It is crucial to properly evaluate the traits that directly impact agricultural productivity. Some of these traits, such as soil erosion or crop diseases, are quantified with scoring systems. The resulting data are strictly ordinal and often have an underlying percentage scale. Deciding which model to use for this type of data is not straightforward. Ordinal scores do not meet the assumptions required for analysis of variance. Although multinomial ordinal models, particularly the threshold model, can be applied, they do not account for the underlying percentage scale of the data. To address this limitation, a hurdle model tailored for interval-censored percentage data is proposed. It is a two-part model that models the data according to its nature: In its first part, it models presence or absence of a disease (incidence), and in the second part it models severity or abundance. Individually modelling presence and absence in the first part allows to account for zero inflation. The second part implements theory from the threshold model and the Johnson SB system of distributions that involves a transformation of the percentage scale to a normal distribution. The model result also reflects the two components. They individually describe the degree of disease infestation, and the degree of disease spread. This improves interpretability and enables concrete, insightful conclusions. To illustrate the model, mildew scorings from an on-farm trial in grapevines were used. The model was found highly suitable for this dataset and superior to the threshold model.

Even though the incidence of conflicts between Fulani nomadic pastoralists and sedentary communities in Nigeria has risen significantly in the last decade, there is a notable lack of research examining how these conflicts influence distrust towards members of the Fulani ethnic group and Muslims. Using novel survey data from Kaduna, the state with the third-highest incidence of pastoral conflict in Nigeria, this study addresses that gap. Regression analyses show that exposure to pastoral conflict increases distrust towards the Fulani and Muslims. This suggests a contagion effect whereby the Fulani are conflated with the broader Muslim population, due to the Muslim identity of nomadic Fulani pastoralists. Disaggregating the data by religious affiliation reveals a pattern: conflict exposure raises distrust only among Muslim respondents, while effects are statistically insignificant among Christians. Among Muslims, the positive effect suggests that pastoral conflict erodes in-group cohesion. The null effect among Christians may reflect the way in which pastoral conflicts align with pre-existing religious fault lines.

Despite improvement over the past few decades, particularly for white, cisgender women, intersectional gender-based inequality remains prominent within anthropological archaeology and beyond. Building on critiques of the leaky pipeline metaphor laid out in the introduction to this themed issue, and drawing on Black, Indigenous, and Posthumanist Feminisms, we advocate for a metaphorical shift focused on care, inclusivity, and diversity—that of a garden. The garden metaphor provides a way to express and explore the complex and intertwined ways disciplinary norms, institutions, and individuals structure and shape experiences in archaeology. After reviewing the garden metaphor and summarizing previous suggestions for improving equity in archaeology, we present recommendations for actionable steps at disciplinary, institutional, supervisory, and individual levels. Drawing on insights from the articles in the issue, as well as existing literature within and beyond archaeology, we argue that a greater emphasis on care, and its integration into the value structure of archaeology, would create a more inclusive discipline.

The McMurdo Dry Valleys in the Ross Sea Region of Antarctica represent a globally unique desert ecosystem where water availability is likely to change under global warming scenarios, thus influencing the distribution and abundance of biota. Using the Random Forest machine learning model, we focused on the spatial distribution of macroscopic terrestrial biota (moss, cyanobacteria, lichen, springtails and mites) in the Dry Valleys. A wetness index, explicitly driven by satellite-derived glacier surface temperatures and meltwater routing, was used along with biological survey data collected over six field seasons (2009–2014) as part of the New Zealand Terrestrial Biocomplexity Survey (n = 886 sites). Our analyses use the full extent of survey data available and include the larger Taylor, Wright and Victoria valleys, as well as data from the previously studied Miers, Marshall and Garwood valleys. The overall model accuracies were mixed (kappa statistic: 0.34% and 17.3% variance explained). However, the resulting predictive maps derived from the model and the influence of the different explanatory variables align with field observations and theoretical expectations. The models show that distance from coast was an important driver for the biota, as well as elevation and temperature. The predictive maps provide an initial model of the distribution of biota in the Dry Valleys and can guide future sampling as well as inform conservation and management strategies. Our research highlights the importance of biological survey data for use in spatial predictive modelling as well as the need to obtain representative samples from a wide range of different habitats (e.g. wet vs dry).

