Floods often displace people and exacerbate their access to finance, affecting the livelihood of daily wage workers in least-developed countries. In August 2017, Nepal experienced the heaviest rainfall in more than 60 years, severely flooding about 80 per cent of the land in the southern part of the country. Using the two-way fixed effects approach and an event study design, we evaluate the impact of severe flooding on the wages of agricultural workers. We show that the 2017 floods resulted in a 9–10 per cent decrease in cash wages among agricultural households while in-kind wages of agricultural laborers increased significantly after the floods, implying that in-kind wages helped mitigate the adverse effects of floods on cash wages. We also investigate changes in assistance, loan-seeking behavior, loan repayment, and collection behavior as mechanisms leading to the risk-mitigating behavior by farmers.

Traditional approaches for evaluating the impact of scientific research – mainly scholarship (i.e., publications, presentations) and grant funding – fail to capture the full extent of contributions that come from larger scientific initiatives. The Translational Science Benefits Model (TSBM) was developed to support more comprehensive evaluations of scientific endeavors, especially research designed to translate scientific discoveries into innovations in clinical or public health practice and policy-level changes. Here, we present the domains of the TSBM, including how it was expanded by researchers within the Implementation Science Centers in Cancer Control (ISC3) program supported by the National Cancer Institute. Next, we describe five studies supported by the Penn ISC3, each focused on testing implementation strategies informed by behavioral economics to reduce key practice gaps in the context of cancer care and identify how each study yields broader impacts consistent with TSBM domains. These indicators include Capacity Building, Methods Development (within the Implementation Field) and Rapid Cycle Approaches, implementing Software Technologies, and improving Health Care Delivery and Health Care Accessibility. The examples highlighted here can help guide other similar scientific initiatives to conceive and measure broader scientific impact to fully articulate the translation and effects of their work at the population level.

This editorial considers the value and nature of academic psychiatry by asking what defines the specialty and psychiatrists as academics. We frame academic psychiatry as a way of thinking that benefits clinical services and discuss how to inspire the next generation of academics.

This early-stage research article intends to explore the regulatory and liability requirements of a not yet fully developed subset of consumer Internet of Things (IoT) objects: the mixed-functions IoT devices. These objects could be wearables or not but could perform an e-health function, such as measuring your heartbeat, as well as consumer functions, such as displaying chat notifications. I argue that these mixed-functions devices will play an important role within smart homes as they will interact with new medical IoT devices to carry on rehabilitation and other medical functions at home. That is why it is important to start mapping down all the regulatory and liability requirements that might interest mixed-functions IoT device developers for them to understand which thread to follow in this regulatory and liability requirements maze.

Recent research suggests that master’s (MA) education in the United States could be restructured to better meet the expectations of students who seek nonacademic careers. This article considers the state of terminal MA degree programs in political science to assess whether they are preparing students to enter the workforce. We examine programs across various dimensions and supplement this analysis with survey data to gain additional information about the purpose of terminal MA degree programs. The results suggest that their reconceptualization is needed in the discipline of political science.

This study proposes a novel hybrid learning approach for developing a visual path-following algorithm for industrial robots. The process involves three steps: data collection from a simulation environment, network training, and testing on a real robot. The actor network is trained using supervised learning for 500 epochs. A semitrained network is then obtained at the $250^{th}$ epoch. This network is further trained for another 250 epochs using reinforcement learning methods within the simulation environment. Networks trained with supervised learning (500 epochs) and the proposed hybrid learning method (250 epochs each of supervised and reinforcement learning) are compared. The hybrid learning approach achieves a significantly lower average error (30.9 mm) compared with supervised learning (39.3 mm) on real-world images. Additionally, the hybrid approach exhibits faster processing times (31.7 s) compared with supervised learning (35.0 s). The proposed method is implemented on a KUKA Agilus KR6 R900 six-axis robot, demonstrating its effectiveness. Furthermore, the hybrid approach reduces the total power consumption of the robot’s motors compared with the supervised learning method. These results suggest that the hybrid learning approach offers a more effective and efficient solution for visual path following in industrial robots compared with traditional supervised learning.

In recent years, there has been a noticeable uptick in efforts to address the ethical, methodological, and security challenges of conducting field research. In fact, an entire scholarly community has emerged from different pockets of area and conflict studies to develop and share a body of literature and foster interactive forums to advance this important area of study.1 Much of this work builds on the influential accounts of individual researchers (Wood 2006), which has developed into more systematic categories for the myriad issues of fieldwork (Sriram et al. 2009), as well as frameworks to understand researcher-related, subject-related, and result-related problems (Baele et al. 2018). Some have noted that the challenges associated with ethics, security, and methods are “amplified in conflict zones” (Cramer, Hammond, and Pottier 2011). Others have observed the African context in particular may require its own approach (Thomson, Ansoms, and Murison 2013), prompting the journal African Affairs to dedicate space to a series of research notes that tackle fieldwork in particular (Cheeseman, Death, and Whitfield 2017).

