W. E. B. Du Bois is credited with debunking the social Darwinism pervasive in turn-of-the-century social and political theory, exposing the environmental causes of black disadvantage and undercutting claims regarding “inborn” racial deficits. This, however, misses the constructive role that Darwinism played in his account of racial advancement. This article shows how Darwinism, eugenics, and race science shaped Du Bois’s conceptualizations of race and of racial uplift. Darwinism, I argue, informed his analysis of the harms that slavery and segregation visited on black Americans. It also influenced his defense of democratic equality: setting aside its other virtues, democracy would remove “artificial” constraints on the competitive struggle, enabling the best of white and black races to succeed. It was, then, eugenically advantageous. Against the common view that Du Bois rejected social Darwinism and eugenics, I demonstrate that their relationship was far more ambivalent and that his racial politics appealed to them.

Salmonella enterica is a Gram-negative bacterium responsible approximately for 155,000 deaths annually. S. enterica is one of the most important foodborne pathogens, affecting mainly people in developed countries. The human immune system produces antibacterial peptides and proteins like lactoferrin (LF). This work addresses the hypothesis that bovine lactoferrin (bLF) and its derivative peptides bLactoferricin17-30, bD-Lactoferricin17-30, bLactoferrampin265-284, bD-Lactoferrampin265-284 and bLF-chimera have antimicrobial activity on planktonic cells and pre-formed biofilms of S. enterica. Planktonic Salmonella enterica ATCC 14028 were treated with bLF and bLF-peptides for two hours, and bacterial viability was determined by counting colony-forming units/ml. In addition, S. enterica biofilms were pre-formed or established on an abiotic surface, and viability or disruption was assessed in the presence of bLF and bLF-peptides by counting colony-forming units/ml or using the live/dead viability kit. We observed that bLF and bLF-peptides were bactericidal against planktonic S. enterica, killing more than 80% of cultures after two hours of treatment. The bactericidal effect was concentration and time-dependent. In addition, bLF, bLFampin165-284, and bLF-chimera showed an anti-biofilm effect against Salmonella biofilms pre-formed during 8 and 12 hours on the abiotic surface, disorganizing more than 50% of the biofilms after 4 or 6 hours of treatment. We conclude that bLF and its peptides show antimicrobial activity against planktonic cells and pre-formed biofilms of S. enterica on abiotic surfaces and could potentially be a therapeutic solution to combat Salmonella infections.

We analyse the pressure-driven radial flow of a shear-thinning fluid between two parallel plates. Complex fluid rheology may significantly affect the hydrodynamic features of such non-Newtonian flows, which remain not fully understood, compared with Newtonian flows. We describe the shear-thinning rheology using the Ellis model and present a theoretical framework for calculating the pressure distribution and the flow rate–pressure drop relation. We first derive a closed-form expression for the pressure gradient, which allows us to obtain semi-analytical expressions for the pressure, velocity and flow rate–pressure drop relation. Specifically, we provide the corresponding asymptotic solutions for small and large values of the dimensionless flow rates. We further elucidate the entrance length required for the radial velocity of a shear-thinning fluid to reach its fully developed form, showing that this length approximates the Newtonian low-Reynolds-number value at low shear rates, but may strongly depend on the fluid’s shear-thinning rheology and exceed the Newtonian value at high shear rates. We validate our theoretical results with finite-element numerical simulations and find excellent agreement. Furthermore, we compare our semi-analytical, asymptotic and finite-element simulation results for the pressure distribution with the experimental measurements of Laurencena & Williams (Trans. Soc. Rheol. vol. 18, 1974, pp. 331–355), showing good agreement. Our theoretical results using the Ellis model capture the interplay between the shear-thinning and the zero-shear-rate effects on the pressure drop, which cannot be explained using a simple power-law model, highlighting the importance of using an adequate constitutive model to accurately describe non-Newtonian flows of shear-thinning fluids.

