Effects of Deliberate Ingestion of Organophosphate or Paraquat on Brain Stem Auditory-Evoked Potentials

Organophosphate (OP) and paraquat (PQ) ingestion is a serious health problem. A common pathology behind OP or PQ poisoning is the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which is known to cause ototoxicity. The aim of the study was to identify the effects of deliberate ingestion of OP or PQ on brain stem auditory-evoked potentials (BAEPs). Consecutive patients with deliberate self-poisoning with OP or PQ who were admitted to a secondary and a tertiary care hospital in the Southern province of Sri Lanka and matched controls were recruited. BAEPs were performed at 1 week (first assessment) and 6 weeks (second assessment) after the exposure. Interpeak latencies of I–III, III–V, and I–V were measured. There were 70 and 28 patients in the OP and PQ arms with the mean age of 32 ± 12 and 29 ± 12 years, respectively. There were 70 controls and their mean age was 33 ± 12 years. In OP and PQ poisoning, 53/70 and 18/28 came for the second assessment, respectively. The interpeak latency was not statistically different in the controls vs the first assessment, controls vs the second assessment, and the first vs the second assessment. There were no significant lesions in the auditory pathway in OP or PQ poisoned patients. The generation of ROS within the perilymphatic space following the ingestion of OP or PQ may not be sufficient to cause lesions in the auditory pathway. Further studies with the assessment of auditory threshold are needed

Broadband and the sustainable use of water resources

Agriculture accounts for more than seventy percent of total fresh water consumption. Water use efficiency in the industry is often less than fifty percent. A changing climate and increasing competition for fresh water are stressing water supplies globally and limiting the scope for further expansion of agriculture to meet growing food production requirements. This situation is threatening the economic viability of many agricultural regions both in Australia and around the globe. It is a national imperative to develop solutions that will sustain this vital industry in the future.Improving water use efficiency through better irrigation practices is one method for coping with these challenges. Costs associated with capital outlays and engineering complexity are barriers to widespread adoption of efficient irrigation technologies. This paper presents a platform that leverages broadband communication networks to reduce these barriers to technology adoption and thereby vastly improve water use efficiency in agriculture. Results from recent field trials are presented that demonstrate increases in water productivity in dairy pasture and horticultural production

A review of cascade water supply systems

Cascade Water Supply Systems (CWSS) are a type of rural water supply system used in many parts of the world such as India, China, Sri Lanka, South America, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabi, Korea, Peru, Egypt, Rome, Turkey, Greece, and Thailand. They are also known as Village Tank Cascade Systems (VTCS) & Cascade Systems (CS). CWSS is typically designed to collect runoff from upper forested catchment areas to provide to downstream areas and consists of a network of linearly inter-connected 'tanks' or storages, with the supply of water often supplemented from additional catchments downstream, along with groundwater resources and diversions from other sources such as rivers. As water flows from the upper regions to the downstream segments of the system, water is utilised for various purposes such as irrigation, drinking, bathing, and other household activities. The inflows and outflows result in changes in water quality in different stretches of these systems. This paper reviews the international literature surrounding CWSS, with a particular focus on water quality and associated issues. It has been found that despite the significant social, environmental, and economic importance of CWSS, and their existence for many centuries, there is limited information on water quality characteristics over space and time. Pressures such as population growth, intensification of agricultural practices, and changing climate, affect these systems as well. This review reveals that water quality is comparatively better in the upstream sections of CWSSs and progressively worsens downstream, with the data showing that the water quality in downstream systems clearly exceeds the WHO drinking and irrigation water standards. © Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium, HWRS 2022. All rights reserved

Impact of elevated carbon dioxide and temperature on strawberry polyphenols

BACKGROUND The strawberry cultivars ‘Albion’ and ‘San Andreas’ (‘SA’) were grown under various combinations of day temperature (25 and 30 °C) and carbon dioxide [CO2] (400, 650 and 950 μmol mol−1) conditions. The influence of different growth combinations on the polyphenol, flavonoid, anthocyanin, antioxidant, and individual phenolic compound content of fresh strawberry fruits was studied. The content of individual phenolic compounds of fresh strawberry fruits was quantified using high‐performance liquid chromatography – ultraviolet (HPLC‐UV). RESULTS Elevated [CO2] and higher temperature caused significant increases in total polyphenol, flavonoid, anthocyanin and antioxidants in both strawberry cultivars when compared with plants grown under ambient conditions. Results of HPLC‐UV analysis also revealed that individual phenolic compounds of fruits were also increased with increasing [CO2] and temperature. However, the responses were significantly altered by the interaction of elevated [CO2] and higher temperature. The individual and interaction effects of [CO2] and temperature were also significantly cultivar dependent. The largest amounts of flavonoid (482 ± 68 mg kg−1 FW) and antioxidant (19.0 ± 2.1 μmol g−1 FW) were detected in ‘Albion’ grown at 30 °C and under 950 μmol mol−1, and total polyphenol (3350 ± 104 mg GAE kg−1 FW) and anthocyanin (332 ± 16 mg kg−1 FW) in ‘San Andreas’ grown at 25 °C and 950 μmol mol−1. CONCLUSION Strawberry fruit was rich with polyphenols and antioxidants when grown under elevated [CO2] and higher temperature. There were also interactions between [CO2] and temperature affecting the fruits' content. An increase in the polyphenol and antioxidant content in strawberry fruits would be highly beneficial to human health

Uncapping the potential for recycled water use in regional cities: a case study of Shepparton, Victoria

Recycled water is a valuable alternative water source and reuse can address many urban water resource management problems. To date, however, recycled water schemes have been largely restricted to major cities. Small regional cities face different wastewater management issues. Through developing prospective recycled water schemes for the regional city of Shepparton, Victoria, I present the first attempt to address recycled water use potential for a regional Australian city. Twenty reuse schemes across a variety of end uses such as residential and agricultural are proposed and possible challenges to water reuse, such as salinity and economic costs, are reviewed. This discussion paves the way for more rigorous evaluation of recycled water schemes

Broadband and the sustainable use of water resources

Agriculture accounts for more than seventy percent of total fresh water consumption. Water use efficiency in the industry is often less than fifty percent. A changing climate and increasing competition for fresh water are stressing water supplies globally and limiting the scope for further expansion of agriculture to meet growing food production requirements. This situation is threatening the economic viability of many agricultural regions both in Australia and around the globe. It is a national imperative to develop solutions that will sustain this vital industry in the future.Improving water use efficiency through better irrigation practices is one method for coping with these challenges. Costs associated with capital outlays and engineering complexity are barriers to widespread adoption of efficient irrigation technologies. This paper presents a platform that leverages broadband communication networks to reduce these barriers to technology adoption and thereby vastly improve water use efficiency in agriculture. Results from recent field trials are presented that demonstrate increases in water productivity in dairy pasture and horticultural production. Copyright 2008 Syed K Saleem, Byron Wicks, Kithsiri B Dassanayake. No part of this article may be reproduced by any means without the written consent of the publisher

Relationship between MDS at slow vegetative growth stage of tomato and micrometeorological factors in greenhouse.

<p>Relationship between MDS at slow vegetative growth stage of tomato and micrometeorological factors in greenhouse.</p

Daily mean values of main meteorological factors including air temperature (<i>T</i>_<i>a</i>), relative humidity (<i>RH</i>), solar radiation (<i>Rs</i>) and vapor pressure deficit (<i>VPD</i>) during the period from April 8 to 15, and from June 8 to 15, 2012/2013 in greenhouse.

<p>Daily mean values of main meteorological factors including air temperature (<i>T</i>_<i>a</i>), relative humidity (<i>RH</i>), solar radiation (<i>Rs</i>) and vapor pressure deficit (<i>VPD</i>) during the period from April 8 to 15, and from June 8 to 15, 2012/2013 in greenhouse.</p