The repellency to female Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) of 21 essential oils alone or in combination with Calophyllum inophyllum nut oil (tamanu oil) was examined using a skin bioassay. Results were compared with those following treatment with the commonly used repellent DEET (N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide). As judged by the protection time (PT) to first bite at 0.5 mg cm-2, patchouli (3.67 h) was the most effective essential oil, followed by clove bud, lovage root, clove leaf and thyme white essential oils (3.50-2.12 h). Thyme red, oregano and geranium essential oils exhibited moderate protection time (PT, 1.24-1.11 h). At 0.25 mg cm-2, effective protection time of clove bud, clove leaf and lovage root essential oils was about 1 h. The protection times of DEET were 4.47 and 2.17h at 0.5 and 0.25 mg cm-2 respectively. The remarkable increase in the protection time were produced by binary mixtures of five essential oils (clove bud, clove leaf, thyme white, patchouli and savory) and tamanu oil (0.25:2.0 mg cm-2) compared with those of either the constituted essential oil, tamanu oil or DEET alone, indicating the involvement in synergy. These essential oils, tamanu oil and binary mixtures did not cause any adverse effects on the human volunteers at 0.5 mg cm-2 except savory oil. Thus binary mixtures of essential oils and tamanu oil described merit further study as potential insect repellents for protection from humans and domestic animals from biting and nuisance caused by S. calcitrans.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the role of peripheral nitric oxide (NO) pathways in the onset of interleukin (IL)-1β-induced mechanical allodynia in the orofacial area. Experiments were carried out on male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 230-280 gm and surgical procedures were performed under pentobarbital sodium (40 mg/kg, i.p.). Under anesthesia, a polyethylene tube (PE10) was implanted into the subcutaneous area of one vibrissa pad, which enabled the injection of IL-1β or other chemicals. We subcutaneously injected 50 μL of IL-1β into a vibrissa pad through the implanted polyethylene tube with a 100 Hamilton syringe. After the administration of 0.01, 0.1, 1, or 10 pg of IL-1β, withdrawal behavioral responses were examined. The subcutaneous injection of saline had no effects on the air-puff thresholds. Following the subcutaneous injection of 0.01, 0.1, 1, or 10 pg of IL-1, the threshold of air puffs decreased significantly to 12± 3, 7 ± 2, 5 ±1, or 5 ± 1 psi, respectively, in a dose dependent manner. Pretreatment with L-NAME, a nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, blocked IL-1β-induced mechanical allodynia. However, neither D-NAME, an inactive isomer of L-NAME, nor vehicle affected the IL-1β-induced mechanical allodynia. Subcutaneous injection of IL-1 increased the number of c-fos-like immunoreactive neurons, whereas pretreatment with L-NAME decreased this number, in the trigeminal caudal nucleus. These results suggest that pro-inflammatory cytokines and NO are important contributors to the pathogenesis of persistent and exaggerated IL-1β-induced pain states. Based on these observations, peripheral application of NOS inhibitors may be of therapeutic value in treating pain disorders in the clinic.

Titanium carbides are widely used for cutting tools and grinding wheels, because of their superior physical properties such as high melting temperature, high hardness, high wear resistance, good thermal conductivity and excellent thermal shock resistance. The common synthesizing method for the titanium carbide powders is carbo-thermal reduction from the mixtures of titanium oxide() and carbon black. The purpose of the present research is to fabricate nano TiC powders using titanium salt and titanium hydride by the mechanochemical process(MCP). The initial elements used in this experiment are liquid (99.9%), (99.9%) and active carbon(<, 99.9%). Mg powders were added to the solution in order to induce the reaction with Cl-. The weight ratios of the carbon and Mg powders were theoretically calculated. The TiC and powders were milled in the planetary milling jar for 10 hours. The 40 nm TiC powders were fabricated by wet milling for 4 hours from the +C+Mg solution, and 300 nm TiC particles were obtained by using titanium hydride.

In order to determine whether green tea tannin ameliorates abnormal arginine metabolism as the result of excessive arginine, we have assessed the effects of the administration of green tea tannin mixture in rats treated 30 days with 2% arginine. In the arginine-treated group, the level of guanidino compounds such as arginine (Arg), guanidinoacetic acid (GAA), creatinine (Cr), methylguanidine (MG) and guanidinosuccinic acid (GSA), nitric oxide, urea, protein and glucose increased significantly in the serum, urine and kidney, whereas the oxygen species-scavenging enzymes of kidney were reduced as compared with the non-argmme-treated group. By way of contrast, the administration of green tea tannin reduced blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine, and reduced the urinary excretion of guanidinoacetic acid, creatinine, and NO2-+NO3-. The increased levels of urinary urea, protein and glucose in the arginine-treated group were also lowered by the administration of green tea tannin. In these groups, the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase in the kidneywere increased, thereby suggesting the involvement of radicals in the normalizing of kidney function. These results show that the abnormal renal function induced by the adminstration of excessive arginine in rats may be restored by treatment with green tea tannin.

In view of the recently increased interest in developing plant-origin insecticides are an alternative to chemical insecticides. This study was undertaken to assess the larvicidal potential of the two (H52C1 and H5C) compounds from Asarum sieboldii Miq. against dengue vector Aedes aegypti. Among the two compounds, compound I (H52C1) was most active than the compound II (H5C) against third instar larvae of Ae. aegypti. The LC50 value of the compound I was 2.03 (95% CL, 1.51-2.76) and the compound II was 10.66 (95% CL, 9.23-12.42). These findings would be useful in promoting research aiming at the development of new agents for mosquito larval control based on bioactive chemical compounds from plant origin.

Changes in stress-associated biomolecules can be used as an important criterion for assessing the levels of environmental pollution because living organisms demonstrate contamination-stimulated stress responses. This study was conducted to determine the e

This paper discusses several aspects of the linkage between U.S. dairy policies and imperfect competition in dairy industry. Some key facts about the U.S. dairy industry as well as the products, marketing channels and potential for imperfect competition in each of several dairy products markets are discussed. This paper outlines the issues and considers some specific topics in the relation between dairy policy and market power or imperfect competition. This paper It is suggesteds that market power may be found among several players in several dairy markets.

The nematicidal activity of Kaempferia galanga rhizome-derived materials (methanol extract, steam distillate, and powder) toward M. incognita second-stage juveniles (J2) was examined using residual contact toxicity and pot bioassays. In residual contact toxicity bioassays with J2, the active principles of K. galanga rhizome were identified as the phenylpropanoids ethyl cinnamate (EC, 1) and ethyl-p-methoxycinnamate (EMC, 2) by spectroscopic analysis. EC exhibited 95% and 49% mortality at 0.06 and 0.04 mg/ml toward J2, respectively, whereas EMC showed 98% and 63% mortality at 0.1 and 0.08 mg/ml. In pot tests with J2, K. galanga rhizome methanol extract gave 92% and 82% mortality at 100 and 20 mg/50g soil, respectively. Steam distillate gave 88% and 68% mortality at 85 and 42.5 mg/50g soil, respectively, whereas rhizome powder provided 83% and 62% mortality at 400 and 200 mg/50g soil. K. galanga rhizome-derived materials, particularly EC and EMC, merit further study as potential root-knot nematode control agents or leads because of their great activity as a nematicide.

The repellent constituents of essential oils from Zanthoxylum armatum (Rutaceae) seed and Zanthoxylum piperitum fruit against female Stomoxys calcitrans were analyzed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The repellency of two Zanthoxylum essential oils and 11 oil compounds against female S. calcitrans was examined using a skin bioassay. Results were compared with those of the most widely used repellent DEET. Both Z. armatum seed and Z. piperitum fruit oils provided complete and good protection from fly bites for 30 min at 0.4 and 0.2 mg/cm2, respectively. At 0.05 mg/cm2, both oils gave ca 70 and 40% repellency at 30 and 60 min post-treatment, respectively, whereas DEET provided 83 and 73% protection. Of test compounds, cuminaldehyde at 0.05 mg/cm2 gave 92 and 69% repellency at 10 and 30 min post-treatment, respectively, whereas 1,8-cineole, and citronellal provided approx. 76% repellency at 10 min. The Zanthoxylum oils and their constituents, particularly cuminaldehyde, merit further study as potential insect repellents for the protection from humans and domestic animals from biting and nuisance caused by S. calcitrans.