A set of 710 accessions of global durum wheat panel was obtained from the International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dryland Areas (ICARDA) and evaluated for variability in 32 agro-morphological traits at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, India, during 2021–22 and 2022–23. The accessions were grouped based on the type of breeding material and geographical origin, and the Shannon–Wiener diversity index (H′) was calculated for each trait as well as each group. The H′ values ranged from 0.02 (grain crease) to 1.27 (wax of ear) with an overall mean of 0.63, when considering the entire set as a single group. Landraces exhibited higher variability (H′ = 0.64) as compared to released cultivars and evolutionary pre-breeding population lines (H′ = 0.55). Furthermore, accessions originating from West Asia exhibited the highest variability (H′ = 0.63). Traits such as coleoptile colour, plant growth habit, auricle colour and pubescence, flag leaf attitude, ear shape, presence or absence of awns, awns colour and attitude, glumes shape and pubescence, beak length, peduncle attitude, grain phenol colour, grain germ width and brush hair length were found suitable for distinguishing the present durum accessions due to their higher frequency distribution and Shannon–Wiener diversity index values. A core set of 13 accessions was developed using the programme Power Core. These accessions represent the overall variability of the entire set and can therefore serve as a potential source of new genes/alleles for the genetic enhancement of durum wheat. This durum panel may also serve as a valuable reference collection for global researchers in the characterization of durum wheat accessions.

Genebanks worldwide play a crucial role in the long-term conservation and accessibility of wide diversity of plant genetic resources (PGR). These resources are essential for addressing current and future challenges related to climate change and biodiversity loss, thereby contributing to agricultural production and sustainability. Enhancing the efficiency of genebanks requires implementing a quality management system that ensures data transparency, as well as the documentation and standardization of processes. This study proposes a set of 10 mandatory and 38 optional genebank metrics specifically designed for collections of orthodox seeds. These metrics define a set of basic parameters that are easy to calculate and collectively serve as a valuable tool for improving genebank management, enhancing performance, fostering transparency and promoting collaborations among institutions. Fourteen institutions engaged in the long-term conservation of PGR were consulted in the development of the proposed metrics. This work lays the foundation for the establishment of a widely accepted set of genebank metrics within the global genebank community. Further research and iterative development are necessary to formulate comprehensive metrics applicable to other ex situ conservation methods (such as cryopreservation, in vitro and field conservation) as well as in situ conservation strategies (including genetic reserves and on-farm conservation).

While conducting archaeological survey to document the large prehistoric canal systems in the central portion of the Tehuacán Valley, investigators recorded a mound and plaza complex that includes what appears to be an effigy mound in the shape of a scorpion. Large quantities of ceramics, including surface-decorated and polychromes, indicate a Late Classic and Postclassic occupation. The site is interpreted as being part of an intensive agricultural system as it appears centrally located in the context of highly developed agricultural and irrigation infrastructure. For the reasons described, we interpret this ca. 60 meter scorpion effigy mound as an intentional feature with possible astronomical alignments. It is hypothesized as being part of a local civic/ceremonial complex with the possible use/function of observing the summer and winter solstices. If so, it provides an insight into the integration of calendrical ritual with the surrounding complex system of fields and irrigation canals. Admittedly, these observations and explanations are relatively subjective. However, we consider them to be persuasive when the evidence is considered in its entirety.

Catches of yellowjackets (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in traps baited with proteinaceous baits or a heptyl butyrate–based synthetic chemical lure in British Columbia, Canada, and Rio Negro, Argentina, differed among species. In British Columbia, western yellowjackets, Vespula pensylvanica (Saussure), responded preferentially to traps baited with rotisserie chicken (Galliformes: Phasianidae) over canned chicken or canned sardines (Clupeiformes, Clupeoidei), but the synthetic chemical lure was more attractive than rotisserie chicken. Counterintuitively, when rotisserie chicken and the synthetic chemical lure were combined, catches were reduced. In British Columbia, more German yellowjackets, V. germanica Fabricius, were caught in traps baited with rotisserie chicken than with canned chicken, and in Argentina, both German and common, V. vulgaris Linnaeus, yellowjackets preferred sardine-flavoured cat (Carnivora: Felidae) food over the synthetic chemical lure. In British Columbia, northern yellowjackets, V. alascensis (Packard), showed no preference among three types of chicken or between rotisserie chicken and canned sardines. When rotisserie chicken and the synthetic chemical lure were combined, catches of both northern and German yellowjackets were no higher than when traps were baited with rotisserie chicken alone. Resolution of the differential roles of red meat-, poultry-, and fish-based baits, as well as improvement of synthetic chemical lures, would be facilitated by identification of bioactive semiochemicals.

