In this paper, we examine and respond to two concerns associated with gender socialization and assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs). After providing an overview of feminist theorists’ work on gender socialization and women’s autonomy, we consider the concern according to which women’s choice to use ARTs to have children may be non-genuinely autonomous due to the influence of oppressive norms on this choice. We call this the autonomous-choice concern. In response to this concern, we argue that only subscribing to an overly demanding account of autonomy yields this conclusion and issue a caution about the implications of subscribing to such an account. Second, we consider the concern according to which the investment of public resources to make certain ARTs more widely accessible amounts to endorsing oppressive norms and may indirectly harm infertile and other women by making these norms more compelling. We call this the norm-legitimation concern. In response, we argue that when appraising the adverse downstream effects associated with legitimizing oppressive norms, it is necessary to consider both the costs of compliance and the costs of non-compliance with these norms, and that their consideration requires a differentiated approach. In closing, we consider objections to the arguments defended in the paper.

Data from three and half years’ nightly light-trap catches of 25 Afrotropical ant species were examined by Fourier analysis. Between 8 and 72 % of the seven-day-moving-average logarithmically transformed catches were accounted for by two to four terms. All 25 species showed significant annual periodicity and all, but Dorylus fulvus and Camponotus foraminosus, six monthly. Four species had wavelengths of between two and four years, and Tapinoma melanocephalum of 289 days. Twenty-three species showed two peak catches annually, contemporaneous with the two rainy seasons, with the higher peak corresponding with the main rains for 21 of them, while D. fulvus and C. foraminosus had single annual peaks during the main rains. Catches of 14 species with lunar periodicities were lowest around full moon and highest near new moon, contrasting with Hypoponera dulcis and Plagiolepis brunni whose catches were highest at full moon, and near the first quarter, respectively. Gynes and males of eight species were sufficiently numerous for comparisons of their separate responses to lunar illuminance. Catches of males peaked ca. six and three days later than gynes for Tapinoma cf. carininotum and Tetramorium aculeatum, respectively; whereas males of Crematogaster africana, Cr. depressa, Tetramorium sericeiventre, Oecophylla longinoda, Tapinoma melanocephalum, and Technomyrmex andrei peaked from ca. one to six days earlier than their respective gynes.

How do geopolitical risk shocks impact monetary policy? Based on a panel of 18 economies, we develop and estimate an augmented panel Taylor rule via constant and time-varying local projection regression models. First, the panel evidence suggests that the interest rate decreases in the short run and increases in the medium run in the event of a geopolitical risk shock. Second, the results are confirmed in the time-varying model, where the policy reaction is accommodating in the short run (1 to 2 months) to limit the negative effects on consumer sentiment. In the medium term (12 to 15 months), the central bank is more committed to combating inflation pressures.

Among various deep learning-based SLAM systems, many exhibit low accuracy and inadequate generalization on non-training datasets. The deficiency in generalization ability can result in significant errors within SLAM systems during real-world applications, particularly in environments that diverge markedly from those represented in the training set. This paper presents a methodology to enhance the generalization capabilities of deep learning SLAM systems. It leverages their superior performance in feature extraction and introduces Exponential Moving Average (EMA) and Bayes online learning to improve generalization and localization accuracy in varied scenarios. Experimental validation, utilizing Absolute Trajectory Error (ATE) metrics on the dataset, has been conducted. The results demonstrate that this method effectively reduces errors by $20\%$ on the EuRoC dataset and by $35\%$ on the TUM dataset, respectively.

The Jesuit Historical Institute in Africa (JHIA) aspires to deepen the understanding of the history and mission of the Jesuits on the African continent by enhancing local cultural and spiritual heritage. It aims to promote rigorous research that sheds light on the interactions between the Jesuit tradition, religions and other African socio-cultural dynamics. Through its work, the Institute seeks to inspire a new generation of researchers and actors committed to promoting Jesuit studies, justice, education and intercultural dialogue in Africa and Madagascar.

In this study, we hypothesize that positive, explicit racial appeals to Black voters from White politicians will be seen as pandering if not accompanied by an endorsement from a Black elite, which would increase credibility of the appeal. To test this, we use a preregistered survey experiment with approximately 400 Black Americans. Contrary to our expectations, we find that pro-Black appeals can function to increase support for the politician, even without an endorsement. In the full sample, the candidate enjoyed increased support when only using a positive appeal, when only receiving an endorsement, and when making an appeal and receiving an endorsement—relative to the control condition. Qualitative analyses of open-ended responses reveal that respondents saw the politician as pandering in all conditions—an appeal was not necessary to evoke pandering. We conclude that campaign strategies like appeals and endorsements can function to boost support even when the candidate is perceived as pandering.

