Social capital and soil conservation: Evidence from the Philippines

The formation of social capital is hypothesised to enhance collective efforts for soil conservation. The Landcare Program in the Southern Philippines promotes simple conservation practices in upland environments by supporting community landcare groups and municipal landcare associations, thus augmenting social capital. A study was conducted in 2002 to evaluate the Landcare Program, using a mix of quantitative and qualitative techniques. In this paper the relationship between social capital formation and adoption of soil conservation is investigated. It is concluded that, although membership in a local landcare group was not a major factor in adoption, the Landcare Program as a whole created a valuable stock of bridging social capital, with significant benefits for long-term natural resource management

EFFECT OF PEG COATING ON NANOPARTICLE DIFFUSION THROUGH TUMOUR EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX

INTRODUCTION Nanoparticle drug delivery systems have the potential to improve current cancer treatments through encapsulating cytotoxic agents and delivering them to specific sites in the body. One such class of particle, liposomes, has already found some commercial success [1]. Liposomes are vesicles composed of a lipid bi-layer surrounding an aqueous solution. Poly(ethylene) glycol (PEG) surface coating is commonly used to improve the hydrophilicity of liposomes, thereby increasing their stability in aqueous solutions. Furthermore, PEG limits the binding of blood antigens, which minimizes opsonisation and phagocytosis, extending circulation time in the blood stream. When applied to the surface of liposomes at lower molecular weights and surface densities, PEG adopts a “mushroom” conformation, in which adjacent chains of PEG do not interact laterally, therefore portions of the bi-layer remain exposed [2]. However, at higher molecular weights and surface densities, the “brush” conformation is adopted; where lateral interactions occur between neighbouring PEG strands and provide complete coverage of the lipid bi-layer [2]. This study will investigate the effect of varying PEG molecular weight and surface density on liposome transport through tumour extracellular matrix. METHODS Seven different formulations of liposomes were synthesized using a modification of the lipid extrusion method described in [1]. Molecular weight and surface density values were chosen to include both PEG conformations. The Type I collagen hydrogel was prepared with a collagen concentration of 2.5mg/mL. Confocal Microscopy was used to track the liposome transport into the gels via the bilayer incorporated Rhodamine dye. While simple collagen hydrogels may not capture all of the complexity of native tumour ECM, they allow for more carefully controlled conditions than in vivo models. Images were taken every 30 minutes until the 900 minute mark. RESULTS As shown in Figure 1, the liposomes with a lower PEG loading (DOPC, 5, 10% PEG 1000, 5, 10% PEG 2000), all accumulated at the interface of the hydrogel, and had identical diffusion coefficients. The 5% and 10% PEG 5000 however, accumulated significantly less and therefore had a much greater diffusion coefficient.DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS The liposomes with low PEG surface density, and DOPC control liposomes shown in Figure 1, are all within the “mushroom” conformation of PEG [2] and therefore would all have exposed bilayer which is not shielded by the PEG strands. The formulations that penetrated deeply were notably only higher PEG surface densities (5 and 10% PEG 5000) which literature suggests would have been in the “brush” conformation [2]. This suggests that the high PEG surface densities sterically shielded the liposomes, and reduced the electrostatic interactions between the hydrogels and the liposomes, allowing increased diffusion

Smallholder farmer experience with cassava related pests and diseases and their view on clean/certified planting materials

The recent boom in the global market for cassava has created livelihood opportunities for many smallholders in Southeast Asia. Research over many years by public agencies has generated an abundance of technologies that could enhance the productivity and sustainability of these cassava producers. While national government policies have not prioritised the dissemination of these technologies, we hypothesise that, in particular contexts, private-sector value-chain actors have incentives to invest in the promotion of suitable varieties, fertiliser regimes, pest control methods, and other production practices. In other contexts, however, there is little incentive for private-sector involvement, and support from public-sector or non-government actors will be required. In this paper we briefly analyse the drivers behind the recent boom and provide an overview of smallholder cassava production in the region. We then present a framework to analyse the incentives for private value-chain actors to invest in the promotion of different technologies, taking into account (1) the characteristics of the technology, (2) the nature of the production system, and (3) the features of the value chain, including the ability of value-chain actors to capture the benefits of any investment in technology dissemination. We test this framework through a preliminary analysis of three contrasting case studies: (1) a value chain centred on a large starch factory with a wide catchment area of smallholder suppliers in Dak Lak Province, Vietnam; (2) a cross-border value chain linking smallholders in Kratie Province, Cambodia, to starch factories in Vietnam; and (3) a local value chain for cassava as a food crop in Nusa Tenggara Timur Province, Indonesia

