Jackson's Parrot: Samuel Beckett, Aphasic Speech Automatisms, and Psychosomatic Language

This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Springer via http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1007/s10912-015-9375-zThis article explores the relationship between automatic and involuntary language in the work of Samuel Beckett and late nineteenth-century neurological conceptions of language that emerged from aphasiology. Using the work of John Hughlings Jackson alongside contemporary neuroscientific research, we explore the significance of the lexical and affective symmetries between Beckett’s compulsive and profoundly embodied language and aphasic speech automatisms. The interdisciplinary work in this article explores the paradox of how and why Beckett was able to search out a longed-for language of feeling that might disarticulate the classical bond between the language, intention, rationality and the human, in forms of expression that seem automatic and 'readymade'

SUSCEPTIBILITY OF POPULATION OF SIMULIUM (CHIROSTILBIA) PERTINAX KOLLAR, 1832 (CULICOMORPHA, SIMULIIDAE) TO TEMEPHOS AND BACILLUS-THURINGIENSIS VAR ISRAELENSIS FORMULATION

The use of wooden troughs on stream beds, artificially colonized by blackfly larvae, is proposed for larvicide evaluations. Mortality was recorded 3 or 4 hours after treatment. Larval susceptibility was also evaluated utilizing the LT50 criterion. In there field assays Simulium (C.) pertinax populations from the litoral of S. Paulo and Rio de Janeiro States were shown to be resistant to temephos, even when subjected to high concentrations. Vectobac 12 AS, a Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis product, was shown to be more potent against late instar larvae and efficient in concentrations higher than 7,200 ITU/l (10 min). The LT50 to 3,744 ITU/l (10 min) was calculated as 70.9 min.25536737

Chemical characterization of passion fruit (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa) seeds

The aim of this study was to determine the chemical characteristics of passion fruit seeds and their oil for possible use in human food and reduction of organic waste from fruit industrialization. Passion fruit seeds were analyzed for moisture, lipids, proteins, ash, fibers, titratable acidity, pH, soluble solids and antioxidant activity. The oil was characterized for parameters such as acid value, saponification, iodine and peroxide. The content of oil extracted demonstrates that it has good potential for  industrial utilization. According to analyses, the oil has characteristics similar to conventional edible oils such as soybean, and may be a new source of human consumption. Passion fruit seeds have high nutritional value, proving to be a promising product, mainly because it contains  significant amounts of proteinase. Therefore, passion fruit seeds and their oil should be used as raw material in the food, chemical and pharmaceutical industry, as they have beneficial features.Key words: Industrial utilization, characterization, by-products

Primary healthcare provision and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: a survey of patients' and General Practitioners' beliefs

BACKGROUND: The current study was conducted as part of a research project into the evaluation and assessment of healthcare provision and education in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). One aim of the study was the development of informative and educational literature for both General Practitioners (GP) and sufferers. Issues such as diagnosis, management and treatment of the syndrome should be included in information booklets written by healthcare professionals. It was important to begin the process by assessing the level of specialist knowledge that existed in typical GP surgeries. This data would then be compared to data from CFS patients. METHOD: 197 survey booklets were sent to CFS sufferers from an existing research panel. The patients approached for the purpose of the study had been recruited onto the panel following diagnosis of their illness at a specialised CFS outpatient clinic in South Wales. A further 120 booklets were sent to GP surgeries in the Gwent Health Authority region in Wales. RESULTS: Results from the study indicate that the level of specialist knowledge of CFS in primary care remains low. Only half the GP respondents believed that the condition actually exists. CONCLUSION: Steps are recommended to increase the knowledge base by compiling helpful and informative material for GPs and patient groups

Experimental infection of Aedes albopictus (Diptera : Culicidae) larvae with the xiphidiocercariae of a hematolechid

