How Well Does the World Health Organization Definition of Domestic Violence Work for India?

Domestic violence (DV) is reported by 40% of married women in India and associated with substantial morbidity. An operational research definition is therefore needed to enhance understanding of DV epidemiology in India and inform DV interventions and measures. To arrive at a culturally-tailored definition, we aimed to better understand how definitions provided by the World Health Organization and the 2005 India Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act match the perceptions of behaviors constituting DV among the Indian community. Between September 2012 and January 2013, 16 key informant interviews with experts in DV and family counseling and 2 gender-concordant focus groups of lay community members were conducted in Pune, India to understand community perceptions of the definition of DV, perpetrators of DV, and examples of DV encountered by married women in Pune, India. Several key themes emerged regarding behaviors and acts constituting DV including 1) the exertion of control over a woman’s reproductive decision-making, mobility, socializing with family and friends, finances, and access to food and nutrition, 2) the widespread acceptance of sexual abuse and the influences of affluence on sexual DV manifestations, 3) the shaping of physical abuse experiences by readily-available tools and the presence of witnesses, 4) psychological abuse for infertility, dowry, and girl-children, and 5) the perpetration of DV by the husband and other members of his family. Findings support the need for a culturally-tailored operational definition that expands on the WHO surveillance definition to inform the development of more effective DV intervention strategies and measures.     

Bioarchaeological investigation of ancient Maya violence and warfare in inland northwest Yucatan,Mexico

This study investigates evidence of changes and continuities in ancient Maya violence and warfare in inland northwest Yucatan, Mexico from the Middle Preclassic (600–300 BC) to the Postclassic (AD 1050–1542) through bioarchaeological analysis of cranial and projectile trauma. It is hypothesized that the frequency of violence increases before the Classic Maya collapse and remains high during the Postclassic period. It is also hypothesized that the flat, open terrain was conducive to warfare and resulted in higher trauma frequencies than in other parts of the Maya area. Results show that the frequency of cranial trauma decreases before the Classic collapse and increases in the Postclassic, partially matching the expected chronological trends. The frequency of cranial trauma does not differ significantly from other Maya regions but the pattern does: for all periods, males have more healed injuries than females and they are concentrated on the left side of the anterior of the skull. Some injuries appear to be from small points hafted in wooden clubs. In addition, projectile trauma is evident in a scapula with an embedded arrowhead tip, the first such case reported in a Maya skeleton. Overall, these results suggest greater reliance on open combat and less on raids in this region compared with other parts of the Maya area, possibly due to the flat, open terrain, though the identification of perimortem trauma in both women and men indicates surprise raids on settlements were also practiced. Am J Phys Anthropol 154:140–151, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Characterization of genomic single nucleotide polymorphism via colorimetric detection using a single gold nanoprobe

Identification of specific nucleic acid sequences mediated by gold nanoparticles derivatized thiol-modified oligonucleotides (Au–nanoprobes) has been proven to be a useful tool in molecular diagnostics. Here, we demonstrate that, on optimization, detection may be simplified via the use of a single Au–nanoprobe to detect a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in homo- or heterozygote condition. We validated this non-cross-linking approach through the analysis of 20 clinical samples using a single specific Au–nanoprobe for an SNP in the FTO (fat mass and obesity-associated) gene against direct DNA sequencing. Sensitivity, specificity, and limit of detection (LOD) were determined, and statistical differences were calculated by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and a post hoc Tukey’s test to ascertain whether there were any differences between Au–nanoprobe genotyped groups. For the first time, we show that the use of a single Au–nanoprobe can detect SNP for each genetic status (wild type, heterozygous, or mutant) with high degrees of sensitivity (87.50%) and specificity (91.67%).     

Homo- and heterofermentative lactobacilli differently affect sugarcane-based fuel ethanol fermentation

Bacterial contamination during industrial yeast fermentation has serious economic consequences for fuel ethanol producers. In addition to deviating carbon away from ethanol formation, bacterial cells and their metabolites often have a detrimental effect on yeast fermentative performance. The bacterial contaminants are commonly lactic acid bacteria (LAB), comprising both homo- and heterofermentative strains. We have studied the effects of these two different types of bacteria upon yeast fermentative performance, particularly in connection with sugarcane-based fuel ethanol fermentation process. Homofermentative Lactobacillus plantarum was found to be more detrimental to an industrial yeast strain (Saccharomyces cerevisiae CAT-1), when compared with heterofermentative Lactobacillus fermentum, in terms of reduced yeast viability and ethanol formation, presumably due to the higher titres of lactic acid in the growth medium. These effects were only noticed when bacteria and yeast were inoculated in equal cell numbers. However, when simulating industrial fuel ethanol conditions, as conducted in Brazil where high yeast cell densities and short fermentation time prevail, the heterofermentative strain was more deleterious than the homofermentative type, causing lower ethanol yield and out competing yeast cells during cell recycle. Yeast overproduction of glycerol was noticed only in the presence of the heterofermentative bacterium. Since the heterofermentative bacterium was shown to be more deleterious to yeast cells than the homofermentative strain, we believe our findings could stimulate the search for more strain-specific antimicrobial agents to treat bacterial contaminations during industrial ethanol fermentation.     

