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Black soldier fly from pest to 'crown jewel' of the insects as feed industry: An historical perspective
No full textAn historical overview of the black soldier fly is given and how the appreciation of the insect developed from being harmful to beneficial. The change occurred in 1980, initially for their role in forensic entomology and later when it was realised that the insects can be used both for recycling organic waste streams and for providing nutritious feed for production animals. Now the number of publications on the black soldier fly is increasing exponentially, while more companies focus on its commercial use.</p
Inter-Individual Variation in Cancer and Cardiometabolic Health Outcomes in Response to Coffee Consumption: A Critical Review
No full textScope: Coffee is associated with a lower risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes at the population level. However, individual susceptibility to the effects of coffee consumption will cause heterogeneity in health responses between individuals. In this critical review determinants of inter-individual variability in cancer and cardiometabolic health outcomes in response to coffee and caffeine consumption are systematically evaluated. Methods and results: Embase and MEDLINE are searched for observational studies and clinical trials that examined variation in the response to coffee consumption. A total of 74 studies meet the inclusion criteria, which report variation in cancer (n = 24) and cardiometabolic health (n = 50) outcomes. The qualitative analysis shows that sex, BMI, smoking, alcohol intake, menopausal status, and genetic polymorphisms are probable or possible determinants of inter-individual variability in cancer and cardiometabolic health outcomes in response to coffee and caffeine consumption, albeit the majority of studies have insufficient statistical power to detect significant interaction between these factors and coffee consumption. Conclusion: Several genetic and non-genetic determinants of inter-individual variability in the responses to coffee and caffeine consumption are identified, indicating that some of the health benefits of coffee may only occur in a subgroup of subjects.</p
Grounding Big Data on Climate‐Induced Human Mobility
No full textHow can site‐based fieldwork support big‐data research? We reflect on this question by sharing our experiences in combining on‐site fieldwork with an existing big‐data analysis using call‐detail records (CDR), which detected anomalous population flows in Bangladesh during cyclone Mahasen. In the original study of the CDR, this mobility was hypothesized to reflect late evacuations from homes. We discuss how site‐based fieldwork enabled us to discover that the detected patterns in our area of study reflected something different: the movement of fishers seeking to protect their trawlers located at harbor areas. Moreover, the fieldwork, in conjunction with remote sensing shoreline evolution data, allowed us to identify and study high‐risk behaviors of immobility that the CDR analysis was not able to detect. In sharing our findings, we are reflective of our own endeavor to optimally combine qualitative and big‐data methods. While mistakes were made and challenges had to be overcome, insights were gained on how a combined methodology makes research well‐grounded, reflective, and more interactiv
Photographic comparison: a method for qualitative outdoor thermal perception surveys
No full textThis article addresses the use of photographic comparison as a complementary visual appraisal method in an outdoor thermal perception survey. This survey was carried out during a Ph.D. research exploring how materials and vegetation influence thermal comfort in outdoor public spaces. Objective and subjective thermal perception parameters were combined and quantitative and qualitative research methods were used. The quantitative methods included microclimatic measurements, whilst the qualitative methods comprised observations and spatially localised interviews based on a questionnaire and the photographic comparison. This article explores how such visual research method allowed triangulating findings of this field survey. Three non-edited photographs of outdoor public spaces, under similar summer meteorological conditions but with contrasting spatial features, were shown to respondents to the questionnaire. The photographs depicted undisclosed locations for preventing biased emotional appreciations. Respondents were asked to select the potentially most comfortable and uncomfortable environments depicted. The choice of photographs matched the previous answers on the thermal sensation and evaluation judgement scales. Hence, we discuss the way the visual interpretations by respondents allowed the triangulation of in situ thermal perception data. The extent to which thermal comfort can be interpreted from thermal environments depicted in photographs containing clear visual signs is further discussed. The article concludes on how such a visual appraisal method can be valuable for enriching future qualitative outdoor thermal perception surveys with subjective interpretation of visual data.</p
Evaluating the ecological realism of plant species distribution models with ecological indicator values
