High Stature Research Articles

Correlations between sportsmen’s morpho-functional measurements and voice acoustic variables

PurposeSince human voice characteristics are specific to each individual, numerous anthropological studies have been oriented to find significant relationships between voice and morpho-functional features. The goal of this study was to identify the correlation between seven morpho-functional variables and six voice acoustic parameters in sportsmen.MethodsFollowing the protocols of the International Biological Program, seven morpho-functional variables and six voice acoustic parameters have been measured in 88 male professional athletes from Kosovo, aged 17–35 years, during the period of April–October 2013. The statistical analysis was accomplished through the SPSS program, version 20. The obtained data were analysed through descriptive parameters and with Spearman’s method of correlation analysis.ResultsSpearman’s method of correlation showed significant negative correlations (<i>R</i> = –0.215 to –0.613; <i>p</i> = 0.05) between three voice acoustic variables of the fundamental frequency of the voice sample (Mean, Minimum, and Maximum Pitch) and six morpho-functional measures (Body Height, Body Weight, Margaria-Kalamen Power Test, Sargent Jump Test, Pull-up Test, and VO<sub>2max</sub>.abs).ConclusionsThe significant correlations imply that the people with higher stature have longer vocal cords and a lower voice. These results encourage investigations on predicting sportsmen’s functional abilities on the basis of their voice acoustic parameters.

Alfred Thompson Bricher’s a Pensive Moment and Winslow Homer’s the New Novel

Alfred Thompson Bricher’s a Pensive Moment and Winslow Homer’s the New Novel Daniel E. Sachs Abstract In the 1870s, amidst a virtual explosion of socially relevant as well as nostalgic images attempting to aid in the recuperation of a nation having survived a long and violent Civil War, Winslow Homer and Alfred Thompson Bricher created and exhibited a pair of watercolor compositions that addressed the gender and sexual issues arising in the mid- to late Victorian era. These images may well have been inspired by the two artists’ personal experiences and also their positive attitudes towards women, but also likely encouraged by an ever increasing Women’s Rights movement led by women such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and others as early as the 1840s. The movement gained tremendous momentum in the post-Civil War period. Tradition- challenging Homer and sometimes provocative Bricher painted two paintings that prove to be well worth exploring because of their clearly different though equally compelling images of young Victorian women reading. Reading was very much the domain of men in this period, so when novels started becoming a commonplace, inexpensive item to which young women gravitated, many men of high stature saw it as detrimental and worthy of their criticism. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/ijaah.v4n2a1

The Dynamics, Ecological Variability and Estimated Carbon Stocks of Mangroves in Mahajamba Bay, Madagascar

Mangroves are found throughout the tropics, providing critical ecosystem goods and services to coastal communities and supporting rich biodiversity. Globally, mangroves are being rapidly degraded and deforested at rates exceeding loss in many tropical inland forests. Madagascar contains around 2% of the global distribution, >20% of which has been deforested since 1990, primarily from over-harvest for forest products and conversion for agriculture and aquaculture. While historically not prominent, mangrove loss in Madagascar’s Mahajamba Bay is increasing. Here, we focus on Mahajamba Bay, presenting long-term dynamics calculated using United States Geological Survey (USGS) national-level mangrove maps contextualized with socio-economic research and ground observations, and the results of contemporary (circa 2011) mapping of dominant mangrove types. The analysis of the USGS data indicated 1050 hectares (3.8%) lost from 2000 to 2010, which socio-economic research suggests is increasingly driven by commercial timber extraction. Contemporary mapping results permitted stratified sampling based on spectrally distinct and ecologically meaningful mangrove types, allowing for the first-ever vegetation carbon stock estimates for Mahajamba Bay. The overall mean carbon stock across all mangrove classes was estimated to be 100.97 ± 10.49 Mg C ha−1. High stature closed-canopy mangroves had the highest average carbon stock estimate (i.e., 166.82 ± 15.28 Mg C ha−1). These estimates are comparable to other published values in Madagascar and elsewhere in the Western Indian Ocean and demonstrate the ecological variability of Mahajamba Bay’s mangroves and their value towards climate change mitigation.

