We show that many graphs with bounded treewidth can be described as subgraphs of the strong product of a graph with smaller treewidth and a bounded-size complete graph. To this end, define the underlying treewidth of a graph class $\mathcal{G}$ to be the minimum non-negative integer $c$ such that, for some function $f$, for every graph $G \in \mathcal{G}$ there is a graph $H$ with $\textrm{tw}(H) \leqslant c$ such that $G$ is isomorphic to a subgraph of $H \boxtimes K_{f(\textrm{tw}(G))}$. We introduce disjointed coverings of graphs and show they determine the underlying treewidth of any graph class. Using this result, we prove that the class of planar graphs has underlying treewidth $3$; the class of $K_{s,t}$-minor-free graphs has underlying treewidth $s$ (for $t \geqslant \max \{s,3\}$); and the class of $K_t$-minor-free graphs has underlying treewidth $t-2$. In general, we prove that a monotone class has bounded underlying treewidth if and only if it excludes some fixed topological minor. We also study the underlying treewidth of graph classes defined by an excluded subgraph or excluded induced subgraph. We show that the class of graphs with no $H$ subgraph has bounded underlying treewidth if and only if every component of $H$ is a subdivided star, and that the class of graphs with no induced $H$ subgraph has bounded underlying treewidth if and only if every component of $H$ is a star.

Based on an original database of 49 rights-based biodiversity (RBB) lawsuits filed around the world, this article hypothesizes that rights-based norms and institutions are becoming increasingly important in legal challenges aimed at biodiversity protection. We explain retrospectively the antecedents and characterize early RBB litigation by constructing a typology of cases and legal arguments that litigants and courts have used to establish the connection between biodiversity and rights protection. We then, prospectively, draw on our RBB case database and the trajectory of human rights and climate change (HRCC) litigation to anticipate likely trends, opportunities, and obstacles for future RBB cases. We posit that future RBB cases will build on the foundations laid by pioneering RBB cases, will apply lessons from HRCC litigation, and will systematically frame biodiversity loss as a rights issue.

Most studies of sex education center on local Anglo-Euro-American contexts, tracing the origin of sex education to a coordinated response to the spread of venereal diseases. These neglect the circumstances in which sex education developed in the developing world between the 1950s and 1980s: a growing collective anxiety about rising birth rates that culminated in the adoption of population control measures. This paper examines the “glocal” history of population-centered sex education in the developing world in the 1960s and 1970s, through the case study of Singapore. Examining the emergence of the first sex education curriculum in post-independence Singapore between 1966 and 1973, I argue that population-centered sex education that emerged in Singapore was intimately connected with global population politics. Analysis of how the policy was formulated shows that the Singapore state reacted to both domestic and global concerns. In connecting local developments to global contexts, this paper gestures toward the possibilities of studying the global history of population-centered sex education.

The current study evaluated alternative sources of nutrients to improve the soil fertility status and yield of maize-wheat succession in Southern Brazil. The treatments were: T1: no fertilization; T2: liming with dolomitic marble; T3: alternative liming (AL) with limestone interbedded with shale; T4: AL + 50% P - with Arad natural phosphate (P-ANP) + 50% P – triple superphosphate (P-TSP); T5: AL + 100% P-ANP; T6: AL + 100% P-ANP + 100% K-rich monzogranite; T7: AL + 100% P-ANP + 100% N (50% N from tung pressed cake (N-TPC) + 50% N-urea); T8: AL + 100% P-ANP + 100% K-rich monzogranite + 100% N (50% N-TPC + 50% N-Urea) + 100% S; T9: AL + regional average rate of NPK (5-20-20) formulation. Except for T7 and T8, all treatments received the full recommended rate of N through Urea. Immediate and residual effects were evaluated over 2.5 years (90, 360 and 900 days) on soil fertility and maize - wheat yield. The limestone interbedded with shale released Ca, Mg and corrected soil acidity similarly to dolomitic marble. The fertilization strategies used in T4, T7 and T8 presented the highest cumulative productivities while T3 (U$ = 1223), T9 (U$ = 1174) and T4 (U$ = 1122) resulted in higher profits than the other evaluated fertilization strategies. The limestone interbedded with shale (T3), alone or combined with 50% of P-ANP + 50% of P – TSP (T4) provided the best economical and technical results, highlighting the potential of selected alternative regional sources for soil fertility improvement and plant-nutrients supply.