Alternative food sources of native and non-native bivalves in a subtropical eutrophic lake

The aim of this study was to evaluate the consumption of alternative food sources (water column and sediment) and the potential competition under different conditions between Diplodon parallelopipedon (native) and Corbicula fluminea (non-native). We evaluated filtration and ingestion rates of water column at 6 and 24 h, held with and without organic matter and different phytoplankton types: needle-shaped green algae (Ankistrodesmus sp.) and filamentous cyanobacteria (Planktothrix agardhii) dominated communities. Our results confirmed higher filtration and ingestion rates per biomass unit for C. fluminea in the presence of sediment without organic matter. However, when we compared the filtration of bivalves held in sediment with organic matter, D. parallelopipedon rates were not significantly different from C. fluminea values. Moreover, in the presence of filamentous cyanobacteria, only C. fluminea filtration and ingestion rates decreased significantly. Our experimental results and previous field evidence concur that C. fluminea were not able to outcompete the native bivalves in organic matter rich sediment and cyanobacteria blooms conditions. The differential responses to the eutrophication process between exotic and native bivalves, apparently favoring the later, might buffer the potential competition interactions allowing their coexistence.     

Ontogenetic variation in the plumage colour of female European Pied Flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca

Although variation in the dorsal plumage colour of male European Pied Flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca has received a great deal of attention, females of the species have been usually considered to be nearly uniformly monochromatic brown. Using reflectance spectrophotometry, we explore the age‐dependent variation of plumage colour in females. We disentangle the within‐ and between‐individual effects of this pattern and show a within‐individual darkening of the mantle colour with age, whereas differences between individuals in structural colour expression may underlie the trend for a more reflective white in the females' breast plumage with advancing age. The darkening of the dorsal plumage as females age reflects the most common pattern of age‐related variation in males in most European populations of the species.     

Sticholysin I–membrane interaction: An interplay between the presence of sphingomyelin and membrane fluidity

Sticholysin I (St I) is a pore-forming toxin (PFT) produced by the Caribbean Sea anemone Stichodactyla helianthus belonging to the actinoporin protein family, a unique class of eukaryotic PFT exclusively found in sea anemones. As for actinoporins, it has been proposed that the presence of sphingomyelin (SM) and the coexistence of lipid phases increase binding to the target membrane. However, little is known about the role of membrane structure and dynamics (phase state, fluidity, presence of lipid domains) on actinoporins' activity or which regions of the membrane are the most favorable platforms for protein insertion. To gain insight into the role of SM on the interaction of St I to lipid membranes we studied their binding to monolayers of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and SM in different proportions. Additionally, the effect of acyl chain length and unsaturation, two features related to membrane fluidity, was evaluated on St I binding to monolayers. This study revealed that St I binds and penetrates preferentially and with a faster kinetic to liquid-expanded films with high lateral mobility and moderately enriched in SM. A high content of SM induces a lower lateral diffusion and/or liquid-condensed phases, which hinder St I binding and penetration to the lipid monolayer. Furthermore, the presence of lipid domain borders does not appear as an important factor for St I binding to the lipid monolayer.     

Physical Damage on Giant Vesicles Membrane as a Result of Methylene Blue Photoirradiation

In this study we pursue a closer analysis of the photodamage promoted on giant unilamellar vesicles membranes made of dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) or 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC), by irradiating methylene blue present in the giant unilamellar vesicles solution. By means of optical microscopy and electro-deformation experiments, the physical damage on the vesicle membrane was followed and the phospholipids oxidation was evaluated in terms of changes in the membrane surface area and permeability. As expected, oxidation modifies structural characteristics of the phospholipids that lead to remarkable membrane alterations. By comparing DOPC- with POPC-made membranes, we observed that the rate of pore formation and vesicle degradation as a function of methylene blue concentration follows a diffusion law in the case of DOPC and a linear variation in the case of POPC. We attributed this scenario to the nucleation process of oxidized species following a diffusion-limited growth regime for DOPC and in the case of POPC a homogeneous nucleation process. On the basis of these premises, we constructed models based on reaction-diffusion equations that fit well with the experimental data. This information shows that the outcome of the photosensitization reactions is critically dependent on the type of lipid present in the membrane.