No full textSpecies distribution models (SDMs) are routinely applied to assess current as well as future species distributions, for example to assess impacts of future environmental change on biodiversity or to underpin conservation planning. It has been repeatedly emphasized that SDMs should be evaluated based not only on their goodness of fit to the data, but also on the realism of the modeled ecological responses. However, possibilities for the latter are hampered by limited knowledge on the true responses as well as a lack of quantitative evaluation methods. Here we compared modeled niche optima obtained from European-scale SDMs of 1476 terrestrial vascular plant species with empirical ecological indicator values indicating the preferences of plant species for key environmental conditions. For each plant species we first fitted an ensemble SDM including three modeling techniques (GLM, GAM and BRT) and extracted niche optima for climate, soil, land use and nitrogen deposition variables with a large explanatory power for the occurrence of that species. We then compared these SDM-derived niche optima with the ecological indicator values by means of bivariate correlation analysis. We found weak to moderate correlations in the expected direction between the SDM-derived niche optima and ecological indicator values. The strongest correlation occurred between the modeled optima for growing degree days and the ecological indicator values for temperature. Correlations were weaker for SDM-derived niche optima with a more distal relationship to ecological indicator values (notably precipitation and soil moisture). Further, correlations were consistently highest for BRT, followed by GLM and GAM. Our method gives insight into the ecological realism of modeled niche optima and projected core habitats and can be used to improve SDMs by making a more informed selection of environmental variables and modeling techniques.</p
Heavy metal threats to plants and soil life in Southern Africa: Present knowledge and consequences for ecological risk assessment
No full textIn recent times there has been remarkable development in the field of soil ecotoxicology and risk assessment (RA) models. It is, however, debatable if these RA models are robust representatives for worldwide relevance. In order to investigate this, the current overview aims to address heavy metal threats to soil life in southern Africa by investigating present knowledge and consequences for RA using research in southern Africa as a case. To this end, the focus is on southern African soils, soil life and living conditions. To critically discuss these issues, we report on extensive research conducted in the southern African context and looked how comparable these findings are to RA models employed in the western world. This is done by providing an inventory of selected studies focused on the ecotoxicity of metals towards soil life. It is concluded that there is a dearth of information on southern African soil life, most of which are laboratory-based studies carried out by a handful of researchers. Future research incorporating the available information into a soil ecosystem assessment procedure is paramount. It is recommended that a starting point to tackle this might be the development of holistic sight-specific guidelines for ecological risk assessment at larger spatial scales (km2) which takes into cognizance landscapes, vegetation and faunal characteristics.</p
Steering demand? Exploring the intersection of policy, practice and lives in energy systems change in Ireland
No full textRecent advances in sociological investigations of energy-systems-change highlight the influence of a wide range of policies, beyond those typically considered relevant to energy, on energy demand. To this, a new field of (‘non-) energy policy’ scholarship is exploring the ways in which policies across multiple societal sectors ‘steer’ demand. However, much of this work has been conducted at the scale of institutions and systems, with comparatively little work exploring the intersection of policy and everyday life. As a result, little is known about the ways in which (non-)energy policies shape demand in the context of situated, domestic energy practices. This paper seeks to advance (non-)energy policy scholarship by connecting recent developments in systems-based perspectives with situated practice-theoretical investigations of everyday practices. Drawing on biographic-narrative analysis of Irish individuals’ energy practices and their evolution over time, it highlights the potential of experience-centred inquiry for generating novel empirical insights regarding the contexts and processes by which policies and practice intersect. An illustrative discussion of ‘traces of policy’ and their influence on individuals’ conduct reveal insights into the everyday contexts and socially differentiated ways in which policy ‘steers’ action. Analysis reveals that (non-)energy policies of various kinds have worked to steer action by setting agendas, shaping public discourse and delimiting action. Individuals are posited as active agents mediating the intersection of policy and practice in everyday life. The paper concludes by outlining the parameters of a new research agenda for experience-centred explorations of the intersections of policy, practice and lives in energy-systems-change.</p
