When doing politics online, representatives are increasingly subject to insults, threats, and offensive comments. But in what ways is citizen–elite toxicity a challenge for political equality? Bridging research in communication research and gendered political violence, we theorize that inequality in politicians’ exposure and reaction to online toxicity can arise from their identity, role, or online behavior. Analyzing a full sample of Twitter conversations between citizens and candidates (N = 875,028) during the 2021 German national election, we estimate how candidates’ identity, role, and online behavior correlate with the frequency, form, and consequences of toxicity that they are exposed to. We find most support for our behavioral hypotheses, indicating that citizen–elite communications often function as counter-speech: right-wing parties’ candidates and those who tweet toxically themselves receive more toxic replies, and doing so reduces their tweet activity in the following days. Although the frequency and consequences of toxicity do not vary by candidates’ role and identity, we show that the form of attack does: Frontbencher candidates are more often personally insulted, whereas candidates from marginalized groups and culturally left-wing parties more often receive attacks directed at their party or policy propositions. In sum, this article reveals a complex and nuanced picture of how citizen–elite toxicity affects political equality online.

With the collapse of the regime in Syria in late 2024 and the end of a brutal civil war, Syrian higher education faces a series of challenges as it adjusts to a post-authoritarian, but Islamist, government. Institutions of higher education were significantly degraded during the war and universities became sites of resistance, surveillance, torture, and violence. This article assesses the Middle East Studies Association’s failure to adequately engage with Syrian higher education during this period and argues for a renewed effort to build connections and engage in professional dialog with counterparts in the country. At the same time, it highlights renewed threats to academic freedom and new problems including heightened sectarianization, creeping gender apartheid, and unclear legal guidance for higher education. It concludes with specific proposals including the development of Arabic-language resources on academic freedom and the expression of solidarity with the Syrian people as they rebuild their country.

Seasonal variation in temperature and precipitation affects food availability for organisms. Tropical bats are trophically diverse, representing many feeding guilds, and can represent about half of mammalian diversity in tropical areas. Stable isotope analysis of nitrogen (δ15N) in animal tissues permits inference on phenology of diet and trophic level through repeated sampling of a single tissue over time or by simultaneous sampling of multiple tissues that vary in isotopic turnover rate. The goal of our study was to use multi-tissue stable isotope analysis to investigate the phenology of diet (i.e., trophic-level switching) in bats. We sampled tissues of museum specimens from five tropical bat species representing different trophic guilds (insectivores, frugivores) and movement capacities (wide-ranging, narrow-ranging). We measured δ15N in three metabolically latent (hair, skin, bone) and four active (heart, kidney, spleen, liver) tissues and generated mathematical model predictions of expected δ15N values of these tissues based on their foraging guild. Specifically, we predicted that species with more sedentary movement patterns (i.e., narrow-ranging species) would have high among-tissue variation in δ15N and species that move further and more often (i.e., wide-ranging) would have less δ15N variation among tissues. Our results supported our predictions and suggest that the phenology of diet is detectable by multi-tissue isotope analysis using δ15N.

This study investigates how structured co-design approaches foster team mental models (TMMs) sharedness in interdisciplinary design teams engaged in information visualization projects. Interdisciplinary collaboration faces challenges including communication barriers, diverse domains and complex informational environments that hinder shared understanding and cohesion. Drawing from literature on team mental models, team cognition and co-design practices, the study formulates four research questions related to specific interventions, integrative activities, evocative artifacts, framing guides and guided reflexivity. An exploratory mixed-methods approach involved two design teams through brainsketching workshops, with one experiencing structured co-design interventions and an unfacilitated group without interventions. Data analysis integrated qualitative verbal protocol coding with quantitative transition matrices to capture sequential interaction patterns. Chi-square analysis revealed distinct behavioral patterns, with the intervention group exhibiting richer communicative sequences. Findings reveal that integrative activities enhanced early team integration and supported divergent thinking. Evocative artifacts facilitated semantic alignment and novel idea development, while framing guides helped establish adaptive decision-making. Guided reflexivity encouraged procedural strategies around complex problem spaces. The unfacilitated group experienced difficulties, particularly in task framing and reflection processes. This research contributes a procedural framework mapping verbal activity types to team cognition stages, offering approaches for fostering TMMs in interdisciplinary design contexts.

