Ethical Issues Related to Food Sector Evolution in Developing Countries: About Sustainability and Equity

After a century of major technicaladvance, essentially achieved by and for theindustrialized countries, the evolution of thefood sector in southern countries should nolonger be thought of in terms of a ``headlongpursuit.'' In the present context of demographicgrowth, urbanization, poverty and disparities,environmental degradation, and globalization oftrade, new priorities have emerged, and newethical questions have been raised, mainlyrelated to sustainability and equity. Thispaper analyses these ethical concerns in thefollowing terms: can the model of food sectordevelopment initiated by the industrializedcountries be applied to the entire world on asustainable and equitable basis, given theeffects of this development with regard to theenergy consumed, the changes in dietarybehavior and related nutritional problems, thenew demands in terms of food safety, thequestions of biodiversity, ownership ofknowledge, cultural identities, gender issues,and Man's relationship to food and Nature?     

Benefits of systems thinking for a human and organizational factors approach to safety management

This paper highlights the value of systems theory and its application to human and organizational factors (HOF). HOF specialists consider multiple systems characteristics in their analyses but are often unaware of the relevant theory applied in their analysis. We argue that a structured effort to take key systems characteristics into account in HOF practice would increase the depth and breadth of safety management analyses and help HOF specialists to act more effectively on industrial socio-technical systems. First, the paper identifies the following seven system theory characteristics: constitution, multi-axis representation, limit, emergence, variety, coherence, and causal interaction, which are then illustrated with examples from the HOF field. Finally, we discuss the two main benefits of integrating system thinking in a HOF approach to safety management: (1) an improved understanding of the inner workings of an industrial socio-technical system; and (2) a compendium or a reference to guide for decision-making and the implementation of actions within the industrial socio-technical systems.     

A bee in the corridor: centering and wall-following

In an attempt to better understand the mechanism underlying lateral collision avoidance in flying insects, we trained honeybees (Apis mellifera) to fly through a large (95-cm wide) flight tunnel. We found that, depending on the entrance and feeder positions, honeybees would either center along the corridor midline or fly along one wall. Bees kept following one wall even when a major (150-cm long) part of the opposite wall was removed. These findings cannot be accounted for by the “optic flow balance” hypothesis that has been put forward to explain the typical bees’ “centering response” observed in narrower corridors. Both centering and wall-following behaviors are well accounted for, however, by a control scheme called the lateral optic flow regulator, i.e., a feedback system that strives to maintain the unilateral optic flow constant. The power of this control scheme is that it would allow the bee to guide itself visually in a corridor without having to measure its speed or distance from the walls.     

Odour-guided social behaviour in newborn and young cats: an analytical survey

Summary. This article surveys early chemosensory mechanisms regulating behaviour in neonatal and juvenile domestic cats (Felis sylvestris catus). It aims to retrieve material from the available literature which may promote a better understanding of the semiochemical system that supports female-to-kitten exchanges. Studies dealing with the development of olfaction from birth through weaning are presented in three sections. The first aims at locating developmental periods suitable for applying analytical procedures combining behaviour and chemistry. The second section offers a survey of observational and experimental work related to the role of olfaction in the social and feeding behaviour of kittens before weaning. The final section traces the current knowledge on the odour sources and substrates that may be involved in early mother-kitten transactions.     

Identifying the sources and timing of ancient and medieval atmospheric lead pollution in England using a peat profile from Lindow bog, Manchester

A peat core from Lindow bog near Manchester, England, was precisely cut into 2 cm slices to provide a high-resolution reconstruction of atmospheric Pb deposition. Radiocarbon and (210)Pb age dates show that the peat core represents the period ca. 2000 BC to AD 1800. Eleven radiocarbon age dates of bulk peat samples reveal a linear age-depth relationship with an average temporal resolution of 18.5 years per cm, or 37 years per sample. Using the Pb/Ti ratio to calculate the rates of anthropogenic, atmospheric Pb deposition, the profile reveals Pb contamination first appearing in peat samples dating from ca. 900 BC which clearly pre-date Roman mining activities. Using TIMS, MC-ICP-MS, and SF-ICP-MS to measure the isotopic composition of Pb, the (208)Pb/(206)Pb and (206)Pb/(207)Pb data indicate that English ores were the predominant sources during the pre-Roman, Roman, and Medieval Periods. The study shows that detailed studies of peat profiles from ombrotrophic bogs, using appropriate preparatory and analytical methods, can provide new insight into the timing, intensity, and predominant sources of atmospheric Pb contamination, even in samples dating from ancient times.     

Prenatal diagnosis of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (21-OH deficiency type) by HLA typing

The close genetic linkage between HLA-B and congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency permits prenatal diagnosis of an affected fetus by HLA typing of amniotic fluid cells in pregnancies at risk. Some families at risk, especially those with an affected girl with ambiguous genitalia, will only plan another pregnancy if a prenatal diagnosis is possible. After HLA typing of the index case, parents and eventually grandparents, the family were informed of the possibility of a prenatal diagnosis. Fibroblast cell lines were initiated from skin biopsies of the index cases and parents and were used as controls in the tests. HLA typing of the fetus was done on amniotic fluid cells grown in vitro using first, a microcytotoxicity test and second quantitative microabsorption test. Ten prenatal diagnoses are reported. In two cases the HLA genotype indicated an affected fetus, examination of the aborted fetuses was in agreement with the diagnosis. In one case an affected male fetus was diagnosed, the pregnancy is in progress. In seven cases an unaffected infant was predicted (four carriers and three homozygous normal infants).     

