This is the first report of Jurassic brachyurans and anomurans from the territory of Russia. These findings come from the Upper Jurassic (Oxfordian) reef limestones of the North Caucasus. The anomuran Gastrosacus wetzleri von Meyer, 1851 was collected from the locality near the Urup River and is the first find of this species outside of western Europe. The dromiacean crab, Goniodromites aliquantulus Schweitzer, Feldmann, and Lazăr, 2007, was discovered from another locality near the Kamennomostsky village. This species was first described from the Oxfordian of Romania. Findings of fossil remains of Goniodromites aliquantulus and Gastrosacus wetzleri from the Oxfordian of the North Caucasus indicate an interconnected paleobiogeographical community of decapod faunas in the Late Jurassic in the Tethys basins.

In the philosophy of religion, ‘de jure objections’ is an umbrella term that covers a wide variety of arguments for the conclusion that theistic belief is rationally impermissible, whether or not God exists. What we call ‘modal Calvinism’ counters these objections by proposing that ‘if God exists, God would ensure that theistic belief is rationally compelling on a global scale’, a modal conditional that is compatible with atheism. We respond to this modal Calvinist argument by examining it through the lenses of probability, modality, and logic – particularly, we apply analytical tools such as possible world semantics, Bayesian reasoning, and paraconsistent models. After examining various forms of the argument, we argue that none can compel atheists to believe that serious theistic possibilities worth considering would involve the purported divine measure.

Pinanga represents one of the largest genera of palms and has been extensively collected by botanists, though ecological studies on Pinanga remain limited. We evaluated species diversity and assemblages of Pinanga palms in two contrasting forest types, heath forest (HF) and mixed Dipterocarp forest (MDF) in Brunei Darussalam located in the Borneo biodiversity hotspot. At three HF and three MDF sites, all Pinanga palms greater than 5 cm height within a 3-ha sampling area per site were recorded and taxonomically identified. Selected soil properties (total N and P concentrations, pH, gravimetric water content [GWC] and OM) and environmental variables (litter depth [LD], humidity, canopy openness [CO] and elevation) were determined for each study site. Our survey recorded a total of ten Pinanga species, comprising 981 individuals. Pinanga abundance was significantly higher in HF sites than in MDF sites, while Pinanga abundance and species richness significantly varied between sites. Patterns in Pinanga species assemblages were significantly influenced by soil properties and elevation in the MDF sites but were only influenced by CO and LD in the HF sites. We identified three Pinanga species found in both forest types: Pinanga lepidota, Pinanga salicifolia and Pinanga mirabilis, while seven Pinanga species were exclusive to MDF sites and none were exclusive to HF sites. Two Pinanga species (Pinanga chaiana and Pinanga veitchii) were recorded as singletons and thus are in urgent need of protection. The restricted distributions of these Pinanga species within Borneo signifies a need to tailor specific conservation strategies in their native habitats to avoid their local extinction.

The study aims to determine the theoretical and legal basis for the tactics of interrogation of minors in Kazakhstan, to identify promising areas for improving the legal regulation of interrogation of this category of participants in criminal proceedings in the Republic of Kazakhstan. A comprehensive methodology was employed to analyse the regulatory framework, incorporating systematic, formal legal, and formal logical methods. The study addressed the state of regulatory and legal support for the interrogation of juvenile offenders in Kazakhstan. The study emphasized the need to enshrine the possibility of restricting the participation of a legal representative in criminal proceedings or replacing it completely with another legal representative in cases where participation may harm a minor or adversely affect the course of criminal proceedings. The study formulated recommendations that can be used to improve the legal regulation of interrogation of minors in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Perilla is a self-fertilizing crop widely used in East Asia for its seeds and leaves. Of the two varieties of Perilla, P. frutescens var. frutescens has long been used as a folk plant in South Korea. The seeds are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, which offer significant health benefits, making them popular for use in seed oil or as a spice. The leaves, with their high perilla ketone content and unique aroma, are used as leafy vegetables and spices. The morphological characteristics of crops are complex for various reasons, such as environment factors, multiplicity, etc. To better understand the morphological variations among three types of Perilla collected from three regions of South Korea, 7 qualitative traits and 10 quantitative traits were investigated using 500 Perilla accessions. The results of principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that the first two components together explained 52.2% of the overall variation. The 500 Perilla accessions clearly distinguished cultivated var. frutescens from weedy var. crispa and also revealed differences between cultivated and weedy types of var. frutescens. Significant morphological differences were observed among the three types of Perilla, especially in seed and plant characteristics. When the PCA results were analysed by region, regional differences were observed for all three types of Perilla. Therefore, this study provides a better understanding of the morphological and geographical differences in Perilla grown and naturally occurring in South Korea, which will aid research on crop evolution and differentiation, as well as Perilla breeding programmes.

The Indonesian government has implemented the Pre-Employment Card Programme in response to current employment challenges, including high unemployment and underemployment rates among the youth in Indonesia. This research aims to analyse the Programme’s impact on the labour market outcomes, especially involving the youth. The research employs propensity score matching to examine the Programme’s impact on the probability of securing employment and the work hours among the youth. The study involved participants who were unemployed and employed when enrolling in the programme. The results show that the programme was statistically significant in increasing the probability of employment among the unemployed participants. However, it was not statistically significant to increase the work hours of those employed during the enrolment. These findings provide an initial assessment of the programme’s effectiveness in addressing employment challenges faced by the youth in Indonesia.

