Physico-chemical properties of soil polluted with petroleum crankcase oil and chlorophyll concentration of Abelmoschus esculentus (okra).

Effect of petroleum crankcase oil (PCO) on soil physico-chemical parameters and chlorophyll content of Abelmoschus esculentus (Okra) was investigated. Garden topsoil was collected from Obingwu, Ohii in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria tested for soil physico-chemical parameters, weighed and polluted with different volumes of PCO to give the various percentage pollutions. Five viable seeds of A. esculentus were planted in each. An unpolluted soil sample served as the control for the investigation. Harvest of the leaves and fruits was done immediately after fruiting and taken to the laboratory for the assessment of soil physico-chemical parameters and chlorophyll concentration. Results obtained for soil pH and soil phosphate show there was no significant difference (p>0.05) at the various levels of PCO pollution. However, there was a significant increase (p<0.05) in the percentage moisture content and calcium carbonate with respective increase in PCO pollution while a significant decrease (p<0.05) was observed in organic carbon, nitrogen and chlorophyll content of the PCO polluted samples when compared with the control. Furthermore, at 6% PCO pollution, only two seeds sprouted and leaf growth was not sustained till the end of the experiment. These results indicate that soil physico-chemical parameters and chlorophyll concentration of A. esculentus leaves were responsive to the detrimental effects of PCO in areas where it is disposed indiscriminately. Keywords: Abelmoschus esculentus, pollution, petroleum crankcase oil (PCO), soil, chlorophyll

The Modulatory Activity of Justicia carnea in Plasmodium Infected Mice

The study investigated the antiplasmodial potency of Justicia carnea in plasmodium infected mice. The aqueous leaf extract of Justicia carnea was subjected to phytochemical screening using GC-FID. The suppressive, prophylactic and curative activity of the studied plant was accessed after oral administration of standard drugs (5mgkg-1 choroquine and 4mgkg-1 artesunate) and 400-800mgkg-1 of the extract. The effect of the aqueous leaf extract of the studied plant was also explored in the activities of liver enzymes, oxidative stress markers and hematological indices of plasmodium infected mice using spectrophotomertic methods and a hematology auto analyzer (BC 5300 Mindray England) respectively. The aqueous leaf extract of Justicia carnea showed considerable dose dependent antiplasmodial activity in the suppressive, prophylactic and curative test conducted. The suppressive activity of (92%) of the aqueous leaf extract of the studied plant at 800mgkg-1 was comparable to the standard drugs used while the mean survival time of plasmodium infected mice at 800mgkg-1 was beyond the mean survival time of the infected untreated group. The aqueous leaf extract of the studied plant also exhibited significant improvements in the activities of liver enzymes, oxidative stress markers and some hematological parameters at 800mgkg-1 of the extract when compared with the infected and untreated group. The results of the study exhibited the antiplasmodial activity of the studied plant, nonetheless, the crude extracts of the studied plant can be further purified for synergistic use with other potent antimalarial drugs to combat and achieve total clearance of plasmodium resistant infections

Where are the Women? Legal Traditions and Descriptive Representation on the European Court of Justice

Why are there so few women on the European Union’s highest court, the European Court of Justice (ECJ)? Answering this question is fundamental to understanding how justices to the ECJ are appointed, how they represent Europeans in general and women in particular. In our article, recently published in the journal Politics, Groups and Identities, we find that pre-nomination career experience is associate with gender imbalances in the ECJ. In particular, we find that ECJ judges from member states where there is a tradition of judicial engagement with policy making judicial nominees with past experiences working in government ministries are less likely to be women. In contrast, ECJ judges from those member states where judicial review occurs outside the usual judicial structure, ECJ judges with experience working in government ministries are more like to be women.https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/wrin_briefs/1008/thumbnail.jp