Linking the humification of organic amendments with size aggregate distribution: Insights into molecular composition using FT-ICR-MS.

Soil organic matter (SOM) plays a pivotal role in enhancing physical and biological characteristics of soil. Humic substances constitute a substantial proportion of SOM and their increase can improve crop yields and promote agricultural sustainability. While previous research has primarily assessed the influence that humic acids (HAs) derived from natural water have on soil structure, our study focuses on the impact of HAs on soil aggregation under different fertilizer regimes. During the summer cropping season, maize was cultivated under organic and synthetic fertilizer treatments. The organic fertilizer treatment utilized barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa R.) as an organic amendment five days prior to maize planting. The synthetic treatment included a synthetic fertilizer (NPK) applied at South Korea's recommended rates. The organic treatment resulted in significant improvements in the soil aggregates and stability (mean weight diameter, MWD; p < 0.05) compared to the synthetic fertilizer application. These improvements could be primarily attributed to the increased quantity and quality of HAs in the soil derived from the organic amendment. The amount of extracted HAs in the organic treatment was nearly twice that of the synthetic treatment. Additionally, the organic treatment had a 140 % larger MWD and a 40 % increase in total phenolic content compared to the synthetic treatment. The organic treatment also had an increased macronutrient uptake (p < 0.001), an 11 % increase in aboveground maize biomass, and a 21 % increase in grain yield relative to the synthetic treatment. Thus, the enhancement of HA properties through the incorporation of fresh organic manure can both directly and indirectly increase crop productivity.

Assessing the impacts of crop production on climate change: An in-depth analysis of long-term determinants and policy implications.

This research investigates the long-term determinants of carbon emissions in three diverse regions-Europe and Central Asia (ECA), Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)-spanning 1990 to 2020. Utilizing advanced econometric models and analyses, including the Regularized Common Correlated Effects Estimator (rCCE), Common Correlated Effects Estimator (CCE), and Mean-Group (MG) approach, the study explores the intricate relationships between carbon emissions, crop production, emissions per agricultural production, energy consumption, renewable energy consumption, per capita GDP, and population. Region-specific nuances are uncovered, highlighting the varying dynamics: ECA exhibits intricate and non-significant relationships, SSA showcases significant effects of population dynamics and green technology adoption, and the MENA region reveals a nuanced interplay between emissions per agricultural production.The findings underscore the universal efficacy of green technology adoption for mitigation. Strategies for mitigating carbon emissions in the agricultural sector require diversified energy transition approaches, emphasizing efficiency enhancements, green technology adoption, and tailored population management strategies based on regional intricacies. Counterfactual simulations indicate the potential efficacy of strategic measures targeting crop production to reduce carbon emissions, while acknowledging the nuanced relationship between economic growth and emissions. Policymakers are urged to recognize the persistence in emission patterns, emphasizing the importance of targeted interventions to transition towards more sustainable trajectories. Overall, the research provides essential insights for crafting effective policies at both regional and global scales to address the complexities of climate change mitigation in the agricultural sector.

Regional food self-sufficiency potential in the European Alpine space.

The sustainability of the food system needs to be improved, including shortening supply chains and promoting the consumption of regional food. Here, we explore the current potential for regional food self-sufficiency in the European Alpine space by calculating the current regional food/feed energy balance, deriving the regional per capita land footprint based on current food/feed consumption rates, and modelling the current potential for regional food/feed self-sufficiency. We show that 59% of the 560 Pcal of energy currently available in the study area comes from domestic production, and almost 60% of the energy is used for livestock consumption, with high regional variability. The resulting land footprints range from 2301 to 2975 m2 cap-1 y-1. Taking into account changes in cropping patterns, partial intensification, but no expansion of agricultural land, the European Alpine space could produce 89% of its current food demand domestically, with high regional variability due to population density, availability of agricultural land, crop yields, climatic conditions and dietary habits. These findings highlight the potential and limitations of regional mountain food systems and call for new strategies to improve sustainability. Reducing the current high consumption of animal products would reduce the land footprint and increase the potential for food self-sufficiency.

Potassium humate supplementation improves photosynthesis and agronomic and yield traits of foxtail millet.

