Adamchak's ideal family size and family background: A research note

Abstract

This study was an attempt to further investigate Adamchak's (1977) findings that women whose mothers had been employed around the time the respondent was sixteen had a higher ideal family size than those women whose mothers had not worked. During the research, it was discovered that the Adamchak results were not replicable. However, it was also noted that different ways of handling the response category of “As many as you want” (children) produced markedly different results.     

The effect of farm policy on production strategies among French family farmers

French farm policy has created incentives for certain production strategies which theoretically require little or no land and which would therefore be particularly suited for small holders. Through credit and subsidies for the construction of pigsties, and through contractual arrangements for the production of hybrid seed corn and tobacco, the government has encouraged these activities. However, because of certain constraints, these activities are more successfully pursued by holders of larger farms. Small holders, because they are small, cannot fully benefit from these strategies which would compensate them for their smallness.Funds for fieldwork were provided by the National Science Foundation, the Social Science Research Council, the National Institute of Mental Health, and Columbia University, all of whom I thank. I owe special thanks to Henri Mendras for suggesting the village which I call Alunhac as the site for my fieldwork, and to Pierre Boisseau for introducing me to its inhabitants. Alunhac is one of the ten communities studied by theGroupe de Sociologie Rural du CNRS, and has been described in Boisseau (1966) and Jollivet and Mendras (1971, pp. 120–130). All proper names of people and places are pseudonyms. I want to thank Susan Carol Rogers for comments on an earlier version of this paper, and I am grateful to the editors and the anonymous readers ofHuman Ecology for helpful criticisms.     

A note on Yersinia enterocolitica in a swine farm watershed

Swine faeces from three pig farms in the La Crosse River watershed near La Crosse, Wisconsin, were sampled for Yersinia enterocolitica; 19 presumptive isolates were recovered and biochemically confirmed as Y. enterocolitica. Simultaneously, during a 2.2 cm rainfall, the confluences of runoff water flowing from the swine holding pens and of nearby streams were also sampled; a single isolate was obtained from one holding pen runoff-stream confluence. Biochemical analysis showed that the water isolate was a biotype identical with that of a swine isolate from the adjacent farm. These results demonstrate one possible mechanism for the introduction of Y. enterocolitica into water supplies; faecal material from swine, a suspected natural reservoir of the bacterium, is transported via runoff water to streams.     

A note on Yersinia enterocolitica in a swine farm watershed

Swine faeces from three pig farms in the La Crosse River watershed near La Crosse, Wisconsin, were sampled for Yersinia enterocolitica ; 19 presumptive isolates were recovered and biochemically confirmed as Y. enterocolitica. Simultaneously, during a 2mD2 cm rainfall, the confluences of runoff water flowing from the swine holding pens and of nearby streams also were sampled; a single isolate was obtained from one holding pen runoff-stream confluence. Biochemical analysis showed that the water isolate was a biotype identical with that of a swine isolate from the adjacent farm. These results demonstrate one possible mechanism for the introduction of Y. enterocolitica into water supplies; faecal material from swine, a suspected natural reservoir of the bacterium, is transported via runoff water to streams.     

Isoflavonic phytoestrogens--new prebiotics for farm animals: a review on research in China

Isoflavones are recognized to be estrogenic compounds that are often associated with a reduced risk of cancers. The estrogenic activity can be enhanced after metabolization to more active compounds such as genistein and daidzein by gut microorganisms. The direct use of these metabolites has been investigated in laboratory rats and farm animals over the last decade. This paper reviews the research progress on the effect of isoflavonic compounds including metabolites on the physiology, gut microbiology and performance of farm animals in China.     

A note on behavioural responses of farm animals to ultrasound

Ultrasound emission is a method used to eliminate rats from buildings. This study was aimed at establishing whether immediate and strong behavioural reactions could be noticed in farm animals when exposed to ultrasonic sound from a device used for rat eradication.Behavioural reactions were recorded in horses, cattle, swine, sheep and poultry. The character of the behaviour reactions observed suggests that the animals experienced the pulsating ultrasound as a disturbance. It is concluded that ultrasound can not be regarded as suitable for rat eradication in stables for horses, cattle, sheep, swine or laying hens.     

