Determinants of well-being in North Korea: Evidence from the post-famine period

North Korea has survived the breakdown of the communist bloc and has been immune to the democratization process of the 1990s. In spite of national famines and economic collapse, the totalitarian regime in Pyongyang maintains a firm grip on its power. Reliable information on the population's biosocial welfare is scarce. Using height and weight data of 5991 North Korean pre-school children measured in 2002, we investigate determinants of height-for-age z-score (HAZ), weight-for-age z-score (WAZ) and weight-for-height z-score (WHZ) as an indicator for child health. We find a statistically significant impact of the age of the child and of the mother, as well as the sex of the child on HAZ and WAZ. In contrast, social status and wealth proxies at the individual and household level are not statistically significant possibly because of errors in these variables. We do not find a consistent effect for geographic regions or for rural-urban residents either. Yet, urban provinces seem to be better-off. Most importantly, we find that children living in families who benefit from food aid of the United Nations are healthier in terms of HAZ, WAZ and WHZ than those depending on the government. Hence, further delivery of United Nations food aid is likely to mitigate the effects of the ongoing food crisis in North Korea.     

Determinants of Childhood Adiposity: Evidence from the Australian LOOK Study

Background

To contribute to the current debate as to the relative influences of dietary intake and physical activity on the development of adiposity in community-based children.

Methods

Participants were 734 boys and girls measured at age 8, 10 and 12 years for percent body fat (dual emission x-ray absorptiometry), physical activity (pedometers, accelerometers); and dietary intake (1 and 2-day records), with assessments of pubertal development and socioeconomic status.

Results

Cross-sectional relationships revealed that boys and girls with higher percent body fat were less physically active, both in terms of steps per day and moderate and vigorous physical activity (both sexes p<0.001 for both measures). However, fatter children did not consume more energy, fat, carbohydrate or sugar; boys with higher percent body fat actually consumed less carbohydrate (p = 0.01) and energy (p = 0.05). Longitudinal analysis (combined data from both sexes) was weaker, but supported the cross-sectional findings, showing that children who reduced their PA over the four years increased their percent body fat (p = 0.04). Relationships in the 8 year-olds and also in the leanest quartile of all children, where adiposity-related underreporting was unlikely, were consistent with those of the whole group, indicating that underreporting did not influence our findings.

Conclusions

These data provide support for the premise that physical activity is the main source of variation in the percent body fat of healthy community-based Australian children. General community strategies involving dietary intake and physical activity to combat childhood obesity may benefit by making physical activity the foremost focus of attention.     

Gender Determinants of Vaccination Status in Children: Evidence from a Meta-Ethnographic Systematic Review

Using meta-ethnographic methods, we conducted a systematic review of qualitative research to understand gender-related reasons at individual, family, community and health facility levels why millions of children in low and middle income countries are still not reached by routine vaccination programmes. A systematic search of Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, ERIC, Anthropological Lit, CSA databases, IBSS, ISI Web of Knowledge, JSTOR, Soc Index and Sociological Abstracts was conducted. Key words were built around the themes of immunization, vaccines, health services, health behaviour, and developing countries. Only papers, which reported on in-depth qualitative data, were retained. Twenty-five qualitative studies, which investigated barriers to routine immunisation, were included in the review. These studies were conducted between 1982 and 2012; eighteen were published after 2000. The studies represent a wide range of low- to middle income countries including some that have well known coverage challenges. We found that women''s low social status manifests on every level as a barrier to accessing vaccinations: access to education, income, as well as autonomous decision-making about time and resource allocation were evident barriers. Indirectly, women''s lower status made them vulnerable to blame and shame in case of childhood illness, partly reinforcing access problems, but partly increasing women''s motivation to use every means to keep their children healthy. Yet in settings where gender discrimination exists most strongly, increasing availability and information may not be enough to reach the under immunised. Programmes must actively be designed to include mitigation measures to facilitate women''s access to immunisation services if we hope to improve immunisation coverage. Gender inequality needs to be addressed on structural, community and household levels if the number of unvaccinated children is to substantially decrease.     

Sesame Utilization in China: New Archaeobotanical Evidence from Xinjiang

Sesame Utilization in China: New Archaeobotanical Evidence from Xinjiang. A cache of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) seeds, discovered in the Thousand Buddha Grottoes at Boziklik, Turpan, China, dating to ca. 700 years before present (BP), is hard evidence of their use in China since that time. Morphological and anatomical features suggest a white sesame cultivar. The sizeable quantity unearthed implies that sesame was a valued commodity that could provision the monks and enrich the diet of ancient inhabitants as an oil source.     

Smoking cessation and weight gain: Evidence from China

Cigarette smoking has long been viewed as a means to control body weight. However, studies on the association between smoking cessation and weight gain have reported mixed findings and, notably, there is limited evidence among the Chinese population – the world’s largest smoker population. The extent to which smoking cessation is positively associated with body weight is of interest as excessive weight gain contributes to heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, musculoskeletal disorders, and some cancers. Additionally, concerns over weight gain may dissuade current smokers from quitting. Using data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), we examine the association between smoking cessation and body weight in China. To account for the nonrandom nature of smoking cessation, our research design relies on within-individual variation in smoking status to remove the influence of time-invariant unobserved differences across individuals that are correlated with both cessation and body weight. We find that smoking cessation is associated with a modest increase in weight (0.329 kg, 0.51 % off the mean) and no significant changes in the prevalence of overweight or obesity.     

