The ‘CSA Papers’: Call for Book Chapter Proposals

The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), in collaboration with the CGIAR Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security (CCAFS) invites scientists and development actors to submit applications for publication of book chapter in an open-access book investigating obstacles to scaling up climate-smart agriculture (CSA), The CSA Papers

The CSA Papers: Critical investigations to support climate-smart agriculture development. An effort to analyze, publish, and present previously unreleased data on CSA

The CSA Papers aim to generate critical insights into five key areas of CSA based on unpublished scientific information. Contributors of Papers will participate in a writeshop, be provided honoraria, and be eligible for travel grants to showcase their work

Data leaks to help create a climate-smart future

This booklet presents a collection of previously unpublished or ongoing research and interventions related to climate-smart agriculture (CSA), with emphasis on experiences in Eastern and Southern Africa. The visual material contained herein offers researchers, development workers and policy-makers teaser insights into new tools, methodologies and data to support CSA scaling efforts. The 35 contributions in this booklet answer to five key questions that currently obstruct the efficient and effective implementation of CSA agenda

Analysis of the In Vivo Transcriptome of Bordetella pertussis during Infection of Mice

Bordetella pertussis causes the disease whooping cough through coordinated control of virulence factors by the Bordetella virulence gene system. Microarrays and, more recently, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) have been used to describe in vitro gene expression profiles of B. pertussis and other pathogens. In previous studies, we have analyzed the in vitro gene expression profiles of B. pertussis, and we hypothesize that the infection transcriptome profile in vivo is significantly different from that under laboratory growth conditions. To study the infection transcriptome of B. pertussis, we developed a simple filtration technique for isolation of bacteria from infected lungs. The work flow involves filtering the bacteria out of the lung homogenate using a 5-μm-pore-size syringe filter. The captured bacteria are then lysed to isolate RNA for Illumina library preparation and RNA-seq analysis. Upon comparing the in vitro and in vivo gene expression profiles, we identified 351 and 255 genes as activated and repressed, respectively, during murine lung infection. As expected, numerous genes associated with virulent-phase growth were activated in the murine host, including pertussis toxin (PT), the PT secretion apparatus, and the type III secretion system. A significant number of genes encoding iron acquisition and heme uptake proteins were highly expressed during infection, supporting iron acquisition as critical for B. pertussis survival in vivo. Numerous metabolic genes were repressed during infection. Overall, these data shed light on the gene expression profile of B. pertussisduring infection, and this method will facilitate efforts to understand how this pathogen causes infection

Bordetella pertussis Whole Cell Immunization, Unlike Acellular Immunization, Mimics Naïve Infection by Driving Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cell Expansion in Mice

Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) compartments are altered to direct immune responses to infection. Their roles during immunization are not well-described. To elucidate mechanisms for waning immunity following immunization with acellular vaccines (ACVs) against Bordetella pertussis (Bp), we tested the hypothesis that immunization with Bp ACVs and whole cell vaccines (WCVs) differ in directing the HSPC characteristics and immune cell development patterns that ultimately contribute to the types and quantities of cells produced to fight infection. Our data demonstrate that compared to control and ACV-immunized CD-1 mice, immunization with an efficacious WCV drives expansion of hematopoietic multipotent progenitor cells (MPPs), increases circulating white blood cells (WBCs), and alters the size and composition of lymphoid organs. In addition to MPPs, common lymphoid progenitor (CLP) proportions increase in the bone marrow of WCV-immunized mice, while B220+ cell proportions decrease. Upon subsequent infection, increases in maturing B cell populations are striking in WCV-immunized mice. RNAseq analyses of HSPCs revealed that WCV and ACV-immunized mice vastly differ in developing VDJ gene segment diversity. Moreover, gene set enrichment analyses demonstrate WCV-immunized mice exhibit unique gene signatures that suggest roles for interferon (IFN) induced gene expression. Also observed in naïve infection, these IFN stimulated gene (ISG) signatures point toward roles in cell survival, cell cycle, autophagy, and antigen processing and presentation. Taken together, these findings underscore the impact of vaccine antigen and adjuvant content on skewing and/or priming HSPC populations for immune response

A method of localizing the spectra of sequences of orthogonal polynomials

AbstractOne of the trends in the theory of orthogonal polynomials is to get as much information on their behaviour as possible from the recurrence relation they satisfy. Our intention is to propose a method which in any particular case allows to localize the spectra of polynomial sequences orthogonal either on the real line or on the complex plane

