A review of zoonotic infection risks associated with the wild meat trade in Malaysia.

The overhunting of wildlife for food and commercial gain presents a major threat to biodiversity in tropical forests and poses health risks to humans from contact with wild animals. Using a recent survey of wildlife offered at wild meat markets in Malaysia as a basis, we review the literature to determine the potential zoonotic infection risks from hunting, butchering and consuming the species offered. We also determine which taxa potentially host the highest number of pathogens and discuss the significant disease risks from traded wildlife, considering how cultural practices influence zoonotic transmission. We identify 51 zoonotic pathogens (16 viruses, 19 bacteria and 16 parasites) potentially hosted by wildlife and describe the human health risks. The Suidae and the Cervidae families potentially host the highest number of pathogens. We conclude that there are substantial gaps in our knowledge of zoonotic pathogens and recommend performing microbial food safety risk assessments to assess the hazards of wild meat consumption. Overall, there may be considerable zoonotic risks to people involved in the hunting, butchering or consumption of wild meat in Southeast Asia, and these should be considered in public health strategies

Fluid intelligence and the cerebellum in autism spectrum disorders

textExecutive functioning abilities, including abstract reasoning, are often reported as weaknesses in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The current study examines reasoning through a different approach by utilizing the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of intelligence, which is a widely accepted, research-based model that defines reasoning or fluid intelligence (Gf) and outlines those smaller skills of which it is composed. The Woodcock-Johnson, Third Edition (WJ III) is a test battery based on CHC theory, assessing the broad and narrow abilities of the model. Young men with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (HFASDs) and neurotypical controls were given the WJ III tasks that assess the four narrow abilities of fluid intelligence - general sequential reasoning/deductive reasoning (RG), induction/inductive reasoning (I), speed of reasoning (RE), and quantitative reasoning/math reasoning (RQ). It was hypothesized that while deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning, and reasoning speed would be lower for HFASD, math reasoning would be comparable between groups. This expectation was based on previous autism research, which has found reasoning and processing speed deficits but preserved math skills. The present study also sought to examine cerebellar volume, through structural brain imaging, and its relationship to reasoning abilities. The HFASD group was expected to have reduced cerebellar volume when compared to controls. The ASD literature contains many examples of this pattern of brain structure, with the cerebellum being the most commonly cited region of abnormality. Additionally, the cerebellum has been implicated in studies of executive functioning, and a relationship between size and performance on nonverbal reasoning tasks has been reported. Therefore, a positive correlation was hypothesized between cerebellar volume and scores on WJ III reasoning tasks. Twenty-one young adult male HFASD subjects and 21 neurotypical controls were included in the current study. The data was analyzed through the use of MANOVA/MANCOVA, t-tests, and Pearson correlations. Results supported fluid intelligence weaknesses in the HFASD sample, with significantly lower performance in speed of reasoning. Deductive and inductive reasoning abilities were also lower, though these findings did not reach significance. The data did not support decreased cerebellar volume in HFASD, nor was a relationship between fluid reasoning and volume of the cerebellum found.Educational Psycholog

Monetary policy under fixed exchange regime: A study on the future monetary policy in China

Chinese economy, open economy tri-lemma, macroeconomic stability, exchange rate regime, E4, E5, F4, F31, E12, 中国经济, 开放经济下的三元悖论, 宏观经济的稳定性, 汇率制度,