High Response Capacity Research Articles

A new model of integrated health and social care ibased on collaborative work in vilanova i la geltrú

A new model of integrated health and social care ibased on collaborative work in vilanova i la geltrú

Assessment of livelihood vulnerability of land-lost farmers in urban fringes: A case study of Xi'an, China

Research on rural household livelihood vulnerability to climate change and extreme weather events (e.g., drought, flood and typhoons) has received broad attention; however, relatively few attempts have been made to assess the effects of social, economic, or spatial variation on livelihood vulnerability. With China's rapid urban expansion, many farmers in urban fringe areas are suffering great risks to their livelihoods because of land requisition. Thus, the livelihood of these land-lost farmers has become an important social issue in China. This article applies the livelihood vulnerability analytical framework to the case of land-lost farmers in the urban fringe of Xi'an who have been exposed to rapid urbanization. We developed indicators to assess the impact of exposure/sensitivity and response capacity on the livelihood vulnerability of land-lost farmers. Using a mix of qualitative and quantitative analyses, we combined data from in-person interviews and household surveys in 2015. Four types of livelihood vulnerability for land-lost households were classified: high sensitivity and high response capacity, low sensitivity and high response capacity, low sensitivity and low response capacity, and high sensitivity and low response capacity. The type of crop farmed before losing land had the greatest impact on the sensitivity of land-lost farmers, but no significant impact on response capacity. Having a commercially viable house, income diversity, educational level, land compensation, and social capital are major factors that influence the response capability of land-lost farmers. Our findings highlight the need for land-lost farmers to improve their educational level and occupational skills, and thus enhance their capacity for sustainable and diversified livelihoods. Simultaneously, local government must provide livelihood assistance in the form of employment training, improved social welfare, and limited disorderly urbanization.

Myrmecofauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Response to Habitat Characteristics of Tropical Montane Cloud Forests in Central Veracruz, Mexico

Abstract Tropical montane cloud forests are characterized by a persistent cloud cover at the vegetation level. In central Veracruz, Mexico, these forests are found distributed in several small fragments with differing degrees of disturbance. In this changing ecosystem, the use of indicator groups has been proposed to assess disturbance effects on biodiversity. Ants may serve as bioindicators in various contexts, as they are social insects that have a high response capacity to environmental stimuli. In this study, the relationship of several environmental characteristics to ant diversity was measured in 5 fragments of tropical montane cloud forest in central Veracruz. In total, 5,270 individuals belonging to 75 species, 29 genera, 13 tribes, and 8 subfamilies were collected. The richness, diversity, and evenness increased significantly as a function of the structural complexity of the vegetation. In terms of composition and structure, the assemblages showed high heterogeneity between fragments. The similar...

Differentiation-Dependent Cytoplasmic Distribution and in Vivo RNA Association of Proteins Recognized by the 3′-UTR Stability Element of α-Globin mRNA in Erythroleukemic Cells

In this study, we analyzed subcytoplasmic distribution and in vivo RNA association of proteins with specific affinity to cytosine-rich stability determinant sequences of α-globin mRNA 3′-UTR in a MEL-707 erythroleukemic model. We took advantage of the possibility that these cells can be reversibly differentiated (as a continuous population, but not at the level of individual cells) which, therefore, allows analysis of various stages of erythroid differentiation within the same cell population. Label transfer experiments revealed four major complexes with molecular mass of 110-, 70-, 55- and 50-kDa in various cytoplasmic fractions. Using the combination of in vitro label transfer and in vivo UV-crosslinking techniques, we also demonstrated that subcytoplasmic distribution as well as in vivo RNA association of various complex-forming proteins is differentiation dependent in MEL-707 cells. These results indicate that changes in the cytoplasmic environment imposed by the differentiating stimulus might direct important biochemical signals as to how the stability determinant 3′UTR elements interact with their binding proteins. These data also suggest that stability complexes are dynamic macromolecular structures with high response capacity to various extra- and intracellular regulatory stimuli.

Selective changes in the protein-turnover rates and nature of growth induced in trout liver by long-term starvation followed by re-feeding.

We report upon the effects of a cycle of long-term starvation followed by re-feeding on the liver-protein turnover rates and nature of protein growth in the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). We determined the protein-turnover rate and its relationship with the nucleic-acid concentrations in the livers of juvenile trout starved for 70 days and then re-fed for 9 days. During starvation the total hepatic-protein and RNA contents decreased significantly and the absolute protein-synthesis rate (A(S)) also fell, whilst the fractional protein-synthesis rate (K(S)) remained unchanged and the fractional protein-degradation rate (K(D)) increased significantly. Total DNA content, an indicator of hyperplasia, and the protein:DNA ratio, an indicator of hypertrophy, both fell considerably. After re-feeding for 9 days the protein-accumulation rates (K(G), A(G)) rose sharply, as did K(S), A(S), K(D)), protein-synthesis efficiency (K(RNA)) and the protein-synthesis rate/DNA unit (K(DNA)). The total hepatic protein and RNA contents increased but still remained below the control values. The protein:DNA and RNA:DNA ratios increased significantly compared to starved fish. These changes demonstrate the high response capacity of the protein-turnover rates in trout liver upon re-feeding after long-term starvation. Upon re-feeding hypertrophic growth increased considerably whilst hyperplasia remained at starvation levels.

The non-specific enhancement of allergy. III. Precipitation of bronchial anaphylactic reactivity in primed rats by injection of alum or B. pertussis vaccine: relation of response capacity to IgE and IgG2a antibody levels.

SD rats were sensitized by an i.p. injection of 1 microgram or 10 micrograms ovalbumin (OA) together with 10 mg Silica gel. At the indicated time after sensitization, allergic response capacity of the animals was estimated by measuring changes in intratracheal pressure induced by an i.v. injection of 0.3 mg OA (low challenge dose) or 5 mg OA (high challenge dose). Animals given 1 microgram OA in Silica gel showed no response capacity at 14, 35 or 47-48 days after sensitization. Animals injected with 10 micrograms OA showed a clear-cut response with a peak at 14 days; at 7 weeks after immunization the response capacity had faded almost completely. Specific OA-IgE antibody and total IgE serum levels were examined by radioimmunoassay. A slight increase in OA-IgE antibody was recorded in animals injected 14 days before test with 10 micrograms ovalbumin and Silica gel; animals given 1 microgram OA and Silica showed no OA-IgE antibody. Five weeks after sensitization, some animals of each group were injected i.p. with 100 mg alum, B. pertussis vaccine (2 ml of Perthydral), or saline, all injections being made without any further antigen addition. 12-13 days after such an injection, alum-treated animals showed high response capacity at bronchial anaphylactic tests and high OA-IgE antibody levels but comparably low levels of total IgE. Animals injected with B. pertussis, on the other hand, showed low response capacity (bronchial anaphylactic tests and OA-IgE antibody levels) but high total IgE-antibody levels. The bronchial anaphylactic response in the B. pertussis-injected animals but not the alum-injected animals was significantly correlated to serum IgG2a antibody levels. These results show that injection of alum or B. pertussis vaccine without antigen can precipitate/enhance anaphylactic response capacity and production of specific and non-specific IgE and IgG2a.