A RARE CASE OF HUNTER SYNDROME – CASE REPORT

Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPSs) are a group of rare genetic disorders within the larger family of lysosomal diseases. MPSs disorders are caused by a deficiency in the activity of a specific lysosomal enzyme required for the degradation of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). MPS type II, also called Hunter syndrome consists in a deficiency of an enzyme, iduronate-2-sulphatase. We present a rare case of Hunter syndrome with atypical presentation. It is a case about a boy of 2.7 year old who presented to the Paediatric Clinic with symptoms of a respiratory tract infection and a history of frequent ear infections and respiratory tract infections. His clinical examination showed the following abnormalities: high stature, moderately overweight, facial dysmorphism (coarse facial features, prominent forehead, a depressed nasal bridge), small stubby fingers with flexion of distal interphalangeal joints, joint stiffness, protruding abdomen with umbilical hernia, hepatomegaly and splenomegaly, and also mild mental retardation. The clinical aspect was suggestive for MPS type I, II or VII. Dosage of enzymes with role in mucopolysaccharide lysosomal metabolism revealed low levels of iduronate-2-sulphatase, changes that bent for MPS type II. Enzymatic diagnosis was confirmed by molecular DNA analysis that showed a hemizygote mutation of iduronate2-sulphatase gene in intron 3 (c.419-2A > G). Enzyme replacement therapy with recombinant human iduronate2-sulfatase (Elaprase®) was started. The evolution of the case after almost two years of treatment with Elaprase is favorably, without loss of neurological acquisitions.

The 47,XYY syndrome, 50 years of certainties and doubts: A systematic review

Abstract The Jacobs’ syndrome consists in the presence of a Y chromosome in excess. The prevalence of XYY sex chromosome abnormalities in newborns is as high as 1:1000, but they are often unidentified because they are not necessarily associated with gross physical or cognitive impairments, and so they may never come to medical attention. The only common and obvious features are high stature and a strong build. During the 1960s and the 1970s, some studies postulated that the Jacobs’ syndrome could lead to aggressive behavior, but the statistical certainty was questioned. More recent developments in genetics and neuroimaging have led to new publications on the relationship between the presence of an extra Y chromosome and social function, trying to explain the possible increasing tendency to commit a crime and to search for a biological nature of human behavior and deviant conducts. The authors conduct a review of the literature of the last 50 years concerning this chromosome trisomy, focusing on a possible connection between 47,XYY and deviance. According to the results of these studies, the authors conclude that there is no noteworthy evidence that a person affected by Jacobs’ syndrome has to necessarily turn into an antisocial or deviant individual.

Factors associated with six-year weight change in young and middle-aged adults in the Young Finns Study

Objective. To examine factors associated with weight change and obesity risk in young and middle-aged adults. Subjects/methods. The Young Finns Study with its 923 women and 792 men aged 24–39 years at baseline were followed for six years. Variables associated with the weight change were investigated with regression models. Results. The average weight change was 0.45 kg/year in women and 0.58 kg/year in men. In women, weight change was steady across all ages. In men, weight changes were more pronounced in younger age groups. In women (weight gain > 2 kg, n = 490), medication for anxiety, low occupational status, high baseline BMI (body mass index), high intake of sweet beverages, high childhood BMI, high salt (NaCl and/or KCl) use, low number of children, low childhood family income, high stature and low level of dependence (a temperament subscale) were associated with increased weight gain (in the order of importance). In men (weight gain > 2 kg, n = 455), high stature, high intake of french fries, low intake of sweet cookies, young age, recent divorce, low intake of cereals, high intake of milk, depressive symptoms, rural childhood origin, high baseline BMI and unemployment were associated with more pronounced weight gain. Sedentarity (screen-time) was associated with weight gain only in young men. Physical activity and genetic risk for high BMI (score of 31 known variants) were not consistently associated with weight change. Conclusions. Socio-economic factors, temperamental and physical characteristics, and some dietary factors are related with weight change in young/middle-aged adults. The weight change occurring in adulthood is also determined by childhood factors, such as high BMI and low family income.

