One of the multiple threats to protected areas worldwide, invasive plant species have the potential to decrease biodiversity and ecosystem function. We studied changes in infestation by two widespread invasive plant species – Chromolaena odorata and Mikania micrantha – in India’s Manas National Park, a critical conservation site for threatened flora and fauna. Based on field surveys in 2011 and 2019, we found that C. odorata and M. micrantha were present in most of the sampled plots and had newly invaded over 20% of the plots. However, the abundance of M. micrantha decreased in 45% of the plots while C. odorata increased in >50% of the plots. We used a decision tree-based regression with environmental variables as predictors to generate the distribution, abundance and invasion risk maps of the two species. Among environmental variables, road proximity and fire frequency had the strongest influences, respectively, on C. odorata and M. micrantha. Invaded quadrats exhibited lower native-plant diversity than non-invaded quadrats, and C. odorata specifically had a strong negative association with native-plant community structure. These invasive species have increased their range and abundance, and our predicted invasion risk maps indicate the areas where management intervention is urgently needed.

Flow transitions are an important fluid-dynamic phenomena for many reasons, including the direct effect on the aerodynamic forces acting on the body. In the present study, two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) wake transitions of a NACA0012 airfoil are studied for angles of attack in the range $0^\circ \leq \alpha \leq 20^\circ$ and Reynolds numbers $500 \leq {\textit {Re}} \leq 5000$. The study uses water-channel experiments and 2-D and 3-D numerical simulations based on the nodal spectral-element method, level-set function-based immersed-interface method and Floquet stability analysis. The different wake states are categorised based on the time-instantaneous wake structure, non-dimensional frequency and aerodynamic force coefficients. The wake states and transition boundaries are summarised in a wake regime map. The critical angle of attack and Reynolds number for the supercritical Hopf bifurcation (i.e. steady to periodic wake transition) varies as $\alpha _1 {\sim} {\textit {Re}}^{-0.65}$, while the critical angle of attack for the onset of three dimensionality varies as $\alpha _{3D} {\sim} {\textit {Re}}^{-0.5}$. Over the entire Reynolds number range, the transition to 3-D flow occurs through a mode C (subharmonic) transition. Beyond this initial transition, further instabilities of the 2-D periodic base flow arise and are investigated. For instance, at $ {\textit {Re}}=2000$ and $\alpha _{3D,2}=11.0^\circ$, mode C coexists together with modes related to modes A and QP seen in a stationary circular cylinder wake. In contrast, at $ {\textit {Re}}=5000$ and $\alpha _{3D,2}=8.0^\circ$, the dominant mode C coexists with mode QP. Three-dimensional simulations well beyond critical angles indicate that 2-D vortex-street transitions are approximately maintained in the fully saturated 3-D wakes in a spanwise-averaged sense.

This article explains a curious redirection of economic policies that uses the policy framework of Kalecki and Keynes only to undermine it. It does not negate their theory of demand management, but reformulates it to serve the powerful interests of finance in the era of financial globalisation. As a result, accountability to finance rather than to the citizens becomes more important for democratic governments, and credit rating dominates democratic performance.

The author surveys shifts in macro-economic policy and thought from Keynes and Kalecki to the present, tracking the changing climate of economic opinion. As Kalecki foresaw, the success of Keynesian demand management was undermined when, in an era of full employment, the power of labour threatened industrialists’ authority over the economy. From the 1970s, this led governments to introduce pro-capitalist measures. Countering recessions with budget deficits was now seen as irresponsible. The rise of globalisation meant that domestic demand management became less effective, especially in economies highly dependent on imports. Opening up economies meant that their exchange rates and stock markets became more vulnerable to capital flights. As the reach of finance became increasingly global, those private credit rating agencies became the game changers. Today private credit agencies, through their rating of the investment climate and sovereign risk of a country, in effect rate the quality of its government. Capitalist democracies are now dominated by private finance. Management of the investment climate is increasingly done through the virtual rather than the real economy, creating artificial financial asset and housing market bubbles. At the same time, in the neglected real economy, inequality and unemployment have increased, and living standards are falling.

