Turning smartphones into personal, real-time pollution monitors.

A study reported in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology, has shown how scientists have used smartphone and sensing technology to better pinpoint where and when pollution is at its worst. When local pollution levels go up, the associated health risks also increase, especially for children and seniors. But air pollution varies widely over the course of a day and by location, even within the same city. The researchers equipped more than 50 school children with smartphones that could track their location and physical activity. The children also received sensors that continuously measured the ambient levels of black carbon, a component of soot. Although most children spent less than 4 percent of their day traveling to and from school, commuting contributed to 13 percent of their total potential black carbon exposure. The researchers conclude that mobile technologies could contribute valuable new insights into air pollution exposure.

Air pollution linked to heightened risk of type 2 diabetes in obese Latino children.

Air pollution linked to heightened risk of type 2 diabetes in obese Latino children. Latino children who live in areas with higher levels of air pollution have a heightened risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a new study published in the journal Diabetes. Scientists tracked children's health and respective levels of residential air pollution for about 3.5 years before associating chronic unhealthy air exposure to a breakdown in beta cells, special pancreatic cells that secrete insulin and maintain the appropriate sugar level in the bloodstream. By the time the children turned 18, their insulin-creating pancreatic cells were 13 percent less efficient than normal, making these individuals more prone to eventually developing Type 2 diabetes. The children lived in neighborhoods that, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, had excess nitrogen dioxide and tiny air pollution particles that are generated by automobiles and power plants, formally called particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5). Researchers found that the beta cells that were still functional were overworking to compensate for the damaged cells, leading to burn out. As the cells failed to secrete insulin efficiently, regulation of sugar in the bloodstream overwhelmed the system, heightening the risk of Type 2 diabetes.

Chinese agriculture experts conclude 2-year mission in Namibia.

Namibia's agriculture ministry on Wednesday bade farewell to 15 Chinese experts who completed a two-year program teaching farming skills in the southern African country. The 15 Chinese agriculture experts were part of the Tripartite Agreement on South to South Cooperation (SSC) entered into between Namibia, China and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations on June 2014. Under the agreement, China deployed 15 experts from various agricultural fields, who for the past two years provided technical assistance to Namibia's irrigation projects, veterinary laboratories and research stations. John Mutorwa, minister of Namibia's Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (MAWF), said the ministry also hosted a debriefing meeting on the project Wednesday in the presence of delegates from FAO and the Chinese embassy as the first phase of the SSC that was implemented under the agreement is nearing completion on Apr. 30.continue

FG confirms fresh Lassa fever cases in Edo, Ondo, Bauchi.

The Federal Government has confirmed fresh Lassa fever cases in Edo, Ondo and Bauci states. The government also said that 44 cases of Lassa fever had been confirmed since December 2016 in nine states including Ogun, Plateau, Bauchi, Taraba, Edo, Nasarawa, Rivers, Ebonyi and Ondo A Director at the NCDC, a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Health, Mrs Elsie Ilori, said there should be proper sensitisation at all levels based on the evidence that Lassa fever was seasonal and could be endemic The Federal Government on Wednesday 8th February said that 44 cases of Lassa fever have been confirmed since December 2016 in nine states including Ogun, Plateau, Bauchi, Taraba, Edo, Nasarawa, Rivers, Ebonyi and Ondo, with some of the cases reported as probable. The Punch reports that the government also announced that seven new cases of Lassa fever had been reported and confirmed in Edo, Ondo, and Bauchi states. While four of the seven new cases were reported in Edo state, two was reported in Ondo while Bauchi had one case reported in the weekly report collated by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. continue

A Deadly Virus is Killing Saiga Antelope in Mongolia.

Saiga antelope have been dying over the last two months in alarming numbers in the Great Lakes Depression of western Mongolia bordered by the Altai Mountains and China. WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) scientists working at the site with Mongolian and international partners believe around 2,500 saiga have died since December 2016 in the Durgun steppe and Khuisiin Gobi of Khovd and Gobi-Altai Provinces of Mongolia. Currently, the population of the Mongolian saiga, a unique subspecies Saiga tatarica mongolica, is only estimated to be around 10,000, so this event represents an immediate loss of 25 percent of the Mongolian saiga population. The cause: a livestock virus known as PPR or Peste des Petits Ruminants. Scientists believe the disease affecting the Mongolian saiga was first transmitted from goats and sheep in the saiga range area in September 2016, and subsequently spilled over to saiga antelope. PPR was diagnosed in Mongolia for the first time in September 2016 in livestock and for the first time in Mongolian saiga in January 2017. Livestock in affected areas have undergone vaccinations; herd immunity level is an important indicator of effective vaccination and needs to be well monitored “This is the first deadly infectious disease outbreak known to have occurred in the Mongolian saiga,” said Dr. Amanda Fine, a veterinarian and Associate Director of the WCS Wildlife Health Program in Asia. “In the past, pasteurellosis was recorded as a cause of mortality in some saiga but never with such rapid spread and deadly results. The situation is tragic and widespread. Along with the impact to the saiga population, this event has the potential to produce cascading catastrophic consequences on the ecosystem. For example, ibex and argali may be affected and rare snow leopards may suffer the effects of a diminished prey base.” continue

The agriculture daily.

This is a daily publication of agricultural news,agribusiness,funding and job opportunities. Read ; 1)Weed 101: Colorado agriculture agency shares pot know-how 2)The key challenges of utilising robotics for farming 3) World Bank Group and Government of Sudan Launch Public-Private Partnership Support Program for Sudan and many more here;

A case of medicinal marijuana in cats.

When Lisa Mastramico needed relief for her ailing tabby, Little Kitty, she turned to an unlikely source: marijuana. At 12 years old, the cat had arthritis. For a long while she spent her days hiding in a closet, where Ms. Mastramico had built her a bed of plush blankets. After trying various supplements that proved ineffectual, she went to a meeting for Women Grow, an industry group for cannabis entrepreneurs. She was not sold on the idea right away. “My concern was that it’s not my place to get my cat high,” said Ms. Mastramico, the director of a public access television network in Long Beach, Calif. But with Little Kitty becoming increasingly isolated, it was time to give it a try. She got a medical marijuana card and purchased two edible oils made for pets and derived from cannabis that she squirts into her pet’s mouth. Little Kitty doesn’t hide anymore. In fact, she’s more like her old self: sunbathing on the living room carpet, playing with Ms. Mastramico’s other cat, Valentina. “When I’ve given it to her, she’s never acted high: falling face-first into her food bowl, chowing down,” Ms. Mastramico said. “She comes out and socializes, wants to be in your lap, wants to be petted. It’s a very noticeable difference.” Other animal lovers who have turned to cannabis-based products to alleviate a host of pet maladies, including seizures, inflammation, anxiety and pain, are reporting similar results. Although they have not been approved by regulators, marijuana-based treatments are being used not only for cats and dogs, but for pigs, horses and domesticated wild animals.source