Traditional knowledge of plants and their properties always has been transmitted from generation to generation through the natural path of everyday life. Food habits of the indigenous population across the globe are v...Traditional knowledge of plants and their properties always has been transmitted from generation to generation through the natural path of everyday life. Food habits of the indigenous population across the globe are very abnormal when compared to that of civilized people. The forest related tribal scientific studies of edible wild plants are extremely constructive to know the nutritional values of the forest indigenous foods and help to eliminate the malnutrition problems in vulnerable group. The existing study was undertaken with an intention and documented 34 exceptional plant species belonging to 15 families with their medicinal values, taxonomical names and nutritional profile. Among the 34 indigenous plant foods, the frequently available and consumed plant foods by particularly vulnerable tribal group Chenchu tribes were selected for nutritional investigation including proximate composition, mineral and vitamin analysis. Results show that the nutritional values of the edible indigenous plant foods are prominent compared to frequently consumed foods available in market. The present study observed that the conventional and nutritional information on wild plant foods is on sharp decline. Unless efforts are made to educate the present generations about the importance of these foods, which may be lost in near future. These studies could contribute significantly to Government policies to improve food security and helps to progress health and nutritional status in marginally deprived tribal communities in India, and in the enhancement of wild vegetable status, whose potential as sources of nutrition is currently undervalued.展开更多
This paper discusses the relations between mass media and urban tribes, by Stafford Beer＇s viable system model （VSM）. During 1950-2010, the influence of media and advertising over individual decision-making process...This paper discusses the relations between mass media and urban tribes, by Stafford Beer＇s viable system model （VSM）. During 1950-2010, the influence of media and advertising over individual decision-making processes has deepened of age range to which have targeted advertising and expanded for Western world, leading the culture diversity, naturally given, toward only one standardized culture prevailing nowadays. In the 1960s they were the women, then the young people during 1970s, and then children in the 1980s and during the 1990s over early childhood, when we learnt to speak （3 years old）, achieving brand loyalty among very young children and the brands of products for this age group. From this perspective, urban tribes have taken control of the lives of young people, offering a false freedom, at the moment of choosing ＂How to be yourself＂ from options given in the market as a ＂catalogue of predesigned identities＂. A phenomenon is so complex, so it requires a holistic framework able to make explicit its components and relations between them and the relationship with internal and external environment. In particular, the VSM provides a way to analyze communication＇s problems thus clarifying： how, when and where, repair and controlling into the organization, identifying strategies to improve decision-making. Given the recursive nature of the VSM, it is possible to navigate within the phenomenon, through different recursions＇ levels. It will help to define more assertive and effective policies by health authorities, education and government in general, and also help someone among young people to see themselves inside of a dynamic consumption and thus can leave the domain and enter into a recta-domain, with more wisdom and consciousness.展开更多
The tribal people depend on forests for their livelihood and most of the rural people still depend on traditional medicine as a primary healthcare source. The paper highlights the rich plant resources and the vast wea...The tribal people depend on forests for their livelihood and most of the rural people still depend on traditional medicine as a primary healthcare source. The paper highlights the rich plant resources and the vast wealth of ethnobotanical information available with the various tribes of the region. In this paper, some new and less known ethno medicinal uses of 104 plants of tribes of Dantewada, Dakshin Bastar C.G. in different ailments have been reported. The main objective of present work is to give the information and documentation of medicinal plant used by tribal of the study sites. The ethnomedicinal information was gathered from interviews with living elders belonging to Madiya, Muriya, Gond and Bhatra tribes of the study area. The present work on ethnomedicinal plants, used in the healthcare systems of tribes in 15 villages, was carried out from Geedam block of Dantewada, Dakshin Bastar C.G.展开更多
