16,845 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
Ensuring Access to Safe and Nutritious Food for All Through the Transformation of Food Systems
Screening the maize rhizobiome for consortia that improve Azospirillum brasilense root colonization and plant growth outcomes
Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) are valuable for supporting sustainable food production and may alleviate the negative impacts of chemical fertilizers on human health and the environment. While single-strain inoculations have proven unreliable due to poor survival and colonization in the rhizosphere, application of PGPB in multispecies consortia has the potential to improve these outcomes. Here, we describe a new approach for screening and identifying bacterial consortia that improve the growth of corn relative to plants inoculated with a single strain. The method uses the microwell recovery array (MRA), a microfabricated high-throughput screening device, to rapidly explore the maize (Zea mays L.) rhizobiome for higher-order combinations of bacteria that promote the growth and colonization of the nitrogen-fixing PGPB, Azospirillum brasilense. The device simultaneously generates thousands of random, unique combinations of bacteria that include A. brasilense and members of the maize rhizobiome, then tracks A. brasilense growth in each combination during co-culture. Bacteria that show the highest levels of A. brasilense growth promotion are then recovered from the device using a patterned light extraction technique and are identified. With this approach, the screen uncovered growth-promoting consortia consisting primarily of bacteria from the Acinetobacter-Enterobacter-Serratia genera, which were then co-inoculated with A. brasilense on axenic maize seedlings that were monitored inside a plant growth chamber. Compared to maize plants inoculated with A. brasilense alone, plants that were co-inoculated with these consortia showed accelerated growth after 15 days. Follow-up root colonization assays revealed that A. brasilense colonized at higher levels on roots from the co-inoculated seedlings. These findings demonstrate a new method for rapid bioprospecting of root and soil communities for complementary PGPB and for developing multispecies consortia with potential use as next-generation biofertilizers
Corporate Social Responsibility: the institutionalization of ESG
Understanding the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on firm performance as it relates to industries reliant on technological innovation is a complex and perpetually evolving challenge. To thoroughly investigate this topic, this dissertation will adopt an economics-based structure to address three primary hypotheses. This structure allows for each hypothesis to essentially be a standalone empirical paper, unified by an overall analysis of the nature of impact that ESG has on firm performance. The first hypothesis explores the evolution of CSR to the modern quantified iteration of ESG has led to the institutionalization and standardization of the CSR concept. The second hypothesis fills gaps in existing literature testing the relationship between firm performance and ESG by finding that the relationship is significantly positive in long-term, strategic metrics (ROA and ROIC) and that there is no correlation in short-term metrics (ROE and ROS). Finally, the third hypothesis states that if a firm has a long-term strategic ESG plan, as proxied by the publication of CSR reports, then it is more resilience to damage from controversies. This is supported by the finding that pro-ESG firms consistently fared better than their counterparts in both financial and ESG performance, even in the event of a controversy. However, firms with consistent reporting are also held to a higher standard than their nonreporting peers, suggesting a higher risk and higher reward dynamic. These findings support the theory of good management, in that long-term strategic planning is both immediately economically beneficial and serves as a means of risk management and social impact mitigation. Overall, this contributes to the literature by fillings gaps in the nature of impact that ESG has on firm performance, particularly from a management perspective
Building data management capabilities to address data protection regulations: Learnings from EU-GDPR
The European Unionâs General Data Protection Regulation (EU-GDPR) has initiated a paradigm shift in data protection toward greater choice and sovereignty for individuals and more accountability for organizations. Its strict rules have inspired data protection regulations in other parts of the world. However, many organizations are facing difficulty complying with the EU-GDPR: these new types of data protection regulations cannot be addressed by an adaptation of contractual frameworks, but require a fundamental reconceptualization of how companies store and process personal data on an enterprise-wide level. In this paper, we introduce the resource-based view as a theoretical lens to explain the lengthy trajectories towards compliance and argue that these regulations require companies to build dedicated, enterprise-wide data management capabilities. Following a design science research approach, we propose a theoretically and empirically grounded capability model for the EU-GDPR that integrates the interpretation of legal texts, findings from EU-GDPR-related publications, and practical insights from focus groups with experts from 22 companies and four EU-GDPR projects. Our study advances interdisciplinary research at the intersection between IS and law: First, the proposed capability model adds to the regulatory compliance management literature by connecting abstract compliance requirements to three groups of capabilities and the resources required for their implementation, and second, it provides an enterprise-wide perspective that integrates and extends the fragmented body of research on EU-GDPR. Practitioners may use the capability model to assess their current status and set up systematic approaches toward compliance with an increasing number of data protection regulations
