Public equity financing played an important but little appreciated role in the revival of the U.S. distilled spirits industry following the Repeal of National Prohibition. Drawing on the monthly “new capital flotations” reports of the Commercial and Financial Chronicle and a search of contemporary newspapers, we identify 37 distillery stock issuances between May 1933 and October 1934 that raised more than $30 million. The proceeds financed the rehabilitation of long-idle plants, purchases of new equipment, and acquisitions of defunct brands. We situate those offerings within the broader wave of alcohol-related flotations by breweries, wineries, cooperages, malt producers, and distributors that accounted for more than half the dollar value of all U.S. stock issuances reported during the period around Repeal.

Surveys of farmers and consultants provide valuable insights into emerging problems and shifts in crop production practices. University researchers and Extension personnel can use this information to direct research and Extension outputs to best meet on-farm needs. A survey of soybean farmers and consultants in the Midsouth region of the United States (Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, southeastern Missouri, and Tennessee) was conducted from October 2024 through March 2025 to understand common weed management practices, problematic weed species, and evolving herbicide resistance. The survey respondents represented those who farm 19% of the total soybean-planted area in the Midsouth, accounting for more than 900,000 hectares. Soybean cultivars that are resistant to glyphosate, glufosinate, and dicamba had the highest adoption rate, accounting for 62% of hectares planted in 2024, with a projected increase to 66% in 2025. Among the survey respondents, S-metolachlor was the most widely used preemergence and postemergence residual herbicide, whereas dicamba was the most common postemergence herbicide used. The most problematic weeds infesting Midsouth soybean fields were Palmer amaranth, prickly sida, barnyardgrass, morningglories, and Italian ryegrass. A significant portion of farmers and consultants suspect that Palmer amaranth has become resistant to synthetic auxins (47%) or glufosinate (52%). Respondents cited the ability to control problematic weed species as the most needed research area and frequently requested research on managing herbicide resistance and alternative cultural practices for weed control. Herbicide resistance is a key concern for farmers, and postemergence herbicide options are increasingly limited, yet there is strong interest in integrated weed management and in adopting new technologies in soybean.

Iptriazopyrid is a novel herbicide that inhibits 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase. When it receives authorization for use in rice production, iptriazopyrid will be the first azole carboxamide herbicide to receive registration for use in the United States. Because herbicides are commonly mixed to broaden the weed control spectrum and efficacy, herbicide interactions with iptriazopyrid must be evaluated. Field experiments were conducted near Colt, Arkansas, in 2024 and 2025, to evaluate interactions between iptriazopyrid and either synthetic auxins or residual herbicides labeled for use in rice fields. The experiments were designed as a two-factor, randomized complete block design, with the presence of iptriazopyrid at 50 g ai ha−1 as the first factor and the presence of labeled synthetic auxins or residual herbicides as the second factor. Applications targeted barnyardgrass at the 3- to 4-leaf stage, and Colby’s method was utilized to determine herbicide interactions. Only 2,4-D demonstrated antagonism to iptriazopyrid throughout the experiments. When applied alone, iptriazopyrid provided 75%, 83%, and 79% barnyardgrass control at 1, 2, and 4 wk after treatment (WAT), respectively, compared with 12%, 18%, and 8% control when it was mixed with 2,4-D. The iptriazopyrid + triclopyr combination was antagonistic for barnyardgrass control at 1 and 2 WAT, with 61% and 73% control, respectively; however, the relationship was no longer significant at 4 WAT. Barnyardgrass density supported an antagonistic interaction between 2,4-D and iptriazopyrid because combinations of the two led to higher densities than iptriazopyrid applied alone. No residual herbicide antagonized iptriazopyrid for barnyardgrass control; nor did barnyardgrass densities differ when iptriazopyrid was applied alone. Overall, these findings show that iptriazopyrid offers reasonable flexibility when mixed with some, but not all, synthetic auxins labeled for rice, and that there is no reduction in barnyardgrass efficacy when mixed with residual herbicides.

