Seed systems smallholder farmers use

Seed can be an important entry point for promoting productivity, nutrition and resilience among smallholder farmers. While investments have primarily focused on strengthening the formal sector, this article documents the degree to which the informal sector remains the core for seed acquisition, especially in Africa. Conclusions drawn from a uniquely comprehensive data set, 9660 observations across six countries and covering 40 crops, show that farmers access 90.2 % of their seed from informal systems with 50.9 % of that deriving from local markets. Further, 55 % of seed is paid for by cash, indicating that smallholders are already making important investments in this arena. Targeted interventions are proposed for rendering formal and informal seed sector more smallholder-responsive and for scaling up positive impacts

Baby-Led Weaning: The Evidence to Date

Purpose of ReviewInfants are traditionally introduced to solid foods using spoon-feeding of specially prepared infant foods.Recent FindingsHowever, over the last 10–15 years, an alternative approach termed ‘baby-led weaning’ has grown in popularity. This approach involves allowing infants to self-feed family foods, encouraging the infant to set the pace and intake of the meal. Proponents of the approach believe it promotes healthy eating behaviour and weight gain trajectories, and evidence is starting to build surrounding the method. This review brings together all empirical evidence to date examining behaviours associated with the approach, its outcomes and confounding factors.SummaryOverall, although there is limited evidence suggesting that a baby-led approach may encourage positive outcomes, limitations of the data leave these conclusions weak. Further research is needed, particularly to explore pathways to impact and understand the approach in different contexts and populations

A Zebrafish Compound Screen Reveals Modulation of Neutrophil Reverse Migration as an Anti-Inflammatory Mechanism

Diseases of failed inflammation resolution are common and largely incurable. Therapeutic induction of inflammation resolution is an attractive strategy to bring about healing without increasing susceptibility to infection. However, therapeutic targeting of inflammation resolution has been hampered by a lack of understanding of the underlying molecular controls. To address this drug development challenge, we developed an in vivo screen for proresolution therapeutics in a transgenic zebrafish model. Inflammation induced by sterile tissue injury was assessed for accelerated resolution in the presence of a library of known compounds. Of the molecules with proresolution activity, tanshinone IIA, derived from a Chinese medicinal herb, potently induced inflammation resolution in vivo both by induction of neutrophil apoptosis and by promoting reverse migration of neutrophils. Tanshinone IIA blocked proinflammatory signals in vivo, and its effects are conserved in human neutrophils, supporting a potential role in treating human inflammation and providing compelling evidence of the translational potential of this screening strategy

Solution structure of a repeated unit of the ABA-1 nematode polyprotein allergen of ascaris reveals a novel fold and two discrete lipid-binding sites

Parasitic nematode worms cause serious health problems in humans and other animals. They can induce allergic-type immune responses, which can be harmful but may at the same time protect against the infections. Allergens are proteins that trigger allergic reactions and these parasites produce a type that is confined to nematodes, the nematode polyprotein allergens (NPAs). These are synthesized as large precursor proteins comprising repeating units of similar amino acid sequence that are subsequently cleaved into multiple copies of the allergen protein. NPAs bind small lipids such as fatty acids and retinol (Vitamin A) and probably transport these sensitive and insoluble compounds between the tissues of the worms. Nematodes cannot synthesize these lipids, so NPAs may also be crucial for extracting nutrients from their hosts. They may also be involved in altering immune responses by controlling the lipids by which the immune and inflammatory cells communicate. We describe the molecular structure of one unit of an NPA, the well-known ABA-1 allergen of Ascaris and find its structure to be of a type not previously found for lipid-binding proteins, and we describe the unusual sites where lipids bind within this structur

