THE NEXT MILLENIUM ROUND OF WORLD TRADE NEGOTIATIONS: AGRICULTURAL ISSUES AT STAKE AND STRATEGIES

The next Round of multilateral negotiations is due to commence in 1999. Countries have already learned a lot from the shortcomings of the previous agricultural negotiations in the implementation of the agriculture negotiations and in the Analysis and Information Exchange meetings since 1997. The ministerial meeting of developed countries (OECD), has revealed that their future development of agricultural policy has changed little as a result of policy changes in the 1990s. In the next Round the EU is expected to be mainly on the defensive to try and maintain subsidy provisions. The main players that are expected to fuel the upcoming negotiations are the Cairns Group of agricultural export countries as well as the United States. The main task of reformers would be related to substantial further reduction of distortive trade measures, the covering of matters left unresolved in the Uruguay Round and to close the loopholes of the previous agreement. In general, reformers would like to push for a fairer system with more equal benefits to all.International Relations/Trade,

Medicinal plants with cholinesterase inhibitory activity: A Review

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a common neurodegenerative disease, is characterized by low levels in the brain of the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine (ACh). Clinical treatment of this disease is palliative and relies mostly on enhancing cholinergic function by stimulation of cholinergic receptors or prolonging the availability of ACh released into the neuronal synaptic cleft by use of agents which restore or improve the levels of acetylcholine. Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), enzymes which breakdown acetylcholine, are considered as a promising strategy for the treatment of AD. A potential source of AChE and BChE inhibitors is provided by the abundance of plants in nature, and natural products continue to provide useful drugs and templates for the development of other compounds. The present work constitutes a review of the literature on 123 species of medicinal plants that have been tested for AChE inhibitory activity and 42 plant species which have been tested for BChE inhibitory activity. The plant species listed are potential cholinesterase inhibitors and may aid researchers in their study of natural products which may be useful in the treatment of AD.Key words: Alzheimer’s disease, acetylcholine, acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase and medicinal plants

Prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries among adolescent squash players in the Western Cape

Objective. To determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries among adolescent squash players in the Western Cape. Design. A retrospective descriptive survey was conducted during the first week of May 2006. Three schools were randomly selected from a list of the top 10 schools in the Western Cape high school squash league of 2005, with 106 squash players aged 13 - 18 years participating in the study. Setting. Injury data were collected for 106 players at three schools randomly selected from a list of the top 10 schools in the Western Cape high school squash league of 2005. Interventions. An adapted structured self-administered questionnaire based on a previously validated musculoskeletal injury questionnaire was used to collect the data. Main outcome measures. The main variables investigated were prevalence, mechanism and injury site of musculoskeletal squash injuries. Results. Twenty-nine per cent of the players (N = 31) reported that they had sustained a squash injury in the 4 weeks prior to data collection. A total of 48 injuries were reported by the injured players. The most common injuries included those of the thigh (19%), shoulder (13%) and lower back (13%). Forty-two per cent of players reported no specific mechanism of injury, but experienced pain not associated with a traumatic injury only while playing squash. Conclusion. A relatively high prevalence of squash injuries was found. This preliminary study serves as a baseline for future research. Areas for further investigation were identified and this could lead to the implementation of preventive programmes and education to prevent injuries among adolescent squash players. South African Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 19 (1) 2007: pp. 3-

Transformative joy in Qohelet: A thread that faintly glistens

Qohelet prompted a rich body of work reflecting the breadth of the Old Testament book’s appeal. Few, however, interpret Qohelet’s spiritual dimension, incarnated in life. I will opt to offer an overarching framework that holds the book together and that was until now absent in the discourse on Qohelet. It will be argued that spiritual transformation provides a fruitful theoretical framework for Qohelet. I will indicate that Qohelet undertook a spiritual journey in which his experiences fostered profound spiritual transformation, and ultimately a new paradigm leapfrogging old spiritual infrastructure and choices. The framework that evolved from this effort delineates four phases, stages or movements. In order to provide clarity and enhance understanding of this concept, the analysis will be done on the basis of the leitwort (or keyword) ‘joy’. The findings point to the importance of spiritual transformation, directing readers towards a new spirituality. The article concludes with suggestions on future directions regarding Qohelet as a ‘bridge book’ to the New Testament

Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) as a feasible tool in detecting adult malnutrition

Objectives: This study aimed to expand on the limited South African malnutrition prevalence data and investigate the feasibility of mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC) as a malnutrition screening tool. Design: A cross-sectional, multi-centre, descriptive design was adopted. Setting: The study was undertaken in three tertiary public hospitals in the same urban area within the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Subjects: Adult hospitalised patients volunteered to participate (n = 266). Methods: Data were collected using interviewer-administered questionnaires; obtaining anthropometric measurements; and consulting medical files. For maximum accuracy of various MUAC cut-off points, receiver operating characteristic curves were generated and area under the curve determined. Results: Both body mass index (BMI) and MUAC identified 21% of participants as underweight or malnourished, and 39% as overweight or obese. The Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) found 23% at increased malnutrition risk. Nurses or doctors detected and referred only 19% of underweight patients (BMI < 18.5 kg/m2), to dietetics services. Direct measurements of BMI and MUST were unobtainable in 38% and 43% of patients respectively, whilst MUAC was obtainable in 100%. A statistically significant relationship (p < 0.001) exists between MUAC, BMI and MUST to detect malnutrition or malnutrition risk. MUAC cut-offs for undernutrition were determined at < 23 cm (BMI < 16 kg/m2) and < 24 cm (BMI < 18.5 kg/m2), respectively, for the study’s population groups. Conclusion: Malnutrition prevalence was high in this study, but often unidentified, with only a fifth referred to dietetic services. MUAC is a feasible method to identify adult malnutrition and should be considered as a malnutrition screening tool and key nutritional status indicator in South African public hospitals

Accurate laboratory wavelengths of the e 3 Σ–(ν' = 5) – X 1 Σ+(ν'' = 0) band of 12C16O

CITATION: Dickenson, G. D. et al. 2010. Accurate laboratory wavelengths of the e 3 Σ–(ν' = 5) – X 1 Σ+(ν'' = 0) band of 12C16O. Astrophysical Journal Letters, 714(2):L268–L270, doi:10.1088/2041-8205/714/2/L268.The original publication is available at https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/2041-8205The forbidden singlet-triplet transitions of carbon monoxide (CO) are important in the interpretation of vacuum ultraviolet interstellar absorption spectra and in particular for the measurement of large CO column densities. Twenty rovibronic lines of the e 3Σ–(ν' = 5) – X 1Σ+(ν'' = 0) band of 12 C 16O for which laboratory wavelengths were previously unavailable were identified in laser-induced fluorescence excitation spectra. Wavelengths were assigned to five rovibronic transitions to an average accuracy of 0.0028 Å. A further 15 lines could not be fully resolved and average wavelengths were measured for these groups of closely spaced lines. A wavelength difference of 0.011 ± 0.0028 Å between the measured wavelengths and the calculated wavelengths in the atlas of Eidelsberg & Rostas demonstrates the need for more experimental data on CO.https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2041-8205/714/2/L268Publisher's versio