Invasive plant taxa are generally regulated at the species level, without considering infra- or interspecific variation. However, cultivars or hybrids can pose a lower risk of invasion, for example, due to sterility. We evaluate six general approaches to regulating cultivars and hybrids: (1) Globally Guilty by Association; (2) Nationally Guilty by Association; (3) Guilty until Proven Innocent; (4) Negotiated Guilt; (5) Claimed to be Innocent; and (6) Innocent until Proven Guilty. We discuss these approaches in the context of South Africa (which has a typified Negotiated Guilt approach). Following negotiations since 2001 between the South African horticultural industry/green industry and legislators, an unofficial consensus list of “presumed sterile” cultivars and hybrids was produced in 2014 containing 187 entities from 34 taxa. In 2020, this was reduced to 157 entities from 16 taxa. But the evidence supporting the original lists and the subsequent revisions was not published. To address this issue, we developed a generic pro forma (template) for reporting sterility based on observations and/or experiments on: flowering, fruiting, pollen, and seeds; the potential for vegetative propagation; and the potential for genetic changes (including hybridization and reversion to fertility). We recommend that such information be incorporated into risk analyses conducted specifically for infra- and inter specific entities, and only if the risk of a harmful invasion is demonstrated to be acceptably low or can be easily mitigated should such entities be exempted from regulation. This will be time-consuming, but, by setting out the evidence clearly, the approach is transparent and provides a clear route for stakeholders to seek exemptions for entities of importance. In conclusion, although we suspect the simplicity of the Negotiated Guilt approach is desirable to many stakeholders, and is the approach currently adopted in South Africa, we recommend a shift toward the Guilty until Proven Innocent approach.

In the 1890s, the slave and ivory trader Rashid bin Masoud established the settlement Kikole deep in what is now southwestern Tanzania. Kikole was strategically located near Lake Nyasa, a major slaving region. Masoud's followers residing at Kikole were typically referred to as his slaves by German colonists and missionaries. Local oral histories today, however, define these followers as askari (soldiers or guards) or mafundi (technicians or specialists; in this case, in using weaponry). This article considers how recent expanded excavations at Kikole can help us better understand Masoud's followers. Differences in housing investment and material access suggest status differences among residents: any single definition of Masoud's followers may be inadequate. A broader concern addressed in this article is how we define slavery itself.

We analyzed invasive group A streptococcal puerperal sepsis cases in a large health zone in Alberta, Canada between 2013 and 2022. Of the 21 cases, 85.7% were adjudicated as hospital/delivery-acquired, with 2 clusters having identical isolates found through whole genome sequencing. We implemented policy interventions across Alberta aimed at preventing future infections.

Social and environmental determinants of health (SEDoH) are crucial for achieving a holistic understanding of patient health. In fact, geographic factors may have more influence on health outcomes than patients’ genetics. Integrating SEDoH into the electronic health record (EHR), however, poses notable technical and compliance-related challenges. We evaluated barriers to the integration of SEDoH in the EHR and developed a privacy-preserving strategy to mitigate risk of protected health information exposure. Using coded identifiers for patient addresses, the strategy evaluates an alternative approach to ensure efficient, secure geocoding of data while preserving privacy throughout the data enrichment processes from numerous SEDoH data sources.

Clinical outcomes of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for treatment of treatment-resistant depression (TRD) vary widely and there is no mood rating scale that is standard for assessing rTMS outcome. It remains unclear whether TMS is as efficacious in older adults with late-life depression (LLD) compared to younger adults with major depressive disorder (MDD). This study examined the effect of age on outcomes of rTMS treatment of adults with TRD. Self-report and observer mood ratings were measured weekly in 687 subjects ages 16–100 years undergoing rTMS treatment using the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology 30-item Self-Report (IDS-SR), Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item (PHQ), Profile of Mood States 30-item, and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale 17-item (HDRS). All rating scales detected significant improvement with treatment; response and remission rates varied by scale but not by age (response/remission ≥ 60: 38%–57%/25%–33%; <60: 32%–49%/18%–25%). Proportional hazards models showed early improvement predicted later improvement across ages, though early improvements in PHQ and HDRS were more predictive of remission in those < 60 years (relative to those ≥ 60) and greater baseline IDS burden was more predictive of non-remission in those ≥ 60 years (relative to those < 60). These results indicate there is no significant effect of age on treatment outcomes in rTMS for TRD, though rating instruments may differ in assessment of symptom burden between younger and older adults during treatment.