The presence of glufosinate-resistant Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson) is of concern for Arkansas farmers. The objective of this study was to understand the distribution of glufosinate resistance among A. palmeri accessions collected in 2023 from locations surrounding MSR2 (a highly glufosinate-resistant accession) in 2020, focusing on the distance and direction patterns. Additionally, the cytosolic (GS1) and chloroplastic (GS2) glutamine synthetase copy number were quantified in glufosinate survivors. In 2023, a total of 66 A. palmeri samples were collected within a 15-km radius of MSR2. Amaranthus palmeri seedlings were treated with glufosinate at 590 g ai ha−1. Plant tissues were collected, and gene copy number assays were conducted with survivors from accessions showing less than 96% mortality. Glufosinate provided ≥80% mortality in most of the accessions evaluated. Nonetheless, a few accessions showed low mortality rates, with values as low as 34%. Within and among accessions, there was no variation for GS1.1 and GS1.2, while the GS2.1 and GS2.2 copy numbers varied greatly. There was no evidence that the geographic distance between samples and MSR2 impacted mortality or gene copy number. However, there was strong evidence that direction, relative to MSR2, affected both mortality and GS2.1 copies. Samples collected north from MSR2 showed lower average mortality rates (83%) with a higher number of GS2.1 copies (2.3). For comparison, average mortality ranged from 90% to 95% and GS2.1 copy number ranged from 1 to 1.2 in the other directions. The predominant summer and fall wind directions do not explain the movement of resistance in a specific direction. These findings indicate that there are multiple A. palmeri accessions capable of surviving a label recommended use rate of glufosinate in northeast Arkansas, and resistance distribution needs to be further investigated.

The sixth annual meeting of the African Studies Association was held at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco. The opening plenary session included three papers concerned with North African affairs. Benjamin Rivlin of Brooklyn College, considering “The Maghreb and Pan-Arabism,” began with a series of questions. Were the aspirations of the Maghreb states for Arab unity incompatible with their African vocation? Ought the Maghreb to be considered as a part of Africa, or was this precluded by the region's commitment to the Arab East? What was the extent of this commitment, and what identity did the Maghreb seek?

Background: Analysis of 20 pairs is the traditional standard when using SFEMG to diagnose MG. Some studies show that fewer pairs are needed if results are normal. We examined what impact this might have on long-term outcomes. Methods: Hospital charts of 239 consecutive patients who underwent SFEMG between January 2011, and July 18th, 2024, were reviewed. Results: 201 patients were identified; 128 had normal SFEMGs. Of the patients with normal SFEMGs, 58 (45.31%) had 12 pairs observed and 69 (53.91%) had 20 or more pairs observed. In the 12 pair group, 1(1.72%) patient had delayed MG diagnosis, and 2 (3.45%) patients were referred for repeat SFEMGs; in the 20 or more group, 2 (2.90%) patients belong in each aforementioned category. No patients from either group were hospitalized for MG after SFMEG. Conclusions: Preliminary results demonstrate no difference in frequency of poor outcomes between patients who had 20 or more pairs observed and those who had 12 pairs observed, supporting the safety of shortening the test in appropriate situations.

Threat sensitivity, an individual difference construct reflecting variation in responsiveness to threats of various types, predicts physiological reactivity to aversive stimuli and shares heritable variance with anxiety disorders in adults. However, no research has been conducted yet with youth to examine the heritability of threat sensitivity or evaluate the role of genetic versus environmental influences in its relations with mental health problems. The current study addressed this gap by evaluating the psychometric properties of a measure of this construct, the 20-item Trait Fear scale (TF-20), and examining its phenotypic and genotypic correlations with different forms of psychopathology in a sample of 346 twin pairs (121 monozygotic), aged 9–14 years. Analyses revealed high internal consistency and test-retest reliability for the TF-20. Evidence was also found for its convergent and discriminant validity in terms of phenotypic and genotypic correlations with measures of fear-related psychopathology. By contrast, the TF-20’s associations with depressive conditions were largely attributable to environmental influences. Extending prior work with adults, current study findings provide support for threat sensitivity as a genetically-influenced liability for phobic fear disorders in youth.

