Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Kenya: Community Sensitization Must Precede Alternative Coming-Of-Age Rite, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

Female genital cutting (FGC) is practiced as a rite of passage in over half of Kenya’s districts. Kenyan nongovernmental agency Maendeleo Ya Wanawake (MYWO) has long conducted community sensitization focused on discouraging this practice. In 1996, MYWO began implementing the “alternative rite” (AR) intervention in sensitized communities. Girls participating in AR receive family life education in seclusion, followed by a public graduation ceremony recognizing them as adults. They are not cut as part of the ceremony. In 2000, the Population Council carried out an assessment of the AR program that sought to identify the impact of MYWO’s activities on knowledge …

Project Towards No Drug Abuse: A Review Of The Findings And Future Directions, Alan W. Stacy, Steve Sussman, Clyde W. Dent

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

Objective: To provide a review of the evidence from 3 experimental trials of Project Towards No Drug Abuse (TND), a senior high-school-based drug abuse prevention program.Methods: Theoretical concepts, subjects, designs, hypotheses, findings, and conclusions of these trials are presented. A total of 2,468 high school youth from 42 schools in southern California were surveyed.Results: The Project TND curriculum shows reductions in the use of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, hard drugs, weapon carrying, and victimization. Most of these results were replicated across the 3 trials. Conclusion: Project TND is an effective drug and violence prevention program for older teens, at least for …

Association Between Blood Pressure And Sodium, Potassium And Calcium Excretion In South Africans, Karen E. Charlton, Krisela Steyn, Jabuliswe Zulu, Deborah Jonathan, Naomi Levitt, J H. Nel, D Veldman

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

No abstract provided.

Sources Of Nutrition Information And Perceived Credibility Thereof In Black Urban Women In Two Provinces, Karen E. Charlton, Philippa Brewitt, Lesley T. Bourne

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

No abstract provided.

An Assessment Of The Nutrient Content Of Meals Provided And Facilities Present At State-Funded Crèches In Cape Town, C Pietersen, K E. Charlton, M C. Du Toit, L Sibeko

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Background: A large proportion of resources allocated to the Community-Based Nutrition Programme (CBNP) of the Department of Health in the Western Cape is spent on crèche-feeding schemes. To date, little evaluation of the CBNP has been undertaken. Aim: A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the nutritional adequacy of meals provided, and facilities available, at state-funded crèches in the Cape Metropole. Methods: A questionnaire was administered to managers of 43 conveniently sampled crèches in two districts of Cape Town. Twenty-two of the crèches were randomly selected for nutrient assessment of a duplicate meal, and a typical meal sample was weighed …

Dietary N-3 And N-6 Fatty Acids Alter Avian Metabolism: Metabolism And Abdominal Fat Deposition, Ronald Newman, Wayne Bryden, Eva Fleck, John R. Ashes, William A. Buttemer, Leonard Storlien, Jeffery Downing

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

The effects of dietary saturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) of the n-3 and n-6 series on weight gain, body composition and substrate oxidation were investigated in broiler chickens. At 3 weeks of age three groups of chickens (n 30; ten birds per group) were fed the fat-enriched experimental diets for 5 weeks. These diets were isonitrogenous, isoenergetic and contained 208 g protein/kg and 80 g edible tallow, fish oil or sunflower oil/kg; the dietary fatty acid profiles were thus dominated by saturated fatty acids, n-3 PUFA or n-6 PUFA respectively. Resting RQ …

Case Report: Survival After Deliberate Strychnine Self-Poisoning, With Toxicokinetic Data, David Michael Wood, Emma Webster, Daniel Martinez, Paul Ivor Dargan, Alison L. Jones

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Introduction Strychnine poisoning is uncommon, and in most severe cases, the patient dies before reaching hospital. The management of strychnine poisoning is well documented, although there are few data on the kinetics of elimination of strychnine after overdose. Case report A 42-year-old man presented shortly after ingestion of an unknown quantity of strychnine powder. After a respiratory arrest, with intensive supportive management requiring admission to an intensive care unit, he survived. Eight serum samples were taken over the first 5 days and analysed subsequently for strychnine concentrations. Results The initial concentration at 1.5 hours after ingestion was 4.73 mg/l, falling …

