Size Matters? Penis Dissatisfaction and Gun Ownership in America.

In this study, we formally examine the association between penis size dissatisfaction and gun ownership in America. The primary hypothesis, derived from the psychosexual theory of gun ownership, asserts that men who are more dissatisfied with the size of their penises will be more likely to personally own guns. To test this hypothesis, we used data collected from the 2023 Masculinity, Sexual Health, and Politics (MSHAP) survey, a national probability sample of 1,840 men, and regression analyses to model personal gun ownership as a function of penis size dissatisfaction, experiences with penis enlargement, social desirability, masculinity, body mass, mental health, and a range of sociodemographic characteristics. We find that men who are more dissatisfied with the size of their penises are less likely to personally own guns across outcomes, including any gun ownership, military-style rifle ownership, and total number of guns owned. The inverse association between penis size dissatisfaction and gun ownership is linear; however, the association is weakest among men ages 60 and older. With these findings in mind, we failed to observe any differences in personal gun ownership between men who have and have not attempted penis enlargement. To our knowledge, this is the first study to formally examine the association between penis size and personal gun ownership in America. Our findings fail to support the psychosexual theory of gun ownership. Alternative theories are posited for the apparent inverse association between penis size dissatisfaction and personal gun ownership, including higher levels of testosterone and constructionist explanations.

Porous Melt Blown Poly(butylene terephthalate) Fibers with High Ductility and High-Temperature Structural Stability.

In this study, porous poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) fibers were produced by melt blowing cocontinuous blends of PBT and polystyrene (PS) and selectively extracting the interconnected PS domains. Small amounts of hydroxyl terminated PS additives that can undergo transesterification with the ester units in PBT were added to stabilize the cocontinuous structure during melt processing. The resulting fibers are highly ductile and display fine porous structural features, which persist at temperatures over 150 °C. Single fiber tensile testing and electron microscopy are presented to demonstrate the role of rapid quenching and drawing of the melt blowing process in defining the fiber properties. The templated highly aligned pore structure, which is not easily produced in solvent-based fiber spinning methods, leads to remarkable mechanical properties of the porous fibers and overcomes the notoriously poor tensile properties common to other cellular materials like foams.

Boundary Frustration in Double-Gyroid Thin Films.

Self-consistent field theory for thin films of AB diblock polymers in the double-gyroid phase reveals that in the absence of preferential wetting of monomer species at the film boundaries, films with the (211) plane oriented parallel to the boundaries are more stable than other orientations, consistent with experimental results. This preferred orientation is explained in the context of boundary frustration. Specifically, the angle of intersection between the A/B interface and the film boundary, the wetting angle, is thermodynamically restricted to a narrow range of values. Most termination planes in the double gyroid cannot accommodate this narrow range of wetting angles without significant local distortion relative to the bulk morphology; the (211)-oriented termination plane with the "double-wave" pattern produces relatively minimal distortion, making it the least frustrated boundary. The principle of boundary frustration provides a framework to understand the relative stability of termination planes for complex ordered block polymer phases confined between flat, nonpreferential boundaries.

Transposon Removal Reveals Their Adaptive Fitness Contribution.

Transposable elements are molecular parasites that persist in their host genome by generating new copies to outpace natural selection. Transposable elements exert a large influence on host genome evolution, in some cases providing adaptive changes. Here we measure the fitness effect of the transposable element insertions in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe type strain by removing all insertions of its only native transposable element family, the long terminal repeat retrotransposon Tf2. We show that Tf2 elements provide a positive fitness contribution to its host. Tf2 ablation results in changes to the regulation of a mitochondrial gene and, consistently, the fitness effect are sensitive to growth conditions. We propose that Tf2 influences host fitness in a directed manner by dynamically rewiring the transcriptional response to metabolic stress.

Do Religious Struggles Mediate the Association Between Neighborhood Disorder and Health in the United States?

