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Phenology varies widely over space and time because of its sensitivity to climate. However, whether phenological variation is primarily generated by rapid organismal responses (plasticity) or local adaptation remains unresolved. Here we used 1,038,027 herbarium specimens representing 1,605 species from the continental United States to measure flowering-time sensitivity to temperature over time (Stime) and space (Sspace). By comparing these estimates, we inferred how adaptation and plasticity historically influenced phenology along temperature gradients and how their contributions vary among species with different phenology and native climates and among ecoregions differing in species composition. Parameters Sspace and Stime were positively correlated (r = 0.87), of similar magnitude and more frequently consistent with plasticity than adaptation. Apparent plasticity and adaptation generated earlier flowering in spring, limited responsiveness in late summer and delayed flowering in autumn in response to temperature increases. Nonetheless, ecoregions differed in the relative contributions of adaptation and plasticity, from consistently greater importance of plasticity (for example, southeastern United States plains) to their nearly equal importance throughout the season (for example, Western Sierra Madre Piedmont). Our results support the hypothesis that plasticity is the primary driver of flowering-time variation along temperature gradients, with local adaptation having a widespread but comparatively limited role.

Introduction: The first case of mpox in Louisiana was identified 2 months ahead of Southern Decadence Festival in New Orleans, the largest LGBTQ+ Pride festival in the South. With mpox case numbers reflecting racial disparities, the objective was to mount an equitable vaccination response. Methods: The Louisiana Department of Health rapidly pivoted its COVID-19 resources and strategies—specifically, using vaccine strike teams and mobile events, in-state vaccine redistribution through centralized warehousing and shipping support, and community partnerships—to now control mpox transmission. Here, the authors have evaluated state-based Immunization Information System data to examine whether the vaccination response was geographically and racially equitable. Geographic equity was measured by taking into account vaccine availability as well as uptake in areas with high Social Vulnerability Index. Results: A total of 113 providers were enrolled in the vaccination program, and 96 mobile vaccination events were held in locations frequented by at-risk populations. Racial disparities among vaccine recipients decreased over time, and vaccine availability and uptake were equitable in areas with high Social Vulnerability Indices. However, Black, female, and Hispanic/Latinx patients had significantly higher risk of not completing the 2-dose series than their counterparts. Conclusions: The mpox vaccination response in Louisiana was geographically equitable, though some demographic disparities remained.

Conceptual knowledge is dynamic, fluid, and flexible, changing as a function of contextual factors at multiple scales. The COVID-19 pandemic can be considered a large-scale, global context that has fundamentally altered most people's experiences with the world. It has also introduced a new concept, "COVID" (or "COVID-19"), into our collective knowledgebase. What are the implications of this introduction for how existing conceptual knowledge is structured? Our collective emotional and social experiences with the world have been profoundly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and experience-based perspectives on concept representation suggest that emotional and social experiences are critical components of conceptual knowledge. Such changes in collective experience should, then, have downstream consequences on knowledge of emotion- and social-related concepts. Using a naturally occurring dataset derived from the social media platform Twitter, we show that semantic spaces for concepts related to our emotional experiences with COVID-19 (i.e., emotional concepts like "FEAR")--but not for unrelated concepts (i.e., animals like "CAT")--show quantifiable shifts as a function of the emergence of "COVID-19" as a concept and its associated emotional and social experiences, shifts which persist 6 months after the onset of the pandemic. The findings support a dynamic view of conceptual knowledge wherein shared experiences affect conceptual structure.

