The technique of inter-simple sequence repeat-polymerase chain reaction (ISSR-PCR) was used to fingerprint blackgram (Vigna mungo) genotypes in order to differentiate them at a molecular level. Twenty-four primers were used to analyse 11 blackgram genotypes. The genotypes used in the study could be differentiated based on combined amplification profiles generated by two primers (UBC primer numbers 808 (AG)8C and 826 (AC)8C). It was observed that 3′-anchored repeat primers based on (AG) and (GA) repeats amplified a greater number of bands than 3′-anchored repeat primers of (CA) and (AC) repeats. This result perhaps indicates that GA/AG repeats are more frequent than CA/AC repeats in the blackgram genome.

An international consortium of radiocarbon laboratories has established the origin of the Church of St. Margaret of Antioch in Kopčany (Slovakia), because its age was not well known from previous investigations. In total, 13 samples of charcoal, wood, mortar, and plaster were analyzed. The 14C results obtained from the different laboratories, as well as between the different sample types, were in good agreement. Resulting the final 14C calibrated age of the Church, based on dating a single piece of a wooden levelling rod is 774–884 AD (95.4% confidence level), which is in very good agreement with Bayesian modeling result based on dating of wood, charcoal and mortar samples (788–884 AD, 95.4% confidence level). The probability distribution from OxCal calibration shows that 79% of the probability distribution lies in the period before 863 AD, implying that the Church could have been constructed before the arrival of Constantine (St. Cyril) and St. Methodius to Great Moravia. If we take as the terminus post quem the documented date of consecration of the church in Nitrava (828 AD), the Bayesian modeling suggests the age of the Church in the range of 837–884 AD (95.4% confidence level). Although the 14C results have very good precision, the specific plateau shape of the calibration curve in this period caused a wide range of the calibrated age. The Church represents, together with the St. George’s Rotunda in Nitrianska Blatnica, probably the oldest standing purpose-built Christian church in the eastern part of Central Europe.

Twenty-five years ago, the publication of an article by Pallier, Colomé, and Sebastián-Gallés (2001) launched a new and rapidly evolving research program on how second language (L2) learners represent the phonological forms of words in their mental lexicons. Many insights are starting to form an overall picture of the unique difficulties for establishing functional and precise phonolexical representations in L2; however, for the field to move forward it is pertinent to outline its major emerging research questions and existing challenges. Among significant obstacles for further research, the paper explores the current lack of theoretical agreement on the concept of phonolexical representations and the underlying mechanism involved in establishing them, as well as the variable use of the related terminology (e.g., fuzziness and target-likeness). Methodological challenges involved in investigating phonological processing and phonolexical representations as well as their theoretical implications are also discussed. To conclude, we explore the significance of L2-specific phonological representations for the bottom-up lexical access during casual, conversational speech and how our emerging knowledge of L2 lexical representations can be applied in an instructional setting as two potentially fruitful research avenues at the forefront of the current research agenda.

Traditional wisdom dictates that statistical model outputs are estimates, not measurements. Despite this, statistical models are employed as measurement instruments in the social sciences. In this article, I scrutinize the use of a specific model—the logit model—for psychological measurement. Given the adoption of a criterion for measurement that I call comparability, I show that the logit model fails to yield measurements due to properties that follow from its fixed residual variance.

The technique of excised embryos was employed to facilitate the propagation of Podophyllum emodi derived from seeds collected at the different elevation zones of Himachal Pradesh, India. Seed germination was low, irrespective of stage of seed development or zone of collection. Germination was improved significantly (89.14%) in the partially mature and mature seeds collected from alpine and temperate zones when excised embryos were cultured on basal B5 medium. Leaf emergence and plant establishment in the field was also significantly higher in the plants raised through this technique, despite hypocotyl dormancy. The technique was successfully employed for the production of plants to be reintroduced in large numbers into their habitat in the Great Himalayan National Park.

Despite the added value of multisystem (relative to traditional single-system) approaches for characterizing biological processes linked to risk for psychopathology (e.g., neuroendocrine stress responsivity; Buss et al., 2019; Quas et al., 2014), no study to date has evaluated whether multisystem processes may serve as viable biological targets of intervention. Utilizing a multiple-levels-of-analysis approach (Cicchetti & Dawson, 2002), this person-centered study examined whether stress-adapted patterns of hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and sympathetic-adrenomedullary (SAM) system co-activation were amenable to change following the Building a Strong Identity and Coping Skills intervention (BaSICS; Wadsworth et al., 2022). Preadolescents exposed to concentrated poverty (n = 112, Mage = 11.78 years, 57.1% female, 54% assigned to intervention; 40% Hispanic, 63% Black, 20% White) completed questionnaires and the Trier Social Stress Test at both pre- and posttest. Multitrajectory modeling of cortisol and alpha-amylase levels identified four pretest and posttest HPA-SAM co-activation profiles. At pretest, youth exhibiting Asymmetric Nos. 1 & 2 HPA-SAM co-activation reported greater maladjustment relative to youth with Symmetric Nos. 1 & 2 co-activation. Youth exhibiting Asymmetric No. 1 co-activation at pretest were more likely to exhibit Symmetric No. 1 co-activation following BaSICS relative to control. Findings highlight the potential of BaSICS to restore neuroendocrine stress response function in impoverished youth, pointing to HPA–SAM co-activation as a potential biological target of preventive intervention in this population.

