The Mediating Role of Romantic Attachment in the Relationship Between Attachment to Parents and Aggression

Background: A secure attachment style could promote more intimacy in romantic relationships, while an insecure attachment style could be correlated with less positive romantic relationships in adulthood. Numerous studies have noted that a secure attachment to parents was correlated with lower levels of aggression, whereas insecure attachments were associated with higher levels of aggression. We aimed to investigate the role of the attachment system as a mediator of the expression of aggressiveness during adolescence. Specifically, we considered that the attachment to parents and peers could influence one's attachment to a romantic partner.Methods: We empirically tested whether there were relationships of parent and peer attachment on aggressiveness mediated by romantic attachment style. Participants of the study included 411 students.Results: Results indicated that for males an insecure father-child attachment style seems to be associated with higher levels of anxiety and avoidance in romantic attachments and then with aggressiveness. For females, an insecure mother-child attachment style seems to be associated with higher levels of aggressiveness.Conclusion: The attachment to parents and to peers plays a key role in defining romantic attachment according to gender, and these dimensions in turn tend to affect the levels of aggressiveness

Comparison between 16S rRNA and shotgun sequencing data for the taxonomic characterization of the gut microbiota

In this paper we compared taxonomic results obtained by metataxonomics (16S rRNA gene sequencing) and metagenomics (whole shotgun metagenomic sequencing) to investigate their reliability for bacteria profiling, studying the chicken gut as a model system. The experimental conditions included two compartments of gastrointestinal tracts and two sampling times. We compared the relative abundance distributions obtained with the two sequencing strategies and then tested their capability to distinguish the experimental conditions. The results showed that 16S rRNA gene sequencing detects only part of the gut microbiota community revealed by shotgun sequencing. Specifically, when a sufficient number of reads is available, Shotgun sequencing has more power to identify less abundant taxa than 16S sequencing. Finally, we showed that the less abundant genera detected only by shotgun sequencing are biologically meaningful, being able to discriminate between the experimental conditions as much as the more abundant genera detected by both sequencing strategies

Whole genome sequencing for typing and characterisation of Listeria monocytogenes isolated in a rabbit meat processing plant

Listeria monocytogenes is a food-borne pathogen able to survive and grow in different environments including food processing plants where it can persist for month or years. In the present study the discriminatory power of Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS)-based analysis (cgMLST) was compared to that of molecular typing methods on 34 L. monocytogenes isolates collected over one year in the same rabbit meat processing plant and belonging to three genotypes (ST14, ST121, ST224). Each genotype included isolates indistinguishable by standard molecular typing methods. The virulence potential of all isolates was assessed by Multi Virulence-Locus Sequence Typing (MVLST) and the investigation of a representative database of virulence determinant genes. The whole genome of each isolate was sequenced on a MiSeq platform. The cgMLST, MVLST, and in silico identification of virulence genes were performed using publicly available tools. Draft genomes included a number of contigs ranging from 13 to 28 and N50 ranging from 456298 to 580604. The coverage ranged from 41 to 187X. The cgMLST showed a significantly superior discriminatory power only in comparison to ribotyping, nevertheless it allows the detection of two singletons belonging to ST14 that were not observed by other molecular methods. All ST14 isolates belonged to VT107, which 7-loci concatenated sequence differs for only 4 nucleotides to VT1 (Epidemic clone III). Analysis of virulence genes showed the presence of a fulllength inlA version in all ST14 isolates and of a mutated version including a premature stop codon (PMSC) associated to attenuated virulence in all ST121 isolates

Impact of Cooking Procedures and Storage Practices at Home on Consumer Exposure to Listeria Monocytogenes and Salmonella Due to the Consumption of Pork Meat

[EN] The objective of this research was to analyze the impact of different cooking procedures (i.e., gas hob and traditional static oven) and levels of cooking (i.e., rare, medium, and well-done) on inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella in pork loin chops. Moreover, the consumer's exposure to both microorganisms after simulation of meat leftover storage at home was assessed. The results showed that well-done cooking in a static oven was the only treatment able to inactivate the tested pathogens. The other cooking combinations allowed to reach in the product temperatures always 73.6 degrees C, decreasing both pathogens between 6 log(10) cfu/g and 7 log(10) cfu/g. However, according to simulation results, the few cells surviving cooking treatments can multiply during storage by consumers up to 1 log(10) cfu/g, with probabilities of 0.059 (gas hob) and 0.035 (static oven) for L. monocytogenes and 0.049 (gas hob) and 0.031 (static oven) for Salmonella. The key factors affecting consumer exposure in relation to storage practices were probability of pathogen occurrence after cooking, doneness degree, time of storage, and time of storage at room temperature. The results of this study can be combined with prevalence data and dose-response models in risk assessment models and included in guidelines for consumers on practices to be followed to manage cooking of pork meat at home.The research leading to these results received funding from the E.U. Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement KBBE 222738BASELINE (Selection and Improving of Fit-for-Purpose Sampling Procedures for Specific Foods and Risks).De Cesare, A.; Doménech Antich, EM.; Comin, D.; Meluzzi, A.; Manfreda, G. (2017). Impact of Cooking Procedures and Storage Practices at Home on Consumer Exposure to Listeria Monocytogenes and Salmonella Due to the Consumption of Pork Meat. Risk Analysis. 38(4):638-652. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.12882S63865238