Some Remarks Regarding the aṣ̌əm vohū

This article attempts to show the eschatological horizon of the Avestan prayer aṣ̌əm vohū. Its placement in the Yasna at the threshold of the Old Avestan corpus and the virtues ascribed to it in other Avestan texts reveal its high stature in Zoroastrianism. The sense of the prayer remains obscure in its current translations. The problem is in part due to the fact that the text is syntactically defective. One must assume that the significance attributed to it in Avestan tradition is a reflection of what it says, its actual meaning. This is the guiding principle of its interpretation in this article. I critically consider the translations and interpretations of the prayer to date. Some of these are problematic even on the linguistic level. But the problem of sense remains even in those that are formally impeccable. The reason for this is that the translation reproduces the tautology that the original contains, instead of unfolding it. An attempt at unfolding the tautology can be seen in the Young Avestan exegesis of the prayer. Once the tautology is unfolded, the sense of the text becomes evident: those who support aṣ̌a (the primordial order of creation) will have their wish for a blissful afterlife in aṣ̌a (the divine sphere) fulfilled.

Elevation matters: contrasting effects of climate change on the vegetation development at different elevations in the Bavarian Alps

Despite broad evidence that recent climate change considerably affects alpine-nival vegetation, there are only a few studies revealing climate-induced vegetation changes in all vegetation belts above the actual treeline. Here, we use historical and recent vegetation surveys from the Bavarian Alps (Germany) to examine biodiversity, structural and functional trait composition changes in subalpine, lower and higher alpine vegetation belts during the past 50 years. Although species richness did not change significantly in dense subalpine vegetation, immigration of species from lower elevations and increased environmental favorability for already present thermophilic species led to an increase of plant cover (+23 %). In low alpine plots, a significant increase in species richness and plant cover (+41 and +18 %, respectively) was detected, due to gap availability and low competitive ability of alpine species. The results of the three-table ordination technique (RLQ) revealed that in subalpine and low alpine plots species with traits that are advantageous under warmer conditions, such as higher specific leaf area, high stature and heavier seeds, significantly increased their frequencies and abundances. Floristic and vegetation changes of high alpine plots were contrasting to those found in the subalpine and the low alpine vegetation located both in the study region and close mountain ridges. Despite the temperature increase and sufficient availability of colonisation gaps for newcomers, species richness (−24 %) and plant cover (−25 %) significantly decreased, probably due to permafrost degradation (as a consequence of recent warming). Our results suggest that considering vegetation characteristics as well as environmental conditions of different vegetation belts above the treeline is critical to accurately understand the response of alpine vegetation to climate change.

Gestational diabetes mellitus among Nordic Caucasian women: Prevalence and risk factors according to WHO and simplified IADPSG criteria

Background. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with both maternal and offspring adverse effects. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently adopted novel GDM criteria. The aim of this study was to evaluate the former WHO and a simplified version of the new International Association for Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group (IADPSG) criteria as to prevalence of and risk factors for GDM in a Nordic Caucasian population. Methods. A 75 g oral glucose tolerance test was performed in 687 women at 18–22 and 32–36 pregnancy weeks. GDM was defined according to the WHO criteria as fasting plasma glucose ≥ 7.0 mmol/L and/or 2-hour plasma glucose ≥ 7.8 mmol/L and by a simplified version of the IADPSG criteria as either fasting glucose ≥ 5.1 mmol/L and/or 2-h plasma glucose ≥ 8.5 mmol/L. One-hour glucose values were not available and were thus not included in the diagnosis of GDM by IADPSG. Prevalence of GDM during pregnancy and risk factors for GDM at 18–22 weeks were studied in retrospect according to each of the two criteria. Results. The total prevalence of GDM during pregnancy was 6.1% (42/687) for the WHO criteria and 7.4% (51/687) for the simplified IADPSG criteria. High maternal age and short stature were independently associated with WHO GDM. Maternal age, fasting insulin and no regular exercise at 18–22 pregnancy weeks associated with simplified IADPSG GDM. Conclusions. Simplified IADPSG criteria moderately increase GDM prevalence compared with the WHO criteria. Risk factors for GDM differ with the diagnostic criteria used.