Acetaminophen Poisoning: An Update For The Intensivist, Paul I. Dargan, Alison L. Jones

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Acetaminophen overdose is common and can result from deliberate/nonstaggered or accidental/staggered ingestion. Patients presenting within 24 h of an acetaminophen overdose can safely be managed on medical wards. Early management of nonstaggered overdose is guided by the plasma acetaminophen concentration, whereas management of accidental/staggered ingestion is guided by ingested dose. Ingested dose and time from ingestion to presentation are important prognostic factors in accidental/staggered ingestion. Acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure (ALF) requires meticulous supportive care in an intensive care unit (ICU), with early identification and transfer of patients who are likely to require liver transplantation to a specialist liver centre. The …

Cultural Sequence Of Bet Dwarka Island Based On Thermoluminescence Dating, K H. Vora, A S. Gaur, David Price, Sudaresh

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Earlier studies on the onshore and inter-tidal zone explorations in Bet Dwarka island had revealed the presence of a large number of potsherds and other antiquities that correspond to the protohistoric (2000- 1500 BC), historical (3rd century BC to 5th century AD) and medieval (8th century to 15th century AD) periods. Until the present time there has been a lack of absolute chronology. This study therefore attempts to address this deficiency. Accordingly, nine potsherds from four different sites of Bet Dwarka island were dated by thermoluminescence (TL). The ages obtained from site BDK-VI vary between 3870 and 2220 years BP; …

Low Cost Technology For Monitoring Sustainable Development, R John Morrison, Ursula Kaly, Alifereti Tawake, Batiri Thaman

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

The term 'sustainable development' first appeared in a significant way in the World Conservation Strategy (IUCN 1980), but the basic ideas had been discussed much earlier. 'Ecologically sustainable development' became particularly popular after the publication of Our Common Future, the Brundtland report (WCED 1987). Many agencies claim that their work is highly dependent on, or governed by, sustainable development or sustainability principles. One of the major problems with the concept of sustainability, however, is that, while many people claim to be utilising sustainability principles, there is often little evidence to confirm this. Supporting data are frequently absent, perhaps because …

The Edge Effect And Ecotonal Species: Bird Communities Across A Natural Edge In Southeastern Australia, Jack Baker, Kris French, Robert Whelan

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Ecotones have been considered as unique environments, and the concepts of edge effect and ecotonal species have been widely used, especially in avian community ecology. We studied the patterns of bird densities across heath-wood edges at replicated sites in three locations in southeastern Australia. Multivariate analysis showed that the bird community in the ecotone was intermediate between the heath and wood communities, indicating that the ecotone contained a mixing of species rather than a unique bird community. ANOVA showed a modest increase in bird density at the wood side of the ecotone, which may be partly due to sampling biases …

Functional Foods Ii: Claims And Evidence, Peter Williams

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Book review of: Functional Foods II: Claims and Evidence Judy Buttriss & Michael Saltmarsh (eds) The Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, 2000 ISBN 0-85404-789-1 xx+244 pp £59.50 c. $A180

Molecular Analysis Of Group B Protective Surface Protein, A New Cell Surface Protective Antigen Of Group B Steptococci, Sezgin Erdogan, Peter K. Fagan, Susanne R. Talay, Manfred Rohde, Patricia Ferrieri, Aurea E. Flores, Carlos A. Guzman, Mark J. Walker, Gursharan S. Chhatwal

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Group B streptococci (GBS) express various surface antigens designated c, R, and X antigens. A new R-like surface protein from Streptococcus agalactiae strain Compton R has been identified by using a polyclonal antiserum raised against the R protein fraction of this strain to screen a lambda Zap library. DNA sequence analysis of positive clones allowed the prediction of the primary structure of a 105-kDa protein designated BPS protein (group B protective surface protein) that exhibited typical features of streptococcal surface proteins such as a signal sequence and a membrane anchor region but did not show significant similarity with other known …

