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Scaling up dietary diversity for health, the environment, and food security in Asia
No full textDietary diversity refers to the variety of foods and food groups consumed within a diet, encompassing different nutritional sources. Across Asia, dietary diversity is exemplified by a distinctive range of food practices and culinary innovations. This includes staples such as rice and noodles, animal-sourced foods, including pork and lamb, plant-based proteins like legumes and tofu, and various vegetables, fruits, and spices. Rice, for example, is the cornerstone of Asian diets and is ubiquitous across the region. Its versatility enables it to be transformed into numerous forms, reflecting local innovations, such as rice noodles (a staple in Southeast Asia), dosa (a fermented rice and lentil crepe popular in India), and rice wine (variants such as Chinese huangjiu, Japanese sake, and Korean makgeolli)
Starch-tannin interactions: Influence of grape tannins on structure, texture, and digestibility of starches from different botanical sources
No full textThis study investigated the effect of grape seed (GSd) and grape skin (GSk) tannins on the physicochemical, rheological properties and in-vitro digestibility of starches (corn, pea and wheat) derived from three different botanical sources. Quantification of bound and unbound tannins using MCP and HPLC analysis demonstrated that majority of the tannins were bound to starch molecules. The results of particle size distribution, starch-iodine binding and FTIR studies indicated the development of inclusion complexes through hydrophobic interactions with tannins in pea starch, while other two starches prominently formed non-inclusion complexes via hydrogen bonding. Back extrusion analysis of textural properties indicated that wheat starch-tannin complexes resulted in firmer starch-tannin gels compared to other two starches. Rheological studies revealed an increase in the viscoelastic modulus (G’ and G”) with improved elastic behavior for all starch-tannin gels. Starches complexed with tannins demonstrated strong antioxidant properties and in-vitro starch digestion studies revealed significant reductions in rapidly digestible starch (RDS) and slowly digestible starch (SDS), along with an increase in resistant starch (RS), particularly in pea starch complexed with GSd tannins. This study enhanced our understanding of how GSd and GSk tannins influence the properties of starches from various botanical origins, helping in understanding starch-tannin interactions and enabling the creation of foods with improved texture and digestibility
Molecular characterization of root-lesion nematode, Pratylenchus species, and their prevalence in New Zealand maize fields
No full textRoot-lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus spp.) are significant plant parasites, causing substantial crop damage worldwide. This study aimed to characterize Pratylenchus spp. in New Zealand maize fields using molecular techniques and map their prevalence. Soil sampling from 24 maize fields across the North and South Islands provided 381 composite samples. Root-lesion nematodes were extracted using the sieving-centrifugal-sugar flotation method and differentiated into five morphospecies. Molecular characterization involved direct partial sequencing of the D2/D3 28S rDNA, ITS rDNA, and COX1 mtDNA regions using Sanger technology from a single nematode. Five Pratylenchus species were identified: P. neglectus, P. crenatus, P. thornei, P. penetrans, and P. pratensis, confirmed by phylogenetic analysis. Prevalence mapping showed P. neglectus and P. crenatus in all sampled fields, while P. thornei, P. penetrans, and P. pratensis were more localized. This study is the first to report these Pratylenchus species on maize in New Zealand and provides the first partial sequences of the D2/D3, COX1, and ITS regions for these species on maize in New Zealand. The findings highlight the diversity of Pratylenchus populations in New Zealand maize fields and emphasize the need for region-specific management strategies to mitigate crop damage
The peri-urban conundrum stakeholder engagement for land use and site planning through digital tools
No full textNew Zealand is facing immense pressure for urban expansion as populations grow and demand for housing increases. Located on some of the most highly productive soils, New Zealand cities are expanding into these productive hinterland landscapes, with valuable soil resources indefinitely lost. This chapter explores how digital tools can be used to engage stakeholders with the issue of peri-urban land use change, and how these tools can be utilised to consider and evaluate alternative futures. Outlining two case studies, this chapter presents methods and outcomes of two participatory processes for engaging with the peri-urban land use conundrum. The first case presents a site-scale project where digital design outputs were used to engage with multiple stakeholder groups. The second case presents a landscape-scale project where local government was engaged in an alternative futures scenario-based activity where GIS mapping was used to create the scenario plans. Communication benefits and constraints for bridging viewpoints between different stakeholders are illustrated and discussed
A brief background on Malliavin calculus and white noise analysis
No full textFunctional analysis provides us with a rich repertoire of algebraic structures as we see later, which could be used to develop models of complex systems having inherent probabilistic aspects to them. As often happens in physical sciences, the development of concepts related to the systems at hand are crucial to understanding the behaviors of systems. Mathematical structures that are employed in the concepts are as important as the concepts themselves, and in many cases, mathematics inspires conceptual developments. (Refer Kulasiri and Kosarwal (2021), Holden et al. (1996), Øksendal (1998), Di Nunno et al. (2019), Holden and Øksendal (2022), in the references.
