Dissemination of Leishmanias to the organs of Syrian hamsters following intrasplenic inoculation of promastigotes

Four strains of leishmanial promastigotes were inoculated intrasplenically into male Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus). The dissemination of the parasites as amastigotes to various organs was followed at closely spaced intervals for 3.5 mo.An Israeli strain of Leishmania tropica and a strain isolated in Israel from a gerbil (Meriones shawi) displayed practically identical distribution patterns. Migration was outward from the spleen to the body surface, where intense multiplication of the amastigotes occurred, primarily in the ear pinnae and in the extremities of the limbs. A cryptic visceral infection persisted in the spleen, and most of the internal organs studied also developed cryptic infections. The bone marrow became rather heavily infected, and the epididymis, exceptionally heavily infected.An Indian strain of L. donovani led to a severe visceral infection in the spleen, liver, and bone marrow; and to mild to cryptic infections in most of the other visceral organs studied. However, no invasion of the genitalia occurred, nor did the body surface become infected.An Ethiopian strain of diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis (DCL) was noninfective to Syrian hamsters, following either the intrasplenic or the intradermal inoculation of promastigotes.     

Height in mid childhood and psychosocial competencies in late childhood: Evidence from four developing countries

We use longitudinal data from children growing up in four developing countries (Peru, India, Vietnam, Ethiopia) to study the relationship between height at the age of 7–8 and a set of psychosocial competencies measured at the age of 11–12 that are known to be correlated with earnings during adulthood: self-efficacy, self-esteem and aspirations. Results show that a one standard deviation increase in height-for-age tends to increase self-efficacy, self-esteem and aspirations by 10.4%, 6.4% and 5.1%, respectively. We argue that these findings are likely to be informing of an underlying relationship between undernutrition and the formation of non-cognitive skills.     

Pastoral dairy marketing and household wealth interactions and their implications for calves and humans in Ethiopia

Surveys of pastoral households in a semi-nomadic Borana community during 1987–1988 were used to test the hypothesis that poorer families living closest to a market town would be most affected by the enhanced opportunity to sell dairy products, which would intensify competition between people and calves for milk and have negative implications for calf management. These poorer families indeed reported the highest rates of milk offtake per cow, and the milk increment was probably sold to purchase more grain for human consumption at the expense of milk intake for the calf. Consequently, this strategy may increase the susceptibility of malnourished calves to disease, especially those from lower-producing dams. Benefits of improved human energy intake from grain and retention of livestock capital must be weighed against risks of calf death and possible malnutrition of people from milk restriction when assessing dairy marketing trade-offs that are most acute for the poor. Opportunity to sell dairy products at favorable terms of trade helps the poorest people survive, and their risks could be mitigated by policies that facilitate grain marketing in the rangelands and interventions that improve calf feeding management, diversify human diets, and create alternative opportunities for women to generate income. The households postulated to be most at risk were identified from a complex, but logical, interaction among factors of distance to market, household wealth, and the quality of milking cows held. This indicates that targeting such needy groups for development assistance may require a more detailed and interdisciplinary analysis of production systems than is commonly practiced.     

Earthworm communities under an agricultural intensification gradient in Colombia

This study was carried out in the Eastern Plains of Colombia and assessed the impact of agricultural intensification on the structure of earthworm communities. Earthworms were hand-sorted in a variety of agroecosystems of increasing intensity, from natural savanna to pastures and annual crops. An agricultural intensification index was used to rank systems along an intensification gradient, i.e. from native savanna to pastures and annual crops. Earthworm biomass, specific richness and Shannon index sharply decreased along the gradient. The disappearance of some species in cultivated systems was mostly attributed to the lack of recovery of populations after major perturbations like e.g. tillage. The more resistant species were those presenting high surface mobility (i.e. high colonisation capacity) or high population growth potential (i.e. high ability of population recovering after perturbation). Sensitive species disappeared after pasture establishment but richness was recovered in a period of about 3 years. In 17 year-old pastures, the community has regained its initial diversity and present very high biomass due to the presence of abundant populations of an anecic species. On the opposite side, annual crops had deep detrimental impacts that were more accentuated in the rotations (i.e. systems that were tilled twice a year) and were still present in a 2 year-old fallow.     

Karyotypes of three Garra species from Ethiopia

Three cyprinid species from Ethiopia, Garra dembeensis, G. makiensis , and G. quadrimaculata , were found to be characterized by the chromosome numbers (2n) of 50 and by the arm numbers of 82, 84, and 88, respectively.     

不同细胞质埃塞俄比亚芥的获得及其生物学特性比较研究

以埃塞俄比亚芥(Brassica carinata)为轮回亲本,分别对甘蓝型油菜(Brassica napus)和芥菜型油菜(Brassica juncea)连续回交7代,获得了具有核基因组基本相同而细胞质不同的新材料:N/BBCC和J/BBCC。两个新材料及其轮回亲本C/BBCC在生长发育时期、植株外部形态特征、POD酶活性等方面表现基本一致,但在雄性育性、脯氨酸含量及相对电导率上存在着明显差异,其中N/BBCC雄蕊发育不完善、花药瘦小、药内花粉量很少且多为无生活力的畸形花粉,表现严重败育;J/BBCC和N/BBCC的脯胺酸含量及相对电导率明显低于其轮回亲本C/BBCC。