Purple nutsedge is a competitive and persistent perennial weed in the agronomic and horticultural cropping systems of the southeastern United States. Its management is a challenge during the growing season due to its ability to propagate vegetatively through underground rhizomes and tubers. Therefore, effective herbicide programs are needed that can check the spread of purple nutsedge and protect crop yields. Greenhouse experiments were conducted in 2024 to evaluate the response of purple nutsedge at two different growth stages (10 to 15 cm and 15 to 20 cm heights) to herbicides currently labeled for use in Mississippi cropping systems. Herbicides tested were glyphosate at 1,260 g ai ha–1, glufosinate at 672 g ai ha–1, bentazon at 1,680 g ai ha–1, halosulfuron at 69.5 g ai ha–1, and trifloxysulfuron at 6.9 g ai ha–1. Glyphosate was the most effective herbicide against purple nutsedge, providing >90% control, followed by halosulfuron, which provided 70% to 90% control at both growth stages. New shoot emergence was highest when glufosinate and bentazon were applied, and no new shoots emerged when glyphosate and halosulfuron were applied. More new shoots were observed when glufosinate and bentazon were applied when plants were 15 to 20 cm high compared to 10 to 15 cm. Shoot regrowth at 21 d after cutting the aboveground shoots indicated similar trends. A reduction of >90% in shoot and root biomass was observed when glyphosate, halosulfuron, and trifloxysulfuron were applied, whereas glufosinate and bentazon applications resulted in 50% less biomass reduction. Overall, herbicide efficacy against purple nutsedge was greater when plants were treated at the recommended height of 10 to 15 cm rather than 15 to 20 cm. The study results indicated that both herbicide mode of action and application timing are important for better purple nutsedge management in cropping systems.

The European Union is a world leader in nanotechnology environmental, health and safety (EHS) risk regulation, and since its policy integration has been increasingly active in promoting international coordination and cooperation on nanotechnology risk governance. What affects its ability to influence nanotechnology risk regulation and governance internationally? This analysis focuses on the European Union (EU) level arguing that the EU’s scientific and regulatory capacities have significant explanatory power. Empirically, the article examines three cases of EU influence in key areas of international nanotechnology risk regulation and governance – nanosafety research for regulatory purpose, science diplomacy, and multilateral risk governance, following its integrated policy.

There is increasing demand for milk and dairy products and an associated increase in milk production in Asia and Africa, making them important emerging dairy markets for the future. To the best of our knowledge, there has been little effort to comprehensively review literature on dairy production in these regions despite the changing situation, growth and challenges that require sustainable solutions. Thus, the objective of this review was to present an overview and evaluation of the dairy industry in selected countries in Eastern Africa and Asia using recent literature. The countries were selected based on the potential of dairy production in the respective regions. It focused on two types of countries: those in East Africa, which are at different stages of intensification regarding the global production issue, and those in Asia, which have large dairy industries. Based on this, Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania were selected from eastern Africa, while India, Pakistan and China were selected from Asia. The review revealed that dairy production in Eastern Africa predominantly relies on small-scale production systems. Factors such as inadequate feed, disease prevalence, poor access to breeding and formal/organized market pose significant challenges to this region's dairy industry. However, recent efforts have focused on improving productivity through technology adoption, livestock breeding programmes and market development initiatives. In contrast, Asia showcases a diverse range of dairy production systems. Countries like India are known for their large-scale dairy operations involving both indigenous and exotic dairy breeds. Additionally, cooperative models and public-private partnerships have contributed to the growth of the dairy sector in Asian countries. Nevertheless, challenges such as land/feed availability, environmental concern, and market competitiveness remain areas for improvement. While Eastern Africa aims to enhance small-scale farming systems through partly upgrading scale of production, innovation and market access, Asia seeks to bridge the gaps in productivity and sustainability.

This study proposes a novel time-varying, endogenous fiscal reaction function, and investigates whether and how the US government responded to the rising debt to assess the sustainability of its debt over 1916 to 2022. The reaction function is estimated via a state space model using Bayesian methods by treating its coefficient as an unobservable stochastic process. Although there is evidence that the government considered long-term projections of the interest rate in its fiscal decisions, the response to debt was largely driven by unobservable non-economic factors and by large and persistent shocks. We find that the government was more proactive about constraining debt increases during the 20th century than previously thought (such as in Bohn, 1998), but it has become less aggressive ever since. The debt-GDP ratio was sustainable for almost the entire sample period, but its steady state value has been rising consistently in recent years. The government’s response to debt contributed 6.0 percentage points to the surplus-GDP ratio in the postwar 20th century, but only 3.6 percentage points afterward.

