Effect of Hordeum vulgare, Moringa oleifera and Vitex negundo extracts on the hippocampus and memory of the Mus musculus

Herbal medicine such as Hordeum vulgare, Moringa oleifera and Vitex negundo are widely recognized around the world as dietary supplements, remedy for ailments and bodily sustenance. Moreover, studies have shown that intake these herbal medicines can have an effect in the memory retention in mice, however, no further studies have been conducted in comparing between Lagundi, Moringa and Barley and their optimal dosages on treatments for the effect of memory in mice. In this study, the mice were orally gavaged with three specific dosages (250 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg and 750 mg/kg) of each herbal supplements, Barley, Moringa and Lagundi. The mice were then subjected to a 2- day water maze test and the neurological effects such as hippocampal reduction and degeneration were analyzed histologically. The result showed that in the Water Maze Test, all dosages of the different treatments showed no significant difference with the control group, therefore memory improvement or impairment was not shown during the maze test. In the histological analysis, however, it showed that Barley did not interfere with the hippocampal neurons the cells are within the normal limit and did not undergo cell degeneration. Moringa and Lagundi on the other hand, resulted to neurotropic effects of impaired hippocampal neurons with Lagundi causing more damage than Moringa

The Relationship Between IRA and Local Government Expenditures: Evidence From a Cross-Section of Philippine Cities

Intergovernmental fiscal transfer (IFT) is one of the ways in which local government units (LGUs) source their funds. In the Philippines, the most common IFT is a lump-sum grant called the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA). Empirical studies show that the unconditional lumpsum grant is the IFT type that stimulates spending the least. Using data from Philippine cities, this paper finds evidence that total city government expenditures is positively associated with IRA. A one peso increase in IRA is associated with an almost unitary peso increase in city government expenditures. This estimate is much higher than the result of most similar empirical studies using data from other countries. Moreover, this relationship varies according to the capacity of the local government to generate its own funds. IRA has a smaller marginal effect on local government spending for LGUs with more locally sourced revenues. Furthermore, not all components of local government spending are affected by the IRA. Results also suggest that different income sources have different marginal effects on spending

The shifting ground of swidden agriculture on Palawan Island, the Philippines

Recent literature describing the process and pathways of the agrarian transition in Southeast Asia suggests that the rise of agricultural intensification and the growth of commodity markets will lead to the demise of swidden agriculture. This paper offers a longitudinal overview of the conditions that drive the agrarian transition amongst indigenous swidden cultivators and migrant paddy farmers in central Palawan Island, the Philippines. In line with regional agrarian change, we describe how a history of conservation policies has criminalized and pressured swidden farmers to adopt more intensive "modern" agricultural practices. We examine how indigenous swidden cultivators adjust their practice in response to recent changes in policies, security of harvests, and socio-cultural values vis-à-vis intensification. Rather than suggest that this transition will lead to the demise of swidden, results reveal that farmers instead negotiate a shifting ground in which they lean on and value swidden as a means of negotiating agrarian change. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V