Food Scarcity Research Articles

Role of Climate Change in Afghanistan’s Geopolitical Power

Purpose: This study examines the role of climate change in Afghanistan’s geopolitical power. Global warming and climate change are the most significant environmental threats today. The effects of climate change include water and food scarcity, disease, unemployment, migration, poverty, resource conflicts, and global instability.Methodology:This study examines the role of climate change in Afghanistan's geopolitical power. This study employs a descriptive-analytical approach and a survey method. The statistical research community includes experts and specialists in geopolitics, political science, climate science, and university professors. The questionnaire was distributed among them based on climate change, development, and geopolitics indicators. 80 questionnaires were collected.Findings: Based on these findings, a significant and inverse relationship exists between climate change's impacts and development. Furthermore, reducing the development process significantly and negatively impacts Afghanistan's geopolitical power. Finally, reducing development affects change. Climate plays a mediating role in geopolitics. Then, the priority of parameters influencing climate change in geopolitics was discussed using Friedman's comparison test.Implication:These parameters include 1) poverty, social anomalies, drought, and migration. In the suggestions section, effective methods, such as irrigation and the use of clean energy, must be implemented to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Investigation of changes in land use/land cover using principal component analysis and supervised classification from operational land imager satellite data: a case study of under developed regions, Pakistan

Monitoring and understanding Land Use/Land Cover (LU/LC) is critical for sustainable development, as it can impact various environmental, social, and economic systems. For example, deforestation and land degradation can lead to soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, and greenhouse gas emissions, affecting the quality of soil, air, and water resources. The present research examined changes in (LU/LC) within the underdeveloped regions of Balochistan and Sindh provinces, which are situated in Pakistan. In order to monitor temporal variations of LU/LC, we employed Geographic Information System (GIS) technique, to conduct an analysis of satellite imagery obtained from the Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) during the time period spanning from 2013 to 2023. In order to obtain an accurate LU/LC classification, we used principal component analysis (PCA) and a supervised classification approach using the maximum likelihood algorithm (MLC). According to the results of our study, there was a decrease in the extent of water bodies (− 593.24 km2) and vegetation (− 68.50 km2) by − 3.43% and − 0.40% respectively. In contrast, the area occupied by settlements in the investigated region had a 2.23% rise, reaching a total of 385.66 square kilometers. Similarly, the extent of barren land also expanded by 1.60%, encompassing a total area of 276.04 square kilometers, during the course of the last decade. The overall accuracy (94.25% and 95.75%) and K value (91.75% and 93.50%) were achieved during the year 2013 and 2023 respectively. The enhancement of agricultural output in Pakistan is of utmost importance in order to improve the income of farmers, mitigate food scarcity, stimulate economic growth, and facilitate the expansion of exports. To enhance agricultural productivity, it is recommended that the government undertake targeted initiatives that aimed at enhancing water infrastructure and optimizing land use to foster a sustainable ecological framework. Integrating the sustainable ecological framework provides a foundation for informed decision-making and effective resource management. By identifying areas of urban expansion, agricultural intensification, or alterations in natural LU/LC, stakeholders can design targeted conservation strategies, mitigating potential environmental degradation and promoting biodiversity conservation. In conclusion, the integration of GIS and Remote Sensing (RS) may effectively facilitate the monitoring of land use patterns over a period of time. This combined approach offers valuable insights and recommendations for the judicious and optimal management of land resources, as well as informing policy decisions.

Exploring the Role of Women in Attaining Food Security: A Case Study of Mitooma Local District, Uganda

This study investigates the critical role of women in achieving food security within Mitooma Local District, Uganda. Employing a correlational research design, data was gathered from a sample of 60 participants, including local council officials, politicians, civil servants, NGO staff, and members of the community. Findings revealed significant challenges, with the majority of families experiencing food scarcity and some children suffering from malnutrition. Despite engaging in agricultural activities and contributing to food production, women face limitations in accessing resources and services, hindering their effectiveness in ensuring food security. The study emphasizes the need for coordinated efforts among stakeholders, including civil society organizations, administrators, and policymakers, to address food insecurity. Recommendations include mass sensitization campaigns, enhanced scientific research, women's empowerment initiatives, and improved access to credit facilities. Keywords: Administrators, Food production, Food security, Women, Women empowerment.