Policymakers rely heavily on the tax system to distribute direct payments to lowincome families. Anti-poverty tax credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, the advanced Child Tax Credits, and the federal stimulus payments combined to keep millions of Americans out of poverty during the pandemic. Such credits have strong potential to continue to reduce poverty.These credits only work, of course, if eligible families receive them. To do so, they must file a tax return. But many low-income families who are at or below the federal poverty level are not legally required to file taxes. Policymakers need a better understanding of how many low-income families don’t file taxes (and therefore miss out on these valuable credits) in order to address this problem.While state and federal tax agencies know who files taxes, they have very little information on the families who do not file, especially those below the poverty level with little or no earnings. State and local human-service agencies, however, serve many families below the poverty level, placing them in a unique position to assist eligible families to receive these credits.To help the State of California understand who may be at risk of not receiving anti-poverty tax credits, the California Policy Lab (CPL) facilitated a linkage of two individual-level datasets held by state agencies: one with safety-net enrollment data and one with state tax filing data. CPL served as a trusted third party by implementing a “hashed linkage” — linking data that was de-identified through “hashing” (a one-way encryption process) by each agency. By linking this data, we were able to help California measure how many Californians receiving safety-net benefits were at risk of not receiving federal stimulus payments, the state Earned Income Tax Credit, and the advanced Child Tax Credit. We also helped the state learn that the majority of its safety-net beneficiaries were already receiving benefits through tax filing — allowing the state to focus limited resources on those who were not receiving these benefits. This linked data also equipped the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to conduct targeted outreach to Californians who had not filed state returns (and therefore were missing out on thousands of dollars in credits) in recent years and to direct them towards intensive resources that could help them file a return and claim these credits. This linkage led to millions of dollars in tax credits delivered to Californians who otherwise may not have received them.The benefits of linking administrative data go beyond the take-up of anti-poverty tax credits. Administrative data can help answer many vexing policy questions faced by policymakers. However, much of the value in administrative data can be obtained only when data can be linked across multiple sources. By linking across systems at the individual level, administrative data, which is often topically narrow, can replicate the cross-domain scope of survey data. This toolkit is intended to help staff in state governments outside of California who are interested in using administrative data and linking it across agencies to measure the take-up of safety-net benefits. We are also releasing a technical how-to toolkit for those interested in operationalizing a hashed linkage.This work has been supported, in part, by the University of California Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives grants MRP-19-600774 and M21PR3278

Food insecurity is widespread among college students in the United States. CalFresh food benefits, known federally as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, can help students in California pay for food, but may not reach all eligible students. CalFresh enrollment rates among students have been difficult to estimate due to incomplete data on California students’ eligibility for and enrollment in the CalFresh program.1 To overcome these issues, the California Policy Lab (CPL) partnered with the California Community College system (CCC), the University of California Office of the President (UCOP), the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), and the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) to build a linked database of student-level administrative data on college enrollment, financial aid, and CalFresh participation. This work has been supported, in part, by the University of California Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives grants MRP-19-600774 and M21PR3278.

Native biodiversity decline and non-native species spread are major features of the Anthropocene. Both processes can drive biotic homogenization by reducing trait and phylogenetic differences in species assemblages between regions, thus diminishing the regional distinctiveness of biotas and likely have negative impacts on key ecosystem functions. However, a global assessment of this phenomenon is lacking. Here, using a dataset of >200,000 plant species, we demonstrate widespread and temporal decreases in species and phylogenetic turnover across grain sizes and spatial extents. The extent of homogenization within major biomes is pronounced and is overwhelmingly explained by non-native species naturalizations. Asia and North America are major sources of non-native species; however, the species they export tend to be phylogenetically close to recipient floras. Australia, the Pacific and Europe, in contrast, contribute fewer species to the global pool of non-natives, but represent a disproportionate amount of phylogenetic diversity. The timeline of most naturalisations coincides with widespread human migration within the last ~500 years, and demonstrates the profound influence humans exert on regional biotas beyond changes in species richness.

Frequent incidents of racist hate speech on college and university campuses continue to instigate an ideological battleground between legal purists, anti-racist scholars, and those otherwise situated somewhere therein. We find that arguments from legal purists are predicated upon a false-equivalency between racist and anti-racist speech where the effect, value, and embedded power dynamics of the former are often disregarded. We engage in a phenomenological analysis of a four-year, private institution--Clearview College (CVC)--where a controversial speaker was invited to campus by a conservative student organization. We specifically interrogate how the seemingly race-neutral free speech policies at CVC, which were informed by the "Chicago Principles," were racially structured in impact. We utilize a conceptual framework that demarcates intellectual safety and dignitary safety as a foundational point of departure to analyze the responses from 20 undergraduate students. The responses from focus groups revealed two primary themes: (1) racist hate speech as a threat to dignitary safety, and (2) institutional retribution against students defending their dignitary safety. Implications for higher education policy and praxis are provided.

In December, Leila Hamoud, a Black woman undergraduate, was arrested in her classroom at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) by university police officers. An unidentified staff member--who was not directly involved [...]