PLOS ONE

Background: Training context may shape motivation, perceived effort, confidence, mood, and satisfaction during exercise, but evidence from real-world self-reported samples remains limited. This dataset includes 155 respondents and compares individuals who reported training mainly alone with those who reported training mainly in groups. Objective: To describe the sample, summarize questionnaire responses, and discuss an analytically appropriate framework for comparing perceived psychological and performance-related dimensions across training contexts. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted using questionnaire data exported to Excel from a convenience sample of physically active adults. Baseline variables included age group, sex, education, training history, weekly training frequency, and preferred training modality. Fourteen Likert-type items were recorded; however, the questionnaire structure was asymmetric, with the first seven items completed only by respondents training mainly in groups and the second seven available across the full sample, including 116 respondents training mainly alone and 39 training mainly in groups. Descriptive statistics were summarized as counts and percentages for categorical variables and as mean, standard deviation, median, and interquartile range for ordinal items. For inferential comparisons on comparable ordinal outcomes, the prespecified approach was the Mann-Whitney U test, with multivariable ordinal regression considered for adjusted analysis. Results: The final sample comprised 155 respondents, of whom 116 mainly trained alone and 39 mainly trained in groups. The distribution of training modality was therefore substantially unbalanced toward individual training. Across the seven items available in the full sample, median responses were generally centered around 3, suggesting moderate or neutral-to-mild agreement overall. Mean values for these items ranged approximately from 2.65 to 3.32, whereas group-specific items in the group-training block were generally higher, with means often above 4.0, although those items were not directly comparable across modalities because they were only completed in one subgroup. Accordingly, the most defensible interpretation is descriptive: the sample suggests broadly moderate perceived benefits of training context, but the questionnaire structure limits strong head-to-head causal or comparative claims.

Abstract Background: Nurse educators in various health training institutions guide and prepare trainee nurses to be well equipped to write the Nursing Licensure Examination. They also draw on research in nursing education to shape their teaching practice. Most studies on nursing education to date have focused solely on predicting factors that may affect the academic performance of trainee nurses, with little to no attention given to the experiences that trainee nurses who are unable to pass their licensing examination encounter. This study presents the voices of trainee nurses who were unsuccessful at their first attempt at the licensing examination, their responses to failure, their perspectives of the factors that contributed to their failure, and the changes they made that led to subsequent success. Methodology: A qualitative research methodology that employed a descriptive phenomenological approach was used to explore the lived experience of trainee nurses who were unable to pass their licensing examination on the first attempt. Results: The results revealed common themes related to the psychosocial experiences, perceived causes of failure in the licensing examination, and successful remediation strategies for resitting the examination. The study revealed that shock, sadness, suicidal thoughts, social isolation, and a feeling of retardation are some of the psychosocial experiences that nurses who are unable to pass the licensing examination on first attempt encounter. Regarding the perceived causes of failure, participants acknowledged the role of personal behaviors such as prioritizing recreational activities over study time alongside distracting peer influences. To cope with and overcome failure, candidates relied on comprehensive family support (emotional and financial), encouragement from tutors and friends, spiritual support, and collaborative peer group studies using past examination questions, which ultimately enabled them to pass on their subsequent attempt. Recommendations: The study recommends that health training institutions implement a program for nurses who are unsuccessful in the licensing examination to support their efforts to pass the examination on a subsequent attempt.

