Infants born at high altitudes, such as in the Puno region, typically exhibit higher birthweights than those born at low altitudes; however, the influence of ethnicity on childhood anthropometric patterns in high-altitude settings remains poorly understood. This study aimed to characterise the nutritional status, body composition and indices, and somatotype of Quechua and Aymara children aged 6–10 years. A cross-sectional, descriptive, and comparative design was employed, with a simple random sampling of children from six provinces representative of the Puno region, including 1,289 children of both sexes. Twenty-nine anthropometric measurements were taken, and fat, muscle, and bone components were assessed using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Standardised equations were applied to determine body indices. Among the findings, most children presented normal nutritional status according to BMI-for-age and height-for-age Z-scores. However, high rates of overweight and obesity were observed in Aymara (39%) and Quechua (28.4%) children, with differences in fat content between ethnic groups at the 5th, 10th, 50th, and 75th percentiles. Both groups were characterised by brachytypy and brachybrachial proportions; Quechua children were mesoskelic and Aymara brachyskelic, with macrocormic proportions, rectangular trunks, and broad backs. The predominant somatotype was mesomorphic, with a stronger endomorphic tendency among Aymara. It is concluded that both groups exhibit normal nutritional status; however, Aymara children show a greater tendency towards fat accumulation and notable morphological differences. Differences were also observed in limb proportions, particularly a relatively shorter lower limb.

Spodoptera frugiperda is a notorious pest that has been recorded attacking over 353 crop species worldwide. Excessive insecticide exposure can lead to resistance and has adverse impacts on the environment and beneficial organisms. Long-lasting pest control methods like entomopathogenic fungi may be used to prevent the negative impact of synthetic insecticides. In the current research, effectiveness of Cordyceps fumosorosea was analysed by applying a sub-lethal dose (LC15 = 2.09 × 106 spores mL−1) and a lethal dose (LC50 = 2.17 × 107 spores mL−1) on filial (F0) and first filial (F1) generations of S. frugiperda to estimate both lethal and sub-lethal effects. The LC15 was used to keep a significant proportion of larvae alive to permit determination of sublethal effects on S. frugiperda. After treatment with the LC15 and LC50, S. frugiperda progeny displayed shorter larval duration, lower fecundity, and shorter adult female and male longevities relative to untreated controls. Likewise, the adult pre-oviposition period, total pre-oviposition period, oviposition days (Od), net reproductive rates (Ro), and mean generation times (T) were reduced in fungal-infected groups. Furthermore, activities of key detoxifying enzymes, i.e. acetylcholinesterase (AChE), glutathione S-transferases (GST), and esterases (EST), were also evaluated. Substantial differences of AChE, GST, and EST (24.3, 18.34, and 10.09 µmol/min/mg protein), respectively, were observed at the LC50 in contrast to the LC15 and controls. The current study showed pathogenicity of C. fumosorosea, which negatively affected insect development and changed the activities of detoxifying enzymes, thereby increasing the effectiveness and eco-friendly management of S. frugiperda.

During the 2019 growing season, seeds of Palmer amaranth and common waterhemp were collected from 141 and 133 agricultural sites, respectively, from across the southeastern and midwestern United States. These accessions were screened with a new protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO) inhibitor, epyrifenacil, using a whole-plant bioassay at 20 g ai ha−1 in controlled environmental conditions to estimate its efficacy on these two agronomically important weeds. In addition, the coding sequence of the PPX2 gene was determined for plants from each accession through short-read sequencing of cDNA fragments amplified via polymerase chain reaction. Results showed that nearly all accessions were completely controlled by epyrifenacil, with average survival rates of less than 2% for both species. Target site resistance mutations toward PPO inhibitors were lower in Palmer amaranth (<20%) compared to waterhemp, with nearly half of all waterhemp samples (42%) possessing the ΔG210 allele, which is shown to cause high-level resistance to other commercially available PPO-inhibiting herbicides. Follow-up testing of accessions with high frequency (≥50%) of the ΔG210 allele of PPX2 compared the efficacy of epyrifenacil, saflufenacil, and saflufenacil + trifludimoxazin and showed that of the herbicides tested, epyrifenacil at 20 g ha−1 provided the best control, averaging 85% mortality across these accessions. Same-plant association study of molecular data and whole-plant assay correlated all detected variants of PPX2 with visual injury following epyrifenacil treatment and found that the ΔG210 mutation was associated with a reduction in relative efficacy of epyrifenacil in some accessions. All other known target site resistance mutations appeared to have no significant effect on epyrifenacil efficacy.

