Ensuring adequate food intake among older people is essential for maintaining health and preventing malnutrition. This review explores strategies to enhance dietary intake in this population group. Several key interventions are highlighted, including offering high-energy and protein-fortified meals and snacks, optimising the visual appeal and presentation of foods, enhancing flavours, and providing finger foods or modified textures to support consumption. Familiarity with fortified foods may encourage acceptance and increase intake, while improving food aesthetics and incorporating varied flavours can enhance enjoyment and promote consumption. Flavour enhancement may help compensate for decline in smell and taste sensitivity often experienced by older people, helping to sustain interest in food and promote greater intake. Finger foods present a practical solution for older adults with physical impairments, allowing for easier handling and self-feeding. Additionally, for individuals with dysphagia or chewing difficulties, texture-modified diets tailored to their needs support safe food intake. Research suggests that refining food presentation through techniques such as moulding and 3D printing may improve palatability and appeal, potentially boosting consumption among older adults. Addressing sensory preferences and physical challenges associated with eating is critical to ensuring adequate nutrition and promoting overall wellbeing in the elderly population. This review underscores the importance of multifaceted dietary strategies, advocating for personalised interventions that align with older individuals’ needs and preferences to enhance food intake and nutritional status.

En este texto realizamos una revisión del espacio ritual de dos celebraciones que tienen una historia profunda entre los pueblos indígenas de Mesoamérica, la ceremonia ritual de los Voladores y el Juego de Pelota. A partir de la indagación en evidencias arqueológicas, históricas y de la experiencia de la ritualidad, exponemos los principios comunes en la diversidad de estas celebraciones rituales. Consideramos la perspectiva de los practicantes contemporáneos para incluir su conocimiento sensitivo a la discusión, esto es, un punto de vista emic que complementa el abordaje etic de los principales aspectos documentados de estos rituales. Proponemos que, como opuestos complementarios, ambos rituales constituyeron un medio para que sus practicantes lograran transitar entre los niveles del cosmos. El ritual de los Voladores es metáfora y experiencia de acceder a los niveles superiores, mientras que el Juego de Pelota lo es de acceder a los niveles inferiores. Estas celebraciones requieren del sacrificio y de un estado latente de muerte que demanda de sus practicantes una rigurosa preparación y conocimiento de las normas rituales. Concluimos observando que, a pesar de las profundas trasformaciones históricas, la pervivencia de estas celebraciones expresa los esquemas organizativos de las cosmovisiones mesoamericanas, manifiestas en la experiencia de los complejos y elaborados programas rituales indígenas.

We study the ergodic properties of the translation surface $X_{\unicode{x3bb} ,\mu }$ formed by gluing two flat tori along a slit with holonomy $(\unicode{x3bb} ,\mu ) \in \mathbb {R}^2$. Extending the dichotomy result of Cheung, Hubert, and Masur for the case $\mu = 0$, we prove the following: for slits not parallel to any absolute homology class, the Hausdorff dimension of the set $\operatorname {\mathrm {NE}}(X_{\unicode{x3bb} ,\mu },\omega )$ of non-ergodic directions is either $0$ or $\frac 12$. This dichotomy is completely characterized by the Pérez–Marco condition expressed in terms of best approximation denominators. As a corollary, we obtain that the Pérez–Marco condition for best approximation denominators is norm-independent.

The inter-war period was a time of mobilisation against syphilis in France and its colonial empire. The spread of the disease was perceived as a threat to the economic development of its colonies, particularly because of the labour shortages it might cause. In 1916, a new player appeared on the scene of the French efforts to control the disease: the Institut Prophylactique, founded by Arthur Vernes. Its project was nothing less than to eradicate the disease, and its activities in the colonies expanded significantly during the 1920s and 1930s. However, the Institut Prophylactique has been largely forgotten in the history of medicine. Although the project was a failure, this article shows that it played an important role in controlling syphilis, both in France and in its colonies. This historical study thus emphasises the importance of considering alternative and failed projects as part of the complex picture of health history.

Standard presentations of the fine-tuning argument for theism require that we have a priori insight, on the basis of moral considerations, into what God is likely to do. Standard versions of the sceptical theist response to the evidential problem of evil deny that we have such insight (at least to any significant extent). These facts call into question whether sceptical theists can consistently endorse the fine-tuning argument. In this paper, I present a version of the fine-tuning argument that sceptical theists may consistently endorse, as it does not rely on our ability to make a priori judgements concerning divine intentions.

This article examines the tabular presentations in Sima Qian’s Shi ji and Gu Donggao’s Chunqiu dashi biao through the lens of a siege in 630 bce. Recognized as exemplary historical tables of the Spring and Autumn Period, the two tables process historical narratives at both micro and macro levels in an unprecedented manner, aiming to provide a larger picture of general historical trends. By emphasizing a visual and spatial representation of history in its tabular design, the Shi ji table invites the reader to examine the text nonlinearly and to construct a dialectical relationship between it and related narrative chapters. On the other hand, Gu’s text-oriented tables, usually misunderstood as a mere continuation of those in the Shi ji, require a linear reading and cannot directly produce a visual representation of the general patterns of the Spring and Autumn Period. However, to compensate for the lack of a visual overview, Gu composed “impromptu poems” (kouhao), which orally sketch general historical trends, to help beginners memorize the history of the Spring and Autumn Period. This article aims to demonstrate the use of tabulation at the crucial beginning point of Chinese historiography and its reinvention in the late imperial period.

