Periods Of Hunger Research Articles

Contested Identities, Hunger, and Emigration: Themes in Ukrainian Cinema to Explain the Present Day

Storytelling is an essential aspect of the creation of a community of the mind. Shortly after its invention, film became instrumental in cultivating national identity. States and national groups are keen to have their stories told in order to reinforce a sense of identity internally and claim relevance externally. This paper explores how film and popular culture help to explain politics and identity in Ukraine, examining how films are reinterpreted, reformulate a canon, and facilitate new political arguments. Therefore, through the films of Alexander Dovzhenko, we can see how the struggle to balance political ideology and national identity depicted in them helps to illuminate and explain politics today. A feature of Ukrainian cinema that is often overlooked is how films made by the diaspora perpetuated national identity, language, and culture through periods of hunger and subjugation. These films are both a statement of political and cultural identification and the basis for current political claims.

Курган бронзового века Калиновский II. Археологические и антропологические аспекты исследования

The Paper presents publication and analysis of the burial materials from excavations of a detached kurgan Kalinovsky II located in the central part of the Volga-Don interfluve near the eastern outskirts of the Kalinovsky farm of the Frolovsky district of the Volgograd region. The kurgan under consideration is located on the southern Archeda steppe riverside terrace of the left confluent of the Medveditsa River belonging to the Don River basin. The excavations were carried out in 2022 by the expedition of the Volgograd State University. In the course of the excavations, it was found that the archeological site was a kurgan-cemetery which had functioned for a long time. It contained 20 burials of an extended chronological period from the Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age. This study examines burial complexes of the Bronze Age from archaeological and anthropological perspectives and is based on the materials from 12 burials. The main burial No. 14 can be attributed to the late stage of the Early Bronze Age within the boundaries of the first half of the 3rd millennium BC. The Middle Bronze Age is represented by 9 inlet burials belonging to the Middle Don Catacomb culture. Two burials No. 2 and 19, located in the lateral part of the kurgan mound, were made in the Late Bronze Age in 19th-18th centuries BC. The paleoanthropological study data have shown that this kurgan is to be considered as a family cemetery for a group of individuals (mainly children) belonging to the Middle Don Catacomb culture. The signs of deliberate artificial deformation in most of the children may indicate selectivity and belonging of this complex to a particular group with a special social status. In all probability, most of the children buried in the kurgan died as a result of stress caused by a long period of hunger, possibly in winter or early spring seasons. For adults, regardless of cultural affiliation, the typical diet was based on viscous food rich in proteins, as indicated by a specific pathological complex (absence of caries and abscesses, presence of tartar, periodontal disease and interproximal grooves). Exostosis of the external auditory canal was identified in a Pokrovsk time individual from burial 19 which might have been caused by his professional activity associated with a long stay in a cold wind or water environment.

Life-course Factors and Later Life Health in Eastern and Western Europe

Human development and ageing are lifelong processes, where earlier life conditions and events are interlinked with later life outcomes. Patterns of inequality within and among cohorts emerge over time as products of the interplay between institutional arrangements and individual life, often dependent on childhood or earlier life circumstances. The life conditions and experiences of older adults in Eastern and Western Europe differ significantly, but whether their cumulative effects on later life outcomes vary across these two regions has not been compared. We explore the effects of socioeconomic position, the experience of a period of hunger, the dispossession of assets, and discrimination suffered by parents in respondents’ life courses on later life health inequalities in Europe. Self-reported health, everyday activity limitations, and cognitive functioning are the main outcomes that provide an adequate overview of different health domains. We mainly use data from the seventh wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE 2017) and restrict our sample to respondents aged 65 and older from 26 European countries (N=41,566). We find that older people in Eastern Europe fare worse in self-rated health and everyday activity limitations than Western Europeans, while Eastern Europeans indicate somewhat better outcomes in cognitive functioning. A disadvantaged socioeconomic position in childhood and adulthood has the strongest association with all health outcomes, followed by the experience of hunger over the life course for the whole of Europe. However, we do not find diverging associations between life-course factors and health outcomes in Eastern and Western Europe. We argue that self-reported health, everyday activity limitations and cognitive functioning have to be analysed within their own frameworks and cannot yield conclusions that are uniform for all health outcomes. Moreover, major generalisations either about Eastern or Western Europe must be treated with caution as the regions have very different historical as well as demographic developments and thus cannot be treated as uniform. * This article belongs to a special issue on “Demographic Developments in Eastern and Western Europe Before and After the Transformation of Socialist Countries”.

