Harnessing the sun for an evergreen revolution: a study of solar-powered irrigation in Bihar,India

In 2012, the government of Bihar revived 34 non-functioning public tubewells using solar panels. The performance of 16 of these wells over 12 months was tracked and analyzed using data from tubewell operators and 240 farmers. Access to affordable irrigation from solar pumps led to a 9–10% increase in productivity of rice and wheat. Furthermore, in a severe drought, farmers could grow paddy in the entire area irrigated by solar pumps, when nearly 40% of other land was left fallow. Solar pumps can help increase crop productivity, reduce the cost of irrigation, and make agriculture more resilient to climate change.     

Endogenous synthesis of arginine plays an important role in maintaining arginine homeostasis in postweaning growing pigs

This study was conducted to determine whether endogenous synthesis of arginine plays a role in regulating arginine homeostasis in postweaning pigs. Pigs were fed a sorghum-based diet containing 0. 98% arginine and were used for studies at 75 d of age (28.4 kg body weight). Mitochondria were prepared from the jejunum and other major tissues for measuring the activities of Delta1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate (P5C) synthase and proline oxidase (enzymes catalyzing P5C synthesis from glutamate and proline, respectively) and of ornithine aminotransferase (OAT) (the enzyme catalyzing the interconversion of P5C into ornithine). For metabolic studies, jejunal enterocytes were incubated at 37 degrees C for 30 min in Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate buffer containing 2 mmol/L L-glutamine, 2 mmol/L L-[U-14C]proline, and 0-200 micromol/L gabaculine (an inhibitor of OAT). The activities of P5C synthase, proline oxidase and OAT were greatest in enterocytes among all of the tissues studied. Incubation of enterocytes with gabaculine resulted in decreases (P < 0.05) in the synthesis of ornithine and citrulline from glutamine and proline. When gabaculine was orally administered to pigs (0.83 mg/kg body weight) to inhibit intestinal synthesis of citrulline from glutamine and proline, plasma concentrations of citrulline (-26%) and arginine (-22%) decreased (P < 0.05), whereas those of alanine (+21%), ornithine (+17%), proline (+107%), taurine (+56%) and branched-chain amino acids (+21-40%) increased (P < 0.05). On the basis of dietary arginine intake and estimated arginine utilization, the endogenous synthesis of arginine in the 28-kg pig provided >/=50.2% of total daily arginine requirement. Taken together, our results suggest an important role for endogenous synthesis of arginine in regulating arginine homeostasis in postweaning growing pigs, as previously shown in neonatal pigs.     

The coming of age of agroforestry

The success of modern agricultural and forestry production can be largely attributed to monoculture systems using a few select species. In the drive for maximizing yield and profit, the age‐old tradition of using combined farming systems was essentially avoided and in some cases this has resulted in environmental problems such as land and water degradation and increased land clearing. During the last 30 years, however, the positive benefits of agroforestry to the producer and the environment have been increasingly recognized. Combining trees and crops in spatial or temporal arrangements has been shown to improve food and nutritional security and mitigate environmental degradation, offering a sustainable alternative to monoculture production. By providing supportive and complimentary roles with a flexible approach, agroforestry can offer specific social and environmental benefits across a range of landscapes and economies. More research and effort is needed to explore the full potential of agroforestry applications and to fuel awareness. As the plethora of benefits of agroforestry are realized, modern land‐use systems are evolving towards a more sustainable and holistic approach to land management. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Superantigen activation of immune cells evokes epithelial (T84) transport and barrier abnormalities via IFN-gamma and TNF alpha: inhibition of increased permeability, but not diminished secretory responses by TGF-beta2

Superantigens (SAgs) are extremely potent stimulants of T cell activity that have been implicated in the etiopathophysiology of inflammatory disease. Here, we tested the hypothesis that Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin B (SEB), a model SAg, can alter epithelial transport and/or barrier functions via immune stimulation. Confluent monolayers of the human colonic T84 epithelial cell line, grown on filter supports, were cocultured with SEB +/- PBMC. Subsequently, T84 transport (consisting of baseline short-circuit current (Isc, indicates net ion transport) and secretory responses to carbachol and forskolin) and barrier functions (consisting of transepithelial resistance and fluxes of 3H-labeled mannitol and 51Cr-EDTA) were examined in Ussing chambers. T84 monolayers cocultured with SEB-activated PBMC displayed a time- and dose-dependent decrease in secretory responses to carbachol and forskolin and a significant increase in permeability. These dramatic changes in epithelial function were not due to reduced epithelial viability. Neutralizing Abs to IFN-gamma partially prevented the transport abnormalities, and Abs to TNF-alpha inhibited the increase in epithelial permeability. Abs to IL-1beta and IL-6 did not modulate the SEB-activated PBMC-induced T84 pathophysiology. Addition of TGF-beta2 to conditioned medium from SEB-activated PBMC partially inhibited the increase in T84 permeability but did not affect the transport abnormalities. We conclude that SAgs can elicit epithelial irregularities characteristic of enteric inflammation and that IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha are key mediators in this coculture model of epithelial dysfunction. Additionally, we would highlight the role that TGF-beta2 may play in preventing prolonged increases in epithelial permeability.