The results of radiocarbon dating of modern fish bone collagen from the Upper Lena River have identified a large and highly variable freshwater reservoir effect, with a maximum offset age of 2389 ± 19 14C yr BP. Variable contributions from both dissolved bedrock carbonate and permafrost soil melt were identified as the drivers for these reservoir offsets using a combination of bulk and amino acid specific stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes, as well as the novel application of strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) to the study of reservoir effects. Strontium isotope ratios were used as a means of identifying the contributions of dissolved limestone and dolostone carbonate to the fish tissues in comparison to their associated radiocarbon (14C) offset ages. An updated model for δ13C and 14C age offsets in fish bone collagen was produced to interpret the potential combined contributions of old carbon from both permafrost soil melt and carbonates from bedrock erosion. The wide range of 14C offset ages identified in this study poses challenges to producing robust corrections for both modern and archaeological reservoir effects in human populations. Specifically, there is a need to address the potentially wide range of 14C ages which fish could represent, rather than using reservoir effect correction models which function best with uniform endmember contributions of old carbon.

This reflection explores the gap between explaining and understanding artificial intelligence’s (AI) outcomes, focusing on the example of AI-driven medical diagnostics. Explainable AI (XAI) is fundamentally rooted in machine learning and probabilistic methods, which is why its relationship to domain-specific contexts, such as medical diagnostics or policymaking, as well as to social concepts, such as trust or accountability, remains ambiguous. This creates a gap between what is technically considered as explaining and what, in turn, constitutes the understanding of a model’s predictions and its concrete, situated implications. In our contribution, we draw on the philosophy of science and its contextual notion of scientific understanding to highlight the need for explainable algorithmic outcomes that enable actors to both explain and intervene in creating, applying or interpreting knowledge. Our reflection highlights the potential tension between XAI as providing insights into an AI model’s technical operations and explainability as part of a situated understanding of how the model works within specific social contexts. We believe that bringing the concept of scientific understanding to empirical AI ethics can help us rethink explainability and contribute to more responsible ways of making sense of and interacting with black-box models, particularly in medical diagnostics.

In this work, we consider two coherent systems with shared components in the case when the component lifetimes are independent and identically distributed with a discrete-time distribution instead of a continuous-time distribution. Then, a discrete-time joint signature is proposed for the two systems by generalizing the traditional joint signature for systems with continuous lifetimes. Some stochastic properties of the proposed joint signature are studied in detail, including joint distribution, stochastic ordering, and transformation formula for comparison of pairs of systems of different sizes. Some illustrative examples are also presented.

Prosecutors play a pivotal role in the American criminal justice system, exercising broad discretion over charging, plea bargaining, and sentencing recommendations. Yet despite their significant influence, we know surprisingly little about how the public perceives prosecutors – or the conditions under which trust in them is earned or lost. Building on research on political trust and leveraging new, granular survey evidence, we argue that public confidence in prosecutors is shaped by three interacting domains: (1) ideological identity and background characteristics; (2) orientations toward government and legal institutions; and (3) social dynamics – especially political efficacy and social capital. Our analysis shows that these forces jointly structure trust through multiple pathways, clarifying when and why prosecutorial legitimacy is strengthened or undermined. This framework offers concrete benchmarks for understanding variation in trust across communities and for evaluating reforms amid sustained scrutiny of the criminal justice system.

This article explores how the Chinese public perceives South-East Asia. Using original survey data collected in China, it suggests three perceptual frames. The “affinity” frame, which is rooted in historical Chinese migration and diaspora ties, generates feelings of kinship and cultural connection. Conversely, the “annoyance” frame stems from contemporary geopolitical tensions, particularly South China Sea disputes, where several South-East Asian countries are viewed as provocateurs challenging China’s regional authority. The “apprehension” frame characterizes the region as exotic yet dangerous, a perception reinforced by recent cyber scams and criminal activities targeting Chinese citizens, creating stereotypes of South-East Asia as lawless and unsafe. The article analyses the survey data for the statistical distribution of these frames and discusses their political implications. By exploring how historical ties, geopolitical tensions and security concerns simultaneously shape Chinese public opinion, the article illuminates the complex perceptual landscape that may influence China’s diplomatic and economic relations with South-East Asia.

Employee well-being has become an urgent issue due to the consequences of the pandemic crisis. Studies have suggested that prosociality could increase well-being, but we do not have a clear understanding about the mechanisms through which prosociality is related to well-being. The study aimed to identify some of these mechanisms. Building on the prosociality literature, we proposed and simultaneously tested five theory-driven mediators: the satisfaction of the basic psychological needs (relatedness, autonomy, and competence), rumination, and work meaningfulness. The study sample consisted of 200 employees, and a panel design with three data collection points was implemented. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results demonstrated that the relationship between prosociality and well-being was mediated by the satisfaction of the need for autonomy. The findings provide valuable empirical evidence about the role of prosocial behavior in fostering employee well-being. We further discuss implications for theory and research on prosociality and well-being.

