Rabbit Free Australia

Despite increased conservation efforts, the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), a keystone species in the Iberian Peninsula, continues declining due to habitat degradation and viral diseases. Following the 2011 outbreak of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease virus GI.2, the species was listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). While rabbit declines in natural habitats are well documented, no research has separately analyzed population trends between areas where rabbits are managed as agricultural pests (rabbit emergency hunting areas: REHAs) and other areas, mostly natural (non-REHAs). Additionally, recent findings suggest divergent trends between the two rabbit subspecies, O. c. cuniculus and O. c. algirus, which coexist only in a limited area where their ranges overlap, with the latter possibly experiencing a more widespread decline. Here, we analyzed hunting yield data from ~ 6,000 hunting estates in Castilla-La Mancha (central Spain), spanning 2009 to 2022. Using linear mixed models (GLMMs), we found significant differences in rabbit hunting yields and trends between REHAs and non-REHAs, as well as between the subspecies’ distribution areas. Densities of hunted rabbits were higher in REHAs, while the lowest hunting yields were observed in O. c. algirus areas, consistent with studies suggesting its lower abundance. Population trends in non-REHAs showed declines for both subspecies, with a less pronounced decrease in O. c. cuniculus areas and near stability in REHAs inhabited by this subspecies. These findings reveal contrasting trends between subspecies and management areas, emphasizing the need for targeted management strategies tailored to agricultural and natural habitats and the specific ecological requirements of each subspecies.

Evidence to guide intrapartum care when an unborn baby has died is limited. To explore parents' experiences of care during labour of an antepartum stillbirth. Semi-structured interviews with 18 bereaved parents from across Australia. Content analysis was conducted. Two broad themes were identified: 'explaining every step' and 'helping us feel like parents.' Sub-themes under the first broad theme, 'explaining every step', were 'how and when information was given' and 'what happens next.' 'Like any other parent', 'feeling the pain' and 'everything is clouded' were sub-themes of the second broad theme. These findings mapped to current Australian clinical practice guidelines for bereavement care around stillbirth and neonatal death, ie good communication, recognition of parenthood, shared decision making and effective support. This study on parents' experiences of labour with a fetal death in utero brings an important perspective to intrapartum care for this group. As far as we are aware, this study is the first to focus solely on this aspect of care. Our findings could be readily mapped to the four perinatal bereavement care goals. Parents wanted care providers to facilitate their choices, their sense of control, their autonomy and their agency. They wanted to feel that they had received the 'best' care available.

Abstract This article investigates the relationship between unselfconscious corporate virtuosity and corporate performance using a novel methodology. It contends that honesty in presenting CSR activities is a proxy for corporate virtuosity and that syntheticity of language indexes unselfconscious honesty in corporate reporting. The study's research question is: Is there evidence that being more corporately ethical in the absence of concern about being so perceived enhances hardcore measures of organisational performance? To answer this question, a linguistic analysis of sustainability reports of firms operating in the Mining, Crude Oil Production Industry is undertaken to reveal that firms' financial performance varies as a function of a particular kind of straightforward language use in corporate reporting. This exercise provides evidence that unselfconscious corporate virtuosity is associated with better corporate financial performance. Implications for practice of this finding are explored.

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important nutritionally rich legume crop that is consumed worldwide. Prior to cooking, desi chickpea seeds are most oftendehulled and cleaved to release the split cotyledons, referred to as dhal. Compositional variation between desi genotypes has a significant impact on nutritional quality and downstream processing, and this has been investigated mainly in terms of starch and protein content. Studies in pulses such as bean and lupin have also implicated cell wall polysaccharides in cooking time variation, but the underlying relationship between desi chickpea cotyledon composition and cooking performance remains unclear. Here, we utilized a variety of chemical and immunohistological assays to examine details of polysaccharide composition, structure, abundance, and location within the desi chickpea cotyledon. Pectic polysaccharides were the most abundant cell wall components, and differences in monosaccharide and glycosidic linkage content suggest both environmental and genetic factors contribute to cotyledon composition. Genotype-specific differences were identified in arabinan structure, pectin methylesterification, and calcium-mediated pectin dimerization. These differences were replicated in distinct field sites and suggest a potentially important role for cell wall polysaccharides and their underlying regulatory machinery in the control of cooking time in chickpea.