Underutilized legumes: nutrient status and advanced breeding approaches for qualitative and quantitative enhancement.

Underutilized/orphan legumes provide food and nutritional security to resource-poor rural populations during periods of drought and extreme hunger, thus, saving millions of lives. The Leguminaceae, which is the third largest flowering plant family, has approximately 650 genera and 20,000 species and are distributed globally. There are various protein-rich accessible and edible legumes, such as soybean, cowpea, and others; nevertheless, their consumption rate is far higher than production, owing to ever-increasing demand. The growing global urge to switch from an animal-based protein diet to a vegetarian-based protein diet has also accelerated their demand. In this context, underutilized legumes offer significant potential for food security, nutritional requirements, and agricultural development. Many of the known legumes like Mucuna spp., Canavalia spp., Sesbania spp., Phaseolus spp., and others are reported to contain comparable amounts of protein, essential amino acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), dietary fiber, essential minerals and vitamins along with other bioactive compounds. Keeping this in mind, the current review focuses on the potential of discovering underutilized legumes as a source of food, feed and pharmaceutically valuable chemicals, in order to provide baseline data for addressing malnutrition-related problems and sustaining pulse needs across the globe. There is a scarcity of information about underutilized legumes and is restricted to specific geographical zones with local or traditional significance. Around 700 genera and 20,000 species remain for domestication, improvement, and mainstreaming. Significant efforts in research, breeding, and development are required to transform existing local landraces of carefully selected, promising crops into types with broad adaptability and economic viability. Different breeding efforts and the use of biotechnological methods such as micro-propagation, molecular markers research and genetic transformation for the development of underutilized crops are offered to popularize lesser-known legume crops and help farmers diversify their agricultural systems and boost their profitability.

Flowering phenology of African pear (Dacryodes edulis (G. Don)HJ Lam) under Nigerian ecological conditions

A-three-year trial of flowering phenological characteristics of 150 African pear tree were studied in South-South and South-East Nigeria to study the flowering phenology of African pear (Dacryodes edulis) under Nigerian Ecological conditions. Five States were selected, three locations in each State, ten mature African pear trees were selected and tagged for data collection. Also, meteorological data were collected for three years. The surveyed trees were monitored till flowering time. Data were collected on start of flower formation, peak of flowering, days to anthesis, average temperature and rainfall during the months of flowering. Data collected were analysed using analysis of variance and percentages were calculated where appropriate. Result obtained indicated that there were variations in the time of flowering. African pear had peak flowering in January in Imo, Rivers and Delta States for 2013-2015, while Abia and Enugu had their peak flowering for the same period in February and March, respectively. African pear flowered between the temperatures of 27.0oC to 29.5oC. Rainfall ranged from 0.00mm to 137.50mm. The flowering season was affected mainly by temperature. Time of inflorescence flower bud formation to anthesis lasted for 2-5 days, but majority took 3-4 days to reach anthesis. In the study, under Nigerian ecological condition, African pear flowered when the temperature was high and when humidity was low. The planting of African pear that flowers around January and February should be encouraged because they had the highest yield and potential to ripe during hunger period.

Diversity of Legumes in the Cashew Agroforestry System in East Timor (Southeast Asia).

