Original Collection Research Articles

New insights on Bjerkandera (Phanerochaetaceae, Polyporales) in the Neotropics with description of Bjerkandera albocinerea based on morphological and molecular evidence

Background and aims – Bjerkandera is one of the few poroid genera in the Phanerochaetaceae family known to date. The genus has a worldwide distribution and is characterized by effused-reflexed, pileate basidiomata with a pale cream to smoky or mouse grey hymenophore that becomes darker when dried, and a monomitic hyphal structure with clamped generative hyphae. Morphological and phylogenetic studies have traditionally accepted only two species in the genus, B. adusta (generic type) and B. fumosa, both described from temperate Europe. Recently, three additional species, B. atroalba, B. centroamericana and B. mikrofumosa were described from the Neotropics. While studying polypores in the Yungas forests of northwest Argentina and the Atlantic Forest of southeast Brazil, several specimens of Bjerkandera were gathered. A comparative morphological study revealed that some of these specimens do not correspond to any of the known species in the genus. This study aimed to propose a broad species-level phylogenetic hypothesis for Bjerkandera in the Neotropics and worldwide and to discuss the taxonomic status and diversity of the species in this genus.Methods – This study is based on a morphological examination of specimens collected between 2012 and 2017, and on a revision of original collections, including the type specimens. A total of eleven ITS and seven nLSU sequences were generated and phylogenetic analyses based on Bayesian Inference (BI) and Maximum Likelihood (ML) were performed.Key results – An extensive documentation of the species diversity within Bjerkandera in the Neotropics is presented. Genetic data of B. mikrofumosa were obtained for the first time and its phylogenetic position was tested. Additionally, its geographic distribution was extended in the Neotropics to Argentina and Brazil. Finally, molecular and morphological evidence was used to propose a new species for the genus, Bjerkandera albocinerea sp. nov.Conclusion – This study provides an update of the known diversity of the genus in the Neotropics and worldwide. In addition, our results indicate that the number of taxa in Bjerkandera has been underestimated by morphological evidence, and may actually be greater than traditionally accepted.

<p><strong>Rediscovery of <em>Crucianella parviflora</em> (Rubiaceae), after more than 70 years of its original collection—a new record for the flora of Iran</strong></p>

After a gap of 71 years of its original collection in Iraq, Crucianella parviflora is rediscovered from Kurdistan, Iran. A detailed morphometric treatment of the species is provided here. Its taxonomic relationships with the other related species are discussed as well. Our analyses on the conservation status of C. parviflora based on IUCN criteria and categories ranked it as Vulnerable (VU).

Party Competition and Coalitional Stability: Evidence from American Local Government

For decades, political scientists have argued that competition is a fundamental component of a responsible party system, such that when one party dominates politics, legislative coalitions destabilize and democratic accountability suffers. In this paper, I evaluate these predictions in an important but largely unexplored legislative environment: American local government. Using an original collection of roll-call records from 151 municipal councils, I show that legislative behavior is more one-dimensional when elections are partisan and the electorate is evenly balanced between the parties. When either of these features is absent, however, elite behavior remains unstructured, with coalitions shifting over time and across issues. These differences across institutional and competitive contexts suggest that partisan elections—and the party organizations that nearly always come with them—are critical for translating electoral insecurity into organized government, raising questions about the capacity for electoral accountability in a growing set of one-party dominant governments across the country.

Review of Social Media Influence on Software Development

The Software Development (SD) process requires collaboration and sharing of information in order to achieve the best results required and Social Media (SM) has helped this process immensely. SM is frequently utilized by programmers to strengthen their SD tools. In particular, communication is a key component in collaborative development, when designing large-scale software. An engineer can ask his colleagues around the world for help in solving problems or contact users for feedback. However, there is still a need to do research about the benefits as well as limitation of usage of SM in SD process. This study examines research conducted from 2009 until 2019 to help the researchers as well as businesses to learn more about the relation between SM and SD. Inclusion and exclusion criteria is imposed to sort out the research done during the mentioned time period. Type of data extracted from the selected papers includes authors’ name(s), title of the paper, year of publication, type of publication, country of origin, method used, data analysis, study setting and data collection approach. Furthermore, this paper answers to the questions posed in the study, such as what are the potential limitations of using SM for SD, and what reasons are given by the organizations for utilization of SM for SD. This paper provides a systematic literature review of 31 studies on SM and SD.