Populations are denser in the urban areas where there is inadequate arable land for farming. This calls for innovative use of limited spaces in sac farming to produce food to augment household nutrition. The study determined the feasibility of cultivating and comparing the performance of different frafra potato varieties in polypropylene sacs. A Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with six treatments, each having three replications, was used. Each treatment was a variety of frafra potato, cultivated on a polypropylene sac filled with nutrient-enriched soil. The data collected was analyzed using STATA 15.0. The results show that plants having leaves with the largest leaf area in 2021 (20.54 (8.41) cm2) and in 2022 (19.98 (7.83) cm2) were in the MAL variety. The greatest number of leaves (417.11 (255.26)) were produced by the WAP variety in 2021 but by the MAM variety (349.33 (154.63)) in 2022. Plants having the longest vines in 2021 were in the MAM strain (41.24 (22.01) cm) but in the NAT variety (39.93 (21.54) cm) in 2022. In 2021, the highest yield of tubers was 5.56 (0.23) t/ha in the MAL variety with the lowest yield (1.59 (1.27)) t/ha recorded in the LOV strain. In 2022, the NUP variety produced the highest yield (1.91 (0.40)) (t/ha) with the WAP strain producing the lowest (0.87 (0.50)) (t/ha). The data shows that it is feasible to cultivate frafra potatoes on polypropylene sacs. In the main, all the frafra potato varieties produced considerable quantities of vegetative organ biomass and root tubers with the MAL, NAT and NUP varieties performing better. Therefore, though further investigation is required to draw an appropriate conclusion, these varieties may be recommended for cultivation on polypropylene sacs to produce food for both humans and livestock consumption.

Investigating Changes Detection in Land Use and Land Cover Analysis of Opencast Singareni Coal Mine Area Using Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques was the focus of the current investigation. Change Detection Analysis for Land Use Land Cover over a decade frequency (2005-2015) of cultivated soils surrounding OpenCast Coal Mine areas namely Ramakrishnapur, Srirampur and Medipalli of Telangana State.AWiFS data of IRS Resoursesat Satellite images of 2005 and 2015 were taken for the detection of temporal variation in Land use/ Land cover due to open cast coal mining.The ability of remote sensing techniques to produce precise spatiotemporal statistics of LULC and its changes in the typical coal mining region has been demonstrated, in open cast coal mining per year was the highest at Ramakrishnapur (@ 300 ha / year) followed by Srirampur (@ 150 ha / year) and Medipalli (@ 100 ha / year).At Ramakrishnapur with the onset of mining there was considerable decrease in agricultural land, shallow water bodies and deciduous forests i.e., conversion of these land uses to mining was evident. Whereas, at other two mining sites (Srirampur and Medipalli) conversion of scrubland followed by shallow water bodies, agriculture lands and deciduous forests into mining area was detected. However, the built-up land at all three-mining site was from cultivated lands and at Medipalli and Srirampur it was also contributed from scrubland. On the whole impact of open cast mining on deep water bodies was not detected. If the mining and surrounding regions continued and appropriate use of the land and water resources at hand, careful long-term planning is of utmost importance.

University campuses function as important refugia for biodiversity within an increasingly urbanizing landscape. Magadh University (MU) is among the oldest universities of Bihar, India, located in Bodh Gaya, a place of spiritual tourism, near a UNESCO heritage site. The campus hosts a mosaic of heterogeneous habitats, rich vegetation and dense canopy cover along with varied range of anthropogenic interferences. This study mainly focusses on measuring the alpha diversity of avifaunal species and persistence across four seasons from July 2025 to June 2026 at MU. A total of 78 bird species belonging to 41 families and 16 orders were recorded using a combination of point count, line transect and acoustic monitoring. The study revealed that the order Passeriformes was the most species-rich (47.44%). Muscicapidae was the most species-rich family (6 species). Relatively high Shannon diversity (H') = 3.278, low Simpson's dominance (D = 0.062) and a high Pielou's evenness (J) = 0.751 indicated the avian community was distributed across diverse assemblage. Species richness estimates from Chao1 (78.5), iChao1 (79.02) and ACE (79.53) were comparable to recorded 78 species, indicating sampling completeness. Observed species were further classified into five major feeding guilds, majority of which were insectivorous species. 77 of the observed species were classified as Least Concern while Coracias benghalensis was categorized as Near Threatened. These findings demonstrate that the MU campus supports significant taxonomic, functional and temporal avian assemblage, highlighting the conservation values of the campus landscapes within rapidly urbanizing regions.

