Global Nutrition Impacts of Rapid Economic Growth in China and India

Despite record global economic growth in past decade malnutrition remains a serious problem in many parts of the world. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), about 800 million people (17% of the worlds population) remain malnourished. For these households at a subsistence level of income, changes in commodity market conditions, as may arise from changes in global economic growth and/or trade policy can have serious consequences for nutritional intake. Even a small decline in diet quality can have substantial adverse impacts on health status. On the other hand, a modest income boost, or lower food prices, could have extremely positive impacts. Previously, the links between changes in the global economy and nutritional outcomes have been explored by a relatively wide range of authors (e.g., Fang et al., 2006; Rosegrant et al., 2005). The goal of this paper is to offer modest extensions of this previous work in three directions. First of all, unlike many of the papers in the nutrition area, we seek to account for the behavioral response of low income households in the face of changing prices and incomes. Clearly when households are faced with a rise in the price of food products, they cannot afford to consume as much, ceteris paribus so consumption much adjust. The extent of this adjustment will depend on the change in real income and the Engel elasticities for each good. In addition, consumers are likely to substitute away from higher cost food items. All of these factors could have an adverse impact on nutritional attainment. By estimating and incorporating a demand system into our analysis, we are able to take these factors into account. In so doing, we draw on the work of Rimmer and Powell (1996) and Cranfield et al. (2003a; 2003b) in order to characterize consumer demands across the income spectrum. A second important extension embodied in this work relates to the impact of changes in factor earnings on household nutritional attainment in the wake of globalization. Most economic analyses of this issue have tended to focus on the commodity price impacts of globalization. If they have taken into account the earnings-side impacts, they have typically done so in a simplistic way. In this paper, we seek to capture the earnings-heterogeneity of poor households and thereby shed light on the differential impact of global economic growth on different household groups. We do so using the framework developed in Hertel et al. (2004), and further refined in Hertel et al. (2007a). The final contribution of this paper is to imbed this framework for analysis of nutritional issues into a widely used, global general equilibrium model (GTAP: Hertel, 1997) in order to permit nutritional outcomes to be routinely reported as part of standard economic analyses of global economic growth and trade liberalization. We illustrate this approach to the analysis of nutritional impacts of global economic growth through a series of globalization shocks, focusing on the impacts in Bangldesh. We begin by considering solely the impact of an exogenous rise in the consumer price rise for food products. This permits us to illustrate the mechanisms through which low income consumers respond to changing economic conditions in our framework. We then turn to an analysis of the impact of economic growth in India and China, respectively, on the poor in Bangladesh, and in particular on their nutritional attainment. Our findings indicate that the nutritional impacts of globalization depend importantly on the source of the globalization shock, and the resultant earnings effects on the poor.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Altering glutamate transmission in combination with an early post-natal stress to mimic schizophrenia in male and female mice

International audienc

La reconnaissance d'un capital environnemental autochtone ? Les « Parcs Nationaux à la française »

International audienceThis article contributes to the discussion about environmental capital through the lens of "local" user position in protected areas. More precisely, it focuses on French national parks, emblematic of the conception of nature conservation in France. Indigenous uses and "local" environmental knowledge were denied in the first national parks in former colonies and metropolitan France. But they are currently reintroduced in the context of the parks reform (2006) and the international background of participatory imperative, indigenous recognition and ecologization of the thought (Mormont, 2009 ; 2013). Is this movement like a recognition of an environmental capital for "local" users ? This hypothesis may be discussed. Under which conditions are these knowledge and uses recognized by the ecological vision, which is usually dominant in French national parks ? Who does participate in and benefit from this recognition ? Focusing on the cases of the young national park of Creeks (2012) and of Reunion Island (2007), we outline the components of environmental capital granted to "local" users in French national parks, by analyzing the combined effects of indigenousness capital recognition and ecological imperative. To what extent does this process broaden the definition of the "publics" of protected areas users and who does remain excluded ?Cet article contribue au questionnement général sur le capital environnemental au prisme de la place des usagers « locaux » dans les espaces protégés en France. Il traite, plus précisément, des parcs nationaux français, archétypes de la protection de l'environnement « à la française ». Les usages autochtones et les savoirs environnementaux « locaux », niés dans les premiers parcs nationaux des anciennes colonies, comme en France métropolitaine, se renégocient aujourd'hui, à la faveur de leur réforme (loi de 2006) et d'un contexte national et international marqué à la fois par l'impératif participatif, la reconnaissance de l'autochtonie et l'écologisation de la pensée (Mormont, 2009 ; 2013). Lire ce processus comme la reconnaissance d'un capital environnemental des usagers « locaux » dans les parcs nationaux soulève plusieurs interrogations. À quelles conditions ces usages et savoirs sont-ils reconnus à l'aune de la vision « environnementaliste » de la nature, traditionnellement hégémonique dans les parcs nationaux français ? Qui participe à ce processus et bénéficie de cette reconnaissance ? À travers les exemples des jeunes parcs nationaux des Calanques (2012) et de la Réunion (2007), nous proposerons un éclairage sur la nature des capitaux environnementaux reconnus aux usagers « locaux » dans les parcs nationaux français, en considérant les effets combinés de la reconnaissance de l'autochtonie et de l'impératif écologique. Jusqu'à quel point le processus en cours élargit-il la définition des « publics » des usagers de la nature protégée et lesquels en demeurent exclus

The mitochondrial DNA content of cumulus granulosa cells is linked to embryo quality