Sex ratios and mental health: Evidence from China

While sex ratios (i.e., relative numbers of men and women) have been linked to various economic and social outcomes, how sex ratios affect mental health is underexplored. Using nationally representative data from the China Family Panel studies (CFPS) and Population Census, we evaluate the impact of sex ratios on mental health among Chinese men and explore potential mechanisms. Employing the instrumental variables (IV) approach where the One-Child Policy’s mandated fertility limits and implementation are used as exogenous variations in local sex ratios, we find that higher local sex ratios increase depressive symptoms and probability of depression among Chinese men. The impact is stronger for men with lower levels of education and living in rural areas. Analyses of potential mechanisms show that higher sex ratios increase the likelihood of marriage delay and unemployment for men, and prolong working hours for the employed men. The findings are of direct relevance to the health and population policy in China.     

Air pollution and infant mortality: Evidence from China

Using a newly assembled prefecture-city level dataset from 2004 to 2015, this paper examines the impact of air pollution on child mortality in China. To identify the causal effect, we exploit ventilation coefficient as the instrument for urban air pollution. We find that a 10 μg/m³ increase in annual PM_2.5 concentration causes 163 infant deaths per 100,000 live births per year in a city.     

Non-Disclosure of Violence among Female Sex Workers: Evidence from a Large Scale Cross-Sectional Survey in India

Objective

One of the indicators critical to the success of violence reduction programmes among female sex workers (FSWs) is the pattern of disclosure of violence. This study examines the rate of non-disclosure of violence among FSWs in India by perpetrators of violence and programme exposure.

Methods

Data were drawn from a cross-sectional study conducted among FSWs in 2009 across four states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The analytical sample included 1341 FSWs who experienced physical violence in past six months. Multilevel logistic regression stratified by state was conducted to examine predictors of non-disclosure.

Results

About 54% of FSWs did not disclose their experience of violence to anyone with considerable variations in the pattern of disclosure across states. Another 36% of FSWs shared the experience with NGO worker/peer. Compared to violence perpetrated by paying partners/stranger, that by non-paying partner were twice more likely to report non-disclosure (53% vs. 68%, Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR]: 1.8, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.3–2.4). Similarly, FSWs who were not registered with an NGO/sex worker collective were 40% more likely to report non-disclosure of violence against those registered (58% vs. 53%, AOR: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.1–1.9).

Conclusions

Non-disclosure of physical violence is quite high among FSWs which can be a barrier to the success of violence reduction efforts. Immediate efforts are required to understand the reasons behind non-disclosure based on which interventions can be developed. Community collectivisation and designing gender-based interventions with the involvement of non-paying partners should be the way forward.     

Determinants of bicycle commuting and the effect of bicycle infrastructure investment in London: Evidence from UK census microdata

Worldwide, concern about physical inactivity and excessive car dependence has encouraged ambitious targets and policies to promote cycling. But policy making is hindered by limited knowledge about why cycling prevalence and trends vary greatly between different geographic areas (e.g. in London (UK) <1% cycle to work in Harrow compared to>15 % in Hackney) and individuals (e.g. by age or gender). The role of cycle infrastructure investment in explaining part of these patterns and trends is also unknown. We linked individual-level data on 317,117 London commuters (including 11,199 cyclists) in the 2001 and 2011 UK census to relevant geographic data, including on area-level cycling infrastructure investment during the period. Whilst cycle commuting increased over time on average, concentration curves and indices demonstrated that in contrast with England as a whole, cycling in London shifted from being dominated by commuters with lower socioeconomic status to commuters with higher socioeconomic status. In our first set of regression analyses, we showed that observed differences and time trends in cycling prevalence were partially explained by area-level differences in topography, greenspace, footpaths and crime levels and by differences and changes in population structures. In the second, we conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis which showed that expenditure on cycling infrastructure was associated with increased cycling at a marginal rate of £4915 per additional commuter cyclist, with some variation between groups: ethnic minorities were more responsive, and females, older people and those with lower socioeconomic status appeared less responsive. If planned increases in expenditure in England for the period 2020−25 were as cost-effective, and were sustained for the whole decade, our study suggests that commuter cycling prevalence could increase in England by 0.5 to 1.1 percentage points (this equates to a 16% to 34% increase in commuter cycling prevalence if compared to 2011 levels). More research is necessary to assess the impact on broader measures of cycling, active travel and overall physical activity, and to determine whether such expenditure constitutes good or equitable value for money.     

