Competition For Limited Resources Research Articles

Investigating How High Perceived Economic Inequality Exacerbates Intergroup Competition, Zero-Sum Beliefs, and Perceived Intergroup Prejudice.

Rising economic inequality is associated with more prejudice. Little empirical data, however, investigate how inequality affects individuals' psychological processing and, in turn, exacerbates perceptions of prejudice in people's geographic area. We hypothesized that higher perceived economic inequality triggers beliefs that unequal economies are zero-sum and leads to beliefs that people are in competition for limited resources, which may ultimately exacerbate perceived prejudice. Through nine experiments (Studies 1-5 in the manuscript and three additional studies in the Supplement), we provide evidence that higher perceived inequality increases perceived prejudice against a wide range of outgroups. Furthermore, zero-sum beliefs and perceived competition serially mediate this relationship (Studies 2 and 3). In Study 4, we investigate nuance in this hypothesized model by testing whether higher perceived economic inequality exacerbates perceived racial/ethnic prejudice among a large, diverse sample and find a similar pattern of results. Finally (Study 5), we demonstrate that assuaging competition beliefs mitigates perceived prejudice.

Xenophobic Assaults and the South African Economy and Society Since 1994

Abstract Xenophobia is not a recent theme in historical studies. However, the attempts penned by academics to analyze the phenomenon are sparsely centered on the economic aspect of the assault. In this way, the study fills a historical gap accentuated by extant literature on the subject. Using primary sources in corroboration with secondary sources of data, the study attempts a description of the South African economy and the migrations and roles of different races to South Africa to enhance comprehension. It posits that competition for limited resources between the natives and immigrants from other countries results in xenophobic violence. It is said that xenophobic incidents in South Africa have negatively affected the country’s trade ties with the impacted nations. In actuality, it has diminished the communities and the victims’ economic power. The eradication of xenophobic assaults in the region under study is finally predicted. The article concludes that xenophobia has damaged South Africa’s reputation in international forums.

Ways Customer Complaints Affect Product Performance in a Market

Introduction: Customer complaints create to expand any unconstructive collision within a market and productivity. Poor consumer services are customer dissatisfaction, losing profits, and incurring additional costs, which can cause the key sound effects. With it, the consumers are free to purchase the services that best fill their needs. Aim: This research study aims to examine the ways customer complaints affected product performance in a market. Literature review: This research study is conducted on the ways of customer complaints that affects product performance in a market. It is reasonable to inform product organization normally has plenty to negotiate with product managers to make sure better results. Methodology: Primary methods of this quantitative data help in collecting the essential right information from the right respondents to increase the quality of the research work on this topic. By going through the SPSS tool with a survey after questioning 55 respondents are employees, stakeholders, investors, customers, and supervisors of a market. Findings: The finding section consists of the analytical results through the procession of hypothesis research that is based on the collected data with primary methods. Here, the hypothesis results may or may not have any association among the research variables from a focus on the overview of the relationship with this research topic. Discussion: This research study is based on the ways of customer complaints and their effects on new production performance in a market. Here, NDP theory has provided consumers with ways to shape the scenery of their transactions and connect with the firm as well as each other. In competition for limited resources, consumers indirectly inform the producers of the goods or services to promote and within what quantity and quality they can be provided. Conclusion: This research topic By going through the impacts of consumer problems, the customers' success can remove agitate, get better retention, and constrain the economy. Customer complaints affect several business markets to support their sustainability in an improved way.

Revisiting ‘survival of the fittest’ principle in global stochastic optimisation: Incorporating anisotropic mutations

