Baba Salis park: ett minne av Marocko i Israels landskap

Addressing problems of Jewish identity in Israel, how memory of the past is constructed and how it is modified over time, this article focuses on a building and a park on the outskirts of the small Israeli town of Netivot, the Baba Sali’s Park. Rabbi Israel Avichatzerah, the Baba Sali, a member of Moroccan Jewry’s leading religious dynasty, immigrated to Israel in 1964. His ability to heal and cure became famous as well as his reputation as a saintly man. After his death in 1984, at the age of 94, his grave and the adjacent park has become a holy shrine and national pilgrimage. The study of Baba Sali’s park as a historically, geographically and socially specific demonstrates the dynamic character of collective memory and its continuous dialogue with history. It reveals how collective memory can turn into a contested arena that highlights social and political divisions. With the ingathering of the exiles into the new State of Israel, cultural differences and ethnic cleavages were suppressed in the interest of building the nation. Under Ashkenazi direction, control and patronage, there was little occasion for ideological debate. At a certain point, however, the business of nation-building comes to an end. It gives way to other priorities. Like older nations, Israel is discovering that its citizens feel the need for sources of identity narrower than the national one

Den litterära salongen 2.0 - samarbete och publicering på ett webbpoesiforum

Genom djupintervjuer med aktiva webbpoeter och analys av hemsidan för webbpoesiforumet Sockerdricka belyser uppsatsen hur publiceringsmediet formar författarrollen

Analys av röstkvalitet i ljudbokspoesi

Metodutveckling för tolkning av litteratur utifrån ljud. Fem ljudboksdikter, skrivna av Edith Södergran och upplästa av fem skådespelare, analyseras genom metoden perceptuell analys av röstkvalitet. Relateras till Merleau-Pontys fenomenologiska perceptionsteori och Frances Dysons teori om radiorösten. Diskuterar den mänskliga kroppen som en del av poesin och hur variationer i röstkvalitet bidrar till meningsproduktionen

Laryngeal aktivitet vid reglering av röststyrka: En jämförelse mellan personer med och utan sångträningserfarenhet

Inledning: I denna uppsats undersöktes glottala och fonationsaerodynamiska värden vid olika röststyrkenivåer, med syfte att öka kunskapen om vad som händer på laryngeal nivå när vi höjer och sänker röststyrkan. En grupp sångare jämfördes med personer som inte fått röstträning för att ta reda på om det finns skillnader mellan grupperna i relation till de glottala parametrarna hastighetskvot och öppetkvot samt de fonationsaerodynamiska parameterarna subglottalt tryck, luftflöde genom glottis och lufttrycksmotstånd i glottis. Metod: De metoder som användes var laryngoskopisk höghastighetsfilmning/digital kymografi och Phonatory Aerodynamic System. Resultat: Med ökad intensitet ökade luftflöde genom glottis, glottalt motstånd och subglottalt tryck. Öppetkvot minskade med ökad intensitet. Hastighetskvot visade inget signifikant samband med intensitet. Undersökning av varje grupp för sig visade att sambandet luftflödeintensitet endast gällde sångare och öppetkvot-intensitet gällde endast personer utan sångträning. Sambandet subglottalt tryck-intensitet var starkare för personer utan sångerfarenhet. Gruppen sångare hade signifikant mindre glottalt motstånd. Jämförelser av fonationsaerodynamiska och glottala värden visade att vid svag röststyrkenivå var glottalt motstånd och subglottalt tryck större hos personer med större öppetkvot. Vid stark röststyrka var flödet större och det glottala motståndet mindre hos personer med större hastighetskvot. Diskussion: Reglering av röststyrka kan ske på olika sätt, och det kan påverkas av sångträningserfarenhet. Resultaten tyder på att sångare använder luftflöde för att höja och sänka röststyrkan, medan ej sångtränade personer reglerar röststyrka med hjälp av stämvecksaktivitet (öppetkvot). Det skulle kunna bero på att sångare har högre krav på konsekvens i stämvecksrörelser oavsett röststyrkenivå

A probiotic mix partially protects against castration-induced bone loss in male mice

Studies in postmenopausal women and ovariectomized mice show that the probiotic mix Lacticaseibacillus paracasei DSM13434, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum DSM 15312 and DSM 15313 (L. Mix) can protect from bone loss caused by sex steroid deficiency. Whether probiotic bacteria can protect bone also in sex steroid-deficient males is less studied. We used the orchiectomized mouse as a model for age-dependent bone loss caused by decreasing sex hormone levels in males. We treated 10-week-old male mice with either vehicle (veh) or L. Mix for 6 weeks, starting 2 weeks before orchiectomy (orx) or sham surgery. Importantly, mice treated with L. Mix had a general increase in total body bone mineral density (BMD) and lean mass (P ≤ 0.05) compared with veh-treated mice. Detailed computer tomography analysis of dissected bones showed increased trabecular BMD of the distal metaphyseal region of the femur in L. Mix compared to veh-treated orx mice (+8.0%, P ≤ 0.05). In the vertebra, L. Mix treatment increased trabecular bone volume fraction BV/TV (+11.5%, P ≤ 0.05) compared to veh in orx mice. Also, L. Mix increased the levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) such as propionate and acetate and important intermediates in SCFA synthesis such as succinate and lactate in the cecal content of male mice. In conclusion, L. Mix treatment resulted in a general increase in BMD in adult male mice and prevented trabecular bone loss in femur and vertebra of orx mice. These bone protective effects of L. Mix were associated with increased levels of SCFAs in the cecal content of male mice

