High Variety Research Articles

Dietary Patterns Are Associated with Cardiovascular and Cancer Mortality among Swiss Adults in a Census-Linked Cohort

Defining dietary guidelines requires a quantitative assessment of the influence of diet on the development of diseases. The aim of the study was to investigate how dietary patterns were associated with mortality in a general population sample of Switzerland. We included 15,936 participants from two population-based studies (National Research Program 1A (NRP1A) and Monitoring of Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Disease (MONICA)—1977 to 1993) who fully answered a simplified 24-h dietary recall. Mortality data were available through anonymous record linkage with the Swiss National Cohort (follow-up of up to 37.9 years). Multiple correspondence analysis and hierarchical clustering were used to define data-driven qualitative dietary patterns. Mortality hazard ratios were calculated for all-cause, cancer and cardiovascular mortality using Cox regression. Two patterns were characterized by a low dietary variety (“Sausage and Vegetables”, “Meat and Salad”), two by a higher variety (“Traditional”, “High-fiber foods”) and one by a high fish intake (“Fish”). Males with unhealthy lifestyle (smokers, low physical activity and high alcohol intake) were overrepresented in the low-variety patterns and underrepresented in the high-variety and “Fish” patterns. In multivariable-adjusted models, the “Fish” (hazard ratio = 0.82, 95% CI (0.68–0.99)) and “High-fiber foods” (0.85 (0.72–1.00)) patterns were associated with lower cancer mortality. In men, the “Fish” (0.73 (0.55–0.97)) and “Traditional” (0.76 (0.59–0.98)) patterns were associated with lower cardiovascular mortality. In summary, our results support the notion that dietary patterns affect mortality and that these patterns strongly cluster with other health determinants.

Le voci di Tanja. Un tessuto di traduzioni mediterranee

Tangier is the main city of the Northern Moroccan region. As the only one to benefit from the International Status during the French Protectorate, it has always been influenced by multilingualism: the local diglossia, due to the coexistence of the locale dialect, darija, and Standard Arabic, exists side by side with three local darijas of Amazight, official language from 2011; more, due to the colonial period, the general knowledge of Spanish is linked to the territorial control of Spain on the North of Morocco and to the commercial contacts between the shores while French was imposed as official language in the educational and administrative sphere. The identity of translational city (S. Simon, 2012) still exists and it is today still problematized because of the increasing migration flows directed to the cities and originating both in Europe and in the Moroccan countryside. This phenomenon is the result of the unprecedented economical development of the North, due to the set up of de-localized productive activities in free zones spread over the whole territory. The categories of class and gender determine a relation with the languages beginning from situated subjects and reveal the differential inclusion produced in loco. Starting from some interviews to women working in the de-localized textile factories of Tangier, I propose a socio-linguistics analysis aimed to identify some translation processes among situated female universes.

Environmental factors have a strong impact on the composition and diversity of the gut bacterial community of Chinese black honeybees

The Chinese black honeybees is an ecotype of the European honeybee that is formed by the natural hybridization of Apis mellifera mellifera and A. m. carnica. It is distributed in nature reserves in North China and has been an important breeding resource for disease resistance and other desirable traits. Compared to the areas outside of reserves, the nature reserves offer significant biodiversity benefits not only to the Chinese black honey bees but also to the other valuable plants and animals. In recent years there has been growing evidence that environmental factors including food choices play an important role in shaping the composition and activity of gut microbiota, which in turn can impact host health. In the previous studies on Chinse black honeybees, little attention has been paid to the diverse population of microbes in the gut that play a vital role in host health. In order to achieve a better understanding on the role of environmental factors in diversity and composition of gut microbiota of honey bees, in the present study, we analyzed the gut bacterial communities of Chinese black honeybees using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP). The results showed that the samples from the national nature reserves that are protected and managed so as to preserve and enrich their natural condition and resources for Chinese black honeybees had higher variety and richness of gut bacteria than that collected from unreserved regions that also harbor populations of Chinese black honeybees. The four terminal restriction fragments (T-RFs), 201, 223, 247 and 320bp, were identified to be the dominant bacteria of Chinese black honeybees. Of which 247 and 320bp had greater differences between bee groups sampled in different regions and therefore could be used as genetic markers to separate samples collected from the national nature reserves to samples collected from unreserved regions. The results clearly indicate that national nature reserve protects biological diversity and ecological and evolutionary processes which have had a significant influence on the diversity of gut bacteria of Chinese black honeybees. The ubiquity of gut symbiotic bacteria identified in Chinese black honeybee suggests that environmental factors could play an important role in diversity and composition of gut bacteria and warrant further investigation into the functional significance of these gut bacteria for the honeybee health.

