This article takes up the social production of race in nineteenth-century India through picaresque fiction. Through readings of Rudyard Kipling, Dion Boucicault, and W. M. Thackeray, it shows how picaresque form served as a specific mechanism of racial stabilization, a means of producing a consciously stopgap racial binary through the intervention of a third, triangulating racial term: Irishness. Understanding the triangular structure of whiteness’ “shapeshifting” brings into sharper relief the connections between three important scholarly foci regarding race in India: the ambiguous and fluid boundaries of Anglo-Indian whiteness, the belated assignment of “blackness” to native Indian populations, and the constant resignifications of Irish identity that demographic overrepresentation in India entailed. The case study of the picaresque reveals an imperialist culture more strategic and more self-aware about its own racial construction than is sometimes supposed; the genre served as a key means by which nonmetropolitan colonialist Victorians theorized and constructed their own relation to whiteness.

In explaining the “parenting – callous-unemotional traits – antisocial behavior” axis, recent theoretical advances postulate a critical role for affiliative reward. Existing empirical studies focus on early childhood and the appetitive phase of the reward process (i.e. affiliation-seeking behavior) rather than the consummatory phase (i.e. affective rewards). This study focuses on experienced affiliative reward (i.e. companionship, intimacy, affection, and worth) in relation to parents and best friends in early adolescence. The Alabama Parenting Questionnaire, Network of Relationships Inventory, Inventory of Callous and Unemotional Traits, and Youth Self Report were completed by 1132 12-year-olds and analyzed via structural equation models. In this cross-sectional sample, parent-related affiliative reward mediated the path from perceived parenting practices to callousness and further to aggression and rule-breaking. Parent-related affiliative reward was also related to uncaring traits and further to aggression and rule-breaking. In contrast, friend-related affiliative reward was not a mediator in this theoretical causal chain and largely not related to perceived parenting practices or CU traits. Low parent-related experienced affiliative reward is a mechanism through which corporal punishment, poor monitoring, and low involvement translate into callousness, and therefore to aggression and rule-breaking. Friend-related affiliative reward does not yet play a role in early adolescence.

Our knowledge about Cyrenaican horses during the Greek and Roman periods is mainly derived from ancient literary sources. They tell us that horses were bred with distinctive skills in this region and report interesting stories highlighting the participation of Cyrenaican horses in athletic games. The literary data suggests Cyrene is a horse-breeding centre and this paper examines whether these assertions represent a reality, or simply a convention. This study investigates and analyses other locally related archaeological data, including epigraphy documents published by the digital corpora of IGCyr and IRCyr. Although most of the inscriptions in these corpora are published, little attention has been given to horses. The adapted approach here aims to build up a picture about horses using local evidence, with a focus on the linguistic indications of equestrian practice at Cyrenaica and the use of horse-related terms in nomenclature. Interestingly, the regional textual and archaeological data provide us with a similar picture to that presented by the literary references regarding horse breeding in Cyrenaica, charioteer training and their contribution to overseas Greek and Roman sport.

Fetal sex contributes to the determination of obstetric outcome, as pregnancies carrying male babies seem to have an increased risk of maternal-fetal complications. Most studies have been conducted on singleton pregnancies, whereas less evidence is available for twins. A 10-year retrospective observational study was conducted on a cohort of 1180 women with twin pregnancy delivered at a single tertiary hospital. Clinical data on maternal characteristics, and obstetric and neonatal outcomes were collected, and the analysis was performed on monochorionic (MC) and dichorionic (DC) diamniotic twins separately. The group of DC twins included 837 cases, and those conceived by assisted reproductive technologies (ART) were more likely to have one or both female fetuses rather than males. The incidence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) was higher in same-sex pairs than in opposite-sex pairs. No differences were found regarding other obstetric and neonatal outcomes among the three sex-pairing groups. The MC twins group included 228 cases, and in female-carrying pregnancies a higher incidence of gestational diabetes (GDM) was observed compared to the male group. Furthermore, male pairs had significantly lower Apgar scores than females. Fetal sex seems to have a mild effect in twins compared to singleton pregnancies, suggesting a more complex set of factors contributing to pregnancy outcome in multiple pregnancies. However, we observed a higher incidence of HDP among same-sex DC pairs, a higher rate of GDM among MC female-female pairs, and a worse adaptation to extrauterine life among male-male pairs in MC twins.

Focusing on a period of social shift, from the Late Iron Age to the early Roman period (100 b.c.e.–c.e. 200), this paper examines how the value of juvenile (under 13-year-old) bodies changed. In exploring the fluctuation in burial numbers alongside the altering forms of juvenile graves, the paper details the ways in which children (1- to 12-year-olds) and infants (younger than 1 year in age) were identified in death, as well as the longevity of these identifications. It is argued that juveniles are less common than they should be in the funerary record. Given that this relative absence of juvenile burial was clearly socially mandated, the emphasis here is on better contextualising and interrogating the sporadic presence and deposition of such burials.

