Relação entre cor e mansidão em gatos domésticos.

Existem vários trabalhos que associam a alteração de padrões de cor nas pelagens dos animais com a sua domesticação. Com este estudo pretendeu-se verificar se existiria também um elo de ligação entre a mansidão dos gatos domésticos (Felis catus) e a sua cor ou padrão de cor. Avaliou-se um total de 55 gatos em dois abrigos nos Estados Unidos da América, no Estado do Michigan, recorrendo-se tanto a uma ferramenta já existente, a Cat-Stress-Score (CSS) e a duas ferramentas criadas especialmente para esta avaliação, a Oakland Approachability Scale for Cats (OASC) e a Color Scale (CS). Com base nestas ferramentas, recolheu-se informação sobre o seu nível de stress quando abordados pelo observador e quão dispostos estavam a estabelecer interações e contacto físico durante o período em que eram avaliados. Os seus padrões de cor, marcas particulares e tonalidade do pelo foram igualmente registados para posteriormente ser feita a sua relação com a mansidão. A análise estatística inicial não demonstrou qualquer relação entre a cor e a mansidão ou entre a presença de marcas brancas e a mansidão em gatos domésticos. No entanto, encontrou-se uma correlação entre a CSS e a OASC. Também foi possível concluir que a resposta dada pelo gato à aproximação da mão do observador à jaula e a sua resposta à tentativa de carícia eram fundamentais na determinação do seu nível de mansidão

Are there differences in auscultatory pulse in total blood flow restriction between positions, limbs and body segments?

Verification of the auscultatory pulse in total blood flow restriction (BFR) has been a limiting factor in studies due to the way in which it is evaluated and prescribed, as hemodynamic measurements can be directly affected by gravity. The aim of the present study was to compare the auscultatory pulse in BFR between positions, genders, limbs and body segments in healthy young individuals. A total of 156 subjects participated in the study, 76 of whom were male and 80 of whom were female (23.9±3.7 years, 66.5±11.5 kg, 1.67±0.07 m). After filling in registration data, anthropometry was evaluated, and BFR pressure was determined. BFR was evaluated in a randomized manner in both limbs (upper and lower) and in both segments (right and left) in the following positions: a) lying in the supine position; B) sitting with knees and trunk at 90°; and c) standing in the anatomical position. Significant differences were observed between the lying, sitting and standing positions (p0.05). The BFR point appears to differ between positions, genders, lower limbs and segments. Therefore, it is recommended that health professionals should check the BFR point in the position relating to the exercise that will be performed, taking into account gender, lower limbs and body segments

Isotopic investigation in the region of Pax Julia during paleochristian occupation: paleodiets and mobility

In this study, diet and mobility of the Palaeochristian populations from the Roman villae of São Cucufate and Cegonha, and from the necropolis of Alpendre dos Lagares, located in the Beja region in southern Portugal, was investigated by isotopic analysis. Osteological tissues provide information on diet and mobility of the individuals. Isotopic analysis of delta 13C and delta 15N of bones can be used to determine the food intake of ancient populations whose dietary habits are not well known due to the lack of archaeological evidence. Isotopic ratios of the bone organic (delta 13C and delta 15N) and inorganic fractions (delta 13C) can provide information on the types of plants ingested , the amount of animal resources, terrestrial versus marine resources, as well as breastfeeding and weaning practices. Individual mobility can be assessed by the measurement of 87Sr/86Sr in the inorganic fraction of teeth and bones. The local 87Sr/86Sr geological ignature where the individual spent its childhood is recorded in the teeth, while 87Sr/86Sr recorded in bones relates to the place where the individual spent the last 10 years before death. Comparison of the Sr isotopic signature of teeth and bones can be used to infer about the individual’s mobility pattern. Bone isotopic analysis can be compromised by the diagenetic processes which occur during burial. In this study, FTIR (Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy) and XRD (X-Ray Diffraction) analyses were used to assess the diagenetic processes impacting the skeletons. Dietary isotopic analysis of studied populations indicates a mixed terrestrial diet, with some small inter- and intra-populational variations. Dietary isotopic values obtained for the Paleochristian population of Pax Julia are roughly similar to Roman populations in the Mediterranean area. In terms of mobility, analysis of the Cegonha individuals proved they were mainly local with some evidence of limited movements

A 1000-year-old case of Klinefelter's syndrome diagnosed by integrating morphology, osteology, and genetics

