Hypertensive heart disease and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy both lead to left ventricular hypertrophy despite differing in aetiology. Elucidating the correct aetiology of the presenting hypertrophy can be a challenge for clinicians, especially in patients with overlapping risk factors. Furthermore, drugs typically used to combat hypertensive heart disease may be contraindicated for the treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, making the correct diagnosis imperative. In this review, we discuss characteristics of both hypertensive heart disease and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy that may enable clinicians to discriminate the two as causes of left ventricular hypertrophy. We summarise the current literature, which is primarily focused on adult populations, containing discriminative techniques available via diagnostic modalities such as electrocardiography, echocardiography, and cardiac MRI, noting strategies yet to be applied in paediatric populations. Finally, we review pharmacotherapy strategies for each disease with regard to pathophysiology.

Citizen science is becoming very useful in surveying and monitoring biodiversity. Within the European Union LIFE medCLIFFS project, a network of volunteers has been established for the detection and long-term monitoring of invasive plant species that threaten the endemic flora of Mediterranean cliffs in north-eastern Spain. Through iNaturalist, volunteers record various data along a series of 1 km transects. Based on the ca. 700 observations collected by volunteers in 2023 (the first year of the project), a simple and visually-attractive methodology for assessing the recorded populations has been developed. This method classifies populations into one of three population dynamics categories: (1) propagative behavior (i.e., populations with seedlings or young plants but lacking senescent or dead individuals); (2) senescent behavior (i.e., showing senescent/dead plants but lacking seedlings/juveniles); and (3) a mixed behavior (i.e., containing both). This methodology, whose outputs are easily interpretable as heatmaps, allows the collection of large datasets on invasive plants by citizen scientists, with two main purposes: (1) knowing which species are most concerning based on simple, straightforward observations of their population dynamics; and (2) identifying which regions of the study area are more problematic and, thus, where management efforts should be directed.

A natural population of Vriesea friburgensis var. paludosa was genetically and demographically characterized. Four selected enzymatic systems were used. In total, 10 allozymic loci were analysed. The proportion of polymorphic loci was 70% and the number of alleles per locus was 2.3· The mean observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.234 and 0.226, respectively. An excess of heterozygotes was revealed by the value of the fixation index (—0.035). These indices showed the presence of high levels of genetic diversity in the population studied. A demographic survey revealed almost six times more vegetative than sexually reproductive plants. Reproductive plants were found only in clusters. The genetic diversity exhibited by this population, associated with vegetative as well as sexual propagation, resulting in clusters or colonies, would allow the employment of a sustainable management strategy for species conservation as well as its exploitation as an ornamental.

Unconsolidated soils typically develop a physical surface crust after wetting and drying. We reproduced this process in the laboratory by wetting with fog and simulated rain on fallow agricultural soils from 26 locations, representing 15 soil types from Pinal County, Arizona. Through correlative analyses, we found that carbonate content was a strong predictor of physical crust strength with fog (p < 0.0001, R2 = 0.48) and rain (p = 0.004, R2 = 0.30). Clay content increased crust strength (p = 0.04) but was not a useful predictor. Our results extend the current understanding of the soil crusting process by highlighting the preeminence of carbonate cementation in desert agricultural soils. Consequently, we identify carbonate as a pragmatic tool for estimating crust strength, a surrogate measure of a soil’s potential to produce fugitive dust, which can help prioritize interventions to curb airborne dust in arid lands.

Yellow and knotroot foxtail are two common weed species infesting turfgrass and pastures in the southeastern region of the United States. Yellow and knotroot foxtail share morphological similarities and are frequently misidentified by weed managers, thus leading to confusion in herbicide selection. Greenhouse research was conducted to evaluate the response of yellow and knotroot foxtail to several turfgrass herbicides: pinoxaden (35 and 70 g ai ha−1), sethoxydim (316 and 520 g ai ha−1), thiencarbazone + dicamba + iodosulfuron (230 g ai ha−1), nicosulfuron + rimsulfuron (562.8 g ai ha−1), metribuzin (395 g ha−1), sulfentrazone (330 g ai ha−1), sulfentrazone + imazethapyr (504 g ai ha−1), and imazaquin (550 g ai ha−1). All treatments controlled yellow foxtail >87% with more than 90% reduction of the biomass. By comparison, only sulfentrazone alone controlled knotroot foxtail 90% and completely reduced aboveground biomass. Sethoxydim (520 g ai ha−1), metribuzin, and imazaquin controlled knotroot foxtail >70% at 28 d after application. In a rate response evaluation, nonlinear regression showed that yellow foxtail was approximately 8 times more susceptible to pinoxaden and 2 times more susceptible to sethoxydim than knotroot foxtail based on log (WR50) values, which were 50% reduction in fresh weight. Our research indicates that knotroot foxtail is more difficult to control across a range of herbicides, making differentiation of these two species important before herbicides are applied.