Time preference and nutrition label use: Evidence from China

The assumption that label use behavior is, to some extent, intertemporal decision behavior because the benefit of label use cannot be realized instantly, is insufficiently considered. This paper is the first to examine directly if food nutrition label use is associated with behavioral inclinations in time preference. Using a theoretical analysis, this paper illustrates that individuals with lower present bias and higher long-run patience tend to use nutrition labels more frequently. In an empirical investigation, an analysis of a nationwide survey of 1220 Chinese adults confirmed that time preference relates to label use behavior, not only via impatience but also via hyperbolic discounting. Results of this study can help to better understand label-use behavior. They also provide important policy implications for the design of proper strategies for improving food nutrition label use, as well as help consumers in China and other developing countries choose healthier diets.     

公立医院固定资产非效率投资度量实证分析 ——以B地区公立医院为例

基于前期构建的度量理论模型,在参考国外文献基础上结合我国公立医院的实际情况,对理论模型中的变量进行了选择和定义,然后采用多元回归分析构建了B地区公立医院最优投资支出预测函数,并对B地区公立医院的是否出现非效率投资行为进行了判断和度量。     

Determinants of Land Degradation and Fragmentation in Semiarid Vegetation at Landscape Scale

The objective of this paper was to investigate the sensitivity to degradation of semiarid plant communities in terms of plant cover and fragmentation, quantifying relationships between landscape characteristic (physical, socio-economical and historical) and vegetation degradation. The degradation of vegetation was measured as the degree of coverage of the two dominant vegetation types (i.e. tall arid brush and tall grass steppe), while fragmentation was measured as patch size and isolation. Data were obtained using GIS tools, and analyzed by logistic regression and linear multivariate regression. Results showed denser coverage at more elevated, gradual slopes that were not sea-oriented. Historical elements of the landscape had a significant effect on current natural vegetation. According to the fragmentation patterns, the vegetation is in fairly good condition (medium coverage had the largest patches but dense coverage was less isolated) but attention must be given to preserve vegetation, due to the relationships between fragmentation and human activities. Moreover, the protection plan under way in the area appeared to favour denser vegetation cover, while human activities had a measurable effect on vegetation degradation.     

Study on public acceptance of nuclear power plants: Evidence from China

Abstract

This empirical study evaluated the public acceptance of nuclear-power plants in China. A conceptual framework was proposed to explain the factors affecting nuclear-power acceptance based on antecedent variables, including social-media-use frequency, social-media information trust, nuclear-power knowledge, nuclear-accident knowledge, and risk-and-benefit perception. An empirical study was operated based on the Haiyang nuclear-power plant by conducting a face-to-face survey among residents who use social-media platforms near the plant. The frequency of social-media-use and the trust on social-media information promote individuals’ knowledge about nuclear power and nuclear accidents, leading to risk and benefit perception. Finally, benefit perception results in nuclear-power acceptance among the individuals. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Health at the Sub-catchment Scale: Typhoid and Its Environmental Determinants in Central Division,Fiji

EcoHealth - The impact of environmental change on transmission patterns of waterborne enteric diseases is a major public health concern. This study concerns the burden and spatial nature of enteric...     

Determinants of Delphacidae richness and endemism in China

1. Identifying the macro-scale patterns and the underlying mechanisms of species richness are key aspects of biodiversity-related research. In China, previous studies on the mechanisms underlying insect richness have primarily focused on the current ecological conditions. Therefore, the impact of historical climate change on these mechanisms is less well understood. 2. Here, we use members of the Delphacidae family to evaluate the relative impact of the current environmental conditions and that of the Last Glacial Maximum on total species richness and endemism. Total species richness and endemic species richness were summed in 1° × 1° grid cells that the insects occupied. Generalised linear models, simultaneous autoregressive models, and random forest models were used to assess the effects of different environmental factors on total species richness and endemism. 3. The two patterns of species richness are jointly regulated by the current environment and the Last Glacial Maximum, but their key determinants differ. Winter coldness and the temperature annual range strongly affected the total species richness, but temperature variation during the Last Glacial Maximum also played an important role in the development of species richness. The distribution of endemic species was most strongly affected by the Last Glacial Maximum temperature change. 4. The studies confirm that historical climate change contributes to patterns of insect species richness, particularly patterns of endemism. Considering that China was mildly affected by the last glacial period, we propose that the incorporation of historical climate data into such studies will provide a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms.     

Large Scale Brain Functional Networks Support Sentence Comprehension: Evidence from Both Explicit and Implicit Language Tasks

Previous studies have indicated that sentences are comprehended via widespread brain regions in the fronto-temporo-parietal network in explicit language tasks (e.g., semantic congruency judgment tasks), and through restricted temporal or frontal regions in implicit language tasks (e.g., font size judgment tasks). This discrepancy has raised questions regarding a common network for sentence comprehension that acts regardless of task effect and whether different tasks modulate network properties. To this end, we constructed brain functional networks based on 27 subjects’ fMRI data that was collected while performing explicit and implicit language tasks. We found that network properties and network hubs corresponding to the implicit language task were similar to those associated with the explicit language task. We also found common hubs in occipital, temporal and frontal regions in both tasks. Compared with the implicit language task, the explicit language task resulted in greater global efficiency and increased integrated betweenness centrality of the left inferior frontal gyrus, which is a key region related to sentence comprehension. These results suggest that brain functional networks support both explicit and implicit sentence comprehension; in addition, these two types of language tasks may modulate the properties of brain functional networks.