Hierarchization of Topical Texts Based on the Estimate of Proximity to the Semantic Pattern without Paraphrasing

The paper is devoted to the problem of numerically estimating the mutual semantic dependence of topical texts with respect to the most rational (i.e., standard) variants for describing the knowledge fragments they represent. The proximity of the text to the standard is evaluated without searching for paraphrases. This problem is relevant in determining the significance of information sources regarding tasks performed by the user. At this point, an example is the search for the optimal order of working with primary sources in the formation of the individual educational trajectory of a student. In the proposed solution, the basis for assessing the proximity of a text to the standard is the division of the words of each of its phrases into classes according to the value of the TF-IDF measure relative to the texts of the corpus, which was previously formed by an expert. The analyzed texts are the abstracts of scientific articles together with their titles. The principles of ranking and subsequent hierarchization of texts of an original collection based on the assessment variants relative to the title and phrase with the closest proximity to the standard are considered. The semantic images of the texts that are the closest to the standard are determined by the words with the highest TF-IDF values, which, when located next to each other in a linear row of a phrase, are most likely related by meaning and form key combinations together with the words that are close to the average value of the specified measure. An analysis of the occurrence of words with the highest TF-IDF values in different texts of the collection assesses the relationship of their standards as the basis for assessing the complementarity of texts in meaning.

4H-SiC surface morphology after Al ion implantation and annealing with C-cap.

The root mean square (rms) surface roughness extracted from atomic force microscopy is widely employed to complement the characterisation of ion implantation processes in 4H-SiC. It is known that the protection of a carbon film eliminates or mitigates roughening of the SiC surface during postimplantation annealing. This study, based on a rich original data collection of Al+ ion implanted 4H-SiC samples, allows for a quantitative description of the surface morphology as a function of the annealing temperature and time and of the Al implanted concentration. With increasing thermal budget, the evolution from flat, to blurred with ripples, granular, and finally jagged surface, results in a monotonous increase in the root mean square roughness. Additional information is given by the trends of the roughness exponent and of the correlation length, extracted from the height-height correlation function, which account for the surface evolution below 1700°C and for the effect of the Al implanted concentration on the ripple size, respectively. A combination of low roughness parameter and high correlation length identify the transition from ripples to jagged morphology. LAY DESCRIPTION: Selective area doping is a key step in the fabrication of hexagonal Silicon Carbide (4H-SiC) power electronic devices. It is achieved by ion implantation followed by a high temperature postimplantation annealing to restore the lattice and electrically activate the dopants. Aluminium, the preferred p-type dopant, is electrically activated at temperature ranging between 1500°C and 2000°C. The time required to complete the activation process is longer the lower the annealing temperature, spanning between some minutes and hundreds of hours. During annealing, 4H-SiC wafers are encapsulated by a temperature-resistant carbon layer (C-cap) in order to avoid step bunching and reduce surface roughening. Nevertheless, surface modifications can occur at high temperature. For this reason, the characterisations of 4H-SiC doping processes report not only the electrical activation of the dopants, but also the root mean square surface roughness obtained at the end of the process. However, rms values can be scattered because technological parameters such as the heating system and the way to deposit and remove the C-cap can affect the final result as well as the process parameters. Furthermore, the C-cap resistance to long annealing has been proven only by electrical measurements, but the surface morphology has never been observed. This work presents a quantitative characterisation of the surface morphology of Al implanted 4H-SiC as a function of the annealing temperature, time and of the Al implanted concentration, independent of the heating system and of the C-cap technology. The produced sample collection allowed to correlate characteristic surface features with the corresponding quantities extracted from image analysis that can be more sensitive to process parameters than the sole rms. These findings can be used to enrich process optimisation tools.

