WEED FLORA IN A LONG-TERM REDUCED TILLAGE TRIAL, “TILMAN-ORG session”

Reduced tillage may improve the environmental and economic performance of organic farming. Reducing the intensity of soil tillage decreases the energy consumption and the emission of carbon dioxide, and could increase carbon sequestration (Holland 2004). Reduced tillage also may improve water retention and reduce soil erosion (Berner et al 2008). One of the main drawbacks of the reduced tillage practices is the potential increase of weed infestation and changes in weed species composition, sometimes to the benefit of species which are more difficult to control, such as perennial and grass species (Peigné et al 2007; Teasdale et al 2007; Sans et al 2011). Organic farmers commonly keep weeds under control by ploughing and by post-emergence mechanical methods, and by indirect means such as appropriate crop rotation including e.g. gras-clover. For this reason, weed management under reduced tillage conditions is expected to be more challenging in organics systems. In this study, we present the results on weed abundance and community composition in a nine-year old long-term experiment under conventional and reduced tillage

Neural hypersensitivity to pleasant touch in women remitted from anorexia nervosa.

Interoception, or the sensing and integration of bodily state signals, has been implicated in anorexia nervosa (AN), given that the hallmark symptoms involve food restriction and body image disturbance. Here we focus on brain response to the anticipation and experience of affective interoceptive stimuli. Women remitted from AN (RAN; N = 18) and healthy comparison women (CW; N = 26) underwent a pleasant affective touch paradigm consisting of gentle strokes with a soft brush administered to the forearm or palm during functional neuroimaging. RAN had a lower brain response relative to CW during anticipation of touch, but a greater response when experiencing touch in the right ventral mid-insula. In RAN, this reduced anticipatory response was associated with higher levels of harm avoidance. Exploratory analyses in RAN also suggested that lower response during touch anticipation was associated with greater body dissatisfaction and higher perceived touch intensity ratings. This reduced responsivity to the anticipation of pleasant affective interoceptive stimuli in association with higher harm avoidance, along with an elevated response to the experience of touch, suggests an impaired ability in AN to predict and interpret incoming physiological stimuli. Impaired interoception may thus impact one's sense of self, thereby supporting observations of disturbed body image and avoidance of affective and social stimuli. Therapeutic approaches that help AN to better anticipate and interpret salient affective stimuli or improve tolerance of interoceptive experiences may be an important addition to current interventions

A functional neuroimaging review of obesity, appetitive hormones and ingestive behavior

Adequate energy intake is vital for the survival of humans and is regulated by complex homeostatic and hedonic mechanisms. Supported by functional MRI (fMRI) studies that consistently demonstrate differences in brain response as a function of weight status during exposure to appetizing food stimuli, it has been posited that hedonically driven food intake contributes to weight gain and obesity maintenance. These food reward theories of obesity are reliant on the notion that the aberrant brain response to food stimuli relates directly to ingestive behavior, specifically, excess food intake. Importantly, functioning of homeostatic neuroendocrine regulators of food intake, such as leptin and ghrelin, are impacted by weight status. Thus, data from studies that evaluate the effect of weight status on brain response to food may be a result of differences in neuroendocrine functioning and/or behavior. In the present review, we examine the influence of weight and weight change, exogenous administration of appetitive hormones, and ingestive behavior on BOLD response to food stimuli

IDEOLOGIA ANTIGÊNERO EM PAUTA: PARÂMETROS DE DIREITOS HUMANOS PARA O DEBATE

This article examines whether the Supreme Court´s position on cases concerning the prohibition of gender education in schools subsists to the conventionality control based on the international protection of people in vulnerability due to gender. From literature review and document reviews, we present the human rights protection framework on gender (its standards) and its development. Then, we identify the emergence of an anti-gender narrative that opposes the recognition and expansion of gender-related human rights, identifying how it manifest itself in Brazil, especially through legislative proposals that prohibit gender education in schools. Finally, we analyze the Supreme Court´s jurisprudence in the 7 (seven) cases of Action Against Fundamental Constitutional Principles related to the issue of prohibition on gender education in schools. We conclude that the STF has adopted a human rights discourse that would stand up to the test of international conventionality’s standards.Este artículo analiza si la posición del Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF) en los casos relativos a la prohibición de la educación de género en las escuelas subsiste al control de convencionalidad de la protección internacional de derechos humanos de las personas en situación de vulnerabilidad por razones de género. Desde la revisión de la literatura y el análisis documental, presentamos el marco de protección de los derechos humanos en materia de género (sus parámetros) y desarrollo. Identificamos la emergencia de una narrativa antigênero que se opone al reconocimiento y la expansión de esos derechos, identificando cómo ella se manifiesta en Brasil, especialmente a través de propuestas legislativas que prohíben la educación de género en las escuelas. Finalmente, analizamos la jurisprudencia del STF en las 7 (siete) Acciones contra los Principios Constitucionales Fundamentales referentes a la prohibición de la educación de género en las escuelas. Concluimos que el STF ha adoptado un discurso de derechos humanos que resistiría la prueba de los estándares de la convencionalidad internacional.Este artigo analisa se o posicionamento do Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF) nos casos sobre proibição do ensino de gênero nas escolas subsiste ao controle de convencionalidade de proteção aos direitos humanos das pessoas em situação de vulnerabilidade em razão do gênero. A partir de revisão de literatura e de análise documental, apresentamos os marcos de proteção de direitos humanos sobre a questão de gênero (seus parâmetros) e desenvolvimentos. Em seguida, identificamos a emergência de uma narrativa antigênero que se opõe ao reconhecimento e a expansão desses direitos, identificando como ela se manifesta no Brasil, especialmente pelas propostas de proibição do ensino de gênero na escola. Finalmente, analisamos a jurisprudência do STF nas 7 (sete) Arguições de Descumprimento de Preceito Fundamental (ADPF) que tratam sobre a questão das legislações que proíbem a educação de gênero nas escolas. Concluímos que o STF tem adotado um discurso em prol dos direitos humanos que subsistiria ao crivo de controle de convencionalidade internacional