Self-reported symptoms among women after cosmetic breast implant and breast reduction surgery

A retrospective cohort study was performed in Sweden to evaluate the possibility that an individual symptom or constellation of illness symptoms related to silicone occurs in women after breast implant surgery. A random sample (n = 2500) of all women in the Swedish national implant registry who underwent breast augmentation surgery with alloplastic breast implants during the years 1965 through 1993 was compared with a sample (n = 3500) of women who underwent breast reduction surgery during the same period, frequency matched to the implant patients for age and calendar year at the time of surgery. In total, 65 percent of the breast implant patients (n = 1546) and 72 percent of the breast reduction patients (n = 2496) completed a self-administered questionnaire covering 28 rheumatologic and other symptoms and lifestyle and demographic factors. Practically all of the 28 symptoms inquired about were reported more often by women in the breast implant cohort, with 16 (57 percent) significantly more common in breast implant recipients. In contrast, few significant differences or consistent patterns were observed in the length of time since the implant and in the type (silicone or saline) or volume of the implant. Although women with breast implants report a multitude of symptoms more often than women who have breast reduction surgery, the lack of specificity and absence of dose-response relationships suggest that the excess of reported symptoms is not causally related to cosmetic implants.     

Effects of dilution stress on the functioning of a saline Mediterranean stream

The effects of seasonality and dilution stress on the functioning of Rambla Salada, a hypersaline Mediterranean stream in SE Spain, were evaluated. The stream is subject to diffuse freshwater inputs from the drainage of intensively irrigated agriculture in the catchment and periodic losses of water through an irrigation channel. Metabolic rates and the biomass of primary producers and consumers were estimated over a 2-year period. During the first year several dilution events occurred, while during the second year the salinity recovery reached predisturbance levels. Functional indicators were compared in the disturbance and recovery salinity periods. Primary production and respiration rates in the Rambla Salada ranged between 0.07–21.05 and 0.19–17.39 g O₂ m⁻² day⁻¹, respectively. The mean values for these variables were 7.35 and 5.48 g O₂ m⁻² day⁻¹, respectively. Mean net daily metabolism rate was 1.87 ± 0.52 g O₂ m⁻² day⁻¹ and mean production/respiration ratio was 2.48 ± 1.1, reflecting autotrophic metabolism. The metabolic rates showed the typical seasonal pattern of Mediterranean open canopy streams. Therefore, gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER) registered maximum values in summer, intermediate values in spring and autumn and minimum values in winter. The metabolic rates and biomass of consumers were greater in the disturbance period than in the recovery period. However, they did not show significant differences between periods due to their important dependence on seasonal cycle. Seasonality accounted for much of the temporal variability in GPP and ER (76% and 83% in the multiregression models, respectively). Light availability seems to be the most important factor for GPP and ER in the Rambla Salada. Autotrophic biomass responded more to variations in discharge and conductivity than to seasonal variations. In fact, it was severely affected by freshwater inputs after which the epipelic biomass decreased significantly and Cladophora glomerata proliferated rapidly. Epipelic algal biomass was the most sensitive parameter to dilution disturbance. Handling editor: Luigi Naselli-Flores     

Bioethics and animal research: a personal perspective and a note on the contribution of Fritz Jahr

Reviewing fundamental aspects of bioethics and outlining the work of the Bioethics Program of the Pan American Health Organization, this paper draws attention to the work of a forgotten pioneer- Fritz Jahr- who coined the term bioethics in 1927 and anticipated many of the arguments and discussions now current in biological research involving animals.     

Agrobiodiversity and gender: the role of women in farm diversification among smallholder farmers in Sinana district,Southeastern Ethiopia

Biodiversity and Conservation - Women’s knowledge and conservation of agrobiodiversity are under-valued and less documented and recognized in the scientific spheres regardless of the...     

Clinical features of outpatients with somatization symptoms treated at a Japanese psychosomatic medicine clinic

Background

Somatization is produced due to the summation of psychological factors, irrespective of the presence or absence of physical factors. A group of diseases with severe pain and other disorders exhibit so-called Medically Unexplained Symptoms (MUS), and the characteristics of patients with MUS are largely unexplained. In this paper, the characteristics of a series of new patients with somatization treated in a Japanese university hospital are discussed.

Method

The subjects were 871 patients who newly visited the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Toho University Omori Medical Center between January and December of 2015. Under the assumption that the definition of somatization is same as that of MUS, the correlation between somatization and the age, sex, academic background, chief complaints, reasons for visiting the medical center, diagnosis, symptoms, presence or absence of a referral form, continued treatment after the first visit, and marital status of these patients at the time of their respective examinations were evaluated.

Results

Of the patients studied, 68% suffered from somatization. Among them, 11% met the definition of Functional Somatic Symptoms (FSS) and 74% had somatization associated with mood disorder or anxiety disorder. Digestive symptoms were reported by 33%, headaches by 24%, and unusual sensations by 21%. Whereas no correlation was found between somatization symptoms and the patients’ academic background, marital history, or medical history after the first visit, a positive correlation (p < 0.05) was found between somatization and patients who had been referred by their doctor.