Recent literature within archaeology and heritage studies has highlighted the need for multispecies and more-than-human approaches that go beyond human exceptionalism in the past and within the remains of the past in the present. Responding to these developments, this paper highlights a previously underrepresented group of cohabitants within human societies and their ruins – fungi. The paper demonstrates the need to account for fungi in archaeology, given that fungi can be both decomposers (living off traces of the past) and symbionts (forging connections for healthier multispecies ecologies). As such, four principles for ‘a mushroom archaeology’ are proposed by drawing on the work done within the ongoing ‘fungal turn’ in social sciences, humanities and the popular imagination. As an example of how this can be done, recent archaeological work on German World War II era ruins in northeastern Norway is drawn into dialogue with ongoing research with a local citizen science group that has begun surveying the unique fungal ecologies of these post-conflict remains. In the process, this paper demonstrates how focusing on fungi reveals a previously overlooked archaeological data source and underscores the need to notice the emergent more-than-human subterranean ecologies created in the wake of human use and ruination that underpin life in the present and future.

A new species of Calicotyle (Monogenea: Monocotylidae) is described from three deepwater catshark species (Elasmobranchii: Pentanchidae) collected off Iceland. Calicotyle carmenae n. sp. is diagnosed as a species of Calicotyle possessing a haptor with one central and seven peripheral loculi, two hamuli, and several hooklets. It is distinguished from all congeners by the absence of eye spots, having a once-looped male copulatory organ, two U-shaped vaginae, and intercaecal vaginal pores. A molecular phylogenetic analysis based on 28S ribosomal DNA sequences placed Calicotyle carmenae n. sp. within a clade of other Calicotyle species infecting selachians and holocephalans, while revealing clear genetic divergence from these congeners (8.2–11.1%; 74–99 bp). In addition, the morphology and host specificity of C. carmenae and its congeners are discussed. Some inconsistencies and insufficiently described anatomical features in other species of the subfamily Calicotylinae are highlighted, which evidence a need for a revision of this taxon. The study also provides the first record of a species of Calicotyle from pentanchid sharks, highlighting the potential for further discoveries as research expands into different hosts and deeper, underexplored marine ecosystems.

Fall- and spring-seeded cover crops are commonly used by organic no-till practitioners, but spring-seeded mixtures have not been as widely studied, particularly regarding their management under short growing periods in cool-climate regions. This study evaluated the short-term effects of spring-seeded cover crop termination methods and organic fertilization rates on subsequent crop yields and soil mineral nitrogen (N) dynamics on a clay loam soil in Quebec, Canada. In both years (2022–2023), a spring-seeded cover crop mixture was terminated in mid-summer, and then a vegetable crop was transplanted and fertilized at three different rates. Cover crop termination methods consisted of roller-crimping (ROLL), flail mowing and tarping (TARP), flail mowing and disking (DISK), and a fallow control without cover crops (CTRL). The combination of pelletized composted poultry manure and blood meal was applied at three rates (0% N, 50% N, and 100% N) during the production of broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) in 2022 and beetroot (Beta vulgaris var. esculenta) in 2023. In 2022, field peas (Pisum sativum L.)-oats (Avena sativa L.) produced an average of 2.9 Mg DM ha−1, whereas the aboveground biomass of field peas-faba beans (Vicia faba L.) in 2023 yielded about 2.3 Mg DM ha−1. Flail mowing and tarping (TARP) increased total broccoli and beetroot yields by 38% and 44%, respectively, compared to roller-crimping, likely due to N availability rather than weed competition. Soil mineral N after tarp removal in 2023 was up to twice as great in the fully fertilized TARP treatment compared to other treatments. Vegetable N uptake, particularly in broccoli, was the lowest in the ROLL treatment, indicating a strong connection between plant N uptake and yields. Termination was performed at a phenological stage that was too early, resulting in low effectiveness of the roller-crimper. Interestingly, the TARP and DISK treatments produced comparable yields. Overall, cover crops could not compensate for reduced fertilizer inputs, which is further supported by the lack of termination method × fertilization rate interactions. Limited cover crop biomass production due to the short growing period resulted in minimal yield differences between treatments with cover crops and the CTRL treatment. Although this study was limited to a single field in Quebec, it shows that tarping may be a better option for organic vegetable growers, as it facilitates the termination of cover crops without tillage compared to roller-crimping.

We give an example of a unital $\mathrm {C}^*$-algebra $\mathbf {A}$ with a computable presentation and for which neither $K_0(\mathbf {A})$ nor $K_1(\mathbf {A})$ has a computable presentation.

Virgil’s placement of the Gates of Sleep immediately after Anchises’ review of Roman heroes and his instructions to Aeneas about the latter’s future mission can be seen as an hommage to the traditions of early Roman historiography and in particular to Fabius Pictor, in whose history Aeneas learned his destiny through dreams.