Developing a Functional Food Systems Literacy for Interdisciplinary Dynamic Learning Networks

The impact of human activity on the planet cannot be understated. Food systems are at the centre of a tangled web of interactions affecting all life. They are a complex nexus that directly and indirectly affects, and is affected by, a diverse set of social, environmental and technological phenomena. The complexity and often intractability of these interactions have created a variety of food-related problems that people seek to address in a collaborative and interdisciplinary manner through the adoption of a holistic food systems perspective. However, operationalising a systemic approach to address food system challenges is not a guarantee of success or positive outcomes. This is largely due to the partiality inherent in taking a systems perspective, and the difficulty in communicating these different perspectives among stakeholders. A functional food systems literacy is therefore required to aid people in communicating and collaborating on food system problems within dynamic learning networks. The Interdisciplinary Food Systems Teaching and Learning (IFSTAL) programme has been operating since 2015 as a social learning system to develop a food systems pedagogy with a range of multi-sectoral partners. The findings in this paper arise out of iterative reflexive practice into our teaching approach and delivery methods by former and current staff. In order to foster integrative engagement on food system challenges, we propose and define a functional food systems literacy—a theoretical minimum that can aid diverse stakeholders to explore and intervene in food systems through more effective communication and collaboration. Derived from a reflective analysis of instruments and methods in delivering the IFSTAL programme, we provide a framework that disaggregates functional food systems literacy according to four knowledge types, and includes examples of skills and activities utilised in the IFSTAL programme to support learning in these different domains. We argue that claims to comprehensive food systems knowledge are unrealistic and therefore propose that a functional food systems literacy should focus on providing a means of navigating partial claims to knowledge and uncertainty as well as fostering effective collaboration. We believe that this will enhance the capabilities of stakeholders to work effectively within dynamic learning networks

Transformation, adaptation and development: relating concepts to practice

In recent years there has been a growing number of academic reviews discussing the theme of transformation and its association with adaptation to climate change. On the one hand this has stimulated exchange of ideas and perspectives on the parameters of transformation, but it has also given rise to confusion in terms of identifying what constitutes a non-incremental form of adaptation on the ground. What this article aims to do instead is help researchers and practitioners relate different interpretations of transformation to practice by proposing a typological framework for categorising forms of change that focuses on mechanisms and objectives. It then discusses how these categorisations link to the broader conceptions and critiques noted above, with the idea that this will enable those who seek to analyse or plan adaptation to better analyse what types of action are potentially constitutive of transformation. In doing so, it should equally assist in the identification and specification of critical questions that need to be asked of such activity in relation to issues of sustainability and equity. As the term transformation gains ground in discussions of climate change adaptation, it is necessary to take a step back, review quite what commentators mean when they use the word, and consider the implications on people, especially the most vulnerable and marginalised, of “doing” or promoting transformation in its different forms

Fasting Induces the Expression of PGC-1α and ERR Isoforms in the Outer Stripe of the Outer Medulla (OSOM) of the Mouse Kidney

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ co-activator-1α (PGC-1α) is a member of the transcriptional coactivator family that plays a central role in the regulation of cellular energy metabolism under various physiological stimuli. During fasting, PGC-1α is induced in the liver and together with estrogen-related receptor a and γ (ERRα and ERRγ, orphan nuclear receptors with no known endogenous ligand, regulate sets of genes that participate in the energy balance program. We found that PGC-1α, ERRα and ERRγ was highly expressed in human kidney HK2 cells and that PGC-1α induced dynamic protein interactions on the ERRα chromatin. However, the effect of fasting on the expression of endogenous PGC-1α, ERRα and ERRγ in the kidney is not known.In this study, we demonstrated by qPCR that the expression of PGC-1α, ERRα and ERRγ was increased in the mouse kidney after fasting. By using immunohistochemistry (IHC), we showed these three proteins are co-localized in the outer stripe of the outer medulla (OSOM) of the mouse kidney. We were able to collect this region from the kidney using the Laser Capture Microdissection (LCM) technique. The qPCR data showed significant increase of PGC-1α, ERRα and ERRγ mRNA in the LCM samples after fasting for 24 hours. Furthermore, the known ERRα target genes, mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation gene COX8H and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle gene IDH3A also showed an increase. Taken together, our data suggest that fasting activates the energy balance program in the OSOM of the kidney

