The United States has long represented one of Canada's primary international allies. This partnership has remained strong despite turbulent times in the relationship, such as the one brought forth by the Trump presidency. Our article seeks to understand the sources of such continuity through the lens of continentalism. While historical accounts of continentalism have portrayed it as a passive force stemming from Canada's material self-interest, scholars have recently identified the emergence of an evolved form of continentalism that represents a dominant idea and a coherent analytical framework in Canadian foreign policy. Has this new form of continentalism indeed gained widespread acceptance among Canadians? We answer this question by considering continentalism in the ideational realm. Using novel public opinion data, our analysis investigates whether continentalist attitudes have become embedded in Canadians’ national identity and foster closer alignment preferences vis-à-vis the United States. We find significant and robust evidence of such effects.

Knowledge of snow and firn-density change is needed to use elevation-change measurements to estimate glacier mass change. Additionally, firn-density evolution on glaciers is closely connected to meltwater percolation, refreezing and runoff, which are key processes for glacier mass balance and hydrology. Since 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey Benchmark Glacier Project has recovered firn cores from a site on Wolverine Glacier in Alaska's Kenai Mountains. We use annual horizons in repeat cores to track firn densification and meltwater retention over seasonal and interannual timescales, and we use density measurements to quantify how the firn air content (FAC) changes through time. The results suggest the firn is densifying due primarily to compaction rather than refreezing. Liquid-water retention in the firn is transient, likely due to gravity-fed drainage and irreducible-water-content decreases that accompany decreasing porosity. We show that the uncertainty (±60 kg m−3) in the commonly used volume-to-mass conversion factor of 850 kg m−3 is an underestimation when glacier-wide FAC variability exceeds 12% of the glacier-averaged height change. Our results demonstrate how direct measurements of firn properties on mountain glaciers can be used to better quantify the uncertainty in geodetic volume-to-mass conversions.

An important issue in second-language acquisition concerns the role of explicit information (EI) and how it is affected by individual differences. The present study explored this question through a partial replication and extension of Fernández (2008: Experiment 2), which investigated the effects of EI in processing instruction (PI) for the Spanish present subjunctive. This replication compared training with EI (PI) to training without it (structured input; SI). In addition to methodological changes that balance the amount of exposure between groups, this study also includes a control group that received exposure to the target form (C+). Extending the original study, we also assessed the durability of training and whether its effects interact with individual differences in working memory (WM). Results indicate advantages for the PI group during training, supporting Fernández’s conclusions. Immediate post-tests show advantages for the PI group that are not sustained on delayed post-tests. Analyses also indicate benefits for higher WM but only for the PI and C+ groups, although this was only sustained for the C+ group. Thus, findings indicate that when paired with SI, EI and high WM may influence the initial learning of the Spanish subjunctive, but their influence may dissipate over time.

Organic sweetpotato growers have limited effective weed management options, and most rely on in-season between-row cultivation and hand weeding, which are time consuming, are costly, and deteriorate soil quality. Studies were conducted at the Samuel G. Meigs Horticulture Research Farm, Lafayette, IN, and at the Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center, Vincennes, IN, in 2022 and 2023 to determine the effects of in-row plant spacing and cultivar selection on weed suppression and organic sweetpotato yield. The experiment was a split-split plot design, with in-row spacings of 20, 30, and 40 cm as the main plot factor, weeding frequency (critical weed-free period and weed-free) as the subplot factor, and sweetpotato cultivar (‘Covington’ and ‘Monaco’) as the sub-subplot factor. However, in 2022, we evaluated only in-row spacing and weeding frequency because of the poor establishment of ‘Monaco’. In 2023, sweetpotato canopy at 5 wk after transplanting (WAP) decreased as in-row spacing increased from 20 to 40 cm, and sweetpotato canopy cover of ‘Monaco’ (62%) was greater than that of ‘Covington’ (44%). In-row spacing did not affect weed density at 4, 5, and 6 WAP. As in-row spacing increased from 20 to 40 cm, total sweetpotato yield pooled across both locations in 2023 decreased from 30,223 to 21,209 kg ha−1 for ‘Covington’ and from 24,370 to 20,848 kg ha−1 for ‘Monaco’; however, jumbo yield increased for both cultivars. Findings from this study suggest that an in-row spacing of 20 cm may provide greater yield than the standard spacing of 30 cm for both ‘Monaco’ and ‘Covington’.

