News Item
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Emily Waltz
Summary: Biotech companies have achieved success in the beauty market by sourcing ingredients sustainably.
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Holly M. Lane, Seth C. Murray
Summary: This simulation study shows that increasing throughput can help compensate for increased error rates in phenotyping, leading to more accurate estimation of genotypes. Studies in genetic mapping should consider increasing population size to improve accuracy with high-throughput phenotyping methods.
Editorial Material
Ecology
Clare I. Abreu, Manoshi S. Datta
Summary: A cleverly designed experiment with engineered obligate mutualisms in bacteria demonstrates that interdependency allows pairs of bacteria to survive in environments where individual strains cannot survive.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Management
Francis de Vericourt, Huseyin Gurkan
Summary: Artificial intelligence systems are often better at making predictions than human experts, but professionals sometimes doubt their quality and override their recommendations. This paper examines how a decision maker can properly assess the quality of a machine's recommendations in high-stakes decisions. The study explores the evolution of the decision maker's beliefs and overruling decisions over time, identifying situations where the decision maker hesitates or incorrectly believes the machine is better. The findings provide insights into human-machine complementarity and offer guidelines for adopting or rejecting a machine.
MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
(2023)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Steven Barnes
Summary: The article discusses two important aspects of retinal function, namely the feedback from horizontal cells to photoreceptors and the center-surround antagonistic receptive fields, and reveals that new findings are crucial for understanding the circuits necessary for outer retinal visual processing.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Renata Almeida Farias, Chalder Nogueira Nunes, Sueli Percio Quinaia
Summary: This review paper investigated different bee species and products from 55 countries to identify how they can help environmental biomonitoring by giving an overview of the past 11 years. The study found that honey bees are suitable bioindicators for assessing toxic metal contamination, and products like propolis, pollen, and beeswax are more suited than honey. However, in some situations, bees are more efficient as potential environmental biomonitors compared to their products.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Business
Jiaxin Zhao, Linus Mattauch
Summary: Research shows that efficiency standards may be more equitable than carbon pricing when consumers prefer high-carbon technology attributes, while intensity standards are more suitable when richer households consume a greater share of high-emissions goods.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Fang Luo, Farkhanda Bibi, Terd Disayathanoowat, Tial C. Ling
Summary: This study explores the differences in host specificity of the wood-boring longhorn beetles in tropical and subtropical forests and finds that the alpha diversity of beetles in tropical forests is significantly higher than that in subtropical forests, and the relationship between plants and beetles is closer in tropical areas. The results suggest that the wood-boring longhorn beetles exhibit higher degrees of niche conservatism and host-specificity in tropical forests, which may explain the higher diversity of these beetles in tropical forests.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Oncology
Karilyn T. M. Larkin, John C. Byrd
Summary: The study demonstrated that targeting both BCL2 and BCL-X L in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia led to impressive treatment responses with acceptable toxicity.
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Francisco Ferreira, Nuno Lourenco, Bruno Cabral, Joao Paulo Fernandes
Summary: Data plays a crucial role in today's society, with organizations using it to develop intelligent systems for competitive advantage. However, ethical and regulatory obligations, such as strict privacy protection, must be adhered to. Fraud detection faces challenges such as unbalanced data and privacy concerns.
Editorial Material
Orthopedics
Steven DeFroda
Summary: Patients have better outcomes after repair than after meniscectomy. Repair, when possible, remains the best option for long-term patient care. The rates of meniscal repair are increasing, but there is still room for improvement.
ARTHROSCOPY-THE JOURNAL OF ARTHROSCOPIC AND RELATED SURGERY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Shuyi Wu, Sai Sun, Julia A. Camilleri, Simon B. Eickhoff, Rongjun Yu
Summary: Risk and ambiguity are inherent in human decision-making, with individuals generally preferring known risks over ambiguity. Neuroimaging research shows that processing of risk and ambiguity converges in the anterior insula, but also engages distinct neural circuits such as dorsomedial prefrontal cortex for risk and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for ambiguity.
