This article examines the hybrid network structure of the global sustainability governance system, focusing on the evolving relationships between private transnational regulators (PTRs) and intergovernmental organizations (IOs). We argue that a defining feature of this structure is the mutual dependence between PTRs and IOs: PTRs invoke public international law instruments (PILIs) – and, by extension, the authority of the IOs behind them – to bolster their own authority and to enhance the normative force of the standards they promulgate. IOs rely on PTRs to disseminate their norms within corporate settings, thereby strengthening their compliance capacities. This interdependence carries significant synergistic potential. We examine the grounding relationship between PTRs and PILIs/IOs through extensive network analysis based on a specially curated dataset comprising 55 PTRs, 393 private standards, 261 PILIs (including treaties, conventions, and declarations), and 41 IOs. Citation patterns within this network support our thesis. We also offer tentative evidence regarding the second prong of our model and outline directions for future research. Finally, we assess the vulnerabilities of this interdependent structure, highlighting the fragility of the global sustainability legal order in the face of rising nationalism and anti-multilateralist pressures.

Despite growing recognition of the interdependencies of resilience across systems, sectors, and levels (SSLs), translating this understanding into coordinated action remains a challenge. This study identifies seven systemic gaps that reinforce a persistent know–do gap, creating an unhealthy milieu intérieur that reinforces fragmentation across SSLs. In response, seven prerequisites for synergizing resilience are proposed, along with a working definition of Synergistic Resilience.

To operationalize this concept, the Synergistic Resilience Compass (SRC) is introduced—a structured, adaptable, and practitioner-focused framework. A Seven-Step Rollout is proposed to guide implementation across diverse contexts, while illustrating SRC’s utility through case vignettes.

Benefits, along with practice and research implications of SRC, are discussed through potential use case examples, balancing constructivism and pragmatism. Limitations and future directions, including iterative refinement, toolkit development, and creating a community of practice, are highlighted. The SRC provides a framework for synergizing resilience across SSLs where 1+1 becomes 3.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antifungal spectrum of activity, synergy, and mode of action of carboxy-terminally amidated antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) derived from tachyplesin-I (T-I) from the horseshoe crab Tachypleus tridentatus and a lysine-rich analogue of magainin-2 (MSI-94) from the clawed frog Xenopus laevis. In vitro antimicrobial tests against 17 fungal strains demonstrated that the modified AMPs exhibited broad antifungal activity, particularly against filamentous fungi and yeasts relevant to aquaculture and agriculture. Additive antimicrobial activity was observed with the combination of T-I and MSI-94 against Candida albicans and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, indicating an enhancement of their antiyeast properties. Furthermore, we found that both peptides target the fungal cell surface, increasing membrane permeability and leading to cell death. Overall, our findings highlight the biotechnological potential of aquatic AMPs in developing novel antifungal therapeutics applicable across various fields.

The efficient integration of outpatient (OPD) and inpatient (IPD) care is a critical challenge in modern healthcare, essential for maximising patient-centred care and resource utilisation. OPD, encompassing preventive services, routine check-ups, and chronic disease management, aims to minimise the need for hospitalisations. Conversely, IPD remains crucial for acute interventions and complex medical needs. This paper investigates the nuanced relationship between OPD and IPD: specifically, we seek to determine if increased OPD utilisation while improving overall health, leads to a reduction or increase in subsequent IPD utilisation, duration, and associated costs. We analyse anonymised data from Indian organisations providing company-sponsored OPD and IPD insurance to their employees between 2021 and 2024. By examining the correlation between OPD utilisation patterns and IPD outcomes, we aim to provide data-driven insights for effective healthcare integration strategies. Furthermore, we explore the feasibility of developing a personalised “Wellbeing Rating” derived from longitudinal OPD insurance utilisation data. This automated methodology aims to provide a continuous, dynamic health assessment, moving beyond the limitations of traditional, sporadic medical examinations by leveraging the comprehensive data inherent within insured OPD coverage.

Corteva Agriscience recently registered a premix of tolpyralate and bromoxynil in the United States and Canada for weed control in cereal fields. Limited information exists on weed control efficacy and crop safety with this new herbicide premixture. Greenhouse trials were conducted for 2 yr to test the efficacy of tolpyralate and bromoxynil combinations on 14 broadleaf and four grass weeds and its safety to wheat and barley. Four combinations of tolpyralate and bromoxynil at a 1:10 ratio (3.75 + 37.5, 7.5+ 75, 11.25 + 112.5, and 15 + 150 g ai ha−1) as a tank mix and premix were tested. Stand-alone treatments of tolpyralate and bromoxynil were also included in this study. The lowest tested rate of tolpyralate (3.75 g ha−1) provided 10% to 98% control of broadleaf weeds and 27% to 77% control of grass weeds. Bromoxynil at the lowest tested rate (37.5 g ha−1) provided 16% to 80% control of broadleaf weeds and 0% to 30% control of grass weeds. Tank mixing these two herbicides at the same rates resulted in improved broadleaf (60% to 100%) and grass (45% to 94%) weed control. The minimum recommended field use rate of tolpyralate + bromoxynil (15 + 150 g ha−1) controlled all the broadleaf weeds by >95%. That combination also controlled green foxtail, barnyardgrass, and large crabgrass by >90%. An additive or synergistic effect between the two herbicides was observed against several broadleaf and grass weed species. Among all the tested weeds, a greater synergistic effect was observed when the herbicides were used on kochia, chickweed, wild mustard, corn poppy, barnyardgrass, green foxtail, and fall panicum. The premix of the two herbicides provided similar control of broadleaf weeds, but better control of grass weeds than the tank-mix combinations. The premix can be used safely on wheat and barley.

