Search Results (139)

The Bignoniaceae family encompasses numerous species of ecological, medicinal, and cultural significance, yet its ethnobotanical value remains underexplored in many regions of Thailand. This study investigates the diversity, phenology, cultural relevance, and traditional uses of Bignoniaceae species in Maha Sarakham Province, Northeastern Thailand. Through semi-structured interviews with 260 local informants across 13 districts—alongside field observations and herbarium voucher collections—we documented 27 species across 21 genera. These integrated methods enabled the identification of key culturally significant species and provided insights into their traditional uses. Phenological data revealed clear seasonal patterns in flowering and fruiting, aligned with the regional climatic cycle. Quantitative ethnobotanical indices—including Species Use Value (SUV), Genera Use Value (GUV), Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC), Cultural Importance Index (CI), and Cultural Food Significance Index (CFSI)—were employed to evaluate species significance. Results indicate that species such as Dolichandrone serrulata, D. spathacea, and Oroxylum indicum hold high cultural and practical value, particularly in traditional medicine, spiritual practices, and local landscaping. These findings underscore the critical role of Bignoniaceae in sustaining biocultural diversity and emphasize the urgency of preserving traditional botanical knowledge amid environmental and socio-economic change. Moreover, the insights contribute to broader efforts in cultural heritage preservation and biodiversity conservation across tropical and subtropical regions. Full article

Background/Objectives: Using healthcare vouchers mitigates the financial burdens of low-income individuals, therefore enhancing mothers’ satisfaction and encouraging service utilization. In Yemen, reducing financial barriers results in marked improvement in reproductive health services utilization for mothers and their newborns. Such financial strain can be addressed through reproductive health vouchers, which reduce out-of-pocket expenses of family planning, pregnancy, birth, postnatal care and neonatal care. This study compares the Safe Motherhood and Family Planning Voucher Program in the Lahj governorate to the non-voucher program in the Abyan governorate in terms of enhancement of reproductive healthcare accessibility and use. Methods: This facility-based, quantitative, comparative, cross-sectional study was conducted in the Lahj governorate, which supports the Safe Motherhood and Family Planning Voucher Program, and the Abyan governorate, which does not. Results: The voucher-supported program has greatly improved mothers’ satisfaction, access, and use of all reproductive health services by covering transportation, covering lodging during hospitalization, and providing free reproductive treatments. Compared to Abyan mothers, Lahj governorate mothers more frequently used rental vehicles (paid for by the voucher program) and free reproductive health services (p-value < 0.001). Lahj governorate mothers (who used the vouchers) used family planning, prenatal care, facility-based delivery, home delivery by competent birth staff, cesarean section, postnatal care, and neonatal care more frequently than Abyan governorate mothers. A health institution which supported the Safe Motherhood and Family Planning Voucher Program (SMHFPVP) provided prenatal care (98.5%), competent birth services (99.0%), and modern contraceptive use (92.3%)—oral contraceptive pills, implants, injectables, contraceptive patches, vaginal rings, and intrauterine devices—for mothers who were interviewed and attended the targeted HFs in the Lahj governorate, compared with (77.6%), (80.3%), and (67.8%), respectively, for mothers in Abyan governorate who were not supported by the SMHFPVP. This study demonstrates substantially higher satisfaction levels among voucher-using mothers in the Lahj governorate compared to those in the Abyan governorate, across all satisfaction domains and overall satisfaction scores. Conclusions: This study found that women without access to maternal health vouchers experienced worse prenatal, natal, and postnatal care and were less satisfied with healthcare services compared with women who used vouchers. Full article