Spatial risk models for Lassa fever (LF) generally predict the primary reservoir, Mastomys natalensis, is restricted to rural landscapes. This study integrates multispecies biotic interactions and anthropogenic land-use into a high-resolution framework to evaluate LF’s urban potential. I implemented an integrated multispecies occupancy model to reconstruct the reservoir’s realized niche, accounting for sampling bias and invasive rodent competitors. A socio-economic filter, proxied by night-time lights, was introduced to model the dampening effect of urban infrastructure on spillover. Annual infections were estimated using a demographic compartmental model incorporating empirical seroreversion rates. Results indicate high biological hazard across the peri-urban fringes of major West African cities. However, an infrastructure-driven socio-economic shield decouples this hazard from human incidence in dense urban cores. Accounting for spatial shielding and antibody waning yields an estimated 2.6 million annual Lassa virus infections. Comparing predictions to clinical data reveals substantial surveillance gaps, identifying highly suitable silent districts in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo with zero reported cases. LF possesses the biological potential to become a peri-urban disease; addressing these surveillance gaps at the peri-urban interface is a critical public health priority.

Framed within Social Interdependence Theory, this study investigated how learner factors (interaction mindsets and task perceptions) relate to learner engagement, task completion, and lexical learning. One hundred and five L2 learners of English completed an interaction-mindsets questionnaire and a lexical pre-test, performed two interactive tasks (i.e., collaborative spatial planning task vs. asymmetric visual comparison task), completed an engagement questionnaire, and participated in a post-test and a debriefing. Learner interactions were coded for engagement (semantically engaged talk, responsiveness, LREs), while survey and interview data were analyzed using inferential statistics and thematic analysis. Our results showed that interaction mindsets predicted various dimensions of engagement (i.e., cognitive, social, and emotional) and lexical learning. Most learners viewed tasks positively despite their differing foci. Follow-up tests revealed the impact of task type on engagement, which in turn predicted task completion. The results evidence links between learner factors, engagement, and learning outcomes, which highlights the need to foster positive interaction mindsets and task perceptions to enhance engagement and learning.

A quality improvement project was implemented across a large primary care network to decrease antibiotic use and improve guideline-concordant therapy for acute sinusitis. The multifaceted intervention included education, EHR decision support, and individual prescriber feedback with peer comparison. The program was associated with improvements in guideline-concordant prescribing.

Several groups in democratic polities are legally excluded from voting. Are they thus also excluded from democratic representation? In this article, we focus on the political inclusion of underage youth and migrants. We theorize that proxy representation of their interests might occur through two mechanisms: mechanical or solidarity representation. Drawing on parallel citizen and politician surveys in 14 countries (N citizens = 27,465; N national politicians = 1,185), we find that both groups have some preferences that are not automatically matched by either the general electorate or politicians. While underage youth’s preferences are at least matched by young voters (aged 18 to 25 years), this is not the case for migrant non-voters. Second, we show that citizens and politicians largely consider youth, children, and future generations – but not migrants – to deserve political representation equal to that of adult citizens. In sum, our evidence suggests proxy representation is a weak alternative to enfranchisement, especially for the migrant population.

This study investigates the relationship between trauma and caregiver depression in Haiti, a country burdened by ongoing political unrest, natural disasters, and economic hardship. A preponderance of evidence shows the substantial impact of caregiver mental health on child development and intergenerational vulnerability. This cross-sectional analysis examined data from the Grandi Byen randomized controlled trial, including 480 caregiver-infant dyads in Cap-Haitien. Depression risk was assessed using the Zanmi Lasante Depression Symptom Inventory (ZLDSI), and trauma exposure was measured with a survey adapted from the Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 (LEC-5). Negative binomial and ordinal logistic regression models assessed the relationship between caregiver trauma and depression, adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, and environmental conditions. The analysis revealed that trauma exposure was significantly associated with higher odds of depression risk (OR = 1.09; 95% CI: 1.001, 1.193). Household composition was identified as a protective factor for depression (OR = 0.81; 95% CI: 0.664, 0.910). Trauma exposure was significantly associated with caregiver depression in Haiti, likely exacerbating the mental health challenges faced by caregivers in the context of political, economic and environmental stressors. Given the limited mental health data available in Haiti, this study provides essential insights into the trauma and challenges Haitians experience amidst ongoing crises.

