scholarly journals Biodiversity islands in the Savanna : analysis of the phytodiversity on termite mounds in northern Benin

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 3-14
Author(s):  
Ivana Kirchmair ◽  
Marco Schmidt ◽  
Georg Zizka ◽  
Arne Erpenbach ◽  
Karen Hahn
Keyword(s):  
Landscape Heterogeneity ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Termite Mounds ◽  
Savanna Vegetation ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
The Family ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Cotton Fields ◽  
Sub Saharan

Termite mounds represent abundant microhabitats of high biodiversity in tropical savanna ecosystems and are an important source of landscape heterogeneity in Sub–Saharan West Africa. Floristic composition as well as density, structure and zonation of plant cover on the mounds were investigated in northern Benin and compared to the adjacent savanna vegetation. A total of 57 abandoned and densely vegetated termite mounds of comparable size and similarly affected by erosion  located  in different types of savannas inside and outside of the W National Park and in cotton fields were studied. This study revealed that termitaria are special habitats differing in density, composition and structure from surrounding savannas. The plant cover of termite mounds showed a distinctive zonation. Succulents, geophytes, and lianas were much more abundant on mounds, the family Capparaceae was found exclusively on mounds. The floristic composition and vegetation on termitaria proved to be rather homogeneous; although those mounds located in cotton fields differed by higher abundance of Poaceae and lower species richness.

Transformation of African Farm-Cum-Family Structures

2014 ◽  
pp. 58-71
Author(s):  
Catherine Guirkinger ◽  
Jean-Philippe Platteau
Keyword(s):  
Economic Theory ◽  
Transformation Process ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Family Structures ◽  
The Family ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Farm Structures ◽  
Shed Light

This chapter examines the transformation of farm-cum-family structures in Africa and the forces that drive such a transformation process. It begins by reviewing the partial theories of individualization before turning to a discussion of a more general approach that explains family-and-farm structures in terms of the magnitude of land endowment and outside opportunities. Two different types of individualization of farms and families are considered: the emergence of mixed farm structures in which adult members of the family receive private plots that can be used for their own benefit during limited periods of time, and the splitting of the stem household into branch households that coincides with the division of the land and the granting of pre-mortem inheritance. The chapter concludes by illustrating how economic theory can shed light on the emergence of farm-cum-family forms in sub-Saharan Africa.

The vegetation on railway embankments of the Kursk region

2017 ◽  
pp. 3-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. A. Arepieva
Keyword(s):  
Plant Cover ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Zonal Vegetation ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Deductive Method ◽  
Urban Settlements ◽  
Direct Ordination ◽  
Ecological Specificity ◽  
New Syntaxa ◽  
Kursk Region

The present paper deals with the classification of the plant communities developed on the railway embankments in Kursk region. This type of vegetation is still poorly studied in Russia although some floristic information is available for various regions. Kursk region is located between 50°542–52°262 N and 34°052–38°312 E. Its area is 29 800 km2. Zonal vegetation is represented by broad-leaved forests on dark-gray forest soils and meadow steppes on chernozems. The vegetation of the railway embankments was being studied in Kursk region since 2003. Railway embankment sections were surveyed in the city of Kursk, the towns of Dmitriev, Lgov, Oboyan, Rylsk, Shchigry, and urban settlements of Konyshevka, Kshenskiy, Ponyri, Pristen. The upper parts of railway embankments, slopes and nearby sites, stations, and areas between roadbeds were studied. Classification according to Braun-Blanquet approach, with the use of “deductive method” (Kopeсký, Hejný, 1974), is based upon 120 relevés. The data were treated by software package IBIS 7.2 (Zverev, 2007). The names of the higher syntaxa are given according to “Vegetation of Europe…” (Mucina et al., 2016). Direct ordination of relevés by soil moisture and nitrogen content factors (scales after H. Ellenberg et al. (1992)) was conducted to distinguish ecological specificity of the communities on railway embankment and those outside railways. The vegetation of the urbanized territories under strong man impact in general and in particular around railway stations is highly diverse. The plant cover regularly destroyed by herbicides re-establishes in different ways depending on the distance from the stations. The mostly diverse are communities on the railway slopes wh ere the late successional stages are present due to the poorer pressure, These communities were compared with the undestroyed ones occurring beyond railways (Arepieva, 2015). Syntaxonomy of railway embankment vegetation in Kursk region includes 3 classes, 4 orders, 4 alliances, 9 associations, 2 subassociations, 4 variants and 3 communities. Phytocoenoses of the railway embankments are formed under specific conditions resulting in their floristic composition and structure being different from those beyond the railways due to the man impact, moisture, trophicity and substrate mechanical composition. The suggested syntaxonomy of the vegetation of railway embankments is not yet complete. New syntaxa would be established along with the data accumulation.