Giant clams are ecologically important coral reef animals, with many species facing imminent local extinction. While many regions have undertaken recent assessments of their biodiversity assets, persistent gaps remain even in otherwise well-surveyed areas. This study sought to understand the geographic distribution of smaller-bodied and morphologically similar giant clams, specifically Tridacna maxima and T. noae, in the eastern Indian Ocean. Due to the difficulties in reliably identifying these species using morphological characters, we confirmed species identity and investigated intraspecific variation using sequence data from the mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit I gene (COI). Seventy whole animal vouchers were newly sampled from a 1500 km span of remote northwestern Australian coastline over a decade, as part of an ongoing coral reef survey expedition of the Western Australian Museum and partners. Tridacna maxima had a limited distribution and was only genotyped from offshore oceanic reefs in the Rowley Shoals and Cocos Keeling Islands. In contrast, T. noae was well established beyond Ningaloo Reef, and was abundant at inshore sites throughout the Pilbara and Kimberley, and even offshore to Ashmore Reef. Phylogeographically, T. maxima did not group with conspecifics from the Western Pacific Ocean, including the east coast of Australia, but instead clustered with individuals from Malaysia, China, Taiwan, and Indonesia; T. noae exhibited a similar pattern. The affinity of Western Australian individuals with representatives from the Indo-Malay region and not eastern Australia will be an important consideration for these commercially important species. Novel haplotypes in both tested species occur in Western Australia. Continued sampling of eastern and central Indian Ocean giant clams, especially to continue to document the range of T. noae, is encouraged to understand connectivity in this basin. Together, these findings contribute to an improved baseline for conservation initiatives of these iconic coral reef animals in Western Australia. Full article

We investigate what drives small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Alps–Adriatic macro-region to offer green products and services. A sample of 2305 SMEs from Flash Eurobarometer 498 is analyzed with a multinomial logit model that distinguishes firms that already offer green products/services, those planning to do so within two years, and those with no such intention. SMEs implementing ≥ 5 resource-efficiency actions are 75% more likely to offer green products/services (RRR = 1.75, p < 0.05). An increase in the share of green jobs to >30% of staff triples that likelihood (RRR = 3.65, p < 0.01). Selling only services reduces the probability by 17%. Country dummies show Austria and Slovenia as early movers, while Croatia lags. This is the first study to apply a three-outcome model to green market activity in this macroregion, thus revealing nonlinear and country-specific patterns that a binary approach would mask. This study has multiple implications for entrepreneurial practice: (i) entrepreneurs should focus on high-leverage resource-efficiency bundles (energy, waste, circular design) rather than single actions; (ii) policymakers should combine financial incentives with green-skills vouchers to accelerate adoption in service-oriented SMEs. Full article

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are root symbionts that play an important role in the growth of vascular plants. Four AM fungi, including three new species, Acaulospora citrusnsis, A. guangxiensis, A. jiangxiensis, and a new country record from China, Acaulospora herrerae, are reported based on morphological characteristics and molecular phylogenetic analysis. They were isolated and propagated from spores extracted from the rhizosphere soils of citrus. A. citrusnsis is characterized by forming hyaline to pale yellow globose to subglobose spores of (70.0–)85.0(−100.0) μm in diameter. Spores of A. guangxiensis are pale yellow to pale yellowish brown, with spherical to sub-spherical appearance and (103.1–)122.1(–147.1) μm in diameter. Young spores of A. jiangxiensis are hyaline, gradually turning pale yellow as they mature, with spherical to sub-spherical appearance and (78.7–)85.6(–90.0) μm in diameter. Spores of A. herrerae are hyaline and 86.3–127.2 μm in diameter. Four species have three spore wall layers, and spores form individually in the soil. The phylogenetic tree was constructed and inferred from sequences of 18S-ITS1-5.8S-ITS2-28S datasets by Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood analysis. Voucher specimens are deposited in the Center for Subtropical Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Culture Collection (CSMC). Full article

Education plays an essential role in ensuring the social sustainability of blood donation. As altruism may be insufficient to support donor engagement, this study assesses the effectiveness of incentives on ensuring the social sustainability of blood donation. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 319 medical students about socio-demographic variables, donation frequency, altruism dimensions (impure, self-regarding, reluctant, egalitarian warm glow, and kinship), the perceived importance of monetary (travel compensation, meal vouchers) and non-monetary incentives (free blood screening, paid leave, refreshments, recognition gifts), and willingness to donate during a blood donation social marketing campaign in November 2021 and November 2022. Data were analyzed in SPSS 20 using chi-square, ANOVA tests, and multiple regression models. The key findings indicate no significant associations between donor categories and incentives, but meal vouchers, free medical testing, refreshments, and recognition gifts were linked to self-regarding altruism. Additionally, neither incentives, altruism dimensions, nor their interaction predicted willingness to donate blood. These findings highlight the need for education-driven approaches to ensure a long-term commitment of blood donors, by integrating educational, sustainable curricular or extracurricular activities. Integrating blood donation awareness into formal education may cultivate a culture of civic responsibility, expanding the donor pool and strengthening the social sustainability of blood donation. Full article

