The Brain in Pain: Exploring Central Pain Disorders.

Long-term trajectories of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) provide insights into ecosystem changes associated with vegetation productivity and land degradation. However, their interpretation may depend on land-use history. Here, we analyzed NDVI trajectories from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data (2000-2022) across two contrasting regions in the Brazilian Cerrado: an established agricultural region and an expanding frontier. We evaluated whether NDVI trends differ between regions as a function of land-use dynamics and environmental/climatic conditions. NDVI trajectories were derived using Trends.Earth and correlated with MODIS Gross Primary Production (GPP). Common and region-specific trend drivers were analyzed using binary logistic regression and Wald-type Z tests. Results revealed a remote-sensing paradox. Despite pronounced differences between regions, the primary common driver of NDVI decline was the native savanna conversion to croplands and pastures. Paradoxically, the established agricultural region, where most clearing predated satellite observations, was the most stable, showing the smallest pixel proportion of NDVI decrease (7%) and the highest proportion of increase (52%). In contrast, the agricultural frontier, where native vegetation dominates and clearing largely coincided with satellite observations, showed greater NDVI decline (16%) and smaller increases (37%). Positive NDVI-GPP relationships were weaker in the established region. Region-specific drivers included precipitation, soil sand content, and fire frequency. Longer agricultural use duration contributed to NDVI increases, likely reflecting management practices that mask underlying degradation. Our findings indicate that NDVI-based assessments of land degradation in the Cerrado must consider early land-use history and agricultural management relative to the period of satellite observations.

Early-life stress signatures in deciduous incisor microstructure: An odontochronological case study of monozygotic twins discordant for cleft lip and palate.

Reconsidering early Yersinia pestis ecology: Enteric origins, gene loss, and a human-mediated reservoir hypothesis.

Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii) represent over half of extant vertebrate species, but their early evolutionary history is largely unresolved. Current phylogenetic estimates, corroborated by discoveries of preserved neural tissues, place most Palaeozoic actinopterygians outside the crown group and leave the deep roots of major extant divisions depauperate. Moreover, apparent fossil brains in early fishes are minuscule relative to endocranial chamber space, implying that endocasts are poor indicators of neuroanatomical gross morphology. Here, through X-ray micro-computed tomography of the early actinopterygian Trawdenia planti, we show unexpected neurocranial and neural soft tissue morphology indicative of a large brain fitting snugly within the endocranium. We find internal ventricular structures, present a model of neural tissue preservation, identify neuroanatomical characters, and demonstrate that endocasts capture phylogenetically and ecologically informative signal. These data suggest that Trawdenia bridges the gap between early actinopterygians and modern Chondrostei, thereby offering an alternative framework for understanding early actinopterygian neural evolution that departs radically from current phylogenetic hypotheses.

Joint trajectories of childhood maltreatment and adolescent aggression: The mediating roles of school connectedness and social competence.

Early thermal pulses drive interfacial pre-aging and plastisphere pre-shaping: An overlooked pre-conditioning pathway in PLA microplastic aging during composting.

This article reviews the early history of our solar system from an astrobiological perspective and presents evidence from meteorites and astronomical observations. The purpose is to trace the formation of key molecules that participated in the building blocks of life. The Sun and its planetary system started from a section of a molecular cloud that collapsed into a protoplanetary disk. In the center of the protoplanetary disk, the protosun heated the surrounding material. The dust and gas inherited from the cloud remained pristine farther away from the protostar, while new compounds were created in the gas and on the icy mantles of the dust. The dust accreted into pebbles, pebbles formed planetesimals, and planetesimals collided and accreted pebbles to create planets. Meanwhile, the protosun became the Sun when its core reached the pressure and temperature required to transform hydrogen into helium. During this process, the Sun emitted high-energy radiation and particles that impacted the chemistry in the disk and the early evolution of the terrestrial planets.

Background: Women’s political roles in early Islamic history are often underrepresented, particularly during the era of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and the Khulafaur Rashidin. Objective: This study aims to examine women’s political roles during these periods. Method: This research employs a qualitative literature review and content analysis of historical sources. Results: The findings show that women played active political roles despite lacking formal political rights. Their participation included preaching Islam, joining the Hijrah, pledging allegiance (Bay‘ah), engaging in jihad, and supporting warfare. Several prominent female figures contributed significantly to political life. Women also faced major challenges, including persecution by the Quraysh in Makkah, physical demands during migration and conflict, and the loss of family, property, and homeland. During the Khulafaur Rashidin period, additional difficulties arose from internal conflicts among Muslims and the influence of groups such as those led by Abdullah bin Saba. Conclusion: Women held meaningful political roles despite structural limitations. Contribution: This study highlights women’s contributions and broadens perspectives on political participation in early Islam.

