What is Alzheimer’s disease?

There are many types and causes of dementia, but Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form, accounting for between 60 and 70 per cent of all cases.  

Common early symptoms of Alzheimer’s include short-term memory loss, apathy and depressed mood, but these symptoms are often just seen as being a part of normal ageing, making early diagnosis difficult. 

Doctors diagnose Alzheimer’s on the basis of medical examination, patient history and cognitive tests, and can use imaging to rule out other forms of dementia. However, a definitive diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is only possible after death, when examination of brain tissue can reveal whether a person had the deposits of amyloid and tau proteins that are characteristic of the condition. 

            Source http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/1/eaau3333(adapted)

            Journal reference: Science Advances, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aau3333

            This article was updated on 30 January 2019 to add more detail and comment

            Access: April 20th, 2019

Planet’s ocean-plastics problem detailed in 60-year data set

Researchers find evidence of rising plastic pollution in an accidental source: log books for planktonmonitoring instruments. Matthew Warren 

Scientists have uncovered the first strong evidence that the amount of plastic polluting the oceans has risen vastly in recent decades — by analysing 60 years of log books for plankton-tracking vessels. 

Data recorded by instruments known as continuous plankton recorders (CPRs) — which ships have collectively towed millions of kilometres across the Atlantic Ocean — show that the trackers have become entangled in large plastic objects, such as bags and fishing lines, roughly three times more often since 2000 than in preceding decades.

This is the first time that researchers have demonstrated the rise in ocean plastics using a single, longterm data set, says Erik van Sebille, an oceanographer at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. “I’m excited that this has been finally done,” he says. The analysis was published on 16 April in Nature Communications. 

 Although the findings are unsurprising, long-term data on ocean plastics had been scant: previous studies looked mainly at the ingestion of plastic by sea creatures over shorter timescales, the researchers say.

Fishing for data

CPRs are torpedo-like devices that have been used since 1931 to survey plankton populations, by filtering the organisms from the water using bands of silk. Today, volunteer ships such as ferries and container ships tow a fleet of CPRs around the world’s oceans. 

(…)Each time a ship tows a CPR, the crew fills in a log book and notes any problems with the device. So Ostle and her colleagues looked through all tow logs from the North Atlantic between 1957 and 2016, to determine whether plastic entanglements have become more common.

Evidence analysis

(…)Van Sebille says that because the study focused on large plastic items, it doesn’t reveal much about the quantity of microplastics — fragments fewer than 5 millimetres long — in the oceans. These tiny contaminants come from sources such as disposable plastic packaging, rather than from fishing gear.

Nevertheless, he adds, the study demonstrates that fisheries play a major part in plastic pollution, and will provide useful baseline data for tracking whether policy changes affect the levels of plastic in the oceans. “As fisheries become more professional, especially in the North Sea, hopefully we might see a decrease,” he says.

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01252-0 (adapted).

Access: April 20th, 2019 

Answer questions 39 and 40 based on the comics below.

INSTRUCTIONS: Read the text carefully and then answer the questions from 33 to 38 by choosing the correct alternative.

Brazil corruption scandals: All you need to know

For the past three years, Brazil has been gripped by a scandal which started with a state-owned oil company and grew to encapsulate people at the very top of business - and even presidents.

On the face of it, it is a straightforward corruption scandal - albeit one involving millions of dollars in kickbacks and more than 80 politicians and members of the business elite.

But as the tentacles of the investigation dubbed Operation Car Wash fanned out, other scandals emerged.

It has led to some of those who have found themselves accused claiming they are the victims of political plots, designed to bar them from office.

What is Operation Car Wash?

Operation Car Wash began in March 2014 as an investigation into allegations that Brazil's biggest construction firms overcharged state-oil company Petrobras for building contracts.

Investigators accused directors at the firm - named the world's most ethical oil and gas company in 2008 - of skimming the extra money off the top as a bribe for awarding the contract.

Which is bad enough - but then the Workers' Party found itself dragged into the corruption scandal amid allegations of having funneled some of these funds to pay off politicians and buy their votes and help with political campaigns.

Among those accused in the scandal were dozens of politicians, and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva - the country's extremely popular former president, known affectionately as "Lula".