Scientistsâ attitudes about citizen science at Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites
A profound transformation, in recent decades, is promoting shifts in the ways ecological science is produced and shared; as such, ecologists are increasingly encouraged to engage in dialogues with multiple stakeholders and in transdisciplinary research. Among the different forms of public engagement, citizen science (CS) has significant potential to support science-society interactions with mutual benefits. While many studies have focused on the experience and motivations of CS volunteers, scarce literature investigating the perspectives of researchers is available. The main purpose of this paper is to better understand scientistsâ attitudes about CS in the context of its potential to support outcomes that extent beyond more traditional ones focused on promoting science knowledge and interest. We surveyed the scientific community belonging to the International Long-Term Ecological Research (ILTER) network because ILTER is of interest to multiple stakeholders and occurs over long time scales. Via an online questionnaire, we asked ILTER scientists about their willingness to participate in different types of public engagement, their reasons for participating in CS, the associated barriers, and any impacts of these efforts on them. Our findings show that many ILTER scientists are open to participating in CS for a wide range of reasons; the dominant ones involve deeper public engagement and collaboration. The barriers of greatest concern of these respondents were the lack of institutional support to start and run a CS project and the difficulty of establishing long-term stable relationships with the public. They reported impacts of CS activities on how they pursue their work and acknowledged the benefit of opportunities to learn from the public. The emerging picture from this research is of a community willing and actively involved in many CS projects for both traditional reasons, such as data gathering and public education, and expanded reasons that activate a real two-way cooperation with the public. In the ILTER community, CS may thus become an opportunity to promote and develop partnerships with citizens, helping to advance the science-society interface and to rediscover and enhance the human and social dimension of the scientific work
Towards Legislation Responsive to Integrated Watershed Management Approaches and Land Tenure
Land tenure affects integrated watershed management approaches in various ways, such as influencing land use and investment in sustainability practices and decisions. However, some land tenure and integrated watershed management relations need more examination, including how the prevailing relevant legislation responds and the needed course of action. In this paper, we provide relevant evidence to support a shift to responsive actions and legislation through (a) examining land tenure scenarios affecting integrated watershed management, including the publicâprivate land tenure co-existence from a watershed perspective; (b) the responsiveness of the prevailing relevant legislation to integrated watershed management and the land tenure scenarios and (c) identifying legislative remedies recommendable for responsiveness. We use qualitative methods to review secondary data sources, including four legislations, and complement them with field survey data. Field experiences are from three sub-catchments in the Lake Victoria basin, each representing a different land tenure system, as case studies. Land tenure links with integrated watershed management in various ways, such as influencing land use decisions. However, underscoring the relationship from the private and public land tenure perspective also indicates a complex and tense spatial relationship. As such, it likely limits adopting sustainable land use and management practices in watersheds as a case. Regardless, the perceptions from the study area indicate the land tenure systems and forms enabling sustainable choices and decisions, despite limitations such as tenure insecurity. The disconnect between integrated watershed management aspirations of ensuring sustainability, the land tenure abilities and the subsequent human practices is mainly institutional, with the relevant legislation indicating a low to moderate level of responsiveness to integrated watershed management approaches and land tenure, thus, abating effectiveness. Therefore, we suggest a shift towards responsive programming and legislation and the adoption of model legislation to support responsiveness replication. We also recommend further studies to assess the legal gaps and feasibility thereof
A Phenomenological Study of How Active Engagement in Black Greek Letter Sororities Influences Christian Members\u27 Spiritual Growth
This phenomenological study explored how being part of a Black Greek Letter. Organization (BGLO) sorority impacts the spiritual growth of its Christian members. One of the issues explored was the influence relationships within these sororities have on members striving to be like Christ. There is a dichotomy of perspectives regarding Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs). They have a significant role in the Black community as organizations that foster leadership, philanthropy, and sisterhood and promote education. They are admired on and off college campuses and in the broader community in graduate chapters. The objective of phenomenology is to describe phenomena of spiritual growth among Christian sorority members from the life experiences of those who live them; that premise guided the interviews conducted for this study. The results found that active engagement in a BGLO sorority positively impacts its members\u27 spiritual growth. From the emotional stories of sisterhood, service, and devotion to prayer, their experiences evidenced strengthened walks of faith. This study contrasts the Anti-BGLO narrative as a testament to these organizations\u27 legacy and practices deeply grounded in the church
Norsk rÄ kumelk, en kilde til zoonotiske patogener?
The worldwide emerging trend of eating ânaturalâ foods, that has not been
processed, also applies for beverages. According to Norwegian legislation, all
milk must be pasteurized before commercial sale but drinking milk that has
not been heat-treated, is gaining increasing popularity. Scientist are warning
against this trend and highlights the risk of contracting disease from milkborne
microorganisms. To examine potential risks associated with drinking
unpasteurized milk in Norway, milk- and environmental samples were
collected from dairy farms located in south-east of Norway. The samples
were analyzed for the presence of specific zoonotic pathogens; Listeria
monocytogenes, Campylobacter spp., and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia
coli (STEC). Cattle are known to be healthy carriers of these pathogens, and
Campylobacter spp. and STEC have a low infectious dose, meaning that
infection can be established by ingesting a low number of bacterial cells. L.
monocytogenes causes one of the most severe foodborne zoonotic diseases,
listeriosis, that has a high fatality rate. All three pathogens have caused milk
borne disease outbreaks all over the world, also in Norway.
During this work, we observed that the prevalence of the three examined
bacteria were high in the environment at the examined farms. In addition, 7%
of the milk filters were contaminated by STEC, 13% by L. monocytogenes and
4% by Campylobacter spp. Four of the STEC isolates detected were eaepositive,
which is associated with the capability to cause severe human
disease. One of the eae-positive STEC isolates were collected from a milk
filter, which strongly indicate that Norwegian raw milk may contain potential
pathogenic STEC.
To further assess the possibilities of getting ill by STEC after consuming raw
milk, we examined the growth of the four eae-positive STEC isolates in raw milk at different temperatures. All four isolates seemed to have ability to multiply in raw milk at 8°C, and one isolate had significant growth after 72 hours. Incubation at 6°C seemed to reduce the number of bacteria during the
first 24 hours before cell death stopped. These findings highlight the
importance of stable refrigerator temperatures, preferable < 4°C, for storage
of raw milk.
The L. monocytogenes isolates collected during this study show genetic
similarities to isolates collected from urban and rural environmental
locations, but different clones were predominant in agricultural
environments compared to clinical and food environments. However, the
results indicate that the same clone can persist in a farm over time, and that
milk can be contaminated by L. monocytogenes clones present in farm
environment.
Despite testing small volumes (25 mL) of milk, we were able to isolate both
STEC and Campylobacter spp. directly from raw milk. A proportion of 3% of
the bulk tank milk and teat milk samples were contaminated by
Campylobacter spp. and one STEC was isolated from bulk tank milk. L
monocytogenes was not detected in bulk tank milk, nor in teat milk samples.
The agricultural evolvement during the past decades have led to larger
production units and new food safety challenges. Dairy cattle production in
Norway is in a current transition from tie-stall housing with conventional
pipeline milking systems, to modern loose housing systems with robotic
milking. The occurrence of the three pathogens in this project were higher in
samples collected from farms with loose housing compared to those with tiestall
housing.