The blood-milk barrier (BMB) forms at parturition when the gland switches form a non-lactating state to one of copious milk production and becomes leaky again when milk removal ceases and mammary involution is initiated. In this review the importance of the BMB in milk production and, in particular, its hormonal regulation is explored. Tight junctions (TJ) between adjacent mammary epithelial cells form a barrier to the two-directional paracellular movement of small molecules between the blood and milk and are responsible for establishing and maintaining the BMB. They form part of the cell's junctional complex and consist of transmembrane proteins that are linked to the mammary cell's cytoskeleton. This means that when, during lactation, TJ become “leaky” the resulting perturbation of the cytoskeleton interferes with the cell's secretory function. As such, TJ are involved in regulating and maintaining milk production. Mammary TJ are under hormonal control, with progesterone, glucocorticoids, prolactin, parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP) and serotonin (5-HT) being the key hormones. Progesterone prevents closure of TJ and the immediate prepartum drop in its concentration is a prerequisite for TJ closure. A simultaneous increase in the levels of glucocorticoids and prolactin is necessary for full TJ closure and initiation and maintenance of lactation. Both PTHrP and 5-HT are important hormones in maintaining extracellular calcium concentrations, a requirement for maintaining TJ integrity. Whereas PTHrP reduces TJ permeability, necessary for establishing and maintaining milk production, 5-HT has an opening effect on TJ. The latter may help speed up mammary involution and facilitate the movement of immune factors into the gland, preventing intramammary infections. In summary, mammary TJ make up the BMB and play a role in establishing and maintaining milk production and are under hormonal control, with progesterone, glucocorticoids, PTHrP and 5-HT being key regulatory hormones and prolactin likely playing a supporting role.

Redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.) is among the most troublesome weeds in the Intermountain West affecting corn (Zea mays L.) production and contributing to significant yield losses, in addition to losses caused by water stress. Improvements in agricultural technology such as use of drought-tolerant (DT) corn hybrids has helped minimize the impact of water stress on corn yields. However, it is not known how the use of hybrids affects the interactions between weeds and corn. This work evaluated the competitive effects of A. retroflexus on DT and drought-susceptible (DS) corn hybrids exposed to optimal and reduced irrigation levels in a semi-controlled study. The semi-controlled environment was established in a rainout shelter with corn maintained at a density of 66,482 plants ha−1 and A. retroflexus varied at densities of 0, 33,241, and 66,482 plants ha−1 that were then provided either optimal or reduced irrigation (100% and 50%). We observed a 45% reduction in the shoot biomass of DS corn under reduced irrigation, while the shoot biomass of DT corn remained the same under both irrigation levels in Season 1. In Season 2, both hybrids experienced a decrease in shoot biomass under reduced irrigation. Amaranthus retroflexus exhibited an 80% increase in shoot biomass when growing with DS corn exposed to reduced irrigation, compared with its growth with DS corn exposed to optimal irrigation. Conversely, DT corn negatively impacted A. retroflexus shoot biomass under reduced irrigation, resulting in only a 9% difference between the reduced and optimally irrigated plots. These findings suggest that DT corn may mitigate water stress while also providing the additional benefit of improved competition against weeds, effectively suppressing their growth in water-stressed environments.

Ethnicity and race are vital for understanding representation, yet individual-level data are often unavailable. Recent methodological advances have allowed researchers to impute racial and ethnic classifications based on publicly available information, but predictions vary in their accuracy and can introduce statistical biases in downstream analyses. We provide an overview of common estimation methods, including Bayesian approaches and machine learning techniques that use names or images as inputs. We propose and test a hybrid approach that combines surname-based Bayesian estimation with the use of publicly available images in a convolutional neural network. We find that the proposed approach not only reduces statistical bias in downstream analyses but also improves accuracy in a sample of over 16,000 local elected officials. We conclude with a discussion of caveats and describe settings where the hybrid approach is especially suitable.

