Perspectives on the Development of a Local Food System: The Case of Dayton, Ohio

Multiple sectors play vital roles in a community’s development and maintenance of a sustainable local food system. This study explored the perceptions of twenty-two representatives from the civil society, public, and private sectors in Dayton, Ohio, about the development of the region’s local food system. The researchers employed grounded theory methodology for data collection and analysis. Core themes from the participants of each sector group emerged from the data and areas of convergence and divergence among groups were reported

Relación entre antecedentes heredofamiliares de Diabetes Mellitus con la presencia de manifestaciones clínicas de resistencia a la insulina (acantosis nigricans)

To establish the relationship between hereditary family history and the presence of acanthosis nigricans (AN) in order to determine its possible influence on the development of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Material and methods: an analytical, observational, cross-sectional study was carried out. . The study population consisted of 40 patients between 18 and 25 years of age treated in the outpatient clinic of the General Hospital of Minatitlán and General Hospital of Oluta who presented Acanthosis Nigricans. Results: The prevalence of AN was 25%, with a female predominance of 88.8%. The most frequent site where it occurred was the neck with 50%. The prevalence of hereditary family history was 83%. AN is a factor associated with a family history of Diabetes Mellitus. (p<0.05). It was found that there is a relationship between family history of diabetes mellitus and the presence of clinical manifestations of insulin resistance (acanthosis nigricans) in patients at the General Hospital of Minatitlán and the General Hospital of Oluta, Veracruz.Establecer la relación de los antecedentes heredo familiares con la presencia de acantosis nigricans (AN) con el objetivo de determinar su posible influencia en el desarrollo de Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2. Material y métodos: se llevó a cabo un estudio analítico, observacional, seccional transversal. La población de estudio estuvo constituida por 40 pacientes de 18 a 25 años de edad atendidos en la consulta externa del Hospital General de Minatitlán y Hospital General de Oluta que presentaran Acantosis Nigricans. Resultados: La prevalencia de AN fue de 25%, con una predominancia del género femenino de un 88.8%. El sitio más frecuente donde se presentó fue el cuello con un 50%. La prevalencia de antecedentes heredofamiliares fue de un 83%. La AN es factor asociado a antecedentes heredofamiliares de Diabetes Mellitus. (p<0.05). Se comprobó que existe relación entre antecedentes heredofamiliares de diabetes mellitus con la presencia de manifestaciones clínicas de resistencia a la insulina (acantosis nigricans) en pacientes del Hospital General de Minatitlán y el Hospital General de Oluta, Veracruz

Protocolo neuropsicopedagógico en la evaluación multidimensional del trastorno por déficit atencional/hiperactividad –TDAH–: Implementación de una experiencia investigativa.

Avances investigativos generados en la especialización en neuropsicopedagogía, adscrita al Programa de Psicología de la Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas de la Universidad de Manizales, permitieron proponer una aproximación multidimensional precisa, objetiva e integral para la caracterización neuropsicopedagógica de niños y niñas con Trastorno por Déficit Atencional/Hiperactividad –TDAH–. Dicha aproximación contempla también la evaluación neurofisiológica por medio de potenciales evocados cognitivos y la posibilidad de realizar un análisis automatizado de las bioseñales obtenidas. Lo anterior constituye una herramienta fundamental para implementar procesos de identificación del TDAH y para posteriores estudios sobre desórdenes de comportamiento en la población infantil. En particular, con la sistematización de perfiles neuropsicopedagógicos se pretende arrojar datos potencialmente útiles para el desarrollo de un sistema de evaluación informatizado con aplicabilidad en los campos clínico y educativo, lo cual permitirá no solo un mejor conocimiento del trastorno, sino también mejores criterios predictivos sobre el pronóstico y la respuesta de planes de intervención establecidos, entre otros. En este artículo se presentan los componentes que permitieron estructurar el protocolo neuropsicopedagógico y la articulación de los componentes neurofisiológicos y biomédicos, así como algunos resultados preliminares en cada uno de dichos componentes

The evolution of antimicrobial peptides in Chiroptera

High viral tolerance coupled with an extraordinary regulation of the immune response makes bats a great model to study host-pathogen evolution. Although many immune-related gene gains and losses have been previously reported in bats, important gene families such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) remain understudied. We built an exhaustive bioinformatic pipeline targeting the major gene families of defensins and cathelicidins to explore AMP diversity and analyze their evolution and distribution across six bat families. A combination of manual and automated procedures identified 29 AMP families across queried species, with α-, β-defensins, and cathelicidins representing around 10% of AMP diversity. Gene duplications were inferred in both α-defensins, which were absent in five species, and three β-defensin gene subfamilies, but cathelicidins did not show significant shifts in gene family size and were absent in Anoura caudifer and the pteropodids. Based on lineage-specific gains and losses, we propose diet and diet-related microbiome evolution may determine the evolution of α- and β-defensins gene families and subfamilies. These results highlight the importance of building species-specific libraries for genome annotation in non-model organisms and shed light on possible drivers responsible for the rapid evolution of AMPs. By focusing on these understudied defenses, we provide a robust framework for explaining bat responses to pathogens

