Organizations are often drawn into the contested work of criminal law enforcement. Through compulsory process and mandatory reporting laws, governments routinely conscript organizations such as hospitals, banks, and schools into assisting in surveillance activities whose legitimacy is socially contested. In recent years, conscription has been particularly pronounced with online platform companies, whose extensive collections of user data make them frequent sources of information and evidence for law enforcement agencies. How do actors in platform companies navigate compliance with such contested laws? While neoinstitutional theories of law emphasize how perceived compliance can protect organizational legitimacy, this article shows how perceived compliance with contested laws can also undermine it. Drawing on in-depth interviews with legal and operations staff for platform companies and law enforcement agents, this article explains how perceived compliance with contested laws can give rise to a legitimacy dilemma that organizational actors manage through symbolic ambivalence: compliance practices that signal both an organization’s responsiveness to a law, as well as its independence from the aims, consequences, and institutions associated with the law. The article also suggests organizational and legal conditions that shape how platform actors engage in symbolic ambivalence. These findings extend neoinstitutional theory by showing that the relationship between perceived compliance and legitimacy is not straightforward, but contingent, and by explaining how organizational actors manage the legitimacy dilemma brought about by that contingency.

Percutaneous treatments (PTs) are established minimally invasive options for the management of hepatic cystic echinococcosis (HCE). Conventional techniques include puncture, aspiration, injection, and re-aspiration (PAIR), which relies on scolicidal agents, and puncture, aspiration, injection, and drainage (PAID), which uses prolonged catheter drainage to evacuate cyst contents. In this study, we describe our experience with a modified PAIR technique for the treatment of hepatic cystic echinococcosis. Eight patients with 19 cysts were initially included, and outcomes were analyzed in 6 patients with 9 cysts who had complete follow-up imaging.

Under CT guidance, a transhepatic puncture of the cyst was performed. Partial aspiration was followed by injection of hypertonic saline. After cystography, an 8-French catheter was introduced to replace the 18-gauge needle, allowing controlled aspiration. The injection and aspiration sequence was repeated three to four times. The catheter was removed early after complete cyst content evacuation. In cysts larger than 10 cm, 95% ethanol was used as the scolicidal agent.

Follow-up imaging showed a significant reduction in cyst volume. Outcomes achieved with this modified PAIR technique were compared with previously reported percutaneous HCE treatment series in the literature and appeared to fall within the range of outcomes reported in prior percutaneous series. Notably, this technique enabled successful treatment of a complicated cyst associated with a gastric fistula in a single patient.

Percutaneous management of HCE continues to evolve, and modified techniques allow tailored treatment based on cyst characteristics. Our modified PAIR approach proved effective for both simple and multivesicular cysts and demonstrated technical feasibility in a single complicated case with gastric fistula.

This comment examines the shifting landscape of student engagement in UK history departments, drawing on research conducted at the universities of Bristol and Warwick. Moving beyond narrow definitions of engagement as attendance, the study explores the complex interplay of workload pressures, relationships and community, and the cultures and environments of learning that shape students’ everyday experiences. Student testimony highlights how financial precarity, mental‑health challenges and competing demands on their time profoundly influence how (and indeed if) they engage. At the same time, factors – ranging from staff/student interactions to seminar atmosphere and assessment design – are powerful determinants of whether students feel able and motivated to participate fully. While acknowledging the broader socio‑economic forces that constrain both staff and students, the comment proposes a set of principled, discipline‑specific approaches centred on reflection, communication, adaptability and compassion. It argues that, although no single solution can resolve the problem of engagement, history departments can meaningfully support students by cultivating inclusive, responsive and relational learning environments.