Mapping human mobility during the third and second millennia BC in present-day Denmark

We present results of the largest multidisciplinary human mobility investigation to date of skeletal remains from present-day Denmark encompassing the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC. Through a multi-analytical approach based on 88 individuals from 37 different archaeological localities in which we combine strontium isotope and radiocarbon analyses together with anthropological investigations, we explore whether there are significant changes in human mobility patterns during this period. Overall, our data suggest that mobility of people seems to have been continuous throughout the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC. However, our data also indicate a clear shift in mobility patterns from around 1600 BC onwards, with a larger variation in the geographical origin of the migrants, and potentially including more distant regions. This shift occurred during a transition period at the beginning of the Nordic Bronze Age at a time when society flourished, expanded and experienced an unprecedented economic growth, suggesting that these aspects were closely related

Inducible Wnt16 inactivation: WNT16 regulates cortical bone thickness in adult mice

Substantial progress has been made in the therapeutic reduction of vertebral fracture risk in patients with osteoporosis, but non-vertebral fracture risk has been improved only marginally. Human genetic studies demonstrate that the WNT16 locus is a major determinant of cortical bone thickness and non-vertebral fracture risk and mouse models with life-long Wnt16 inactivation revealed that WNT16 is a key regulator of cortical thickness. These studies, however, could not exclude that the effect of Wnt16 inactivation on cortical thickness might be caused by early developmental andor growth effects. To determine the effect of WNT16 specifically on adult cortical bone homeostasis, Wnt16 was conditionally ablated in young adult and old mice through tamoxifen-inducible Cre-mediated recombination using CAG-Cre-ER; Wnt16(flox/flox) (Cre-Wnt16(flox/flox)) mice. First, 10-week-old Cre-Wnt16(flox/flox) and Wnt16(flox/flox) littermate control mice were treated with tamoxifen. Four weeks later, Wnt16 mRNA levels in cortical bone were reduced and cortical thickness in femur was decreased in Cre-Wnt16(flox/flox) mice compared to Wnt16(flox/flox) mice. Then, inactivation of Wnt16 in 47-week-old mice (evaluated four weeks later) resulted in a reduction of Wnt16 mRNA levels, cortical thickness and cortical bone strength with no effect on trabecular bone volume fraction. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that the reduced cortical bone thickness was caused by a combination of increased bone resorption and reduced periosteal bone formation. In conclusion, WNT16 is a crucial regulator of cortical bone thickness in young adult and old mice. We propose that new treatment strategies targeting the adult regulation of WNT16 might be useful to reduce fracture risk at cortical bone sites

Unraveling ancestry, kinship, and violence in a Late Neolithic mass grave

The third millennium BCE was a period of major cultural and demographic changes in Europe that signaled the beginning of the Bronze Age. People from the Pontic steppe expanded westward, leading to the formation of the Corded Ware complex and transforming the genetic landscape of Europe. At the time, the Globular Amphora culture (3300–2700 BCE) existed over large parts of Central and Eastern Europe, but little is known about their interaction with neighboring Corded Ware groups and steppe societies. Here we present a detailed study of a Late Neolithic mass grave from southern Poland belonging to the Globular Amphora culture and containing the remains of 15 men, women, and children, all killed by blows to the head. We sequenced their genomes to between 1.1- and 3.9-fold coverage and performed kinship analyses that demonstrate that the individuals belonged to a large extended family. The bodies had been carefully laid out according to kin relationships by someone who evidently knew the deceased. From a population genetic viewpoint, the people from Koszyce are clearly distinct from neighboring Corded Ware groups because of their lack of steppe-related ancestry. Although the reason for the massacre is unknown, it is possible that it was connected with the expansion of Corded Ware groups, which may have resulted in competition for resources and violent conflict. Together with the archaeological evidence, these analyses provide an unprecedented level of insight into the kinship structure and social behavior of a Late Neolithic community

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

Genetic associations at 53 loci highlight cell types and biological pathways relevant for kidney function.

Reduced glomerular filtration rate defines chronic kidney disease and is associated with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. We conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), combining data across 133,413 individuals with replication in up to 42,166 individuals. We identify 24 new and confirm 29 previously identified loci. Of these 53 loci, 19 associate with eGFR among individuals with diabetes. Using bioinformatics, we show that identified genes at eGFR loci are enriched for expression in kidney tissues and in pathways relevant for kidney development and transmembrane transporter activity, kidney structure, and regulation of glucose metabolism. Chromatin state mapping and DNase I hypersensitivity analyses across adult tissues demonstrate preferential mapping of associated variants to regulatory regions in kidney but not extra-renal tissues. These findings suggest that genetic determinants of eGFR are mediated largely through direct effects within the kidney and highlight important cell types and biological pathways