Consistent patterns of common species across tropical tree communities

Trees structure the Earth’s most biodiverse ecosystem, tropical forests. The vast number of tree species presents a formidable challenge to understanding these forests, including their response to environmental change, as very little is known about most tropical tree species. A focus on the common species may circumvent this challenge. Here we investigate abundance patterns of common tree species using inventory data on 1,003,805 trees with trunk diameters of at least 10 cm across 1,568 locations1,2,3,4,5,6 in closed-canopy, structurally intact old-growth tropical forests in Africa, Amazonia and Southeast Asia. We estimate that 2.2%, 2.2% and 2.3% of species comprise 50% of the tropical trees in these regions, respectively. Extrapolating across all closed-canopy tropical forests, we estimate that just 1,053 species comprise half of Earth’s 800 billion tropical trees with trunk diameters of at least 10 cm. Despite differing biogeographic, climatic and anthropogenic histories7, we find notably consistent patterns of common species and species abundance distributions across the continents. This suggests that fundamental mechanisms of tree community assembly may apply to all tropical forests. Resampling analyses show that the most common species are likely to belong to a manageable list of known species, enabling targeted efforts to understand their ecology. Although they do not detract from the importance of rare species, our results open new opportunities to understand the world’s most diverse forests, including modelling their response to environmental change, by focusing on the common species that constitute the majority of their trees.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Platform for Plasmodium vivax vaccine discovery and development

Plasmodium vivax is the most prevalent malaria parasite on the American continent. It generates a global burden of 80-100 million cases annually and represents a tremendous public health problem, particularly in the American and Asian continents. A malaria vaccine would be considered the most cost-effective measure against this vector-borne disease and it would contribute to a reduction in malaria cases and to eventual eradication. Although significant progress has been achieved in the search for Plasmodium falciparum antigens that could be used in a vaccine, limited progress has been made in the search for P. vivax components that might be eligible for vaccine development. This is primarily due to the lack of in vitro cultures to serve as an antigen source and to inadequate funding. While the most advanced P. falciparum vaccine candidate is currently being tested in Phase III trials in Africa, the most advanced P. vivax candidates have only advanced to Phase I trials. Herein, we describe the overall strategy and progress in P. vivax vaccine research, from antigen discovery to preclinical and clinical development and we discuss the regional potential of Latin America to develop a comprehensive platform for vaccine development

Subcortical volumes across the lifespan: Data from 18,605 healthy individuals aged 3–90 years

Age has a major effect on brain volume. However, the normative studies available are constrained by small sample sizes, restricted age coverage and significant methodological variability. These limitations introduce inconsistencies and may obscure or distort the lifespan trajectories of brain morphometry. In response, we capitalized on the resources of the Enhancing Neuroimaging Genetics through Meta‐Analysis (ENIGMA) Consortium to examine age‐related trajectories inferred from cross‐sectional measures of the ventricles, the basal ganglia (caudate, putamen, pallidum, and nucleus accumbens), the thalamus, hippocampus and amygdala using magnetic resonance imaging data obtained from 18,605 individuals aged 3–90 years. All subcortical structure volumes were at their maximum value early in life. The volume of the basal ganglia showed a monotonic negative association with age thereafter; there was no significant association between age and the volumes of the thalamus, amygdala and the hippocampus (with some degree of decline in thalamus) until the sixth decade of life after which they also showed a steep negative association with age. The lateral ventricles showed continuous enlargement throughout the lifespan. Age was positively associated with inter‐individual variability in the hippocampus and amygdala and the lateral ventricles. These results were robust to potential confounders and could be used to examine the functional significance of deviations from typical age‐related morphometric patterns

Cortical thickness across the lifespan: Data from 17,075 healthy individuals aged 3-90 years

Delineating the association of age and cortical thickness in healthy individuals is critical given the association of cortical thickness with cognition and behavior. Previous research has shown that robust estimates of the association between age and brain morphometry require large‐scale studies. In response, we used cross‐sectional data from 17,075 individuals aged 3–90 years from the Enhancing Neuroimaging Genetics through Meta‐Analysis (ENIGMA) Consortium to infer age‐related changes in cortical thickness. We used fractional polynomial (FP) regression to quantify the association between age and cortical thickness, and we computed normalized growth centiles using the parametric Lambda, Mu, and Sigma method. Interindividual variability was estimated using meta‐analysis and one‐way analysis of variance. For most regions, their highest cortical thickness value was observed in childhood. Age and cortical thickness showed a negative association; the slope was steeper up to the third decade of life and more gradual thereafter; notable exceptions to this general pattern were entorhinal, temporopolar, and anterior cingulate cortices. Interindividual variability was largest in temporal and frontal regions across the lifespan. Age and its FP combinations explained up to 59% variance in cortical thickness. These results may form the basis of further investigation on normative deviation in cortical thickness and its significance for behavioral and cognitive outcomes

Global urban environmental change drives adaptation in white clover

Urbanization transforms environments in ways that alter biological evolution. We examined whether urban environmental change drives parallel evolution by sampling 110,019 white clover plants from 6169 populations in 160 cities globally. Plants were assayed for a Mendelian antiherbivore defense that also affects tolerance to abiotic stressors. Urban-rural gradients were associated with the evolution of clines in defense in 47% of cities throughout the world. Variation in the strength of clines was explained by environmental changes in drought stress and vegetation cover that varied among cities. Sequencing 2074 genomes from 26 cities revealed that the evolution of urban-rural clines was best explained by adaptive evolution, but the degree of parallel adaptation varied among cities. Our results demonstrate that urbanization leads to adaptation at a global scale