Have concerns about equal rights and equal chances crowded out economic equality as a priority of left parties? Despite the increased importance of inequality in political science, this contentiously fought debate has been standing on shaky empirical foundations. While voter's equality preferences are well understood, parties’ equality emphases remain uncharted territory. This research note assesses whether the Left has replaced its emphasis on economic equality with a focus on equal chances and equal rights. Based on a new dataset of 300,000 party statements, we use online crowd‐coding to map the equality trajectories of left parties in 12 OECD countries from 1970 to 2020. We examine if trade‐offs between economic and non‐economic aspects of inequality have come to dominate left parties’ equality profiles. Distinguishing social democratic, green and far‐left parties, we refute a meritocratic or ‘woke’ crowding out of redistribution. Yet, Social Democrats have indeed forsaken the once complementary link between economic equality and equal rights in favour of a weak trade‐off.

Do parties respond to inequality? Despite the relevance of inequality and its consequences, existing studies fail to capture parties’ emphasis on economic equality and redistribution or to differentiate between existing levels of inequality and increases in inequality. Based on 850,000 party statements from 12 (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries (1970–2020), we introduce a crowd-coded dataset that allows us to distinguish positive references to economic equality and redistribution from upward-trending equal-rights/anti-discrimination rhetoric. We show that responses found in previous studies do not capture economic equality and redistribution. In reassessing the impact of inequality, we argue that low visibility, status quo bias, and turnout effects discourage party responses to high inequality levels, while rising inequality poses a visible status quo change and a threat that left parties respond to. We find that left parties respond to inequality increases (except less tangible gains among the most affluent) but not to (high) inequality levels. This helps to understand why inequality is not self-correcting.

Background: Recent research has demonstrated that DBS sites in Alzheimer’s (AD) and Parkinson’s (PD) influencing cognition are functionally connected to the subiculum. However, the results are mixed, and it is unclear how or if DBS site-subiculum connectivity can be optimized to improve patient cognition. Methods: We studied how subiculum connectivity influenced cognitive outcomes in both PD (subthalamic nucleus) and AD (fornix) DBS patients (total n = 110). We first confirmed DBS site-subiculum connectivity had opposite cognitive effects in each disease. We next investigated patient factors underlying these opposing effects. Lastly, we related our findings back to clinical practice to guide DBS programming in PD and AD. Results: DBS site-subiculum connectivity correlated with cognitive improvement in AD but decline in PD. This was dependent upon hippocampal atrophy; such that higher subiculum connectivity was beneficial when the hippocampus was atrophic but deleterious when it was intact. Finally, we related our findings back to anatomy with cadaveric dissections and present how DBS stimulation can be optimized to improve patient cognition. Conclusions: DBS site-subiculum connectivity influences cognition but depends on patient factors. Thus, to optimize cognition based on patient factors, DBS electrodes can be programmed to stimulate subregions with higher or lower subiculum connectivity.

Recent changes to US research funding are having far-reaching consequences that imperil the integrity of science and the provision of care to vulnerable populations. Resisting these changes, the BJPsych Portfolio reaffirms its commitment to publishing mental science and advancing psychiatric knowledge that improves the mental health of one and all.

Next generation high-power laser facilities are expected to generate hundreds-of-MeV proton beams and operate at multi-Hz repetition rates, presenting opportunities for medical, industrial and scientific applications requiring bright pulses of energetic ions. Characterizing the spectro-spatial profile of these ions at high repetition rates in the harsh radiation environments created by laser–plasma interactions remains challenging but is paramount for further source development. To address this, we present a compact scintillating fiber imaging spectrometer based on the tomographic reconstruction of proton energy deposition in a layered fiber array. Modeling indicates that spatial resolution of approximately 1 mm and energy resolution of less than 10% at proton energies of more than 20 MeV are readily achievable with existing 100 μm diameter fibers. Measurements with a prototype beam-profile monitor using 500 μm fibers demonstrate active readouts with invulnerability to electromagnetic pulses, and less than 100 Gy sensitivity. The performance of the full instrument concept is explored with Monte Carlo simulations, accurately reconstructing a proton beam with a multiple-component spectro-spatial profile.

The interplay between convective, rotational and magnetic forces defines the dynamics within the electrically conducting regions of planets and stars. Yet their triadic effects are separated from one another in most studies, arguably due to the richness of each subset. In a single laboratory experiment, we apply a fixed heat flux, two different magnetic field strengths and one rotation rate, allowing us to chart a continuous path through Rayleigh–Bénard convection (RBC), two regimes of magnetoconvection, rotating convection and two regimes of rotating magnetoconvection, before finishing back at RBC. Dynamically rapid transitions are determined to exist between jump rope vortex states, thermoelectrically driven magnetoprecessional modes, mixed wall- and oscillatory-mode rotating convection and a novel magnetostrophic wall mode. Thus, our laboratory ‘pub crawl’ provides a coherent intercomparison of the broadly varying responses arising as a function of the magnetorotational forces imposed on a liquid-metal convection system.

Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator improves outcomes in acute ischemic stroke. Alteplase may result in thrombus migration (TM) distally to a critical arterial supply that can worsen perfusion to eloquent brain tissue. Alteplase-related stroke recanalization and clot migration in vertebral artery (VA) occlusion whereby the clot migrates to the basilar artery (BA) may be harmful. We identified seven subjects with isolated symptomatic vertebral occlusion. Two cases suffered early neurologic deterioration due to TM from VA to BA following alteplase. Precautionary transfer to thrombectomy centers may be warranted in alteplase-treated symptomatic VA occlusions in case of migration to basilar occlusion.

