Focusing on Iberian rye, we explain how social opinion about crops can influence botanical scholars’ studies and breeding engineers’ research. Rye was an essential plant in some agricultural systems of the Iberian Peninsula for centuries because of its resistance. However, despite rye’s superiority over other cereals in adverse environments, its inferior position compared to wheat regarding food preferences helps to explain a lower consumption and an overall adverse social reputation. The early botanical investigation that formed the basis of later scientific research reflected this appreciation. Thus, with such weak foundations, given the lack of interest, when Iberian rye engineering began to develop in the 20th century, it looked abroad to find varieties of agronomic interest, barely studying native landraces. Analysing this phenomenon is a significant step towards drawing attention to a multifunctional plant adapted to the territory, which can offer solutions to present food and environmental challenges.

Cotton production in the Texas High Plains faces significant challenges due to water scarcity resulting from uneven rainfall patterns and declining levels of the Ogallala Aquifer. Deficit or reduced irrigation is one of the most common water management strategies to increase water use efficiency and cotton productivity in the region. However, deficit irrigation can affect the efficacy of herbicides on weeds. This study investigates how varying irrigation levels affect herbicide efficacy on weeds in cotton production systems. A 2-yr field study was conducted at Texas Tech University Quaker Research Farm in 2023 and 2024. The experiment was randomized three times in a split-plot design with two irrigation levels: I1 (100% crop evapotranspiration [ETc] replacement) and I2 (50% ETc replacement) as the main plot factor and different preemergent and postemergent herbicide combinations as the subplot factor. Results indicated that reducing the irrigation level to I2 did not affect the total weed density or biomass production but resulted in decreased Palmer amaranth height and biomass production compared to I1. Among herbicide treatments, acetochlor, prometryn, or S-metolachlor applied preemergence followed by glyphosate + acetochlor, prometryn, or S-metolachlor applied postemergence provided the most effective weed control, reducing total weed density, Palmer amaranth weed density, and biomass compared with the untreated control and to preemergence herbicides applied alone. Although I2 resulted in lower plant height in both years than I1, it produced comparable cotton biomass and lint yield. Among the herbicide treatments, a preemergence application followed by a postemergence application of glyphosate + residual herbicide yielded significantly higher lint yield than the untreated control in both years. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that deficit irrigation is an effective water conservation technique that maintains cotton yield and herbicide efficacy. Additionally, using preemergence fb postemergence herbicide combinations, farmers can achieve effective weed control and sustain cotton productivity in semiarid regions.

Triplet pregnancies are linked to a higher risk of maternal and fetal complications compared to twins and singletons. Chorionicity has been suggested as a key factor influencing perinatal and maternal outcomes in triplet pregnancies; however, more evidence is needed to clarify its role. This study aimed to assess the impact of chorionicity on adverse maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes in triplet pregnancies. This retrospective observational study was conducted on triplet pregnancies delivered between 2010 and 2025 at Florence University Hospital, a tertiary referral maternity center. A total of 77 triplet pregnancies were included, 51 trichorionic and 26 nontrichorionic, resulting in the delivery of 214 newborns. Maternal characteristics and obstetric, fetal, and neonatal complications were compared based on chorionicity. Multivariate logistic regression analyses identified complications most strongly associated with chorionicity, after adjusting for maternal age, mode of conception, and gestational age at delivery. Women with nontrichorionic triplet pregnancies had higher risks of delivering earlier and postpartum hemorrhage. Their newborns had significantly lower birth weights, a greater need for neonatal intensive care admission and respiratory support, and higher rates of hypoglycemia and sepsis. The multivariate logistic regression confirmed nontrichorionicity as an independent factor associated with earlier delivery and postpartum hemorrhage. Chorionicity plays an essential role in determining the prognosis of triplet pregnancies. Nontrichorionic pregnancies are strongly linked to earlier delivery, lower birth weights, and increased neonatal complications. These findings are useful for counseling patients, helping them understand specific risks based on chorionicity, although intensive prenatal care remains critical for all triplet pregnancies.

We present an explicit geometric invariant theory construction which produces both the minimal resolution of the type $D_4$ surface singularity, and also the orbifold resolution. Our construction is based on a Tannakian approach which is in principle applicable to larger groups.

Catatonia can be associated with a diverse range of conditions, including autoimmune encephalitis. Although rare, autoimmune encephalitis accounts for a significant proportion of catatonia cases with autoimmune aetiologies. In instances where autoimmune mechanisms are suspected, autoantibody testing is a key component of the diagnostic evaluation. However, test results should always be interpreted in conjunction with clinical findings. This article highlights the diagnostic challenges involved, advocating for structured diagnostic algorithms and timely initiation of immune therapy in carefully selected cases – particularly when antibody confirmation is absent. It revisits the paper, ‘Retrospective chart review of cases with steroid-responsive catatonia: exploring a potential autoimmune etiology’.

