The stereotype content model (SCM) proposes potentially universal principles of societal stereotypes and their relation to social structure. Here, the SCM reveals theoretically grounded, ...cross‐cultural, cross‐groups similarities and one difference across 10 non‐US nations. Seven European (individualist) and three East Asian (collectivist) nations (N=1,028) support three hypothesized cross‐cultural similarities: (a) perceived warmth and competence reliably differentiate societal group stereotypes; (b) many out‐groups receive ambivalent stereotypes (high on one dimension; low on the other); and (c) high status groups stereotypically are competent, whereas competitive groups stereotypically lack warmth. Data uncover one consequential cross‐cultural difference: (d) the more collectivist cultures do not locate reference groups (in‐groups and societal prototype groups) in the most positive cluster (high‐competence/high‐warmth), unlike individualist cultures. This demonstrates out‐group derogation without obvious reference‐group favouritism. The SCM can serve as a pancultural tool for predicting group stereotypes from structural relations with other groups in society, and comparing across societies.
Obesity and undernutrition co-exist in many regions of Mexico. However, accurate assessments are difficult because epidemiological data on body composition are not available. The aim of this study ...was to facilitate assessments of body composition in Mexican school children of different geographical regions and ethnicity by developing equations for bioelectrical impedance and anthropometry based on deuterium oxide dilution.
We evaluated 336 subjects (143 belonged to six major indigenous groups) from Northern, Central and Southern Mexico. We measured height (Ht), weight (Wt), tricipital skinfold (Tricp-SKF) and resistance (R) based on a bioimpedance analysis (BIA). Fat-free mass (FFM) and fat mass (FM) were estimated from measurements of total body water with the deuterium dilution technique.
The final BIA equation was FFM (kg)=0.661 × Ht²/R+0.200 × Wt-0.320. The R² was 0.96; the square root of the mean square error (SRMSE) was 1.39 kg. The final anthropometric equation was FM (kg)=-1.067 × sex+0.458 × Tricp-SKF+0.263 × Wt-5.407. The R² was 0.91; SRMSE was 1.60 kg. The BIA equation had a bias of 0.095 kg and precision of 1.43 kg. The anthropometric equation had a bias of 0.047 kg and precision of 1.58 kg.
We validated two equations for evaluating body composition in Mexican indigenous and non-indigenous children and youth from three main regions of the country. These equations provided reliable estimates and will promote a better understanding of both obesity and undernutrition.
Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a naturally occurring fatty acid which has anti-carcinogenic and anti-atherogenic properties. CLA activates PPAR alpha in liver, and shares functional similarities ...to ligands of PPAR gamma, the thiazolidinediones, which are potent insulin sensitizers. We provide the first evidence that CLA is able to normalize impaired glucose tolerance and improve hyperinsulinemia in the pre-diabetic ZDF rat. Additionally, dietary CLA increased steady state levels of aP2 mRNA in adipose tissue of fatty ZDF rats compared to controls, consistent with activation of PPAR gamma. The insulin sensitizing effects of CLA are due, at least in part, to activation of PPAR gamma since increasing levels of CLA induced a dose-dependent transactivation of PPAR gamma in CV-1 cells cotransfected with PPAR gamma and PPRE X 3-luciferase reporter construct. CLA effects on glucose tolerance and glucose homeostasis indicate that dietary CLA may prove to be an important therapy for the prevention and treatment of NIDDM.
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is associated with a higher risk of peptic ulcer and gastric cancer. The sole presence of the bacterium is not a determinant of clinical outcome, but rather the ...interaction of strain type and host factors determines the risk of disease. Our aim was to study the association between bacterial load, strain type, and gastric symptoms in H. pylori-positive subjects.
In a community survey, a diagnostic
C-urease breath test for H. pylori was performed on 302 volunteers that were not taking antibiotics, antacids, or proton pump inhibitors one month prior to the test. The breath test produced 25 H. pylori-positive subjects, between 25-74 years of age, who then took a gastric symptoms survey and were tested for the presence of the cagA genotype in gastric juice, using the Entero-test®. Bacterial load was determined as a measure of urease activity, utilizing the delta over baseline value, obtained in the
C-urea breath test.
A total of 48% of the H. pylori-positive subjects were cagA+. A positive association was found between cagA status and high gastric urease activity (P<.0001) and the latter was significantly associated with the presence of symptoms (P<.0001).
Gastric urease activity was strongly associated with dyspeptic symptoms and cagA+ H. pylori. Elevated
C-delta over baseline values could be used as indicators of a higher risk for gastric disease.
•We evaluated the effect of dietary CLA on immune response in PRRSV infected pigs.•Dietary CLA boost the TNF-α production in pigs infected with PRRSV.•Inflammation mediators and PPAR-γ were not ...affected by CLA in infected pigs.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on immune response in pigs infected with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). A total of 18 pigs 4 weeks of age were allocated to 3 treatments, 6 per treatment: 0% CLA, 1% CLA, and 2% CLA. Serum IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α; lymphocyte proliferation; and IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-10, IL-4 and IL-12 in PBMCs were evaluated. NF-κB, COX2, iNOS and PPAR-γ mRNA were also evaluated. No differences were observed among treatment groups in most of the in vivo cytokine profiles; only TNF-α production was increased in infected pigs in the CLA-supplemented groups. The cytokine profile in vitro was not affected by CLA supplementation. CLA decreased the proliferation of PBMCs stimulated with PRRSVs. Inflammation mediators and PPAR-γ were not affected by CLA in infected pigs. CLA did not improve the immune response of PRRSV infected pigs.
Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) inhibits carcinogenesis and atherosclerotic plaque formation and delays the onset of diabetes in experimental animals. Whereas a plethora of data has demonstrated ...beneficial effects in rodent models, little work has been done to determine the role of dietary CLA in human health. The ability of CLA to modulate lipid metabolism appears to be a pivotal mechanism of CLA's beneficial effects in mice and rats. In particular, dietary CLA induces the expression of genes dependent in part on the transcription factor, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR). Furthermore, several CLA isomers are high-affinity ligands and activators for PPARalpha. Within various rodent species and strains, dietary CLA exerts varying potencies; therefore, the differences in species' sensitivities are of great importance when trying to extrapolate the rodent data to be relevant in humans. This review presents the latest findings of the ability of CLA to alter lipid metabolism and gene expression in several different strains of mice and rats and speculates on the implications of these findings for human health.
This paper analyzes yield trends in 30 long-term experiments (LTEs) conducted at 24 sites with intensive rice monoculture or rice-upland crop systems in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia. The ...objectives of the analysis were to (1) investigate how widespread yield declines are in experiments with constant levels of input and (2) study the cross-sectional relationship between the magnitude of yield trends and the initial yield level in the experiment. In rice–rice (–rice) systems, yields in the most favorable climatic season (dry season) have remained stable in many LTEs conducted outside of IRRI, mostly at yield levels of 4–7
Mg
ha
−1 with recommended rates of N, P and K applied. Statistically significant yield declines at
p≤0.05 were observed in only two of 21 data sets outside of IRRI, although all three LTEs at IRRI showed yield declines. One dry season experiment showed a statistically significant yield increase. In the less favorable climatic season (wet season), only two of 14 data sets outside of IRRI showed a statistically significant declining yield trend, while three of four at IRRI showed statistically significant yield declines. In rice-upland crop (typically wheat) LTEs, a significant yield decline for rice was found in only one of ten data sets. For wheat, there were no statistically significant yield declines, although there was one statistically significant yield increase. There was a negative correlation between the magnitude of yield decline and the level of initial yields, but it was not statistically significant. The data suggest that while yield declines exist in some LTEs, they are less common than previously thought, particularly at moderate yield levels. Where yield declines occurred, they were related to soil properties affected by prolonged soil wetness or soil nutrient depletion.
In order to cope with the occupancy and radiation doses expected at the High-Luminosity LHC, the ATLAS experiment will replace its Inner Detector with an all-silicon Inner Tracker (ITk), consisting ...of pixel and strip subsystems.
In the last two years, several prototype ITk strip modules have been tested using beams of high energy electrons produced at the DESY-II testbeam facility. Tracking was provided by EUDET telescopes. The modules tested are built from two sensor types: the rectangular ATLAS17LS, which will be used in the outer layers of the central barrel region of the detector, and the annular ATLAS12EC, which will be used in the innermost ring (R0) of the forward region. Additionally, a structure with two R0 modules positioned back-to-back has been measured, demonstrating space point reconstruction using the stereo angle of the strips. Finally, one barrel and one R0 module have been measured after irradiation to 40% beyond the expected end-of-lifetime fluence. The data obtained allow for thorough tests of the module performance, including charge collection, noise occupancy, detection efficiency, and tracking performance. The results give confidence that the ITk strip detector will meet the requirements of the ATLAS experiment.
Previous studies have shown that the dietary fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acids (CLA), inhibit carcinogenesis in the colon, mammary gland, forestomach, and skin. Several properties of this ...chemoprotective polyunsaturated fatty acid suggest it will act as an hepatic peroxisome proliferator. This study evaluated the effect of dietary CLA on the accumulation of enzymes associated with peroxisome proliferation in rodent liver. Female SENCAR mice were fed one of four semipurified diets containing 5% corn oil without CLA (“control diet”) or supplemented with incremental levels of CLA (0.5%, 1.0% or 1.5% by weight of diets) for 6 weeks. Hepatic mRNA levels of several enzymes known to be induced during peroxisome proliferation i.e., acyl-CoA oxidase (ACO), cytochrome P4504A1 (CYP4A1), and liver fatty acid binding protein (FABP) were measured by quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Diets containing 0.5%, 1.0% or 1.5% CLA were associated with approximately 6-, 9-, and 9-fold increases in ACO mRNA, respectively, compared with mRNA levels in mice fed the control diet. The steady state levels of FABP and CYP4A1 mRNA accumulation were maximal in animals fed 1.0% CLA diets and less magnified in mice fed 1.5% CLA diets. Western blot analysis revealed that the relative abundance of ACO protein in livers of mice fed CLA-containing diet groups (0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5% CLA) were 2.5, 3.0, and 3.0 times the level ACO protein of mice fed the control diet (0.0% CLA). Because most peroxisome proliferators are considered nongenotoxic hepatocarcinogens in rodents, the effect of dietary CLA on ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity, a measure of cell proliferation and tumor promotion, was quantified. Activity on hepatic ODC was increased by approximately 10-fold for mice fed 1.0% and 1.5% diets, respectively, compared with those fed the control or 0.5% CLA diets. These data suggest that CLA displays the typical peroxisome proliferation response, i.e., induction of ACO, CYP4A1 and FABP accumulation and cell proliferation in rodent liver.
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