Evolutionary methods of global stochastic optimisation are very popular in the literature with various practical applications, including modelling of natural disasters. To enhance efficiency of optimisation, advanced algorithms seek to incorporate the heterogeneity of population (trial points) and consider more complex scenarios of mutations and recombination. On the other hand, most of the existing evolutionary algorithms have the major drawback that they cannot guarantee the convergence to the global extremum, in other words, such algorithms are purely heuristic. Here we proposed a new approach to global stochastic optimisation using evolutionary algorithms, where we can rigorously show convergence to the optimal solution with probability of one. This was a challenge for previous heuristic algorithms of optimisation. We provide the proof of convergence of the novel algorithm both for the case, where the parameter space has a finite dimensionality, and for optimisation in function spaces, with infinite number of dimensions. The crux of the proposed algorithms is to describe optimisation as a long-term natural selection process, which is a result of interplay between competition for limited resources and mutation, which is known as survival of the fittest principle. This is a modification of Monte-Carlo optimisation, where at each iteration, the search is refined by generating mutations to eventually attain the neighbourhood with the maximal population fitness. Unlike the previous algorithms, using survival of the fittest philosophy, we incorporate the anisotropic mutation for different spatial coordinates. We also suggest implementation of combination of the local and the global search. Using various multi-modal test functions in high dimensional spaces, we show that the new optimisation methods can demonstrate a better performance than some other well-known bio-inspired optimisation algorithms. As an important practical application, we implement our method to find the optimal control strategy in a multi-agent model of spread of infectious diseases. We argue that incorporating anisotropy in mutations is a promising direction in constructing more efficient evolutionary methods of optimisation, which has not been properly exploited in previous algorithms yet.

The storage capacity of a directed graph and nodewise autonomous, ubiquitous learning.

The brain, an exceedingly intricate information processing system, poses a constant challenge to memory research, particularly in comprehending how it encodes, stores, and retrieves information. Cognitive psychology studies memory mechanism from behavioral experiment level and fMRI level, and neurobiology studies memory mechanism from anatomy and electrophysiology level. Current research findings are insufficient to provide a comprehensive, detailed explanation of memory processes within the brain. Numerous unknown details must be addressed to establish a complete information processing mechanism connecting micro molecular cellular levels with macro cognitive behavioral levels. Key issues include characterizing and distributing content within biological neural networks, coexisting information with varying content, and sharing limited resources and storage capacity. Compared with the hard disk of computer mass storage, it is very clear from the polarity of magnetic particles in the bottom layer, the division of tracks and sectors in the middle layer, to the directory tree and file management system in the high layer, but the understanding of memory is not sufficient. Biological neural networks are abstracted as directed graphs, and the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information within directed graphs at the cellular level are explored. A memory computational model based on active directed graphs and node-adaptive learning is proposed. First, based on neuronal local perspectives, autonomous initiative, limited resource competition, and other neurobiological characteristics, a resource-based adaptive learning algorithm for directed graph nodes is designed. To minimize resource consumption of memory content in directed graphs, two resource-occupancy optimization strategies-lateral inhibition and path pruning-are proposed. Second, this paper introduces a novel memory mechanism grounded in graph theory, which considers connected subgraphs as the physical manifestation of memory content in directed graphs. The encoding, storage, consolidation, and retrieval of the brain's memory system correspond to specific operations such as forming subgraphs, accommodating multiple subgraphs, strengthening connections and connectivity of subgraphs, and activating subgraphs. Lastly, a series of experiments were designed to simulate cognitive processes and evaluate the performance of the directed graph model. Experimental results reveal that the proposed adaptive connectivity learning algorithm for directed graphs in this paper possesses the following four features: (1) Demonstrating distributed, self-organizing, and self-adaptive properties, the algorithm achieves global-level functions through local node interactions; (2) Enabling incremental storage and supporting continuous learning capabilities; (3) Displaying stable memory performance, it surpasses the Hopfield network in memory accuracy, capacity, and diversity, as demonstrated in experimental comparisons. Moreover, it maintains high memory performance with large-scale datasets; (4) Exhibiting a degree of generalization ability, the algorithm's macroscopic performance remains unaffected by the topological structure of the directed graph. Large-scale, decentralized, and node-autonomous directed graphs are suitable simulation methods. Examining storage problems within directed graphs can reveal the essence of phenomena and uncover fundamental storage rules hidden within complex neuronal mechanisms, such as synaptic plasticity, ion channels, neurotransmitters, and electrochemical activities.

Predictably competitive? What faces can tell us about competitive behavior

Competition for limited resources is ubiquitous in social and economic life and has sparked a large body of research on the determinants of competitive behavior. While we know a lot about the role of contextual factors and personality traits, the potential link between competitive behavior and physical appearance remains unexplored. In this study we test whether objective facial characteristics and subjective attractiveness ratings are related to the competitive behavior in the form of opting for a tournament payment scheme in a real-effort task. We find no association for any of the examined characteristics. Nevertheless, we show that individuals are significantly better than chance at predicting the competitiveness of experimental participants, just by looking at their headshots. These findings advance our understanding of the role of observable physical characteristics as telltale signs of behavior.