A megbocsátás pszichológiája: kialakulása, hatásai és fejlesztése

A megbocsátás az interperszonális sérelmekre adott egyik lehetséges válasznak tekinthető, melynek fókuszában a sérelmet elszenvedő személy kognitív, érzelmi és viselkedéses válaszaiban bekövetkező proszociális változás áll. A megbocsátás mentális és fizikai egészségre kifejtett pozitív hatása jól dokumentált. Magas szintje alacsony szorongás- és depressziószinttel társul, illetve sikeresen csökkenti a stresszre adott fizikai választ (kortizol és kardiovaszkuláris reaktivitás). A megbocsátást - hatásai alapján - olyan emóció fókuszú megküzdési módként definiálhatjuk, mely sikeresen csökkenti az interperszonális sérelem nyomán kialakult stresszreakciót. Az utóbbi években számos intervenciós technikát dolgoztak ki, melyek a megbocsátás támogatását, illetve fejlesztését tűzték ki célként. Ezek a módszerek általában sikeresen növelik a megbocsátásra való hajlandóságot.</o:p

Galaxy and mass assembly: the G02 field, Herschel–ATLAS target selection and data release 3

We describe data release 3 (DR3) of the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey. The GAMA survey is a spectroscopic redshift and multiwavelength photometric survey in three equatorial regions each of 60.0 deg2 (G09, G12, and G15), and two southern regions of 55.7 deg2 (G02) and 50.6 deg2 (G23). DR3 consists of: the first release of data covering the G02 region and of data on H-ATLAS (Herschel – Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey) sources in the equatorial regions; and updates to data on sources released in DR2. DR3 includes 154 809 sources with secure redshifts across four regions. A subset of the G02 region is 95.5 per cent redshift complete to r < 19.8 mag over an area of 19.5 deg2, with 20 086 galaxy redshifts, that overlaps substantially with the XXL survey (X-ray) and VIPERS (redshift survey). In the equatorial regions, the main survey has even higher completeness (98.5 per cent), and spectra for about 75 per cent of H-ATLAS filler targets were also obtained. This filler sample extends spectroscopic redshifts, for probable optical counterparts to HATLAS submillimetre sources, to 0.8 mag deeper (r < 20.6 mag) than the GAMA main survey. There are 25 814 galaxy redshifts for H-ATLAS sources from the GAMA main or filler surveys. GAMA DR3 is available at the survey website (www.gama-survey.org/dr3/)

Nonlinear Analysis of Motor Activity Shows Differences between Schizophrenia and Depression: A Study Using Fourier Analysis and Sample Entropy

The purpose of this study has been to describe motor activity data obtained by using wrist-worn actigraphs in patients with schizophrenia and major depression by the use of linear and non-linear methods of analysis. Different time frames were investigated, i.e., activity counts measured every minute for up to five hours and activity counts made hourly for up to two weeks. The results show that motor activity was lower in the schizophrenic patients and in patients with major depression, compared to controls. Using one minute intervals the depressed patients had a higher standard deviation (SD) compared to both the schizophrenic patients and the controls. The ratio between the root mean square successive differences (RMSSD) and SD was higher in the schizophrenic patients compared to controls. The Fourier analysis of the activity counts measured every minute showed that the relation between variance in the low and the high frequency range was lower in the schizophrenic patients compared to the controls. The sample entropy was higher in the schizophrenic patients compared to controls in the time series from the activity counts made every minute. The main conclusions of the study are that schizophrenic and depressive patients have distinctly different profiles of motor activity and that the results differ according to period length analysed

Gender comparisons of fat talk in the United Kingdom and the United States

This study compared different forms of body talk, including "fat talk," among 231 university men and women in central England (UK; n = 93) and the southeastern United States (US; n = 138). A 2 (gender) by 2 (country) repeated measures ANOVA across types of body talk (negative, self-accepting, positive) and additional Chi-square analyses revealed that there were differences across gender and between the UK and US cultures. Specifically, UK and US women were more likely to report frequently hearing or perceiving pressure to engage in fat talk than men. US women and men were also more likely to report pressure to join in self-accepting body talk than UK women and men