Hepatic effects of tartrazine (E 102) after systemic exposure are independent of oestrogen receptor interactions in the mouse

Tartrazine is a food colour that activates the transcriptional function of the human oestrogen receptor alpha in an in vitro cell model. Since oestrogens are cholestatic, we hypothesised tartrazine will cause periportal injury to the liver in vivo. To test this hypothesis, tartrazine was initially administered systemically to mice resulting in a periportal recruitment of inflammatory cells, increased serum alkaline phosphatase activity and mild periportal fibrosis. To determine whether an oestrogenic effect may be a key event in this response, tartrazine, sulphonated metabolites and a food additive contaminant were screened for their ability to interact with murine oestrogen receptors. In all cases, there were no interactions as agonists or antagonists and further, no oestrogenicity was observed with tartrazine in an in vivo uterine growth assay. To examine the relevance of the hepatic effects of tartrazine to its use as a food additive, tartrazine was orally administered to transgenic NF-κB-Luc mice. Pre- and concurrent oral treatment with alcohol was incorporated given its potential to promote gut permeability and hepatic inflammation. Tartrazine alone induced NF- κB activities in the colon and liver but there was no periportal recruitment of inflammatory cells or fibrosis. Tartrazine, its sulphonated metabolites and the contaminant inhibited sulphotransferase activities in murine hepatic S9 extracts. Given the role of sulfotransferases in bile acid excretion, the initiating event giving rise to periportal inflammation and subsequent hepatic pathology through systemic tartrazine exposure is therefore potentially associated an inhibition of bile acid sulphation and excretion and not on oestrogen receptor-mediated transcriptional function. However, these effects were restricted to systemic exposures to tartrazine and did not occur to any significant effect after oral exposure

Fertility, Living Arrangements, Care and Mobility

There are four main interconnecting themes around which the contributions in this book are based. This introductory chapter aims to establish the broad context for the chapters that follow by discussing each of the themes. It does so by setting these themes within the overarching demographic challenge of the twenty-first century – demographic ageing. Each chapter is introduced in the context of the specific theme to which it primarily relates and there is a summary of the data sets used by the contributors to illustrate the wide range of cross-sectional and longitudinal data analysed

Gendering the careers of young professionals: some early findings from a longitudinal study. in Organizing/theorizing: developments in organization theory and practice

Wonders whether companies actually have employees best interests at heart across physical, mental and spiritual spheres. Posits that most organizations ignore their workforce – not even, in many cases, describing workers as assets! Describes many studies to back up this claim in theis work based on the 2002 Employment Research Unit Annual Conference, in Cardiff, Wales

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Highlights ► The APSIM model has been parameterized and validated for soybean–wheat cropping system of central India. ► Data on water, N uptake, grain yield and soil organic C from an ongoing long-term experiment was used for validation. ► The model was parameterized for FYM by specifying the N mineralized from the manure in the laboratory incubation. ► The model predicted successfully grain yield and N uptake under FYM treatment under field condition.In recent years, nutrient management of soybean–wheat systems in central India has become a cause for concern because of stagnation of grain yields of soybean and wheat. The reduction in grain yield was mainly attributed to a suboptimal supply of nutrients to both the crops, use of poor quality farmyard manures and erratic distribution of rainfall during soybean's growing season and unavailability of irrigation water during wheat season. In this connection, the crop growth simulation models are handy in identifying the constraints to yield and recommending appropriate management practices to optimize the productivity of soybean–wheat system. To achieve this, the APSIM model was parameterized and validated for soybean and wheat crop of subtropical central India. Independent data set was used to parameterize soybean cultivar (JS 335) and wheat cultivar (Sujata) to be used for APSIM simulation. Genetic coefficient generated from this study was used for subsequent model validation. The data on water use, N uptake, grain yield and soil organic C from an ongoing long-term experiment was used for validation purpose. Three nutrient treatments, viz., control (no nutrient), inorganic (recommended rate) and FYM (8 t ha−1 to soybean and 16 t ha−1 to wheat) were used to validate the APSIM model. For organic treatments, we simulated N management using the FYM as the source of plant available N under field condition. The model was parameterized by specifying the N mineralized from the manure in the laboratory incubation. The model predicted successfully grain yield and N uptake under FYM treatments in soybean and wheat. For other treatments, model prediction was satisfactory in most of the cases in simulating water and organic carbon, grain yield and N uptake by both the crops. The discrepancy observed between the observed and predicted yield in the control under soybean was due to the P limiting condition of the treatment rather than the model. The predicted variability of crop yield was also due to the variation of weather during soybean growing season and amount of irrigation and N used during wheat growing season. Therefore, this APSIM simulation study can satisfactorily be used to make appropriate management decisions to provide farmers and others with alternative options for nutrient management for soybean–wheat cropping systemsNot Availabl