ABSTRACT The early history of the extended Koopmans' theorem is reviewed. Two research groups independently developed the extended Koopmans' theorem to calculate ionization energies from density matrices. Initially it was implemented for full configuration interaction and multi‐configurational self‐consistent field wave functions. Later it was implemented using other optimization methods. The long history of studies of the exactness of the extended Koopmans' theorem for ionization is discussed, as well as limits of accuracy for electron affinities. Its utility in obtaining Dyson orbitals for application in studies of chemical reactivity, for which orbital models have been instrumental to our understanding of chemical reactions, is discussed.

The Mesozoic fossil record of Cupressaceae is widespread and abundant, indicating that members of the family were dominant components of ancient ecosystems and that several cupressaceous lineages had higher species diversity in the past than they do today. Despite this extensive record, anatomical evidence remains critical to understanding the evolution of the group. This study provides new insights into the early evolutionary history of Cupressaceae and their adaptations to Jurassic environments through exceptionally preserved fossils from Patagonia. Silicified leaves and twigs were collected from chert deposits at the Claudia and Cañadón Nahuel localities (La Matilde Formation, Santa Cruz Province). Samples were cut, polished, and analyzed using light microscopy and image-stacking techniques. Morphological, cuticular, and anatomical characters were compared with extant and fossil Cupressaceae to assess affinities. The leaves are dorsiventrally flattened and helically arranged with a semiplanar orientation. Anatomical features include a single abaxial resin canal and transfusion tissue surrounding the vascular bundle adaxially and expanding laterally into two rounded lobes. Cuticular traits include abaxial, monocyclic stomata with subsidiary cells resembling adjacent ordinary epidermal cells. These features align with Austrohamia and indicate affinity with Cupressaceae s.l. The combination of vegetative, cuticular, and anatomical features supports assigning these Jurassic Patagonian fossils to Austrohamia and suggests a position near the root of Cupressaceae s.l. Their remarkable histological preservation provides new anatomical and biostratigraphic data, enhancing understanding of the early evolution of this family.

Early trauma (ET) occurring during critical periods of brain development has been associated with structural brain alterations. ET history and structural brain changes have been linked to panic disorder (PD). Abnormalities in cortical gyrification patterns have been reported in both patients with PD and individuals with a history of ET. This study aimed to examine the interaction between ET history and PD diagnosis in relation to cortical gyrification patterns. The study included 83 patients with PD and 83 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. High-resolution T1-weighted brain images were analyzed using vertex-based methods to evaluate the local gyrification index (LGI). ET history was assessed using the Early Trauma Inventory Self-Report Short Form. Anxiety symptomatology was evaluated using the Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) and the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS). A significant interaction between PD diagnosis and ET history was observed in the LGI of the gyrus portion of the superior parietal lobule (SPL). Patients with PD who had experienced ET showed significantly higher LGI values in the SPL than those without ET. SPL LGI values were positively correlated with PDSS and IUS total scores across all participants. These findings suggest an interaction effect of PD diagnosis and ET history on cortical gyrification alterations in the SPL. The results underscore the importance of considering both ET and brain structural characteristics when investigating the pathophysiology of PD. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the mechanisms linking ET, cortical gyrification, and PD.

Before the winter came: The Early Pleistocene pre-glacial history of the Baltics illuminated by facies analysis and cosmogenic nuclide dating of borehole cores from Lithuania (NE Europe)

'The tensor calculus knows physics better than the physicist': Bachelard on the role of 'Covariant Differentiation' in Relativity theory.

• Contrasting geodynamic mechanisms simultaneously drive craton growth. • Case study into the evolution of the western Yilgarn Craton. • Early history of the South West Terrane is not shared across terrane boundarys. • Documentation of a Paleoarchean history in the South West Terrane. An outstanding question in Archean geodynamics is how the earliest continental crust was formed and stabilised, and how similar this process was to what is observed in the present day. Continental crust formation is often proxied by evidence of either allochthonous processes, such as terrane accretion and other subduction-like processes, or autochthonous processes involving in situ crustal growth and reworking. Subsequent interpretations are typically expressed in the terrane nomenclature for a given craton. An example is the Yilgarn Craton of Western Australia, which is associated with a wide range of tectonic models that incorporate various combinations of autochthonous and allochthonous processes. Despite these models, the South West Terrane and its connection to the rest of the Yilgarn Craton remain poorly understood. Here, this study addresses this paucity of data by reassessing the stratigraphic and magmatic history of the Toodyay area in the northern South West Terrane using integrated field mapping, U–Pb zircon geochronology, and Sm–Nd isotopic data. Our new data reveal evidence for a multistage Paleoarchean history of the South West Terrane, which modifies models of craton assembly. The > 3234 Ma Toodyay Formation is defined, which records a younger, more juvenile provenance distinct from age-equivalent quartzites in the Youanmi and Narryer Terranes of the Yilgarn Craton. Deposition was followed by 3234 ± 2 Ma magmatism and subsequent large-scale erosion, preserved as a unique unconformity spanning ages that are well represented in the rest of the craton. After this apparent hiatus, younger granitic suites (<2700 Ma) were emplaced in the South West Terrane that share geochemical signatures with coeval granites in the Youanmi Terrane. We interpret these data to indicate that an initially isolated South West Terrane was later juxtaposed with the Youami Terrane through lateral accretion, coinciding with extensive autochthonous growth in the Eastern Yilgarn (<2720). This suggests that allochthonous and autochthonous processes operated concurrently during craton formation and evolution, underscoring the complexity of Archean geodynamics beyond simple autochthonous or allochthonous models.