Cashew is an important export-oriented crop in several tropical countries, often under monocropping systems. Intercropping with legume species is promoted as a sustainable practice, enhancing agricultural productivity and providing nutritional food sources to rural communities. This study aimed to characterize the diversity of Leguminosae (or Fabaceae) in the cashew agroforestry systems of East Timor (Southeast Asia). Fourteen cashew orchards were sampled across the country, and information about leguminous species uses was collected from local populations. About 50 species are commonly part of the country's cashew agroforestry system, many of them simultaneously used as food, fodder, and in traditional medicine. Six bean species-Cajanus cajan (L.) Huth, Phaseolus lunatus L., Phaseolus vulgaris L., Vigna angularis (Willd.) Ohwi and H.Ohashi, Vigna radiata (L.) R.Wilczek and Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.-are largely used as food. The mineral contents of these beans revealed relevant differences between species and, in some cases, between types (seed colour) within species. Periods of hunger and low food variety are frequent in East Timor, reflecting a very poor nutritional state of the population. Knowing and using legumes for local nutrition, as well as for healthcare and well-being, adds great value to these species as components of East Timor cashew agroforestry systems.

Glycolysis and gluconeogenesis are involved of glucose metabolism adaptation during fasting and re-feeding in black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus)

Both in nature and in aquaculture, fish may experience periods of food scarcity or hunger. The metabolic regulation of fish when nutritional state changes is a complex process that involves many factors. To study glucose metabolism adaptability during fasting and re-feeding in the black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus), we measured changes in some biochemical indicators related to glucose metabolism. Five fish were sampled on days 0, 1, 3, 5, and 10 of fasting (F, S1, S3, S5, and S10, respectively) and days 1, 3, and 5 of re-feeding (RF1, RF3, and RF5, respectively). The serum glucose concentration decreased significantly at S1, reached the lowest point at S10, and increased significantly at RF1 (P < 0.05). The concentration of liver glycogen decreased significantly at S1 and reached the lowest level at S3, whereas the muscle glycogen level decreased significantly at S5 and reached the lowest value at S10 (P < 0.05). Both liver and muscle glycogen levels returned to the pre-fasting level at RF5 (P < 0.05). Regarding glycolysis, the concentrations of pyruvate kinase (PK) and hexokinase (HK) decreased significantly at S5 and increased significantly at RF5 and RF1, respectively (P < 0.05). The concentrations of glucokinase (GCK) and insulin decreased significantly at S1 and increased significantly at RF1 and RF3, respectively (P < 0.05). The mRNA expression levels of liver GCK and glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2) decreased significantly at S1 and increased significantly at RF1 and RF5, respectively (P < 0.05). As for gluconeogenesis, the concentration of glucose-6-phosphatase (G6PC) increased significantly at S1 and decreased significantly at RF1 (P < 0.05). The concentrations of glucagon and glucocorticoid (GC) increased significantly at S3 and significantly decreased at RF1 and RF5, respectively (P < 0.05). The mRNA expression levels of liver G6PC and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) increased significantly at S3 and S1, and both decreased significantly at RF1 (P < 0.05). These results indicate that coordination between glycolysis and gluconeogenesis might be crucial for glucose homeostasis during fasting and re-feeding in the black carp.

GAMES OF HUNGER: THE POLITICS OF FAMINE, STATE-BUILDING PROCESSES AND CONTEMPORARY HUNGER STRIKES IN EUROPE – THE CASES OF NORTHERN IRELAND AND UKRAINE

The famines and periods of prolonged hunger that took place in Europe in the last centuries had a complex social dynamics and substantial transformative potential that still influence European politics. Dramatic cultural representations of hunger and starvation became deeply engaged in various modern nationalist narrations in order to open up new sources of political legitimacy for newly arising nation states. The periods of the Great Famine and Holodomor were at the same time moments of an extremely intense consolidation of Irish and Ukrainian national identities and the collective mindsets of multiple communities. Those identities became major political forces on the peripheries of the Old Continent. Hence, some strategies of transforming the experience of hunger into politically beneficial strategies of civic resistance were developed. Those tactics determined the future roles of both political and civil actors in sovereignty conflicts. Using a comparative approach, this paper explores the way in which the state-building processes in Ukraine and Northern Ireland in the 20th and 21st centuries were framed by famines, the raise of civic society, hunger strikes, and how the mindset of food scarcity grew into the nations’ characters. The mindset has turned into a serious drive for some political projects in Ukraine and Ireland to become modern nation states integrated with increasingly globalized European societies. The compelling and enchanting cultural narrations on hunger are profoundly up-to-date and political, as well as European phenomena, and as such should be analyzed – through the conceptual lens of modernity and postmodernity, and the international forms of political and economic coercions.

The impact of seasonality and climate variability on livelihood security in the Ecuadorian Andes

The population of Guangaje, Ecuador is highly vulnerable to cyclical shifts in agricultural production. Current planting and harvesting cycles indicate the likelihood of close to 10 months of food insecurity and increased climatic variability has exacerbated food security issues by extending already existing periods of seasonal hunger. This degree of food vulnerability may help explain the population’s poor nutritional outcomes and lack of dietary diversity. Declining agricultural production has resulted in increased migration as households try to cover expenses. Although temporary migration enables families to meet immediate consumption needs, it shrinks on-farm labor capacity, which may negatively impact future harvests and reduce the quantity and diversity of household food consumption. Greater crop diversity, water retention and irrigation systems, and climate-adapted crops have the potential to decrease the impact of seasonality and increased climate variability on food and livelihood security. However, more research is needed to better understand the best approach and potential implications of these strategies.

Spremembe v medčloveških odnosih v obdobju pomanjkanja in lakote (Ljubljana: 1914–1918)

The following contribution, which focuses on Ljubljana and its inhabitants during World War I, shows how everyday life was influenced by the military and political as well as economic and social aspects. It underlines the food shortage, which did not only result in an increased incidence of diseases and deaths but also adjusted nutrition as well as modified daily rhythms and mental and psychological processes. The present contribution, which focuses on the interpersonal relationship changes in the extraordinary wartime circumstances or during the period of shortage and hunger, reveals that the code of behaviour as well as the established societal and social norms of the pre-war period often became a thing of the past.

Time at Its Margins: Cattle Smuggling across the India-Bangladesh Border

This article resituates the study of time in anthropology, moving it from the comparative exploration of internally coherent religions and national territories to the very margins of religions, nations, and capital. Borders recalibrate time by imbuing mundane economic activities with political salience. Dangerous border crossings make temporal registers contingent and erratic, and generative of violence and torture. I show how India’s prohibitions on live cattle exports and Bangladesh’s demand for beef compel acts that effectively legalize animal smuggling, which, nonetheless, remains a risky business. Across the riverine islands of the India-Bangladesh borderlands, small-scale traders and transporters operate according to the distinct logics of militarized infrastructures and legal regimes that generate moments of “signal clear,” marking the temporary opening of border passages and opportunities for sustenance, as well as “armed” times, more sustained periods of heightened national security, and imminent violence. By subjecting the border’s productive and coercive temporal energies to close ethnographic scrutiny, I suggest that cattle’s sacrality reinforces the material world of capital and strife, ruptures kinship ties, and subjects Muslim cattle workers and their families to prolonged periods of scarcity and hunger. This article shows how people’s experiences of the borderland as a space are vitally shaped by fractured, shifting, and contingent rhythms of time.

In ovo corticosterone administration alters body composition irrespective of arginine supplementation in 35-day-old female chicken meat birds

