bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cacao grafting increases crop yield without compromising biodiversity
Authors: Ocampo‐Ariza Carolina , Müller Sophie , Yovera Fredy , Thomas Evert , Vansynghel Justine , Maas Bea , Steffan‐Dewenter Ingolf , Tscharntke Teja 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Yields of tropical tree crops decline with time, often forcing smallholders to establish new deforestation‐derived plantations. Consequently, alternative strategies reconciling crop yield and biodiversity conservation are essential. Grafting is a common propagation method to boost yield in crops as cacao, but it alters tree structure potentially affecting associated insect diversity.

We investigated how grafting affects cacao yield and biodiversity, modulated by local management and landscape, that is shade‐tree cover and distance to nearest forest. Within nine organic agroforests in Peru, we monitored the number of pods yielded over 2 years by ~190 trees per plot, and compared production levels with non‐grafted trees. We collected arthropods on 54 trees shortly after grafting and replicated surveys in the dry and rainy season, with standardized diurnal and nocturnal inspection of tree branches. We expected grafting would increase yield after a brief gap, while the arthropod community associated with freshly grafted cacao would differ from that of full‐grown cacao trees.

Cacao grafting increased yields after 2 years by an average of 45% more than adjacent non‐grafted trees. Compared to non‐grafted trees, arthropod abundance was 25% lower 3 months after grafting and 12% lower after 6 months, indicating a recovery of arthropod communities shortly after grafting. Similar patterns were observed for species richness (22% and 12%) and Hill–Shannon diversity (18% and 13%). Abundance of phytophagous insects (mainly aphids) was unchanged with grafting. However, we found 46% fewer beetles and 39% fewer predatory arthropods (mainly spiders) on young—but not old—grafted cacao, indicating a possible decrease in pest control services by predatory arthropods at early grafting stages.

We observed richer, more diverse, but less abundant arthropods during nocturnal surveys than on diurnal surveys. Arthropods were richer, more abundant and diverse in the rainy season than in the dry season. Increasing shade‐tree cover decreased arthropod diversity but did not affect species richness or abundance. Shorter distances from forest decreased richness and diversity, but not abundance, possibly due to higher pressure from vertebrate predators nearby forests.

Synthesis and applications. Grafting is a successful approach for rejuvenating old, unproductive cacao trees, enhancing smallholder income opportunities and thus reducing pressure for new deforestation‐based plantations. Grafting briefly reduced arthropod abundance and diversity, but recovered in a short time. Hence, rejuvenation of cacao trees by grafting should be promoted and implemented as a promising strategy for more sustainable social‐ecological cacao management, with economic and ecological benefits for smallholders.
Stigma and the Inverse Care Law: Experiences of ‘Care’ for People Living in Marginalised Conditions
Authors: Addison Michelle , Scott Steph , Bambra Clare , Lhussier Monique 
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACTThis paper explores the connection between stigma and the Inverse Care Law (ICL) by focussing on the idea that people who have the greatest needs often have the least support from healthcare services. Twenty‐four semi‐structured interviews were undertaken with people who used class A & B illicit drugs, in the northeast of England. Many of the people in this study who used illicit drugs were not able to access quality healthcare in a timely way to meet their needs because of structural and relational stigma. We discuss four themes: (i) pressure on health services and long waiting lists, (ii) sensitivity to compassion fatigue from staff and impacts on engagement, (iii) complex systems that are difficult to navigate and (iv) stigma and drug use. These themes illuminate the harms of stigma and support Tudor Hart's ICL. Stigma is a key contributor to the inverse experience of good quality healthcare and requires greater attention from policymakers and practitioners. The structural and relational aspects of stigma embedded in healthcare are central to the ICL and reproduce inequities in access to and experience of good quality healthcare, which in turn impacts health inequalities.
The OnSPN2 from the nipa palm hispid beetle Octodonta nipae is a multipurpose defense tool against proteases from different peptidase families
Authors: Zhang Huajian , Xu Jiawei , Chen Mintao , Yin Jiawei , Hou Youming , Tang Baozhen 
Published: January 2025