Electrostatic gyrokinetic instabilities and turbulence in the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator are studied. Particular attention is paid to the ion-temperature-gradient (ITG) instability and its character close to marginal stability [Floquet-type turbulence (Zocco et al., Phys. Rev. E, vol. 106, 2022, p. L013202) with no electron temperature gradient]. The flux tube version of the $\delta f$ code stella (Barnes et al., J. Comput. Phys., vol. 391, 2019, pp. 365–380) is used to run linear and nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations with kinetic electrons. The nature of the dominant instability depends on the wavelength perpendicular to the magnetic field, and the results are conveniently displayed in stability diagrams that take this dependence into account. This approach highlights the presence of universal instabilities, which are less unstable but have longer wavelengths than other modes. A quasi-linear estimate of the heat flux suggests they are relevant for transport. Close to the stability threshold, the linear eigenmodes and turbulence form highly extended structures along the computational domain if the magnetic shear is small. Numerical experiments and diagnostics are undertaken to assess the resulting radial localisation of the turbulence, which affects the interaction of the latter with zonal flows. Increasing the amplitude of the magnetic shear (e.g.through current drive) has a stabilising effect on the turbulence and, thus, reduces the nonlinear energy transport.

Within the USA military, monitoring body composition is an essential component of predicting physical performance and establishing soldier readiness. The purpose of this study was to explore mobile phone three-dimensional optical imaging (3DO), a user-friendly technology capable of rapidly obtaining reliable anthropometric measurements and to determine the validity of the new Army one-site body fat equations using 3DO-derived abdominal circumference. Ninety-six participants (51 F, 45 M; age: 23·7 ± 6·5 years; BMI: 24·7 ± 4·1 kg/m2) were assessed using 3DO, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and a 4-compartment model (4C). The validity of the Army equations using 3DO abdominal circumference was compared with 4C and DXA estimates. Compared with the 4C model, the Army equation overestimated BF% and fat mass (FM) by 1·3 ± 4·8 % and 0·9 ± 3·4 kg, respectively, while fat-free mass (FFM) was underestimated by 0·9 ± 3·4 kg (P < 0·01 for each). Values from DXA and Army equation were similar for BF%, FM and FFM (constant errors between −0·1 and 0·1 units; P ≥ 0·82 for each). In both comparisons, notable proportional bias was observed with slope coefficients of −0·08 to −0·43. Additionally, limits of agreement were 9·5–10·2 % for BF% and 6·8–7·8 kg for FM and FFM. Overall, while group-level performance of the one-site Army equation was acceptable, it exhibited notable proportional bias when compared with laboratory criterion methods and wide limits of agreement, indicating potential concerns when applied to individuals. 3DO may provide opportunities for the development of more advanced, automated digital anthropometric body fat estimation in military settings.

The engraved slate plaques were part of an extensive and variable class of ritual objects in Late Neolithic and Copper Age Iberia, with Classic plaques being the most numerous and standardized type. Classic plaques have a top and base separated by a horizontal line or bands, and base registers of repeating design elements (triangles, checkerboard, etc.). Associated with burials, they have been interpreted as genealogical records, with their base design referencing a clan or other social unit and their number of registers denoting the generational distance of the deceased from an important ancestor. The authors evaluate the genealogical hypothesis using a larger dataset than available when originally proposed, employing statistical analyses to examine the relationship between the number of registers and find locations, and between design elements and tomb size. Tomb size is viewed as a measure of collective labour, and hence a proxy of the status of the individuals in the tomb. These analyses show significant patterning between the number of registers and the plaques’ geographic distribution, and between specific design elements and tomb size, suggesting that the genealogical hypothesis remains a plausible explanation for the Classic plaques.

The United States has long represented one of Canada's primary international allies. This partnership has remained strong despite turbulent times in the relationship, such as the one brought forth by the Trump presidency. Our article seeks to understand the sources of such continuity through the lens of continentalism. While historical accounts of continentalism have portrayed it as a passive force stemming from Canada's material self-interest, scholars have recently identified the emergence of an evolved form of continentalism that represents a dominant idea and a coherent analytical framework in Canadian foreign policy. Has this new form of continentalism indeed gained widespread acceptance among Canadians? We answer this question by considering continentalism in the ideational realm. Using novel public opinion data, our analysis investigates whether continentalist attitudes have become embedded in Canadians’ national identity and foster closer alignment preferences vis-à-vis the United States. We find significant and robust evidence of such effects.

