Research: how bananas prevent blindness.

Research: how bananas prevent blindness. Researchers have found that bananas have carotenoid ; a compound that turn fruits and vegetables red, orange or yellow and are converted into vitamin A.This is an important precursors for eye health and its produced in the liver. Bananas are ideal food for young children and families for many regions of the world, because of their sweetness, texture, portion size, familiarity, availability, convenience, versatility and cost. According to a research, it show that foods containing high levels of carotenoids also protect against chronic disease, including certain cancers, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The study showed that banana rich in provitamin A carotenoids may offer a potential food source for alleviating vitamin A deficiency -- important for sight. To combat vitamin A deficiency, researchers have been investigating methods to boost carotenoids in bananas. Cara L. Mortimer and other researchers from Queensland University of Technology in Australia studied two banana varieties to find out why they make very different amounts of carotenoids. They found that the pale yellow, low-carotenoid cavendish variety produces more of an enzyme that breaks down carotenoids. In addition, another variety stashes its carotenoids in microscopic sacs during ripening, shifting the chemical equilibrium in the fruit so it can make even higher levels of these substances. The findings, published in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, can someday help in the development of banana varieties with enhanced health benefits. read more http://www.theweekendleader.com/Headlines/6833/a-banana-a-day-may-keep-blindness-away-.html

BIO GAS FROM WATER HYACINTH.

Water hyacinths are very rich in hydrocarbons, which is essential for the production of methane and the hydrocarbon content is higher in water hyacinths than in cow dung and any other water plants available. The process is similar to other biogas reactors except that the Cleared water hyacinth is dried and placed in a bio gas plant. The kiln of the plant acts as an anaerobic reactor. The metal covering of the plant has a small hole through which powdered nickel is added initially, before the whole plant is locked. The entry of air is blocked as its an anaerobic reaction, this initiates the fermenting and produces gas in less than 24 hours. The Biogas in its raw form contains methane, carbon dioxide, sulphur and dust. It is thus further purified till pure methane is extracted. This methane can be stored in cylinders and be used as electricity and as cooking gas. This water hyacinth will totally solve the energy crisis,by providing a cleaner source of energy with damage to environment. This will also help with climate change issues as the carbon footprint is minimal ,thus preventing pollution by providing cleaner and cheaper energy source. The green revolution has started, the water-hyacinth-waste-wealth- move.join us!!!

AGRIBUSINESS: HOW TO TURN WATER HYACINTH TO A GOLDMINE.

AGRIBUSINESS: HOW TO TURN WATER HYACINTH TO A GOLDMINE. Water hyacinth our frenemy!!! Water hyacinth a rapidly growing aquatic plant that clogs the water ways,thus making navigation difficult and also reducing the permeability of the water surface,thus killing aquatic life,but this same plant offers tremendous potential for economic growth if properly harnessed. This aquatic plant has found favorable uses in animal feed production, where its harvested and used as fish feed and also pig feed. The cellulose and hemicellulose makes it suitable as bio fuel, some bio engineered forms have been used to produce aviation fuel and other bio-products. The waste to wealth project is the major benefactor of this water plant.The water hyacinth can be degraded in a biodigester to produce biogas,basically methane. This can be connected to power grid to provide electricity and also cooking gas for domestic and industrial uses. The sludge from the bio-reactor is nutrient rich and hence its a high quality fertilizer for crops.This will prevent the use of chemicals in the soil to stimulate growth,thus ensuring crops and other produce are grown naturally. AGRIBUSINESS: HOW TO TURN WATER HYACINTH TO A GOLDMINE. The aquatic plant can be processed and used for various types of furniture and household pieces that are very durable. This will provide employment for a lot of people which will equally boost the furniture industry. We can start making high quality furniture,with various innovative designs. There will be employment opportunities in various segments ,such as training officers,processors, marketers and distributors all with subsets making the employment opportunities very enormous. The water hyacinth can be produced in house by cultivating them in channels that stimulate the growth to meet growing demands, the invasive water plant is actually our green gold. (pics culled online ) join the train!! green gold # agriculture # economic growth.

A SMART PHONE-SIZED DEVICE CAN DIAGNOSE CANCER IN 20 MINUTES.

Advances in disease diagnostics now offer clinicians a staggering degree of accuracy. But access to results generally requires a well-equipped lab and a few weeks’ waiting time. This could soon change thanks to a new, low-cost diagnostic DNA analyzer the size of a smartphone. Q-Poc, billed as a “handheld lab”, is the idea of British-based tech firm QuantuMDx, which says the analyzer can accurately diagnose everything from cancers to infectious diseases in a matter of minutes. Currently in the alpha testing stage, the company hopes to get the product in the hands of doctors by early 2018. “We’re now at the point that we have a working prototype that can perform a highly sensitive tuberculosis test from a sample through to results in 15-20 minutes,” says Jonathan O’Halloran, the company’s co-founder. “The technology is now being ramped up to beta stage and we hope to start manufacturing towards the end of this year.” The handheld apparatus, which runs on a solar-powered battery or wind-up device, is designed to read biological samples submitted via a credit card-size cartridge (think of it as a sophisticated Game Boy). It can work with a range of sample types. Swabs can be used to detect sexually-transmitted infections, while sputum is used to detect tuberculosis. Q-Poc differs from most conventional point-of-care diagnostic tools in that it analyses the DNA of pathogens rather than the proteins within the sample. The device depends on microfluidic technology , which essentially allows fluids to pass through different microscopic channels of different diameters. A chemical process then breaks down the sample into a molecular soup , which is then forced through a nanoscale-based filter system. The filter is coated with a negatively charged polymer, which repels the DNA as other molecules are held back, thereby isolating the DNA for analysis. “It sounds simple, but it is absolutely groundbreaking,” says the 40-year-old O’Halloran, who has a background in molecular genetics. “Nothing out there on the market can come close to its speed and proficiency.” The potential of O’Halloran’s invention to “change the face of healthcare globally” saw him named 2015 European Chief Technology Officer of the Year (small business category) by Eirma, an industrial research association. The award’s judges gave particular praise to the technology’s developing world focus, especially at a time when the threat of drug resistant superbugs are on the rise. read more;http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/apr/21/quantumdx-cancer-diagnostics-medicine-africa-tuberculosis

A PET-CAMERA- IN A-SMART-BALL.

Changing the way ,we keep our pets busy. Introducing PlayDate, the world's first truly interactive pet camera. Playdate lets you play with your dog or cat from anywhere in the world, via our smart ball and our mobile app. Use the camera inside the ball to see your pets as well as the environment around them.You can control PlayDate's smart ball remotely from your iOS or Android device after downloading our free app from the App Store or Google Play. Imagine being able to play with your dog when you're not at home: read more at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/playdate-world-s-first-pet-camera-in-a-smart-ball#/

Count Equine Parasites with a Cell Phone.

Equine veterinarians have lauded the benefits of fecal egg counts (or FECs) for designing targeted equine deworming programs. While these tests are already fairly simple; collect sample, submit to lab, and await results (which typically arrive in a few days to weeks, depending on the laboratory)—researchers have developed an even easier way: Collect the sample and let your veterinarian’s cell phone do the counting. At the 2015 American Association of Equine Practitioners’ Convention, held Dec. 5-9 in Las Vegas, Paul Slusarewicz, PhD, shared how he and colleagues determined this was possible and what steps went into developing the final product. Slusarewicz is an adjunct associate professor at the University of Kentucky’s (UK) Gluck Equine Research Center and the chief scientific officer and co-founder of MEP Equine Solutions, both in Lexington. The first step, he said, was to identify a universal egg marker (UEM), which is present on all parasite eggs that would allow software to detect the eggs amidst the rest of the debris in a sample. Slusarewicz determined that a carbohydrate called chitin—which is also present in shellfish, insects, and fungi, he said—could potentially serve as that UEM, but no one had suggested this could be a universal component of parasite eggs. To test chitin’s usefulness, the team attached fluorescein dye (the fluorescent green substance your veterinarian uses to check for abrasions in your horse’s eye) to a naturally occurring protein that can bind tightly to chitin. They then stained the eggs and viewed the fecal sample under a fluorescence microscope, using different optical filters to block out the background debris and see if the eggs stood out. The eggs appeared fluorescent, indicating that, indeed, chitin can be used as a UEM. The team had to consider cost of device if they really want it to be universal, so they opted for a cheaper alternative. They selected an iPhone with an added macro lens (designed for use in taking pictures of subjects up close) and found that it successfully captured usable images from a properly prepared sample. After confirming that their counting method was feasible, it was time to see how well the software worked. Slusarewicz and colleagues collected eight fecal samples, counted them manually using the traditional McMaster method, and then ran a count using their iPhone and software system. He said the two correlated rather well, but the iPhone method needed some streamlining. So the team designed and built an imaging unit that includes the macro lens and optical filters needed to obtain the image. They’ve tested the software and imaging unit on three phones with cameras of different megapixels, Slusarewicz said, and even the lowest-resolution device gave very good results. They also determined that the software can distinguish between different types of parasite eggs, “because horses have more than just strongyles,” Slusarewicz said, referring to ascarids, the other clinically important internal parasite of horses. He showed that the app could accurately count both strongyle and ascarid eggs in a sample containing both. McMaster tests, on the other hand, are used most commonly identify large and small strongyles. The team is carrying out full validation studies and finalizing the system—dubbed Parasight—before it becomes available for purchase. The Parasight System will not require specialized training and is anticipated to be available to veterinarians in the second half of 2016. Parasight System,” Slusarewicz said, “veterinarians will now have a portable, simple, rapid, and convenient test to replace the fecal egg count which can be conducted on-site. This will allow vets to once again take the lead in responsible parasite control strategies. Putting an end to the practice of prophylactic rotational deworming will not only reduce the amount of drugs given unnecessarily to horses, but also the alarming trend of increasing parasite resistance to all current classes of deworming medicines.” Read more at www.thehorse.com

AGRIBUSINESS: CROWDFUNDING FOR AGRICULTURAL PROJECTS.

Agriculture is the way to feed the over growing population and also increase revenue generation in various nations. There are various aspects of agriculture,that can be harnessed to make profit and ensure economic growth. Agriculture will not only provide food but also massive employment,thus turning an unemployed person to an employer. The major constraint for these startups is funding, with the astronomical interest rates, a break-even point is not feasible,thus ending the dream of a startup. There is a new way to finance projects without and hassle and cut-throat interest rates and it even gives rooms for mergers and partnerships before you start off and yes, its based on OPM. The OPM (other people's money), slogan made popular by Robert Kiyosaki is the basis of crowdfunding . This has worked in various industries and also works in agriculture; see the video. Crowdfunding , a paradigm shift in agriculture.Join the train and start the agribusiness today!!!