Background: Penicillin allergies are common, reported in roughly 10% of the U.S. population, but fewer than 1% have a true IgE-mediated allergy. Penicillin allergy labels are associated with increased use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, higher healthcare costs, and the development of antimicrobial resistance. Antibiotic stewardship efforts have focused on identifying and de-labeling individuals without a true penicillin allergy. To date, most penicillin allergy de-labeling initiatives have been implemented in acute-care settings, where time constraints and clinical acuity may limit feasibility. Long-term care facilities represent a unique opportunity for penicillin allergy de-labeling, as residents often have prolonged stays and are less acutely ill. Previously, we found that 14% of residents admitted to the Veterans Affairs (VA) Community Living Center (CLC) in Vancouver, Washington had a documented allergy to a penicillin-class antibiotic. Here, we describe design and implementation of a penicillin allergy de-labeling program at a VA CLC and highlight opportunities for multidisciplinary collaboration. Methods: This antibiotic stewardship initiative was developed through collaboration between the VA Portland antimicrobial stewardship team and CLC providers, including physicians, nursing staff, and pharmacy. A standardized protocol was created to identify residents eligible for penicillin allergy evaluation and to outline steps for a direct oral challenge (Figure 1). At admission, CLC providers are instructed to identify residents with electronic health record (EHR) documentation of a penicillin class allergy and complete a structured allergy screening questionnaire. Residents with antibiotic intolerance alone (e.g., nausea and vomiting) receive education, and the penicillin allergy is removed from the EHR. Residents who require and agree to further evaluation are referred via electronic consult to the infectious diseases team, who verifies eligibility to undergo a direct oral challenge. CLC pharmacists review resident medications for any contraindications to performing a challenge, including receipt of medications that would reduce the histamine response. Eligible residents undergo a direct oral amoxicillin challenge with a single 500-mg dose and are monitored by nursing staff for 60 minutes. Patients without evidence of reaction receive education, and the penicillin allergy is removed from the EHR. Planned Evaluation: Planned outcome measures include completion of allergy screening, de-labeling based on chart review alone, eligibility for and completion of oral challenge, challenge outcome, and impact on subsequent antibiotic prescribing. Conclusion:This initiative describes a structured, reproducible framework for implementing penicillin allergy de-labeling in a VA post-acute care setting. The program has the potential to improve antibiotic selection and strengthen antimicrobial stewardship in skilled nursing facility (SNF) enviornments.

Academic research institutions using REDCap often face challenges aligning with U.S. FDA requirements for electronic records and signatures under 21 CFR Part 11 (Part 11). A National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences(NCATS) working group developed an implementation guide for Part 11 compliance in REDCap. Within six months after release, 259 individuals representing 164 institutions accessed the guide. Individuals who downloaded the guide reported reduced vendor reliance, improved documentation, and establishment Part 11-ready REDCap instances. This working group demonstrated how collaboration between technical and regulatory experts at many peer institutions is effective in improving regulatory compliance across the research enterprise.

Scholars have traditionally held political parties to be indispensable to democracy, and recent studies of democratic consolidation have reaffirmed their importance. Yet analysis of the development of political parties in Eastern Europe and elsewhere has tended to understate the role of internal, organizational factors at the expense of external factors, such as the selection effect of electoral markets and presence of societal cleavages. We argue that creating effective governance and bargaining mechanisms inside party organizations are more important for institutionalizing parties than external pressures. We draw support for this thesis from an analysis of the Bulgarian Union of Democratic Forces, which after a series of internal splits and subsequent rounds of restructuring, moved from a loose umbrella formation toward an institutionalized party.

A field-based ultrasound and acoustic study of Iwaidja, an endangered Australian Aboriginal language, investigates the phonetic identity of nonnasal velar consonants in intervocalic position, where past work has proposed a [+continuant] vs. [-continuant] phonemic contrast. We analyze the putative contrast within a continuous phonetic space, defined by both acoustic and articulatory parameters, and find gradient variation: from more consonantal realizations, such as [ɰ], to more vocalic realizations, such as [a]. The distribution of realizations across lexical items and speakers does not support the proposed phonemic contrast. This case illustrates how lenition that is both phonetically gradient and variable across speakers and words can give the illusion of a contextually restricted phonemic contrast.

