NWO Veni, recent awardees

An Open Database of Lunar Regolith and Simulants Properties

Olfa D’Angelo · Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées · FR

ABSTRACT Lunar regolith, the layer of unconsolidated material covering the Moon's surface, is central to the science and technology developed for the Moon, notably related to in‐situ science investigations, resource utilization, surface infrastructure, and mobility systems. However, data on lunar soil properties remain fragmented across decades of mission reports, often in formats that are difficult to access or interpret. We present a newly compiled database of lunar regolith physical and geote

Evaluating Concerning Behavior of Fixated Individuals

Isabelle van der Vegt · Utrecht University · NL

Fixated individuals who send repeated concerning communications to public figures pose a significant challenge, particularly when such communications escalate to approach or violence. The present study examined associations between three sources of threat assessment information-motivational type, structured professional judgment (CTAP-25), and automated linguistic analysis-and concerning behavior in a sample of fixated individuals (n = 117). Levels of concerning behavior constituted merely commu

Repeated listening induces exposure-specific cortical tracking of intelligible continuous speech

Alexandra K. Emmendorfer · Maastricht University · NL

ABSTRACT Neural encoding of acoustic and linguistic features of continuous speech is sensitive to cognitive factors, such as attention and comprehension. We investigated whether neural tracking is also sensitive to the predictability of speech. Participants were repeatedly exposed to intelligible or unintelligible versions of the same audiobook segment while EEG was recorded. First, we fit encoding models to predict EEG responses from acoustic, sublexical, and lexical features of the presented s

To take back value: critique as protocol design

Andrea Leiter · Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences · NL

What can it mean to inherit the tradition of a critical international lawyer in a time when legal form is increasingly entangled with code, infrastructure and automation? This article explores these questions by tracing a shift from critique as judgment to critique as practice, as an engagement from within rather than from above. Drawing on the author’s work in developing the Decentralised Ecological Economics Protocol (DEEP) through the Sovereign Nature Initiative, it asks: what happens to crit

Trade-off between spread and width for tree decompositions

Carla Groenland · Delft University of Technology · NL

We study the trade-off between (average) spread and width in tree decompositions, answering several questions from Wood [arXiv:2509.01140]. The spread of a vertex $v$ in a tree decomposition is the number of bags that contain $v$. Wood asked for which $c>0$, there exists $c'$ such that each graph $G$ has a tree decomposition of width $c\cdot tw(G)$ in which each vertex $v$ has spread at most $c'(d(v)+1)$. We show that $c\geq 2$ is necessary and that $c>3$ is sufficient. Moreover, we answer a sec

Beyond Decarbonisation: Two Challenges for the Twin Energy Transition?

Rodrigo Vallejo · TIAS School for Business and Society · NL

Elisa Morgera’s 2026 Montesquieu Lecture reframes climate action as a human-rights project of defossilisation: a move beyond carbon-centred mitigation towards the protection of interconnected life-supporting systems and economies organised around care. This commentary develops the implications of that account for energy law and policy – a particularly sensitive field for Morgera’s overall ambition. It argues, first, that Morgera’s transformative programme depends on its legal re-formalisation wi

Dental topography and diet in marsupials and comparisons with primates

Dorien de Vries · University of Southern California · US

Dental topography is a powerful tool for investigating the relationship between diet and tooth shape in mammals. Here, we test whether dental topographic metrics (DTMs) can accurately predict diet in marsupials based on 81 lower molars from 43 extant species in 12 families (six of the seven extant orders), and compare them to DTMs of primates with similar diets. DTMs tested included Dirichlet normal energy (DNE) and variants (ariaDNE, convex DNE, and ariaDNE CV), orientation patch count rotated

The constitutional foundation of explanation rights in EU digital regulation: An integrated approach

Melanie Fink · Europdonor Foundation · NL

EU digital regulation increasingly requires organisations to explain automated decisions affecting individuals. Yet explanation rights across instruments such as the GDPR, DSA, and AI Act have developed without systematic attention to their shared constitutional foundations or their relationship to parallel rights. This creates fragmentation along two dimensions. The first arises where a single actor holds obligations under multiple instruments, leaving it unclear which requirements apply and ho

The topology of cyberspace and cybercrime journeys: a framework for analyzing online offender mobility

Asier Moneva · Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement · NL

Abstract Purpose This paper introduces a novel framework for analyzing online offender mobility. Methods Drawing on multidisciplinary insights, we extend two established criminological models for studying offline offending—the geometry of crime and crime journeys—by adapting their core concepts to cyberspace and developing a topology in which the cyber place is defined and becomes the unit of analysis. Just as offenders travel before, during, and after committing crime offline, we argue they als

Sortase A-Mediated Farnesylation of Cdc42 In Vitro

Liedewij Laan · Veroscience (United States) · US

High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Cdc42, a Rho-family GTPase, plays a pivotal role in establishing polarity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by accumulating on the membrane at the site of bud emergence. Cdc42’s ability to bind to membranes, mediated by prenylation, is essential for its function. Prenylation involves either the post-translational addition of a 15-carbon farnesyl group or a 20-carbon geranylgeranyl group to Cdc42’s C-terminus. One of the major challenges in studying th

Dynamic context–based updating of object representations in the visual cortex

Marius V Peelen · Radboud University Nijmegen · NL

Objects in real-world scenes are often poorly or partially visible, for example because they are occluded or appear in the periphery. An additional challenge of real-world vision is that it is dynamic, causing the appearance of objects (e.g., their size and orientation) to change as we move. Notably, however, these changes are predictable from the three-dimensional structure of the surrounding scene. In two functional magnetic resonance imaging studies, we find that the visual cortex dynamically

Polar questions in Dutch Sign Language (NGT): A production experiment

Marloes Oomen · University of Amsterdam · NL

Polar questions play a fundamental role in communication and have been investigated across a wide range of spoken languages, from which we know that polar question forms may vary considerably across varying contexts. Much less is known about polar question forms in different contexts in sign languages. This paper concentrates on one particular sign language, namely Dutch Sign Language (NGT). It investigates (i) which polar question forms exist in NGT, (ii) in which types of context these differe

Sleepless Longing: Bidirectional Associations Between Sleep Quality and Prolonged Grief in Daily Life After Traumatic Loss

L. I. M. Lenferink · University of Twente · NL

ABSTRACT Sleep disturbances are common in bereavement, especially among those with prolonged grief disorder (PGD). While cross‐sectional and longitudinal studies have linked PGD with poor sleep, the directionality and timing of these effects remain unclear. In the present study, we employed a 14‐day ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol to examine the day‐to‐day associations between sleep and grief in a sample of 46 traumatically bereaved adults ( M age = 56.0, 78% female, Med time sinc

The efficacy of antidepressant medication versus interpersonal psychotherapy for depression in middle-aged women: a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis

Sanne N.E. van Haaren · Pro Persona · NL

PURPOSE: Depression is highly prevalent in middle-aged women (MAW), but head-to-head comparisons of first-line interventions in this population are scarce. This systematic review and individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis examined the comparative efficacy of antidepressant medication (ADM) and interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) for MAW (aged 40-64) versus other adults (men and non-MAW) on depression, quality of life, and interpersonal problem measures. METHODS: PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase,

Biosynthesis of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) in glycoengineered human cells

Christian Büll · University of Copenhagen · DK

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are unconjugated and structurally diverse glycans synthesized in the lactating mammary gland through the stepwise action of glycosyltransferases that extend a free lactose core. Several HMOs are capped with sialic acids, including 3'-sialyllactose (3'-SL) and 6'-sialyllactose (6'-SL), that promote early-life microbiota development and contribute to immune system and neuronal functions. These health-promoting properties make sialylated HMOs attractive biomolecul