“Tomato crisis” spreads panic in Nigeria

Making jollof rice, a beloved traditional dish in Nigeria, has suddenly become very expensive. Tomatoes, one of its main ingredients and a staple of Nigerian cuisine, are going for $2 each ____ local markets, with wholesale baskets costing as much as N42,000, or $212, Kaduna state agriculture commissioner Manzo Daniel told AFP.

The culprit is a moth called Tuta absoluta, which has destroyed crops in the northern Kaduna state, forcing the local government to declare a state of emergency. “It is a serious problem. The disease has affected production and consumption, prices are continuing to rise and there is no availability,” Shehu Sani, Senator for Kaduna Central, told CNN.

The area, which contributes strongly to Nigeria’s overall production, has already seen losses of millions of dollars, according to Sani. “Many depend ____ tomato farming for their livelihood and tomatoes are an indispensable part of the diet. People cannot do without them,” he said.

The tomato crisis comes on the heels of a recent fuel shortage and a general rise in commodity prices due to inflation and a lack of foreign currency. In local towns, the problem has been labeled “Tomato Ebola”. “People are panicking, because attaching that name to a staple food has worsened the situation,” said Sani. Even those who can afford to buy find it difficult to trust any tomato product, and some have started buying imported tinned tomatoes. “Nobody knows now which tomatoes are safe to eat and some people are avoiding them altogether.”

Nigerians have taken to Twitter to lament the situation, pointing out ____ playful disbelief that while they have to pay dearly for tomatoes, at an annual festival in Spain they are wasted for fun. The next ‘La Tomatina’ festival isn’t due until August, but ____ then Nigerians hope they’ll have gone back to tomato-normality.

Adapted from CNN. Accessed on May 27, 2016.

Text for the questions from 28 to 37.

A Musical Genius

1 Beethoven is one of the most influential figures in

the history of classical music. His exceptional talent was

already evident when he was still a young man, trying to

4 survive a rather unorthodox upbringing. Indeed, his

eccentric father would often make him study music in the

middle of the night.

7 Soon, the young Beethoven's ability won him the

admiration of the leading contemporary musical figures.

However, just at the point when he was beginning to reap

10 the rewards of his early endeavors, he realized that he was

becoming deaf. Beethoven felt devastated as it was clear to

him that his increasing deafness was incurable. And yet, he

13 kept composing and his music displayed a striking change in

style, becoming both heavier in tone and larger in scale.

Internet: <www.flo‐joe.co.uk> (adapted).

Read the following text and answer question.

Importance of Aquaculture 

Aquaculture involves the art, science and business of breeding aquatic animals and plants in fresh or marine waters for human use. It also extends to the marketing of such organisms in a controlled environment. It is a kind of agriculture, and therefore, it requires inputs such as clean water and nutrients. It also requires storage for harvested produce, transportation and marketing facilities.

Inputs often depend on the species that are farmed. Species lower on the aquatic food chain usually require less input, as they feed on microorganisms and are fine in just clean water. More inputs like fish or fishmeal, cereals, or grains are required, as we get higher on the food chain with species like salmon or tuna.

All over the world, the demand for seafood has increased because people have learned that seafood as part of regular diets are healthier and help fight cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s and many other major illnesses.

Aquaculture will add to wild seafood, and make it _______ and accessible to all.

Aquaculture business provides tax and royalty revenue to local governments. Besides, there is also potential revenue from exports. 

(Adapted from: https://goo.gl/qcbcfY. Access: 01/25/2018)

Read the following text and answer question.

Introduction to Climate change

Many people make Climate Change and Global Warming a scary and difficult thing to understand, _______ it’s not.

Scientists have warned that the world's climate has changed a lot, and has affected many living and non-living things. Many places _______ were warmer are now getting colder, and many colder regions are getting much colder or even warmer nown as Global Warming).

For example, _________ 1901 and 2012, it is believed that the earth's temperature has risen by 0.89 °C. Rainfall amounts have also risen in the mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere since the beginning of the 20th Century. It is also believed that sea levels have risen up to about 19cm globally, with lots of glaciers melting in addition.

Some people do not believe that these are caused by human activities. They think it is all political actions and falsehood intended to cause panic among humans.

Well, whatever it is, we would like to know more, and take a few good points from this confusion, and use them to make our world a better place to live. 

(Adapted from: https://goo.gl/xQnjzZ. Access: 01/22/2018)

QUESTION

Source: https://www.offthemark.com/cartoon/medicalhealth/psychology/2007-12-13 Accessed on 19/06/2018