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Magister Legum - LLM / The aim of this study is to examine laws and policies relating to food safety in South Africa, specifically with regard to labelling requirements in the food industry. It is hoped that this research will serve as a pointer for policy and legislative reforms in a bid to identify weak areas as well as encourage accountability and strengthen government’s response to the realisation of the right to safe food as a human right imperative. / National Research Foundation (NRF)

Advances in DNA micro and macroarray technologies made these high-throughput systems good candidates for the development of cheaper, faster and easier qualitative and quantitative detection methods. In this study, a simple and cost effective sandwich hybridization-based method has been developed for the rapid and sensitive detection of various unmodified recombinant elements in transgenic plants. Attention was first focused on the optimization of conditions such as time, concentration and temperature using commercial ssDNA, which in turn could be used for real sample detection. In this sandwich-type DNA chip platform, capture probes complementary to the first half of recombinant element (target adapter) were immobilized onto poly-L-lysine covered conventional microscope slides. PCR-amplified un-purified target adapter and biotin labeled detection probe, which is complementary to the second half of target adapter, were hybridized in solution-phase to complementary capture probes to create a sandwiched tripartite complex. Later, hybridization signal was visualized by the attachment of streptavidin conjugated Quantum Dot to the sandwiched complex under UV illumination. Sandwich based array system that has been developed in this study allows multiplex screening of GMO events on a single DNA chip platform. 35S promoter, NOS terminator, CRY1Ab and BAR target sequences were successfully detected on the same DNA chip platform. The platform was able to detect unlabeled PCR amplified DNA fragments of CaMV 35S promoter sequence and NOS terminator and BAR transgene sequences from transgenic potato plants and NK603 Certified GMO Reference material, respectively. The DNA-chip platform developed in this study will allow multiple detection of label-free PCR-amplified transgenic elements from real GMO samples on a single slide via a cost effective, fast, reliable and sensitive sandwich hybridization assay.

<p>This study examines the possible incompatibility between environmental conventions and agreements promoting international trade. More specifically, it aims at discussing the Precautionary Principle and the WTO agreements on trade and how they might contradict each other on the international arena. The study focuses on the international trade with genetically modified organisms and discusses probable needs of reformulating the principles and/or conventions concerned if these are to function as tools of equal importance when handling environmental problems through policy making. The controversy is illustrated through a case-study of a trade dispute where the conflicting principles: the Precautionary Principle and WTO agreements on trade are involved, namely a dispute where a formal complaint to the WTO by the US, Canada and Argentina about the European Community supposedly applying a de facto moratorium on genetically modified organisms had the final outcome of the European Community being found to contravene international trade rules. The study concludes that actors on the international arena are still opinions apart concerning the way to perceive possible risks connected to biotechnology and genetically modified organisms. This incongruence is also found to apply to the status of the Precautionary Principle as a rule of international law as well as to which of the conventions that were applicable to the concerned dispute.</p>

This study examines the possible incompatibility between environmental conventions and agreements promoting international trade. More specifically, it aims at discussing the Precautionary Principle and the WTO agreements on trade and how they might contradict each other on the international arena. The study focuses on the international trade with genetically modified organisms and discusses probable needs of reformulating the principles and/or conventions concerned if these are to function as tools of equal importance when handling environmental problems through policy making. The controversy is illustrated through a case-study of a trade dispute where the conflicting principles: the Precautionary Principle and WTO agreements on trade are involved, namely a dispute where a formal complaint to the WTO by the US, Canada and Argentina about the European Community supposedly applying a de facto moratorium on genetically modified organisms had the final outcome of the European Community being found to contravene international trade rules. The study concludes that actors on the international arena are still opinions apart concerning the way to perceive possible risks connected to biotechnology and genetically modified organisms. This incongruence is also found to apply to the status of the Precautionary Principle as a rule of international law as well as to which of the conventions that were applicable to the concerned dispute.

