Response to drought among farmers and herders in southern Kajiado District,Kenya

From 1972 to 1976 rainfall in Kajiado District of Kenya was below normal. The capacity of the farming and herding systems to cope with the consequent reduction in production is discussed within a context of changing land-use patterns and altered resource availability. It is concluded that land-use planning to allocate the available land and water resources and to promote off-farm employment is required to reduce the vulnerability of the population to future drought conditions.     

Lencopathie und andere Ab?nderungen der Normalf?rbung bei V?geln

Ohne ZusammenfassungVergl. Naumannia. 1852, II, S. 40, und 1853, II, S. 154.     

Oxidation-reduction potential dependence of low-temperature photoreactions of chloroplast Photosystem II

The light-induced free-radical signal of Photosystem II (observed after illumination at 77 °K) has been studied in chloroplasts as a function of the oxidation-reduction potential established prior to freezing. The intensity of the light-induced signal is unchanged in the potential region of +590 mV to +760 mV. At higher potential (+850 mV), there is a 30% decrease in signal intensity. The light-induced signal decreases to zero in the low-potential region, with a midpoint potential of +475 mV. These results are considered in terms of a Photosystem II reaction-center complex in which the light-induced free-radical signal arises from the oxidized form of the reaction-center chlorophyll, and this chlorophyll molecule is capable of being reduced at liquid-nitrogen temperature by a secondary electron donor which has a midpoint oxidation-reduction potential of +475 mV.     

Intraperitoneal injection of chloral hydrate causes intra-abdominal adhesions and unilateral testicular atrophy in golden Syrian hamsters.

We investigated the reason for the high mortality we had observed in hypophysectomized-orchidectomized Golden Syrian hamsters that were anesthetized with intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of chloral hydrate (CH). Intact male Golden Syrian hamsters were injected intraperitoneally with 0.1cc/100g BW of a 35% solution of CH, a 35% solution of sodium chloride, or double-distilled water. Equal numbers of hamsters in each group were injected on the right or left side of the abdomen. Within 10 days, 35% of the CH-injected hamsters were dead or had to be euthanized. Autopsy revealed severe peritonitis and adynamic ileus. CH-injected hamsters that survived gained weight at a rate similar to that of the controls. All surviving hamsters were killed 18 days after the injections. Among the surviving CH-injected hamsters, 84.6% had intra-abdominal adhesions, 61.5% had unilateral testicular atrophy, and 53.8% had a yellowish necrotic mass in the epididymal fat pad (EFP). All the lesions occurred on the side that was injected. The atrophied testes had been rendered cryptorchid due to involvement with intra-abdominal adhesions. In the water-treated controls, there were no abnormalities; whereas, in the saline controls, 75% had a mass in the EFP. Histology of the EFP mass was similar in hamsters injected with CH or hypertonic saline and suggested a diagnosis of fat necrosis. The results suggest that the mortality, the intra-abdominal adhesions, and the unilateral cryptorchidism were caused by a single i.p. injection of CH, but the fat necrosis in the EFP was probably caused by high concentrations of salt. The results further suggest that high concentrations of CH should not be injected intraperitoneally for anesthesia in chronic studies, particularly of the male reproductive system.