The social combination theory of group problem solving is used to extend existing psychometric models to collaborative settings. A model for pairwise group work is proposed, the implications of the model for assessment design are considered, and its estimation is addressed. The results are illustrated with an empirical example in which dyads work together on a twelfth-grade level mathematics assessment. In conclusion, attention is given to avenues of research that seem most fruitful for advancing current initiatives concerning the assessment of collaboration, teamwork, and related constructs.

Neoadjuvant radiotherapy (RT) is commonly used as standard treatment for rectal cancer. However, response rates are variable and survival outcomes remain poor, highlighting the need to develop new therapeutic strategies. Research is focused on identifying novel methods for sensitising rectal tumours to RT to enhance responses and improve patient outcomes. This can be achieved through harnessing tumour promoting effects of radiation or preventing development of radio-resistance in cancer cells. Many of the approaches being investigated involve targeting the recently published new dimensions of cancer hallmarks. This review article will discuss key radiation and targeted therapy combination strategies being investigated in the rectal cancer setting, with a focus on exploitation of mechanisms which target the hallmarks of cancer.

Quantifying the distance between cultural groups has received substantial recent interest. A key innovation, borrowed from population genetics, is the calculation of cultural FST (CFST) statistics on datasets of human culture. Measuring the variance between groups as a fraction of total variance, FST is theoretically important in additive models of cooperation. Consistent with this, recent empirical work has confirmed that high values of pairwise CFST (measuring cultural distance) strongly predict unwillingness to cooperate with strangers in coordination vignettes. As applications for CFST increase, however, there is greater need to understand its meaning in naturalistic situations beyond additive cooperation. Focusing on games with both positive and negative frequency dependence and high-diversity, mixed equilibria, we derive a simple relationship between FST and the evolution of group-beneficial traits across a broad spectrum of social interactions. Contrary to standard assumptions, this model shows why FST can have both positive and negative marginal effects on the spread of group-beneficial traits under certain realistic conditions. These results provide broader theoretical direction for empirical applications of CFST in the evolutionary study of culture.

Synthetic auxin herbicides were developed and commercialized 60 yr before their mode of action was definitively elucidated. Although evolution of resistance to auxinic herbicides proceeded more slowly than for some other herbicide chemistries, it has become a major problem in the dicotyledonous weeds of many cropping areas of the world. With the molecular characterization of the auxin perception and signaling pathway in the mid-2000s came a greater understanding of how auxinic herbicides work, and how resistance may develop in weeds subjected to repeated selection with these herbicides. In wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum L.) populations in southern Australia, resistance to multiple herbicides, including synthetic auxins such as 2,4-D, has reduced the number of chemical control options available. The aim of this study was to determine whether compounds involved in auxin biosynthesis, transport, and signaling are able to synergize with 2,4-D and increase its ability to control 2,4-D–resistant R. raphanistrum populations. Although some mild synergism was observed with a few compounds (abscisic acid, cyclanilide, tryptamine), the response was not large or consistent enough to warrant further study. Similarly, alternative auxinic herbicides applied pre- or postemergence were no more effective than 2,4-D. Therefore, while use of auxinic herbicides continues to increase due to the adoption of transgenic resistant crops, nonchemical control techniques will become more important, and chemical control of 2,4-D–resistant R. raphanistrum should be undertaken with alternative modes of action, using mixtures and good stewardship to delay the development of resistance for as long as possible.

Poverty, inequality and climate change are profoundly interconnected issues and represent grave threats to the future of our planet and civilization. Failure in one will result in failure in the other; thus, government responses to such threats must be meticulously coordinated, especially across environmental and welfare state programs. In recent years, a growing body of research has examined the links between these two domains, lauding the eco-welfare state as a viable path forward. As the literature on the eco-welfare state is at an early stage, this study proposes two essential theoretical and empirical contributions. First, it examines the most prominent theoretical interpretations of the concept of eco-welfare state and proposes a refined understanding. Second, using model-based cluster analysis for 42 countries, this study empirically unveils a global shift towards and the existence of an eco-welfare state.

Exploring reliable hydrogenation catalysts to remove trace olefins in aromatic hydrocarbons through hydrogenation is an important topic. In this paper, a bimetallic Cu–Ru/montmorillonite (Cu–Ru/M) catalyst was prepared using a step-by-step impregnation method, and the effects of bimetallic catalysts on removing olefins were assessed. The catalysts were characterized using X-ray diffraction, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller specific surface area, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and temperature-programmed reduction of H2. The results show that there is a strong interaction between Cu and Ru on the Cu–Ru/M catalyst, which improves the dispersion of the metals on the surface of the support M. The hydrogen spillover phenomenon of Cu–Ru/M enhances its activity and adsorption capacity for hydrogen species. The catalytic performance test confirmed that the bimetallic catalyst has significantly greater activity and stability. The optimal loadings are 5% copper and 1% ruthenium, and the performance of this catalyst is comparable to those of noble-metal Pt/M catalysts.