Terminal Conjugation Enables Nanopore Sequencing of Peptides

Cees Dekker · Delft University of Technology · NL

Nanopore sequencing of peptides holds great promise for single-molecule proteomics, but robust conjugation strategies to adapt native peptides for motor-enzyme-driven translocation have yet to be developed. Here, we establish terminally directed DNA-peptide conjugation chemistry strategies that expand the applicability of nanopore sequencing beyond synthetic model systems to natural peptides. At the N terminus, omniligase catalyzes rapid and peptide ligation of a DNA handle under mild conditions

ReSeT: a taxonomy-aware reference genome selection tool

Jasmijn A. Baaijens · Delft University of Technology · NL

Abstract Motivation Reference genome composition determines which taxa a profiling pipeline can detect and distinguish, and becomes of critical importance for high-resolution profiling where taxonomic boundaries begin to blur. Existing selection tools optimize within-taxon representativeness but disregard discrimination across taxa, leaving open whether explicitly accounting for inter-taxon discrimination during selection improves profiling. Results Here we present ReSeT, a facility-location-bas

Orchestrating scalability: how patents render cloud imaginaries in CAV innovation

Sam; id_orcid 0000-0001-8347-3695 Hind · University of Manchester · GB

This article explores how cloud computing enables and shapes the scaling of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs), positioning cloud infrastructure as a technology, strategy, and imaginary central to the scaling of AI. Using a dataset of 69,421 global patent families, we analyse how diverse actors – including automotive manufacturers, chipmakers, electronics companies, autonomous vehicle firms, and telecom/mapping providers – mobilise cloud technologies to expand AI capabilities, manage resou

Where have all the business women gone? Women and business in the 20th century

Selin Dilli · Utrecht University · NL

This Special Issue (SI) explores the development of female entrepreneurship throughout the twentieth century. The articles employ a mixed-methods approach to showcase various forms of female entrepreneurship, from self-employment and co-working in family businesses to innovators across underrepresented sectors, economic conditions, and institutional contexts in both Western and non-Western settings. The SI illustrates how qualitative and quantitative methods work together to provide new insights

Beyond the borders of wellbeing: network analyses reveal the fuzzy boundaries between wellbeing domains

Irene J. E. Teulings · University of Oslo · NO

Understanding what constitutes a good life is central to psychological research, yet wellbeing models remain contested with respect to their structure and borders. We employ a network approach to investigate how wellbeing dimensions interrelate and whether they form distinct or overlapping constructs. Using a large, population-based sample from the European Social Survey (N = 45,122; 29 countries), we identified strong links between a broad range of wellbeing indicators across different theoreti

In-situ laser ablation MC-ICP-MS of lead white in paintings

Paolo D’Imporzano · Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam · NL

Abstract This study develops and validates an in-situ LA-MC-ICP-MS method for lead isotope ratios (LIR) measurements of lead carbonate pigments at the micrometre scale. Two matrix-matched synthetic lead whites (PDLW1 and PDLW2) were produced from metallic lead, converted to carbonate, and characterised by solution MC-ICP-MS to define reference isotope compositions. These pigments were then used as calibrants and quality-control reference materials to assess LA performance, which yields accurate

Generative AI governance: from regulatory design to institutional reordering

Joanne Kuai · MIT University · MK

This special issue approaches generative AI governance as a multi-sited and contested process. Across diverse contexts, the contributions reveal governance as distributed across institutions, geographies, and infrastructures. By foregrounding labour, knowledge, and values as key sites of reordering, this special issue situates debates on generative AI within the institutional conditions through which systems are stabilised, contested, and normalised. Across the special issue, generative AI gover

Early evidence for a stable and flexible foraging niche in the evolution of <i>Homo</i>

Frances Forrest · Fairfield University · US

Major evolutionary transitions in Homo (e.g., increased brain size, complex social behavior) are linked to reliance on high-quality foods. Increased meat consumption likely contributed to this shift, but whether hominins practiced carcass acquisition and processing strategies consistently across time and environments remains unclear. The Koobi Fora Formation spans much of the Plio-Pleistocene and is central to reconstructing the ecology of early Homo . However, zooarchaeological research has foc

Hypergraphs and simplicial complexes in focus: a roadmap for future research in higher-order interactions

Aida Abiad · Eindhoven University of Technology · NL

Abstract Higher-order interactions are increasingly being recognized as fundamental to our understanding of complex systems, networks, and the development of the next generation of AI algorithms. However, modeling higher-order interactions requires us to go beyond graphs and networks, which can only encode pairwise interactions, and so demands a new theory. Hypergraphs and simplicial complexes (also called higher-order networks), which arise as natural mathematical representations of higher-orde

Causal language jumps and non-alignments between clinical practice guidelines and original studies: a systematic evaluation of diabetes guidelines and their cited evidence

Keling Wang · Erasmus MC · NL

OBJECTIVES: Clinical practice guidelines are designed to guide clinical practice and often make causal claims when making recommendations. Sometimes, guidelines make or require stronger causal claims than supplied in the original studies, a phenomenon we call 'causal language jump'. We aimed to evaluate the strength of expressed causation in guidelines and the evidence they reference to assess the pattern of jumps, taking diabetes as an illustrative example. DESIGN: This is a systematic evaluati

From night-to-night and from person-to-person: dynamic phenomena of insomnia

Mona M. Klau · University of Amsterdam · NL

Study Objectives: Sleep is complex and variable, yet insomnia research and treatment often rely on averages-either across nights or across individuals. Such approaches risk obscuring dynamic features that characterize insomnia as a disorder and its unique manifestation in individuals. In this study, we explore disorder-specific (group-level) and person-specific (individual-level) dynamic phenomena of insomnia among people with insomnia. Methods: We analyzed 8 weeks of sleep diary data from 61 pa

Maternal childhood maltreatment and children's psychopathology across childhood: Exploring the role of maternal early caregiving quality in a low-risk sample

Lisa Loheide-Niesmann · Radboud University Nijmegen · NL

BACKGROUND: Childhood maltreatment can have severe, long-lasting mental health consequences for survivors themselves and these effects can also be transmitted to the next generation: children of childhood maltreatment survivors are at a higher risk for various behavioural problems. However, the impact of maternal childhood maltreatment on developmental trajectories of child behaviour problems is not yet clear. OBJECTIVE: This longitudinal observational study examined associations between materna

The Low-mass Dwarf Host Galaxy of Nonrepeating FRB 20230708A

A. Müller · Maria Mitchell Association · US

Abstract We present Very Large Telescope/X-Shooter spectroscopy for the host galaxies of 12 fast radio bursts (FRBs) detected by the Australian SKA Pathfinder observed through the “Fast and Unbiased FRB Host Galaxy (FURBY)” Large Programme at the European Southern Observatory, which imposes strict selection criteria on the included FRBs and their host galaxies to produce a homogeneous and well-defined sample. We describe the data reduction and analysis of these spectra and report their redshifts

Multidimensional Recovery of Young Secondary Forests in Human‐Modified Tropical Landscapes

Tomonari Matsuo · Wageningen University & Research · NL

across 12 attributes is 54%; range: 18%-78%), indicating that succession is the result of a socio-ecological system. An additional 39% of the variation (range: 19%-70%) was explained by plots occuring within landscapes, which reflects variation in landscape context and local land use intensity. Countries had a stronger impact on succession than forest type, indicating that the social component is more important early in succession, whereas the ecological component may become more important later

<i>Salmonella</i> exploits USP32 to coordinate Rab14 and Rab11 recycling pathways for intracellular survival

Virginie Stévenin · Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · FR

SUMMARY Many intracellular bacterial pathogens establish membrane-bound niches derived from host material to survive and replicate within host cells. These compartments are carved through subversion of host intracellular trafficking pathways to modulate the composition of the vacuolar membrane. Although recycling-associated small Rab GTPases are frequently observed at infection sites, their role in membrane remodeling and cargo sorting has remained poorly understood. Here, we leverage the extens

PTA contrast enhancement and specimen preparation for micro-CT scanning of spiders and other small arthropods v1

F. Andres Rivera-Quiroz · Naturalis Biodiversity Center · NL

Over the past decade, Micro-CT scanning has gained traction as one of the foremost imaging methods for studying arthropod morphology and internal anatomy. This method combines versatility, high data output, and relatively little impact on specimens, making it ideal for studying freshly collected specimens as well as material from natural history collections. In addition to the capabilities of the scanners, the selection of a staining method has a major impact on the quality of the data produced.

