Six new species are described that are members of the New Zealand endemic genus Adalmus Reitter (Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae: Euplectitae: Trichonychini: Panaphantina): A. bullerensis sp. nov., A. kanierensis sp. nov., A. karekarensis sp. nov., A. mangamukaensis sp. nov., A. puberilumbus sp. nov., and A. serrilumbus sp. nov. In addition, Dalmisus Sharp is placed as a junior synonym of Adalmus (gen. syn.) and the species Dalmisus batrisodes Sharp, 1886, Plectomorphus longiceps Broun, 1913 and P. longipes Broun, 1912 are placed as junior synonyms of A. velutinus Reitter, 1885 spp. syn. Also, P. rugiceps Broun, 1921 is transferred to the genus Adalmus, comb. nov. Adalmus now holds eight species.

This study was conducted to determine the acceptability of locally accepted japonica rice varieties among 53 farmers in Bohol and 38 farmers in Nueva Ecija, who were further classified into adopters and non-adopters of the GUVA japonica rice variety. Snowball sampling was made on farmer adopters/cooperators of a high-quality seed multiplication and dissemination project in the said provinces. The farmer respondents were mostly male whose ages ranged from 30 to 80 years and with farm sizes from 0.5 to 16 hectares. The farmers’ rice variety and usage were assessed by comparing the GUVA japonica rice variety with their commonly planted indica rice variety based on its agronomic characteristics, yield and income potential, and seed purity concerns. The barriers/hesitations to adoption of the GUVA japonica rice variety, namely seed availability, varietal information, and market potential, must be complemented with the suggested improvements on the variety together with factors that convince the farmers for committed use of this variety. Researchers together with partner agencies must put a lot of thought on how to integrate and synchronize these concerns so that the farmers can adopt GUVA japonica rice. Interest check on the usage of GUVA japonica rice variety in rice production as well as suggested improvements were solicited as the basis for continuous R&D pursuits that would eventually promote and adopt the GUVA japonica rice variety from these provinces.

The subfamily Pselaphinae is one of the largest groups in the family Staphylinidae. Pselaphine beetles consists of 6 supertribes. The supertribe Faronitae consists of 30 genera worldwide, with 14 genera in Australia and New Zealand. While examining faronite specimens, we separated 366 specimens that did not belong to any known faronite genera. Species of this genus can be separated from other faronite genera by the foveal system, features of the aedeagus, and collection localities which are only collected in the southern part of Australia. Through this study, we describe seven new species and three new combinations that previously belonged to the genus Sagola.

The war in Ukraine found numerous global brands publicly taking stances on the issue. They turned to their social media channels to disclose their initiatives, which ranged from simple statements through to actions of greater substantiality such as donations and divestments and triggered a lively conversation and opposing consumer reactions. The phenomenon of brands advocating for crucial but polarising socio-political matters is known as brand activism and is a concept still under-conceptualised. Our study extends the knowledge of brand activism in two ways. First, we address literature calls for investigating the ways through which the marketplace endorses peace by exploring how brand activism serves as a peace marketing tool. We, therefore, term brands’ stance-taking promoting peace or in relation to war as “peace brand activism” and embark on fully unpacking it as a concept. Second, extending the understanding of the concept of brand activism that stands as mostly unidimensional, we proceed in developing a comprehensive conceptualisation of peace brand activism that tracks the range of forms it can take and accounts for its different types and characteristics. Our work employs an exploratory qualitative analysis to unravel how global brands become peace activists, as disclosed in their social media channels across different platforms. Our data captures the activities of a sample of global brands across social media channels. Our findings reveal the range of brand activism forms that can be employed by brands. We also unearth the types of peace brand activism approaches that can be adopted when disclosing peace brand activism initiatives on social media channels. Our work contributes to theory by providing a holistic understanding of the concept of brand activism for peace and explicates important implications for managers and policy makers alike.

Marine industry generates tons of waste, which is usually discarded or used for production of fish feed and low-value silage. However, marine residual raw materials (e.g., skins, heads, liver, and roe after fish gutting and processing) contain lipids rich in omega-3 fatty acid, which has several beneficial physiological effects such as maintenance of normal cardiac function, normal brain function, and normal vision. Food fortification with omega-3 fatty acid derived from marine residual raw materials can therefore provide health benefits and contribute to a circular food system. The current research explores consumer acceptance of the food fortified with microencapsulated fish oil derived from marine residual raw materials. Consumers may be hesitant to try these products due to food neophobia associated with tendency to eat foods with familiar ingredients. The idea of ingredients from normally discarded food parts may seem disturbing. However, there is a growing concern about low utilization of bioresources. Thus, conflicting goals may be in place and there is a need for research on motivations and barriers for consumption of this type of food. To address this, focus group interviews were conducted with 42 Norwegian consumers (7 groups, 4-7 participants each). The sample represented different age groups (20-55 years), genders, educational backgrounds, and income levels. Each participant received a compensation of ca. USD 30. The focus groups discussed food habits, attitude towards the fortified food and utilizing residual raw materials, and reasons for intake/no intake of such food. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using the constant comparative method. The results indicate that the informants have limited experience with fortified food. However, they demonstrate positive attitude towards the foods fortified with microencapsulated fish oil and appreciate the utilization of residual raw materials. Health benefits are one of the important motivations. Still, the informants are concerned about the fishy taste, as the flavor is also quite crucial. Another barrier is an expected high price for such food. Adding fish oil may also be a problem for vegetarians and consumers with allergies. Thus, transparent information about the food ingredients is essential. The results also highlight the importance of food’s sensory characteristics. The current study advances understanding of the consumer acceptance of the food with residual raw materials (so far under investigated in the literature), and thus provides a basis for finding an efficient strategy for communicating its benefits to consumers. It also provides societal health benefits and positive environmental effects due to the increased intake of omega-3 and better utilization of unused bioresources.