Knowledge of snow and firn-density change is needed to use elevation-change measurements to estimate glacier mass change. Additionally, firn-density evolution on glaciers is closely connected to meltwater percolation, refreezing and runoff, which are key processes for glacier mass balance and hydrology. Since 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey Benchmark Glacier Project has recovered firn cores from a site on Wolverine Glacier in Alaska's Kenai Mountains. We use annual horizons in repeat cores to track firn densification and meltwater retention over seasonal and interannual timescales, and we use density measurements to quantify how the firn air content (FAC) changes through time. The results suggest the firn is densifying due primarily to compaction rather than refreezing. Liquid-water retention in the firn is transient, likely due to gravity-fed drainage and irreducible-water-content decreases that accompany decreasing porosity. We show that the uncertainty (±60 kg m−3) in the commonly used volume-to-mass conversion factor of 850 kg m−3 is an underestimation when glacier-wide FAC variability exceeds 12% of the glacier-averaged height change. Our results demonstrate how direct measurements of firn properties on mountain glaciers can be used to better quantify the uncertainty in geodetic volume-to-mass conversions.

An important issue in second-language acquisition concerns the role of explicit information (EI) and how it is affected by individual differences. The present study explored this question through a partial replication and extension of Fernández (2008: Experiment 2), which investigated the effects of EI in processing instruction (PI) for the Spanish present subjunctive. This replication compared training with EI (PI) to training without it (structured input; SI). In addition to methodological changes that balance the amount of exposure between groups, this study also includes a control group that received exposure to the target form (C+). Extending the original study, we also assessed the durability of training and whether its effects interact with individual differences in working memory (WM). Results indicate advantages for the PI group during training, supporting Fernández’s conclusions. Immediate post-tests show advantages for the PI group that are not sustained on delayed post-tests. Analyses also indicate benefits for higher WM but only for the PI and C+ groups, although this was only sustained for the C+ group. Thus, findings indicate that when paired with SI, EI and high WM may influence the initial learning of the Spanish subjunctive, but their influence may dissipate over time.

DNA profiles of 92 banana and plantain cultivars were generated with 12 amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) primer pairs. The average polymorphism information content (PIC) values of the polymorphic AFLP markers varied from 0.270 to 0.341, and the profiles could distinguish all the 92 cultivars analysed. It was possible to identify differences between two accessions of the AAB genome cultivar Rasthali, indicating the presence of intra-cultivar genetic variation. A UPGMA (unweighted pair group method of arithmetical means) dendrogram generated with 1581 AFLP products identified four major clusters, each comprising cultivars of similar genomic constitution. All the ABB cultivars grouped in a single cluster, which was well separated from the rest. The within-group similarity coefficients indicated that the most diverse group was AAB, followed by AAA. However, significant genetic diversity was also present among AA, AB and ABB Indian banana cultivars, supporting the notion that India, along with other neighbouring south-eastern Asian countries, is the centre of diversity for cultivars of banana and plantain. The presence of substantial diversity among the banana and plantain landrace cultivars could be exploited in varietal improvement programmes.

Organic sweetpotato growers have limited effective weed management options, and most rely on in-season between-row cultivation and hand weeding, which are time consuming, are costly, and deteriorate soil quality. Studies were conducted at the Samuel G. Meigs Horticulture Research Farm, Lafayette, IN, and at the Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center, Vincennes, IN, in 2022 and 2023 to determine the effects of in-row plant spacing and cultivar selection on weed suppression and organic sweetpotato yield. The experiment was a split-split plot design, with in-row spacings of 20, 30, and 40 cm as the main plot factor, weeding frequency (critical weed-free period and weed-free) as the subplot factor, and sweetpotato cultivar (‘Covington’ and ‘Monaco’) as the sub-subplot factor. However, in 2022, we evaluated only in-row spacing and weeding frequency because of the poor establishment of ‘Monaco’. In 2023, sweetpotato canopy at 5 wk after transplanting (WAP) decreased as in-row spacing increased from 20 to 40 cm, and sweetpotato canopy cover of ‘Monaco’ (62%) was greater than that of ‘Covington’ (44%). In-row spacing did not affect weed density at 4, 5, and 6 WAP. As in-row spacing increased from 20 to 40 cm, total sweetpotato yield pooled across both locations in 2023 decreased from 30,223 to 21,209 kg ha−1 for ‘Covington’ and from 24,370 to 20,848 kg ha−1 for ‘Monaco’; however, jumbo yield increased for both cultivars. Findings from this study suggest that an in-row spacing of 20 cm may provide greater yield than the standard spacing of 30 cm for both ‘Monaco’ and ‘Covington’.

Representation scholarship has drawn from intersectionality theory 0to examine how systemic structures of oppression and privilege have created social groups with distinct political needs. Derived from Black feminist theory that recognizes that identities are mutually constitutive and interconnected, intersectionality research is rooted in the lived experiences of marginalized groups who call attention to social (in)justice. Empirical scholarship building on the insights of Black feminist theorists such as Collins and Bilge (2016), Hill Collins (1990), Crenshaw (1989; 1991), and King (1988) has constituted nothing less than a paradigm shift in the study of gender and politics. Nevertheless, there remain an array of opportunities to expand upon the potential for intersectional frameworks and methods, as well as pressing new questions concerning the operationalization of intersectionality itself. This Critical Perspectives section offers a moment to take stock of these developments and debates, as well as to highlight new pathways for scholarship committed to centering the margins and considering the nexus of multiple power structures that frame our political lives.