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Crop diversity in the landscape boosts pollinators and yield of pollinator dependent crops across the world.
No full textThere is a global concern about the decline of wild pollinators and the ecosystem services they provide. Although land-use change is a major threat to biodiversity, it is still poorly understood how land-use heterogeneity (or land-use structure) impacts pollinator communities and entomophilous crop production. Based on a literature review, we performed a meta-analysis to (1) assess how landscape structure, both composition and configuration, affects pollinator species richness and abundance, and (2) examine the impact of landscape structure on the production of key entomophilous crops. We extracted information on pollinator communities and crop production from 101 studies with a total of 920 site replicates distributed widely across the globe. To obtain landscape structure (total area of all crops, crop diversity, and landscape Shannon's Diversity Index) information, we sourced data from the database Map-SPAM as well as satellite images. We found that pollinator species richness increased with the number of crop species in the surrounding area. Pollinator abundance increased with the number of different crops but decreased with increasing agricultural area in the surrounding landscape. Crop production of several crops was associated with landscape heterogeneity. Notably, fruit set increased with an increasing number of crop species in neighbouring fields and decreased with increasing agricultural area, that is, when nature is substituted with agriculture in the surrounding landscape. We also found positive correlations between edge density of an area and pollinator species richness and entomophilous crop production suggesting that edge density can be used as a landscape structure indicator to assess pollinator diversity. The effects of landscape structure were more pronounced in crops with high pollinator dependence, showing stronger relationships with both pollinator diversity and crop production. These findings highlight the importance of maintaining landscape heterogeneity through crop diversity and natural habitats to support pollinators and their services, though unmeasured factors such as intensification or local management may also play a role
Global minds, global funds : International top management and ICO fundraising in developing economies
No full textDrawing on the Resource-Based View (RBV), our study examines how C-level management team composition influences fundraising through Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) in the context of developing countries. Using a dataset of 458 ICOs and Probit regression analyses, we find that born-digital ventures led by internationally diverse management teams attract more capital, as investors associate diversity with superior entrepreneurial skills and valuable tacit knowledge. Moreover, having a foreign CEO with strong entrepreneurial experience further increases investor confidence by helping investors to distinguish credible, competent teams. Our findings contribute to the RBV by showing that managerial diversity and skillsets stand out during an investor's screening process. We discuss implications for policymakers, investors and local entrepreneurs in developing countries
Co-adsorption of p-mercaptobenzoic acid on silver nanoparticles enhances the plasmon-mediated coupling reaction of p-ethynylaniline
No full textThe enhancement of the electromagnetic field elicited by localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) is conducive to the generation of charge carriers, which have an important effect in driving many kinds of chemical reactions. Nonetheless, the short lifespan of charge carriers generated by plasmon (typically femtoseconds to nanoseconds) limits their effectiveness in promoting chemical reactions. Here, we have applied surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy to probe the plasmon-mediated coupling reaction of p-ethynylaniline (PEAN) on silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs). The use of p-mercaptobenzoic acid (PMBA) as a co-catalyst facilitated the transfer and separation of hot electrons produced by the plasmon at its interface with the Ag NPs. This process accelerated the PEAN coupling reaction by extending the lifespan of hot carriers, which was achieved by matching hot electrons produced by the plasmon with the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy distribution of co-adsorbed PMBA molecules. These survey results indicate the potential for effective acceleration or inhibition of plasmon-mediated chemical reactions (PMCR) through the introduction of molecular co-catalysts, offering a simple, cost-effective, and efficient strategy for preparing plasmon catalysts
Boosting structural food science using X-ray and neutron techniques
No full textKnowledge about food structures at different length scales is key for the continued development of sustainable, tasty and healthy foods. It is critical to control, model and predict the supramolecular architecture of foods along the whole value chain: from raw materials, to their changes during processing, all the way to how products form structures during consumption and digestion. Today, advanced physical methods enable us to obtain structural information from the nanoscale-to the microscale with unprecedented resolution. The structural details can then relate to the mesoscale and microscale functionalities, important for the appeal and consumption of food products. X-ray and neutron techniques expand and strengthen the food structure characterisation toolbox. They enable in situ and in operando investigations with greater detail as well as new types of measurements that are not possible with other techniques. The knowledge gained will complement compositional and functional data obtained by other techniques, providing robustness to the interpretation of complex structural information. There are several intrinsic scientific challenges to overcome: from the lack of relevant sample environments to advanced data processing and modelling tools that consider the complexity of the food. The new frontier in food structural science can be gained through interdisciplinary collaborations not only in academia but also from the wider innovation ecosystem. This review showcases how the use of X-ray and neutron techniques is already leading to transformational knowledge in structural food science with a perspective that points to the future of this new multidisciplinary discipline
No More Secrets? De-monopolizing Intelligence