AbstractSerpins (serine protease inhibitors) constitute a superfamily of proteins with functional diversity and unusual conformational flexibility. In insects, serpins act as multiple inhibitors, by forming inactive acyl‐enzyme complexes, in regulating Spätzles activation, phenoloxidases (POs) activity, and other cytokines. In this study, we present the cloning and characterization of Octodonta nipae serpin2 (OnSPN2), a 415 residues protein homologous to Tenebrio molitor 42Dd‐like. Notably, OnSPN2 features an arginine residue (R364) at the P1 position, and additional arginine residues (R362, R367) at the P3 and P3′ positions, respectively which is crucial for protease inhibition. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blot analyses revealed that OnSPN2 is primarily synthesized in plasmatocytes and then released into the plasma to exert its function. RNA interference results indicated that OnSPN2 knockdown may depress serine protease in melanization and remarkably increase the transcript level of Attacin in hemolymph, but its messenger RNA levels were not changed upon immune induction. Reciprocal co‐immunoprecipitation assay results confirmed that OnSPN2 binds to OnPPAF1 and OnSP8, indicating its role as a negative regulator in the PO and AMP pathway. Intriguingly, several cathepsin‐L isoforms were identified in the OnSPN2 immunoprecipitated samples. The cathepsin‐L inhibition assays and protein–protein docking results, identified cathepsin‐L as a potential target of OnSPN2. These results indicate that OnSPN2 is produced as an intracellular resident and additionally is associated with the PO and AMP pathway. OnSPN2 represents a multiple defense tool that may provide multiple antiproteolytic functions.
High migratory potential of fall armyworm in West Africa despite stable temperatures and widely available year‐round habitats
Authors: Gao Fan‐Qi , Chen Hui , Kyerematen Rosina , Hu Gao , Early Regan , Chapman Jason W. 
Published: January 2025

AbstractThe fall armyworm (FAW), an important migratory pest native to the Americas, was first detected in a nonnative region (West Africa) in 2016. In the following years, it quickly spread to multiple regions worldwide. FAW exhibits long‐distance seasonal migration in both the Americas and Asia, primarily to take advantage of suitable seasonal habitats as they appear along the migratory pathways. Tropical West Africa experiences minimal annual temperature variation and has widely distributed potential year‐round habitats, leading us to hypothesize that the migration capacity of FAW populations in this region may be substantially reduced. To test our hypothesis, we assessed the flight performance of FAW collected from Ghana in West Africa with tethered flight mills and compared it to that of a FAW population from southern China. Additionally, we quantified the relationships between morphological characteristics and flight performance of the FAW from Ghana. Based on observed flight behaviors, we categorized FAW into migratory and non‐migratory types. The flight capabilities of first‐generation Ghanaian FAW bred in the laboratory were similar to that of the field population from Yunnan, Southwest China, with migrants making up the majority. However, after several generations of laboratory rearing, the flight capability of the Ghanaian population significantly declined, primarily due to a marked increase in the proportion of non‐migratory individuals. The low correlation between morphological variables and flight duration suggests that genetic factors likely determine most variations in flight propensity. The results of this study indicate that FAW with high migratory capacity in West Africa is likely to pose a threat to crops in eradication zones and neighboring uninvaded areas and may possibly be capable of crossing the Sahara Desert and invading Europe. Therefore, it is crucial to establish comprehensive pest early warning and management systems.
Fe3O4@SiO2/GO/HKUST‐1 nanocomposite for quercetin extraction and preconcentration followed by its determination using HPLC
Authors: Alavi Nikoo , Malekpour Akbar 
Published: January 2025

