We report evidence consistent with institutional investors using industry-level information that they obtain from their investments in venture capital (VC) funds to earn excess returns in publicly traded stocks. We use court rulings regarding the Freedom of Information Act as an exogenous shock affecting the information flow between VC funds and institutional investors to show that the excess returns are explained by information received via this channel. Thus, institutional investors serve as conduits of information from private to public markets. In the process, institutional investors earn higher returns from their VC investments than implied by the cash flows received therefrom.

The Dora-Maira Massif offers a unique window into the pre-Alpine and Alpine tectonic history of continental crust involved in the collision that formed the Western Alps. Whereas high-pressure Alpine metamorphism has strongly affected the rocks, zircon crystals still retain age domains from earlier magmatic events, offering a reliable tool for reconstructing the evolution of the continental basement. Combining new U–Pb LA-ICP-MS zircon geochronology with whole-rock geochemistry, this study unveils a more complex magmatic and tectonic evolution than previously recognized. New findings reveal that the Dora-Maira basement preserves three distinct magmatic cycles: Ediacaran–Early Cambrian (c. 550–530 Ma), Ordovician–Silurian (c. 460–440 Ma) and Permian (c. 280–260 Ma). These results challenge the overestimated presence of Permian intrusions in the Massif, instead highlighting a significant Lower Paleozoic magmatic component that was previously overlooked. We document the oldest magmatic suite recognized to date in the area (540.0 ± 5.4 and 548.0 ± 5.5 Ma), which sheds light on the Cambrian-to-Precambrian tectonic history of the northern margin of Gondwana. This contribution refines the geodynamic framework of the Dora-Maira Massif. It demonstrates that its polycyclic basement was assembled through successive crust-forming events during the Ediacaran–Early Paleozoic and subsequently reworked during the Variscan and Alpine orogenies. This underlines the key role of Lower Paleozoic tectono-magmatic processes in shaping the continental crust of the Western Alps.

Ku Hung-Ming 辜鴻銘 (pinyin: Gu Hongming, 1857–1928) was the first Chinese translator who translated Confucian classics into English, breaking the long-time monopoly of translation of Confucian classics by Western missionaries. He also translated Western poems into Chinese and elaborated on his thought on translation in his writings. However, Ku is peripheralized in contemporary Chinese historiography of translation. This article investigates this striking phenomenon, arguing that Ku’s peripheralization is due to Chinese translation historiographers’ subscription to the dual meta-narratives of individual enlightenment and national salvation, their colonial mentality, and the impact of the century-long trivialization of Ku in China. This article throws into relief the intricate relationship between translation historiography and its socio-political context, calling for attention to this under researched area of translation studies. It also sheds important light on contemporary Chinese intellectual landscape, calling for a decolonized understanding of Chinese culture.

This article set out to explore how organisations can raise awareness for menopause at work without unintentionally exacerbating stigma. Identity regulation can control the boundaries within which stigmatised identities are (re)constructed, and yet it is unclear how identities that are constructed through awareness of menopause, might respond to the traditional control pathway of identity regulation. This multi-method study was conducted in two parts: a survey (n = 525) on women’s health at work, the findings of which informed the content of a qualitative vignette writing task, which was completed by a sub-population (n = 54, women in their 40s and 50s) from the survey. Findings suggest that organisations should create awareness while adequately considering unintentional consequences of exacerbating stigma, and that uncritically adopted male allyship might present a barrier to menopause awareness and disclosure. There are practical implications of these findings relevant to menopause awareness at work.

Time-resolved (TR) intrinsic fluorescence of tryptophan (Trp) provides a wealth of information on the structure and localization of proteins and peptides and their interactions with one another, with drugs, lipid membranes, lipid- and surfactant-based drug delivery systems, et cetera. Intrinsic Trp eliminates the need for labeling and avoids the perturbation of the system by the label; introduced Trp is a rather conservative and small label compared to others. Whereas custom-tailored fluorophores are often optimized for a special technique, Trp can be employed to monitor a wide variety of effects. We address interactions of Trp with surrounding molecules, dynamic quenchers and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) acceptors that affect the fluorescence decay. Speed and range of angular motion of Trp are characterized by TR anisotropy. Electrostatic interactions of Trp with charged and polar molecules, including water, are monitored by decay-associated spectra (DAS) or TR emission spectra (TRES) and quantified in terms of TR shifts of the spectral center of gravity. This versatility is a great advantage and, at the same time, comes with a complexity of the behavior that can render it a challenge to interpret the data in detail properly. This review provides an overview of applications of TR fluorescence of Trp bulk samples in biomolecular, biophysical, and pharmaceutical studies. The aim is not only to point out the diversity of the read-out of these techniques, but also critically examine their current use. Therefore, we identify most common technical pitfalls and evaluate the degree of reliability of the interpretational approaches. This should aid a more extensive and meaningful use of TR fluorescence of Trp.