We describe here efforts to create and study magnetized electron–positron pair plasmas, the existence of which in astrophysical environments is well-established. Laboratory incarnations of such systems are becoming ever more possible due to novel approaches and techniques in plasma, beam and laser physics. Traditional magnetized plasmas studied to date, both in nature and in the laboratory, exhibit a host of different wave types, many of which are generically unstable and evolve into turbulence or violent instabilities. This complexity and the instability of these waves stem to a large degree from the difference in mass between the positively and the negatively charged species: the ions and the electrons. The mass symmetry of pair plasmas, on the other hand, results in unique behaviour, a topic that has been intensively studied theoretically and numerically for decades, but experimental studies are still in the early stages of development. A levitated dipole device is now under construction to study magnetized low-energy, short-Debye-length electron–positron plasmas; this experiment, as well as a stellarator device that is in the planning stage, will be fuelled by a reactor-based positron source and make use of state-of-the-art positron cooling and storage techniques. Relativistic pair plasmas with very different parameters will be created using pair production resulting from intense laser–matter interactions and will be confined in a high-field mirror configuration. We highlight the differences between and similarities among these approaches, and discuss the unique physics insights that can be gained by these studies.

We describe system verification tests and early science results from the pulsar processor (PTUSE) developed for the newly commissioned 64-dish SARAO MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa. MeerKAT is a high-gain (${\sim}2.8\,\mbox{K Jy}^{-1}$) low-system temperature (${\sim}18\,\mbox{K at }20\,\mbox{cm}$) radio array that currently operates at 580–1 670 MHz and can produce tied-array beams suitable for pulsar observations. This paper presents results from the MeerTime Large Survey Project and commissioning tests with PTUSE. Highlights include observations of the double pulsar $\mbox{J}0737{-}3039\mbox{A}$, pulse profiles from 34 millisecond pulsars (MSPs) from a single 2.5-h observation of the Globular cluster Terzan 5, the rotation measure of Ter5O, a 420-sigma giant pulse from the Large Magellanic Cloud pulsar PSR $\mbox{J}0540{-}6919$, and nulling identified in the slow pulsar PSR J0633–2015. One of the key design specifications for MeerKAT was absolute timing errors of less than 5 ns using their novel precise time system. Our timing of two bright MSPs confirm that MeerKAT delivers exceptional timing. PSR $\mbox{J}2241{-}5236$ exhibits a jitter limit of $<4\,\mbox{ns h}^{-1}$ whilst timing of PSR $\mbox{J}1909{-}3744$ over almost 11 months yields an rms residual of 66 ns with only 4 min integrations. Our results confirm that the MeerKAT is an exceptional pulsar telescope. The array can be split into four separate sub-arrays to time over 1 000 pulsars per day and the future deployment of S-band (1 750–3 500 MHz) receivers will further enhance its capabilities.

Habitat avoidance is an anti-parasite behaviour exhibited by at-risk hosts that can minimize exposure to parasites. Because environments are often heterogeneous, host decision-making with regards to habitat use may be affected by the presence of parasites and habitat quality simultaneously. In this study we examine how the ovipositing behaviour of a cactiphilic fruit fly, Drosophila nigrospiracula, is affected by the presence of an ectoparasitic mite, Macrocheles subbadius, in conjunction with other environmental factors – specifically the presence or absence of conspecific eggs and host plant tissue. We hypothesized that the trade-off between site quality and parasite avoidance should favour ovipositing at mite-free sites even if it is of inferior quality. We found that although flies avoided mites in homogeneous environments (86% of eggs at mite-free sites), site quality overwhelmed mite avoidance. Both conspecific eggs (65% of eggs at infested sites with other Drosophila eggs) and host plant tissue (78% of eggs at infested sites with cactus) overpowered mite avoidance. Our results elucidate the context-dependent decision-making of hosts in response to the presence of parasites in variable environments, and suggest how the ecology of fear and associated trade-offs may influence the relative investment in anti-parasite behaviour in susceptible hosts.

The General Structure Analysis System (GSAS-II) package provides materials and crystallographic analysis for all types of diffraction data. It was initially made available with very limited capabilities, but over much of the last decade the features have been expanded, so that GSAS-II is now a comprehensive tool for nearly all types of structural and materials characterization studies. The need to provide materials to teach use of GSAS-II, while the software has been undergoing constant revision and expansion, has required new approaches for documentation. This has included providing tutorials, as each major new capability has been added, and context-sensitive help for each section of the program. Comments in the code are also expanded into a software reference guide. Most recently, video versions of more than half of the tutorials were created and others were provided with animated graphics. All GSAS-II documentation is web-based.

There is a long history of exploitation of the South American river turtle Podocnemis expansa. Conservation efforts for this species started in the 1960s but best practices were not established, and population trends and the number of nesting females protected remained unknown. In 2014 we formed a working group to discuss conservation strategies and to compile population data across the species’ range. We analysed the spatial pattern of its abundance in relation to human and natural factors using multiple regression analyses. We found that > 85 conservation programmes are protecting 147,000 nesting females, primarily in Brazil. The top six sites harbour > 100,000 females and should be prioritized for conservation action. Abundance declines with latitude and we found no evidence of human pressure on current turtle abundance patterns. It is presently not possible to estimate the global population trend because the species is not monitored continuously across the Amazon basin. The number of females is increasing at some localities and decreasing at others. However, the current size of the protected population is well below the historical population size estimated from past levels of human consumption, which demonstrates the need for concerted global conservation action. The data and management recommendations compiled here provide the basis for a regional monitoring programme among South American countries.