Using the Observational Teamwork Assessment in Surgery Instrument to Measure RN Teamwork During Cardiac Surgery: Lessons Learned.

Surgical teams aspire to be safe and avoid preventable deaths. A lack of teamwork has been associated with safety failures, including adverse events and errors. The purpose of the pilot study was to: (1) modify the Observational Teamwork Assessment in Surgery (OTAS) and the original data collection method to measure registered nurse (RN) teamwork during the intraoperative phase of 5 open heart surgical procedures and (2) recommend strategies to further test the reliability and validity of the modified OTAS. This was a pilot study of the OTAS using direct observation. Although characterized as psychometrically rigorous in prior systematic reviews, using the OTAS to measure RN teamwork in the intraoperative phase of cardiac surgery revealed deficits in its content validity and reliability. The OTAS and its original data collection method were modified. Recommendations for further use of the modified OTAS to increase its reliability and validity are given.

Crown tissue proportions and enamel thickness distribution in the Middle Pleistocene hominin molars from Sima de los Huesos (SH) population (Atapuerca, Spain).

Dental enamel thickness, topography, growth and development vary among hominins. In Homo, the thickness of dental enamel in most Pleistocene hominins display variations from thick to hyper-thick, while Neanderthals exhibit proportionally thinner enamel. The origin of the thin trait remains unclear. In this context, the Middle Pleistocene human dental assemblage from Atapuerca-Sima de los Huesos (SH) provides a unique opportunity to trace the evolution of enamel thickness in European hominins. In this study, we aim to test the hypothesis if the SH molar sample approximates the Neanderthal condition for enamel thickness and/or distribution. This study includes 626 molars, both original and comparative data. We analysed the molar inner structural organization of the original collections (n = 124), belonging to SH(n = 72) and modern humans from Spanish origin (n = 52). We compared the SH estimates to those of extinct and extant populations of the genus Homo from African, Asian and European origin (estimates extracted from literature n = 502). The comparative sample included maxillary and mandibular molars belonging to H. erectus, East and North African Homo, European Middle Pleistocene Homo, Neanderthals, and fossil and extant H. sapiens. We used high-resolution images to investigate the endostructural configuration of SH molars (tissue proportions, enamel thickness and distribution). The SH molars exhibit on average thick absolute and relative enamel in 2D and 3D estimates, both in the complete crown and the lateral enamel. This primitive condition is shared with the majority of extinct and extant hominin sample, except for Neanderthals and some isolated specimens. On the contrary, the SH molar enamel distribution maps reveal a distribution pattern similar to the Neanderthal signal (with thicker enamel on the lingual cusps and more peripherally distributed), compared to H. antecessor and modern humans. Due to the phylogenetic position of the SH population, the thick condition in molars could represent the persistence of the plesiomorphic condition in this group. Still, more data is needed on other Early and Middle Pleistocene populations to fully understand the evolutionary meaning of this trait.

Clinicians' involvement in data collection for portfolio research: impact on their clinical practice and perception of research

Background/Aims Physiotherapists generally have a positive view of research, but have identified a number of barriers to taking part, and have expressed challenges when attempting to integrate research findings into their practice. The aim of this study was to describe the self-reported impact of collecting data for a multicentre research study on physiotherapists' clinical practice. Methods Convenience sampling was used to select three of 11 NHS trusts involved in the original data collection. A questionnaire was emailed to the 28 of 34 physiotherapists working within these three Trusts who collected data and for whom contact details were available. Results A total of 21 (75%) physiotherapists completed the questionnaire. Out of the 21 physiotherapists, 15 stated they were aware of the study results; all of whom reported subsequent changes in their beliefs about prognostic factors for shoulder pain (subject of the original study) and some alteration in clinical practice. However, barriers to integrating further changes into practice were reported, including lack of time and a perception that patients would not engage with a more (bio)psychosocial approach. Overall, 85% of responders stated data collection had changed their understanding of the research process. Conclusions Clinicians' participation in the research process positively influenced practice. However, 29% were unaware of the results and only 33% of physiotherapists accessed the published article. There were perceived barriers to integrating results into practice.

