Predictors of Irrational Parenthood Cognitions in an Iranian Group of Infertile Women

Objectives

The aim of this study was to investigate possible predictors of irrational parenthood cognitions among infertile women seeking treatment.

Methods

In a cross-sectional study, 300 women who visited an Infertility Center in Iran during 2010 were studied. A pre-validated inventory was used to assess irrational parenthood cognitions. Potential predictors of the total irrational parenthood cognitions score were assessed.

Results

Mean irrational parenthood cognition score was 39.7(Range 0–56). Through bivariate analysis, the score on irrational parenthood cognition was inversely correlated with age and positively correlated with length of time seeking for infertility treatment and length of time expecting pregnancy. In a multivariate model, infertile women with higher education, especially academic education, or those with higher economic status were less likely to have irrational parenthood cognitions. However, higher motherhood motivation, no previous experience of pregnancy and being under social pressure, from others around, increased the likelihood of having irrational parenthood cognitions.

Conclusions

Some variables such as female spouse’s educational level and being under social pressure can independently predict irrational parenthood cognitions among infertile women that may be of use in designing health promotion plans in order to target the vulnerable women.     

Useful native plants in the American southwestern deserts

In addition to yuccas, creosote bush, prickly pear cactus, a?aves and the wax-producin? candelilla bush, all of which have already yielded to some commercial exploitation, scores of other plants listed in this article also ?row in the re?ion and contain industrial potentialities.     

Knowledge,use and management of native wild edible plants from a seasonal dry forest (NE,Brazil)

Background

Despite being an ancient practice that satisfies basic human needs, the use of wild edible plants tends to be forgotten along with associated knowledge in rural communities. The objective of this work is to analyze existing relationships between knowledge, use, and management of native wild edible plants and socioeconomic factors such as age, gender, family income, individual income, past occupation and current occupation.

Methods

The field work took place between 2009 and 2010 in the community of Carão, Altinho municipality, in the state of Pernambuco in northeastern Brazil. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 39 members of the community regarding knowledge, use and management of 14 native wild edible plants from the Caatinga region, corresponding to 12 vegetable species. In parallel, we documented the socioeconomic aspects of the interviewed population (age, gender, family income, individual income, past occupation and current occupation).

Results

Knowledge about edible plants was related to age but not to current occupation or use. Current use was not associated with age, gender or occupation. The association between age and past use may indicate abandonment of these resources.

Conclusion

Because conservation of the species is not endangered by their use but by deforestation of the ecosystems in which these plants grow, we suggest that the promotion and consumption of the plants by community members is convenient and thereby stimulates the appropriation and consequent protection of the ecosystem. To promote consumption of these plants, it is important to begin by teaching people about plant species that can be used for their alimentation, disproving existing myths about plant use, and encouraging diversification of use by motivating the invention of new preparation methods. An example of how this can be achieved is through events like the “Preserves Festival”.

     

Comparison of food plant knowledge between urban vietnamese living in vietnam and in Hawai‘i

Ethnographic interviews using photographs of 10 traditional Vietnamese fruits and vegetables were used to compare the knowledge level and use of traditional food plants between Vietnamese in urban Bien Hoa, Vietnam, and in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. In both communities, there was a positive correlation between age and knowledge (as measured by correct identification, and number of food uses for the plants). Vietnamese immigrants in Hawai‘i listed more food uses than those in Vietnam due to adoption of multi ethnic foods found in Honolulu.     