To determine the acceptability of Grain Utilization Value Added (GUVA) Japonica rice variety developed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and South Korea’s Rural Development Authority (RDA), home use tests were conducted in n=69 businesses that were using Japonica rice. In general, they were satisfied with the Japonica brands, because they provided them with the particulars needed in their Japanese and Korean dishes. According to them, the value and quality of the Japonica rice justify the price. However, the GUVA Japonica Rice variety’s positive ratings were significantly lower compared to the brands they were used to. This applied to both their overall and attributespecific evaluations. Among the attributes, size, shape, aroma, and stickiness received significantly lower ratings compared to the other Japonica varieties. For them, it was too small, too round, less aromatic, and less sticky which may lead to challenges in preparation consequently affecting the commercial acceptability of the dishes they offer. Even with this experience and perception, they were still willing to consider the GUVA Japonica Rice when it was available in the market. Using the Van Westendorp pricing model, GUVA Japonica yielded a price of PHP 51.00 (1.01 USD) which was competitive. These findings provide recommendations for measures that should be put in place so that value chain players can preserve and maintain quality until the rice reach the business market.

The ultrasonic method is an alternative to the conventional route to produce structured carbon materials, offering the advantages of synthesis in a short period of time under room temperature. The main objective of this work is to synthesize a sulfonated mesoporous carbon catalyst from a phenolic resin composed of phloroglucinol and formaldehyde. The synthesis was performed by the soft-template method in an ultrasonic processor and the product was subsequently carbonized and sulfonated for application in the esterification model reaction. Functionalization with sulfuric acid of MCS5-6 h sample brought about a decrease in porosity but simultaneously resulted in the generation of functional groups of an acidic nature. The MCS5-6 h catalyst with a sulfonic density of 1.6 mmol g− 1, surface area of 402 m2 g− 1 and pore diameter of 10.6 nm maintained in mesoporous even after acid treatment. MCS5-6 h showed excellent activity in the esterification reaction with 95% oleic acid conversion. The recyclability of MCS5-6 h was satisfactory during five reaction cycles. The present work addressed a promising alternative for the synthesis of carbon catalysts using ultrasound irradiation, thus providing an alternative with a lower cost of time and energy for large-scale production.

Even in an era where 8-meter class telescopes are common, small telescopes are considered very valuable research facilities since they are available for rapid follow-up or long term monitoring observations. To maximize the usefulness of small telescopes in Korea, we established the SomangNet, a network of 0.4{1.0 m class optical telescopes operated by Korean institutions, in 2020. Here, we give an overview of the project, describing the current participating telescopes, its scientic scope and operation mode, and the prospects for future activities. SomangNet currently includes 10 telescopes that are located in Australia, USA, and Chile as well as in Korea. The operation of many of these telescopes currently relies on operators, and we plan to upgrade them for remote or robotic operation. The latest SomangNet science projects include monitoring and follow-up observational studies of galaxies, supernovae, active galactic nuclei, symbiotic stars, solar system objects, neutrino/gravitational-wave sources, and exoplanets.

We investigate the plausibility of mass return, from stellar mass loss processes within the central ~100 pc region of the Milky Way (the inner nuclear bulge), as a mass supply mechanism for the Circumnuclear Disk (CND). Gas in the Galactic disk migrates inward to the Galactic centre due to the asymmetric potential caused by the Galactic bar. The inward migration of gas stops and accumulates to form the central molecular zone (CMZ), at 100{200 pc from the Galactic center. It is commonly assumed that stars have formed in the CMZ throughout the lifetime of the Galaxy and have diffused inward to form a 'r-2 stellar cusp' within the inner nuclear bulge. We propose that the stars migrating inward from the CMZ supply gas to the inner nuclear bulge via stellar mass loss, resulting in the formation of a gas disk along the Galactic plane and subsequent inward migration down to the central 10 pc region (CND). We simulate the evolution of a gas distribution that initially follows the stellar distribution of the aforementioned stellar cusp, and illustrate the potential gas supply toward the CND.