Validation Of Version 5.20 Ilas Hno3, Ch4, N2o, O3, And No2 Using Ground-Based Measurements At Arrival Heights And Kiruna, S W. Wood, G E. Bodeker, I S. Boyd, Nicholas Jones, B J. Connor, P V. Johnston, W A. Matthews, S E. Nichol, F J. Murcray, H Nakajima, Y Sasano

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Ground-based measurements of O₃ and NO₂ columns at Kiruna (68°N) and Arrival Heights (78°S) were used to validate stratospheric profile measurements of the same species by the satellite-based Improved Limb Atmospheric Spectrometer (ILAS) flown between November 1996 and June 1997. In addition, measurements of HNO₃, CH₄, and N₂O made at Arrival Heights are compared with measurements of these species by ILAS. Even though there were no temporal coincidences in the latter comparison, the ground-based data provide a climatological context for the ILAS measurements. ILAS profiles measured within 10° of longitude and 2° …

Multiyear Infrared Solar Spectroscopic Measurements Of Hcn, Co, C2h6, And C2h2 Tropospheric Columns Above Lauder, New Zealand (45 S Latitude), C P. Rinsland, Nicholas Jones, Brian J. Connor, Stephen W. Wood, Aaron Goldman, Thomas M. Stephen, Frank J. Murcray, Linda S. Chiou, Rodolphe Zander, Emmanuel Mahieu

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Near-simultaneous, 0.0035 or 0.007 cm⁻¹ resolution infrared solar absorption spectra of tropospheric HCN, C₂H₂, CO, and C₂H₆ have been recorded from the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change station in Lauder, New Zealand (45.04°S, 169.68°E, 0.37 km altitude). All four molecules were measured on over 350 days with HCN and C₂H₂ reported for the first time based on a new analysis procedure that significantly increases the effective signal-to-noise of weak tropospheric absorption features in the measured spectra. The CO measurements extend by 2.5 years a database of measurements …

Ground-Based Infrared Spectroscopic Measurements Of Carbonyl Sulfide: Free Tropospheric Trends From A 24-Year Time Series Of Solar Absorption Measurements, C P. Rinsland, A Goldman, E Mahieu, R Zander, J Notholt, Nicholas Jones, D W. T Griffith, T M. Stephen, L S. Chiou

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Solar absorption spectra recorded over a 24-year time span have been analyzed to retrieve average free tropospheric mixing ratios of carbonyl sulfide (OCS). The measurements were recorded with the Fourier transform spectrometer located in the U.S. National Solar Observatory McMath solar telescope facility on Kitt Peak (altitude 2.09 km, lat. 31.9°N, long. 111.6°W), southwest of Tucson, Arizona, and were obtained on 167 days between May 1978 and February 2002, typically at 0.01-cm⁻¹ spectral resolution. A best fit to the time series shows an average mixing ratio of 566 pptv (1 pptv = 10⁻¹² per unit volume) between 2.09 …

Continued Declines Of Black Abalone Along The Coast Of California: Are Mass Mortalities Related To El Nino Events?, Peter Raimondi, C M. Wilson, Richard E. Ambrose, John M. Engle, Todd Minchinton

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

The intertidal black abalone Haliotis cracherodii has experienced mass mortalities along the coast of California, USA, since the mid-1980s. Mortality is due to infection by a pathogen that leads to a fatal wasting disease called Œwithering syndrome¹, where the foot of the abalone atrophies until it can no longer adhere to the substratum. Massive die-offs due to withering syndrome were first noted on the Channel Islands in 1986, and by 1992 withering syndrome was observed near Point Conception on the mainland and was suspected to be spreading northward up the coast of California. The timing of the initial mass mortalities …

Precipitation During El Nino Correlates With Increasing Spread Of Phragmites Australis In New England, Usa, Coastal Marshes, Todd Minchinton