Slate disks have been reported from various excavations in the Maya Highlands. These artifacts have typically been described as supports or backings for iron-ore and pyrite mirrors. A number of these objects have been recovered in context at Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala. Whenever objects with reflective surfaces are identified in the field, they tend to be interpreted as mirrors, but they may have been worn as insignia on clothing. Recent finds at Kaminaljuyu, such as special deposits associated with Ballcourt B, suggest the use of reflective objects as part of the ballgame player's paraphernalia. The ballgame was an important ritual practice at Kaminaljuyu, as exemplified by the 13 ballcourts reported at the site. Archaeological evidence for this new interpretation will be presented, as well as a review of other examples excavated throughout the highlands, as part of an exploration of the exchange networks connected to regional trade in these exotic goods.

Although iron-ore mirrors are commonly found in the Maya area, very few workshops are known to date. Cancuen, Guatemala, is one of the few sites to show evidence of iron-ore production during the Late Classic (a.d. 600–800). This article reviews all the available data on this material in Cancuen in light of the recent excavations, and, by combining spatial and technological analysis, proposes to shed new light on the spatial organization of this production. By comparing the composition and the social context of production in Cancuen with that of Aguateca (Inomata and Eberl 2014), we suggest that there was a division of tasks between sites in which Cancuen's artisans were involved in the first stage of the production of luxury goods, whereas other stages, such as the arrangement of the tesserae on the supports and their repolishing, were more socially invested and made by elite artists at the recipient sites.

Archaeologists working in eastern North America typically refer to precontact and early postcontact Native American maize-based agriculture as shifting or swidden. Based on a comparison with European agriculture, it is generally posited that the lack of plows, draft animals, and animal manure fertilization resulted in the rapid depletion of soil nitrogen. This required Indigenous farmers to move their fields frequently. In Northern Iroquoia, depletion of soil fertility is frequently cited as one reason why villages were moved to new locations every 20 to 40 years. Recent analysis of δ15N ratios of maize macrobotanical remains from Northern Iroquoia, however, suggests that Iroquoian farmers were able to maintain soil nitrogen in their maize fields. An expanded analysis of maize kernel δ15N ratios from three ancestral Mohawk villages indicates that farmers from those villages maintained soil nitrogen throughout the occupational spans of their villages. It further suggests that precontact Iroquoian agronomy was consistent with contemporary conservation agriculture practices.

In this paper, we mainly investigate the well-posedness of the four-order degenerate differential equation ($P_4$): $(Mu)''''(t) + \alpha (Lu)'''(t) + (Lu)''(t)$ $=\beta Au(t) + \gamma Bu'(t) + Gu'_t + Fu_t + f(t),\,( t\in [0,\,2\pi ])$ in periodic Lebesgue–Bochner spaces $L^p(\mathbb {T}; X)$ and periodic Besov spaces $B_{p,q}^s\;(\mathbb {T}; X)$, where $A$, $B$, $L$ and $M$ are closed linear operators on a Banach space $X$ such that $D(A)\cap D(B)\subset D(M)\cap D(L)$ and $\alpha,\,\beta,\,\gamma \in \mathbb {C}$, $G$ and $F$ are bounded linear operators from $L^p([-2\pi,\,0];X)$ (respectively $B_{p,q}^s([-2\pi,\,0];X)$) into $X$, $u_t(\cdot ) = u(t+\cdot )$ and $u'_t(\cdot ) = u'(t+\cdot )$ are defined on $[-2\pi,\,0]$ for $t\in [0,\, 2\pi ]$. We completely characterize the well-posedness of ($P_4$) in the above two function spaces by using known operator-valued Fourier multiplier theorems.

The writings of Muhammad Siddiq Hasan well exemplify the argument of Francis Robinson's influential article on vernacular print publications that furthered a Protestant Reformation-like democratising of sacred knowledge. Both the number of his publications, and the personal empowerment enjoined by his Ahl-i Hadith jurisprudence, make him, in fact, an ideal exemplar of this kind of publication. He also, however, stands apart. First, his ‘vernacular’ included not only Urdu, but also Arabic and Persian. Second, beyond democratisation, print simultaneously enhanced scholarly authority, and it did so to an unusual extent for Siddiq Hasan because of his pioneering reach beyond India to the Ottoman lands, with Arabic works published and distributed from cities like Istanbul and Cairo. Third, Siddiq Hasan's publications served a diversity of purposes, like Persian publications that enhanced his princely status, and Arabic publications that not only forged transnational networks of like-minded scholars but also, in other hands, served modernist theologians and innovative literary scholars. Finally, in the end, the potential of print turned on him as officials used his publications to allege seditious intent. That denouement aside, the life of Siddiq Hasan's print publication points to a moment of rich intellectual life in the context of colonial rule, taking Robinson's insights on the potential of publication in unexpected directions.

