This article explores the development of Ukraine’s legal framework on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the context of European Union integration and post-war recovery. It analyses key regulatory challenges, including outdated biosafety laws, insufficient enforcement mechanisms and gaps in GMO detection and co-existence frameworks. Focus is placed on the 2023 Ukrainian GMO Law, which aligns with EU standards but is subject to delayed implementation. The article examines the legal tension between the EU’s interpretation of the precautionary principle in GMO law and Ukraine’s WTO obligations, highlighting the need for balanced, science-based regulation. In light of wartime agricultural disruption, the article argues that a robust, science-based GMO regulatory regime is essential for ensuring biosafety, facilitating market access and enabling the development of a resilient bioeconomy. GMO reform is thus positioned as a strategic necessity for Ukraine’s legal modernisation, economic recovery and long-term integration into the European and global systems.

This article explores the nineteenth-century history of ship’s ballast to study global maritime mobility ‘from below’, both socially and materially. Though mostly overlooked by contemporaries and historians alike, ballast was both a necessary resource for and a constraint on sea travel. This article examines ballast in four steps. First, it defines ballast in terms of its function, materiality, and value. Second, it studies ballast in the littoral zone, where specialized ballasting organizations depended on precarious labour and where both its production and disposal became entangled with environmental agendas and concerns. In a third step, the article focuses on ballast at sea, where it materially and sometimes detrimentally impacted the experience of ‘being in transit’. Finally, the article considers the transition to water ballast as an example for the persistence and staying-power of seemingly obsolete technologies and associated labour regimes. Ballast was an obscure but powerful enabler of sea travel. Maintaining this connectivity rested both on the widespread mobilization of labour for ballast practices and on the global movement of vast amounts of otherwise useless weight.

This review summarises evidence from cohort and intervention studies on the relationships between nutrition in early life, epigenetics and lifelong health. Established links include maternal diet quality with conception rates, micronutrient sufficiency before and during pregnancy with preterm birth prevention, gestational vitamin D intake with offspring bone health, preconception iodine status with child IQ, adiposity with offspring obesity and maternal stress with childhood atopic eczema. Animal studies demonstrate that early-life environmental exposures induce lasting phenotypic changes via epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, histone modifications and non-coding RNA, with DNA methylation of non-imprinted genes most extensively studied. Human data show that nutrition during pregnancy induces epigenetic changes associated with childhood obesity risk, such as Antisense long Non-coding RNA in the INK4 Locus (ANRIL, a long non-coding RNA) methylation variations linked to obesity and replicated across multiple populations. Emerging insights reveal that paternal nutrition and lifestyle also modify sperm epigenomics and influence offspring development. Although nutritional-randomised trials in pregnancy remain limited, findings from the NiPPeR trial showed widespread preconception micronutrient deficiencies and indicated that maternal preconception and pregnancy nutritional supplementation can reduce preterm birth and early childhood obesity. The randomised trials UPBEAT and MAVIDOS have shown that nutritional intervention can impact offspring epigenetics. Postnatal nutritional exposures further influence offspring epigenetic profiles, exemplified by ALSPAC cohort findings linking rapid infant weight gain to later methylation changes and increased obesity risk. Together, these studies support a persistent impact of maternal and early-life nutrition on child health and development, underpinned by modifiable epigenetic processes.

Using the Irish experience of public investment and fiscal policy management over the last 25 years, we identify five core lessons. These concern (1) the need for sustained investment effort even when facing tough choices regarding public expenditure, (2) the importance of assessing the adequacy of public capital, (3) counter-cyclicality as an important principle of public investment, (4) crowding-in private investment and (5) the challenge for public investment caused by longer-term challenges such as the necessary climate transition. We also propose two overarching design suggestions for fiscal policy and investment management frameworks.

We present an initial assessment of all-season Arctic sea ice thickness estimates from ICESat-2 by combining freeboard retrievals with all-season SnowModel-LG snow loading. ICESat-2 captures the key regional and seasonal patterns of Arctic sea ice variability and shows good agreement with CryoSat-2 all-season estimates, including regional patterns of inter-annual variability in summer ice thickness. ICESat-2 shows consistently thicker ice compared to CryoSat-2 across the western coastal Arctic, while CryoSat-2 shows some periods of thicker ice across the Central Arctic, largely consistent with winter thickness biases. Validation against upward-looking sonar moorings, IceBird-2019 airborne observations and MOSAiC buoy data highlights generally strong performance across a range of conditions, although seasonal biases linked to snow loading, freeboard differences and ice density assumptions persist. The SnowModel-LG and NESOSIM snow accumulation models perform well across the validation datasets, but do not consistently add skill beyond the modified Warren climatology. Experimental ICESat-2/CryoSat-2 dual altimetry winter snow depths show strong performance relative to existing products and future work should extend these into summer for further assessments. Overall, our analysis supports the viability of an all-season ICESat-2-derived thickness record.