Foxtail millet is a highly nutritious crop, which is widely cultivated in arid and semi-arid areas worldwide. Humic acid (HA), as a common plant growth regulator, is used as an organic fertilizer and feed additive in agricultural production. However, the impact of potassium humate KH on the photosynthetic rate and yield of foxtail millet has not yet been studied. We explored the effects of KH application on the morphology, photosynthetic ability, carbon and nitrogen metabolism, and yield of foxtail millet. A field experiment was performed using six concentrations of KH (0, 20, 40, 80, 160, and 320 kg ha-1) supplied foliarly at the booting stage in Zhangza 10 cultivar (a widely grown high-yield variety). The results showed that KH treatment increased growth, chlorophyll content (SPAD), photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr), and stomatal conductance (Gs). In addition, soluble protein content, sugar content, and nitrate reductase activity increased in KH-treated plants. With increased KH concentration, the effects became more evident and the peak values of each factor were achieved at 80 kg ha-1. Photosynthetic rate showed significant correlation with SPAD, Tr, Gs, and soluble protein content, but was negatively correlated with intercellular CO2 concentration. Compared to that of the control, the yield of foxtail millet under the T2, T3, T4, and T5 (40, 80, 160, and 320 kg ha-1 of KH) treatments significantly increased by 6.0%, 12.7%, 10.5%, and 8.6%, respectively. Yield exhibited a significant positive correlation with Tr, Pn, and Gs. Overall, KH enhances photosynthetic rate and yield of foxtail millet, therefore it may be conducive to stable millet production. These findings may provide a theoretical basis for the green and efficient production of millet fields.

The H3K79me3 methyl-transferase Grappa is involved in the establishment and thermal plasticity of abdominal pigmentation in Drosophila melanogaster females.

Temperature sensitivity of abdominal pigmentation in Drosophila melanogaster females allows to investigate the mechanisms underlying phenotypic plasticity. Thermal plasticity of pigmentation is due to modulation of tan and yellow expression, encoding pigmentation enzymes. Furthermore, modulation of tan expression by temperature is correlated to the variation of the active histone mark H3K4me3 on its promoter. Here, we test the role of the DotCom complex, which methylates H3K79, another active mark, in establishment and plasticity of pigmentation. We show that several components of the DotCom complex are involved in the establishment of abdominal pigmentation. In particular, Grappa, the catalytic unit of this complex, plays opposite roles on pigmentation at distinct developmental stages. Indeed, its down-regulation from larval L2 to L3 stages increases female adult pigmentation, whereas its down-regulation during the second half of the pupal stage decreases adult pigmentation. These opposite effects are correlated to the regulation of distinct pigmentation genes by Grappa: yellow repression for the early role and tan activation for the late one. Lastly, reaction norms measuring pigmentation along temperature in mutants for subunits of the DotCom complex reveal that this complex is not only involved in the establishment of female abdominal pigmentation but also in its plasticity.

Cultural landscape resilience evaluation of Great Wall Villages: A case study of three villages in Chicheng County.

The Great Wall Villages (GWVs) are linked to the Great Wall in history, culture, and ecology. The cultural landscape resilience of Great Wall Villages (CLRGWVs) is distinctly significant. However, it is influenced by urbanization, pollution, and a lack of awareness of cultural landscape protection. Therefore, conservation and development practices still lack scientific strategies and guidance. This study proposes a new assessment system to quantify CLRGWVs, an analysis of the main influencing factors of resilience, and optimization paths to maintain sustainable development. Based on the socio-ecological system, this research designed the assessment with three criteria, eleven factors, and thirty-three indexes from the perspective of CLRGWVs. Furthermore, a demonstration test was constructed in Ningyuanbao Village, Dushikou Village, and Longmensuo Village in Chicheng County, Hebei Province, China. The results showed that there is some disparity between the three GWVs, with the resilience score of Dushikou Village being the highest in terms of resistance and learning. In contrast, Ningyuanbao Village's resilience score is the lowest since resistance, recovery, and learning capacity are lower than in Dushikou and Longmensuo. Some influencing factors were found to be highly related to adaptive capacity. Lastly, some low-resilience aspects were identified as critical improvement targets for which corresponding optimization strategies should be proposed. This could be applied to streamline resilience optimization paths according to local conditions. This paper provides new ideas and directions for dealing with the sustainable development of villages and the conservation of cultural landscapes. It will also help villages deal with the relationship between socio-economic development and the conservation of cultural landscapes.

