Role of transportation and marketing in enhancing agricultural production in Ikwo local government area of Ebonyi state, Nigeria.

Role of transport and marketing in enhancing agricultural production in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Nigeria was studied. A multi stage sampling procedure was used to select   300 respondents for the detailed study. A structured questionnaire was used to elicit information from the respondents. Data collected were analyzed  using of chi-square. The results show that head carrying, use of wheel barrows, bicycles, motor van, keke, donkeys, and motor cycles were various traditional modes of transportation for inter local transport of agricultural products. Furthermore, the result reveals that producers, retailers, consumers, wholesalers and processors were the marketing channels in the study area. Additionally, transportation and marketing have greatly enhanced the growth of agricultural production in the study area , despite existing problems such as bad roads, high cost of transport, few vehicles, poor drainage channels, culverts, few bridges and poverty. Also, the solutions to the identified problems were giving out loans to farmers, construction and repairs of roads, use of rail, mass transit, encouraging farmers’ cooperative societies and processing centres. However, If these solutions to the problems could be entrenched into policy framework at the three tiers of the governments, high returns in agriculture will  ensue. This will boost the contributions of agricultural sector to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP),which could translate to  better standard of living.Keywords:  Role, Transportation, Marketing, Enhancing, Agricultural productio

Determinants of child Labour in Crop Production (A Case Study of Anambra State of Nigeria).

Determinants of child Labour use among rural household crop farmers in Anambra State of Nigeria were studied. A multistage random sampling technique was used to select one hundred (100) respondents for the detailed study. A structured questionnaire was used to elicit information from the respondents for the study. Percentage response was used to capture objective i and iii.  Objective ii was capture using Probit model analysis.  The result showed that majority of the respondents were married, youthful, had moderate household size, educated and highly experienced in farming. The determinant factors to the use of child labour among rural household were relationship between the child and household heads, access to credit and educational level.  The major operations accomplished by the children in the study area were bird scaring, fertilizer application and planting. The child right act should be enforced by appropriate government agencies and the offenders brought to book, free education to all children and social mobilization on change of attitude to use of child labour were recommended. Keywords; Determinants, Child Labour, Crop Production, Anambra  State, Nigeri

How does Extinction Rebellion engage with climate justice? A case study of XR Norwich

Extinction Rebellion (XR) has rapidly risen to prominence in the last two years, but in part because of the group’s meteoric rise, there are relatively few academic analyses of it. This paper draws on collective-action framing theory to examine the engagement of one XR group–XR Norwich–with notions of climate justice. Drawing on ten in-depth interviews conducted in mid-2019, it argues that despite general concern for the global South, XR Norwich members mostly framed climate change in terms more reminiscent of mainstream environmental policy makers, rather than the radical climate justice movement. This raises questions about the extent to which XR Norwich engages their members on climate justice concerns, whether XR Norwich is more concerned with generating appeal instead of offering radical solutions, and whether such a strategy might lead to factionalism within the broader XR movement

Acute low-intensity cycling with blood-flow restriction has no effect on metabolic signaling in human skeletal muscle compared to traditional exercise

Purpose Autophagy is an intracellular degradative system sensitive to hypoxia and exercise-induced perturbations to cellular bioenergetics. We determined the effects of low-intensity endurance-based exercise performed with blood-flow restriction (BFR) on cell signaling adaptive responses regulating autophagy and substrate metabolism in human skeletal muscle. Methods In a randomized cross-over design, nine young, healthy but physically inactive males completed three experimental trials separated by 1 week of recovery consisting of either a resistance exercise bout (REX: 4 × 10 leg press repetitions, 70% 1-RM), endurance exercise (END: 30 min cycling, 70% VO2peak), or low-intensity cycling with BFR (15 min, 40% VO2peak). A resting muscle biopsy was obtained from the vastus lateralis 2 weeks prior to the first exercise trial and 3 h after each exercise bout. Results END increased ULK1Ser757 phosphorylation above rest and BFR (~37 to 51%, P < 0.05). Following REX, there were significant elevations compared to rest (~348%) and BFR (~973%) for p38γ MAPKThr180/Tyr182 phosphorylation (P < 0.05). Parkin content was lower following BFR cycling compared to REX (~20%, P < 0.05). There were no exercise-induced changes in select markers of autophagy following BFR. Genes implicated in substrate metabolism (HK2 and PDK4) were increased above rest (~143 to 338%) and BFR cycling (~212 to 517%) with END (P < 0.001). Conclusion A single bout of low-intensity cycling with BFR is insufficient to induce intracellular “stress” responses (e.g., high rates of substrate turnover and local hypoxia) necessary to activate skeletal muscle autophagy signaling