Literatura y política: Actas de una convivencia insoportable

El trabajo que se presenta a continuación se encuadra en la perspectiva de la crítica genética, es decir del estudio de los procesos de escritura a partir de los manuscritos de autores. En mi caso, me dediqué varios años a organizar y estudiar el archivo de Manuel Puig, escritor argentino que partió al exilio por causa de amenazas de grupos parapoliciales en los años previos a la dictadura cívico-militar que asoló Argentina entre los años 1976 y 1983, autor de novelas no se encuadran en lo que hacia los años setenta se llamaba ‘literatura comprometida’, pero que sin embargo tienen un alto contenido político mucho más evidente hoy que cuando fueron publicadas. Hoy resulta difícil pensar cómo es posible que una novela como El beso de la mujer araña, protagonizada por un preso político marxista y un homosexual sin conciencia de clase que conviven y aprenden uno del otro en la cárcel, haya sido vista como despolitizada, pero ese fue el contexto de lectura cuando se publicó en 1976, en parte porque lo que resalta en la superficie textual son relatos de películas y canciones de amor.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

Literatura y política: Actas de una convivencia insoportable

El trabajo que se presenta a continuación se encuadra en la perspectiva de la crítica genética, es decir del estudio de los procesos de escritura a partir de los manuscritos de autores. En mi caso, me dediqué varios años a organizar y estudiar el archivo de Manuel Puig, escritor argentino que partió al exilio por causa de amenazas de grupos parapoliciales en los años previos a la dictadura cívico-militar que asoló Argentina entre los años 1976 y 1983, autor de novelas no se encuadran en lo que hacia los años setenta se llamaba ‘literatura comprometida’, pero que sin embargo tienen un alto contenido político mucho más evidente hoy que cuando fueron publicadas. Hoy resulta difícil pensar cómo es posible que una novela como El beso de la mujer araña, protagonizada por un preso político marxista y un homosexual sin conciencia de clase que conviven y aprenden uno del otro en la cárcel, haya sido vista como despolitizada, pero ese fue el contexto de lectura cuando se publicó en 1976, en parte porque lo que resalta en la superficie textual son relatos de películas y canciones de amor.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

Literatura y política: Actas de una convivencia insoportable

El trabajo que se presenta a continuación se encuadra en la perspectiva de la crítica genética, es decir del estudio de los procesos de escritura a partir de los manuscritos de autores. En mi caso, me dediqué varios años a organizar y estudiar el archivo de Manuel Puig, escritor argentino que partió al exilio por causa de amenazas de grupos parapoliciales en los años previos a la dictadura cívico-militar que asoló Argentina entre los años 1976 y 1983, autor de novelas no se encuadran en lo que hacia los años setenta se llamaba ‘literatura comprometida’, pero que sin embargo tienen un alto contenido político mucho más evidente hoy que cuando fueron publicadas. Hoy resulta difícil pensar cómo es posible que una novela como El beso de la mujer araña, protagonizada por un preso político marxista y un homosexual sin conciencia de clase que conviven y aprenden uno del otro en la cárcel, haya sido vista como despolitizada, pero ese fue el contexto de lectura cuando se publicó en 1976, en parte porque lo que resalta en la superficie textual son relatos de películas y canciones de amor.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

Effect of dietary supplementation with Lactobacillus acidophilus D2/CSL (CECT 4529) on caecum microbioma and productive performance in broiler chickens

