Filosofia come stile di vita. Conversazione con Luigi Vero Tarca

OBJECTIVE: To examine factors associated with chronic energy deficiency (CED) and anaemia in disadvantaged Indian adults who are mostly involved in subsistence farming. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study in which we collected information on socio-demographic factors, physical activity, anthropometry, blood haemoglobin concentration, and daily household food intake. These data were used to calculate body mass index (BMI), basal metabolic rate (BMR), daily energy expenditure, and energy and nutrient intake. Multivariable backward stepwise logistic regression was used to assess socioeconomic and lifestyle factors associated with CED (defined as BMI<18 kg/m²) and anaemia. SETTING: The study was conducted in 12 villages, in the Rishi Valley, Andhra Pradesh, India. SUBJECTS: Individuals aged 18 years and above, residing in the 12 villages, were eligible to participate. RESULTS: Data were available for 1178 individuals (45% male, median age 36 years (inter quartile range (IQR 27-50)). The prevalence of CED (38%) and anaemia (25%) was high. Farming was associated with CED in women (2.20, 95% CI: 1.39-3.49) and men (1.71, 95% CI: (1.06-2.74). Low income was also significantly associated with CED, while not completing high school was positively associated with anaemia. Median iron intake was high: 35.7 mg/day (IQR 26-46) in women and 43.4 mg/day (IQR 34-55) in men. CONCLUSIONS: Farming is an important risk factor associated with CED in this rural Indian population and low dietary iron is not the main cause of anaemia. Better farming practice may help to reduce CED in this population

SUCCESSFUL ACCLIMATIZATION OF IN-VITRO ROOTED STEM CUTTINGS OF CINNAMON (Cinnamomum verum Presl)

Hardening of regenerated plantlets for successful field transfer is consideredto be a major obstacle in clonal micro-propagation of cinnamon. In-vitroinduced roots are rarely functional, lack of root hairs, fragile and aregenerally damaged during transfer to the soil. Therefore, objectives of presentexperiments were to develop an appropriate acclimatization procedure and toselect a suitable potting media for successful field establishment of Cinnamon plantlets.In-vitro rooted stem cuttings were transferred in to four different pottingmedia of Soil, Coir dust, Sand: Coir dust - (1: 1) and Soil: Sand - (1: 1)Sealed containers with sterilized potting media were used to maintain &gt;80 %Relative humidity for 2 weeks and then gradually acclimatized to fieldconditions. Three different procedures (1) lid removed and kept in shade after2 weeks of transplanting (2) lid removed only at nights after 2 weeks oftransplanting, and (3) lid removed after 4 weeks of transplanting were used astreatments.At the end of 4th week, plantlets in coir dust medium showed the highestsurvival rate (87.5 %). Higher number of new leaf formation was observed incoir dust medium and overall appearance of the plantlets was very good.Most plantlets in soil medium were dead at the end of the 4th week, andremaining plantlets were very weak. Acclimatization procedure did notsignificantly affect on growth or overall appearance of plantlets. Resultsrevealed that coir dust medium provided with two weeks of humid conditionsis the best for successful acclimatization of in-vitro Cinnamon plantlets

IN-VITRO CALLUS FORMATION OF RED SANDALWOOD (Pterocarpus santalinus L.) AS AFFECTED BY EXPLANT TYPE AND DIFFERENT LEVELS OF 2,4-D AND BAP

Pterocarpus santalinus is a valuable medicinal plant, now included in red listof endangered plants under IUCN guidelines. Distribution of this plant in SriLanka is very limited and the local demand for ayurvedic purposes is stillunreached. As conventional propagation techniques are not satisfactory,possibilities in in-vitro techniques seem to be promising, and callus culture isone aspect that has to be studied. Leaf parts, cotyledon parts, root segments,inter-nodal segments, and nodal segments from in-vitro seedlings were usedas explants. 2,4-D and BAP were used separately in six differentconcentrations (1 mg/l - 6 mg/l) for callus initiation Full strength MS medium(Murashige and Skoog, 1962) was used with 30 g/l of sucrose and 8 g/l agaras the culture medium. Callus formation could be observed in every explant.However, large clumps of creamy white callus were obtained from nodalsegments. Callus formation in root segments was very poor and showedbrown color. In nodal segments, callus formation was started within twoweeks and large clumps of callus were observed while slight swellin~occurring on root segments, leaf parts and in cotyledon parts at the end of 41week. Callus formation was best when the culture medium was supplementedwith 3 mg/l of BAP. Though callus formation could be observed in 2,4-D,amount of callus formed was poor. Present studies revealed that MS mediumsupplemented with 3 mg/l BAP is ideal for callus induction in Pterocarpussantalinus and possibility of using nodal segments as initial explants

Challenges in Tea Plantation-Based Small Community Water Safety Plan Implementation – A Sri Lankan Experience