Chronic and structural poverty in South Africa: Challenges for action and research

Ten years after liberation, the persistence of poverty is one of the most important and urgent problems facing South Africa. This paper reflects on some of the findings based on research undertaken as part of the participation of the Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) at the University of the Western Cape in the work of the Chronic Poverty Research Centre (CPRC), situates it within the broader literature on poverty in South Africa, and considers some emergent challenges. Although PLAAS’s survey, being only the first wave of a panel study, does not yet cast light on short term poverty dynamics, it illuminates key aspects of the structural conditions that underpin long-term poverty: the close interactions between asset poverty, employment-vulnerability and subjection to unequal social power relations. Coming to grips with these dynamics requires going beyond the limitations of conventional ‘sustainable livelihoods’ analyses; and functionalist analyses of South African labour markets. The paper argues for a re-engagement with the traditions of critical sociology, anthropology and the theoretical conventions that allow a closer exploration of the political economy of chronic poverty at micro and macro level

The Restorative Effects of Pulsed Infrared Light Therapy on Significant Loss of Peripheral Protective Sensation in Patients With Long-Term Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Pulsed infrared light therapy (PILT) has been shown to increase peripheral sensation in diabetic patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). However, most studies last for very short periods, with the subjects receiving only 6-20 treatments. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an eight-week course of PILT in reversing long-standing, profound DPN in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Twenty-two subjects with a diagnosis of type 1 (n=2) or type 2 (n=20) diabetes participated in the study. PILT was administered to one foot chosen at random with the other foot serving as a within-subject control (no treatment). Patients underwent 24 treatments (3 times/week, for eight weeks) for 30 min per treatment. Changes in peripheral protective sensation (PPS) were measured using Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments (SWM) ranging from 3.7 to 6.48. PILT improved PPS even in patients with long-standing chronic neuropathies whose initial pre-study sensation was not measurable with a 200-g SWM. PILT significantly improves PPS. While the exact mechanism of action is not understood, infrared light may improve peripheral neuropathies by improving foot perfusion by stimulating nitric oxide production

Applications and implications of ecological energetics

The ecological processes that are crucial to an animal's growth, survival, and reproductive fitness have energetic costs. The imperative for an animal to meet these costs within the energetic constraints of the environment drives many aspects of animal ecology and evolution, yet has largely been overlooked in traditional ecological paradigms. The field of 'ecological energetics' is bringing comparative physiology out of the laboratory and, for the first time, is becoming broadly accessible to field ecologists addressing real-world questions at many spatial and temporal scales. In an era of unprecedented global environmental challenges, ecological energetics opens up the tantalising prospect of a more predictive, mechanistic understanding of the drivers of threatened species decline, delivering process-based modelling approaches to natural resource management

Abnormal strategies during visual discrimination reversal learning in ephrin-A2-/-mice

Eph receptors and ephrins are involved in establishing topographic connectivity in primary sensory brain regions, but also in higher order structures including the cortex and hippocampus. Ephrin-A2 12/ 12 mice have abnormal topography in the primary visual system but have normal visual and learning performance on a simple visual discrimination task. Here we use signal detection theory to analyse learning behaviour of these mice. Wild-type (WT) and ephrin-A2 12/ 12 (KO) mice performed equally well in a two-stimulus visual discrimination task, with similar learning rates and response latencies. However, during reversal learning, when the rewarded stimulus was switched, the two genotypes exhibited differences in response strategies: while WTs favoured a win-stay strategy, KOs remained relatively neutral. KOs also exhibited a stronger lateralization bias in the initial stages of learning, choosing the same arm of the maze with high probability. In addition, use of a Bayesian \u201coptimal observer\u201d revealed that compared to WT, KO mice adapted their decisions less rapidly to a change in stimulus-reward relationship. We suggest that the misexpression of ephrin-A2 may lead to abnormal connectivity in regions known for their involvement in reversal learning and perseverative behaviours, including thalamic\u2013prefrontal cortical\u2013striatal circuitry and particularly orbitofrontal cortex. The implication is that topographic organisation of higher order brain regions may play an important role in learning and decision making.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye