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Spodoptera frugiperda, a global threat to food security : a review on bioecology, genetics, and innovative control strategies
Kavallieratos, Nickolas G.; Wakil, Waqas; Gidari, Demeter Lorentha S.; Boukouvala, Maria C.; Filintas, Constantin S.; Ghazanfar, Muhammad Usman; El-Shafi, Hamadttu; Akutse, Komivi Senyo; Niassy, Saliou; Tonnang, Henri E.Z.; Samuels, Richard Ian; Silva, Gerson Adriano; Pecanha, Ludimila Simoes; Yusuf, Abdullahi Ahmed; Basit, Abdul; Liu, Tong-Xian; Shi, Wangpeng; Lu, Zhaozhi; Jurat-Fuentes, Juan Luis (Schweizerbart Science Publishers, 2026-07-09)
The fall armyworm (FAW) is a highly polyphagous pest native to the Americas that has become a global threat to food security through its rapid invasion across Africa, Asia, Oceania, and initial incursions in Europe. Feeding on > 350 plant species, FAW outbreaks have caused severe yield losses (~70% in some regions) and more than 13 billion USD in economic damage annually. This review synthesizes current knowledge of the biology, genetics, and ecology of FAW, emphasizing its remarkable adaptability, detoxification mechanisms, and resistance to insecticides. It outlines the complex global invasion pathways and the host strain-specific genetic variability. Management strategies, including microorganisms and combinations of microbials with chemicals are critically assessed. The high efficacy of these combinations vs. single treatments is highlighted further advocating integrated pest management. Emerging tools such as RNA interference, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, and microbial symbiont methods show promising potential. This review also underscores the impact of climate change on prediction of the expansion of FAW into new regions, thus triggering the establishment of effective management strategies.
Opportunities to foreground human embeddedness in the Anthropocene biosphere
Kaandorp, Chelsea; Wang-Erlandsson, Lan; Hattle, Andrew; Folke, Carl; Gelves-Gomez, Francisco; Rocha, Juan; Davies, Oscar Hartman; Daily, Gretchen; Donges, Jonathan F.; Flores-Santana, Cynthia; Galbraith, Eric; Goldin, Simon; Jobba, Esteban; Jorgensen, Peter Sogaard; Konig, Ariane; Lambin, Eric F.; Van der Leeuw, Sander; Milo, Ron; Ningrum, Dianty; Nystrom, Magnus; Reyers, Belinda; Schill, Caroline; Senneby, Jakob; Taniguchi, Makoto; Osterblom, Henrik (Elsevier, 2026-07-24)
Dominant traditions in Western science have traditionally separated humans from nature, a division that is reproduced in the distinction between natural and social sciences. This rift has persistently hampered the ability of sustainability science to comprehensively understand and address the profound challenges of the Anthropocene. In this perspective, we aim to challenge entrenched separations between humans and nature by emphasizing the embeddedness of humans in the biosphere. We conceptualize embeddedness from a systems perspective and illustrate it using case studies on human microbiomes and freshwater availability. We discuss how a focus on embeddedness can increasingly be adopted in sustainability research through developments in sensing, modeling, and commoning practices. By highlighting these conceptual and practical opportunities for studying embeddedness in the biosphere, we seek to support transdisciplinary dialogues and practices toward sustainable futures.
What evidence supports primary prevention strategies for sport-related concussion? An umbrella review
Trabelsi, Khaled; Boukhris, Omar; Chebbi, Souhail; Husain, Waqar; Ammar, Achraf; Holtzhausen, Louis; Chtourou, Hamdi; Chamari, Karim; Jahrami, Haitham (Termedia Publishing House, 2026-07-13)
This umbrella review aimed to systematically evaluate and synthesize evidence from published systematic reviews on the effectiveness of primary prevention strategies for sport-related concussion (SRC) in athletes, and to identify areas of uncertainty relevant to policy and practice. A comprehensive search of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Epistemonikos, ERIC, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science was conducted from 2001 to April 2025, with an updated search in November 2025. Peer reviewed systematic reviews, with or without meta-analyses, assessing primary prevention strategies to reduce SRC incidence in competitive athletes of any age or sex were eligible. Interventions included rule or policy changes, protective equipment, educational programs and training-based strategies. Twenty-five systematic reviews were included, eight of which contained meta-analyses; all were rated as critically low quality using the AMSTAR-2 tool. Rule and policy changes, particularly the disallowance of body checking in youth ice hockey, demonstrated the most consistent evidence for reducing SRC incidence. Meta-analyses evaluating mouthguards and headgear showed substantial overlap of primary studies and inconsistent effects. Educational interventions and training-based programs, including structured warm-up programs such as FIFA 11+ Kids, produced inconclusive findings. Evidence specific to female athletes was limited and insufficient to support any particular prevention strategy. Overall, rule and policy changes that reduce exposure to high-risk contact currently have the strongest supporting evidence for SRC prevention, whereas evidence for equipment, education and training remains mixed. Given the critically low methodological quality of existing reviews, higher-quality evidence syntheses and robust primary studies are urgently needed.