This article examines the lexicon for “gift” in the Gāndhārī epigraphical corpus, focusing on three key word-forms: G. dana-, danamuha- and deyadhaṃma-. These terms, which denote the meaning of “gift”, appear 36, 111 and 14 times respectively (both as single words and as compound constituents) in Gāndhārī inscriptions currently recorded in the CKI. Despite their frequent appearance, existing scholarship has primarily restricted itself to identifying their synonymous functions or analysing their grammatical construction in the case of the two compounds. No comprehensive study has yet catalogued all occurrences of these word-forms, traced their semantic development or examined the reasons behind their changing usage over time. This article addresses this gap by providing a complete inventory of the occurrences of these word-forms in the Gāndhārī epigraphical corpus and examining their use in non-Gāndhārī sources. It also presents a semantic analysis, exploring their synchronic and diachronic relationships within Gāndhārī inscriptions.

Debate about borderline personality disorder (BPD) has intensified, with some proposing its absorption into complex post-traumatic stress disorder and others questioning whether the diagnosis is harmful. These debates often obscure the central issue of construct validity. This paper evaluates whether BPD constitutes a coherent clinical entity. Drawing on Robins and Guze’s classic diagnostic validators – symptom specificity, heritability, course of illness, biological markers and treatment response – the evidence demonstrates that BPD is a robustly validated psychiatric disorder that should be retained in future classification systems. Concerns about stigma and dimensional models are considered but do not undermine its empirical grounding.

Executive attention, an underlying mechanisms enabling self-regulation, can be behaviorally indicated by post-error slowing (PES) – a delay in reaction time following an error. PES develops during early childhood – plausibly shaped by genetic and environmental factors. We tested whether mothers’ and children’s PES predicted their post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms during a real-life stressful situation, and how each one’s PTSD symptoms moderated the other’s. Ninety-five kindergarten-aged children and mother pairs participated. In T1, participants’ PES was measured during a laboratory task. About 1.5 years afterwards, six months after a national traumatic event, mothers reported their own and their child’s PTSD symptoms (T2). Key findings show that for mothers with high PTSD symptoms, children with more developed PES at T1 showed less PTSD symptoms at T2. In contrast, for mothers with low PTSD symptoms, children’s PES was unrelated to their PTSD symptoms. For mothers of children with high PTSD symptoms, those with less developed PES at T1 showed high PTSD symptoms at T2. Mothers of children with low symptoms showed no such relation. The models explained 61.1% of children’s and 51% of mothers’ PTSD symptoms. These findings provide evidence for the protective effect of self-regulation against PTSD, and the mutual dyadic moderating effects of its manifestation.

Contemporary historians of philosophy almost universally embrace the idea that the young Plato had a close, personal relationship with the historical Socrates. Many refuse to countenance a similar status for Plato’s contemporary, Xenophon. This note takes as its focus a novel argument intended to support the claim that Xenophon was never on intimate terms with Socrates or even privy to reliable information about him. The reply offered here has implications far beyond this apparently narrow focus, however, and points to pervasive biases in Socratic studies generally that remain in sore need of correction.

In this paper, I attempt to interpret Kant’s early reported thesis that the historical practice of senicide (i.e., killing the elderly) among certain Inuit communities constituted a ‘loving service’ and was ‘to some degree justified’ insofar as it was carried out to prevent one’s parents from facing a ‘more ignominious death’. On my interpretation, Kant’s verdict on Inuit senicide sheds new light on a core idea within his mature ethics – that persons are obligated to preserve themselves for as long as they remain a subject of duty. As I argue, Kant’s verdict implies that those subject to senicide were no longer bound by the duty of self-preservation insofar as they were no longer able to live as persons with inviolable moral dignity. If my argument holds, this invites further exploration of the relationship between Kant’s notion of dignity and the duty of self-preservation in the broader context of end-of-life decision-making.

Contention about representations of history and the purposes of History education has long surrounded Japanese History textbooks. From 2012, the ascent of powerful nationalist Prime Minister Abe Shinzō raised questions about possible political pressures on textbook content. This article analyzes recent market-leading junior high school and high school History textbooks to discover how pedagogical format and content related to controversial topics or national identity have changed since 2012. It finds that leading junior high school textbooks have largely maintained their representation of controversial topics, while developing investigative, analytic pedagogical approaches. Coverage of some aspects of ethnic and cultural diversity within Japan has increased. Following the implementation of a new curriculum from 2022, some high school textbooks for the new compulsory subject “Integrated History” facilitate a more analytic, “disciplinary” pedagogy than previously evident in compulsory high school History. Nonetheless, an “enhancing collective memory” approach to History pedagogy remains central throughout secondary education. These developments suggest that power over History education in Japan is distributed between a range of actors. The state, the market, and social pressures all influence the content of History textbooks in Japan.