Context Exposure to maternal hormones can permanently alter an embryo’s developmental trajectory. Maternal mediated effects have significant potential in the chicken meat industry, as breeder hens are feed restricted in a bid to improve performance. Evidence suggests breeder hens are chronically stressed, resulting from periods of prolonged hunger. However, evidence linking embryonic exposure to early-life stress and altered offspring phenotype in meat chickens is lacking. Additionally, methods to alleviate the phenotypic consequences of early-life stress have not been comprehensively explored. Nutritional supplementation with amino acids, such as arginine (Arg), may provide one such option, as Arg reportedly enhances performance characteristics in chicken meat birds. Aims An in ovo study was conducted to investigate whether exposure to in ovo stress altered offspring performance in meat chickens. Additionally, Arg was supplemented post-hatch to alleviate reductions in performance, hypothesised to occur as a result of exposure to corticosterone. Method A total of 400 eggs were divided into two groups and administered a corticosterone (CORT) or control (CON) solution at embryonic Day 11. At hatch, birds were separated into four groups based on in ovo and dietary treatments: CORT-Control, CORT-Arg, CON-Arg and CON-Control. Birds fed supplementary Arg diets received an Arg:lysine inclusion of 125%. Bodyweight (bwt) and feed conversion were recorded weekly. Birds were euthanised at embryonic Day 15, Day 0, 7, 21 (n = 40 birds/time point), 28 and 35 (n = 48 birds/time point) for organ collection. A total of 12 additional female birds were euthanised and subjected to a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan for body composition at Day 35. Results Neither in ovo nor diet treatments influenced bwt, bwt gain, feed conversion or plasma corticosterone at any time point, nor did any in ovo by diet interaction exist. Female birds exposed to CORT exhibited significantly greater fat mass (%bwt; P = 0.007) and reduced lean mass (%bwt; P = 0.026) compared with CON females at Day 35. Supplementary Arg did not influence bird body composition. Conclusions These findings suggest in ovo exposure to CORT may negatively influence body composition of female birds. Implications Understanding the effects of the maternal/in ovo environment may provide a novel approach to further improve carcass quality and flock uniformity.

Early-life food deprivation and cognitive performance among older Europeans

BackgroundEarly-life adversity, including food deprivation, has been linked with late-life cognitive function. Our aim was to explore the association between the early experience of hunger (the age at which it was experienced and its duration) and cognitive performance and decline among older Europeans. MethodsOur sample comprised dementia-free individuals aged ≥65 years who participated in waves 3 and 4 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Information on periods of hunger during the life course was gathered in wave 3 (2009; SHARELIFE). Cognitive performance was assessed using tests of memory, verbal fluency and numeracy in waves 4 (2011) and 5 (2013). Regression models were used to assess the relationship between the experience of hunger at different ages and its duration and cognitive performance and decline while adjusting for age, sex, education, lifestyle and health factors. ResultsAmong a sample of 2131 individuals (mean age = 76.2 years; 50 % women), the experience of hunger when aged 0−4 years was associated with poorer immediate and delayed recall, fluency and impaired numeracy factors (B±SE=-0.58 ± 0.12; p < 0.001; B±SE=-0.74 ± 0.13; p < 0.001, B±SE=-1.60 ± 0.42; p < 0.001 and OR [95 % CI] = 0.57 [0.42−0.79], respectively). These results attenuated after controlling for duration of the experience of hunger but remained significant for immediate and delayed recall. The experience of hunger at ages 12−18 years was associated with better immediate recall, delayed recall and fluency (B±SE = 0.38 ± 0.15; p = 0.010; B±SE = 0.37 ± 0.17; p = 0.026, B±SE = 1.57 ± 0.53; p = 0.003, respectively). The associations of hunger with cognitive decline were similar but less robust. ConclusionsOur findings suggest that severe nutritional deprivation in early childhood may be associated with poor cognitive function in later life, while food deprivation in later childhood and adolescence may be protective.

