Benghal dayflower and sicklepod are weeds of economic importance in peanut in the southeastern United States due to their extended emergence pattern and limited effective herbicides for control. Field studies were conducted near Jay, Florida, in 2022 and 2023, to evaluate the effect of planting date and herbicide combinations on Benghal dayflower and sicklepod control in peanut crops. Peanut planted in June was exposed to a higher Benghal dayflower density than peanut planted in May. Sicklepod density was similar between May and June planting dates at 28 d after preemergence and early postemergence herbicide applications, but density was greater in peanut that was planted in June, 28 d after the mid-postemergence application. A preemeergence herbicide application followed by (fb) an early postemergence application of S-metolachlor or diclosulam + S-metolachlor controlled Benghal dayflower 84% to 93% 28 d after early postemergence in peanut that was planted in May, but control was reduced to 58% to 78% in the crop that had been planted in June. Regardless of planting date, a preemeergence application fb S-metolachlor or diclosulam + S-metolachlor applied early postemergence provided <80% sicklepod control 28 d after early postemergence. Imazapic + dimethenamid-P + 2,4-DB applied postemergence improved Benghal dayflower control to at least 94% 28 d after mid-postemergence, but sicklepod control was not >85%. Regardless of the planting date, paraquat + bentazon + S-metolachlor applied early postemergence was required to achieve ≥95% sicklepod control. However, herbicide combinations that included paraquat + bentazon + S-metolachlor reduced peanut yield when planting was delayed to June. In fields that are infested with Benghal dayflower and sicklepod, it is recommended that peanut be planted in early May to minimize the potential impact of these weeds and to increase peanut yield. Late-planted peanut required more intensive herbicide applications to obtain the same peanut yield as the May-planted peanut.

Sicklepod is one of the most difficult to control weeds in peanut production in the southeastern United States due to its extended emergence pattern and limited effective herbicides for control. Growers rely on preemergence herbicides as the foundation of their weed control programs; however, postemergence herbicides are often needed for season-long weed control. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of planting pattern and herbicide combinations for sicklepod control in peanut crops. Due to rapid canopy closure, twin-row planting improved late-season sicklepod control by 13% and peanut yield by 5% compared with a single-row pattern. A preemergence application of fluridone, flumioxazin, or fluridone + flumioxazin provided 76% to 89% control of sicklepod 28 d after preemergence. Regardless of the herbicide applied preemergence, paraquat + bentazon + S-metolachlor applied early postemergence was required to achieve ≥90% sicklepod control 28 d after early postemergence. All preemergence herbicide treatments followed by (fb) S-metolachlor or diclosulam + S-metolachlor applied early postemergence provided <90% control 28 d after early postemergence. A mid-postemergence application of imazapic + dimethenamid-P + 2,4-DB controlled sicklepod by 67% to 79% prior to peanut harvest, and biomass reduction was unacceptable (<80%), resulting in difficulty in peanut digging. The highest peanut yield was observed when paraquat + bentazon + S-metolachlor was applied early postemergence fb imazapic + dimethenamid-P + 2,4-DB applied mid-postemergence. Based on the results of this study, a herbicide combination of paraquat + bentazon + S-metolachlor is an important early-season tool for controlling sicklepod in peanut crops. The results also showed that a twin-row planting pattern improved late-season sicklepod control but did not reduce herbicide input to protect peanut yield.

