The blooming of the calluna in summer in Switzerland marks the beginning of an unusual migration
For a few weeks in summer, the hills undergo an amazing transformation. They turn purple because that’s when the caluna plant blooms, they say in a National Geographic video.
This colorful spectacle is the source of one of Scotland’s most expensive foods.
The flowering calluna is found on the vast plains that stretch from the Highlands to the southern Uplands. In one corner of the country, in East Lothian, small white outlines appear in the grass in this short period of 3-4 weeks. These are hives.
The blooming of the calluna in summer marks the beginning of an unusual migration.
Honey producers bring their bees here to feed on the purple flowers.
This unique nectar creates one of the rarest and most expensive types of honey in Europe.
It is sold for 23 euros per kilogram.
Note: Calluna vulgaris, common heather, ling, or simply heather, is the sole species in the genus Calluna in the flowering plant family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing evergreen shrub growing to 20 to 50 centimetres (8 to 20 in) tall, or rarely to 1 metre (40 in) and taller, and is found widely in Europe and Asia Minor on acidic soils in open sunny situations and in moderate shade. It is the dominant plant in most heathland and moorland in Europe, and in some bog vegetation and acidic pine and oak woodland. It is tolerant of grazing and regenerates following occasional burning, and is often managed in nature reserves and grouse moors by sheep or cattle grazing, and also by light burning.
Scientists from the Texas A&M and the University of Texas at Austin used an electronic typewriter to measure the primary pressure.
The function works without the help of additional tools and is more accurate than other reading tests such as compact mirrors and wallets.
The smart type, which is also intended for placing the kit, is made of graphene and is equipped with miniature “invisible” censors for data reporting, data, etc. Ice creams deliver weak electrical impulses to the skin. Censors record the operation of the organism to it. This is closely related to the cleaning of the water in the primary vessels and the cooling of the primary pressure. The color change tells if it is higher or lower than normal.
The big advantage of this work is the perfect observation. This allows the main to be measured in any citation.
Electronic typing can take thousands of measurements at regular intervals over several days and give a similar reading of a person’s baseline blood pressure. This is a huge step in the implementation of cuff tonometers, which report the readings only at the moment of demand.
Undoubtedly, there will be people who want to get such a tattoo, since cardiovascular diseases are one of the leading causes of death. For this reason, however, he did not announce when the job will be held in mass production.
Photo: The graphene-based e-tattoo sticks to the skin non-invasively and can monitor a patient’s blood pressure over time / University of Texas at Austin
Like many animals and birds, chickens emit sound signals, by which experienced farmers can judge the well-being of fluffy birds. However, within the framework of large-scale production, it is quite difficult to isolate such signals. However, it is very important to hear anxious chicks, because when stressed, the bird gains less weight and is more likely to die.
At the University of Hong Kong, scientists have created an AI that helps overcome this problem.
As part of an experiment using a new neural network, it was possible to achieve 97 percent recognition efficiency. Moreover, artificial intelligence even points to a specific cell from which an alarm signal is heard. Thanks to this, the farmer can move the chicken to a more comfortable environment.
According to the author of the project Alan McElligott, the final goal of the study is not to count the distress signals of birds, but to create favorable conditions for chickens and minimize their suffering.
Conflict has rocked the Alevi community, Turkey’s second-largest religious community after Sunnis, though not officially recognized. The occasion was a visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to the Alevi temple (jemevi) “Hussein Gazi” in the Mamak district of Ankara, which is under the management of the “Hussein Gazi Art and Culture Foundation” with chairman Huseyn Yoz, called “dede” (according to Alevi terminology – leader).
For many years, this is the first visit of the Turkish president to an Alevi temple. Erdogan timed his visit to coincide with the holiday of Muharrem Aya (month of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar), which also includes a 10-day fast (oruch), broken by Muslim tradition with an iftar dinner.