Accurate species identification is fundamental for understanding insect pest diversity and developing effective management strategies. Wheat aphids are among the most destructive insect pests worldwide, yet comprehensive molecular confirmation of species diversity in Bangladesh has been lacking. This study employed an integrative taxonomic approach combining DNA barcoding and morphological characterization to identify wheat aphid species collected from major wheat-growing regions of Bangladesh. Aphid specimens were sampled from 11 locations across four districts during the 2024-2025 wheat growing season. A partial fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) gene was amplified and sequenced, followed by BLAST analysis, phylogenetic reconstruction using the Maximum Likelihood method, genetic distance estimation, and detailed morphometric analyses. COI sequence analysis identified five wheat aphid species: Sitobion avenae, Rhopalosiphum padi, R. maidis, R. rufiabdominalis, and Hysteroneura setariae. Sitobion avenae was the predominant species, occurring across all surveyed regions. BLAST similarity ranged from 99.68% to 100%, confirming reliable species-level identification. Phylogenetic analysis grouped all specimens into five well-supported species-specific clades with strong bootstrap support (97-100%), corroborating molecular identification. Pairwise genetic distance analysis revealed very low intraspecific divergence (0.0-0.18%) and clear interspecific divergence (4.9-11.9%), indicating strong genetic discrimination among species. Morphological and morphometric analyses further distinguished the five species, with significant interspecific differences (P < 0.0001) observed for body length, antennal length, tubercle width, cauda length, and cornicle length. The concordance between molecular and morphological evidence demonstrates the robustness of the integrative taxonomic framework. This study provides the first comprehensive molecular and morphological characterization of wheat aphid species in Bangladesh, establishing a reliable baseline for biodiversity assessment, pest surveillance, insecticide resistance monitoring, and the development of evidence-based integrated pest management strategies to support sustainable wheat production amid changing agroecological conditions.

Currently, a significant proportion of young people are discouraged by the teaching of botany and, consequently, show little interest in preserving local biodiversity. On the other hand, with the recurrent use of digital technologies (DTs), young people have shown significant interest in virtual devices. Our project's tested the hypothesis whether plants awareness disparity in public school students was overcome through active teaching and learning. Thus, the objective was to investigate the use of active methodology in a non-formal teaching environment (e.g., sensory garden, SG) in order to stimulate learning in plant organography based on its evaluation using digital games. Our proposal was investigated at the Lagoa do Sino campus (Buri/SP, Brazil) in partnership with the Public School System of the Municipality of Campina do Monte Alegre/SP, Brazil. Furthermore, students were divided into two teams, which applied qualitative methodologies, such as that one of these (Team A) had face-to-face contact with the SG, using the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) methodology, digital game and survey. Team B, on the other hand, will only have contact with the game. After collecting the data, we verified statistically significant differences between the teams using the Wilcoxon test and based on the latent traits evaluated. Given this, the literature points out that discouraging students influences their learning and, consequently, their education. In addition, our considerations are based on the latent trait knowledge of botany and, thus, we reject our null hypothesis and accept our alternative hypothesis. On the other hand, based on the latent trait of plant perception, we cannot affirm the acceptance or rejection of the hypotheses. It is worth noting that future studies should have a larger number of participants than this research in order to better evaluate what is intended.

Introduction: Professionalism is a conceptualization of obligations, attributes, interactions, attitudes, and role behaviors required for professionals with individual clients and to the society as a whole. Despite there is a known effect of low professionalism of nurses on health care delivery system, the study determining professionalism and affecting factors in Ethiopia is limited in to a few numbers. Therefore this study was aimed to assess perceived level of professionalism and associated factors among nurses working in Hadiya Zone public hospitals, south Ethiopia. Methods: An institution based concurrent mixed cross sectional study was conducted from May 09 to June 09/2022. A total of 376 nurses were selected by using Computer generated Simple random sampling techniques for quantitative study whereas Purposive sampling technique was used to select qualitative study participants. Epi data version 4.6 was used to enter the data whereas Statistical package for social science version 25 was used for the analysis of quantitative data. Ordinal logistic regression model was used to identify effects of independents on outcome variable. Results: A total of 360 nurses participated in the study with a response rate of 95.7%. The overall low perceived professionalism among nurses working in Hadiya zone found to be 40.3%. Variables such as Educational status (AOR= 0.045 (0.021, 0.096), Sense of accomplishment (AOR= 3.21(1.85, 5.55), and participating in professional associations (AOR= 5.302(2.82, 9.96) were significantly associated with professionalism. Qualitative study finding showed Salary, training, upgrading education; undermining nursing profession, inadequate facilities were the raised influencing factors of professionalism. Conclusion: This study revealed that professionalism among nurses was low and the associated factors were; level of education, taking training, participating in professional organizations, and sense of accomplishment. Ethiopian nursing association and Ministry of Health should focus on developing nurses professionalism.