Exchange-only spin-orbit qubits in silicon and germanium

Stefano Bosco · Kavli Energy NanoScience Institute · US

The strong spin-orbit interaction in silicon and germanium hole quantum dots enables all-electric microwave control of single spins but is unsuited for multispin exchange-only qubits that rely on scalable discrete signals to suppress crosstalk and heating effects in large quantum processors. Here, we propose an exchange-only spin-orbit qubit that utilizes spin-orbit interactions to implement qubit gates and keeps the beneficial properties of the original encoding. Our encoding is robust to signi

Tuning cholesteric cellulose nanocrystal self-assembly in spherical confinement via salt and sonication

Diogo Vieira Saraiva

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) self-assemble into cholesteric liquid crystals that produce structural color upon solvent removal. Although most studies examine this process in planar films, confinement within micron-sized water-in-oil droplets provides a powerful platform for resolving self-assembly dynamics in real time. Here, we investigate how two common pitch-tuning strategies, sodium chloride addition and tip sonication, govern the kinetics and structure of CNC self-assembly under spherical

Does heat tolerance vary with rates of oxygen production in photosymbiotic cnidarians?

Elise M. J. Laetz · University of Groningen · NL

Oxygen acquisition and delivery to tissues is believed to be a key factor in heat tolerance, but testing this link has been challenging owing to methodological limitations to separate processes related to oxygen acquisition and oxygen delivery. In this study, we altered tissue oxygenation by manipulating light intensity using cnidarians that host endosymbiotic algae as model species. We first verified that light intensity determines net photosynthetic rates, showing that all species produced oxy

Freshwater Conservation Priority Areas Are Threatened by Global Mining Activities

Mariana Braz Pires · Leiden University · NL

Mining poses significant and persistent threats to freshwater ecosystems, with impacts often enduring long after operations cease. Growing concerns suggest that the expansion of mining to meet global mineral demands for decarbonization may amplify these cumulative risks to freshwater biodiversity. However, the location and extent of potential conflict hotspots remain poorly understood, hampering our ability to meet international conservation targets. Here, we map areas of potential conflict betw

Tearing the Land From Underfoot: Environmental Racism at the Northern French Border

Maria Hagan · University of Amsterdam · NL

ABSTRACT Much attention has been devoted to the infliction of hostile environments on people on the move in political and discursive terms. However, less attention has been paid to the cultivation of physically hostile environments where they dwell. Building on critical border and environmental justice studies, this article examines how the natural environment is used and altered by state authorities at the northern French border to try and render it unliveable for people on the move. It highlig

Freshwater Conservation Priority Areas Are Threatened by Global Mining Activities

Mariana Braz Pires · Leiden University · NL

Mining poses significant and persistent threats to freshwater ecosystems, with impacts often enduring long after operations cease. Growing concerns suggest that the expansion of mining to meet global mineral demands for decarbonization may amplify these cumulative risks to freshwater biodiversity. However, the location and extent of potential conflict hotspots remain poorly understood, hampering our ability to meet international conservation targets. Here, we map areas of potential conflict betw

Experience sampling methods require more than numbers

Laura F. Bringmann · University of Groningen · NL

The experience sampling method (ESM) collects people's real-time reports about their feelings, actions, and surroundings. While this method originally included both numerical and open-ended responses, most studies today focus only on the numbers. We argue that ESM researchers should collect and analyze open-ended responses again, as they are crucial for understanding what the numbers really mean, and for capturing parts of experience that numbers alone cannot, such as context, the "why" behind r

Student engagement profiles in a mobile app: Links to self-regulated learning and performance

Jacqueline Wong · University of Applied Sciences Utrecht · NL

Abstract Engaging in independent learning during self-study time is an essential part of learning in higher education. The ubiquity of mobile devices and their applications offer students a flexible, on-the-go learning experience. However, flexible learning environments require students to self-regulate their learning. The current study examined student engagement with a mobile study app intended for students to engage in retrieval practice with feedback as part of self-regulated learning (SRL).

Carboxydotrophic Acetogenesis in Alkaline Conditions Results in Transient Formate Production by the Halo‐Alkaliphilic Acetogen <i>Haloacetibacter carboxydivorans</i> Gen. Nov. sp. Nov

Martijn Diender · University of the Arts Utrecht · NL

Carboxydotrophic acetogens are found widespread in the environment, yet the strains characterised to date are almost exclusively mild acidophiles or neutrophiles, often isolated from gut or freshwater systems. Here, we describe a novel carboxydotrophic halo-alkaliphilic, acetogenic bacterium, strain MD4, isolated from a CO-fed bioreactor operated under high salt and alkaline conditions. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that strain MD4 is the first representative of a novel genus, branching between

Host genetic control of the oral microbiome and its links to human metabolism and immunity

Xiaomin Liu · BGI Group (China) · CN

Trotter error and gate complexity of the SYK and sparse SYK models

Yiyuan Chen · University of Amsterdam · NL

The Sachdev–Ye–Kitaev (SYK) model is a prominent model of strongly interacting fermions that serves as a toy model of quantum gravity and black hole physics. In this work, we study the Trotter error and gate complexity of the quantum simulation of the SYK model using Lie–Trotter–Suzuki formulas. Building on recent results by Chen and Brandão \cite{Anthony} — in particular their uniform smoothing technique for random matrix polynomials — we derive bounds on the first- and higher-order Trotter err

Experience sampling methods require more than numbers

Laura F. Bringmann · University of Groningen · NL

The experience sampling method (ESM) collects people's real-time reports about their feelings, actions, and surroundings. While this method originally included both numerical and open-ended responses, most studies today focus only on the numbers. We argue that ESM researchers should collect and analyze open-ended responses again, as they are crucial for understanding what the numbers really mean, and for capturing parts of experience that numbers alone cannot, such as context, the "why" behind r

Contrasting effects of osmolytes on nitrifying biofilms under salinity stress

Sharada Navada · Norwegian University of Science and Technology · NO

Several industries produce high or variable salinity effluents. This can be challenging for the microorganisms involved in the biological water treatment of these effluents, especially the nitrifying microorganisms. Some microorganisms can adapt to a salinity increase through the uptake of certain molecules called osmolytes (or osmoprotectants) from the environment. This salinity acclimation strategy has been effective over a range of microorganisms. Thus, osmolyte addition could be a sustainabl

On a class of nonlinear BGK-type kinetic equations with density dependent collision rates

Josephine Evans

We consider a class of nonlinear, spatially inhomogeneous kinetic equations of BGK-type with density dependent collision rates. These equations share the same superlinearity as the Boltzmann equation, and fall into the class of run and tumble equations appearing in mathematical biology. We prove that the Cauchy problem is well-posed, and the solutions propagate Maxwellian bounds over time. Moreover, we show that the solutions approach to equilibrium with an exponential rate, known as a hypocoerc

State-selected preparation of molecular ions for precision measurements in radio-frequency traps

