Differences In Behavior Research Articles

Unveiling heterogeneity and prognostic markers in ductal breast cancer through single-cell RNA-seq

BackgroundBreast cancer (BC) is a heterogeneous disease, with the ductal subtype exhibiting significant cellular diversity that influences prognosis and response to treatment. Single-cell RNA sequencing data from the GEO database were utilized in this study to investigate the underlying mechanisms of cellular heterogeneity and to identify potential prognostic markers and therapeutic targets.MethodsBioinformatics analysis was conducted using R packages to analyze the single-cell sequencing data. The presence of highly variable genes and differences in malignant potency within the same BC samples were examined. Differential gene expression and biological function between Type 1 and Type 2 ductal epithelial cells were identified. Lasso regression and Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were employed to identify genes associated with patient prognosis. Experimental validation was performed in vitro and in vivo to confirm the functional relevance of the identified genes.ResultsThe analysis revealed notable heterogeneity among BC cells, with the presence of highly variable genes and differences in malignant behavior within the same samples. Significant disparities in gene expression and biological function were identified between Type 1 and Type 2 ductal epithelial cells. Through regression analyses, CYP24A1 and TFPI2 were identified as pivotal genes associated with patient prognosis. Kaplan-Meier curves demonstrated their prognostic significance, and experimental validation confirmed their inhibitory effects on malignant behaviors of ductal BC cells.ConclusionThis study highlights the cellular heterogeneity in ductal subtype breast cancer and delineates the differential gene expressions and biological functions between Type 1 and Type 2 ductal epithelial cells. The genes CYP24A1 and TFPI2 emerged as promising prognostic markers and therapeutic targets, exhibiting inhibitory effects on BC cell malignancy in vitro and in vivo. These findings offer the potential for improved BC management and the development of targeted treatment strategies.

Examining the Effects of PrEP Use on Sexual Behaviors and Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Chinese Men who have Sex with Men: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) is a high-risk population for HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is effective in HIV prevention. This study aims to examine the differences in sexual behaviors, STI prevalence and HIV/STI testing across subgroups of MSM with various PrEP use. Data were collected via a cross-sectional survey in an MSM community in Xi'an, Shaanxi, from 2022.01 to 2022.09. Participants were categorized as 'PrEP-naïve and unwilling to use', 'PrEP-naïve but willing to use', and 'current or former PrEP users'. Shannon index was used to assess sexual act diversity and multivariate logistic regression analyzed factors associated with PrEP use. Of the 1,131 MSM participants, 23.52% were PrEP-naïve and unwilling, 64.98% were PrEP-naïve but willing, and 11.49% were current or former PrEP users. The PrEP-naïve but willing group had the highest recent STI testing rates at 73.06% and showed greater sexual act diversity (Shannon index 1.61). This group also had the highest syphilis rates (7.49% vs. 6.47% and2.54%, p < 0.01). Younger age (18-30: OR = 0.39 (0.18-0.85); 31-40: OR = 0.43 (0.20-0.96)) and lower education (high school/vocational: OR = 0.15 (0.04-0.58); associate degree: OR = 0.21 (0.06-0.71)) were factors that negatively influenced PrEP use. Current or former PrEP users had the highest oropharyngeal gonorrhea (14.39% vs. 9.68% and 5.80%, p < 0.01) and overall gonorrhea rates (20.86% vs. 17.17% and 8.37%, p < 0.001). 'PrEP-naïve but willing' participants consistently demonstrated high-risk sexual behavior, increased STI testing, and more diverse sexual acts, whereas PrEP users had the highest STI prevalence.

Sex differences in positional behavior of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) living in the dry and open habitat of Issa Valley, Tanzania.

