Fact-checks focus on famous politicians, not partisans.

Does the fact-checking enterprise focus its attention on one party? If Republican or Democratic politicians were systematically more likely to have their statements evaluated, that would call into question both the impartiality of the fact-checking enterprise and the results of the many papers that rely on fact-checks to drive other measurements. Despite frequent claims that fact-checking organizations are biased against Republicans, there is little systematic evidence regarding political bias in this industry. We address these gaps using data on how often each member of Congress was fact-checked from 2018 to 2021.

DAMPs, PAMPs, NLRs, RIGs, CLRs and TLRs - Understanding the Alphabet Soup in the Context of Bone Biology.

Purpose Of Review: The purpose of this review is to summarize the current understanding of cell-autonomous innate immune pathways that contribute to bone homeostasis and disease.

Recent Findings: Germ-line encoded pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) are the first line of defense against danger and infections. In the bone microenvironment, PRRs and downstream signaling pathways, that mount immune defense, interface intimately with the core cellular processes in bone cells to alter bone formation and resorption.

Optimizing automated photo identification for population assessments.

Several legal acts mandate that management agencies regularly assess biological populations. For species with distinct markings, these assessments can be conducted noninvasively via capture-recapture and photographic identification (photo-ID), which involves processing considerable quantities of photographic data. To ease this burden, agencies increasingly rely on automated identification (ID) algorithms.

Enhancing the Travel Experience for People with Visual Impairments through Multimodal Interaction: NaviGPT, A Real-Time AI-Driven Mobile Navigation System.

Assistive technologies for people with visual impairments (PVI) have made significant advancements, particularly with the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and real-time sensor technologies. However, current solutions often require PVI to switch between multiple apps and tools for tasks like image recognition, navigation, and obstacle detection, which can hinder a seamless and efficient user experience. In this paper, we present NaviGPT, a high-fidelity prototype that integrates LiDAR-based obstacle detection, vibration feedback, and large language model (LLM) responses to provide a comprehensive and real-time navigation aid for PVI.

Public Involvement to Enhance Care Home Research; Collaboration on a Minimum Data Set for Care Homes.

Introduction: Information on care home residents in England is captured in numerous data sets (care home records, General Practitioner records, community nursing, etc.) but little of this information is currently analysed in a way that is useful for care providers, current or future residents and families or that realises the potential of data to enhance care provision. The DACHA study aimed to develop and test a minimum data set (MDS) which would bring together data that is useful to support and improve care and facilitate research.

A Method for Imaging the Ischemic Penumbra with MRI using IVIM.

Background And Purpose: In acute ischemic stroke, the amount of "local" CBF distal to the occlusion, i.e. all blood flow within a region whether supplied antegrade or delayed and dispersed through the collateral network, may contain valuable information regarding infarct growth rate and treatment response.

Governance of Indigenous data in open earth systems science.

In the age of big data and open science, what processes are needed to follow open science protocols while upholding Indigenous Peoples' rights? The Earth Data Relations Working Group (EDRWG), convened to address this question and envision a research landscape that acknowledges the legacy of extractive practices and embraces new norms across Earth science institutions and open science research. Using the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) as an example, the EDRWG recommends actions, applicable across all phases of the data lifecycle, that recognize the sovereign rights of Indigenous Peoples and support better research across all Earth Sciences.

The Antimicrobial Effects of Nitric Oxide: A Narrative Review.

Nitric oxide (NO) is a versatile endogenous molecule with multiple physiological roles, including neurotransmission, vasodilation, and immune regulation. As part of the immune response, NO exerts antimicrobial effects by producing reactive nitrogen species (RNS). These RNS combat pathogens via mechanisms such as DNA deamination, S-nitrosylation of thiol groups, and lipid peroxidation, leading to disruptions in microbial cell membranes and vital protein functions.

New technologies for future of surgery in Ireland: An RCSI working Group report 2024.

Introduction: Surgery is a cognitive discipline whose practitioners characteristically use technology during operations for patients. With accelerating technological innovation throughout society and healthcare, we sought to develop a shared position for Irish surgery via a commissioned work programme by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.

Methods: Using Stanford design principles, representative clinical specialty and academic leads and higher trainee representatives across 15 specialties were surveyed regarding sentiments, perspectives and concerns regarding now and near future technology in clinical practice, career considerations and training/education.

Melanoma detection, treatment, survival, and mortality through year 2 of the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the timely diagnosis and treatment of many cancers, including melanoma, the fifth most common cancer in the U.S. This study aimed to quantify the disruption and recovery of melanoma detection, treatment, survival, and mortality during the pandemic by analyzing data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program from 2000 to 2021.

Patterns of paternity: insights into mating competition and gene flow in a recovering population of humpback whales.

Variation in reproductive success is a fundamental prerequisite for sexual selection to act upon a trait. Assessing such variation is crucial in understanding a species' mating system and offers insights into population growth. Parentage analyses in cetaceans are rare, and the underlying forces of sexual selection acting on their mating behaviours remain poorly understood.

Small variant benchmark from a complete assembly of X and Y chromosomes.