Daniel Y. Knapp · Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam · NL

The application of mass-analyzed threshold ionization (MATI) for the state-selective preparation of molecular ions is presented. Based on photoexcitation of long-lived high-$n$ Rydberg states, molecular ions are prepared in a single rovibronic level by pulsed-field ionization. We present a theoretical analysis and a recipe for obtaining an optimal energy ratio between such selected ions and molecular ions in unwanted rovibronic states, created by direct photoionization. It is shown that the seco

Music Ensemble: a large dataset on musicianship, cognition, and personality in musicians and nonmusicians

Francesca Talamini · Universität Innsbruck · AT

The Music Ensemble dataset is a large-scale, cross-national database that provides detailed information about the musical, cognitive, personality, and demographic profiles of young adult musicians and nonmusicians. Data were collected from 1438 participants (aged 18-30) across thirty-five research sites in Europe, North America, South America, and Australia. Participants completed an in-person, in-lab battery of objective tests, including measures of verbal, visuospatial and musical short-term m

Elevation uncertainties in the Mekong Delta quantified using a transferable approach

Katharina Seeger · University of Padua · IT

The elevation of coastal lowlands relative to local sea level is a crucial determinant for their exposure and is key input for coastal hazard and relative sea-level rise impact assessments. For many data-sparse coastal lowlands worldwide, global digital elevation models are often the only source of information. While these provide an adequate spatial (i.e. horizontal) resolution for regional, delta-wide coastal assessments, their vertical errors in the range of several metres impede investigatio

Beyond species means – the intraspecific contribution to global wood density variation

Fabian Jörg Fischer · Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · FR

Wood density is central for estimating vegetation carbon storage and a plant functional trait of great ecological and evolutionary importance. However, the global extent of wood density variation is unclear, especially at the intraspecific level. We assembled the most comprehensive wood density collection to date, including 109 626 records from 16 829 plant species across woody life forms and biomes (GWDD v.2, available here: doi: 10.5281/zenodo.16919509). Using the GWDD v.2, we explored the sou

Minimising the number of edges in LC-equivalent graph states

Hemant K. Sharma · Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica · NL

Graph states are a powerful class of entangled states with numerous applications in quantum communication and quantum computation. Local Clifford (LC) operations that map one graph state to another can alter the structure of the corresponding graphs, including changing the number of edges. Here, we tackle the associated edge-minimisation problem: finding graphs with the minimum number of edges in the LC-equivalence class of a given graph. Such graphs are called minimum edge representatives (MER)

Genetic underpinnings of chills from art and music

Giacomo Bignardi · Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics · NL

Art can evoke strong emotional responses in humans. Here, we examine genetic contributions to chills, a marker of such responses. We gather self-reports from a genotyped sample of thousands of partly related individuals from the Netherlands (n = 15,606). Using genomic relationships based on common single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data, we find that up to 29% of the variation in proneness to aesthetic (visual art and poetry) and music chills can be explained by familial relatedness effects, o

Error correction with brickwork Clifford circuits

Twan Kroll

We prove that random 1D Clifford brickwork circuits form (in expectation) good approximate quantum error correction codes in logarithmic depth. Our proof makes use of the statistical mechanics techniques for random circuits developed by Dalzell et al. [PRX Quantum 3, 010333], adapted extensively to our own purpose. We also consider exact error correction, where we give matching upper and lower bounds for the required depth in which random 1D Clifford brickwork circuits become error correcting.

Review article: Weddell Sea Polynya formation, cessation and climatic impacts

Lu Zhou · Utrecht University · NL

Abstract. Open-ocean polynyas, areas with little or no sea ice, reappeared extensively in 2016 and 2017 over the Maud Rise in the Weddell Sea after a 40-year hiatus, raising a series of unresolved questions about the atmosphere-ice-ocean interactions in the Antarctic region. These major polynyas significantly influence moisture and heat exchange between the atmosphere and the ocean, impacting both regional and global climate dynamics, as well as ecosystem functioning and biogeochemical processes

Beyond species means – the intraspecific contribution to global wood density variation

Fabian Jörg Fischer · Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · FR

Wood density is central for estimating vegetation carbon storage and a plant functional trait of great ecological and evolutionary importance. However, the global extent of wood density variation is unclear, especially at the intraspecific level. We assembled the most comprehensive wood density collection to date, including 109 626 records from 16 829 plant species across woody life forms and biomes (GWDD v.2, available here: doi: 10.5281/zenodo.16919509). Using the GWDD v.2, we explored the sou

Let's Split Up: Zero-Shot Classifier Edits for Fine-Grained Video Understanding

Kaiting Liu · Leiden University · NL

Video recognition models are typically trained on fixed taxonomies which are often too coarse, collapsing distinctions in object, manner or outcome under a single label. As tasks and definitions evolve, such models cannot accommodate emerging distinctions and collecting new annotations and retraining to accommodate such changes is costly. To address these challenges, we introduce category splitting, a new task where an existing classifier is edited to refine a coarse category into finer subcateg

Are some therapists more effective when they deliver one type of therapy versus another?

A.E. Coyne

Adding nuance to the between-therapist effect on patient outcomes, research has increasingly demonstrated that a given therapist can differ in their effectiveness depending on who they treat (e.g., patients with different racial/ethnic identities) and/or what they treat (e.g., patients with different presenting problems). This preregistered study examined whether individual therapists are also more or less effective depending on how they treat their patients; that is, delivering one type of ther

Science to be proud of – A Global Policy Roadmap for Sustainable Science

Thomas Freese · University of Groningen · NL

The current research model, built for expansion and competition, too often rewards throughput over thoughtfulness. Laboratories discard functional equipment for minor upgrades, researchers fly halfway across the globe to deliver short talks, and procurement systems prioritize short-term costs over lasting value. These practices waste resources, but more critically, they erode the integrity and reproducibility of science itself. A sustainable research enterprise is not a limitation; it is the onl

Genetic underpinnings of chills from art and music

Giacomo Bignardi · Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics · NL

Art can evoke strong emotional responses in humans. Here, we examine genetic contributions to chills, a marker of such responses. We gather self-reports from a genotyped sample of thousands of partly related individuals from the Netherlands (n = 15,606). Using genomic relationships based on common single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data, we find that up to 29% of the variation in proneness to aesthetic (visual art and poetry) and music chills can be explained by familial relatedness effects, o

Potential for Manganese Oxide Driven Anaerobic Methane Oxidation in Sediments of a Seasonally Euxinic Coastal Basin

Robin Klomp · Radboud University Nijmegen · NL

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12237-026-01685-7.

Temporal dynamics of cognitive functioning in people with Parkinson’s disease

Daniel Scharfenberg · University Hospital Cologne · DE

Cognitive domains are central to diagnosing cognitive impairment in people with Parkinson's disease (PwPD), yet are defined by expert consensus and cross-sectional data that assume temporal stability. This study examined whether cognitive domains remain stable or reorganize dynamically over time in PwPD. Using dynamic exploratory graph analysis, we analyzed 19 cognitive test scores from 355 PwPD across four yearly assessments (24,372 data points) from the DEMPARK/LANDSCAPE-study to identify dyna

Discovery of a secreted <i>Bacteroides fragilis</i> mucinase that cleaves mucins with bis-T O-glycans through a carbohydrate binding module-dependent mechanism

Yoshiki Narimatsu · University of Copenhagen · DK

Degradation of mucins at the host-microbial mucus interphase involves glycosidases that release monosaccharides from O-glycans and mucinases that cleave the mucin protein backbone. Mucinases recognize and cleave peptide bonds at specific sequence motifs with varying O-glycan structures required and/or permissible. Mucinases that digest mucins with intact O-glycans can potentially destroy the protective mucus, while mucinases that only digest mucins with partially degraded O-glycans may serve at