Many early fossil hominins are associated with savanna-mosaic paleohabitats, and high sexual dimorphism that may reflect differences in positional behavior between sexes. However, reconstructions of hominin behavior and the selective pressures they faced in an open habitat are limited by a lack of studies of extant apes living in contemporary, analogous habitats. Here, we describe adult chimpanzee positional behavior in the savanna-mosaic habitat of the Issa Valley, Tanzania, to test whether Issa chimpanzees show larger sex-differences in positional behavior than their forest-dwelling counterparts. We quantified and compared adult locomotor and postural behavior across sexes (6 females, 7 males) in the riparian forest (closed) and miombo woodland (open) vegetation types at Issa Valley (13,743 focal observations). We then compared our results to published data of chimpanzee communities living in more forested habitats. Issa females and males both spent less time arboreally in open vegetation and showed similar locomotor and postural behavior on the same substrates, notably using a high level of suspensory locomotion when arboreal. Females were, however, more arboreal than males during locomotor behavior, as well as compared with females from other communities. Issa males behaved similarly to males from other communities. Results suggest that open habitats do not elicit less arboreal behaviors in either sex, and may even select for suspensory locomotion to effectively navigate an open canopy. An open habitat may, however, increase sex differences in positional behavior by driving female arboreality. We suggest this is because of higher energetic demands and predator pressures associated with open vegetation, which are likely exaggerated for reproducing females. These results have implications for the interpretation of how sexual dimorphism may influence reconstructions of hominin positional behavior.

Coupling experimental and modeling approaches for understanding diethoxymethane low-temperature oxidation at high pressure

Diethoxymethane (DEM) has attracted significant attention as a potential renewable alternative fuel. The lack of detailed product species distributions for DEM oxdation led to insufficient exploration of its low-temperature oxidation chemistry. In this study, the low-temperature oxidation reactions of DEM were conducted using a jet-stirred reactor (JSR) coupled with synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry (SVUV-PIMS) under conditions of 10 atm, an equivalence ratio of 0.5, and temperatures ranging from 470 to 850 K. Identification and quantification of various oxygenated species were performed. Additionally, complementing our previous kinetic theoretical studies for low-temperature oxidation of DEM radicals, previously calculated rate constants were incorporated into an earlier DEM combustion model, accompanied by additional adjustments to the rate constants of hydrogen abstraction reactions by C˙2H3 radicals. The modified model exhibits good agreement between the predicted and experimentally obtained product mole fraction distributions. Remarkably, a relatively weak negative temperature coefficient (NTC) was observed under the studied conditions, highlighting differences in the self-ignition behavior of DEM compared to other highly reactive fuels. Analyzing the rates of production (ROP) in the modified model indicates that the use of oxygenated fuels might elevate the production of small-molecule oxygenated pollutants while reducing the formation of carbon soot precursors and consequently curbing soot generation. Moreover, keto-hydroperoxides (KHPs) were detected during the experimental process. This study lays a foundation for further detailed exploration of the DEM oxidation mechanism, aiding in untangling its intricate reaction processes.

Effects of an Online Health Management Program for South Korean Adolescents with Complex Congenital Heart Disease during Their Transition to Adulthood: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Adolescents with complex congenital heart disease (CHD) are at risk of experiencing complications later in life. The purpose of this study was to develop an online health management program for adolescents with complex CHD and to evaluate its effects on self-efficacy, health behavior, and health-related quality of life. A randomized controlled trial design was used. A total of 29 adolescents with complex CHD were divided into an experimental group of 15 and a control group of 14. Participants in the intervention group took part in the 4-week online health management program (weekly online group sessions, 1:1 phone coaching, dietary diary feedback, and provision of health information) developed based on self-efficacy theory, while those in the control group received standard medical follow-up. Data were collected from August 2021 to March 2022 using a questionnaire-including the Korean Self-Rated Abilities for Health Practices: Health Self-Efficacy Measure (K-SRAHP) and Pediatric Cardiac Quality of Life Inventory (PCQLI)-and an ActiGraph accelerometer to track physical activity and sleep. The intervention group showed significant improvements in health self-efficacy (p = 0.003), psychosocial impact (p = 0.013), daily step counts (p = 0.011), and moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity (p = 0.027). Additionally, a decrease in weekend leisure time sedentary behavior (p = 0.035) was observed. However, there were no significant differences in sleep behavior between two groups. The online health management program significantly enhanced self-efficacy, health behavior, and psychosocial impact in adolescents with complex CHD. These findings will inform the development of policies for transitional medical care tailored to adolescents with complex CHD.