Glenn Extreme Environments Rig (GEER) Independent Review

The Chief of the Space Science Project Office at Glenn Research Center (GRC) requested support from the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) to satisfy a request from the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Associate Administrator and the Planetary Science Division Chief to obtain an independent review of the Glenn Extreme Environments Rig (GEER) and the operational controls in place for mitigating any hazard associated with its operation. This document contains the outcome of the NESC assessment

Transcriptomic and epigenetic responses to short-term nutrient-exercise stress in humans

Abstract High fat feeding impairs skeletal muscle metabolic flexibility and induces insulin resistance, whereas exercise training exerts positive effects on substrate handling and improves insulin sensitivity. To identify the genomic mechanisms by which exercise ameliorates some of the deleterious effects of high fat feeding, we investigated the transcriptional and epigenetic response of human skeletal muscle to 9 days of a high-fat diet (HFD) alone (Sed-HFD) or in combination with resistance exercise (Ex-HFD), using genome-wide profiling of gene expression and DNA methylation. HFD markedly induced expression of immune and inflammatory genes, which was not attenuated by Ex. Conversely, Ex markedly remodelled expression of genes associated with muscle growth and structure. We detected marked DNA methylation changes following HFD alone and in combination with Ex. Among the genes that showed a significant association between DNA methylation and gene expression changes were PYGM, which was epigenetically regulated in both groups, and ANGPTL4, which was regulated only following Ex. In conclusion, while short-term Ex did not prevent a HFD-induced inflammatory response, it provoked a genomic response that may protect skeletal muscle from atrophy. These epigenetic adaptations provide mechanistic insight into the gene-specific regulation of inflammatory and metabolic processes in human skeletal muscle

Protein coingestion with alcohol following strenuous exercise attenuates alcohol-induced intramyocellular apoptosis and inhibition of autophagy

Alcohol ingestion decreases postexercise rates of muscle protein synthesis, but the mechanism(s) (e.g., increased protein breakdown) underlying this observation is unknown. Autophagy is an intracellular “recycling” system required for homeostatic substrate and organelle turnover; its dysregulation may provoke apoptosis and lead to muscle atrophy. We investigated the acute effects of alcohol ingestion on autophagic cell signaling responses to a bout of concurrent (combined resistance- and endurance-based) exercise. In a randomized crossover design, eight physically active males completed three experimental trials of concurrent exercise with either postexercise ingestion of alcohol and carbohydrate (12 ± 2 standard drinks; ALC-CHO), energy-matched alcohol and protein (ALC-PRO), or protein (PRO) only. Muscle biopsies were taken at rest and 2 and 8 h postexercise. Select autophagy-related gene (Atg) proteins decreased compared with rest with ALC-CHO (P < 0.05) but not ALC-PRO. There were parallel increases (P < 0.05) in p62 and PINK1 commensurate with a reduction in BNIP3 content, indicating a diminished capacity for mitochondria-specific autophagy (mitophagy) when alcohol and carbohydrate were coingested. DNA fragmentation increased in both alcohol conditions (P < 0.05); however, nuclear AIF accumulation preceded this apoptotic response with ALC-CHO only (P < 0.05). In contrast, increases in the nuclear content of p53, TFEB, and PGC-1α in ALC-PRO were accompanied by markers of mitochondrial biogenesis at the transcriptional (Tfam, SCO2, and NRF-1) and translational (COX-IV, ATPAF1, and VDAC1) level (P < 0.05). We conclude that alcohol ingestion following exercise triggers apoptosis, whereas the anabolic properties of protein coingestion may stimulate mitochondrial biogenesis to protect cellular homeostasis