Opposite selection pressures on stature and intelligence across human populations

Principal component analysis was used to detect signals of recent polygenic selection for higher stature. This selection was stronger among sub-Saharan Africans and weaker among East Asians. The principal component significantly correlates with mean male height in 9 populations. ANOVA shows that the frequencies of 46 height-increasing alleles differ significantly across three continental races (Europeans, sub-Saharan Africans, East Asians). We can therefore reject the null hypothesis that random drift accounts for these differences. GWAS hits from different population samples have similar loadings on the principal component, implying that the same alleles have similar phenotypic effects across human populations. These height-increasing alleles are distributed among the three geographic groups in a way that inversely mirrors what we see for intelligence-enhancing alleles. This pattern might be explained by Allen’s rule and the cognitive demands imposed by cold climates.

Long Day's Journey into Night

Long Day's Journey into Night

Determinantes sociales y alimentarios asociados al crecimiento lineal del niño juarense en edad preescolar

In the northern region, it is believed that there are more people with high size. However, continuous genetic mixing and the migration phenomenon seems to have affected the prevalence of high stature with low. Objective. Study food and socio-economic factors associated differential way to the high stature (TA) preschool children in Ciudad Juárez in comparison to low size (TB). Methods. Retrospective cross-sectional study in 295 children < 5 years of Ciudad Juárez. Results. The prevalence of TA and TB was 4.1 and 11.2, higher than the State average. With the exception of the proportion of parents of Chihuahua and have received food allergen in the first year, all the other variables (more negative nutritional deviations and household food insecurity but minor economic perception) justified the presence of low stature. Both the high and low size were associated with lower proportion of children fed exclusively to the womb. Conclusions. Socioeconomic factors and food studied seem to have influence on the stature of children, same that can be directly modifiable by the parents or the economic system.

Body Height and Late-Life Cognition Among Patients With Atherothrombotic Disease

Height is associated with a lower risk of stroke and dementia. We tested the hypothesis that higher stature is also associated with better cognitive performance, and examined whether these associations were mediated through the extent of vascular disease. A subgroup of patients (mean age at baseline 57.9±6.6 y; 94.6% males) with coronary heart disease who previously participated in a clinical trial (1990 to 1997) was assessed for cognitive function and measures of atherosclerosis 15±3 years later. Cognitive performance was assessed using the Mindstreams computerized battery. Measures of overall battery performance and in specific cognitive domains were obtained, and a score of ≤85 (1 SD below the mean) was defined as cognitive impairment overall and in a specific domain. We compared the risk of cognitive impairment and means of cognitive scores by quartiles of height. Among 536 patients, 23.2% were cognitively impaired. After controlling for potential risk factors and correcting for multiple comparisons, odds ratios for impairment in the visual-spatial domain decreased with increasing height quartiles (P for trend =0.018), and odds ratio (95% confidence interval) associated with being at the top versus the bottom quartile was 0.40 (0.18-0.88). An increment of 1 SD of height was associated with a higher global score (β=1.98; 95% confidence interval, 0.73-4.49; P=0.004) and with higher executive function, attention, and visual-spatial scores. Among our sample of coronary heart disease patients, a higher stature is associated with a lower risk of impairment in the visual-spatial function and with better cognitive performance.