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

The grass Phragmites australis has historically been restricted to the relatively benign upper border of coastal marshes, but over the past century, and particularly in recent decades, it has been spreading aggressively in New England throughout brackish and salt marshes with high soil salinities that are physiologically stressful to the plant. Here I tested the hypothesis that variations in climatic conditions, particularly increased precipitation during the 1997-98 El Niño event, buffer harsh abiotic conditions and enhance the performance of this nuisance species. I monitored the growth and reproductive output of P. australis in the year before, during, and after …

Retention Of Visible Implant Tags In Small Rockpool Fishes, Shane Griffiths

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Retention and associated fish mortality of visible implant alphanumeric (VIA) and fluorescent elastomer tags was assessed in 2 Australian intertidal rockpool fishes, Girella elevata (Girellidae) and Bathygobius cocosensis (Gobiidae). Mean retention of VIA and elastomer tags after 90 d was 32 ± 20% and 77 ± 19%, respectively. After 90 d the fish mean mortality from VIA tags (20 ± 5%) was significantly higher than from elastomer tags (7 ± 2%) and untagged control groups (11 ± 2%). Elastomer tags appear most suitable for marking batches of fish of various size, while VIA tags appear suitable for identification of larger …

Decreased Heat Stability And Increased Chaperone Requirement Of Modified Human Βb1-Crystallins, Kirsten J Lampi, Yung H. Kim, Hans Peter Bachinger, Bruce A. Boswell, Robyn A. Lindner, John A. Carver, Thomas R Shearer, Larry L. David, Deborah M. Kapfer

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Purpose: To determine how deamidation and partial loss of the N- and C-terminal extensions alter the heat stability of βB1-crystallin.

Methods: Human lens βB1, a deamidated βB1, Q204E, and αA-crystallins were expressed. Truncated βB1 was generated by proteolytic removal of part of its terminal extensions. The aggregation and precipitation of these proteins due to heating was monitored by circular dichroism and light scattering. The effect of heat on the stability of both monomers and oligomers was investigated. The flexibility of the extensions in wild type and deamidated βB1 was assessed by ¹H NMR spectroscopy.

Results: With heat, deamidated βB1 …

Photoelectron Spectroscopy Of Hccn- And Hcnc- Reveals The Quasilinear Triplet Carbenes, Hccn And Hcnc, Mark R. Nimlos, Gustavo Davico, C Michael Geise, Paul G. Wenthold, W Carl Lineberger, Stephen J. Blanksby, Christopher M. Hadad, George A. Petersson, G Barney Ellison

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Negative ion photoelectron spectroscopy has been used to study the HCCN⁻ and HCNC⁻ ions. The electron affinities (EA) of cyanocarbene have been measured to be EA(HCCN X̃ ³Σ−=2.003±0.014 eV and EA(DCCN X̃³Σ⁻)=2.009±0.020 eV. Photodetachment of HCCN⁻ to HCCN X̃³Σ⁻ shows a 0.4 eV long vibrational progression in ν₅, the H–CCN bending mode; the HCCN⁻ photoelectron spectra reveal excitations up to 10 quanta in ν₅. The term energies for the excited singlet state are found to be T₀(HCCN ã ¹A′)=0.515±0.016 eV and …

Marlboro''S Marketing In Western Europe: Is It Ethical?, Sandra C. Jones

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

There has been considerable publicity in the United States and Australia opposing the cigarette marketing efforts of British and U.S. tobacco companies in Eastern Europe. However, little attention has been paid to the marketing campaigns ofthe same companies in Western Europe, perhaps on the assumption that Western Europeans are too sophisticated to fall for the marketing tricks that have worked elsewhere over the last several decades. However, smoking rates are on the increase in many Western European countries, where tobacco advertising is largely unregulated. This paper analyzes magazine advertising for the Marlboro brand targeted at young adults in The Netherlands …

Promotion Of Prescription Medicines: A Critical Review And Research Agenda, Janet Hoek, Philip Gendall, Judith Holdershaw, Sandra C. Jones, John Rossiter

