Contribution of agronomy to land management issues - A Comparison of five interdisciplinary PhD theses

An introductory literature review highlights the growing attention within the processes taking place at farming region and landscape scale beside the classical spatial scales at cultivated/experimental plot level. This recent evolution in agronomy finds its origin in newly emerging land management issues. Meanwhile, geography and other disciplines are stressing the need for a greater integration of multifunctional agricultural activities into the decision-making processes at the various levels of land management, such as provinces, municipalities or watersheds. This requires also that studies on farmland management include explicitly the different environmental and social contexts influencing farming activities. In this paper we aim to analyse how recent agronomic oriented research are facing and supporting various land management issues. We have compared five interdisciplinary PhD theses examining their definitions and methods of analysis for: the farming system, the local land management issues at stake, the spatial scale selected for the study, the stakeholders' involvement and the interaction with other disciplines. Common issues which emerged from this comparison are delivery of agro-environmental services, sustainable land management and landscape conservation. Multiple spatial levels were considered, which included at least one administrative unit of policy decision/implementation. Consequently, the explicit (re)definition of some agronomic concepts and methods was needed. Regarding the interdisciplinary framework, the theses have stressed the interactions among agronomy, geography and ecology. All theses aimed at delivering tools for decision-making support, mainly in the form of cartography. Nevertheless the participation of local stakeholders was generally included as a final step; herewith the settings of stakeholders' involvement were various. In conclusion, we discuss how the produced knowledge has enhanced the land management issues in local planning tools. On these bases, we stress finally the issues at stake to strengthen the roles and contributions of agronomic oriented education and research to agricultural land management and development. (Résumé d'auteur

Agri-urban patterns in Mediterranean urban regions: the case study of Pisa

Urban regions require planning tools in order to manage agricultural areas under urban pressure. The aim of our paper is to test an analytical framework that combines both the composition in urban and agricultural land covers and their spatial configuration into four general agri-urban patterns: isolated fields, urban belt fields, periurban agricultural areas and rural areas. We evaluated the spatial distribution and the changes of such patterns in the short-term (2003-2011) starting from Spot images for the case study of Pisa, Italy. The results indicate an increase of the most urban patterns despite continuing to have cash crops, a stability of periurban agricultural land patterns although highly fragmented, and a decrease of the rural agricultural land patterns. The applied methodology can help to identify new measures and actions suitable in order to strengthen the relationships between city and agriculture existing in urban regions

College Students\u27 Perceptions of Professor/Instructor Bullying: Questionnaire Development and Psychometric Properties

Objective: This study developed and examined the psychometric properties of a newly formed measure designed to assess professor/instructor bullying, as well as teacher bullying occurring prior to college. Additionally, prevalence of instructor bullying and characteristics related to victims of instructor bullying were examined. Participants: Participants were 337 college students recruited in 2012 from a northeastern university. Methods: An online questionnaire was administered to college students. A split-half, cross-validation approach was employed for measurement development. Results: The measure demonstrated strong criterion validity and internal consistency. Approximately half of students reported witnessing professor/instructor bullying and 18% reported being bullied by a professor/instructor. Report of teacher bullying occurring prior to college was related to professor/instructor bullying in college, and sex was a moderating variable. Conclusion: College students perceive instructor bullying as occurring but may not know how to properly address it. Prevention efforts should be made by university administrators, faculty, and staff

Neurocognitive enhancement or impairment? A systematic meta-analysis of prescription stimulant effects on processing speed, decision-making, planning, and cognitive perseveration