This contribution focuses on the abatement with hydrogen of CO2 and non-CO2 emissions. It is agenda-setting in two respects. Firstly, it challenges the globally accepted hydrocarbon sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) pathway to sustainability and recommends that our industry accelerates along the hydrogen pathway to ‘green’ aviation. Secondly, it reports a philosophical and analytical investigation of appropriate accuracy on abatement strategies for nitrogen oxides and contrails of large hydrogen airliners. For the second contribution, a comparison is made of nitrogen oxide emissions and contrail avoidance options of two hydrogen airliners and a conventional airliner of similar passenger capacity. The hydrogen aircraft are representative of the first and second innovation waves where the main difference is the weight of the hydrogen tanks. Flights of 1000, 2000, 4000 and 8000 nautical miles are explored. Cranfield’s state of the art simulators for propulsion system integration and gas turbine performance (Orion and Turbomatch) were used for this. There are two primary contributions to knowledge. The first is a new set of questions to be asked of SAF and hydrogen decarbonising features. The second is the quantification of the benefits from hydrogen on non-CO2 emissions. For the second generation of long-range hydrogen-fuelled aircraft having gas turbine propulsion, lighter tanks (needing less thrust and lower gas temperatures) are anticipated to reduce NOx emissions by over 20%; in the case of contrails, the preliminary findings indicate that regardless of the fuel, contrails could largely be avoided with fuel-burn penalties of a few per cent. Mitigating action is only needed for a small fraction of flights. For conventional aircraft this penalty results in more CO2, while for hydrogen aircraft the additional emission is water vapour. The conclusion is that our research community should continue to consider hydrogen as the key ‘greening’ option for aviation, notwithstanding the very significant costs of transition.

In order to improve the predictive abilities of weather and climate models, it is essential to understand the behaviour of wind stress at the ocean surface. Wind stress is contingent on small-scale interfacial dynamics typically not directly resolved in numerical models. Although skin friction contributes considerably to the total stress up to moderate wind speeds, it is notoriously challenging to measure and predict using physics-based approaches. This work proposes a supervised machine learning (ML) model that estimates the spatial distribution of the skin-friction drag over wind waves using solely wave elevation and wave age, which are relatively easy to acquire. The input–output pairs are high-resolution wave profiles and their corresponding surface viscous stresses collected from laboratory experiments. The ML model is built upon a convolutional neural network architecture that incorporates the Mish nonlinearity as its activation function. Results show that the model can accurately predict the overall distribution of viscous stresses; it captures the peak of viscous stress at/near the crest and its dramatic drop to almost null just past the crest in cases of intermittent airflow separation. The predicted area-aggregate skin friction is also in excellent agreement with the corresponding measurements. The proposed method offers a practical pathway for estimating both local and area-aggregate skin friction and can be easily integrated into existing numerical models for the study of air–sea interactions.

Tight focusing with very small f-numbers is necessary to achieve the highest at-focus irradiances. However, tight focusing imposes strong demands on precise target positioning in-focus to achieve the highest on-target irradiance. We describe several near-infrared, visible, ultraviolet and soft and hard X-ray diagnostics employed in a ∼1022 W/cm2 laser–plasma experiment. We used nearly 10 J total energy femtosecond laser pulses focused into an approximately 1.3-μm focal spot on 5–20 μm thick stainless-steel targets. We discuss the applicability of these diagnostics to determine the best in-focus target position with approximately 5 μm accuracy (i.e., around half of the short Rayleigh length) and show that several diagnostics (in particular, 3$\omega$ reflection and on-axis hard X-rays) can ensure this accuracy. We demonstrated target positioning within several micrometers from the focus, ensuring over 80% of the ideal peak laser intensity on-target. Our approach is relatively fast (it requires 10–20 laser shots) and does not rely on the coincidence of low-power and high-power focal planes.

Six well-characterized soil kaolins from widely separated sites in south-western Australia and four reference kaolins were studied by 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy at room temperature after removal of non-structurally-bound iron with dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate solution. The soil kaolins and one of the reference kaolins were also studied at temperatures near 16 K. The soil kaolins were remarkably similar in crystal size, crystallinity, dehydroxylation temperature, cation exchange capacity, surface area and iron content. Müssbauer spectra of the soil kaolins at room temperature were also essentially identical consisting of a quadrupole-split doublet superimposed on a broad component which indicated that all of the iron was present as Fe(III) and that slow paramagnetic relaxation effects were present. Mean values for the chemical isomer shift and quadrupole splitting of the doublet for the soil kaolins were 0.33 and 0.55 mm/s respectively which indicates that the iron is in the octahedral sites of the kaolin lattice. The spectra of the soil kaolin samples at temperatures near 16 K showed a further slowing down of the paramagnetic relaxation and confirmed that no discrete iron oxide minerals were present.

Mössbauer spectra of the four reference kaolins at room temperature showed a doublet component similar to those for the soil kaolins. Three of them showed evidence for other spectral components including, in two cases, a component due to the presence of Fe(II).

Carrier water quality is an important consideration for herbicide efficacy. Field and greenhouse studies were conducted from 2021 to 2023 to evaluate the effect of carrier water pH and hardness on imazapic efficacy for sicklepod control in peanut crops. In separate field experiments imazapic was applied postemergence at 0.071 kg ai ha−1 with carrier water pH levels of 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9; and hardness levels of 0 (deionized water), 100, 200, 400, or 500 mg L−1 of CaCO3 equivalent. In greenhouse experiments, imazapic was applied to sicklepod that was either 10 cm, 15 cm, or 20 cm tall at similar carrier water pH levels and hardness levels of 0, 100, 200, 400, or 800 mg L−1 of CaCO3. In the field study, sicklepod control, density, and biomass reductions were lower with carrier water pH 5 or 9 compared with pH 7. In the greenhouse study, control was not different among carrier water pH levels when imazapic was applied to 10-cm-tall sicklepod; however, when applied to 15- or 20-cm-tall sicklepod, control was at least 25% greater with acidic (pH 5) compared to alkaline (pH 9) carrier water. Results from the field study showed that carrier water hardness ≤500 ppm did not reduce the efficacy of imazapic to control sicklepod. In the greenhouse study, regardless of sicklepod height, carrier water hardness of 800 mg L−1 reduced sicklepod control by 15% and biomass reduction by 17% compared with deionized water (pH 7). The effects of carrier water pH and hardness on imazapic efficacy did not compromise peanut yield in the field study. However, this study indicates that both acidic and alkaline carrier water pH and hardness (800 mg L−1 CaCO3 L−1) have the potential to reduce imazapic efficacy on sicklepod, and appropriate spray solution amendments maybe be needed to maintain optimum efficacy.

This paper reports results from the eighth of a series of road transect surveys of Gyps vultures conducted across northern, central, western, and north-eastern India since the early 1990s. Populations of the White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis, Indian Vulture G. indicus, and Slender-billed Vulture G. tenuirostris declined rapidly, beginning in the mid-1990s. The principal cause of the declines was poisoning due to widespread veterinary use of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) diclofenac on cattle. The results of the current survey suggest that, while populations of all three species of vulture remain at a low level with no signs of recovery, they appear to have been approximately stable since veterinary use of diclofenac was banned in the mid-2000s. Population trends in India, where the illegal use of diclofenac and legal use of other toxic NSAIDs continues, are compared with more positive trends in Nepal, where the veterinary use of toxic NSAIDs appears to have been reduced to a low level.

We have employed the VULCAN laser facility to generate a laser plasma X-ray source for use in photoionization experiments. A nanosecond laser pulse with an intensity of order 1015 Wcm−2 was used to irradiate thin Ag or Sn foil targets coated onto a parylene substrate, and the L-shell emission in the 3.3–4.4 keV range was recorded for both the laser-irradiated and nonirradiated sides. Both the experimental and simulation results show higher laser to X-ray conversion yields for Ag compared with Sn, with our simulations indicating yields approximately a factor of two higher than those found in the experiments. Although detailed angular data were not available experimentally, the simulations indicate that the emission is quite isotropic on the laser-irradiated side but shows close to a cosine variation on the nonirradiated side of the target as seen experimentally in the previous work.