Conclusion

Many of the studied patients who suffered from somatization, regardless of age and sex, were referred to us by doctors from other hospitals. It was concluded that many patients difficult to diagnose or deal with are referred the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine of Japanese university hospitals, thus these hospitals must assume great responsibility for preventing mistaken diagnoses by conducting effective psychological treatment and thorough medical examinations.

     

Depression among Chinese University Students: Prevalence and Socio-Demographic Correlates

The purpose of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of depression in Chinese university students, and to identify the socio-demographic factors associated with depression in this population. A multi-stage stratified sampling procedure was used to select university students (N = 5245) in Harbin (Heilongjiang Province, Northeastern China), who were aged 16–35 years. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used to determine depressive symptoms of the participants. BDI scores of 14 or higher were categorized as depressive for logistic regression analysis. Depression was diagnosed by the Structured Clinical Interview (SCID) for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). 11.7% of the participants had a BDI score 14 or higher. Major Depressive Disorder was seen in 4.0% of Chinese university students. There were no statistical differences in the incidence of depression when gender, ethnicity, and university classification were analyzed. Multivariate analysis showed that age, study year, satisfaction with major, family income situation, parental relationship and mother''s education were significantly associated with depression. Moderate depression is prevalent in Chinese university students. The students who were older, dissatisfied with their major, had a lower family income, poor parental relationships, and a lower level of mother''s education were susceptible to depression.     

Thyroid hormones and cognitive functioning in healthy, euthyroid women: a correlational study

Thyroid hormones (THs) play a critical role in differentiation, growth, and metabolism of animal and human organ systems, including the brain. Although associations between normal levels of THs and cognitive functions in healthy elderly individuals have been reported, the findings are inconsistent, possibly due to differences in study designs. Because thyroid disease occurs more frequently in women, the goal of the present study was to examine the relationship between levels of THs and performance on neuropsychological tests in 122 healthy, euthyroid women whose mean age was 51 years. Higher levels of free T3 were positively associated with longer completion times (slower performance) on Trail Making Test - Part A (p = 0.006) and Part B (p = 0.032) and on the Tower of London test (p = 0.002). Higher levels of thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb) were positively correlated with more errors on the Trail Making Test Part B (p = 0.000), on the Word Fluency test (p = 0.023), and on the Design Fluency test (p = 0.045). No significant correlations between TH levels and scores on mood, verbal memory, or working memory measures were observed. The findings point to a possible link between THs and cognitive processes that are mediated primarily by frontal cortex, areas associated with executive function tasks, and suggest that elevations in levels of free T3 and TgAB within the normal range may negatively influence executive functions.     

Influence of psychosomatic stress in pregnant guinea-pigs on fetal lipid metabolism

After a psychosomatic stress applied to pregnant guinea-pigs, 7 or 1 day before term, plasma cortisol and non-esterified fatty acid levels increased immediately in mother and fetus. Plasma levels of cortisol and non-esterified fatty acids in newborns of mothers stressed 1 day before term were lower than in newborns of control mothers. The prenatal stress changed composition of triacylglycerol and phospholipids in newborn liver by inhibiting the postnatal increase of triacylglycerol and phospholipid stearic acid and by inhibiting the postnatal decrease in phospholipid palmitic, palmitoleic, linolenic and arachidonic acids.     

Family issues and family functioning of Japanese outpatients with type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional study

Background

Previous studies confirmed that the control of diabetes is related to family functioning, but the validity of the tools used to assess family functioning in these studies is questionable. Few studies have focused on family issues. In this study, we used a new assessment tool to evaluate family functioning and family issues of patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods

A cross-sectional questionnaire was given to outpatients with type 2 diabetes at a community hospital in Aichi, Japan, between August 2001 and March 2002. First, the patients were asked to answer FACESKGIV-16, which measures cohesion and adaptability, questions regarding family issues, daily lifestyle, and HAD. Physical and serological data were measured. Family functioning, family issues, and relationships between each parameter and family functioning or family issues were analyzed.

Results

Of the 133 participants, 121 (33.3%) had some sort of family issue. Family issues included “Health problems of family members” (40.9%), “Family life cycle issues” (22.7%), and others.The best fit multiple regression model (Adjusted R²: 0.494, p?=?0.020) included Plasma Glucose as an independent variable, and the squared value of cohesion score, depression score of HAD, Total calorie intake, Exercise time, Housekeeping time, and BMI were dependent variables. The results show that extremes of family cohesion with either too many or too few issues related to family functioning are correlated with the plasma glucose level.

Conclusions

Family issues were common among patients with type 2 diabetes, and the extremes of family cohesion were associated with the glucose level, in contrast to the common wisdom that a well balanced family leads to good control of diabetes.