Tabi-Tabi Po: Situating The Narrative of Supernatural in the Context of the Philippines Community Development

Folklore, such as the narratives of the supernatural, functions as a vehicle for elements of culture such as belief systems, ideologies and shared memories. This study explores the changes undergone by Philippine narratives of the supernatural vis-à-vis the urban development of the community where they thrive. It is demonstrated that the characters of the narratives of the supernatural are perceived to be of equal or even higher stature than those of members of the rural communities. With the locality experience changes brought about by urbanisation, this folklore is inevitably modified to suit the people’s environment and sensibilities, by reappropriating new functions and roles in the community. A different impression is observed in the context of the urban community; but, the collective sense of respect evoked by the urban dwellers has endured. This is the form which the latent belief system among Filipinos has taken, one that forges their common identity.

HIGH STATURE AS A SIGN OF INSULIN RESISTANCE IN CHILDHOOD OBESITY

The features of the growth in children and adolescence of both sexes with obesity and their growth standard deviation score (SDS) were studied with consideration of puberty stage and obesity degree, depending on the presence of insulin resistance (IR). It was established that patients of both sexes with obesity in the presence of IR had significantly more often a high or ultra-high stature. In boys with IR there was registered prolonged growth saltation. In girls with IR against the background of obesity of the I degree there were revealed higher mean SDS indices. It was shown that the impact of IR on the rates of physical development occurs both in boys and in girls with obesity with predisposition to accelerated growth mainly at the initial stages of pubertal adjustment. The high and ultra-high height measurements by the growth SDS in children of both sexes may be an additional sign of IR presence in obesity

Interactions between repeated fire, nutrients, and insect herbivores affect the recovery of diversity in the southern Amazon

Surface fires burn extensive areas of tropical forests each year, altering resource availability, biotic interactions, and, ultimately, plant diversity. In transitional forest between the Brazilian cerrado (savanna) and high stature Amazon forest, we took advantage of a long-term fire experiment to establish a factorial study of the interactions between fire, nutrient availability, and herbivory on early plant regeneration. Overall, five annual burns reduced the number and diversity of regenerating stems. Community composition changed substantially after repeated fires, and species common in the cerrado became more abundant. The number of recruits and their diversity were reduced in the burned area, but burned plots closed to herbivores with nitrogen additions had a 14 % increase in recruitment. Diversity of recruits also increased up to 50 % in burned plots when nitrogen was added. Phosphorus additions were related to an increase in species evenness in burned plots open to herbivores. Herbivory reduced seedling survival overall and increased diversity in burned plots when nutrients were added. This last result supports our hypothesis that positive relationships between herbivore presence and diversity would be strongest in treatments that favor herbivory--in this case herbivory was higher in burned plots which were initially lower in diversity. Regenerating seedlings in less diverse plots were likely more apparent to herbivores, enabling increased herbivory and a stronger signal of negative density dependence. In contrast, herbivores generally decreased diversity in more species rich unburned plots. Although this study documents complex interactions between repeated burns, nutrients, and herbivory, it is clear that fire initiates a shift in the factors that are most important in determining the diversity and number of recruits. This change may have long-lasting effects as the forest progresses through succession.

District differences and regional division of heights among Chinese Han children and adolescents

To analyze the district differences of height among Chinese Han population aged 7 to 18 years, and to divide the levels of heights into several regions accordingly, to provide basis for evaluation the development of height in the above said population. Standard Deviation was used to compare the relative levels of height in different provinces and to divide them into several regions. The results were then showed in map through the Geographic Information System (GIS). All the 30 provinces in China were divided into three regions: high, medium and short regions according to the stature. Region with high stature was mainly located in northern, while medium stature was in central and northwest parts and short stature was in southwest parts of China. The differences of height appeared to be significant among regions in every age group. The differences of height were 1 - 3 cm between adjacent regions, and were even lager between the regions with high or short stature which appeared to be 4 - 5 cm. Overall, heights among the Chinese Han children and adolescents were taller in the northern and shorter in the southern areas. The highest and lowest levels of heights were in the Northern and the Southwest areas respectively. It was observed that the levels of height in the coastal areas were higher than that of the inland. There were no absolute boundaries between different regions because of the gradual transition in the levels of heights in various districts.