Using particle size and fat content to control the release of Allyl isothiocyanate from ground mustard seeds for its application in antimicrobial packaging
Full text linkIn this study an active antimicrobial packaging based on the controlled release of Allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) from mustard seed was designed. The effect of fat content and particle size of ground mustard seeds on formation and release of AITC was investigated and the underlying mechanisms were highlighted. A smaller size of mustard particles resulted in more sinigrin conversion to AITC and a higher release of AITC in the headspace. The fat content has an important role on AITC release, a decreased fat content decreased AITC levels in the particles and increased the amount of AITC in the headspace. Based on the results of the sinigrin hydrolysis, the AITC surface exchange rate and the AITC fat solubility, an overall picture of the factors influencing the AITC release from the particles is proposed, which describes formation of AITC and its partitioning between the compartments of the particles and the headspace.</p
Replicated anthropogenic hybridisations reveal parallel patterns of admixture in marine mussels
No full textHuman-mediated transport creates secondary contacts between genetically differenti-ated lineages, bringing new opportunities for gene exchange. When similar introductions occur in different places, they provide informally replicated experiments for studying hy-bridisation. We here examined 4,279 Mytilus mussels, sampled in Europe and genotyped with 77 ancestry-informative markers. We identified a type of introduced mussels, called “dock mussels,” associated with port habitats and displaying a particular genetic signal of admixture between M. edulis and the Mediterranean lineage of M. galloprovincialis. These mussels exhibit similarities in their ancestry compositions, regardless of the local native genetic backgrounds and the distance separating colonised ports. We observed fine-scale genetic shifts at the port entrance, at scales below natural dispersal distance. Such sharp clines do not fit with migration-selection tension zone models, and instead suggest habitat choice and early-stage adaptation to the port environment, possibly coupled with connec-tivity barriers. Variations in the spread and admixture patterns of dock mussels seem to be influenced by the local native genetic backgrounds encountered. We next examined de-partures from the average admixture rate at different loci, and compared human-mediated admixture events, to naturally admixed populations and experimental crosses. When the same M. galloprovincialis background was involved, positive correlations in the departures of loci across locations were found; but when different backgrounds were involved, no or negative correlations were observed. While some observed positive correlations might be best explained by a shared history and saltatory colonisation, others are likely produced by parallel selective events. Altogether, genome-wide effect of admixture seems repeat-able and more dependent on genetic background than environmental context. Our re-sults pave the way towards further genomic analyses of admixture, and monitoring of the spread of dock mussels both at large and at fine spacial scales
Integrating collaborative research in marine science: Recommendations from an evaluation of evolving science‐industry partnerships in Dutch demersal fisheries
No full textThe increasingly complex nature of marine resource management calls for stronger stakeholder participation in advancing knowledge and developing management approaches. Studies on stakeholder involvement in marine resource management have primarily focussed on participation in resource use negotiation and not on participation in science. Using fishers' knowledge research frameworks, we evaluate over 15 years of science-industry research collaboration (SIRC) in Dutch demersal fisheries. Four key lessons emerge: (a) Capacity building in SIRC works multiple ways and triggers shifts in the fishers' knowledge research spectrum; (b) Successful SIRC depends on acceptance of industry collected data for scientific advice, which necessitates close involvement of end-users from the outset to provide feedback and obtainsupport; (c) (Fisher) participation raises often-overlooked equity questions and may result in selection bias; and (d) The governance context strongly influences structure of SIRC and integration of SIRC knowledge. To ensure a sustainable, continuous process of stakeholder participation and use of their knowledge in marine resources research, collaborative research should be embedded in the institutional frameworks for science and management. It demands continuous maintenance of the relationship between scientists and stakeholders in the context of management developments, calls for reflection about selection and equity considerations, and requires continuous attention for communication with all parties involved at different levels. The lessons learnt in science-industry research collaboration in fisheries are also relevant for the wider field of marine science, where stakeholder participation is necessary but not yet common