The under-prioritisation of environmental crimes compared to other crime types is a well-quoted issue of environmental crime enforcement. However, evidence backing this sentiment is low. Here, we use a publicly available database of the largest enforcement agency globally, INTERPOL Red Notices, to investigate global environmental crime enforcement. We find environmental crime-relevant Red Notices to be the lowest observed crime category by far, with less than 2% of notices referencing environmental crimes. We link the implications of these findings to changes in environmental policies and the efficacy of implementing advancing policies.

The European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) requires providers and deployers of high-risk AI applications to register their systems into the EU database, wherein the information should be represented and maintained in an easily-navigable and machine-readable manner. Given the uptake of open data and Semantic Web-based approaches for other EU repositories, in particular the use of the Data Catalogue vocabulary Application Profile (DCAT-AP), a similar solution for managing the EU database of high-risk AI systems is needed. This paper introduces AICat—an extension of DCAT for representing catalogues of AI systems that provides consistency, machine-readability, searchability, and interoperability in managing open metadata regarding AI systems. This open approach to cataloguing ensures transparency, traceability, and accountability in AI application markets beyond the immediate needs of high-risk AI compliance in the EU. AICat is available online at https://w3id.org/aicat under the CC-BY-4.0 license.

Abstract To study the significance of ethnic medicine, specifically the current influence and sustainability of Yi medicine, this research was conducted in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, an important Yi-populated area in southwestern China. Data collection involved 698 households across 13 townships, focusing on their diagnostic and treatment choices when ill, with particular attention to their use and trust in the two branches of Yi medicine, Bimo and Suni. The results indicate that Yi medicine remains a crucial complement to contemporary medical practices, with 87.4% of Yi households having conducted Bimo rituals in the past year. Although higher education levels correlate with reduced trust, the overall trust in Bimo remains high. The Bimo system shows potential for sustainable development due to its structured inheritance, reasonable age distribution, and sufficient income levels. In contrast, the Suni system faces decline due to older practitioners and lack of systematic transmission. The recorded ritual, which combines ceremony and herbal medicine, performed by the Bimo to treat a young girl's knee infection, has been acknowledged as effective through a reinterview. Policy analysis reveals that support for traditional medicine has grown, especially at the provincial level, with a focus on platform construction, scientific research, and education dissemination. However, more emphasis is needed on funding and raw material protection. The study concludes that integrating valuable aspects of Yi medicine into modern practices and increasing support for research and education in ethnic areas can enhance the sustainability of ethnic medicine and improve health contributions to economically underdeveloped regions.

RNAs in circulation carry sequence-specific regulatory information between cells in plant, animal, and host-pathogen systems. Such RNA can cross generational boundaries, as evidenced by somatic double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) in the nematode C. elegans silencing genes of matching sequence in progeny. Here we dissect the intergenerational path taken by dsRNA from parental circulation and discover that cytosolic import through the dsRNA importer SID-1 in the parental germline and/or developing progeny varies with developmental time and dsRNA substrates. Loss of SID-1 enhances initiation of heritable RNA silencing within the germline and causes changes in the expression of the s id-1 - d ependent g ene sdg-1 that last for more than 100 generations after restoration of SID-1. The SDG-1 protein is enriched in perinuclear germ granules required for heritable RNA silencing but is expressed from a retrotransposon targeted by such silencing. This auto-inhibitory loop suggests how retrotransposons could persist by hosting genes that regulate their own silencing.