The purpose of this study was aimed to analyze the effect of indigenous people’s perceived impact of tourism development on tribal quality of life and the support attitude toward tourism development. The research sub...The purpose of this study was aimed to analyze the effect of indigenous people’s perceived impact of tourism development on tribal quality of life and the support attitude toward tourism development. The research subjects were indigenous people who were at least 20 years old and came from one of eight Alishan tribes in Taiwan. This study conducted an investigation by random sampling, a total of 850 questionnaires were distributed and obtained 827 valid questionnaires. The valid return rate was 97.29%. Statistical analysis was performed on the valid questionnaires using descriptive statistics and partial least squares (PLS). According to the analytical result, Alishan indigenous people feel the negative environmental impact brought by tourism is the highest, but in terms of quality of life, they also maintain of nature and culture. When the positive economic, environmental, and sociocultural impact of tourism is higher, tribal quality of life and indigenous people’s support attitude toward tourism development will be more significant;however, when the negative economic, environmental, and sociocultural tourism impact is higher, tribal quality of life will be lower and indigenous people will tend to resist tourism development. Quality of life was found to be a moderator between tourism impact and support attitude toward development. This study proposed suggestions for indigenous tribes and the government to develop the tourism sector and introduced specific research directions for future tribal tourism researchers.展开更多
1 A rare white bison calf,celebrated by Native American communities since its birth in Yellowstone National Park,has not been seen since June,according to the National Park Service.The calf was born on June 4 in Lamar...1 A rare white bison calf,celebrated by Native American communities since its birth in Yellowstone National Park,has not been seen since June,according to the National Park Service.The calf was born on June 4 in Lamar Valley and was captured on camera by visitors and photographers.Its photos quickly spread online,capturing the hearts of social media users and Native American tribes who consider the animal sacred.展开更多
An ethno-medicinal investigation was conducted to highlights the traditional knowledge of medicinal plants being used by the tribe in West and South district of Tripura. This paper provides information about the diffe...An ethno-medicinal investigation was conducted to highlights the traditional knowledge of medicinal plants being used by the tribe in West and South district of Tripura. This paper provides information about the different uses of plants used in their primary health care system. Tripura is a small north-eastern state of India and also a part of both Himalayan and Indo-Burma biodiversity region. It is a goldmine of medicinal plants and use of different plants in tribal traditional heath care systems has long history. Nineteen different tribes in Tripura, depend on natural resources at a great extent. This paper documented 113 medicinal plant species from 56 families along with their botanical name, local name, family name, habit, medicinal parts used, and traditional usage of application. The dominant families are Euphorbiaceae （7 species）, Apocynaceae （6 species）, Fabaceae and Rubiaceae （5 species each）, Caesalpiniaceae, Asteraceae, Liliaceae and Verbenaceae （4 species each）, Combretaceae, Labiatae, Malvaceae, Rutaceae and Zingiberaceae （3 species each）. Tribes of Tripura have rich traditional knowledge on plant based medicine. Different parts of the plants in crude form/plant extracts/decoctions/infusion or pastes are employed in diverse veterinary and human diseases by the tribe＇s of Tripura in daily life.展开更多
Background: The Tubu are nomadic people who live in remote parts of the central Sahara, primarily in the Tibesti massif(Chad), and in both Northeastern Niger and Southern Libya. All of these areas are close to become ...Background: The Tubu are nomadic people who live in remote parts of the central Sahara, primarily in the Tibesti massif(Chad), and in both Northeastern Niger and Southern Libya. All of these areas are close to become conflict zones. However, no data about the Tubu's health and sanitary status are currently available, which would be of major concern if humanitarian interventions would become required.Methods: In 1970, the "Mission Anthropologique Belge au Niger"(MABN) investigated a Tubu tribe named Broaya that lived at Seguedine and Djado on the northeastern rim of the Tenere desert. One hundred fifty-one adult volunteers answered an oral questionnaire and underwent a medical examination, followed by the collection of blood thin films and samples of urine and stool. The environmental fauna of medical importance was also studied.Results: Albeit 43 year-old, these results have not been previously published. The estimated age of death for fathers was approximately 56 years, and that for mothers was 60 years. On average, each married woman had had 4.7 children. The overall perinatal mortality rate was 232 ‰, the overall infant mortality rate was 153 ‰, and the overall child mortality rate was 99 ‰. The mean height was 164.1 cm and 157.4 cm, the mean weight was 50.1 kg and 47.9kg, and the mean blood pressure was 131/78 mm Hg and 127/75 mm Hg for males and females, respectively. The physical examination found 6 cases of blindness(4.0%). Five subjects presented with an elevated blood pressure(3.3%), and 5(3.3%) displayed an abnormal thoracic auscultation evocative of tuberculosis or of an acute lung infection. The abdominal examination and renal palpation found 5 large masses(3.3%), and 