Non-native plants negatively impact ecosystems via a variety of mechanisms, including in forested riparian areas. Japanese knotweed [Polygonum cuspidatum Siebold & Zucc.] and its hybrids (referred to as Polygonum spp. hereafter) are widely spread throughout North America and can impact flora and fauna of riparian habitats. Thus, information improving our ability to understand and predict the potential spread and colonization of Polygonum spp. is valuable. One dispersal mechanism is hydrochory (i.e., dispersal by water), including the downstream dispersal of viable stems that can facilitate rapid invasion within a watershed. We used passive integrated transponder (PIT) telemetry in experimental releases of Polygonum spp. stems to track the downstream transport of Polygonum spp. in a small (second-order) stream in northern New Hampshire, USA, in the summers of 2021 and 2022. A total of 180 (90 each year) Polygonum spp. stems were released at three sites within the stream reach, with 185 (∼98%) being recaptured at least once, with a total of 686 recaptures. Individual relocated stems moved a maximum distance of 30 to 875 m downstream in 2021 and 13 to 1,233 m in 2022 during regular flows; however, a high-streamflow event in July 2021 flushed out all remaining stems downstream of the study area. Generalized additive mixed models (GAMMs) identified site-specific differences in stem movement rates and a general reduction in movement rates with increased duration of time elapsed since post-release. In general, Polygonum spp. stems moved farther downstream in sites with lower channel sinuosity, although other fine-scale habitat factors (e.g., water depth, habitat type, and presence of wood and debris jams) likely contribute to the ability for Polygonum spp. to further disperse or otherwise be retained within the channel. Thus, stream morphology and stream flow are likely to affect where Polygonum spp. stems will be retained and potentially reestablish. Predictive tools identifying areas of higher probability of hydrochory-based dispersal could help to focus removal efforts when employed or to identify riparian habitats at highest risk for spread.

Unconsolidated soils typically develop a physical surface crust after wetting and drying. We reproduced this process in the laboratory by wetting with fog and simulated rain on fallow agricultural soils from 26 locations, representing 15 soil types from Pinal County, Arizona. Through correlative analyses, we found that carbonate content was a strong predictor of physical crust strength with fog (p < 0.0001, R2 = 0.48) and rain (p = 0.004, R2 = 0.30). Clay content increased crust strength (p = 0.04) but was not a useful predictor. Our results extend the current understanding of the soil crusting process by highlighting the preeminence of carbonate cementation in desert agricultural soils. Consequently, we identify carbonate as a pragmatic tool for estimating crust strength, a surrogate measure of a soil’s potential to produce fugitive dust, which can help prioritize interventions to curb airborne dust in arid lands.

Debate surrounds the early peopling of the Arabian Peninsula. The first evidence of the Levallois lithic technology in the Huqf area of south-eastern Arabia now extends the Middle Palaeolithic record of hominin activity into central Oman and helps to diversify the picture of Arabian prehistory.

With Palmer amaranth and waterhemp evolving resistance to nine and six different sites of action (SOAs) globally, soybean producers continue to search for new options to control these problematic weeds. Bayer CropScience has announced its intentions to launch a Convintro™ brand of herbicides, one being a three-way premixture for preemergence use in soybean. The premixture will contain diflufenican (WSSA Group 12), metribuzin (WSSA Group 5), and flufenacet (WSSA Group 15), adding a new SOA for soybean producers throughout the United States. With the anticipated launch of the premixture, research is needed to evaluate the length of residual control provided by the new herbicide. Research trials were conducted in Fayetteville and Keiser, AR, and Morrice, MI, in 2022 and 2023. A 0.17:0.35:0.48 ratio of a diflufenican:metribuzin:flufenacet (DFF)-containing premixture was applied alone and in combination with additional metribuzin and dicamba. Also, metribuzin, acetochlor, a S-metolachlor:metribuzin premixture, and a flumioxazin:pyroxasulfone:metribuzin premixture were applied preemergence. The DFF-containing premixture was more effective in reducing Palmer amaranth/waterhemp emergence than acetochlor in four of six trials at 28 d after treatment (DAT). Palmer amaranth and waterhemp densities in plots treated with the DFF-containing premixture exhibited similar results to plots treated with the S-metolachlor:metribuzin premixture and the flumioxazin:pyroxasulfone:metribuzin premixture at 28 DAT. By 56 DAT, Palmer amaranth and waterhemp densities were comparable or superior in plots with the DFF-containing premixture than in those treated with acetochlor and metribuzin, and the S-metolachlor:metribuzin premixture at five of six sites. The addition of dicamba or metribuzin to the DFF-containing premixture did not reduce Palmer amaranth or waterhemp density compared to the DFF-containing premixture at 28 or 56 DAT. Overall, the DFF-containing premixture generally provided greater or comparable control over several standard herbicides, providing growers a new product for preemergence control of Amaranthus species in soybean fields.

