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Verification trials can create the illusion of V̇O2max in addition to contributing to its confirmation
No full textThis study examined whether constant-workload verification trials performed at intensities below, at, and above the ramp-incremental peak power output (PPO) contribute to confirming maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O2max). Fifteen trained to well-trained male cyclists (V̇O2max: 63.6 ± 5.6 mL·kg−1·min−1) completed maximal ramp testing followed by seven randomized verification trials (80%–110% PPO at 5% intervals) on separate days. Differences in V̇O2 responses were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models. Effect size was calculated using Hedges' g. The peak V̇O2 attained during the verification trials was expressed relative to the ramp-derived V̇O2max and classified as lower ( 105%). The peak V̇O2 values at 80%, 105%, and 110% PPO were significantly lower than ramp-derived V̇O2max (p < 0.05), whereas no significant differences were observed at 85%, 90%, and 95% PPO. Effect sizes were small at 85%–95% PPO (Hedges' g = 0.29–0.32), medium at 100%–105% PPO (Hedges' g = 0.63–0.66), and large at 80% and 110% PPO (Hedges' g = 1.21–1.34). Of 105 verification trials, 81 were within ±5% of ramp V̇O2max, 22 were lower (mainly at 80% and 110% PPO), and two exceeded ramp V̇O2max (at 85% and 95% PPO). Although verification trials did not meaningfully contribute to the verification of V̇O2max, trials performed at 85%–95% PPO provided the best chances of confirming V̇O2max in trained individuals. Interpretation of verification trials relative to ramp-derived PPO is protocol dependent, which may limit generalizability across different ramp designs
The role of art activism in the prefigurative politics of food system transformation
Full text linkUsing food system transformation as a lens, this chapter explores the common ground between art activism and prefigurative politics. Art activists that engage with food production embrace it as a tool for both aesthetic expression and political critique, by deconstructing the inequality of food systems and proposing alternative models of human interaction with the land that emphasise care, diversity, equity, justice, relationality, and sovereignty. By creating living examples of sustainable alternatives, fostering experimentation, challenging dominant systems, cultivating hope and agency, and integrating social and ecological concerns, prefigurative politics and art activism are therefore closely intertwined, influencing and complementing each other in the pursuit of social transformation. Artists can make grassroots projects visible and tangible, possible and probable, effective and meaningful, replicable and connected, local and open, while the creative process itself can be considered as a method of prefiguration, by making speculation easier to experience, to experiment with, and ultimately to enact, assembling matter into form as a capacitor of a prefigurative imaginary at work. Art activism has unique potential to engage with deep leverage points in sustainability transformations by focusing on fundamental myths, paradigms, and systems of meaning-making, and to link to structural and institutional change through chains of leverage
Inequality aversion and prosocial punishment: evidence from a one-shot public goods game
No full textThe willingness to engage in costly punishment of free riders (prosocial punishment) is crucial to foster group cooperation and understand public goods provision. While prosocial punishment is common across societies, its motivations remain unclear. Scholars have suggested that people resist inequitable outcomes and willingly bear costs to sanction free riders, seeking a fairer distribution of payoffs. This study tests a key implication of such fairness-driven arguments: if inequality aversion drives prosocial punishment, individuals should punish less when redistribution occurs, as equality concerns would be already satisfied. We conducted a pre-registered 2x2 between-subjects lab experiment (N=320), where participants completed a Social Value Orientation (SVO) task and played a one-shot Public Goods Game (PGG) with a Punishment Stage. We manipulated endowment inequality and the presence of redistributive taxation. Pre-registered analyses show that (1) inequality aversion does not predict prosocial punishment; (2) punishment levels do not significantly differ across treatments. However, exploratory results suggest that under high inequality, redistribution reduces the intensity of punishment towards richer individuals. This could indicate that inequality aversion triggers prosocial punishment only at acute inequality levels
Foreign Direct Investment
Full text linkForeign Direct Investment has evolved from an initial focus on the benefits of firms from advanced economies producing in multiple foreign locations, to an understanding of the different outcomes for home and host countries and the regulation of this. Interest in FDI as an indicator and stimulator of development has shifted to consider the wider impact of FDI as well as the differences between advanced and emerging economies that engage in outward FDI
Assessing the impact of rider-only escalator etiquette using agent-based modelling
Full text linkEscalator etiquette, especially during peak demand periods, influences congestion, flow, throughput, and safety across a variety of public infrastructures. Often, escalator etiquette dictates standing on one side and walking on the other (e.g., Stand on the Right and Walk on the Left, in the UK). Several studies suggest that when passengers stand on both sides, on an ascending escalator, increases both throughput and safety. This work examines when a rider-only etiquette is beneficial, using the buildingEXODUS agent-based model to simulate escalator use and egress from an underground station. The study evaluates the impact of escalator etiquette on a tall escalator (24 m) under varying demand conditions in terms of throughput, crowding, individual and station performance. Simulation results are compared against the Holborn Pilot study conducted within the London Underground metro system to support the credibility of the insights provided. The findings indicate that at demand levels producing congestion at or beyond 1.0 p/m2 at the base of the escalator, a rider-only strategy offers clear benefits: increased escalator throughput (by 38.9 at 4p/m2), decreased station and per-person egress times (by 66.77 at 4p/m2, and 26.5 at 4 p/m2, respectively), and reduced exposure to congestion for the entire population (by 15.8–74.2 across all conditions) and per person (by 15.7–74.4 across all conditions). These results demonstrate that simulation tools can provide insights that are difficult to obtain from live trials and can support operators in improving a station’s throughput and safety
Cucumber production system as a reservoir for clinically important extended-spectrum Beta-Lactamase- and AmpCBeta-Lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae strains
Full text linkThis study evaluated clinically significant extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)- and AmpC β-lactamase (AmpC)- producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in a cucumber production system, focusing on their potential sources and public health implications. Samples from water (n = 16) and cucumber (n = 12) yielded 40 potentially pathogenic isolates (E. coli: n =17, K. pneumoniae n = 23), identified through matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry(MALDI-TOF) analysis. All E. coli and K. pneumoniae isolates were phenotypically (Kirby Bauer disk diffusion) and genotypically [whole genome sequencing (WGS) (Illumina MiSeq)] characterized as multidrug resistant. Clinical relevance of these isolates is underscored by the pathogen probabilities (0.925–0.944 for E. coli and 0.534-0.897 K. pneumoniae isolates).The detection of K. pneumoniae ST985 in both the water source (Hartebeespoort Dam and preparation reservoir) and on the irrigated cucumbers highlights the importance of identifying the source of origin for more effective management and shows the potential that agricultural production environments can serve as conduits for the dissemination of clinically relevant antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. Understanding the presence of these clinically relevant organisms and antimicrobial resistance within the food system can lead to improved mitigation, on farm management and public health protection
The rhythm of the night: night work and the destabilisation of social reproduction
Full text linkThe article locates contemporary night work in Social Reproduction Theory. It makes an empirical contribution, illuminating Fraser’s conceptual ‘crisis of social reproduction’, rooted in worker experience and invigorated through testimony. Drawing on interviews with night workers, largely from the rail and postal sectors, it evidences the compression of social reproductive time. Firstly, night work undermines the replenishment of the human body and labour power and the qualitative nature of time for life as a social being. Secondly, workers’ preference for night work to facilitate caring responsibilities confirms the withdrawal of state and employer support for childcare and capitalism’s impulse to lower the cost of the reproduction of labour. Those who cannot afford to pay for childcare absorb these costs at an individual level by working unsocial hours where they struggle to combine productive and domestic labour within the 24-hour day – the subjugation of social reproduction to production under neoliberal capitalism
Genotyping contemporary captive and historical wild western lowland gorillas indicates captive breeding is maintaining genetic diversity in a critically endangered primate