2 subjects had a palpable enlarged spleen(1.3%). The blood thin films were fixed in methanol and subsequently examined in Toulouse. The search for blood parasites was negative. The urine samples were centrifuged and then microscopically examined in the field. No blood-fluke eggs were found. The stool samples were mixed with a preservative MIF solution and then stored to be examined later in Toulouse. Three subjects(2%) passed E. histolytica/E. dispar cysts in stools, 16(10.6%) were parasitized with Giardia sp. and 4(2.65%) were parasitized with Hymelepis nana. Two specimens of scorpions captured in the camp were subsequently identified as belonging to the harmful genus Androctonus or Leiurus. An investigation into the freshwater fauna was conducted in the marshy ponds surrounding the ghost city of Djado, and no intermediate snail hosts for schistosomiasis haematobium were found. Numerous nymphs of Ceratopogonidae, which are possible vectors for arboviruses of veterinarian importance, were collected, as were larvae and nymphs from two anopheline species, Anopheles hispaniola and An. multicolor, which are not efficient vectors for malaria.Conclusions: Infection-related blindness and trachoma, along with acute pulmonary infections and probably tuberculosis were the major health burden in this tribe. The harsh dry and hot climate may explain the low prevalence of soil-transmitted protozoan diseases or helminthiases.展开更多
Sense-oriented reasoning （SOR） was analyzed by comparing the reasoning of tribal and modem societies on a specific subject, the conception and birth of a child. Tribal societies have beliefs, which are difficult to ...Sense-oriented reasoning （SOR） was analyzed by comparing the reasoning of tribal and modem societies on a specific subject, the conception and birth of a child. Tribal societies have beliefs, which are difficult to understand by modem societies. Their reasoning becomes understandable only when considering that their observations are limited to the macrocosm. Modem societies have access to the microcosm with a microscope, where different biological mechanisms for the conception of a child were discovered. Since the tribes＇ macroscopical observations were different, their conclusions became necessarily different. The inheritance problem can only be solved by genes at the microscopic level, to which tribal societies had no access. With observations limited to the macrocosm, tribes logically invoked invisible child-spirits of ancestors wanting to be reincarnated in children of the same tribe. Besides the different access to observation, the reasoning of both societies is similar and built around the investigation of a final sense. Reasoning progresses after a phase without any quest for sense through three progressive levels： （1） primary sense, （2） corrected sense, and （3） verified sense. In tribal societies, reasoning is interrupted at the primary sense level when it seems consistent with their general beliefs and traditions. This resembles coherentist theories of epistemic justification, in which justification is only a function of coherence between beliefs. Tribal societies realize the input problem of these theories, since they have no access to the microcosm and also illustrate the Gettier problem. Modem societies progress to the higher levels of corrected and verified sense reasoning, even if inconsistent with their prior beliefs. They initially imagined genes as a hypothetic missing link for inheritance, which relies on a start observation concerning the character of ancestors to the target observation, the similarity with the character of children. If the missing link is definitely verified, it shows a chain of justified beliefs between both observations, allowing the initially hypothetic missing link to be retrospectively considered as the real cause. The SOR of modem societies resembles the extemalist version of foundationalism of epistemic justification, in which the necessary non-inferential justification is represented by the target observation.展开更多
The study was focused on edible mushrooms consumed by the ethnic inhabitants of Tripura,northeast India.Three mushrooms namely Lentinus squarrosulus,Lentinus tuber-regium and Macrocybe gigantea were evaluated quantita...The study was focused on edible mushrooms consumed by the ethnic inhabitants of Tripura,northeast India.Three mushrooms namely Lentinus squarrosulus,Lentinus tuber-regium and Macrocybe gigantea were evaluated quantitatively for proximate composition and mineral nutrients.In addition,the efficacy of the mycelial extract was tested for antimicrobial activity against the bacteria.The results of this study indicated that mushrooms were rich in protein and carbohydrate with low fat content.Macrocybe gigantea proved to the best source of protein and carbohydrate among the three mushrooms.There were varied amount of micronutrients recorded in all the three mushrooms.The antimicrobial activity of mycelial extract of M.gigantea was found against all the tested strains of bacteria.The study suggested that these mushrooms are rich in nutrients particularly M.gigantea which could be used as an alternative source of vegetarian food to the ethnic people of Tripura.The antimicrobial activity exhibited by these mushrooms indicated their medicinal properties.展开更多
