This special issue seeks to probe the nature of the ostensible transition from ‘anticolonial’ to ‘postcolonial’ and its implications, focusing on historical actors who sought to remobilize across multiple political and spatial scales: that is, actors who thought and acted locally and globally. It asks: What discontents did decolonization bring in its wake, and what opportunities persisted for political activism across borders as the world shifted from one of empires to one of (nation-)states? It traces transformations – of imaginaries and networks, of ideas and modes of mobilization – that occurred alongside or because of the formal transfer of power and explores how this transition reshapes the interplay between different scales of decolonization. In other words, how did actors attempt to operate in, and stitch together, international, regional, national, and local spaces in the postcolonial era, and what new limits that they find themselves up against?

The mosaic of dead, live, and dying lodgepole pine trees, Pinus contorta (Pinaceae), in post–mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), outbreak stands may increase native bark and woodboring beetle populations capable of imposing further pine mortality within the same stands. In summer 2017, we set up three types of nonbaited insect traps (landing, emergence, flight intercept) in 27 post–mountain pine beetle outbreak stands in Alberta, Canada, showing levels of mountain pine beetle–caused pine mortality that ranged from 2% to 83%, to investigate the abundance of three functional groups of beetles (bark beetles, woodborers, predators). The percentage of beetle-caused pine mortality had no effect on beetle abundance in each functional group, but the bark beetle abundance decreased as the proportion of healthy pine trees increased in post-outbreak stands. The lack of significant relationships between insect abundance and pine mortality was likely due to host tree availability, growing interspecific competition, and predation. Compared to pine mortality, live tree composition might be a better predictor of bark beetle abundance. The low beetle abundance overall suggested stand conditions seven years post-outbreak could not facilitate increases in native bark and woodboring beetle populations in the novel habitat of mountain pine beetle in Alberta.

I identify as a philosopher, as cisgender, as an American. But are these identities secured merely by my claiming them, and what is the broader significance of our self-identification? Here, I argue that self-identifying secures the standing to participate in an ongoing process of determining the membership of the group with that identity. Using resources from political philosophy, I show why groups are entitled to revise the criteria for group membership, how having a stake in the group entitles one to be a part of this process, and that self-identifying as being within the group demonstrates having the relevant stake. After showing how this follows in the case of self-identifying as being within a demos, I argue that these claims hold generally across other kinds of identities, despite important differences between identities and contexts of oppression.

We consider the boundary dynamics of iterated function systems of holomorphic self-maps of the unit disc. Our main result provides a sufficient condition which guarantees that the dynamical behaviour of a left iterated function system in the interior of the unit disc can be extended to the boundary. This generalises an extension of the classical Denjoy–Wolff theorem, due to Bourdon, Matache and Shapiro, to the setting of iterated function systems. To do so, we modify estimates for the Hardy norm of composition operators and combine them with a new technique of perturbing a left iterated function system by elliptic Möbius transformations.

As architectural design paradigms shift from century-lasting, fossil-based construction materials toward regenerative, biogenic solutions with much shorter life cycles, a novel opportunity opens for design with material temporality and transformation. Taking a fully biobased yeast-cellulose-alginate-glycerol composite hydrogel as a case, this study examines how physical and visual properties change under air, soil, and water exposure by measuring mass loss, shrinkage, deformation, embrittlement, and color change in manually and robotically extruded constructs from this material. The results reveal distinct patterns of swelling, contraction, structural distortion, surface brittleness, and chromatic shifts that affect the designs across different exposure conditions. Together, these patterns establish a preliminary knowledge basis for architectural design that could accommodate these transitions, demonstrated in a speculative, conceptual architectural design proposal leveraging transformation and decay as part of the design. By situating material temporality as informative rather than detrimental, the study exemplifies how environmentally responsive biomaterials can support circular architectural biodesign.