Modelling the role of algae in rice crop nutrition and soil organic carbon maintenance

Photosynthetic aquatic biomass (PAB – algae and other floodwater flora) is a significant source of organic carbon (C) in rice-based cropping systems. A portion of PAB is capable of fixing nitrogen (N), and is hence also a source of N for crop nutrition. To account for this phenomenon in long term simulation studies of rice-based cropping systems, the APSIM modelling framework was modified to include new descriptions of biological and chemical processes responsible for loss and gain of C and N in rice floodwater. We used well-tested algorithms from CERES-Rice, together with new conceptualizations for algal dynamics, in modelling the contribution of PAB to maintenance of soil organic C and soil N-supplying capacity in rice-based cropping systems. We demonstrate how our new conceptualization of PAB growth, turnover, and soil incorporation in flooded rice systems facilitates successful simulation of long-term soil fertility trials, such as the IRRI Long Term Continuous Cropping Experiment (35+ years), from the perspectives of both soil organic carbon levels and yield maintenance. Previous models have been unable to account for the observed maintenance of soil organic C in these systems, primarily due to ignoring inputs from PAB as a source of C. The performance of long-term rice cropping system simulations, with and without inclusion of these inputs, is shown to be radically different. Details of our modifications to APSIM are presented, together with evidence that the model is now a useful tool to investigate sustainability issues associated with management change in rice-based cropping systems

Simulation analysis of lucerne–wheat crop rotation on the Loess Plateau of Northern China

The Agricultural Production System Simulator (APSIM) was parameterised and tested against datasets from two field experiments being conducted on Heilu soil at the Qingyang Research Station, Gansu, China as to investigate long-term lucerne productivity and management options of reducing impact of lucerne on winter wheat yield in a lucerne–wheatrotation system. With minimal parameterisation and configuration of the APSIM-Lucerne module, APSIM was able to simulate phenological development and seasonal growth of winter-dormant lucerne cultivar, Longdong compared with the observed data. Flowering date was accurately simulated using the established relationship between accumulated thermal time and mean photo period. After the APSIM-Lucerne module was configured for the seasonal variation in RUE (radiation use efficiency), the model simulated lucerne seasonal biomass production over three growing seasons in the continuous lucerne treatment with a root mean squared deviation (RMSD) of 1132 kg/ha (30% of the mean observed biomass). In the treatment where lucerne was removed in August 2001 and two winter wheatcrops were sown and harvested in 2001/2002 and 2002/2003 growing seasons, APSIM simulated winter wheatcrop biomass in both growing seasons with a RMSD of 1420 kg/ha (20% of the mean observed crop biomass). Wheat grain yield was simulated with a RMSD of 918 kg/ha (27% of the mean observed grain yield). Using measurements of drained upper limit (DUL) and lower limit (LL), and standard soil evaporation and runoff parameters, the model was able to simulate soil water dynamics and water use by lucerne in the lucerne-fallow, continuous lucerne and lucerne–wheat treatments. The long-term simulation suggested that under local climatic conditions, lucerne could produce 11,000 kg/ha biomass annually. The simulation also indicated that integrating lucerne with annual cropping could potentially reduce runoff and early removal improved soil water storage prior to sowing winter wheat and optimise wheat yield following lucerne in a lucerne – wheat rotation system. The findings from these long-term simulations suggest there is need to develop management strategies when lucerne is integrated with annual cropping system to improve soil water use and reduce runoff. There is also need to consider a balance between sustaining wheat yield and providing feed for livestock when developing management strategies for timing of lucerne removal and cropping option in lucerne-based rotation systems. The successful test of APSIM will give local researchers confidence to use the tool exploring cropping system issues in Northern China

The properties and management of vertisols

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:q90/05247(Properties) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo