Samples of shelled corn used for wildlife feed were taken from bait piles and storage bins in North Carolina and South Carolina (USA) from 29 September through 28 November 1993, and were analyzed for aflatoxin. Twenty (51%) of 39 samples were positive, with aflatoxin levels ranging from a trace to 750 parts per billion. Based on the high prevalence of aflatoxin-contaminated corn, exposure of wild-life to aflatoxin undoubtedly occurs, although the effects of such exposure are largely unknown.
Getting under performance's skin: epigenetics and gender performativityThis article offers a re-examination of Judith Butler's theory of gender performativity (as described in her influential 1990 work Gender Trouble) in the light of recent epigenetic discoveries. Epigenetics is the study of molecular mechanisms that modify the manner in which DNA sequences are expressed while leaving the sequence itself intact. These processes can be influenced by environmental factors, demonstrating how our environment can affect us at the cellular level with important consequences for the ways in which we think about behaviour, gender and identity. Through an exploration of a range of scientific papers (in conjunction with an epigenetic reading of Leslie Feinberg's Stone Butch Blues), this article asks if epigenetics could provide a mechanism through which gender performance achieves some degree of biological embodiment. Although current research can offer a basis for some interesting speculation, it is also clear that such a question cannot yet be answered. Fortunately, new lines of investigation could one day provide us with a clearer idea of the relationship between gender performance and epigenetics.
An increasing number offamilies in the United States are converting to woodburning stoves in an effort to reduce winter heating biDs. Moodburning stoves operate as a contained combuster of wood and produce a variety of pollutants as byproducts ofcombustion. Although technological advances have reduced emissions to some degree, even the most efficient woodburningstoves emit hazardous pollutants directly into the home when the stove is operating and the door is opened to add wood. The question arises as to whether polutants are accumulating in homes where woodburning stoves are used as a source of heat. This issue is especially important considering the trend to increase home insulation and overall airtightness in an effort to conserve energy and reduce heat loss. This paper reviews the clinical case report that first postulated an association ofrecurrent chest illness with woodburning stove exposure and summaizes the flnding to date on respiratory effects of wood heat for young children.
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