Over the past two decades, numerous studies have linked the subjective experience of neighborhood disorder (perceptions of crime, dilapidation and ambient strains) with poorer health. We test whether religious struggles (religious doubts and feeling abandoned or punished by God) mediate this association. Our counterfactual mediation analyses of data from the 2021 Crime, Health, and Politics Survey (CHAPS) (n = 1741) revealed consistent indirect effects of neighborhood disorder through religious struggles for anger, psychological distress, sleep disturbance, poorer self-rated health, and shorter subjective life expectancy. This study contributes to previous work by integrating the study of neighborhood context and religion.

Thermodynamics and morphology of linear multiblock copolymers at homopolymer interfaces.

Block copolymers at homopolymer interfaces are poised to play a critical role in the compatibilization of mixed plastic waste, an area of growing importance as the rate of plastic accumulation rapidly increases. Using molecular dynamics simulations of Kremer-Grest polymer chains, we have investigated how the number of blocks and block degree of polymerization in a linear multiblock copolymer impacts the interface thermodynamics of strongly segregated homopolymer blends, which is key to effective compatibilization. The second virial coefficient reveals that interface thermodynamics are more sensitive to block degree of polymerization than to the number of blocks. Moreover, we identify a strong correlation between surface pressure (reduction of interfacial tension) and the spatial uniformity of block junctions on the interface, yielding a morphological framework for interpreting the role of compatibilizer architecture (number of blocks) and block degree of polymerization. These results imply that, especially at high interfacial loading, the choice of architecture of a linear multiblock copolymer compatibilizing surfactant does not greatly affect the modification of interfacial tension.

Is Irreligion a Risk Factor for Suicidality? Findings from the Nashville Stress and Health Study.

Suicide is a public health problem and one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Research exploring the linkages between religion and spirituality has received intermittent attention. Data was derived from the Nashville Stress and Health Study (2011-2014), a cross-sectional probability survey of black and white adults from Davidson County, Tennessee (n = 1252). Results indicate that those with no perceived belief in divine control had a higher likelihood of suicidality. This study provides a fresh perspective on the links between religious factors and suicidality by (a) considering multiple religious and spiritual domains and (b) focusing on the association between irreligion and suicidality.

KAT2 paralogs prevent dsRNA accumulation and interferon signaling to maintain intestinal stem cells.

Histone acetyltransferases KAT2A and KAT2B are paralogs highly expressed in the intestinal epithelium, but their functions are not well understood. In this study, double knockout of murine Kat2 genes in the intestinal epithelium was lethal, resulting in robust activation of interferon signaling and interferon-associated phenotypes including the loss of intestinal stem cells. Use of pharmacological agents and sterile organoid cultures indicated a cell-intrinsic double-stranded RNA trigger for interferon signaling. Acetyl-proteomics and dsRIP-seq were employed to interrogate the mechanism behind this response, which identified mitochondria-encoded double-stranded RNA as the source of intrinsic interferon signaling. Kat2a and Kat2b therefore play an essential role in regulating mitochondrial functions as well as maintaining intestinal health.

Threading-the-Needle: Compatibilization of HDPE/iPP blends with butadiene-derived polyolefin block copolymers.

Management of the plastic industry is a momentous challenge, one that pits enormous societal benefits against an accumulating reservoir of nearly indestructible waste. A promising strategy for recycling polyethylene (PE) and isotactic polypropylene (iPP), constituting roughly half the plastic produced annually worldwide, is melt blending for reformulation into useful products. Unfortunately, such blends are generally brittle and useless due to phase separation and mechanically weak domain interfaces. Recent studies have shown that addition of small amounts of semicrystalline PE-iPP block copolymers (ca. 1 wt%) to mixtures of these polyolefins results in ductility comparable to the pure materials. However, current methods for producing such additives rely on expensive reagents, prohibitively impacting the cost of recycling these inexpensive commodity plastics. Here, we describe an alternative strategy that exploits anionic polymerization of butadiene into block copolymers, with subsequent catalytic hydrogenation, yielding E and X blocks that are individually melt miscible with PE and iPP, where E and X are poly(ethylene-ran-ethylethylene) random copolymers with 6 wt% and 90 wt% ethylethylene repeat units, respectively. Cooling melt blended mixtures of PE and iPP containing 1 wt% of the triblock copolymer EXE of appropriate molecular weight, results in mechanical properties competitive with the component plastics. Blend toughness is obtained through interfacial topological entanglements of the amorphous X polymer and semicrystalline iPP, along with anchoring of the E blocks through cocrystallization with the PE homopolymer. Significantly, EXE can be inexpensively produced using currently practiced industrial scale polymerization methods, offering a practical approach to recycling the world's top two plastics.