The Competitive Challenges in China's Prepared Dishes Industry: A Focus on Anjoy Foods

This research investigated Anjoy Foods Co., Ltd.'s strategies in China's prepared dish market amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on the period 20202023. The pandemic led to a surge in demand for prepared dishes due to changing consumer behaviors, such as reduced outings and a scarcity of fresh food. Despite Anjoy Foods' revenue growth (from 673 million RMB in 2020 to over 3 billion RMB by 2022), its gross profit margin declined from 29.72% in 2018 to 11.42% in 2022. This paper employed the marketing mix theory (product, price, promotion, and place) to analyze Anjoy Foods' market strategies and identify key areas for improvement. The research highlighted that Anjoy Foods' product line fails to align with the growing consumer interest in health-focused and convenient food options. It also notes the company's premium pricing strategy as a disadvantage in a price-sensitive market. Additionally, the study pointed out a reduction in promotional activities, particularly in digital advertising, which affects engagement with key demographics. The paper suggested strategic innovations in product diversification, adopting tiered and value-based pricing models, and enhancing digital marketing efforts. These strategies aim to realign Anjoy Foods with evolving market demands and consumer preferences. The conclusion emphasized the importance of continuous adaptation and innovation for market competitiveness, recommending further research on practical strategy applications and broader market trends.

Phenological and life-history responses of a tropical cladoceran Moina micrura to multiple environmental drivers

Context Climate change and global warming has led to changes in water-quality parameters, which in turn have negative consequences for zooplankton. Aims To investigate the effects of various environmental stressors (pH, temperature, photoperiod, and food concentration) on the tropical freshwater microcrustacean Moina micrura. Methods The study examined the effects of these stressors on survival (lifespan), reproduction (days to first brood, number of broods, and total offspring), growth (individual size and total moulting), physiology (heart rate), and sex-switching effects (total male offspring). Key results Significant (P < 0.05) reductions in the total offspring, individual size, and heart rate of M. micrura were observed when exposed to acidic (pH 5) and alkaline (pH 9) conditions. Conversely, higher water temperatures (31°C) and longer light exposure (20 h) were found to increase total offspring and heart rate in M. micrura. Furthermore, male offspring were produced only under conditions of food scarcity (no food supply and 1 × 102 cells mL−1). Conclusions Climate change has a significant effect on the life-history traits of M. micrura, a tropical cladoceran species. Implications Vital insights that can guide policymakers and practitioners in developing more effective strategies to safeguard and preserve tropical freshwater aquatic habitats, especially those of zooplankton species.

Impact of Nutritional Supplements on the Fitness of the Parasitoid Binodoxys communis (Gahan).

Alterative nutritional foods consumed by adult parasitoids play an important role in their fitness and ability to control pests because of food scarcity in many crops. While adult parasitoids feed on various sugars, they vary in their nutritional value for parasitoids. We assessed the effects of seven sugars (fructose, glucose, sucrose, trehalose, maltose, melezitose, and sorbitol) on the longevity, parasitism ability, parasitism behavior, and flight ability of B. communis, an important parasitoid of cotton aphids. We found that access to glucose, sucrose, or fructose, increased B. communis adult longevity more than the other sugars offered. All sugars except trehalose increased the parasitism rate to more than 50% compared to the starved control (only provided with water). We then compared parasitoid behaviors of wasps fed glucose, sucrose, or fructose to that of the starved control (with access only to water) and found that those fed B. communis spent more time either examining or attacking aphids than parasitoids in the control group, which spent more time walking or resting. Also, consumption of glucose, sucrose, or fructose also significantly improved the flight ability (the total flight distance, flight time, and average flight speed) of B. communis.