Living gymnosperms comprise four major groups:cycads,Ginkgo,conifers,and gnetophytes.Relationships among/within these lineages have not been fully resolved.Next generation sequencing has made available a large number ...Living gymnosperms comprise four major groups:cycads,Ginkgo,conifers,and gnetophytes.Relationships among/within these lineages have not been fully resolved.Next generation sequencing has made available a large number of sequences,including both plastomes and single-copy nuclear genes,for reconstruction of solid phylogenetic trees.Recent advances in gymnosperm phylogenomic studies have updated our knowledge of gymnosperm systematics.Here,we review major advances of gymnosperm phylogeny over the past 10 years and propose an updated classification of extant gymnosperms.This new classification includes three classes(Cycadopsida,Ginkgoopsida,and Pinopsida),five subclasses(Cycadidae,Ginkgoidae,Cupressidae,Pinidae,and Gnetidae),eight orders(Cycadales,Ginkgoales,Araucariales,Cupressales,Pinales,Ephedrales,Gnetales,and Welwitschiales),13 families,and 86 genera.We also described six new tribes including Acmopyleae Y.Yang,Austrocedreae Y.Yang,Chamaecyparideae Y.Yang,Microcachrydeae Y.Yang,Papuacedreae Y.Yang,and Prumnopityeae Y.Yang,and made 27 new combinations in the genus Sabina.展开更多
Objective:To screen the antimicrobial potential of three ethnomedicinal plants Chassalia curviflora Thw.(C.curviflora),Cyclea peltata Hook.F.& Thomson(C.peltata) and Euphorbia hirta L(E.hirta) used in folk medicin...Objective:To screen the antimicrobial potential of three ethnomedicinal plants Chassalia curviflora Thw.(C.curviflora),Cyclea peltata Hook.F.& Thomson(C.peltata) and Euphorbia hirta L(E.hirta) used in folk medicines in Aarukani hills Kani tribe,Tamil Nadu,India against human bacterial pathogens.Methods:Antibacterial efficacy was performed by disc diffusion method against the pathogens viz.,Escherichia coli(E.coli)(ATCC 35218),Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus)(ATCC 6538),Salmonella typhi(S.typhi)(MTCC 733),Proteus vulgaris(P.vulgaris), Proteus mirabilis(P.mirabilis) and Streptococcus pyogenes(S.pyogenes) and incubated for 24 h at 37°C.Results:The maximum degree of antibacterial activity was observed in C.peltata followed by C.curviflora.While E.hirta showed comparatively low degree of antibacterial activity.The methanolic extract of C.peltata showed the antibacterial activity against three pathogens viz.,S.pyogenes,P.vulgaris and E.coli with the inhibition zones 12 mm,10 mm and 9 mm,respectively,hexane extracts of C.peltata also showed the antibacterial activity against two selected pathogens viz.,P.vulgaris and P.mirabilis with 15 mm and 12 mm of inhibition zones.All the three different concentrations(025,0.50 & 0.75 mg/mL) of methanolic extract of C. peltata show the inhibitory effect on the three susceptible bacteria S.pyogenes,P.vulgaris and E. coli with the maximum inhibition in the highest concentration(0.75 mg/mL).The methanolic and hexane extracts of C.curviflora exhibited the antibacterial activity against only one bacterium each i.e.P.vulgaris and S.typhi with the maximum zone of inhibition 13 and 11 mm respectively. The methanolic and hexane extracts of E.hirta exhibited the antibacterial activity against only one bacterium Le.S.pyogenes with the maximum zone of inhibition 13 and 11 mm respectively. Conclusions:The present investigation revealed that the C.curviflora,C.peltata and E.hirta are potentially good source of antibacterial agents and demonstrates the importance of such plants in traditional medicines.展开更多
Traditionally, Atraphaxis, Calligonum, Pteropyrum and Parapteropyrum are included in the tribe Atraphxideae. Recently, sequence data has revealed that this tribe is not monophyletic. The structure of the tribe was exa...Traditionally, Atraphaxis, Calligonum, Pteropyrum and Parapteropyrum are included in the tribe Atraphxideae. Recently, sequence data has revealed that this tribe is not monophyletic. The structure of the tribe was examined by adding more taxa and sequences to clarify the congruence between morphology and molecular phylogeny, the systematic placements of four genera in Polygonaceae, as well as the infra-generic relationships of Atraphaxis and Calligonum within Atraphaxideae. Five chloroplast genes, atpB-rbcL, psbA-trnH, trnL-tmF, psbK-psbl, and rbcL of Atraphaxis, Calligonum, Pteropyrum, and Parapteropyrum were sequenced. The non-monophyly of Atraphaxideae was confirmed. Atraphaxis and Calligonum, respectively, formed a monophyletic group that was well supported. Calligonum is closely related to Pteropyrum; Atraphaxis is sister to Polygonum s. str. and Parapteropyrum is allied with Fagopyrum. Although the morphology suggested the four genera should form a tribe, the molecular data indicated Atraphaxideae was not one monophyletic group. The clades identified within Atraphaxis corresponded well with the current sectional classification based on morphological features. As for Cal- ligonum, Medusa was identified as a non-monophyletic section.展开更多