Long-read genome assemblies for the study of chromosome expansion: Drosophila kikkawai, Drosophila takahashii, Drosophila bipectinata, and Drosophila ananassae.

Flow cytometry estimates of genome sizes among species of Drosophila show a 3-fold variation, ranging from ∼127 Mb in Drosophila mercatorum to ∼400 Mb in Drosophila cyrtoloma. However, the assembled portion of the Muller F element (orthologous to the fourth chromosome in Drosophila melanogaster) shows a nearly 14-fold variation in size, ranging from ∼1.3 Mb to >18 Mb. Here, we present chromosome-level long-read genome assemblies for 4 Drosophila species with expanded F elements ranging in size from 2.3 to 20.5 Mb. Each Muller element is present as a single scaffold in each assembly. These assemblies will enable new insights into the evolutionary causes and consequences of chromosome size expansion.

Evolutionary dynamics between transposable elements and their host genomes: mechanisms of suppression and escape.

Transposable elements (TEs) are ubiquitous among eukaryotic species. Their evolutionary persistence is likely due to a combination of tolerogenic, evasive/antagonistic, and cooperative interactions with their host genomes. Here, we focus on metazoan species and review recent advances related to the harmful effects of TE insertions, including how epigenetic effects and TE-derived RNAs can damage host cells. We discuss new findings related to host pathways that silence TEs, such as the piRNA pathway and the APOBEC3 and Kruppel-associated box zinc finger gene families. Finally, we summarize novel strategies used by TEs to evade host silencing, including the Y chromosome as a permissive niche for TE mobilization and TE counterdefense strategies to block host silencing factors.

Biobased Copolymers via Cationic Ring-Opening Copolymerization of Levoglucosan Derivatives and ε-Caprolactone.

Simultaneous ring-opening copolymerization is a powerful strategy for the synthesis of highly functional copolymers from different types of cyclic monomers. Although copolymers are essential to the plastics industry, environmental concerns associated with current fossil-fuel-based synthetic polymers have led to an increasing interest in the use of renewable feedstock for polymer synthesis. Herein, we report a scalable synthetic platform to afford unique polysaccharides with different pendant functional groups from biomass-derived levoglucosan and ε-caprolactone via cationic ring-opening copolymerization (cROCOP). Biocompatible and recyclable bismuth triflate was identified as the optimal catalyst for cROCOP of levoglucosan. Copolymers from tribenzyl levoglucosan and ε-caprolactone, as well as from tribenzyl and triallyl levoglucosan, were successfully synthesized. The tribenzyl levoglucosan monomer composition ranged from 16% to 64% in the copolymers with ε-caprolactone and 22% to 79% in the copolymers with triallyl levoglucosan. The allylic levoglucosan copolymer can be utilized as a renewably derived scaffold to modify copolymer properties and create other polymer architectures via postpolymerization modification. Monomer reactivity ratios were determined to investigate the copolymer microstructure, indicating that levoglucosan-based copolymers have a gradient architecture. Additionally, we demonstrated that the copolymer glass transition temperature (Tg, ranging from -44.3 to 33.8 °C), thermal stability, and crystallization behavior could be tuned based on the copolymer composition. Overall, this work underscores the utility of levoglucosan as a bioderived feedstock for the development of functional sugar-based copolymers with applications ranging from sustainable materials to biomaterials.

Long-read genome assemblies for the study of chromosome expansion: Drosophila kikkawai , Drosophila takahashii , Drosophila bipectinata , and Drosophila ananassae.

Flow cytometry estimates of genome sizes among species of Drosophila show a 3-fold variation, ranging from ∼127 Mb in Drosophila mercatorum to ∼400 Mb in Drosophila cyrtoloma . However, the assembled portion of the Muller F Element (orthologous to the fourth chromosome in Drosophila melanogaster ) shows a nearly 14-fold variation in size, ranging from ∼1.3 Mb to > 18 Mb. Here, we present chromosome-level long read genome assemblies for four Drosophila species with expanded F Elements ranging in size from 2.3 Mb to 20.5 Mb. Each Muller Element is present as a single scaffold in each assembly. These assemblies will enable new insights into the evolutionary causes and consequences of chromosome size expansion.