A connectivity threshold between grass patches amplifies coastal dune formation

Paul M. J. Berghuis · Utrecht University · NL

Biogeomorphic systems, key providers of ecosystem services, emerge from self-reinforcing feedbacks between landscape-building biota and geomorphic processes. Typically, these feedbacks are considered to operate at an individual patch scale, yet it remains unclear how interactions between patches shape landscapes at larger scales. Here we show how dune-building grasses form functional clusters of interacting patches that strongly amplify engineering capacity. By analyzing a decade of morphologica

The assembly and fate of a giant disc galaxy in a protocluster at $z = 3$

Francesca Rizzo

Recent JWST observations revealed two massive ($M_{\star} \gtrsim 10^{11}\,M_{\odot}$), unexpectedly large spiral galaxies at $z \sim 3$, both in overdense environments. We focus on one of these, ADF22.1 at $z = 3.09$, which hosts an active galactic nucleus (AGN), exploiting its extended [CII] emission ($\sim$30 kpc in diameter) with high-resolution observations from the Atacama Large Millimetre Array and JWST. We find a flat outer rotation curve reaching $\sim$530 km s$^{-1}$, and perform, for

Radio Monitoring Campaign of Active Repeater FRB 20220912A with CHIME

Thomas C. Abbott

FRB 20220912A is a highly active repeating fast radio burst (FRB) source, discovered by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) using its real-time FRB detection system (CHIME/FRB). Here, we present results from a radio monitoring campaign of FRB 20220912A using CHIME, including ~200 hours of data collected by CHIME/Pulsar, spanning 1.5 years following the source's discovery. We present an analysis of a sample of 828 CHIME-detected bursts from FRB 20220912A, in the 400-800 MHz

The impact of educational videos on children’s plastic consumption: a field study on attitudes, intentions, and behavior in a science museum setting

Tessa F. Blanken · Hologic (Germany) · DE

An experimental field study among 8- to 16-year-old children tested the effectiveness of short educational videos on attitudes, intentions, and behavior regarding plastic consumption. Participants (N = 418) viewed a control, an information-only, or an information + efficacy appeal video while playing a game at a science museum. Children in the information-only condition reported higher concern, whereas children in the information + efficacy appeal condition reported stronger participatory effica

The assembly and fate of a giant disc galaxy in a protocluster at $z = 3$

Francesca Rizzo

Recent JWST observations revealed two massive ($M_{\star} \gtrsim 10^{11}\,M_{\odot}$), unexpectedly large spiral galaxies at $z \sim 3$, both in overdense environments. We focus on one of these, ADF22.1 at $z = 3.09$, which hosts an active galactic nucleus (AGN), exploiting its extended [CII] emission ($\sim$30 kpc in diameter) with high-resolution observations from the Atacama Large Millimetre Array and JWST. We find a flat outer rotation curve reaching $\sim$530 km s$^{-1}$, and perform, for

Radio Monitoring Campaign of Active Repeater FRB 20220912A with CHIME

Thomas C. Abbott

FRB 20220912A is a highly active repeating fast radio burst (FRB) source, discovered by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) using its real-time FRB detection system (CHIME/FRB). Here, we present results from a radio monitoring campaign of FRB 20220912A using CHIME, including ~200 hours of data collected by CHIME/Pulsar, spanning 1.5 years following the source's discovery. We present an analysis of a sample of 828 CHIME-detected bursts from FRB 20220912A, in the 400-800 MHz

Invited Perspectives: Science for Comprehensive Disaster and Climate Risk Management

Philip J. Ward · Deltares · NL

Abstract. In this paper, we explore five core challenges that need to be addressed in order to move towards the Comprehensive Disaster and Climate Risk Management approach, which has been proposed within the newly emerging paradigm of a more holistic approach to managing the risks associated with climatic and/or non-climatic hazards and non-climatic risk drivers across varied time scales and levels. These five challenges relate to the following points. First, we have a lack of comprehensive and

Sustaining Knowledge Infrastructures: Asking Questions and Listening for Answers

Kathleen Gregory · African Studies Centre · NL

Sustaining knowledge infrastructures (KIs) remains a persistent issue that requires continued engagement from diverse stakeholders as new questions and values arise in relation to KI maintenance. We draw on existing academic literature, practical experience with KI projects, and our discussions at a 2024 workshop for researchers and practitioners exploring KI evaluation to pose five questions for KI project managers to consider when thinking about how to make their KIs evolve sustainably over ti

Investigating phloem transport dynamics in Arabidopsis through compartmental modelling of positron emission tomography data

Kathy Steppe · Ghent University · BE

Here, we demonstrate the synergistic application of high-resolution PET scanning and compartmental modelling as a promising approach to advance our understanding of phloem dynamics in small-dimension plants, such as the model plant Arabidopsis. With this, an opportunity is created to explore the genetic basis of phloem dynamics.

Hot blue progenitors of stellar-mass black holes

Avishai Gilkis

While the connection between massive stars and supernova explosions is well established observationally, the link between massive stars and black hole formation remains elusive. Some massive stars may collapse directly to black holes without a successful supernova, and may therefore appear as disappearing stars. We investigate the expected photometric properties of such black hole progenitors by combining detailed single and binary stellar evolution models with physically motivated prescriptions

Reduced levels of mitochondrial ribosomal protein MRPL54 does not alter Apc related adenoma formation

Claudia N. Spaan · Cancer Center Amsterdam · NL

Reprogramming of energy metabolism is one of the hallmarks of cancer cells and mutations that modify wild type intestinal cells to colon carcinomas increases cellular energy expenditure. Mitochondria are the main site for ATP production in (cancer) cells and disrupting their function results in impaired tumor forming efficacy. The mitochondrial ribosomal proteins (MRPs) constitute the ribosome specifically in mitochondria, and as such are crucial for the translation process of the electron trans

Reduced levels of mitochondrial ribosomal protein MRPL54 does not alter Apc related adenoma formation

Claudia N. Spaan · Cancer Center Amsterdam · NL

Reprogramming of energy metabolism is one of the hallmarks of cancer cells and mutations that modify wild type intestinal cells to colon carcinomas increases cellular energy expenditure. Mitochondria are the main site for ATP production in (cancer) cells and disrupting their function results in impaired tumor forming efficacy. The mitochondrial ribosomal proteins (MRPs) constitute the ribosome specifically in mitochondria, and as such are crucial for the translation process of the electron trans

Eccentricity constraints disfavor single-single capture in nuclear star clusters as the origin of all LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA binary black holes

Nihar Gupte

Multiple formation pathways have been proposed for the origin of binary black holes (BBHs). These include isolated binary evolution and dynamical assembly in dense stellar environments such as nuclear or globular star clusters. Yet, the fraction of BBHs originating from each channel still remains uncertain. One way to constrain this fraction is by investigating the distribution of the orbital eccentricities of the BH coalescences detected by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) Collaboration. In this work

qsGW quasiparticle and GW-BSE excitation energies of 133,885 molecules

Lucas Visscher · Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam · NL

Machine learning applications in the chemical sciences, especially when based on neural networks, critically depend on the availability of large quantities of high-quality data. As they provide excellent accuracy for both charged and neutral excitations, a large dataset containing quasiparticle self-consistent GW (qsGW) and Bethe-Salpeter equation (BSE) data would be highly desirable to model excited state energies and properties. In this work, we introduce a dataset for qsGW-BSE excitation ener

The Fiat—Shamir Transformation of $$(\varGamma _1,\dots ,\varGamma _\mu )$$-Special-Sound Interactive Proofs

Serge Fehr · Leiden University · NL

Abstract The Fiat–Shamir transformation is a general principle to turn any public-coin interactive proof into non-interactive one (with security then typically analyzed in the random oracle model). While initially used for 3-round protocols, many recent constructions use it for multi-round protocols. However, in general the soundness error of the Fiat–Shamir transformed protocol degrades exponentially in the number of rounds. On the positive side, it was shown that for the special class of $$(k_