Nebraska has significant acreage under a continuous corn production system each year, in which managing volunteer corn remains a persistent challenge for growers. A new premix of glufosinate/quizalofop (Zalo®) was recently registered for weed control in glufosinate-resistant canola, cotton, and soybean. The objectives of this study were to (1) compare glufosinate/quizalofop (Zalo®) with quizalofop (Assure® II) applied at V3 or V6 growth stages for control of glufosinate/glyphosate-resistant volunteer corn in corn resistant to aryloxyphenoxypropionates (Enlist® corn), and (2) evaluate interactions with 2,4-D and their effects on volunteer corn density, biomass, and corn yield. Field experiments were conducted in 2023 and 2024 near Clay Center, NE (three site-years) and in 2024 near Rosemount, MN (one site-year). Glufosinate/quizalofop applied at 706 or 948 g ai ha–1 provided 98% to 99% control of volunteer corn, as well as reductions in density and biomass 28 days after application (DAA), regardless of volunteer corn planting density and corn growth stage at herbicide application, and these outcomes were comparable to quizalofop applied at 65 or 86 g ai ha–1. When the lower rate of glufosinate/quizalofop (706 g ai ha–1) was mixed with 2,4-D (1,064 g ae ha–1), volunteer corn control ranged from 84% to 92% at 14 DAA across two site-years. Volunteer corn control improved to ≥ 96% by 28 DAA or when the higher rate of glufosinate/quizalofop (948 g ai ha–1) was mixed with 2,4-D 14 DAA. Enlist corn yield increased in the plots sprayed with herbicides compared with the nontreated control, with no difference among herbicide programs and it was comparable to the weed-free treatment. The results of this study indicate that glufosinate/quizalofop could provide an effective postemergence herbicide option for managing glufosinate/glyphosate-resistant volunteer corn, pending registration for use in Enlist® corn.

North Carolina farmers have extensively relied on atrazine for effective weed control in corn, particularly for Palmer amaranth. In 2016, a grower from Washington County, NC, reported a control failure of Palmer amaranth in a corn field treated with atrazine. Greenhouse studies were conducted with the objectives to confirm if the Washington County Palmer amaranth population was resistant to atrazine and to determine other effective postemergence herbicides. Two atrazine-susceptible Palmer amaranth populations collected from Edgecombe and Johnston County were used for comparison. Greenhouse response assays confirmed the Washington County population is resistant, with a lethal dose causing 50% mortality (LD50) of 1,253 g ai ha-1. This population was 7- and 9-fold less susceptible to atrazine compared with the Edgecombe (LD50: 208 g ai ha-1) and Johnston County (LD50: 155 g ai ha-1) populations, respectively. Additionally, the LD80 (lethal dose causing 80% mortality) of the Washington County population (12,107 ga ai ha-1) was more than five times greater than the maximum labeled rate for atrazine. A subsequent herbicide screen that utilized field labeled rates suggested that 2,4-D, dicamba, fomesafen, glufosinate, and mesotrione provide at least 79% or greater control of the Washington County population. The Washington County population was not effectively controlled by thifensulfuron or glyphosate, both of which have widespread resistance documented throughout North Carolina. The results of these experiments provide evidence that the Washington County population is resistant to atrazine, glyphosate, and thifensulfuron, and effective herbicides to manage this population were confirmed.

The eastern Jebilet successions record major palaeogeographic and tectono-sedimentary changes during the Variscan orogeny, but the chronology of key events remains incompletely constrained because of the many allochthonous carbonate units and the strong deformation. Here, three autochthonous outcrops and six allochthonous units of the eastern Jebilet nappe were sampled for microfossils, with emphasis on Viséan foraminifers recovered from washed residues and thin sections. Forty-five out of 155 samples yielded diagnostic assemblages which allowed a more precise biostratigraphy. The base of the Kharrouba Formation is dated for the first time as at least middle Viséan Cf5, and the middle and upper parts are Asbian Cf6γ1-2. An Upper Devonian age for the pre-Viséan deposits of eastern Jebilet is indicated by reworked Famennian conodonts collected from the base of the Kharrouba Formation. Most allochthonous units contain upper Viséan foraminiferal associations. These new data provide improved chronological constraints on (i) the Viséan transgression in eastern Jebilet, (ii) the emplacement of the eastern Jebilet nappe, (iii) the provenance of the nappe units and (iiii) the regional correlations between the Meseta and adjacent domains. Our results confirm a marine connection with the Palaeotethys Ocean, suggesting the proximity of the Meseta to Gondwana.