Skill Needs and Policies for Agriculture-led Pro-poor Development

Poverty reduction is the mantra of development policies today. Three out of every four people in the developing world live in rural areas, either directly or indirectly depending on agriculture. Agriculture-led development strategies need to be at the core of any poverty reduction strategy, as agroindustralisation, i.e. the transition towards more commercialised agriculture systems, can bear positive effects for the poor, such as off-farm employment creation and stimulated economic growth in general. In order to reap these potential benefits, it is crucial to address the specific skill needs that occur at different levels of agroindustrialisation. Currently, agricultural education and training (AET) systems fail to respond to these challenges, which is reflected in a high fragmentation of AET systems in the developing world and a lack of donor initiatives in middle-level training projects. Evidence from developing and developed countries reveal that skill strategies need to be integrated into a coherent rural development strategy that aims at addressing the important constraints to agriculture-led development, which are widespread, especially in low developed economies.

Cultiu i desenvolupament in vitro d'embrions humans

En gairebé trenta anys les tècniques de reproducció humana assistida s'han universalitzat i alhora s'ha aconseguit augmentar-ne l'èxit gràcies a millores tant en l'aspecte clínic com en el del laboratori. Tradicionalment, s'ha utilitzat el criteri morfològic (avaluació de les característiques morfològiques de l'embrió) per seleccionar els millors embrions per transferir. No obstant això, el valor predictiu d'aquest criteri és força limitat i, amb vista a augmentar les taxes de gestació, les transferències de més d'un embrió són les més habituals, amb el conseqüent risc de gestació múltiple. Així, el repte actual en reproducció humana assistida és aconseguir la gestació única mitjançant la reducció del nombre d'embrions transferits a un. Caldrà, doncs, millorar els medis de cultiu per permetre seleccionar embrions en estadis més avançats i alhora disposar de criteris d'avaluació que correlacionin eficaçment les característiques de l'embrió amb la seva viabilitat. Actualment, els esforços s'encaminen en dues direccions: la primera, el desenvolupament del criteri morfològic, amb la tendència a un sistema d'avaluació seqüencial de l'embrió en diferents estadis, i la segona, molt més nova, la recerca de noves tècniques no invasives basades en l'anàlisi dels constituents de l'embrió i del seu metabolisme.During the past three decades the practice of clinical assisted reproduction have grown world-wide and moreover the success rate has increased thanks to clinical and laboratory improvements. Tradicionally, the morphological criteria has been applied to select embryos to transfer. However, the predictive value of this criteria is limited so that the multiple- embryo transfers are very common leading to a higher risc of multiple pregnancy. The goal in assisted reproduction is achieving a single pregnancy through the reduction of the number of embryos used in transfer to one. Single embryo transfer requires culture media to improve in order to allow the embryo selection in more advanced stages as well as having a reliable method to evaluate the embryo viability. Nowadays, strategies are carrying out in two different fields: the first one, continuing in morphometric criteria, it tends to use a sequencial scoring system from the oocyte through to the cleavage-stage embryo to allow selecting the most viable embryo in a cohort and the second one, in the research field, the development of new techniques based on the analysis of the embryo constitution and its metabolism

Biological properties of poly-L-lysine/DNA complexes generated by cooperative binding of the polycation

We have evaluated the effect of NaCl concentration on the mode of binding of poly-L-lysine to DNA and the resulting structural and functional features of the condensed DNA particles using DNA precipitation, DNase I resistance, electron microscopy, and receptor-mediated gene transfer assays. At a high concentration of NaCl and in the presence of excess DNA, poly-L-lysine interacted with DNA cooperatively, fully condensing some of the DNA and leaving the rest of the DNA unbound. At low NaCl concentrations, poly-L-lysine molecules interacted with DNA in a noncooperative fashion, i.e. they bind randomly to the whole population of DNA molecules. Cooperative binding of poly-L-lysine to DNA occurred over a narrow range of NaCl concentrations, and the specific salt concentration depended on the length of the poly-L-lysine. The ability of condensed DNA to withstand digestion by DNase I was correlated with the structural features of the condensed DNA as determined by electron microscopy. Using our condensation procedure, cooperative binding of poly-L-lysine to DNA is a necessary prerequisite for the preparation of condensed DNA having a spherical shape and a diameter of 15-30 nm. Condensed DNA, containing galactosylated poly-L-lysine, was evaluated further for the extent and specificity of receptor-mediated gene transfer into HuH-7 human hepatoma cells via the asialoglycoprotein receptor. Efficient receptor-mediated transfection occurred only when condensed DNA complexes had a spherical shape with a diameter of 15-30 nm; asialofetuin, a natural ligand for the asialoglycoprotein receptor, inhibited this process by up to 90%. Our results support the importance of appropriate DNA condensation for the uptake and ultimate expression of DNA in hepatic cells

Blood Omega-3 Fatty Acids Are Inversely Associated With Albumin-Creatinine Ratio in Young and Healthy Adults (The Omega-Kid Study).

