Role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Enhancing Food Utilization among Smallholder Farmers’ Households in Northern Nigeria

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are attracting global attention because of their unprecedented potential to bring about astounding improvement. The numerous advantages presented by ICTs can be employed towards the enhancement of rural households’ capabilities in attaining sufficient, safe and nutritious food.  This paper seeks to establish the potency of ICTs in enhancing the food utilization among smallholder households in Northern Nigeria.  Data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 120 smallholders.  The results show that smallholders consider that food utilization was inadequate (80.9%); however, they acknowledged that ICTs could play a significant role in enhancing food utilization.  The findings further reveal that the following were ranked first to fifth by household heads: disseminating appropriate information about food crops (98.6%), improving purchasing power and market price (94.1%), enhancing decision-making regarding food (89.5%), improving food distribution practices (81.1%) and improving cultural and individual food choice (77.6). Keywords: ICTs, Food utilization, Smallholder farmer households, Nigeria DOI: 10.7176/IKM/10-1-05 Publication date: January 31st 202

Effect of Smallholders Socio-Economic Characteristics on Farming Households’ Food Security in Northern Nigeria

Food security is indispensable prerequisite for the continued existence of mankind and his economic activities including adequate food production.  The study examined the effect of smallholder socio-economic characteristics on farming households’ food security in Northern Nigeria. Data for this study were obtained from 120 randomly selected farming households, using a structured questionnaire. The results revealed that 81.7% of the households considered themselves food insecure.  Furthermore, the majority of households have low incomes and low educational attainment which usually affects food security. There was also a significant negative association between food security and education as well as government policies. The analysis shows that low levels of education and government policies affected rural households. The paper therefore recommended that government and other development agencies should enhance food security among smallholders’ farmers and rural communities through farmer education, promoting labour-saving technologies and facilitating access to market information.  In the same vein, the paper infers that Nigeria needs to come up with results oriented food policy which for now it lacks.  The public policy makers must as a matter of urgency see food as an essential component of welfares and as such develop sufficient political will to achieve food increase in food production and eventually attain food security for all. Keywords: household food security; household food insecure; smallholder farmers; Nigeria DOI: 10.7176/JESD/11-4-16 Publication date: February 29th 202

Nitric oxide mediates activity-dependent change to synaptic excitation during a critical period in Drosophila

From Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2021-07-29, accepted 2021-09-17, registration 2021-10-05, online 2021-10-13, pub-electronic 2021-10-13, collection 2021-12Publication status: PublishedFunder: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000268; Grant(s): BB/N/014561/1, BB/R016666/1Funder: Wellcome Trust; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100010269; Grant(s): 217099/Z/19/ZAbstract: The emergence of coordinated network function during nervous system development is often associated with critical periods. These phases are sensitive to activity perturbations during, but not outside, of the critical period, that can lead to permanently altered network function for reasons that are not well understood. In particular, the mechanisms that transduce neuronal activity to regulating changes in neuronal physiology or structure are not known. Here, we take advantage of a recently identified invertebrate model for studying critical periods, the Drosophila larval locomotor system. Manipulation of neuronal activity during this critical period is sufficient to increase synaptic excitation and to permanently leave the locomotor network prone to induced seizures. Using genetics and pharmacological manipulations, we identify nitric oxide (NO)-signaling as a key mediator of activity. Transiently increasing or decreasing NO-signaling during the critical period mimics the effects of activity manipulations, causing the same lasting changes in synaptic transmission and susceptibility to seizure induction. Moreover, the effects of increased activity on the developing network are suppressed by concomitant reduction in NO-signaling and enhanced by additional NO-signaling. These data identify NO signaling as a downstream effector, providing new mechanistic insight into how activity during a critical period tunes a developing network

Generation and Characterization of the Drosophila melanogaster paralytic Gene Knock-Out as a Model for Dravet Syndrome

From MDPI via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: accepted 2021-11-17, pub-electronic 2021-11-18Publication status: PublishedFunder: Generalitat Valenciana; Grant(s): PROMETEU/2018/135Funder: European Commission; Grant(s): ERDF of Comunitat Valenciana 2014–2020Funder: ApoyoDravet; Grant(s): N/ADravet syndrome is a severe rare epileptic disease caused by mutations in the SCN1A gene coding for the Nav1.1 protein, a voltage-gated sodium channel alpha subunit. We have made a knock-out of the paralytic gene, the single Drosophila melanogaster gene encoding this type of protein, by homologous recombination. These flies showed a heat-induced seizing phenotype, and sudden death in long term seizures. In addition to seizures, neuromuscular alterations were observed in climbing, flight, and walking tests. Moreover, they also manifested some cognitive alterations, such as anxiety and problems in learning. Electrophysiological analyses from larval motor neurons showed a decrease in cell capacitance and membrane excitability, while persistent sodium current increased. To detect alterations in metabolism, we performed an NMR metabolomic profiling of heads, which revealed higher levels in some amino acids, succinate, and lactate; and also an increase in the abundance of GABA, which is the main neurotransmitter implicated in Dravet syndrome. All these changes in the paralytic knock-out flies indicate that this is a good model for epilepsy and specifically for Dravet syndrome. This model could be a new tool to understand the pathophysiology of the disease and to find biomarkers, genetic modifiers and new treatments

