A critically important part of assembling the Korean peninsula-wide denuclearization jigsaw puzzle is the institutional and legal form of North Korean commitments on the one hand, and the nuclear negative security assurances by the NPT-Nuclear Weapons States (NWSs), especially the United States, on the other. Given the risk of mutual annihilation between the two Koreas as well as to third parties such as the United States, Japan, and China, finding a way to square this circle is urgent.

The Nautilus Institute has published a special report 'A Korean nuclear weapons-free zone treaty and nuclear extended deterrence: options for denuclearising the Korean Peninsula, A Korean Nuclear Weapons-Free Zone Treaty and Nuclear Extended Deterence: Options for Denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula

North Korea is on the verge of developing boosted energy nuclear weapons with higher yield-to-weight ratios. It is test-launching mobile ICBMs and intermediate-range missiles to deliver them. It is churning out plutonium and highly enriched uranium at a rate of six or more bombs' worth a year.

Whilst invasive plants can modify community and ecosystem attributes, there is little information on their impact across different trophic levels. Here, we examined the effects of Gunnera tinctoria Molina (Mirb.; Gunneraceae; “Chilean-rhubarb”) on the soil detrital food chain, the major pathway for energy flow in terrestrial ecosystems and the recycling of nutrients. Measurements of soil physio-chemistry properties and the natural abundances of C and N isotopes, along with assessments of microbial and earthworm populations were used to verify if G. tinctoria drives the soil food web and how C is transferred from decomposing litter to worm populations. Based on the C isotope compositions of plant material and detritivorous worms (i.e., earthworms and enchytraeid worms), all worms contribute to G. tinctoria litter decomposition, irrespective of their feeding preference. The increased role of larger earthworm populations in litter decomposition was also associated with changes in the soil microbial community, with some bacterial genera being absent from invaded areas. Of particular interest was a three-fold increase in Nitrospira spp. in invaded areas, likely due to an increase in earthworm-related ammonia production, with this being rapidly converted to nitrate. Given the poor representation of other ammonia and nitrite oxidizing soil bacteria, many of the Nitrospira spp. present in invaded soils may perform complete ammonia oxidation (i.e., COMAMMOX). Our results indicate a greater role for native earthworms in decomposition processes in areas invaded by G. tinctoria, resulting in modifications in the other soil biota and an increase in soil nitrate.

The objective of this study was to assess the potential role of aquatic biofilms as natural reservoirs for Blastocystis. For this purpose, surface water (n = 4) and biofilm samples (n = 8) were collected from a stream nearby an urban area characterized by limited sanitation infrastructure and a high prevalence of Blastocystis in humans. Blastocystis cysts were detected in three of the four water samples and seven of the eight biofilm samples using fluorescence microscopy. Furthermore, viable cysts were identified exclusively in biofilm samples (five of the eight), while no live cysts were detected in water samples. These findings indicate that aquatic biofilms provide a habitat where Blastocystis cysts can adhere and remain viable, potentially contributing to their environmental accumulation. In addition, molecular characterization of the five isolates identified subtypes ST8 (allele 21) and ST3 (allele 36). This study is the first to report the detection and identification of viable Blastocystis subtypes in aquatic biofilms. The analysis of biofilms by fluorescence microscopy, as demonstrated here, offers a promising approach for monitoring Blastocystis and could serve as an alternative to traditional water sampling methods.

The convergence of medical and technological developments has continued to transform the delivery of medical care in disaster environments, incorporating advances from telecommunications to physiologic monitoring, artificial intelligence, and computer vision. However, unless the interconnected nature of these developments is conceptualized with a proper framework, there is a risk of overlooking applications, developing silos, and limiting interoperability between innovations. To develop such a framework, this piece integrated a review of current literature, expert insights, and global market trends to propose 4 categories of innovations: (1) Enabling Technologies, (2) Signal Acquisition, (3) Data Utilization, and (4) Applications. Applications can be further subdivided into 4 use cases: (1) Disease and Injury Surveillance and Detection, (2) Population Protection, (3) Responder Protection, and (4) Disease and Injury Management. Practitioners, policymakers, and private sector counterparts can utilize this framework to change their clinical practices, allocate funds in a stepwise fashion, or prioritize development projects, respectively.