STUDY QUESTION: Could the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content of cumulus granulosa cells (CGCs) be related to oocyte competence? SUMMARY ANSWER: The quality of embryos obtained during IVF procedures appears to be linked to mtDNA copy numbers in the CGCs. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Oocyte quality is linked to oocyte mtDNA content in the human and other species, and the mtDNA copy number of the oocyte is related to that of the corresponding CGCs. Moreover, the quantification of CGC mtDNA has recently been proposed as a biomarker of embryo viability. STUDY DESIGN SIZE, DURATION: An observational study was performed on 452 oocyte-cumulus complexes retrieved from 62 patients undergoing ICSI at the ART Center of the University Hospital of Angers, France, from January to May 2015. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: The average mtDNA content of CGCs was assessed by using a quantitative real-time PCR technique. The relationship between CGC mtDNA content and oocyte maturity and fertilizability, on one hand, and embryo quality, on the other, was investigated using univariate and multivariate generalized models with fixed and mixed effects. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: No relationship was found between CGC mtDNA content and oocyte maturity or fertilizability. In contrast, there was a significant link between the content of mtDNA in CGCs surrounding an oocyte and the embryo quality, with significantly higher mtDNA copy numbers being associated with good quality embryos compared with fair or poor quality embryos [interquartile range, respectively, 738 (250-1228) and 342 (159-818); P = 0.006]. However, the indication provided by the quantification of CGC mtDNA concerning the eventuality of good embryo quality was seriously subject to patient effect (AUC = 0.806, 95%CI = 0.719-0.869). The quantity of CGC mtDNA was influenced by BMI and smoking. LARGE SCALE DATA: N/A. LIMITATIONS REASONS FOR CAUTION: The quantification of CGC mtDNA may indicate embryo quality. However, since it is affected by patient specificity, it should be used with caution. It remains to be seen whether this marker could directly predict the implantation capacity of the embryo, which is the main objective in IVF practice. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Our study suggests that the quantification of CGC mtDNA may be a novel biomarker of embryo viability. However, patient specificity makes it impossible to establish a general threshold value, valid for all patients. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to determine whether the quantification of CGC mtDNA may, in combination with the morpho-kinetic method, offer an additional criterion for selecting the best embryo for transfer from a given cohort. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This work was supported by the University Hospital of Angers, the University of Angers, France, and the French national research centres INSERM and the CNRS. There were no competing interests

Патопсихологические особенности и закономерности развития органических психических расстройств при болезни Паркинсона

Проанализированы особенности эмоционально−потребностной сферы, выраженность личностных особенностей, типы отношения к болезни у пациентов с болезнью Паркинсона (БП) и психическими расстройствами. Выявлены патопсихологические факторы формирования органического депрессивного расстройства (F06.36), органического тревожного расстройства (F06.4), органического эмоционально−лабильного расстройства (F06.6), описаны механизмы их патогенеза. Относительно деменции (F02.3) у больных БП единого патопсихологического механизма ее формирования не обнаружено, основная роль в ее патогенезе принадлежит органическому поражению головного мозга.Проаналізовано особливості емоційно−потребової сфери, виразність особистісних особливостей, типи ставлення до хвороби у пацієнтів із хворобою Паркінсона (ХП) та психічними розладами. Виявлено патопсихологічні фактори формування органічного депресивного розладу (F06.36), органічного тривожного розладу (F06.4), органічного емоційно−лабільного розладу (F06.6), описано механізми їх патогенезу. Щодо деменції (F02.3) у хворих на ХП єдиного патопсихологічного механізму її формування не виявлено, основна роль в її патогенезі належить органічному ураженню головного мозку.The peculiarities of emotion−need sphere, degree of personality peculiarities, types of attitude to the disease were analyzed in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and mental disorders. Pathopsychological factors of forming organic depressive disorder (F06.36), organic anxiety disorder (F06.4), organic emotional−labile disorder (F06.6) were revealed. The mechanisms of their pathogenesis were described. As for dementia (F02.3), uniform pathopsychological mechanism of its formation was not revealed in patients with PD. Main role in its pathogenesis is played by organic brain lesions

Inverse Modeling for MEG/EEG data

We provide an overview of the state-of-the-art for mathematical methods that are used to reconstruct brain activity from neurophysiological data. After a brief introduction on the mathematics of the forward problem, we discuss standard and recently proposed regularization methods, as well as Monte Carlo techniques for Bayesian inference. We classify the inverse methods based on the underlying source model, and discuss advantages and disadvantages. Finally we describe an application to the pre-surgical evaluation of epileptic patients.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figur

On the importance of long-term functional assessment after stroke to improve translation from bench to bedside

Despite extensive research efforts in the field of cerebral ischemia, numerous disappointments came from the translational step. Even if experimental studies showed a large number of promising drugs, most of them failed to be efficient in clinical trials. Based on these reports, factors that play a significant role in causing outcome differences between animal experiments and clinical trials have been identified; and latest works in the field have tried to discard them in order to improve the scope of the results. Nevertheless, efforts must be maintained, especially for long-term functional evaluations. As observed in clinical practice, animals display a large degree of spontaneous recovery after stroke. The neurological impairment, assessed by basic items, typically disappears during the firsts week following stroke in rodents. On the contrary, more demanding sensorimotor and cognitive tasks underline other deficits, which are usually long-lasting. Unfortunately, studies addressing such behavioral impairments are less abundant. Because the characterization of long-term functional recovery is critical for evaluating the efficacy of potential therapeutic agents in experimental strokes, behavioral tests that proved sensitive enough to detect long-term deficits are reported here. And since the ultimate goal of any stroke therapy is the restoration of normal function, an objective appraisal of the behavioral deficits should be done