Accurate identification of potentially toxic element (PTE) sources is crucial for effective risk mitigation; however, the complex solubility of trace elements hinders such identification. Here, levels of PTEs in the dust of 105 leaf samples from 21 sites in urban Guiyang (China) were measured and positive matrix factorization was applied to help identify PTE sources. These results were validated through correlating PTE concentrations with the land-use areas surrounding the sample sites. Ni and As in the leaf dust were linked to the cleanest conditions, followed by Cr. Conversely, Zn, Cu, Cd and Pb were associated with higher pollution levels. Three primary sources of PTEs were identified, with traffic-agriculture emissions being the largest contributor at 40.42%. Natural sources followed closely at 39.41%, while industrial processes accounted for the remaining 20.17%. High-pollution areas were clustered around traffic hubs, where frequent vehicle idling and acceleration increased emissions. As traffic emission was a major source of atmospheric pollution, targeted flow optimization is needed to reduce risks of human exposure.

This paper conducts a comprehensive exploration of methodology in historical linguistics, focusing on language subgrouping. Employing Tangut, a severely eroded medieval language, as a case study, it scrutinizes previous linguistic analyses that depart from the rigorous Neogrammarian method, specifically referencing Beaudouin (2023). These non-compliant analyses have impeded recent progress in understanding the genetic relationships within Burmo-Qiangic, a field marked by prolonged debates and with gradual advancement recently. In a subsequent step, adhering to Neogrammarian principles, namely, Ausnahmslosigkeit der Lautgesetze and positive shared innovations in language subgrouping, the paper discusses the plausibility of, as well as the good practice to argue for, a “Tangut-Horpa clade” within the Gyalrongic branch of Burmo-Qiangic. By advocating for the universality of these Neogrammarian principles, the paper aims to improve the accuracy and reliability of subgrouping languages characterized by significant typological diversity. This, in turn, contributes to a deeper comprehension of rigorous methodology within the context of the Sino-Tibetan language family.

Amerotyphlops brongersmianus (Vanzolini, 1976) is the only representative of its family in Argentina, and to date, there have been no records of its parasites. Between 2013 and 2018, 46 specimens of A. brongersmianus were collected in Corrientes province and investigated for helminths. Eighty-three specimens of Serpentirhabdias aff. vellardi were collected from the lungs of nineteen hosts. Sixty-nine percent of the nematodes were collected from the vascular lung mostly, with a prevalence of 41.3% and a mean intensity of 3.74 worms. Adult snakes had higher prevalence and mean abundance than juveniles; the mean intensity was similar between sexes and sexual maturity groups. The association between sexual maturity and the presence of lungworms was statistically significant. Lungworm abundance, weight, and length of adult snakes showed weak to strong positive correlations, with stronger correlations in males; however, these were not statistically significant. Nematodes followed a negative binomial distribution. Seasonal differences in parasitological descriptors and mean body length of lungworms were not statistically significant. Nonetheless, a significant negative correlation was observed between lungworm abundance and body length in spring, suggesting a clustering effect. Our results are discussed based on host phenology, ecology, biology, and anatomy. The life cycles of lungworms, the abundance of potential transport hosts, as well as abiotic factors (rainfall and temperature), are also considered. This is the first report of lungworms in A. brongersmianus throughout its range, the second global report of helminths in a Typhlopidae species in the 21st century, and the first in South America and Argentina, providing ecological data.

This article has a two objectives. The first objective is to investigate the history of identity politics in Bangladesh from the British and Pakistani periods to the post-independence era. It argues that the syncretic culture that flourished during the Muslim rule was deliberately disrupted by the British divide-and-rule policy of partitioning Bengal in 1905 along religious lines, fomenting such communal hatred between Hindus and Muslims that resulted in the partition of 1947, with East Bengal joining Pakistan. This also sowed the seeds of identity politics and a “pendulum syndrome” in future Bangladeshi politics, marked by a perpetual strife between advocates of ethnolinguistic nationalism on one side and religious nationalism on the other, which has become a perennial source of violence and volatility for the nation, hindering its growth and progress. The second objective is to explore how Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore has been drawn into this strife, facing accusations of being an Islamophobe and a Hindu chauvinist, and why there have been recurrent attempts to replace his song as the country’s national anthem. The article concludes with a rebuttal to such accusations based on evidence highlighting the song’s historical contributions to the nation despite the ongoing campaigns against it.

The European Union (EU) is implementing unilateral trade restrictions on imports that contain residues of pesticides banned for use within its borders. Several Latin American (LA) countries, among other EU trading partners, have criticized these measures, leading to a contentious debate that could escalate into a trade dispute before the World Trade Organization (WTO). This article aims to unpack this seemingly polarized debate by re-evaluating the trade concerns raised by LA WTO delegates through a human rights lens. It highlights the disconnect between trade policy positions and human rights commitments concerning pesticides, revealing a bias among WTO delegates in favour of commercial interests, often at the expense of broader societal and ecological concerns raised by human rights-holders in both LA and the EU. The article suggests procedural innovations at both the national and WTO levels that could broaden the trade policy discussion on pesticides, aligning it with human rights standards and urgent collective action for biodiversity stewardship.