Super-foods to enhance dog’s intelligence.

Dogs benefit from super-foods which can help maximize and enhance dog’s intelligence. This can help them to learn simple commands thus enhancing training,social behavior ,improve responsiveness when out and about and even delay some of the cognitive signs of aging. Feeding your dog a healthy diet made up of foods such as salmon, peas and sweet potato will ensure they are getting good levels of nutrients like vitamins, fatty acids and antioxidants, which have been shown to improve intelligence, memory and cognitive abilities. The common but overlooked super-foods for dogs are 1) fish and fish oil ,those rich in for omega 3 .2) Sweet potato a ready source of betacarotene in the same class with carrots. 3) Peas 4) Maize for lutein and zeaxanthin .5) Eggs its a complete meal with all essential nutrients for growth. All body functions benefits from feeding dogs with eggs see more

Here is why the dangote tomato paste factory might not reopen in February.

Here is why the dangote tomato paste factory might not reopen in February.Earlier this month, the Managing Director of the Dangote Tomato Processing Factory, Abdulkadir Kaita, had disclosed that the company is set to begin the production of tomato pastes in February. However, with the economic condition in the country, it is unlikely that the factory will open in February. Executive Director, Dangote Group, Edwin Devakumar explained that the plant is unlikely to open due to the shortage of dollars to import raw materials. Though, he highlighted that the factory would open when if it is able to obtain an adequate supply of raw tomatoes locally. Last year, the Union of Tomato Paste Manufacturers in Nigeria through its spokesman, Mr. Nnamdi Nnodebe, hinted that the once vibrant tomato industry might stop existing in 2017 if the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) did not amend its policy on Forex to exclude triple concentrate tomato paste from the scope of the 41 items on the restricted list. The triple concentrate tomato paste is used as raw material by manufacturers for further processing into tomato paste, ketchup, and sauces. Dangote’s influence in the country has enabled him to gain a reasonable level of preference by Nigeria’s apex bank, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Between March to May 2016, Dangote’s companies bought at least $161 million in hard currency from CBN, estimated to be 9 percent of the total hard currency sold during that period. In a single week in March 2016, one in every eight dollars sold by the CBN went to Dangote group. continue

Agribusiness can help to unlock the true potential of Africa.

Agribusiness can help to unlock the true potential of Africa. The challenges faced by small farmers are similar across the developing world – pests, diseases and climate change. Yet in Africa the challenges are even greater. If farmers are to survive at current rates (let alone grow), they need to have access to high-yielding seeds, effective fertilizers and irrigation technologies. These issues threaten the region’s ability to feed itself and make business-growth and export markets especially difficult to reach. Other factors include the rise in global food prices and export subsidies for exporters in the developed economies, which leave African farmers struggling to price competitively. Organizations such as The International Finance Corporation (IFC) provide and mobilize capital, knowledge and long-term partnerships in agribusiness. It has provided over $25 billion in financing, mobilized investments from partners and provided advisory services across the continent. Connecting the private sector with global and regional NGO’s and the public sector is one of the most important steps. Of the $3.7 billion invested in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2015 by the IFC, $1.8 billion came from other investors. Modernization of technologies, innovative technologies and widening access to markets is central to turning such huge sums of money into results. In Kenya, a mobile app called M-Farm allows farmers to directly send messages requesting guidance and data on crop prices. It also helps farmers to connect directly with food suppliers; thus reducing reliance on middlemen and market buyers. Cutting costs in this way can go some way to mitigating the impact of subsidized exports from the developed economies. continue

Virgin Birth: Zebra Shark Has Babies Without Mating.

Virgin Birth: Zebra Shark Has Babies Without Mating. Leonie had been living apart from males for the past few years, so her keepers were surprised when she laid eggs that produced three baby sharks in April 2016. Leonie could be the first shark ever observed to make the switch from sexual to asexual reproduction. University of Queensland biologist Christine Dudgeon, who described the case in the journal Scientific Reports that they thought she could be storing sperm; but when they tested the pups and the possible parent sharks using DNA fingerprinting, they found they only had cells from Leonie. Leonie's case marks the first time scientists have seen this type of asexual reproduction —known as parthenogenesis—in the zebra shark (Stegostoma fasciatum). Parthenogenesis occurs when embryos develop and mature without fertilization by a male's sperm. Rather, an egg progenitor cell that usually gets absorbed by the female's body acts as a surrogate sperm to "fertilize" her egg. This reproduction strategy is more common in plants and invertebrate organisms. source

Lutein and brain health: Enriched formula leads to selective increases in multiple brain regions

Lutein and brain health: Enriched formula leads to selective increases in multiple brain regions: Enriching infant formula with lutein leads to selectively increased levels of the carotenoid in the brain, with the highest amounts in the visual processing center, the occipital cortex, says a new study.

New blood: Soy bean extract wins EU approval

New blood: Soy bean extract wins EU approval: A Japanese firm has won EU novel foods approval for a blood clot-benefitting fermented soy bean extract for all groups except “pregnant and lactating women.”

Study shows natto enzyme helps break down blood clots, benefits blood flow

Study shows natto enzyme helps break down blood clots, benefits blood flow: Japan Bio Science Laboratory, a company that has been developing a nattokinase ingredient, has released research results bolstering the ingredient’s effects at combating the formation of abnormal blood clots and benefiting blood flow.