Pesticide safety behavior among vegetable farmers in Bangladesh: Evaluating the role of market aggregation services
No full textPesticide use in Bangladesh is disproportionately high in vegetable farming compared to other crops like cereals, pulses, and cash crops. This study delves into the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding pesticide use among vegetable farmers, focusing on the impact of a digital aggregation service implemented by Digital Green. Based on interviews with 120 vegetable farmers in the LOOP aggregation scheme and 120 non-LOOP vegetable farmers this study indicates that the farmers using the aggregation service have a moderately higher level of food safety knowledge. LOOP farmers scored higher in pesticide safety knowledge (67.83 %) compared to non-LOOP farmers (55 %). Regarding pesticide safety attitudes, LOOP farmers scored 17.39 %, while non-LOOP farmers 4.17 %, reflecting a generally poor attitude toward pesticide application. Regarding practices, 65.55 % of LOOP farmers adhered to scientifically sound methods, compared to 43.10 % of non-LOOP farmers. Although participation in the LOOP program significantly influenced farmers’ pesticide-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices, this study still identifies
the need for targeted interventions and training to improve food safety practices among both groups
Promoting mental health through campus landscape design: Insights from New Zealand universities
No full textMental health challenges among university students and staff are a pressing concern globally and in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Despite adopting frameworks like the Okanagan Charter to promote health and well-being, there is a lack of empirical research on how campus landscapes contribute to mental health promotion. This is a preliminary study based on a Ph.D. research project aiming to investigate the role of campus landscapes in supporting relaxation and internal recovery through everyday activities. We conducted a comparative multi-case study involving 66 participants from the University of Auckland, Lincoln University, and the University of Otago, exploring how they use and prefer campus landscapes for relaxation. Our findings indicate that ‘enjoying nature’ is the most preferred relaxation activity, with participants engaging both actively and passively with various spaces such as gardens, open lawns, and forested areas. Additionally, in campus settings, the proximity of relaxation spaces appears to be more important than design quality because of the limited time during working hours, which points to the importance of thoughtful campus planning. This study also found that university staff are often overlooked in discussions about healthy universities, despite their significant role in the campus setting. Overall, this study highlights the importance of biophilic design principles in creating health-promoting campus environments and offers initial insights for integrating natural elements into campus planning to enhance mental health and well-being
An investigation of the role of Clockwork Orange (CWO) in circadian rhythms of Drosophila melanogaster: a mathematical modeling study
No full textThe daily behavioral cycles exhibited by nearly all living organisms, known as circadian rhythms, are a crucial feature of life shaped by the Earth’s rotation and regulated by internal biological clocks. These approximately 24-hour patterns reflect intricate biochemical and physiological processes. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has emerged as a pivotal model for studying circadian rhythms, with its genetic and molecular underpinnings extensively characterized. Mathematical modeling is a common tool used to dissect these dynamic systems. This study presents three new models of the circadian pathways of Drosophila melanogaster, each integrating three separate transcriptional feedback loops: the classic PER-TIM and VRI-PDP1 cycles, as well as the newly identified Clockwork Orange loop. These models investigate three possible dual functions of the CWO protein, hypothesizing that it may simultaneously activate and repress key circadian genes. They combine established molecular insights with new hypotheses derived from both in vivo data and CWO’s protein sequence using bioinformatics tools. The models employ a probabilistic ordinary differential equation (ODE) grounded in chemical kinetics to describe how transcription factors bind to and dissociate from their targets. Rather than relying extensively on potentially inconsistent in vitro measurements, the study focuses on developing conceptual models and testing hypotheses. Available data were primarily utilized to refine parameter estimates and assess model validity. This methodological choice provided the flexibility needed to probe the molecular functions of CWO more thoroughly. Model behavior was evaluated and validated using mutant data, and the resulting simulations offer insights into circadian biology by clarifying the role of CWO at the molecular level
Rapid shifts in relative abundance obscure temporal diversity changes within a metacommunity
No full textChanges in biodiversity reflect processes acting at multiple spatial scales, from local to global, among habitats and within communities. This complexity makes it difficult to measure mechanisms that have traditionally interested ecologists, such as environmental filters. To resolve this, we propose an approach to partition temporal changes in biodiversity into contributions from selection at multiple scales. We applied this approach to study changes in the biodiversity of invertebrate herbivores from a large-scale, plant community experiment. Though the experiment was designed to foster distinct insect communities due to differences in host plants, our approach showed that selection among these treatments was a negligible facet of diversity change. These effects were swamped by rapid changes in relative abundances of aphids due to both immigration and selection across the metacommunity. More broadly, our work highlights how total change in biodiversity across a biogeographic region can be partitioned into logically distinct mechanism
Knowledge brokers at the science–policy interface: Insights from biosecurity and environmental management
No full textDetermining appropriate mechanisms for transferring and translating research into policy has become a major concern for researchers (knowledge producers) and policymakers (knowledge users) worldwide. This has led to the emergence of a new function of brokering between researchers and policymakers, and a new type of agent called Knowledge Broker. Understanding these complex multi-agent interactions is critical for an efficient knowledge brokering practice during any given policymaking process. Here, we present (1) the current diversity of knowledge broker groups working in the field of biosecurity and environmental management; (2) the incentives linking the different agents involved in the process (knowledge producers, knowledge brokers and knowledge users); and (3) the gaps, needs and challenges to better understand this social ecosystem. We also propose alternatives aimed at improving transparency and efficiency, including future scenarios where the role of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies may become predominant in knowledge-brokering activities