National Family Policies and Mothers' Employment: How Earnings Inequality Shapes Policy Effects Across and Within Countries.

Although researchers generally agree that national family policies play a role in shaping mothers' employment, there is considerable debate about whether, how, and why policy effects vary across country contexts and within countries by mothers' educational attainment. We hypothesize that family policies interact with national levels of earnings inequality to differentially affect the employment outcomes of mothers by educational attainment. We develop hypotheses about the two most commonly studied family policies-early childhood education and care (ECEC) and paid parental leave. We test these hypotheses by establishing a novel linkage between the EU-Labour Force Survey and the Current Population Survey 1999-2016 (n = 23 countries, 299 country-years, 1.2 million mothers of young children), combined with an original collection of country-year indicators. Using multilevel models, we find that ECEC spending is associated with a greater likelihood of maternal employment, but the association is strongest for non-college educated mothers in high-inequality settings. The length of paid parental leave over six months is generally associated with a lower likelihood of maternal employment, but the association is most pronounced for mothers in high-inequality settings. We call for greater attention to the role of earnings inequality in shaping mothers' employment and conditioning policy effects.

A new LC-MS/MS confirmation method for the determination of 17 drugs of abuse in oral fluid and its application to real samples

A new liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) confirmation method for the direct analysis of 17 drugs starting from 200μL of diluted oral fluid (OF), in a single chromatographic run, was developed and validated. Cocaine, benzoylecgonine (BEG), cocaethylene, Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ-9-THC), buprenorphine, 6-acetylmorphine (6AM), morphine, codeine, methadone, 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolidine (EDDP), amphetamine, methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), 3,4-Methylenedioxy-N-ethylamphetamine (MDE), ketamine, N-methyl-1-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-2-butanamine (MBDB) were determined in a chromatographic run of 12min only with no sample pre-treatment, after the addition of 15 different internal standards (ISs). The method met all requirements in terms of linearity, accuracy (precision and trueness), recovery, and stability requested by FDA guidelines. Carry-over and interferences were negligible, as well as the matrix effects. LLOQs are below the limits defined by European guidelines and Italian national laws. The original oral fluid collections are stable at least six months at −20°C and one week at +4°C.

Re-assessment of the type collections of Maslov's species of Hapalidiales (Rhodophyta). Species originally attributed to Lithothamnium, Mesophyllum and Palaeothamnium

This is the third and last paper of a series devoted to the revision of the types of the species and infra-specific taxa of coralline red algae established in two monographs by Maslov. Maslov’s new species and intraspecific taxa were separated by characters of questionable significance from a modern taxonomic point of view. In this study, as un previous contributions, a number of types of fossil coralline algae Maslov’s original collection are re-assessed with a modern morpho-anatomic taxonomic approach. This paper deals in particular with the types of species attributed of Maslov to the genera Lithothamnion (as Lithothamnium), Mesophyllum and Palaeothamnium (Hapalidiales, Rhodophyta). According to our reassessment, only the type of Mesophyllum schenckii var. corticesum can be confidently assigned to a currently accepted genus within the family Hapalidiaceae, subfamily Melobesioideae. The types of Lithothamnion iorii, Palaeothamnium kassovense, Mesophyllum kutense, Lithothamnion microcellulosum, Lithothamnion praefructiculosum, and Lithothamnion thcernomoricum possess multiporate conceptacles and non-coaxial ventral core and can be attributed to the subfamily Melobesioideae. The lack of ephitallial cells, however, prevents any precise generic assignment within the Lithothamnion, Phymatolithon, Clathtomotphum and Synarthrophyton complex. Finally, the lack of significant characters prevents any confident attribution of the type of “Lithothamnion saxorum var. korolukae” to any defined generic or suprageneric taxon within the Hapalidiales or the Corallinales. The absence of reproductive structures int ye types of “Lithothamnion caucasicum”, “Lithothamnion (?) intergeminum” and “Lithothamnion (?) suhumii” prevents the placement of these taxa in any order and family within Hapalidiales, Corallinales or Sporolithales