Increasing numbers of adults, particularly college students, are misusing prescription stimulants primarily for cognitive/academic enhancement, so it is critical to explore whether empirical findings support neurocognitive benefits of prescription stimulants. Previous meta-analytic studies have supported small benefits from prescription stimulants for the cognitive domains of inhibitory control and memory; however, no meta-analytic studies have examined the effects on processing speed or the potential impairment on other domains of cognition, including planning, decision-making, and cognitive perseveration. Therefore, the present study conducted a meta-analysis of the available literature examining the effects of prescription stimulants on specific measures of processing speed, planning, decision-making, and cognitive perseveration among healthy adult populations. The meta-analysis results indicated a positive influence of prescription stimulant medication on processing speed accuracy, with an overall mean effect size of g = 0.282 (95% CI [0.077, 0.488]; n = 345). Neither improvements nor impairments were revealed for planning time, planning accuracy, advantageous decision-making, or cognitive perseveration; however, findings are limited by the small number of studies examining these outcomes. Findings support that prescription stimulant medication may indeed act as a neurocognitive enhancer for accuracy measures of processing speed without impeding other areas of cognition. Considering that adults are already engaging in illegal use of prescription stimulants for academic enhancement, as well as the potential for stimulant misuse to have serious side effects, the establishment of public policies informed by interdisciplinary research surrounding this issue, whether restrictive or liberal, is of critical importance

Development and Psychometric Evaluation of a Brief Measure of School and Community Mental Health Supports and Services

This study evaluated a self-report survey assessing school professionals’ perceptions of school and community mental health supports and services. Based on responses from 560 school professionals, findings provide support for the measure’s internal structure and ability to distinguish low-poverty and high-poverty schools. Practitioners and researchers may consider using this survey to understand perceptions of the quality and availability of mental health services, informing the selection and adaptation of school-based mental health supports and services

Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Among College Students: A Latent Class Analysis

This study explored emerging typologies of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors and how they relate to known psychological and cognitive correlates. Latent class analysis was employed to identify subgroups of college students (n = 626, mean age = 20, 73% female, and 83% White) based on history of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. Differences among classes were tested to examine their associations with suicidal ideation, fearlessness of death, depression/hopelessness, thwarted belongingness, problems with alcohol or drugs, behavioral inhibition, and emotional control. Results of the latent class analysis supported a 3-class solution, with students classified as being likely to have (1) no history of any self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (78%); (2) a history of all self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (8%); or (3) a history of suicidal ideation, plan, and non-suicidal self-injurious thoughts and behaviors, but not suicide attempt (13%). Findings examining correlates of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors highlight the importance of fearlessness of death for distinguishing suicide attempters from non-attempters. Attention to mental health and suicide prevention initiatives should remain a critical priority across college campuses

Análise in silico e in vivo da via de isoprenóides em café.

Os diterpenos cafestol e caveol, presentes na fração lipídica em grãos de café, originam-se da via de síntese de isoprenóides. Estes compostos são sintetizados em todos os organismos, sendo abundantes em plantas com cerca de 10 mil componentes relatados. Apesar da diversidade de funções e estruturas todos os isoprenóides derivam de cinco comuns átomos de carbono, o isopentenil difosfato (IPP) e do isômero dimetilalil difosfato (DMAPP). Em vegetais superiores, duas vias localizadas em compartimentos intracelulares separados estão envolvidas na biossíntese de IPP e DMAPP. No citosol, IPP é derivado da via do ácido mevalônico (MVA) e no plastídeo, IPP é formado pela via do metileritritol fosfato (MEP ou não mevalonato). Com a disponibilidade das seqüências dos genes expressos (ESTs) pelo Projeto Genoma Café tornou-se possível a identificação in silico e o estudo funcional dos genes que codificam para as enzimas 3-hidroxi-3metilglutaril-CoA reductoisomerase (HMGR) e mevalonato difosfato decarboxilase (MPDC) para a via MVA e 1-deoxi-D-xilulose 5-fosfato reductoisomerase (DXR) e isopentenil difosfato sintase (IDS) para a via MEP. Foram obtidas 13 ESTs de HMGR, que originaram três contigs incompletos, resultando em duas isoformas. Para o gene MPDC foram encontradas 7 ESTs que clusterizaram em somente uma isoforma, diferentemente de A. thaliana onde duas isoformas são encontradas. Para os genes da via MEP foram encontrados 22 ESTs para DXR e 47 ESTs para IDS que formaram apenas um contig para cada um destes genes. Southern blots dos genes HMGR e DXR também demonstraram a presença de duas isoformas para HMGR e uma para DXR em C. arabica. Análise da expressão por Northern blots detectou transcritos do gene DXR no começo de desenvolvimento do perisperma e nas fases finais de desenvolvimento de endosperma e polpa. Transcritos da isoforma HMGR2 foram detectados em polpa, perisperma e endosperma, em todas as fases de desenvolvimento do fruto. Entretanto, HMGR1 apresentou transcritos apenas em polpa e fase inicial do desenvolvimento de perisperma e endosperma

Transcriptome analysis in Coffea arabica, under several abiotic stresses, reveals differentially expressed genes in leaves.