We present new unconstrained simulations and constrained experiments of a pair of pitching hydrofoils in a leader–follower in-line arrangement. Free-swimming simulations with matched pitching amplitudes show self-organisation into stable formations at a constant gap distance without any control. Over a wide range of phase synchronisation, amplitude and Lighthill number typical of biology, we discover that the stable gap distance scales with the actual wake wavelength of an isolated foil rather than the nominal wake wavelength. A scaling law for the actual wake wavelength is derived and shown to collapse data across a wide Reynolds number range of $200 \leqslant Re \leqslant 59\,000$. Additionally, vortex analysis uncovers that the leader’s wake wavelength-to-chord ratio, $\lambda /c$, is the key dimensionless variable to maximise the follower’s/collective efficiency. When $\lambda /c \approx 2$ it ensures that the follower’s leading edge suction force and the net force from a nearby vortex pair act in the direction with the foil’s motion thereby reducing the follower’s power. Moreover, in both simulations and experiments mismatched foil amplitudes are discovered to increase the efficiency of hydrofoil schools by 70 % while maintaining a stable formation without closed-loop control. This occurs by (i) increasing the stable gap distance between foils to push them into a high-efficiency zone and (ii) raising the level of efficiency in these zones. This study bridges the gap between constrained and unconstrained studies of in-line schooling by showing that constrained-foil measurements can map out the potential efficiency benefits of schooling. These findings can aid in the design of high-efficiency biorobot schools.

This article examines the influence of the American Medical Association’s (AMA) campaign against national health insurance between 1945 and 1950. Although previous research has focused on the AMA’s professional influence and its opposition to national health care proposals, I argue that the AMA’s efforts played an essential role in the widespread adoption of private health insurance in the postwar era. Managed by the political consulting firm Whitaker and Baxter, the campaign actively promoted so-called “voluntary” health insurance and mobilized its member physicians and medical societies to support this alternative. Drawing on new archival research, I also highlight the significance of state-level innovations and medical society insurance plans, particularly in California. Ultimately, the article shows how the AMA’s campaign not only prevented the adoption of national health care but also entrenched private health insurance as a cornerstone of the American welfare state.

Chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes are a leading cause of disability and death in Australia. These conditions are often heralded by biomarkers from blood and urine samples which indicate risk or presence of disease. The development of chronic conditions remains influenced by a set of modifiable risk factors, which includes diet. The level of food processing has recently been linked with disease risk factors and poor health outcomes(1), yet there is limited research into the direct associations between food processing and chronic disease biomarkers. This study aims to investigate the associations between varying levels of ultra-processed food consumption and chronic disease biomarkers. Participants ≥ 18 years with biomedical data who participated in both the National Nutritional and Physical Activity Survey and the National Health Measures Survey 2011–2013 were included in this secondary analysis. Chronic disease biomarkers were categorised as normal or abnormal according to cut-off values from the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia. Dietary intake was classified according to the NOVA system for level of food processing. Data were then stratified into quintiles of daily energy share of ultra-processed foods. Associations between chronic disease biomarkers across quintiles of energy share of ultra-processed foods were examined. A significant positive trend was found between ultra-processed food consumption and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (p < 0.01). An inverse association was observed between ultra-processed food consumption and total cholesterol (p < 0.001). The highest consumers of ultra-processed foods were more likely to be younger, less educated, more disadvantaged, not meeting physical activity guidelines, and currently smoking (all ps < 0.001). In conclusion, ultra-processed food consumption was associated with significant changes in total and HDL cholesterol levels. This provides insight into possible interactions at a biochemical level and may help to guide future dietary recommendations on ultra-processed foods for disease management and prevention.

Some scholars have treated overconfidence as an individual difference—that is, assuming the tendency to be overconfident is stable within a person and differs meaningfully from person to person. We question this assumption. We investigate consistency within individuals between its three forms—overestimation, overplacement, and overprecision—in multiple domains (Study 1a and 1b), at multiple times (Study 1b and 2), and with multiple measures (Study 3a and 3b). We find mixed evidence of trait-like consistency. We do find some evidence of within-individual stability across domains and time points. However, we find little consistency across different measures of the same form of overconfidence—specifically overprecision. Instead, we find more consistent evidence that overconfidence varies situationally and contextually.