We perform an experiment which provides a laboratory replica of some important features of the welfare state. In the experiment, all individuals in a group decide whether to make a costly effort, which produces a random (independent) outcome for each one of them. The group members then vote on whether to redistribute the resulting and commonly known total sum of earnings equally amongst themselves. This game has two equilibria, if played once. In one of them, all players make effort and there is little redistribution. In the other one, there is no effort and nothing to redistribute. A solution to the repeated game allows for redistribution and high effort, sustained by the threat to revert to the worst of these equilibria. Our results show that redistribution with high effort is not sustainable. The main reason for the absence of redistribution is that rich agents do not act differently depending on whether the poor have worked hard or not. The equilibrium in which redistribution may be sustained by the threat of punishing the poor if they do not exert effort is not observed in the experiment. Thus, the explanation of the behavior of the subjects lies in Hobbes, not in Rousseau.

What is the origin of the Frente Amplio? While most contributions focus on party-building strategies and the electoral success of the Left, scholars have overlooked the previous process of party formation. This paper studies the Frente Amplio's formation in 1971 as a case of complete electoral coordination between extant parties, factions and individual left-wing politicians who understood the electoral inefficiencies of competing with each other. Making use of a historical narrative, our account complements other approaches, suggesting the critical role of electoral coordination, favoured by two systemic conditions (electoral stability and programmatic politics) that eased the process of party formation.

This article aims to analyse how the intertwining of politics and religion, economic transformation due to industrialisation, and family influence each contributed to the abandonment of the traditional, religious marriage calendar during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in the Barcelona Area or the Oficialitat de Barcelona, the most populated deanery among the four that comprised the Diocese of Barcelona. We make use of the Barcelona Historical Marriage Database, covering the period 1715–1880, to calculate descriptive statistics and linear probability models. Our main findings indicate a progressive change in marriage seasonality; with an increasing number of marriages taking place during Lent across the nineteenth century, as well as the emergence of a December peak in marriages in the first third of that century. Although the primary occupational sector was declining, farmers tended to adhere to the traditional marriage calendar, while the upper classes and artisans were increasingly likely to marry during Lent. During periods of Liberal political influence, which were marked by steps toward secularization, the proportion of marriages taking place during Lent increased. However, independent of the political period, Lenten marriages tended to be passed from one generation to the next, confirming the continuing influence of the family on the timing of marriages in Spain.

Agricultural monoculture negatively impacts soil quality, particularly in fragile soils that yield limited crop production and are highly susceptible to degradation. Increasing plant diversity in production systems can be an alternative for maintaining soil ecosystem services and increasing crop yields. This study investigated the influence of increased plant diversity on soil health and its impact on soybean and cotton yield in an Ultisol in the Brazilian savanna in Mato Grosso State, Brazil. Tested five levels of plant diversity after soybean harvest: 1) very low (VL), 2) low (LW), 3) average (AVG), 4) long term average (AVL) e 5) high (ICLS) were tested. Plant diversity improves the health of sandy loam soil, increases C and N fractions in particulate organic matter (POM-C and POM-N) and leads to differences in C utilization by the soil microbial community. High ICLS diversity raises total organic carbon levels (TC, being POM-C and POM-N, the labile fractions, more efficient to show changes in sandy loam soil, in the short term, over a period of three years. High diversity promoted yield gains of up to 251% for cotton and 82% for soybean in relation to very low plant diversity. Changes in soil microbial composition are able to partially explain crop yield in diversified production systems (R2 ranging from 0.51 to 0.80). Diversifying production components is a sustainable way to maintain biological functions and agricultural quality of loam sandy soil in the Brazilian Cerrado in Mato Grosso.

