Geography of underweight and overweight among women in India: A multilevel analysis of 3204 neighborhoods in 26 states

We investigated the geographic distribution and the relationship with neighborhood wealth of underweight and overweight in India. Using multilevel modeling techniques, we calculated state-specific smoothed shrunken state residuals of overweight and underweight, neighborhood and state variation of nutritional status, and the relationships between neighborhood wealth and nutritional status of 76,681 women living in 3204 neighborhoods in 26 Indian states. We found a substantial variation in overweight and underweight at the neighborhood and state levels, net of what could be attributed to individual-level factors. Neighborhood wealth was associated with increased levels of overweight and decreased levels of underweight, and was found to modify the relationship between personal living standard and nutritional status. These findings suggest that interventions to address the double burden of undernutrition and overnutrition in India must take into account state and neighborhood characteristics in order to be successful.     

Homelessness and dog ownership: an investigation into animal empathy,attachment, crime,drug use,health and public opinion

Abstract

A sample of 51 homeless people in Cambridge, UK completed a questionnaire featuring adapted Animal Empathy and Companion Animal Bonding Scales. Concepts of crime, drug use, and health matters amongst the homeless, both dog owning and non-dog owning, were investigated, as well. Ninety members of the general public completed a similar questionnaire which sought their opinions on homeless people who own dogs. There was a highly significant difference (p < 0.01) between the homeless and the securely housed on their animal empathy and attachment scores, with the homeless sample displaying higher values. Gender and dog ownership status had no effect on these scores. A near significant result (U = 2, n₁ = 13, n₂ = 58, p = 0.06) was revealed for animal empathy scores of those who gave money to dog-owning homeless people and those who gave to non-dog owning homeless people. Of the public respondents, women were significantly more likely to show concern for a homeless person's dog's welfare than men (X²₍₁₎ = 8.5, p < 0.01), and of the homeless respondents, non-dog owners were significantly more likely than dog owners to believe that having a dog helped initiate conversations with the public (X²₍₁₎ = 4.0, p < 0.05). Highly significant differences (U = 10, n₁ = 31, n₂ = 20, p < 0.01) were found for medical care use between the dog-owning and non-dog owning homeless, and health scores showed a reversed trend compared to that expected for the general population, with dog owners scoring lower than non-dog owners.     

广西猕猴桃发展的策略分析

分析了广西猕猴桃发展的有利条件和现状, 并提出了相应的发展策略, 可供各级领导和有关生产单位参考, 对促进广西猕猴桃进一步发展具有指导意义。     

Effect of potassium nutrition of rice on rhizosphere redox status

With four soils differing in K supplying power and with four rice cultivars (Oryza sativa L.) differing in K uptake kinetic parameters, the relationship between K fertilizer application and soil redox status in rhizosphere and; the distribution of ferrous iron and other toxic substances on the root surface and in the rhizosphere; and the effect of K supply on uptake of reduced iron by rice plants have been studied.The results show that K application on K-deficient soils reduced the content of active reducing substances and ferrous iron in the soil, raised the soil redox potential in the rhizosphere, increased the Eh value of rice roots and lowered the content of iron in the rice plants. These effects of K varied with different rice cultivars. When no K fertilizer was applied, active reducing substances and ferrous iron in rhizosphere soils were decreased more by the rice cultivars absorbing K strongly (e.g. Shanyou 64) than by cultivars absorbing K weakly (e.g. Zhongguo 91). Therefore, the diminution of the toxic substances by K application in the weakly K-absorbing cultivars was more significant.The observation of a rhizobox separated by a nylon screen showed that appreciably more iron oxides, compared with the control, were deposited at or adjacent to the root surfaces of the rice plant supplied with K fertilizer, fully demonstrating the relationship between K nutrition and the total oxidizing power of rice plants. According to the distribution of active reducing substances and ferrous iron, the oxidizing range of the rice root extended in K application treatment a few centimeters away from the root plane. K application to rice affected the soil redox status in rhizosphere in many ways. The main effect was an increase of the oxidizing power of the rice root. As a result, the value of soil Eh was increased, the contents of active reducing substances and ferrous iron were lowered, as well as the number of oxygen consuming microorganisms.     

Lipid content and fatty acid composition of target tissues in wild Perca fluviatilis females in relation to hepatic status and gonad maturation

Variation in liver ultra‐structure and composition in relation to energy mobilization was investigated in female perch Perca fluviatilis from the Meuse River between August 2001 and June 2002. In April, just before spawning, the lipo‐somatic index ( I _F) was 0·3%, the gonado‐somatic index ( I _G) was 28% and the total lipid content of the liver was 2·53%. The average areas of lipid droplets and mitochondria were 0·05 and 0·06 μm², respectively. Glycogen supply reached 7·9% of the total area of the hepatocyte. During the sexual resting period, females accumulated energy in perivisceral fat and in the liver to reach 1·6% I _F and 4·85% of liver lipid content in August with lipid droplets average size of 0·09 μm² and glycogen average area of 15%. Liver cells contained a weakly developed rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) and a great number of small mitochondria (average size 0·02 μm²). The I _G was 0·6% at this time. During the whole annual cycle, the average lipid content of female liver never exceeded 3·9 ± 1·9%. The concentration of docosahexaenoic (DHA), linolenic and linoleic acids increased in mature gonads while linolenic and linoleic acids decreased in the liver during the same period. Fatty acid composition of muscles of perch was characterized by a high content of DHA.     

Effects of spermine on the antioxidant status and gene expression of antioxidant-related signaling molecules in the liver and longissimus dorsi of piglets

Previous studies showed that spermine could protect the organism from oxidative damage in vivo. However, in vivo information on the antioxidant-related underlying molecular mechanism of spermine is limited. In this experiment, we further evaluated the effects of spermine supplementation and extended spermine administration on the antioxidant status and antioxidant-related signaling molecules gene expression in the liver and longissimus dorsi of piglets. A total of 80 piglets were randomly distributed to two groups, that is, those with adequate nutrient intake administrated with spermine (0.4 mmol/kg BW) or those with restricted nutrient intake supplemented by saline. The piglets were fed in pairs for 7 h or 3, 6, or 9 days. The results are as follows: (1) spermine can promote the antioxidant capacity by increasing enzymatic antioxidant capacity, glutathione content and clearance of oxygen radicals; (2) spermine significantly increased the mRNA levels of enzymatic antioxidant substances, NF-E2-related nuclear factor 2, Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1, and the mammalian target of rapamycin but decreased the mRNA levels of ribosomal p70 S6 kinase in the liver and longissimus dorsi of the piglets.     

Will cognitive enhancement create post‐persons? The use(lessness) of induction in determining the likelihood of moral status enhancement

The prospect of cognitive enhancement well beyond current human capacities raises worries that the fundamental equality in moral status of human beings could be undermined. Cognitive enhancement might create beings with moral status higher than persons. Yet, there is an expressibility problem of spelling out what the higher threshold in cognitive capacity would be like. Nicholas Agar has put forward the bold claim that we can show by means of inductive reasoning that indefinite cognitive enhancement will probably mark a difference in moral status. The hope is that induction can determine the plausibility of post‐personhood existence in the absence of an account of what the higher status would be like. In this article, we argue that Agar's argument fails and, more generally, that inductive reasoning has little bearing on assessing the likelihood of post‐personhood in the absence of an account of higher status. We conclude that induction cannot bypass the expressibility problem about post‐persons.