A 3-Fluoropyridine-Substituted Grubbs III Catalyst as a 19F NMR Probe for Chain Chelation in ROMP

Björn Grabbet · Utrecht University · NL

Propagation rates in ruthenium-catalyzed ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) can be attenuated by transient back-coordination of the growing chain to the metal center. Direct spectroscopic observation of such chelation under catalytically relevant conditions remains challenging, owing to the fast exchange dynamics of propagating intermediates and spectral overlap in conventional 1H NMR. Here, we report a Grubbs catalyst 3rd generation (GIII) in which the ancillary pyridine is substitut

ALESS--JWST: Dust-driven Morphologies and Hidden Stellar Mass in $z\sim3$ Sub-millimeter Galaxies

J. Li

We present JWST/NIRCam and MIRI observations of twelve $z\sim3$ sub-millimeter galaxies (SMGs) from the ALESS survey, combined with high-resolution ($0.08''-0.16''$) ALMA 870$μ$m imaging, enabling spatially resolved SED fitting on $\sim$kpc scales. We find a resolved star-forming main sequence linking surface densities of star formation rate and stellar mass, suggesting star formation remains tightly coupled to local mass distribution even in obscured systems. Our resolved SED analysis reveals a

Why we need to explore conflict and competition around solar geoengineering

Ina Möller

In an increasingly aggressive international political environment, solar geoengineering needs to be reconceptualized – not only as a response to climate change, but as an instrument of power. This conceptualization means going beyond focusing on cooperative scenarios in which the technology is used to effectively reduce temperature rise while minimizing potential side effects. As scholars of international relations, we see a need for more interdisciplinary engagement with solar geoengineering sc

Sector length distributions of recursively definable graph states through analytic combinatorics

Eloïc Vallée

The sector length distribution or Shor-Laflamme distribution (SLD) of quantum states is governed by the $k$-body correlations amongst the different systems, and has been used to study entanglement and error correction. A succinct description of a quantum state's SLD can be obtained by representing it through the coefficients of an appropriate weight enumerator polynomial, yielding bounds on fidelity under depolarizing noise and on multipartite entanglement. However, such expressions quickly grow

The assembly and fate of a giant disc galaxy in a protocluster at $z = 3$

Francesca Rizzo

Recent JWST observations revealed two massive ($M_{\star} \gtrsim 10^{11}\,M_{\odot}$), unexpectedly large spiral galaxies at $z \sim 3$, both in overdense environments. We focus on one of these, ADF22.1 at $z = 3.09$, which hosts an active galactic nucleus (AGN), exploiting its extended [CII] emission ($\sim$30 kpc in diameter) with high-resolution observations from the Atacama Large Millimetre Array and JWST. We find a flat outer rotation curve reaching $\sim$530 km s$^{-1}$, and perform, for

Scalarful double beta decay

Dominik Starý · Charles University · CZ

A bstract We revisit scalar emissions in double beta decays of nuclei, often discussed in the context of Majoron models, in light of the latest developments on the study of neutrinoless double beta decay amplitudes from an effective field theory approach. The sensitivity of double beta decay experiments to this process is assessed through an analysis of spectral shapes, and the study is extended to massive scalars, scalars coupling to sterile neutrinos, and exotic right-handed effective coupling

Snip  &amp; Stitch: a simple and accessible correction for the pupil foreshortening error

Christoph Strauch · Utrecht University · NL

Modern eye trackers allow easy measurement of pupil size, a powerful physiological marker of cognitive processing. A major hindrance to using pupillometry is the so-called pupil foreshortening error (PFE). The PFE is the apparent change in pupil size that results from a change in the angle of the eye relative to the camera, despite the pupil remaining constant in reality. To prevent this, experimenters often rely on fixed gaze, limiting design flexibility. Existing correction methods necessitate

Abelian varieties over finite fields and their groups of rational points

Caleb Springer · Heilbronn Institute for Mathematical Research · GB

Over a finite field ‫ކ‬ q , abelian varieties with commutative endomorphism rings can be described by using modules over orders in étale algebras.By exploiting this connection, we produce four theorems regarding groups of rational points and self-duality, along with explicit examples.First, when End(A) is locally Gorenstein, we show that the group structure of A(‫ކ‬ q ) is determined by End(A).In fact, the same conclusion is attained if End(A) has local Cohen-Macaulay type at most 2, under the a

The Role of Neologisms in the Climate Change Debate: Can New Words Help to Speed Up Social Change?

Greta Zella · University of Groningen · NL

ABSTRACT New expressions—or neologisms—continue to emerge in the discourse around climate issues (e.g., “flight shame”). Does the emergence of neologisms merely reflect shifts in sustainable attitudes, or can new expressions also speed up/frustrate social change? Building on literature grounded in linguistics and environmental psychology, we conclude that neologisms may have an important, yet underrated and not sufficiently investigated potential to influence the speed of social change. In this

When is a polarised abelian variety determined by its 𝑝-divisible group?

Chia‐Fu Yu · National Center for Theoretical Sciences · TW

We study the Siegel modular variety A g ⊗ F ¯ p \mathscr {A}_g\otimes \overline {\mathbb {F}}_p of genus g g and its supersingular locus S g \mathscr {S}_g . As our main result we determine precisely when S g \mathscr {S}_g is irreducible, and we list all x x in A g ⊗ F ¯ p \mathscr {A}_g\otimes \overline {\mathbb {F}}_p for which the corresponding central leaf C ( x ) \mathscr {C}(x) consists of one point, that is, for which x x corresponds to a polarised abelian variety which is uniquely deter

Enriching stabilizing mutations through automated analysis of molecular dynamics simulations using BoostMut

Maximilian J. L. J. Fürst · University of Groningen · NL

Abstract Thermostability is a critical goal in protein engineering for applications of biocatalysts and biomedicines. Despite striking advances in biomolecular predictive modeling, reliably identifying stabilizing mutations remains challenging. Previously, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and visual inspection have been used as secondary filter to improve the success rate of mutations pre-selected by thermostability algorithms. However, this approach suffers from low throughput and subjectivi

Emerging trade-offs in saltmarsh ecosystem services under sea-level rise

Victoria G. Mason · Utrecht University · NL

Coastal defence and carbon storage by coastal wetlands provide an increasingly recognised means of adaptation and mitigation in the face of climate change, yet these same services are threatened by the impacts against which they protect. Our understanding to date tends to consider impacts of rising sea levels on individual marsh services but fails to consider trade-offs and potential interactions between them. For instance, sea-level rise has the potential to enhance carbon storage but may decre

The Autonomous Data Language – Concepts, design and formal verification

Jan Friso Groote

Nowadays, the main advances in computational power are due to parallelism. However, most parallel languages have been designed with a focus on processors and threads. This makes dealing with data and memory in programs hard, which distances the implementation from its original algorithm. We propose a new paradigm for parallel programming, the data-autonomous paradigm, where computation is performed by autonomous data elements. Programs in this paradigm are focused on making the data collaborate

High-resolution genome assembly and linkage mapping in Meloidogyne hapla reveal non-canonical telomere repeats and recombination hotspots associated with effector proteins

Mark G. Sterken · Wageningen University & Research · NL

Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are among the most destructive agricultural pests that cause significant yield losses across a wide range of crops. Meloidogyne hapla is a valuable model for studying root-knot nematodes due to its parasitic diversity, small diploid genome, and a reproductive strategy that facilitates genetic analysis. Here, we report the most contiguous genome assembly to date for any plant-parasitic nematode built using PacBio HiFi, Oxford Nanopore, Illumina, and Hi-C seq

CONSEQUENCES 2025 - The 4th Workshop on Causality, Counterfactuals and Sequential Decision-Making for Recommender Systems

Thorsten Joachims · Cornell University · US

Recommender systems are inherently decision-making systems, taking actions that have consequences for the world around them.Some consequences might be desirable (for example, growing the user base for an online platform), others might be unintended (for example, amplifying inequality among item providers).In order to reason about these consequences, we need to resort to methods from the literature on causal inference.Whilst this research area has seen a growing interest in recent years, there is

Post-Polymerization Modification of Polyethylene through Photochemical Oximation and Consecutive Ketonization

Pieter C. A. Bruijnincx · Utrecht University · NL

High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Post-polymerization modification of polyolefins provides access to functional polymers not readily available through bottom-up synthesis, thereby expanding the range of material properties available. Here, we demonstrate the clean and efficient functionalization of polyethylene through the solvent- and catalyst-free photochemical oximation, using t -butyl nitrite as an inexpensive and easy to handle NO radical source. Using various grades of pol

The Calprotectin Fragment, CPa9-HNE, Is a Plasma Biomarker of Mild Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Simon D. Pouwels · University Medical Center Groningen · NL

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic inflammatory disease predominantly of the small airways and parenchyma. COPD lungs exhibit an influx of circulating innate immune cells, which, when isolated, display impaired functions, including imbalanced protease secretion. In addition to immune cells, the extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a crucial role in COPD pathology. Remodeling of the ECM can generate ECM fragments, which can be released into circulation and subsequently induce p

Joint Population Coding and Temporal Coherence Link an Attended Talker’s Voice and Location Features in Naturalistic Multi-talker Scenes

Nima Mesgarani · Brain (Germany) · DE

Listeners effortlessly extract multi-dimensional auditory objects, such as a localized talker, from complex acoustic scenes. However, the neural mechanisms that enable simultaneous encoding and linking of distinct sound features-such as a talker's voice and location-are not fully understood. Using invasive intracranial recordings in seven neurosurgical patients (four male, three female), we investigated how the human auditory cortex processes and integrates these features during naturalistic mul

<i>Bombus terrestris</i> Complementary Sex Determiner (BtCSD) is identified as a conserved hymenopteran sex determination region: evolution, breeding, and conservation implications

Joost van den Heuvel · Wageningen University & Research · NL

Abstract All Hymenoptera (bees, sawflies, ants, wasps) are haplodiploid. Haploid males develop from unfertilized eggs and diploid females from fertilized eggs. Many species also have single locus complementary sex determination (sl-CSD): hemizygosity of a CSD gene results in normal males and heterozygosity in normal females, but homozygosity typically yields sterile diploid males. Populations that lose CSD allelic diversity to critical level, increasingly produce detrimental diploid males. Emble

The phylotranscriptomic profile of angiosperm seed development follows a reverse hourglass pattern

Mariana A S Artur · Graduate School Experimental Plant Sciences · NL

The angiosperm seed life cycle encompasses three broad phases-embryogenesis, maturation, and germination. Seed maturation is particularly critical, bridging embryo development and germination while enabling accumulation of nutrient reserves and acquisition of traits like desiccation tolerance, essential for survival in diverse environments. While embryogenesis and germination in Arabidopsis thaliana are known to follow an hourglass-like phylotranscriptomic pattern (with higher gene expression co

Transcriptional repression of central spindle factors controls endomitosis in the <i>C. elegans</i> intestine

Matilde Galli · Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences · NL

SUMMARY During development, many cell types transition from canonical to non-canonical cell cycles, such as endomitosis and endoreplication, in which they duplicate their DNA but do not divide, giving rise to polyploidy. Little is known on the regulation of endomitosis, where cells enter M phase, but do not perform cytokinesis. Here, we investigate how cells initiate and execute endomitosis in the C. elegans intestine and find that endomitotic cells fail to assemble a central spindle or initiate

Efficacy and moderators of cognitive behavioural therapy versus interpersonal psychotherapy for adult depression: study protocol of a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis

Ioana A. Cristea · University of Padua · IT

INTRODUCTION: Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) are both efficacious treatments for depression, but it is less clear how both compare on outcome domains other than depression and in the longer term. Moreover, it is unclear which of these two psychotherapies works better for whom. This article describes the protocol for a systematic review and individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis that aims to compare the efficacy of CBT and IPT for adults with de

Spring Fever in The Netherlands: Framing Child Sexuality in Sex Education and Its Controversies

Willemijn Krebbekx · University of Amsterdam · NL

In spring 2023, controversy arose over Spring Fever, an annual campaign to promote sexual and relationship education in primary schools in The Netherlands. This led to parliamentary questions and even death threats against employees of Rutgers, The Netherlands Center on Sexuality, which developed the program. This article examines how child sexuality was framed both in the Spring Fever project and in the resulting controversy. The analysis is based on newspaper articles from March to June 2023.

Surinamese Maroon and Indigenous Knowledge in the Creation of Natural and Ethnographic Collections Housed in The Netherlands

Caroline Fernandes Caromano · Leiden University · NL

Abstract At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Royal Dutch Geographical Society commissioned three expeditions to Suriname with the aim of mapping the territory and promoting the collection of minerals, plants, and animals there. These were the Gonini (1903), the Tapanahoni (1904), and the Toemoekhoemak expeditions (1907). Through the analysis of official reports, diaries penned by expedition members, correspondence, photographs, and the ethnographic, botanical, geological, and zoologic

Prolonged grief symptoms and lingering attachment predict approach behavior toward the deceased

Maarten C. Eisma · University of Groningen · NL

Following the death of a loved one, both approach behaviors related to the deceased (i.e., engagement with feelings, memories, and/or reminders of the deceased) and the avoidance of reminders of the death are theorized to precipitate severe and persistent grief reactions, termed prolonged grief. The "approach-avoidance processing hypothesis" holds that these behavioral tendencies occur simultaneously in prolonged grief disorder (PGD). We tested this hypothesis using a novel free-viewing attentio

Roadmap on quantum magnetic materials

David Soriano · University of Alicante · ES

Abstract Fundamental research on two-dimensional (2D) magnetic systems based on van der Waals materials has been rapidly gaining traction since their recent discovery. With the increase of recent knowledge, it has become clear that such materials have also a strong potential for applications in devices that combine magnetism with electronics, optics, and nanomechanics. Nonetheless, many challenges still lay ahead. Several fundamental aspects of 2D magnetic materials are still unknown or poorly u

Phasebook: A Survey of Selected Open Problems in Phase Retrieval

Matthias Wellershoff

Phase retrieval is an inverse problem that, on one hand, is crucial in many applications across imaging and physics, and, on the other hand, leads to deep research questions in theoretical signal processing and applied harmonic analysis. This survey paper is an outcome of the recent workshop Phase Retrieval in Mathematics and Applications (PRiMA) (held on August 5--9 2024 at the Lorentz Center in Leiden, The Netherlands) that brought together experts working on theoretical and practical aspects

Reading the end of Fled Bricrenn:

Gregory Heyworth · University of Rochester · US

This contribution discusses the multi-spectral investigation of the previously illegible final page of Leiden, Universiteitsbibliotheek MS VLQ 7. The technical specifications of the images and the post-processing of the images are described in detail, to ensure replicable and open science. Furthermore, a transcription and translation of the previously illegible final folio (f. 9v), containing the famous Cennach ind Rúanado episode, is presented. This transcription is compared to the only other v

Understanding stoichiometric adjustments in a freshwater plant: Responses to sediment and water nutrient dynamics across lake trophic gradients

Michał Rybak · Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań · PL

Abstract Despite ongoing efforts to reduce nutrient inputs, eutrophication continues to disrupt biogeochemical cycles and destabilize freshwater food webs. In this study, we examine the stoichiometric responses of the freshwater plant Myriophyllum spicatum under varied environmental conditions across lakes of differing trophic status. Specimens were collected from lakes with a wide natural range of macro‐ (C, N, P) and micronutrient (Fe, Cu, Zn) concentration in both water and sediments. We appl