The 17 Brazilian species of Adesmia DC were analysed, using 20 primers, with regard to their randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) patterns. From a total of 357 individuals analysed, the 20 primers produced 2249 fragments with molecular sizes ranging from 200 to 2700 bp, 56% of which were polymorphic. Average intra-population genetic similarity, estimated by Jaccard's coefficient, ranged from 0.35 in A. araujoi to 0.80 in A. punctata. Mean intra-specific genetic similarity varied greatly among species, ranging from 0.19 for A. tristis to 0.89 for A. arillata. Mean genetic similarity among the species, estimated by Dice's coefficient, was 0.56. RAPD markers were efficient at separating all the accessions analysed. The results obtained generally agreed with the partition of genetic variability expected according to the mode of reproduction.

Governance institutions such as the Arctic Council face ongoing (de)legitimation that impacts the broader legitimacy beliefs which enable them to govern effectively. Research has increasingly studied how different actors engage in legitimation and delegitimation that bolster or challenge legitimacy, but there has been limited study of the variation in the (de)legitimation practices of individual states and the reasons for this variation. This article studies variation in discursive (de)legitimation of the Arctic Council by the United States and China. It advances a theoretical argument for how this variation in (de)legitimation is driven by broader political developments. Using content analysis, it maps these two states’ (de)legitimation of the Arctic Council over a 12-year period and examines evidence for this theory. The article finds that both states vary considerably in their (de)legitimation of the Arctic Council over time. Changes in the intensity of their (de)legitimation are found to be linked to political developments including heightened security tensions, positive/negative shifts in environmental politics, and institutional changes. This contributes empirical evidence and new theoretical insights to the body of research about how different actors engage in (de)legitimation of global governance.

Wild species of rice possess tremendous genetic variations and harbour resistance genes for biotic stresses. Bacterial blight (BB), caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), is a major disease affecting rice production globally. The current study characterized 116 accessions from 17 species of Oryza for BB disease during three seasons viz., kharif 2020, rabi 2020–21, kharif 2021 using an isolate of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) strain IX-020. A total of 40 accessions including Oryza rufipogon, O. nivara, O. officinalis and O. australiensis showed consistence resistance to the bacterial blight disease across the seasons. These accessions were further subjected to molecular characterization using 11 Xa genes viz., Xa4, xa5, xa13, Xa21, Xa23, Xa27(t), Xa32(t), Xa33, Xa35(t), Xa38 and xa41 with gene-specific markers to ascertain the novelty. Some key resistance genes such as Xa4, Xa23, Xa27(t), Xa32(t), Xa33, Xa35(t) and xa41 were detected in multiple accessions, with O. rufipogon and O. eichingeri harbouring particularly complex combinations of these genes. Notably, several accessions viz., IC521672 (O. nivara), EC861665 (O. officinalis), EC861677 (O. latifolia), EC861711 (O. punctata) and EC861738 (O. eichingeri) did not show the presence of any known genes indicating the possibility of novel genetic loci conferring BB resistance in these wild species. These promising accessions identified in the study are potential novel sources for bacterial leaf blight resistance in rice and will be useful for the development of durable bacterial blight resistance rice cultivars.

The distribution theory for discrete-time renewal–reward processes with dependent rewards is developed through the derivation of double transforms. By dependent, we mean the more realistic setting in which the reward for an interarrival period is dependent on the duration of the associated interarrival time. The double transforms are the generating functions in time of the time-dependent reward probability-generating functions. Residue and saddlepoint approximations are used to invert such double transforms so that the reward distribution at arbitrary time n can be accurately approximated. In addition, double transforms are developed for the first-passage time distribution that the cumulative reward exceeds a fixed threshold amount. These distributions are accurately approximated by inverting the double transforms using residue and saddlepoint approximation methods. The residue methods also provide asymptotic expansions for moments and allow for the proof of central limit theorems related to these first passage times and reward amounts.