ASSESSING THE IMPACTS OF TECHNOLOGY ON SOUTHERN AGRICULTURE AND RURAL COMMUNITIES

Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

SMALL FARM RESEARCH AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS

Farm Management,

Cytotoxicity and Mutagenicity of Disinfection Byproduct Mixtures Formulated Using Free Chlorine and Monochloramine

Bioassays have been used extensively to assess various toxicity endpoints of drinking water disinfection byproducts (DBPs), but an emphasis on single compounds prevails. In this research, DBP mixtures were assessed using a cytotoxicity test with Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells and an Ames fluctuation test with Salmonella typhimurium TA-98 and TA-100 with and without S9 rat liver homogenate. Seven whole mixture DBP concentrates were formulated using reconstituted natural organic matter (NOM) extracts from the Upper Mississippi River using scaled disinfectant dosing protocols with free chlorine and monochloramine in the presence and absence of added bromide. DBPs were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and quantified with an electron capture detector (GC-ECD). Four trihalomethanes, three dihaloacetonitriles, 1,1-dichloro-2-propanone, chloropicrin, nine haloacetic acids, and dalapon were identified and quantified. Exogenous N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) was added to two monochloramine-derived concentrates because the NOM did not include precursors for this known human carcinogen that forms in chloraminated waters. Five synthetic DBP analog mixtures were formulated based on the profiles of the whole mixture DBP concentrates. DBP mixture concentrates exerted mild cytotoxicity to CHO cells, approaching or reaching the LD50 in all seven concentrates, a result which could be only partially explained by the identified DBPs. In the Ames tests, no revertant wells were observed with the TA-98 bacterial strain, indicating the DBP-concentrates did not induce frameshift mutations in hisD3052. However, statistically significant increases in the number of revertant wells were observed in TA-100 in all seven DBP mixture concentrates, indicating base-substitution mutations in hisG46. Mutagenicity was greater with the DBP mixtures formulated with free chlorine and bromide, suggesting that bromine-substituted DBPs were important contributors. Exogenous NDMA had a synergistic effect in the concentrate formulated with monochloramine and bromide in the presence of S9 only, indicating NDMA was important in mammalian mutagenicity. However, none of the observed mutagenicity in TA-100 was explained by the nineteen identified DBPs and/or the associated interactions. Future work should focus on high resolution mass spectrometry techniques aimed at identifying additional DBPs in the mixture concentrates and assessing the mutagenicity of these DBPs

Risikofaktoren der Alzheimer-Krankheit : was verraten uns die Gene?

Im Jahr 1906 beschrieb Alois Alzheimer (1864 – 1915) erstmals krankhafte Eiweißablagerungen im Gehirn einer Patientin, bei der er einige Jahre zuvor eine Demenz diagnostiziert hatte. Diese Ablagerungen machte er für den geistigen Abbau verantwortlich. Über die zugrunde liegenden biologischen Ursachen der Krankheit (»Ätiologie«) konnte der Frankfurter Arzt jedoch nur Vermutungen anstellen. Inzwischen weiß man, dass die Gene mit darüber entscheiden, ob jemand im Alter an Alzheimer-Demenz (AD) erkrankt. Bei der seltener auftretenden familiären Form der AD sind die verantwortlichen Gene inzwischen bekannt. Doch auch bei der häufigeren sporadischen Form der Krankheit konnten verschiedene Arbeitsgruppen, einschließlich unserer eigenen, inzwischen einige »Risiko-Gene« identifizieren. Eine Erkrankung des Gehirns Aufbauend auf den Befunden von Alois Alzheimer beschäftigten sich in der zweiten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts immer mehr Forschergruppen mit der Alzheimer-Krankheit. ..

Studies on antitussive effect of Tectona grandis roots using a cough model induced by sulfur dioxide gas in guinea pigs.