Background/Objectives: Freshwater shrimps of the family Atyidae, particularly the hyperdiverse genus Caridina, are keystone decomposers in tropical aquatic ecosystems and valuable aquaculture resources. However, their evolutionary relationships remain unresolved due to conflicting morphological and molecular evidence. Here, we sequenced and characterized the complete mitochondrial genome of Caridina mariae (Tiger Shrimp), aiming to (1) elucidate its genomic architecture, and (2) reconstruct a robust phylogeny of Caridea using 155 decapod species to address long-standing taxonomic uncertainties. Methods: Muscle tissue from wild-caught C. mariae (voucher ID: KIZ-2023-001, Guangdong, China) was subjected to Illumina NovaSeq 6000 sequencing (150 bp paired-end). The mitogenome was assembled using MITObim v1.9, annotated via MITOS2, and validated by PCR. Phylogenetic analyses employed 13 protein-coding genes under Bayesian inference (MrBayes v3.2.7; 10⁶ generations, ESS > 200) and maximum likelihood (RAxML v8.2.12; 1000 bootstraps), with Harpiosquilla harpax as the outgroup. The best-fit substitution model (MtZoa + F + I + G4) was selected via jModelTest v2.1.10. Results: The 15,581 bp circular mitogenome encodes 37 genes (13 PCGs, 22 tRNAs, and 2 rRNAs) and an A + T-rich control region (86.7%). Notably, trnS1 lacks the dihydrouracil arm—a rare structural deviation in Decapoda. The 13 PCGs exhibit moderate nucleotide skew (AT = 0.030; GC = −0.214), while nad5, nad4, and nad6 show significant GC-skew. Phylogenomic analyses strongly support (PP = 1.0; BS = 95) a novel sister-group relationship between Halocaridinidae and Typhlatyinae, contradicting prior morphology-based classifications. The monophyly of Penaeoidea, Astacidea, and Caridea was confirmed, but Eryonoidea and Crangonoidea formed an unexpected clade. Conclusions: This study provides the first mitogenomic framework for C. mariae, revealing both conserved features (e.g., PCG content) and lineage-specific innovations (e.g., tRNA truncation). The resolved phylogeny challenges traditional Caridea classifications and highlights convergent adaptation in freshwater lineages. These findings offer molecular tools for the conservation prioritization of threatened Caridina species and underscore the utility of mitogenomics in decapod systematics. Full article

Background: On 18 April 2024, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published the first food package changes to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in over a decade, which reduced some food benefits (juice, milk, canned fish, and infant fruits and vegetables) and offered substitutes (cash-value vouchers (CVVs) or cash-value benefits (CVBs) to redeem for fruits and vegetables, cheese, soymilk, or other dairy products). Methods: To assess the impact of the changes on the consumption and redemption of these food groups, a systematic search was conducted, identifying 23 peer-reviewed publications between 2010 and 2024. Results: They revealed significant shifts in consumption after the 2009 food package changes; e.g., a decline in 100% juice intake following reductions in juice allowances. Additionally, the review highlighted that the 2009 WIC food package revision was associated with more fruit and vegetable consumption after the increase in CVV allowance. While including milk alternatives like soy-based beverages or lactose-free milk or cheese may improve redemption rates and WIC program satisfaction, the long-term impacts of these proposed changes remain unknown. No research was identified on the consumption of canned fish. Conclusions: This review contributes to understanding the changes in redemption and consumption after the last WIC food package changes, identifies the knowledge gap about prospective impacts, and recommends that the WIC agencies implement appropriate evaluations to promote health and nutrition among vulnerable populations. Full article

