The role of law in combating global warming

This research report provides the reader with an overview of the current state of Earth as far as global warming and climate change is concerned. I describe how global warming is largely a consequence of humanoid behaviour from our past to our present behaviour focusing on self-centred materialism and consumerism. In the current economic paradigm, selfishness has become a prized commercial resource as humans continue to plunder, dominate and use earth’s resources with impunity. I explain ways in which the traditionally conceived views humans had concerning nature, including support by some religions, are changing, albeit slowly. This is accomplished by looking at changes in some concepts in two of the world’s major religions: Christianity and Islam. I describe the current physical state of the environment as the resource for human life. Because of its current state, I look at the importance of an ethical view of the environment. My major focus though is on the ways in which the emergence of the concept of international environmental law and its principles such as equitable utilization and apportionment have relevance and may prove to be the best deterrent in the attempt to stem global warming. I conclude this overview by making suggestions and recommendations concerning the Kyoto protocol - and how global warming can be tackled through an effective legal regimen

Morphometry of Placentae of Anaemic and Non-anaemic Preeclamptic Patients

Background The etiology of preeclampsia (PE) still remains elusive. Nevertheless, early onset PE has been hypothesized to develop following defective implantation of the conceptus into the endometrium and subsequent placentation. Defective placentation leads to insufficient remodeling of spiral arteries thus hypoperfusion of the placenta and clinical manifestations. Anaemia is highly prevalent amongst pregnant women. It is postulated that hypoxia is one of the mechanisms by which PE develops. The severity of symptoms seen in patients with coexisting preeclampsia and anaemia has been linked to uteroplacental insufficiency. Few studies however, have defined the placental morphometry when the two conditions occur concurrently.   Methods This unmatched case-control study was carried out at the Kenyatta National Hospital where 42 placentae were obtained; 21 from preeclamptic mothers who had anaemia in the first and third trimesters of pregnancy (cases) and 21 from preeclamptic mothers without a history of anaemia in pregnancy (controls). The tissues were obtained and macroscopically and microscopically examined to determine relative differences. Photographs of the placentae were taken using a 12 MP (f/1.8, 26mm wide, 1/2.55", 1.4μm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS) camera. Photomicrographs were taken using a ZeissTM digital photomicroscope at ×400 magnification for stereological analysis. SPSS (Version 25.0) was used to input data where median values, interquartile ranges and frequency tables were obtained. Mann-Whitney U tests were run to compare differences in medians of the clinical, gross and histological features between the 2 groups. A p-value of ≤ _0.05 was considered statistically significant.   Results Hemoglobin levels in the anemic group ranged between 7.0-10.5 g/dl in the 1st trimesters and 7.6-10.9g/dl in the 3rd trimester with patients being mild to moderately anemic. Gross placental infarction was observed in 17/21 (81.0%) of the cases and 15/21 (71.4%) of the controls. The gross morphometric parameters that were lower in cases were the placental weight and volume (p-values of <0.001, 0.001 respectively). The histopathological features observed were extensive perivillous and intervillous fibrin deposition and larger volumes of syncytial knots in the case group. The harmonic mean thickness of the interhaemal membrane was higher in the cases when compared to controls (p -value: <0.001). The estimated mean morphometric diffusing capacity was higher in cases when compared to controls (p-value: 0.001).   Conclusion The frequency of gross and histopathological lesions seen in the PE placentae was increased when the patients had both preeclampsia and anaemia. Anaemia may thus exacerbate the pathology caused by preeclampsia. This may be the structural basis for the uteroplacental insufficiency observed when the two morbidities co-exist. It may therefore be prudent for clinicians to monitor maternal hemoglobin levels, in order to reduce the severity of preeclampsia when the two conditions co-exist. &nbsp

Successful Esophageal Replacement Surgery in a 3-Year Old with Post-corrosive Esophageal Stricture

Accidental caustic ingestion in children, though entirely preventable, continues to be present in developing countries. Gastrointestinal injuries following caustic ingestion in children range from mild to fatal. Presentation of such children to the medical facility could be early or sometimes late with complications. Management is based on the type of injury and could range from medical conservative management to complex surgical procedures. Such complex surgeries are almost unavailable in developing countries. We present a 3-year old who presented to our facility with an esophageal stricture following accidental caustic ingestion four months prior to presentation. He had a failed stricture dilatation and needed to be managed surgically; he subsequently had a good outcome, which is rare in developing countries. Keywords: Post-corrosive esophageal stricture, Esophageal replacement surger

Economics of Insecticide use and Potential for Bt Maize Varieties in the Control of Stalkborer in Kenya.