Introduction: Nursing students experience stress arising from demanding academic requirements and emotionally challenging clinical placements, which may affect wellbeing, learning, and programme retention. This study explored perceptions of stress, its impacts, and coping experiences within undergraduate nursing education among nursing students and educators in New Zealand. Methods: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted with six undergraduate nursing students and six nurse educators at a New Zealand university. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using inductive reflexive thematic analysis, with interpretation informed by the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping. Results: Three themes were identified: stress from multiple sources, stress shaping wellbeing and learning, and navigating stress through appraisal and coping. Stress arose from academic, clinical, personal, and social demands and affected academic engagement, health, and relationships. Participants described varied responses to stress, including different appraisals of challenging situations and coping strategies such as peer support, self-care, and use of institutional resources. Conclusion: Stress in nursing education reflects a dynamic interaction between individual appraisal, coping resources, and educational and interpersonal contexts. Although findings are limited to one institution, they highlight the importance of accessible, flexible, and culturally responsive support and of addressing modifiable educational stressors alongside strengthening students' coping resources.

Natural history collections cannot be assessed by the size of their holdings, because their scientific value is a multidimensional and dynamic property that can be deliberately shaped. The authors argue that this value can be systematically increased through purposeful curatorial and research actions, both without acquiring new material and through its continuous replenishment. We propose an analytical framework for describing the scientific value of a collection, based on five dimensions: epistemic distinctiveness, data integrity and accessibility, documented and potential research applications, unique taxonomic status, and compliance with ethical and legal standards. The framework is complemented by a dynamic perspective describing the conditions under which the value of a collection rises and falls over time. We then present a typology of actions that increase collection value incrementally, distinguishing four categories according to the object of the action: (i) enriching the data record, (ii) enriching the physical specimen, (iii) establishing formal status, and (iv) increasing visibility and interoperability. Each category of actions is linked to the corresponding dimensions of scientific value, so that the typology and the framework together form a single analytical tool. Both perspectives are illustrated with two collections deposited in the Natural History Collections of Adam Mickiewicz University in Pozna[n]. The first is an acarological collection of soil samples together with its derivatives, comprising collections of nomenclatural types, microscope slides, SEM images and molecular sequences deposited in global gene banks. The second is a conchological and virtual collection of the Roman snail (Helix pomatia), which illustrates the transition from a set of physical specimens to a resource of spatial digital data. The proposed approach provides practical tools for planning collection development, for communicating the importance of collections to funding bodies, and for identifying the untapped research potential of existing holdings.

This study analyzed variation in the floristic composition of successional tropical dry forests (Bs-T) along a gradient of landscape transformation and environmental factors in the Colombian inter-Andean valleys. Using 45 permanent plots distributed across the Magdalena and Cauca river basins, floristic patterns were evaluated through analyses of diversity (Hill numbers), similarity (NMDS), and relationships with environmental variables (RDA). The results showed a clear floristic differentiation between watersheds, whereas the succession and transformation gradients were not significant in explaining compositional variation. The main variables associated with floristic composition were total annual precipitation, mean annual temperature, and edaphic properties (pH, texture, base content, and available phosphorus), showing that environmental and geomorphological heterogeneity is the main determinant of floristic patterns in these ecosystems. Although some plots exhibit structural features typical of late successional stages, floristic composition reflects species assemblages characteristic of early and intermediate stages, suggesting that Bs-T forests require periods exceeding 50 years to recover the typical composition of mature forests. Taken together, these results confirm that floristic variation in the inter-Andean valleys is primarily related to multiscale environmental gradients rather than to the direct effects of transformation or succession, highlighting the need to incorporate these factors into management, restoration, and conservation strategies for tropical dry forest.