A Study on Diglossia in Joseon Period Viewed on The Learning of Sohak

A Study on Diglossia in Joseon Period Viewed on The Learning of Sohak

Il Dante di De Sanctis è ancora attuale

My aim is to show the contemporary relevance of the work of Francesco De Sanctis, which has been intensively researched, but is now relegated to our past. However, his Dante, in contrast with his Petrarch, has timeless ethical, ideological and political qualities, while his Petrarch is still a negative example of the past and present defects of Italian. De Sanctis is still relevant in the sense that, with Dante, he favours a culture and language for ordinary people, an antidote to the diglossic situation of a ‘high’ language not only in the Renaissance but also that of the avant-garde and the technicalities of critical language. Last, but not least, the human example represented by Dante is a stronghold against the spread of what the Anglo-Polish anthropologist Bauman calls the man of “liquid modernity”.

Diversity of green algae in Kamanos raised bog (NW Lithuania) with the aspect of long-term changes in desmids

AbstractIn Kamanos raised bog, the green algae community was represented by 160 taxa distributed into eight Chlorophyceae orders. The diversity of desmids (93 taxa) that are an essential algal component of raised bogs was most relevant. Chlorococcales comprised 30 taxa and Ulotrichales – 15 taxa. Representatives from the rest green algae groups were scarce. Higher variety of habitats in Lake Kamanos and the pools supported more diverse flora of green algae (151 taxa) compared to black hollows (61 taxa). Actinotaenium cucurbita was the single species found in all studied water bodies of Kamanos raised bog. Characium ornitocephalum, Asterococcus superbus, Cosmarium amoenum, Micrasterias truncata, Spondylosium pulchellum, Netrium digitus were found in the lake and all pools, whereas Cosmoastrum scabrum, Tetmemorus laevis – in all hollows. In the current study, the composition of desmid taxa recorded in Kamanos raised bog in two research periods was compared. The first reports on desmids were published by Vilkaitis (1937, 1940). He found 129 Desmidiales (18 genera) and 10 Zygnematales species (4 genera). Fifty five species identified by V. Vilkaitis were found repeatedly during the current investigation. In 2005, 42 species were newly recoded in Kamanos raised bog, and of these, 17 taxa were new to desmid flora of Lithuania. A numerous rare species recorded by Vilkaitis (1937) were not observed repeatedly probably due to long-term changes that had occurred in the peat bog and not enough comprehensive study that represented only part of Kamanos wetland. Some new rare desmid species (e.g. Micrasterias jenneri, Cosmarium cymatonotophorum, Desmidium cylindricum, Actinotaenium cucurbitinum, Xanthidium bifidum) have recently been found at Kamanos sites.

FEATURES OF THE PROPAGATION OF GENE BoLA-DRB3 ALLELES IN GRAY CATTLE BREEDS

FEATURES OF THE PROPAGATION OF GENE BoLA-DRB3 ALLELES IN GRAY CATTLE BREEDS

Comparison of biofilm-producing Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, and unusual Enterococcus strains