AbstractQuercetin, a key flavonoid found in many fruits and vegetables, offers notable health benefits, including antioxidant, antiviral, and antitumor properties. Yet, isolating it from complex plant materials is challenging. This research aimed to develop a selective and efficient sorbent to clean up real sample matrices and pre‐concentrate quercetin, enhancing its detection using high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Several metal organic frameworks (MOFs) were synthesized and initially, their abilities to sorption of quercetin from aqueous and alcohol media were examined. Among them, HKUST‐1 showed the best performance. To improve the efficiency of this MOF, its composite with graphene oxide (GO) was prepared (Fe3O4@SiO2/GO/HKUST‐1) and was employed for quercetin extraction through magnetic dispersive micro solid‐phase extraction. The effect of different parameters was examined and the kinetic, thermodynamic, and isotherm of the sorption process was studied. The related results showed the system followed the pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model, with the Temkin and Langmuir isotherm models applicable in aqueous and methanol solutions, respectively. The method enabled rapid preconcentration and clean up within 20 min, with a 99.6% adsorption efficiency using just 5 mg of sorbent. The nanocomposite demonstrated an adsorption capacity of 29.3 mg/g and effectively extracted quercetin from red onion samples, achieving recovery rates between 75% and 98% for HPLC‐diode array detector analysis.Practical ApplicationQuercetin is a common polyphenolic compound, which is widely found in plant materials such as onions. Owing to its medicinal effects including anti‐inflammatory, anti‐oxidant, anti‐cancer, cardioprotective, anti‐bacterial, anti‐viral, and anti‐allergic features, it has widespread usage in pharmacology and preparation of food preservers. In this study, Fe3O4@SiO2/GO/HKUST‐1 nanocomposite was synthesized for extraction and preconcentration of quercetin from an onion sample. Very low amounts of this sorbent indicated high adsorption percentage and adsorption capacity for quercetin. This method was simple, fast, cost‐effective, precise, and accurate, which exhibited a potential for extraction of quercetin in a large scale.
Determination of main lipids and volatile compounds in unconventional cold‐pressed seed oils through chromatographic techniques
Authors: Rigano Francesca , Vento Federica , Cafarella Cinzia , Trovato Emanuela , Trozzi Alessandra , Dugo Paola , Mondello Luigi 
Published: January 2025

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to characterize unconventional cold‐pressed seed oils (rosehip, strawberry, blackcurrant, carrot, plum, pomegranate, radish, and raspberry) as novel alternative edible oil source. A chemical characterization of different lipid components (total fatty acid composition, triacylglycerols, and vitamin E) and volatiles responsible for the particular aroma of these oils was reported. All the oils showed a content of unsaturated fatty acids, mainly oleic, linoleic, and α‐linolenic acid, that potentially contribute to the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, in the range of 80%–90%. Moreover, an isomer of α‐linolenic acid, namely, punicic acid, was quantified at a level of near to 40% in pomegranate seed oil. Triolein was the most abundant triacylglycerol in most of the analyzed seed oils, with the exception of raspberry and strawberry dominated by trilinolein and pomegranate seed oil, composed for almost 50% of tripunicine. The highest content of vitamin E was found in pomegranate oil (256 mg/100 g), while the lowest amount was found in strawberry (65 mg/100 g). Overall, >300 compounds were identified from volatile profile of oil samples. Among these, aldehydes were the predominant molecule class identified in plum, pomegranate, and strawberry oils, while terpenes were the main volatiles in blackcurrant, carrot, and rosehip oils. Extremely low values were obtained for atherogenicity (0.05–0.10) and thrombogenicity (0.07–0.30) nutritional indices in all the investigated oils. Principal component analysis of the lipid profile was used as strategy to discriminate and classify the samples, highlighting their similarity related to the presence of beneficial compounds.Practical ApplicationUnconventional food products can find wide applicability in both cosmetic and food industry as alternative source that harmonize with consumers’ preferences for personal care and nutraceutical purpose. They often address food security, sustainability, and nutritional challenges. Within this context, the chemical characterization of both major (triacylglycerols and total fatty acid composition) and minor components (volatile compounds and vitamin E) was useful to demonstrate that the cold‐pressed seed oils here investigated are rich in essential nutrients. Hence, they can cater to specific dietary needs, thus creating new markets in food tech, agriculture, and biotechnology industries.
Simultaneous extraction and purification of polysaccharides and proteins from Pleurotus ostreatus using an aqueous two‐phase system
Authors: Yang Zhilai , Wang Jingkun , Wang Hongyu , Xie Huixian , Zhang Yingnan , Wang Meng 
Published: January 2025

