Ariane König

Divergent sequence motifs correlated with the substrate specificity of (methyl)malonyl-CoA:acyl carrier protein transacylase domains in modular polyketide synthases

The amino acid sequences of a large number of polyketide synthase domains that catalyse the transacylation of either methylmalonyl‐CoA or malonyl‐CoA onto acyl carrier protein (ACP) have been compared. Regions were identified in which the acyltransferase sequences diverged according to whether they were specific for malonyl‐CoA or methylmalonyl‐CoA. These differences are sufficiently clear to allow unambiguous assignment of newly‐sequenced acyltransferase domains in modular polyketide synthases. Comparison with the recently‐determined structure of the malonyltransferase from Escherichia coli fatty acid synthase showed that the divergent region thus identified lies near the acyltransferase active site, though not close enough to make direct contact with bound substrate.

Safety Considerations of DNA in Food

Recombinant DNA techniques are capable of introducing genetic changes into food organisms that are more predictable than those introduced through conventional breeding techniques. This review discusses whether the consumption of DNA in approved novel foods and novel food ingredients derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be regarded as being as safe as the consumption of DNA in existing foods. It concludes that DNA from GMOs is equivalent to DNA from existing food organisms that has always been consumed with human diets. Any risks associated with the consumption of DNA will remain, irrespective of its origin, because the body handles all DNA in the same way. The breakdown of DNA during food processing and passage through the gastrointestinal tract reduces the likelihood that intact genes capable of encoding foreign proteins will be transferred to gut microflora. The review does not specifically address food safety issues arising from the consumption of viable genetically modified microorganisms but it shows that the likelihood of transfer and functional integration of DNA from ingested food by gut microflora and/or human cells is minimal. Information reviewed does not indicate any safety concerns associated with the ingestion of DNA per se from GMOs resulting from the use of currently available recombinant DNA techniques in the food chain.

Regenerative Sustainable Development of Universities and Cities

Now that the Earth has reached the limits of its biophysical carrying capacity, we have to change technologies, social practices and social norms relating to material production and consumption to ensure that we do not further jeopardize the functioning of our planet’s life support systems. rough research, education and civic engagement, universities have a pivotal role to play in this transition. is timely book explores how universities are establishing living laboratories for sustainable development, and examines the communication networks and knowledge infrastructures that underpin impact both on and beyond the campus.

Negotiating the precautionary principle: regulatory and institutional roots of divergent US and EU positions

The precautionary principle has been a bone of contention in international negotiations on the governance of environmental and health risks. The US administration and European institutions often present opposing views on whether formal references to precaution help or hinder the global governance of risk, in particular where linked to world trade. The European Commission official position, backed by Council, Parliament and some Member States, advocates the principles use in legal texts and pushes for the elaboration of international guidelines for its application. The proposed guidelines, whilst explicitly conforming to basic principles of trade law, include recommendations on broad socio-economic impact analyses of alternative risk mitigation measures and emphasise political aspects of decisions on risk. The US administrations official position papers oppose references to precaution and socio-economic impact analysis in international laws and guidelines on risk analysis. They mainly cite fears of abuse of the concept as guise for protectionist measures. In each administration a wide range of state and non-state actors with disparate views inform policy makers who then have to adopt one coherent position. This article suggests that overarching differences in the negotiating positions adopted by the US and European institutions, often attributed to culturally and politically rooted biases on risk and uncertainty, are also reflected in institutional practices and regulatory frameworks of the two jurisdictions. It recommends taking disparate institutional structures and regulatory frameworks into account in future deliberations on international guidelines on risk analysis.

Introduction: experimenting for sustainable development? Living laboratories, social learning and the role of the university: The Role of Living Laboratories

With ongoing urbanization, over half of the human population now lives in cities. Rapidly growing cities present pollution hotspots and challenges for resource provision. New approaches to organizing social life, infrastructures and research and technological innovation are urgently required. The quest for such new approaches is often framed by ‘Sustainable Development’, which seeks to reconcile economic activity with social progress and environmental protection. The rationale is that biophysical limits to growth demand more resource-efficient approaches to production and new patterns of consumption, with attention to social equity – across the globe. A tall order! Given their considerable resources and durability, universities have a pivotal role to play in addressing sustainable development. As research institutions they have the capacity to generate robust and innovative alternatives to our fossil fuel driven society, while as centers for teaching and community engagement they can promote social change. This book develops approaches for universities and all involved in higher education policy and science and technology policy to engage in sustainable development and mobilize leaders and change agents.

