Plant Breeding in Sub?Saharan Africa in an Era of Donor Dependence

Since the Asian Green Revolution, plant breeding has been seen as a core capacity in most agricultural research institutes around the world, including those in Africa. Outside some private sector breeding for hybrid maize in East and Southern Africa, plant breeding is essentially a public sector activity and over the last four decades has relied significantly on international development assistance, and so has been susceptible to shifts in donor funding for agricultural research. The performance of programmes has been affected by these trends, with the balance between the scale economies in plant breeding and the local adaptation needed to satisfy farmer demand influenced by a complex and sometimes problematic division of labour between the international agricultural research centres (IARCs) of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and the breeding programmes of National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs)

Analysis of periosteal lesions from commingled human remains at the Xagħra Circle hypogeum reveals the first case of probable scurvy from Neolithic Malta

Funder: FP7 Ideas: European Research Council; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100011199; Grant(s): 323727Funder: Magdalene College, University of Cambridge; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000653Funder: Arts and Humanities Research Council; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000267Abstract: Objectives: Palaeopathological analysis is key for characterising population health at the individual level and across large assemblages but is rarely exploited to unite the remains of disarticulated individuals. This study explores the potential for individual identification through differential diagnosis of periosteal lesions in a commingled deposit, both to ascertain the number of individuals represented and provide a differential diagnosis. Materials and Methods: The late Neolithic Xagħra Circle hypogeum on Gozo contains the remains of more than 800 individuals, most of which were transformed to a collective disarticulated assemblage. Across the excavated population, pathological observations are strikingly low. In one specific 1 × 1‐m area in a single stratigraphic context, fragmented and disarticulated cranial and post‐cranial non‐adult bones were identified that displayed periosteal new bone formation. To aid differential diagnosis, macroscopic analysis, taphonomic analysis and micro‐computed tomography (μCT) imaging were integrated. Results: This approach, when combined with osteobiographical analyses, reveals that the elements most likely derive from one individual, a young child, who presents a probable case of scurvy. The potential for micronutrient co‐morbidities are explored, but without further microscopic study it cannot be determined if this individual also experienced iron‐deficiency anaemia and/or rickets. Discussion: In the context of the Mediterranean and Europe in later prehistory, reported cases of scurvy are currently low and often reveal periods of environmental instability and resource insufficiency. Our finding of non‐adult scurvy in late 3rd millennium BC Malta contributes to a developing picture of an increasingly unstable palaeoenvironment and declining population health at this time, although it may also indicate an individual case of poor childhood health within this broader context

Granger Causality Analysis of Steady-State Electroencephalographic Signals during Propofol-Induced Anaesthesia

Changes in conscious level have been associated with changes in dynamical integration and segregation among distributed brain regions. Recent theoretical developments emphasize changes in directed functional (i.e., causal) connectivity as reflected in quantities such as ‘integrated information’ and ‘causal density’. Here we develop and illustrate a rigorous methodology for assessing causal connectivity from electroencephalographic (EEG) signals using Granger causality (GC). Our method addresses the challenges of non-stationarity and bias by dividing data into short segments and applying permutation analysis. We apply the method to EEG data obtained from subjects undergoing propofol-induced anaesthesia, with signals source-localized to the anterior and posterior cingulate cortices. We found significant increases in bidirectional GC in most subjects during loss-of-consciousness, especially in the beta and gamma frequency ranges. Corroborating a previous analysis we also found increases in synchrony in these ranges; importantly, the Granger causality analysis showed higher inter-subject consistency than the synchrony analysis. Finally, we validate our method using simulated data generated from a model for which GC values can be analytically derived. In summary, our findings advance the methodology of Granger causality analysis of EEG data and carry implications for integrated information and causal density theories of consciousness

A pilot study on surgical reduction of the levator hiatus : the puborectalis sling

Introduction and hypothesis: Female pelvic organ prolapse recurrence has been shown to be associated with levator hiatal distensibility. Reducing hiatal size surgically may reduce recurrence risk. This study aims to demonstrate a novel surgical procedure, the puborectalis sling (PR sling), designed to reduce the levator hiatal area, and to assess the medium-term safety and efficacy of this procedure. Methods: One hundred fifteen women undergoing prolapse repair with a pre-operative hiatal area on Valsalva of ≥ 35 cm2 were recruited into this phase 1 prospective multicentre pilot study. All underwent a PR sling procedure after completion of standard repairs. Primary outcome was levator hiatal area measured on ultrasound. Results: One hundred ten patients were evaluated at least 3 months post-operatively. At 2.5 years average follow-up, there was an average of 12 cm2 (range 6–16 cm2) reduction in hiatal area from a mean pre-operative hiatal area of 43.9 (35–63) cm2. Thirty per cent (28/93) were symptomatic of prolapse, 66% (61/93) had clinical prolapse recurrence whilst 49% (46/93) had sonographic recurrence. Three patients required a return to theatre; one case of infection resulted in mesh removal, one had severe obstructed defecation requiring sling loosening and another had buttock pain with faecal impaction that resolved after manual disimpaction. There were no long-term sequelae. Conclusions: The levator hiatal area can be reduced surgically, with almost 30% reduction in area seen in this pilot study. The reduction was significant and sustained up to 2 years with no major long-term complications

Surgical reduction of the levator hiatus with a puborectalis sling

Female pelvic organ prolapse (FPOP) has been shown to be strongly associated with levator avulsion and excessive levator hiatal distensibility (1). A larger hiatus seems to be a risk factor for FPOP recurrence(2). Thus, reducing the size of the levator hiatus may enhance cure rates after FPOP surgery

The Use Of Neural Networks In Eeg Analysis

this paper the problems of noise and artefact removal, nor the problems of modelling the passage of the EEG from cortex to scalp, but instead will concentrate on the EEG as i

Dental modification in the Circle: shaping bodies, shaping culture in Neolithic Malta

The ERC-funded FRAGSUS Project (Fragility and sustainability in small island environments: adaptation, culture change and collapse in prehistory, 2013–18) led by Caroline Malone has focused on the unique Temple Culture of Neolithic Malta and its antecedents. This third volume builds on the achievements of Mortuary customs in prehistoric Malta, published by the McDonald Institute in 2009. It seeks to answer many questions posed, but left unanswered, of the more than 200,000 fragments of mainly commingled human remains from the Xagħra Brochtorff Circle on Gozo. The focus is on the interpretation of a substantial, representative subsample of the assemblage, exploring dentition, disease, diet and lifestyle, together with detailed understanding of chronology and the affinity of the ancient population associated with the ‘Temple Culture’ of prehistoric Malta. The first studies of genetic profiling of this population, as well as the results of intra-site GIS and visualization, taphonomy, health and mobility, offer important insights into this complex mortuary site and its ritual. Remarkable evidence on the bioanthropology of care practised by these populations, together with a relatively low level of interpersonal violence, and examples of longevity, reveal new aspects about the Neolithic Maltese. Detailed case studies employing computerized tomography describe disease such as =scurvy and explore dietary issues, whilst physical activity and body size have been assessed through biomechanical analysis, supported by taphonomic study, isotopic analyses, a review of mortuary practices during prehistory and a robust new chronology. The results form a rich contextualized body of material that advances understanding of cultural change within the context of small island insularity, and provides biological comparisons for the graphic figurative art of early Malta. These data and the original assemblage are conserved in the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta as a resource for future study.This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7-2007-2013) (Grant agreement No. 323727)