Effects of weaning and inactivated Lactobacillus helveticus supplementation on dairy calf behavioral and physiological indicators of affective state

The objectives of this study were to determine if weaning would induce behavioral and physiological indicators of a negative affective state, and if supplementation of inactivated Lactobacillus helveticus (ILH) to dairy calves would reduce those indicators of negative affect during weaning. Male Holstein calves (n = 23) were enrolled in the study on d 1 of life. The calves were housed in individual pens in 1 of 4 rooms for the 42 d study. Calves began a stepdown weaning from 9 L/d of milk replacer (MR), at 150 g of MR powder/L, on d 35 and received 6 L/d on d 35 - 36, 3 L/d on d 37 - 38, and 0.4 L/d on d 39 - 42. The MR was divided between 3 meals/d until the last 0.4 L/d phase which was divided between 2 meals/d. Calves had ad libitum water access throughout the study and calf starter from d 28 onwards. Within room, calves were assigned to 1 of 2 treatments: 1) control (CON; n = 11) and 2) 5 g of ILH/d split over and mixed into the 0800 h and 2000 h milk feedings from d 3-42 (ILH; n = 12). Lying behavior was recorded using HOBO data loggers from d 21-41. On d 33, 37 and 41, infrared eye images were taken to determine maximum eye temperature (MET), saliva samples were collected to determine cortisol concentration, and play assessments were conducted to quantify play behavior. On d 34, 38, and 42, blood samples were collected to determine blood serotonin concentration, whereas on d 38 and 39, calves were tested with a cognitive task. A subset of calves (n = 5/treatment) were euthanized to collect gut and brain tissue samples for serotonin concentration on d 43. Weaning resulted in fewer (d 37-41, tendency: d 36), but longer (d 38-41, tendency: d 37), lying bouts and reduced play (d 41), although no changes in lying time, MET, saliva cortisol, nor blood serotonin were detected with initiation of weaning. Supplementation of ILH was associated with lower lying time throughout the study, and reduced play duration and higher salivary cortisol and MET during weaning. No differences in lying bouts, play count, blood and tissue (colon, ileum, prefrontal cortex and brain stem) serotonin concentration, and time to complete the cognitive task were detected between the treatments. Overall, weaning induced behavioral changes indicative of negative affective state, and some behavioral differences were observed with ILH supplementation both before and during weaning, with some physiological changes observed during weaning.

Energy consumption simulations of rural residential buildings considering differences in energy use behavior among family members

Energy consumption simulations of rural residential buildings considering differences in energy use behavior among family members

Test-based patch clustering for automatically-generated patches assessment

Previous studies have shown that Automated Program Repair (apr) techniques suffer from the overfitting problem. Overfitting happens when a patch is run and the test suite does not reveal any error, but the patch actually does not fix the underlying bug or it introduces a new defect that is not covered by the test suite. Therefore, the patches generated by apr tools need to be validated by human programmers, which can be very costly, and prevents apr tool adoption in practice. Our work aims to minimize the number of plausible patches that programmers have to review, thereby reducing the time required to find a correct patch. We introduce a novel light-weight test-based patch clustering approach called xTestCluster, which clusters patches based on their dynamic behavior. xTestCluster is applied after the patch generation phase in order to analyze the generated patches from one or more repair tools and to provide more information about those patches for facilitating patch assessment. The novelty of xTestCluster lies in using information from execution of newly generated test cases to cluster patches generated by multiple APR approaches. A cluster is formed of patches that fail on the same generated test cases. The output from xTestCluster gives developers a) a way of reducing the number of patches to analyze, as they can focus on analyzing a sample of patches from each cluster, b) additional information (new test cases and their results) attached to each patch. After analyzing 902 plausible patches from 21 Java apr tools, our results show that xTestCluster is able to reduce the number of patches to review and analyze with a median of 50%. xTestCluster can save a significant amount of time for developers that have to review the multitude of patches generated by apr tools, and provides them with new test cases that expose the differences in behavior between generated patches. Moreover, xTestCluster can complement other patch assessment techniques that help detect patch misclassifications.

Description of COVID-19 Vaccination Behavior in Rural and Urban Communities in Serang District

Public health status in Indonesia can be influenced by the implementation of healthy behavior in the community. There are differences in behavior between people in rural and urban areas and factors that can cause vaccine delays that have the potential to affect COVID-19 vaccination coverage in Indonesia. This study aims to determine the behavior of COVID-19 vaccination in rural and urban communities in Serang Regency. This study used a descriptive research design with a quantitative approach which was conducted in October−November 2021 with a sample of 334 people aged 18−59 years. The results showed that the vaccination status of the respondents was complete dose (rural 65.3% and urban 70.3%), waiting for dose 2 (rural 22.4% and urban 18.6%), and dose 1 had been received but the dosing schedule 2 had passed (rural 12.3% and urban 11.1%). Three perceptions that are still low in percentage are perceptions of vulnerability, perceptions of obstacles, and cues to act. Some of the reasons for stopping the termination of COVID-19 in the community are not yet feeling that they will have severe symptoms if exposed to COVID-19, feeling confused about information related to COVID-19, not being able to carry out COVID-19 vaccinations because the schedule for COVID-19 vaccination program coincides with other activities, did not receive an invitation from the local government to vaccinate against COVID-19, vaccinate because people in their environment had vaccinated against COVID-19, did not receive support from cadres or religious leaders for the COVID-19 vaccination. Improved policy behavior can be improved by changing perceptions of vulnerability to COVID-19, reducing barriers, and also providing cues according to education through social media with the key message of spending the full dose of vaccine.

Application of a novel mixed anionic/cationic collector in the selective flotation separation of lepidolite and quartz

A novel mixed anionic/cationic collector of sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was applied in the flotation separation of lepidolite from quartz. The micro-flotation experiment proved that the obvious floatability difference between lepidolite and quartz can achieve their flotation separation in this mixed collector system. The optimum dosage of SDS and CTAB were 60 mg/L and 10 mg/L respectively, and the optimal pulp pH was 7.0. Zeta potential analyses showed that the further adsorption of CTAB affects a positive shift of 17.14 mV in the potential of lepidolite after the pre-adsorption of SDS, while quartz shifted positively by only 4.89 mV. Fourier transform infrared analyses indicated that CTAB and SDS can co-adsorb on the surface of lepidolite to enhance its hydrophobicity. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses further demonstrated that the mixed collector of SDS and CTAB had a stronger selectivity for adsorption on the lepidolite surface than that of quartz. The adsorption strength of SDS on lepidolite was greater than that of quartz, and the co-adsorption of SDS and CTAB on the surface of lepidolite can additionally enlarge their differences in flotation behavior. These may be the essence of achieving the selective separation of the two minerals.

Sex differences in discrimination behavior and orbitofrontal engagement during context-gated reward prediction.

Animals, including humans, rely on contextual information to interpret ambiguous stimuli. Impaired context processing is a hallmark of several neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and addiction. While sex differences in the prevalence and manifestations of these disorders are well established, potential sex differences in context processing remain uncertain. Here, we examined sex differences in the contextual control over cue-evoked reward seeking and its neural correlates, in rats. Male and female rats were trained in a bidirectional occasion-setting preparation in which the validity of two auditory reward-predictive cues was informed by the presence, or absence, of a visual contextual feature (LIGHT: X+/DARK: X-/LIGHT: Y-/DARK: Y+). Females were significantly slower to acquire contextual control over cue-evoked reward seeking. However, once established, the contextual control over behavior was more robust in female rats; it showed less within-session variability (less influence of prior reward) and greater resistance to acute stress. This superior contextual control achieved by females was accompanied by an increased activation of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) compared to males. Critically, these behavioral and neural sex differences were specific to the contextual modulation process and not observed in simple, context-independent, reward prediction tasks. These results indicate a sex-biased trade-off between the speed of acquisition and the robustness of performance in the contextual modulation of cued reward seeking. The different distribution of sexes along the fast learning ↔ steady performance continuum might reflect different levels of engagement of the OFC, and might have implications for our understanding of sex differences in psychiatric disorders.