Variation in savanna vegetation on termite mounds in north-eastern Namibia

2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 559-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chisato Yamashina
Keyword(s):  
Woody Plants ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Salvadora Persica ◽  
Termite Mounds ◽  
Savanna Vegetation ◽  
Explanatory Factors ◽  
Soil Hardness ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Species Richness And Abundance ◽  
Micro Topography

Abstract:In savanna, termite mounds support more diverse vegetation than off-mound areas, but little is known of the patterns in plant assemblages on mounds. To explain vegetation differentiation between (1) component structures of termite mounds (conical centre vs. pediment), (2) active and inactive mounds (termites present vs. termites absent), and (3) sites on and off mounds (on mounds vs. surrounding savanna), species composition, richness and abundances of woody plants were recorded on 70 mounds and in 13 savanna plots (each 20 × 20 m) in north-eastern Namibia, focusing on soil hardness, mound status (active or not) and mound micro-topography as explanatory factors. Woody plants were absent from 33% of active mounds (54% of active cones) but were absent from only 5% of inactive mounds. Species richness and abundance per mound (mean ± SD) were lower on active mounds with (2.0 ± 1.8 and 4.6 ± 6.6, respectively) and without pediments (0.6 ± 0.6 and 0.9 ± 1.1, respectively) than on inactive mounds (4.4 ± 2.7, 19.4 ± 18.8, respectively). Despite the lower woody plant cover, some characteristic species, such as Salvadora persica, occurred preferentially on active mounds; this species occurred on 42% of active mounds. Mean soil hardness (± SD) was higher on conical parts of active mounds (4300 ± 2620 kPa) than on adjacent pediments (583 ± 328 kPa) and inactive mounds (725 ± 619 kPa). This study suggested that mound status, mound micro-topography, and soil hardness promote variability in the vegetation on mounds.

Pre-Linnaean pictures of the secretarybird, Sagittarius serpentarius (J. F. )

2008 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
RAGNAR K. KINZELBACH
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Careful Examination ◽  
Nile Valley ◽  
Rain Forests ◽  
Roman Emperor ◽  
Persian Language ◽  
The Family ◽  
Other Information ◽  
Sub Saharan

The secretarybird, the only species of the family Sagittariidae (Falconiformes), inhabits all of sub-Saharan Africa except the rain forests. Secretarybird, its vernacular name in many languages, may be derived from the Arabic “saqr at-tair”, “falcon of the hunt”, which found its way into French during the crusades. From the same period are two drawings of a “bistarda deserti” in a codex by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II (1194–1250). The original sketch obviously, together with other information on birds, came from the court of Sultan al-Kâmil (1180–1238) in Cairo. Careful examination led to an interpretation as Sagittarius serpentarius. Two archaeological sources and one nineteenth century observation strengthened the idea of a former occurrence of the secretarybird in the Egyptian Nile valley. André Thevet (1502–1590), a French cleric and reliable research traveller, described and depicted in 1558 a strange bird, named “Pa” in Persian language, from what he called Madagascar. The woodcut is identified as Sagittarius serpentarius. The text reveals East Africa as the real home of this bird, associated there among others with elephants. From there raises a connection to the tales of the fabulous roc, which feeds its offspring with elephants, ending up in the vernacular name of the extinct Madagascar ostrich as elephantbird.