Windows of Opportunity - The Transformation of State Media to Public Service Media in Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Moldova and Serbia

The transformation of state media to public service media (PSM) is one of the most ambitious endeavors in the field of media development. Not many efforts to free the national media from government control have succeeded in the past decades. In this paper the comparatively promising cases of Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Moldova and Serbia are discussed. The PSM in these countries all have a new legal basis, including a public service remit and a relatively independent governing body in which civil society is represented. The services delivered to the public by these media are analyzed according to a number of societal functions which are assembled under two general headings: “creating a public sphere” and “supporting integration”. Based on this analysis, a differentiation between “PSM in initial transformation” and “PSM in advanced transformation” is suggested. In all cases studied, different actors successfully used windows of opportunity: general political agendas to reform the media, a specific engagement from the management as well as support from the population and civil society. Media development actors here helped to advance the processes of change in different ways. Recommendations for future media development include strategic planning, inclusion of local actors, the pooling of legal expertise as well as structured processes of organizational development and capacity building

Gut microbiota profile and its association with clinical variables and dietary intake in overweight/obese and lean subjects: A cross-sectional study

We aimed to differentiate gut microbiota composition of overweight/obese and lean subjects and to determine its association with clinical variables and dietary intake. A cross-sectional study was performed with 96 overweight/obese subjects and 32 lean subjects. Anthropometric parameters were positively associated with Collinsella aerofaciens, Dorea formicigenerans and Dorea longicatena, which had higher abundance the overweight/obese subjects. Moreover, different genera of Lachnospiraceae were negatively associated with body fat, LDL and total cholesterol. Saturated fatty acids (SFAs) were negatively associated with the genus Intestinimonas, a biomarker of the overweight/obese group, whereas SFAs were positively associated with Roseburia, a biomarker for the lean group. In conclusion, Dorea formicigenerans, Dorea longicatena and Collinsella aerofaciens could be considered obesity biomarkers, Lachnospiraceae is associated with lipid cardiovascular risk factors. SFAs exhibited opposite association profiles with butyrate-producing bacteria depending on the BMI. Thus, the relationship between diet and microbiota opens new tools for the management of obesity.This research was funded by the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, grant number CER-20191010

Patient descriptions of loss of control and eating episode size interact to influence expert diagnosis of ICD-11 binge-eating disorder

Background Although data suggest that the sense of “loss of control” (LOC) is the most salient aspect of binge eating, the definition of LOC varies widely across eating disorder assessments. The WHO ICD-11 diagnostic guidelines for binge eating do not require an objectively large amount of food, which makes accurate LOC diagnosis even more critical. However, it can be especially challenging to assess LOC in the context of elevated weight status and in the absence of compensatory behaviors. This ICD-11 field sub-study examined how descriptions of subjective experience during distressing eating episodes, in combination with different eating episode sizes, influence diagnoses of binge-eating disorder (BED). Method Mental health professionals with eating disorder expertise from WHO’s Global Clinical Practice Network (N = 192) participated in English, Japanese, and Spanish. Participants were asked to select the correct diagnosis for two randomly assigned case vignettes and to rate the clinical importance and ease of use of each BED diagnostic guideline. Results The presence of LOC interacted with episode size to predict whether a correct diagnostic conclusion was reached. If the amount consumed during a typical distressing eating episode was only subjectively large compared to objectively large, clinicians were 23.1 times more likely to miss BED than to correctly diagnose it, and they were 9.7 times more likely to incorrectly diagnose something else than to correctly diagnose BED. In addition, clinicians were 10.8 times more likely to make a false positive diagnosis of BED when no LOC was described if the episode was objectively large. Descriptions of LOC that were reliably associated with correct diagnoses across episodes sizes included two that are similar to those already included in proposed ICD-11 guidelines and a third that is not. This third description of LOC focuses on giving up attempts to control eating because perceived overeating feels inevitable. Conclusions Results highlight the importance of detailed clarification of the LOC construct in future guidelines. Explicitly distinguishing LOC from distressing and mindless overeating could help promote consistent and accurate diagnosis of BED versus another or no eating disorder