The root elongation rate represents a biophysical process that can be directly affected by mechanical, water, thermal, and gaseous stresses in the soil to be used as a soil physical quality indicator. The objective of this study was to determine sugarcane root growth parameters under soil physical stress for different root diameter classes in an Oxisol from the Southeast of Brazil. The experimental design was entirely randomized in a factorial scheme 5 × 2 (mechanical × water stress) with three replications. The factor mechanical stress was composed of five compaction levels (1.04; 1.12; 1.19; 1.28; 1.36 Mg m–3). The factor water stress was composed of two matric potentials (–6 kPa and –33 kPa). Soil samples were collected from the 0.0–0.2 m layer of an Oxisol with a clayey texture. Pre-sprouted sugarcane seedlings were transplanted and conditioned in a growth chamber. Root length, volume, surface area, and diameter were quantified to generate root growth models as a function of physical stresses in the soil. Soil penetration resistance increases from 1.4 to 5 MPa reduced root elongation rate from 3.5 to 1.35 cm day–1 (–59%) and the average number of roots from 11 to 6 segments (–45%), respectively. The root volume, surface area, and length were reduced because of the increase in the compaction level. Coarse root diameter (1–2 mm) was weakly impacted by mechanical stress, whereas fine root diameter (0.5–1 mm) was more growth limited in compacted soils. The root elongation rate of sugarcane was modelled as a function of mechanical and water stress. Mechanical stress mainly affects the growth of sugarcane roots with small diameter.

The synonymies of the echinochasmid genera Mesorchis Dietz, 1909 and Monilifer Dietz, 1909 with Stephanoprora Odhner, 1902 remain contentious and unresolved with morphology. To explore the matter, we herein provide a supplemental description of the type species of Stephanoprora, Stephanoprora ornata Odhner, 1902, based on specimens we collected from the intestine of a Nile crocodile Crocodylus niloticus Laurenti, 1768 (Crocodylia: Crocodylidae) captured in the Kavango River, Namibia. No nucleotide information was available previously for S. ornata. Morphology plus 28S and ITS2 phylogenetic analyses suggested Stephanoprora is a monotypic genus that can be differentiated from other genera by having 26 collar spines. Stephanoprora differs from Mesorchis by the number and distribution of collar spines (26 [2 dorsal spines, 12 lateral spines, 12 corner spines] vs. 22 [2 dorsal spines, 12 lateral spines, 8 corner spines] in Mesorchis), length of the pre-pharyngeal oesophagus, pharynx position posterior to collar (vs. pre-pharyngeal oesophagus short, pharynx anterior to or at level of corner spines), and testes shape (elongate-ovoid, irregular in outline vs. ovoid, atypically elongated). Our 28S and ITS2 phylogenies recovered the new sequence of S. ornata (having 26 collar spines) sister to all remaining echinochasmid sequences, representing species that have 20–24 collar spines. Echinochasmus Dietz, 1909 and Mesorchis were recovered as paraphyletic. We retain Monilifer as a junior subjective synonym of Echinochasmus based a suite of morphological features related to body shape and genitalia and because the designated type for Monilifer was reassigned to Echinochasmus. We accept 25 species of Mesorchis.

Studies have demonstrated that the quality and transparency of reporting Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) in healthcare are low. This meta-research aimed to evaluate the adherence of nutrition CPGs for critically ill adults to the reporting RIGHT checklist and its association with the methodological quality assessed by AGREE II, along with other potential publication-related factors. A systematic search for CPGs until December 2024 was conducted. RIGHT and AGREE II were applied. Reporting completeness score was created using the data from the evaluations of whether each broken-down item of the RIGHT. Eleven CPGs were identified, none demonstrated adherence greater than 60% to the RIGHT checklist, and the mean of RIGHT score was 33.5±15.5%. There was a strong correlation between the RIGHT score and AGREE II (r=0.886). A development CPGs team including methodologist and/or statistician was associated with a higher RIGHT score (48.9±4.5 versus 27.2±11.0) and it was higher in CPGs recommended or recommended with modifications by AGREE II in comparison to those not recommended (50.1±4.6 versus 37.7±8.1 versus 17.0±6.8), and in those with acceptable and moderate compared to those with low methodological quality (50.1±4.6 versus 32.2±14.5 versus 19.3±6.2). It was also related to the language of publication, being higher in those published in English. The reporting completeness in CPGs for critically ill adults was low, with a strong correlation with the methodological quality. High values of reporting completeness scores were observed between CPGs recommended by AGREE II (with moderate or acceptable quality) and in those including a methodologist/statistician in the development team.