The Arabic Origins of English and Indo-European “Definite Articles”: A Radical Linguistic Theory Approach

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 26
Author(s):  
Zaidan Ali Jassem
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Method ◽  
Linguistic Theory ◽  
General Level ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Tree Model ◽  
Linguistic Change ◽  
European Languages ◽  
The Family ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Definite Articles

This paper traces the Arabic origins or cognates of the “definite articles” in English and Indo-European languages from a radical linguistic (or lexical root) theory perspective. The data comprises the definite articles in English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian, Latin, Greek, Macedonian, Russian, Polish, Sanskrit, Hindi, Bengali, Persian, and Arabic. The results clearly indicate that five different types of such articles emerged in the data, all of which have true Arabic cognates with the same or similar forms and meanings, whose differences are due to natural and plausible causes and different routes of linguistic change, especially lexical, semantic, or morphological shift. Therefore, the results support the adequacy of the radical linguistic theory according to which, unlike the Family Tree Model or Comparative Method, Arabic, English, German, French, Latin, Greek, and Sanskrit not only belong to the same language family, renamed Eurabian or Urban family, but also are dialects of the same language, with Arabic being their origin all because only it shares the whole cognates with them all and because it has a huge phonetic, morphological, grammatical, and lexical variety. They also manifest fundamental flaws and grave drawbacks which plague English and Indo-European lexicography for ignoring Arabic as an ultimate ancestor and progenitor not only in the treatment of the topic at hand but in all others in general. On a more general level, they also show that there is a radical language from which all human languages stemmed and which has been preserved almost intact in Arabic, thus being the most conservative and productive language

Geobotanical studies at the Caucasus: a review of materials of the International Conference “Flora and conservation in the Caucasus: history and current state of knowledge” (Pyatigorsk, May 22–25, 2019)

2019 ◽  
pp. 91-94
Author(s):  
T. M. Lysenko ◽  
V. Yu. Neshatayeva ◽  
Z. V. Dutova
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Aquatic Vegetation ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Wide Field ◽  
The Caucasus ◽  
International Conference ◽  
Rare And Endangered Species ◽  
Current State

The International conference “Flora and conservation in the Caucasus: history and current state of knowledge” dedicated to the 130-year anniversary of the Perkalsky Arboretum took place at 22–25 of May 2019 in Pyatigorsk (Stavropol Territory) on the base of the Pyatigorsk Museum of local lore and natural history. The participants were from 11 cities of Russia and 7 Republics of the Caucasus and represented 14 institutions. Proceedings of the conference were published by the beginning of the meeting the book of abstracts includes 49 papers on the study of vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens and fungi, plant communities, as well as the protection of rare and endangered species, unique plant communities, and ecological problems in the Caucasus. The following geobotanical topics were highlighted in 13 papers: forest communities (3 reports), meadow and steppe vegetation (2), xeric open forests (2), communities of ecotone areas (1), structure of populations of rare plant species (3), as well as the history and current status of nature protected areas (2). The great emphasis has been focused on the study of floristic composition and plant populations. Thus, the conference showed that very few studies от vegetation are currently carried out in the Caucasus, and a lot of districts are not affected by the research. The greatest attention is paid to forest vegetation while meadow, steppe, alpine heath and xerophytic communities are studied rather poorly. Besides, there are “white spots” — mire, floodplain and aquatic vegetation. In nowadays, when the anthropogenic impact on the plant cover of the Caucasus is intensively increasing, it is especially important to study natural undisturbed communities preserved in protected natural areas. Another important issue is the conservation of the unique vegetation cover of the whole Caucasus. Thus, the study of vegetation of this region opens a wide field for researchers using various methods of modern plant science.