How do states use drone exports to build their leverage with buyers? The scholarly literature acknowledges that states use arms exports to cement alliances, improve the capacities of allies and support their domestic arms industry. But there has been no examination of how suppliers of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) tailor their export strategies to develop leverage with their buyers. This paper deploys SIPRI’s classification of arms exporters (hegemonic, industrial, and restrictive) and describes how each uses a varying combination of inducements (bundling, lock-ins, and predatory pricing) and risk-mitigation strategies to build leverage while avoiding reputational damage from being drawn into external conflicts. Examining new data on seven types of follow-on sales or defence cooperation agreements after drone sales, this paper finds that of the three of the five major drone suppliers – China, Turkey, and to a lesser extent Iran – operate like hegemonic exporters. To test the proposed mechanisms, it explores how China and Turkey have exploited their drone exports to build leverage with Pakistan. It offers conclusions about how drone diplomacy will evolve as the export market diversifies.

The editors of the special issue on panpsychism and pan(en)theism introduce the issue. This includes brief summaries of each of the articles.

Previous estimations of the associations between fruits and vegetables intake with diabetes markers showed mixed results, possibly partly because of the subjective assessment of dietary intake. We aimed to examine the relationship between the biomarkers (plasma carotenoids and α-tocopherol) as objective markers of fruit and vegetables (F/V) intake and fasting glucose in adults. This was a population-based cross-sectional study in 592 adults in Cameroon. Self-reported F/V intake was assessed using the WHO STEPS questionnaire and the biomarkers were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a photodiode array detector. The mean age of participants was 38.5±8.6 years (63.7% women). The median (IQR) number of times participants self-reported consuming fruits in a typical week was 2(1-5) times/week and vegetables was 4(2-7) times/week. Plasma total carotenoids was positively correlated with self-reported intake of fruits (r=0.13) and vegetables (r = 0.29), both p-value < 0.01. In unadjusted analysis, the difference in fasting glucose comparing the highest against the lowest tertile of the biomarkers concentrations was -0.28(95% CI -0.56 to -0.001) mmol/L for total carotenoids and -0.31(-0.59 to -0.03) mmol/L for plasma α-carotene. The inverse associations became stronger after adjusting for socio-demographics, smoking status, alcohol intake, season, physical activity, BMI and total cholesterol (-0.36(-0.73 to -0.002) mmol/L for total carotenoids and -0.41(-0.79 to -0.03) mmol/L for α-carotene). There was no evidence of an association between α-tocopherol and fasting glucose. We showed an inverse association of total carotenoids and α-carotene, objective indicators of F/V intake with fasting glucose. This suggests that a higher intake of F/V could be beneficial for diabetes prevention in African populations in whom the intake of F/V is low.

Let $\mathbb {k}$ be a field, and let $\mathcal {C}$ be a Cauchy complete $\mathbb {k}$-linear braided category with finite-dimensional morphism spaces and . We call an indecomposable object X of $\mathcal C$ non-negligible if there exists $Y\in \mathcal {C}$ such that is a direct summand of $Y\otimes X$. We prove that every non-negligible object $X\in \mathcal {C}$ such that $\dim \operatorname {End}(X^{\otimes n})<n!$ for some n is automatically rigid. In particular, if $\mathcal {C}$ is semisimple of moderate growth and weakly rigid, then $\mathcal {C}$ is rigid. As applications, we simplify Huang’s proof of rigidity of representation categories of certain vertex operator algebras, and we get that for a finite semisimple monoidal category $\mathcal {C}$, the data of a $\mathcal {C}$-modular functor is equivalent to a modular fusion category structure on $\mathcal {C}$, answering a question of Bakalov and Kirillov. Furthermore, we show that if $\mathcal {C}$ is rigid and has moderate growth, then the quantum trace of any nilpotent endomorphism in $\mathcal {C}$ is zero. Hence $\mathcal {C}$ admits a semisimplification, which is a semisimple braided tensor category of moderate growth. Finally, we discuss rigidity in braided r-categories which are not semisimple, which arise in logarithmic conformal field theory. These results allow us to simplify a number of arguments of Kazhdan and Lusztig.

