy-mapping review

OBJECTIVE: Interventions to tackle the social determinants of health can improve outcomes during pregnancy and early childhood, leading to better health across the life course. Variation in content, timing and implementation of policies across the 4 UK nations allows for evaluation. We conducted a policy-mapping review (1981-2021) to identify relevant UK early years policies across the social determinants of health framework, and determine suitable candidates for evaluation using administrative data. METHODS: We used open keyword and category searches of UK and devolved Government websites, and hand searched policy reviews. Policies were rated and included using five criteria: (1) Potential for policy to affect maternal and child health outcomes; (2) Implementation variation across the UK; (3) Population reach and expected effect size; (4) Ability to identify exposed/eligible group in administrative data; (5) Potential to affect health inequalities. An expert consensus workshop determined a final shortlist. RESULTS: 336 policies and 306 strategy documents were identified. Policies were mainly excluded due to criteria 2-4, leaving 88. The consensus workshop identified three policy areas as suitable candidates for natural experiment evaluation using administrative data: pregnancy grants, early years education and childcare, and Universal Credit. CONCLUSION: Our comprehensive policy review identifies valuable opportunities to evaluate sociostructural impacts on mother and child outcomes. However, many potentially impactful policies were excluded. This may lead to the inverse evidence law, where there is least evidence for policies believed to be most effective. This could be ameliorated by better access to administrative data, staged implementation of future policies or alternative evaluation methods

Extracellular microRNAs exhibit sequence-dependent stability and cellular release kinetics

Multiple studies have described extracellular microRNAs (ex-miRNAs) as being remarkably stable despite the hostile extracellular environment, when stored at 4oC or lower. Here we show that many ex-miRNAs are rapidly degraded when incubated at 37oC in the presence of serum (thereby simulating physiologically relevant conditions). Stability varied widely between miRNAs, with half-lives ranging from similar to 1.5 hours to more than 13 hours. Notably, ex-miRNA half-lives calculated in two different biofluids (murine serum and C2C12 mouse myotube conditioned medium) were highly similar, suggesting that intrinsic sequence properties are a determining factor in miRNA stability. By contrast, ex-miRNAs associated with extracellular vesicles (isolated by size exclusion chromatography) were highly stable. The release of ex-miRNAs from C2C12 myotubes was measured over time, and mathematical modelling revealed miRNA-specific release kinetics. While some ex-miRNAs reached the steady state in cell culture medium within 24 hours, the extracellular level of miR-16 did not reach equilibrium, even after 3 days in culture. These findings are indicative of miRNA-specific release and degradation kinetics with implications for the utility of ex-miRNAs as biomarkers, and for the potential of ex-miRNAs to transfer gene regulatory information between cells

Identifying opportunities for upstream evaluations relevant to child and maternal health:a UK policy-mapping review

Objective: Interventions to tackle the social determinants of health can improve outcomes during pregnancy and early childhood, leading to better health across the life course. Variation in content, timing and implementation of policies across the 4 UK nations allows for evaluation. We conducted a policy-mapping review (1981–2021) to identify relevant UK early years policies across the social determinants of health framework, and determine suitable candidates for evaluation using administrative data. Methods: We used open keyword and category searches of UK and devolved Government websites, and hand searched policy reviews. Policies were rated and included using five criteria: (1) Potential for policy to affect maternal and child health outcomes; (2) Implementation variation across the UK; (3) Population reach and expected effect size; (4) Ability to identify exposed/eligible group in administrative data; (5) Potential to affect health inequalities. An expert consensus workshop determined a final shortlist. Results: 336 policies and 306 strategy documents were identified. Policies were mainly excluded due to criteria 2–4, leaving 88. The consensus workshop identified three policy areas as suitable candidates for natural experiment evaluation using administrative data: pregnancy grants, early years education and childcare, and Universal Credit. Conclusion: Our comprehensive policy review identifies valuable opportunities to evaluate sociostructural impacts on mother and child outcomes. However, many potentially impactful policies were excluded. This may lead to the inverse evidence law, where there is least evidence for policies believed to be most effective. This could be ameliorated by better access to administrative data, staged implementation of future policies or alternative evaluation methods

Entanglement of Three-Qubit Geometry

Geometric quantum mechanics aims to express the physical properties of quantum systems in terms of geometrical features preferentially selected in the space of pure states. Geometric characterisations are given here for systems of one, two, and three spin- particles, drawing attention to the classification of quantum states into entanglement types

Is ongoing testosterone required after pubertal induction in Duchenne muscular dystrophy?

Glucocorticoids (GCs) reduce inflammation and preserve muscle function in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) but cause pubertal delay. Pubertal induction with testosterone is recommended but longer-term outcome is unknown. Objective: To assess hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis, muscle volume and function 5 years after pubertal induction. Methods: A prospective observational follow-up of a clinical study was conducted. 15 GC-treated males with DMD were treated with incremental testosterone for 2 years (end of regimen +2 years) then evaluated at +2.5 years and +5 y ears (final follow-up ~3 years after last injection). Data collected included testicular volume (TV), gonadotrophin, testosterone, inhibin B, muscle function, and limb muscle MRI. Results: Participants were 18.7 years (s.d. 1.6) at the final follow-up and had been on GC for 11.2 years (s.d. 2.2). Testosterone levels were similar at +2.5 years (8.6 nmol /L (s.d. 3.4) and 5 years (11.0 nmol/L (s.d. 6.1). TV increased from 2.8 mL ( s.d. 0.9) at +2 years to 7.1 mL (s.d. 1.8) then 10.6 mL (s.d. 3.5) at +2.5 years and +5.0 years (P < 0.001). Inhibin B levels increased from 55.6 pg/mL (s.d. 47.0) at baseline to 158.2 pg/mL ( s.d. 87.6), P =0.004 at 5 years but remained lower than reference values (mean 305 pg/mL). Muscle contractile bulk decreased. Interpretation: Pubertal induction with testosterone in DMD is associated with HPG axis activation and ongoing increases in inhibin B, TV, and testosterone concentrations. Some patients have normal levels which is promising regarding future fertility. Given the beneficial impact of testosterone on bone health, muscle, and well-being, monitoring testosterone levels in this population and supplementation of sub-optimal levels is important