Does green investment affect environment pollution: Evidence from asymmetric ARDL approach?

Pollution in the environment is today the biggest issue facing the globe and the main factor in the development of many fatal diseases. The main objective of the study to investigate green investments, economic growth and financial development on environmental pollution in the G-7 countries. This study used annual penal data from 1997 to 2021. The panel NARDL (Non-linear autoregressive distributed lag) results affirm that the positive change of green investment and negative shock in green investment have a significant and positive association with environment pollution in G-7 nations. Our findings provide more evidence for the long-term asymmetry between financial development and environmental performance. However, the findings confirm that a positive modification in financial development has a positive and significant effect on environment pollution. Whereas negative shock in financial development is negative and insignificant relationship with environment pollution. Moreover, the outcomes of the study reveal that both positive shock in gross domestic product growth and negative shock of economic growth have a significant and positive link with environment pollution in G-7 countries. According to the findings, by lowering carbon dioxide emissions, green investments reduced environmental pollution in the G-7 nations over the long and short term. Moreover, it is an innovative research effort that provides light on the connection between green investments, financial development, and the environment while making mention to the EKC in G-7 countries. After all these, our recommendation is to increases green investment expenditures to reduce environmental pollution in the G-7 nations based on our findings. Additionally, one important way for the nation to achieve its sustainable development goals is to improve advancements in the financial sector.

Screening of temperature-responsive signalling molecules during sex differentiation in Asian yellow pond turtle (Mauremys mutica).

BACKGROUND: The Asian yellow pond turtle (Mauremys mutica) is an important commercial freshwater aquaculture species in China. This species is a highly sexually dimorphic species, with males growing at a faster rate than females and exhibits temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD), in which the incubation temperature during embryonic development determines the sexual fate. However, the mechanisms of the sex determination or sex differentiation in the Asian yellow pond turtle are remain a mystery. RESULTS: Temperature-specific gonadal transcriptomics of the Asian yellow pond turtle were performed during the thermosensitive period (stage 15) using RNA-seq technology to identify candidate genes that initiate gonadal differentiation. We uncovered candidates that were the first to respond to temperature. These candidates were sexually dimorphic in expression, reflecting differences in gonadal (Cirbp, Runx1) and germline differentiation (Vasa, Nanos1, Piwil2), gametogenesis (Hmgb3, Zar1, Ovoinhibitor-like, Kif4), steroid hormone biosynthesis (Hsd17b5, Hsd17b6), heat shock (Dnajb6, Hsp90b1, Hsp90aa1) and transient receptor potential channel genes (Trpm1, Trpm4, Trpm6, Trpv1). CONCLUSIONS: Our work will provide important genetic information to elucidate the mechanisms of sex control in the Asian yellow pond turtles, and will contribute important genetic resources for further studies of temperature-dependent sex determination in turtles.