Aedes albopictus larvae were exposed, either individually or in groups, to different concentrations of xiphidiocercariae of Haematoloechus sp. for parasitological studies. It was observed the acute lethal effect and some aspects of the host-parasite relationship, such as delay or progress in the host life cycle, the number and location of the metacercariae in the host, adult host malformations and the amount of metacercariae required to cause death. A delay in the cycle and a high mortality rate was in general observed. Inside the larvae, the metacercariae were found predominantly in the thorax, abdominal segments and in the head, along with a reduced number in the anal lobe and cervix. It was shown that in addition to the quantity, of metacercariae present, their location in the larvae was also relevant in the determination of mortality and anomalies. Malformed adults developed from larvae containing from one to three metacercariae.97457357

Value chains to improve diets: Diagnostics to support intervention design in Malawi

Governments and development partners looking to accelerate progress in addressing malnutrition have been examining how to use interventions in value-chains to improve diets. However, the links between interventions in value chains and diets involve a range of direct and indirect effects that are not yet well understood. We apply a mixed-method multisectoral diagnostic to examine potential interventions in food systems to improve diets of smallholder farmers in Malawi. We examine entry points for interventions involving public and private-sectors, and explore the methodological requirements for undertaking this type of multisectoral analysis. We find that although food consumption is dominated by maize, a range of nutritious foods are also being consumed; including leafy greens, fruits, chicken, dried fish, dried beans and peas, and groundnuts. Yet important deficits in nutrient intake remain prevalent in low-income households due to inadequate quantity of consumption. While increasing consumption through own-production is one potentially important channel to increase quantity of nutritious foods available (particularly fruits and leafy green vegetables), markets also play a potentially important role. Nutritious foods are available on markets year-round, although strong seasonality impacts the availability and price of perishable products. For beans, peas and groundnuts, supply appears to be available throughout the year, with price fluctuations relatively controlled due to storage capacity and imports. The capacity of markets to supply safe and nutritious food is limited by a number of issues, including poor hygiene; lack of infrastructure for storage and selling; limited information on nutrition, and weak coordination among sellers and producers. Other bottlenecks include: on-farm constraints for expanded production, consumers with limited purchasing capacity, intense competition among sellers and few services for sellers to increase volume of product sold during peak demand. The diagnostics identify the role of information-related interventions to optimize decisions related to food choices, involving a range of different foods and value-chains, that could potentially lead to short- and medium-term improvements in diets. Longer-term and more resource-intensive interventions are also identified, such as improving capacity for product differentiation, processing, storage, and market infrastructure across a different range of food chains, so as to maximise coherence between short- and long-term planning. The findings highlight the benefits of applying a strategic, food systems-based approach of identifying specific and complementary actions for both the public and private sectors that can improve the diets of low-income populations

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) : Investigating care practices pointed out to disparities in diagnosis and treatment across European Union

Funding Information: Funding: EUROMENE Network was funded by the COoperation in Science and Technology (COST) program from Utopian Commission (COST#15111). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Publisher Copyright: Copyright: © 2019 Strand et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.ME/CFS is a chronic, complex, multisystem disease that often limits the health and functioning of the affected patients. Diagnosing patients with ME/CFS is a challenge, and many different case definitions exist and are used in clinical practice and research. Even after diagnosis, medical treatment is very challenging. Symptom relief and coping may affect how patients live with their disease and their quality of life. There is no consensus on which diagnostic criteria should be used and which treatment strategies can be recommended for patients. The purpose of the current project was to map the landscape of the Euromene countries in respect of national guidelines and recommendations for case definition, diagnosis and clinical approaches for ME/CFS patients. A 23 items questionnaire was sent out by email to the members of Euromene. The form contained questions on existing guidelines for case definitions, treatment/management of the disease, tests and questionnaires applied, and the prioritization of information for data sampling in research. We obtained information from 17 countries. Five countries reported having national guidelines for diagnosis, and five countries reported having guidelines for clinical approaches. For diagnostic purposes, the Fukuda criteria were most often recommended, and also the Canadian Consensus criteria, the International Consensus Criteria and the Oxford criteria were used. A mix of diagnostic criteria was applied within those countries having no guidelines. Many different questionnaires and tests were used for symptom registration and diagnostic investigation. For symptom relief, pain and anti-depressive medication were most often recommended. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Graded Exercise treatment were often recommended as disease management and rehabilitative/palliative strategies. The lack of consistency in recommendations across European countries urges the development of regulations, guidance and standards. The results of this study will contribute to the harmonization of diagnostic criteria and treatment for ME/CFS in Europe.Peer reviewe

