Dietary predictors of serum total carotene in low-income women living in Sao Paulo, south-east Brazil

Objective Dietary intake and nutritional status of antioxidant vitamins have been reported to protect against some cancers The objective of the present study was to assess the correlations between serum levels of carotenoids (including beta-, alpha- and gamma-carotene), lycopene, retinol, alpha- and gamma-tocopherols, and dietary intakes estimated by an FFQ, among low-income women in the Brazilian Investigation into Nutrition and Cervical Cancer Prevention (BRINCA) study. Design Cross-sectional study of data for 918 women aged 21-65 years participating in the BRINCA study in Sao Paulo city. Multiple linear regression models were used with serum nutrient levels as the dependent variable and dietary intake levels as the independent variable, adjusted for confounding factors. Results In energy-adjusted analyses, the intakes of dark green and deep yellow vegetables and fruits (partial R(2) = 4.8%), total fruits and juices (partial R(2) = 1.8%), vegetables and fruits (partial R(2) = 1.8%), carrots (partial R(2) = 1.4%) and citrus fruits and juices only (partial R(2) = 0.8%) were positively correlated only with serum total carotene levels, after adjusting for serum total cholesterol concentration, age, hospital attended, smoking status. BMI and presence of cervical lesions Multiple-adjusted serum levels of carotenoids were positively correlated with intake quartiles of dark green and deep yellow vegetables and fruits and total fruits and juices independent of smoking status. Conclusions The intake of specific fruits and vegetables was an independent predictor of serum total carotene levels in low-income women living in Sao Paulo

Survey of aflatoxin M1 in cheese from the North-east region of Sao Paulo, Brazil

In the present study, 24 samples of Minas Frescal cheese and 24 samples of Minas Padrao cheese produced in the North-east region of the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, were analysed for aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) between March and August 2008. AFM1 was detected in 13 (27.1%) samples at concentrations ranging from 0.037 to 0.313 ng g-1. The mean concentrations of AFM1 in positive samples of Minas Frescal and Minas Padrao cheese were 0.142 +/- 0.118 and 0.118 +/- 0.054 ng g-1, respectively. It is concluded that the incidence of AFM1 in Minas cheese may contribute to an increase in the overall ingestion of aflatoxins in the diet, hence indicating the need for the adoption of a tolerance limit for AFM1 in cheese in Brazil.

Relative effect of litter quality, forest type and their interaction on leaf decomposition in south-east Brazilian forests

Decomposition was studied in a reciprocal litter transplant experiment to examine the effects of forest type, litter quality and their interaction on leaf decomposition in four tropical forests in south-east Brazil. Litterbags were used to measure decomposition of leaves of one tree species from each forest type: Calophyllum brasiliense from restinga forest; Guapira opposita from Atlantic forest; Esenbeckia leiocarpa from semi-deciduous forest; and Copaifera langsdorffii from cerradao. Decomposition rates in rain forests (Atlantic and restinga) were twice as fast as those in seasonal forests (semi-deciduous and cerradao), suggesting that intensity and distribution of precipitation are important predictors of decomposition rates at regional scales. Decomposition rates varied by species, in the following order: E. leiocarpa > C. langsdorffii > G. opposita > C. brasiliense. However, there was no correlation between decomposition rates and chemical litter quality parameters: C:N, C:P, lignin concentration and lignin:N. The interaction between forest type and litter quality was positive mainly because C. langsdorffii decomposed faster than expected in its native forest. This is a potential indication of a decomposer`s adaptation to specific substrates in a tropical forest. These findings suggest that besides climate, interactions between decomposers and plants might play an essential role in decomposition processes and it must be better understood.

