This article proposes a new approach for measuring the quality of answers in political question-and-answer sessions. We assess the quality of an answer based on how easily and accurately it can be recognized among a random set of candidate answers given the question’s text. This measure reflects the answer’s relevance and depth of engagement with the question. Drawing a parallel with semantic search, we can implement this approach by training a language model on the corpus of observed questions and answers without additional human-labeled data. We showcase and validate our methodology within the context of the Question Period in the Canadian House of Commons. Our analysis reveals that while some answers only have a weak semantic connection to questions, suggesting some evasion or obfuscation, they are generally at least moderately relevant, far exceeding what we would expect from random replies. We also find meaningful correlations between the quality of answers and the party affiliation of the members of Parliament asking the questions.

With over 17 million children learning English, Bangladesh has one of the world’s largest English-learning populations. However, despite this, the country faces challenges in achieving the optimal level of English proficiency. English language teaching (ELT) initiatives in Bangladesh, which have evolved over time, can be broadly classified based on the Grammar-Translation Method, Communicative Language Teaching, and the English in Action project. These approaches predominantly reinforced traditional monolingual and bilingual frameworks while overlooking the rich metalinguistic, cultural, and intellectual resources that students bring to English classrooms. This article critically examines past ELT efforts, policies and their outcomes through a translanguaging lens, which challenges the rigid language separation ideology in traditional models and encourages the use of all linguistic repertoires in learning English as a target language. This article provides fresh perspectives on the strengths and weaknesses of past initiatives, as well as suggestions for developing linguistically and culturally sustainable ELT models based on translanguaging scholarship.

Megacities around the world are increasingly confronted with conservation and restoration bottlenecks due to the competing demands of urban expansion and environmental conservation. This study investigates conservation prioritization strategies for balancing biodiversity protection, ecosystem service (ES) supply and landscape connectivity in rapidly urbanizing Beijing. By employing spatially explicit modelling and prioritization scenario techniques, we identify spatially heterogeneous priority zones. We demonstrate that high-value areas for ES supply, particularly carbon storage and water regulation, concentrate primarily in Beijing’s north-western mountainous regions, covering c. 62% of the city’s area. Conversely, critical habitats for threatened species and key connectivity corridors are dispersed, with 22.89% of critical habitats located within urban built-up areas. Gap analysis reveals limited alignment between Beijing’s current ecological security patterns, with only 9.6% coverage of the identified top 10% conservation priority zones, especially within the metropolitan core. The study underscores significant trade-offs among different ecological objectives and multi-criteria conservation strategies. We propose an optimized conservation framework based on zonation analysis to guide targeted landscape planning decisions. This approach provides actionable insights for urban policymakers to achieve comprehensive sustainability, emphasizing the importance of protecting critical ecological areas in both urban and rural landscapes amid ongoing urban expansion.

Heath forests, or known locally as kerangas, in Indonesia and Malaysia form a distinct and understudied ecoregion. We document the distribution and ecological significance of the largest extent of kerangas in Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo. We mapped 16,586 km2 of kerangas to the nearest one square kilometre across Kalimantan, showing a significant reduction from previous estimates. About 19% of this area exists as a poorly documented mosaic landscape in Central Kalimantan’s Rungan-Kahayan region. Here, peat-based forests transition to heath and dipterocarp forests, making it difficult to reliably classify these forests for conservation planning. Using remote sensing and tree plot data, we identified three forest types—kerangas, low pole, and mixed swamp. Vegetation structure is influenced by soil, topography, and hydrology, while peat depth and elevation affect species diversity. Our findings indicate that these forests are dynamic ecosystems with diverse vegetation communities adapted to peat as well as sandy soils. Lowland heath forests in Rungan-Kahayan exhibits higher tree densities compared to other Bornean heath forests, reflecting unique ecological adaptations to challenging environments. Despite covering just 3% of Kalimantan’s forest area, these ecosystems remain largely unprotected, facing threats from land conversion and fire. Our study highlights the ecological complexity of kerangas and underscores the urgent need for targeted conservation and further research on these forests.

English learners (ELs) with disabilities are disproportionately less likely than their EL peers without disabilities to be reclassified as Fluent English Proficient (FEP) in US public schools. Research has begun to explore how state reclassification policies, specifically the criteria needed to be considered FEP, may contribute to reclassification disparities. Given the complexities of measuring and understanding English language proficiency (ELP) growth for ELs with disabilities, there have been calls for states to incorporate teacher or team input as a criterion for reclassification. Research, however, has yet to examine how teachers make sense of ELP data for ELs with disabilities and ultimately make reclassification recommendations. This qualitative case study fills this gap, investigating the data interpretation and decision-making of teachers in one urban school district. It documents how teachers’ beliefs about standardized ELP assessment data coupled with a scarcity of resources and training contributed to reclassification decision-making driven not by data but by teachers’ values and instincts.

