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Top-down vs bottom-up processes: A systematic review clarifying roles and patterns of interactions in food system transformation
Get PDFUrgent calls for food system transformation have spurred a variety of responses globally. In some cases, these calls have been answered through top-down led processes, driven by public agencies to design and implement measures that can drive societies towards more viable patterns of development. In other cases, transformation processes have been ignited by community level actors who addressed sustainability issues with context-specific solutions. The broad range of actors raises the question of whether it is top-down or bottom-up processes and actors that are better placed to deliver the fundamental and system level changes that characterise transformation. Through a systematic review, we identified 40 case studies across 24 countries to investigate the role of top-down or bottom-up processes in transformation, whether the two might intertwine, and with what results. We propose five different types of interactions: Autonomous Bottom-Up, Collaborative Bottom-Up, Top-Down Struggles and Resourceful Bottom-Up, Collaborative Top-Down and Transformation Alliances. Based on our analysis, we propose a new heuristic of roles and interactions between different actors. We suggest a shift from dichotomic views on top-down and bottom-up actor roles towards the concept of “transformation functions,” which would re-centre the discussion around the existing or needed capabilities for transformation in different contexts. Finally, we call for further research to determine how different transformation functions need to become more synchronised -or coordinated-to accelerate transformation
Wir sollten die Möglichkeit nutzen und bei diesem Treffen sämtliche Lorbeeren ernten (German translation):Grossbritannien und die Berliner Afrika-Konferenz
No full textActivity coefficients of HCl in solutions related to tris buffers in artificial seawater. I. HCl + trisHCl + H2O from 1.0 to 5.0 mol kg-1 ionic strength, and from 5 C to 45 C
Get PDFThe substance Tris (2-amino-2-hydroxymethyl-1,3-propanediol, CAS 77-86-1), and its protonated form TrisH+, are used in the preparation of pH buffers in artificial seawater media for applications in marine chemistry. The development of a chemical speciation model of the buffer solutions has been proposed in order to quantify the effects of composition change on buffer pH and to address the metrological requirement for traceability of pH to SI base units. Such a model should be based upon data yielding solvent activities and mean activity coefficients (especially those of H+ with conjugate anions such as Cl– or SO42–) for aqueous solutions of single solutes (e.g., HCl, TrisHCl) and simple mixtures over a temperature range of about 0 to 40 °C. There are currently few data for solutions containing the ion TrisH+, and these are mostly restricted to 25 °C. Here, in the first of a series of studies, we present Harned cell measurements of potentials in solutions containing HCl and TrisHCl from 5 to 45 °C, yielding mean activity coefficients of HCl. The results at 25 °C are found to agree closely with those of literature studies. The Harned cell technique is described in detail, including the preparation of electrodes
“I don’t believe any qualifications are required”: Exploring global stakeholders’ perspectives towards the developmental experiences of esports coaches
Get PDFEsports is a global industry, with coaches widely regarded as having a pivotal role in facilitating player development and enhancing performance. Despite this, limited research has investigated the developmental experiences of esports coaches and how they are valued by diverse stakeholder groups. Consequently, the aim of this research is to explore global stakeholders’ perspectives towards the developmental experiences of esports coaches. Data were collected via a qualitative online survey completed by 98 participants, representing 28 nationalities, across six esports stakeholder groups (head coach, assistant coach, player, team manager, performance staff, analyst). Following a reflexive thematic analysis process, three themes were generated: (1) Speaking the same language: the importance of playing and knowing the game; (2) Walking the walk: the need for coaching experience to demonstrate competency; and (3) Formal professional learning and development: a bone of contention. By understanding how diverse stakeholders value different developmental experiences, the findings offer unique insights into the contested nature of coach development in esports. This research contributes to the esports coaching literature and provides a foundation for future empirical research into this emerging area, with recommendations and implications for esports coach education and practice discussed
Discovery of pathogen virulence and plant defense mechanisms by proximity labelling
Get PDFPlants detect pathogens through nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) immune receptors, which activate effector-triggered immunity (ETI) after recognizing pathogen effectors. NLRs are classified into TIR NLRs (TNL), coiled-coil NLRs (CNL), and RPW8-like NLRs (RNL), and can function independently or in pairs, specializing in sensing pathogen effectors (sensor NLRs) or activating immune signalling (executor/helper NLRs). TNLs rely on EDS1, SAG101, and PAD4 for immune response activation, with the helper RNLs NRG1 and ADR1. In Solanaceous plants, many sensor CNLs depend on NRCs for immune signalling. Thus, plant immune responses involve complex protein-protein interactions (PPIs) in pathogen recognition and defense activation. This study aimed to explore these interactions using TurboID-based proximity labelling, which offers higher sensitivity for identifying PPIs compared to traditional approaches.
The first part of this work optimized TurboID for capturing effectors that interact with TurboID-tagged host proteins during native infection (Chapter 3). This knowledge was then applied to capture two previously reported Phytophthora infestans effectors, AVRamr1 and AVRamr3, recognized by the sensor CNLs Rpi-amr1 and Rpi-amr3 from Solanum americanum, respectively (Chapter 4). Additionally, we captured Albugo candida CCG effectors recognized by the sensor TNL WRR4A from Arabidopsis thaliana, identifying two novel effectors, CCG14 and CCG41, which had not been previously reported (Chapter 4). A. candida is particularly effective at suppressing TNL-mediate immunity. Therefore, we tested TurboID's ability to capture effectors targeting EDS1 signalling hubs downstream of TNLs, identifying CCG82, which may interfere with the EDS1-PAD4-ADR1 complex (Chapter 5). Lastly, TurboID captured the transient interaction between sensor CNLs and helper NRCs, shedding light on their dynamic communication (Chapter 6).