Background: Omega-3 fatty acids are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and with beneficial effects on CV risk factors. The albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR) is a risk factor for CVD, all-cause mortality and accelerated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) decline in the general population. We aimed to investigate the association between n-3 PUFAS and ACR in heathy individuals with preserved GFR. Design and Methods: The present cross-sectional analysis is part of the GAPP study, a population-based cohort of healthy adults aged 25-41 years. Individuals with known CVD, diabetes, or a BMI >35 kg/m2 were excluded. eGFR was calculated according to the combined Creatinine/Cystatin C CKD-EPI formula. ACR was obtained from a fasting morning urine sample. The Omega-3 Index (relative amount of EPA and DHA of total fatty acids in %) was obtained from whole blood aliquots. Results: Overall, 2001 participants (median age 37 years IQR 31; 40, 53% female) were included in this analysis. Median Omega-3 Index was 4.59 (IQR 4.06; 5.25) and median eGFR 111 ml/min/1.73 m2 (IQR 103; 118). Median ACR was 0.14 mg/mmol (IQR 0; 0.43). We found a significant inverse association of the Omega-3 Index with ACR (ratio 0.84, 95%CI 0.73-0.96; p = 0.011) which remained after comprehensive adjustment (ratio 0.86, 95%CI 0.74-1.00; p = 0.048). No association of the Omega-3 Index with eGFR was found. The adjusted difference in eGFR per 1-unit increase in Omega3-Index was -0.21 (95%CI -0.76; 0.35; p = 0.47). Conclusions: A higher Omega-3 Index was significantly associated with lower ACR in this young and healthy population with preserved eGFR. Omega-3 fatty acids may exhibit cardio- and nephroprotective effects in healthy individuals through modulation of ACR

Model-Based Security Testing

Security testing aims at validating software system requirements related to security properties like confidentiality, integrity, authentication, authorization, availability, and non-repudiation. Although security testing techniques are available for many years, there has been little approaches that allow for specification of test cases at a higher level of abstraction, for enabling guidance on test identification and specification as well as for automated test generation. Model-based security testing (MBST) is a relatively new field and especially dedicated to the systematic and efficient specification and documentation of security test objectives, security test cases and test suites, as well as to their automated or semi-automated generation. In particular, the combination of security modelling and test generation approaches is still a challenge in research and of high interest for industrial applications. MBST includes e.g. security functional testing, model-based fuzzing, risk- and threat-oriented testing, and the usage of security test patterns. This paper provides a survey on MBST techniques and the related models as well as samples of new methods and tools that are under development in the European ITEA2-project DIAMONDS.Comment: In Proceedings MBT 2012, arXiv:1202.582

Landau-Zener-Stuckelberg interferometry

A transition between energy levels at an avoided crossing is known as a Landau-Zener transition. When a two-level system (TLS) is subject to periodic driving with sufficiently large amplitude, a sequence of transitions occurs. The phase accumulated between transitions (commonly known as the Stuckelberg phase) may result in constructive or destructive interference. Accordingly, the physical observables of the system exhibit periodic dependence on the various system parameters. This phenomenon is often referred to as Landau-Zener-Stuckelberg (LZS) interferometry. Phenomena related to LZS interferometry occur in a variety of physical systems. In particular, recent experiments on LZS interferometry in superconducting TLSs (qubits) have demonstrated the potential for using this kind of interferometry as an effective tool for obtaining the parameters characterizing the TLS as well as its interaction with the control fields and with the environment. Furthermore, strong driving could allow for fast and reliable control of the quantum system. Here we review recent experimental results on LZS interferometry, and we present related theory.Comment: 34 single-column pages, 11 figure

Comparing Arabidopsis receptor kinase and receptor protein-mediated immune signaling reveals BIK1-dependent differences

Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) sense microbial patterns and activate innate immunity against attempted microbial invasions. The leucine‐rich repeat receptor kinases (LRR‐RK) FLS2 and EFR, and the LRR receptor protein (LRR‐RP) receptors RLP23 and RLP42, respectively, represent prototypical members of these two prominent and closely related PRR families. We conducted a survey of Arabidopsis thaliana immune signaling mediated by these receptors to address the question of commonalities and differences between LRR‐RK and LRR‐RP signaling. Quantitative differences in timing and amplitude were observed for several early immune responses, with RP‐mediated responses typically being slower and more prolonged than those mediated by RKs. Activation of RLP23, but not FLS2, induced the production of camalexin. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that RLP23‐regulated genes represent only a fraction of those genes differentially expressed upon FLS2 activation. Several positive and negative regulators of FLS2‐signaling play similar roles in RLP23 signaling. Intriguingly, the cytoplasmic receptor kinase BIK1, a positive regulator of RK signaling, acts as a negative regulator of RP‐type immune receptors in a manner dependent on BIK1 kinase activity. Our study unveiled unexpected differences in two closely related receptor systems and reports a new negative role of BIK1 in plant immunity

Atypical processing of voice sounds in infants at risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show a reduced sensitivity (degree of selective response) to social stimuli such as human voices. In order to determine whether this reduced sensitivity is a consequence of years of poor social interaction and communication or is present prior to significant experience, we used functional MRI to examine cortical sensitivity to auditory stimuli in infants at high familial risk for later emerging ASD (HR group, N = 15), and compared this to infants with no family history of ASD (LR group, N = 18). The infants (aged between 4 and 7 months) were presented with voice and environmental sounds while asleep in the scanner and their behaviour was also examined in the context of observed parent-infant interaction. Whereas LR infants showed early specialisation for human voice processing in right temporal and medial frontal regions, the HR infants did not. Similarly, LR infants showed stronger sensitivity than HR infants to sad vocalisations in the right fusiform gyrus and left hippocampus. Also, in the HR group only, there was an association between each infant's degree of engagement during social interaction and the degree of voice sensitivity in key cortical regions. These results suggest that at least some infants at high-risk for ASD have atypical neural responses to human voice with and without emotional valence. Further exploration of the relationship between behaviour during social interaction and voice processing may help better understand the mechanisms that lead to different outcomes in at risk populations