Cooking with liquefied petroleum gas or biomass and fetal growth outcomes: a multi-country randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Household air pollution might lead to fetal growth restriction during pregnancy. We aimed to investigate whether a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) intervention to reduce personal exposures to household air pollution during pregnancy would alter fetal growth. METHODS: The Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) trial was an open-label randomised controlled trial conducted in ten resource-limited settings across Guatemala, India, Peru, and Rwanda. Pregnant women aged 18-34 years (9-19 weeks of gestation) were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive an LPG stove, continuous fuel delivery, and behavioural messaging or to continue usual cooking with biomass for 18 months. We conducted ultrasound assessments at baseline, 24-28 weeks of gestation (the first pregnancy visit), and 32-36 weeks of gestation (the second pregnancy visit), to measure fetal size; we monitored 24 h personal exposures to household air pollutants during these visits; and we weighed children at birth. We conducted intention-to-treat analyses to estimate differences in fetal size between the intervention and control group, and exposure-response analyses to identify associations between household air pollutants and fetal size. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02944682). FINDINGS: Between May 7, 2018, and Feb 29, 2020, we randomly assigned 3200 pregnant women (1593 to the intervention group and 1607 to the control group). The mean gestational age was 14·5 (SD 3·0) weeks and mean maternal age was 25·6 (4·5) years. We obtained ultrasound assessments in 3147 (98·3%) women at baseline, 3052 (95·4%) women at the first pregnancy visit, and 2962 (92·6%) at the second pregnancy visit, through to Aug 25, 2020. Intervention adherence was high (the median proportion of days with biomass stove use was 0·0%, IQR 0·0-1·6) and pregnant women in the intervention group had lower mean exposures to particulate matter with a diameter less than 2·5 µm (PM2·5; 35·0 [SD 37·2] µg/m3vs 103·3 [97·9] µg/m3) than did women in the control group. We did not find differences in averaged post-randomisation Z scores for head circumference (0·30 vs 0·39; p=0·04), abdominal circumference (0·38 vs 0·39; p=0·99), femur length (0·44 vs 0·45; p=0·73), and estimated fetal weight or birthweight (-0·13 vs -0·12; p=0·70) between the intervention and control groups. Personal exposures to household air pollutants were not associated with fetal size. INTERPRETATION: Although an LPG cooking intervention successfully reduced personal exposure to air pollution during pregnancy, it did not affect fetal size. Our findings do not support the use of unvented liquefied petroleum gas stoves as a strategy to increase fetal growth in settings were biomass fuels are used predominantly for cooking. FUNDING: US National Institutes of Health and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. TRANSLATIONS: For the Kinyarwanda, Spanish and Tamil translations of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Optimization and establishment of laboratory rearing conditions for Cimex lectularius L. against variable temperature and relative humidity.

Emerging infestations of bed bugs are affecting normal human lifestyle globally. This study has been designed to optimize the rearing conditions for Cimex lectularius L. (Hemiptera), to support the scientific research on them. Bed bugs have been projected onto three different temperature (20 °C, 25 °C, and 30 °C) and relative humidity (50%, 70%, and 90%) conditions to check their overall growth and survival rate. Adult mortality, weight loss, egg laying, percentage hatching, hatching initiation and completion, nymph mortality, and molting have been evaluated to optimize the best conditions. The temperature at 25 °C with 90% RH showed minimum mortality for adults (female 13.33 ± 3.33% and male 6.67 ± 3.33%) and nymphs (13.33 ± 3.33%), while maximum egg laying (40.33 ± 1.86), with highest percentage hatching (98.23 ± 0.58%). At 30 °C with 90% RH, hatching initiation and completion (5.19 ± 0.12 days and 7.23 ± 0.16 days) as well as molting initiation and completion (3.73 ± 0.12 days and 7.00 ± 0.24 days) were found to be fastest. Thus, it can be concluded that 25 °C with 90% RH is ideal for rearing of adults and 30 °C with 90% RH is appropriate for rapid growth of nymphs.

Transplanted sagebrush "wildlings" exhibit higher survival than greenhouse-grown tubelings yet both recruit new plants.

BACKGROUND: Land uses such as crop production, livestock grazing, mining, and urban development have contributed to degradation of drylands worldwide. Loss of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) on disturbed drylands across the western U.S. has prompted massive efforts to re-establish this foundational species. There has been growing interest in avoiding the severe limitations experienced by plants at the seed and seedling stages by instead establishing plants from containerized greenhouse seedlings ("tubelings"). In some settings, a potential alternative approach is to transplant larger locally-collected plants ("wildlings"). We compared the establishment of mountain big sagebrush (A. tridentata ssp. vaseyana) from tubelings vs. wildlings in southeastern Idaho. A mix of native and non-native grass and forb species was drill-seeded in a pasture previously dominated by the introduced forage grass, smooth brome (Bromus inermis). We then established 80 m x 80 m treatment plots and planted sagebrush tubelings (n = 12 plots, 1200 plants) and wildlings (n = 12 plots, 1200 plants). We also established seeded plots (n = 12) and untreated control plots (n = 6) for long-term comparison. We tracked project expenses in order to calculate costs of using tubelings vs. wildlings as modified by probability of success. RESULTS: There was high (79%) tubeling and low (10%) wildling mortality within the first year. Three years post-planting, chance of survival for wildlings was significantly higher than that of tubelings (85% and 14% respectively). Despite high up-front costs of planting wildlings, high survival rates resulted in their being < 50% of the cost of tubelings on a per-surviving plant basis. Additionally, by the third year post-planting 34% of surviving tubelings and 95% of surviving wildlings showed evidence of reproduction (presence / absence of flowering stems), and the two types of plantings recruited new plants via seed (3.7 and 2.4 plants, respectively, per surviving tubeling/wildling). CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that larger plants with more developed root systems (wildlings) may be a promising avenue for increasing early establishment rates of sagebrush plants in restoration settings. Our results also illustrate the potential for tubelings and wildlings to improve restoration outcomes by "nucleating" the landscape via recruitment of new plants during ideal climate conditions.

