Institutions and governance of communal rangelands in South Africa

The creation of local institutions with a mandate over land access and control is seen as a prerequisite for successful decentralisation of land tenure and effective local resource management in sub-Saharan Africa. However, with land tenure reform in South Africa currently at a state of legislative impasse, real uncertainty now exists over land rights and governance of rangeland in many communal areas. This paper draws on case study material from Eastern Cape province to illustrate how this ongoing uncertainty has resulted in the operation of a range of traditional authority and civil society institutions in different communal areas with varying degrees of legitimate authority over land administration and highly variable performance in managing rangeland resources. Collective management of rangeland resources seems most difficult in environments where land rights are contested because of the coexistence of traditional leaders and civil society institutions. On this basis an approach to tenure reform is advocated, which vests all powers over local land administration in democratically elected and accountable civil society institutions. Some successful examples of this already exist and might serve to guide policy formation, which must be flexible enough to accommodate collective management approaches that emphasise cooperation both within and between communities.Keywords: common property, land tenure, natural resource management, traditional leadersAfrican Journal of Range & Forage Science 2013, 30(1&2): 77–8

A review of estimation of distribution algorithms in bioinformatics

Evolutionary search algorithms have become an essential asset in the algorithmic toolbox for solving high-dimensional optimization problems in across a broad range of bioinformatics problems. Genetic algorithms, the most well-known and representative evolutionary search technique, have been the subject of the major part of such applications. Estimation of distribution algorithms (EDAs) offer a novel evolutionary paradigm that constitutes a natural and attractive alternative to genetic algorithms. They make use of a probabilistic model, learnt from the promising solutions, to guide the search process. In this paper, we set out a basic taxonomy of EDA techniques, underlining the nature and complexity of the probabilistic model of each EDA variant. We review a set of innovative works that make use of EDA techniques to solve challenging bioinformatics problems, emphasizing the EDA paradigm's potential for further research in this domain

Microbial carbon use efficiency: accounting for population, community, and ecosystem-scale controls over the fate of metabolized organic matter

Microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) is a critical regulator of soil organic matter dynamics and terrestrial carbon fluxes, with strong implications for soil biogeochemistry models. While ecologists increasingly appreciate the importance of CUE, its core concepts remain ambiguous: terminology is inconsistent and confusing, methods capture variable temporal and spatial scales, and the significance of many fundamental drivers remains inconclusive. Here we outline the processes underlying microbial efficiency and propose a conceptual framework that structures the definition of CUE according to increasingly broad temporal and spatial drivers where (1) CUEP reflects population-scale carbon use efficiency of microbes governed by species-specific metabolic and thermodynamic constraints, (2) CUEC defines community-scale microbial efficiency as gross biomass production per unit substrate taken up over short time scales, largely excluding recycling of microbial necromass and exudates, and (3) CUEE reflects the ecosystem-scale efficiency of net microbial biomass production (growth) per unit substrate taken up as iterative breakdown and recycling of microbial products occurs. CUEE integrates all internal and extracellular constraints on CUE and hence embodies an ecosystem perspective that fully captures all drivers of microbial biomass synthesis and decay. These three definitions are distinct yet complementary, capturing the capacity for carbon storage in microbial biomass across different ecological scales. By unifying the existing concepts and terminology underlying microbial efficiency, our framework enhances data interpretation and theoretical advances

METABOLIC EFFECTS OF R-1,3 BUTANEDIOL (KETONEIQ) DURING AEROBIC AND ANAEROBIC EXERCISE BOUTS

Mathew C. Soto1, Andrew J. Jakiel1, Latt Mansor2, Nicholas P. Alden1, Megan C. Milian1, Rachel B. Crowe1, Jacob I. Dashiell1, Samuel G. Sanders1, Jenica D. Alvarez1, Ashley M. Bruce1, Stephen B. Podsen1, Sabrina R. Fordham1, Parker N. Hyde1. 1University of North Georgia, Dahlonega, GA. 2Health Via Modern Nutrition (HVMN), Miami, FL. BACKGROUND: Current evidence demonstrates the efficacy of low carbohydrate/high fat ketogenic diets in clinical and athletic populations. Despite the pleiotropic effects of ketosis, many are wary of carbohydrate restriction due to decreased [glycogen]. R-1,3 butanediol (RBDO) supplements have made it possible to ingest ketone molecules, elevating blood b-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) despite consuming carbohydrates (CHO) in the diet. The purpose of this investigation was to determine metabolic effects of RBDO and CHO. METHODS: A randomized repeated measures placebo-controlled design was used to compare RBDO and placebo (PLA). Upon arrival blood analysis for blood BHB and glucose (GLU) were completed. Participants then ingested 0.5g/kg of RBDO or PLA and a standard meal (31g CHO, 2.5g fat, 13g protein). BHB and GLU were measured post-meal (IP), +15minutes (IP15), +30minutes (IP30) and +45minutes (IP45). Participants then conducted a 5k time-trial on a treadmill while breath gases were analyzed (COSMED, Italy). BHB and GLU were determined at baseline, midpoint and post run. Following aerobic testing participants completed five 10-second sprints against resistance (7.5% body mass). BHB and GLU were analyzed after their third and fifth effort. Statistical Analyses: Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted to establish group and time effects. RESULTS: RBDO resulted in increased BHB relative to PLA at IP15 (p\u3c0.001), IP30 (p\u3c0.001), IP45 (p\u3c0.001), all time-points for aerobic (p\u3c0.001 for each) and anaerobic testing (Midpoint: p\u3c0.01, Post: p\u3c0.01). A significant decrease in BHB for RBDO, from pre-run (1.9±0.2mmol) to post-run (1.2±0.2mmol), was also observed (p=0.003). The RBDO group (82mg/dL) demonstrated lower blood glucose following the final bike sprint compared to PLA (105mg/dL; p=0.03). No differences existed between groups for respiratory exchange ratio. CONCLUSION: Acute supplementation with RBDO significantly increases blood ketone concentrations. The observed reduction in BHB occurring across the aerobic trial, with no concomitant changes in [GLU] or [lactate] demonstrate a preferential oxidation of the exogenous BHB serving to spare muscle glycogen. RBDO blunted the sympathetic elevation of blood glucose from repeated bike sprints, possibly due to enhanced substrate availability instead of reliance of glycogenolysis. Funding: Health Via Modern Nutrition (HVMN)