Two desert cyanobacterial strains, Chroococcidiopsis sp. CCMEE 010 and CCMEE 130, capable far-red light photoacclimation (FaRLiP), were investigated for the stability of biosignatures after six years of desiccation. Biosignature detectability was demonstrated by confocal laser scanning microscopy and Raman spectroscopy thus highlighting that these two FaRLiP cyanobacteria are a novel reservoir of an array of pigments, encompassing canonical chlorophyll a, far-red shifted chlorophylls, phycobilins and carotenoids. The recorded signals were comparable to those of dried cells of Chroococcidiopsis sp. CCMEE 029, CCMEE 057 and CCMEE 064, not capable of FaRLiP acclimation and previously reported for biosignature stability and survivability after exposure to space and Mars-like conditions during the BIOMEX (BIOlogy and Mars EXperiment) and BOSS (Biofilm Organisms Surfing Space) low Earth orbit missions. Since infrared-light driven photosynthesis has implications for the habitability of Mars as well as exoplanets, the stability of far-red shifted chlorophylls in dried Chroococcidiopsis is a prerequisite for future experimentations under simulated planetary conditions in the laboratory or directly into space. It is anticipated that post-flight investigations of FaRLiP cyanobacteria as part of the BioSigN (Bio-Signatures and habitable Niches) space mission will contribute to gather novel insights into biosignature degradation/stability and thus prepare future planetary exploration missions to Mars. In addition, the scored viability of strains CCMEE 010 and CCMEE 130 after prolonged desiccation is relevant to investigate life endurance under deep space conditions, as planned by the BioMoon mission that aims to expose dried and rehydrated extremophiles on the Moon surface after exposure to deep space.

Psychedelic treatment with psilocybin is receiving increased attention following clinical trials showing it may help treat end-of-life anxiety, depression, and several other conditions. Despite this, physicians may be reluctant to prescribe psilocybin and carry out psilocybin treatment because of the stigma surrounding psychedelics and the potential for medical malpractice liability. This paper explores whether psilocybin treatment gives rise to a risk of medical malpractice liability for physicians. Following an overview of psilocybin treatment and its regulatory regime in Canada, exploratory vignettes are used to highlight the relevance and limits of malpractice claims. This paper argues that the lack of established medical standards, standardized training, and credentialing contribute to liability risks surrounding psilocybin treatment. More clinical trials, meta-studies of research analyses, and knowledge sharing will help to develop training programs and medical standards of practice to better realize psilocybin’s potential.

Amidst initiatives and international agreements that call for a stronger consideration of sustainable development in international investment law, there is a need to assess whether the concept has found its way in decisions rendered by investment arbitration tribunals. References to the concept of sustainable development in investment arbitration can eventually make the adjudication of investment disputes more consistent with an increasingly important aspect of the context in which the terms of international investment agreements are embedded. Have arbitration tribunals acknowledged the relevance of the concept of sustainable development when adjudicating international investment disputes? To answer this question, this article adopts an exploratory research design and relies on a content analysis of 91 decisions that include at least one reference to the term ‘sustainable development’. It argues that the use of sustainable development by tribunals is both marginal and problematic, thus showing a strong disconnect from efforts deployed in investment policymaking and international adjudication. The article proceeds in three steps. First, it focuses on international initiatives encouraging the consideration of sustainable development in investment policymaking. Second, it briefly explores the reliance on sustainable development that has emerged in international adjudication, outside investment arbitration. Third, by analysing express references to sustainable development in international investment arbitration, it shows that these decisions demonstrate a general lack of engagement with the concept in the tribunals’ findings and a failure to fully acknowledge its integrative nature.

When one fluid is injected into a confined geometry such as a porous medium filled with another immiscible fluid, even at an extremely low injection speed, rapid filling of several pore spaces accompanied by retraction of multiple fluid–fluid interfaces can be observed. Such processes with fast liquid redistribution within the solid structure, called Haines jumps, are ubiquitous in many multiphase flow systems, which can impact fluid trapping, energy dissipation and hysteretic saturation in various engineering applications. Inspired by this mechanism, here, we propose a dual-channel structure to realise controlled Haines jumps during fluid displacement processes. Via theoretical analysis and numerical simulations, we show that the dynamics of fluid interfaces during Haines jumps can be quantitatively correlated with the driving capillary pressure and dissipating viscous stress, which enables simultaneous determination of the fluid viscosity and interfacial tension in the dual-channel multiphase system.