This study was conducted to identify the challenges faced by medical rescue teams during the response phase of sudden-onset disasters and provide a comprehensive understanding of these challenges. Peer-reviewed, English-language articles published until January 2023 that described the challenges faced by medical rescue teams during disaster response were searched in the Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane, PubMed, and Science Direct databases. The articles were assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) version 2018, a quality evaluation tool, and a qualitative thematic synthesis approach was adopted. A total of 353 publications were identified, and 18 of these met the inclusion criteria. Of the 18 included studies, 8 were review articles, 4 were special reports, 3 were cross-sectional studies, 1 was a mixed methods study, 1 was a qualitative study, and 1 was a short communication. Through qualitative analysis, the challenges faced by medical rescue teams during disaster response were categorized into 6 factors: organizational, individual, environmental and health, logistical, communication and information, and other factors. These factors are significant in terms of issues such as delayed access to disaster victims, disruptions in response processes, and an increase in morbidity and mortality rates. Therefore, the findings in our study shed light on future research in the field of disasters and offer opportunities to develop a roadmap for improving the conditions of medical rescue teams.

Cross-sector co-production involving voluntary organisations in the production and delivery of social services has been adopted across many welfare states. Economic and demographic changes have led to increased involvement of volunteer initiatives in different welfare policy fields. How different field properties enable, constrain, and shape co-production practices remains, however, under researched. In this article, we address this shortcoming in a comparative case design exploring the practices of co-production within the two fields of elderly services and refugee services. We develop a conceptual framework and demonstrate that differential distribution of resources leads to diverging outcomes and perspectives for co-production. Based on a two-year in-depth study of one large Danish municipality, we find two forms of co-production practices, which reflect different field conditions. In the field of elderly services, co-production takes the form of ‘embedded’ practices, and in the field of refugee services co-production takes the form of ‘exterior’ practices. We demonstrate that each of these co-production forms entail ambiguous outcomes and antagonistic positions for voluntary and public sector actors, depending on the policy field.

Nutrition knowledge (NK) impacts food choices and may be improved through educational programmes. Identifying knowledge gaps related to NK among adolescent athletes may guide future nutrition education programmes. This review aimed to systematically review the level of NK in adolescent athletes based on the currently available published literature. The protocol for this review was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022321765). A literature search was conducted in April 2022 using MEDLINE, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science and SCOPUS databases. The study design was not restricted, provided that a quantitative NK score was reported for adolescent athletes. Studies were limited to the English language and published between 2010 and April 2022. Studies were assessed for quality and risk of bias using the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Quality Appraisal Checklist. Data extracted included demographics, questionnaire name, number of items, validation status and mean total and subsection NK scores. Meta-analyses were inappropriate due to the heterogeneity of NK assessment tools; therefore, results were presented narratively. Thirty-two studies that assessed NK of 4553 adolescent athletes and 574 comparison participants were included. Critical appraisal of studies resulted in neutral rating ‘moderate quality’ for most (n 30) studies. Studies lacked justification for sample size and often used inadequately validated questionnaires. NK scores ranged from poor (33·3 %) to excellent (90·6 %). The level of NK across studies is difficult to determine due to heterogenous questionnaires often lacking appropriate validation. NK should be assessed using tools validated in the relevant population or revalidated tools previously used for other populations.

The Upper Guinea Forest (UGF; West Africa), a global biodiversity hotspot, has lost more than 90% of its original area since 1900, threatening endemic species such as the endangered pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis). However, little is known about the proximate causes of this deforestation. We classified Sentinel-2 data using the random forest algorithm to differentiate between three main human processes (shifting agriculture, intensive agriculture or urban expansion) driving deforestation between 2000 and 2019 across the pygmy hippopotamus distribution area. Out of c. 89 600 km2 in the year 2000, 15 900 km2 (17%) of forest were lost, primarily to shifting agriculture (14 900 km2). Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia accounted for 14 900 km2 (94%) of the net area of forest lost, c. 15 times greater than deforestation in Sierra Leone and Guinea combined (953 km2). Forest loss inside protected areas is pervasive, and it is essential to prioritize conservation efforts in areas where deforestation is still low (e.g., Taï, Sapo and Gola Rainforest national parks). We suggest that the preservation of the UGF will face challenges associated with people’s demand for food and income. Continued landscape-scale planning and action to reduce deforestation are urgently needed to limit the impact of shifting agriculture on pygmy hippopotamus habitat.

