On the causes of the African slave trade

This paper offers an integrated analysis of the forces shaping the emergence of the African slave trade over the early modern period. We focus our attention on two questions. First, why most of the increase in the demand for slaves during this period came exclusively from western Europeans. Second, and of most relevance for present-day development outcomes, why was the overwhelming majority of slaves of African origin. Technological differences in manufacturing technology, the specificities of sugar (and other crops') production, and the cultural fragmentation of the African continent all play a role in the analysis. Supporting evidence for each of our claims is provided from a broad corpus of relevant literature

Extending the Frontiers: Essays on the New Transatlantic Slave Trade Database

Since 1999, intensive research efforts have vastly increased what is known about the history of coerced migration of transatlantic slaves. A huge database of slave trade voyages from Columbus’s era to the mid-nineteenth century is now available on an open-access Web site, incorporating newly discovered information from archives around the Atlantic world. The groundbreaking essays in this book draw on these new data to explore fundamental questions about the trade in African slaves. The research findings—that the size of the slave trade was 14 percent greater than had been estimated, that trade above and below the equator was largely separate, that ports sending out the most slave voyages were not in Europe but in Brazil, and more—challenge accepted understandings of transatlantic slavery and suggest a variety of new directions for important further research

Characterization of key triacylglycerol biosynthesis processes in rhodococci.

Oleaginous microorganisms have considerable potential for biofuel and commodity chemical production. Under nitrogen-limitation, Rhodococcus jostii RHA1 grown on benzoate, an analog of lignin depolymerization products, accumulated triacylglycerols (TAGs) to 55% of its dry weight during transition to stationary phase, with the predominant fatty acids being C16:0 and C17:0. Transcriptomic analyses of RHA1 grown under conditions of N-limitation and N-excess revealed 1,826 dysregulated genes. Genes whose transcripts were more abundant under N-limitation included those involved in ammonium assimilation, benzoate catabolism, fatty acid biosynthesis and the methylmalonyl-CoA pathway. Of the 16 atf genes potentially encoding diacylglycerol O-acyltransferases, atf8 transcripts were the most abundant during N-limitation (~50-fold more abundant than during N-excess). Consistent with Atf8 being a physiological determinant of TAG accumulation, a Δatf8 mutant accumulated 70% less TAG than wild-type RHA1 while atf8 overexpression increased TAG accumulation 20%. Genes encoding type-2 phosphatidic acid phosphatases were not significantly expressed. By contrast, three genes potentially encoding phosphatases of the haloacid dehalogenase superfamily and that cluster with, or are fused with other Kennedy pathway genes were dysregulated. Overall, these findings advance our understanding of TAG metabolism in mycolic acid-containing bacteria and provide a framework to engineer strains for increased TAG production

RESPONS KARAKTER FISIOLOGI TANAMAN KEDELAI (Glycine max L.) TERHADAP GENANGAN DAN PEMBERIAN PUPUK NITROGEN

This research was aimed to know effect of Physiological Character Response of Soybean Plants (Glycine max L.) on Waterlogging and Nitrogen Fertilizer. This research has been conducted from November 2019 until January 2020 at Green House Faculty of Agriculture, Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University, Serang, Banten. This research used a Randomized Block Design with two factors, the first factor was waterlogging of four levels: 100% Soil Water Available (SWA), 125% SWA, 150% SWA, 175% SWA. The second factor was nitrogen fertilizer of three levels: 0 kg ha-1), 25 kg ha-1), 50 kg ha-1 with three replication. The results showed that treatment of waterlogging affects the number of soybean plant leaves at five Weeks After Planting (WAP). The number of leaves in the waterlogging treatment is 175% less compared to the waterlogging of 100% SWA, 125% SWA, and 150% SWA. Nitrogen treatment affects the stomata length of soybean crops. Nitrogen fertilizer doses of 50 kg ha-1 have a lower stomata length compared to doses of 0 kg ha-1 and 25 kg ha-1. There is interaction in the treatment of waterlogging and nitrogen fertilizers at a plant height of 2 WAP.