We investigated the profitability of dairy-beef crossbred steers compared to their native beef counterparts. Using trial data, returns on calf-fed and yearling-fed systems of native beef and beef × dairy steers were evaluated. Beef × dairy steers in calf-fed and yearling-fed systems had greater returns than native beef calf-fed steers even with few carcass quality differences and higher total costs. Native beef yearling-fed steers had the greatest return because of low total costs while revenue remained similar among breed and treatment combinations. Results indicate that beef × dairy steers can be competitive with native beef calf-fed steers, but current economics favor native beef yearling-fed cattle.

This article examines the inscriptional narratives of the chime bells of Lord Qiu of Zeng (c. 650 bce) and Marquis Yu of Zeng (c. 500 bce). These inscriptions were carefully crafted as speeches integral to ritual performances, tailored to address the distinct political and social concerns of their donors. Through an analysis of their composition, textual content, historical context, and materiality, this article explores the messages Qiu and Yu intended to convey and the utility these narratives served via the medium of bronze bells and inscriptions. It argues that while Lord Qiu of Zeng sought to legitimize and celebrate Zeng’s superior position, Marquis Yu of Zeng aimed to affirm loyalty to Chu while simultaneously asserting Zeng’s autonomous position within Chu’s political order.

This study investigates the development of canonical proportion (CP), an indicator of speech development, across diverse language and environmental contexts. Using the Speech Maturity Dataset (SMD) comprising 366 children, aged 0;2–6;4, across 10 different languages and cultures, we explore the influence of multilingual exposure, language syllable complexity, and community type (industrialised, non-industrialised) on CP. We find that monolingual children display higher CP measures than their multilingual peers. In addition, CP is higher for children learning languages with simple syllable complexity than those with more complex syllables. We also find no significant differences in the CP trajectory of children from industrialised versus non-industrialised communities. Integrating these findings in the broader literature, we highlight the importance of diversifying participant samples to capture the complex relationship between language exposure, social environment, and language development.

The arbitration community has traditionally argued that arbitrators should be shielded from criminal liability for actions performed in their professional capacity. However, a global trend has emerged wherein criminal law is increasingly used to regulate arbitrators’ behavior. Central to the debate on the extent of arbitrators’ immunity from criminal prosecution are questions of whether such immunity is necessary to ensure the fairness of arbitral proceedings and the degree to which arbitrators can be trusted to fulfil their professional responsibilities. Although this topic has been extensively debated in legal scholarship, there has been a notable lack of empirical research on the implementation and effectiveness of these criminal provisions. This study addresses this gap by examining Mainland China’s use of criminal law to regulate arbitration. China is a particularly relevant case study due to its adoption of a controversial provision titled “Perversion of Law in Arbitration” in 2006. Critics have argued that the broadly defined language of this provision could be susceptible to abuse, potentially undermining the integrity of arbitral proceedings. By analyzing twenty-seven cases of criminal prosecution against arbitrators in China, this research evaluates whether the critics’ concerns have materialized in practice. The findings suggest that this provision has not been used in Mainland China to improperly influence arbitral decision‑making.

Arguments challenging the existence of free will frequently share a common structure, relying on variants of a principle we call Closure, according to which having no choice about a truth is preserved under entailment. We show that, under plausible assumptions, Closure is valid if and only if the ‘no choice’ operator is intensional. By framing the debate in terms of the intensionality of this operator, this paper illuminates previously underappreciated constraints on defenses of Closure-based arguments against the existence of free will.

This article examines the divergent trajectories of democratic innovations in Australia and contextualises the institutional constraints on efforts to revise and improve traditional mechanisms of political participation and decision-making. Adopting a broad definition of democratic innovations as interfaces between citizens and government designed to enhance citizen participation, it distinguishes between two main types: electoral (vote-centric) and deliberative (voice-centric) innovations. While Australia is often recognised as a global pioneer in electoral innovations, experimentation with deliberative democratic reform at the federal level remains rare and sporadic. This article identifies two contextual features that help explain the limited pathways for embedding deliberative innovations into national governance: first, the adversarial and non-deliberative nature of the Westminster-inspired majoritarian system of government and, second, the enduring influence of Australia’s settler-colonial status. Together, these factors sustain a political culture that tends towards non-listening. The article suggests ways to counter these factors by drawing insights and inspiration from creative community innovations emerging in Australia.