In optimal stopping problems, decision makers are assumed to search randomly to learn the utility of alternatives; in contrast, in one-shot multi-attribute utility optimization, decision makers are assumed to have perfect knowledge of utilities. We point out that these two contexts represent the boundaries of a continuum, of which the middle remains uncharted: How should people search intelligently when they possess imperfect information about the alternatives? We assume that decision makers first estimate the utility of each available alternative and then search the alternatives in order of their estimated utility until expected benefits are outweighed by search costs. We considered three well-known models for estimating utility: (i) a linear multi-attribute model, (ii) equal weighting of attributes, and (iii) a single-attribute heuristic. We used 12 real-world decision problems, ranging from consumer choice to industrial experimentation, to measure the performance of the three models. The full model (i) performed best on average but its simplifications (ii and iii) also had regions of superior performance. We explain the results by analyzing the impact of the models’ utility order and estimation error.

The 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD)-inhibiting herbicides are primarily used for weed control in corn, barley, oat, rice, sorghum, sugarcane, and wheat production fields in the United States. The objectives of this review were to summarize (1) the history of HPPD-inhibitor and their use in the United States, (2) HPPD-inhibitor resistant weeds, their mechanism of resistance, and management, (3) interaction of HPPD-inhibitor with other herbicides, and (4) the future of HPPD-inhibitor-resistant crops. As of 2022, three broadleaf weeds (Palmer amaranth, waterhemp, and wild radish) have evolved resistance to the HPPD-inhibitor. The predominance of metabolic resistance to HPPD-inhibitor was found in aforementioned three weed species. Management of HPPD-inhibitor-resistant weeds can be accomplished using alternate herbicides such as glyphosate, glufosinate, 2,4-D, or dicamba; however, metabolic resistance poses a serious challenge, as the weeds may be cross-resistant to other herbicide sites of action, leading to limited herbicide options. The HPPD-inhibitor is commonly applied with photosystem II (PS II)-inhibitor to increase efficacy and weed control spectrum. The synergism with HPPD-inhibitor arises from depletion of plastoquinones, which allows increased binding of PS II-inhibitor to the D1 protein. New HPPD-inhibitor from azole carboxamides class is in development and expected to be available in the near future. The HPPD-inhibitor-resistant crops have been developed through overexpression of a resistant bacterial HPPD enzyme in plants and the overexpression of transgenes for HPPD and a microbial gene that enhances the production of HPPD substrate. Isoxaflutole-resistant soybean is commercially available, and it is expected that soybean resistant to other HPPD-inhibitor such as mesotrione, stacked with resistance to other herbicides, will be available in the near future.

Herbicide-resistant Palmer amaranth is a troublesome weed in several agronomic crops and is a relatively new challenge to dry bean production in western Nebraska. Objectives were to evaluate preemergence (PRE) and postemergence (POST) herbicides for control of acetolactate synthase–resistant Palmer amaranth and their effect on Palmer amaranth density and biomass as well as dry bean injury and yield in western Nebraska. Field experiments were conducted in 2017 and 2019 near Scottsbluff, NE. The experiments were arranged as a two-factor strip-plot design. The strip-plot factor consisted of no-PRE or pendimethalin (1,070 g ai ha–1) + dimethenamid-P (790 g ai h–1) applied PRE. The main-plot factor was POST herbicides, which consisted of various mixtures of imazamox, bentazon, or fomesafen applied in a single or sequential application at labeled rates, and reduced rates of imazamox (9 g ai ha–1) + bentazon (314 g ai ha–1) + fomesafen (70 g ai ha–1) applied in single or sequential (two or three) applications. PRE herbicides reduced Palmer amaranth density and biomass during both years and increased dry bean yield in 2017. POST treatments containing fomesafen improved Palmer amaranth control compared with treatments containing imazamox and bentazon only. The sequential-application reduced-rate POST system did not improve Palmer amaranth control compared to one POST application containing fomesafen at a labeled rate in either year. Using pendimethalin + dimethenamid-P PRE followed by POST treatments containing imazamox + bentazon + fomesafen at a labeled rate provided 86% and 99% Palmer amaranth control in 2017 and 2019, respectively.