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – evidence for an autoimmune disease

Abstract Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a frequent and severe chronic disease drastically impairing life quality. The underlying pathomechanism is incompletely understood yet but there is convincing evidence that in at least a subset of patients ME/CFS has an autoimmune etiology. In this review, we will discuss current autoimmune aspects for ME/CFS. Immune dysregulation in ME/CFS has been frequently described including changes in cytokine profiles and immunoglobulin levels, T- and B-cell phenotype and a decrease of natural killer cell cytotoxicity. Moreover, autoantibodies against various antigens including neurotransmitter receptors have been recently identified in ME/CFS individuals by several groups. Consistently, clinical trials from Norway have shown that B-cell depletion with rituximab results in clinical benefits in about half of ME/CFS patients. Furthermore, recent studies have provided evidence for severe metabolic disturbances presumably mediated by serum autoantibodies in ME/CFS. Therefore, further efforts are required to delineate the role of autoantibodies in the onset and pathomechanisms of ME/CFS in order to better understand and properly treat this disease

Os serviços ecossistêmicos dos recursos hídricos da Bacia Amazônica como Bens Públicos Globais

This article analyzes the ecosystem services of water resources in the Amazon basin (water supply, waste processing, climate regulation, nutrient cycle) according to the theoretical scope of global public goods, identifying the spatial extent of ecosystem benefits and their beneficiaries. Four groups of beneficiaries were found: Brazil's trading partner countries that use the mouth of the Amazon River, the South American countries that receive moisture from the Amazon basin through “aerial rivers”; the Atlantic Ocean due to the contributions of sediments and organic matter from the “Amazon Plume” and the countries that integrate the Amazon basin that use water resources for direct consumption or to produce goods and services. Due to spatial dimension of benefits from ecosystem services studied, the Amazon Basin, must be understood as Global Natural Common.Este articulo analiza los servicios ecosistémicos de los recursos hídricos de la cuenca Amazónica (provisión de agua, procesamiento de residuos, regulación del clima, ciclo de nutrientes) conforme el alcance teórico de bienes públicos globales, identificando la extensión espacial de los beneficios ecosistémicos y sus beneficiarios. Cuatro grupos de beneficiarios fueron identificados: Los países socios comerciales de Brasil que usan la desembocadura del rio Amazonas, los países de Suramérica que reciben humedad de los “ríos aéreos” provenientes de la cuenca Amazónica; el Océano Atlántico debido a las contribuciones de sedimentos y materia orgánica de la “Pluma Amazónica”, y los países que integran la cuenca Amazónica que usan los recursos hídricos para consumo directo o para producir bienes y servicios. Debido a la extensión espacial de los beneficios de los servicios ecosistémicos estudiados, la Cuenca Amazónica debe ser entendida como un Global Natural Common.Cet article analise les services écosystémiques des ressources hydriques du bassin amazonien (approvisionnement d'eau, traitement de déchets, régulation du climat, cycle des nutriments). Ceci en accord avec l'approche théorique de biens publics à l'échelle mondiale et identifiant l'extension spatiale des bénéfices écosystémiques ainsi que ses bénéficiaires. Il existe quatre groupes de bénéficiaires identifiés: les pays en partenariat commercial avec le Brésil qui se servent de l'embouchure du fleuve Amazone ; les pays de l'Amérique du Sud qui reçoivent de l'humidité du bassin amazonien à travers ses “rivières volantes”; l'océan Atlantique, dû