中药现代化的理论和方法研究

中药现代化的任务是对当代药物学家的挑战.中药现代化的目标、方法尚无统一的认识.吴凤锷在1989年就提出了中药现代化的方法.随着时间的推移,这一设想已被一些药物学家所认可,并开始了这方面的研究工作.通过多年的思索,对中药现代化的理论依据进行了研究,认为:(1)中药疗效是针对生药而言,即针对多种成分的结合疗效.(2)中药的多种成分特别适合于老年性多种慢性并发症的治疗.(3)中药的安全性是由于多成分、所含各成分相对剂量低的原因.(4)中药的个体针对性强,同病异治,或异病同治.(5)中药服用后进入人体的代谢过程不同于西药,对消化道中菌群产生影响,从而影响人体的生理功能.(6)中药既含有蛋白质、微量元素等功能性营养成分,又含有生物碱、黄酮等药物成分,本质上处于西药与食品之间.由于传统中药有以上特点,故中药的现代化必须保持这些特点.最好的方法就是作者所提出的用单方成药代替生药的方法.从现状看,这一方法既有理论依据,在技术上又是可行的.符合中医的传统理论及中草药的特点.     

Preparation and use of plant medicines for farmers' health in Southwest Nigeria: socio-cultural,magico-religious and economic aspects

Background

Little is known about the use of bush medicine and traditional healing among Aboriginal Australians for their treatment of cancer and the meanings attached to it. A qualitative study that explored Aboriginal Australians' perspectives and experiences of cancer and cancer services in Western Australia provided an opportunity to analyse the contemporary meanings attached and use of bush medicine by Aboriginal people with cancer in Western Australia

Methods

Data collection occurred in Perth, both rural and remote areas and included individual in-depth interviews, observations and field notes. Of the thirty-seven interviews with Aboriginal cancer patients, family members of people who died from cancer and some Aboriginal health care providers, 11 participants whose responses included substantial mention on the issue of bush medicine and traditional healing were selected for the analysis for this paper.

Results

The study findings have shown that as part of their healing some Aboriginal Australians use traditional medicine for treating their cancer. Such healing processes and medicines were preferred by some because it helped reconnect them with their heritage, land, culture and the spirits of their ancestors, bringing peace of mind during their illness. Spiritual beliefs and holistic health approaches and practices play an important role in the treatment choices for some patients.

Conclusions

Service providers need to acknowledge and understand the existence of Aboriginal knowledge (epistemology) and accept that traditional healing can be an important addition to an Aboriginal person's healing complementing Western medical treatment regimes. Allowing and supporting traditional approaches to treatment reflects a commitment by modern medical services to adopting an Aboriginal-friendly approach that is not only culturally appropriate but assists with the cultural security of the service.     

Indices to Measure Risk of HIV Acquisition in Rakai,Uganda

Introduction

Targeting most-at-risk individuals with HIV preventive interventions is cost-effective. We developed gender-specific indices to measure risk of HIV among sexually active individuals in Rakai, Uganda.

Methods

We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards models to estimate time-to-HIV infection associated with candidate predictors. Reduced models were determined using backward selection procedures with Akaike''s information criterion (AIC) as the stopping rule. Model discrimination was determined using Harrell''s concordance index (c index). Model calibration was determined graphically. Nomograms were used to present the final prediction models.

Results

We used samples of 7,497 women and 5,783 men. 342 new infections occurred among females (incidence 1.11/100 person years,) and 225 among the males (incidence 1.00/100 person years). The final model for men included age, education, circumcision status, number of sexual partners, genital ulcer disease symptoms, alcohol use before sex, partner in high risk employment, community type, being unaware of a partner''s HIV status and community HIV prevalence. The Model''s optimism-corrected c index was 69.1 percent (95% CI = 0.66, 0.73). The final women''s model included age, marital status, education, number of sex partners, new sex partner, alcohol consumption by self or partner before sex, concurrent sexual partners, being employed in a high-risk occupation, having genital ulcer disease symptoms, community HIV prevalence, and perceiving oneself or partner to be exposed to HIV. The models optimism-corrected c index was 0.67 (95% CI = 0.64, 0.70). Both models were well calibrated.

Conclusion

These indices were discriminative and well calibrated. This provides proof-of-concept that population-based HIV risk indices can be developed. Further research to validate these indices for other populations is needed.     