Sagamiscintilla thalassemicola (Bivalvia: Galeommatoidea: Galeommatidae) is a rare ectocommensal bivalve that lives on the proboscis of echiuran worms, Anelassorhynchus spp. (Annelida: Thalassematidae: Thalassematinae: Thalassematini), and has been known only from the temperate zones of Japan. In this study, we found S. thalassemicola on the proboscis of the large echiuran Ochetostoma sp. (Thalassematidae: Thalassematinae: Thalassematini) on intertidal flats of three islands of the Ryukyu Archipelago, southern Japan. These are the first records of S. thalassemicola on non-Anelassorhynchus hosts and also from the subtropical regions. Additionally, we also collected S. thalassemicola from an intertidal flat of Kushimoto, Wakayama, Kii Peninsula, Japan, which is an update of the easternmost record of this species. The genetic differences in the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2 genes among S. thalassemicola, including those with Ochetostoma sp. from the subtropical region and with Anelassorhynchus spp. from the temperate region, can be considered within the intraspecific variation. These suggest that S. thalassemicola uses different echiuran hosts in the temperate and subtropical regions, respectively.

Taking Ktunaxa Nation v. British Columbia as a focal point, the author argues that the legal framing of Indigenous sacred land claims in terms of religious freedom carries significant costs. It impels courts to bracket consideration of sovereignty and territorial rights, while positioning Indigenous worldviews as nonrational rather than as dynamic intellectual traditions and ways of life that are respectably different from those embodied in settler systems of law. Genuinely fair adjudication of such claims requires not religious exemptions from general laws but recognition of the sui generis rights of Indigenous nations in relation to lands they never ceded (acknowledging historical injustice); deep differences between dominant European settler and Indigenous cultures (acknowledging that settler law is also cultural); and the validity of Indigenous environmental philosophies (acknowledging that they are no less rational than Western ones).

This study investigated the effects of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus HN001 supplementation on the architecture and gene expression in small intestinal tissues of piglets used as an animal model for infant humans. Twenty-four 10-d-old entire male piglets (4·3 (sd 0·59) kg body weight) were fed an infant formula (IF) (control) or IF supplemented with 1·3 × 105 (low dose) or 7·9 × 106 (high dose) colony-forming units HN001 per ml of reconstituted formula (n 8 piglets/treatment). After 24 d, piglets were euthanised. Samples were collected to analyse the histology and gene expression (RNAseq and qPCR) in the jejunal and ileal tissues, blood cytokine concentrations, and blood and faecal calprotectin concentrations. HN001 consumption altered (false discovery rate < 0·05) gene expression (RNAseq) in jejunal tissues but not in ileal tissues. The number of ileal goblet cells and crypt surface area increased quadratically (P < 0·05) as dietary HN001 levels increased, but no increase was observed in the jejunal tissues. Similarly, blood plasma concentrations of IL-10 and calprotectin increased linearly (P < 0·05) as dietary HN001 levels increased. In conclusion, supplementation of IF with HN001 affected the architecture and gene expression of small intestine tissue, blood cytokine concentration and frequencies, and blood calprotectin concentrations, indicating that HN001 modulated small intestinal tissue maturation and immunity in the piglet model.

The literature provides conflicting arguments and mixed results regarding whether capital markets punish managerial myopia. Using managers cutting research and development (R&D) investments to meet short-term earnings goals as a research setting, this study reveals that capital markets penalize managerial myopia, especially for firms with high investor sophistication. Moreover, the negative market reactions to managerial myopia are weaker for firms with overinvestment problems than for those without such problems. Overall, the results support the notion that security markets are not shortsighted. In further analysis, we document that compensation, especially earnings-based compensation, may cause managers to behave myopically. Our study contributes to the literature, reconciling previously mixed findings by capturing managers’ myopic behavior in a more targeted way and showing that markets punish myopic R&D cutting.