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Direct to consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription medicines has generated considerable controversy in both New Zealand and the United States, the only two countries that currently permit promotion ofrestricted medicines. Arguments against DTCA include the effect this may have on doctor-patient relationships, its implications for drug costs, and the extent to which it fully informs potential patients. Conversely, proponents of DTCA claim that it increases knowledge of a variety of common medical conditions, thus fostering earlier diagnosis and better compliance with treatments. However, although arguments for and against DTCA have merit, neither side has supported its position with empirical evidence. …

Profiles Of Underreporting In Healthy Adults And Adults With Type Ii Diabetes Mellitus Participating In A Dietary Intervention Trial, Gina Martin, Linda C. Tapsell, Marijka Batterham

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract from The Proceedings of the Nutrition Society of Australia, 2002.

Fat In Food And The Obesity Epidemic, Linda C. Tapsell

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Dietary fat is strongly implicated in the development of insulin resistance and obesity, both major public health problems today. While the amount of dietary fat is relevant, the type of fat is important in fuel utilisation, storage and appetite regulatory mechanisms. Human calorimetry research confirms the importance of dietary fat in energy balance, but more work needs to be done to uncover the impact of type of dietary fat in weight control. Population and intervention research confirm the importance of fat in dietary interventions, bearing in mind the contribution of physical activity to energy balance. The food industry has an …

Premarital Sex In Vietnam: Is The Current Concern With Adolescent Reproductive Health Warranted?, Barbara Mensch, Wesley H. Clark, Dang Nguyen Anh

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

To the extent that research on Vietnamese adolescents has been conducted, it has been concerned with unprotected and unsanctioned sexual activity and its health consequences, namely abortion and sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV. The question we pose is whether this concern is warranted. Is the population community justified in focusing its attention on early sexual activity and HIV risk? Even if the sexual behavior of young people can be considered problematic, are there perhaps other aspects of young people’s lives that should give us greater pause? The paper reviews the literature on adolescent sexual behavior in Vietnam and analyzes data …

Graduate Bulletin, 2002-2004 (2002), Minnesota State University Moorhead

Graduate Bulletins (Catalogs)

No abstract provided.

Predicting Work Stress Burnout In Rural And Urban Emergency Medical Technicians Through The Use Of Early Recollections, Susan M. Vettor

Dissertations

Problem . Literature on work-stress burnout among emergency medical technicians (EMTs) suggests that they have maintained the same levels of burnout and attrition rates for the past 20 years. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between early recollections and burnout in EMTs working in urban and rural locations.

Method . A demographic questionnaire, the Staff Burnout Scale for Health Professionals (SBS-HP), and two early recollections, were used to survey 120 emergency medical technicians in Toronto, Ontario and Mojave County, Arizona to assess their level of burnout and to identify various themes in early recollections.

Results . …

Training And Support Of Developing-Country Population Scientists: A Panel Report—Summary And Recommendations, Jane Menken, Ann K. Blanc, Cynthia B. Lloyd

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

From its earliest days, the Population Council has recognized the importance and value of training population scientists from developing countries. Since 1952, the Council’s social science fellowship program has sustained a commitment to this goal; approximately 1,500 fellowships have been awarded for pre- and postdoctoral training in population studies. While the demand for population scientists remains strong, the field has changed substantially since those early years and a review of the program was needed. The Mellon Foundation funded a project in 2000 to assess future needs for training and support of population scientists from developing countries and assembled an international …

Are We Not Peasants Too? Land Rights And Women's Claims In India, Bina Agarwal

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This edition of SEEDS explores the critical elements in securing effective and independent land rights for women in South Asia. The author presents a range of cooperative strategies for enabling women to retain and cultivate the land and shows how micro-credit and other programs can be redirected to increase the amount and productivity of land women control. Recognizing that new policies and political will are required to foster and sustain such experiments, the author ends with a summary of how women are organizing to place women’s access to land at the center of national and global agendas.