DNA adduct formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae following exposure to environmental pollutants, as in vivo model for molecular toxicity studies.

DNA adduction in the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was investigated after exposure to the fungicide penconazole and the reference genotoxic compound benzo(a)pyrene, for validating yeasts as a tool for molecular toxicity studies, particularly of environmental pollution. The effect of the toxicants on the yeast's growth kinetics was determined as an indicator of cytotoxicity. Fermentative cultures of S. cerevisiae were exposed to 2 ppm of Penconazole during different phases of growth; while 0.2 and 2 ppm of benzo(a)pyrene were applied to the culture medium before inoculation and on exponential cultures. Exponential respiratory cultures were also exposed to 0.2 ppm of B(a)P for comparison of both metabolisms. Penconazole induced DNA adducts formation in the exponential phase test; DNA adducts showed a peak of 54.93 adducts/109 nucleotides. Benzo(a)pyrene induced the formation of DNA adducts in all the tests carried out; the highest amount of 46.7 adducts/109 nucleotides was obtained in the fermentative cultures after the exponential phase exposure to 0.2 ppm; whereas in the respiratory cultures, 14.6 adducts/109 nucleotides were detected. No cytotoxicity was obtained in any experiment. Our study showed that yeast could be used to analyse DNA adducts as biomarkers of exposure to environmental toxicants.

Advancing disability-inclusive climate research and action, climate justice, and climate-resilient development.

Globally, more than 1 billion people with disabilities are disproportionately and differentially at risk from the climate crisis. Yet there is a notable absence of climate policy, programming, and research at the intersection of disability and climate change. Advancing climate justice urgently requires accelerated disability-inclusive climate action. We present pivotal research recommendations and guidance to advance disability-inclusive climate research and responses identified by a global interdisciplinary group of experts in disability, climate change, sustainable development, public health, environmental justice, humanitarianism, gender, Indigeneity, mental health, law, and planetary health. Climate-resilient development is a framework for enabling universal sustainable development. Advancing inclusive climate-resilient development requires a disability human rights approach that deepens understanding of how societal choices and actions-characterised by meaningful participation, inclusion, knowledge diversity in decision making, and co-design by and with people with disabilities and their representative organisations-build collective climate resilience benefiting disability communities and society at large while advancing planetary health.

Spatio-temporal heterogeneity and coupling effect of mining economy, social governance and environmental conservation: Evidence from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China.

In order to solve the problem of coordinated development among mining economy, social governance and environmental conservation in global resource-based cities, we choose Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region as the research area. The advantage of resource endowment and resource industry was measured by location quotient and input-output method. The panel data related to mining governance from 2010 to 2021 were selected to build the evaluation and coupling analysis model between mining economic, social governance and environmental conservation, and the spatial-temporal heterogeneity and coupling effect of them were analyzed by comprehensive empowerment evaluation, spatial autocorrelation analysis and barrier degree methods. The results show that: (1) Except for the overall upward trend of social governance, the development level of mining economy and environmental conservation are basically stable; (2) The resource-rich areas have obvious mining economic advantages, and the central cities have good social governance capabilities, and the environmental conservation effectiveness is uncertain; (3) The coupling effect between mining economy and social governance is stronger than that between mining economy and environment conservation, and the synergistic coupling effect of the three is relatively random. Finally, we put forward some policy response strategies to Guangxi, and theoretical and practical reference would be provided for resource-based cities around the world.