Japanese hop (Humulus japonicus Siebold & Zucc.) is an emerging invasive plant that has been observed to invade and spread throughout wetlands. As an annual vine, H. japonicus can smother native vegetation, forming dense stands and reducing biodiversity. At a restored floodplain forest in Joslin, IL, formerly used as an experimental site to test the effectiveness of different reforestation methods, H. japonicus has invaded stands of the previously dominant invasive, reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea L.). We conducted an observational field study to examine the spatiotemporal dynamics of H. japonicus invasion relative to gradients in canopy cover and species composition. Ten transects, with half the transect extending into and half extending beyond H. japonicus patches, were established in October 2022. Seven quadrats per transect were surveyed for vegetation cover and canopy cover in October 2022, June 2023, and October 2023. Transects were evenly split between forested and open areas based on the reforestation treatments. Humulus japonicus cover significantly increased from October 2022 to October 2023, resulting in a slight decrease and replacement of P. arundinacea across the site. Shade reduced H. japonicus cover, indicating its preference for sunlit conditions. Species richness was higher in forested transects compared with open ones, most likely due to the absence of both P. arundinacea and H. japonicus in shaded transects. Along transects, quadrats that had been invaded by H. japonicus differed in species composition from quadrats that had not been invaded in both October 2022 and October 2023. Humulus japonicus cover was much lower in June than October, suggesting that temporal niche partitioning may allow P. arundinacea to persist, and indicating that monitoring for H. japonicus should occur late in the growing season. Both invasive species are shade intolerant, suggesting that planting fast-growing trees should be an effective long-term solution for controlling invasion.

Partisan polarization on “culture war” issues has become a defining feature of contemporary American politics. This was not always the case; for the first two-thirds of the twentieth century, social issues such as abortion and LGBTQ rights played no role in politics. Where and when did the partisan divide begin? Did the initiative come from state or national parties? Was there a critical moment, or was position change incremental? We have constructed an original database of nearly 2,000 state party platforms from 1960 to 2018. These platforms allow us to trace position-taking on these issues and generate estimates of platform ideology. By the time national parties took positions, we show, they lagged state-level position-taking. Contrary to long-held assumptions, we show that state party system polarization did not occur around any critical moment but rather was incremental.

One commendable aspect of the ruminations by H.L.A Hart on legal positivism, which quite a few contemporary philosophers of law have not fully absorbed, is that he recognised the diversity of the points of contention that have pitted the devotees of positivism against the devotees of natural-law theories. Whereas some present-day philosophers of law are inclined to refer to “the separability thesis” of legal positivism – with the definite article “the” as a signal that there is one defining point of dispute between legal positivists and their opponents – Hart knew that there is no single such thesis. Natural-law theorists have in fact postulated numerous connections between law and morality which putatively clinch the character of law as an inherently moral phenomenon, and legal positivists have posed challenges to each of those connections or to the claim that any unchallenged connection serves to establish the inherently moral character of law.

We present radio observations of the galaxy cluster Abell S1136 at 888 MHz, using the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder radio telescope, as part of the Evolutionary Map of the Universe Early Science program. We compare these findings with data from the Murchison Widefield Array, XMM-Newton, the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, the Digitised Sky Survey, and the Australia Telescope Compact Array. Our analysis shows the X-ray and radio emission in Abell S1136 are closely aligned and centered on the Brightest Cluster Galaxy, while the X-ray temperature profile shows a relaxed cluster with no evidence of a cool core. We find that the diffuse radio emission in the centre of the cluster shows more structure than seen in previous low-resolution observations of this source, which appeared formerly as an amorphous radio blob, similar in appearance to a radio halo; our observations show the diffuse emission in the Abell S1136 galaxy cluster contains three narrow filamentary structures visible at 888 MHz, between $\sim$80 and 140 kpc in length; however, the properties of the diffuse emission do not fully match that of a radio (mini-)halo or (fossil) tailed radio source.

Marine litter poses a complex challenge in Indonesia, necessitating a well-informed and coordinated strategy for effective mitigation. This study investigates the seasonality of plastic concentrations around Sulawesi Island in central Indonesia during monsoon-driven wet and dry seasons. By using open data and methodologies including the HYCOM and Parcels models, we simulated the dispersal of plastic waste over 3 months during both the southwest and northeast monsoons. Our research extended beyond data analysis, as we actively engaged with local communities, researchers and policymakers through a range of outreach initiatives, including the development of a web application to visualize model results. Our findings underscore the substantial influence of monsoon-driven currents on surface plastic concentrations, highlighting the seasonal variation in the risk to different regional seas. This study adds to the evidence provided by coarser resolution regional ocean modelling studies, emphasizing that seasonality is a key driver of plastic pollution within the Indonesian archipelago. Inclusive international collaboration and a community-oriented approach were integral to our project, and we recommend that future initiatives similarly engage researchers, local communities and decision-makers in marine litter modelling results. This study aims to support the application of model results in solutions to the marine litter problem.

In 2016, the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) formally recognized the status of Hong Kong English (HKE) by adding 13 HKE words in its entries (Oxford English Dictionary [OED], n.d.-a). While this codification marks significant progress in the development of a language variety, there have been vigorous discussions within the local community about the legitimacy and representativeness of these selected words as HKE (Xu, 2019). As emphasized by Schneider (2007), acceptability and codification are both important criteria for language development. Therefore, this warrants a bottom-up approach to investigate the extent to which HKE words are accepted by the local community, so as to provide insights on how future HKE words can be better codified.