Objectives: Anti-tussive drugs are among the most widely used medications world wide; however no new class of drugs has been introduced into the market by keeping this point in mind. This attempt is made by testing a root of a well known timber tree Tectona grandis. Materials and methods: Here in, we have analyzed the polar compounds of Tectona grandis roots using chemical and biological methods. In this study, in vivo antitussive activity of root extracts (methanol and water) of Tectona grandis Linn. f. (Verbenaceae) was evaluated using a cough model induced by sulfur dioxide gas in rats. Results and Discussion: Treatment with aqueous extract and methanol extract at 500 mg/kg p.o. dose level showed more anti-tussive effect as compared with the dose level of 250mg/kg p.o. Differences between means were assessed by one way analysis of variance (ANOVA),followed by Dunnett’s test using sigma stat software. Both the extracts (methanol and water) significantly (P<0.05) suppressed the asthmas at the dose level of 500mg/kg.Phytochemical tests showed that methanol and water extracts tested positive for carbohydrates, reducing sugars, alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, sterols and saponins. Conclusion: This study provides a scientific basis on ethno medical uses of this plant. Further exploration in drug development of anti-tussives from Tectona grandis can focus on the purity activity relationships (PAR studies).

Physics of agarose fluid gels: Rheological properties and microstructure

Agarose, a strongly gelling polysaccharide, is a common ingredient used to optimize the viscoelastic properties of a multitude of food products. Through aggregation of double helices via hydrogen bonds while cooling under quiescent conditions it forms firm and brittle gels. However, this behavior can be altered by manipulating the processing conditions viz shear. For example, gelation under shear leads to microgel particles with large surface area, which in turn leads to completely different rheological properties and texture. Such fluid gels are shown to play an important role in texture modification of foods and beverages for dysphagia patients. In this study, different concentration of agarose fluid gel (0.5 % wt, 1 % wt and 2 % wt) were considered. Rheological measurements of the microgel particles showed an increase of storage and loss modulus with increasing concentration. However, 1 % wt fluid gel exhibited the lowest viscosity in the low shear range and the shortest LVE range. Furthermore, the effect on the microstructure and size of gel particles were also investigated by using light microscopy and particle size analysis. It was observed that as the concentration of agarose increased the particle size and unordered chains present at the particle surface decreases. Based on our results, we propose specific models suggesting the impact of the particle size, the concentration and the “hairy” projections on the rheological and tribological properties that could help in understanding the differences in characteristics of fluid gels

a comparative study of OAU and AU

Thesis(Master) --KDI School:Master of Development Policy,2017As a continental Organization with almost half a century existence where its charters where molded to address the 1960’s issues, The Organization of African Unity (OAU) was considered to be old enough to tackle Africa’s twenty first century challenges. Consequently it was replaced with a new and restructured union, which is believed to be capable of addressing the pressing challenges facing Africa. Nevertheless this historical breakthrough raised an important question on the originality and effectiveness of the newly restructured African Union (AU). With the above mentioned arguments in view, the thesis will provide a comparative analysis of the two organizations. In order to give a clear picture on the differences and achievements of the two organizations, the paper will emphasis on the differences in charters, Organs and the principles they are created for. The three parameters which have been used by Ian hurd as the bases for measuring the effectiveness of regional and international organization namely, Effectiveness, Membership and persistence are used in this study to measure the success and effectiveness of both organizations. Moreover, major conflicts have also been discussed in this study to explore the contributions and roles played by the two organizations to settle major conflicts. It is believed to be an important parameter to measure effectiveness. Generally speaking the progress and functioning of the African Union in general and the new organs of the African union in particular in the past decade is very gradual. Nevertheless, the overall structure and the union’s mission is a real departure from the old OAU. In areas of crises and conflict resolution, the African Union still lacks the resources and enforcement mechanism as its predecessor.I. INTRODUCTION/ ISSUE BACKGROUND II. METHODOLOGY III. LITERATURE REVIEW IV. THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE TO REGIONAL INTEGRATION V. MEASURING THE SUCCESS OF INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS VI. COMPARISON OF OAU CHARTER AND AU CONSTITUTIVE ACT VII. CONCLUSION VIII. BIBILIOGRAPHYmasterpublishedDaniel GHEBREMEDHIN