In lakes but not in minds: stakeholder knowledge of invasive species in prairie lakes

Humans are key vectors in the spread and establishment of aquatic invasive species (AIS), and human behavior can exacerbate or help prevent further spread of non-native species. Therefore, stakeholders’ knowledge is critical to preventing establishment of AIS. However, stakeholders’ AIS knowledge in prairie lakes remains poorly understood. We used a survey questionnaire in Saskatchewan, Canada, to assess the state of AIS knowledge, identify predictors of knowledge, and optimize management strategies. Statistical analyses of the responses of 440 participants indicated a generally low level of AIS knowledge, suggesting low communication success. Respondents were generally more aware of non-native fishes than plants. Of concern was the observation of substantial knowledge gaps regarding non-native mussels and important preventative behaviors that may have devastating ecological, social, and economic consequences if left unaddressed. Better understanding of AIS issues was significantly associated with several trans-situational (age, sex and education), situational (recreational purpose and using multiple lakes), and lake-related knowledge (awareness of eutrophication) predictors. Exploitation of these predictors is recommended to improve effectiveness of outreach and communication efforts. Specifically, we propose that management strategies focus on improving communications by streamlining outreach messages, targeting low-knowledge groups (e.g., swimmers, cabin owners), and expanding education campaigns.     

云南高黎贡山怒族对植物传统利用的初步研究

采用民族生物学和文化人类学等方法,广泛调查和研究了云南西北部高黎贡山地区怒族对植物的传统利用形式。结果表明：怒族对植物的传统利用主要表现在食用、药用、观赏、宗教祟拜和文化利用等方面。讨论了怒族的传统文化在当地植物多样性利用和管理中的作用和意义,并探讨了在植物多样性管理中传统管理和现代管理之间的关系以及在我国利用文化多样性进行自然生态环境保护的可能性、必要性和可行性。此外,面对优秀的传统文化知识和文化多样性逐渐消失的现实,作者建议加以拯救和广泛的研究。     

Losing knowledge about plant use in the sierra de manantlan biosphere reserve, Mexico

The purpose of this paper is to document relationships between knowledge of plant use and indicators of modernization in Mexico. The model we are testing envisions increasing loss of plant use knowledge with increasing modernization indicated by loss of indigenous language and acquisition of nontraditional community services such as literacy and quality of housing. As predicted, we demonstrate that empirical knowledge about plant use is both more diverse and more evenly shared by people speaking an indigenous language—the Huastec—than by mestizo and Spanish-speaking indigenous populations in the Sierra de Manantlan. Our analyses also indicate that the adoption of modern community services by eight rural communities in the Sierra de Manantlan of western Mexico has had notable effects eroding traditional knowledge about useful plants in some but not all communities. From this we suggest that even though traditional knowledge about plants probably suffered a decline that accompanied loss of the indigenous language in Manantlan, traditional knowledge may be able to survive the modernization process today where such knowledge has an important role in subsistence.     

Ethnobotanical Survey of Medicinal Plants at Periodic Markets of Autonomous County of Gongcheng Yao in Guangxi

Gongcheng is the second largest county in Guangxi with about 163000 Yao population. Periodic Markets are important places for trading of medicinal plants harvested by Gongcheng Yao villagers. The study aimed to look into the marked traded medicinal plants that are used by local people for curing various ailments. Ethnobotanical market survey methods, interviews, Participatory Action Research (PAR) and field visits were planned to elicit information on the uses of various medicinal plants. It was found that 71 plant species in the market which belong to 41 families are commonly used by local people for curing various diseases, all species are wild plants. A total of 133 records of medical uses in 52 herbal recipes for the treatment some common diseases. In most of the recipes recorded, digestion diseases, respiratory system diseases, infectious diseases,rheumatological diseases and surgery are used. The traditional knowledge about the number of medicinal plants available in that area and used by interviewees was positively correlated with the threats on medicinal plants in the wild habitats of the research area, which indicating that the diversity of wild medicinal plants and the associated traditional knowledge trends to disappear in the area.     