Widespread resistance to selective postemergence herbicides has led to increased use of preemergence herbicides to control rigid ryegrass (Lolium rigidum Gaudin), the major weed of southern Australian cropping systems. Seeds of L. rigidum are dormant at maturity, leading to staggered germination across the growing season and avoidance of pre-sowing knockdown herbicides by the later-germinating cohorts. Although it is well known that this selects for higher seed dormancy in intensively cropped areas, there is less information on whether dormant seeds respond differently to preemergence herbicides applied at sowing. To address this, seeds of field-collected L. rigidum populations were divided into dormant and nondormant (afterripened) subsamples and treated with sublethal rates of three preemergence herbicides in order to monitor seedling emergence and seed persistence over 6 mo. The presence of prosulfocarb and pyroxasulfone eliminated the nearly 4-fold increase in seedling emergence that typically results from afterripening, while trifluralin was partially inhibitory. In all treatments, the proportion of viable seeds remaining in the soil after 6 mo was negligible (≤3% of the viable seeds originally sown) for both the dormant and nondormant seeds. Application of radiolabeled herbicides to soil and seeds showed that the herbicides persisted in the seed tissue for longer than in the bulk soil. Therefore, the presence of dormant L. rigidum seeds in the soil seedbank is unlikely to result in cohorts that can avoid preemergence herbicides.

This article examines the theology of Katherine Parr, sixth and surviving wife of Henry VIII, through a close reading of her mature work, The Lamentation of a Sinner. In particular, I treat Parr’s theological use of the epistle to the Romans to inform and structure her doctrine of the work of Christ within The Lamentation. I argue that Parr follows the structure of Romans in her opening lament over sin, her central discussion of the cross of Christ, and her application of this theology to the Christian lives of the people of England’s church. I also posit Parr’s use of several overlapping motifs for Christ’s work within The Lamentation’s treatment of the atonement and its relationship to the Protestant understanding of justification by faith.

Breaches of international law have consequences. Under the Articles on the Responsibility of States for Internationally Wrongful Acts, the international responsibility of a state triggered by its internationally wrongful acts entails specific legal consequences, including the obligation to provide “full reparation” for the injury caused.1 However, obtaining reparations in the current international legal system often proves difficult. Existing international courts and tribunals often lack the jurisdiction to provide full reparations, especially when there are multiple and complex violations that caused injuries to numerous and diverse parties. International claims commissions can be effective instruments to provide reparations in such circumstances, including in post-conflict and other complex situations. Indeed, international claims commissions can fill the vacuum that exists between breaches and reparations due for serious violations. Their flexibility is a unique feature that can provide the missing procedural bridge between international law violations and reparation.

The aim of this Research Communication was to develop new flow cytometric tools for the fine identification and characterization of milk somatic cells in water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). Four multicolour panels of antibodies were designed to identify different subsets of live leukocytes and epithelial cells in bulk milk samples. Panel 1, including the CD18/CD172a/CD14/CD16 markers and Live/Dead vitality dye, allowed us to identify total lymphocytes, polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) and monocyte/macrophage subsets. Panel 2 (CD18/CD4/CD8/δ chain/CD335 and Live/Dead dye) allowed us to identify T helper (CD4+), T cytotoxic (CD8+), γδ lymphocytes and NK cells. Panel 3 (CD18/CD79a/CD21 and Live/Dead dye) allowed us to identify total and CD21+ B lymphocytes. Finally, with Panel 4 (CD18/MHC-I/pan Cytokeratin and Live/Dead dye) the epithelial cells were distinguished from leukocytes. In conclusion, we propose a fine characterization of live milk somatic cell (live differential cell count (LDCC)) in buffalo species. In the future the determination of LDCC could used to identify new markers for detecting early inflammatory states of the mammary gland or for monitoring the technological properties of milks of different somatic cell composition.