Learning to confront complexity: what roles can a computer-based problem-solving scenario play?

Abstract This paper gives an example of how computer-based problem-solving scenarios can be embedded in a course on sustainability, in order to illustrate the highly versatile way in which such scenarios can be used to structure and evaluate learning on complexity on an individual level, as well as learning in diverse groups. After defining criteria, a computer-based problem-solving scenario has to meet in order to be useful for training competencies associated with confronting complexity, the application of one specific scenario, the Genetics Lab, is empirically evaluated on base of three student cohorts. Results suggest that existing approaches to sustainability education can be substantially complemented by computer-based problem-solving scenarios, offering genuine learning opportunities and deepening and personalizing the comprehension of known phenomena in complex problem-solving. The paper closes by offering lessons learned from the presented approach and gives advice and outlook on future applications of such scenarios in sustainability education.

Green Growth in the Benelux: Indicators of Local Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy in Cross-Border Regions

This paper discusses the results of a study of measuring green growth in the Benelux countries (Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg). The study paid particular attention to the challenges of measuring the transition to a low-carbon economy in cross-border areas as they have additional levels of complexity when it comes to measuring and monitoring their low-carbon transition. In cross- regions data collection hardly ever coincide with any single data gathering ‘institution’. Moreover, Belgium (Flanders, Brussels, Wallonia), the Netherlands, and Luxembourg have different indicator systems at the national level, and even more so at the more decentralised level which creates problems of data availability, data (in)consistency, and hence comparability. Progress is already noticeable in the two crossborder areas analysed in the study. In Ghent-Terneuzen the bio-base economy is contributing to the value of turnover and growth in employment in the environmental goods and services (EGS) sectors. In Alzette-Belval the construction industry is engaging in resource-efficient building design and certification. In other aspects there is evidence of progress, but this evidence is anecdotal, or patchy in its collection, and not able to be included in the dashboard metrics developed during the study and discussed in the paper.

Environmental and sustainability education in the Benelux countries: Research, policy and practices at the intersection of education and societal transformation

Abstract As an introductory article of a Special Issue on Environmental and Sustainability Education (ESE) in the Benelux region, this paper provides an overview of ESE research, policy and practice in Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg. It discusses the different contributions in this collection with regard to how the central theme of this issue, the relation between education and societal transformation, is approached in each paper. The main characteristics of the ESE research fields in the Benelux are described in general terms, and placed within the context of how ESE policy and practice are organised in these countries. Next, different conceptualisations of the relation between educational and political spaces reflected in the collection are discussed and the varied contributions to this issue are positioned in relation to three distinguished traditions of approaching the place of democracy in ESE. The authors conclude with commenting on how this relates to different approaches to the research-policy-practice interface.

How can integrated valuation of ecosystem services help understanding and steering agroecological transitions

Agroecology has been proposed as a promising concept to foster the resilience and sustainability of agroecosystems and rural territories. Agroecological practices are based on optimizing ecosystem services (ES) at the landscape, farm, and parcel scales. Recent progress in research on designing agroecological transitions highlights the necessity for coconstructed processes that draw on various sources of knowledge based on shared concepts. But despite the sense of urgency linked to agroecological transitions, feedbacks from real-world implementation remain patchy. The ability of integrated and participatory ES assessments to support this transition remains largely underexplored, although their potential to enhance learning processes and to build a shared territorial perspective is widely recognized. The overarching question that will be asked in this paper is thus: what is the potential of the ES framework to support the understanding and steering of agroecological transitions ? We argue that conducting collaborative and integrated assessments of ES bundles can increase our understanding of the ecological and social drivers that support a transition toward agroecological systems, and help design agroecological systems based on ES delivery and effectively accompany transition management based on shared knowledge, codesigned future objectives, and actual on-the-ground implementation. In this paper, we discuss this question and propose a four-step integrated ES assessment framework specifically targeted at understanding and steering agricultural transitions that is generic enough to be applied in different contexts.