Validation of the Walking Egg in vitro embryo culture system with application in a mobile laboratory setup
Boshof, Gerhardus Marthinus (University of Pretoria, 2026-02)
The availability of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) is sorely lacking in Low-and-Middle income countries. Barriers to ART include overly high costs, and few ART facilities within an acceptable travelling distance. The research project focused on access to ART, and is presented in three parts, namely (i) an investigation of patients undergoing ART procedures in the public sector of South Africa, (ii) the design and construction of a mobile IVF laboratory, and (iii) a proof-of-concept study showcasing the use of the mobile IVF laboratory. In the first study, patients who underwent diagnostic evaluations, but did not return for therapeutic procedures, were investigated and compared with patients who followed through with therapeutic procedures. Their income status, access to medical aid and distances required to travel to the ART facility was considered. Additionally, the time between the first diagnostic and the first therapeutic interventions was investigated in the subpopulation of patients who returned for ART procedures. The comparison of data showed that patients from lower income groups continued less often with therapeutic ART than patients with higher incomes. The low-income patients who did return for therapeutic procedures took longer to progress from the diagnostic to the therapeutic phase of their treatment. A mobile IVF laboratory was presented as a tool to be used to improve access to ART. This was a world-first endeavour, to equip a trailer for use as an IVF laboratory. The design and selection of equipment is described, as well as the process to construct the laboratory. After the mobile laboratory was completed and equipped, all equipment was verified to be functional through a series of quality control tests. The study concluded with a pilot study, confirming the IVF culture system’s functionality through the culturing of abnormally fertilised oocytes to the blastocyst stage. In October 2023 the mobile laboratory was showcased in Pretoria, South Africa during the symposium “Access to Infertility Care: South Africa”, where participants were able to visit the newly constructed mobile IVF laboratory. After completion of the mobile IVF laboratory, a proof-of-concept study was performed to show the real-world application of the mobile IVF laboratory. From a cohort of 10 patients who had embryos cultured in the mobile IVF laboratory, 5 patients tested positive for βHCG and eventually four healthy babies were born. The findings were reported in a research article as well as two poster presentations at international conferences, i.e. the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology’s 41st Annual meeting in Paris, France, as well as the FIGO XXV World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics in Cape Town, South Africa. During the latter congress, the mobile lab was moved to Cape Town and available at the congress venue for viewing. The prototype mobile IVF laboratory was proven to be successful in terms of IVF embryo cultures with the simplified Walking Egg IVF culture system. This type of laboratory can be further investigated to be used as a vehicle to provide ART services to rural areas. The thesis concludes with a discussion on the manner in which mobile IVF laboratories can be used to improve access to ART. Two examples are provided, to describe how these mobile IVF laboratories can be used in the private as well as the public sector. Further recommendations are made, to engage with the South African National Department of Health to improve access to ART in South Africa, as well as training of medical professionals working in the field of medical assisted reproduction.
Corporate earnings announcements and stock market bubbles
Bouri, Elie; Can, Ufuk; Cepni, Oguzhan; Gupta, Rangan (Elsevier, 2026-09)
We examine how corporate earnings announcement shocks influence US stock market bubbles using daily data from January 1990 to June 2025. After identifying positive and negative bubbles, we derive corporate earnings announcement shocks using a heteroskedastic vector autoregression model and estimate their dynamic effects on bubble indicators using local projections, with vector autoregression-based impulse responses reported as a robustness check. Positive earnings shocks boost positive bubbles, particularly at the medium to long-term, while reducing negative bubbles at the short-term. Therefore, favorable earnings news can fuel prolonged speculative episodes by increasing investor optimism, and lead to deep crashes but mild recoveries. HIGHLIGHTS • Link stock bubbles to corporate earnings announcements using local projections. • Apply vector autoregression-based impulse responses as a robustness check. • Positive earnings shocks boost positive bubbles, notably in the medium to long-term. • Positive earnings shocks reduce negative bubbles in the short-term.