In all probability the visit would not have transgressed the bounds of respect for the holiday and tolerance, as it was probably intended, had not something happened which to the general public might seem strange and unimportant. It turned out that because of Erdoğan’s visit, the portrait of the Prophet Hazrat Ali (Holy Ali), nephew and son-in-law of the Sunni Prophet Muhammad (affection for the Prophet Ali was elevated to a cult at the Alevis) and Hünkyar Hadji Bektash-i Veli, considered a religious leader, and also the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
The Alevi Federation (AVF), which unites the community’s associations, accused the hosts from the Hussein Ghazi Art and Culture Foundation of provoking a split and confrontation among the Alevis in favor of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the president. According to AVF President Haydar Baki Dogan, the Hussein Ghazi Art and Culture Foundation is part of the Federation. But the information about such an important visit as that of President Erdoğan was not shared with her leadership.
In an interview with T24, he said the following:
“The foundation, without our knowledge, presented the presidency with a list of seven people who hosted the event. But that’s not the main thing. More importantly, the portraits of Hazrat Ali, Hunkar Haji Bektash-i Veli and Atatürk are permanent inventory to each jamevi, without which it is not possible for it to be a temple for rituals and visits. And their removal is a deep insult and disrespect to the primal feelings of the Alevis. Moreover, in our temple it is not accepted to break the oruch (fast) in the central hall , as they did during Erdoğan’s visit. This is done in another room (the dining room). All this harms the religious feelings of our members and we consider it a deep provocation aimed at confronting and dividing the community through the Foundation. Here why did we initiate a procedure to exclude her from the Federation”.
From the Association of Democratic Alevis and the Pir Sultan Abdal Culture Association, they also jumped against the visit, accusing the ruling AKP and the president of hypocrisy and double standards.
“Dzemevi is a place of worship, a holy place, not a place to receive official guests. There are offices for that. Is it when we ask for a meeting with the president or some responsible person, they schedule a meeting for us in their mosques. Wasn’t President Erdoğan the one who called the james “houses of fun”. What has changed that he now entered such a house?” said Ismail Atesh, secretary of the Pir Sultan Abdal Foundation.
The head of the Hussein Gazi Foundation, Dede Hussein Yoz, who hosted Erdogan’s visit, confirmed that the visit had caused a deep conflict, which he said was not justified.
Hussein Yoz told the pro-government Hurriyet newspaper that the visit was a sign of respect.
“The President was accompanied by Vice President Fuat Oktay, Minister of the Interior Suleyman Soylu, Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy and the Spokesman of the Presidency Ibrahim Kalan, who came to visit us out of respect. I believe that the visit is very important for the Alevi community. In the laws of our country, Jamevi temples do not appear as places of religious worship, despite the decision of the European Court of Human Rights, which was not implemented by the state rulers. Maybe this visit will be an occasion to finally make it happen”.
Another scandal unfolded against the backdrop of attacks on three Alevi temples in Ankara two weeks ago. The police arrested a 30-year-old man from Izmir, who, according to his own confession, had carried out the attacks on his own. However, three other people were subsequently detained in connection with the case.
Police have determined that the attacks were planned or ordered. Certain forces are believed to be deep at the heart of the attack.
A few years ago, nationalist elements attacked opposition leader Kemal Kulçdaloğlu, a representative of the Alevi community, while he was meeting with voters. Thanks to Kulçdaroğlu’s security, the opposition leader’s life was saved.
Information also appeared that in a number of cities in Turkey, various signs were placed on the homes of Alevis.
Among the most tragic dates in the modern history of the Alevis is the arson in 1993 of a hotel in the city of Sivas, in which 37 people, prominent representatives of the intellectual elite of the Alevis, died. The arson was carried out by fanatical Sunni Islamists after prayers at the mosque.
According to various data, the Alevis in Turkey number about 12-15 million people, which represents 15 percent of the Turks. At the same time, however, many Alevis do not dare to advertise themselves for fear of being harassed by the authorities. The dominant religion in Turkey is that of the Sunnis, who are considered the only “orthodox” ones.
The Alevi community in Turkey is considered a pillar of the secular nature of the state (for this reason, the portrait of Atatürk is an invariable attribute in jamves) and of the equality between different faiths. They are among the most serious critics of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Islamic-conservative Justice and Development Party.