A great effort has been recently devoted to the development of new devices for the detection of specific sequences of DNA, due to increasing need of label - free, fast, cheap, and miniaturized analytical systems able to detect target sequences for screening purposes, especially in food industry for genetically modified organisms (GMOs). In this study, development of a QCM - based DNA biosensor for the detection of the hybridisation of CaMV 35S promoter sequence (P35S) was investigated. Attention was focused on the choice of the coating chemistry that could be used for the immobilisation of probe sequences on the gold surface of the quartz crystal. Two immobilisation procedures were tested and compared considering the amount of the immobilised probe, the extent of the hybridisation reaction, the possibility of regeneration and the absence of non - specific adsorption. The two coating methods were based on the use of self - assembled monolayers. One of them employed the interaction between the thiol and gold for the immobilisation of a thiolated P35S probe, while the other employed formation of functionalised aldehyde groups by ethylenediamine plasma polymerization on the gold surface for the immobilisation of amined P35S probes through gluteraldehyde activation. Results indicated that immobilisation of a thiolated probe provides better immobilisation characteristic, higher sensitivity for the detection of the hybridisation reaction, absence of non - specific adsorption and a higher stability with respect to the regeneration step. The optimised immobilisation procedure for the thiolated probe was used for the detection of P35S sequence in PCR - amplified DNAs and in real samples of pflp - gene inserted tobacco plants that produce ferrodoxin like protein additionally. Fragmentation of the genomic DNAs were achieved by digestion with restriction endonucleases and sonication. The obtained results from the fragmented genomic DNAs demonstrated that it is possible to detect the target sequence directly in non-amplified genomic DNAs by using the developed QCM - based DNA biosensor system. The developed QCM-based DNA biosensor represented promising results for a real-time, label - free, direct detection of DNA samples for the screening of GMOs.