Abstract Unplanned Extubation is a frequent adverse event in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs), that is associated with increased morbidity, prolonged hospitalization and financial costs. Evidence suggests that unplanned extubation (UE) is preventable through the management of its risk factors. Many modifiable UE risk factors are directly related to nursing care, thus empowering nurses through education can improve neonatal safety outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured educational intervention in improving nurses knowledge and practices related to UE in NICUs. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study was conducted in two tertiary hospitals in northern Jordan. One hospital is university-affiliated and one is governmental hospital. Participating Nurses in the selected settings received a four-week multimodal educational intervention related to UE. The intervention comprised of face-face session, WhatsApp-based educational messages, educational videos and placement of a poster in the NICU. Knowledge and practices of 58 nurses were assessed at baseline, post intervention and one month later using a validated questionnaire and direct observation. A baseline rate of UE was also measured in both settings with rate of 5 events per 100 ventilator days in the university-affiliated compared to 32 events per 100 ventilator days in governmental hospital. Repeated-measures and mixed-design ANOVA revealed significant improvements in nurses knowledge in both settings with a large effect size (p{superscript 2} = .60). Also, the observed preventive practices scores also improved significantly and remained elevated at one-month follow-up (p{superscript 2} = .50). Older age was associated with lower baseline knowledge, though this was diminished post study intervention. Whereas no demographic variables were associated with practice scores. The high rates of UE highlight the need for quality improvement. Study findings suggest that UE-focused education is a feasible and cost-effective strategy for strengthening neonate nurses competencies regarding safer care for mechanically ventilated neonates in the NICUs.

Spatial overlap of domestic animals and wildlife can have positive effects such as increased biodiversity in some areas and reduction in forest fires but it can also have negative consequences such as pathogen spillover, vector and pathogen propagation into new areas among others. Thus, understanding the interactions between wildlife and domestic animals on shared landscapes is critical for conservation and management purposes. To investigate these cattle-wildlife interactions, we chose Buck Island Ranch (BIR) in southcentral Florida. We studied spatial overlap between Domestic Cattle (Bos Taurus) and multiple wildlife species such as Wild Boar (Sus scrofa), White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus), Rabbits (Sylvilagus spp) and others in pasture, semi-pasture, and hammock habitats/vegetation types at BIR. Five management blocks were selected that had pasture and hammock habitats and within each block we established matched pairs of 100m transects. Animal dung samples were surveyed and identified in 13 pairs of transects. We used Wilcoxon signed rank test to determine differences in dung counts between the habitats and calculated Simpson diversity index to analyze the differences in diversity between the habitat types. We found that there was greater dung count of white-tailed deer in hammock habitats compared to pastures (p=0.048) and greater diversity of wildlife in hammocks than pastures (p=0.028). Cattle dung was found in high density in both hammocks and pastures. These results indicate that hammocks are areas shared between cattle and wildlife at BIR and depending on the extent of direct and indirect contacts between these animals there can be a risk for pathogen spillover. We recommend further research on local land and cattle management practices that can facilitate the co-existence of livestock and wildlife.

The Siberian site of Tunnug 1, located in the Uyuk Valley (Tuva Republic, Russia), encompasses an Early Scythian burial mound (9th century BCE) and a peripheral cemetery attributed to the Kokel culture (2nd-4th centuries CE). Situated within a permafrost-affected environment, the site offers an opportunity to investigate bone preservation under long-term freeze-thaw cycle conditions and explore the relationship between funerary treatment and bone diagenesis. This study presents a combined histological and microtomographic analysis of 76 bone samples from 71 individuals across 36 burials. Transmitted light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) were employed to document biological, chemical and physical degradation. Bone preservation was evaluated through three approaches: the traditional Oxford Histological Index (OHI), quantitative image analysis and assessment of (micro)cracking. The results revealed moderate bone preservation (OHI 2-4). Biological degradation in the form of Microscopical Focal Destruction (MFD) and chemical alteration were identified in six individuals. Enlarged canaliculi were observed in every bone sample. Microcracks were present in all individuals, visible exclusively under SEM. No clear diagenetic signatures linked to specific funerary practices were identified, though variations in preservation suggest a possible influence of burial depth. The distinct impact of permafrost and long-term freeze-thaw cycles on bone microstructure could not be isolated, underscoring the multifactorial nature of diagenesis. This study highlights the complementary value of combining multiple analytical methods assessing bone diagenesis and emphasises the need for continued experimental research into the effects of freezing environments on human remains.