The influence of farmers' mental models on an agroforestry extension program in the Philippines

The influence of farmers' mental models on the success of an agroforestry extension program on Leyte Island in the Philippines was investigated. Knowledge of farmers' mental models and hence the likely acceptance of technology was used to inform the design of a hypothetically expanded program. To gain an insight into the reasons behind differing acceptance of extension assistance, data were collected and analysed from formal interviews, translated conversations and visual observations. The data provided a chain of evidence and triangulation between farmers' stated intentions and their actions. Farmers had little prior knowledge of nursery technology and were highly receptive to extension assistance which enabled them to develop high self-efficacy in seedling production. However, farmers' rejection of silvicultural advice to thin and prune existing plantations was predicated by existing attitudes to forest resource management. Farmers also expressed a strong preference for a low-cost and low-input approach to establishing timber trees. Visual observations of farmers' tree establishment practices indicated the existence of gaps in their knowledge of tree growth processes. This investigation illustrates the need to elicit farmers' mental models as a parallel enquiry to extension activities. If agroforestry extension is to be constructivist and participatory, accommodation of farmers' mental models and modification of program goals may be necessary. Relatively little is known about the reasons for farmers' acceptance or rejection of silviculture in Leyte and these results indicate that further research into the way that farmers' mental models filter and guide acceptance of advice may be worthwhile

Hepatic and adipose phenotype in Alström syndrome

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Alström syndrome (AS) is a recessive monogenic syndrome characterized by obesity, extreme insulin resistance and multi-organ fibrosis. Despite phenotypically being high risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), there is a lack of data on the extent of fibrosis in the liver and its close links to adipose in patients with AS. Our aim was to characterize the hepatic and adipose phenotype in patients with AS. METHODS: Observational cohort study with comprehensive assessment of metabolic liver phenotype including liver elastography (Fibroscan® ), serum Enhanced Liver Fibrosis (ELF) Panel and liver histology. In addition, abdominal adipose histology and gene expression was assessed. We recruited 30 patients from the UK national AS clinic. A subset of six patients underwent adipose biopsies which was compared with control tissue from nine healthy participants. RESULTS: Patients were overweight/obese (BMI 29.3 (25.95-34.05) kg/m2 ). A total of 80% (24/30) were diabetic; 74% (20/27) had liver ultrasound scanning suggestive of NAFLD. As judged by the ELF panel, 96% (24/25) were categorized as having fibrosis and 10/21 (48%) had liver elastography consistent with advanced liver fibrosis/cirrhosis. In 7/8 selected cases, there was evidence of advanced NAFLD on liver histology. Adipose tissue histology showed marked fibrosis as well as disordered pro-inflammatory and fibrotic gene expression profiles. CONCLUSIONS: NAFLD and adipose dysfunction are common in patients with AS. The severity of liver disease in our cohort supports the need for screening of liver fibrosis in AS.Alström UKThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/liv.1316

Diabetes-related foot disease in Australia: a systematic review of the prevalence and incidence of risk factors, disease and amputation in Australian populations