广西恭城瑶族集市药用植物的民族植物学调查

采用民族植物学的研究方法和手段,对恭城瑶族境内周期性集市药用植物及相关的传统知识进行了调查。主要研究结果如下：恭城瑶族民众与野生药用植物的关系极为密切,研究地区集市中常见药用植物71种,均为野生植物,常用于治疗肠胃、呼吸道、感染、风湿和外伤等疾病。在调查地区的野生药用植物资源及相关的传统知识面临着新的威胁,亟待采取必要的措施予以保护。     

Forty-five years later: The shifting dynamic of traditional ecological knowledge on Pantelleria Island,Italy

In 1969, Galt and Galt conducted an ethnobotanical survey in the community of Khamma on the volcanic island of Pantelleria, Italy. Since then, a number of botanical studies concerning the local wild flora and cultivation of the zibibbo grape and capers have been conducted, but none have investigated traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) regarding the use of wild plants and fungi. We documented the current TEK and practices concerning wild plants and fungi on the island, focusing on uses related to food and medicine with 42 in-depth interviews in six communities in June 2014. Our aim was to examine shifts in TEK, represented in terms of loss or gain of specific species uses, in comparison to the 1969 study. All interviews were conducted in person in Italian with prior informed consent. We employed two primary means of eliciting responses concerning traditional practices; informants were asked to: 1) free-list the most commonly used plants for wild foods, general medicine, and skin remedies; and 2) view and discuss a booklet composed of photos of species reported in the Galt and Galt study. In total, 86 botanical and 19 fungal species representing 53 families were cited. While many plant-based traditions have disappeared from daily practice, especially those related to traditional fishing and hunting, they remain in the memories of the eldest subset of the population. For example, one of the most pervasive species in the landscape, Opuntia ficus-indica, has current day uses that persist as a food source, but its past applications were much more diverse, and included manipulation into hunting snares for birds. Other predominant flora included a number of Euphorbia spp., whose toxic latex was regularly used as a fish poison. Fungi, on the other hand, nowadays represent an important source of wild food. In conclusion, we documented a decline in knowledge and practice of TEK related to ritual healing, livestock rearing, hunting and fishing practices and an increase in TEK concerning newly introduced edible fungi.     

Plant water stress and gall formation (Cecidomyiidae: Asphondylia spp.) on creosote bush

Abstract. 1. Populations of creosote bush ( Larrea tridentata (DC) Coville), were studied in Arizona to determine whether associated gallformers (Cecidomyiidae: Asphondylia spp.) were more abundant on water-stressed or nonstressed plants. Gall densities were measured along a steep elevational gradient that extended from mesic, higher elevations to lower elevations in the desert; and in the Grand Canyon where severely water-stressed and relatively unstressed plants occurred adjacently. At the Grand Canyon site, the responses of creosote bush to water stress were also studied.
2. The number and densities of Asphondylia species increased both at lower elevations and locally on water-stressed plants in the Grand Canyon, indicating that climatic and local conditions influence gallformer abundance in the same way.
3. Five of the eight Asphondylia species studied at the Grand Canyon site were more abundant on stressed plants, two species were more abundant on nonstressed plants and one species showed no preference for either plant type.
4. Densities of most species on stressed plants were positively correlated with the number of meristematic terminals per branch, which were more numerous on stressed plants, due to a bushier architecture. Flower gallformers were more abundant on nonstressed plants, which produced more flowers. Gall densities did not correlate with chemistry measurements, although these parameters also varied with level of stress.
5. These results suggest that gallforming species respond variably to plant stress, even within a closely-related lineage, and that there are effects of stress on plants, including architectural changes, that may be more important to herbivores than biochemical effects emphasized by White (1984) and others.     