Places and spaces: exploring interconnections between school environment, resources and social relations

ABSTRACT Background Relational issues at school, including bullying, tend to be interpreted primarily in terms of the behaviour of individual students. Whilst research has broadened this focus, more needs to be understood about how the design and management of the school environment and its resources may influence peer relations. Purpose The study sought to consider interconnections between the physical and organisational environment, resources, and social relations in school settings. Method Ethnographic research was conducted at three schools in Sweden, consisting of 6 to 8 weeks of participant observations at each school, and interviews with school safety or health teams, 21 teachers, and 121 students from preschool class (ages 6–7) to sixth grade (ages 12–13). Field notes and interview data were analysed using an approach based on constructivist grounded theory. Findings In-depth analysis of data identified a complex network of interconnections between the school environment, resources and peer relationships. In particular, it illuminated how competition for limited resources can influence social relations negatively. This may lead to brief minor conflicts, which, in turn, could potentially precipitate or become part of more systematic school bullying situations. Conclusions Our findings highlight the significance of decisions about the uses of space in schools, including choices in design (e.g. of play spaces) and the distribution of resources (e.g. equipment). Deeper understanding of the interconnections between the school environment, resources and peer relations can help inform efforts to support student wellbeing.

Conflict Resolution Mechanisms and Their Influence on Quality Education in Private Secondary Schools in Arusha District Council

The study examined the conflict resolution mechanism and its influence on quality education in private secondary schools in Arusha district council, Tanzania. Objectives were to; examine conflicts and their resolution mechanisms in private secondary schools and the extent to which conflict resolution mechanisms influence quality education in private secondary schools. Conflict Resolution Theory steered the study. Convergent mixed methods design appropriate to collect data through questionnaires and interview guides was adopted. Sample size consisted of 270 respondents; 192 students, 66 teachers selected by simple and stratified random sampling techniques while 8 school heads, 3 WEOs and one DEO were purposively sampled. Validity was established through expert judgment whereas reliability was determined using test-retest technique and reliability index, SQ, r=0.91 and TQ, r=0.83 was reported. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically alongside the research questions and presented in narrative forms while quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics in the SPSS and results were presented in tables of frequencies and percentages. The findings show that financial mismanagement, unfair treatment of students and teachers, frequent fee increments, competition for limited resources, overlapping responsibilities, poor working environments and intimate relationships are conflicts in private secondary schools. In conclusion, by implementing conflict resolution mechanisms, schools can create a well-coordinated, disciplined, and inclusive learning environment that promotes collaboration among stakeholders and ultimately improves the quality of education. The study recommended fair treatment of students and teachers should be promoted through the development of clear policies and guidelines in order to address emerging conflicts.

An Investigation of the Causes of Conflicts between Teaching Staff and Principals in Public Secondary Schools in Rachuonyo South Sub-County, Kenya

Communication is the nervous system of an organisation, and its success depends very much upon the coordinated efforts of people working at different levels to achieve a common goal. Conflict, on the other hand, is an expression of hostility, antagonism and misunderstanding between the staff members. Most of these conflicts occur in secondary schools, middle-level colleges, and tertiary institutions MOE (2002). The Ministry of Education report indicates that in spite of the government policies put in place, there has been an upsurge of unrest in schools, together with strikes by teachers and high rates of transfers of principals and teachers in the recent past. This paper investigates the causes of conflicts between teaching staff and principals in public secondary schools in Kenya. This study was carried out in Rachuonyo South Sub County in Homabay County, Kenya. The objective of the study was to investigate the causes of conflicts between teaching staff and principals in public secondary schools in Rachuonyo South Sub-County in Homabay County. A mixed methods approach consisting of a survey questionnaire and interview schedules involving 62 survey participants and 4 in-depth interviews with the principals and teachers was adopted. Quantitative data was sought using questionnaires and were analysed using Statistical Package of Social Sciences, while qualitative data from interviews with the principals were analysed by narrative analysis. The findings of the study revealed that Poor communication and competition for limited resources were the main causes of conflicts between teaching staff and principals. It was revealed further that the conflicts were purely work-related. Based on this, it is recommended that there is a need to offer training to both teachers and principals on the use of the best communication strategies for conflict management so as to help in the management of conflict in schools. In addition, there is a need to take teachers and principals for workshops and seminars on professionalism in order to minimise work-related conflicts.

