Land Rights and the Forest Peoples of Africa: Historical, Legal and Anthropological Perspectives

This composite publication presents and complements a study conducted on the land rights of indigenous peoples in five countries of the forested region of Africa, namely Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Uganda. Building on historical facts and legal developments, the study highlights indigenous peoples’ loss of resources and land to colonists, commercial enter- prises and conservation initiatives. It also de scribes how, having been dispossessed of their ancestral lands and, in many cases, not alloca ted alternative land, indi genous forest peoples in Africa today live in extremely vulnerable conditions and experience marginalisation and poverty

Increased Incidence of Vestibular Disorders in Patients With SARS-CoV-2

OBJECTIVE: Determine the incidence of vestibular disorders in patients with SARS-CoV-2 compared to the control population. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective. SETTING: Clinical data in the National COVID Cohort Collaborative database (N3C). METHODS: Deidentified patient data from the National COVID Cohort Collaborative database (N3C) were queried based on variant peak prevalence (untyped, alpha, delta, omicron 21K, and omicron 23A) from covariants.org to retrospectively analyze the incidence of vestibular disorders in patients with SARS-CoV-2 compared to control population, consisting of patients without documented evidence of COVID infection during the same period. RESULTS: Patients testing positive for COVID-19 were significantly more likely to have a vestibular disorder compared to the control population. Compared to control patients, the odds ratio of vestibular disorders was significantly elevated in patients with untyped (odds ratio [OR], 2.39; confidence intervals [CI], 2.29-2.50; CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of vestibular disorders differed between COVID-19 variants and was significantly elevated in COVID-19-positive patients compared to the control population. These findings have implications for patient counseling and further research is needed to discern the long-term effects of these findings

Adaptive allocation of attention: effects of sex and sociosexuality on visual attention to attractive opposite-sex faces

We tested the hypothesis that, compared with sociosexually restricted individuals, those with an unrestricted approach to mating would selectively allocate visual attention to attractive opposite-sex others. We also tested for sex differences in this effect. Seventy-four participants completed the Sociosexual Orientation Inventory and performed a computer-based task that assessed the speed with which they detected changes in attractive and unattractive mate and female faces. Differences in reaction times served as indicators of selective attention. Results revealed a SexxSociosexuality interaction: Compared with sociosexually restricted men, unrestricted men selectively allocated attention to attractive opposite-sex others; no such effect emerged among women. This finding was specific to opposite-sex targets and did not occur in attention to same-sex others. These results contribute to a growing literature on the adaptive allocation of attention in social environments. (C)) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved