As Brillat-Savarin wrote, “The destiny of nations depends on the manner in which they are fed” (Brillat-Savarin 1854, 25). Indeed, establishing reliable sources of food was critical for the survival of colonies, as early historical records demonstrate in Australia. Animal bones recovered from historical sites have been well-studied from colonies in the Americas, but remain understudied in Australia, and should be central to understanding early colonial anxieties around food security. As animal domesticates share a unique, close relationship with humans and are intricately connected with human activities, delineating this relationship contributes to understanding past behaviours, such as the responses of early colonists to a new suite of social and environmental conditions during initial periods of colonisation.

This study, for the first time, critically examines whether the new Ethiopian insolvency regime protects creditors’ interests using six variables identified through a reflexive thematic analysis of interview data. As evident from global best practices and the results of the qualitative analysis, the identified variables used as benchmarks in this study are typical tools to protect creditors’ interests in the vicinity of or during insolvency. After a critical doctrinal analysis of the identified variables in Ethiopia in relation to global best practices and a thematic analysis of the interview data, the study found that the new Ethiopian insolvency regime is creditor-friendly. It is well equipped with the tools needed to protect creditors’ interests in the vicinity of or during insolvency, with few areas for further improvement. The new law has substantially addressed and improved the deficiencies of the old law, aligning creditor protection rights with relevant global guidelines and best practices. The study further emphasizes that safeguarding creditors’ interests is broader than good law, highlighting long-standing deficiencies in the existing insolvency practice and institutional framework. The study concludes that comprehensive protection of creditors’ interests during insolvency requires a robust legal framework and an effective institutional framework for its practical implementation, suggesting substantial legislative and institutional reform.

The synthesis of branched carbohydrate β-amino esters is described using the Wolff rearrangement of a diazoketone derived from the pyrolysis product (−)-levoglucosenone (LGO). An azide-alkene cycloaddition on LGO catalyzed by methanesulfonic acid directly afforded β-amino diazoketones via the triazoline. A subsequent visible-light-mediated Wolff rearrangement resulted in ring-contraction, giving a series of branched deoxyamino sugars with excellent diastereoselectivity (>20:1). The use of 2,2,2- trifluoroethanol as solvent at subambient temperature improved the yields of the ester relative to reactions performed in methanol or with other alcohol nucleophiles. Amine acylation or sulfonylation prior to the Wolff rearrangement led to the formation of ring-opened chiral 4-aminodihydrofurans in good yields, presumably due to the stabilization of the oxocarbenium ion during ring-opening and elimination.

A series of enantiopure (+)-majoranolide analogues has been synthesized from the cellulose-derived chiral platform chemical (−)-Cyrene. The bicyclic ketone was substituted at C3 with a variety of benzylidene moieties via base-catalysed aldol condensations and a subsequent Baeyer–Villiger oxidation was achieved using the hypervalent iodine(iii) reagent (diacetoxyiodo)benzene (PIDA) in combination with methanesulfonic acid. The reaction proceeded via an intermediate hemiketal, with rate and yield enhancement using solvent mixtures containing 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol. PIDA gave higher yields than peroxyacid mediated reactions due to improved selectivity in the migratory insertion. (+)-Majoranolide analogues had good anticancer activity with IC₅₀ values as low as 6.0 µg mL⁻¹ against A-549 lung carcinoma cells and 6.3 µg mL⁻¹ against HeLa cervical carcinoma cells. Only the natural product (+)-majoranolide B exhibited significant antimicrobial activity, limited to S. aureus (MIC = 3.1 µg mL⁻¹). Several compounds displayed anti-quorum sensing activity exceeding 80% inhibition, with the alkylidene ketone precursors similar to the benzylidene lactones.