The present study focused on determining the prevalence of biofilm-forming ability in Enterococcus faecalis , E. faecium , and unusual Enterococcus clinical isolates, and comparison of resistance and the prevalence of selected virulence factors among biofilm-positive strains. The ability to form biofilm was detected in 13.3% of E. faecalis , 90% of E. faecium , and 57.1% of unusual Enterococcus strains ( p =0.026). All E. faecalis strains were susceptible to β-lactams, while 37.5% of unusual and all E. faecium isolates were resistant to these antibiotics. Resistance to gentamicin was detected in 75% of E. faecalis , 55.5% of E. faecium , and 25% of other strains; resistance to streptomycin in 25%, 83.3%, and 50%, respectively. Analysis of the virulence revealed that the enterococcal surface protein ( esp ) gene was found in all E. faecium , 75.0% of E. faecalis , and 37.5% of other strains; collagen adhesin gene ( ace ) in 100%, 25.0%, and 37.5%; and hyaluronidase gene ( hyl ) in 83.3%, 0%, and 37.5%, respectively. Analysis of the resistance and virulence patterns showed that E. faecium isolates had the greatest variety of virulence and resistance determinants, while the lowest variety was exhibited by unusual strains. These findings indicate that unusual biofilm-producing Enterococcus strains have lower resistance and virulence potency than E. faecalis and E. faecium .

The expressions of 164 histone modification enzymes in seven groups are modulated in respond to pathogenic processes of metabolic diseases, tumors and regulatory T cell differentiation

Abstract To determine whether the expression of histone modification enzymes is regulated in physiological and pathological conditions, we took an experimental database mining approach pioneered in our labs to determine a panoramic expression profile of 164 enzymes in 19 human and 17 murine tissues. We have made the following significant findings: 1) Histone enzymes are differentially expressed in cardiovascular, immune and other tissues; 2) Our new “pyramid model” showed that heart and T cells are among a few tissues/cell types, in which enzymes mediating histone acetylation/deacetylation, histone methylation/demethylation are in the highest varieties; and 3) Histone enzymes are more downregulated than upregulated in metabolic diseases, and regulatory T cell polarization/ differentiation, but not in tumors. These results have demonstrated that histone modification enzyme expressions are modulated in different pathophysiological conditions as well as in the processes of T cell subset conversion, differentiation and polarization, which makes upregulated histone enzymes being potential novel therapeutic targets in suppressing disease activities and Treg functions.

Identification and allelochemical activity of phenolic compounds in extracts from the dominant plant species established in clear-cuts of Scots pine stands

Abstract: Dominant plant species established in the understory of clear-cuts may have a strong biochemical influence on pine regeneration process, with important consequences for reforestation management. We evaluated and compared the total phenolic content and the allelopathic activity of acqueous extracts from both roots and shoots of dominant plant species established in 1-yr-old and 2-yr-old clear-cuts of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands in Lituania. The highest total content of phenolic compounds was detected in the lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) shoots from 1-yr-old and 2-yr-old clear-cuts, as well as in the common heather (Calluna vulgaris [L.[ Hull) shoots from 1-yr-old clear-cuts. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to identify and quantify the allelochemicals present in the active fraction to determine their possible role in allelopathy. The highest variety and content of phenolic compounds were observed in shoot extracts of the dominant species from both 1-yr-old and 2-yr-old clear-cuts. Scots pine seed germination and seedling growth were significantly and negatively correlated with ρ-coumaric acid and sinapic acid content, while Scots pine seedling growth was significantly and negatively correlated with ferulic, caffeic and hydroxycinnamic acids contents. The highest contents of these phenolic acids were determined in aqueous extracts of C. vulgaris from 1-yr-old clear-cuts and Rumex acetosella L. of 2-yr-old clear-cuts, which exerted a strong phytotoxicity on Scots pine seed germination. Moreover, morphometric parameters of Scots pine seedlings were most sensitive to aqueous extracts of V. vitis-idaea shoots from both 1-yr-old and 2-yr-old clear-cuts and R. acetosella shoots from 2-yr-old clear-cuts.