Epidemiological estimates for the incidence of skin and soft-tissue infections (SSTIs) in England are limited. We aimed at evaluating the incidence of SSTIs and associated complications through a retrospective, observational 11-year study (2010–2020). We retrieved data on SSTI and associated complications from Clinical Practice Research Datalink, Hospital Episode Statistics, and the Office for National Statistics for England. More than four million SSTI episodes were identified, which corresponded to an overall incidence of 33.1 per 1000 person-years of observation (PYO). The incidence per 1000 PYO was highest in patients with a previous history of SSTI (109.8), ≥65 years (70.1), and those with comorbidities (69.0). The incidence of abscesses/cellulitis/other SSTIs (25.7) was the most frequent, followed by chronic ulcers (4.7) and surgical site infections (2.8). Of the 0.4 million SSTI hospitalizations, ~62.8% were due to abscesses/cellulitis/other SSTIs. Recurrences in the 12 months after the first SSTI were found in 19.5% of cases. Mortality due to SSTI and related complications varied between 0.4% and 0.5% across years, mostly in hospitalized settings. These results show that SSTIs are responsible for a substantial burden of disease in England and will help clinicians in better understanding the epidemiology of SSTI.

During seed development, plants detect the paternal genome dose through gene expression from the paternally derived genome in the endosperm. To achieve this, the homologous genes in the maternally derived genome are silenced by polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), and loss of PRC2 function or excess paternal genome dose both lead to seed abortion through the so-called ‘triploid block’. PRC2 requires the activity of accessory proteins of the VERNALIZATION INSENSITIVE 3-LIKE (VEL) family, of which the atypical VEL3 protein is required for endosperm development. Here, we characterize the function of the remaining family members, using CRISPR-Cas9 to generate multiple mutants in Arabidopsis. Loss-of-function analyses establish VEL3 as the sole regulator of primary seed dormancy depth, whereas VEL1 and VRN5 act redundantly alongside VEL3 to prevent seed abortion but without affecting dormancy. VEL2 and VIN3 exhibited no detectable influence on seed abortion or dormancy. Comparative RNA-seq of mature endosperm revealed that both vel3-1 and vel1-2 vrn5-9 mutants upregulate programmed cell-death genes, whereas vel3-1 uniquely deregulates chromatin remodellers and metabolic repressors, consistent with heterochromatin relaxation at germination loci and elevated metabolic activity. Our results establish that the role of VEL3 in seed dormancy is independent of PRC2, as they suggest the involvement of novel members of central cell and endosperm PRC2 complexes in regulating the maternally derived genome in the endosperm.

This paper introduces a methodology for detecting and classifying railway infrastructure elements using ground-penetrating radar (GPR). Seven trips, covering $57.4\,$km across a German track network were recorded. The network includes ballasted tracks, switches, bridges with dominant metal elements, and overpasses. GPR data from a multi-channel sensor array is transformed through a preprocessing pipeline to generate spatial B-scans. Statistical and structural features, including energy, depth, and skewness, are extracted via an overlapping sliding window. The detection algorithm operates as a streaming process, combining correlation-based pattern matching with feature-based thresholds in a state-machine architecture. The evaluation results demonstrate overall good performance for infrastructure detection and classification ($98$–$100\%$), with only minor misclassifications occurring for switch orientation estimation in scenarios involving closely spaced or physically interconnected switches ($82$–$100\%$).

A zero price effect is a discontinuous change in demand when price is reduced to zero from a level arbitrarily close to it. It has been proposed that social norms play a role in zero price effects on consumption. We first conducted a norm-elicitation experiment to measure how people perceive the social appropriateness of consumption under zero versus minimal prices. We then ran a natural field experiment in the same contexts to observe actual taking behavior. Results show that the social appropriateness of consuming high quantities is significantly lower when goods are offered for free than when they are sold at 1 cent. Zero pricing increases the proportion of individuals who consume something, but reduces the average amount taken by those who consume positive amounts. Overall, the evidence suggests that high consumption of free goods is prevented by its social inappropriateness, potentially helping to explain the inconsistent evidence on the direction of zero price effects in previous studies.