A cluster randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Intermediate Care Clinics for Diabetes (ICCD) : study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background World-wide healthcare systems are faced with an epidemic of type 2 diabetes. In the United Kingdom, clinical care is primarily provided by general practitioners (GPs) rather than hospital specialists. Intermediate care clinics for diabetes (ICCD) potentially provide a model for supporting GPs in their care of people with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes and in their management of cardiovascular risk factors. This study aims to (1) compare patients with type 2 diabetes registered with practices that have access to an ICCD service with those that have access only to usual hospital care; (2) assess the cost-effectiveness of the intervention; and (3) explore the views and experiences of patients, health professionals and other stakeholders. Methods/Design This two-arm cluster randomized controlled trial (with integral economic evaluation and qualitative study) is set in general practices in three UK Primary Care Trusts. Practices are randomized to one of two groups with patients referred to either an ICCD (intervention) or to hospital care (control). Intervention group: GP practices in the intervention arm have the opportunity to refer patients to an ICCD - a multidisciplinary team led by a specialist nurse and a diabetologist. Patients are reviewed and managed in the ICCD for a short period with a goal of improving diabetes and cardiovascular risk factor control and are then referred back to practice. or Control group: Standard GP care, with referral to secondary care as required, but no access to ICCD. Participants are adults aged 18 years or older who have type 2 diabetes that is difficult for their GPs to control. The primary outcome is the proportion of participants reaching three risk factor targets: HbA1c (≤7.0%); blood pressure (<140/80); and cholesterol (<4 mmol/l), at the end of the 18-month intervention period. The main secondary outcomes are the proportion of participants reaching individual risk factor targets and the overall 10-year risks for coronary heart disease(CHD) and stroke assessed by the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) risk engine. Other secondary outcomes include body mass index and waist circumference, use of medication, reported smoking, emotional adjustment, patient satisfaction and views on continuity, costs and health related quality of life. We aimed to randomize 50 practices and recruit 2,555 patients

High flavonoid accompanied with high starch accumulation triggered by nutrient starvation in bioenergy crop duckweed (Landoltia punctata)

Background: As the fastest growing plant, duckweed can thrive on anthropogenic wastewater. The purple-backed duckweed, Landoltia punctata, is rich in starch and flavonoids. However, the molecular biological basis of high flavonoid and low lignin content remains largely unknown, as does the best method to combine nutrients removed from sewage and the utilization value improvement of duckweed biomass. Results: A combined omics study was performed to investigate the biosynthesis of flavonoid and the metabolic flux changes in L. punctata grown in different culture medium. Phenylalanine metabolism related transcripts were identified and carefully analyzed. Expression quantification results showed that most of the flavonoid biosynthetic transcripts were relatively highly expressed, while most lignin-related transcripts were poorly expressed or failed to be detected by iTRAQ based proteomic analyses. This explains why duckweed has a much lower lignin percentage and higher flavonoid content than most other plants. Growing in distilled water, expression of most flavonoid-related transcripts were increased, while most were decreased in uniconazole treated L. punctata (1/6 x Hoagland + 800 mg center dot L-1 uniconazole). When L. punctata was cultivated in full nutrient medium (1/6 x Hoagland), more than half of these transcripts were increased, however others were suppressed. Metabolome results showed that a total of 20 flavonoid compounds were separated by HPLC in L. punctata grown in uniconazole and full nutrient medium. The quantities of all 20 compounds were decreased by uniconazole, while 11 were increased and 6 decreased when grown in full nutrient medium. Nutrient starvation resulted in an obvious purple accumulation on the underside of each frond. Conclusions: The high flavonoid and low lignin content of L. punctata appears to be predominantly caused by the flavonoid-directed metabolic flux. Nutrient starvation is the best option to obtain high starch and flavonoid accumulation simultaneously in a short time for biofuels fermentation and natural products isolation