Yesevi Topraklarında Ateizm ve Kültürel Sekülerlik Politikaları: 1920-1940 Yılları Arasında Sovyet Yönetiminin Kazakistan’daki İslam Politikası

Kazakh Turks have enriched their cultural structure in their negative social life since the VIII century, after the acceptance of the acceptance of Islam and sharia values in the steppe. Various propagandamethods were carried out against the Islamic values adopted by the Kazakh society with this cultural momentum, which lasted about 10 centuries, the annexation of Tsarist Russia and the colonial administration that followed, and the policy of atheism, which was adopted by the Soviet Communist party for 70 years. In the early years, the Soviet administration carefully treated the religious feelings of the nativeKazakh Turks. On the one hand, the Bolsheviks pledged to “protect Muslims” and their rights, on the other hand tried to destroy their democratic principles. In the second half of the 1920’s, the“violent attack” policy against Islam started in the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics). The totalitarian system, which strengthened until the end of the 1920’s, implemented a politicalcampaign against the clergy. The organs of the OGPU (United States Political Administration under the People’sCommissariat Council of the USSR) used various methods to prevent the unification of the country’s Muslims and the political empowerment of religious and clergymen and their National intellectuals. The Bolsheviks made decisions regarding the registration of religious associations, opening andclosing mosques, and managed to control cultural legislation. This new communist order led to restrictions and violations of public rights and initiated harsh administrative control over all religious activities of the country. Within these restrictions, Islam was attacked more than other religions. Afterthe establishment of the communist administration in Kazakhstan, the first period of famine began in 1921–1922, the policy of collectivization after 1926, the new economic policy and the second period of hunger, followed by the policy of exposing the elite and genocide of the local population. Thus, in this article, the ban on Muslim religious organizations, the persecution of mollas and imams,the closure of mosques, the role of Islam in Kazakhstan, and the issue of famine were classified based on archival documents.

Climate Change Shocks Exposure Index to Drought on the Livelihoods of the Smallholder Farmers in Kinakomba Ward, Tana River County, Kenya

Being susceptible to climate change means being unable to cope with the adverse effects of climate change especially droughts and a likelihood of experiencing harm due to its occurrence. The study sought to evaluate the effects of exposure to Climate related shocks on the livelihoods of the smallholder farmers with the intent of formulating appropriate policies to enable them cope with its impacts. A descriptive survey research design was used. Stratified random sampling was employed to select 390 households. Two methods were used to analyse exposure. Firstly the fuzzy logic in assessing susceptibility to drought involving a selection of input variables, Fuzzification, inference modelling and defuzzification and secondly DrinC Model software. The results revealed that the final value of the negative consequences of drought was 0.35.The study also established a single index as 0.45 for exposure for the entire study period of 35 years for Kinakomba Ward .The study showed that exposure was statistically significant at (0.000066). The study further revealed that the periods between occurrence of extreme droughts were reducing and at the same time that droughts were moving from being severe to being extreme within shorter periods of time leaving smallholder farmers who depend on rain fed agriculture with high exposures and risks as well as experiencing longer hunger periods with severe implications on their food and nutritional security for the vast populations in the study area. The Study concluded that the exposure to drought of the smallholder farmers in Kinakomba Ward is significantly related to their farming livelihood systems. This study recommends that the County Government in partnership with the National Government and other stakeholders develop a comprehensive disaster risk management framework to address the drought hazards and undertake mitigation and adaptation measures by equipping the smallholder farmers with knowledge on how to cope with the cyclic and vicious droughts’ impacts that have led to serious irreversible harm to humans and livestock in the area. Keywords: Exposure, Drought, Mitigation, Adaptation, Food security DOI: 10.7176/FSQM/94-07 Publication date: February 29 th 2020