FFECTOF BARLEY VARIETIES AND POTASSIUM FERTILIZATION LEVELS ON THE POPULATION OF APHID AND LEAFHOPPER IN RELATION TO PLANT CHEMICAL AND ANATOMICAL CHANGES

Suscep tibility ofthree varieties of barely plants (Giza-123, Giza-2000 and Giza-132) were evaluated toward infestation by aphids and leafhoppers. Also, the effect of potassium fertilization on the chemical content and anatomical compositions in relation to homopterous insect populationat Diarb Nigm locality Sharkia Governorate during 2013/14 and 2014/15 growing seasons. Results showed that Giza-123 is the lowest variety in terms of chemical content (total protein and carbohydrates content) and also found therewas a shortage in the thickness of the anatomical traits measured. These results led to that Giza-123 is considered as the sensitive variety toward infestation by insects with the lowest crop yield. On contrary, Giza-132 records the longest thickness cellwall, lowest infestation insects and the highest crop yield. Chemical analysis showed a positive relationship between total protein, carbohydrate contents and aphids, leafhoppers infestation in different barley varieties, while reverse relationship between pH values and insect infestation. Potassium fertilization by 100 kg potassium sulfate/feddan greatly increased the thickness of the anatomical traits [cuticle and upper epidermis thick. (μ), cuticle and lower epidermis thick. (μ), mesophyll tissue thick.(μ)lamina thick. (μ)] It is noted that, increasing the thickness of upper and/or lower epidermis and their cuticle layers decreased the population density of piercing suckinginsects in blade leaf and increasing mesophyll tissue thickness improve the photosynthesis process which lead to decreasing the adverse effect of insects. which associated with lowering the number of piercing -sucking insects. Thus, potassium fertilization by 100 kg potassium sulfate/feddan is recommended in the integrated pest management control (IPM) on barely plants.

Linguistic Co-existence: Disinterring Diglossic Cases among the Vatsonga

Linguistic Co-existence: Disinterring Diglossic Cases among the Vatsonga

DOES THE WORLD NEED MORE CANADA? LEGAL MULTILINGUALISM AND STRATEGIC PLURALISM

Canada has a global reputation as a diverse and tolerant country, with linguistic duality being a proud marker of its pluralistic society and a defining feature of its nationhood. This paper evaluates the extent to which legal bilingualism as practiced in Canada provides a good and practicable model to the rest of the world, which has seen a rise in legal bilingual and multilingualism in recent decades. Through tracing convergent and divergent practices across jurisdictions, the paper probes whether the apparent embrace of linguistic diversity, in Canada and beyond, safeguards justice and liberty. By providing a realistic understanding of legal bilingual or multilingualism in the world today, this paper cautions against excessive optimism that is sometimes expressed towards the emancipatory potential of official linguistic pluralism.

Historiografía de la diglosia en México, otra cara del racismo

Resumen: La cultura es un engranaje de elementos construido por los seres humanos frente a la naturaleza. Uno de estos elementos es sin duda alguna la lengua, la cual, de acuerdo con Salomon Nahmad (1997) es la piedra angular de cualquier cultura porque a traves de las estructuras linguisticas es como expresamos nuestra identidad etnica. La comparacion de lenguas, su jerarquizacion y discriminacion son otro delator del mismo racismo, esto ultimo es lo que se conoce como diglosia. Este escrito proporciona elementos conceptuales e historicos en un marco internacional y nacional sobre la diglosia y su naturaleza racista para comprender que para erradicarla no basta con transformar la lengua y su relacion con otras lenguas, sino que se requiere de una transformacion mas profunda y sistematica sobre el engranaje completo de las culturas basadas en sistemas de opresion y colonizacion, porque como escribia Frantz Fanon (1973: 132), “el racismo no es una constante del espiritu humano. Es, nosotros lo hemos visto, una disposicion inscrita en un sistema determinado”. Palabras clave: diglosia, racismo, bilinguismo, idioma, dialecto, raza, colonizacion.Abstract: Culture is a mechanism of elements constructed by human beings over nature. One of these elements is language, which, according to Salomon Nahmad (1997), is the cornerstone of any culture, as it is through linguistic structures that we express our ethnic identity. The comparison, hierarchization, and discrimination of languages – the latter known as diglossia – are indicators of racism. This article provides conceptual and historic details about diglossia and its racist nature in the international and national context, thus leading to an understanding that eradicating it involves, more than transforming a language and its relationship with other languages, a deeper and more systematic transformation in an entire mechanism of cultures based on oppressive colonization systems. As Frantz Fanon wrote, “Racism is therefore not a constant of the human spirit. It is, as we have seen, a disposition fitting into a well-defined system”. Key words: diglossia, racism, bilingualism, language, dialect, race, colonization

Comparative Survey of Ectoparasites Infestation of Livestock Cohabiting with Humans and Those Sold in Some Markets in Makurdi, Benue State.