AbstractPleurotus ostreatus is a nutrient‐dense edible fungus renowned for its delicate texture, appealing flavor, and numerous potential health benefits. Simultaneous extraction within the framework of food resource processing facilitates the concurrent isolation and analysis of multiple target compounds. In this study, an ethanol/salt aqueous two‐phase system (ATPS) was employed to extract polysaccharides (PS) and proteins from P. ostreatus. The impacts of pH, inorganic salts, and temperature on ATPS phase formation were systematically evaluated. The ethanol/K₂HPO₄ system demonstrated superior selective extraction performance under optimal conditions: 25.16% ethanol (w/w), 15.91% K₂HPO₄ (w/w), and 24.11% crude extract (w/w) without pH adjustment. The highest recovery efficiency of PS and proteins were 90.29% ± 0.24% and 76.35% ± 0.15%, respectively. The simultaneous extraction efficiency of PS and proteins was 12.49% ± 0.14% and 20.34% ± 0.09%, respectively. As a comparison, hot water extraction and alkali extraction methods were performed to assess the impact of ATPS on the physicochemical properties of PS and proteins. SDS‐PAGE and HPLC analyses confirmed that the protein subunit distribution was consistent across different extraction methods, whereas the ATPS‐extracted PS exhibited characteristics of homogeneous heteropolysaccharides with a molecular weight of 28.8 × 10⁶ Da. Monosaccharides such as mannose, glucuronic acid, and glucose were identified in the PS hydrolysate. The results demonstrate that ATPS preserves the physicochemical integrity of the extracted substances. This method holds promise for unlocking new possibilities and has the potential to become an effective method for large‐scale extraction and purification of polysaccharides and proteins from edible fungi.Practical ApplicationThis work describes an efficient and straightforward aqueous two‐phase system (ATPS) method for simultaneously extracting polysaccharides and proteins from Pleurotus ostreatus. This approach offers advantages such as reduced operational time, lower toxicity solvents, and minimized byproduct waste for the extraction of bioactive substances from edible fungi. Additionally, the reduced residue levels help to shorten subsequent purification steps. This promising method has potential applications in the food, pharmaceutical, and health product industries.
Multispectral imaging‐based detection of apple bruises using segmentation network and classification model
Authors: Fang Yanru , Bai Hongyi , Sun Laijun , Hou Jingli , Che Yuhang 
Published: January 2025

AbstractBruises can affect the appearance and nutritional value of apples and cause economic losses. Therefore, the accurate detection of bruise levels and bruise time of apples is crucial. In this paper, we proposed a method that combines a self‐designed multispectral imaging system with deep learning to accurately detect the level and time of bruising on apples. To enhance the accuracy of extracting bruised regions with subtle features and irregular edges, an improved DeepLabV3+ was proposed. More specifically, depthwise separable convolution and efficient channel attention were employed, and the loss function was replaced with a focal loss. With these improvements, DeepLabV3+ achieved the maximum intersection over union of 95.5% and 91.0% for segmenting bruises on two types of apples in the test set, as well as maximum F1‐score of 97.5% and 95.2%. In addition, the spectral data of the bruised regions were extracted. After spectral preprocessing, EfficientNetV2, DenseNet121, and ShuffleNetV2 were utilized to identify the bruise levels and times and DenseNet121 exhibited the best performance. To improve the identification accuracy, an improved DenseNet121 was proposed. The learning rate was adjusted using the cosine annealing algorithm, and squeeze‐and‐excitation attention mechanism and the Gaussian error linear unit activation function were utilized. Test set results demonstrated that the accuracies of the bruising levels were 99.5% and 99.1%, and those of the bruise time were 99.0% and 99.3%, respectively. This provides a new method for detecting bruise levels and bruised time on apples.
DNA barcoding solves the mystery of the rainbow battleship caterpillar (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae) and reveals cryptic diversity in Australian slug moths
Authors: Cook Lyn G. , Thurman Jessa H. , Walker Andrew A. 
Published: January 2025