External factors have not received the scholarly attention they deserve in previous research on the independence–unification (IU) issue in Taiwan. This paper seeks to enhance our understanding of IU views in Taiwan by examining how the China factor affects Taiwanese individuals’ IU stances. The ‘China factor’ here is defined as Taiwanese people’s mainland China-related impressions and experiences. It is categorised into two types, corresponding to the affective and behavioural dimensions, respectively. Taking advantage of new panel data (i.e., TIGCR-PPS 2018–2022) and advanced statistical techniques (i.e., within-between random effects modelling), this study finds that two dimensions of the China factor exhibit strong explanatory power for IU views, even after controlling for the determinants emphasised in existing studies. Taiwanese people’s impressions of mainland China exert both short- and long-term effects on their IU views, whereas visits to mainland China have a long-term effect. Specifically, more favourable impressions of mainland China and prior travel experiences there are associated with a lower likelihood of supporting Taiwan independence. These findings build on existing research and suggest several avenues for future research.

Malaria remains a significant global health challenge, with sub-Saharan Africa bearing the majority of the burden. While vector control measures such as pyrethroid-based insecticidal nets and indoor residual spraying have significantly reduced malaria incidence, the emergence of insecticide resistance in Anopheles mosquito populations threatens these gains. Resistance develops through genetic mutations under prolonged selection pressure, complicating control efforts and necessitating a deeper understanding of its evolutionary dynamics. This study introduces a novel mathematical framework to investigate the emergence and spread of insecticide resistance in mosquito populations. By modelling insecticide resistance as a continuous (quantitative) trait influenced by multiple genes, we capture its variability and evolutionary transient dynamics. We propose an age-structured mosquito population model using integro-differential equations, where the resistance trait influences life-history parameters such as mortality and reproduction. Our approach provides new insights into how resistance emerges and spreads within mosquito populations over time. We analyse the model’s properties, including the existence of a unique maximal bounded semiflow, and derive conditions for the existence and stability of steady states. Through parameterization and simulations, we explore the transient and long-term dynamics of resistance evolution under different scenarios. The results offer valuable insights into the evolutionary mechanisms driving insecticide resistance and inform the design of sustainable vector control strategies.

Drylands cover 41% of Earth’s land surface, support 36% of the global population and contribute 60% of global food production. Despite these ecosystems’ importance and high vulnerability to droughts and heatwaves, drylands remain some of the most understudied systems on Earth. Monitoring drylands is challenging due to their complex ecosystem structure of visible soil mixed with diverse plant species that respond rapidly to weather and climate. In 2023 and 2024, a NASA scoping study was conducted for a proposed dryland terrestrial ecology field campaign called Adaptation and Response in Drylands (ARID). Thereafter, the NASA ARID scoping team submitted their campaign proposal to NASA Headquarters, providing a study design for how field, aircraft and satellite measurements, as well as modeling, could address the most critical fundamental and applied science questions in drylands. The extensive strategic vision was created by and for the drylands research community, including remote sensors, modelers, experimentalists and ecologists from across the world, and the overall approach can be further utilized and altered for different uses and data information needs. Here, we summarize the final ARID research agenda, including its main objectives, field campaign strategy, data end-user support strategy, and U.S. and global community engagement.

Around the world, the growing power of giant technology firms has outpaced regulatory oversight, raising urgent questions about how public opinion can be mobilized in support of meaningful reform. When do broad coalitions emerge in support of stronger regulation? This study investigates corporate scandals as windows of opportunity—focusing events—that can galvanize public support for new regulations and amplify issue salience. To assess this possibility, we conducted a two-wave survey experiment that we fielded simultaneously in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. After collecting pre-treatment data in a separate, dedicated survey wave, our subjects were later assigned to read media coverage describing the 2018 Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal. The results confirm our preregistered hypothesis: in all four countries, exposure to scandal coverage significantly increases support for technology regulation and elevates the issue’s salience. Anger mediates this shift, and increased issue salience correlates with a greater willingness to engage in political action around technology policy. At a moment of heightened concern about the concentration of economic and political power in a handful of mammoth technology firms, these findings illuminate the microfoundations of how focusing events can break political inertia and catalyze regulatory reform.