Paleoamerican Morphology in the Context of European and East Asian Late Pleistocene Variation: Implications for Human Dispersion Into the New World

Early American crania show a different morphological pattern from the one shared by late Native Americans. Although the origin of the diachronic morphological diversity seen on the continents is still debated, the distinct morphology of early Americans is well documented and widely dispersed. This morphology has been described extensively for South America, where larger samples are available. Here we test the hypotheses that the morphology of Early Americans results from retention of the morphological pattern of Late Pleistocene modern humans and that the occupation of the New World precedes the morphological differentiation that gave rise to recent Eurasian and American morphology. We compare Early American samples with European Upper Paleolithic skulls, the East Asian Zhoukoudian Upper Cave specimens and a series of 20 modern human reference crania. Canonical Analysis and Minimum Spanning Tree were used to assess the morphological affinities among the series, while Mantel and Dow-Cheverud tests based on Mahalanobis Squared Distances were used to test different evolutionary scenarios. Our results show strong morphological affinities among the early series irrespective of geographical origin, which together with the matrix analyses results favor the scenario of a late morphological differentiation of modern humans. We conclude that the geographic differentiation of modern human morphology is a late phenomenon that occurred after the initial settlement of the Americas. Am J Phys Anthropol 144:442-453, 2011. (c) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

East-West cranial differentiation in pre-Columbian populations from Central and North America

In a recent study we found that crania from South Amerindian populations on each side of the Andes differ significantly in terms of craniofacial shape. Western populations formed one morphological group, distributed continuously over 14,000 km from the Fuegian archipelago (southern Chile) to the Zulia region (northwestern Venezuela). Easterners formed another group, distributed from the Atlantic Coast up to the eastern foothills of the Andes. This differentiation is further supported by several genetic studies, and indirectly by ecological and archaeological studies. Some authors suggest that this dual biological pattern is consistent with differential rates of gene flow and genetic drift operating on both sides of the Cordillera due to historical reasons. Here we show that such East-West patterning is also observable in North America. We suggest that the ""ecological zones model"" proposed by Dixon, explaining the spread of the early Americans along a Pacific dispersal corridor, combined with the evolution of different population dynamics in both regions, is the most parsimonious mechanism to explain the observed patterns of within- and between-group craniofacial variability. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

New Trypanosoma (Duttonella) vivax genotypes from tsetse flies in East Africa

Salivarian trypanosomes pose a substantial threat to livestock, but their full diversity is not known. To survey trypanosomes carried by tsetse in Tanzania, DNA samples from infected proboscides of Glossina pallidipes and G. swynnertoni were identified using fluorescent fragment length barcoding (FFLB), which discriminates species by size polymorphisms in multiple regions of the ribosomal RNA locus. FELLB identified the trypanosomes in 65 of 105 (61.9%) infected proboscides, revealing 9 mixed infections. Of 7 different FFLB profiles, 2 were similar but not identical to reference West African Trypanosoma vivax; 5 other profiles belonged to known species also identified in fly midguts. Phylogenetic analysis of the glycosomal glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase gene revealed that the Tanzanian T. vivax samples fell into 2 distinct groups, both outside the main chide of African and South American T. vivax. These new T. vivax genotypes were common and widespread in tsetse in Tanzania. The T. brucei-like trypanosome previously described from tsetse midguts was also found in 2 proboscides, demonstrating a salivarian transmission route. Investigation of mammalian host range and pathogenicity will reveal the importance of these new trypanosomes for the epidemiology and control of animal trypanosomiasis in East Africa.

Phylogenetic analysis of Trypanosoma vivax supports the separation of South American/West African from East African isolates and a new T-vivax-like genotype infecting a nyala antelope from Mozambique

In this study, we addressed the phylogenetic and taxonomic relationships of Trypanosoma vivax and related trypanosomes nested in the subgenus Duttonella through combined morphological and phylogeographical analyses. We previously demonstrated that the clade T. vivax harbours a homogeneous clade comprising West African/South American isolates and the heterogeneous East African isolates. Herein we characterized a trypanosome isolated from a nyala antelope (Tragelaphus angasi) wild-caught in Mozambique (East Africa) and diagnosed as T. vivax-like based on biological, morphological and molecular data. Phylogenetic relationships, phylogeographical patterns and estimates of genetic divergence were based on SSU and ITS rDNA sequences of T. vivax from Brazil and Venezuela (South America), Nigeria (West Africa), and from T. vivax-like trypanosomes from Mozambique, Kenya and Tanzania (East Africa). Despite being well-supported within the T. vivax clade, the nyala trypanosome was highly divergent from all other T. vivax and T. vivax-like trypanosomes, even those from East Africa. Considering its host origin, morphological features, behaviour in experimentally infected goats, phylogenetic placement, and genetic divergence this isolate represents a new genotype of trypanosome closely phylogenetically related to T. vivax. This study corroborated the high complexity and the existence of distinct genotypes yet undescribed within the subgenus Duttonella.

One, two or no record of late neoproterozoic glaciation in South-East Cameroon?

Severe climate changes culminating in at least three major glacial events have been recognized in the Neoproterozoic sedimentary record from many parts of the world Supportive to the global nature of these climatic shifts a considerable amount of data have been acquired from deposits exposed in Pan-African orogenic belts in southwestern and western Africa By comparison published data from the Pan-African belts in Central Africa are scarce We report here evidence of possibly two glacial events recorded in the Mintom Formation that is located on the margin of the Pan-African orogenic Yaounde belt in South-East Cameroon In the absence of reliable radiometric data only maximum and minimum age limits of 640 and 580 Ma respectively can at present be applied to the Mintom Formation The formation consists of two lithostratigraphic ensembles each subdivided in two members (i e in ascending stratigraphic order the Kol Metou Momibole and Atog Adjap Members) The basal ensemble exhibits a typical glacial to post-glacial succession It includes diamictites comprising cobbles and boulders in a massive argillaceous siltstone matrix and laminated siltstones followed by in sharp contact a 2 m-thick massive dolostone that yielded negative delta(13)C values (<-3 parts per thousand. V-PDB) similar to those reported for Marinoan cap carbonates elsewhere However uncertainty remains regarding the glacial influence on the siliciclastic facies because the diamictite is better explained as a mass-flow deposit and diagnostic features such as dropstones have not been seen in the overlying siltstones The Mintom Formation may thus provide an example of an unusual succession of non-glacial diamictite overlain by a truly glacial melt-related cap-carbonate We also report the recent discovery of ice-striated pavements on the structural surface cut in the Mintom Formation suggesting that glaciers developed after the latter had been deposited and deformed during the Pan-African orogeny Striations which consistently exhibit two principal orientations (N60 and N110) were identified in two different localities in the west of the study area on siltstones of the Kol Member and in the east on limestones of the Atog Adjap Member respectively N60-oriented striae indicate ice flow towards the WSW Assigning an age to these features remains problematical because they were not found associated with glaciogenic deposits Two hypotheses can equally be envisaged e either the striated surfaces are correlated (1) to the Gaskiers (or Neoproterozoic post-Gaskiers) glaciation and represent the youngest Ediacaran glacial event documented in the southern Yaounde belt or (2) to the Late Ordovician Hirnantian (Saharan) glaciation thereby providing new data about Hirnantian ice flows in Central Africa (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved

Orbitally driven east-west antiphasing of South American precipitation

The variations of tropical precipitation are antiphased between the hemispheres on orbital timescales. This antiphasing arises through the alternating strength of incoming solar radiation in the two hemispheres, which affects monsoon intensity and hence the position of the meridional atmospheric circulation of the Hadley cells(1-4). Here we compare an oxygen isotopic record recovered from a speleothem from northeast Brazil for the past 26,000 years with existing reconstructions of precipitation in tropical South America(5-8). During the Holocene, we identify a similar, but zonally oriented, antiphasing of precipitation within the same hemisphere: northeast Brazil experiences humid conditions during low summer insolation and aridity when summer insolation is high, whereas the rest of southern tropical South America shows opposite characteristics. Simulations with a general circulation model that incorporates isotopic variations support this pattern as well as the link to insolation-driven monsoon activity. Our results suggest that convective heating over tropical South America and associated adjustments in large-scale subsidence over northeast Brazil lead to a remote forcing of the South American monsoon, which determines most of the precipitation changes in the region on orbital timescales.

Holocene fires in East Amazonia (Caraja`s), new evidences, chronology and relation with paleoclimate

