Genotypic Differences in the Temperature Responses of Tropical Crops: III. LIGHT INTERCEPTION AND DRY MATTER PRODUCTION OF PEARL MILLET (PENNISETUM TYPHOIDES S. & H.)

Mohamed, H. A., Clark, J. A. and Ong, C. K. 1988. Genotypicdifferences in the temperature responses of tropical crops.III. Light interception and dry matter production of pearl millet(Pennisetum typhoides S. & H.).—J. exp. Bot. 39: 1137–1143. Leaf area development, light interception and dry matter productionof four contrasting pearl millet cultivars were investigatedat mean air temperatures of 19.5, 21, 26 and 31?C. Growth wasslowest as 19.5?C and fastest at 31?C. The canopies of the cultivarsvaried considerably with regard to their light transmissioncoefficients (K₁), from 0.47 for Sanio to 0.23 for Oasis andin their mean efficiency of energy conversion (e), from 1.0to 2.7 g MJ^–1. The ranking of the cultivars in these respectsis consistent with those for germination and early establishmentand early establishment reported in the preceding papers. Key words: Light, dry matter production, millet     

The prevalence and correlates of DSM-IV disorders in the Iraq Mental Health Survey (IMHS)

Data on the prevalence and correlates of anxiety, mood, behavioral, and substance disorders are presented from a 2007-8 national survey of the Iraq population, the Iraq Mental Health Survey (IMHS). The IMHS was carried out by the Iraq Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Iraq Ministry of Planning and the World Health Organization (WHO) World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative. Interviews were administered to a probability sample of Iraqi household residents by trained lay interviewers. The WHO Composite International Diagnostic interview (CIDI) was used to assess DSM-IV disorders. The response rate was 95.2%. The estimated lifetime prevalence of any disorder was 18.8%. Cohort analysis documented significantly increasing lifetime prevalence of most disorders across generations. This was most pronounced for panic disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, with lifetime-to-date prevalence 5.4-5.3 times as high at comparable ages in the youngest (ages 18-34) as oldest (ages 65+) cohorts. Anxiety disorders were the most common class of disorders (13.8%) and major depressive disorder (MDD) the most common disorder (7.2%). Twelve-month prevalence of any disorder was 13.6%, with 42.1% of cases classified mild, 36.0% moderate, and 21.9% serious. The disorders most often classified serious were bipolar disorder (76.9%) and substance-related disorders (54.9%). Socio-demographic correlates were generally consistent with international epidemiological surveys, with the two exceptions of no significant gender differences in mood disorders and positive correlations of anxiety and mood disorders with education. Only 2.2% of IMHS respondents reported receiving treatment for emotional problems in the 12 months before interview, including 23.7% of those with serious, 9.2% with moderate, and 5.3% with mild disorders and 0.9% of other respondents. Most healthcare treatment, which was roughly equally distributed between the general medical and specialty sectors, was of low intensity. Further analyses of barriers to seeking treatment are needed to inform government efforts to expand the detection and treatment of mental disorders     

Effects of physico-chemical treatments on hemagglutination activity of Anopheles gambiae haemolymph and midgut extract

Abstract. Anopheles gambiae midgut extracts and haemolymph possessed agglutinins, titre 1:16 to 1:256, against human red blood cells (RBCs). Subjection of both tissues to protein precipitation reagents, organic chemical and selected protease, neuraminidase and other glycosidic hydrolase treatments revealed the haemagglutinins to be protein, most likely glycoprotein, in nature - not lipoprotein, lipid, glycolipid or nucleic acid. An.gambiae agglutinins were thermo-labile >40^oC, affected by freezing and thawing treatments, and contained disulphide and hydrogen bonds on the basis of sensitivity following exposure to dithio-threitol and urea respectively. Optimum haemagglutination depended generally on slightly acid to neutral pH conditions and agglutinin activity was Ca²⁺ ion, albeit to a lesser extent Mg²⁺ ion, dependent. The midgut extract agglutinin subunit molecule had a relative molecular weight (M_r) of 65kDa whilst that of haemolymph was 40kDa.
This study presents the first report on selected physico-chemical properties, the glycoproteinaceous nature and tentative subunit M_r of mosquito midgut extract and haemolymph anti-RBC agglutinin(s).     

DNA Fingerprinting of Trypanosoma vivax Isolates Rapidly Identifies Intraspecific Relationships

ABSTRACT. Using the polymerase chain reaction and arbitrarily selected oligonucleotide primers of 10 or 11 bases, we have amplified DNA sequences from Trypanosoma vivax parasites isolated from South America and Africa. On the basis of polymorphisms in the DNA fingerprints generated by three of the primers, the parasites could be separated into two major groups, one comprising T. vivax isolates from Kenya and the second including all the other T. vivax parasites (from Colombia, The Gambia, Nigeria and Uganda). One of these three primers (ILo 525) also gave isolate-specific DNA fingerprints for the parasites for the parasites tested, which will allow the use of this technique both in the species identification and discrimination of T. vivax parasites.     

Dermal Bioavailability of Toluene Aged in Soil

When organic chemicals age in soil, they can become more sequestered with time and less bioavailable. The impact of aging in soil was assessed on the dermal bioavailability of toluene. Comparisons were made between the dermal bioavailability of toluene aged in two soils (Atsion and Keyport) for 3 months, toluene in freshly spiked soil, and toluene without soil (pure chemical). In vitro flow-through diffusion cell methodology measured the amount of radioactive chemical that penetrated dermatomed male pig skin into receptor fluid, and that was detected in skin following soap and water decontamination. Volatilization reduced the amount of toluene that was available for skin penetration. Therefore, relative to the available dose, the total penetration of pure toluene (sum of the dose in the receptor fluid and skin) was 93%. The majority of pure toluene was found in skin (82%). The dermal bioavailability of non-aged and aged toluene was decreased to 4–6% and 3–4% of the available dose, respectively. The data suggest that there would be a lower potential risk to human health from dermal exposure to toluene in soil. However, lower soil loading and longer aging time are needed to quantitate the risk.