aux sédiments et matières organiques apportés par l'Amazonie ; et les pays intégrant le bassin amazonique, qui utilisent les ressources hydriques pour leur consommation directe ou encore pour produire de biens et de services. En raison de l'extension spatiale des bénéfices des services écosystémiques nommés ci-dessus, le bassin amazonique doit être considéré comme faisant partie Global Natural Common.Il presente articolo analizza i servizi ecosistemici delle risorse idriche del bacino amazzonico (approvvigionamento d’acqua, trattamento dei rifiuti, regolazione del clima, ciclo dei nutrienti) secondo la teoria dei beni comuni mondiali. Si identifica anche l’estensione spaziale dei benefici ecosistemici e i loro beneficiari. Quattro gruppi di beneficiari sono stati identificati: i paesi “partner commerciali” del Brasile che si servono della foce del Rio delle Amazzoni; i paesi dell’America del Sud che ricevono l’umidità del bacino amazzonico attraverso i fiumi volanti; l’oceano Atlantico (grazie ai contributi di sedimenti e di materia organica dell’Amazzonia); e finalmente i paesi membri del bacino amazzonico che utilizzano le sue risorse idriche sia per il loro consumo diretto sia per produrre beni e servizi. A causa della sua estensione spaziale e dei benefici ecosistemici studiati, il bacino amazzonico dovrebbe essere considerato come parte delle Global Natural Common.Neste artigo analisa-se os serviços ecossistêmicos dos recursos hídricos da Bacia Amazônica (provisão de água, processamento de resíduos, regulação de clima e ciclo de nutrientes), conforme o escopo teórico de bens públicos globais, identificando a extensão espacial dos benefícios ecossistêmicos e seus beneficiários. Quatro grupos de beneficiários foram encontrados: os países parceiros comerciais do Brasil que usam a desembocadura do rio Amazonas; os países da América do Sul que recebem umidade da Bacia Amazônica através dos “rios aéreos”; o oceano Atlântico, devido às contribuições de sedimentos e matéria orgânica da “Pluma Amazônica”; e os países que integram a Bacia Amazônica que usam os recursos hídricos para consumo direto ou para produzir bens e serviços. Devido à extensão espacial dos benefícios dos serviços ecossistêmicos estudados, a Bacia Amazônica deve ser entendida como um Global Natural Common

Vector competence of Culex quinquefasciatus Say, 1823 exposed to different densities of microfilariae of Dirofilaria immitis (Leidy,1856)

Vector competence of Cuter quinquefascictus Say, 1823 exposed to different densities of microfilariae of Dirofilaria immitis (Leidy, 1856). The metropolitan region of Recife, Brazil is endemic for Dirofilaria immitis and has an environment favorable to the development of Culex quinquefasciatus. The goal of this study was to evaluate the vector competence of the Cx. quinquefasciatus RECIFE population for D. immitis transmission. A total of 2.104 females of Cx. quinquefasciatus RECIFE population were exposed to different densities of D. immitis microfilariae blood meals, ranging from 1,820 to 2,900 mf/ml of blood, in a natural membrane apparatus. The results showed a variation between 92.3% and 98.8% of females fed. The exposure of the Cx. quinquefasciatus RECIFE population to different densities of microfilariac did not influence the mortality of the mosquitoes. Infective larvae from D. immitis were observed in the Malpighian tubules beginning on the 12(th) day, whereas larvae were observed in the head and proboscis beginning oil the 13(th) day following infection. The vector efficiency index (VEI) presented by the mosquitoes ranged front 7.8 to 56.5. The data demonstrates that the Cx. quinquefasciatus RECIFE population has great potential for the transmission of D. immitis, as it allowed the development of the filarid until the infectious stage at the different densities of microfilariae to which it was exposed.52465866