277 research outputs found
The law of brevity in macaque vocal communication is not an artifact of analyzing mean call durations
Words follow the law of brevity, i.e. more frequent words tend to be shorter.
From a statistical point of view, this qualitative definition of the law states
that word length and word frequency are negatively correlated. Here the recent
finding of patterning consistent with the law of brevity in Formosan macaque
vocal communication (Semple et al., 2010) is revisited. It is shown that the
negative correlation between mean duration and frequency of use in the
vocalizations of Formosan macaques is not an artifact of the use of a mean
duration for each call type instead of the customary 'word' length of studies
of the law in human language. The key point demonstrated is that the total
duration of calls of a particular type increases with the number of calls of
that type. The finding of the law of brevity in the vocalizations of these
macaques therefore defies a trivial explanation.Comment: Little improvements of the statistical argument
Discriminação a homossexuais na Índia e conseqüências à saúde
A large number of countries worldwide have legalized homosexual rights. But for 147 years, since when India was a British colony, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code defines homosexuality as a crime, punishable by imprisonment. This outdated law violates the fundamental rights of homosexuals in India. Despite the fact that literature drawn from Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, and modern fiction testify to the presence of same-sex love in various forms, homosexuality is still considered a taboo subject in India, by both the society and the government. In the present article, the continuation of the outdated colonial-era homosexuality law and its impact on the underprivileged homosexual society in India is discussed, as well as consequences to this group's health in relation to HIV infection.Muitos países têm legalizado os direitos homossexuais. Mas há 147 anos, desde quando a Índia ainda era colônia britânica, a Seção 377 do Código Penal indiano define a homossexualidade como crime passível de prisão. Esta lei antiga viola os direitos fundamentais de homossexuais na Índia. Embora as literaturas hindu, budista, muçulmana, e a ficção moderna confirmem a presença de sentimento de amor entre pessoas do mesmo sexo, a homossexualidade ainda é considerada um tabu na Índia, tanto pela sociedade como pelo governo. No presente artigo, discute-se a continuidade dessa lei da época colonial sobre homossexualidade e seu impacto na sociedade indiana desfavorecida, bem como as conseqüências para a saúde desse grupo quanto à infecção pelo HIV
Antibacterial and antifungal activities of fatty acid methyl esters of the blind-your-eye mangrove from India
Landscape Mapping of Functional Proteins in Insulin Signal Transduction and Insulin Resistance: A Network-Based Protein-Protein Interaction Analysis
The type 2 diabetes has increased rapidly in recent years throughout the world. The insulin signal transduction mechanism gets disrupted sometimes and it's known as insulin-resistance. It is one of the primary causes associated with type-2 diabetes. The signaling mechanisms involved several proteins that include 7 major functional proteins such as INS, INSR, IRS1, IRS2, PIK3CA, Akt2, and GLUT4. Using these 7 principal proteins, multiple sequences alignment has been created. The scores between sequences also have been developed. We have constructed a phylogenetic tree and modified it with node and distance. Besides, we have generated sequence logos and ultimately developed the protein-protein interaction network. The small insulin signal transduction protein arrangement shows complex network between the functional proteins
Antifungal, anti-inflammatory and cytotoxicity activities of three varieties of Labisia pumila benth : from microwave obtained extracts.
Background: Labisia pumila, locally known as Kacip Fatimah, is a forest-floor plant that has tremendous potential in the herbal industry. It is one of the five herbal plants identified by the government as one of the national key economic areas to be developed for commercial purposes. There are three varieties of L. pumila namely, L. pumila var. pumila, L. pumila var. alata and L. pumila var. lanceolata and each has its own use.Methods: The leaves and roots of the three varieties of L. pumila Benth. were extracted using microwave assisted extraction (MAE). Antifungal activity of all plant extracts were characterized against Fusarium sp., Candida sp. and Mucor using the agar diffusion disc. Anti-inflammatory assays were performed using NO production by macrophage RAW 264.7 cell lines induced by LPS/IFN-g and cytotoxic activity was determined using several cancer cell lines and one normal cell line.Results: The overall result demonstrated that leaf and root extracts of all three varieties of L. pumila exhibited moderate to appreciable antifungal activity against Fusarium sp., Candida sp. and Mucor compared to streptomycin used as positive control. Leaf and root extracts of all varieties significantly decreased NO release. However, the root extracts showed higher activity compared to the leaf extracts. Cytotoxic activity against MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 and Chang cell lines were observed with all extracts.Conclusions: These findings suggest the potential use of L. pumila Benth. as a natural medicine and indicated the possible application of this medicinal plant such anti inflammatory activity and cytotoxic agents
Social-ecological outcomes of agricultural intensification
Land-use intensification in agrarian landscapes is seen as a key strategy to simultaneously feed humanity and use ecosystems sustainably, but the conditions that support positive social-ecological outcomes remain poorly documented. We address this knowledge gap by synthesizing research that analyses how agricultural intensification affects both ecosystem services and human well-being in low- and middle-income countries. Overall, we find that agricultural intensification is rarely found to lead to simultaneous positive ecosystem service and well-being outcomes. This is particularly the case when ecosystem services other than food provisioning are taken into consideration
Establishment Failure in Biological Invasions: A Case History of Littorina littorea in California, USA
The early stages of biological invasions are rarely observed, but can provide significant insight into the invasion process as well as the influence vectors have on invasion success or failure.We characterized three newly discovered populations of an introduced gastropod, Littorina littorea (Linné, 1758), in California, USA, comparing them to potential source populations in native Europe and the North American East Coast, where the snail is also introduced. Demographic surveys were used to assess spatial distribution and sizes of the snail in San Francisco and Anaheim Bays, California. Mitochondrial DNA was sequenced and compared among these nascent populations, and various populations from the North American East Coast and Europe, to characterize the California populations and ascertain their likely source. Demographic and genetic data were considered together to deduce likely vectors for the California populations. We found that the three large California L. littorea populations contained only adult snails and had unexpectedly high genetic diversity rather than showing an extreme bottleneck as typically expected in recent introductions. Haplotype diversity in Californian populations was significantly reduced compared to European populations, but not compared to East Coast populations. Genetic analyses clearly suggested the East Coast as the source region for the California introductions.The California L. littorea populations were at an early, non-established phase of invasion with no evidence of recruitment. The live seafood trade is the most likely invasion vector for these populations, as it preferentially transports large numbers of adult L. littorea, matching the demographic structure of the introduced California L. littorea populations. Our results highlight continued operation of live seafood trade vectors and the influence of vectors on the demographic and genetic structure of the resulting populations, especially early stages of the invasion process
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