Environmental outcomes can be shaped by underlying politics. This study investigates whether pre-determined election timings affect these outcomes by combining electoral data with remote sensing data on crop burning, forest fires, slash-and-burn activity, and tree cover for 28 major states (covering approximately 3800 assembly constituencies) in India from 2008 to 2019. Analysing 71 elections during this period reveals evidence of the presence of electoral cycles in environmental outcomes, with non-election years experiencing higher levels of environmentally harmful activities compared to election years. These cycles are more pronounced when the incumbent’s party wins without a supermajority in state elections. The study further shows that specific factors, such as high-yield crop varieties, poverty levels, and Scheduled Tribe population proportions, also shape these environmental outcomes across the electoral cycle.

The Indo-Gangetic plains of India have been experiencing erratic weather and unpredictable rainfall patterns for the past 5 years, the average annual rainfall being 1200–1500 mm in the cropping season. Millets are generally grown in this region during the rainy season but environmental fluctuations result in heavy yield penalties in proso millet. Proso millet is one of the preferred crops of this region; however, it is very prone to yield loss due to flooding. Stability studies were conducted to investigate growing proso millet as a catch crop during summer (February–May) as it is a short-duration crop and can fit well in the existing cropping system. This study aims to determine the effect of genotype, environment and their interaction on grain yield and to identify more stable proso millet genotypes suitable for cultivation in the summer season. In total, 63 genotypes were evaluated for various agro-morphological traits for two summer and one kharif seasons. Stability analysis using a GGE biplot revealed that the proso millet performed better in the summer season than in the kharif season. This study has identified summer season as the most ideal environment for multilocation testing of wining genotypes RAU PM- 17, RAU PM-22, RAU PM-35, RAU PM-54, BR-7, TNAU-202 and TNAU-164 which has high stability for the summer season and can be used in breeding programmes as donor parents for traits like grain yield, 1000 grain weight, panicle length and number of productive tillers.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also known as stress cardiomyopathy or broken heart syndrome, is named for echocardiographic features that look like the “tako-tsubo” (octopus trap). While classically associated with older women after experiencing significant emotional distress, it can also occur in paediatrics. Our patient is an 11-year-old male with a complex medical history who developed Takotsubo cardiomyopathy after cardiac arrest during anaesthesia induction. He was successfully resuscitated, but this case highlights an example of an unusual drug interaction and the first of its description in paediatrics.

How do local officials in China initiate and sustain policy experiments within a bureaucratic system that often obstructs innovation? This article examines local policy experimentation through the lens of bureaucratic power networks, identifying three key challenges: agenda-setting challenges related to superiors, coordination challenges involving peers and implementation challenges concerning subordinates. When formal power networks fail, entrepreneurial officials develop informal interpersonal networks, positioning themselves as “uninvited advisors” to superiors, “rhetorical allies” to peers and “supportive mentors” to subordinates. Using the case of “police–business cooperation” in Shanghai, the study reveals how the committee on comprehensive management of public security mobilized property management companies to maintain social stability. This article contributes to research on policy experimentation by situating experiments within bureaucratic power dynamics and highlighting the role of informal networks in overcoming institutional barriers. It also reveals the mechanisms by which the Party assigns social control tasks to commercial entities.

This Research Communication describes a pilot study to validate a rumination sensor for pre-weaned dairy calves. There is increasing interest in precision livestock farming (PLF) tools to capture behaviours and health parameters in farm animals. However, much of the research has focused on devices suitable for adult animals, and few devices have been validated for young animals. The aim of our pilot study was to validate the rumination estimates from Nedap rumination sensors® (NRS) when worn by dairy calves less than 2 months of age. Eight Norwegian Red dairy calves were raised in a cow-directed cow-calf-contact system such that cows could visit their calves through a smartgate. At 21 days of age, an NRS was secured around the neck of each calf, to record the amount of time spent ruminating/24 h. Cameras were placed above the calf areas to record the calves for the entirety of the study. When the calves were 28 and 58 d old, four trained observers recorded rumination behaviour 24 h/d from the video recordings. The video data and the NRS data recorded over 24 h on the same days were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, the Spearman’s rank correlation and concordance correlation. NRS estimates were moderately correlated with calf rumination behaviour as measured from video observations but underestimated the duration of time spent ruminating by approximately 76%. Perhaps the calves’ rumination movements were too subtle for the NRS to detect, or the NRS needed a different placement on the calf’s small neck to record the behaviour accurately. Although automatic recordings from PLF tools may save observation time, our results indicate that the NRS may not yet accurately detect rumination behaviour in pre-weaned dairy calves.