Maintaining jaguar Panthera onca subpopulations throughout Mesoamerica is vital to range-wide jaguar conservation. Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica is critical habitat for the Osa Peninsula jaguar subpopulation. There is a debate regarding whether the jaguars in this National Park are in a state of crisis. To examine this, we implemented long-term camera-trap monitoring throughout Corcovado National Park during 2015–2021. Using a spatially explicit Jolly–Seber model we estimated jaguar populations and distribution throughout our study area. Additionally, we reran our model using a constrained study area to compare our findings with those of a previous study. Trends in jaguar abundance indices and population estimates during 2015–2021 indicate that jaguar abundance has increased over time. Our jaguar density estimates also fall within the range of jaguar densities reported for relatively stable populations elsewhere. Using the same study area as that of a prior study, jaguar densities also increased over the duration of our study and were mostly comparable to previous density estimates. Our results suggest that jaguars within Corcovado National Park may not be in a state of crisis. Rather, our findings provide further hope for the jaguars of the Osa Peninsula. They do not, however, diminish the importance of continued conservation efforts. These will remain critical both inside and outside Corcovado National Park, as threats appear to have persisted over time.

Twenty-five years ago, the publication of an article by Pallier, Colomé, and Sebastián-Gallés (2001) launched a new and rapidly evolving research program on how second language (L2) learners represent the phonological forms of words in their mental lexicons. Many insights are starting to form an overall picture of the unique difficulties for establishing functional and precise phonolexical representations in L2; however, for the field to move forward it is pertinent to outline its major emerging research questions and existing challenges. Among significant obstacles for further research, the paper explores the current lack of theoretical agreement on the concept of phonolexical representations and the underlying mechanism involved in establishing them, as well as the variable use of the related terminology (e.g., fuzziness and target-likeness). Methodological challenges involved in investigating phonological processing and phonolexical representations as well as their theoretical implications are also discussed. To conclude, we explore the significance of L2-specific phonological representations for the bottom-up lexical access during casual, conversational speech and how our emerging knowledge of L2 lexical representations can be applied in an instructional setting as two potentially fruitful research avenues at the forefront of the current research agenda.

Introduction: Throughout the course of the dementia, patients generally need a guardian to protect their rights due to the severity of their mental disabilities. The laws and procedures for guardianship for people with disabilities have been updated in several countries based on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities promulgated in 2006.

Objectives: To compare the law and procedures for guardianship for people with mental disabilities of twelve countries from six continents.

Methods: Narrative review searching for civil codes/guardianship procedures, date of promulgation, scope of the guardian authority, preferred guardian, duration of the guardianship.

Results: Most countries predominantly promulgated their laws after the year 2000, being half of them updated after 2006. Most countries have two types of guardianship scopes: one concerning financial affairs and the other concerning personal affairs (such as welfare and medical care). Generally, guardianship concerning financial matters is the first to be established. In addition, most countries maintain the ward’s right to vote. In five out of twelve countries, there is an order of preference for choosing the guardian, being the spouses and adult children the preferred guardians. All these countries have the possibility of temporary guardianship. Three countries have a maximum period for guardianship with the possibility of renewal, while all others have indefinite time for guardianship duration. Only France explicitly grants the right to the ward to make medical decisions within guardianship procedures. Brazil’s Civil Code restricts guardianship to financial matters, whereas the Civil Procedure Code requires judges to define the scope of guardianship’s authority for each of the activities of the civil life. Since both codes hold equal authority, judges typically determine the extent of guardianship on a case- by-case basis.

Conclusions: Half of the nations have updated their laws after the promulgation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Dementia is expected to increase worldwide and further Discussion concerning the rights of people with dementia is still needed. Although there is no ideal legal framework, the comparison of procedures from different countries may lead to valuable insights for further Discussions andassessments.