A finite point set in $\mathbb{R}^d$ is in general position if no $d + 1$ points lie on a common hyperplane. Let $\alpha _d(N)$ be the largest integer such that any set of $N$ points in $\mathbb{R}^d$, with no $d + 2$ members on a common hyperplane, contains a subset of size $\alpha _d(N)$ in general position. Using the method of hypergraph containers, Balogh and Solymosi showed that $\alpha _2(N) \lt N^{5/6 + o(1)}$. In this paper, we also use the container method to obtain new upper bounds for $\alpha _d(N)$ when $d \geq 3$. More precisely, we show that if $d$ is odd, then $\alpha _d(N) \lt N^{\frac {1}{2} + \frac {1}{2d} + o(1)}$, and if $d$ is even, we have $\alpha _d(N) \lt N^{\frac {1}{2} + \frac {1}{d-1} + o(1)}$. We also study the classical problem of determining $a(d,k,n)$, the maximum number of points selected from the grid $[n]^d$ such that no $k + 2$ members lie on a $k$-flat, and improve the previously best known bound for $a(d,k,n)$, due to Lefmann in 2008, by a polynomial factor when $k$ = 2 or 3 (mod 4).

The pyritization of microfossils serves as a key indicator of paleoenvironmental conditions, yet the controlling factors on pyrite morphology and composition remain poorly constrained. This study encountered different pyrite morphology (framboids and patches) from the foraminiferal tests retrieved from the marine sediment samples of Ocean Drilling Program Hole 763A, southeastern Indian Ocean, during different geological time slices. We hypothesize that distinct microenvironments and controlling factors might have influenced the morphology. Detailed investigations of the morphology, mineralogy and geochemistry of Fe-S coatings within and on foraminiferal tests suggest the dynamics of paleoredox conditions during the Middle Pleistocene and Upper Miocene. The comprehensive geochemical overview and the presence of Ni and Ba associated with Fe-S coatings and sediments suggest deoxygenation of deep-sea sediments driven by climatic shifts rather than hydrothermal activities. The stable anoxic deep ocean setting during the Middle Pleistocene, evidenced by increased organic matter flux and ocean stratification, contributed to low bottom-water oxygen levels. The geochemical evidence from the Upper Miocene samples indicates predominantly oxidising conditions, as shown by the altered reddish-yellow foraminiferal tests, which are mainly composed of calcite. However, localized reducing conditions are evidenced by patches of pyrite associated with foraminiferal shells, suggesting the presence of transitional redox conditions within the oxidising sediments during the Upper Miocene.

In a U.S. veteran cohort (2014 – 2024) with a listed penicillin allergy, we studied the characteristics of 616 veterans that underwent an inpatient oral penicillin challenge. Notably, almost half of these challenges occurred in 2023 and 2024, suggesting recent uptake of this penicillin allergy evaluation modality within the Veterans Health Administration.

Successful synthesis of a new design requires balancing of trade-offs that arise from multiple competing design objectives and constraints. Early-stage design synthesis typically does not consider detailed technical constraints; a task left to late-stage mathematical design optimisation to refine an already-determined configuration. The recently developed Multi-Objective Monotonicity Analysis (MOMA) has shown that design optimisation can be used successfully in configuration redesign. This article extends the MOMA approach to early-stage design. Synthesis of an aptly named ideal design is achieved by focusing on the avoidance or reduction of trade-offs and by managing active constraints across all stages of the design process. The ideal design meets a set of formal conditions, which provide the basis for a systematic collection of corresponding design principles that can be selectively combined to create new embodiments, avoiding overly restrictive trade-offs and constraints. These principles are consistent with the decision making of experienced mechanical designers, shown here in the industrial practice for designing drug delivery devices.

In the 1940s and 1950s, the concepts of surplus labor, disguised unemployment, and underemployment emerged as key tools for thinking about economic development in the emerging “Third World.” This article examines how these concepts were developed and debated in Egypt, a country that was at the forefront of postcolonial planning efforts internationally. To this end, the article examines the statistical construction of the “labor problem” and the way it shaped competing visions of economic development among national, colonial, and international actors. Using a variety of sources—including Egyptian government archives, documents from the British Foreign Office, and the International Labour Organization—the article contributes to the global history of development and quantification, and contributes to the scholarship on Nasserism in Egypt.