Equatorial winds on Saturn and the stratospheric oscillation

The zonal jets on the giant planets have been thought to be stable in time. A decline in the velocity of Saturn’s equatorial jet has been identified, on the basis of a comparison of cloud-tracking data across two decades, but the differences in cloud speeds have since been suggested to stem from changes in cloud altitude in combination with vertical wind shear, rather than from temporal changes in wind strength at a given height. Here, we combine observations of cloud tracks and of atmospheric temperatures taken by two instruments on the Cassini spacecraft to reveal a significant temporal variation in the strength of the high-altitude equatorial jet on Saturn. Specifically, we find that wind speeds at atmospheric pressure levels of 60 mbar, corresponding to Saturn’s tropopause, increased by about 20 m s^(−1) between 2004 and 2008, whereas the wind speed has been essentially constant over time in the southern equatorial troposphere. The observations further reveal that the equatorial jet intensified by about 60 m s^(−1) between 2005 and 2008 in the stratosphere, that is, at pressure levels of 1–5 mbar. Because the wind acceleration is weaker near the tropopause than higher up, in the stratosphere, we conclude that the semi-annual equatorial oscillation of Saturn’s middle atmosphere is also damped as it propagates downwards

The formation of very wide binaries during the star cluster dissolution phase

Over the past few decades, numerous wide (>1000 au) binaries in the Galactic field and halo have been discovered. Their existence cannot be explained by the process of star formation or by dynamical interactions in the field, and their origin has long been a mystery. We explain the origin of these wide binaries by formation during the dissolution phase of young star clusters: an initially unbound pair of stars may form a binary when their distance in phase-space is small. Using N-body simulations, we find that the resulting wide binary fraction in the semi-major axis range 1000 au - 0.1 pc for individual clusters is 1-30%, depending on the initial conditions. The existence of numerous wide binaries in the field is consistent with observational evidence that most clusters start out with a large degree of substructure. The wide binary fraction decreases strongly with increasing cluster mass, and the semi-major axis of the newly formed binaries is determined by the initial cluster size. The resulting eccentricity distribution is thermal, and the mass ratio distribution is consistent with gravitationally-focused random pairing. As a large fraction of the stars form in primordial binaries, we predict that a large number of the observed 'wide binaries' are in fact triple or quadruple systems. By integrating over the initial cluster mass distribution, we predict a binary fraction of a few per cent in the semi-major axis range 1000 au - 0.1 pc in the Galactic field, which is smaller than the observed wide binary fraction. However, this discrepancy may be solved when we consider a broad range of cluster morphologies.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures, accepted by MNRA

Saturn's emitted power

Long-term (2004–2009) on-orbit observations by Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer are analyzed to precisely measure Saturn's emitted power and its meridional distribution. Our evaluations suggest that the average global emitted power is 4.952 ± 0.035 W m^(−2) during the period of 2004–2009. The corresponding effective temperature is 96.67 ± 0.17 K. The emitted power is 16.6% higher in the Southern Hemisphere than in the Northern Hemisphere. From 2005 to 2009, the global mean emitted power and effective temperature decreased by ~2% and ~0.5%, respectively. Our study further reveals the interannual variability of emitted power and effective temperature between the epoch of Voyager (~1 Saturn year ago) and the current epoch of Cassini, suggesting changes in the cloud opacity from year to year on Saturn. The seasonal and interannual variability of emitted power implies that the energy balance and internal heat are also varying

The 10th Biennial Hatter Cardiovascular Institute workshop: cellular protection—evaluating new directions in the setting of myocardial infarction, ischaemic stroke, and cardio-oncology

Due to its poor capacity for regeneration, the heart is particularly sensitive to the loss of contractile cardiomyocytes. The onslaught of damage caused by ischaemia and reperfusion, occurring during an acute myocardial infarction and the subsequent reperfusion therapy, can wipe out upwards of a billion cardiomyocytes. A similar program of cell death can cause the irreversible loss of neurons in ischaemic stroke. Similar pathways of lethal cell injury can contribute to other pathologies such as left ventricular dysfunction and heart failure caused by cancer therapy. Consequently, strategies designed to protect the heart from lethal cell injury have the potential to be applicable across all three pathologies. The investigators meeting at the 10th Hatter Cardiovascular Institute workshop examined the parallels between ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), ischaemic stroke, and other pathologies that cause the loss of cardiomyocytes including cancer therapeutic cardiotoxicity. They examined the prospects for protection by remote ischaemic conditioning (RIC) in each scenario, and evaluated impasses and novel opportunities for cellular protection, with the future landscape for RIC in the clinical setting to be determined by the outcome of the large ERIC-PPCI/CONDI2 study. It was agreed that the way forward must include measures to improve experimental methodologies, such that they better reflect the clinical scenario and to judiciously select combinations of therapies targeting specific pathways of cellular death and injury