Introduction: Breastfeeding plays a fundamental role in newborns’ and infants’ health. Breast milk’s protective power against malnutrition and its positive effect on neurological and physical development are well established and are reflected in the policy statements of all major pediatric health entities. However, breastfeeding also plays an important role in the prevention of so-called non-communicable diseases, such as obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and autoimmune diseases. Methods: This narrative review aims to analyze the effect of breastfeeding and breast milk on the development of non-communicable diseases, with a special focus on weight excess, dyslipidemia, allergy, and gastrointestinal diseases. This narrative review was carried out through three steps: executing the search, examining abstracts and full texts, and analyzing results. To achieve this, the databases PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were explored to collect and select publications from 1990 to 2024 to find pertinent studies in line with this review’s development. The search included randomized placebo-controlled trials, controlled clinical trials, double-blind, randomized controlled studies, and systematic reviews. A total of 104 manuscripts were ultimately included in the analysis. Results: Breastfeeding is associated with a decreased vulnerability to early viral infections or chronic inflammatory conditions during preschool years, a reduced incidence of weight excess, and likely lower cholesterol concentration, besides having a small protective effect against systolic blood hypertension. Conclusions: Pediatricians must promote breastfeeding, support the mother–infant dyad, and consider breast milk as a real “health voucher” that can last lifelong. However, further studies are needed to better define the extent and duration of breastfeeding’s protective power in this context. Full article

Background/Objectives: Many deprived communities in the UK have low fruit and vegetable (FV) intake, leading to poor health outcomes. Fresh Street is a place-based voucher approach that enables households to buy FV from local independent suppliers. Fresh Street Community embeds this approach within community hubs, thus enabling households to use vouchers to purchase FV from community centres. This paper explores the enablers and barriers influencing the uptake of Fresh Street Community in two UK urban areas of high deprivation. Methods: This three-phase exploratory qualitative study was informed by ‘co-production’ with community researchers at both sites: (1) literature review and observations identifying enablers and barriers in FV voucher schemes; (2) semi-structured interviews and focus groups with the research team and community food researchers to ‘validate’ the factors identified in phase 1 and to develop explanatory narratives for these factors; and (3) participatory and thematic analysis of the enablers and barriers to finalise the identified factors. Results: A total of ten enablers and sixteen barriers were validated across both sites. However, differences in local contexts and operational procedures impacted future FV voucher scheme implementation. The important role of community food researchers to engage participants and support the synthesis of findings is also presented. Conclusions: This study offers practical and critical insights for researchers, community food researchers, and practitioners on factors that influence a community centre-based FV voucher scheme to address nutritional inequalities. Full article

Freshwater fish community surveys are an important component of aquatic ecosystem management. However, the standard method for taxonomic identification currently used for these surveys, wherein fishes are manually identified in the field by a taxonomic expert, has several shortcomings. These include handling-related fish injury and mortality, the need for a fish-identification expert to be present during field sampling, and additional fish mortality due to physical voucher collection. These shortcomings may be overcome using new methods such as environmental DNA (eDNA) or image analyses. While eDNA can provide fish community data through metabarcoding, it is costly and provides little ecological information. A novel, image-based method for taxonomic identification (“batch-image identification”), which addresses the shortcomings of standard and eDNA methods, was tested in this study. Fishes were captured in the field and photographed in small groups (“batches”) within fish viewers for subsequent identification by taxonomic experts. Comparing taxonomist-based identifications from batch images to specimen-based identification, batch-image identification yielded an overall species-level correct-identification rate (CIR) of 49.7%, and an overall genus-level CIR of 61.2%. CIR increased with taxonomist expertise, reaching 83% when identification was performed by expert taxonomists. Batch-image identification data also produced rarefaction curves and fish-length measurements comparable to those obtained through standard methods. Potential methodological improvements to batch-image identification, including procedural adjustments and alternative identification methods, provide direction for the continued testing and improvement of this method. Full article