Over the last decade, we have gained a better understanding of impulse control disorder in Parkinson’s disease (PD-ICD), a medication complication in PD. Researchers were aware of its complexity and took efforts to learn more about its diagnostic and treatment possibilities. Nevertheless, clinical management for it is currently neglected. We conducted a narrative overview of literature published from 2012 to October 2023 on various aspects of clinical management for PD-ICD. A potential “susceptibility-catalytic-stress” model in the development of PD-ICD was proposed and a profile encoding predictors for PD-ICD was created. Based on these predictors, some methods for prediction were recently developed for better prediction, such as the polymorphic dopamine genetic risk score and the clinic-genetic ICD-risk score. A variety of treatment options, including dose reduction of dopamine receptor agonists (DAs), DAs removal, DAs switch, and add-on therapy, are investigated with inconsistent reports. Based on current findings, we developed a clinical management model prototype centered on prevention, consisting of prediction, prevention, follow-up and monitoring, therapy, and recurrence prevention, for clinical reference, and further proposed 4 key clinical management principles, including standardization, prediction centered, persistence, and whole course.

Understanding the relationships between cetaceans and their environment is crucial for conservation. This study examined humpback whales in Bahía de Banderas, Mexico, identifying key calving habitats. From 2018 to 2023, 1066 sightings were recorded, including 242 mother–calf groups, 109 mating groups, and 715 other groups. Spatial analysis revealed a non-random distribution; both the Kruskal–Wallis and Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney tests detected significant differences (P < 0.05) in site preferences. Calving mothers favoured habitats with a mean depth of 59 m and a distance of 2 km from the coast, while mating groups preferred locations at 126 m and 4 km, and other groups chose areas at 149 m and 4 km. All groups were found in relatively flat areas around 2° seafloor slope. A dispersion test indicated a significant relationship between the location of calving mothers and environmental factors. K-means clustering showed 83.6% of calving mothers' sightings at depths less than 40 m and 2 km from the coast. Ensemble species distribution models identified three critical calving areas: one large area (261.8 km2) along the north coast and two smaller areas (9.5 and 5.4 km2) at the southern end of the bay. This study highlights Bahía de Banderas as a vital breeding habitat for humpback whales, providing insights for conservation strategies to protect calving grounds during the breeding season.

Anthropogenic-mediated climate change is expected to negatively affect pest management in agriculture. Hence, we investigated the oviposition, immature mortality, and developmental processes of Spodoptera species (Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) and Spodoptera litura (Fabricius)) under different temperatures (20, 25, and 30°C) and relative humidity (RH) (30–35, 50–55, 70–75, and 90–95%) conditions. For fecundity, mouths of each Spodoptera species were released into a rectangular box whose inner walls were covered with a sheet of white paper for each combination of temperature and RH. The mouths were kept inside the box to deposit eggs for 72 h. Temperature and RH significantly affected the fecundity, with the maximum number of eggs laid in 70–75% at 30°C. The highest egg and larval mortalities were recorded in 30–35 and 90–95% RH, respectively. Temperature and RH greatly affected the developmental period (egg–adult) and adult emergence rate. The rapid development was recorded in 70–75% RH at 30°C. Higher number of adults was found with an increase in temperature and RH. Adult longevity was significantly higher in 70–75% RH at 20°C. Based on the present study's findings, temperature and RH had an individual apparent effect on the developmental processes of Spodoptera species instead of an interactive effect. Therefore, there is need for an in-depth study of the influence of several climatic factors, including CO2, on the developmental modality and demographic changes of Spodoptera species to assess the impacts of climatic components and the sustainable development of management strategies.

Following the contemporary debate surrounding two alternative perspectives on compliance – enforcement and management – this article suggests an analysis through the lens of the rule of law crisis. Specifically, the financial and techno-managerial strategy developed by the EU for the indirect protection of the rule of law relies on mechanisms that combine characteristics from both the enforcement and management approaches. This article will identify these mechanisms, namely the European Semester, the Conditionality regulation, the European Structural Investment Funds and the Recovery and Resilience Facility, in order to determine their nature, features, and tools for ensuring compliance with the rule of law. The hypothesis of this article relies on the idea that the EU’s tools are characterised by a mismatch between the causes of the identified problems and the chosen solutions. Considering that the deployment of the above measures has not re-established compliance, the EU strategy toes between inducing rule conformity on the one hand and deterring rule of law violations on the other. However, it seems that only the former can restore the rule of law, as the latter is considered ill-equipped to reverse or at least halt instances of backsliding. This mismatch explains why the Justice Scoreboard, the Framework, and the Review Cycle with its Annual Report have not made any difference, and more generally, why management strategies are unfit for dealing with deliberate backsliding.1

Giant coronary aneurysm with ventricular fistula is rare. Due to the limited data from randomised clinical trials, therapeutic strategies for coronary aneurysms predominantly rely on on case series and anecdotal evidences. Reporting cases that provide practical experience in managing these aneurysms is therefore crucial. In this article, we report a rare case of a successful surgical management for a thrombosed giant left coronary aneurysm with right ventricular fistula, which is larger than any previously reported cases.