Africa has 54 countries, but over half of its multi-billion-dollar GDP is driven by only three nations: Nigeria, Egypt, and South Africa. To sustain growth, understanding the destabilizing effects of herding on these 'risk-on' stock markets is crucial. This paper first quantifies the presence of herding and then introduces a novel approach, considering America and China as principal components influencing herding in Africa. Two unique adaptations of herding methodologies are proposed: one overcomes the high correlation limitations seen in Ridge and Lasso, while the other visualizes the changing weight drivers of herding trends during crises. The analysis includes six independent drivers—three from the US and three from China—across four major recent events. Both America and China are found to influence herding behaviour in Africa.
Alpha oscillations (8-13 Hz), which are prominent in human EEG, have long been considered a neural marker of relaxation. However, the extent to which different frequency bands and electrode positions of the EEG reflect relaxation remains unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the associations between EEG components and concurrently measured the reference indices of relaxation in healthy adults. A comprehensive database search and screening employing preset criteria identified 54 studies that involve 2569 participants published from January 1940 to March 2025 for qualitative synthesis. These studies utilized various reference relaxation measures, such as electrocardiographic (ECG) indices associated with parasympathetic nervous system activity and introspective indices obtained through questionnaires. Risks of bias were assessed based on the risk of bias assessment tool for nonrandomized studies. A meta-analysis of 31 studies employing a random-effects model revealed positive correlations between relaxation indices and the power of alpha oscillations in three specific combinations of EEG channel regions and reference index types: frontal channels with all reference indices, central channels with ECG-related indices, and occipital channels with questionnaire-based indices. No significant correlations were observed between relaxation indices and other EEG frequencies or channels. These findings indicate that alpha oscillations in different scalp regions may represent distinct aspects of the relaxation response based on the type of reference measure used.
Despite unprecedented political endorsement, nature-based solutions (NbS) consistently fail to achieve the systemic transformation required for climate and biodiversity crises. This implementation deadlock stems from a profound triple strategic gap: a translational evidence gap between fragmented science and actionable design, a strategic design gap in misaligned institutions, and a fundamental theoretical integration gap disconnecting ecological principles from socio-economic solutions. This study forges and validates the symbiosis framework-an interdisciplinary blueprint designed to bridge this triple gap. Employing design science research, we: (1) synthesize ecological theory with institutional economics to distill three core design principles-functional reciprocity, nested modular network architecture, and strategic leverage and foundational support; (2) translate these into a conceptual model and strategic implementation blueprint; and (3) validate the framework through comparative analysis of global NbS case studies. The resulting framework provides a novel translational logic, moving beyond critique to offer a prescriptive design tool. It enables practitioners to diagnose systemic failures and design interventions that emulate ecological intelligence while applying institutional design principles: cultivating reciprocal partnerships, structuring resilient networks through polycentric governance, and strategically targeting catalytic leverage points and foundational assets. We conclude that scaling NbS requires a paradigm shift from managing isolated symptoms to architecting symbiotic systems. The symbiosis framework provides the essential interdisciplinary blueprint for this shift.
Commercially available wearable health devices (WHDs) carry the potential to decentralize healthcare systems. These devices can empower individuals with health knowledge by offering a low-cost and accessible way to monitor physical activity, sedentary behavior, cardiac health, and sleep. However, a lack of standardization in design, health, and safety regulations means that consumer-grade WHDs on the market vary in efficacy to affect positive behavior change in users, as user compliance alone does not indicate whether these devices actually influence wellbeing outcomes long term. We use a grounded theory analysis of the experiences of seven long-term informed users of the same wearable, the Oura Ring, to propose a substantive theory describing the tacit challenges that these users face in order to truly benefit from their device even after extended use. We provide recommendations as to how designers of wearable devices can facilitate the user's journey to surpass these obstacles.
Meiosis is regulated by phase-specific genes to orchestrate nuclear and cytoskeletal dynamics essential for sexual reproduction. The ciliate Paramecium tetraurelia exhibits nuclear dimorphism, harboring two germline micronuclei (MICs) and one somatic macronucleus (MAC) within a single cell during vegetative growth. During sexual reproduction, the MICs undergo meiosis and the MAC deforms and fragments, providing a unique model to study the regulation of diverse nuclear events. Transcription factor DP (TFDP), which heterodimerizes with E2Fs, can bind to specific DNA motifs in promoters of cell cycle-regulated genes to activate or repress their expression. Here, we identified 16 TFDP homologs in P. tetraurelia, representing an exceptional gene family expansion accompanied by functional domain diversification. The functions of Tfdp1a and Tfdp1b, which are specifically expressed during sexual reproduction and localize in the old and new MACs, were further investigated. Their depletion resulted in meiotic arrest at metaphase in the MIC, failure of old MAC fragmentation, and abortive cytokinesis. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that TFDP1A/1B knockdown primarily causes gene downregulation, with > 60