54 Identifying Geographic Clusters of H. pylori Associated Metastatic Early-Onset Gastric Cancer: A case-control study in Los Angeles

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: More young adults (age <50 years) are diagnosed with metastatic gastric cancer (mGC) every year. We will evaluate the association between environmental risk factors (including historical racial residential segregation) clinical, pathologic, molecular features and H.pylori associated early-onset mGC (mE-GC). METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: This retrospective matched case-control study of patients (1:2 by diagnosis year) with mGC (early-onset [E-GC; <50 years]; vs older-onset [O-GC; >50 years]) from 2000-2022 from the Los Angeles Cancer Surveillance Program (LA-CSP) will be enriched by a chart-abstracted cohort from USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer (NCCC). This annotated database captures sociodemographic, medical, and pathologic features of patients treated for mGC at NCCC. It will link to LA-CSP data exploring neighborhood features (obesity rate, poverty, insurance, access to care, ethnic enclave, historical segregation, etc.) of cases and controls to identify, characterize, and compare geographic “hotspot” neighborhoods of mE-GC. We hypothesize younger Hispanic and Asian patients are at higher risk of H.pylori associated mGC. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: From 2000-2022, 339 patients (mE-GC n = 113; mO-GC n=226) were treated at NCCC. We will have characterized clinical and pathological features of mE-GC vs mO-GC. We determined the proportion of H. pylori associated mE-GC vs mO-GC. We will have established the geographical distribution of patients with mE-GC vs mO-GC to identify high-risk neighborhoods. We will link neighborhood risk factors such as food scarcity, poverty, health care access, ethnic enclaves, to the distinct clinical and pathological features of mE-GC, including H. pylori status. Descriptive statistics, chi-square, t-tests, and multivariable regression will be used to compare mE-GC to mO-GC. After controlling for underlying demographics and tumor features, we anticipate clusters of mE-GC and mO-GC in areas of historical racial segregation. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Linking neighborhood and individual risk factors for mE-GC will inform early detection and prevention efforts for vulnerable individuals in high-risk neighborhoods. Building community partnerships within these neighborhoods is essential for developing interventions targeting H. pylori treatment to reduce health disparities in mE-GC.

As Proficient as Adults: Distribution of Children’s Knowledge of Wild Edible Plants in an Arid Environment in Madagascar

In drylands, where resources are scarce, wild edible plant (WEP) knowledge is crucial to overcome food scarcity. Understanding the distribution pattern of local ecological knowledge (LEK) about WEP and identifying knowledge holders are key steps to assessing the resilience and vulnerability of knowledge systems. However, little is known about how WEP knowledge is distributed across life stages and gender of people living in arid regions. Here, we study the distribution of WEP knowledge within a small-scale society from southwestern Madagascar, a region known for its dry climate and related food crises. We worked with Tanalana male and female children and adults using semi-structured interviews and free listings. Tanalana people display a sophisticated LEK adapted to the extreme environment in which they live, with a distinct distribution pattern regarding theoretical and practical knowledge across life stages and gender. While women and men cited similar WEP, children and adults cited different sets of WEP, suggesting they hold differentiated bodies of theoretical knowledge, however our results suggest similarity in practical knowledge across life-stage and gender. We argue that resource limitation and food scarcity might be so pervasive in the area that extensive sharing of knowledge on WEP could be an adaptation to the extremely dry environment.