Breastfeeding grief is a form of complicated and disenfranchised grief which occurs when mothers are unable to achieve their breastfeeding goals; it is characterized by profound sadness and a sense of failure that negatively impact perinatal mental health. The scientific literature consists of very few studies on breastfeeding grief; and a critical gap remains about the primary concern of mothers experiencing breastfeeding grief and how these mothers cope with this concern. This study includes the first substantive grounded theory of breastfeeding grief using a classic grounded theory design. A purposive sample of 46 mothers who are experiencing/have experienced breastfeeding grief completed unstructured virtual individual interviews, and an additional theoretical sample of 19 mothers completed semi-structured individual interviews. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded in Quirkos. Data were analyzed using constant comparative analysis, which resulted in the development of a substantive grounded theory. The theory has 3 postulations: 1) the main concern of mothers experiencing breastfeeding is unattained perception of motherhood, 2) the basic psychosocial process used to cope with unattained perception of motherhood is reconciling motherhood ideology, which occurs in 5 stages (responding to disruptions, disavowing reality, grieving, accepting reality, and reframing motherhood ideology), and 3) factors accounting for variation in reconciling motherhood include self-worth, personality, social sentiment/norm, context, and conditions. This theory underscores breastfeeding grief as indeed a perinatal mental health concern, that transcends affective, cognitive, and psychomotor domains. Movement across the stages of reconciling breastfeeding grief is cyclical, not progressive. Therefore, focused psychological interventions to address this concern are urgently warranted.

This audit aimed to determine whether the pattern of presenting abdominal pathology, procedures performed, and clinical outcomes in our surgical intensive care unit (SICU) changed during the COVID-19 period. We reviewed a total of 356 patients who were admitted to the SICU with 1st March 2020 taken as the reference cutoff date. Two hundred and five (57.6%) cases occurred in the Pre-COVID interval and 151 (42.4%) in the Post-COVID interval. Patients admitted to SICU Post-COVID were significantly older than those admitted Pre-COVID (54.2 vs. 48.3 years, p = 0.005). Hospital and SICU length of stay were unchanged across the pandemic (p = 0.824 and 0.601 respectively). The procedure case-mix shifted significantly (p = 0.014): appendectomy, gastrectomy/sleeve gastrectomy and thoracic procedures fell, while exploratory laparotomy rose, consistent with reduced elective/minimally-invasive activity and a shift toward emergency open surgery. Appendiceal disease was recorded significantly less often as the presenting diagnosis Post-COVID (p = 0.016), and intestinal obstruction showed a non-significant upward trend (p = 0.071). SICU mortality and overall admission outcome were unchanged across the pandemic (p = 1.000 and 0.664).

Background: Abortion is safe when carried out using a method recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), appropriate to the pregnancy duration, and by someone with the necessary skills. lobally, around 73 million induced abortions take place each year. Around 95% of maternal deaths occur in developing countries due to childbirth and pregnancy-related complications. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was used for the study among the married reproductive (20-45 years) age women using a non-probability purposive sampling technique. A self-developed semi-structured questionnaire was used via face-to-face interview for data collection. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 16.0 version descriptive and inferential statistics were used to find the association between variables. Results: The findings of the study show that among 118 respondents, nearly two-thirds (57.6%) of the respondents had adequate knowledge and less than half (42.4%) of the respondents had inadequate knowledge regarding safe abortion. The study further shows that there was a significant association between the level of knowledge regarding safe abortion and education status and education level with p-value <0.05. Conclusion: The study concludes that nearly two third of the respondents have adequate knowledge regarding safe abortion. Educational status significantly influenced their level of knowledge. Thus, we could provide correct knowledge, education, and enhance awareness to married women in the reproductive age group.