No full textIntelligence scholars have described the contemporary availability ofOpen-Source Intelligence (OSINT) and the entrance of civil society actorsinto the field of intelligence as a “democratization of intelligence”, therebyportraying a fundamentally positive and inclusive enterprise. Assessingthe implications of the recent explosion of OSINT groups and activists fortraditional state intelligence actors, this chapter instead introduces theconcept of de-monopolization. A turn to de-monopolization bringsattention to the competitive aspects arising when civil society actorsenter the field of intelligence. The chapter outlines two different forms ofcompetition currently affecting state intelligence actors: a competition forinsights and a competition for epistemic authority. Describing thesecontemporary tendencies and their impact on state intelligence work, thechapter then discusses how an increase in OSINT by civil society actorsgenerates new tasks for intelligence actors, introduces new ideals, andpushes state intelligence agencies to defend their expertise in public
Health, Social Care and Old Age Provisions in Medieval and Early Modern Leiden
No full textBy the end of the eighteenth century, Leiden was a very unhealthy city where life was characterised by disease and untimely death – in particular young children – mainly because of high population density and unhygienic conditions. Morbidity and a high mortality rate gave city life a specific dynamic: many children grew up without one or both parents present, while many elderly men and women had trouble finding the support networks they needed to help them during their final years. The absence of family was not only caused by high death rates, but also by high migration rates: newcomers to Leiden had usually left their family support group behind. For these reasons inhabitants could not always rely on family, and therefore also depended in times of need on a ‘mixed economy of welfare’ consisting of friends, mutual-aid societies, charities and commercial organisations. This chapter provides an overview of the development of social care in medieval and early modern Leiden, with special focus on the eldercare provided to the most vulnerable inhabitants. Particular attention will go to the many hofjes that were founded by benefactors to provide housing for older men and women, which were built around an inner courtyard
Five lessons for applied researchers from twenty years of common correlated effects estimation
No full textThis article distills the vast literature on Common Correlated Effects (CCE), initiated by the seminal contribution of Pesaran (2006), into five practical lessons. We provide a concise overview of the CCE framework and describe the reasons for its popularity in empirical (macro-) panel data research. The lessons we draw focus on aspects that have received substantial methodological attention, but remain underappreciated in empirical work
Modeling anti-tumor immune responses using patient-derived melanoma organoids
No full textImmune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy can restore T cell function in tumors, but not all patients benefit, and the mechanisms behind this remain unclear. In this study, we used patient-derived organotypic (PDO) cultures from metastatic melanoma to examine transcriptomic and cellular changes following ex vivo T cell stimulation. Genomic and transcriptomic features were preserved during PDO formation, capturing melanoma heterogeneity. PDOs from ICB-responsive patients showed rapid T cell expansion upon T cell stimulation, unlike those from ICB-resistant tissue. Resistant tissue harbored T cells lacking activation and checkpoint markers, suggesting non-tumor-reactive T cells. A T cell-specific transcriptomic score, activated in responsive PDOs, correlated with improved overall and relapse-free survival in metastatic melanoma patients treated with ICB. These findings demonstrate that ex vivo analysis is a viable tool to investigate mechanisms of ICB response and may help identify predictive biomarkers for patient outcome
Cerebellar functions from a translational perspective: from neuronal to neurocognitive dysfunctions
No full textThis PhD project aimed to investigate cerebellar contribution to cognition from a translational perspective by integrating neuropsychological assessment and neuroimaging, incorporating neurocognitive and motor tests with 7T Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The results are clinically significant as they identify nonverbal cognitive deficits that often may go unnoticed in clinical practice, particularly visuospatial and visuoperceptual deficits associated with cerebellar dysfunction.Firstly, the focus was placed on adult patients with neuropsychiatric disorders, including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), given reported cerebellar morphological differences. Neurocognitive and motor functions were investigated across all relevant clinical subgroups, considering DSM-5 disorder severity. Sensorimotor functions dependent on cerebellar processing, as well as visuospatial perception and abilities, were assessed. Neuropsychiatric clinical subgroups performed significantly worse than controls, with notable associations between these functions. These results reveal deficits even in patients with mild disorder severity, supporting a link between these disorders and cerebellar dysfunction. Objective assessments of these functions could also enhance the accuracy and effectiveness of clinical evaluations. Subsequently, the same neurocognitive functions were examined in neurological diseases, including Spinocerebellar Ataxias (SCA) and other neurological conditions with marked cerebellar atrophy. Ataxia severity was moderately to strongly associated with impairments in sensorimotor functions, visuoconstructive abilities, and visuospatial perception, indicating deficits in both motor and higher cognitive processes. While cerebellar pathology is likely the main contributor, the potential influence of non-cerebellar factors cannot be excluded.Lastly, from a translational perspective, 7T MRI was used to examine the relationship between neurocognition and cerebellar cortical thickness, linking structural changes to functional and cognitive outcomes. Patients with Spinocerebellar Ataxia type 34 (SCA 34) show cerebellar degeneration with cognitive, motor, and socio-affective impairments consistent with Cerebellar Cognitive Affective Syndrome. Atrophy of the vermis, multiple lobules, and cerebellar peduncles highlights the cerebellum’s key role in cognition, advancing our understanding of its contribution to neurocognitive and psychiatric symptoms in genetic ataxias