This study, conducted under semi-arid conditions during the 2022 and 2023 growing seasons, aimed to assess the effects of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in combination with different irrigation levels and water qualities on safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) quality parameters. The irrigation levels were based on 0% (I0 - rainfed), 25% (I25), 50% (I50), 75% (I75) and 100% (I100) of Class A pan evaporation. Two irrigation water qualities were used: recycled wastewater (RW) and freshwater (FW). The PGPR treatments were applied at four frequencies: R0 (control), R1 (once), R2 (twice) and R3 (three times) starting after sowing at 10-day intervals. Seed protein content ranged from 12.0% to 18.1%, with the highest values under I100-R3 and the lowest under I0-R0. Protein content increased with irrigation and bacterial application frequency. Oil content varied between 25.2% and 38.6%, peaking under full irrigation with triple PGPR application (I100-R3), and was generally higher in RW-irrigated plots. SPAD (Soil Plant Analysis Development) values which are an indication for chlorophyll content in the plant ranged from 45.1 to 76.3, with RW-I100 treatments showing the highest readings. Stomatal conductance values varied between 40.5 and 122.0 mmol/m2/s¹, increasing with irrigation level. Overall, combining recycled wastewater and PGPR under sufficient irrigation significantly improved safflower’s physiological and biochemical characteristics. The results suggest that this integrated approach enhances oil and protein content while supporting sustainable water use and crop quality improvement in arid and semi-arid regions.

Bessel van der Kolk’s book The Body Keeps the Score has maintained exceptional cultural and clinical influence since its publication in 2014, remaining a best-seller and shaping public discourse on trauma. Its central claims – that trauma causes lasting neurobiological damage and that body-based treatments are uniquely effective – have been widely embraced but seldom subjected to systematic critical evaluation in peer-reviewed literature. This commentary synthesises the evidentiary basis for these claims as a counterweight to an influential narrative. It situates these findings within broader discussions of neuroscience framing, cultural appeal and evidence-based communication, underscoring the need for rigorous, balanced engagement with widely disseminated mental health narratives.

Cognates’ cross-linguistic formal similarity causes them to be more activated than non-cognates. Based on the Modular Online Growth and Use of Language framework (Sharwood Smith & Truscott, 2014, The Multilingual Mind: A Modular Processing Perspective, Cambridge University Press), the stronger activation of cognates compared to non-cognates should spread to any L2 structures containing them, leading to greater syntax learning. This should occur for cross-linguistically dissimilar structures but not for cross-linguistically similar ones, processed using L1 syntax. In Experiment 1, two groups of Spanish natives learnt Spanish–Basque non-cognate nouns and cognate or non-cognate verbs. Then, they were exposed to L2 structures dissimilar to Spanish via sentence–picture pairs. A picture-description task with non-cognates tested syntax learning. In Experiment 2, the learning targets were L2 structures similar to Spanish. Exposure to the structures with cognates, as opposed to non-cognates, resulted in greater learning only in Experiment 1. From this, we conclude that cognates facilitate L2 syntax acquisition, but only when the structures cannot be processed using the native language.

This research presents the design, pricing, and consumer testing results of a potential private financial product that integrates retirement savings with social care funding through contributions to a supplemental defined contribution pension scheme. With this product, some contributions will be earmarked specifically to cover social care expenses if needed post-retirement. Our research indicates that offering benefits that address both retirement income supplementation and social care funding in a combined approach is appealing to consumers and could help overcome behavioural barriers to planning for social care. As with established defined contribution schemes, this product is designed for distribution in the workplace. Employees can contribute a portion of their earnings to their pension accounts. Employers may partially or fully match these contributions, further incentivising participation. In addition to financial support, participants will gain access to social care coordination services designed to facilitate ageing at home. These services will help retirees navigate care options, coordinate necessary support, and optimise the use of their allocated social care funds, ultimately promoting independence and well-being in later life.

High-redshift protoclusters are crucial for understanding the formation of galaxy clusters and the evolution of galaxies in dense environments. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), with its unprecedented near-infrared sensitivity, enables the first exploration of protoclusters beyond $ z \gt 10 $. Among JWST surveys, COSMOS-Web Data Release 0.5 offers the largest area ($\sim 0.27$ deg$^2$), making it an optimal field for protocluster searches. In this study, we searched for protoclusters at $ z \sim 9-10 $ using 366 F115W dropout galaxies. We evaluated the reliability of our photometric redshift by validation tests with the JADES DR3 spectroscopic sample, obtaining the likelihood of falsely identifying interlopers as $\sim25\%$. Overdensities ($\delta$) are computed by weighting galaxy positions with their photometric redshift probability density functions, using a 2.5 cMpc aperture and a redshift slice of $\pm 0.5$. We selected the most promising core galaxies of protocluster candidate galaxies with an overdensity greater than the 95th percentile of the distribution of 366 F115W dropout galaxies. The member galaxies are then linked within an angular separation of 7.5 cMpc to the core galaxies, finding seven protocluster candidates. These seven protocluster candidates have inferred halo masses of $ M_{\text{halo}} \sim 10^{11}\,{\rm M}_{\odot} $. The detection of such overdensities at these redshifts provides a critical test for current cosmological simulations. However, confirming these candidates and distinguishing them from low-redshift dusty star-forming galaxies or Balmer-break galaxies will require follow-up near-infrared spectroscopic observations.