The content learned in paediatric cardiology fellowship is variable depending on the socio-economic and geographic setting in which training takes place and may result in knowledge gaps. We highlight the key lessons learned from a recent case-based learning session, hosted by Heart University, between two programmes from different geographic and resource settings.

Childless individuals have historically faced stigma with assumptions that they lack an interest in future generations because they do not directly contribute to genetic lineage. Individuals share approximately half of their genes with siblings, 12.5% with first cousins, and 6.25% with first cousins’ children. Norwegian census data (2005−2023), reflecting similar trends to the US, UK, and other European countries, indicates a moderate difference in the number of siblings (Parents: 2.03 [women and men]; Childless: 1.88 [women], 1.94 [men]) and nieces/nephews (Parents: 3.99 [women], 4.03 [men]; Childless: 3.32 [women], 3.42 [men]) for 514,777 women and 532,834 men, respectively. By linking four generations through grandmothers, both childless and childbearing women had a slightly higher number of biological extended family members (Parents: 9.63 cousins with 15.79 children; Childless: 8.66 cousins with 12.22 children). Linking four generations for men, numbers were similar: Parents: 9.68 cousins with 15.91 children, Childless: 8.83 cousins with 12.44 children. Based on the average number of children who are parents, the childless have an average genetic fitness that is 49% of that for parents for the next generation. Both parents and childless individuals have a stake in future generations through their biological extended family.

The relative education model holds that educational attainment reflects existing socioeconomic advantages that are associated with participation rather than spurring political participation on its own. Yet, emerging research on compensation effects suggests that greater educational attainment leads to increased political engagement among more marginal populations in which political socialization is less likely to occur outside of schools. We argue that the relative education model will better describe the relationship between education and voting patterns among more advantaged groups. We test our expectations by estimating the relative education model within racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. using data from the Current Population Survey’s (CPS) Voting and Registration Supplement from 1978 to 2020. We find that for relatively highly educated White and Asian American voters, each additional year of education yields diminishing returns to turnout. For Black and Latino voters, additional years of education are positively associated with turnout regardless of relative education. The results suggest that opportunities remain to reduce racial turnout gaps and boost political participation by addressing racial gaps in educational attainment.

Government procurement is a highly important area to explore in seeking to advance the capacity of enterprises to achieve green technological innovation and promote green development more broadly. Research for this article focused on A-share listed manufacturing enterprises in Shanghai and Shenzhen as samples, and used the government procurement contract data published by the China Government Procurement Network to explore the effect on technological innovation in the manufacturing industry. The results show that government procurement has a significant and positive effect on green technology innovation. Moreover, the larger the scale of government procurement, the more obvious is the promotion effect on green innovation. A mechanism test found that government procurement can promote corporate green technology innovation by raising awareness of climate change (especially in the eastern regions of China), while a heterogeneity analysis found that government procurement promotes green invention patents more significantly than green utility model patents. Government procurement was also found to have a greater effect on enterprises without ISO14001 certification. Further analysis revealed that overall demand-side innovation procurement and supply-side innovation subsidies have a mutually reinforcing synergistic effect on firm innovation. While government synergies vary significantly depending on the policy implementation sequence, this article provides an important reference in identifying further ways to improve government procurement policies.

This research employs an enhanced Polar Operation Limit Assessment Risk Indexing System (POLARIS) and multi-scale empirical analysis methods to quantitatively evaluate the risks in icy region navigation. It emphasises the significant influence of spatial effects and external environmental factors on maritime accidents. Findings reveal that geographical location, environmental and ice conditions are crucial contributors to accidents. The models indicate that an increase in ports, traffic volume and sea ice density directly correlates with higher accident rates. Additionally, a novel risk estimation model is introduced, offering a more accurate and conservative assessment than current standards. This research enriches the understanding of maritime accidents in icy regions, and provides a robust framework for different navigation stages and conditions. The proposed strategies and model can effectively assist shipping companies in route planning and risk management to enhance maritime safety in icy regions.

Population is a key factor of national power. Declining fertility rates, especially in major economies, are reshaping global power dynamics by shrinking workforces amidst aging populations. In response, more nations are adopting techno-natalist policies, promoting reproductive technologies (“reprotech”) like IVF to increase birth rates. Advances in genetic embryo selection, gene editing, in vitro gametogenesis, and artificial wombs could further enhance these policies by improving birth rates, health, and human capital. This article examines current and emerging reprotechnologies, the policy landscape, socioeconomic and geopolitical implications, and future research directions. By shaping national and global gene pools, reprotech policies and practices offer a paradigmatic case of gene–culture coevolution. If these technologies prove safe and effective, nations that embrace them are likely to gain geopolitical and evolutionary advantages over those that do not.