The leader of the main opposition force – the People’s Republican Party (NRP) – Kemal Kulçdaroğlu is Turkey’s most prominent Alevi politician. Traditionally, the Alevis constitute the core of the NRP electorate.
Media close to the opposition link Erdogan’s visit to next year’s presidential and parliamentary elections. They define the visit as a tactical move by Erdoğan, who will run for president again, aiming to attract part of the community’s representatives to vote for him.
Journalist Ihsan Charalan of the opposition newspaper “Diken” wrote that “with this visit, Erdogan aims to hit three birds with one stone: to denounce the latest attacks, to reassure his supporters, namely the Sunni Islamists, that he actually visited an Alevi cultural foundation and ultimately split Alevi unity.”
And according to the commentator from the opposition newspaper Sozju Deniz Zeyrek, Erdoğan’s visit to the Alevi temple in Ankara is definitely a pre-election tactical move.
“I don’t know if the Alevis will appreciate this move by the president as a sincere gesture to vote for him, he writes, but it is clear that Erdogan is aware that in order to win a new mandate he will have to attract to his side the supporters of Atatürk, who they truly love him, those who declare themselves against corruption, lawlessness and want an active fight against them, as well as the voices of the Alevis. And at the same time, he is aware that he will not win without attracting the votes of the Kurds to his side, if, of course, he manages to overcome the resistance of his partner, the nationalist Devlet Bahceli”.
Everyone knows from biology classes that the male genetic material has an influence on the determination of the sex of the fetus. In our time, science has not yet discovered all the existing genes, and there is no complete certainty about what is the predisposition of a person to form a generation – whether there will be only sons or only daughters. But still, we’ve all heard stories from our grandparents about the reasons why a man only has daughters.
Let’s look at it from a scientific point of view, based on the facts available to scientists so far: DNA and genealogy Chromosomes are responsible for hereditary information – they carry information both about the external marks of the individual and about his abilities. They are made up of a protein and a single DNA molecule. We are aware that the sex chromosomes are x and y and therefore a female and male molecule. The male hormone testosterone synthesizes both types of molecules, while female organs can only produce x-chromosomes. If we only have x – a girl will be born, and if y is also present – a boy. From a scientific point of view, it is claimed that x-spermatozoa have a longer life than y-spermatozoa, but still the individual condition of the man has an influence.
It is possible to conduct a spermographic study, thanks to which the difference in the life span of x and y molecules can be calculated as approximately as possible. In this way, advice can also be given on how many days before a woman ovulates it is advisable to have intercourse before the molecules die.
However, the procedure is not particularly affordable from a financial point of view and is rather performed in case of difficulties in conceiving, rather than to calculate the best time to conceive a son or daughter. Of course, the father’s genes also play a significant role in determining the sex of the future child. Scientists from the British University of Aberystwyth conducted a study on several couples expecting their child.
927 families were included in the study and their genealogical data were examined. Thus, the overall picture of the statistics includes about half a million people. The results of the study indicated that fathers with many brothers were more likely to expect the birth of a boy. Whereas a girl is more likely to be born to a father with more sisters and aunts in the family than brothers or uncles for example. Another interesting discovery is that girls are born most often in families where people have blood of the first or second group, and boys – with the third or fourth.
Researchers have discovered a previously unknown form of cellular communication in the brain in which proteins are directly transferred between neurons. According to them, if we take control of it, we could potentially develop new treatments for dementia and other neurological diseases.
In general, neural communication occurs through the mediation of neurotransmitters scattered across synapses (thus they transmit signals from one cell to another). However, scientists have noticed that certain proteins in the brain move in a different way. This led them to suggest that neurons may also be involved in the exchange of these mixtures.
For example, proteins including tau and synuclein move between brain cells and accumulate in plaques, which contributes to the development of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. Until now, however, researchers were unsure whether this trans-neuronal transfer of proteins represented a purely pathological mode of communication or whether the same mechanism was observed in healthy brain activity.