Bordetella pertussis Whole Cell Immunization, Unlike Acellular Immunization, Mimics Naïve Infection by Driving Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cell Expansion in Mice

Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) compartments are altered to direct immune responses to infection. Their roles during immunization are not well-described. To elucidate mechanisms for waning immunity following immunization with acellular vaccines (ACVs) against Bordetella pertussis (Bp), we tested the hypothesis that immunization with Bp ACVs and whole cell vaccines (WCVs) differ in directing the HSPC characteristics and immune cell development patterns that ultimately contribute to the types and quantities of cells produced to fight infection. Our data demonstrate that compared to control and ACV-immunized CD-1 mice, immunization with an efficacious WCV drives expansion of hematopoietic multipotent progenitor cells (MPPs), increases circulating white blood cells (WBCs), and alters the size and composition of lymphoid organs. In addition to MPPs, common lymphoid progenitor (CLP) proportions increase in the bone marrow of WCV-immunized mice, while B220+ cell proportions decrease. Upon subsequent infection, increases in maturing B cell populations are striking in WCV-immunized mice. RNAseq analyses of HSPCs revealed that WCV and ACV-immunized mice vastly differ in developing VDJ gene segment diversity. Moreover, gene set enrichment analyses demonstrate WCV-immunized mice exhibit unique gene signatures that suggest roles for interferon (IFN) induced gene expression. Also observed in naïve infection, these IFN stimulated gene (ISG) signatures point toward roles in cell survival, cell cycle, autophagy, and antigen processing and presentation. Taken together, these findings underscore the impact of vaccine antigen and adjuvant content on skewing and/or priming HSPC populations for immune response

Climate-Smart Agriculture Prioritization Framework

The CSA Prioritization Framework, developed by CCAFS-CIAT, provides a process for targeting investment towards best-bet CSA options in a given context. The Framework does this by identifying existing and promising CSA practices, assessing the tradeoffs between practices using indicators of CSA and analyzing the costs and benefits of these practices, and identifying possible barriers to adoption. This process aims to contribute to optimized national and sub-national planning, promoting a participatory process for the development of CSA investment portfolios

Démarche de Priorisation de l’Agriculture Intelligente face au Climat

La Démarche de Priorisation de l’AIC, développée par le CCAFS-AIC, est un processus flexible et piloté par les acteurs pour cibler l’investissement vers des options (pratiques et services) optimales d’établissement de l’AIC dans un contexte donné. Cette démarche s'effectue en guidant les parties prenantes à travers l’identification des options AIC existantes et prometteuses, l'évaluation des options en relation avec les indicateurs de l'AIC, l’analyse des coûts et bénéfices de ces options, et l’identification des obstacles éventuels á l’adoption. Ce processus vise à contribuer à un planning national et sous-régional optimisé, se basant sur un processus participatif pour le développement des portefeuilles d’investissement de l’AIC

Towards a scalable framework for evaluating and prioritizing climate-smart agriculture practices and programs. [P42]

Governments, donors, and non-governmental organizations are recognizing the need to integrate climate change and agriculture development goals in planning. Incorporating the climate-smart agriculture (CSA) concept can strengthen integration by explicitly emphasizing tradeoffs between investment options. Given the complex relationships between the food security, adaption, and mitigation goals of CSA, decision-support frameworks are needed that integrate stakeholder priorities, draw on the best scientific evidence available, and present complex results simply. Here we present a four phase stakeholder-driven framework for prioritizing CSA investment, designed to be globally applicable, for various users, for use from regional to sub-national levels, and adjustable given data and resource constraints. In the first phase, the scope and next-users of CSA portfolios are clarified, relevant practices are identified, and roughly ten indicators are selected/adapted from a suggested set of 29, based on scientific literature, to evaluate practices against CSA outcomes. A participatory workshop is used in phase 2 to short-list practices based on the results of the indicator evaluation and additional stakeholder criteria. A cost-benefit analysis is then conducted (phase 3) on these priority practices. In phase 4, stakeholders are reconvened to develop CSA investment portfolios that minimize trade-offs, maximize benefits and synergies, and address end user priorities. Barriers to adoption of practices and pathways to overcome these are used to adjust priorities or implementation plans. We present lessons learned from Guatemala and Mali, which demonstrate the scalability of the process, modifications based on institutional contexts, and strategies for refining the framework for use in Africa and Asia in 2015 with users including national agriculture ministries, agriculture development alliances, and bilateral and multilateral donors. (Résumé d'auteur