The embedded Nash problem for a hypersurface in a smooth algebraic variety is to characterize geometrically the maximal irreducible families of arcs with fixed order of contact along the hypersurface. We show that divisors on minimal models of the pair contribute with such families. We solve the problem for unibranch plane curve germs, in terms of the resolution graph. These are embedded analogs of known results for the classical Nash problem on singular varieties.

Manual rainfed rice sowing is laborious and time-consuming, leading to delayed crop establishment due to labour shortage. To increase production and productivity, we proposed introducing single-row rotary seeders (for dibbling seeds) and fertiseeders (for simultaneous dibbling seeds and fertilizer) for smallholders. We evaluated ‘CFFAMMA seeder’ (already developed seeder by CFFAMMA), ‘New seeder’ (a newly designed seeder), and a fertiseeder in terms of sowing time, crop establishment, and yield in Madagascar. We also obtained farmers’ feedback on the machines’ effectiveness, desirability, their willingness to use, and to pay for it (farmer participatory approach). Finally, we evaluated the profitability of using these machines under rainfed conditions. On-farm experiments across four locations in the central highlands of Madagascar revealed up to 82% time savings using seeders and fertiseeder over two seasons compared with manual methods. The CFFAMMA seeder outperformed the other two, with similar numbers of missing hills, yield, and benefit–cost (B:C) ratios to manual sowing. Despite farmers’ desire to adopt seeders (96%), high cost of equipment acquisition remains a significant obstacle: farmers’ willingness to pay per unit of the equipment (US$8–11); actual price ($68–81). Addressing this financial burden is crucial for wider adoption. Though the seeders and fertiseeder achieved >80% time reduction for sowing and comparable yields to manual methods, fine-tuning of the tools for technical efficiency is also required for wider adoption.

Emerging evidence suggests that low-grade systemic inflammation plays a key role in altering brain activity, behaviour and affect. Modulation of the gut microbiota using prebiotic fibre offers a potential therapeutic tool to regulate inflammation, mediated via the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). However, the impact of prebiotic consumption on affective symptoms and the possible contribution from inflammation, gut symptoms and the gut microbiome are currently underexamined. In this 12-week study, the effects of a diverse prebiotic blend on inflammation, gut microbiota profiles and affective symptoms in a population with metabolic syndrome (MetS) were examined. Sixty males and females with MetS meeting the criteria for MetS were randomised into a treatment group (n 40), receiving 10 g per day of a diverse prebiotic blend and healthy eating advice, and a control group (n 20), receiving healthy eating advice only. Our results showed a significant reduction in high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in the treatment (–0·58 [–9·96 to–2·63]) compared with control (0·37 [–3·64 to–3·32]), alongside significant improvements in self-reported affective scores in the treatment compared with the control group. While there were no differences in relative abundance between groups at week 12, there was a significant increase from baseline to week 12 in fecal Bifidobacterium and Parabacteroides in the treatment group, both of which are recognised as SCFA producers. Multivariate regression analyses further revealed an association between gastrointestinal symptoms and hs-CRP with affective scores. Together, this study provides preliminary support for a diverse prebiotic blend for mood, stress and anxiety.

Do recent increases in women’s representation around the world have implications for international relations? We argue that greater representation of women in legislatures increases the likelihood of human rights treaty ratification for two reasons. First, given their shared gendered experiences of exclusion and discrimination, women legislators will advocate on behalf of marginalized groups on an international scale as transnational surrogate representatives. Second, women legislators may be more inclined to prioritize the ratification of human rights treaties because these treaties align with their domestic policy preferences, which aim to support marginalized groups. We contend that, in countries where ratification depends upon legislative approval, legislatures are more likely to ratify human rights treaties as women’s presence increases. Using an original dataset of 201 multilateral treaties, we find that countries become more likely to ratify human rights treaties as levels of women’s legislative representation increase.