DIETARY STRATEGIES OF NORTHERN SELKUPS IN THE 18th–19th CENTURIES

The article considers the dietary habits of a small Selkup group that lived in the north of Western Siberia along the upper reaches of the Taz River in the18th–19th centuries. To this end, we carried out paleopathological and archaeoparasitological studies of the anthropological material from a burial ground located next to the once-existing settlement of Karakonskaya, as well as performed an isotopic analysis of organic samples. Another ob-jective was to study archival documents containing information on the inhabitants of the Upper Taz area. The isotope analysis included 17 anthropological and zooarchaeological samples, represented by the bones, hair and nails of 10 people, bones of a herbivore (reindeer), an omnivore (squirrel) (2) and fish (3). Soil samples taken from the surface of the sacra of 22 people served as the material for the archaeoparasitological study. Paleopa-thological studies included the bone remains of 23 people. We examined the originals of 19th-century documents stored at the State Archives of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. In order to differentiate the sources of land- and river-based diet, we analysed the stable-isotope ratio of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) in anthropological and zooarchaeological samples. The comparison of collagen and keratin isotopic values in one individual allowed seasonal variations in the diet to be established. For the purpose of identifying gender differences in the diet, an isotopic comparison between men and women was performed. In order to characterise the ways of food con-sumption and preparation, soil samples taken from burials were studied to detect eggs of intestinal parasites, as well as to establish their species. Other aspects of the group’s diet were studied by analysing the manifestations of porotic hyperostosis on the skull and dental diseases. When working on the archival materials, we employed cross-validation of information and analysed some documents covering large time intervals. It was established that the everyday diet the local Selkup group included bottom-dwelling and predatory fish, whereas the consump-tion of land mammals was minimal. Moreover, when preparing fish dishes for all members of the group, including children, fish was not heated or it was not heated enough. Seasonal fluctuations in the diet associated with hunt-ing certain animals were recorded. The consumption of sugar and flour-based food by the Northern Selkups until the beginning of the 20th century was insignificant. Regular periods of hunger occurred given that the population had no tradition to make long-term food reserves. The consumption of certain food (dishes) resulted in the da-mage to the teeth and soft tissues of the mouth. For the men of this group, hunted food was somewhat more ac-cessible than for women. The dietary system of the Northern Selkups had more in common with their closest neighbours — the Khanty of the Vakh River — rather than with the ethnically close Southern Selkups.

Proposed Indoor Test Procedure to Quantify Pesticide Treatment Effects on Seed Consumption by Birds.

Pesticides used in seed coatings can influence seed consumption by birds and, therefore, actual exposure risk for them. A quantification of such effects on consumption is currently not regarded as a refinement factor in environmental risk assessments, although it is a possible option and should be considered, for example, for comparing exposure risk of different pesticides. It can highlight avoidance behavior, preventing birds from taking up lethal or sublethal pesticide doses. To formulate a standard, we developed an indoor test procedure based on established pen test methods, including 2- and no-choice phases with hunger periods. During testing, the highest standards of animal welfare were applied. Statistical approaches were used to determine the most appropriate number of replicates and for analysis. The effect on consumption of seeds is expressed as the ratio of consumed treated to untreated seeds. This consumption factor can be applied in avian risk assessments for seed treatments equivalent to an avoidance factor. We present, as an example, an application of the procedure to obtain a seed- and species-specific consumption factor for oilseed rape seeds (Brassica napus) provided untreated and treated with fungicides to greenfinches (Carduelis chloris) and Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). Overall, bird constitution was not negatively affected by the test procedure in either species. The test procedure was suitable for showing differences in expected consumption patterns, such as greater avoidance of treated seeds in 2-choice than in no-choice tests. However, the consumption differed between species and fungicide treatments, allowing us to rank avoidance effects of different fungicides. Using the presented standard procedure to generate comparable pesticide- and species-specific consumption factors for more species and seed treatments may result in refinement of default values and reduce animal trials in different designs in the future. Environ Toxicol Chem 2020;39:359-370. © 2019 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.

Ethnobotanical study and effect on mice weight gain of four plants used during famine in Burkina Faso: Raphionacme daronii, Gardenia erubescens, Leptadenia hastata and Balanites aegyptiaca