Concerns about global food insecurity have been growing, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to assess the determinants of food security among internally displaced persons (IDPs)—people who have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict, natural disasters, or other crises—and their children under five, as well as the influence on their nutritional status. Using random sampling, the caregivers of IDPs and children under five in households were included in the study. The caregivers were interviewed using a validated structured questionnaire, while nutritional assessments of both children and adults were conducted through anthropometric and clinical evaluation methods. The findings revealed a high prevalence of food insecurity, with 97.6% of IDP households experiencing some degree of insecurity. Additionally, 28.3% of the surveyed households had high dietary diversity. Among the children, 50.6% were stunted, over a third were underweight, and 15.8% were wasted, indicating severe nutritional deficiencies. Among adults, 28.4% were overweight or obese, while a significant number were underweight. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the caregivers’ monthly salary and the average amount spent on food were associated with a decrease in food insecurity. Conversely, large household sizes and coping strategies employed to mitigate food insecurity were linked to increased food insecurity. In conclusion, the study highlights a high prevalence of food insecurity among IDP households, forcing families to adopt coping strategies, mainly through dietary modifications. This, in turn, contributes to low dietary diversity and poor nutritional status, with children suffering from underweight, wasting, and stunting. These findings underscore the urgent need for comprehensive interventions, including the distribution of food vouchers, cash transfers, food banks, and support for home gardening and small-scale farming, as well as education on meal rationing, meal planning, and family planning services. Addressing the root causes of food insecurity—namely low household income and large family sizes—can improve access to nutritious food and ensure the health and well-being of IDPs. Furthermore, addressing food insecurity within this vulnerable group is critical to the broader goals of planetary health, as it highlights the intersection of human health, social equity, and environmental sustainability. By promoting sustainable food systems and supporting vulnerable populations, these interventions can contribute to the resilience of both communities and eco-systems in the face of ongoing global challenges. Full article

Dokdo is an island located in the easternmost part of Korea, which has high levels of biodiversity of birds and fish, especially marine invertebrates. However, the biodiversity of microalgae, especially diatoms (Bacillariophyta), is relatively unknown, despite their ecological importance as primary producers of the marine food web and bioindicators of environmental conditions associated with climate change. To understand the biodiversity of seaweed-associated diatoms from Dokdo, we collected macroalgae present at a depth 5–15 m by SCUBA diving on 17 October 2017. There were a large number of diatoms (over 130 species), even though it was a one-time survey. As it includes too many taxa to cover at once, voucher flora for other taxonomic groups will be provided through the continuous serial papers. This is the first series of seaweed-associated diatoms, with 26 species belonging to the subphyla Melosirophytina and Coscinodisophytina, and the class Mediophyceae. Among these, seven species including one new taxon were reported for the first time in Korea, which, along with the geopolitical characteristics of the survey area, proved that there is no domestic interest in seaweed-related diatoms. In particular, the appearance of species that have been reported in subtropical waters, such as the order Ardissoneales, requires continuous monitoring of marine seaweed-associated diatoms to confirm whether their colonization in Dokdo waters was due to climate change or species-specific water temperature tolerance. Full article

The problem of specifying representative specimens to serve as vouchers or ground truth specimens for species is viewed from a perspective of object recognition based on training using exemplars recognized by personal perception. In taxonomy, an ‘exemplar’ mirrors the hypodigm concept of Simpson, which refers to certain specimens being unequivocal members of a species. His concept has been discarded in most taxonomies because he did not provide procedures that distinguished it from ‘material’ or ‘sample’. However, his underlying view of a morphospecies was of a group united by shared character resemblances, probabilistically related. On this basis, the hypodigm of a taxonomic species is here restricted to specimens demonstrated as likely belonging to one population. To raise objectivity in this task, personal perception should be supplemented by morphometric analyses, several of which are demonstrated using living and Holocene samples of the oceanic zooplankter Truncorotalia crassaformis (Galloway and Wissler) from the Atlantic and Caribbean Oceans. Full article

A study of diatoms in eight watercourses (four spawning rivers and four streams) in the area of the Ozernovsky Mining and Metallurgical Complex (MMC) on the Kamchatka Peninsula was carried out for the first time. A total of 174 taxa were identified, and a comparative analysis of periphyton species diversity at the sampling stations was carried out. A new species for science was proposed: Gomphonema anissimovae Glushchenko, Kezlya & Kulikovskiy sp. nov. The composition and quantitative characteristics of plankton were analysed only in samples collected from rivers. It was shown that all rivers are oligotrophic in terms of phytoplankton biomass. The work includes lists of taxa with indication of their abundance, as well as illustrative material of found diatom taxa, which will provide an opportunity to monitor changes in planktonic and periphyton microalgae communities in the studied watercourses in the context of potentially high anthropogenic load from industry. Full article