Sex differences in discrimination behavior and orbitofrontal engagement during context-gated reward prediction

Animals, including humans, rely on contextual information to interpret ambiguous stimuli. Impaired context processing is a hallmark of several neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and addiction. While sex differences in the prevalence and manifestations of these disorders are well established, potential sex differences in context processing remain uncertain. Here, we examined sex differences in the contextual control over cue-evoked reward seeking and its neural correlates, in rats. Male and female rats were trained in a bidirectional occasion-setting preparation in which the validity of two auditory reward-predictive cues was informed by the presence, or absence, of a visual contextual feature (LIGHT: X+/DARK: X−/LIGHT: Y−/DARK: Y+). Females were significantly slower to acquire contextual control over cue-evoked reward seeking. However, once established, the contextual control over behavior was more robust in female rats; it showed less within-session variability (less influence of prior reward) and greater resistance to acute stress. This superior contextual control achieved by females was accompanied by an increased activation of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) compared to males. Critically, these behavioral and neural sex differences were specific to the contextual modulation process and not observed in simple, context-independent, reward prediction tasks. These results indicate a sex-biased trade-off between the speed of acquisition and the robustness of performance in the contextual modulation of cued reward seeking. The different distribution of sexes along the fast learning ↔ steady performance continuum might reflect different levels of engagement of the OFC, and might have implications for our understanding of sex differences in psychiatric disorders.

Digital Violence Against Women: Is There a Real Need for Special Criminalization?

AbstractSocial networking and rapid digital evolution have created a brand-new framework of human behaviours and habits. Of course, the majority of them already existed over the centuries but in a different form; as a result, conventional assaults towards legal interests of specific individuals have initially transformed into electronic and then into cyber(-)crimes (p.e. from conventional pornography to internet pornography or cyber/digital pornography including sometimes even virtual pornography via pseudo images and totally AI generated pictures). When discussion comes to gender-based violence, in particular violence against women and domestic violence, we realize that abuses and violations of their fundamental human rights could take place either online or offline; furthermore, both similarities and differences in old and new behaviours, and consequently in crime formations (“actus reus”) and in perpetrators’ “modus operandi” could easily be found and categorized. This paper will not discover the causes or the elements behind the various digital abuses against women; its first purpose is to gather the various crime behaviours against women and reach some conclusions by a methodically comparative bibliographic and legislative research. Besides, tackling gender-based violence –in particular violence against women and domestic violence- consists one of the main contemporary concerns of every liberal state. CoE’s contribution to it –through Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention) and Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) but even via ECHR’s case law- is indisputable. At the same time, European Union is trying to end gender-based violence through its member states with a new legal instrument (a proposed Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence), whose results are expected to be more direct and -hopefully- more effective. The main target of this paper is to present and examine the specific form of digital crime against women and girls as long as the majority of crimes nowadays takes place digitally; notwithstanding the fact that pandemic and post pandemic era have definitely determined criminals’ modus operandi. At the end of the day, someone has to answer: how Criminal Law faces the new aforementioned behaviours, based on the fundamental theory of legal interest and leading to a justified (extra) standardization? And even more: where does this “plus” in penalties (: aggravation) for behaviours that combine characteristics of digital and gender-based criminality come from?

Sex and mental health are related to subcortical brain microstructure

Some mental health problems such as depression and anxiety are more common in females, while others such as autism and attention deficit/hyperactivity (AD/H) are more common in males. However, the neurobiological origins of these sex differences are poorly understood. Animal studies have shown substantial sex differences in neuronal and glial cell structure, while human brain imaging studies have shown only small differences, which largely reflect overall body and brain size. Advanced diffusion MRI techniques can be used to examine intracellular, extracellular, and free water signal contributions and provide unique insights into microscopic cellular structure. However, the extent to which sex differences exist in these metrics of subcortical gray matter structures implicated in psychiatric disorders is not known. Here, we show large sex-related differences in microstructure in subcortical regions, including the hippocampus, thalamus, and nucleus accumbens in a large sample of young adults. Unlike conventional T1-weighted structural imaging, large sex differences remained after adjustment for age and brain volume. Further, diffusion metrics in the thalamus and amygdala were associated with depression, anxiety, AD/H, and antisocial personality problems. Diffusion MRI may provide mechanistic insights into the origin of sex differences in behavior and mental health over the life course and help to bridge the gap between findings from experimental, epidemiological, and clinical mental health research.