Past studies have evidenced the presence of charcoal in soils and lacustrine sediments of Amazonia region and suggested occurrences of widespread fires during the Middle Holocene. However, the available records do not indicate the changes in fire regime with enough time resolution. We quantified charcoal fragments in lacustrine sediments in a lake of North Carajas plateau in East Amazonia (5 degrees 50`-6 degrees 35`S and 49 degrees 30`-52 degrees 00`W). The charcoal quantification was compared to other sediment proxies, allowing a connection between paleofires and climate changes. Large variations in sediment characteristics led to distinct stages of sedimentation. From 11,800 (base of CSN 93/4) to 4750 cal yr B.P., low accumulation rates of organic matter are observed. Between 7600 cal yr B.P. (base of CSN 93/3 core) and 4750 cal yr B.P., this initial phase of sedimentation is characterized by low chlorophyll derivate accumulation rates and high accumulation rates of Botryococcus braunii, an alga resistant to episodic drought. The first phase of sedimentation would therefore correspond to, a low take level and a drier climate than today. Large biomass burning events occurred between 7450 cal yr B.P. and 4750 cal yr B.P., as indicated by the high charcoal particle concentration. From 4750 cal yr B.P. to 2800 cal yr B.P., accumulation rates of charcoal particles decreased, and the accumulation rate of chlorophyll derivate was low. From 2800 cal yr B.P. to 1300 cal yr B.P., the charcoal accumulation rates reached their lowest values in the core and a rapid increase in lacustrine production is evidenced by the increase in chlorophyll derivates and carbon accumulation rate. From 1300 cal yr B.P. to the last century, the charcoal accumulation rates increased. During the most recent period, the record is characterized by high accumulation rates of chlorophyll derivates while the charcoal particle accumulation rate decreased. This region is still unaffected by the current increase of anthropogenic fires. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Photovoltaic System Design for a Contaminated Area in Falun – Comparison of South and East- West Layout

In this thesis the solar part of a large grid-connected photovoltaic system design has been done. The main purpose was to size and optimize the system and to present figures helping to evaluate the prospective project rationality, which can potentially be constructed on a contaminated area in Falun. The methodology consisted in PV market study and component selection, site analysis and defining suitable area for solar installation; and system configuration optimization based on PVsyst simulations and Levelized Cost of Energy calculations. The procedure was mainly divided on two parts, preliminary and detailed sizing. In the first part the objective was complex, which included the investigation of the most profitable component combination and system optimization due to tilt and row distance. It was done by simulating systems with different components and orientations, which were sized for the same 100kW inverter in order to make a fair comparison. For each simulated result a simplified LCOE calculation procedure was applied. The main results of this part show that with the price of 0.43 €/Wp thin-film modules were the most cost effective solution for the case with a great advantage over crystalline type in terms of financial attractiveness. From the results of the preliminary study it was possible to select the optimal system configuration, which was used in the detailed sizing as a starting point. In this part the PVsyst simulations were run, which included full scale system design considering near shadings created by factory buildings. Additionally, more complex procedure of LCOE calculation has been used here considered insurances, maintenance, time value of money and possible cost reduction due to the system size. Two system options were proposed in final results; both cover the same area of 66000 m2. The first one represents an ordinary South faced design with 1.1 MW nominal power, which was optimized for the highest performance. According to PVsyst simulations, this system should produce 1108 MWh/year with the initial investment of 835,000 € and 0.056 €/kWh LCOE. The second option has an alternative East-West orientation, which allows to cover 80% of occupied ground and consequently have 6.6 MW PV nominal power. The system produces 5388 MWh/year costs about 4500,000 € and delivers electricity with the same price of 0.056 €/kWh. Even though the EW solution has 20% lower specific energy production, it benefits mainly from lower relative costs for inverters, mounting and annual maintenance expenses. After analyzing the performance results, among the two alternatives none of the systems showed a clear superiority so there was no optimal system proposed. Both, South and East-West solutions have own advantages and disadvantages in terms of energy production profile, configuration, installation and maintenance. Furthermore, the uncertainty due to cost figures assumptions restricted the results veracity.

A Meeting of East and West: Can Eastern-Influenced Therapies be Effective in the Treatment of Stress and Mood Disorders?

Given that the human brain is plastic and that structural alterations have been seen in monks who meditate on a regular basis, the question arises of whether these two facts are actually related. Furthermore, if this is in fact the case, would it be possible to apply these findings to the public? In this paper I will present the different conditions that induce neuroplasticity as well as give an overview of meditation and the ways that it is practiced nowadays. To this end I will argue that if monks are able to alter the structure of their brains and the brain is naturally inclined to heal itself then incorporating eastern practices, such as mindfulness and imagery, into western therapies could benefit patients suffering from mood disorders and, in particular, stress.

Kim Besio, Ziskind Professor of East Asian Studies

Kim Besio, Ziskind Professor of East Asian Studies