Inflammatory Biomarkers of Hydrogen Sulfide Induced Neurotoxicity and Degeneration

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has dual actions in the human body as an endogenously produced signaling molecule and a toxic xenobiotic. It is a byproduct of several industries, including oil, petroleum and paper milling and natural forms of exposure are of concern for individuals living near landfills or volcanos. That hydrogen sulfide has potential for use as a chemical weapon is disconcerting. The gas is colorless and has a characteristic rotten egg odor. Acute H2S intoxication can lead to both short and long term neurological sequelae, including neurodegeneration, memory and motor impairment, however, the underlying mechanisms are still unknown. Our hypothesis is that neuroinflammation, characterized by an intense inflammatory response from activated glial cells, can cause cell death by invoking the production of many pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines. To test this hypothesis we used histopathology to visualize the affected tissue; then measured cytokines in the brain tissue and serum of mice exposed to H2S by inhalation. Results show increased glial fibrillary protein levels, indicating a recruitment of reactive astrocytes to the tissue, starting around day 3 post exposure. Understanding the basic mechanisms underlying neuroinflammation contributes to our long term objective of discovering countermeasures against and treatment of H2S induced neurodegeneration

Alat Peraga Edukatif Papan A.T.M

Tujuan menulis ini adalah siswa dapat menunjukkan bagian-bagian tubuh. Dan bisa menirukan ucapan guru, siswa dapat menyebutkan bacaan nama bagian-bagian tubuh. Kelas I (satu) semester 2 (dua

The Impact of Crop Rotation and Nutrient Levels on Nutrition Quality, Yield and Yield Components of Maize (Zea maize L)

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Essay Review: New Public Management in New Zealand: The Past, Present and Future

Almost three decades ago, the world of Public Policy and Administration (PPA) was rocked by New Public Management (NPM), a liberal gospel advocating the application of business administration models to the management of public services in lieu of the old ‘monolithic” and hierarchical neo-weberian ideal type. But nowhere than in the “Land of the Long White Cloud”, did NPM find a more fertile ground (Pollitt and Bouckaert 2004, Ryan and Gill 2011: 306). To quote Evert Lindquist, while the UK only took new “steps” and the US set on “re-inventing” its machinery of government, New Zealand launched a “revolution” (2011: pp. 46-84). Praised and flaunted around the world by the Bretton Woods Institutions, the country became known as the “Land of New Public Management” and Wellington, its capital, a site of pilgrimage for government practitioners seeking advice (Schick 1998: 123).Since then, to paraphrase Castles et al., the “Great Experiment” has continued to fascinate. But while we know the fine grain of this “bureaucratic phenomenon”, its broader picture especially after the mid-1990s is still unclear. In the words of Berman, “Generalizable links among their findings remain sparse and thin” (2001: 231). This review article attempts to connect the dots by analyzing four books that offer an in-depth account of the reform program but were published at different time-distances.The first, Public Management: The New Zealand Model dates from 1996, shortly after the virtual end of the experiment and was written by a team of academics led by Jonathan Boston, a keen observer of public policy in New Zealand. The second, Remaking New Zealand and Australian Economic Policy by Shaun Goldfinch, another academic was published in 2000 and is cast in a comparative perspective. The third, Public Management in New Zealand: Lessons and Challenges was published in 2001 by an insider, Graham Scott, the Secretary General of the powerful New Zealand Treasury from 1986 to 1993. The fourth, Future State, Directions for Public Management in New Zealand was published in 2011 and co-edited by Bill Ryan and Derek Gill. It recoups ideas from academics and policy practitioners who were asked by the State Services Commission, a public service watchdog to conceptualize the future state in a context marked by financial cuts, demands for more democratic accountability and complex challenges.The books are reviewed along four dimensions: policy change, policy content, policy outcomes and future trends. Relevant questions are: Where did the reforms originate? What are their characteristics (defining and secondary)? How successful was the model? What is its current state and the path laying ahead? The books are cross-referred and where necessary supplemented by additional literature.