Background Diabetes-related foot disease (DFD) is a leading cause of global hospitalisation, amputation and disability burdens; yet, the epidemiology of the DFD burden is unclear in Australia. We aimed to systematically review the literature reporting the prevalence and incidence of risk factors for DFD (e.g. neuropathy, peripheral artery disease), of DFD (ulcers and infection), and of diabetes-related amputation (total, minor and major amputation) in Australian populations. Methods We systematically searched PubMed and EMBASE databases for peer-reviewed articles published until December 31, 2019. We used search strings combining key terms for prevalence or incidence, DFD or amputation, and Australia. Search results were independently screened for eligibility by two investigators. Publications that reported prevalence or incidence of outcomes of interest in geographically defined Australian populations were eligible for inclusion. Included studies were independently assessed for methodological quality and key data were extracted by two investigators. Results Twenty publications met eligibility and were included. There was high heterogeneity for populations investigated and methods used to identify outcomes. We found within diabetes populations, the prevalence of risk factors ranged from 10.0–58.8%, of DFD from 1.2–1.5%, and the incidence of diabetes-related amputation ranged from 5.2–7.2 per 1000 person-years. Additionally, the incidence of DFD-related hospitalisation ranged from 5.2–36.6 per 1000 person-years within diabetes populations. Furthermore, within inpatients with diabetes, we found the prevalence of risk factors ranged from 35.3–43.3%, DFD from 7.0–15.1% and amputation during hospitalisation from 1.4–5.8%. Conclusions Our review suggests a similar risk factor prevalence, low but uncertain DFD prevalence, and high DFD-related hospitalisation and amputation incidence in Australia compared to international populations. These findings may suggest that a low proportion of people with risk factors develop DFD, however, it is also possible that there is an underestimation of DFD prevalence in Australia in the few limited studies, given the high incidence of hospitalisation and amputation because of DFD. Either way, studies of nationally representative populations using valid outcome measures are needed to verify these DFD-related findings and interpretations

Factors associated with healing of diabetes-related foot ulcers: observations from a large prospective real-world cohort

Factors associated with healing of diabetes-related foot ulcers: observations from a large prospective real-world cohor

Comparison of IFCC-calibrated HbA1c from laboratory and point of care testing systems

Objective: WHO, IDF and ADA recommend HbA1c ≥6.5% (48 mmol/mol) for diagnosis of diabetes with pre-diabetes 6.0% (42 mmol/mol) [WHO] or 5.7% (39 mmol/mol) [ADA] to 6.4% (47 mmol/mol). We have compared HbA1c from several methods for research relating glycaemic markers.Research design and methods: HbA1c was measured in EDTA blood from 128 patients with diabetes on IE HPLC analysers (Bio-Rad Variant II NU, Menarini HA8160 and Tosoh G8), point of care systems, POCT, (A1cNow+ disposable cartridges and DCA 2000®+ analyser), affinity chromatography (Primus Ultra2) and the IFCC secondary reference method (Menarini HA8160 calibrated using IFCC SRM protocol).Results: median (IQ range) on IFCC SRM was 7.5% (6.8–8.4) (58(51–68) mmol/mol) HbA1c with minimum 5.3%(34 mmol/mol)/maximum 11.9%(107 mmol/mol). There were positive offsets between IFCC SRM and Bio-Rad Variant II NU, mean difference (1SD), +0.33%(0.17) (+3.6(1.9) mmol/mol), r2 = 0.984, p &lt; 0.001 and Tosoh G8, +0.22%(0.20) (2.4(2.2) mmol/mol), r2 = 0.976, p &lt; 0.001 with a very small negative difference −0.04%(0.11) (−0.4(1.2) mmol/mol), r2 = 0.992, p &lt; 0.001 for Menarini HA8160. POCT methods were less precise with negative offsets for DCA 2000®+ analyser −0.13%(0.28) (−1.4(3.1) mmol/mol), r2 = 0.955, p &lt; 0.001 and A1cNow+ cartridges −0.70%(0.67) (−7.7(7.3) mmol/mol), r2 = 0.699, p &lt; 0.001 (n = 113). Positive biases for Tosoh and Bio-Rad (compared with IFCC SRM) have been eliminated by subsequent revision of calibration.Conclusions: small differences observed between IFCC-calibrated and NGSP certified methods across a wide HbA1c range were confirmed by quality control and external quality assurance. As these offsets affect estimates of diabetes prevalence, the analyser (and calibrator) employed should be considered when evaluating diagnostic data.</p