Loneliness, Depression, and Inflammation: Evidence from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Objective Both objective and subjective aspects of social isolation have been associated with alterations in immune markers relevant to multiple chronic diseases among older adults. However, these associations may be confounded by health status, and it is unclear whether these social factors are associated with immune functioning among relatively healthy adults. The goal of this study was to examine the associations between perceived loneliness and circulating levels of inflammatory markers among a diverse sample of adults. Methods Data come from a subset of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (n = 441). Loneliness was measured by three items derived from the UCLA Loneliness Scale. The association between loneliness and C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen was assessed using multivariable linear regression analyses. Models were adjusted for demographic and health characteristics. Results Approximately 50% of participants reported that they hardly ever felt lonely and 17.2% felt highly lonely. Individuals who were unmarried/unpartnered or with higher depressive symptoms were more likely to report being highly lonely. There was no relationship between perceived loneliness and ln(CRP) (β = -0.051, p = 0.239) adjusting for demographic and health characteristics. Loneliness was inversely associated with ln(fibrinogen) (β = -0.091, p = 0.040), although the absolute magnitude of this relationship was small. Conclusion These results indicate that loneliness is not positively associated with fibrinogen or CRP among relatively healthy middle-aged adults

Pollen spectrum and risk of pollen allergy in central Spain

The present work analyses the airborne pollen dynamic of the atmosphere of Toledo (central Spain), a World Heritage Site and an important tourist city receiving over 2 millions of visitors every year. The airborne pollen spectrum, the annual dynamics of the most important taxa, the infl uence of meteorological variables and the risk of suffering pollen allergy are analysed. Results of the present work are compared to those obtained by similar studies in nearby regions. The average annual Pollen Index is 44,632 grains, where 70–90% is recorded during February–May. The pollen calendar includes 29 pollen types, in order of importance; Cupressaceae (23.3% of the total amount of pollen grains), Quercus (21.2%), and Poaceae and Olea (11.5 and 11.2%, respectively), are the main pollen producer taxa. From an allergological viewpoint, Toledo is a high-risk locality for the residents and tourist who visit the area, with a great number of days exceeding the allergy thresholds proposed by the Spanish Aerobiological Network (REA). The types triggering most allergic processes in Toledo citizens and tourists are Cupressaceae, Platanus, Olea, Poaceae, Urticaceae and Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae. Allergic risk increases in 3 main periods: winter (January–March), with the main presence of the Cupressaceae type; spring, characterized by Poaceae, Olea, Platanus and Urticaceae pollen types; and, fi nally, late summer (August–September), characterized by Chenopodiaceae- Amaranthaceae pollen type, which are the main cause of allergies during these months

La educación científica : percepción de los alumnos al finalizar educación primaria

Este trabajo pretende poner de manifiesto las actitudes de los alumnos al finalizar la Educación Primaria hacia la Ciencia, así como su percepción de cómo trabajaron las ciencias en esta etapa. Para ello hemos utilizado cuestionarios, previamente validados, con alumnos de dos Centros Educativos. En cuanto a los resultados obtenidos, podemos destacar el interés moderado que muestran hacia la ciencia y la ciencia escolar. Destaca también la escasa inclinación que los alumnos tienen por llegar a ser científicos de profesión, especialmente las chicas, así como el uso mayoritario en el profesorado de una metodología transmisiva, con pocas actividades prácticas y en algunos casos poco contextualizadas

‘Family time’: a partilha sobre a experiência de parentalidade de celebridades globais no Instagram

Trabalho apresentado em XI Congresso SOPCOM: Comunicação, Turismo e Cultura, 13-15 de novembro 2019, Funchal, Madeira, PortugalN/

The First Cut Is the Deepest: Trawl Effects on a Deep-Sea Sponge Ground Are Pronounced Four Years on

Few studies have described the effects of physical disturbance and post-recovery of deep-sea benthic communities. Here, we explore the status of deep-sea sponge ground communities four years after being impacted by an experimental bottom trawl. The diversity and abundance of epibenthic megafauna of two distinct benthic communities in disturbed versus control areas were surveyed using a remotely operated vehicle on the Schulz Bank, Arctic Ocean. Four years after disturbance, megafaunal densities of the shallow (∼600 m depth) and deep (∼1,400 m depth) sites were significantly lower on the disturbed patches compared to the control areas. Multivariate analyses revealed a distinct separation between disturbed and control communities for both sites, with trawling causing 29–58% of the variation. Many epibenthic morphotypes were significantly impacted by the trawl, including ascidians, Geodia parva, Hexactinellida spp., Craniella infrequens, Lissodendoryx complicata, Haliclonia sp. Stylocordyla borealis, Gersemia rubiformis and Actiniaria sp. However, we found some smaller morphospecies to be equally abundant with control transects, including Polymastia thielei, Geodia hentscheli, and Stelletta rhaphidiophora, reflecting lower trawl impact for these morphotypes. Overall, our results suggest that these are fragile ecosystems that require much more time than four years to recover from physical disturbance typical of trawling activities.publishedVersio

AVALIAÇÃO DAS INFORMAÇÕES DISPONÍVEIS SOBRE A AVIFAUNA DO PARQUE ESTADUAL CARLOS BOTELHO

Realizou-se uma busca bibliográfica referente aos trabalhos disponíveis sobre as aves do Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho. Após reunir e avaliar as informações, foi produzida uma lista de espécies de referência para futuras pesquisas nessa Unidade de Conservação. Os resultados apontaram 323 espécies, 28 delas ameaçadas de extinção, evidenciando a importância dessa Unidade para a conservação da avifauna do Estado de São Paulo