Evidence indicates hypervitaminosis A may be attributed to overconsumption of natural preformed vitamin A (VA) and overlapping VA intervention strategies. Hypervitaminosis A can disrupt metabolic processes; however, the extent and mechanisms of these impacts are not well understood. This study aims to assess metabolic differences related to hypervitaminosis A and VA supplementation by performing metabolomics analysis. A subsample of South African preschoolers participating in the country’s VA supplementation programme was selected. Participants were divided into two groups: adequate VA (n 15; 0·59–0·99 µmol/g total liver reserve and high VA (n 15; ≥ 1·0 µmol/g total liver reserve). Serum samples were collected at baseline and 28 d after consuming a 200 000 IU VA supplement. Lipidomics and oxylipins assays were conducted using ultraperformance LC-MS. At baseline, unsaturated lysophosphatidylcholines and unsaturated phosphatidylcholines were significantly lower in the high VA group (P < 0·05). A group-by-time interaction with VA supplementation was observed for polyunsaturated lysophosphatidylcholines and polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholines (P < 0·05). Additionally, a group effect was noted for oxylipins, and a time effect in response to VA supplementation was seen with decreased arachidonic acid and lipoxygenase- and non-enzymatically derived oxylipins (P < 0·05). Hypervitaminosis A is associated with modifications in lipids involved in cell structure and signalling, particularly unsaturated lysophosphatidylcholines and phosphatidylcholines. Further research is needed to identify the mechanisms behind these modifications, their physiological effects and their potential as biomarkers of elevated vitamin A status.

Dietary choline and betaine, suggested as neuroprotective nutrients, have not been sufficiently studied in relation to psychological disorders. This study aimed to investigate the association between dietary choline and betaine and common psychological disorders (depression, anxiety and psychological distress) among Iranian adults. Using a multistage cluster random sampling method, 533 middle-aged adults were included in this cross-sectional study. Dietary intakes were assessed using a validated semi-quantitative 168-item FFQ. Depression, anxiety and psychological distress were evaluated using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the General Health Questionnaire, both validated for the Iranian population. Binary logistic regression was applied to explore the associations. Mean age of participants was 42·6 (sd 11·14) years; of whom 18·9, 5·1 and 33·4 % had depression, anxiety and psychological distress, respectively. In the crude model, the highest intake of choline was negatively associated with depression (OR = 0·52; 95 % CI: 0·30, 0·91), anxiety (OR = 0·38; 95 % CI: 0·14, 0·99) and distress (OR = 0·60; 95 % CI: 0·38, 0·94) compared with the lowest intake. After considering all confounders, such associations remained significant in the case of depression (OR = 0·51; 95 % CI: 0·26, 0·98) but not for anxiety and distress. Additionally, there was no significant association between betaine intake and odds of depression, anxiety or distress in both crude and adjusted models. This study suggests a protective association between choline intake and depression, while no significant relation was found in the case of anxiety and distress. Betaine intake was not related to psychological disorders. Further prospective studies are crucial to replicate these findings.

This work reports the X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) data recorded at room temperature (293 K) of dibromidodioxido-[(4,4′-di-tert-butyl)-2,2′-bipyridine]molybdenum(VI). The analysis of the powder diffraction pattern led to an orthorhombic united cell with parameters a = 17.9205(23) Å, b = 13.4451(16) Å, c = 18.1514(19) Å, V = 4,373.5(11) Å3, and values of Z = 8 and Z’ = 2. The crystal structure of this material corresponds to the structure of entry IFUJEC of the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD), determined at 90 K. The excellent Rietveld refinement, carried out with General Structure and Analysis Software II (GSAS-II), showed the single-phase nature of the material and the good quality of the data. This material was also characterized by elemental analysis, UV–vis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) techniques.

Maya Blue is a unique hybrid pigment created by combining organic indigo with the inorganic clay mineral palygorskite. First used for architectonic decoration in the Terminal Preclassic, it became widespread in the Late Classic on figurines, murals, and elite ceramics. Unlike indigo, it is notable for its durability and resistance to degradation by acids, alkalines, organic solvents and fading. The authors analyzed 17 samples of Maya Blue on pottery from the Late-Terminal Classic periods, a.d. 680–860, from Buenavista del Cayo, Belize. Using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), it was determined that the palygorskite in these samples likely came from Sacalum, Yucatan, some 375 km away. The authors suggest several routes by which palygorskite might have been transported from Yucatán to Buenavista. The pigment or knowledge of how to produce it likely was conveyed through high-status exchanges rather than commercial trade. Maya Blue held significant cultural and religious importance. It symbolized water and rain and was associated with the god Chaahk. Maya Blue appeared initially at Buenavista on architecture and rare imported ceramics but its use gradually increased on locally produced Belize Valley wares. Use at Buenavista peaked in the early 9th century before disappearing around a.d. 860. The study demonstrates the potential of trace element analysis in identifying long-distance social interactions in ancient Mesoamerica.