AbstractDespite their striking appearance and abundance, the diversity and life‐histories of cup moths and their relatives (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae) in Australia are not well known. An example is a caterpillar commonly known as the rainbow battleship, or rainbow school bus. This caterpillar has been claimed to be the larva of Calcarifera ordinata (Butler, 1886), a wattle cup moth, but rearing experiments have recently shown that caterpillars of C. ordinata are not rainbow battleships. Here, we use DNA barcoding to identify the rainbow battleship by comparing the mitochondrial gene COI to sequences obtained from a DNA‐barcoding blitz at the Australian National Insect Collection. We positively identify the rainbow battleship caterpillar as the larva of Comana albibasis (Walker, 1862), an association not previously hypothesised. The COI barcode region appears to be a useful tool for identifying limacodids, including matching larval and adult forms. Divergence within some currently recognised species highlights the presence of potentially undescribed species diversity in Limacodidae.
Impacts of harmonic radar tagging on the flight ability of male Bactrocera tryoni and Bactrocera jarvisi (Diptera, Tephritidae)
Authors: Tomerini John M. , De Faveri Matthew G. , De Faveri Stefano G. , Wright Carole , Siderhurst Matthew S. 
Published: January 2025

AbstractUnderstanding the movement dynamics of fruit flies is critical to both surveillance and control strategies with much of what is known coming from mark–release–recapture or flight mill studies. However, recent studies have demonstrated the feasibility of field‐tracking fruit flies using harmonic radar (HR). In this study, the effects of attaching HR tags to Bactrocera tryoni and Bactrocera jarvisi were assessed in large indoor cages with both cultured and wild flies. The Queensland fruit fly, B. tryoni, is a major horticultural pest in the Northern Territory and east coast of Australia. Jarvis' fruit fly, B. jarvisi, is one of the lesser Australian fruit fly species, with a distribution in northern and eastern Australia. Three flight‐associated behavioural parameters were recorded: (1) flight success (proportion of flies that flew), (2) time to flight (period from release to take‐off) and (3) flight duration (period from take‐off to landing). Untagged flies were more likely to fly and also took flight more quickly than tagged flies with this result holding across fly species and fly origin (wild or cultured). Similarly, wild flies were more likely to fly than cultured flies, but no differences were observed between the flight successes of the two fruit fly species. For all tagged flies, mean time to flight increased with successive flight trials, while untagged flies mean time to flight over time varied with species and fly origin. The effect of tagging on flight duration varied by species (tagged > untagged for B. tryoni, tagged < untagged for B. jarvisi) but not by fly origin with species. Together, these results quantify the negative effects of HR tagging on B. tryoni and B. jarvisi flight behaviours that should be taken into account when interpreting the biological relevance of HR tracking studies. These results also suggest that HR tracking of fruit flies would benefit from the further development of smaller and lighter tags.
Patients’ Perceptions of the Efficacy, Safety, and Quality of the Evidence of Medicinal Cannabis: A Survey of Australian Cancer Patients
Authors: Taylor Joseph S. , Fradgley Elizabeth A. , Britton Ben Britton , Martin Jennifer H. , Lucas Catherine , Carlson Melissa A. , Bridge Paula , Morris Sarah , Watts Gareth , Lynam James 
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACTIntroductionDespite the increased demand for medical cannabis (MC), MASCC guidelines state that there is insufficient evidence of its efficacy and safety. Although research has explored medical professionals’ perceptions of MC, there is to our knowledge minimal research exploring patients’ perceptions, particularly in an Australian cancer setting.MethodsA survey of Australian cancer patients attending oncology outpatient clinics was performed. Patients were ≥ 18 years and had a confirmed diagnosis of cancer (solid or hematological).ResultsA total of 413 patients were approached between April 2019 and March 2020 out of which 82% (350) consented to participate. A total of 19% (67/350) were using MC. Despite being used for symptom control, such as pain (61%), and, in some cases for perceived anticancer activity (12% to cure, and 16% to slow the cancer), only a minority of users believed that the evidence was of high quality for these indications (28% for physical benefits and 29% for anticancer activity). Nonusers were even more skeptical of the evidence for these indications (17% and 11%, respectively). Only a minority of patients (31% of users and 8% of nonusers) accessed information on MC from clinicians. Most instead relied on resources such as TV, friends, family, social media, and websites.ConclusionThis study demonstrates current real‐world cancer patients’ perceptions on the evidence for MC, the sources of information used to shape their health beliefs, and compares users to nonusers. The results highlight the need for treating teams to combat potential misinformation that patients may be accessing about MC and provide information on treatments with stronger evidence.