Research suggests that students realize a range of cognitive, affective, and motivation-related outcomes by participating in course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs). However, the overall effects of CUREs on student outcomes are unclear. We sought to address this knowledge gap by embarking on a meta-analysis of CURE studies using the Population, Intervention, Comparison/Control group, and Outcomes framework. We conducted a literature search to produce an analytic sample of 353 studies of the effects of CUREs instruction on undergraduates. We characterized the CUREs being studied in this sample, including their dose, duration, and design. We also examined each study to determine if outcomes were measured before and after the CURE and with a comparison or control group so that effects could be attributed to CURE. We found substantial limitations in studies of CUREs, which precluded meta-analysis. CUREs varied widely and were unevenly described, making it difficult to determine what could or should constitute CURE instruction as an intervention. Many outcomes were studied, often without a comparison or control group and with inconsistent measurement and reporting. Our results indicate that advancements are needed in the design and reporting of research on CUREs to gauge their effects on student outcomes. Highlight SummaryMany studies of CURE instruction aim to show effects on student outcomes. Yet, systematic review of these studies reveals limitations in study design, methods, and reporting that preclude meta-analysis and limit any cross-study conclusions.

Genetic gains for yield and yield-contributing traits are low or stagnant in sorghum especially under low soil moisture environments which have contributed to a yield gap of 3.0 in Africa. Exploring the extent of variation for yield-determining traits in sorghum will effective variety design to boost production in drought-stressed environments. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine genetic variability, heritability and genetic gains for agronomic and physiological traits in sorghum under varying drought stress conditions to guide cultivar and trait selection for breeding. The study was conducted as a three-way factorial treatment structure involving a genetically diverse panel of two hundred and twenty-five (225) sorghum genotypes which were grown under three drought conditions [i.e., non-stressed (NS), pre-anthesis drought stress (PrADS), and post-anthesis drought stress (PoADS)] and two environments (e.g., field and glasshouse environments) using a 15 x 15 alpha lattice design in two replicates. Data were collected on agronomic and physiological traits, namely: days to anthesis (DA), days to maturity (DM), plant height (PH), stay-green (SG), seed weight (TKW), biomass yield (BM), harvest Index (HI), grain yield (GY), leaf area (LA), leaf chlorophyll content (SPAD) and stomatal conductance (SC) and subjected to various statistical analyses. Combined analysis of variance showed highly significant (P < 0.001) genotype, drought condition and environment, and their interactions for most traits under assessment. Genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) was lower than phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) for all traits. Heritability in the broad-sense (H2) was moderate for GY (40%) under PrADS condition, but high under NS (60%) and PoADS (65%) conditions. Similarly, high genetic advance was recorded for traits with high heritability. GY positively and significantly correlated with HI under NS (r = 0.88), PrADS (r = 0.62) and PoADS (r = 0.61). Other agronomic and physiological traits poorly correlated with GY. The following genotypes were selected based on high grain yield and suitable agronomic and physiological traits under NS conditions; DAN YARA (5.7 t/ha and SC = 335.5) and JARWA (GY = 5.6 t/ha, SC = 326.3); under PrADS CSRO1 (GY = 2.9 t/ha, SC = 275.2) and ICNSL2014-021-1 (GY = 2.7 t/ha, SC = 268.2) and under PoADS conditions DANYAR BANA (GY = 4.2 t/ha, SC = 237.2) and DAN YARA (3.9 t/ha. SC = 330.0). The selected genotypes with the desirable traits are useful genetic resources for breeding high-performing sorghum hybrids to boost sorghum productivity in drought-prone areas in Africa.

Freshwater fishes are an important component of the Neogene fossil record of South America. They have been recorded in the Acre fossil fauna, with considerable taxonomic and ecological diversity. Novel findings from the Patos locality in Acre State have produced several specimens representing eleven taxa, including the first occurrences in the fossil record of the genera Agamyxis, Glanidium, and Trachycorystes. These taxa comprise two orders, Characiformes and Siluriformes, with four and seven taxa respectively. The taxa found in the Patos locality are representative of typical modern Amazonian assemblages found in the drainages of the region, thus suggesting substantial ecological conservatism. An updated list of the Rio Acre fossil fish fauna is consistent with previous findings in the literature regarding clustering structure in fossil assemblages during the Neogene of South America.