There is an unprecedented increase in livestock business in Makurdi. This study investigated ectoparasites infestation on livestock reared within residential apartments and those sold in the market from August 2014 to September 2015. Visual inspection of the head, neck, abdomen, trunk, leg, tail, pelvic and wings were performed to search for ectoparasites after which physical handpicking technique using forceps and brushing were employed to remove the ectoparasites. A total of 1,032 animals were examined for ectoparasites over a period of twelve months, 792 (76.7 %) of them were reared within residential premises while 240 (23.3 %) were those sold in the markets. The overall infestation rates was 596 (57.7 %) with those being sold in the market having an infestation rate of 70.0%compared to 54.0 %in those reared within residential areas. The infestation of the animals sold in the market was significantly higher than those reared within residential premises. (X2= 3.841, P < 0.05). Level of infestation was higher in female animals, this was however not statistically significant (P <0.05). The animals sold in the market also had higher varieties, this was also not statistically significant (P < 0.05). Boophilus species was the most predominant tick encountered in the study followed by Amblyomma, Rhihicephalus and Hyalomma genera. The predominant species of lice, mites and fleas were Linognathus, Demodex and Ctenocephalides species respectively. The enforcement of already existing prohibition on stray and roaming animals in urban areas will go a long way to preventing spread of infestation in both animals and humans. For the urban livestock farmers, interactive health education, highlighting the zoonotic disease implications of cohabiting with animals will enhance the adoption of more responsible and hygienic animal handling and production.

Seeing the (urban) forest through the trees: governance and household trees in Niamey, Niger

Much of the literature on urban environments in Africa focuses on complex governance and institutional arrangements with less research on micro-scale environmental practices of households. Trees in household, however, comprise a substantial part of the urban forest composition, particularly in contexts where municipal or state tree programs are weak or unsuccessful. In the face of ineffective urban environmental governance, households become a key driver of environmental change through everyday decisions and practices. This project investigates both governance and micro-scale aspects of urban forests in Niamey, Niger. Governance has evolved from being state-centered, including both colonial and post-colonial states, to being wrapped up in international development projects of decentralization and food security. Despite overlapping institutional jurisdictions, trees in Niamey exist in a tenuous state. As a result, micro-scale practices around household trees constitute key drivers of the urban forest today. Tree count and tree diversity at the household scale were assessed through a survey with 348 households across 14 neighborhoods in the city. Through this survey, we found that poorer households had fewer trees and fewer variety of trees than others. Wealthier households were found to have the most trees, while middle-income neighborhoods were found to have the highest variety of trees present. Constraints to planting and maintaining trees were access to space, water, and money.

Gastropod shell utilisation pattern by the hermit crab Clibanarius symmetricus (Anomura: Diogenidae) in an Equatorial Amazon estuary