The mechanical behaviour of wet particle aggregates is crucial in many granular processes such as wet granulation and soil degradation. However, the interplay of capillary and viscous forces for aggregate stability and breakage have remained elusive due to the complexity of granular dynamics. We use particle dynamics simulations to analyse the deformation and breakage of wet aggregates colliding with a flat wall. The aggregates are composed of spherical particles and the effect of liquid bonds is modelled through capillary and lubrication forces acting between particles. We perform an extensive parametric study by varying surface tension, impact velocity and liquid viscosity in a broad range of values. We show that when lubrication force is neglected, aggregate breakage is fully controlled by the reduced kinetic energy $\xi$, defined as the ratio of incident kinetic energy to the initial capillary energy. At low values of $\xi$, the aggregate deforms without breakage due to inelastic energy loss induced by rearrangements and loss of capillary bonds, whereas above a critical value of $\xi$ it breaks into smaller aggregates due to the transfer of kinetic energy from aggregate to fragments. In the presence of lubrication forces, the crossover from capillary to viscous regime is controlled by the capillary number, defined as the ratio of viscous dissipation to capillary energy. We find that the critical value of $\xi$ for aggregate breakage in the viscous regime increases as a power law with capillary number while the effective restitution coefficient follows the same trend as in the capillary regime.

Aurora kinases (AURK) play a central role in controlling cell cycle in a wide range of organisms. They belong to the family of serine-threonine kinase proteins. Their role in the cell cycle includes, among others, the entry into mitosis, maturation of the centrosome and formation of the mitotic spindle. In mammals, 3 isoforms have been described: A, B and C, which are distinguished mainly by their function throughout the cell cycle. Two aurora kinase coding sequences have been identified in the transcriptome of the cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus (Rm-AURKA and Rm-AURKB) containing the aurora kinase-specific domain. For both isoforms, the highest number of AURK coding transcripts is found in ovaries. Based on deduced amino acid sequences, it was possible to identify non-conserved threonine residues which are essential to AURK functions in vertebrates and which are not present in R. microplus sequences. A pan AURK inhibitor (CCT137690) caused cell viability decline in the BME26 tick embryonic cell line. In silico docking assay showed an interaction between Aurora kinase and CCT137690 with exclusive interaction sites in Rm-AURKA. The characterization of exclusive regions of the enzyme will enable new studies aimed at promoting species-specific enzymatic inhibition in ectoparasites.

Maternal diet may modulate human milk microbiota, but the effects of nutritional supplements are unknown. We examined the associations of prenatal diet and supplement use with milk microbiota composition. Mothers reported prenatal diet intake and supplement use using self-administered food frequency and standardised questionnaires, respectively. The milk microbiota was profiled using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Associations of prenatal diet quality, dietary patterns, and supplement use with milk microbiota diversity and taxonomic structure were examined using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and multivariable models adjusting for relevant confounders. A subset of 645 mothers participating in the CHILD Cohort Study (originally known as the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development Study) provided one milk sample between 2 and 6 months postpartum and used prenatal multivitamin supplements ≥4 times a week. After adjusting for confounders, vitamin C supplement use was positively associated with milk bacterial Shannon diversity (β = 0.18, 95% CI = 0.05, 0.31) and Veillonella and Granulicatella relative abundance (β = 0.54; 95% CI = 0.05, 1.03 and β = 0.44; 95% CI = 0.04, 0.84, respectively), and negatively associated with Finegoldia relative abundance (β = –0.31; 95% CI = –0.63, –0.01). Fish oil supplement use was positively associated with Streptococcus relative abundance (β = 0.26; 95% CI = 0.03, 0.50). Prenatal diet quality and dietary patterns were not associated with milk microbiota composition. Prenatal vitamin C and fish oil supplement use were associated with differences in the milk microbiota composition. Future studies are needed to confirm our findings and elucidate mechanisms linking maternal supplement use to milk microbiota and child health.