Early progressive renal decline precedes the onset of microalbuminuria and its progression to macroalbuminuria

OBJECTIVE Progressive decrease in the glomerular filtration rate (GFR), or renal decline, in type 1 diabetes (T1D) is observed in patients with macroalbuminuria. However, it is unknown whether this decline begins during microalbuminuria (MA) or normoalbuminuria (NA). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The study group (second Joslin Kidney Study) comprises patients with T1D and NA (n = 286) or MA (n = 248) who were followed for 4-10 years (median 8 years). Serial measurements (median 6, range 3–16) of serum creatinine and cystatin C were used jointly to estimate GFR (eGFRcr-cys) and assess its trajectories during follow-up. RESULTS Renal decline (progressive eGFRcr-cys loss of at least 3.3% per year) occurred in 10% of the NA and 35% of the MA (P , 0.001). In both groups, the strongest determinants of renal decline were baseline serum concentrations of uric acid (P , 0.001) and tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 or 2 (TNFR-1 or -2, P , 0.001). Other significant risk factors included baseline HbA1c, age/diabetes duration, and systolic blood pressure. Relative impacts of these determinants were similar in NA and MA. Renal decline was not associated with sex or baseline serum concentration of TNF-a, IL-6, IL-8, IP-10, MCP-1, VCAM, ICAM, Fas, or FasL. CONCLUSIONS Renal decline in T1D begins during NA and it is determined by multiple factors, similar to MA. Thus, this early decline is the primary disease process leading to impaired renal function in T1D. Changes in albumin excretion rate, such as the onset of MA or its progression to macroalbuminuria, are either caused by or develop in parallel to the early renal declin

Dynamic proteome profiling of individual proteins in human skeletal muscle after a high-fat diet and resistance exercise.

It is generally accepted that muscle adaptation to resistance exercise (REX) training is underpinned by contraction-induced, increased rates of protein synthesis and dietary protein availability. By using dynamic proteome profiling (DPP), we investigated the contribution of both synthesis and breakdown to changes in abundance on a protein-by-protein basis in human skeletal muscle. Age-matched, overweight males consumed 9 d of a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet during which time they either undertook 3 sessions of REX or performed no exercise. Precursor enrichment and the rate of incorporation of deuterium oxide into newly synthesized muscle proteins were determined by mass spectrometry. Ninety proteins were included in the DPP, with 28 proteins exhibiting significant responses to REX. The most common pattern of response was an increase in turnover, followed by an increase in abundance with no detectable increase in protein synthesis. Here, we provide novel evidence that demonstrates that the contribution of synthesis and breakdown to changes in protein abundance induced by REX differ on a protein-by-protein basis. We also highlight the importance of the degradation of individual muscle proteins after exercise in human skeletal muscle.-Camera, D. M., Burniston, J. G., Pogson, M. A., Smiles, W. J., Hawley, J. A. Dynamic proteome profiling of individual proteins in human skeletal muscle after a high-fat diet and resistance exercise

Resonant Ta Doping for Enhanced Mobility in Transparent Conducting SnO2

Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) are ubiquitous in modern consumer electronics. SnO2 is an earth abundant, cheaper alternative to In2O3 as a TCO. However, its performance in terms of mobilities and conductivities lags behind that of In2O3. On the basis of the recent discovery of mobility and conductivity enhancements in In2O3 from resonant dopants, we use a combination of state-of-the-art hybrid density functional theory calculations, high resolution photoelectron spectroscopy, and semiconductor statistics modeling to understand what is the optimal dopant to maximize performance of SnO2-based TCOs. We demonstrate that Ta is the optimal dopant for high performance SnO2, as it is a resonant dopant which is readily incorporated into SnO2 with the Ta 5d states sitting ∼1.4 eV above the conduction band minimum. Experimentally, the band edge electron effective mass of Ta doped SnO2 was shown to be 0.23m0, compared to 0.29m0 seen with conventional Sb doping, explaining its ability to yield higher mobilities and conductivities