When Everything Becomes Bigger: Big Data for Big Poultry Production.

In future decades, the demand for poultry meat and eggs is predicted to considerably increase in pace with human population growth. Although this expansion clearly represents a remarkable opportunity for the sector, it conceals a multitude of challenges. Pollution and land erosion, competition for limited resources between animal and human nutrition, animal welfare concerns, limitations on the use of growth promoters and antimicrobial agents, and increasing risks and effects of animal infectious diseases and zoonoses are several topics that have received attention from authorities and the public. The increase in poultry production must be achieved mainly through optimization and increased efficiency. The increasing ability to generate large amounts of data ("big data") is pervasive in both modern society and the farming industry. Information accessibility-coupled with the availability of tools and computational power to store, share, integrate, and analyze data with automatic and flexible algorithms-offers an unprecedented opportunity to develop tools to maximize farm profitability, reduce socio-environmental impacts, and increase animal and human health and welfare. A detailed description of all topics and applications of big data analysis in poultry farming would be infeasible. Therefore, the present work briefly reviews the application of sensor technologies, such as optical, acoustic, and wearable sensors, as well as infrared thermal imaging and optical flow, to poultry farming. The principles and benefits of advanced statistical techniques, such as machine learning and deep learning, and their use in developing effective and reliable classification and prediction models to benefit the farming system, are also discussed. Finally, recent progress in pathogen genome sequencing and analysis is discussed, highlighting practical applications in epidemiological tracking, and reconstruction of microorganisms' population dynamics, evolution, and spread. The benefits of the objective evaluation of the effectiveness of applied control strategies are also considered. Although human-artificial intelligence collaborations in the livestock sector can be frightening because they require farmers and employees in the sector to adapt to new roles, challenges, and competencies-and because several unknowns, limitations, and open-ended questions are inevitable-their overall benefits appear to be far greater than their drawbacks. As more farms and companies connect to technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and sensing technologies will begin to play a greater role in identifying patterns and solutions to pressing problems in modern animal farming, thus providing remarkable production-based and commercial advantages. Moreover, the combination of diverse sources and types of data will also become fundamental for the development of predictive models able to anticipate, rather than merely detect, disease occurrence. The increasing availability of sensors, infrastructures, and tools for big data collection, storage, sharing, and analysis-together with the use of open standards and integration with pathogen molecular epidemiology-have the potential to address the major challenge of producing higher-quality, more healthful food on a larger scale in a more sustainable manner, thereby protecting ecosystems, preserving natural resources, and improving animal and human welfare and health.

Spatial patterning of Wyoming big sagebrush indicates negative density dependence

AbstractPlants reflect resource use in their spatial patterning. Competition for limited resources—such as available soil water in a dryland ecosystem—drives establishment, growth, and mortality, resulting in shifts of spatial arrangement over time. We characterized the spatial patterning of two big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata subspecies wyomingensis) communities in the upper Green River Basin of Wyoming, USA. We mapped big sagebrush canopies in two, 100‐m2 sites and calculated plant neighborhoods as the area closer to a target plant than to any other plant. We assumed that neighborhoods were areas in which the target plant dominates resource use. We found that plant neighborhoods had strong, positive correlations with plant size, indicating that larger neighborhoods may access more belowground resources. We also found that the relationships between experienced crowding, that is, crowding index (CI) by an average neighbor, and neighborhood size, were consistently negative regardless of calculation method. We also found that the residuals of a regression of target plant biomass and neighborhood area were strongly related to the CI calculated via all methods. This means that plants with smaller neighborhoods than expected also experience the greatest crowding by an average neighbor. These results are consistent with negative density dependence and show that greater static crowding predicts smaller neighborhoods in two, undisturbed, intermediate‐successional big sagebrush communities. In the future, similar studies of spatial patterning that include interspecific plant–plant interactions will be useful for understanding the relationship between spatial patterning and negative density dependence.