ABSTRACTClibanarius symmetricus is a diogenid hermit crab that is highly abundant in rocky intertidal environments, including the rock outcrops of Amazon estuaries. This study characterises the C. symmetricus shell utilisation pattern in the Marapanim River estuary, Pará, Equatorial Amazon, based on the hypothesis that occupancy patterns would differ, in relation to biometry and diversity of occupied shells, from those of other regions in the range of this species due to the distinct and unique environmental characteristics of equatorial estuaries. Monthly samplings were carried out from August 2006 to July 2007, in the upper and lower areas of the mid-littoral during low tides. A total of seven gastropod species were found as shells occupied by hermit crabs: 93.33% were Thaisella trinitatensis shells, 2.00% Nassarius vibex, 2.00% Neritina virginea, 1.33% Natica marochiensis, 0.67% Parvanachis obesa, and, occasionally, Littorina flava and Phalium granulatum shells, each with only one occurrence (0.33%). Juveniles [cephalothoracic shield length (CL) of less than 3.6 mm] occupied a higher variety of shells, while adults occupied shells with larger meristic variation. Males occupied larger shells. The length of the animal was influenced by shell measurements (total width, aperture width and weight). Clibanarius symmetricus showed occupancy patterns generally similar to those of specimens of the same species previously studied in the Brazilian subtropical region, and this occupancy is explained by shell availability, shell size and weight, and hermit size. However, this study showed lower occupied shell species diversity, and the species with highest occupancy frequency (T. trinitatensis) was not reported in any previous studies on this hermit crab. In addition, the studied population differed in occupancy patterns, with differences between males and females, and between juveniles and adults.

Оксюмороним как семантическое единство противоположностей

An oxymoronimis is considered as a reflection of linguistic duality and a
 result of conceptual integration. An oxymoronimas as a result of a modern
 word creation and an oxymoron as a well-known stylistic device are
 compared structurally and semantically. The key semantic sign of an oxymoronim
 (a unity of contrasts) is singled out. In addition to that a possible
 definition of this notion is stated.On the one hand a cognitive dissonance
 of an oxymoron is underlined, on the other hand an attention is paid on the
 instability, diffusion and emergence of an oxymoronim’s semantics. It is obviously
 possible to interpret a lexical meaning of an oxymoronim by means
 of the following: extralinguistic and linguistic contexts of its appearance and
 functioning and this nomination’ssynonymic paroemias. Uniqueness of an
 occasional oxymoronimis is noted for the Russian lingvoculture in view of
 quantitative leveling of these linguistic novelties in the communicative space
 of the modern English language.

Seasoning ingredient variety, but not quality, is associated with greater intake of beans and rice among urban Costa Rican adults

Exposure to a variety of flavors may promote food enjoyment, but few studies have examined the relationship between food seasoning and food intake. We hypothesized that using a higher variety (number) of 11 seasonings to prepare 2 staple foods (beans, white rice) would be associated with intake of those foods in a population-based case-control study of Costa Rican adults in urban vs rural areas (n=1025), where cooking and dietary practices differ. Participants were surveyed about the variety of seasoning ingredients added when preparing beans or rice. Ingredients were also categorized by their dietary quality (healthfulness), and scores for seasoning variety and quality were created. Multivariable linear regression was used to determine the association between variety and quality scores (continuously and in tertiles (T)) and intake of each staple food. Seasoning variety was positively associated with daily servings of beans (β=.02, P=.01; 1.31 and 1.23 servings/day in T2 and T3 versus 1.02 servings/day in T1, P<.05) and rice (β=.04, P=.005) in the urban areas only. No differences in ingredient quality across increasing intakes of beans or rice were noted, and the joint associations between variety and quality were not significant. In conclusion, a greater variety, but not quality, of seasoning ingredients was positively associated with intakes of beans and rice in urban Costa Rican adults. Our results suggest that increasing the variety of seasonings added to beans may be a culturally-appropriate strategy to improve intake of this healthy staple food among urban Costa Rican adults.

Exploring the Impact of Social Communication on the Innovation Potential of Open Science Communities

As scientific communities become increasingly complex and interdisciplinary, implementing policies that foster collective creativity for science-based innovation emerges as a critical issue. In this paper, we investigate the impact of socio-communication strategies on innovation capacity based on experiments using a general-purpose model that aims to study dynamic processes of collective creativity in scientific communities. Experimental results indicate that low communication frequency, openness and receptivity lead to higher variety. On the contrary, variety decreases with increasing receptivity under high communication frequency. If more communication channels exist, the connectivity-driven preferential attachment strategy is beneficial in fostering innovation in terms of generated networks with low density and high centrality. Additionally, balance theory suggests higher levels of knowledge diffusion efficiency.