Francis Place (1647–1728) and his collection of works on paper

Abstract Within the modest archive of materials relating to the artist Francis Place at Hospitalfield House in Arbroath is an eighteenth-century notebook listing a selection of drawings by Place and others, which were inherited by his daughter Frances Wyndham. Although Place’s original and significant collection of prints, drawings and paintings is now widely dispersed, the drawings notebook at Hospitalfield and a corresponding notebook listing intaglio prints go some way to reconstructing the contents of his studio or ‘painting room’ at York, and aid our understanding of the influences that informed this largely self-taught artist. The details in the drawings notebook of sketches now lost or in private hands also greatly develop Place’s known oeuvre in this medium; evidence is provided for a far broader range of subjects, including nude figure studies and biblical subjects, than has previously been acknowledged.

Libraries, Books, and Collectors of Texts, 1600–1900

Libraries, Books, and Collectors of Texts, 1600–1900

English

The presence of genetic variation in plant populations is useful for conservation and use in breeding programs. This study was conducted to estimate the extent and patterns of genetic diversity among 200 sorghum accessions collected from different parts of Ethiopia and preserved in a gene bank. Using 39 polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, which were previously mapped, 261 alleles were produced with mean 6.7 alleles per SSR. Polymorphism Information Content (PIC) and Dice’s similarity coefficient values ranged from 0.06 to 0.81 and from 0.062 to 0.96, respectively. Hierarchical clustering using UPGMA analysis revealed three major clusters with no clear distinction among geographical origins. Moreover, analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated that the majority of the variation (99.62%) observed was attributed to differences among accessions and only a small fraction of the total variation (0.38%) was related to regions of original collection, which may indicate that geographical origin is not a useful guide to follow for germplasm collection. Rather, agro-ecological classifications may be better for collection mission. Furthermore, crossing of accessions from the three distant clusters could result in promising genotypes for use as varieties or parents for the future breeding programs. Key words: Allele, cluster, genetic variability, polymorphism information content, sorghum, SSR.

Fecal MicroRNA-Based Algorithm Increases Effectiveness of Fecal Immunochemical Test–Based Screening for Colorectal Cancer

An algorithm based on fecal levels of 2 microRNAs (miR-421 and miR-27a-3p), fecal hemoglobin concentration, and patient age and sex can identify patients with advanced colorectal neoplasia. We investigated whether this algorithm, called miRFec, could increase effectiveness and efficiency of fecal immunochemical test (FIT)-based colorectal cancer (CRC) screening programs. We obtained data and fecal samples from 767 persons with a positive result from the FIT who then underwent colonoscopy examination while participating a population-based CRC screening program, from March 2011 through May 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. Fecal miRNAs were isolated from the buffer contained in the original FIT collection device and analyzed by quantitative reverse transcription PCR. Aims were to evaluate the usefulness of the miRFec algorithm in identifying persons at greatest risk for CRC who should be prioritized for colonoscopy examination and individuals at low risk for whom colonoscopy could be avoided. Of the 767 study subjects, 414 (54.0%) were found by colonoscopy to have advanced colorectal neoplasia (67 with CRC and 347 with advanced adenomas) and 353 (46.0%) were found to have either non-advanced adenomas (n= 136) or a normal examination (n= 217). MiRFec algorithm scores (1-4) were independently associated with the presence of advanced colorectal neoplasia (P<.001). The miRFec algorithm differentiated patients with CRC from those with non-advanced adenomas or normal colonoscopy with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 90% (95% CI, 86-94). Subjects with miRFec scores in the 4th quartile (above 3.09, high-risk group) were 8-fold more likely to have advanced colorectal neoplasia than subjects with miRFec scores in the 1st quartile (below 2.14, low-risk group). Subjects in the low-risk group had a positive predictive value below 30% for detection of advanced colorectal neoplasia. When we used a 50% specificity cut-off value, the miRFec algorithm identified 97% of patients with CRC and would allow 264 subjects (34.4%) to avoid colonoscopy examination. An algorithm based on fecal levels of 2 miRNAs and hemoglobin, patient age and sex (miRFec) differentiated patients with CRC from those with non-advanced adenomas or normal colonoscopy with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve value of 90% and avoided 34% of colonoscopies. Inclusion of this algorithm in FIT-based CRC screening programs could increase their effectiveness and efficiency.