Between pandemics: sex worker, sexual minority, and transgender activism from HIV to COVID-19

ABSTRACT Public health crises alter political landscapes. This article investigates social movement strategies during and between the HIV and COVID-19 pandemics. We conducted a set of eighteen in-depth interviews with eleven leaders of organisations working with sex workers, sexual minorities, and transgender people around India, all of whom had been actively involved in HIV prevention programs, before and after the arrival of COVID-19 in India. First HIV, and then COVID-19, altered the political landscape for these groups in relation to three types of institutions: (1) donors (by creating dramatic increases and decreases in the amount, type, and conditions of global funding and deepening inequalities among organisations) (2) the state (by shifting the balance of advocacy and human rights work toward immediate relief); and (3) other social movements (by expanding solidarities across groups but also placing them in competition for limited resources). We argue that, to weather these dramatic shifts, organisations relied on internal alliances and resources built in and after periods of crisis. In this way, despite the differences between the two pandemics, the legacies of HIV shaped the response to COVID-19. Though responses to COVID-19 seem improvised and temporary, they build on a longer-term social movement infrastructure.

Eco-evolutionary dynamics of multigames with mutations.

Most environments favor defection over cooperation due to natural selection. Nonetheless, the emergence of cooperation is omnipresent in many biological, social, and economic systems, quite contrary to the well-celebrated Darwinian theory of evolution. Much research has been devoted to better understanding how and why cooperation persists among self-interested individuals despite their competition for limited resources. Here we go beyond a single social dilemma since individuals usually encounter various social challenges. In particular, we propose and study a mathematical model incorporating both the prisoner's dilemma and the snowdrift game. We further extend this model by considering ecological signatures like mutation and selfless one-sided contribution of altruist free space. The nonlinear evolutionary dynamics that results from these upgrades offer a broader range of equilibrium outcomes, and it also often favors cooperation over defection. With the help of analytical and numerical calculations, our theoretical model sheds light on the mechanisms that maintain biodiversity, and it helps to explain the evolution of social order in human societies.

Effects of Habitat and Competition on Niche Partitioning and Community Structure in Neotropical Ants

Competition for limited resources can yield two contrasting outcomes in community structure, namely, either (i) dominance of most competitive species (with functional convergence of the traits conferring this ability), or (ii) niche partitioning of species using distinct resources. In addition, varying resource availability in different environmental contexts is expected to yield varying community dynamics and composition between the contexts (habitat filtering). We addressed resource-based ant community structure in a tropical ecosystem. We expected ant species to display varying trophic preferences and foraging behaviors, allowing habitat selection and niche differentiation in ant assemblages. Furthermore, we expected habitat filtering to occur between open and forested areas in the landscape mosaic, and competition to further influence local species co-occurrence. We assessed resource use in nine ant assemblages distributed in two habitats (i.e., forests and croplands), devising two separate experiments using bait-traps to characterize ant species’ trophic preference (e.g., eating prey, seeds, sugars) and their ability to obtain a same resource in heterogeneous forms (e.g., on vegetation, litter, with variable amounts…). The majority of baits offered were rapidly exploited in the two habitats suggesting important resource limitations. Forest and cropland ant communities differed, however, in the proportions of resources exploited, suggesting different competitive pressures toward specific resources between habitats. Within each habitat, ants preferentially exploited the same resources, suggesting habitat filtering, but locally, interspecific resource partitioning resulted in a reduction of resource overlap compared to habitat scale. Our study provides evidence of the effects of habitat filtering and competition for resource in tropical ant community structure. Our findings also suggest that niche filtering and niche partitioning are co-variant forces determining the identity of the species present in local assemblages.

Positioning of low-urbanized territories based on self-identification: The case of Ukraine

In the context of competition for limited resources for the development of territorial communities in Ukraine, the use of marketing tools in managing local development is becoming increasingly important. One of these tools is positioning. In the case of territorial communities, it is a communicative expression of their identity. This study aims to determine the positioning characteristics of small territorial communities in Ukraine (low-urbanized territories – communities with a predominantly rural population) in formulating their positioning criteria. The subject of the analysis was the strategic visions formulated in the long-term planning documents of low-urbanized territories. Descriptive information was evaluated and grouped using expert methods. It was determined that low-urbanized territories in Ukraine use a multi-criteria approach in the positioning process: the number of applied criteria reached 26 (an average of 6 criteria). Each of them is focused on specific target audiences – residents, investors/local businesses, and tourists/visitors (48% for each of the target audiences). At the same time, less than half of the surveyed communities (44%) position themselves as “territories of developed agriculture”. Since little research has been done on the positioning of territorial communities in the Ukrainian context, this study has contributed new knowledge in this field.