Late preterm (LP, born between 34 0/7 and 36 6/7 weeks of gestation) infants may experience several adverse outcomes, similar to those experienced by low birthweight (LBW, birthweight <2500 g) infants. However, while LP infants are often born with LBW, the association between LP and LBW remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate LBW rate and independent risk factors for LBW in LP singleton neonates. We retrospectively analyzed data of LP singleton neonates, born between 2013 and 2017, from the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology Successive Pregnancy Birth Registry System. The exclusion criteria included stillbirths and infants with missing data. Logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate maternal and perinatal factors associated with LBW in LP singletons. LBW was observed in 62.5% (n = 35,113) of 56,160 LP singleton births. In the multiple logistic regression analysis, LBW in LP neonates was independently associated with modifiable maternal factors, including pre-pregnancy underweight, inadequate gestational weight gain, and smoking during pregnancy, as well as non-modifiable factors, including younger maternal age, nulliparity, hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, preeclampsia, cesarean section delivery, and female offspring. According to the Japanese pregnancy birth registry data, more than half of LP neonates were LBW. We previously discussed the issue of LBW regarding infants with different backgrounds, as there are many different causes of LBW. Several risk factors should be subdivided and considered for the risk of LP and LBW.

This longitudinal study aimed to validate the biosocial theory of borderline personality disorder (BPD) by examining the transactional relationship between individual vulnerabilities and parental invalidation, and their links to BPD symptoms. We recruited a sample of 332 adolescents (mean age = 14.18 years; 58.3% female) residing in Singapore and administered self-report measures across three time-points (six months apart). Results from our path analytic model indicated that parental invalidation, impulsivity, and emotional vulnerability exhibited unique predictive associations with emotion dysregulation six months later. There was also a reciprocal prospective relationship between emotion regulation difficulties and BPD symptoms. Using random-intercepts cross-lagged panel models, we found partial evidence for a within-individual reciprocal relationship between parental invalidation and emotional vulnerability, and a unidirectional relationship of within-individual changes in impulsivity positively predicting changes in parental invalidation six months later. Overall, the study provided partial empirical support for the biosocial model in a Singaporean context.

Previous research that explored sexual minority service users’ experiences of accessing NHS Talking Therapies for Anxiety and Depression Services highlighted the need for specific sexual orientation training. Inconsistent or lack of training may contribute to disparities in treatment outcomes between sexual minority service users and heterosexual service users. The aim of the study was to explore clinicians’ competencies working with sexual minority service users, their experiences of sexual orientation training, their view of current gaps in training provision, and ways to improve training. Self-reported sexual orientation competency scales and open-ended questions were used to address the aims of the study. Participants (n=83) included Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWPs) and high-intensity CBT therapists (HITs). Responses on competency scales were analysed using Kruskal–Wallis tests and thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative responses. Participants who identified as 25–29 years old had higher scores on the knowledge scale than 45+-year-olds. Bisexual participants also had higher scores on the knowledge subscale than heterosexual participants. Three over-arching themes were identified: (a) training received on sexual minority issues by Talking Therapies clinicians, (b) clinicians’ experiences of accessing and receiving sexual minority training, and (c) perceived gaps in current sexual minority training and ways to improve training. Findings were linked to previous literature and recommendations to stakeholders are made throughout the Discussion section with the view of improving sexual orientation training.

Zinc deficiency is a common nutritional problem in calcareous agricultural soils, resulting in reduced crop yield and performance. The effects of zinc sulphate (0 and 40 kg/ha) on seed yield, its components and seed element contents of 21 wheat cultivars were investigated. Zinc sulphate application increased plant height, leaf area index (LAI), flag leaf area, biomass, spike length, number of seeds per spike, seed weight and harvest index (HI). The increase in HI indicates the greater effect of zinc on seed production compared to plant biomass. In most of the cultivars, zinc sulphate application decreased the content of phosphorus and nitrogen in seeds and increased the content of iron and potassium. The cultivars showed significant differences in all the traits measured, indicating the existence of genetic diversity in the cultivars studied. In the second year, which was hotter and drier than the first year, zinc sulphate application reduced the damage caused by drought and heat stress and improved seed yield and quality. The regression fit showed that newer cultivars had lower yields in unfertilized conditions compared to old cultivars and showed their superiority in zinc fertilized conditions. It seems that the newer varieties require more fertilizer because they have been bred on fertile soils.

The Puerto Rican Nightjar Antrostomus noctitherus is an endemic Caprimulgid found in dry coastal and lower montane forests of south-western Puerto Rico. Information on the species (e.g. abundance, nesting biology) has been mostly restricted to forest reserves (i.e. Guánica Forest and Susúa Forest) with limited information available from private lands. We collected stand-level vegetation structure and geographical information from forest reserves and private lands to model habitat suitability and distribution for the Nightjar. Results of the stand-level model indicated forest type and midstorey vegetation density best predicted Nightjar habitat. Our spatial model predicted considerably more Nightjar habitat (17,819.64 ha) located outside protected areas than previously reported. Further, the model highlighted several localities of importance for the species across southern Puerto Rico, all located within private lands. We used a patch occupancy approach to assess regions identified by the landscape-level model as suitable for the Nightjar and documented the presence of the species in 32 of 55 sites, located in 12 of 18 municipalities across southern Puerto Rico. The protection and restoration of forest across the southern coast of Puerto Rico would help to ensure the long-term persistence of the Nightjar across a considerable portion of its range. Addressing habitat needs may be the single most effective mechanism to achieve recovery of the species.