An ethno-medicinal investigation was conducted to understand the traditional knowledge of medicinal plants being used by the Maninuri tribe in Bangladesh. The present study was done through structured questionnaires i...An ethno-medicinal investigation was conducted to understand the traditional knowledge of medicinal plants being used by the Maninuri tribe in Bangladesh. The present study was done through structured questionnaires in consultations with the tribal practitioners. A total 32 plant species belonging to 26 families and 29 genera were found to use for Curing 37 ailments. Results show that the use of aboveground plant parts was higher （86%） than the underground plant parts （14%）. Leaf was used in the majority of cases for medicinal preparation （17 species） followed by bark, fruit, root/rhizome, whole plant, seed and flower. Among the 32 plant species, they were mainly used to treat dysentery （10 species）, followed by fever and rheumatism （5 species each）; asthma, constipation, wounds and skin diseases （4 species each）; cold ailments, cough and diarrhea （3 species each）. The study revealed that 72% plant species investigated were used to cure more than one ailment. About 75% medicinal plants were taken orally followed by externally （9%） and both orally and externally （16%）. The study thus underscores the potentials of the ethno-botanical research and the need for the documentation of indigenous healthcare knowledge pertaining to the medicinal plant utilization for the greater benefit of mankind.展开更多
文摘Traditional knowledge of plants and their properties always has been transmitted from generation to generation through the natural path of everyday life. Food habits of the indigenous population across the globe are very abnormal when compared to that of civilized people. The forest related tribal scientific studies of edible wild plants are extremely constructive to know the nutritional values of the forest indigenous foods and help to eliminate the malnutrition problems in vulnerable group. The existing study was undertaken with an intention and documented 34 exceptional plant species belonging to 15 families with their medicinal values, taxonomical names and nutritional profile. Among the 34 indigenous plant foods, the frequently available and consumed plant foods by particularly vulnerable tribal group Chenchu tribes were selected for nutritional investigation including proximate composition, mineral and vitamin analysis. Results show that the nutritional values of the edible indigenous plant foods are prominent compared to frequently consumed foods available in market. The present study observed that the conventional and nutritional information on wild plant foods is on sharp decline. Unless efforts are made to educate the present generations about the importance of these foods, which may be lost in near future. These studies could contribute significantly to Government policies to improve food security and helps to progress health and nutritional status in marginally deprived tribal communities in India, and in the enhancement of wild vegetable status, whose potential as sources of nutrition is currently undervalued.
文摘This paper discusses the relations between mass media and urban tribes, by Stafford Beer＇s viable system model （VSM）. During 1950-2010, the influence of media and advertising over individual decision-making processes has deepened of age range to which have targeted advertising and expanded for Western world, leading the culture diversity, naturally given, toward only one standardized culture prevailing nowadays. In the 1960s they were the women, then the young people during 1970s, and then children in the 1980s and during the 1990s over early childhood, when we learnt to speak （3 years old）, achieving brand loyalty among very young children and the brands of products for this age group. From this perspective, urban tribes have taken control of the lives of young people, offering a false freedom, at the moment of choosing ＂How to be yourself＂ from options given in the market as a ＂catalogue of predesigned identities＂. A phenomenon is so complex, so it requires a holistic framework able to make explicit its components and relations between them and the relationship with internal and external environment. In particular, the VSM provides a way to analyze communication＇s problems thus clarifying： how, when and where, repair and controlling into the organization, identifying strategies to improve decision-making. Given the recursive nature of the VSM, it is possible to navigate within the phenomenon, through different recursions＇ levels. It will help to define more assertive and effective policies by health authorities, education and government in general, and also help someone among young people to see themselves inside of a dynamic consumption and thus can leave the domain and enter into a recta-domain, with more wisdom and consciousness.
文摘The tribal people depend on forests for their livelihood and most of the rural people still depend on traditional medicine as a primary healthcare source. The paper highlights the rich plant resources and the vast wealth of ethnobotanical information available with the various tribes of the region. In this paper, some new and less known ethno medicinal uses of 104 plants of tribes of Dantewada, Dakshin Bastar C.G. in different ailments have been reported. The main objective of present work is to give the information and documentation of medicinal plant used by tribal of the study sites. The ethnomedicinal information was gathered from interviews with living elders belonging to Madiya, Muriya, Gond and Bhatra tribes of the study area. The present work on ethnomedicinal plants, used in the healthcare systems of tribes in 15 villages, was carried out from Geedam block of Dantewada, Dakshin Bastar C.G.