The origin and germplasm collection for cultivated Dendrobium officinale K. Kimura &amp; Migo individuals revealed by EST-SSR markers

Dendrobium officinale K. Kimura et Migo is an endangered and valuable medicinal herb. In order to understand the origin of D. officinale cultivars and the differences in germplasm resources, 81 D. officinale individuals including wild-collected, market-collected, and two germplasm resources from Zhejiang and Jiangxi province was scanned with 75 EST-SSRs. The number of alleles detected at each locus ranged from 1 to 14 with an average of 3.703. The mean expected heterozygosity (0.492), and Shannon’s information index (0.915) indicated a high level of hybridization rate among the individuals tested. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis based on UPGMA illustrated that almost all the germplasm resources from Jiangxi were grouped together, then the germplasm resources from Zhejiang, wild-collected and market-collected were divided into three clusters, indicated that the origin of market-collected individuals were derived from Zhejiang and the germplasm resources from Jiangxi were well preserved and waited for development. Eight recovered sequences of fructose-bisphosphate aldolase 1 from wild-collected and two germplasm resources showed that the similarity of these sequences ranged from 71.15 to 93.42%, and base insertion, deletion and base varieties occurred in almost all the 7 recovered sequences. On the basis of EST-SSR analysis and keeping in view the purity and stability, the D. officinale germplasm resources from Jiangxi was recommended for hybridization in order to develop superior cultivars.

&lt;p&gt;Physicochemical Quality Assessment of Antimalarial Medicines: Chloroquine Phosphate and Quinine Sulfate Tablets from Drug Retail Outlets of South-West Ethiopia&lt;/p&gt;

BackgroundMalaria is a complex disease and main community health problem in Africa and the top leading cause of outpatient visits, admissions, and deaths in Ethiopia. Its effective management is possible through early diagnosis and immediate treatment employing antimalarials. The quality of these drugs has to be good enough to attain their intended purpose. However, there are treatment failures resulted from the consumption of falsified and substandard antimalarials. Therefore, the current study was undertaken to evaluate the quality of two commonly used antimalarial drugs [chloroquine phosphate and quinine sulfate tablets] and to determine whether the quality of these drugs was affected by the origin, brand and sample collection sites in South-West Ethiopia.MethodsRandom sampling based on Ethiopian malaria eco-epidemiological strata map, with different levels of medicines outlets, was applied to select sampling sites.ResultsSixty samples were bought from 43 drug retails (pharmacy, drug store, and drug vendor) in twelve different geographical locations of South-West Ethiopia between June and July 2016. Visual inspection was done for all samples before the lab experiment. A 28.3%, 31.7%, and 6.8% of samples failed to comply with the Pharmacopoeial quality standards for visual inspection, hardness and weight variation tests, respectively. Statistical analysis revealed that origin and geography from which samples were collected significantly affects the active pharmaceutical content of both drugs at P < 0.05 level. Significant variation was observed for chloroquine samples within batches of the same manufacturing and between origins.ConclusionThis study indicated that all the chloroquine and quinine tablets met the quality specification concerning friability, dissolution and assay. Out-of-specification results for weight variation, hardness and visual inspection tests for the chloroquine tablets are signs of substandard/spurious/falsely labeled/falsified/counterfeit actions that may compromise the quality of these drugs. Besides, within the acceptance limit, the origin of drugs and collection sites have found to determine the quality which raises good manufacturing practice and storage (drug supply chain system) issues to be evaluated.

