Anatomical studies on water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms) under the influence of textile wastewater

Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms) is a prolific free floating aquatic macrohpyte found in tropical and subtropical parts of the earth. The effects of pollutants from textile wastewater on the anatomy of the plant were studied. Water hyacinth exhibits hydrophytic adaptations which include reduced epidermis cells lacking cuticle in most cases, presence of large air spaces (7∼50 μm), reduced vascular tissue and absorbing structures. Textile waste significantly affected the size of root cells. The presence of raphide crystals was noted in parenchyma cells of various organs in treated plants. Project (No. 30070017) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China     

Urinary iodine levels in three ecological zones of Bangladesh

Urinary iodine levels in children (5–11 years) and in adult males and females (15–44 years) of three ecological zones (hilly, flood-prone and plains) of Bangladesh were analyzed to determine the status of biochemical iodine deficiency in the country. Data indicated that a large majority of the population all over Bangladesh have biochemical iodine deficiency urinary iodine excretion (UIE) less than the accepted cut-off level of 10 μg/dl. Adults were deficient to comparable degrees, 31.3% severely iodine deficient. The flood-prone zone was less affected: 71.7% children had iodine deficiency and 25% were severely deficient. Adults of this zone were less affected than the children. Iodine deficiency was least severe in the plain zone: 59.8% children were biochemically iodine deficient and of them 23.4% had UIE less than 2.0 μg/dl. In the case of the adults of this zone, 60.8% were biochemically iodine deficient and 20.6% had severe iodine deficiency. The results indicate that Bangladesh as a whole is an iodine deficient region, with the hilly zone being the most severely affected. Children were slightly more affected than the adults, and females were more affected than the males.     

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of goat ovaries,follicles and oocytes in view of in vitro production of embryos

Goat ovaries were collected from the slaughterhouse and categorized as right, left, corpus luteum （CL）-present and -absent group and evaluated on the basis of weight （g）, length （cm）, width （cm）, number of follicles, follicles aspirated and number and state ofcumulus-oocyte-complexes （COCs）. Comparatively higher weight [（0.66±0.02） vs （0.64±0.02） g], length [（1.17±0.02） vs （1.1 ±0.02） cm] and width [（0.77±0.02） vs （0.74±0.02） cm] were found in right ovaries than those of left. On the other hand significantly （P〈0.05） higher weight [（0.71±0.03） vs （0.64±0.01） g] and width [（0.76±0.03） vs （0.75±0.01） cm] were found in CL-present group than those of CL-absent group of ovaries. The left ovaries contained comparatively higher number of normal COCs [（1.06±0.09） per ovary] than fight ovaries [（1.03±0.10） per ovary] and the similar trend was found in total number of follicles [（4.51±0.25） vs （4.30±0.23） per ovary] and follicles aspirated [（2.55±0.14） vs （2.52±0.12） per ovary]. But the total COCs per ovary was almost similar in both ovaries [right and left： （1.85±0.12） and （1.85±0.11） per ovary, respectively]. Higher number of total COCs [（1.87±0.09） vs （1.76±0.16） per ovary], total number of follicles [（4.45±0.19） vs （4.16±0.37） per ovary], follicles aspirated [（2.55±0.10） vs （2.48±0.21） per ovary] and normal COCs [（1.12±0.07） vs （0.76±0.14） per ovary] were found in CL-absent group than those of CL-present group of ovaries.     

Bioconversion of low quality lignocellulosic agricultural waste into edible protein by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pleurotus sajor-caju</Emphasis> (Fr.) singer

Pleurotus sajor-caju (Fr.) Singer was cultivated on selected agro wastes viz. cotton stalks, groundnut haulms, soybean straw, pigeon pea stalks and leaves and wheat straw, alone or in combinations. Cotton stalks, pigeon pea stalks and wheat straw alone or in combination were found to be more suitable than groundnut haulms and soybean straw for the cultivation. Organic supplements such as groundnut oilseed cake, gram powder and rice bran not only affected growth parameters but also increased yields. Thus bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass by P. sajor-caju offers a promising way to convert low quality biomass into an improved human food.     

Identity exploration,identity confusion,and openness as predictors of multicultural ideology

Research has indicated benefits to individuals and society of holding a multicultural versus colorblind ideology. This cross-sectional study tested the association of endorsement of multiculturalism with the individual difference constructs of identity exploration, identity confusion, and openness. Participants were 188 college students who completed a survey. Multiple regression analyses indicated that identity exploration, identity confusion, and openness independently predicted multicultural ideology. Additionally, identity exploration and identity confusion interacted such that identity exploration was associated with multiculturalism when identity confusion was low, but not when identity confusion was high. These findings indicate that general individual differences in personality and identity are predictive of cultural-related attitudes, and have implications for the design of interventions aimed at increasing multiculturalism.     