Pasteurization of cowâs milk is a risk reducing procedure to protect
consumers from microbial pathogens and in most EU countries, commercial
distribution of unpasteurized milk is legally restricted. Together, the results
presented in this thesis show that the animal housing may influence the level
of pathogenic bacteria in the raw milk and that ingestion of Norwegian raw
cowâs milk may expose consumers to pathogenic bacteria which can cause
severe disease, especially in children, elderly and in persons with underlying
diseases. The results also highlight the importance of storing raw milk at low
temperatures between milking and consumption.Ă
spise mat som er mindre prosessert og mer «naturlig» er en pÄgÄende
trend i Norge og i andre deler av verden. Interessen for Ă„ drikke melk som
ikke er varmebehandlet, sÄkalt rÄ melk, er ogsÄ Þkende. I Norge er det pÄbudt
Ă„ pasteurisere melk fĂžr kommersielt salg for Ă„ beskytte forbrukeren mot
sykdomsfremkallende mikroorganismer. Fagfolk advarer mot Ä drikke rÄ
melk, og pÄpeker risikoen for Ä bli syk av patogene bakterier som kan finnes i
melken.
I denne avhandlingen undersĂžker vi den potensielle risikoen det medfĂžrer Ă„
drikke upasteurisert melk fra Norge. I tillegg til Ă„ samle inn tankmelk- og
speneprÞver fra melkegÄrder i sÞrÞst Norge, samlet vi ogsÄ miljÞprÞver fra
de samme gÄrdene for Ä kartlegge forekomst og for Ä identifisere potensielle
mattrygghetsrisikoer i melkeproduksjonen. Alle prĂžvene ble analysert for de
zoonotiske sykdomsfremkallende bakteriene Listeria monocytogenes,
Campylobacter spp., og Shiga toksin-produserende Escherichia coli (STEC).
Kyr kan vĂŠre friske smittebĂŠrere av disse bakteriene, som dermed kan
etablere et reservoar pÄ gÄrdene. Bakteriene kan overfÞres fra gÄrdsmiljÞet
til melkekjeden og dermed utfordre mattryggheten. Disse bakteriene har
forÄrsaket melkebÄrne sykdomsutbrudd over hele verden, ogsÄ i Norge.
Campylobacter spp. og STEC har lav infeksiĂžs dose, som vil si at man kan bli
syk selv om man bare inntar et lavt antall bakterieceller. L. monocytogenes
kan gi sykdommen listeriose, en av de mest alvorlige matbÄrne zoonotiske
sykdommene vi har i den vestlige verden.
Resultater fra denne oppgaven viser en hĂžy forekomst av de tre patogenene i
gÄrdsmiljÞet. I tillegg var 7% av melkefiltrene vi testet positive for STEC, 13%
positive for L. monocytogenes og 4% positive for Campylobacter spp.. Fire av
STEC isolatene bar genet for Intimin, eae, som er ansett som en viktig
virulensfaktor som Ăžker sjansen for alvorlig sykdom. Ett av de eae-positive
isolatene ble funnet i et melkefilter, noe som indikerer at norsk rÄ melk kan
inneholde patogene STEC. For Ă„ videre vurdere risikoen for Ă„ bli syk av STEC
fra rÄ melk undersÞkte vi hvordan de fire eae-positive isolatene vokste i rÄ
melk lagret ved forskjellige temperaturer. For alle isolatene Ăžkte antall
bakterier etter lagring ved 8°C, og for et isolat var veksten signifikant. Etter
lagring ved 6°C ble antallet bakterier redusert de fÞrste 24 timene, deretter
stoppet reduksjonen i antall bakterier. Disse resultatene viser hvor viktig det
er Ä ha stabil lav lagringstemperatur for rÄ melk, helst < 4°C.
L. monocytogenes isolatene som ble samlet inn fra melkegÄrdene viste
genetiske likheter med isolater samlet inn fra urbane og rurale miljĂžer rundt
omkring i Norge. Derimot var kloner som dominerte i landbruksmiljĂžet
forskjellige fra kliniske isolater og isolater fra matproduksjonslokaler. Videre
sÄ man at en klone kan persistere pÄ en gÄrd over tid og at melk kan
kontamineres av L. monocytogenes kloner som er til stede i gÄrdsmiljÞet.
