bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An automated approach for abstracting execution logs to execution events
Authors: Jiang Zhen Ming , Hassan Ahmed E. , Hamann Gilbert , Flora Parminder
Published: July 2008

Execution logs are generated by output statements that developers insert into the source code. Execution logs are widely available and are helpful in monitoring, remote issue resolution, and system understanding of complex enterprise applications. There are many proposals for standardized log formats such as the W3C and SNMP formats. However, most applications usead hocnon‐standardized logging formats. Automated analysis of such logs is complex due to the loosely defined structure and a large non‐fixed vocabulary of words. The large volume of logs, produced by enterprise applications, limits the usefulness of manual analysis techniques. Automated techniques are needed to uncover the structure of execution logs. Using the uncovered structure, sophisticated analysis of logs can be performed.

In this paper, we propose a log abstraction technique that recognizes the internal structure of each log line. Using the recovered structure, log lines can be easily summarized and categorized to help comprehend and investigate the complex behavior of large software applications. Our proposed approach handles free‐form log lines with minimal requirements on the format of a log line. Through a case study using log files from four enterprise applications, we demonstrate that our approach abstracts log files of different complexities with high precision and recall. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
High‐performance control of wind‐induced vibration of high‐rise building via innovative high‐hardness rubber damper
Authors: Tani T. , Yoshitomi S. , Tsuji M. , Takewaki I.
Published: July 2008

High‐hardness viscoelastic rubber dampers are used to upgrade both the habitability environment and the structural safety in high‐rise buildings subjected to wind disturbances. While most of usual viscoelastic dampers have limitation on temperature and frequency dependencies, etc., the proposed high‐hardness viscoelastic rubber dampers possess many unprecedented properties. High hardness, large stiffness, small temperature and frequency dependencies are examples of such properties.

Mechanical modelling of the proposed high‐hardness viscoelastic rubber dampers is introduced first, and the wind‐induced response of high‐rise buildings with and without the proposed high‐hardness viscoelastic rubber dampers is computed under dynamic horizontal loads derived from wind tunnel tests. It is shown that high‐rise buildings with the proposed high‐hardness viscoelastic rubber dampers exhibit extremely smaller wind‐induced responses (both along‐wind and cross‐wind responses) than those without such dampers. In particular, a remarkable reduction of acceleration has been achieved owing to sufficient hysteresis even in the small strain range. It is concluded that the proposed high‐hardness viscoelastic rubber dampers can upgrade the habitability environment of building structures dramatically. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Earthquake‐induced shear concentration in shear walls above transfer structures
Authors: Su R. K. L. , Cheng M. H.
Published: July 2008

Due to various architectural constraints and multi‐functional requirements for modern buildings, combined structural forms, which typically include shear wall systems in higher zones and moment‐resisting frames together with core walls in lower zones, are commonly used for these buildings. Transfer structures are often introduced to transfer the loads from higher to lower zones. Previous experimental and numerical studies have demonstrated that the exterior walls above the transfer structure are particularly vulnerable structural members under seismic loading. In this paper, a qualitative model is presented for simulating the shear concentration effect in exterior walls with consideration of the local deformations of transfer structures. A parametric study was carried out to validate the model and to quantify various factors which may influence the shear concentration effect. A shear concentration factor, which can measure the intensity of shear stress concentration in the exterior walls, is defined. Based on the numerical study, design principles are recommended to seismic engineers for minimizing the adverse shear concentration effect on exterior walls under seismic loads. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Options for support tower design of a sensitive equipment under ambient vibrations
Authors: Chaudhary Muhammad Tariq A.
Published: July 2008

This paper describes the options and methodology adopted for the design of an 18‐m high support tower for a vibration sensitive optical telescope. The telescope was to be housed inside an existing building that provided shielding from atmospheric wind and thermal variations. However, proper functioning of the telescope was dependent on the support tower's structural configuration and stiffness to limit angular distortion of the telescope platform to less than 2 µ radians or 0·4 arc‐sec. This level of sensitivity required investigation of support tower response under ambient vibrations resulting from normal operation of the existing facility. The measured peak ambient vibration acceleration ranged from 0·04 m/s/s to 0·27 m/s/s for various recorded events. Two options for the tower were investigated viz. steel braced frame and concrete shaft. The effect of soil structure interaction (SSI) was also examined. It was concluded that the concrete tower option provided the desired performance for both fixed base and SSI cases. On the other hand, the steel tower performed well for the fixed base case but its performance was close to the threshold when SSI was also considered. Effect of soil properties variation on SSI was also examined for both tower options and was found to be relatively insignificant. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tiered bandwidth reservation scheme for multimedia wireless networks
Authors: Wei Kuang Lai , Hsu‐Sheng Tsai , Yu‐Hang Sun
Published: July 2008

