19 research outputs found
Gender implications of decentralised land reform: The case of Zimbabwe
A bolder policy approach and more
vigorous implementation are needed
to support women’s empowerment,
transfer of land rights to women, and
to ensure their productive utilisation
of land. The land reform programme
focussed on racial imbalances of highly
skewed land holdings and discriminatory
land tenure systems while failing to
mainstream the interests of women
Phylogenomic-Based Case Study: An Undergraduate Research Pedagogy at Kentucky State University, the Only Historically Black College and University in the Commonwealth of Kentucky
Currently the undergraduate biology curriculum at 2 and 4-year colleges especially in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) is undergoing a facelift by implementing a range of recommendations of committees on education. This has produced a demand to educate and train the current and future generation of undergraduates as scientists capable to perform modern biological research that is heavily dependent on genomic training, such as phylogenomics. It is our observation that the HBCUs may not have a strong infrastructure enough to meet this challenge without the development of vigorous research-based learning programs to complement the traditional lecture-only based configuration. In this case study, the first author undertook the objective to facilitate an undergraduate genomic research-pedagogy at the biology department in Kentucky State University, the only HBCU in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The wet-lab activities in this NSF funded research project include molecular microbiology training in culturing bacteria, isolating DNA, performing PCR, cloning amplicons and analyzing the sequence data. The associated case-study subject was assessed in gaining of wet-lab skills, knowledge, application of protocols, analysis of results and impact on career choice. The results reveal an enhanced student confidence in handling of molecular techniques and positive admiration towards bioinformatics. It suggests that the wet-lab based research pedagogy could play a role in retention of students in biology. Although this case-study subject has appreciated the value of the phylogenomic approaches, a substantial and continual support is required to retain student interest especially institution like this HBCU
Social, political and economic transformative impact of the Fast Track Land Reform Programme on the lives of women farmers in Goromonzi and Vungu-Gweru districts of Zimbabwe
The project report summarizes women’s lived-experiences with regard to land reform issues. The research aimed to generate knowledge about the linkages between access, rights, and security, and barriers to land access faced by women beneficiaries of the Fast Track Land Reform Programme in Zimbabwe. It analysed the allocating processes and authorities, as well as resettlement patterns under the programme, including details of the resettlement model, land size, and date of access to the land. A case study shows the on-going and dynamic nature of access, together with its associated problems of insecurity of tenure and conflict
Novel agmatine derivatives in Maerua edulis with bioactivity against Callosobruchus maculatus, a cosmopolitan storage insect pest
Food security in developing countries is threatened by crop pests and ectoparasites in livestock. Strategies for their management still rely on synthetic pesticides which are not always effective and the active ingredients persist in the environment with negative consequences for beneficial arthropods, farmers and consumers, hence necessitating research on sustainable alternatives. Botanical insecticides are increasingly relevant, typically having lower impacts on users, consumers and the environment. One example is the southern African shrub the Blue bush-berry, Maerua edulis. Recent work reported effective pest control using this plant species against cattle ticks, storage beetles and vegetable pests. However, little is known about the chemistry underlying activity and this is essential to optimize its use. Here, we identified two novel plant chemical tructures, the E and Z isomers of cinnamoyl-4-aminobutylguanidine along with the E and Z isomers of 4-hydroxycinnamoyl-4-aminobutylguanidine in the leaves of M. edulis. We isolated these compounds from the leaves and elucidated their chemical structures
using various spectroscopic techniques including High Resolution Mass Spectrometry and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. We also identified a further 11 closely related structures of which 6 are tentatively reported here for the first time. Stachydrine and 3-hydroxystachydrine were also identified in the leaf extract, and occurred at very high concentrations; up to 2% w/w of dry leaves. We tested these two compounds, along with the 4 main cinnamoylamides and the crude M. edulis leaf extract against the cowpea bruchid Callosobruchus maculatus at concentrations equivalent to those present in extracts used by smallholder farmers. Mortality of insects exposed to crude plant extracts after 72 h was significantly higher than the untreated control although still lower than for insects exposed to rotenone, the positive control. The two new compounds and stachydrine showed similar activity to the crude extracts suggesting that these compounds explained the activity of the extract. After 6 days, the mortality of insects exposed to crude extracts and isolated compounds was similar to that recorded with the positive control. The stachydrine fraction and the E and Z isomers of cinnamoyl-4-aminobutylguanidine also inhibited oviposition activity in fecund female beetles. Our data show that methanol extracts of M. edulis were toxic to C. maculatus and inhibited oviposition even at 0.1% w/v so these foliar chemicals may explain the activity of the plant material. We also synthesized the amides which facilitated structural elucidation, produced adequate quantities for testing and demonstrated the potential for commercial
synthesis
Advancing Women’s Economic Rights and Food Security (Session 6)
PowerPoint presentationThe programme identifies opportunities for the economic, social and political empowerment of women farmers. Land reform addresses racial imbalances but does not address gender issues. Women farmers produce most of the food in Africa, yet they are marginalized when it comes to land allocation, access to land and land-related resources. The presentation provides the context for land reform in Zimbabwe and highlights a research programme addressing land reform issues as they affect the lives of women farmers. The repossession of land occupied by European settlers has not been adequately addressed despite liberation rhetoric
Identification of gene networks modulated by activin in LĂźT2 cells using DNA microarray analysis
Activins, members of the TGFĂź family of
proteins, are widely expressed in a variety of tissues.