We study the identification and consistency of Bayesian semiparametric IRT-type models, where the uncertainty on the abilities’ distribution is modeled using a prior distribution on the space of probability measures. We show that for the semiparametric Rasch Poisson counts model, simple restrictions ensure the identification of a general distribution generating the abilities, even for a finite number of probes. For the semiparametric Rasch model, only a finite number of properties of the general abilities’ distribution can be identified by a finite number of items, which are completely characterized. The full identification of the semiparametric Rasch model can be only achieved when an infinite number of items is available. The results are illustrated using simulated data.

When a response to a multiple-choice item consists of selecting a single-best answer, it is not possible for examiners to differentiate between a response that is a product of knowledge and one that is largely a product of uncertainty. Certainty-based marking (CBM) is one testing format that requires examinees to express their degree of certainty on the response option they have selected, leading to an item score that depends both on the correctness of an answer and the certainty expressed. The expected score is maximized if examinees truthfully report their level of certainty. However, prospect theory states that people do not always make rational choices of the optimal outcome due to varying risk attitudes. By integrating a psychometric model and a decision-making perspective, the present study looks into the response behaviors of 334 first-year students of physiotherapy on six multiple-choice examinations with CBM in a case study. We used item response theory to model the objective probability of students giving a correct response to an item, and cumulative prospect theory to estimate their risk attitudes when students choose to report their certainty. The results showed that with the given CBM scoring matrix, students’ choices of a certainty level were affected by their risk attitudes. Students were generally risk averse and loss averse when they had a high success probability on an item, leading to an under-reporting of their certainty. Meanwhile, they were risk seeking in case of small success probabilities on the items, resulting in the over-reporting of certainty.

Several probabilistic models for subset choice have been proposed in the literature, for example, to explain approval voting data. We show that Marley et al.'s latent scale model is subsumed by Falmagne and Regenwetter's size-independent model, in the sense that every choice probability distribution generated by the former can also be explained by the latter. Our proof relies on the construction of a probabilistic ranking model which we label the “repeated insertion model.” This model is a special case of Marden's orthogonal contrast model class and, in turn, includes the classical Mallows φ-model as a special case. We explore its basic properties as well as its relationship to Fligner and Verducci's multistage ranking model.

Unveiling the pressure‒temperature path of low-grade metamorphic rocks is challenging because of the occurrence of detrital minerals and high-variance mineral assemblages (i.e. chlorite–white mica–quartz). This paper is an attempt to reconstruct the pressure–temperature history on metapelites from a low-grade metamorphic unit, i.e. the Cabanaira Unit, located in the Marguareis Massif (Western Ligurian Alps, Italy). In order to obtain the most robust result possible, multi-equilibrium thermobarometry, forward modelling and crystallochemical index measurements are used together to reconstruct a pressure–temperature path, with consideration of the strengths and weaknesses of these methods.

This multidisciplinary approach allowed us to reconstruct the metamorphic evolution of the unit of interest, characterised by a pressure peak reached under low-temperature conditions (0.85–0.68 GPa and 250–285°C) followed by decompressional warming (low pressure–high temperature, 0.4-0.6 GPa and 300–335°C).

This pressure‒temperature path is consistent with the tectonic evolution of the investigated area proposed by previous studies, where a geological scenario in which the Cabanaira Unit experienced subduction-related processes was postulated, even if the reasons for warming remain unclear.

Multi-equilibrium thermobarometry is considered to be the most suitable method to unravel the metamorphic history of low-grade rocks, whereas forward thermodynamic modelling and the calculation of crystallochemical indexes seem to resolve only some segments of the pressure‒temperature path.

Childhood maltreatment is linked with later depressive symptoms, but not every maltreated child will experience symptoms later in life. Therefore, we investigate whether genetic predisposition for depression (i.e., polygenic score for depression, PGSDEP) modifies the association between maltreatment and depressive symptoms, while accounting for different types of maltreatment and whether it was evaluated through prospective and retrospective reports. The sample included 541–617 participants from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development with information on maltreatment, including threat, deprivation, assessed prospectively (5 months–17 years) and retrospectively (reported at 23 years), PGSDEP and self-reported depressive symptoms (20–23 years). Using hierarchical linear regressions, we found that retrospective, but not prospective indicators of maltreatment (threat/deprivation/cumulative) were associated with later depressive symptoms, above and beyond the PGSDEP. Our findings also show the presence of gene–environment interactions, whereby the association between maltreatment (retrospective cumulative maltreatment/threat, prospective deprivation) and depression was strengthened among youth with higher PGSDEP scores. Consistent with the Diathesis-Stress hypothesis, our findings suggest that a genetic predisposition for depression may exacerbate the putative impact of maltreatment on later depressive symptoms, especially when maltreatment is retrospective. Understanding the gene–environment interplay emerging in the context of maltreatment has the potential to guide prevention efforts.