Herbicides are the primary tool for controlling weeds in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) and are crucial to sustainable peanut production in the United States. The literature on chemical weed management in peanut in the past 53 yr (1970 to 2022) in the United States was systematically reviewed to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of different herbicides and identify current research gaps in chemical weed management. Residual weed control in peanut is achieved mainly with dimethenamid-P, ethalfluralin, pendimethalin, and S-metolachlor. More recently, the use of the protoporphyrinogen oxidase inhibitor flumioxazin and acetolactate synthase inhibitors, such as diclosulam, for residual weed control in peanut has increased considerably. Postemergence broadleaf weed control in peanut is achieved mainly with acifluorfen, bentazon, diclosulam, imazapic, lactofen, paraquat, and 2,4-DB, while the graminicides clethodim and sethoxydim are the major postemergence grass weed control herbicides in peanut. Although several herbicides are available for weed control in peanut, no single herbicide can provide season-long weed control due to limited application timing, lack of extended residual activity, variability in weed control spectrum, and rotational restrictions. Therefore, effective weed management in peanut often requires herbicide mixtures and/or sequential application of preplant-incorporated, preemergence, and/or postemergence herbicides. However, the available literature showed a substantive range in herbicide efficacy due to variations in environmental conditions and flushes of weed germination across years and locations. Despite the relatively high efficacy of herbicides, the selection of herbicide-resistant weeds is another area of increasing concern. Future research should focus on developing new strategies for preventing or delaying the development of resistance and improving herbicide efficacy within the context of climate change and emerging constraints such as water shortages, rising temperatures, and increasing CO2 concentration.

Adequate nutrition is necessary during childhood and early adolescence for adequate growth and development. Hence, the objective of the study was to assess the association between dietary intake and blood levels of minerals (calcium, iron, zinc, and selenium) and vitamins (folate, vitamin B12, vitamin A, and vitamin D) in urban school going children aged 6–16 years in India, in a multicentric cross-sectional study. Participants were enrolled from randomly selected schools in ten cities. Three-day food intake data was collected using a 24-h dietary recall method. The intake was dichotomised into adequate and inadequate. Blood samples were collected to assess levels of micronutrients. From April 2019 to February 2020, 2428 participants (50⋅2 % females) were recruited from 60 schools. Inadequate intake for calcium was in 93⋅4 % (246⋅5 ± 149⋅4 mg), iron 86⋅5 % (7⋅6 ± 3⋅0 mg), zinc 84⋅0 % (3⋅9 ± 2⋅4 mg), selenium 30⋅2 % (11⋅3 ± 9⋅7 mcg), folate 73⋅8 % (93⋅6 ± 55⋅4 mcg), vitamin B12 94⋅4 % (0⋅2 ± 0⋅4 mcg), vitamin A 96⋅0 % (101⋅7 ± 94⋅1 mcg), and vitamin D 100⋅0 % (0⋅4 ± 0⋅6 mcg). Controlling for sex and socioeconomic status, the odds of biochemical deficiency with inadequate intake for iron [AOR = 1⋅37 (95 % CI 1⋅07–1⋅76)], zinc [AOR = 5⋅14 (95 % CI 2⋅24–11⋅78)], selenium [AOR = 3⋅63 (95 % CI 2⋅70–4⋅89)], folate [AOR = 1⋅59 (95 % CI 1⋅25–2⋅03)], and vitamin B12 [AOR = 1⋅62 (95 %CI 1⋅07–2⋅45)]. Since there is a significant association between the inadequate intake and biochemical deficiencies of iron, zinc, selenium, folate, and vitamin B12, regular surveillance for adequacy of micronutrient intake must be undertaken to identify children at risk of deficiency, for timely intervention.

Weed interference is a major factor that reduces peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) yield in the United States. Peanut growers rely heavily on herbicides for weed control. Although effective, herbicides are not a complete solution to the complex challenge that weeds present. Therefore, the use of nonchemical weed management options is essential. The literature on weed research in peanut in the past 53 yr in the United States was reviewed to assess the achievements and identify current research gaps and prospects for nonchemical weed management for future research. More than half (79%) of the published studies were from the southeastern United States. Most studies (88%) focused on weed management, while fewer studies (12%) addressed weed distribution, ecology, and competitive mechanisms. Broadleaf weeds were the most frequently studied weed species (60%), whereas only 23% and 19% of the published studies were relevant to grasses and Cyperus spp., respectively. Seventy-two percent of the published studies focused on curative measures using herbicides. Nonchemical methods using mechanical (5%) and preventive (13%) measures that influence crop competition and reduce the buildup of the weed seedbank, seedling recruitment, and weed seed production have received less attention. In most studies, the preventive weed management measures provided weed suppression and reduced weed competition but were not effective enough to reduce the need for herbicides to protect peanut yield. Therefore, future research should focus on developing integrated weed management strategies based on multiple preventive measures rather than one preventive measure combined with one or more curative measures. We recommend that research on mechanical weed management should focus on the role of cultivation when integrated with currently available herbicides. For successful weed management with lasting outcomes, the dominant weed communities of specific target locations should be addressed within the context of climate change and emerging constraints rather than focusing on single problematic species.