Maize is the staple food crop and source of income for majority of the Kenyan population and many sub-Saharan African countries. The increasing Kenyan population demands an increase in maize production if intermittent food deficits have to be averted. Since the introduction of improved maize varieties in mid-1960, the start of Green Revolution period, maize yields increased drastically up to 1970s and started declining from 1980s to-date. The key contributory factors are nutrient mining, sub-optimal input use and insect pest damage. Of the insect pests, stalk borer is of economic importance. Currently, KARI and CIMMYT are developing maize varieties that are tolerant to stalk borer damage. In order to evaluate the potential impact of these interventions economics of stalk borer control at farm level was evaluated. Surveys complemented with on-farm trials were executed in six major maize growing zones of Kenya. Farmers were randomly selected and a sample-frame established after which a total of 1854 households were randomly selected using random sampling technique. Each household was interviewed using structured questionnaire. Data on method of stalk borer control and the type insecticides used was collected. Partial budget and economic surplus models were used. The results indicated that very few farmers control stalk borer in maize despite significant stalk borer losses of about 15%. Therefore if Bt maize is introduced in Kenya it is likely to reduce these losses. This will benefit many hungry and poor Kenyans with improved household food supply and on farm incomes, in line with Government policy of food security and poverty eradication.Crop Production/Industries,

Larvicidal activity of metabolites from the endophytic Podospora sp. against the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae

In a screening for natural products with mosquito larvicidal activities, the endophytic fungus Podospora sp. isolated from the plant Laggera alata (Asteraceae) was conspicuous. Two xanthones, sterigmatocystin (1) and secosterigmatocystin (2), and an anthraquinone derivative (3) 13-hydroxyversicolorin B were isolated after fermentation on M2 medium. These compounds were characterised using spectroscopic and X-ray analysis and examined against third instar larvae of Anopheles gambiae. The results demonstrated that compound 1 was the most potent one with LC50 and LC90 values of 13.3 and 73.5 ppm, respectively. Over 95% mortality was observed at a concentration 100 ppm after 24 h. These results compared farvourably with the commercial larvicide pylarvex® that showed 100% mortality at the same concentration. Compound 3 was less potent and had an LC50 of 294.5 ppm and over 95% mortality was achieved at a concentration of 1,000 ppm. Secosterigmatocystin (2) revealed relatively weak activity and therefore LC values were not determined

TRAV1-2⁺ CD8⁺ T-cells including oligoconal expansions of MAIT cells are enriched in the airways in human tuberculosis

Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells typically express a TRAV1-2+ semi-invariant TCRα that enables recognition of bacterial, mycobacterial, and fungal riboflavin metabolites presented by MR1. MAIT cells are associated with immune control of bacterial and mycobacterial infections in murine models. Here, we report that a population of pro-inflammatory TRAV1-2+ CD8+ T cells are present in the airways and lungs of healthy individuals and are enriched in bronchoalveolar fluid of patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). High-throughput T cell receptor analysis reveals oligoclonal expansions of canonical and donor-unique TRAV1-2+ MAIT-consistent TCRα sequences within this population. Some of these cells demonstrate MR1-restricted mycobacterial reactivity and phenotypes suggestive of MAIT cell identity. These findings demonstrate enrichment of TRAV1-2+ CD8+ T cells with MAIT or MAIT-like features in the airways during active TB and suggest a role for these cells in the human pulmonary immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis lineage 4 comprises globally distributed and geographically restricted sublineages

Generalist and specialist species differ in the breadth of their ecological niches. Little is known about the niche width of obligate human pathogens. Here we analyzed a global collection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis lineage 4 clinical isolates, the most geographically widespread cause of human tuberculosis. We show that lineage 4 comprises globally distributed and geographically restricted sublineages, suggesting a distinction between generalists and specialists. Population genomic analyses showed that, whereas the majority of human T cell epitopes were conserved in all sublineages, the proportion of variable epitopes was higher in generalists. Our data further support a European origin for the most common generalist sublineage. Hence, the global success of lineage 4 reflects distinct strategies adopted by different sublineages and the influence of human migration.We thank S. Lecher, S. Li and J. Zallet for technical support. Calculations were performed at the sciCORE scientific computing core facility at the University of Basel. This work was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grants 310030_166687 (S.G.) and 320030_153442 (M.E.) and Swiss HIV Cohort Study grant 740 to L.F.), the European Research Council (309540-EVODRTB to S.G.), TB-PAN-NET (FP7-223681 to S.N.), PathoNgenTrace projects (FP7-278864-2 to S.N.), SystemsX.ch (S.G.), the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF; S.N.), the Novartis Foundation (S.G.), the Natural Science Foundation of China (91631301 to Q.G.), and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (5U01-AI069924-05) of the US National Institutes of Health (M.E.)