Photochemically Induced Marangoni Patterning of Polymer Bilayers.

Surface-tension gradients created along a polymer film by patterned photochemical reactions are a powerful tool for creating surface topography. Here, we use mathematical modeling to explore a strategy for patterning photochemically inactive polymers by coupling a light-sensitive and light-insensitive polymer to form a polymer bilayer. The light-sensitive polymer forms the top layer, and the most dominant surface-tension gradients are introduced at the interface between this layer and air. Lubrication theory is used to derive nonlinear partial differential equations describing the heights of each layer, and linear analysis and nonlinear simulations are performed to characterize interface dynamics. Patterns form at both the polymer-air and polymer-polymer interfaces at early thermal annealing times as a result of Marangoni stresses but decay on prolonged thermal annealing as a result of the dissipative mechanisms of capillary leveling and photoproduct diffusion, thus setting a limit to the maximum individual layer deformation. Simulations also show that the bottom-layer features can remain "trapped", i.e., exhibit no significant decay, even while the top layer topography has dissipated. We study the effects of two key parameters, the initial thickness ratio and the viscosity ratio of the two polymers, on the maximum deformation attained in the bottom layer and the time taken to attain this deformation. We identify regions of parameter space where the maximum bottom-layer deformation is enhanced and the attainment time is reduced. Overall, our study provides guidelines for designing processes to pattern photochemically inactive polymers and create interfacial topography in polymer bilayers.

Epigenomic Blood-Based Early Detection of Pancreatic Cancer Employing Cell-Free DNA.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Early detection of pancreatic cancer (PaC) can drastically improve survival rates. Approximately 25% of subjects with PaC have type 2 diabetes diagnosed within 3 years prior to the PaC diagnosis, suggesting that subjects with type 2 diabetes are at high risk of occult PaC. We have developed an early-detection PaC test, based on changes in 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) signals in cell-free DNA from plasma. METHODS: Blood was collected from 132 subjects with PaC and 528 noncancer subjects to generate epigenomic and genomic feature sets yielding a predictive PaC signal algorithm. The algorithm was validated in a blinded cohort composed of 102 subjects with PaC, 2048 noncancer subjects, and 1524 subjects with non-PaCs. RESULTS: 5hmC differential profiling and additional genomic features enabled the development of a machine learning algorithm capable of distinguishing subjects with PaC from noncancer subjects with high specificity and sensitivity. The algorithm was validated with a sensitivity for early-stage (stage I/II) PaC of 68.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 51.9%-81.9%) and an overall specificity of 96.9% (95% CI, 96.1%-97.7%). CONCLUSIONS: The PaC detection test showed robust early-stage detection of PaC signal in the studied cohorts with varying type 2 diabetes status. This assay merits further clinical validation for the early detection of PaC in high-risk individuals.

Fear God, Not COVID-19: Is Conservative Protestantism Associated with Risky Pandemic Lifestyles?

Previous research has established attitudinal and behavioral health variations in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, but scholarship on the religious antecedents associated with these outcomes has only recently gained momentum. Rhetoric from some leading conservative Protestants in the U.S. has underplayed the threat of the pandemic and may have contributed to unhealthy pandemic behaviors within this faith tradition. Moreover, previous inquiries have revealed that conservative Protestantism's otherworldly focus can thwart personal and community health. We use nationally representative data to test the hypotheses that, compared with other religious groups and the non-religious, conservative Protestants will tend to (1) perceive the pandemic as less threatening and (2) engage in riskier pandemic lifestyles. These hypotheses are generally supported net of confounding factors. We conclude that affiliation with a conservative Protestant denomination can undermine public health among this faith tradition's adherents and may therefore compromise general health and well-being during a pandemic. We discuss the implications of these findings, offer recommendations for pandemic health promotion among conservative Protestants, and delineate promising avenues for future research on this important topic.

