North Carolina State University

Safer sex self-efficacy and condom use among adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Inconsistent condom use puts adolescents at risk for HIV/STIs and unintended pregnancy. A recent meta-analysis identified safer sex self-efficacy as one of the strongest correlates of U.S. adolescent condom use ( r avg = .22), but with significant heterogeneity in effect sizes. T...

The evolution of plasticity in drought-related traits in central and edge populations of Mimulus cardinalis

Phenotypic plasticity can influence population persistence, range dynamics, and evolutionary potential in heterogeneous landscapes. If adaptive, plasticity may buffer populations against environmental variability, climate change, and extreme events. Yet, few studies have examined...

Oxidative stress in pigs and opportunities with selenium-containing amino acids

Modern pig farming practices, characterized by highly-productive and fast-growing genetics, early weaning, and uncontrolled factors such as heat stress and various nutritional challenges, impose cumulative stress on the animal. Elevated concentrations of reactive oxygen species w...

A pair of duplicated SOC1 genes, DcSOC1-1 and DcSOC1-2, control vernalization requirement in carrot

Abstract Background Carrot vernalization requirement (VR), the amount of cold exposure needed for plants to become vernalized, strongly influences geographical adaptation of the crop and many agricultural practices, and this trait defines annual vs. biennial cultivars. Despite it...

Identification of a key water molecule involved in the macrophage migration inhibitory factor‐catalyzed tautomerization of para ‐hydroxyphenylpyruvate using neutron crystallography

Neutron crystallography was used to determine a 2.5-Å resolution all-atom structure of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) interacting with 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-pyruvate (HPP). MIF is a pro-inflammatory, pro-tumorigenic protein that may be an attractive therapeutic target...

Low energy neutron light output characterization of EJ301D and deuterated stilbene with a comparison of light output characterization methods

The neutron-induced light yield of a 2.54 cm diameter by 2.54 cm long right circular cylinder of EJ301D and a (5.08 cm) \(^3\) custom made cube of deuterated trans -stilbene-d \(_{12}\) (d-stilbene) were measured over incident neutron energies from 300 keV to 2.2 MeV and 200 keV...

LLMs’ reshaping of people, processes, products, and society in software development: a qualitative exploration with early adopters

Abstract Large language models (LLMs) are rapidly reshaping software development, but their impact across the full software development lifecycle is underexplored. Existing work tends to focus on isolated activities such as code generation or testing, leaving open questions about...

Influence of Yarn Micro-Architecture on Coupled Heat and Moisture Transport: Modeling and Validation

Abstract Heat and moisture are simultaneously generated during human activity, and evaporative heat loss becomes essential for comfort in warm environments; therefore, transport through voids of textiles must be understood at the structural level. This study uses parallel PET yar...

Group recognition in the German cockroach, a subsocial omnivore, is based on faecal odour preference that is modulated by coprophagy, diet and learning

Abstract Faecal odours attract cockroaches to aggregations, where conspecific faeces provide nutrients and seed the gut microbiota. Because these odours arise from the gut and faecal microbial communities, which are shaped by coprophagy and diet, discrete aggregations within a he...

Emerging innovations in movement ecology to address planetary challenges

Abstract Movement ecology—the study of how and why animals move within their environments—stands to offer transformative insights into our rapidly changing world, with benefits for both nature and people. Here, we present the first global horizon scan for movement ecology, engagi...

High-frequency voltage effects on power deposition and ion dynamics in tailored waveform driven capacitively coupled plasmas

Dual-frequency capacitively coupled plasmas are widely utilized in semiconductor processing, where precise control of ion energy and flux is critical. Tailored voltage waveforms (TVWs) generated by advanced power supplies enable improved control over ion energy distribution funct...