Phase Angle (PhA) has emerged as an important parameter to monitor body composition, fluid status, muscle integrity, and physical performance among athletes. However, limited information exists regarding the associations between PhA and dietary intake, especially in athletes. This study aimed to identify the dietary intake components associated with PhA in athletes. This cross-sectional observational study was carried out with 153 athletes across 17 sports. Body composition was assessed by tetrapolar multifrequency BIA, and dietary intake by 24-hour dietary recalls administered on non-consecutive days. Reported foods and supplements were categorised into different groups (i.e. cereals, vegetables, fruits, beans and nuts, meat and eggs, dairy products, oils, and sugars), with portions established based on the food’s total energy content. Fat-free mass and fat-free mass index were higher in male compared to female athletes, potentially influencing PhA (6.6º vs 5.5º; P < 0.01). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that protein intake was a significant predictor of PhA in athletes. This association remained significant even after adjustments for sex, age, and fat-free mass (R2 = 0.48, β = 0.27, P = 0.02). The positive correlation observed between dietary protein and PhA reinforces the need for adequate daily protein intake to enhance PhA in athletes. Further studies investigating the effect of diet-induced changes in PhA within the athletic population are necessary.

The proliferation of platform-mediated work necessitates a nuanced examination of how workers negotiate their agency and contest power dynamics within these novel labour arrangements. This research seeks to examine the diverse resistance practices among platform workers and the worker-driven determinants that either facilitate or hinder such practices among workers. The research design uses a Global North-Global South dichotomous perspective to understand how workers engaged in analogous labour processes within disparate political-economic frameworks are responding to the challenges. In this, 122 semi-structured interviews were conducted among online food delivery workers in India [Mumbai and Guwahati] and Italy [Milan and Bologna]. The findings contribute to our appreciation of how individual determinants among workers impede resistance practices, ultimately diminishing the potential for unified collective action within the platform workforce.

Previous research has characterized those resisting slavery as quite atypical of the enslaved population: most of them being young, male, and engaged in particular occupations. In this article, we study transgressive behavior among an enslaved population quantitatively. We employ a unique census from the Caribbean island of St. Croix in 1846, which allows us to study not only the characteristics of those that transgressed the masters’ order in some way, but also to compare them with those of the entire enslaved population on the island. We find that the individuals in our dataset who transgressed the oppressive institution were, in many respects, quite typical of the entire enslaved population under study. Opposition to the oppressive system could be found among all groups of enslaved persons in the studied society. Nonetheless, we find that specific characteristics, such as marital status and gender, were more likely to be associated with transgression on St. Croix.

In recent times, several international courts (ICs) have faced resistance from their member states. A recurring narrative used to justify states’ backlash against ICs has been that ICs are increasingly overreaching and essentially interfering with states’ sovereignty. This article explores what backlash over sovereignty actually entails, highlighting a diverse set of political agendas and strategies. The article first develops an analytical matrix of three forms of sovereignty politics – by design, as a shield and as reprisal – to capture different aspects of sovereignty politics. This framework is then used in an empirical analysis of four African states that, within a four-year time-period, all withdrew their declarations granting direct access to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Court) for NGOs and individuals from those states. In all cases, sovereignty was claimed as the reason for withdrawal but as we demonstrate, the cases vary. Overall, we find that resistance against the African Court does not necessarily emerge from a challenge to a principled concept of sovereignty, but from sitting governments’ narratives of what human rights ought to be, who ought to invoke them, and when. In other words, sovereignty arguments work mainly to safeguard member states from the authority of the African Court where state practices collide with international commitments to human rights. This takes on a distinct rhetorical framing that utilizes and evokes a set of different meanings of sovereignty, for example that the Court is outside its delegated competences or the issue is inside a vague notion of internal affairs. By using these legal-rhetorical strategies, member states seek to avoid having to address directly the challenges being brought against them at the IC.