Workplaces offer a key setting for health improvement interventions, given their reach and potential to promote lasting behaviour change. While diet and physical activity (PA) are common targets, sleep remains an underexplored yet influential factor in employee health. This randomised feasibility trial evaluated the practicality and acceptability of a 14-week, remotely delivered sleep-enhanced intervention (SEI) integrating sleep, PA, and diet, compared with a standard intervention (SI) focusing on PA and diet only, with exploratory assessment of behavioural and health-related outcomes. Staff from a UK higher education institution (n = 28) with short sleep duration (<7 h) and elevated cardiometabolic risk were randomised to SEI or SI. Quantitative data included self-reported and objective measures of PA, sleep, diet, and anthropometry over 14 weeks. Feasibility outcomes (recruitment, retention, compliance) and acceptability were assessed through qualitative interviews informed by the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability (TFA). Recruitment targets were achieved with 82% retention and 84% adherence. The SEI group showed indications of improvement in PA, dietary behaviours, anxiety symptoms, and sleep hygiene, while both groups showed reductions in BMI and waist circumference. Qualitative data highlighted the value of personalised guidance, peer support, and accountability, but also noted that the SEI’s complexity sometimes hindered adherence. The WHOLE trial demonstrates the feasibility and acceptability of a remotely delivered, holistic lifestyle intervention for UK employees. A phased or extended approach may enhance sustainability and engagement in future large-scale evaluations.

In this article, we study a degenerate version of Ramsey’s theorem for pairs and two colors (${\mathsf {RT}}^2_2$), in which the homogeneous sets for color 1 are of bounded size. By ${\mathsf {RT}}^2_2$, it follows that every such coloring admits an infinite homogeneous set for color 0. This statement, called ${\mathsf {BRT}}^2_2$, is known to be computably true, that is, every computable instance admits a computable solution, but the known proofs use $\Sigma ^0_2$-induction ($\mathsf {I}\Sigma ^0_2$). We prove that ${\mathsf {BRT}}^2_2$ follows from the Erdős–Moser theorem but not from the ascending descending sequence principle, and that its computably true version is equivalent to $\mathsf {I}\Sigma ^0_2$ over ${\mathsf {RCA}}_0$.

As Elizabeth Spelman insists, “the history of woman’s inhumanity to woman is shameful” (Spelman 1991). If experiences of shame often function as a moral hinge between past and future, integrating the past in ways that motivate creative self and social revisioning, then this affective acknowledgment is crucial for social justice in feminist futures. As I argue, it is also made fraught by the specific ways that women experience the intersections of privilege and oppression in relation to shame. This paper provides a close reading of Elizabeth Spelman’s 1991 essay on shame “The feeling of virtue and the virtue of feeling” as a vehicle for outlining a moral and social problem: how displays of racial shame by white women, while ostensibly a mode of moral attentiveness and responsibility, sometimes function to deflect moral responsibility and assert moral privilege. Engaging with scholarship in feminist philosophy and affect theory, this article examines how white women learn to convert shame into displays of power in the form of racial innocence, masochism, and vulnerability. Drawing on the work of Hannah Arendt, I argue that public displays of shame strip its political potential and risk further entrenching this form of unearned moral privilege.

On many topics of common interest, there are multiple scientific experts who are more-or-less equally reliable as far as most laypeople can tell. In such situations, it would generally be a bad idea for those laypeople to form or update their opinions by deferring to the opinions of individual experts; rather, when possible, they should consider the more general distribution of opinions among all the experts. Building on this thought, this paper argues that scientific experts themselves should ideally not simply report their own opinions on topics within their expertise; rather, if possible, they should provide information about expert opinion distributions more generally, for example, by communicating that a majority of their fellow experts take such-and-such position on a topic while the minority has a contrary view – even when they are themselves in the minority. I go on to trace some important implications of this argument, for example, that scientific communities have an epistemic obligation to periodically gather data on expert opinion distributions regarding topics that are of interest to the general public.

Antiparasitic agents are routinely used in companion animal medicine. However, longitudinal evidence describing real-world usage patterns in dogs remains limited. This study aimed to characterise patterns, routes of administration, temporal trends, and seasonal variation in antiparasitic drug use among Golden Retrievers enrolled in a large prospective cohort study in the United States. A descriptive analysis was conducted to summarise antiparasitic usage data from the Morris Animal Foundation’s Golden Retriever Lifetime Study over nine study years (corresponding to years 0 to 8). Percentages with respective 95% CI were used to summarise drug types, therapy combinations, routes of administration, and temporal and seasonal patterns of use. A total of 17,715 antiparasitic use records were analysed. Drug usage pattern was highly concentrated within a limited number of products, with the ivermectin–pyrantel pamoate combination accounting for 23.0% of all recorded use. Other commonly used agents included afoxolaner (9.73%), metronidazole (9.16%), and lufenuron–milbemycin oxime (8.95%). Oral formulations were predominant, representing 65.28% of all administrations. Single-agent therapy accounted for 47.27% of use, while two-drug combination therapy represented 46.65%. The antiparasitic medications spanned multiple pharmacological classes targeting both endo- and ectoparasites, including anthelmintics, ectoparasiticides, and antiprotozoals. Antiparasitic use declined by 1.8% over the study period. We observed a seasonal variation in antiparasitic drug usage, with higher usage during cooler months (winter) and lower use in summer. These findings provide baseline evidence of the burden of endoparasites and ectoparasites in Golden Retriever dogs and highlight the need for stewardship-oriented parasite control strategies in companion animal practice.