Effect of Socio-Economic and Institutional Factors on Different Choices of Food Production System Practiced in Home Gardens: A Case Study in Mahakanumulla Village Tank Cascade System

The global existence of small-scale food production at the household level has a wide range in terms of physical appearance and utilization. Household, market, and field gardens can be identified as three types of home food producti on systems in a village tank cascade system (VTCS) in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. The variation in food producti on systems adapted in VTCS serves differently for the community either by providing nutrient requirements or ensuri ng financial or food security. It is important to understand the determinants of this variation to support the comm unity to adapt the most suitable food production system for their well-being. Based on random utility theory, this study analyzes the socio-economic and institutional factors affecting the choice of food production system practiced in home gardens in Mahakanumulla VTCS. A revealed preference approach was employed to identify the current home garden choice of households. The decision to have a ho usehold garden is more driven by socio-economic and institutional factors rather than market gardens and field gard ens. The effect of these factors on the decision to have a field garden is comparatively less. Using these results policymakers can predict farm management decisions of households and plan evidence-based strategic governm ent intervention to meet the daily nutrient requirement, ensure food security, and mitigate food scarcity.

Effects of resource availability and interspecific interactions on Arctic and red foxes' winter use of ungulate carrion in the Fennoscandian low-Arctic tundra.

In the Arctic tundra, predators face recurrent periods of food scarcity and often turn to ungulate carcasses as an alternative food source. As important and localized resource patches, carrion promotes co-occurrence of different individuals, and its use by predators is likely to be affected by interspecific competition. We studied how interspecific competition and resource availability impact winter use of carrion by Arctic and red foxes in low Arctic Fennoscandia. We predicted that the presence of red foxes limits Arctic foxes' use of carrion, and that competition depends on the availability of other resources. We monitored Arctic and red fox presence at supp lied carrion using camera traps. From 2006 to 2021, between 16 and 20 cameras were active for 2 months in late winter (288 camera-winters). Using a multi-species dynamic occupancy model at a week-to-week scale, we evaluated the use of carrion by foxes while accounting for the presence of competitors, rodent availability, and supplemental feeding provided to Arctic foxes. Competition affected carrion use by increasing both species' probability to leave occupied carcasses between consecutive weeks. This increase was similar for the two species, suggesting symmetrical avoidance. Increased rodent abundance was associated with a higher probability of colonizing carrion sites for both species. For Arctic foxes, however, this increase was only observed at carcasses unoccupied by red foxes, showing greater avoidance when alternative preys are available. Supplementary feeding increased Arctic foxes' carrion use, regardless of red fox presence. Contrary to expectations, we did not find strong signs of asymmetric competition for carrion in winter, which suggests that interactions for resources at a short time scale are not necessarily aligned with interactions at the scale of the population. In addition, we found that competition for carcasses depends on the availability of other resources, suggesting that interactions between predators depend on the ecological context.

From strict socialism to social evils: Changing childhoods over three generations in urban Vietnam

AbstractOver the span of three generations, Vietnam's capital Hanoi, has transformed from a modest city grappling with food scarcity during the socialist subsidy era to a sprawling metropolis marked by gated communities and a widening wealth divide. Employing a child‐centric, multi‐generational family methodology, with members of 13 families across three generations, we explore the diverse childhood experiences shaped by these rapid urban transformations. Grandparents shared stories of unrestricted outdoor play despite challenging conditions, while parents noted a lack of academic pressures in their youth. Contemporary children enjoy access to new technology and consumer goods, but face important mobility restrictions due to parental and societal concerns. Our findings reveal that the Vietnamese context engendered distinctive childhood reflections for the two older generations, contrasting with childhoods in non‐socialist contexts during the same periods. Meanwhile, the contemporary Vietnamese state has crafted a ‘social evils’ discourse that shapes current childhood opportunities in specific ways. By being centered on urban Vietnam—a context vastly different from Global North‐dominated narratives in childhood studies—our study acts as a counterpoint that enriches the field with perspectives from a politically‐socialist state. Focusing on the unique childhood experiences within Hanoi's evolving socio‐spatial landscape, we advocate for more diverse understandings of childhood that respect varied realities across contexts.