scholarly journals Comparison of viromes in vaginal secretion from pregnant women with and without vaginitis

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
He-Teng Zhang ◽  
Hao Wang ◽  
Hai-Sheng Wu ◽  
Jian Zeng ◽  
Yan Yang
Keyword(s):  
Human Papillomavirus ◽  
Bacterial Community ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Sequence Comparison ◽  
Pairwise Sequence Comparison ◽  
Vaginal Secretion ◽  
The Family ◽  
Complete Genomes ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Vaginal Tract

Abstract Background Although some studies have investigated the bacterial community in vaginal tract of pregnant women, there are few reports about the viral community (virome) in this type of microenvironment. Methods To investigate the composition of virome in vaginal secretion samples, 40 vaginal secretion samples from pregnant women with vaginitis and 20 vaginal secretion samples from pregnant women without vaginitis, pooled into 4 and 2 sample pools, respectively, were subjected to viral metagenomic analysis. Results Results indicated virus sequences showing similarity to human papillomavirus (HPV), anellovirus, and norovirus were recovered from this cohort of pregnant women. Further analysis indicated that 15 different defined types and one unclassified type of HPV were detected from pregnant women with vaginitis while only 3 defined types of HPV were detected in pregnant women without vaginitis. Five different groups of viruses from the family Anelloviridae were present in pregnant women with but none of them were detected in pregnant women without vaginitis. Norovirus was detected in 3 out of the 4 sample pools from pregnant women with vaginitis but none in the pregnant women without vaginitis. Twelve complete genomes belonging to 10 different types of HPV, and 5 novel anllovirus genomes belonging 2 different genera in Anelloviridae were acquired from these libraries, based on which phylogenetical analysis and pairwise sequence comparison were performed. Phageome in these samples was also briefly characterized and compared between two groups. Conclusion Our data suggested that virome might play an important role in the progression of vaginitis in pregnant women.

A REVISED GENERIC SYNOPSIS OF HYACINTHACEAE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA, BASED ON MOLECULAR EVIDENCE, INCLUDING NEW COMBINATIONS AND THE NEW TRIBE PSEUDOPROSPEREAE

2003 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 533-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. MANNING ◽  
P. GOLDBLATT ◽  
M. F. FAY
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Molecular Evidence ◽  
New Combinations ◽  
Generic Level ◽  
The Family ◽  
Molecular Phylogenetic ◽  
Single Genus ◽  
New Tribe ◽  
Sub Saharan

A revised generic synopsis of sub-Saharan Hyacinthaceae is presented, based on a molecular phylogenetic analysis of the family. Generic rank is accorded only to reciprocally monophyletic clades that can be distinguished by recognizable morphological discontinuities, thereby permitting an appropriate generic assignment of species not included in the analysis. Three subfamilies are recognized within the region. Subfamily Ornithogaloideae, characterized by flattened or angular seeds with tightly adhering testa, is considered to include the single genus Ornithogalum, which is expanded to include the genera Albuca, Dipcadi, Galtonia, Neopatersonia and Pseudogaltonia. Recognizing any of these segregates at generic level renders the genus Ornithogalum polyphyletic, while subdivision of Ornithogalum into smaller, morphologically distinguishable segregates in order to preserve the monophyly of each is not possible. Subfamily Urgineoideae, characterized by flattened or winged seeds with brittle, loosely adhering testa, comprises the two mainland African genera Bowiea and Drimia. The latter is well circumscribed by its deciduous, short-lived perianth and includes the previously recognized genera Litanthus, Rhadamanthus, Schizobasis and Tenicroa. The monotypic Madagascan Igidia is provisionally included in the subfamily as a third genus on the basis of its seeds, pending molecular confirmation of its relationships. Subfamily Hyacinthoideae resolves into three clades, distinguished as tribes Hyacintheae (strictly northern hemisphere and not treated further), Massonieae and Pseudoprospereae tribus nov. Full descriptions and a key to their identification are provided for all genera. New combinations reflecting the generic circumscriptions adopted here are made for most African and all Indian and Madagascan species.

