Does crop-livestock integration lead to improved crop production in the savanna of West Africa?

Integrated crop-livestock farming in the Guinea savanna of West Africa is often assumed to lead to synergies between crop and livestock production, thereby improving the overall productivity and resilience of agricultural production. Whether these synergies actually occur remains poorly studied. On-farm trials were conducted in northern Nigeria over a period of four years to assess the agronomic and economic performance of maize-legume systems with and without the integration of livestock (goats). Groundnut-maize rotations with livestock achieved the highest carry-over of nutrients as manure from one season to the next, covering approximately one-third of the expected N, P and K uptake by maize and reducing the demand for synthetic fertilizers. However, the advantage of lower fertilizer costs in rotations with livestock was offset by higher labour costs for manure application and slightly lower values of maize grain. Overall, no clear agronomic or economic benefits for crop production were observed from the combined application of manure and synthetic fertilizer over the application of synthetic fertilizer only, probably because the amounts of manure applied were relatively small. Legume-maize rotations achieved higher cereal yields, a better response to labour and fertilizer inputs, and a higher profitability than maize-based systems with no or only a small legume component, irrespective of the presence of livestock. Livestock at or near the farm could nevertheless make legume cultivation economically more attractive by increasing the value of legume haulms. The results suggested that factors other than crop benefits, e.g. livestock providing tangible and non-tangible benefits and opportunities for animal traction, could be important drivers for the ongoing integration of crop and livestock production in the savann

Improving Statistical Analysis in Team Science: The Case of a Bayesian Multiverse of Many Labs 4

Team-science projects have become the “gold standard” for assessing the replicability and variability of key findings in psychological science. However, we believe the typical meta-analytic approach in these projects fails to match the wealth of collected data. Instead, we advocate the use of Bayesian hierarchical modeling for team-science projects, potentially extended in a multiverse analysis. We illustrate this full-scale analysis by applying it to the recently published Many Labs 4 project. This project aimed to replicate the mortality-salience effect—that being reminded of one’s own death strengthens the own cultural identity. In a multiverse analysis, we assess the robustness of the results with varying data-inclusion criteria and prior settings. Bayesian model comparison results largely converge to a common conclusion: The data provide evidence against a mortality-salience effect across the majority of our analyses. We issue general recommendations to facilitate full-scale analyses in team-science projects.</p

Scenarios as the basis for assessment of mitigation and adaptation

The possibilities and need for adaptation and mitigation depends on uncertain future developments with respect to socio-economic factors and the climate system. Scenarios are used to explore the impacts of different strategies under uncertainty. In this chapter, some scenarios are presented that are used in the ADAM project for this purpose. One scenario explores developments with no mitigation, and thus with high temperature increase and high reliance on adaptation (leading to 4oC increase by 2100 compared to pre-industrial levels). A second scenario explores an ambitious mitigation strategy (leading to 2oC increase by 2100 compared to pre-industrial levels). In the latter scenario, stringent mitigation strategies effectively reduces the risks of climate change, but based on uncertainties in the climate system a temperature increase of 3oC or more cannot be excluded. The analysis shows that, in many cases, adaptation and mitigation are not trade-offs but supplements. For example, the number of people exposed to increased water resource stress due to climate change can be substantially reduced in the mitigation scenario, but even then adaptation will be required for the remaining large numbers of people exposed to increased stress. Another example is sea level rise, for which adaptation is more cost-effective than mitigation, but mitigation can help reduce damages and the cost of adaptation. For agriculture, finally, only the scenario based on a combination of adaptation and mitigation is able to avoid serious climate change impacts

Identification of specific molecular structures of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Tat relevant for its biological effects on vascular endothelial cells.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Tat transactivates viral genes and is released by infected cells, acting as a soluble mediator. In endothelial cells (EC), it activates a proangiogenic program by activating vascular endothelial growth factor receptor type 2 (VEGFR-2) and integrins. A structure-activity relationship study was performed by functional analysis of Tat substitution and deletion variants to define the Tat determinants necessary for EC activation. Variants were made (i) in the basic and (ii) in the cysteine-rich domains and (iii) in the C-terminal region containing the RGD sequence required for integrin recognition. Our results led to the following conclusions. (i) Besides a high-affinity binding site corresponding to VEGFR-2, EC express low-affinity binding sites. (ii) The basic and the cysteine-rich variants bind only to the low-affinity binding sites and do not promote tyrosine phosphorylation of VEGFR-2. Furthermore, they have a reduced ability to activate EC in vitro, and they lack angiogenic activity. (iii) Mutants with mutations in the C-terminal region are partially defective for in vitro biological activities and in vivo angiogenesis, but they activate VEGFR-2 as Tat wild type. In conclusion, regions encoded by the first exon of tat are necessary and sufficient for activation of VEGFR-2. However, the C-terminal region, most probably through RGD-mediated integrin engagement, is indispensable for full activation of an in vitro and in vivo angiogenic progra

Hervorming suikermarktordening; Gevolgen voor de suikerproducenten, de suikerverwerkers en de (sucro)chemische industrie

Dit rapport beoogt inzicht te geven in de gevolgen van de voorstellen uit juli 2004 van de Europese Commissie inzake de hervorming van de suikermarktordening. Met behulp van literatuuronderzoek en interviews met experts op het gebied van suiker(vervangers) tracht het rapport te verhelderen wat de effecten zijn van de Commissievoorstellen voor bietentelers, suikerproducenten, de sucrochemische industrie, verwerkers van suiker en consumenten. Ook de relaties met de markten voor suikervervangers en zetmeel komen aan de orde. The aim of this report is to illuminate the consequences of the European Commission's proposals of July 2004 for the reform of the sugar market regulation. With the help of a literature study and interviews with experts in the field of sugar and sugar substitutes, the report attempts to elucidate what will be the effects of the Commission's proposals on beet growers, sugar producers, the sucrose chemical industry, sugar processors and consumers. Relations with the markets for sugar substitutes and starch are also considered

Global implications of the European Food System : A food systems approach

The EU is a major player in the world market for agricultural products, both dependent on commodity imports from many countries, and exporting high-value agricultural products. There is a need to better understand the impact - on people, planet and profit - of the EU trade on food systems outside the EU, with a focus on Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC). This will help the EU to steer its actions and policies in other directions where this is deemed necessary to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)