Posttraining noradrenergic stimulation maintains hippocampal engram reactivation and episodic-like specificity of remote memory

Kübra Gülmez Karaca · Radboud University Nijmegen · NL

Recent findings indicate that noradrenergic arousal maintains long-term episodic-like specificity of memory. However, the neural mechanism of how norepinephrine can alter the temporal dynamics of systems consolidation to maintain hippocampus dependency of remote memory is currently unknown. Memories are stored within ensembles of neurons that become activated during learning and display strengthened mutual plasticity and connectivity. This strengthened connectivity is believed to guide the coord

Optimal Zero‐Free Regions for the Independence Polynomial of Bounded Degree Hypergraphs

Pjotr Buys · University of Amsterdam · NL

ABSTRACT In this paper, we investigate the distribution of zeros of the independence polynomial of hypergraphs of maximum degree . For graphs, the largest zero‐free disk around zero was described by Shearer as having radius . Recently, it was shown by Galvin et al. that for hypergraphs the disk of radius is zero‐free; however, it was conjectured that the actual truth should be . We show that this is indeed the case. We also show that there exists an open region around the interval that is zero‐f

Kilometric sea level changes during the Messinian salinity crisis caused by river erosion and climate

Daniel García‐Castellanos · Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas · ES

The Messinian salinity crisis (MSC) was a short period of isolation of the Mediterranean Sea that caused the precipitation of a million cubic kilometers of salt. The puzzling sedimentary record that formed after this deposition yields conflicting values of the extent of desiccation. Estimations range from a full exposure of most of the Mediterranean seafloor based on shallow fossil fauna found in the abyss to a nearly full Mediterranean scenario as suggested by similar, fresher-water deposits ub

Rethinking the Political with Other Animals. Eva Meijer in Conversation with Dariusz Gzyra and Patryk Szaj

Eva Meijer

The interview with Eva Meijer that Dariusz Gzyra and Patryk Szaj conducted considers the political aspects of relationships between humans and non-human animals. It aims at reconsidering “the political” along with other animals (in contrast to speaking simply “about” animal politics.) In the course of the interview, the following issues are raised: the political turn in animal studies, the progressive development of animal studies over the years, non-human languages and their role in political p

CAKE requires programming - On the provable post-quantum security of (O)CAKE

Silvia Ritsch

In this work we revisit the post-quantum security of KEM-based password-authenticated key exchange (PAKE), specifically that of (O)CAKE. So far, these schemes evaded a security proof considering quantum adversaries. We give a detailed analysis of why this is the case, determining the missing proof techniques. To this end, we first provide a proof of security in the post-quantum setting, up to a single gap. This proof already turns out to be technically involved, requiring advanced techniques to

Finite-temperature bubble nucleation with shifting scale hierarchies

Maciej Kierkla · University of Warsaw · PL

A bstract Focusing on supercooled phase transitions in models with classical scale symmetry, we formulate a state-of-the art framework for computing the bubble nucleation rate, accounting for the presence of varying energy scales. In particular, we examine the limitations of derivative expansions in constructing a thermal effective field theory for bubble nucleation. We show that for gauge-field fluctuations, derivative expansions diverge after the two leading orders due to the strong variation

Influenza A virus subverts the LC3-pericentrin dynein adaptor complex for host cytoplasm entry

Fulvio Reggiori · University Medical Center Groningen · NL

Influenza A virus (IAV) enters host cells via endocytosis, and fusion of the viral particles (VPs) at endosomes releases the viral ribonucleoproteins (vRNPs) into the cytoplasm. This uncoating step that is vital for IAV infection remains to be fully understood. The aggresome processing machinery (APM) plays a relevant but not essential role in this. Here, we reveal a mechanism in which light chain 3 proteins (LC3s) and pericentrin (PCNT) form an adaptor complex that is required for vRNPs binding

Non-polio enteroviruses compromise the electrophysiology of a human iPSC-derived neural network

Lisa Bauer · Erasmus MC · NL

The non-polio enteroviruses enterovirus-D68 (EV-D68) and enterovirus-A71 (EV-A71) are highly prevalent and considered pathogens of increasing health concern. While most enterovirus infections are mild and self-limiting, severe complications ranging from meningitis, encephalitis, to acute flaccid paralysis can occur, especially in children and immunocompromised patients. Despite the global burden of neurological complications caused by EV-D68 and EV-A71, the underlying neuropathogenesis remains p

Ordinal pattern-based change point detection

Giorgio Micali · University of Twente · NL

The ordinal patterns of a fixed number of consecutive values in a time series are the spatial ordering of these values. Counting how often a specific ordinal pattern occurs in a time series provides important insights into the properties of the time series. In this work, we prove the asymptotic normality of the relative frequency of ordinal patterns for time series with linear increments. Moreover, we apply ordinal patterns to detect changes in the distribution of a time series.

Meaningful informed consent? How participants experience and understand data donation

Tim Groot Kormelink · Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam · NL

Data donation makes it possible to invite participants to request and share their data from digital platforms for research purposes. While it is a user-centric approach to digital trace data collection, little is known about how participants experience and understand the data donation process. This study therefore asked twenty participants to verbalize their thoughts and actions as they went through data donation (from Google, YouTube, Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn), and interviewed t

StacKAT: Infinite State Network Verification

Jana Wagemaker · Radboud University Nijmegen · NL

We develop StacKAT, a network verification language featuring loops, finite state variables, nondeterminism, and---most importantly---access to a stack with accompanying push and pop operations. By viewing the variables and stack as the (parsed) headers and (to-be-parsed) contents of a network packet, StacKAT can express a wide range of network behaviors including parsing, source routing, and telemetry. These behaviors are difficult or impossible to model using existing languages like NetKAT. We

A Tactile Feedback Approach to Path Recovery After High-Speed Impacts for Collision-Resilient Drones

Anton Bredenbeck · Delft University of Technology · NL

Aerial robots are a well-established solution for exploration, monitoring, and inspection, thanks to their superior maneuverability and agility. However, in many environments, they risk crashing and sustaining damage after collisions. Traditional methods focus on avoiding obstacles entirely, but these approaches can be limiting, particularly in cluttered spaces or on weight- and computationally constrained platforms such as drones. This paper presents a novel approach to enhance drone robustness

Probing the Sources of Ultra-High-Energy Cosmic Rays—Constraints from Cosmic-Ray Measurements

Teresa Bister · Radboud University Nijmegen · NL

Ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) are the most energetic particles known—and yet their origin is still an open question. However, with the precision and accumulated statistics of the Pierre Auger Observatory and the Telescope Array, in combination with advancements in theory and modeling—e.g., of the Galactic magnetic field—it is now possible to set solid constraints on the sources of UHECRs. The spectrum and composition measurements above the ankle can be well described by a population of

Optimal compilation of parametrised quantum circuits

Aleks Kissinger · University of Oxford · GB

Parametrised quantum circuits contain phase gates whose phase is determined by a classical algorithm prior to running the circuit on a quantum device. Such circuits are used in variational algorithms like QAOA and VQE. In order for these algorithms to be as efficient as possible it is important that we use the fewest number of parameters. We show that, while the general problem of minimising the number of parameters is NP-hard, when we restrict to circuits that are Clifford apart from parametris

Strong pseudorandom functions in AC0[2] in the bounded-query setting

M. (Marshall) Ball

Understanding the minimal computational power needed to realize a pseudorandom function (PRF) is a long-standing question in cryptography. By the Razborov–Smolensky polynomial approximation method, it is known that $AC^0[2]$ cannot support strong pseudorandom functions with subexponential security, since any such function can be distinguished from random with quasipolynomially many samples. In this work, we initiate the study of low-complexity strong PRFs under a refined framework that separates