This article traces the contours of the history of women’s education in England and Ireland in the period 1850-2000, mapping dominant themes and key inflection points. Positing a framework for reading degrees of change over time, we propose four interrelated lenses: access, curriculum, institutional presence, and networks. Drawing on key contributions to the field, we argue that women’s engagement with higher education has followed a complex and uneven trajectory, reflective of the shifting sands of attitudes and accommodations toward women across time, space, and discipline.

Emperor penguins are highly reliant on stable fast ice for successful breeding, and some studies project possible quasi-extinction for most colonies by 2100 due to future sea-ice loss. To better understand the future response of emperor penguins to ocean-climate warming and the possibility of major changes to their habitat, it is essential to better understand how colonies have responded to past changes in ice conditions. In this study, we identify the historical locations of the SANAE, Astrid and Mertz colonies in all available Landsat 4–9, Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflections satellite (ASTER) and Sentinel-2 imagery for the period 1984–2024. We record the location and surface type of the colonies’ breeding locations each year while also recording major calving events, early fast-ice breakouts, distance to the fast-ice edge, and colony location span within a season. The results show that colonies usually return to approximately the same sites annually, but we observe variations due to major calving events. Following such events at Mertz (2010) and SANAE (2011), colonies relocate to different sites, where they may be more vulnerable to early fast-ice breakout or must travel longer distances to the fast-ice edge. In subsequent years, the colonies eventually return to sites close to their original location. Additionally, we observe early fast-ice breakouts that may impact breeding success at Mertz and SANAE colonies, including as early as September at Mertz (2016). Such breakouts coincide with both broader sea-ice lows and variations in colony location. Furthermore, all three colonies move onto the adjacent ice shelf in some years (and at Astrid and Mertz, also icebergs), including when stable fast ice is available, suggesting that this behaviour may be more common than previously thought. Observation of these behaviours contributes to broader understanding of emperor penguins’ adaptability and will aid future efforts to model the response of the species to ice loss.

In this study, we review interpretations and connections of chance-corrected agreement coefficients with quadratic weights, applicable when raters classify objects or subjects on an ordinal scale. Whereas correlation interpretations exist for coefficients with noninterchangeable raters, represented by Cohen’s two-rater and Conger’s multirater kappas, interpretations are essentially absent for interchangeable raters, represented by Fleiss’ kappa and its two-rater version, Scott’s pi. We show that Fleiss’ quadratically weighted kappa equals Lin’s generalized concordance correlation coefficient after recentering the rater means and covariance matrix at the grand mean. Furthermore, it equals the Pearson product–moment correlation and associated regression slope for two random raters, computed after concatenating the ratings from all possible rater pairs, including reversed rater order. Next, we demonstrate that Fleiss’ and Conger’s quadratically weighted kappas are linear transformations of each other, entirely determined by the pairwise differences in rater means and corresponding variances. As these kappas coincide if the rater means coincide, the conceptual distinction between interchangeable and noninterchangeable raters becomes empirically irrelevant if raters have (approximately) the same mean rating, even with substantially different rating distributions. Finally, Fleiss’ quadratically weighted kappa (i.e., interchangeable raters) cannot exceed Conger’s (i.e., noninterchangeable raters).

Confronting and eliminating the injustice of the slave trade and slavery were crucial to the mission of the Church Missionary Society and its mid-19th-century ‘Upper Niger’ missionary agents in Nigeria. The native CMS missionaries on the Niger, led by Samuel Adjai Crowther, held a dual identity as subjects of the British Government (via the British colony of Sierra Leone) and as native members in their host communities. They were freed slaves or children of freed slaves who returned from Sierra Leone to serve in the natal regions from which they or their parents had been deported as slaves. They were the ones who purveyed the Christian ‘laws of God’. The influence of the British government, manifest, for example, in British consular oversight and in the frequent visits of imperial gunboats, also constituted them into subjects with the responsibility to espouse British law, ‘the laws of England’, and especially abolition and anti-slavery, in their Niger mission stations. But they were politically dependent on the support and approval of their politically autonomous hosts, whose structure of justice, ‘the laws of the land’, still accommodated slavery. This essay explores how these native CMS missionaries navigated among these conflictual juridical and moral spheres of responsibility.