Background: The presence of intraluminal thrombi (ILT) in acutely symptomatic carotid stenosis (“hot carotid”) represents a therapeutic dilemma for physicians. With little evidence to guide treatment, current ILT management approaches rely on individual or institutional preferences. Methods: This mixed methods study analyzed themes from semi-structured interviews with 22 stroke physicians from 16 centers, paired with a worldwide case-based survey of 628 stroke physicians conducted through the “Practice Current” section of Neurology: Clinical Practice. Results: In the thematic analysis of the interviews and quantitative analysis of the survey, participants favoured using anticoagulation with or without antiplatelet agents in patients with ILT (463/628, 74%). Despite a preference for anticoagulation, uncertainty regarding optimal antithrombotic management was noted in the thematic analysis. Additional themes identified included a preference for re-imaging patients in 3-5 days after initiating treatment to look for complete or partial clot resolution, at which point most experts would then be comfortable proceeding with revascularization if indicated, though uncertainty regarding the optimal timing of revascularization was noted. Conclusions: In cases of ILT in the “hot carotid” practice patterns of global experts show a preference for using anticoagulation and reimaging patients in 3-5 days, though there is considerable equipoise regarding the most appropriate management of these patients.

Background: Effectiveness of “palliative resections” of a dominant epileptogenic focus in adults with multifocal intractable epilepsy confirmed on intracranial EEG has rarely been reported. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed our database to identify patients who underwent focal resection after confirmation of multiple seizure foci on intracranial EEG. Results of presurgical investigations, intracranial EEG, procedures, complications and outcome were collected. Results: A total of 17 patients underwent palliative resection (8 left, 9 right). Preoperative MRI revealed malformations of cortical development in 6 patients, and MTS in 6 patients. Intracranial stereo EEG revealed 8 bilateral and 9 unilateral multifocal epileptogenic foci. Surgical procedures included anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) or selective amygdalohippocampectomy in 4 patients, ATL plus additional cortical resection in 7 patients, and extratemporal resection in 6 patients. One patient had dysphasia post ATL and a second patient had worsened cognitive dysfunction post extended frontal lobectomy. Favorable seizure outcome (Engel class I and II) was achieved in 10 patients (58.8%). Pathology revealed focal cortical dysplasia in 6 patients and hippocampal sclerosis in 5 patients. Conclusions: Palliative resection of a dominant epileptogenic focus confirmed by intracranial EEG is effective in carefully selected adult cases of intractable epilepsy, particularly in patients with lesional epilepsy.

Background: Little evidence exists to guide the management of symptomatic non-stenotic carotid disease (SyNC). SyNC, which refers to carotid lesions with less than 50% artery stenosis, has been increasingly implicated as a cause of stroke and TIA. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with 22 stroke physicians from 16 centers were conducted as part of the Hot Carotid Qualitative Study. This study explored decision-making approaches, opinions and attitudes regarding the management of symptomatic carotid disease. Presented here are a subset of results related to the decision to revascularize patients with SyNC. Results: Thematic analysis revealed equipoise in the decision to revascularize patients with SyNC. Participants discussed a desire to use imaging features (e.g plaque rupture and plaque morphology) to inform the decision to revascularize, though significant uncertainty remains in appraising the risk conferred by certain features. Experts support further study to better understand the use of these features in risk appraisal for patients with SyNC. Conclusions: The decision to revascularize patients with SyNC is an area with significant equipoise. Experts identify the use of imaging features as an important tool in informing the decision to pursue revascularization in patients with SyNC though more study is required in this area to better inform practice.