We investigated cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between neonate microbial exposure and emerging behavioral temperament measures at the ages of 1, 2, and 3 years. Infants and mothers (n = 335) were extracted from the Kuopio Birth Cohort Study. Temperament was assessed using the Infant Behavioral and Early Childhood Behavioral Questionnaires. Microbial samples were collected from oral cavity at birth and the bacterial profiles were assessed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Microbial diversity was characterized using alpha and beta diversity metrics. Analyses were performed for the most abundant genera. The sample was analyzed as a whole, as well as divided into subgroups representing no antibiotic use during birth (n = 198) and those with antibiotic use during birth (n = 137). No significant associations were observed between microbial profiles and behavioral measures after Bonferroni corrections. Nevertheless, our pre-correction results indicated an association between increased behavioral temperament surgency in the first year and beta diversity (high abundance of Bacteroides, Faecalibacterium and Blautia, low abundance of Lactobacillus) in the antibiotic use group. Additionally, pre-corrections, a high relative abundance of Staphylococcus was associated with increased surgency through years 1, 2, and 3 in the no antibiotics group, prompting consideration into a possible link between antibiotic use and emerging behavioral temperament.

This article explores the use of laws to unduly silence critics of corporate human rights abuses. It considers the hypothesis that state and business elites align their interests, fuelling the employment of regulations to excessively impede naming and shaming activities. This article draws on socio-legal and critical legal studies to demonstrate how laws, while typically perceived as protective, can also serve to empower corporations and suppress dissent. It reviews examples of such collusion and calls for further case studies to better understand the interplay between business interests and regulatory practices.

Businesspeople are expected to invest in political connections when the institutions are weak. Using an original dataset from Russia in 2003–2010, we document changes in political connections of the richest businesspeople and show that within the institutional environment of a fledgling autocracy political engagement stops paying off, and the businesspeople retreat from politics. The businesspeople’s political disengagement reveals their insider assessment of the quality of Russian political institutions, indicating that as autocracy consolidated in Russia, its political institutional structure was in decay. This finding contributes to our understanding of authoritarian institutions, suggesting that even though autocracies nowadays might be institutionalized to a much higher degree, in the short-run autocracy is still detrimental to institutionalization.

We report on an improved ytterbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet thin-disk multi-pass amplifier for kilowatt-level ultrafast lasers, showcasing excellent beam quality. At a repetition rate of 800 kHz, the 6.8 ps, 276 W seed laser is amplified up to an average power of 1075 W, corresponding to a pulse energy of 1.34 mJ. The 36-pass amplifier is designed as a compact mirror array in which the beam alternately propagates between the mirrors and the disk by a quasi-collimated state. We adopted a quasi-collimated propagation to confine stray and diffracted light by the slight curvature of the disk, which enables us to achieve an outstanding extraction efficiency of up to 57% with excellent beam quality in stable laser operation at high power. The beam quality at 1075 W was measured to be M2 < 1.51. Furthermore, stability testing was demonstrated with a root-mean-square power fluctuation of less than 1.67% for 10 min.

At high elevations on the Greenland ice sheet meltwater percolates and refreezes in place, and hence does not contribute to mass loss. However, meltwater generation and associated surface runoff is occurring from increasingly higher altitudes, causing changes in firn stratigraphy that have led to the presence of near-surface ice slabs. These ice slabs force meltwater to flow laterally instead of percolating downwards. Here we present a simple, physics-based quasi-2-D model to simulate lateral meltwater runoff and superimposed ice (SI) formation on top of ice slabs. Using an Eulerian Darcy flow scheme, the model calculates how far meltwater can travel within a melt season and when it appears at the snow surface. Results show that lateral flow is a highly efficient runoff mechanism, as lateral outflow exceeds locally generated meltwater in all model gridcells, with total meltwater discharge sometimes reaching more than 30 times the average amount of in situ generated melt. SI formation, an important process in the formation and thickening of the ice slabs, can retain up to 40% of the available meltwater, and generally delays the appearance of visible runoff. Validating the model against field- or remote-sensing data remains challenging, but the results presented here are a first step towards a more comprehensive understanding and description of the hydrological system in the accumulation zone of the southwestern Greenland ice sheet.