Social media offers research teams new opportunities for outreach and study recruitment; however, research teams often need guidance and tools on how to use social media to effectively recruit for their clinical trials. To address this gap, the Recruitment Innovation Center (RIC) developed a new, comprehensive toolkit informed by community feedback and extensive RIC experience. The toolkit contains guidance and considerations for using social media to recruit clinical trial participants, including best practices, platform-specific strategies, and customizable templates. This paper details the creation and contents of this new, free resource.

The recent study by Aron et al about lithium deficiency and the onset of Alzheimer’s disease provides a valuable explanatory framework for understanding how very small doses of lithium, delivered via environmental exposure, can exert neuroprotective effects. It also contains results which will need to be reconciled with foundational chemistry and existing evidence and which could be potentially misleading. The suggestion that lithium orotate (LiO) exhibits benefits relative to the more traditionally used lithium carbonate (LiC) requires further scrutiny in light of the following arguments: (a) no study has demonstrated the presence of stable LiO in physiological fluids; (b) acid–base chemistry predicts that LiO will be largely protonated in the stomach, causing it to dissociate and be absorbed as Li+; (c) experimental studies indicate that LiO and LiC have comparable pharmacokinetics after oral administration; and (d) previous research has shown that LiC also has neuroprotective effects, including at very low doses. Disproportionate focus on a specific lithium salt could have safety implications and may distract from answering fundamental questions about the effects of very low doses of lithium. More experiments are needed to provide evidence of a stable LiO complex in physiological fluids before this becomes the main form of lithium in future clinical trials.

Glufosinate is a key postemergence herbicide in U.S. soybean production, particularly where resistance to glyphosate and inhibitors of acetolactate synthase is widespread. A 25-question survey of soybean growers, agronomists, and industry professionals in Arkansas and Wisconsin was conducted in Fall 2022 to characterize glufosinate use patterns, weed management challenges, and stakeholder perceptions. Palmer amaranth was reported as the most problematic weed in Arkansas (97% of respondents), and waterhemp was most frequently reported in Wisconsin (92%). Suspected glyphosate resistance was widely reported (97% in Arkansas, 88% in Wisconsin), and suspected glufosinate resistance was reported by 37% of Arkansas respondents and by 3% of Wisconsin respondents. Eighty-four percent of Arkansas respondents reported integrating glufosinate into their weed management programs, as did 53% of Wisconsin respondents, and most respondents said they used it to target broadleaf weeds ≤15 cm tall. Carrier volumes were 103 to 140 L ha−1 (chosen by 75% of Arkansas respondents), and 150 to 187 L ha−1 (chosen by 86% of respondents from Wisconsin). Arkansas respondents most frequently reported using glufosinate in sequential first and second postemergence applications (62%). In Wisconsin, glufosinate use was reported mostly only as a first postemergence application (37%), followed closely by sequential use in the first and second postemergence applications (34%). Weed size, followed by carrier volume and air temperature, were ranked as the most important factors affecting glufosinate performance. Ammonium sulfate was the most used adjuvant (45% in Arkansas; 67% in Wisconsin), and spray water quality was rarely tested. Frequently reported tank-mix partners included glyphosate and inhibitors of protoporphyrinogen oxidase in Arkansas and synthetic auxins and clethodim in Wisconsin. Extension efforts should emphasize applying glufosinate to small weeds (<10 cm in height), optimizing application technology and spray solution characteristics (nozzle, carrier volume, water quality/adjuvant selection), and spraying under favorable environmental conditions. Improving application consistency can reduce weed escapes and repeat postemergence applications, thereby lowering selection pressure and preserving glufosinate as an important postemergence option.