Attenborough’s 2021 documentary: Breaking Boundaries transitions from the scientific analysis of the planetary boundary hypothesis to the solution, which is a global awakening of planetary consciousness. David frequently speaks directly to the camera, reassuring the audience that even though tipping points are irreversible, there is still time to save us. This documentary demonstrates the essential contradiction that we find ourselves in. We have moved from the stable environmental conditions of the Holocene, that lasted from 11,700 years ago to 1952, and in which human civilisation thrived, to the unstable Anthropocene, which will destabilise the living conditions upon which we rely, yet we don’t know what to do. The research question for this paper is: What is the best course of action in the Anthropocene? In this paper, I outline: (1) How the emotional-reactive states that the tipping points can produce are alleviated through teaching and learning about the complex ways in which humans live, dwell and become in the Anthropocene; (2) Unique human creativity is still alive, yet annihilated by perpetual calls for productivity and the performance-driven environments in which we find ourselves in, and that leads to a mode of burnout through overproduction in an attempt to respond.

The date of the Thera eruption has been a subject of intense debate since the mid-20th century. In recent years, the disagreements have escalated with the introduction of IntCal20. The increased number of annual measurements around the time period of the eruption has highlighted potential fluctuations in the atmospheric radiocarbon record, shedding new light on the date of the disastrous event. The Centre for Isotope Research in Groningen has already contributed data from this time period to IntCal20, and here, we report a new set of annual data of approximately 90 radiocarbon measurements between 1660 and 1507 BCE. We investigate the potential anomalies in the calibration curve and compare our dataset with those from other leading laboratories. Although we do not find compelling evidence of any rapid increases in radiocarbon production during this period, the results do point to the presence of minor differences between datasets which could be species, region or laboratory pretreatment related. By quantifying such offsets, we assess their impact on chronological models related to the eruption of Thera.

The aim of this review is to quantify the strength of evidence for the efficacy of exogenous enzymes (EE) in dairy calf rearing, by systematically identifying, consolidating and discussing existing research on the subject. This review identified 17 articles that measured the effect of EE alone or in combination with another treatment on indicator variables for calf performance, behaviour, health or environmental output; 15 studies realised a positive effect of enzyme supplementation on at least one variable, and one study realised a negative effect of treatment on body parameters. Inconsistent results were noted for effects of EE on growth and feed efficiency. Studies that combined EE with another treatment, did not tend to find performance improvements compared to stand-alone treatments. However, several studies were underpowered which could have limited their ability to detect effects on primary response variables. All papers that measured digestibility found an increase in fibre digestibility from enzyme treatment; however, this did not always result in improved feed efficiency or growth. Reductions in non-nutritive oral behaviour, increased resting time and rumination, were observed in studies measuring calf behaviour, as were enhanced rumen development and reduced cost of calf rearing; suggesting that EE could enhance calf health and welfare, whilst having additional advantages for rearing economics. Future research into the efficacy of EE in dairy calves is worth pursuing. However, a targeted and evidence-based approach to experimental design is required, with due consideration given to enzyme actions and interactions, as well as robust power analysis for sample size.

This article explores how the 2024 Trump campaign persistently invoked the so-called “great replacement” narrative to promote a politics of racial fear. As the article details, this messaging relied upon the mutability of the replacement narrative – highlighting a supposed plot by the Democratic Party to “import voters” from Latin America in order to corrupt the democratic process. This strategy yielded a variety of civic costs. By foregrounding the language of democracy, the campaign laundered xenophobic fears for widespread consumption. More broadly, the article details how this episode illustrates a core strategy of far right media politics: to capture and repurpose the civic language of liberal democracies to serve illiberal aims.