Climate change and its effect on food security in Southern Africa

In recent years, the term "climate change" has been widely utilized worldwide. Almost everyone knows or bears an idea of the definition of the phrase in mind. Climate change has become part of the global agenda, being the topic of discussion in the realm of numerous international conferences. Climate change poses a threat to global security as it poses a danger to various aspects of human life. For instance, lives are occasionally lost due to weather events triggered by changing weather conditions, and food scarcity caused by these changing conditions that can limit people's access to food in many ways. One manifestation of climate change is the occurrence of extreme weather events, characterized by a rise in global temperatures, increased frequency of cyclones, floods, and droughts. The objective of this research is to understand what SADC countries are doing at the regional level to mitigate the effects of climate change on food security. While developing the research, documentary and bibliographic techniques are applied. However, secondary sources including the analysis of works carried out by other researchers have allowed a better understanding into the problem and broadened the scope through the provision of answers to the problem scrutinized by the research.

Challenges to Food Security in India – A Critical Analysis

One of the following issues encountered by the Indian poor masses since centuries together is food scarcity and food problem. India, after attainment of independence gave top priority to growing more food grains and to that effect the planners of India have given top priority to agriculture production and it allied fields. Various schemes and programmes have been initiated by the policy makers, but still there were plethora problems and impediments in the effective implementation of these schemes. After having entered into twenty first century, India no doubt achieved various successes in science and technological fields; but remained dwarf in meeting the dare food needs of the people who are at below poverty line. Huge budget allocations were made for the last eleven five year plans but the target of providing stomach full, day in and day out supply of food has not reached to the satisfactory level. In view of addressing the issue of food problem and providing the provision of Right to Food to each and every human being in our country, the UPA Government has enacted a novel Act entitled “Indian National Food Security Act – 2013 which is also termed as ‘Right to Food Act’September 12, 2013 (NFSA) giving retrospective effect from July 5, 2013. The Act basically aimed at providing subsidized food grains to as many as 1.4 billion people. To assess the effectiveness and impact of this Act is premature to comment. However there are certain problems and issues to be addressed in the course of implementation of this Act. In this paper in attempt is made to highlight the problems and issues veiled in the Act and present remedial solutions to make this Act, more effective and productive oriented.

Internal Migration in Nepal: Resilience to Departure and Host Area

The present study aims to explain the current situation of internal migration and resilience. It is based on secondary sources of information. Mixed method is used to depict the complex scenario of inter-regional migration. Internal migration is a common phenomenon in Nepalese social history. It is generally attributed to poverty, low income, scarce fertile land, lack of opportunity, disparity of population distribution and resources. The unnatural flow of population from hilly to Tarai and rural to urban areas is an issue of study. Migration creates an unprecedented challenge to modern society. The resilience of society either to the host area or the place of departure being painful. The issue of mobility of the people generates disparities of population distribution and resources. Due to uncontrolled movement of people either temporarily or permanently, balanced social and cultural issues are being destroyed and several complexities are emerging. Ancient migration pattern was guided by the scarcity of food and security. Current migration issues are governed by the luxuries of life. Over pressure of population in Tarai and urban areas and dearth of people in hilly region creates havoc in life of both the places.

Potential toxicity of iron ore tailings after the overflow of a mining dam in Nova Lima (Minas Gerais State, Brazil)

In January 2022, the Pau Branco Mine dam in Nova Lima (MG), under the responsibility of Vallourec, overflowed after intense rainfall and iron ore tailings impacted surrounding soils and aquatic ecosystems. These tailings can alter the natural composition of soils and rivers, poising risks on soil biota. This study consists of a preliminary evaluation of potential toxicity of terrigenous materials impacted by tailings from the Pau Branco Mine, based on acute bioassays with earthworms (Eisenia andrei) and germination tests with lettuce (Lactuca sativa). The physical and chemical characterization and determination of toxic metals in the samples supported the interpretation of the ecotoxicological data. The results indicated that the tailing deposition induced the increase in particle density, due to the increase in iron concentrations in the samples. As a consequence, the water holding capacity (WHC) of the materials and organic matter concentrations were dramatically reduced. Given that the mining tailings exhibit fine texture, their depositions on soils increased the percentage of fines particles (silt) in the samples. Metal determination revealed geochemical anomalies for nickel, copper and chromium, whose concentrations exceeded the threshold limits defined by Brazilian law for soil and aquatic sediment quality. The bioassays with earthworms showed no significant earthworm mortality, indicating low acute toxicity. However, earthworm biomass was significantly reduced, suggesting that they were submitted to some stress induced by the exposure to contaminants and/or by the reduction of the organic matter contents (food scarcity) and WHC (water scarcity). The bioassays with lettuce showed no significant effects on germination levels. However, the seedling biomass was significantly reduced due, possibly, to the reduction of WHC and especially due to the increase of fines particles in the samples, which tends to inhibit the establishment of the root systems.