Maternal Dietary Diversity and Infant Outcome of Pregnant Women in Northern Ghana

Objective: Little is known regarding the role of maternal dietary diversity score (DDS) in predicting poor outcomes of pregnancy including preterm delivery, and low birth weight (LBW). The main aim of this study was to explore the relationship between dietary diversity scores of urban Ghanaian women and infant weight at birth. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study comprised 524 pregnant women who delivered singleton babies. A Structured questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic variables (e.g. educational status, age, maternal occupation, household wealth index), obstetric history (for example, gravidity, gestational weight gain), dietary intake, malarial infection and Sulphadoxine pyrimethamine (SP) uptake, blood pressure (BP), haemoglobin concentration (Hb), anthropometric measurements (e.g. weight of mother and new born baby). Results: This study showed that maternal dietary diversity as measured by individual dietary diversity score scores (IDDS) was a significant independent predictor for mean birth weight and LBW. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed there was a significant difference in adjusted mean birth weight between women on low and high diversified diets , F (1, 415) = 8.935, p = 0.003. The results further showed that maternal IDDS was negatively associated with the incidence of LBW (Adjusted OR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.22–0.85, p = 0.014). Conclusion: In nutritional deprived populations, maternal diet in the third trimester appears to be an important determinant of LBW and that DDS can serve as useful predictive indicator of maternal nutrition during pregnancy and the likelihood of delivering LBW babies

Local Government and Traditional Authorities in Concert: Towards a More Productive Relationship

Ghana embarked on decentralisation in 1988 as a way of bringing decision making closer to the people. Since then, there have several reforms with a view to strengthening local governance. This article identifies a major challenge still facing Ghana’s decentralisation: Partnership between local government and traditional authorities. The paper discusses the fuzzy relationship between local governments and traditional authorities as a result of constitutional and legislative ambiguity on their relationship. Traditional Authorities perform important functions in the country, albeit their roles have waned since independence. Yet current legal provisions on local government have not sufficiently clarified their role in local administration. This has led to a murky and competing relationship between traditional authorities and local governments. In localities where mutual relationship exists, it is mainly as a result of the personalities involved and this has had a positive effect on the development of the area. The paper concludes by advocating for measures which among others include a re-enactment of legislation which will define the working relationship between traditional authorities and local government

Assessing the State of Financial Distress in Listed Companies in Ghana: Signs, Sources, Detection and Elimination – A Test of Altman’s Z-Score

This article discusses the corporate financial distress in the light of its meaning, signs, sources, detection and methods of elimination. The article applies Altman’s Z-Score to the financial statements of ten companies listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) to determine the level of their financial soundness. The data used in the study were drawn from the website of ARG covering the period 2007 to 2013. The study finds six companies being financially sound and not in danger of financial distress, two companies in financial distress and two others in state of deterioration and likely candidates for financial distress. It is however worth noting that the two companies found to be in financial distress have not filed for bankruptcy in the period of the study. Keywords: Altman’s Z-Score, Bankruptcy, Financial Distress, listed companie

Effects of water deficit on the growth and yield formation of maize (Zea mays L.)

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A stochastic simulation of the impact of price insulation policies on world wheat market stability

A nonspatial wheat trade model is developed for wheat. Stochastic simulation of the model is performed to determine the impact of insulated wheat markets in India, and the European Community, on the stability of world wheat prices. The effect of production variability in the Soviet Union on the stability of the world wheat market is also examined;The research shows widespread price intervention in world wheat trade, with price transmissions between world and domestic markets limited to only the United States, Canada, and Australia. A 79 percent reduction in production variability in the U.S.S.R. lowers U.S. gulf port price uncertainty by 34 percent. A 56 percent reduction in E.C. price levels lowers E.C. production by 22 percent and increases U.S. net exports by 10.3 MMT. The gulf port price level rises by 13 percent; instability of this price falls by 13 percent, also. Therefore, higher price transmission between world and E.C. prices indeed lowers world price uncertainty;Setting the wheat price in India to its world price equivalent lowers India\u27s demand more than it increases production, therefore, India becomes a net exporter. The effect is a fall in both U.S. net exports and gulf port price. Lagged price response in India\u27s supply equation is the reason why perfect world price transmission into India raises wheat market instability within and outside India;The analyses suggest that the greater market stability argument for free trade may be exaggerated because theoretical models supporting the argument do not include lagged price response in the supply functions