It is important to provide quality of service (QoS) guarantees if we want to support multimedia applications over wireless networks. In this paper, considering the features of tiering in sectored cellular networks, we propose a novel scheme for bandwidth reservation to approach QoS provisioning. By predicting the movement of each connection, the reserving of bandwidth is only required in needful neighboring cells instead of in all neighboring cells. In addition, an admission control mechanism incorporated with bandwidth borrowing assists in distributing scarce wireless bandwidth in more adaptive way. Through mathematical analysis, we proof the advantages of tier‐based approach and the bound for the selection of tiered boundary. The simulation results also verify that our scheme can achieve superior performance than traditional schemes regarding no bandwidth reserving, fixed bandwidth reserving, and bandwidth borrowing in sectored cellular networks when performance metrics are measured in terms of the connection dropping probability (CDP), connection blocking probability (CBP), and bandwidth utilization (BU). Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Laser-based systems for trace gas detection in life sciences
Authors: Cristescu S.M. , Persijn S.T. , te Lintel Hekkert S. , Harren F.J.M.
Published: July 2008

Infrared gas phase spectroscopy is becoming very common in many life science applications. Here we present three types of trace gas detection systems based on CO2 laser and continuous wave (cw) optical parametric oscillator (OPO) in combination with photoacoustic spectroscopy and cw quantum cascade laser (QCL) in combination with wavelength modulation spectroscopy. Examples are included to illustrate the suitability of CO2 laser system to monitor in real time ethylene emission from various dynamic processes in plants and microorganisms as well as from car exhausts. The versatility of an OPO-based detector is demonstrated by simultaneous detection of 13C-methane and 12C-methane (at 3240 nm) at similar detection limits of 0.1 parts per billion by volume. Recent progress on a QCL-based spectrometer using a continuous wave QCL (output power 25 mW, tuning range of 1891–1908 cm-1) is presented and a comparison is made to a standard chemiluminescence instrument for analysis of NO in exhaled breath.
The origins of ci: A contemporary reflection on a thousand-year-old academic controversy
Authors: Changji LI
Published: July 2008

The academic controversy over the “origin of ci” has lasted over a thousand years throughout the study of this Chinese poetic genre. According to their own account by literati of the Tang dynasty, ci was collected from folks of the fields for both its phrase and tune. But since the Song dynasty, different arguments have arisen. Some held that ci had its origin in the so-called “long-and-short lines”, while others postulated “phrase-filling in uniform tunes”; still others believed in its derivation from “foreign-tune with Chinese phrase”. Starting from the 20th century, the focus of debate shifted to whether ci had evolved from native vernacular songs or been invented for new tunes, and, if the latter was true, whether the tune came from abroad (Hu 胡) or within China (Hua 华). However, all these arguments have some theoretical flaws resulting from: (i) an isolated and undefined academic context and research orientation; (ii) a method of substituting the part for the whole, which may have distorted the true picture of Chinese-foreign music exchange; (iii) the false premise that new tunes gave rise to new genres of poetry; and (iv) the disregard of the reality in learning and spread of ci performance and composition, and neglect of the role played by social changes and human subjectivity in the budding of new literary genres.
A review on the changes of the merchant-peasant relations from the mid-Tang dynasty to the mid-Ming dynasty
Authors: Shulu CHEN
Published: July 2008

From the Qin dynasty on there were two opinions about the merchant-measant relations: one was physiocracy and the other was equivalency. Influenced by the two opinions, Chinese ancient poetry had changed for three times. Firstly, since the physiocracy had been weakened in the mid-Tang dynasty, the thought that merchant should have the same status as peasant appeared in the poetry creation, leaning to an idea of physiocracy. In the second, the scholars in the Song dynasty, such as Fan Zhongyan, Ouyang Xiu and Su Shi, adopted the thought of equivalency, but they stressed on the government policies. And the last, breaking through physiocracy and the idea of “stronger merchants will hurt peasants” some artists like Tang Yin, Xu Wei and Wang Shizhen, in the mid-Ming dynasty did agree with the merchants in thought of “living for pleasure” which got responses in their poems.
From Jules Aleni to Zhu Ziqing: Travel accounts and the construction of “Romantic France”
Authors: Hua MENG
Published: July 2008

