| 1. |
- A. Bateki, Christian, et al.
(författare)
-
Of milk and mobiles: Assessing the potential of cellphone applications to reduce cattle milk yield gaps in Africa using a case study
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-1699. ; 191
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There are growing expectations that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) applications could help improve on-farm yields amongst smallholder farmers in developing countries, and consequently, food and nutrition security. However, few studies have quantified the actual contribution of ICT applications on farmers’ yields, and these studies predominantly focused on crop production. We assessed the potential of ICT applications to close milk yield gaps among small- and medium scale dairy cattle farmers in Africa. First, we developed a theoretical framework summarizing biophysical and socio-economic constraints that foster milk yield gaps and discussed which constraints can be addressed using ICT applications. Second, using a case study of a feeding advice application for dairy cattle pre-tested with farmers in rural Kenya, we analyzed how much stand-alone the application could contribute to close dairy cattle milk yield gaps. Our findings suggest that ICT applications could help address some existing biophysical and socio-economic constraints fostering milk yield gaps, including data collection for breeding programs, feeding management advice, and facilitating access to markets and capital. Our stand-alone ICT application closed yield gaps by 2 % to 6 % on representative farms. Several factors may explain the limited actual contribution of selected ICT applications to reduce existing milk yield gaps, including the quality of the input data and models used in ICT applications, and more structural constraints that cannot be addressed by digital tools. Therefore, although ICT applications could help address constraints to achieving higher milk yields on dairy farms, a significant contribution to improve yields may only be achieved when conditions surrounding their use are adequate.
|
|
| 2. |
- Abarenkov, Kessy, et al.
(författare)
-
PlutoF—a web based workbench for ecological and taxonomic research, with an online implementation for fungal ITS sequences
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Evolutionary Bioinformatics. - 1176-9343. ; 6, s. 189-196
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- DNA sequences accumulating in the International Nucleotide Sequence Databases (INSD) form a rich source of information for taxonomic and ecological meta-analyses. However, these databases include many erroneous entries, and the data itself is poorly annotated with metadata, making it difficult to target and extract entries of interest with any degree of precision. Here we describe the web-based workbench PlutoF, which is designed to bridge the gap between the needs of contemporary research in biology and the existing software resources and databases. Built on a relational database, PlutoF allows remote-access rapid submission, retrieval, and analysis of study, specimen, and sequence data in INSD as well as for private datasets though web-based thin clients. In contrast to INSD, PlutoF supports internationally standardized terminology to allow very specific annotation and linking of interacting specimens and species. The sequence analysis module is optimized for identification and analysis of environmental ITS sequences of fungi, but it can be modified to operate on any genetic marker and group of organisms. The workbench is available at http://plutof.ut.ee.
|
|
| 3. |
- Abarenkov, Kessy, et al.
(författare)
-
Protax-fungi: A web-based tool for probabilistic taxonomic placement of fungal internal transcribed spacer sequences
- 2018
-
Ingår i: New Phytologist. - : Wiley. - 0028-646X .- 1469-8137. ; 220:2, s. 517-525
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- © 2018 New Phytologist Trust. Incompleteness of reference sequence databases and unresolved taxonomic relationships complicates taxonomic placement of fungal sequences. We developed Protax-fungi, a general tool for taxonomic placement of fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences, and implemented it into the PlutoF platform of the UNITE database for molecular identification of fungi. With empirical data on root- and wood-associated fungi, Protax-fungi reliably identified (with at least 90% identification probability) the majority of sequences to the order level but only around one-fifth of them to the species level, reflecting the current limited coverage of the databases. Protax-fungi outperformed the Sintax and Rdb classifiers in terms of increased accuracy and decreased calibration error when applied to data on mock communities representing species groups with poor sequence database coverage. We applied Protax-fungi to examine the internal consistencies of the Index Fungorum and UNITE databases. This revealed inconsistencies in the taxonomy database as well as mislabelling and sequence quality problems in the reference database. The according improvements were implemented in both databases. Protax-fungi provides a robust tool for performing statistically reliable identifications of fungi in spite of the incompleteness of extant reference sequence databases and unresolved taxonomic relationships.
|
|
| 4. |
|
|
| 5. |
- Abbott, Benjamin W., et al.
(författare)
-
Biomass offsets little or none of permafrost carbon release from soils, streams, and wildfire : an expert assessment
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Environmental Research Letters. - : IOP Publishing. - 1748-9326. ; 11:3
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- As the permafrost region warms, its large organic carbon pool will be increasingly vulnerable to decomposition, combustion, and hydrologic export. Models predict that some portion of this release will be offset by increased production of Arctic and boreal biomass; however, the lack of robust estimates of net carbon balance increases the risk of further overshooting international emissions targets. Precise empirical or model-based assessments of the critical factors driving carbon balance are unlikely in the near future, so to address this gap, we present estimates from 98 permafrost-region experts of the response of biomass, wildfire, and hydrologic carbon flux to climate change. Results suggest that contrary to model projections, total permafrost-region biomass could decrease due to water stress and disturbance, factors that are not adequately incorporated in current models. Assessments indicate that end-of-the-century organic carbon release from Arctic rivers and collapsing coastlines could increase by 75% while carbon loss via burning could increase four-fold. Experts identified water balance, shifts in vegetation community, and permafrost degradation as the key sources of uncertainty in predicting future system response. In combination with previous findings, results suggest the permafrost region will become a carbon source to the atmosphere by 2100 regardless of warming scenario but that 65%-85% of permafrost carbon release can still be avoided if human emissions are actively reduced.
|
|
| 6. |
- Abdollahi, Mehdi, 1985, et al.
(författare)
-
Effect of stabilization method and freeze/thaw-aided precipitation on structural and functional properties of proteins recovered from brown seaweed (Saccharina latissima)
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Food Hydrocolloids. - : Elsevier BV. - 0268-005X. ; 96, s. 140-150
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- - Structural, functional and nutritional properties of protein recovered from brown seaweed, S. latissima with alkaline solubilization/isoelectric precipitation as a function of different post-harvest stabilization methods were studied. The latter included freezing at −20 °C/-80 °C, oven-drying, sun-drying, freeze-drying and ensilaging. Also, the efficacy of freeze/thaw-aided precipitation (F/T) in improving protein recovery of the process was evaluated. The freeze-dried, oven-dried, and −20 °C frozen seaweeds resulted in significantly higher protein yield than the −80°C-frozen, sun-dried and ensiled biomasses. F/T increased protein precipitation and doubled total protein yield. Sun-drying and −20°C-freezing caused extensive protein degradation as revealed by SDS-PAGE and HP-SEC, while oven-drying altered the seaweed protein structure with less α-helices. Functional properties of the seaweed proteins were remarkably affected by stabilization condition and F/T, but nutritional value of the proteins was only dependent on stabilization method. Thus, to efficiently recover seaweed proteins, its post-harvest stabilization condition must be carefully chosen based on the final application of the proteins. © 2019 The Authors
|
|
| 7. |
- Abideen, Ahmed Zainul, et al.
(författare)
-
Scope for Sustainable Development of Small Holder Farmers in the Palm Oil Supply Chain—A Systematic Literature Review and Thematic Scientific Mapping
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Logistics. - : MDPI AG. - 2305-6290. ; 7
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The expansion of oil palm agriculture across the nations, especially in countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, is growing at exacerbated levels. However, there is still a lack of awareness of the environmental, social, and economic challenges among the sector, ranging from the combination of ecological, economic, and ecosystem sustainability to the livelihoods of plantation workers and small holder communities. Small holders struggle to attain the primary standards on market governance, debt-free livelihood enhancements, certification norms, proper land rights and usage, outsourcing quality seeds, harvesting technologies, labor usage, etc. Method: There is a need to systematize the existing literature toward one that addresses the most fundamental and urgent questions that govern the palm oil small holder sustainability in the palm oil supply chain. The objective of this article is two-fold. One approach was to undertake an integrated systematic review and thematic scientific mapping of the last 10 years of research effort (2009–2020) on the specified research agenda, using data from the Web of Science (WoS) core collection database. Another objective was to gain insights and research direction. Results: The defined gaps and insights from the study helped to form the basis for developing a conceptual framework for achieving the sustainability and livelihood of small holders in the palm oil sector. Conclusions: There is a stringent need to focus on the sustainability factors of small holders in the palm oil upstream logistics to address and improve the overall efficiency of the supply chain.
|
|
| 8. |
- Abro, Rani, et al.
(författare)
-
Evaluation of chitinolytic activities and membrane integrity in gut tissues of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) fed fish meal and zygomycete biomass.
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology - Part B: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1096-4959 .- 1879-1107. ; 175, s. 1-8
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Chitinolytic activity, nutrient uptake and intestinal barrier functions were investigated in gut tissues of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) fed iso-nitrogenous diets based on fish meal, with or without inclusion of zygomycetes (Rhizopus oryzae). We found that gut tissue of Arctic charr had significant chitinase activity, of both endo- and exo-chitinase iso-forms. Moreover, the distribution pattern along the GI tract of Arctic charr differed between endo-chitinase and exo-chitinase. The endo-chitinase activity in stomach tissue and in the distal intestine was several hundred-fold higher than the exo-chitinase activity in stomach tissue. The greatest exo-chitinase activity was found in the distal intestine. The zygomycete-based diet resulted in higher chitinolytic activity in gut tissue compared to the fish meal-based diet. Disturbed intestinal integrity and increased uptake rate of the amino acid lysine were observed in the distal, but not proximal, intestine of fish fed the zygomycete-based feed.
|
|
| 9. |
- Abu Hatab, Assem, et al.
(författare)
-
COVID-19 risk perception and food security in the MENA region: evidence from a multi-wave household survey
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Food Security. - : Springer Nature. - 1876-4517 .- 1876-4525. ; 16, s. 989-1008
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The COVID-19 pandemic had disruptive consequences for MENA countries’ agri-food value chains that exacerbated poverty and jeopardized food security. This study examines the relationship between individuals’ perception of contracting COVID-19 and their experience of food insecurity, using longitudinal data from the Combined COVID-19 MENA Monitor Household survey. It also investigates the underlying mechanisms of COVID-19 concerns and explores coping strategies employed by households to identify vulnerabilities in food security. The results provide compelling evidence of a strong association between individuals’ concern about the virus and various dimensions of food security, particularly reduced purchasing power and decreased meal frequency. Notably, this association follows an inverted U-shaped curve, with food insecurity initially increasing as worry grows, but declining after individuals contract the virus. High levels of concern were also linked to significant income decreases and worsening economic conditions. Moreover, individuals with higher concerns were more likely to rely on specific coping strategies, particularly spending savings and obtaining funds from relatives or friends. These findings underscore the need for government interventions during disease outbreaks and economic downturns to focus on alleviating individuals’ worry and fear to facilitate informed decision-making that minimizes food insecurity consequences. Additionally, the findings emphasize the need to strengthen social protection systems during public health and economic challenges to ensure food security for vulnerable populations.
|
|
| 10. |
- Acosta García, Nicolas, 1986, et al.
(författare)
-
Oil and water: unlikely alliances in the opposition to extractive industries during popular consultations in Colombia
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Journal of Peasant Studies. - 0306-6150.
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In 2017, 97,61% of the people of Cumaral, Colombia, voted in a popular consultation against having the oil industry in their municipality. However, this historical result was challenged by the government in court and ultimately overturned in 2018. By looking into the origins and strategies employed by Cumaral's environmental movement, we argue that their success involved turning a diverse, and even contradictory, collective into a singular voice that could reject the state's development agenda. We thus highlight the combination of factors that led to the consultation result showing that an effective way of resistance can be achieved through the state.
|
|