Seasonal elevational patterns and the underlying mechanisms of avian diversity and community structure on the eastern slope of Mt. Gongga

AbstractAimMountain ecosystems harbour significant biodiversity across elevations and seasons. This biodiversity, however, is increasingly under threat from climate change and human land use. While much work has been done to characterize biodiversity in tropical mountains, far less is known about the environmental, seasonal and spatial factors that impact diversity and community structure in subtropical and temperate regions.LocationMt. Gongga, Sichuan, China: the eastern‐most peak in Asia above 7000‐m elevation and the main peak of the Hengduan Mountains.MethodWe examined elevational patterns and ecological variables underlying taxonomic diversity (TD), phylogenetic diversity (PD), functional diversity (FD) and community structure in birds on the eastern slope of Mt. Gongga between 1100‐ and 4400‐m elevation. We assessed biodiversity patterns between species with different elevational range sizes (small‐ vs. large‐ranged species) and between seasons (breeding vs. non‐breeding season).ResultsWe recorded 230 bird species across seven field surveys. TD, PD and FD showed similar hump‐shaped elevational patterns in both seasons. In the breeding season, TD, PD and FD for small‐ranged species were highly correlated with climatic factors (mean daily temperature, seasonal temperature range) and vegetation factors (enhanced vegetation index), while large‐ranged species were correlated with spatial factors (mid‐domain effect). In the non‐breeding season, TD, PD and FD for all species groupings were positively correlated with climate factors. For small‐ranged species in both seasons, community structure was more overdispersed at low and high elevations, and more clustered at middle elevations. For large‐ranged species, community structure differed between seasons, showing a general trend towards clustering as elevations increase in the breeding season and trends towards overdispersion and/or evenness as elevations increase in the non‐breeding season.ConclusionsWe found that different factors shape elevational patterns of diversity for small‐ and large‐ranged species in the breeding season; small‐ranged species are shaped by climate and vegetation structure, while large‐ranged species are shaped by spatial factors. This difference is likely explained by differences in ecological niche breadth (physiological tolerance and/or habitat specialization) between small‐ranged species and large‐ranged species. In the non‐breeding season, however, when climate is seasonally harsher, we found that patterns of diversity for all range‐size groupings were driven by climatic factors. We also found that community structure generally becomes more overdispersed as resource availability decreases and environmental conditions become harsher, like at higher elevations and in the non‐breeding season, suggesting that competition for limited resources is important for shaping communities in seasonal environments. These findings highlight how avian diversity and community structure are dynamic across a local elevational gradient and seasonally, shifting across the annual cycle, which has implications for conservation strategies and land management.

Prochlorococcus Exudate Stimulates Heterotrophic Bacterial Competition with Rival Phytoplankton for Available Nitrogen.

ABSTRACTThe marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus numerically dominates the phytoplankton community of the nutrient-limited open ocean, establishing itself as the most abundant photosynthetic organism on Earth. This ecological success has been attributed to lower cell quotas for limiting nutrients, superior resource acquisition, and other advantages associated with cell size reduction and genome streamlining. In this study, we tested the prediction that Prochlorococcus outcompetes its rivals for scarce nutrients and that this advantage leads to its numerical success in nutrient-limited waters. Strains of Prochlorococcus and its sister genus Synechococcus grew well in both mono- and cocultures when nutrients were replete. However, in nitrogen-limited medium, Prochlorococcus outgrew Synechococcus but only when heterotrophic bacteria were also present. In the nitrogen-limited medium, the heterotroph Alteromonas macleodii outcompeted Synechococcus for nitrogen but only if stimulated by the exudate released by Prochlorococcus or if a proxy organic carbon source was provided. Genetic analysis of Alteromonas suggested that it outcompetes Synechococcus for nitrate and/or nitrite, during which cocultured Prochlorococcus grows on ammonia or other available nitrogen species. We propose that Prochlorococcus can stimulate antagonism between heterotrophic bacteria and potential phytoplankton competitors through a metabolic cross-feeding interaction, and this stimulation could contribute to the numerical success of Prochlorococcus in nutrient-limited regions of the ocean.