Ethnographic and Field Data in Historical Economics

This chapter will cover recent research in historical economics that uses ethnographic data and data from surveys and lab experiments. The study of historical economics, particularly outside of non-Western countries, has been constrained by availability of historical data. However, recent work incorporates data and tools from other fields and sub-fields to fill this gap. For example, economists are increasingly taking advantage of ethnographic data sets compiled by anthropologists. There is also growing interest in the use of original survey data collection both within and across countries and lab-in-the-field experiments to answer questions on culture and institutions. Often, these tools are used together to provide complementary evidence on the question of interest. These sources of data have been particularly important for research on areas where there is limited historical data, and they have increased the scope of questions that can be examined. This chapter will overview these recent developments and highlight the benefits of these diverse methodologies and data sources. Institutional subscribers to the NBER working paper series, and residents of developing countries may download this paper without additional charge at www.nber.org.

Multivariate analysis of quantitative characters variability in Ethiopian barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) landrace: Based on regions and altitude

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is Ethiopia’s most important highland cereal crop and widely growing in most part of the country. Based on high levels of genetic and phenotypic diversity, the country is considered as center of diversity for barley. Assessments of the amount of genetic variation within and among populations are crucial for effective and efficient genetic improvement of the crop. Hence, this study was conducted to assess the diversity of barley landraces collected from various altitudes and regions of Ethiopia. A total of 585 barley landraces and 10 checks were evaluated using augmented randomized complete block design consisting of six blocks. All the 585 landraces were planted in un-replicated plots and the 10 checks were replicated six times (ones in each block) to estimate an error variance. Data on 13 quantitative characters were subjected to calculation of descriptive statistics, ANOVA and multivariate analysis (Unweighted Pair Group Method Analysis (UPGMA) cluster analysis and principal component analysis). There were significant differences (ANOVA, P<0.01) among landraces for plant height, 1000-seed weight, number of seeds per spike, days to heading and days to maturity. All the genotypes were grouped into five clusters where 74.02% of the accessions (433) fall in cluster I, IV and V. Early matured accessions were grouped in cluster I, while late matured, high yielding and tall accessions were clustered in cluster IV. The highest intra-cluster distance was 23.12 for cluster III whereas the highest inter-cluster distance was 57.37 between cluster IV and V. The first three principal components contributed 51.76% of the total variations observed among the genotypes. Principal component one (PC1) alone had contributed 22.56% of the total variations mainly due to plant height, 1000-seed weight, grain yield and peduncle length in their respective order. Principal component two (PC2) contributed 18.94% of the total variations mainly through spike density, number of kernels per spike, spike weight and days to maturity in their descending order. Principal component three (PC3) had contributed 10.94% of the total variations through total number of tillers per plant, number of seed-bearing tillers, days to 90% maturity and days to 50% heading. Altitude of the original landrace collection sites also significantly impacted the various quantitative characteristics studied. Regional differentiations were also evident among the landrace collections. These results reveal the existence of significant agro-morphological variations among the landraces included in this study. Based on the characters considered and populations evaluated, the marked diversity observed among the barley landraces in Ethiopia could be utilized in future crop improvement for various agronomically important traits. The information generated complements the robust barley breeding program of competitive, stable and climate-resilient varieties of end users’ preferences in different agro-ecologies of Ethiopia.