No full textGenetic diversity is a fundamental component of biodiversity and a conservation priority. Genetic studies on captive populations, vulnerable to genetic erosion, are therefore needed for long-term conservation of threatened species. The western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) is considered Critically Endangered, but no major conservation genetic studies have been published on the captive gorilla population in the European Ex situ Programme (EEP). Here, using 10 microsatellite loci and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), we investigated the genetic diversity, genetic structure, signatures of inbreeding and taxonomic affinities of captive gorillas at Howletts and Port Lympne (HPL), conservation zoos holding ~10% of the EEP population and compared this with historical wild gorillas from the Powell-Cotton Museum. High heterozygosity values and similar allelic richness were found in contemporary captive and historical wild populations, with no evidence of nuclear genetic diversity loss or inbreeding. However, contemporary captive gorillas had lower effective population size and mtDNA diversity than the historical wild population, and weak genetic differentiation from historical wild gorillas. All HPL gorillas showed expected taxonomic affinities to the subspecies G. g. gorilla. Our results demonstrate that captive breeding has successfully maintained heterozygosity and allelic richness (i.e., genetic diversity) as compared with a historical wild population, crucial for the evolutionary potential of this endangered primate. However, genetic differentiation between contemporary captive and historical wild gorillas likely reflects ~50 years of captive breeding starting from a small founder population sourced from various locations. The HPL population is genetically well placed to sustain future generations in captivity and the wild through conservation translocations, contributing to biodiversity goals
Balancing the books: understanding the motivations and challenges of part-time students as lifelong learners and “resilient negotiators”
Full text linkThis study examines the motivations and challenges faced by adult learners engaged in part-time study as a form of lifelong learning. It focuses on how they balance competing demands from work, family and study. Applying a theoretical framework of self-directed learning (SDL) and adult learning theory (ALT), the author interviewed 25 part-time students (7 female, 18 male) based in Southeast Asia, all of whom were employed or self-employed. The study identified three core motivations (namely, support systems, personal development and career growth) and three major challenges (namely, balancing responsibilities, time management, and the need for resilience and adaptability). The concept of the “resilient negotiator” emerged as a central theoretical contribution. This idea represents how learners strategically manage limited resources such as time or money, and the expectations of others. The findings of this study have practical implications for universities, employers and policymakers in supporting lifelong learners through the provision of flexible delivery models, supportive policies and institutional incentives. The study contributes to the discourse on adult learning in a post-pandemic context and invites further research with broader demographic and longitudinal perspectives
Genetic components associated with R2 and R4 powdery mildew resistance in hop
Full text linkEpidemics of powdery mildew disease in hop (Humulus lupulus var. lupulus) lead to cone spoilage, and in severe cases, crop abandonment. In order to prevent disease-associated yield losses, hop must be treated with an intensive fungicide management program. However, the chemical toolbox available is shrinking, and the horticultural industry is now increasing the uptake of sustainable biological disease control strategies, including genic-based resistance, which can offer a low chemical input strategy. We investigate the genetic components associated with powdery mildew resistance in (1) a hop population that segregates for R2 resistance and (2) a diversity panel containing 736 individuals with differential resistance responses to the hop powdery mildew race-structure. Both populations were phenotyped using the “Zenith” isolate (V1, V3, and Vb virulence) and genotyped to enable the association mapping of the biparental population and a genome-wide association study analysis, respectively. We identified the same location on chromosome 6 associated with R2 resistance in both populations. However, an additional resistance allele was associated with R4 resistance. Notably, the most significant single nucleotide polymorphisms on chromosome 6 fall on either side of three RPM1 disease resistance genes, which are prime candidates for downstream analysis. RPM1 mediates a localized cell death disease response reminiscent of the R2 phenotype. These results provide novel validated markers for use in international hop breeding programs. In doing so, we facilitate the pyramiding of disease resistance genes against multiple races of powdery mildew and reduce reliance upon chemical applications through providing a varietal control solution for this major hop pathogen
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