Is political ideology correlated with brain structure? A preregistered replication.

We revisit the hypotheses that conservatism positively correlates with amygdala and negatively with anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) gray matter volume.Using diverse measures of ideology and a large and representative sample (Amsterdam Open MRI Collection [n = 928]), we replicate a small positive relationship between amygdala volume and conservatism. However, we fail to find consistent evidence in support of the ideology-ACC volume link.

Establishing the validity and robustness of facial electromyography measures for political science.

Opinion formation and information processing are affected by unconscious affective responses to stimuli-particularly in politics. Yet we still know relatively little about such affective responses and how to measure them. In this study, we focus on emotional valence and examine facial electromyography (fEMG) measures.

Observation of the Fermionic Joule-Thomson Effect.

We report the first observation of the quantum Joule-Thomson (JT) effect in ideal and unitary Fermi gases. We study the temperature dynamics of these systems while they undergo an energy-per-particle conserving rarefaction. For scale-invariant systems, whose equations of state satisfy the relation U∝PV, this rarefaction conserves the specific enthalpy, which makes it thermodynamically equivalent to a JT throttling process.

Order and timing of infection with different parasite life stages impacts host and parasite life histories.

Co-exposure to multiple parasites can alter parasite success and host life history when compared to single infections. These infection outcomes can be affected by the order of parasite arrival, the host immune response, and the interspecific interactions among co-infecting parasites. In this study, we examined how the arrival order of two trematode parasites, Schistosoma mansoni and Echinostoma caproni, influenced parasite ecology and the life history of their snail host, Biomphalaria glabrata.

Three-year follow-up analysis of the short-stitch versus long-stitch technique for elective midline abdominal closure randomized-controlled (ESTOIH) trial.

Background: Clinical trials have shown reduced incisional hernia rates 1 year after elective median laparotomy closure using a short-stitch technique. With hernia development continuing beyond the first postoperative year, we aimed to compare incisional hernias 3 years after midline closure using short or long stitches in patients from the ESTOIH trial.

Methods: The ESTOIH trial was a prospective, multicenter, parallel-group, double-blind, randomized-controlled study of primary elective midline closure.