Abstract Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main gas responsible for the greenhouse effect. Anthropogenic activities have increased the concentration of this gas in the atmosphere in recent years, intensifying the greenhouse effect and resulting in anomalous climate phenomena. CO2 recycling technologies have been developed with the aim of reducing the impacts of this gas on climate change. Catalytic hydrogenation of CO2 for the generation of products of commercial interest, such as methanol (CH3OH) and ethanol (C2H5OH), for example, is a technology that has attracted the attention of recent research, given the wide industrial applicability of these alcohols and the possibility of carbon recycling. In the present study, CO2 hydrogenation reaction was investigated to produce alcohols using catalysts based on cobalt, copper and a combination between cobalt and copper. It was observed that CuO-Co3O4-Al2O3 catalysts with different Co:Cu mass ratios have improved methanol productivity when compared to CuO-Al2O3 or Co3O4-Al2O3. Furthermore, the promotion of Co3O4-Al2O3 by 2 wt.% Na, K, Rb or Cs showed better catalytic performance for the formation of ethanol, increasing its productivity up to 25 times compared to the non-promoted cobalt catalyst. The highest ethanol productivity in the present work, corresponding to 5.3 µmol/gcat.h, was achieved using the 2 wt.% K-Co3O4-Al2O3 catalyst under the reaction conditions of T = 220 °C, P = Patm and GHSV = 24,000 mL/gcat.h.

The EU GDPR is a landmark regulation that introduced several rights for individuals to obtain information and control how their personal data is being processed, as well as receive a copy of it. However, there are gaps in the effective use of rights due to each organisation developing custom methods for rights declaration and management. Simultaneously, there is a technological gap as there is no single consistent standards-based mechanism that can automate the handling of rights for both organisations and individuals. In this article, we present a specification for exercising and managing rights in a machine-interpretable format based on semantic web standards. Our approach uses the comprehensive Data Privacy Vocabulary to create a streamlined workflow for individuals to understand what rights exist, how and where to exercise them, and for organisations to effectively manage them. This work pushes the state of the art in GDPR rights management and is crucial for data reuse and rights management under technologically intensive developments, such as Data Spaces.

Abstract Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental process in astrophysics and plasma physics that involves a change in the topological structure of magnetic fields. The long ray-like current sheet (CS) trailing behind a solar coronal mass ejection (CME) serves as a unique reconnection site, extending in length from several to over twenty solar radii. However, the three-dimensional (3D) geometry, internal reconnection process and the resultant topological changes in the magnetic field remain elusive. Here, in a 3D isothermal magnetohydrodynamic simulation that covers the entire solar-terrestrial region to follow a CME evolution through the solar wind from Sun to Earth, we reproduce all major observational features of CS and recover observationally inferred plasma blobs inside the CS. Furthermore, we find that magnetic reconnection within the long CS results in a knotting of magnetic field lines and the formation of a M\"obius band. When the CME propagates in the Sun-earth space, these knotted magnetic fields persist and continue moving earth-ward. Our findings open a new window to understanding complex topological magnetic structures.

Background: Sarcopenia is characterized by progressive and generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass, strength, and function. Studies have demonstrated the adverse effects of sarcopenia on cancer outcomes. Our aim in this study was to examine whether sarcopenia developed in patients with gastrointestinal cancer receiving chemotherapy treatment and whether their condition changed compared to before chemotherapy. We also wanted to investigate whether chemotherapy affected comprehensive geriatric assessment among older participants. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 351 patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal system cancer from October 2018 to December 2019. Measurements were taken before and after chemotherapy. Out of the initial sample, 243 patients participated in the post-chemotherapy measurement. Sarcopenia was determined based on the criteria set by the European Sarcopenia in Older People Working Group in 2018. For patients ≥65 years old, a comprehensive geriatric assessment was conducted. Results: The median age of 243 patients was 57.84. The female gender ratio was 31.7%. 29.2% of the participants were 65 years and older. There was a significant increase in the rate of sarcopenia after chemotherapy. The study revealed significant associations between toxicity and certain factors such as female gender .248 (p = .002), decreased hand grip strength -.264 (p < .001), and reduced gait speed 222 (p = .007). Conclusion: This study highlights the potential link between chemotherapy and sarcopenia in patients with gastrointestinal malignancies. Detecting sarcopenia early on and implementing intervention strategies are crucial for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.