Rice cultivated under furrow irrigation faces weed management challenges due to the aerobic conditions that favor the emergence of terrestrial weeds such as Palmer amaranth. Fluridone was recently registered for use in rice production, offering an alternative site of action for Palmer amaranth control. Four site-years of field experiments were conducted in 2022 and 2023 in furrow-irrigated rice to assess Palmer amaranth control and crop tolerance to fluridone applied preemergence alone or with various postemergence treatments. The experiment was a randomized complete block design with a split-plot arrangement and four replications. The whole-plot factor was the postemergence treatment, while the subplot factor was fluridone applied preemergence at 0, 84, 168 (1× labeled rate), and 336 g ai ha−1. Postemergence treatments included no herbicide, a single florpyrauxifen-benzyl application at 6 wk after rice emergence(WAE), and a weed-free control. The 2× rate of fluridone caused the greatest visual injury compared with the 0.5× rate across site-years at 2 and 5 WAE, ranging from 8% to 34%. The 1× and 2× rates of fluridone provided the greatest reduction in Palmer amaranth density 4 wk after treatment (WAT). However, the effect diminished or became less prominent by 8 WAT. Palmer amaranth density at rice harvest was reduced in most instances after a follow-up application of florpyrauxifen-benzyl, and seed production had diminished by ≥94% compared to its absence. Regardless of the fluoridone rate, rough rice grain yield was not affected under weed-free conditions. These findings suggest that integrating fluridone with a subsequent florpyrauxifen-benzyl application enhances Palmer amaranth management in furrow-irrigated rice compared to using fluridone alone. However, sequential applications are needed for successful Palmer amaranth control.

With the introduction of tetflupyrolimet as the first herbicide with a novel site of action in the last three decades, screening for herbicide resistance before commercialization has become integral to ensure successful applications. In the mid-southern United States, tetflupyrolimet is anticipated to be used as a preemergence (PRE) herbicide for barnyardgrass control but does exhibit postemergence (POST) herbicidal activity. In 2020, 45 Echinochloa crus-galli (barnyardgrass) accessions were collected from rice-producing areas in Arkansas and were screened in the greenhouse to tetflupyrolimet at 134 g ai ha-1 PRE and POST at the 2- to 3-leaf growth stage on a silt loam soil. A field experiment was conducted where tetflupyrolimet was applied alone at 134 g ai ha-1 or with clomazone at 336 g ai ha-1, to a susceptible barnyardgrass standard and four other accessions with confirmed resistance to florpyrauxifen-benzyl, imazethapyr, propanil, and quinclorac at the spiking, 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-leaf stages. For the PRE screening, the percent visible control ranged from 88% to 99%, with some accessions differing in sensitivity to tetflupyrolimet. Percent mortality ranged from 47% to 90% at the PRE timing. Visible control and mortality ranged from 63% to 88% and 7% to 65%, respectively, from a POST application, suggesting there is differential sensitivity and that foliar applications may not be as effective as soil applications. In the field experiment, barnyardgrass accession did not influence POST biomass production and was impacted more by the growth stage at application, although the difference was frequently numerical. In general, applying tetflupyrolimet alone or with clomazone to ≥3 leaf grass compromised performance. Tetflupyrolimet will be better optimized as a soil-applied herbicide in mid-southern U.S. rice culture.

Over the past decade, several multi-institutional research consortia have formed within the North American pediatric surgical community. In this article, we describe our experience with the creation and implementation of the Eastern Pediatric Surgery Network, a large and comprehensive research consortium designed to produce a wide array of high-quality clinical studies within our subspecialty. In 2020, a vision statement and rules of governance were established at thirteen academic pediatric surgery divisions in the eastern United States. The research consortium was organized based on four major pillars, namely legal ownership of aggregate data, horizontal leadership structure, mandatory participation in adopted studies, and a broad research portfolio that encompasses the full breath of the specialty. Over the past five years, the number of research projects has dramatically expanded over time and includes participation from 24 different medical centers. Despite a lack of dedicated sponsored extramural support for most projects, there have been 28 abstracts presented at national conferences and 12 manuscripts published in peer-reviewed journals. It is our hope that sharing our experience with creating this organization can help to inform others interested in establishing the academic infrastructure to engage in multi-institutional, evidence-based clinical research in other medical specialties and beyond.