Functional insight into multi-omics-based interventions for climatic resilience in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor): a nutritionally rich cereal crop.

Thearticle highlights omics-based interventions in sorghum to combat food and nutritional scarcity in the future. Sorghum with its unique ability to thrive in adverse conditions, has become a tremendous highly nutritive, and multipurpose cereal crop. It is resistant to various types of climatic stressors which will pave its way to a future food crop. Multi-omics refers to the comprehensive study of an organism at multiple molecular levels, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. Genomic studies have provided insights into the genetic diversity of sorghum and led to the development of genetically improved sorghum. Transcriptomics involves analysing the gene expression patterns in sorghum under various conditions. This knowledge is vital for developing crop varieties with enhanced stress tolerance. Proteomics enables the identification and quantification of the proteins present in sorghum. This approach helps in understanding the functional roles of specific proteins in response to stress and provides insights into metabolic pathways that contribute to resilience and grain production. Metabolomics studies the small molecules, or metabolites, produced by sorghum, provides information about the metabolic pathways that are activated or modified in response to environmental stress. This knowledge can be used to engineer sorghum varieties with improved metabolic efficiency, ultimately leading to better crop yields. In this review, we have focused on various multi-omics approaches, gene expression analysis, and different pathways for the improvement of Sorghum. Applying omics approaches to sorghum research allows for a holistic understanding of its genome function. This knowledge is invaluable for addressing challenges such as climate change, resource limitations, and the need for sustainable agriculture.

Telomere dynamics during hibernation in a tropical primate.

Hibernation is a widespread metabolic strategy among mammals for surviving periods of food scarcity. During hibernation, animals naturally alternate between metabolically depressed torpor bouts and energetically expensive arousals without ill effects. As a result, hibernators are promising models for investigating mechanisms that buffer against cellular stress, including telomere protection and restoration. In non-hibernators, telomeres, the protective structural ends of chromosomes, shorten with age and metabolic stress. In temperate hibernators, however, telomere shortening and elongation can occur in response to changing environmental conditions and associated metabolic state. We investigate telomere dynamics in a tropical hibernating primate, the fat-tailed dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus medius). In captivity, these lemurs can hibernate when maintained under cold temperatures (11-15°C) with limited food provisioning. We study telomere dynamics in eight fat-tailed dwarf lemurs at the Duke Lemur Center, USA, from samples collected before, during, and after the hibernation season and assayed via qPCR. Contrary to our predictions, we found that telomeres were maintained or even lengthened during hibernation, but shortened immediately thereafter. During hibernation, telomere lengthening was negatively correlated with time in euthermia. Although preliminary in scope, our findings suggest that there may be a preemptive, compensatory mechanism to maintain telomere integrity in dwarf lemurs during hibernation. Nevertheless, telomere shortening immediately afterward may broadly result in similar outcomes across seasons. Future studies could profitably investigate the mechanisms that offset telomere shortening within and outside of the hibernation season and whether those mechanisms are modulated by energy surplus or crises.

Consistency in Verreaux's sifaka home range and core area size despite seasonal variation in resource availability as assessed by Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI).