Article
Operations Research & Management Science
Ben Amiet, Andrea Collevecchio, Kais Hamza
Summary: In this study, the focus is on two-player normal form games with finite strategy sets and continuous distribution of payoffs. It was found that the better-response dynamics tends to converge to pure Nash equilibrium with high probability, while the best-response dynamics may fail to converge due to being trapped.
OPERATIONS RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Andrea Casadesus, Sergi Munne-Bosch
Summary: Holoparasitic plants depend on other plants for nutrients and play important roles in Mediterranean ecosystems. Phytohormones are crucial in holoparasitic plant-host interactions. Studying the interaction between holoparasitic plants and hosts will help better manage parasitic plants.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Alessandra Salerno, Francesca Seghetti, Jessica Caciolla, Elisa Uliassi, Eleonora Testi, Melissa Guardigni, Marinella Roberti, Andrea Milelli, Maria Laura Bolognesi
Summary: PROTAC-mediated protein degradation has led to a rethink in drug discovery, with researchers proposing to enrich PROTACs with other therapeutic modalities to enhance efficacy, minimize side effects, and reach undruggable targets. The development of multifunctional PROTACs, such as multitarget PROTACs, light-controllable PROTACs, PROTAC conjugates, and macrocycle-and oligonucleotide-based PROTACs, represents a promising approach to further enhance PROTAC effectiveness. Further steps are needed to advance the clinical investigation and translation of multifunctional PROTACs.
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Review
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Y. Kortsmit, M. van der Bruggen, B. Wertheim, M. Dicke, L. W. Beukeboom, J. J. A. van Loon
Summary: The mass rearing of insects as animal feed in circular agriculture has great potential for promoting insect health and welfare. This review focuses on the behavioural knowledge of the black soldier fly and the housefly, two commonly used species. It examines their feeding behaviour, social interactions, oviposition behaviour, and the influence of abiotic factors and microbiome on their behaviour. The review identifies important behavioural differences between the two species and highlights the implications for mass rearing conditions. Recommendations for future research to improve insect welfare are provided.
JOURNAL OF INSECTS AS FOOD AND FEED
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Davy Meijer, Jaimie van der Vleut, Berhane T. T. Weldegergis, Thibault Costaz, Marcus Vinicius Alfenas Duarte, Apostolos Pekas, Joop J. A. van Loon, Marcel Dicke
Summary: The use of far-red light affects the volatile organic compounds emitted by tomato plants and does not interfere with the attraction of the predatory mite to herbivore-induced plants. Additionally, far-red light promotes biological control of spider mites in glasshouse tomatoes.
PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Katherine Y. Barragan-Fonseca, Quint Rusman, Daan Mertens, Berhane T. Weldegergis, Joseph Peller, Gerrit Polder, Joop J. A. van Loon, Marcel Dicke
Summary: Soil composition and herbivory can affect plant traits, including flower traits, potentially influencing plant-pollinator interactions. We investigated the effects of insect exuviae as soil amendment and aboveground insect herbivory on Brassica nigra plants. Our findings showed that soil amendment increased flower quantity and volatile organic compound (VOC) emission, while herbivory reduced petal area and VOC emission. Furthermore, soil amendment and herbivory interacted in their effect on petal reflectance spectrum and VOC emission.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Review
Ecology
Thibault P. M. Costaz, Peter W. de Jong, Joop J. A. van Loon, Marcel Dicke
Summary: Climate change has significant consequences for ecological interactions, especially for species interactions and community dynamics. Temperature is crucial for determining ecosystem dynamics, particularly for ectothermic species. Phenotypic plasticity, the ability of individuals to produce different phenotypes in response to environmental conditions, plays a key role in species adaptation to changing environments. Understanding the role of phenotypic plasticity in shaping species' ecological niches is important in the context of rapid climate change.
EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Yvonne Kortsmit, Joop J. A. Van Loon, Marcel Dicke
Summary: The black soldier fly larvae have a strong preference for previously colonized substrates and exhibit different behaviors based on their head-capsule classes. This study provides insights into the aggregation behavior and chemical cues involved in the attraction of BSF larvae.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Peter N. Karssemeijer, Luuk Croijmans, Karthick Gajendiran, Rieta Gols, Dirk F. van Apeldoorn, Joop J. A. van Loon, Marcel Dicke, Erik H. Poelman
Summary: Root herbivores such as the cabbage root fly pose a significant threat to agricultural crops. Crop diversification can help reduce this pest pressure without compromising yield. In this study, different diversified cropping systems were evaluated for their effects on the oviposition and abundance of the cabbage root fly. The results showed that strip cropping designs with high crop diversity had the highest oviposition rates, indicating the importance of spatial configuration and crop diversity in managing root herbivores.
JOURNAL OF PEST SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Mitchel Bourne, Gabriele Gloder, Berhane Weldegergis, Marijn H. Slingerland, Andrea Ceribelli, Sam R. Crauwels, Bart Lievens, Hans R. Jacquemyn, Marcel Dicke, Erik R. Poelman
Summary: Microorganisms living in and on macroorganisms can produce volatile compounds that can help carnivorous enemies locate their host or prey. Parasitism by parasitoid wasps can alter the microbiome and odour of their caterpillar host, which can affect interactions with other insects. This study analyzed the odours and microbiome of cabbage white caterpillars in relation to parasitism by endoparasitoid wasps and found that parasitism led to the production of characteristic volatile compounds and significant changes in the caterpillar's microbiome. The preference of a hyperparasitoid was correlated with the presence of the external microbiome.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Thibault P. M. Costaz, Peter W. de Jong, Jeffrey A. Harvey, Joop J. A. van Loon, Marcel Dicke, Rieta Gols
Summary: Temperature is a crucial factor in determining species interactions, especially for ectothermic organisms such as insects. Examining the effects of elevated temperature and extreme temperature events on different trophic levels is important for understanding their broader implications for community and ecosystem processes.
Article
Soil Science
Max Wantulla, Joop J. A. van Loon, Marcel Dicke
Summary: Insect exuviae, such as black soldier fly larvae, house crickets, and yellow mealworms, can be used as soil amendments to promote plant growth and stimulate bacterial growth. However, the different exuviae resulted in distinct bacterial communities, with house cricket exuviae promoting the growth of specific bacteria. The study suggests that the combined application of insect exuviae with beneficial bacteria can have specific uses in agriculture.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Davy Meijer, Femke van Doesburg, Luuk Jungerling, Berhane T. Weldegergis, Iris F. Kappers, Annette Van Oystaeyen, Joop J. A. van Loon, Marcel Dicke
Summary: Plants respond to a decrease in the red to far-red light ratio by accelerating growth and reproduction. This response can be utilized in horticulture using far-red light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Far-red light also affects plant defenses and interactions with herbivores and carnivores. The effects of far-red light on flower traits and plant-pollinator interactions are not well understood. This study showed that exposure to far-red light increased plant height, flowering, floral volatile emissions, and sugar content in pollen, attracting more bumblebees.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Karol B. Barragan-Fonseca, Julian Cortes-Urquijo, Julian Pineda-Mejia, Diego Lagos-Sierra, Marcel Dicke
Article
Entomology
Max Wantulla, Marcel Dicke, Joop J. A. van Loon
Summary: New approaches are needed to manage the cabbage root fly due to pesticide regulations. Recent research suggests that adding black soldier fly frass can reduce the survival rate of the cabbage root fly. However, this effect may depend on the type of soil.
JOURNAL OF PEST SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
S. Helena Donner, Mariska M. Beekman, Kathrin Barth, Marcel Dicke, Bas J. Zwaan, Eveline C. Verhulst, Bart A. Pannebakker
Summary: This study assesses the aphid species present in Dutch strawberry crops, the facultative endosymbionts they carry, and how these endosymbionts affect the parasitism success of biocontrol parasitoid wasps. The results show that facultative endosymbiont infections can protect aphids against certain parasitoids, but the level of protection varies among aphid species and parasitoid species.
BIOLOGICAL CONTROL
(2023)