This work demonstrates TurboID's utility in enhancing our understanding of plant-pathogen interactions and establishes a foundation for future effector discovery
Efficiency, effectiveness and pragmatism: What next for dispute resolution under AFCFTA and the investment protocol?
Get PDFThe African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA) was signed in March 2018 to boost intra-African trade and will transform economic integration in Africa by creating the largest free trade area in the world measured by the number of countries participating. In 2023, one of the most important protocols under AfCFTA, the Investment Protocol was adopted without a dispute resolution mechanism. Central to the success or otherwise of AfCFTA is the existence of an effective dispute resolution mechanism to resolve disputes arising under the Investment Protocol. Indeed, any dispute resolution mechanism adopted must be efficient, effective and pragmatic. This article examines four practical options that could be adopted and argues that a reformed form of ISDS should be adopted given it is the most efficient, effective and pragmatic option in the short to medium term
Does overnight memory consolidation support next-day learning?
Get PDFSleep supports memory consolidation and next-day learning. The Active Systems model of consolidation proposes that sleep facilitates a shift in the memory retrieval network from hippocampus to neocortex in service of long-term storage. Accordingly, overnight consolidation may support efficient next-day learning. We tested this hypothesis across two preregistered behavioural experiments. In both experiments, participants learned a set of word pairs and recall was assessed before and after a 12-h delay containing overnight sleep or daytime wakefulness. Participants then learned and were immediately tested on a new set of word pairs. Word pair retention was better after the delay of sleep than wakefulness, suggesting a benefit of sleep for memory consolidation, but there was no sleep-related learning advantage for the new set of word pairs. Sleep-associated consolidation was not associated with next-day learning in our preregistered analyses, although a significant positive relationship with learning did emerge in an exploratory analysis that accounted for performance at pre-sleep recall. Taken together, our findings provide exploratory evidence that overnight consolidation may be linked to new learning, with pre-sleep retrieval performance influencing the magnitude of this relationship
Editors' Foreword to The Oxford Handbook of Punk Rock
Get PDFFollowing an introductory chapter that offers a critical review of the development of punk scholarship over the decades, the book is structured in six sections that loosely group together sets of essays thematically. We do not want to overstress the structural integrity of these sections here, for it is in the spirit of interdisciplinary dialogue—punk’s untidy seams and productive bricolage—to expect chapters to speak or leak across, or even demolish, any borders we might set. The sections are most useful primarily as a way of handling our wealth of material. Part One contains chapters that invite readers to reconsider punk rock, both in terms of alternative critical and theoretical approaches, and in thinking about some of its significant pre-lives. (So: a hint of chronological rationale here.) Parts Two and Three look at the importance of punk in constructing versions of identity, including how those negotiate aging, as well as its liberatory and oppressive practices. With a set of geographical case studies, Part Four critically charts ways in which punk spaces have spread, provincially and internationally, the case studies being culturally and historically situated. Part Five looks at questions of punk’s wider cultural and media resonance. Finally, the chapters that form Part Six offer critical explorations of the sometimes uncomfortable shifting politics of punk across the decades, and how the music has played these out
Self-Tuning RIS Controller for Vehicular Communications: a Hardware Perspective
Get PDFReconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) can reflect an incoming signal toward a target location to enhance the received signal quality. In most studies, it is assumed that the base station (BS) provides configuration data to an RIS controller. However, for a passive RIS with a high number of elements, this data transmission from the BS can introduce significant delays. This challenge is especially pronounced in vehicular communications, where reflection coefficients must be updated even for a few millimeters of movement. To overcome this limitation, we propose a self-tuning RIS controller that independently calculates the reflection coefficients with minimal input from the BS. Our RIS controller leverages the user’s location information to compute the reflection coefficients in three steps: channel gain calculation, steering vector calculation, and optimal phase control. A pipelined architecture is developed to support these steps in real-time. The proposed VLSI architecture is implemented on an Artix-7 XC7A100TCSG324-1 FPGA to calculate reflection coefficients for a vehicle moving at a 100 kmh speed
Palin Stuttering Therapy for School aged Children and usual treatment: A randomised controlled trial feasibility study
Get PDFBackground: Despite a clear need for and evidence-based therapy for some children who stutter aged 8-14, there is no high-level evidence of effectiveness, with Speech and Language Therapists rating knowledge and confidence low. One programme which might address these needs, increase availability of services and improve outcomes, is Palin Stammering Therapy for School aged Children (Palin STSC(8-14)). Aim: To investigate the feasibility of conducting a definitive randomised controlled trial comparing Palin STSC(8-14) with usual treatment. Objectives were to establish: recruitment and retention rates; appropriateness of the outcome measures; acceptability of the research and Palin STSC(8-14) therapy; treatment fidelity; and, appropriateness of the cost-effectiveness measures. Method: a two-arm, cluster-randomised trial, with randomisation of therapists, stratified by service. Children aged 8;0-14;11, and their parent(s), were allocated to therapist and completed questionnaires pre-therapy and six months later. Assessments were selected for their potential to measure or predict therapy outcome. Therapists completed measures at the start and end of the trial. A process analysis was conducted, incorporating semi-structured interviews and treatment fidelity examination. Results: Recruitment targets were exceeded (Children n=67; SLTs n=37). Research processes were largely acceptable, as was Palin STSC(8-14) therapy. Treatment fidelity was high, with SLT adherence at 85.7% Mean number of sessions per child for Palin STSC(8-14) was 6.88 compared to 3.46 for usual treatment. Conclusions: The feasibility targets were met. Based on recruitment, retention and adherence rates and our outcome measures, a full-scale randomised controlled trial appears feasible and warranted to assess the effectiveness of Palin STSC(8-14)