Primates are adept at dealing with fluctuating availability of resources and display a range of responses to minimize the effects of food scarcity. An important component of primate conservation is to understand how primates adapt their foraging and ranging patterns in response to fluctuating food resources. Animals optimize resource acquisition within the home range through the selection of resource-bearing patches and choose between contrasting foraging strategies (resource-maximizing vs. area-minimizing). Our study aimed to characterize the foraging strategy of a folivorous primate, Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi), by evaluating whether group home range size varied between peak and lean leaf seasons within a seasonally dry tropical forest in Madagascar. We hypothesized that Verreaux's sifaka used the resource maximization strategy to select high-value resource patches so that during periods of resource depression, the home range area did not significantly change in size. We characterized resource availability (i.e., primary productivity) by season at Kirindy Mitea National Park using remotely-sensed Enhanced Vegetation Index data. We calculated group home ranges using 10 years of focal animal sampling data collected on eight groups using both 95% and 50% kernel density estimation. We used area accumulation curves to ensure each group had an adequate number of locations to reach seasonal home range asymptotes. Neither 95% home ranges nor 50% core areas differed across peak and lean leaf resource seasons, supporting the hypothesis that Verreaux's sifaka use a resource maximization strategy. With a better understanding of animal space use strategies, managers can model anticipated changes under environmental and/or anthropogenic resource depression scenarios. These findings demonstrate the value of long-term data for characterizing and understanding foraging and ranging patterns. We also illustrate the benefits of using satellite data for characterizing food resources for folivorous primates.

Promoting the State through Food Scarcity: Czechoslovakia and the United States after World War I

AbstractAfter the collapse of the Habsburg monarchy, Czechoslovak leaders sought ways to strengthen the state's position in Europe and considered the republic's good reputation as essential to stabilizing the state and securing food supplies. This article analyzes how the Czechoslovak authorities portrayed their country's image and the postwar food shortage, and who participated in its construction. Hunger and scarcity were interpreted as the result of years of deliberate exploitation by Austria-Hungary, and requests for aid were justified on the grounds that a democratic and moral state deserved aid as a matter of priority. Czechoslovak leaders sought to secure a favorable position among the victorious powers by establishing a consistent historical narrative, an elaborate system of publicity, lobbying networks, and personal relationships with Entente officials. They were able to present their country's situation in a positive manner, even in terms of scarcity, and to promise their citizens a better future. This article examines the ways the Czechoslovak state communicated its need for humanitarian aid, particularly from the United States. It argues that the Czechoslovak effort to capitalize on its self-proclaimed moral reputation was partially successful in attracting a circle of supporters, even promoters, and in creating and cultivating its international image as “an island of democracy in Central Europe.”

Experimental biology can inform our understanding of food insecurity.

Food insecurity is a major public health issue. Millions of households worldwide have intermittent and unpredictable access to food and this experience is associated with greater risk for a host of negative health outcomes. While food insecurity is a contemporary concern, we can understand its effects better if we acknowledge that there are ancient biological programs that evolved to respond to the experience of food scarcity and uncertainty, and they may be particularly sensitive to food insecurity during development. Support for this conjecture comes from common findings in several recent animal studies that have modeled insecurity by manipulating predictability of food access in various ways. Using different experimental paradigms in different species, these studies have shown that experience of insecure access to food can lead to changes in weight, motivation and cognition. Some of these studies account for changes in weight through changes in metabolism, while others observe increases in feeding and motivation to work for food. It has been proposed that weight gain is an adaptive response to the experience of food insecurity as 'insurance' in an uncertain future, while changes in motivation and cognition may reflect strategic adjustments in foraging behavior. Animal studies also offer the opportunity to make in-depth controlled studies of mechanisms and behavior. So far, there is evidence that the experience of food insecurity can impact metabolic efficiency, reproductive capacity and dopamine neuron synapses. Further work on behavior, the central and peripheral nervous system, the gut and liver, along with variation in age of exposure, will be needed to better understand the full body impacts of food insecurity at different stages of development.