Parent–offspring communication in the Nile crocodile <Emphasis Type="Italic">Crocodylus niloticus</Emphasis>: do newborns’ calls show an individual signature?

Young Nile crocodiles Crocodylus niloticus start to produce calls inside the egg and carry on emitting sounds after hatching. These vocalizations elicit maternal care and influence the behaviour of other juveniles. In order to investigate the acoustic structure of these calls, focusing on a possible individual signature, we have performed acoustic analyses on 400 calls from ten young crocodiles during the first 4 days after hatching. Calls have a complex acoustic structure and are strongly frequency modulated. We assessed the differences between the calls of the individuals. We found a weak individual signature. An individual call-based recognition of young by the mother is thus unlikely. In other respects, the call acoustic structure changes from the first to the fourth day after hatching: fundamental frequency progressively decreases. These modifications might provide important information to the mother about her offspring—age and size—allowing her to customize her protective care to best suit the needs of each individual. Electronic supplementary material  Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at and is accessible for authorized users.     

Sheepfolds as “hotspots” of nitric oxide (NO) emission in an Inner Mongolian steppe

We investigated nitric oxide (NO) fluxes at a summer and a winter sheepfold in the Baiyinxile livestock farm, near Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia, which are a typical feature of the regional husbandry. Using a manual static opaque chamber/chemiluminescence measuring system, we intermittently observed fluxes in the summer sheepfold between May 28th and September 26th 2005 and in both winter and summer sheepfolds between March 8th and October 18th 2006. During these periods, mean NO emissions (±S.E., in terms of mass of nitrogen) were 124.0 ± 28.7, 134.6 ± 23.3 (summer sheepfold) and 214.4 ± 79.6 μg NO–N m⁻² h⁻¹ (winter sheepfold), respectively, and thus, three magnitudes higher than observed steppe NO emissions in the same region. The NO fluxes were not significantly different between the 2 years, but in summer they were much higher than in spring (p < 0.05). Temperature and moisture of the faeces layer significantly regulated the NO fluxes (p < 0.01). The direct NO emission factor (EF) for faeces and urine excreted in the sheepfolds was 0.7 g NO–N_emitted kg⁻¹ N_excreted, which was almost 37 times lower than a recently reported N₂O EF. We estimated the total NO emission from the sheepfolds of the Baiyinxile livestock farm to be 1.82 ± 0.43 tons NO–N year⁻¹, which accounts to approximately 12.3% of the total NO emission from this steppe region. With the rapid increase of livestock numbers, sheepfold NO emissions may further increase and contribute to high N deposition in confined areas around sheepfolds.     

First evidence of large-scale PAH trends in French soils

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widespread organic pollutants. Soils are a reservoir of PAHs because some soil constituents favour PAH accumulation. Therefore, soil is a key indicator of the degree of contamination. So far, studies mapping soil PAH levels over large territories are very rare. Here, we report the first nation-wide maps of soil PAHs in France. Results were obtained within the French National Soil Monitoring Network, which is the first European network monitoring systematically soil PAHs. We used advanced geostatistics to map PAH distribution over the whole French territory. Our results show clear trends of PAH levels at the nation scale. For instance, the highest PAH levels are found in Northern and Eastern France. This high contamination is explained by the intense industrial activity of these regions during the last century. High levels of PAH are also found near some coastlines. This observation could be explained by long-range atmospheric transportation. In addition, we found that light PAHs are rarely found in French topsoils.     

Soil microbial diversity and C turnover modified by tillage and cropping in Laos tropical grassland

Agricultural practices should modify the diversity of soil microbes. However, the precise relationships between soil properties and microbial diversity are poorly known. Here, we study the effect of agricultural management on soil microbial diversity and C turnover in tropical grassland of north-eastern Laos. Three years after native grassland conversion into agricultural land, we compared soils from five land use management systems: one till versus two no-till rotational cropping systems, one no-till improved pasture and the natural grassland. Soils were incubated in microcosms during 64 days at optimum temperature and humidity. Bacterial and fungal diversity were evaluated by metagenomic 454-pyrosequencing of 16S and 18SrRNA genes, respectively. Changes in soil respiration patterns were evaluated by monitoring ¹²C- and ¹³C-CO₂ release after soil amendment with 13C-labelled wheat residues. Results show that residue mineralization increased with bacterial richness and diversity in the tilled treatment 7 days after soil amendment. Native soil organic C mineralization and priming effect increased with fungal richness and diversity in improved pasture and natural grassland. No-till cropping systems represented intermediate situations between tillage and pasture systems. Our findings evidence the potential of controlling soil microbial diversity by agricultural practices to improve soil biological properties. We suggest the promotion of no-till systems as a fair compromise between the need for agriculture intensification and soil ecological processes preservation.