文摘The purpose of this study was aimed to analyze the effect of indigenous people’s perceived impact of tourism development on tribal quality of life and the support attitude toward tourism development. The research subjects were indigenous people who were at least 20 years old and came from one of eight Alishan tribes in Taiwan. This study conducted an investigation by random sampling, a total of 850 questionnaires were distributed and obtained 827 valid questionnaires. The valid return rate was 97.29%. Statistical analysis was performed on the valid questionnaires using descriptive statistics and partial least squares (PLS). According to the analytical result, Alishan indigenous people feel the negative environmental impact brought by tourism is the highest, but in terms of quality of life, they also maintain of nature and culture. When the positive economic, environmental, and sociocultural impact of tourism is higher, tribal quality of life and indigenous people’s support attitude toward tourism development will be more significant;however, when the negative economic, environmental, and sociocultural tourism impact is higher, tribal quality of life will be lower and indigenous people will tend to resist tourism development. Quality of life was found to be a moderator between tourism impact and support attitude toward development. This study proposed suggestions for indigenous tribes and the government to develop the tourism sector and introduced specific research directions for future tribal tourism researchers.
文摘1 A rare white bison calf,celebrated by Native American communities since its birth in Yellowstone National Park,has not been seen since June,according to the National Park Service.The calf was born on June 4 in Lamar Valley and was captured on camera by visitors and photographers.Its photos quickly spread online,capturing the hearts of social media users and Native American tribes who consider the animal sacred.
文摘An ethno-medicinal investigation was conducted to highlights the traditional knowledge of medicinal plants being used by the tribe in West and South district of Tripura. This paper provides information about the different uses of plants used in their primary health care system. Tripura is a small north-eastern state of India and also a part of both Himalayan and Indo-Burma biodiversity region. It is a goldmine of medicinal plants and use of different plants in tribal traditional heath care systems has long history. Nineteen different tribes in Tripura, depend on natural resources at a great extent. This paper documented 113 medicinal plant species from 56 families along with their botanical name, local name, family name, habit, medicinal parts used, and traditional usage of application. The dominant families are Euphorbiaceae （7 species）, Apocynaceae （6 species）, Fabaceae and Rubiaceae （5 species each）, Caesalpiniaceae, Asteraceae, Liliaceae and Verbenaceae （4 species each）, Combretaceae, Labiatae, Malvaceae, Rutaceae and Zingiberaceae （3 species each）. Tribes of Tripura have rich traditional knowledge on plant based medicine. Different parts of the plants in crude form/plant extracts/decoctions/infusion or pastes are employed in diverse veterinary and human diseases by the tribe＇s of Tripura in daily life.
文摘Background: The Tubu are nomadic people who live in remote parts of the central Sahara, primarily in the Tibesti massif(Chad), and in both Northeastern Niger and Southern Libya. All of these areas are close to become conflict zones. However, no data about the Tubu's health and sanitary status are currently available, which would be of major concern if humanitarian interventions would become required.Methods: In 1970, the "Mission Anthropologique Belge au Niger"(MABN) investigated a Tubu tribe named Broaya that lived at Seguedine and Djado on the northeastern rim of the Tenere desert. One hundred fifty-one adult volunteers answered an oral questionnaire and underwent a medical examination, followed by the collection of blood thin films and samples of urine and stool. The environmental fauna of medical importance was also studied.Results: Albeit 43 year-old, these results have not been previously published. The estimated age of death for fathers was approximately 56 years, and that for mothers was 60 years. On average, each married woman had had 4.7 children. The overall perinatal mortality rate was 232 ‰, the overall infant mortality rate was 153 ‰, and the overall child mortality rate was 99 ‰. The mean height was 164.1 cm and 157.4 cm, the mean weight was 50.1 kg and 47.9kg, and the mean blood pressure was 131/78 mm Hg and 127/75 mm Hg for males and females, respectively. The physical examination found 6 cases of blindness(4.0%). Five subjects presented with an elevated blood pressure(3.3%), and 5(3.3%) displayed an abnormal thoracic auscultation evocative of tuberculosis or of an acute lung infection. The abdominal examination and renal palpation found 5 large masses(3.3%), and 2 subjects had a palpable enlarged spleen(1.3%). The blood thin films were fixed in methanol and subsequently examined in Toulouse. The search for blood parasites was negative. The urine samples were centrifuged and then microscopically examined in the field. No blood-fluke eggs were found. The stool samples were mixed with a preservative MIF solution and then stored to be examined later in Toulouse. Three subjects(2%) passed E. histolytica/E. dispar cysts in stools, 16(10.6%) were parasitized with Giardia sp. and 4(2.65%) were parasitized with Hymelepis nana. Two specimens of scorpions captured in the camp were subsequently identified as belonging to the harmful genus Androctonus or Leiurus. An investigation into the freshwater fauna was conducted in the marshy ponds surrounding the ghost city of Djado, and no intermediate snail hosts for schistosomiasis haematobium were found. Numerous nymphs of Ceratopogonidae, which are possible vectors for arboviruses of veterinarian importance, were collected, as were larvae and nymphs from two anopheline species, Anopheles hispaniola and An. multicolor, which are not efficient vectors for malaria.Conclusions: Infection-related blindness and trachoma, along with acute pulmonary infections and probably tuberculosis were the major health burden in this tribe. The harsh dry and hot climate may explain the low prevalence of soil-transmitted protozoan diseases or helminthiases.