Study on lumbar kinematics and the risk of low back disorder in female university students by using shoes of different heel heights

The study was taken up to investigate the effects of heel heights on lumbar kinematics and the risk of Low Back Disorder (LBD) in females. Nineteen female university students (24.5 ± 3.36 yrs) volunteered in the study. Lumbar kinematics was measured by using Industrial Lumbar Motion Monitor (iLMM). The volunteers were asked to walk for a distance of 50 meters in 3 different given conditions i.e bare foot (Heel 0), with flat heels (Heel 1) and with high heels (Heel 2). Heights of Heel 1 and Heel 2 were 1.5 ± 0.84 cm and 5.5 ± 1.70 cm respectively. The Lumbar kinematic parameters studied were- Average Twisting Velocity (ATV), Maximum Sagital Flexion (MSF) and Maximum Lateral Velocity (MLV). It was observed that all the above mentioned Lumbar kinematics - ATV, MSF and MLV increases with increase of heel heights, which in turn increases the risk of LBD. As a result of increase in Lumbar kinematic values with increase in heel heights, LBD risk has also increased. Mean and SD of the LBD risk with Heel 0, Heel 1 and Heel 2 were 16.79 ± 6.04%, 19.00 ± 7.38% and 22.11 ± 6.98% respectively. Lower stature with high heels showed higher risk of LBD than the higher stature with high heels.

Two new species of <i>Euphorbia</i> sect. <i>Nummulariopsis</i> (Euphorbiaceae) from South America

Carrillo-Reyes, P. & Steinmann, V.W. 2011. Two new species of Euphorbia sect. Nummulariopsis (Euphorbiaceae) from South America. Anales Jard. Bot. Madrid 68(2): 167-173. Two new species of sect. Nummulariopsis, Euphorbia guaraniorum and E. cordeiroae, are described and illustrated. Euphorbia guaraniorum appears to be related to E. portulacoides and is distinguished by its densely arranged ensiform leaves. It is known only from the Yacyreta and Ybycui Islands in southern Paraguay. Euphorbia cordeiroae, occurs in the state of Goias, Brazil, and is similar to E. stenophylla, from which it differs in its higher stature and very narrow and loosely arranged leaves.

IMAGENS UTÓPICAS E DISTÓPICAS DO DESERTO E DA FLORESTA EM EUCLIDES DA CUNHA

This essay focuses on two important questions in the works of Euclides da Cunha. The first question addresses the utopian and dystopian images that Euclides creates to describe and to narrate the Amazonian rainforest; the second one, also related to his writings on Amazonia, refers to Euclides‘s linguistic matrices of duplication used in Rebellion in the Backlands and also À margem da história. Delving into the meaning of his incomplete and unpublished book, Um paraíso perdido [A Lost Paradise], the present study seeks to demonstrate the difficulties that, as a scientist, Euclides is confronted with in his critical observation of the complexity of the Amazonian ecosystem in its relation with its inhabitants. From the artist‘s perspective, Euclides‘s hesitation and oscillation between a favorable and unfavorable representation of Amazonia is also closely examined in this essay. As an unfinished project, Um paraíso perdido replicates similar lines of thought and language styles he had utilized in Rebellion in the Backlands. So much desired, but abruptly and unknowingly aborted, Um paraíso perdido signals in principle the same strong aspiration found in Rebellion in the Backlands. Again, according to him the new unfinished book had to be avenging. Such social commitment on the part of Euclides gives more weight to his already high stature as a man of sciences and letters. Always adjusted to a classical and unusual diction of his unique language, both of his texts, Rebellion in the Backlands and À margem da história, share a common characteristic. In them, Euclides uses linguistics formulas that repeat themselves, revealing his mode of thinking and writing, which approximates, culturally and artistically, two geographic regions that are generally considered contradictory, the desert and the forest.