Awareness of agricultural climate impacts is growing. In the European Union (EU), the agricultural sector is responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions while continuing to receive considerable EU budgetary support. A large share of agricultural emissions is linked to livestock husbandry, a sector the direct and indirect climate impacts of which the EU's ‘green’ agricultural policies have historically ignored. This blind spot extends to the sizeable global deforestation footprint from EU livestock feed imports that remains unaddressed, despite the EU's aspired status as a global climate leader and major global agricultural market player. This article benchmarks the evolution of EU agri-climate legal and policy developments, using livestock emissions as a case study to highlight the importance of learning from the successes and failures of the EU experience, to realize future attempts to tackle global agricultural emissions.

Field schools are foundational training for archaeologists and the corresponding methods for instruction are largely consistent within the discipline. The expectation is that at some point early in their careers students will enroll in a field school. To participate, students must pay summer tuition, dedicate a minimum of four weeks (usually longer) to full-time fieldwork, and in many cases travel to remote locations. The reality is that for many students such expectations make field school participation an impossibility—and ultimately make archaeology a nonviable career option for students from historically underrepresented backgrounds. Offering local field opportunities within the context of a regular school year alleviates those problems. A recent field school in north Idaho demonstrated how traditional field school structure excludes many students and how archaeologists can adjust instruction to make field training more accessible to students.

Early life adversity (ELA) and youth chronic health conditions have been examined as separate contributors to psychopathology. However, little work has specifically examined early life health adversity (ELHA) and its association with risk for internalizing disorders. This study seeks to examine the relationship between ELHA and internalizing disorders across adolescence. A sample of 705 Australian mother–youth dyads participated in a prospective longitudinal study. Mothers reported child health indicators at youth ages three-to-four days, six months, and five years and completed a psychiatric interview at 15 years. Youth completed a psychiatric interview, as well as measures of current health status, at age 20. ELHA was positively associated with both youth anxiety and depressive disorders from ages 15 to 20. When independently accounting for the role of (a) current health status and (b) exposure to traditionally conceptualized forms of ELA, these findings remained statistically significant for anxiety but not depressive disorders. ELHA interacted with maternal depression, such that ELHA was only associated with youth depressive disorders in cases where mothers themselves had experienced depression. Routine mental health screenings may be warranted for youth who experience ELHA and their mothers. Pediatric primary care may be an ideal setting for implementing prevention and intervention efforts.

Scholars studying organizations often work with multiple datasets lacking shared identifiers or covariates. In such situations, researchers usually use approximate string (“fuzzy”) matching methods to combine datasets. String matching, although useful, faces fundamental challenges. Even where two strings appear similar to humans, fuzzy matching often struggles because it fails to adapt to the informativeness of the character combinations. In response, a number of machine learning methods have been developed to refine string matching. Yet, the effectiveness of these methods is limited by the size and diversity of training data. This paper introduces data from a prominent employment networking site (LinkedIn) as a massive training corpus to address these limitations. By leveraging information from the LinkedIn corpus regarding organizational name-to-name links, we incorporate trillions of name pair examples into various methods to enhance existing matching benchmarks and performance by explicitly maximizing match probabilities. We also show how relationships between organization names can be modeled using a network representation of the LinkedIn data. In illustrative merging tasks involving lobbying firms, we document improvements when using the LinkedIn corpus in matching calibration and make all data and methods open source.

Social Darwinism was a pathbreaker in the history of Chinese international thought. In this study, we explore the hitherto sparsely discussed process of the reception of social Darwinism in China, which led to a fundamental transformation in Chinese thinking about the international order and the position of China vis-à-vis Western powers. Drawing on the work of three leaders of that intellectual transformation – Yan Fu, Kang Youwei, and Liang Qichao – we analyse issues such as the struggle for existence and survival, national and racial competition, and statism. We demonstrate how the three aforementioned thinkers modified the original Darwinist thought, enriching it with voluntarism and radical collectivism, all in order for the emerging set of ideas to suit China’s historically determined needs. Overall, our analysis contributes to both the history of International Relations thought in China and the broader debate on the globalisation of IR theory and IR knowledge production.