In recent years, Coffea ssp. has become subject of increasing research in gene expression analysis, in the quest to find genetic factors associated to abiotic stress responses with special attention to transcription factors such as the DREB family. This focus was due to their involvement in the regulation of many stress-related genes that play an important role in cascading a response to an environmental stimuli. RNA-seq analysis, creates the possibility to s study the transcriptome and to identify differentially expressed genes upon an abiotic stress or any important agronomic trait. The main objectives of this work were to obtain an overview of the transcriptionally active genes in Arabica coffee leaves when subjected to several abiotic stresses and to analyze specific highly expressed candidate genes for environmental-stresses tolerance

Identificação e caracterização molecular de genes envolvidos no metabolismo de diterpenos específicos do cafeeiro.

Apesar de pouco estudado, os lipídeos do café desempenham papel importante na qualidade da bebida e do aroma. Cerca de dez a vinte por cento da fração lipídica do café corresponde a diterpenos que além da provável relação com a qualidade também estão relacionados com a questão do café e a saúde. As espécies de Coffea são as únicas capazes de sintetizar os diterpenos cafestol, caveol e seus compostos derivados (16-O-metilcafestol, 16-O-metilcaveol). Visando um entendimento maior dos genes envolvidos na formação dos diterpenos de café, foi realizado um estudo in silico da expressão de três genes que codificam para as primeiras etapas da sua via de biossíntese ? copalil difosfato sintase (CPS), caureno sintase (KS) e caureno oxidase (KO). Posteriormente foi feita uma análise da expressão destes genes durante o desenvolvimento de frutos de Coffea arabica cv. IAPAR 59 e Coffea canephora cv. Apoatã. Este estudo permitiu a identificação de um gene para a CPS e KS e dois para a KO. A análise in silico revelou níveis e perfis de expressão específicos para cada gene. Os resultados obtidos in vivo apresentaram algumas diferenças dos dados obtidos in silico, e a comparação de C. arabica e C. canephora também revelou perfis de expressão diferentes para os genes estudados. Esses dados serão confirmados por RT-PCR e um estudo geral do transcriptoma, usando macroarranjos desenvolvidos a partir do Projeto Genoma Café, será iniciado para identificar os outros genes envolvidos nessa via metabólica.Biotecnologia aplicada à cadeia agroindustrial do café

Açúcares solúveis, sacarose sintase e sacarose fosfato sintase durante o desenvolvimento do fruto de café, sob diferentes condições de luz e carga.

Foram abordados nesse trabalho aspectos fisiológicos de carboidratos envolvidos na relação fontedreno, sendo a sacarose o principal carboidrato exportado. Sabendo-se que a sacarose não é utilizada diretamente como substrato para a maioria dos processos envolvidos no crescimento, desenvolvimento e armazenamento, tanto na fonte como no dreno, o destino metabólico da sacarose é mediado pelas enzimas invertases, sacarose sintase e sacarose fosfato sintase. Nesse estudo foram dosadas as enzimas sintase da sacarose (SUSY) e sacarose fosfato sintase (SPS), assim como os teores de açúcares solúveis totais, redutores e sacarose, durante o desenvolvimento do fruto de cafeeiro em diferentes tecidos: polpa, perisperma e endosperma e em diferentes condições de tratamento: controle, onde as plantas foram expostas a pleno sol? com sombrite 50% e com carga do cafeeiro reduzida à 30%. Foi mostrado que, apesar de SUSY e SPS tenderem a ter menor atividade nos tratamentos de sol e menor produção, os teores de açúcares não variaram. Foi observado que as enzimas seguem o mesmo padrão de atividade em todos os tecidos aumentando com a maturação, independente do tratamento