The ‘Non‐dit’ in the Zenana: representations of Muslim women in Islamic canonical texts,the neo‐colonial imagination and a feminist response from Bangladesh

Abstract

This essay recognizes that representations of the ‘Muslim woman’ as the Othered ‘object’ of the ‘Western’ gaze and the domesticated ‘object’ which the Islamic apologists strive hard to defend, are both constructions and false antitheses of each other. It seeks not the ‘truth’ regarding the Muslim women in the world of social reality but to examine how various representations of the women are constructed and to what effects and consequences these representations are mobilized. The essay proceeds in three stages. The first stage shows how the patriarchy mobilizes the Qur’an and the Hadith in order to construct the woman as the negative, the inessential and the abnormal of the man so as to exert complete subordination over her. However, the very act of attempting to mute the woman in Islam is the most strident proof that she is engaged in resistance against patriarchal control and the degree of resistance must be judged by the degree of patriarchal control. The second stage demonstrates how patriarchy operates in colonial and neo‐imperial landscape: it legitimizes the appropriation of Muslim woman ‘possessed’ by the Other (as exemplified by the orientalist seduction fantasy in William Dalrymple’s The White Mughals), but, haunted by the fear of rape and anxieties regarding the sexuality of the White woman possessed by the Self, it attempts to maintain strict control over her (as in the cases of Miss Wheeler in the ‘Mutiny’ of 1857 and Private Jessica Lynch in the Iraq War). This struggle over the feminine body is perfectly in line with Islam’s hyper‐anxiousness to hide the female body and rigorously ensure monopolic possession over her. The third stage shows how Taslima Nasreen, a late‐20th century feminist from Bangladesh, speaks the unspoken and thereby attempts to subvert the normative representation of the muted women in her autobiographical novella, entitled āmār Meyebelā. In thus examining the representations of the Muslim women, this essay seeks an alternative ‘third space of enunciation’ and takes a distinct political stand located outside of the axis of the dichotomy of the ‘Western’ gaze and the construction of the Islamic theologians.     

Older Women and Lower Self-Rated Health

Several studies have found that older women report lower self-rated health than men. However, it is not clear why older women are more likely to report poor self-rated health than older men. Data for this study came from a national cross-sectional survey, Mental Health and Quality of Life of Older Malaysians (MHQoLOM). Included in the survey were 2980 respondents consisting of Malaysians aged 60 years and over, with both men (n = 1428) and women (n = 1552) represented. Results of t-tests showed older men expressed significantly higher levels of self-rated health and self-esteem than women (p < .01). Separate multivariate regression by gender revealed that age, life-threatening problems, and self-esteem were highly significant predictors of self-rated health among older men and women and explained 18.4% of variance in self-rated health for men and 18.2% for women. In the last step we examined the main effects of gender on self-rated health using General Linear Models (GLM) Univariate by adjusting for age, life-threatening problems, and self-esteem. Results showed an insignificant difference in self-rated health between older men and women (F _(1,2715) = 2.26, P = 0.13) only after adjusting for self-esteem. It can be concluded that self-esteem affects responses to self-rated health of older men and women.     

Characterization of (68)Zn uptake, translocation, and accumulation into developing grains and young leaves of high Zn-density rice genotype

Zinc (Zn) is an essential micronutrient for humans, but Zn deficiency has become serious as equally as iron (Fe) and vitamin A deficiencies nowadays. Selection and breeding of high Zn-density crops is a suitable, cost-effective, and sustainable way to improve human health. However, the mechanism of high Zn density in rice grain is not fully understood, especially how Zn transports from soil to grains. Hydroponics experiments were carried out to compare Zn uptake and distribution in two different Zn-density rice genotypes using stable isotope technique. At seedling stage, IR68144 showed higher ⁶⁸Zn uptake and transport rate to the shoot for the short-term, but no significant difference was observed in both genotypes for the long-term. Zn in xylem sap of IR68144 was consistently higher, and IR68144 exhibited higher Zn absorption ratio than IR64 at sufficient (2.0 μmol/L) or surplus (8.0 μmol/L) Zn supply level. IR64 and IR68144 showed similar patterns of ⁶⁸Zn accumulation in new leaves at seedling stage and in developing grains at ripening stage, whereas ⁶⁸Zn in new leaves and grains of IR68144 was consistently higher. These results suggested that a rapid root-to-shoot translocation and enhanced xylem loading capacity may be the crucial processes for high Zn density in rice grains.