The robustness of two rapid, reference-based profiling techniques, Polarized Sensory Positioning (PSP) and Polarized Projective Mapping (PPM) was assessed for classifying honeybush tea according to quality, a product with a complex sensory profile. The physical poles (PSP-p and PPM-p) were compared with the novel application of theoretical poles, i.e., descriptions of key sensory attributes (PSP-t and PPM-t). Both PSP and PPM, effectively distinguished samples across quality grades, though high and moderate quality poles were poorly differentiated. This was irrespective of method or pole type, due to the overlap of positive sensory attributes that varied only in intensity. Theoretical poles showed potential but were less effective than physical poles, highlighting the need for inclusion of more nuanced attributes. Combining PPM-p with Ultra Flash Profiling (UFP) improved categorisation accuracy, as UFP descriptors aligned closely with the respective quality grades. These findings support PSP and PPM as practical tools for quality control of products with complex sensory profiles. Future application will benefit from refining theoretical pole definitions and training quality control personnel to reliably assess attribute intensities.
Context While machine learning has expanded options for management zone delineation, the process remains resource-intensive and often fails to account for the systemic influence of seasonal climate variability. Objective This review evaluates: (i) the agronomic variables associated with spatial and temporal management zone stability; (ii) the machine-learning approaches used for zone delineation, and (iii) the evidence for integrating climate risk and seasonal climate forecasts into management-zone decisions. It further proposes a framework linking stable management zones with forecast-informed tactical management. Methods A thematic synthesis approach was employed, integrating evidence from agronomy, data science, and agricultural economics. Database searches of Scopus and Web of Science were complemented by reference tracking and targeted searches, yielding 61 included records. Results The synthesis reveals that temporal stability is maximised when zones are anchored by yield-limiting factors such as soil texture and bulk density and when supported by multi-year productivity observations. However, the evidence base was heterogeneous, and independent external validation was rare. The reviewed methods showed trade-offs among predictive performance, temporal stability, interpretability, data requirements and operational feasibility and no universally superior method was identified. More complex approaches, including deep clustering and ensemble methods such as XGBoost, offered predictive flexibility but raised concerns about interpretability and validation. Among the forecast-related documents, none reported using forecast information to alter management-zone delineation or to generate a forecast-conditioned variable-rate prescription within established sub-field zones, identifying a specific gap between climate-informed decision support and spatially differentiated management. Conclusion We propose a four-component framework that: (i) integrates soil, yield, spectral, weather and experimental data; (ii) delineates interpretable baseline management zones using persistent yield-limiting factors; (iii) evaluates candidate zones using spatial, temporal, agronomic and operational criteria; and (iv) applies seasonal climate forecasts to tactical management decisions within established zones. Significance The proposed framework provides a pathway for translating seasonal climate forecasts into spatially differentiated input decisions while retaining stable, interpretable management zones. It offers a basis for more responsive management of both within-field variability and seasonal climate risk.
Fungi have repeatedly delivered transformative advances across industries, from medicine to food to materials, yet these breakthroughs have emerged from a narrow base of organisms and well-studied systems. Although mycology has taken a big leap forward in the past decades because of advances in genomics, multi-omics, engineering, phenotyping and environmental monitoring, much fungal diversity remains taxonomically and functionally under-characterised, and many sustainability-relevant innovations remain limited by lack of investment, sparse infrastructure, and fragmented governance. We now have technologies that make previously inaccessible fungal questions tractable, which can help unlock the next generation of fungal breakthroughs. Informed by a workshop held in December 2025 that convened 20 leading experts across fungal disciplines, here we lay out key bottlenecks to fungal research and innovation through three lenses: functional mycology, human and institutional capacity, and governance. We identify selected sustainability-relevant fungal frontiers and use these to surface the recurrent gaps that cut across domains. We propose four elements of coordinated action across research and development, governance, and advocacy that could contribute to unlocking the full potential of fungi for sustainability transitions.
Archean cratons are at the core, in terms of both their geographical position and geological processes, of the first long-lived lithospheric units. Shedding light on the temporality of craton formation is hence central to establishing geodynamic models accounting for the raising of emerged land masses and the consequential development of emerged life. To this extent, the Kaapvaal craton (KC), mostly exposed in South Africa and eSwatini, is ideally suited since it shows well-preserved rocks of both low and high-grade metamorphic rocks reflecting sedimentary, burial, metamorphic and magmatic processes occurring from ca. 3.5 Ga to ca. 2.5 Ga. In this study, we focus on meta-sedimentary rocks exposed in the northern edge of the KC (an area also known as the southern marginal zone, SMZ, of the Limpopo belt) that experienced granulite facies metamorphism at ca. 2.7 Ga. We conducted zircon U-Pb/Hf isotope analyses of both igneous and metamorphic domains. Our results indicate that the Hf-isotope signature of igneous zircon domains from these high grade meta-sedimentary rocks is similar to the Hf-isotope signatures of coeval igneous zircon located further south and unambiguously distinct from that of the Central zone of the Limpopo belt. We interpret these observations, along with other lines of evidence, as indicating that the SMZ is genetically related to the northern KC and share limited connection, if any, with the central zone of the Limpopo belt before 2.6 Ga. Further, our new results, in combination with published zircon U-Pb/Hf isotope analyses from (meta)-igneous and meta-sedimentary rocks, illuminate the tectonic evolution of the KC, with migration of the orogenic front marked by successive closure of sedimentary basins from South to North between 3.5 Ga and 2.85 Ga. This is consistent with an accretionary-type orogen geodynamic, similar to what is inferred for the Phanerozoic Canadian Cordillera.
This paper presents a high-order accurate Continuous Galerkin Finite Element Method (CGFEM) for solving the initial boundary value problems governed by the Incompressible Navier–Stokes (INS) equations. We discretize the INS equations using the CGFEM approach in SummationBy-Parts (SBP) form. Lagrange polynomials of up to 4 th order are employed. The boundary conditions are imposed weakly using the Simultaneous Approximation Term (SAT) technique, which accommodates discontinuous boundary data without special treatment. The resulting SBP-SAT formulation guarantees an energy stable discretization. The efficiency of the proposed framework is demonstrated by solving a series of numerical tests. Initially, the Method of Manufactured Solutions (MMS) is employed to demonstrate 4 th order convergence. Subsequently, the 4 th order accurate scheme is applied to a classical benchmark problem featuring discontinuous boundary conditions: the lid-driven cavity flow over a wide range of Reynolds numbers. Accurate and oscillation-free solutions are achieved even in the vicinity of the discontinuous top corner boundaries. Lastly, a canonical backward-facing step flow problem is solved, where accuracy and efficiency are demonstrated.