Zygmunt Zawirski: The forgotten forefather of quantum logic.

Abstract By implementing an alternate regional mapping approach that selects MAVEN orbit passes with periapses below 170 km within the region of interest and directly compares magnetometer data along adjacent tracks, more accurate regional maps of the Mars crustal magnetic field are constructed. Results for the Claritas Fossae region south of Tharsis show a more detailed correlation than previously found in Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) data between magnetic anomalies and areas of ancient magmatic activity and uplift. These anomaly sources are interpreted to consist of magmatic intrusions magnetized thermoremanently in an oxidizing, hydrothermal environment during early Mars history when the planetary dynamo was still active. Similarly, mapped anomalies near Olympus Mons are consistent with thermal demagnetization in the absence of a dynamo during the Late Hesperian and Amazonian epochs when its final eruptions occurred. Weak anomalies over the Syrtis Major calderas and the Tyrrhenus Mons caldera further support partial thermal demagnetization of the underlying older terrain. Hadriacus Mons has previously been reported to have a magnetization signature based on MGS electron reflectometry data. The regional mapping reported here confirms that anomalies extend southwestward from the Hadriacus Mons central caldera toward Hellas, following the direction of apparent pyroclastic flow deposits with model ages ranging from 3.7 to 3.9 Ga. If future lower‐altitude measurements demonstrate that these anomalies are indeed associated with the asymmetric flanks of Hadriacus Mons, it would follow that dynamo activity continued into the Late Noachian or Early Hesperian epochs.

Marine fish species are likely to exhibit little genetic differentiation among populations due to their high dispersal potential during early life stages and migratory nature. However, recent studies have increasingly reported intraspecific genetic differentiation resulting from species-specific ecological traits, environmental factors, and paleogeographic changes associated with glacial-interglacial cycles. Egg traits are considered to affect the level of genetic differentiation among populations; however, little is known about the specific differences in population genetic structure that result from variations in egg traits between closely related species. Using mitochondrial DNA sequences from the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 and cytochrome b genes, we compared population genetic structures of two congeneric coastal flounders around the Japanese Archipelago, yellow striped flounder Pseudopleuronectes herzensteini and marbled flounder P. yokohamae, which exhibit contrasting early life-history traits related to dispersal, including egg traits. No genetic differentiation was observed among sampling locations of P. herzensteini (global FST = -0.002), which spawns pelagic eggs and has a longer planktonic larval duration than P. yokohamae. Historical demographic analyses suggest that P. herzensteini has maintained a large population size over time, with extensive gene flow across the sampling area. In contrast, six genetic groups were identified in the adhesive demersal egg spawner P. yokohamae, with some genetic barriers to gene flow among them (global FST = 0.171). Distinctive population demographic histories were inferred for each group, suggesting that paleogeographic changes during the Late Pleistocene greatly influenced the local population formation. These findings indicate that the highly sedentary characteristics in early life stages of P. yokohamae lead to greater population divergence and distinct demographic histories. Such findings also provide important insights into the development of sustainable fisheries management for both species.

ABSTRACT The introduction of pizzas to the Australian public in the twentieth century offers an opportunity to study the growth of meanings of a new word for a relatively novel type of food in the Australian setting. Through the recipes and fictional stories published in the iconic magazine of the time, The Australian Women’s Weekly, it is possible to trace the early history of both referential and cultural meanings of pizza. Recipes elaborated the referential meanings, revealing, for example, preferences for anchovies as a topping and the acceptance of both yeast and no yeast in the base. Cultural meanings of pizza centered on Italianness, which in turn could be associated with pleasurable, often romantic, experiences. In some cases, however, the Italianness was viewed as an otherness leading to awkward, intercultural tensions. It is noteworthy that the earliest pieces of fiction in the magazine making reference to pizza were written in the 1940s by American authors, not Australian authors. It is noteworthy, too, that the cultural meanings of pizza were being introduced through the fictional stories well before any elaboration of referential meanings through recipes.

Nereid, Neptune’s third largest moon, is considered to be a captured irregular satellite because of its highly eccentric orbit. However, among irregular satellites, Nereid is an outlier: It is the largest, the closest to its host planet, and the most eccentric. We present James Webb Space Telescope near-infrared spectroscopy of Nereid that demonstrates that its composition is inconsistent with its suggested captured origin. We then simulate Nereid’s early orbital history subsequent to Triton’s capture to demonstrate a plausible dynamical pathway for a regular satellite formed in situ around Neptune to evolve to Nereid’s present-day orbit. On the basis of the available spectroscopic and dynamical evidence, we propose that Nereid is not a body captured from the Kuiper belt but rather the sole surviving intact regular satellite of Neptune.