Many Chinese believe that France is a “romantic” nation though they may offer different answers to the question “why”. A recent source study shows that this image comes from the travel note written by a French priest Julie Aleni when he took a mission in China, from Wonders in the Voyage and Traveling around Europe and America by Zhang Deyi, a Chinese diplomat in France at that time and from Travel Notes by Wang Tao. Therefore, many Chinese modern writers borrowed this image to their works. Hence it has been created as a set image in the intertextual context of cultural homogeneity and heterogeneity. Therefore, this paper is intended to trace the signs of these cultural interactions so as to see how “Romantic France” has come to be a set image in Chinese culture.
The [4Fe–4S] cluster of quinolinate synthase from Escherichia coli: Investigation of cluster ligands
Authors: Rousset Carine , Fontecave Marc , Ollagnier de Choudens Sandrine
Published: July 2008

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) derives from quinolinic acid which is synthesized in Escherichia coli from l‐aspartate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate through the concerted action of l‐aspartate oxidase and the [4Fe–4S] quinolinate synthase (NadA). Here, we addressed the question of the identity of the cluster ligands. We performed in vivo complementation experiments as well as enzymatic, spectroscopic and structural in vitro studies using wild‐type vs. Cys‐to‐Ala mutated NadA proteins. These studies reveal that only three cysteine residues, the conserved Cys113, Cys200 and Cys297, are ligands of the cluster. This result is in contrast to the previous proposal that pointed the three cysteines of the C291XXC294XXC297 motif. Interestingly, we demonstrated that Cys291 and Cys294 form a disulfide bridge and are important for activity.
Triglyceride response following an oral fat tolerance test in Burmese cats, other pedigree cats and domestic crossbred cats
Authors: Kluger Elissa K. , Hardman Chloë , Govendir Merran , Baral Randolph M. , Sullivan David R. , Snow David , Malik Richard
Published: July 2008

Primary lipid disorders causing fasting triglyceridaemia have been documented infrequently in Burmese cats. Due to the known increased risk of diabetes mellitus and sporadic reports of lipid aqueous in this breed, the aim of this study was to determine whether healthy Burmese cats displayed a more pronounced pre- or post-prandial triglyceridaemia compared to other cats. Serum triglyceride (TG) concentrations were determined at baseline and variably at 2, 4 and 6 h after ingestion of a high-fat meal (ie, an oral fat tolerance test) in a representative sample of Burmese and non-Burmese cats. The median 4 and 6 h serum TG concentrations were significantly higher in Burmese cats (4 h–2.8 mmol/l; 6 h–8.2 mmol/l) than in other pedigree and domestic crossbred cats (4 h–1.5 mmol/l; 6 h–1.0 mmol/l). The non-Burmese group had post-prandial TG concentrations ranging from 0.6 to 3.9 mmol/l. Seven Burmese cats had post-prandial TG concentrations between 6.6 and 19.0 mmol/l, five had concentrations between 4.2 and 4.7 mmol/l, while the remaining 15 had post-prandial concentrations between 0.5 and 2.8 mmol/l. None of these Burmese cats had fasting triglyceridaemia. Most Burmese cats with a 4 h TG > 6.0 mmol/l had elevated fasting very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) concentrations. This study demonstrates that a proportion of Burmese cats in Australia have delayed TG clearance compared to other cats. The potential repercussions of this observation with reference to lipid aqueous, pancreatitis and diabetes mellitus in Burmese cats are discussed.
General practitioners and family planning in Sheffield
Authors: Ward Audrey W. M.
Published: July 2008

A postal questionnaire was sent to one randomly selected half of the general practitioners on the Sheffield Executive Council list in April 1967 concerning the advice they give about family planning; 90% responded, and of these 78% suggest contraceptive measures on their own initiative. All the respondents either advise patients directly, refer them elsewhere, or both; 93% will on occasion advise the patient themselves, and 73% refer patients to the FPA. Of those who advise directly 92% prescribe the pill; 32 % of the respondents have had training in contraceptive methods. Doctors trained in Ireland were less likely to suggest contraception measures on their own initiative or to prescribe the pill, and more likely to prescribe the safe period than doctors trained elsewhere in the British Isles.
Effect of fewer births on average income
Authors: Enke Stephen , Zind Richard G.
Published: July 2008

This study analyses, for the dynamic economy of a typical less developed country (LDC), the significance for economic development over 30 years of gradual reductions in age-specific fertility rates (assumed to result from a government-supported birth reduction campaign).

The computer results, using parameters typical of poorer LDCs, include the following:

1. A modest birth control programme, costing perhaps 30 cents a year per head of national population, can raise average income over only 15 years by almost twice the percentage that it would rise without birth control;

2. Such a birth control programme, including more exposed couples every year until half of them are practising contraception, yields an undiscounted return on cost of 13 times in 5 years and 80 times in 30 years;

3. The value of permanently preventing the birth of a marginal infant is about twice an LDCs annual income per head;

4. Without birth control, to achieve similar rises in income per head, the rate of productive innovation would have to be about 1½ times the typical rate assumed;

5. Saving propensities would have to be from 2 to 3 times as great as are assumed typical if similar income increases per head are to be realized without birth control.