In this article, I place the blockchain within competing interpretations of the present as either an emerging technofeudal mode of production, or as a relatively unchanged capitalism. Drawing on a wide literature on zones – spaces in nation-states where the usual rules do not apply – I highlight three reconfigurations of territory, authority, and rights (TAR) associated with the blockchain today. These are: (1) the transnational expansion of crypto-related practices; (2) the national regulation and legitimation of cryptoassets; and (3) the reemergence of a liberal discourse linking human rights to the global exchange of private property. Through these examples, I demonstrate how the blockchain is part of a broader reshaping of accumulation and legal legitimation, mirroring the emergence of capitalism and the nation-state, but on a global scale. I conclude by arguing against the position that the reemergence of fascism is a red herring distracting us from the coming technofeudalism; instead, I claim that technofeudalism obscures the links between today’s techno-authoritarian shift and the enforcement of global corporate private property relations.

The aim of the present study was to develop short and very short forms of the Children’s Test Anxiety Scale (CTAS) using the ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm. The item selection algorithm for the short form was applied to Sample 1 (N = 570), and the best-fitting short form was identified based on validity and reliability evidence. These analyses were then replicated with Sample 2 (N = 825) to confirm the findings. Children’s Perceived Academic Self-Efficacy Scale used for convergent validity. Also measurement invariance tested by gender. Additionally, a very short form of the scale (CTAS-VS) was developed using a subset of the same sample. Across all three studies, consistent results were found in terms of model fit, factor structure and validity. Overall, findings suggest that both the 14-item short form (CTAS-S) and the 3-item very short form (CTAS-VS), developed via the ACO algorithm, possess strong psychometric properties.

Loneliness and social isolation represent persisent global public health concerns, particurarly for people in later life, with extensive mental, social, and biological consequences. Both have been associated with increased risk of depression, anxiety, dementia, cardiovascular disease, premature mortality, and greater demand for health and social care services. A growing body of evidence indicates that nature-based interventions are effective in reducing loneliness, enhancing mood, and promoting overall well being, yet they still remain underutilised within health and social care strategies; particularly for older adults and those with limited mobility. One such initiative, Cycling Without Age, a grassroots programme, demonstrates the potential of nature-based interventions. Evidence across multiple contexts indicates improvements in mood, life satisfaction, and social connectedness, alongside benefits for families and care staff. Cycling Without Age illustrates a type of scalable, person-centred intervention that could be integrated into healthy ageing strategies. However, rigourous large-scale research remains scarce, which highlights the need for further evaluation to guide policy adoption and sustainable implementation. Effective responses to loneliness and social isolation require integrated support programmes that foster social connectedness and healthy ageing, delivered through coordinated efforts spanning public health, urban design, and community services.

Metaphysics is the science of what is as such. And what is is the formal object of thought; it is what is thought as such. Hence metaphysics, the science of being, is the self-clarification of thought. The original moment of metaphysics is Parmenides’ pronouncement that being and thinking are the same: ‘τὸ γὰρ αὐτὸ νοεῖν ἐστίν τε καὶ εἶναι’. The moment is recaptured when Hegel writes that, in the idea of being, thought embraces itself in its absolute abstraction. So this is the concern of metaphysics: thinking and being. That concern was central to a certain tradition of analytic philosophy, originating in Frege and Wittgenstein. Thus books belonging in this tradition bear titles like Word and Object, Mind and World. A late book in this tradition is Peacocke’s The Primacy of Metaphysics. It opposes itself to McDowell’s Mind and World and Dummett’s ‘What is a Theory of Meaning?’ In what follows I want to discuss that opposition. I shall do so in a way that, I hope, will show a reader of Hegel that it may be fruitful, in one’s attempts to think about thinking and being, to engage the said analytic tradition. In this qualified way, my contribution will bring today’s metaphysics into communication with Hegel’s philosophy, revealing, hopefully, the relevance of the former.

Childhood adversity is associated with increased engagement in health risk behaviors (HRBs), such as substance use, violence, and risky sexual behaviors during adolescence, which contribute to leading causes of death and disability throughout the lifespan. Threat and deprivation are two dimensions of adversity that impact health and wellbeing through partially distinct developmental pathways, but no studies have examined if and how HRBs differ by adversity dimension. This pre-registered network analysis examined the independent associations between threat, deprivation, and adolescent HRBs using data from the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. We hypothesized that both adversity dimensions would be associated with HRBs, with stronger associations for threat compared to deprivation. Participants were U.S. high school students (N = 7,691; 52% male, 48% female). Forty-six percent were white, 26% multiple races, 12% Black, 7% American Indian/Alaska Native, 4% Asian, < 1% Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, and 20% Hispanic. Consistent with our hypotheses, network structures revealed that both threat and deprivation were associated with HRBs, the patterns of such associations varied by dimension, and the overall strength and number of HRB associations was greater for threat. Findings support the utility of dimensional models in linking childhood adversity to adolescent HRBs, with implications for research and clinical practice.