A comparison of bird communities of two contiguous forests in Carlos Botelho State Park, São Paulo, southeastern Brazil

A riqueza e a composição de espécies de aves variam ao longo de gradientes altitudinais em resposta a diferenças em fatores abióticos, como a temperatura, e bióticos, como a estrutura da vegetação. Neste trabalho, foram avaliadas comparativamente duas comunidades de aves florestais do Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho, sudeste do estado de São Paulo. Foram selecionadas para amostragem áreas em que a floresta se encontrava nos estádios médio e avançado de sucessão ecológica, situadas entre 700 m e 800 m na região Montana e 70 m e 200 m na Submontana. As trilhas disponíveis foram percorridas anotando-se todas as espécies observadas ou escutadas e o esforço amostral foi o mesmo em cada área, 360 horas. Foram registradas 177 espécies para a floresta Montana e 176 para a Submontana. As comunidades não diferiram significativamente em nenhum dos parâmetros qualitativos avaliados – riqueza, total de espécies com distribuição restrita ou ameaçadas de extinção e número de espécies por guilda. Entretanto, diferiram acentuadamente na composição de espécies. Os resultados enfatizam a importância da padronização do esforço amostral e dos tipos de hábitats a serem avaliados em estudos sobre gradientes altitudinais, além de ressaltarem a relevância das duas fitofisionomias para a preservação das aves da Mata Atlântica.Palavras-chave: gradiente altitudinal, guildas alimentares, Mata Atlântica.Bird species richness and composition vary along altitudinal gradients in response to differences in abiotic, e.g. temperature, and biotic factors, e.g. vegetation structure. A comparative analysis of two forest bird communities was made at Carlos Botelho State Park, southeastern state of São Paulo. Were selected for sampling areas where the forest was in the middle and late succession stages, located between 700 and 800 m in mountain forest and 70 and 200 m in submountain forest. The trails available were walked recording species observed or heard and sampling effort was the same in both areas, 360 hours. We recorded 177 species for mountain forest and 176 for submountain. Communities not differ significantly in any qualitative parameters evaluated, richness, and species with restricted distribution or threatened and species number per guild. However, they differed markedly in species composition. Results emphasize the importance of standardized sampling effort and evaluated habitat types in altitudinal gradients studies, and relevance of two forest physiognomies for Atlantic Forest bird conservation.Key words: altitudinal gradient, food guilds, Atlantic Fores

Is neighborhood racial/ethnic composition associated with depressive symptoms? The multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis.

The racial/ethnic composition of a neighborhood may be related to residents' depressive symptoms through differential levels of neighborhood social support and/or stressors. We used the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis to investigate cross-sectional associations of neighborhood racial/ethnic composition with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale in adults aged 45-84. The key exposure was a census-derived measure of the percentage of residents of the same racial/ethnic background in each participant's census tract. Two-level multilevel models were used to estimate associations of neighborhood racial/ethnic composition with CES-D scores after controlling for age, income, marital status, education and nativity. We found that living in a neighborhood with a higher percentage of residents of the same race/ethnicity was associated with increased CES-D scores in African American men (p < 0.05), and decreased CES-D scores in Hispanic men and women and Chinese women, although these differences were not statistically significant. Models were further adjusted for neighborhood-level covariates (social cohesion, safety, problems, aesthetic quality and socioeconomic factors) derived from survey responses and census data. Adjusting for other neighborhood characteristics strengthened protective associations amongst Hispanics, but did not change the significant associations in African American men. These results demonstrate heterogeneity in the associations of race/ethnic composition with mental health and the need for further exploration of which aspects of neighborhood environments may contribute to these associations.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78333/1/MairDiezRoux2010_SocSciMedicine.pd

The important role of sponges in carbon and nitrogen cycling in a deep-sea biological hotspot

Deep-sea sponge grounds are hotspots of biodiversity, harbouring thriving ecosystems in the otherwise barren deep sea. It remains unknown how these sponge grounds survive in this food-limited environment. Here, we unravel how sponges and their associated fauna sustain themselves by identifying their food sources and food-web interactions using bulk and compound-specific stable isotope analysis of amino and fatty acids. We found that sponges with a high microbial abundance had an isotopic composition resembling organisms at the base of the food web, suggesting that they are able to use dissolved resources that are generally inaccessible to animals. In contrast, low microbial abundance sponges had a bulk isotopic composition that resembles a predator at the top of a food web, which appears to be the result of very efficient recycling pathways that are so far unknown. The compound-specific-isotope analysis, however, positioned low-microbial abundance sponges with other filter-feeding fauna. Furthermore, fatty-acid analysis confirmed transfer of sponge-derived organic material to the otherwise food-limited associated fauna. Through this subsidy, sponges are key to the sustenance of thriving deep-sea ecosystems and might have, due to their ubiquitous abundance, a global impact on biogeochemical cycles.publishedVersio

Publisher Correction: Biodiversity, environmental drivers, and sustainability of the global deep-sea sponge microbiome

The original version of the Description of Additional Supplementary Files associated with this Article contained errors in the legends of Supplementary Data 5–8 and omitted legends for the Source Data. The HTML has been updated to include a corrected version of the Description of Additional Supplementary Files; the original incorrect version of this file can be found as Supplementary Information associated with this Correction