scholarly journals 431 - DEMENTIA IN PRIMARY CARE AND DOCTOR-PATIENT-CARER INTERACTIONS: PRELIMINARY FINDINGS

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (S1) ◽  
pp. 147-147
Author(s):  
Conceição Balsinha ◽  
Steve Iliffe ◽  
Sónia Dias ◽  
Manuel Gonçalves-Pereira
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Family Carer ◽  
Family Carers ◽  
Medical Encounter ◽  
Triadic Interactions ◽  
Patient Interactions ◽  
The Family ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Third Person ◽  
Ongoing Project

INTRODUCTION: Primary care visits of persons with dementia involve different types of communication, bringing together the patient, the family carer and the general practitioner (GP). A particular challenge is the necessary involvement of a third person (the carer) in patient-doctor encounters (or the patient in carer-doctor encounters, as dementia advances). These triad dynamics should be better understood, as health outcomes are expected to result from or be mediated by them.OBJECTIVE: Our aim is to explore triadic dynamics in Portuguese primary care consultations with persons with dementia, their family carers and GPs.METHODS: This is the first part of an ongoing project (Dementia in Primary Care: the Patient, the Carer and the Doctor in the Medical Encounter - Bayer Investigation Grant | NOVAsaúde Ageing 2018). Consultations with persons with dementia, their carers and GPs (purposive sampling) are audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. We report the analysis of interactions of the first six consultations, using NVIVO® software.RESULTS: The most frequent type of interaction was between GPs and carers, followed by interactions involving the whole triad. The patients who had more recent relationships with their GPs tended to participate less, irrespective of the stage of dementia. Carers were the ones most often initiating triadic interactions, and GPs the ones most often terminating them by directly addressing the patients. Doctor-carers interactions were very sparse in some consultations.DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: These preliminary findings suggest that doctor-patient interactions may be limited in a number of GPs’ consultations, seemingly compromising patient-centred approaches. Nevertheless, even when GPs were involved in triadic interactions they often tried to address the patient directly. We are looking forward to complete this part of the project: to our knowledge, there is practically no evidence from live-recorded primary care consultations about these triadic dynamics.

Disability in Schizophrenic Disorders

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (S1) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
J. Wancata ◽  
M. Freidl ◽  
F. Friedrich ◽  
T. Matschnig ◽  
A. Unger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Subjective Burden ◽  
Social Contacts ◽  
Mothers And Fathers ◽  
Duration Of Illness ◽  
The Family ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Icd 10 ◽  
The Mean

Aims:The purpose of this study was to investigate disability among patients suffering from schizophrenia and to identify predictors of disability.Methods:101 patients from different types of psychiatric services in Vienna and diagnosed with schizophrenia according to ICD-10 were included. They were investigates by means of 36-Item self-administered version of the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHO-DAS-II) and the PANSS-scale. Patients’ mothers and fathers were asked to fill in the Family Problem Questionnaire.Results:The mean total score of the WHO-DAS-II was 74.1 (SD 21.9). When using weighted sub-scores the highest disability scores were found for social contacts, participation in society and household (means 2.58, 2.57 and 2.51 respectively). Using logistic regression, overall disability was positively associated with patient's age, overall severity of symptoms (PANSS) and number of previous hospital admissions. Overall disability was not associated with duration of illness and or patient's gender. The subjective burden experienced by patients’ fathers and mothers were increased by reduced social contacts and impaired participation in society, while we could not find an association with other domains of patient's disability (understanding, mobility, self-care, household).Conclusions:This study shows that schizophrenia results in disability in several domains. Family caregivers’ burden was predominantly increased by social consequences of schizophrenia.

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