Peaceful transfers of power are a fundamental principle of democracy. Yet, in times of heightened affective polarisation, election losses may trigger strong negative emotional reactions in partisans, which in turn undermine support for fundamental democratic principles among partisans. We test this idea through two pre-registered survey experiments conducted after the 2022 and 2024 elections in the United States. We randomly assign partisans to receive either a placebo or an emotive reminder about the election that their party lost, containing others’ angry or worried reactions at the election outcome. Contrary to our pre-registered expectations, we do not find evidence that priming negative feelings about electoral loss affects support for political violence or democratic norms. Emotive reminders about salient political events can momentarily turn up the heat on politics, but are not enough to propel partisans to adopt extreme anti-democratic attitudes. By linking the study of emotions to democratic norms, this article contributes to our understanding of when negative emotions (fail to) radicalise partisans.

This study investigated effects of fermented feed from broccoli stems and leaves (FBSL) on the growth performance, gut microbiota and carcass quality of Jinhua pigs. A total of 36 Jinhua pigs (54.50 ± 1.76 kg) were divided into two groups: control group fed basal diet, FBSL group fed basal diet containing 10% FBSL. The results showed that compared with the CON group, the average daily weight gain, lean meat percentage, loin eye area, pork redness, myoglobin content and inosine monophosphate content in FBSL group were increased by 7.31%, 5.69%, 11.03%, 18.88%, 26.50% and 30.32%, respectively (P < 0.05). Compared to the CON groups, the three-point backfat thickness, and the drip loss were decreased in FBSL group by 14.37% and 18.84%, respectively (P < 0.05). In the dorsal subcutaneous fat, the mRNA expression levels of DGAT1, DGAT2, FADS1 and PPARG were significantly decreased (P < 0.05), while INSIG1, CPT1A and CPT2 were significantly increased (P < 0.05); the contents of acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid in colon were significantly increased (P < 0.05). High-throughput sequencing results indicated that at the phylum level, the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes in the FBSL group was significantly increased, while the relative abundance of Proteobacteria was decreased significantly (P < 0.05); at the genus level, the relative abundances of Lactobacillus, Prevotella-9 and Treponema were significantly increased, while Escherichia was decreased significantly (P < 0.05). Quantitative real-time PCR results showed that the relative abundances of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium were significantly increased, while Escherichia coli was decreased significantly (P < 0.05). Results suggest FBSL improves the growth performance and carcass quality of Jinhua pigs by optimizing gut microbiota structure, increasing the content of gut short-chain fatty acids, and affecting the expression of lipid metabolism-related genes.

Drylands account for a disproportionate share of the world’s armed conflicts, a pattern frequently interpreted through the lens of resource scarcity – where climate change and water stress are seen as primary drivers of violence. While this framing underscores critical environmental pressures, it risks simplifying the complex social, ecological and political realities of these regions. This article critically examines the climate-conflict narrative surrounding Syria, which posits that drought-induced agricultural collapse and rural outmigration significantly contributed to the onset of civil war. Building on this critique, the paper advocates for a broader conceptual shift – viewing drylands not solely as zones of vulnerability, but as landscapes of endurance. In these regions, communities often navigate both extreme climatic conditions and chronic insecurity, which together constrain agricultural productivity and perpetuate poverty. This perspective highlights the adaptive capacities of dryland populations and the lessons they offer for understanding survival under compound stress. It also challenges dominant narratives and opens space for interdisciplinary approaches that integrate quantitative and qualitative perspectives. The article calls for a more nuanced research agenda that centers lived experience, long-term adaptation and the interplay between environmental and political pressures.