This study examines the effects of the dietary supplementation with Lactobacillus acidophilus D2/CSL (CECT 4529) (LA) on productive performances, incidence of foot pad dermatitis and caecum microbioma in broiler chickens. A total of 1,100 one-day old male Ross 308 chicks were divided into 2 groups of 16 replicates with 25 birds each and reared from 1-41 d. One group was fed a basal diet (CON) and the other group the same diet supplemented with LA. Caecum contents were collected from 4 selected birds at day one and 5 selected birds at the end of the rearing period. Then, they were submitted to DNA extraction and whole DNA shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Overall, the LA supplementation produced a significant beneficial effect on body weight gain between 15-28 d and improved feed conversion rate in the overall period. On the contrary, litter moisture, pH and incidence of the foot pad lesions were not affected by LA. Birds treated with LA showed a lower occurrence of pasty vent at both 14 and 28 d. At the end of the rearing period, Lachanospiraceae were significantly higher in LA birds in comparison to CON (17.07 vs 14.39%; P = 0.036). Moreover, Ruminococcus obeum, Clostridium clostridioforme, Roseburia intestinalis, Lachnos-piraceae bacterium 14-2T and Coprococcus eutactuswere significantly higher in LA birds in comparison to CON. The relative abundance of Lactobacillus acidophilus was comparable between LA and CON groups. However, a positive effect was observed in relation to the metabolic functions in the treated group, with particular reference to the higher abundance of \u3b2-glucosidase. In conclusion, the LA supplementation improved broiler productive performances and metabolic functions promoting animal health

Feeding broiler chickens with arginine above recommended levels: effects on growth performance, metabolism, and intestinal microbiota

BackgroundArginine is an essential amino acid for chickens and feeding diets with arginine beyond the recommended levels has been shown to influence the growth performance of broiler chickens in a positive way. Nonetheless, further research is required to understand how arginine supplementation above the widely adopted dosages affects metabolism and intestinal health of broilers. Therefore, this study was designed to assess the effects of arginine supplementation (i.e., total arginine to total lysine ratio of 1.20 instead of 1.06-1.08 recommended by the breeding company) on growth performance of broiler chickens and to explore its impacts on the hepatic and blood metabolic profiles, as well as on the intestinal microbiota. For this purpose, 630 one-day-old male Ross 308 broiler chicks were assigned to 2 treatments (7 replicates each) fed a control diet or a crystalline L-arginine-supplemented diet for 49 d.ResultsCompared to control birds, those supplemented with arginine performed significantly better exhibiting greater final body weight at D49 (3778 vs. 3937 g; P < 0.001), higher growth rate (76.15 vs. 79.46 g of body weight gained daily; P < 0.001), and lower cumulative feed conversion ratio (1.808 vs. 1.732; P < 0.05). Plasma concentrations of arginine, betaine, histidine, and creatine were greater in supplemented birds than in their control counterparts, as were those of creatine, leucine and other essential amino acids at the hepatic level. In contrast, leucine concentration was lower in the caecal content of supplemented birds. Reduced alpha diversity and relative abundance of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria (specifically Escherichia coli), as well as increased abundance of Bacteroidetes and Lactobacillus salivarius were found in the caecal content of supplemented birds.ConclusionsThe improvement in growth performance corroborates the advantages of supplementing arginine in broiler nutrition. It can be hypothesized that the performance enhancement found in this study is associated with the increased availability of arginine, betaine, histidine, and creatine in plasma and the liver, as well as to the ability of extra dietary arginine to potentially ameliorate intestinal conditions and microbiota of supplemented birds. However, the latter promising property, along with other research questions raised by this study, deserve further investigations

Impact of a probiotic-based cleaning product on the microbiological profile of broiler litters and chicken caeca microbiota

ABSTRACT This study investigated for the first time the decontamination efficacy of a probiotic-based cleaning product containing Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus pumilus, and Bacillus megaterium spores on fresh and reused broiler litters during 3 rearing cycles of 6 wk each. Moreover, the impact of reused litters treated with the cleaning product on the chicken caeca microbiota was assessed at the end of the rearing cycles in comparison to untreated litter. The Bacillus spores provided with the cleaning treatment were able to successfully colonize the reused poultry litters, decreasing the mean counts of total aerobic bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, and coagulase positive Staphylococci. The decrease of Enterobacteriaceae, mainly represented by the genus Escherichia, was also observed in the caeca of broilers reared on reused litters treated with the cleaning product. Moreover, the treatment retained the caeca content of Ruminococcaceae and Faecalibacterium as well as the level of biodiversity among the bacteria genera colonizing the caeca of animals reared on reused litter. Overall, the results of this study highlight a positive effect of the probiotic-based cleaning strategy on the microbial decontamination of reused litters and on broiler caeca stability, thereby enhancing animal health and prevention of poultry diseases