This paper presents the challenges and scientific approach adopted to overcome those challenges for Rural WSP (RWSP) implementation for the water supply schemes (WSS) in the Sri Lankan Tea Plantation sector. Factors positively and negatively impacting WSP implementation were identified through a SWOT analysis. Pooled response of the Likert scale survey of WSP team members to evaluate the impact of each contributing factor. A Spearman correlation was conducted to evaluate the correlations. Survey results confirmed that top management engagement, availability of financial resources, organizational structure, clustered community, government regulations, quality certifications, and similar cultural practices positively impact the success of WSP implementation. Poor community awareness, learning culture, communication barriers, poor sanitation and hygiene practices, inadequate stakeholder relationships, inadequate resources, skills, and lack of accountability were the factors hindering the WSP implementation. Correlation analysis showed specific relationships namely, lack of accountability with inadequate resources and skills, availability of financial support with inadequate resources and skills, and lack of awareness with a lack of resources and skills. Converting the negative factors to positive ones will make the WSP application successful in another similar plantation-based WSS. The major lesson from this intrinsic research study is that socioeconomic and cultural factors in the tea plantation are equally important as the typical technical aspects of the WSP

Toward Quantification of Hypoxia Using Fluorinated EuII/III-Containing Ratiometric Probes

Hypoxia is a prognostic biomarker of rapidly growing cancers, where the extent of hypoxia is an indication of tumor progression and prognosis; therefore, hypoxia is also used for staging while performing chemo- and radiotherapeutics for cancer. Contrast-enhanced MRI using EuII-based contrast agents is a noninvasive method that can be used to map hypoxic tumors, but quantification of hypoxia using these agents is challenging due to the dependence of signal on the concentration of both oxygen and EuII. Here, we report a ratiometric method to eliminate concentration dependence of contrast enhancement of hypoxia using fluorinated EuII/III-containing probes. We studied three different EuII/III couples of complexes containing 4, 12, or 24 fluorine atoms to balance fluorine signal-to-noise ratio with aqueous solubility. The ratio between the longitudinal relaxation time (T1) and 19F signal of solutions containing different ratios of EuII- and EuIII-containing complexes was plotted against the percentage of EuII-containing complexes in solution. We denote the slope of the resulting curves as hypoxia indices because they can be used to quantify signal enhancement from Eu, that is related to oxygen concentration, without knowledge of the absolute concentration of Eu. This mapping of hypoxia was demonstrated in vivo in an orthotopic syngeneic tumor model. Our studies significantly contribute toward improving the ability to radiographically map and quantify hypoxia in real time, which is critical to the study of cancer and a wide range of diseases

PREDICTION OF INDIVIDUAL TREE DIAMETERS OF Pinus nigra var. maritima (Ait.) Melville (CORSICAN PINE)

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Outersphere Approach to Increasing the Persistance of Oxygen-Sensitive Europium(II)-Containing Contrast Agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging with Perfluorocarbon Nanoemulsions toward Imaging of Hypoxia

Radiographic mapping of hypoxia is needed to study a wide range of diseases. Complexes of EuII are a promising class of molecules to fit this need, but they are generally limited by their rapid oxidation rates in vivo. Here, a perfluorocarbon-nanoemulsion perfused with N2, forms an interface with aqueous layers to hinder oxidation of a new perfluorocarbon-soluble complex of EuII. Conversion of the perfluorocarbon solution of EuII into nanoemulsions results in observable differences between reduced and oxidized forms by MRI both in vitro and in vivo. Oxidation in vivo occurrs over a period of ~30 min compared to \u3c5 min for a comparable EuII-containing complex without nanoparticle interfaces. These results represent a critical step toward delivery of EuII-containing complexes in vivo for the study of hypoxia

Feeding 9 billion by 2050 – Putting fish back on the menu

Fish provides more than 4.5 billion people with at least 15 % of their average per capita intake of animal protein. Fish's unique nutritional properties make it also essential to the health of billions of consumers in both developed and developing countries. Fish is one of the most efficient converters of feed into high quality food and its carbon footprint is lower compared to other animal production systems. Through fish-related activities (fisheries and aquaculture but also processing and trading), fish contribute substantially to the income and therefore to the indirect food security of more than 10 % of the world population, essentially in developing and emergent countries. Yet, limited attention has been given so far to fish as a key element in food security and nutrition strategies at national level and in wider development discussions and interventions. As a result, the tremendous potential for improving food security and nutrition embodied in the strengthening of the fishery and aquaculture sectors is missed. The purpose of this paper is to make a case for a closer integration of fish into the overall debate and future policy about food security and nutrition. For this, we review the evidence from the contemporary and emerging debates and controversies around fisheries and aquaculture and we discuss them in the light of the issues debated in the wider agriculture/farming literature. The overarching question that underlies this paper is: how and to what extent will fish be able to contribute to feeding 9 billion people in 2050 and beyond

Impact of Vaccination and Pathogen Exposure Dosage on Shedding Kinetics of Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHNV) in Rainbow Trout

Vaccine efficacy in preventing clinical disease has been well characterized. However, vaccine impacts on transmission under diversefied conditions, such as variable pathogen exposure dosages, are not fully understood. We evaluated the impacts of vaccination on disease-induced host mortality and shedding of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) in Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. Fish, in up to three different genetic lines, were exposed to different dosages of IHNV to simulate field variability. Mortality and viral shedding of each individual fish were quantified over the course of infection. As the exposure dosage increased, mortality, number offish shedding virus,daily virus quantity shed, and total amount of virus shed also increased. Vaccination significantly reduced mortality but had a much smaller impact on shedding, such that vaccinated fish still shed significant amounts of virus, particularly at higher viral exposure dosages. These studies demonstrate that the consideration of pathogen exposure dosage and transmission are critical for robust inference of vaccine efficacy