Political self-efficacy, the civic duty to vote, and a homogeneous political atmosphere have been identified as important antecedents of turnout. However, little is known about how they explain voting behavior among minorities, who have an inherent motivation to protect their minority rights. In this article, I examine how belonging to a minority, political self-efficacy, the civic duty to vote, and a shared party identification are connected to intentions to vote. Analyzing nationally representative panel data in a structural equation model, I compare Swedish-speaking minority adolescents and Finnish-speaking majority adolescents—groups that mainly share similar background characteristics in all but language and their minority or majority status. According to the results, the significantly higher voting intentions found among the minority can partly be derived from their higher level of political self-efficacy. The unilingually Swedish-speaking adolescents also seem to benefit from their more pronounced and homogenous political atmosphere.

In 2013, Hans Zell asked the pertinent question, ‘How many books are published in Africa?’ Noting that the figures for African publishing output had been cited for at least two decades as 2–3 per cent of global production, he traced these back to data from an outdated and incomplete UNESCO survey as well as a number of sources that simply did not exist (Zell 2013). Moreover, the figures had remained static all that time, and he estimated that no national bibliographies existed for at least twenty African countries, a key source of data (Zell 1995; 2018). Based on these shortcomings, Zell (1995; 2019) has repeatedly called for more reliable statistics on the book trade across the continent. A decade later, the picture is not much clearer, and there is still a pressing need for more evidence and data when talking about books in Africa.

The acclaimed novelist Barbara Pym worked for the International African Institute from 1948 to 1974 contributing her editing and administrative skills to the Institute’s journal, Africa, and output of scholarly publications on Africa. This article explores that contribution, her working relationships with Cyril Daryll Forde and other anthropologists, and how all this is reflected and referenced in her novels, especially in points of contact between Forde’s ethnography and Pym’s Quartet in Autumn.

This report provides an overview of available data on the ultrathin structure and the mechanisms of formation of cysts around acanthocephalans of the classes Palaeacanthocephala and Archiacanthocephala in intermediate hosts. In most of the described cases, the cyst is bi-layered, consisting of an outer layer that is relatively thick and vesicular, and an underlying layer that is thin and amorphous. In acanthellae of some species, a lamellar layer is observed on the cyst surface, which degrades presumably at the cystacanth stage. Three probable mechanisms of cyst formation in acanthellae of different species have been identified. The first and second mechanisms involve the border of microvilli that develops on the tegument surface. In acanthellae of the first group, the cyst’s vesicular layer is formed by detachment of fragments or small vesicles from microvilli, a process resembling the micro-apocrine secretion, while the amorphous layer is composed of electron-dense material released from invaginates of the tegument’s outer membrane and the remaining microvilli. In acanthellae of the second group, the cyst is single-layered and formed presumably of whole microvilli separated from the tegument. Since acanthellae of the third group lack microvilli on the tegument surface, the vesicular layer of the cyst is formed of a few small vesicles and amorphous material synthesized deep in the tegument and in large vesicles transported to the parasite’s surface. The amorphous, electron-dense layer of the cyst is formed in the same manner as in the first group, but without microvilli.

This study elucidated the impacts of coenzyme Q10 (COQ10) supplementation in a high-fat diet (HFD) on growth, lipid metabolism and mitochondrial function in spotted seabass (Lateolabrax maculatus). Totally five diets were formulated: a diet with normal fat content (11 % lipid, NFD), a HFD (17 % lipid) and three additional diets by supplementing 5, 20 or 80 mg/kg of COQ10 to the HFD. After an 8-week culture period, samples were collected and analysed. The results demonstrated that COQ10 inclusion prevented the HFD-induced deterioration of growth performance and feed utilisation. COQ10 alleviated the deposition of saturated fatty acids following HFD intake and promoted the assimilation of n-3 and n-6 PUFA. Moreover, COQ10 administration inhibited the surge in serum transaminase activity and reduced hepatic lipid content following HFD ingestion, which was consistent with the results of oil red O staining. In addition, HFD feeding led to reduced hepatic citrate synthase and succinate dehydrogenase activities and decreased ATP content. Notably, COQ10 administration improved these indices and up-regulated the expression of mitochondrial biogenesis-related genes (pgc-1α, pgc-1β, nrf-1, tfam) and autophagy-related genes (pink1, mul1, atg5). In summary, supplementing 20–80 mg/kg of COQ10 in the HFD promoted growth performance, alleviated hepatic fat accumulation and enhanced liver mitochondrial function in spotted seabass.