Weeds compete with crops for soil moisture, along with other resources, which can impact the germination, growth, and seed production of weeds; however, this impact has not been systematically recorded and synthesized across diverse studies. To address this knowledge gap, a global meta-analysis was conducted using 1,196 paired observations from 86 published articles assessing the effect of water stress on weed germination, growth characteristics, and seed production. These studies were conducted and published during 1970 through 2020 across four continents (Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America). Imposed water stress was expressed as solution osmotic potential (ψsolution), soil water potential (ψsoil), or soil moisture as percent field capacity. Meta-analysis revealed that water stress inhibits weed germination, growth, and seed production, and the quantitative response intensified with increasing water stress. A ψsolution greater than −0.8 MPa completely inhibits germination of both grass and broadleaf weeds. A ψsolution from −0.09 to −0.32 MPa reduces weed germination by 50% compared with the unstressed condition. Moderate soil water stress, equivalent to 30% to 60% field capacity, inhibits growth characteristics (branches or tillers per plant, leaf area, leaves per plant, plant height, root, and shoot biomass) by 33% and weed seed production by 50%. Severe soil water stress, below 30% field capacity, inhibits weed growth by 51% and seed production by 88%. Although water stress inhibits weed growth, it does not entirely suppress the ability to germinate, grow, and produce seeds, resulting in weed seedbank accumulation. This creates management challenges for producers, because weed seeds can survive in the soil for many years, depending on weed species and environmental conditions. Quantitative information compiled in this meta-analysis can be instrumental to model the weeds’ multidimensional responses to water stress and designing integrated weed management strategies for reducing the weed seedbank.

During long-duration spaceflight, astronauts are exposed to various risks including spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome, which serves as a risk to astronaut vision and a potential physiological barrier to future spaceflight. When considering exploration missions that may expose astronauts to longer periods of microgravity, radiation exposure, and natural aging processes during spaceflight, more severe changes to functional vision may occur. The macula plays a critical role in central vision and disruptions to this key area in the eye may compromise functional vision and mission performance. In this article, we describe the development of a countermeasure technique to digitally suppress monocular central visual distortion with head-mounted display technology. We report early validation studies with this noninvasive countermeasure in individuals with simulated metamorphopsia. When worn by these individuals, this emerging wearable countermeasure technology has demonstrated a suppression of monocular visual distortion. We describe the considerations and further directions of this head-mounted technology for both astronauts and aging individuals on Earth.

Velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti Medik.) is a troublesome broadleaf weed that competes with crops for resources such as soil moisture. Water stress can affect the ability of weed species to grow and produce seeds. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of degree of water stress on the growth and fecundity of A. threophrasti using soil moisture sensors under greenhouse conditions. Abutilon threophrasti seeds collected from a corn (Zea mays L.)–soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] field were grown in silty clay loam soil, and plants were maintained at 100%, 75%, 50%, and 25% soil field capacity (FC) corresponding to no, light, moderate, and high water-stress conditions, respectively. Water was added daily to pots based on soil moisture levels detected by a Meter Group 5TM sensor to maintain the desired water-stress level required by treatment. Plants maintained at 100% FC had the maximum number of leaves (28 leaves plant−1), followed by 21 and 15 leaves plant−1 at 75% and 50% FC, respectively. Abutilon threophrasti at 100% and 75% FC achieved maximum plant height (108 to 123 cm) compared with 83 cm at 50% FC. Abutilon threophrasti maintained at 75% FC had the greatest growth index (79,907 cm3) followed by 72,197 cm3 at 100% FC and 64,256 cm3 at 50% FC. Seed production was similar at 100%, 75%, and 50% FC (288 to 453 seeds plant−1) compared with 2 seeds plant−1 at 25% FC. This is because the majority of plants maintained at 25% FC did not survive more than 77 d after transplanting. Seed germination was 96% to 100% at 100%, 75%, and 50% FC compared with 20% germination at 25% FC. Abutilon threophrasti can survive ≥50% FC continuous water-stress conditions, although with reduced leaf number, plant height, and growth index compared with 75% and 100% FC.

Loneliness, a negative emotion stemming from the perception of unmet social needs, is a major public health concern. Current interventions often target social domains but produce small effects and are not as effective as established emotion regulation (ER)-based interventions for general psychological distress (i.e., depression/anxiety). Given that loneliness and distress are types of negative affect, we aimed to compare them within an ER framework by examining the amount of variance ER strategies accounted for in loneliness versus distress, and comparing the ER strategy profiles characterising them. Participants (N = 582, Mage = 22.31, 77.66% female) completed self-report measures of loneliness, distress, and use of 12 cognitive (e.g., cognitive reappraisal) or behavioural (e.g., expressive suppression) ER strategies. Regression analyses revealed that ER explained comparable variance in these constructs. Latent profile analysis identified seven profiles differing in ER patterns, with no distinct loneliness or distress profile identified. Rather, similar patterns of ER characterised these two constructs, involving the greater use of generally maladaptive strategies and the lesser use of generally adaptive strategies. However, loneliness was additionally characterised by less use of strategies involving social connection/expression. Overall, our study supports the utility of ER for understanding loneliness. Established ER-based frameworks/interventions for distress may have transdiagnostic utility in targeting loneliness.