文摘Sense-oriented reasoning （SOR） was analyzed by comparing the reasoning of tribal and modem societies on a specific subject, the conception and birth of a child. Tribal societies have beliefs, which are difficult to understand by modem societies. Their reasoning becomes understandable only when considering that their observations are limited to the macrocosm. Modem societies have access to the microcosm with a microscope, where different biological mechanisms for the conception of a child were discovered. Since the tribes＇ macroscopical observations were different, their conclusions became necessarily different. The inheritance problem can only be solved by genes at the microscopic level, to which tribal societies had no access. With observations limited to the macrocosm, tribes logically invoked invisible child-spirits of ancestors wanting to be reincarnated in children of the same tribe. Besides the different access to observation, the reasoning of both societies is similar and built around the investigation of a final sense. Reasoning progresses after a phase without any quest for sense through three progressive levels： （1） primary sense, （2） corrected sense, and （3） verified sense. In tribal societies, reasoning is interrupted at the primary sense level when it seems consistent with their general beliefs and traditions. This resembles coherentist theories of epistemic justification, in which justification is only a function of coherence between beliefs. Tribal societies realize the input problem of these theories, since they have no access to the microcosm and also illustrate the Gettier problem. Modem societies progress to the higher levels of corrected and verified sense reasoning, even if inconsistent with their prior beliefs. They initially imagined genes as a hypothetic missing link for inheritance, which relies on a start observation concerning the character of ancestors to the target observation, the similarity with the character of children. If the missing link is definitely verified, it shows a chain of justified beliefs between both observations, allowing the initially hypothetic missing link to be retrospectively considered as the real cause. The SOR of modem societies resembles the extemalist version of foundationalism of epistemic justification, in which the necessary non-inferential justification is represented by the target observation.
文摘The study was focused on edible mushrooms consumed by the ethnic inhabitants of Tripura,northeast India.Three mushrooms namely Lentinus squarrosulus,Lentinus tuber-regium and Macrocybe gigantea were evaluated quantitatively for proximate composition and mineral nutrients.In addition,the efficacy of the mycelial extract was tested for antimicrobial activity against the bacteria.The results of this study indicated that mushrooms were rich in protein and carbohydrate with low fat content.Macrocybe gigantea proved to the best source of protein and carbohydrate among the three mushrooms.There were varied amount of micronutrients recorded in all the three mushrooms.The antimicrobial activity of mycelial extract of M.gigantea was found against all the tested strains of bacteria.The study suggested that these mushrooms are rich in nutrients particularly M.gigantea which could be used as an alternative source of vegetarian food to the ethnic people of Tripura.The antimicrobial activity exhibited by these mushrooms indicated their medicinal properties.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31970205,31870206)the Metasequoia funding of the Nanjing Forestry University,China。
文摘Living gymnosperms comprise four major groups:cycads,Ginkgo,conifers,and gnetophytes.Relationships among/within these lineages have not been fully resolved.Next generation sequencing has made available a large number of sequences,including both plastomes and single-copy nuclear genes,for reconstruction of solid phylogenetic trees.Recent advances in gymnosperm phylogenomic studies have updated our knowledge of gymnosperm systematics.Here,we review major advances of gymnosperm phylogeny over the past 10 years and propose an updated classification of extant gymnosperms.This new classification includes three classes(Cycadopsida,Ginkgoopsida,and Pinopsida),five subclasses(Cycadidae,Ginkgoidae,Cupressidae,Pinidae,and Gnetidae),eight orders(Cycadales,Ginkgoales,Araucariales,Cupressales,Pinales,Ephedrales,Gnetales,and Welwitschiales),13 families,and 86 genera.We also described six new tribes including Acmopyleae Y.Yang,Austrocedreae Y.Yang,Chamaecyparideae Y.Yang,Microcachrydeae Y.Yang,Papuacedreae Y.Yang,and Prumnopityeae Y.Yang,and made 27 new combinations in the genus Sabina.