Debates on dedollarizing and internationalizing China’s currency, the renminbi (RMB), often focus on state-led initiatives such as bilateral currency swaps and Central Bank Digital Currencies while overlooking the role of entrepreneurs utilizing US dollar (USD) alternatives. Ethnographic fieldwork with Nigerian importers of Chinese goods reveals how parallel payment currencies and channels—informal naira-RMB transfers and illicit cryptocurrency transactions—are just as essential in the Global South to decenter US dominance: its currency, institutions, and authority. Analyzing formal monetary policies and local money practices, Liu shows how Nigerian importers cultivate multicurrency fluency, which is vital in an incipient era of political and economic multipolarity.

Cathepsin B (CTSB) is a cysteine protease that is widely found in eukaryotes and plays a role in insect growth, development, digestion, metamorphosis, and immunity. In the present study, we examined the role of CTSB in response to environmental stresses in Myzus persicae Sulzer (Hemiptera: Aphididae). Six MpCTSB genes, namely MpCTSB-N, MpCTSB-16D1, MpCTSB-3098, MpCTSB-10270, MpCTSB-mp2, and MpCTSB-16, were identified and cloned from M. persicae. The putative proteins encoded by these genes contained three conserved active site residues, i.e. Cys, His, and Asn. A phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that the six MpCTSB proteins of M. persicae were highly homologous to other Hemipteran insects. Real-time polymerase chain reaction revealed that the MpCTSB genes were expressed at different stages of M. persicae and highly expressed in winged adults or first-instar nymphs. The expression of nearly all MpCTSB genes was significantly upregulated under different environmental stresses (38°C, 4°C, and ultraviolet-B). This study shows that MpCTSB plays an important role in the growth and development of M. persicae and its resistance to environmental stress.

Building on Lucas (1988) and Boucekkine et al. (2013), we develop a model in which the impact of population dynamics on per capita GDP and human capital depends on the balance of intertemporal altruism effects toward future generations and class-size effects on an individual’s education investment. We show that there is a critical level of the class-size effects that determines whether a decline in population growth will lead to a decrease or an increase in a country’s long-run growth rate of real per capita income. We take the model to OECD data, using a semi-parametric technique. This allows us to classify countries into groups based on their long-term growth trajectories, revealing patterns not captured by previous studies on the topic.

This study investigates the extent to which a group of Australian preservice and early career secondary school music teachers of East Asian heritage are likely to teach aspects of their heritage music. It is positioned against a background of national multiculturalism and approaches to cultural inclusivity in Australian society, as well as the long-standing notion of ‘Asia literacy’ in Australian education and the national cross-curriculum priority (C-CP) of ‘Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia’. The study’s findings indicate that the participants identified with their ancestral cultures to varying extents, generally had very limited knowledge of and experience with their heritage music and in general were reluctant to teach their heritage music. The authors suggest that the slow rate of progress towards culturally diversifying Australian music classrooms is related to complex matters and attitudes surrounding race in the country. The study proposes developing Cayari’s concept of ‘Asian spaces’ as a means of increasing the presence of East Asian music in Australian schools and of supporting teachers of East Asian heritage in the workplace. Finally, the authors emphasise that culturally diversifying the content of music classrooms can be undertaken by teachers of any cultural background.

Building on the success of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL), new tax proposals have been considered in the public health policy debate in the UK. To inform such debate, estimates of the potential impacts of alternative tax scenarios are of critical importance. Using a modelling approach, we studied the effects of two tax scenarios: (1) a hypothetical excise tax designed to tax food products included in the Sugar Reduction Programme (SRP), accounting for pack size to reduce the convenience of purchasing larger quantities at once; (2) an ad valorem tax targeting products based on the UK Nutrient Profile Model (NPM). Simulations of scenario 1 show a reduction in sugar purchased of up to 38 %, with the largest decreases observed for sweet confectionery with a tiered tax, similar in structure to the SDIL. Expected food reformulation in scenario 1 led to further decreases in sugar purchased for all categories. In scenario 2, under the assumption that the tax would not affect purchases of healthier products, a 20 % tax on less healthy products would reduce total sugar purchased by 4·3 % to 14·7 % and total energy by 4·7 % to 14·8 %. Despite some limitations and assumptions, our results suggest that new fiscal policy options hold a significant potential for improving diet quality beyond what has been achieved by the SDIL and SRP. An estimated increase in consumer expenditures in both scenarios suggests that attention needs to be paid to potentially regressive effects in the design of any new food taxes.