Oxidation behavior and corrosion resistance of CoCrFeNi high entropy alloy compared with FeCoNi medium entropy alloy

The entropy-based alloy with excellent oxidation and corrosion resistance is of great significance for practical applications in high-temperature environments. Thus, the difference in anti-oxidation property and corrosion behavior of FeCoNi MEA and CoCrFeNi HEA in a simulated marine environment was studied via a series of measurements. The results reveal that the HEA possesses superior oxidation and corrosion resistance in comparison with the MEA, which can be demonstrated by comparing the oxidation rate and thickness of oxide layer, corrosion current density (icorr) as well as corrosion morphology after polarization. The microstructure and composition of the oxide layer are the primary reasons resulting in the difference of oxidation and corrosion behaviors of the two alloys. The oxide layer with a compact, even and intact structure is produced on the HEA surface, which hinders the diffusion of detrimental ions and oxygen, whereas the loose, porous and cracked oxide layer consisting of inner Fe3O4 and outer CoO exhibits poor protection against corrosion and oxidation of the MEA. For the HEA, the preferential combination of Cr and O elements forms the protective oxide of Cr2O3, effectively enhancing corrosion resistance and inhibiting oxidation. However, the low protective CoO and relatively active Fe3O4 grow on the MEA surface, which cannot provide a good barrier to restrain oxidation and corrosion.

Importance of growth method and substrate-induced crystalline quality in Al/Gd0.2Ca0.8MnO3/Au memristor devices

We report on the impact of the growth method and substrate-induced crystalline quality on the performance of planar Al/Gd0.2Ca0.8MnO3/Au memristor devices. Structural, magnetic, and resistive properties were thoroughly examined for fundamental characterizations, with a particular emphasis on their correlation with the memristive properties of fabricated devices. Our findings suggest that memristor structures grown on single crystal SrTiO3 substrates using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) consistently exhibit superior crystalline quality compared to those fabricated using chemical solution deposition and on silicon-based substrates. Despite variations in growth method and substrate, all memristor structures display typical resistive switching (RS) behaviour, distinguishing between high-resistance and low-resistance states. However, endurance and retention measurements demonstrate that memristor structures produced via PLD on single crystalline SrTiO3 demonstrate the most favourable RS properties. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying the differences in RS behavior across substrates and deposition methods, we extensively discuss these issues in the context of structural distortion and conduction mechanisms.

Greater Post-Operative Nutrition Risks Identified in Pediatric and Adolescent Patients after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Regardless of Age and Sex

Systematic detection of risky nutrition behaviors after sports surgery may better promote healing for return-to-sport. The purpose of this study was to assess nutritional behavior differences between patients following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) and following other lower-extremity orthopedic surgeries. One pediatric sports medicine center was reviewed for a custom Sports Nutrition Assessment for Consultation, which investigates nutrition-related risk factors for youth athletes at their first post-operative visit. Patients reported “Yes” or “No” to eight questions, after which they were offered a nutrition consultation for any response indicating risk. A total of 243 post-ACLR and 242 non-ACLR patients were reviewed. The post-ACLR patients more often reported a change in appetite (p = 0.021), recent weight changes (p = 0.011), a desire to better understand nutrition (p = 0.004), and recommendations to change their body composition (p = 0.032). More post-ACLR patients were identified for a nutrition consultation (p = 0.002), though an equal percentage accepted the consultation between groups. Age and sex were not determined to be significant confounders after matched sub-analysis. The post-ACLR patients more often reported nutrition risks, specifically weight-related issues, regardless of age or sex. Sports surgeons should regularly inquire about nutrition-related concerns with patients and refer to sports dietitians for recovery nutrition support as needed, particularly after ACLR.