To answer this question, the study authors used a marker molecule called biotin to label neuronal proteins in the eyes of rats. 11 days later, they found that biotin could be detected in neurons in the animals’ visual cortex. This means that some of the labeled proteins were actually transported to distant cells in the brain.
“This is a completely new way in which cells in the brain can communicate with each other that has never before been integrated into the way we think about health and disease,” said Dr. Hollins Klin, one of the study’s authors.
Using a technique called mass spectroscopy, the researchers identified approximately 200 tagged proteins that reached the visual cortex. Tau and synuclein are among them. This means that the neural transfer of these two mixtures is not limited solely to pathological conditions.
“This confirms that in healthy brains with tau and synuclein, everything is fine and their movement around the brain is normal,” says Klein. “But in people with Alzheimer’s, a toxic form of the protein is transported between neurons.”
A deeper analysis revealed that the proteins are transported from one neuron to another within membrane-bound packages called exosomes, which mediate cellular communication by transporting an array of mediator compounds between cells. The researchers also found that the proteins were normally transferred to excitatory but not inhibitory neurons.
The authors summarize that their findings “demonstrate the non-pathological transport of various endogenous proteins [between neurons]”. According to them, it is quite possible to establish control over this communication and manipulate brain activity. Of course, a lot more research will have to be done before that. However, the results of the present study open up an entirely new avenue for the study and treatment of neurological disorders.
For the first time in the history of the Turkish armed forces, a woman – a brigadier general – was appointed to the main command of the gendarmerie on August 13.
Özlem Yılmaz was appointed by the decree of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The decree was published in the Turkish State Gazette and entered into force.
According to the decree, Yozlem Yilmaz was promoted from senior colonel to brigadier general. She will hold the position of Vice President of the Gendarmerie and Coast Guard Academy at the Turkish Gendarmerie General Command.
Before that, General Özlem Yılmaz was the head of the Directorate for Combating Domestic Violence and the Department for Children at the General Command of the Gendarmerie.
The appointment of the first woman – a brigadier general – to the country’s gendarmerie command caused a strong response in Turkey, and the topic was commented on in all the media.
Yozlem Yilmaz was born in 1968.
The Turkish Gendarmerie, to which the border troops and the coast guard are subordinate, is under the system of the Turkish Ministry of the Interior.
The Turkish Gendarmerie has about 150 thousand personnel, of which about 60 thousand are specialized personnel. The Gendarmerie has over 1,500 combat vehicles and dozens of helicopters.
The head of the Turkish gendarmerie is army general Arif Cetin.
Meanwhile, by presidential decree, a total of 69 generals and colonels have been appointed to various command positions in the gendarmerie.
A UN-chartered vessel should soon arrive at the Ukrainian port of Yuzhny, also known as Pivdennyi, to collect wheat that will help feed millions of hungry people in the Horn of Africa, the World Food Programme (WFP) reported on Friday.
This will be the first shipment of humanitarian food assistance under the Black Sea Grain Initiative signed last month by Ukraine, Russia and Türkiye.
WFP said the development marks “another important step in efforts to reintegrate Ukrainian food into global markets and get it to countries worst affected by the global food crisis through both commercial and humanitarian avenues.”
The MV Brave Commander is expected to berth shortly at Yuzhny, located on the Black Sea.
The ship departed the Turkish capital, Istanbul, on Wednesday after clearing inspection by the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC), the mechanism that supports implementation of the UN-brokered agreement on resuming grain exports from Ukraine.
The JCC will monitor the movement of commercial vessels transporting grain, foodstuffs and fertilizer from Yuzhny and two other key Ukrainian ports: Odesa and Chornomorsk.
WFP has purchased the wheat for its operations in Ethiopia, supporting drought response in the Horn of Africa where the threat of famine looms.
The UN agency recently warned of the dire food security situation across the region, following four consecutive failed rainy seasons.
The Horn of Africa is just one of many areas around the world where the near complete halt of Ukrainian grain and food on the global market has made life even harder for the families already struggling with rising hunger.