Antagonistic Potential of Bacterial Species against Fungal Plant Pathogens (FPP) and Their Role in Plant Growth Promotion (PGP): A Review

Since the 19th century to date, the fungal pathogens have been involved in causing devastating diseases in plants. All types of fungal pathogens have been observed in important agricultural crops that lead to significant pre and postharvest losses. The application of synthetic fungicide against the fungal plant pathogens (FPP) is a traditional management practice but at the same time these fungicides kill other beneficial microbes, insects, animal, and humans and are harmful to environment. The antagonistic microorganism such as bacteria are being used as an alternate strategy to control the FPP. These antagonistic species are cost-effective and eco-friendly in nature. These biocontrol bacteria have a broad mechanism against fungal pathogens present in the phyllosphere and rhizosphere of the plant. The antagonistic bacteria have different strategies against the FPP, by producing siderophore, biofilm, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), through parasitism, antibiosis, competition for limited resources and induce systemic resistance (ISR) in the host plant by activating the immune systems. The commercial bio-products synthesized by the major bacterial species Pseudomonas syringae, Burkholderia cepacia, Streptomyces griseoviridis, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Bacillus subtilis are used to control Fusarium, Pythium, Rhizoctonia, Penicillium, Alternaria, and Geotrichum. The commercial bio-formulations of bacteria act as both antifungal and plant growth regulators. The Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) played a significant role in improving plant health by nitrogen-fixing, phosphorus solubilization, phytohormones production, minimizing soil metal contamination, and by ACC deaminase antifungal activities. Different articles are available on the specific antifungal activity of bacteria in plant diseases. Therefore, this review article has summarized the information on biocontrol activity of bacteria against the FPP and the role of PGPR in plant growth promotion. This review also provided a complete picture of scattered information regarding antifungal activities of bacteria and the role of PGPR.

‘Lateral violence stems from the colonial system’: settler-colonialism and lateral violence in Aboriginal Australians

ABSTRACT The tendency of Indigenous people to direct their frustration and anger, due to oppression, toward members of their own group is known as lateral violence. While settler-colonization is often attributed as the main cause of lateral violence, research has not examined what specific aspects lead to lateral violence in Aboriginal communities. In a qualitative study, using yarning and thematic analysis, 17 Aboriginal Australians (53% male, 47% female) ranging in age from 18 to over 60, discussed what they believed to be the causes of lateral violence. Knowledge holders identified historical and contemporary causes and perpetuating factors of lateral violence, all of which were related to settler-colonialism. These causes included living in a colonial society, native title, access and competition for limited resources, the process of obtaining confirmation of Aboriginality certificate, identity issues and internalized racism, past traumas, and returning back to traditional lands. Settler-colonialism is a structure through which lateral violence was, and is, allowed to flourish. Challenges to the settler-colonial system need to be made to effectively combat lateral violence.

Care in Context: Dementia Support in Mexico and the United States

Due to rapid demographic transitions, the number of people with dementia is rising in the Americas, and is expected to double in the coming decades, increasing from14.8 million in 2030 to over 27 million by 2050. The burden of dementia is especially pronounced for the Mexican-origin population in Mexico and the U.S. For Mexico, financial support for older low-income citizens and medical care are universal rights, but limited fiscal resources and the needs of a large low-income population create inevitable competition for limited resources among the old and the young. Although the United States has a more developed economy and well-developed Social Security and health care financing systems for older adults, Mexican-origin individuals in the U.S. do not necessarily benefit fully from these programs. The institutional and financial problems are compounded in both countries by longer life spans, smaller families, as well as changing gender roles and cultural norms. Such changes affect the Mexican-origin population in particular because of a higher prevalence rates of cognitive impairment than other racial and ethnic groups, and the lower access to resources to provide care. In this GSA Symposium, the authors of four papers deal with the following topics as they relate to dementia care in Mexico and the United States: (1) living alone in late life; (2) living arrangements and dementia care; (3) the role of non-governmental organizations in care; (4) next steps to address dementia care needs in the U.S. and Mexico.