We thank the Municipality of Bragança, the University of Coimbra, the University of Adelaide, the Max Planck Society, and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation for the support provided. ST is supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (SFRH/BD/116363/2016). BL (FT170100448) and JCT (DE210101235) are supported by the Australian Research Council. ABR is supported by the European Research Council (771234-PALEoRIDER)

Heteropterys macrostachya

Angiosperm

Translating results into action: the global impact of the World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative

The World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative (WBTi) provides a participative framework to bridge the gaps in policies and programs on breastfeeding. This concurrent mixed-methods study investigated how and why carrying out WBTi evaluations in countries influences their breastfeeding policies and outcomes. We used data from WBTi’s Global Repository to evaluate performance scores in 98 countries and conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews to investigate the impact of WBTi process, using the Managing for Development Results structure and actor-network theory. Countries that conducted WBTi multiple times seem to have better breastfeeding policies and practices than countries that have assessed only once. The central feature of the process and its subsequent impact is the dialectical interaction between the technical and political elements of the WBTi exercise. We believe that WBTi’s framework is a promising monitoring and evaluation tool that could be used to engage dialogue in other public health areas

The exceptional finding of Locus 2 at Dehesilla Cave and the Middle Neolithic ritual funerary practices of the Iberian Peninsula

There is a significant number of funerary contexts for the Early Neolithic in the Iberian Peninsula, and the body of information is much larger for the Late Neolithic. In contrast, the archaeological information available for the period in between (ca. 4800-4400/4200 cal BC) is scarce. This period, generally called Middle Neolithic, is the least well-known of the peninsular Neolithic sequence, and at present there is no specific synthesis on this topic at the peninsular scale. In 2017, an exceptional funerary context was discovered at Dehesilla Cave (Sierra de Cádiz, Southern Iberian Peninsula), providing radiocarbon dates which place it at the beginning of this little-known Middle Neolithic period, specifically between ca. 4800–4550 cal BC. Locus 2 is a deposition constituted by two adult human skulls and the skeleton of a very young sheep/goat, associated with stone structures and a hearth, and a number of pots, stone and bone tools and charred plant remains. The objectives of this paper are, firstly, to present the new archaeological context documented at Dehesilla Cave, supported by a wide range of data provided by interdisciplinary methods. The dataset is diverse in nature: stratigraphic, osteological, isotopic, zoological, artifactual, botanical and radiocarbon results are presented together. Secondly, to place this finding within the general context of the contemporaneous sites known in the Iberian Peninsula through a systematic review of the available evidence. This enables not only the formulation of explanations of the singular new context, but also to infer the possible ritual funerary behaviours and practices in the 5th millennium cal BC in the Iberian Peninsula.Peer reviewe

Multi-analytical and isotope investigation of a Late Roman/Paleochristian population from the far west corner of the Roman Empire [Pax Julia]

This study examines for the first time the diet of a Paleochristian population in the south of Portugal, from the Roman villae of Monte da Cegonha, in the region of Beja. Preliminary data are presented here and discussed in order to better understand the influence of the Roman occupation for several centuries on the way of life of rural inhabitants of the area of Pax Julia. Isotopic analysis (δ13Ccollagen, δ15N, δ13Capatite, δ18Ocarbonate-apatite) were conducted on long compact bones from 22 human individuals excavated from individual graves comprising a skeleton in articulation and some commingled bones in Monte da Cegonha. As comparative samples, isotopic composition (δ13Ccollagen, δ15N, δ13Capatite, δ18Ocarbonate-apatite) of wild (red deer, rabbit) and domestic fauna (cattle, sheep/goat, wines) excavated at Monte da Cegonha was examined. As a complement, some of the skeletons were analyzed by X-Ray Diffraction and Fourier Transformed Infra-Red Spectroscopy for estimating the preservation state of the bones, examining the crystallinity, the presence vs. absence of secondary minerals in the bone porosity, and the conservation status of the organic phase. In this study, we explore the diet (type of plants ingested, amount of animal resources, terrestrial versus marine resources) and animal husbandry practices prevailing at Monte da Cegonha during the early 5th until the end of 7th century. Besides, potential sex-age variations in diet, and comparison with published data for Roman (Italy, England) and Paleochristians (Italy) populations are discussed. Preliminary strontium isotope data recorded in teeth of some individuals buried in Monte da Cegonha as well as in environmental samples within the site catchment are also presented for addressing potential mobility patterns of this Paleochristian population