The sex chromosomes contain complex, important genes impacting medical phenotypes, but differ from the autosomes in their ploidy and large repetitive regions. To enable technology developers along with research and clinical laboratories to evaluate variant detection on male sex chromosomes X and Y, we create a small variant benchmark set with 111,725 variants for the Genome in a Bottle HG002 reference material. We develop an active evaluation approach to demonstrate the benchmark set reliably identifies errors in challenging genomic regions and across short and long read callsets.

Dogs neutered prior to perineal herniorrhaphy or that develop postoperative fecal incontinence are at an increased risk for perineal hernia recurrence.

Objective: To identify risk factors for recurrence and surgical site infection (SSI) after perineal hernia repair surgery in dogs.

Methods: Medical records of male dogs undergoing perineal herniorrhaphy from 2008 to 2023 at a single institution were retrospectively reviewed. Data pertinent to patient signalment, surgical repair methods, risk factors for SSI, and risk factors for recurrence were collected.

Systems analysis of long-term heat stress responses in the C4 grass Setaria viridis.

Many C4 plants are used as food and fodder crops and often display improved resource use efficiency compared to C3 plants. However, the response of C4 plants to future extreme conditions such as heatwaves is less understood. Here, Setaria viridis, an emerging C4 model grass, was grown under long-term high temperature stress for two weeks (42°C, compared to 28°C).

Forces Acting on the Foot of the American Alligator () During Pedal Anchoring.

This study was undertaken to explore the forces acting on the pes during pedal anchoring and to discern if pedal anchoring required the activation of the intrinsic pedal musculature. Replica feet equipped with strain gauges were moved over mud substrate, mimicking locomotion and pedal anchoring. Quantification of the substrate tracks demonstrated that they were similar to those made by freely moving , that the locomotor and pedal anchoring tracks were significantly different, and that the composition of the artificial feet significantly altered the tracks.

Detecting mtDNA effects with an Extended Pedigree Model: An Analysis of Statistical Power and Estimation Bias.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) plays a crucial role in numerous cellular processes, yet its impact on human behavior remains underexplored. The current paper proposes a novel covariance structure model with seven parameters to specifically isolate and quantify mtDNA effects on human behavior. This approach uses extended pedigrees to obtain estimates of mtDNA variance while controlling for other genetic and environmental influences.

Gastroduodenal artery aneurysm degeneration after coiling necessitating open repair.

A 77-year-old male presented for an incidental 5-cm gastroduodenal artery aneurysm (GDAA). He underwent an endovascular GDAA coil embolization with 6 months of no aneurysmal growth on surveillance imaging. His 12-month scan revealed aneurysmal growth from 5 cm to 7.

Associations between maternal plasma concentrations of corticotrophin releasing hormone and the placental transcriptome.

Introduction: The placenta produces corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH), which rises exponentially in maternal plasma across pregnancy. CRH plays a functional role in fetal development, labor initiation, and the regulation of gestational length. We aimed to understand how maternal plasma CRH during pregnancy reflects placental physiology during parturition by characterizing placental transcriptomic signatures of maternal plasma CRH and comparing to transcriptomic signatures of gestational age at birth.

Disentangling Sources of Momentum Fluctuations in Xe+Xe and Pb+Pb Collisions with the ATLAS Detector.

High-energy nuclear collisions create a quark-gluon plasma, whose initial condition and subsequent expansion vary from event to event, impacting the distribution of the eventwise average transverse momentum [P([p_{T}])]. Disentangling the contributions from fluctuations in the nuclear overlap size (geometrical component) and other sources at a fixed size (intrinsic component) remains a challenge. This problem is addressed by measuring the mean, variance, and skewness of P([p_{T}]) in ^{208}Pb+^{208}Pb and ^{129}Xe+^{129}Xe collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.

Total and High-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol in Adults: United States, August 2021-August 2023.

Introduction: This report presents prevalence of high total cholesterol and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) by sex and age group for adults age 20 and older from the August 2021-August 2023 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Trends in the prevalence of high total cholesterol and low HDL-C are also presented.

Methods: Data from the August 2021-August 2023 NHANES were used to estimate the prevalence of high total cholesterol (240 mg/dL or higher) and low HDL-C (less than 40 mg/dL).

Laptop and tablet use and their influence on total motile sperm count parameters: are laptops linked to infertility in Jamaican men?

Background: This study aims to determine the impact of laptop and tablet use on total motile sperm count (TMSC) in men being investigated for assisted reproduction.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 156 men attending a fertility clinic in Jamaica. Routine semen analyses were performed and parameters specific to TMSC assessed.

Lysozyme-coated nanoparticles for active uptake and delivery of synthetic RNA and plasmid-encoded genes in plants.

Nanoparticle-mediated delivery of nucleic acids and proteins into intact plants has the potential to modify metabolic pathways and confer desirable traits in crops. Here we show that layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanosheets coated with lysozyme are actively taken up into the root tip, root hairs and lateral root junctions by endocytosis, and translocate via an active membrane trafficking pathway in plants. Lysozyme coating enhanced nanosheet uptake by (1) loosening the plant cell wall and (2) stimulating the expression of endocytosis and other membrane trafficking genes.