湖南蓝山县端午药市的瑶药调查

中国南方一些少数民族地区民间"端午药市"流传至今,体现了民族医药的独具特色及其深远影响。为了解瑶族端午药市交易现状和发掘民族医药传统知识,采用民族植物学等方法对湖南省蓝山县端午药市进行调查,完成包括基原、地方名、药用部位、用途和用法、出现频度等内容的药用植物编目。结果表明:蓝山县端午药市药用植物种类丰富,共收集鉴定103科222属262种,药用植物种类广泛分布于各科和各属中,其中种类较多的科有五加科(11种)、茜草科(11种)、菊科(11种)、百合科(10种)、唇形科(9种)、蝶形花科(8种)、芸香科(7种)。药市药浴植物畅销且种类多样,达94种,占总数的35.9%,体现瑶族在治疗疾病上以预防保健为主的理念。经统计药市上均未被国家药典和地方标准收录的药用植物有131种,占总数的50.2%,成为发掘新药源、新用途的潜在资源。对端午药市售药者年龄的调查发现,售药者的年龄主要集中在50～59岁间,占总人数的67%,40岁以下的仅占总人数的3%,可见民族药用传统知识的传承存在传承人老龄化、潜在传承人数量锐减的现象。此外,还对药市交易药用植物的种类组成和民族药用特色进行分析,探讨了端午药市对药用...     

Transmission of Indigenous Knowledge and Bush Skills Among the Western James Bay Cree Women of Subarctic Canada

The transmission of 93 items of women's indigenous knowledge and bush skills was studied in two subarctic Omushkego (West Main) Cree Indian communities, Moose Factory and Peawanuck, Ontario, Canada. About half of all bush skills were still being transmitted at the hands-on learning stage. Some skills such as setting snares and fishnets, beadwork, smoking geese, and tanning moose and caribou hides were transmitted well. Many skills no longer essential for livelihoods, such as some fur preparation skills and food preservation techniques, were not. Loss of certain skills and incomplete transmission of others (a lower level of mastery than in older generations) were attributable to changes in the educational environment, diminished time available in the bush, problems related to learning bush skills at later ages, and changes in value systems. These factors seemed to impair the traditional mode of education based on participant observation and apprenticeship in the bush, which provided the essential self-disciplining educational environment. Policy measures to counteract these trends may include the institution of a hunters' income security program to provide incentives for family units to go on the land, rather than all-male hunting parties.     

Factors associated with utilization of long term family planning methods among women of reproductive age attending Bahir Dar health facilities,Northwest Ethiopia

Objective

This health institution based cross section study was designed to determine factors associated with utilization of long term family planning methods among women reproductive age attending Bahir Dar health facilities.

Result

A total of 406 women were interviewed in this study. The mean age (standard deviation) of the study participants was 26.96?±?6.31. About 99% of the study participants were consisted from Amhara ethnic group and 60.6% of them urban dwellers. In this study about 90.9% of the study participants had information about LTFP methods and 26.4% of them utilizing the methods. Factors like; knowledge of the women towards LTFP, spousal discussion on FP and occupation of the women affects LTFP utilization (6 times, 3 times and 4 times, respectively) when compared with their counter parts. In addition monthly income of the household was also associated to LTFP methods. In this study less percentage (26.4%) of women’s utilizing LTFP methods that were significantly associated with the knowledge of women on LTFP, spousal discussion on FP, occupation of the women and monthly income of the household. As result continuous health education will be recommended.

     

药用木本植物的生态保护

在分析我国药用木本植物的利用现状和特殊性的基础上。揭示了药用木本植物保护与利用之间的矛盾。提出了解决矛盾的根本出路和需要开展的基础研究工作．研究成树主要药用成分的器官分布、季节变化、年龄差异以及与环境因素的相关性;研究幼树主要药用成分的器官分布、季节变化特别是年龄差异;研究环境因素(培育条件)对幼树主要药用成分的影响和调控规律;进一步从蛋白质(主要药用成分代谢过程中的关键酶)和核酸(关键酶的编码基因)水平解析环境因子对幼树主要药用成分的调控机理．