Smooth scouringrush is a deep-rooted, rhizomatous, herbaceous perennial that has been difficult to control in dryland wheat-producing regions in the Pacific Northwest. Long-term field experiments were conducted at Omak, Edwall, and Steptoe, Washington, to evaluate applications of chlorsulfuron + metsulfuron (21.9 + 4.4 g ai ha−1), triasulfuron (29.5 g ai ha−1), or MCPA ester (780 or 1,122 g ae ha−1). The Omak trial (2017–2021) included two 2-yr cycles of a winter wheat/chemical summer fallow rotation. The Edwall and Steptoe trials (2019–2025) included two 3-yr cycles of winter wheat/spring wheat/chemical summer fallow rotation. Six preassigned herbicide sequences tested the efficacy of 1) chlorsulfuron + metsulfuron applied during one or both chemical fallow phases and 2) triasulfuron alone applied to wheat. MCPA ester was applied as a check treatment. Smooth scouringrush stem density was evaluated in each plot each year. Chlorsulfuron + metsulfuron applied in the first chemical summer fallow phase maintained relatively low stem density in all three trials through the first rotation cycle compared with the check treatment. Chlorsulfuron + metsulfuron applied in the second chemical summer fallow phase extended control through the second rotation cycle. However, in the 3-yr rotation trials, chlorsulfuron + metsulfuron was not as effective in the second rotation cycle at Steptoe where stem densities averaged only 6 stems m−2 at time of the second application. Triasulfuron applied to wheat was not effective in controlling smooth scouringrush. Smooth scouringrush reduced wheat yield in the MCPA ester check sequence at Edwall, but no differences were observed at Steptoe or Omak. Chlorsulfuron + metsulfuron applied in chemical fallow is effective for long-term control of smooth scouringrush in wheat-based cropping systems. A subsequent application in chemical fallow can be effective if an adequate number of stems are present to facilitate foliar uptake.

While financial knowledge and math knowledge have been independently associated with financial capability, there is limited research examining their joint roles in individuals’ financial behaviors. Using survey data from US adults drawn from a nationally representative, probability-based US panel, this brief examined the extent to which respondents’ financial and math knowledge are associated with financial behaviors, both in combination and separately. The results indicated that higher levels of financial and math knowledge are associated with better financial behaviors and that high levels of both financial and math knowledge are sometimes associated with better outcomes than either one alone. This suggests that the combination of math and financial knowledge is a useful topic of study for financial wellbeing.

This article examines how the Australian Liberal-National Coalition party’s (LNP) proposed working from home policy, which would have mandated a return to office for public servants, contributed to a dramatic electoral loss. The 2025 Australian federal election delivered an unexpected landslide victory to the incumbent Australian Labor Party, defying polling predictions that had shown the LNP leading by 10 percentage points just months earlier. We argue that this policy proposal violated an evolving social contract that encompasses hybrid working as a fundamental employment right. Through analysis of media coverage, polling data, and post-election commentary, we demonstrate that the LNP’s failure to recognise this shift in social expectations regarding work arrangements played a significant role in their electoral defeat. Our findings suggest that hybrid working has become institutionalised as part of Australia’s evolving social contract, with implications for future political discourse and employment policy.

There is a positive association between bacteraemia with Streptococcus bovis–Streptococcus equinus complex (SBSEC) and colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the relationship between the timing of SBSEC bacteraemia and CRC is not well-established. Associations with other gastrointestinal cancers have also been suggested. Using national registries, we retrospectively examined the incidence of CRC and other gastrointestinal cancers after SBSEC-bacteraemia in Sweden 2010–2019, and analysed the timing, characteristics, and prognosis of diagnosed CRC. Individuals with SBSEC-bacteraemia were matched to randomly selected controls from the general population at a 1:10 ratio. Cox-regression determined CRC hazard ratios (HR). In total, 908 individuals with SBSEC-bacteraemia were identified and 9,080 controls, of whom 75/908 (8.3%) and 168/9080 (1.9%) respectively had previously diagnosed CRC (p < 0.01). During follow-up of individuals without previous CRC, CRC was diagnosed in 45/833 (5.4%) individuals with SBSEC and 114/8912 (1.3%) controls (p < 0.01). The HR of CRC diagnosis for SBSEC was 10.3 (95% CI 6.7–15.8) overall and 19.8 (95% CI 11.1–35.3) during the first year of follow-up. In conclusion, there was an increased incidence of CRC, and most were diagnosed within the first year. Neither the tumour location, −stage, or -grade of diagnosed CRC nor the rates of other gastrointestinal cancers differed significantly.

As increasing numbers of students disclose mental health conditions, this study is the first to examine mental health status as a critical variable in foreign language anxiety research. Using a mixed-methods approach and drawing on data from 262 languages students at the Open University, it systematically compares foreign language speaking anxiety (FLSA) experiences between students with and without declared mental health conditions. Vocabulary retrieval emerged as the primary anxiety trigger common to all learners, however, significant distinctions emerged: students without mental health conditions expressed more academic-focused anxieties, whereas those with mental health conditions faced confidence and identity-based barriers. Students with mental health challenges are less likely to speak spontaneously and undertake spoken assessments, often opting to avoid online synchronous sessions entirely, requiring different coping strategies. The findings are analysed through a Universal Learning Design lens and reveal the need for tailored support and innovative pedagogical solutions, including AI-powered practice environments and self-compassion interventions specifically designed for online language learning contexts, to address the emotional barriers faced by students with mental health conditions. The study offers broader implications for inclusive (language) course design and learner engagement.