The establishment of the possible presence of life on Mars (past or present) is based on the study of planetary analogues, which allow in situ analysis of the environments in which living organisms adapt to often extreme conditions. Although Mars has been a candidate for hosting life, based on observations made decades ago, it is thanks to the characteristics identified in environments, mainly volcanic, that it has been possible to calibrate instruments and detail the features of the red planet. In this paper, we present a review of the main characteristics of different planetary analogues, particularly deepening the study of Antarctica, to later expose the factors studied in Deception Island that have contributed to considering it as an analogue of Mars from different perspectives. Although geological and geomorphological studies on the analogies of the island already exist, detailed analyses that present the approach of astrobiological analogues are required, thus allowing further research.

Typically, weed density is used to predict weed-induced yield loss, as it is easy and quick to quantify, even though it does not account for weed size and time of emergence relative to the crop. Weed-crop leaf area relations, while more difficult to measure, inherently account for differences in plant size, representing weed-crop interference more accurately than weed density alone. Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) may allow for efficient quantification of weed and crop leaf cover over a large scale. It was hypothesized that UAS imagery could be used to predict maize yield loss based on weed-crop leaf cover ratios. A yield loss model for maize (Zea mays L.) was evaluated for accuracy using 15- and 30-m altitude aerial RGB and four-band multispectral imagery collected at four North Carolina locations. The model consistently over and underpredicted yield loss when observed yield loss was less than and greater than 3000 kg ha-1, respectively. Altitude and sensor type did not influence the accuracy of the prediction. A correction for the differences between predicted and observed yield loss was incorporated into the linear model to improve overall precision. The correction resulted in r2 increasing from 0.17 to 0.97 and a reduction in RMSE from 705 kg ha-1 to 219 kg ha-1. The results indicated that UAS images can be used to develop predictive models for weed-induced yield loss prior to canopy closure, making it possible for growers to plan production and financial decisions before the end of the growing season.

The present study focuses on the Charismatic, Ideological, and Pragmatic Theory of leadership, examining how sensemaking mitigates follower reactions after unethical leader behavior. We examine the impact of ethical misconduct type on follower outcomes, specifically whether CIP leaders are able to justify unethical behavior to maintain follower attitudes toward the leader. Participants assumed the role of an employee for a fictional oil and gas exploration company, encountering the company’s C, I, or P chief executive officer (CEO) through a video-taped speech discussing the state and vision of the organization. Participants read ethical misconduct related to “people” or ethical misconduct related to “tasks or resources” by the organization’s CEO. Finally, participants were provided (or not provided) a video-taped justification of the ethical misconduct. A three-way interaction revealed the impact of ethical misconduct type is key to leader sensemaking. Implications are discussed.

Corporations are undergoing a subtle transformation. Usually regarded as investment vehicles for shareholders, corporations are now assuming an additional identity–as entities which share responsibility for upholding human rights. This new identity does not sit comfortably with conventional wisdom on corporate governance. Traditional corporate governance theory, based on nineteenth century notions of trust, posits that ‘the company’ is a legal entity embodying the members from time to time. Directors, as trustees of corporate assets, owe duties to foster the interests of the shareholders by maximising their investments. Under this view, directors do not owe wider obligations to society.

This traditional understanding, however, is beginning to yield to more recent legal and social pressures. Legal developments in regulatory practice, in combination with an upsurge in social movement activism, is now forcing corporations to accept that they are more than mere economic entities. They are also private ‘governments’–social and political entities with the ability to exercise general powers over themselves and, more importantly, over others.

Members of Sinistroporomonorchis Wee, Cutmore, Pérez-del-Olmo & Cribb, 2020 represent a small group of trematodes belonging to the Monorchiidae Odhner, 1911 with 5 species described from mugilid hosts. Specimens consistent with the generic concept of Sinistroporomonorchis were obtained from Floridichthys polyommus (Cyprinodontidae); most of them were juveniles from 4 localities within the Yucatán Peninsula. After a detailed morphological examination including scanning electron microscopy images and a principal component analysis, the specimens collected represented a new species, Sinistroporomonorchis bolini n. sp. The new species can be differentiated by the presence of an overall large pharynx including the proportion of pharynx width to oral sucker width, a uterus arranged in 2 main lateral fields, and by presenting robust caeca. In addition, sequences of the 28S of large subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA and cox1 of the mitochondrial DNA were obtained. Phylogenetic trees inferred from each dataset, placed all the specimens in a monophyletic clade, confirming that the isolates belonged to the same species. The new species is the sixth described for the genus Sinistroporomonorchis, the fifth described from the Yucatán Peninsula and the first described from a non-mugilid host.

