Application of agroforestry to African crop-livestock farming systems

Discusses the potential of leguminous trees to increase crop-livestock production in sub-Saharan Africa. Describes major management issues influencing tree introduction and contributions to the system. Gives a detailed account of the management techniques suitable for different agro-ecological zones

The role of legumes in farming systems of sub-Saharan Africa

Discusses the role of legumes in the farming systems of sub-Saharan Africa and the existing farming systems in two agroclimatic zones, viz, humid and semi-arid, and Sudano-Sahelian zone; also discusses factors affecting management

Fabrication and optimisation of a fused filament 3D-printed microfluidic platform

A 3D-printed microfluidic device was designed and manufactured using a low cost ($2000) consumer grade fusion deposition modelling (FDM) 3D printer. FDM printers are not typically used, or are capable, of producing the fine detailed structures required for microfluidic fabrication. However, in this work, the optical transparency of the device was improved through manufacture optimisation to such a point that optical colorimetric assays can be performed in a 50 µl device. A colorimetric enzymatic cascade assay was optimised using glucose oxidase and horseradish peroxidase for the oxidative coupling of aminoantipyrine and chromotropic acid to produce a blue quinoneimine dye with a broad absorbance peaking at 590 nm for the quantification of glucose in solution. For comparison the assay was run in standard 96 well plates with a commercial plate reader. The results show the accurate and reproducible quantification of 0–10 mM glucose solution using a 3D-printed microfluidic optical device with performance comparable to that of a plate reader assay

Biodesulfurization of dibenzothiophene by Shewanella putrefaciens NCIMB 8768

The desulfurization ability of Shewanella putrefaciens strain NCIMB 8768 was studied and its activity profile was compared with the widely studied strain Rhodococcus erythropolis strain IGTS8. Dibenzothiophene (DBT) is a recalcitrant thiophenic component of fossil fuels especially among diesel blend stocks. DBT in basic salt medium (BSM) at a final concentration of 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 mM was supplied to the microbes as the sole sulfur source. Experimental results showed that S. putrefaciens, similar to other biodesulfurization organisms, converted DBT to the end product 2-hydroxybiphenyl (HBP), as detected by the Gibbs assay and HPLC. Cells cultivated in medium containing 0.3 mM of DBT showed the highest desulfurization activity, with a maximum specific production rate 43.5 mmol/L of HBP

The Spatial Correlation of Bent-Tail Galaxies and Galaxy Clusters

We have completed a deep radio continuum survey covering 86 square degrees of the Spitzer-South Pole Telescope deep field to test whether bent-tail galaxies are associated with galaxy clusters. We present a new catalogue of 22 bent-tail galaxies and a further 24 candidate bent-tail galaxies. Surprisingly, of the 8 bent-tail galaxies with photometric redshifts, only two are associated with known clusters. While the absence of bent-tail sources in known clusters may be explained by effects such as sensitivity, the absence of known clusters associated with most bent-tail galaxies casts doubt upon current models of bent-tail galaxies.Comment: Accepted by MNRA

Allelic variants of KLK2 gene predict presence of prostate cancer at biopsy

Objective: Several single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with prostate cancer risk have been reported in recent years. We evaluated polymorphisms in the human glandular kallikrein 2 (KLK2) genes because the protein product of this gene is known to be increased in prostate cancer. Materials and methods: Blood samples were collected from sixty patients who underwent prostate biopsy sectioning, and from their genomic DNA the SNPs in KLK2 gene were investigated by direct DNA sequencing. Another 138 archived prostate tissue sections were also evaluated using the TaqMan SNP genotyping assay. Results: Eighteen known SNPs were identified in the KLK2 gene. The SNPs were located in introns, coding exons and untranslated regions of the gene. Further analysis showed that two of the SNPs were associated with prostate disease. The T/T allele of rs198977 was significantly predictive of the presence of prostate cancer at biopsy and was also associated with high tumour grade. The A/A allele of rs2664155 was also significantly associated with the presence of benign hyperplasia at biopsy. Conclusion: Our results support previous reports of association of the rs198977 SNP with prostate cancer risk and also indicated a link with the disease phenotype. However, the second SNP (rs2664155) was more associated with benign hyperplasia than prostate cancer risk. The method of TaqMan SNP genotyping could be clinically useful in genetic screening and risk stratification of patients for prostate diseases

DBT degradation enhancement by decorating Rhodococcus erythropolis IGST8 with magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles

Biodesulfurization (BDS) of dibenzothiophene (DBT) was carried out by Rhodococcus erythropolis IGST8 decorated with magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles, synthesized in-house by a chemical method, with an average size of 45-50 nm, in order to facilitate the post-reaction separation of the bacteria from the reaction mixture. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the magnetic nanoparticles substantially coated the surfaces of the bacteria. It was found that the decorated cells had a 56% higher DBT desulfurization activity in basic salt medium (BSM) compared to the nondecorated cells. We propose that this is due to permeabilization of the bacterial membrane, facilitating the entry and exit of reactant and product, respectively. Model experiments with black lipid membranes (BLM) demonstrated that the nanoparticles indeed enhance membrane permeability

ISO observations of M8, the Lagoon nebula

In this paper, IRAS, ISO, and molecular line observations of the M8 and M8E sources in the Lagoon Nebula are reported