EFFECT OF THE SCHOOLS' SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT IN MANAGING MENOPAUSE CRISES AMONG FEMALE TEACHERS

<p><strong>Abstract:</strong> Menopause crisis is not regarded as a major issue in most organizations and therefore is not considered at workplace. Among female teachers, it may be worsened by an unfavourable social working environment but the significance of these factors is not yet known. This study investigated the influence of schools’ social environment on menopause crisis for female teachers of public primary schools. The study utilized ex post facto research design because it was not possible or acceptable to influence the characteristics of respondents. The study was based on the Person-Environment-Occupation Theory of Occupational Performance. The researcher used stratified sampling, two stage clustered sampling, random sampling, and purposive sampling techniques. The sample of the study was 289 participants. The research instrument of the study was a structured questionnaire, Focus Group Discussion, and a key informant interview schedule. The results revealed that social environment has a statistically significant influence on menopause crisis with a Linear Regression analysis where (r<sup>2</sup>=0.645; p-value of 0.03). From the findings of the study, it can be concluded that, social environment influence menopause crisis. School administrators should provide working environments that are conducive to female teachers. Findings from the study provided insight that it is helpful to school managers to identify some of the social environment related gaps in their schools that need to be addressed in order to make their working environment more conducive to menopausal women. Policy makers will gain insight into initiatives that could ensure women teachers undergoing menopause are least affected socially.</p> <p><strong>Keywords:</strong> menopause, crisis, female teachers, coping, social environment.</p> <p><strong>Title:</strong> EFFECT OF THE SCHOOLS’ SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT IN MANAGING MENOPAUSE CRISES AMONG FEMALE TEACHERS</p> <p><strong>Author:</strong> Wangui Ndung’u M., Kay James, Ngumi Owen</p> <p><strong>International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research  </strong></p> <p><strong>ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online)</strong></p> <p><strong>Vol. 11, Issue 4, October 2023 - December 2023</strong></p> <p><strong>Page No: 63-69</strong></p> <p><strong>Research Publish Journals</strong></p> <p><strong>Website: www.researchpublish.com</strong></p> <p><strong>Published Date: 09-</strong><strong>October-2023</strong></p> <p><strong>DOI: <a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8420901">https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8420901</a></strong></p> <p><strong>Paper Download Link (Source)</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="https://www.researchpublish.com/papers/effect-of-the-schools-social-environment-in-managing-menopause-crises-among-female-teachers">https://www.researchpublish.com/papers/effect-of-the-schools-social-environment-in-managing-menopause-crises-among-female-teachers</a></strong></p>International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research, ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online), Research Publish Journals, Website: www.researchpublish.co

Economics of Insecticide use and Potential for Bt Maize Varieties in the Control of Stalkborer in Kenya.

Maize is the staple food crop and source of income for majority of the Kenyan population and many sub-Saharan African countries. The increasing Kenyan population demands an increase in maize production if intermittent food deficits have to be averted. Since the introduction of improved maize varieties in mid-1960, the start of Green Revolution period, maize yields increased drastically up to 1970s and started declining from 1980s to-date. The key contributory factors are nutrient mining, sub-optimal input use and insect pest damage. Of the insect pests, stalk borer is of economic importance. Currently, KARI and CIMMYT are developing maize varieties that are tolerant to stalk borer damage. In order to evaluate the potential impact of these interventions economics of stalk borer control at farm level was evaluated. Surveys complemented with on-farm trials were executed in six major maize growing zones of Kenya. Farmers were randomly selected and a sample-frame established after which a total of 1854 households were randomly selected using random sampling technique. Each household was interviewed using structured questionnaire. Data on method of stalk borer control and the type insecticides used was collected. Partial budget and economic surplus models were used. The results indicated that very few farmers control stalk borer in maize despite significant stalk borer losses of about 15%. Therefore if Bt maize is introduced in Kenya it is likely to reduce these losses. This will benefit many hungry and poor Kenyans with improved household food supply and on farm incomes, in line with Government policy of food security and poverty eradication

The genetics of Ug99 stem rust resistance in spring wheat variety ‘Linkert‘

Wheat stem rust caused by Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt) threatens wheat production worldwide. The objective of this study was to characterize wheat stem rust resistance in ‘Linkert’, a variety with adult plant resistance effective to emerging wheat stem rust pathogen strain Ug99. Two doubled haploid (DH) populations and one recombinant inbred line (RIL) population were developed with ‘Linkert’ as a stem rust resistant parent. Hard red spring wheat variety ‘Forefront’ and genetic stock ‘LMPG’ were used as stem rust susceptible parents of the DH populations. Breeding line ‘MN07098-6’ was used as a susceptible parent of the RIL population. Both DH and RIL populations with their parents were evaluated both at the seedling stage and in the field against Pgt races. Genotyping data of the DH populations were generated using the wheat iSelect 90k SNP assay. The RIL population was genotyped by genotyping-by-sequencing. We found QTL consistently associated with wheat stem rust resistance on chromosome 2BS for the Linkert/Forefront DH population and the Linkert/MN07098-6 RIL population both in Ethiopia and Kenya. Additional reliable QTL were detected on chromosomes 5BL (125.91 cM) and 4AL (Sr7a) for the Linkert/LMPG population in Ethiopia and Kenya. Different QTL identified in the populations reflect the importance of examining the genetics of resistance in populations derived from adapted germplasm (Forefront and MN07098-6) in addition to a genetic stock (LMPG). The associated markers in this study could be used to track and select for the identified QTL in wheat breeding programs