Fungi associated with seeds of the invasive grass Nassella trichotoma (serrated tussock) in its native range as prospective biological control agents

Context The South American grass Nassella trichotoma (serrated tussock) is widely distributed in central Argentina and one of the most damaging invasive species in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. In Australia, it is a weed of national significance. Aims Our aim was to characterise the fungi able to colonise N. trichotoma seeds buried at a site in south-western Buenos Aires province, Argentina, and measure their impact on seed survival and germination. Methods We tested the germination of healthy seeds at the beginning of the experiment (control). We buried 10 mesh bags containing 100 disinfected N. trichotoma seeds each, during 3 months in spring and autumn. At the end of each experiment, the contents of five of the bags were counted and classified as germinated, healthy, damaged, or disintegrated. Germination tests were then conducted with seeds of the latter three categories. The remaining seeds were used for recording fungal signs/symptoms, and the isolation of fungi. Key results We identified and described a diverse group of fungi associated with the seeds and a seasonal variation in the specific composition. Seeds showing fungal signs and/or symptoms germinated less than the control. Conclusions This is the first study on fungi associated with seeds of this species in the native range, which can affect their survival and longevity. Implications It is expected that studies on the seed microbiome may help us understand the differences in behaviour of the plant between ranges, and test the enemy-release hypothesis.

A simulation‐based impact assessment of autonomous vehicles in urban networks

AbstractThe behavioural differences between autonomous vehicles (AVs) and human‐driven vehicles (HDVs) can significantly impact traffic efficiency, safety, and emissions. Simulation‐based impact assessments using microscopic traffic models often modify car‐following (CF) and lane‐changing (LC) configurations to differentiate AVs from HDVs. Typically, researchers adjust CF model parameters to replicate AV driving behaviour, but these assumptions can lead to varying conclusions on AV impacts. The scope of each study (e.g., freeways, highways, urban links, intersections) also influences the outcomes. This research conducts an impact assessment utilizing optimized AV driving behavior rather than assumptions on a city network level (Munich) using a simulation‐based platform. The particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is used to calibrate the base model and run simulation experiments under various penetration rates (PRs) and demand scenarios. Results show significant safety improvements throughout the network under higher PRs, while lower PRs might lead to deteriorating safety. At 100% AV PR, the total number of conflicts decreased by around 25% compared to a fully HDV environment. Considering AVs' sensing capabilities, additional safety improvements are found in almost any AV PR. However, AVs might not improve traffic efficiency; in some cases, they may slightly increase average network travel time, though this change is minimal.

A Comparative Study on the Wear Performance and High-Temperature Oxidation of Co-Free Cermets and Hardmetals.

The present investigation addresses the mechanical properties, wear behaviour, and high-temperature oxidation of cermets and hardmetals based on either Ti(C,N) or WC and a metal binder based on Fe15Ni or Fe15Ni10Cr. This study also includes a commercial-grade WC-Co for comparative purposes. The production of these materials involved a powder metallurgy and sinter-HIP processing route under identical conditions. It is found that WC-based materials have superior mechanical properties, including hardness, fracture toughness, transversal rupture strength (TRS), and wear response, compared to Ti(C,N)-based materials. However, the latter show better oxidation behaviour than the former. Notably, WC-FeNi exhibits a higher hardness and TRS than the commercial-grade material (an increase of 7% and 9%, respectively). The difference in wear behaviour is due to the difference in wear mechanisms. In this regard, cermets wear through a tribolayer of Ti and Fe oxides, while hardmetals primarily wear through abrasion from ploughing. Thus, hardmetals exhibit a lower coefficient of friction (COF) and wear rate than cermets. Furthermore, Ti(C,N)-based materials form a protective layer of TiO2, which enhances their integrity and reduces mass gain. The addition of Cr to the FeNi binder only appears to have a clear effect on the TRS of the materials.