Til tross for smÄ testvolum av tankmelken (25 mL) fant vi bÄde STEC og
Campylobacter spp. i melkeprĂžvene. 3% av tankmelkprĂžvene og
speneprĂžvene var positive for Campylobacter spp. og ett STEC isolat ble
funnet i tankmelk. L. monocytogenes ble ikke funnet direkte i melkeprĂžvene.
Landbruket i Norge er i stadig utvikling der besetningene blir stĂžrre, men
fĂŠrre. Melkebesetningene er midt i en overgang der tradisjonell oppstalling
med melking pÄ bÄs byttes ut med lÞsdriftssystemer og melkeroboter.
Forekomsten av de tre patogenene funnet i denne studien var hĂžyere i
besetningene med lĂžsdrift sammenliknet med besetningene som hadde
melkekyrne oppstallet pÄ bÄs.
Pasteurisering er et viktig forebyggende tiltak for Ă„ beskytte konsumenter fra
mikrobielle patogener, og i de fleste EU-land er kommersielt salg av rÄ melk
juridisk begrenset. Denne studien viser at oppstallingstype kan pÄvirke
nivÄene av patogene bakterier i gÄrdsmiljÞet og i rÄ melk. Inntak av rÄ melk
kan eksponere forbruker for patogene bakterier som kan gi alvorlig sykdom,
spesielt hos barn, eldre og personer med underliggende sykdommer.
Resultatene underbygger viktigheten av Ă„ pasteurisere melk for Ă„ sikre
mattryggheten, og at det er avgjÞrende Ä lagre rÄ melk ved kontinuerlig lave
temperaturer for Ă„ forebygge vekst av zoonotiske patogener
Exploring Potential Domains of Agroecological Transformation in the United States
There is now substantial evidence that agroecology constitutes a necessary pathway towards socially just and ecologically resilient agrifood systems. In the United States, however, agroecology remains relegated to the margins of research and policy spaces. This dissertation explores three potential domains of agroecological transformation in the US. Domains of transformation are sites of contestation in which agroecology interfaces with the industrial agrifood system; these material and conceptual spaces may point to important pathways for scaling agroecology. To explore this concept, I examine formal agroecology education (Chapter 1), extension services and statewide discourses around soil health (Chapter 2), and models of farmland access not based on private property (Chapter 3). While these constitute three distinct topics, I seek to demonstrate that they are linked by similar forces that enable and constrain the extent to which these domains can be sites of agroecological transformation.
First, I use case study methodology to explore the evolution of an advanced undergraduate agroecology course at the University of Vermont. I examine how course content and pedagogy align with a transformative framing of agroecology as inherently transdisciplinary, participatory, action-oriented, and political. I find that student-centered pedagogies and experiential education on farms successfully promote transformative learning whereby students shift their understanding of agrifood systems and their role(s) within them. In my second chapter, I zoom out to consider soil health discourses amongst farmers and extension professionals in Vermont. Using co-created mental models and participatory analysis, I find that a singular notion of soil health based on biological, chemical, and physical properties fails to capture the diverse ways in which farmers and extension professionals understand soil health. I advocate for a principles-based approach to soil health that includes social factors and may provide a valuable heuristic for mobilizing knowledge towards agroecology transition pathways. My third chapter, conducted in collaboration with the national non-profit organization Agrarian Trust, considers equitable farmland access. Through semi-structured interviews with 13 farmers and growers across the US, I explore both farmer motivations for engaging with alternative land access models (ALAMs) and the potential role(s) these models may play within broader transformation processes. I argue that ALAMs constitute material and conceptual âthird spacesâ within which the private property regime is challenged and new identities and language around land ownership can emerge; as such, ALAMs may facilitate a (re)imagining of land-based social-ecological relationships.
I conclude the dissertation by identifying conceptual and practical linkages across the domains explored in Chapters 1-3. I pay particular attention to processes that challenge neoliberal logics, enact plural ways of knowing, and prefigure just futures. In considering these concepts, I apply an expansive notion of pedagogy to explore how processes of teaching and (un)learning can contribute to cultivating foundational capacities for transition processes
- âŠ