Overweight and obesity are pathologies that increase dramatically, they are most often associated with diseases such as hypertension, heart failure, stroke, type II diabetes, insulin resistance, dyslipidemias, certain cancers etc .The objective was to conduct an ethnobotanical survey of 4 plants consumed during periods of hunger and to determine the effect of the extracts of these plants on weight gain and food intake.The survey was based on direct dialogue using the respondent's choice language and the use of a questionnaire. Acute toxicity was determined on NMRI mice by orally administering of single dose of 2000 mg/kg. The slimming and anorectic potential of plant extracts was to evaluate the effect of plant extracts on weight gain and food intake of animals treated at 50, 100 and 500 mg/kg. 55 person with an age between 40 and 81 years old were interviewed. Raphionacme daronii gave the highest frequency of citation with 25.42%. All plant species showed no toxicity at 2000 mg/kg. Gardenia erubescens at 50 mg/kg gave a good activity on weight gain with a reduction of 5.18% against the control with an increase of 11.02%. Gardenia erubescens at 500 mg/kg gave the best anorectic activity on the treated animals.These plant extracts are an asset in the search for a new natural and less toxic molecule for the fight against obesity.

Non Wood Forest Products for Rural Livelihood and Sustainable Forestry with special reference to Chhattisgarh, India

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; Non-wood forest products or NWFP is one of the most important forest resources that nourish the Indian rural economy. Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) constitute an important source of livelihood for millions of people from forest fringe communities across the world. In India, NTFPs are associated with socio-economic and cultural life of forest dependent communities inhabiting in wide ecological and geo-climatic conditions throughout the country. It is estimated that 275 million poor rural people in India, depend on NTFPs for at least part of their subsistence and cash livelihoods (Pandey, et al., 2016).Food and agricultural organization (FAO) of the United Nations defines NWFP as goods of biological origin other than wood derived from forests, other wooded land and trees outside forests. NWFPs are important in household food security. They are particularly important in reducing the shortages suffered during the hunger periods of the agricultural cycle. In rural India, NWFP is valued as component of social and agricultural identity. However, these use and values vary enormously from one area to the next (FAO, 1994). NWFPs are derived from a variety of sources such as plants (trees, shrubs, herbs, grasses, palms), animals, (insects, birds, reptiles, large animals ), and a range of other sources. Different plant parts (e.g. roots, stems, barks, leaves, flowers, seeds, fruits) often provide different NWFPs at different seasons of the year. Furthermore, NWFPs exhibit considerable variation in their use, with some consumed immediately on harvest ( e.g. fruits, fodder, wild meat), others after primary processing (e.g. edible nuts, bamboo, and rattans products), and still other proceedings through a series of downstream processing to meet market&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

Cold storage potential of three underutilized native fruit species from South Mozambique: promoting exploitation for nutrition and business

The exploitation of underutilized indigenous species from agroforestry systems improves the resilience of smallholders' agricultural systems. In Mozambique, consumption of native fruits is a strategy used by rural populations to obtain food during seasonal periods of critical hunger. The inclusion of fruits in the diets has the additional advantage of providing nutrients and antioxidants, fighting malnutrition and “hidden hunger”. Exploitation of native fruits towards introduction of added value can also leverage the creation of new businesses and the development of new value-chains. Native fruits are collected and consumed fresh and, during surplus periods, are sold in local markets to obtain revenues to buy other foods and basic goods. Native fruits are usually not stored for later consumption or trade and no knowledge exists on their specific physiology and related storage aptitude. In this work, the cold storage potential was evaluated in three priority species: Uapaca kirkiana, Strychnos spinosa and S. madagascariensis. Under four temperature regimes, -20, 5, 12°C and room temperature, the physical-chemical and quality evolution was followed along 120-d storage. The results disclosed that under >0°C cold storage temperatures, U. kirkiana had the lowest conservation capacity, since after 30 d at 5°C, all fruits were rotten or chilled injured and at 12°C the pulps were totally desiccated. After 60 d cold storage at 12°C, Strychnos sp. presented ca. 2/3 or 2/5 acceptable fruits, respectively, for S. spinosa and S. madagascariensis, disclosing distinct potential for cold preservation. At -20°C, fruits from all species could be stored for 120 d, although with external symptoms of injury by browning. Nonetheless, pulps were significantly less or not affected, particularly in Strychnos. Under freezing, in this genus, at 120 d storage, decreased TSS and increased acidity were recorded for S. spinosa, while for S. madagascariensis both TSS and pH were lowered.