First identified based on their ability to regulate
biosynthesis and secretion of follicle-stimulating
hormone (FSH), activins have also been shown to
modulate development, cell growth, apoptosis, and
inflammation. Despite their many known functions, the
precise mechanisms and downstream signaling pathways
by which activins mediate their diverse effects remain
unknown. We have used a DNA microarray assay to
identify genes that are regulated by activin, alone or in
combination with gonadotropin-releasing hormone
(GnRH), another major regulator of FSH, in a murine
gonadotrope-derived cell line (LĂźT2). We used mRNA
from these cells to screen Affymetrix Mu74av2 mouse
Gene Chip oligonucleotide microarrays, representing
approximately 12,400 mouse genes. Treatment of LĂźT2
cells with activin A, a gonadotropin-releasing hormone
agonist (GnRHA) or activin A plus GnRHA resulted in
alterations in levels of gene expression that ranged in
magnitude from 15 to 67-fold. Data analysis identified
268 transcripts that were up- or down-regulated by twofold
or more. Distinct sets of genes were affected by
treatment with activin, GnRHA and activin plus
GnRHA, suggesting interactions between activin and
GnRHA. Changes in expression of seven randomly
selected representative genes identified by the
microarray technique were confirmed by real-time
quantitative PCR and semi-quantitative reverse
transcription/PCR (RT/PCR). Modulation of expression
of genes by activin suggests that activin may mediate its
effects through a variety of signaling pathways
Effects of crude aqueous extracts of indigenous pesticidal plants on the ladybird beetle, Hippodamia variegata (Goeze) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)
Sex Differences in Estrogen Receptor Subcellular Location and Activity in Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells
The role of estrogens in the increased risk of lung adenocarcinoma in women remains uncertain. We reported that lung adenocarcinoma cell lines from female, but not male, patients with non–small cell lung cancer respond proliferatively and transcriptionally to estradiol (E2), despite equal protein expression of estrogen receptors (ER) α and β. To test the hypothesis that nuclear localization of ERα corresponds to genomic E2 activity in lung adenocarcinoma cells from females, cell fractionation, immunoblot, and confocal immunohistochemical microscopy were performed. We report for the first time that E2 increases phospho-serine-118-ERα (P-ser118-ERα) and cyclin D1 (CCND1) nuclear colocalization in H1793, but not A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells, derived from a female and male patient, respectively. ERβ was primarily in the cytoplasm and mitochondria, independent of E2 treatment, and showed no difference between H1793 and A549 cells. E2 induced higher transcription of endogenous ERα-regulated CCND1 in H1793 than in A549 cells. Likewise, higher rapid, non-genomic E2-induced extracellular signal–regulated kinase 1/2 activation was detected in H1793 compared with A549 cells, linking extracellular signal–regulated kinase activation to increased P-ser118-ERα. Furthermore, E2 increased cyclin D1 and P-ser118-ERα nuclear localization in H1793, but not A549 cells. Together, our results indicate that nuclear localization of P-ser118-ERα provides one explanation for sex-dependent differences in E2-genomic responses in lung adenocarcinoma cell lines
Patriarchy, women, land and livelihoods on A1 farms in Zimbabwe
In this article, we focus on patriarchy, women, land and livelihoods on A1 farms in Zimbabwe which arose from the fast track land reform programme. There is now significant literature on A1 farms in Zimbabwe. These studies include a number of ethnographic and comparative studies but this literature does not give sustained attention to patriarchy and women. In addition, though, a small number of works have appeared based upon a more focused gender analysis. We draw upon this more focused literature and offer fresh fieldwork evidence based on recent studies undertaken by two of the authors, in Goromonzi and Mazowe districts. At times, radical socio-spatial reorganisation such as fast track may destabilise systems of patriarchy. In the case of fast track, there has been a reconfiguration of relations between men and women yet this is uneven and contradictory and remains within the confines of patriarchal structures, practices and discourses. At the same time, women have manoeuvred and negotiated at local levels to enhance their lives and livelihoods