文摘Objective:To screen the antimicrobial potential of three ethnomedicinal plants Chassalia curviflora Thw.(C.curviflora),Cyclea peltata Hook.F.& Thomson(C.peltata) and Euphorbia hirta L(E.hirta) used in folk medicines in Aarukani hills Kani tribe,Tamil Nadu,India against human bacterial pathogens.Methods:Antibacterial efficacy was performed by disc diffusion method against the pathogens viz.,Escherichia coli(E.coli)(ATCC 35218),Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus)(ATCC 6538),Salmonella typhi(S.typhi)(MTCC 733),Proteus vulgaris(P.vulgaris), Proteus mirabilis(P.mirabilis) and Streptococcus pyogenes(S.pyogenes) and incubated for 24 h at 37°C.Results:The maximum degree of antibacterial activity was observed in C.peltata followed by C.curviflora.While E.hirta showed comparatively low degree of antibacterial activity.The methanolic extract of C.peltata showed the antibacterial activity against three pathogens viz.,S.pyogenes,P.vulgaris and E.coli with the inhibition zones 12 mm,10 mm and 9 mm,respectively,hexane extracts of C.peltata also showed the antibacterial activity against two selected pathogens viz.,P.vulgaris and P.mirabilis with 15 mm and 12 mm of inhibition zones.All the three different concentrations(025,0.50 & 0.75 mg/mL) of methanolic extract of C. peltata show the inhibitory effect on the three susceptible bacteria S.pyogenes,P.vulgaris and E. coli with the maximum inhibition in the highest concentration(0.75 mg/mL).The methanolic and hexane extracts of C.curviflora exhibited the antibacterial activity against only one bacterium each i.e.P.vulgaris and S.typhi with the maximum zone of inhibition 13 and 11 mm respectively. The methanolic and hexane extracts of E.hirta exhibited the antibacterial activity against only one bacterium Le.S.pyogenes with the maximum zone of inhibition 13 and 11 mm respectively. Conclusions:The present investigation revealed that the C.curviflora,C.peltata and E.hirta are potentially good source of antibacterial agents and demonstrates the importance of such plants in traditional medicines.
基金supported by Chinese Academy of Sciences Important Direction for Knowledge Innovation Project (KZCX2-EW-305),Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography,Chinese Academy of Sciences
文摘Traditionally, Atraphaxis, Calligonum, Pteropyrum and Parapteropyrum are included in the tribe Atraphxideae. Recently, sequence data has revealed that this tribe is not monophyletic. The structure of the tribe was examined by adding more taxa and sequences to clarify the congruence between morphology and molecular phylogeny, the systematic placements of four genera in Polygonaceae, as well as the infra-generic relationships of Atraphaxis and Calligonum within Atraphaxideae. Five chloroplast genes, atpB-rbcL, psbA-trnH, trnL-tmF, psbK-psbl, and rbcL of Atraphaxis, Calligonum, Pteropyrum, and Parapteropyrum were sequenced. The non-monophyly of Atraphaxideae was confirmed. Atraphaxis and Calligonum, respectively, formed a monophyletic group that was well supported. Calligonum is closely related to Pteropyrum; Atraphaxis is sister to Polygonum s. str. and Parapteropyrum is allied with Fagopyrum. Although the morphology suggested the four genera should form a tribe, the molecular data indicated Atraphaxideae was not one monophyletic group. The clades identified within Atraphaxis corresponded well with the current sectional classification based on morphological features. As for Cal- ligonum, Medusa was identified as a non-monophyletic section.
文摘An ethno-medicinal investigation was conducted to understand the traditional knowledge of medicinal plants being used by the Maninuri tribe in Bangladesh. The present study was done through structured questionnaires in consultations with the tribal practitioners. A total 32 plant species belonging to 26 families and 29 genera were found to use for Curing 37 ailments. Results show that the use of aboveground plant parts was higher （86%） than the underground plant parts （14%）. Leaf was used in the majority of cases for medicinal preparation （17 species） followed by bark, fruit, root/rhizome, whole plant, seed and flower. Among the 32 plant species, they were mainly used to treat dysentery （10 species）, followed by fever and rheumatism （5 species each）; asthma, constipation, wounds and skin diseases （4 species each）; cold ailments, cough and diarrhea （3 species each）. The study revealed that 72% plant species investigated were used to cure more than one ailment. About 75% medicinal plants were taken orally followed by externally （9%） and both orally and externally （16%）. The study thus underscores the potentials of the ethno-botanical research and the need for the documentation of indigenous healthcare knowledge pertaining to the medicinal plant utilization for the greater benefit of mankind.