A method for nonlinear electric-thermal coupling calculations of bushings based on unbiased gradient-free smooth domains.

High-voltage dry-type bushings, serving as the crucial junctions in DC power transmission, represent equipment with the highest failure rate on the DC primary side, underscoring the critical importance of monitoring their condition. Presently, numerical simulation methods are commonly employed to assess the internal state of bushings. However, due to limitations in the efficiency of multi-physics field computations, the guidance provided by numerical simulation results in the field of power equipment condition assessment is relatively weak. This paper focuses on solving the electrical-thermal coupling in high-voltage dry-type bushings. Addressing the most widely used tetrahedral mesh in numerical computations, we propose an efficient solution method based on the concept of "smooth domains." This method involves partitioning the volume centroids of the elements into multiple smooth domains within the computational domain. Electric and thermal conduction matrix calculations occur within these smooth domains, rather than within the grid or element interiors. This approach eliminates the need for traditional element mapping and complex volume integration. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this method, we use high-voltage dry-type bushings as a case study, comparing the performance of our approach with traditional finite element algorithms. We verify the algorithm's computational efficiency and apply it to the analysis of typical temperature anomalies in bushings, further illustrating its suitability for electrical equipment condition assessment.

Evaluation the impact of electricity consumption on China's air pollution at the provincial level.

As the world's largest electricity-consuming country, China faces the challenge of energy conservation and environmental pollution. Therefore, it is imperative that China takes decisive action to address these issues. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces (cities, districts) in China from 2011 to 2020, we use the entropy method to measure the air pollution index in different provinces, construct two fixed effects models, panel quantile model, and spatial Durbin model to empirically analyze the impact of electricity consumption on air pollution in China's provincial regions. The experimental results show that: (1) Electricity consumption has a significant positive impact on the provincial air pollution index in China and the higher the index is, the more serious the air pollution is. When the electricity consumption increases 1%, the air pollution index will increase of by 0.0649% as accompanied. (2) Through comparison of different times, we found that the degree of increase in air pollution index caused by electricity consumption would be reduced due to the improvement of environmental protection efforts. From the perspective of different geographical locations, the electricity consumption in the southeast side of the "Hu Line" has exacerbated the impact on air pollution index. (3) According to the panel quantile regression results, the marginal effect of electricity consumption on air pollution is positive. With the increase of quantiles, the impact of electricity consumption on air pollution is increasing. (4) Spatial effect analysis shows that electricity consumption has a significant positive spatial spillover effect on air pollution index. The increase in electricity consumption not only increases the air pollution index in the local region, but also leads to an increase in the air pollution index in surrounding areas. These findings contribute to the governance of air pollution and the promotion of sustainable economic, environmental and energy development.

Research on the factors and path of sports industry development in China: A fsQCA study of 31 provinces.

The advancement of the sports industry's development constitutes a critical concern shared by regional authorities and the scholarly community, reflecting its significant role in economic and social development. This study employs a Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) methodology to examine the 31 provincial-level administrative units in China. The objective is to elucidate the influence of technological, organizational, and environmental factors on the industry's development level, considering both a holistic national framework and dissected regional approaches (Eastern, Central, and Western China). This paper's contribution to the literature is structured around the following core findings: (1) The study establishes that a singular condition does not suffice as an essential prerequisite for achieving a heightened development state within the sports industry. (2) At the national level, there are three pathways to enhance the development level of the sports industry, specifically identified as "network-human resources dominant pathway," "technological innovation-human resources dominant pathway," and "comprehensive synergistic pathway."(3) From a regional perspective, the Eastern region has two pathways for sports industry enhancement: "network-economic pathway" and "comprehensive synergistic pathway." The Central region follows a "technology pathway," while the Western region has three pathways: "organization-environment pathway," "network-organization-environment pathway," and "organization pathway."(4) The synthesis of these findings underscores the multifactorial nature of sports industry development, suggesting a paradigm where diverse routes can lead to equivalent outcomes. This heterogeneity indicates that provinces or regions can tailor their development strategies to their unique situational contexts.