Democracy's edge : choosing to save our country by bringing democracy to life

Indeksxvi, 471 hlm. : il. ; 24 cm

Biochar Banquet & Demonstrations

In the Student Union Ballroom of the Campus Center at UMass Amherst, the Pioneer Valley Biochar Initiative will host a Biochar Banquet & Demonstration – tickets available here. Various food stations will feature locally grown produce grown in biochar conditioned soil, as well as a variety of meats, beverages and desserts enhanced by biochar. Come learn about this fascinating material and how it is benefiting agriculture and our climate. Monday October 14th beginning at 5pm with live biochar making demonstrations, poster presentations, book signings and more. Another very exciting feature of this Biochar Banquet is the Keynote Presentation by Frances Moore Lappe. Affectionately known as Frankie , Moore Lappe is the renown author of Diet for a Small Planet, EcoMind and co-author of Hope\u27s Edge with her daughter Anna Lappe. We will be regaled with tales of gastronomic excursions, forays into food and more! • • • Enjoy a variety of food stations featuring local items items grown in biochar conditioned soil. Sample meats and beverages that have been prepared with or enhanced by biochar and observe a variety of farm to plate many demonstrations and examples. Anyone interested in soil and healthy local food will be enriched by the Biochar Banquet. And anyone who wants to grow nutritious food, sink carbon in the soil, or utilize the filtration and remineralization properties of biochar will benefit from this tasty, yet educational event. I am a local farmer interested in participating or learning more. Who do I contact for details? Karen Ribeiro can be reached at [email protected]

Central myelin gene expression during postnatal development in rats exposed to nicotine gestationally

Abnormal myelin gene expression in the central nervous system (CNS) is associated with many mental illnesses, including psychiatric disorders and drug addiction. We have previously shown that prenatal exposure to nicotine, the major psychoactive component in cigarette smoke, alters myelin gene expression in the CNS of adolescent rats. To examine whether this effect is specific for adolescents, we examined myelin gene expression in the CNS of juveniles and adults. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with nicotine (3 mg/kg/day; GN) or saline (GS) via osmotic mini pumps from gestational days 4 to 18. Both male and female offspring were sacrificed at postnatal day P20-21 (juveniles), P35-36 (adolescents), or P59-60 (adults). Three limbic brain regions, the prefrontal cortex (PFC), caudate putamen (CPu), and nucleus accumbens (NAc), were dissected. The expression of genes encoding major myelin components was evaluated using quantitative RT-PCR. We found that GN altered myelin gene expression in juveniles with brain region and sex differences. The pattern of alteration was different from that observed in adolescents. Although these genes were expressed normally in male adults, we observed decreased expression in GN-treated female adults, especially in the CPu. Thus, GN altered myelin gene expression throughout postnatal development and adulthood. The effect on adolescents was quite different from that at other ages, which correlated with the unique symptoms of many psychiatric disorders during adolescence