(Un)holy Smokes? Religion and Traditional and E-Cigarette Use in the United States.

This study employed national cross-sectional survey data from the 2021 Crime, Health, and Politics Survey (n = 1578 to 1735) to model traditional cigarette and e-cigarette use as a function of religious affiliation, general religiosity, biblical literalism, religious struggles, and the sense of divine control. Although the odds of abstaining from cigarettes and e-cigarettes were comparable for conservative Protestants and non-affiliates, conservative Protestants were more likely to cut down on cigarettes and e-cigarettes during the pandemic. Religiosity increased the odds of abstaining from cigarettes (not e-cigarettes) and reduced pandemic consumption of cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Biblical literalism was unrelated to abstaining from cigarettes and pandemic changes in cigarette use; however, biblical literalists were more likely to cut e-cigarette use during the pandemic. While the sense of divine control was unrelated to abstaining from cigarettes and e-cigarettes, these beliefs increased the odds of cessation from traditional and e-cigarette use. Finally, our religious struggles index was unrelated to smoking behavior. Our study is among the first to report any association between religion and lower e-cigarette use.

Dihydroxy Polyethylene Additives for Compatibilization and Mechanical Recycling of Polyethylene Terephthalate/Polyethylene Mixed Plastic Waste.

Polymer blend compatibilization is an attractive solution for mechanical recycling of mixed plastic waste because it can result in tough blends. In this work, hydroxy-telechelic polyethylene (HOPEOH) reactive additives were used to compatibilize blends of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE). HOPEOH additives were synthesized with molar masses of 1-20 kg/mol by ring-opening metathesis polymerization of cyclooctene followed by catalytic hydrogenation. Melt-compounded blends containing 0.5 wt % HOPEOH displayed reduced dispersed phase LLDPE particle sizes with ductilities comparable to virgin PET and almost seven times greater than neat blends, regardless of additive molar mass. In contrast, analogous blends containing monohydroxy PE additives of comparable molar masses did not result in compatibilization even at 2 wt % loading. The results strongly suggest that both hydroxy ends of HOPEOH undergo transesterification reactions during melt mixing with PET to form predominantly PET-PE-PET triblock copolymers at the interface of the dispersed and matrix phases. We hypothesize that the triblock copolymer compatibilizers localized at the interface form trapped entanglements of the PE midblocks with nearby LLDPE homopolymer chains by a hook-and-clasp mechanism. Finally, HOPEOH compounds were able to efficiently compatibilize blends derived solely from postconsumer PET and PE bottles and film, suggesting their industrial applicability.

Humble with God? How Education and Race Shape the Association Between God-Mediated Control and Humility in Later Life.

Background: In contrast to the vibrant interdisciplinary literature on other virtues, such as forgiveness and gratitude, the study of humility has developed more slowly. Over the 2 decades, there has been a proliferation of research on humility. In this study, we assess the interrelationship between a core feature of religious life, God-mediated control, and humility. Purpose: We assess the interrelationship between God-mediated control (the belief that God is a collaborative partner working together with humans) and humility. We also assess how the relationship between God-mediated control and humility may be conditional on two sociodemographic characteristics among middle-aged and older adults, education and race. Methods: Data for this study come from Wave 5 of the Religion, Aging, and Health Study (2013), a nationwide survey of Whites and African Americans (N = 1152). We test our hypotheses with a series of OLS regression models. Results: We find that stronger perceptions of God-mediated control were associated with greater humility among older adults. Results from our moderation analyses also show that the relationship between God-mediated control and greater humility was stronger for low status groups, namely, the less educated and Black older adults. Conclusion and Implications: The cognitive belief that God can be trusted as an intimate collaborator in the chaos of human life appears to predict humility among older adults, perhaps by acknowledging one's dependence on a superior being and appreciating the limits of human finitude and acknowledging God's greatness outside one's self. Devoid of secular resources, the less educated and Black Americans might find greater meaning and significance in their association with God and may feel no need to establish their own worth through the attainment of worldly accomplishments or knowledge. Given the centrality of humility to religious/spiritual life, we suggest how future interdisciplinary research can build on the findings of our study.