A record 345 million people in 82 countries are now facing acute food insecurity, WFP said. Up to 50 million in 45 countries are at risk of being pushed into famine without humanitarian support.
UNOCHA/Levent Kulu – The M/V Fulmar S, the first commercial emtpy grain vessel from Istanbul to Ukraine under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, awaits JCC authorized movement, pending inspection.
Off to a good start
The Brave Commander will discharge the wheat in Djibouti after clearing the JCC protocols in Istanbul on the outbound trip.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative was signed on 22 July and so far, 12 vessels have been authorized to depart the Ukrainian ports, the senior UN official at the JCC told journalists this week.
Frederick Kenney, UN Interim Coordinator, said while there is still much work ahead, “we are off with a very good start”.
The current humanitarian crisis stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is having “a disproportionate impact” on persons with disabilities, especially children with disabilities in institutions there, four UN-appointed independent human rights experts said on Thursday.
“The terrible tragedy of war highlights historic policy choices made in the past that badly affect children with disabilities,” the Special Rapporteurs said.
The independent experts flagged that “Ukraine faces the daunting task of reinventing many of its social and economic systems when this war is finally brought to an end”.
🇺🇦#Ukraine: UN experts express concern about the situation of #children with disabilities placed in institutions & being displaced to other institutional settings either within Ukraine or further afield.
The experts raised the alarm over inadequate services for children with disabilities and the impact that the armed conflict is having on key services, both within Ukraine as well as the immediate region.
Highlighting that thousands of children with disabilities have been sent back to their places of origin without first determining whether the environments are safe, they warned that this practice may endanger the youth, including by instances of abuse and trafficking.
Moreover, mass returns have left many children untreated for physical and mental health conditions.
“We fully understand the exigencies of war and the immediacy of the hard choices to be made. But this is not a situation that can be allowed indefinitely,” they upheld.
Children who stayed
Citing their displacement from one facility to another, the experts observed that the chilcren who had remained in institutions are experiencing a decline in their health and well-being.
And adding to the already known problems of neglect, abuse, physical restrictions, and access to basic services – including education and healthcare – a lack of information on their whereabouts is preventing families from restoring contact.
“Cross institutionalization cannot be a strategy for the future,” warned the Special Rapporteurs.
Third country recipients
Another concern raised by the experts is that Ukraine seems to require third countries receiving children with disabilities to place them in facilities – even States that have successfully moved away from institutionalization for their own citizens.
“Third countries have a heavy responsibility to assist Ukraine imagine a better future for its citizens with disabilities which include its children,” they said.
Building forward
It is our earnest hope that Ukraine will commit itself to a better future for persons with disabilities — UN Special Rapporteurs
The UN experts expressed hope that when reconstruction and future development for Ukraine is being funded, investments will be made to build community support that will enable children with disabilities to flourish with their families and in family-like situations as opposed to institutions.
“It is our earnest hope that Ukraine will commit itself to a better future for persons with disabilities, especially children,” the experts said.
“For our part, we stand ready to provide our advice, solidarity and support to Ukraine on this matter”.
In closing the experts strongly reiterated their “many previous calls” on Russia to “immediately end its aggression against Ukraine” and pledged to assist Ukraine “build a better future for its citizens with disabilities”.
The experts
Click here for the names of those who participated in the statement.
Special Rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. The positions are honorary and the experts are not paid for their work.
The Swiss army has stepped in to transport water to thousands of thirsty farm animals across alpine meadows. Lower rainfall this year has forced farmers to call in the army to help refresh thirsty animals. A two-week operation is underway with three Super Puma helicopters flying in to fill the near-empty tanks used by farmers for their cows, pigs and goats.
Farmer Jacques Ruffeau, whose herd of 130 cattle needs 10,000 liters of water a day, said it had been a painful year marked by a lack of rain.
Six helicopters were mobilized in an attempt to help farmers who are expecting a tough autumn with a lack of fodder. The work of the Swiss military will continue until August 19. About 400,000 liters of water will be delivered during the operation. A similar action was held during the droughts in 2015 and 2018.