Pens for farmed mink (Neogale vison) commonly include separate nesting areas to provide privacy and warmth in the perinatal period. However, standard bedding materials may not be sufficient to allow intrinsically motivated nest-building behaviours in dams. Further, these materials may not produce optimal nest structures for the rearing of kits. In the present study, we provided extra, relatively high-quality nest-building materials and a chewable sisal rope enrichment for mink dams in the perinatal period (a group enriched at whelping; EW). The effects of these enrichments on various measures of welfare and maternal behaviour were compared to those of mink dams in standard housing (SH) and mink dams whose kits were enriched later in development (EK). EW dams performed less stereotypic behaviour and built higher quality nests than dams of other housing conditions, although dams’ basal faecal cortisol metabolite levels (FCM) were not affected. The stress responsiveness of these dams’ offspring was later assessed by sampling FCM before and after a handling event, however, this event did not appear to induce a measurable stress response and thus no conclusions could be drawn regarding effects of perinatal enrichment on HPA-axis development. Overall, provision of higher quality nest-building materials and a chewable rope enrichment benefited dam stereotypic behaviour and nest building in the perinatal period. We present suggestions for future studies to further investigate whether perinatal enrichment can impact maternal care and offspring HPA-axis development in mink.

Field studies were conducted in North Carolina to determine the critical period of weed control (CPWC) for Italian ryegrass in winter wheat. Soft red winter wheat was planted in late fall in 2017 and 2018 in no-till fields near Salisbury, NC. Treatments consisted of allowing weeds to grow from crop emergence for different intervals until removal (“weedy”), maintaining “weed-free” conditions from crop emergence for the same intervals, and then letting the weeds emerge and compete with the crop for the duration of the season. In 2017, weed removal occurred in 2-wk intervals from crop emergence up to 18 wk after crop emergence (WAE) and 3-wk intervals up to 18 WAE in 2018. Additional biological measurements, including Italian ryegrass density and height, were collected at 6, 12, and 18 WAE to characterize the effect of crop-weed interactions on the CPWC and weed populations. Nonlinear regression analysis was conducted to relate the timing of weed removal and yield loss. The analysis was carried out using growing degree days (GDDs) accumulated at corresponding WAE. Italian ryegrass density ranged from 292 to 824 plants m−2, which created intense competitive conditions with wheat. In the absence of weed control, yield loss surpassed 60%. Using 5% yield loss as an accepted threshold, the CPWC for Italian ryegrass in no-till planted wheat was estimated to be from 1,100 to 1,900 GDD. This relatively short period makes it possible to reduce weed control intensity if control actions are properly timed.

A single manipulable enrichment is often introduced to the pens of farmed American mink (Neogale vison) to combat stereotypic behaviour and behaviours or temperaments associated with poor welfare (e.g. inactivity, fear, and aggression). This enrichment is provided early in life, but it is unclear the age at which enrichment is most effective at preventing stereotypic behaviour and ameliorating welfare. Here, a group of enriched kits (EK) were provided with multiple enrichments that were periodically exchanged to renew novelty from 4–15 weeks of age, earlier than typical enrichment provision on farms, after which they were housed with a single standard enrichment into adulthood. The effects of EK enrichment on kit behaviours and long-term stereotypic behaviour were compared to that of two groups reared with a single standard enrichment (standard housed; SH and enriched at whelping; EW). Inactivity in the nest-box was decreased in EK kits as juveniles relative to other groups, however, social play was reduced and lying awake was increased compared to EW and SH juveniles, respectively. Stereotypic behaviour in the kits as adults was not prevented by EK interventions; in fact, EK kits may have developed more diverse sub-types of stereotypic behaviour than EW and SH kits. Moreover, kit temperament did not appear to be affected. EK enrichment may have been ineffective in improving welfare due to the timing of its removal or potential frustration induced by its removal. Recommendations are provided for future research regarding critical periods of enrichment to improve welfare in species such as farmed mink.