Submitted by ANA LUIZA MARQUES DOS SANTOS null (almsrc@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-08-17T16:36:53Z No. of bitstreams: 1 OGMs impressão.pdf: 1737452 bytes, checksum: 4b63e02eaf89d59177e9e14a80bf1e9e (MD5) / Rejected by Ana Paula Grisoto (grisotoana@reitoria.unesp.br), reason: Solicitamos que realize uma nova submissão com o arquivo completo de seu trabalho em um único arquivo pdf. Agradecemos a compreensão. on 2016-08-18T14:43:07Z (GMT) / Submitted by ANA LUIZA MARQUES DOS SANTOS null (almsrc@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-08-18T16:15:12Z No. of bitstreams: 1 ORGANISMOS GENETICAMENTE MODIFICADOS NA AGRICULTURA HISTÓRICO, IMPACTOS, INCERTEZAS E LEGISLAÇÃO AMBIENTAL.pdf: 3931676 bytes, checksum: 2a6a048b94655516c49a880e09e714fc (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Paula Grisoto (grisotoana@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-08-18T17:18:54Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 santos_alm_dr_rcla.pdf: 3931676 bytes, checksum: 2a6a048b94655516c49a880e09e714fc (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-18T17:18:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 santos_alm_dr_rcla.pdf: 3931676 bytes, checksum: 2a6a048b94655516c49a880e09e714fc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-06-27 / A utilização dos Organismos Geneticamente Modificados (OGMs) na agricultura tem sido alvo da atenção da comunidade internacional, repercutindo sobremaneira nas diferentes áreas do conhecimento humano. Diante das diversas questões decorrentes do uso intensivo destes organismos e dos efeitos causados ao meio ambiente, a presente pesquisa buscou analisar os aspectos históricos, técnicos e sociais relacionados ao tema em questão, observando sobretudo as incertezas acerca dos instrumentos legais pertinentes. Observou-se que em um cenário de incertezas sobre os efeitos danosos quando da utilização do OGM, o uso inconsequente e irresponsável da tecnologia tem provocado impactos diversos, causando ao meio ambiente impactos e danos de complexa mensuração. Neste sentido, também foram verificados a aplicabilidade da proteção ambiental face à implantação dos OGMs no meio ambiente, pelo Princípio da Precaução, acima de qualquer inferência. Assim, foi realizada uma revisão de literatura visando trazer para a sociedade, um levantamento estruturado sobre o uso do OGM e os eventuais prejuízos à biodiversidade. Portanto, a preocupação com o meio ambiente e a biodiversidade assumiu posição de destaque, sendo o cerne de toda a proteção jurídica com maior aplicabilidade do Direito. Por uma legislação mais objetiva, foi tratada a Lei de Biossegurança, para que as populações urbana e rural, entre outras, tenham seus direitos assegurados quanto à saúde ambiental. A partir das referências analisadas, tais como livros, websites, jornais, revistas científicas, entrevistas e documentários, verificou-se a existência dos riscos ambientais a que podem nos remeter os OGMs, bem como de seus efeitos e sérias consequências, potencialmente devastadoras para a preservação e continuidade de nossa biodiversidade. Por fim, foi possível concluir que a aplicabilidade da hipótese levantada, o Princípio da Precaução, deve ser sempre considerada nas questões pertinentes à proteção do meio ambiente e como instrumento de prevenção aos riscos e impactos ambientais decorrentes dos OGMs. / The use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in agriculture has been the target of attention of the international community, reverberating greatly in the different areas of human knowledge. In front of the several questions resulting from the intensive use of these organisms and the effects it has generated to the environment, the present research sought to analyze the historical, technical and social aspects related to the subject in question, noticing all the uncertainties about the relevant legal provisions. In a scenario of uncertainties about the harmful effects of the use of GMO, it was observed that the inconsequent and irresponsible use of the technology has provoked several impacts, it has been causing to the environment impacts and damages of complex measurement. In this regard, the applicability of the environmental protection in the light of the implantations of GMOs in the environment as also been verified, by the Precautionary Principle, above any inference. Accordingly, a revision of literature was made aiming to bring to society a structured survey about the use of GMO and the eventually hazards to the biodiversity. Therefore, the concern with the environment and biodiversity has won a prominent position and has become the center of all of the legal protection with most applicability of Law. For a more objective legislation, the Biosafety Law was discussed in order that the urban and rural population, among others, have theirs rights secured regarding the environment health. From the analyzed references, such as book, websites, journals, scientific magazines, interviews and documentaries, the existence of environmental risks that the GMOs can refer us was verified, as well as their effects and serious consequences, potentially devastating for the preservation and continuity of ours biodiversity. Lastly, it was possible to conclude that the applicability of the raised hypothesis, the Precautionary Principle, must always be considered in the relevant issues regarding the environment protection and as a device of risk and impact prevention, resulting from the GMOs.

This thesis addresses the puzzle of variation in first-generation regulatory policies for controversial science and technology, as demonstrated in the cases of agricultural genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and human embryonic stem cell research in the United Kingdom and the United States. Why did policy outcomes vary in each technology case? This study answers this question by placing greater emphasis on institutional factors. Although works within institutional analysis, bureaucracy and regulation literatures make significant progress in revealing how existing institutions can shape outcomes, how far one can characterize bureaucratic behavior and whether interest groups capture regulation, they nevertheless create an opening for research that: describes a mechanism for path dependence to explain variation in policies; shows the degree to which bureaucratic behaviors can influence outcomes; and, highlights instances in which regulatory officials hold power. This thesis makes an original contribution by providing new historical details relating to these cases, and by providing an extensive elaboration of Pierson’s criteria for increasing returns and a so-called secondary test of path dependence to explain outcomes. The study recounts the biography of key policy documents in each case by tracing the process of decision-making through government and archival sources, secondary literature and more than 40 elite interviews. In doing so, it details the activities of key governmental bodies within the European Union, UK and US. Moreover, it shows how the Coordinated Framework (1986) and Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 framework represented decision-making structures which triggered changes in actors and interests and shaped permissive outcomes for GMOs and stem cell research in the US and UK, respectively. Furthermore, lack of comparable structures may help account for restrictive policies for GMOs in Europe and the UK, and for stem cell research in the US.