The model employed uses age-specific death, fertility, and consumption rates for an annually changing age distribution of population. It also uses a national production function that takes into account the changing stocks and productivities of labour and capital, saving propensities that vary with disposable income and the rate of productive innovation. Consequently, it can trace, in more detail than any demographic–economic model yet described in the literature, the incidence of whatever fertility reductions may result from government or private birth control programmes.*
Aspects of Old Age in Age-Specific Mortality Rates
Authors: Bytheway W. R.
Published: July 2008

Age-specific mortality rates have been used to illustrate certain aspects of the characteristics of old age. A consideration of the experience of the ageing person in his fifties and early sixties suggests that during this period he comes to recognize death as being an increasingly common characteristic of his age group. Thus the standard procedure for studying old age problems in a sample of people over the age of 65 may miss the period of life when people are making the crucial adjustments to old age and may give a distorted view of some gerontological problems. Certain demographic aspects of old age are considered in detail with regard to the occurrence of, first, widowhood and, second, social isolation.
The Long-Term Effects of Steroid Contraceptives
Authors: Doll Richard
Published: July 2008

Editorial note

The Twelfth Oliver Bird Lecture was delivered by Professor Richard Doll, Regius Professor of Medicine in the University of Oxford, at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on 19th March 1970. This was the last lecture to be given under the auspices of the Oliver Bird Trust, an account of which starts on page 359. Professor Doll was formerly Director of the MRC Unit of Medical Statistics, in which capacity he had exceptional experience in assessing the significance of changes in the incidences of abnormal conditions. The subject of his lecture was therefore highly appropriate to his special knowledge, as well as to current controversy and to the series of Oliver Bird lectures. The Journal of Biosocial Science is glad to publish this authoritative exposition of a most important problem.
Reproductive Patterns after Stillbirth and Early Infant Death
Authors: Vogel H. P. , Knox E. G.
Published: July 2008

Birth records in Birmingham were examined for evidence of reproductive compensation following a fetal or infant death. Mothers with a stillbirth, a neonatal death, or a post-neonatal death in 1964 were identified, controls were selected, and subsequent reproductive patterns up to 1969 were compared. There was substantial reproductive compensation following the post-neonatal deaths and a lesser degree after neonatal deaths. Stillbirths were followed by compensation in the first year but this was not maintained and there was a net reduction of effective fertility over the whole 5-year period. Within this pattern, the extent of compensation varied according to the number of older surviving children. Both fetal and neonatal deaths tended to recur. There is evidence that reproductive compensation is partly attributable to pre-existing fertility differentials, but also to eventdetermined modifications of reproductive behaviour. With respect to haemolytic disease of the newborn the data provide some evidence in support of the theory that gene frequency stability depends upon reproductive compensation, but the interpretation of the data in this respect is not completely reliable.
Birth Weight in Israel, 1968–70
Authors: Handlesman Y. , Davies A. Michael
Published: July 2008

The influence of the country of origin of the father on mean birth weight of offspring of Jewish immigrants to Israel has been examined in an analysis of 98% of records of live births for the period 1968–70. The mean birth weight of infants born to parents from the same country (in-group marriages) was 3309 ± 570 g and that of infants whose parents came from different countries (out-group marriages) was 3289 ± 565 g: these differences are not significant.

Infants born to immigrants from North African countries are heavier, and those born to immigrants from Asian countries lighter, than the Israeli mean. Apart from Algeria (whose immigrants have babies heavier than those from other North African countries) and India and Yemen (whose immigrants have babies lighter than those from other countries of Asia) there were no significant differences in adjusted mean birth weight by country of origin, within each continental group.

Mean birth weight is determined by a combination of maternal and environmental factors, paternal factors having little effect.

Analysis of birth weights of second and subsequent generations of Israeli-born, by origin of their grandparents, shows a fall in mean birth weight of those of North African descent and a rise in those of Asian descent, i.e. a tendency to approach an Israeli mean.

(Summary in Hebrew, p. 164.)
Predictors of Contraceptive Practice for Low-Income Women in Cali, Colombia
Authors: Sear Alan M.
Published: July 2008

An attempt has been made to determine which of several social, demographic and economic variables best account for the variance in contraceptive use in a low-income, urban Colombian population. The results indicated that of the independent variables included, occurrence or non-occurrence of intercourse in the past month, education, employment status, marital status and age were the best predictors, in that order. Altogether these factors accounted for 17% of the variance in contraceptive use and 87% of the variance within the model. The remaining variables had relatively little predictive utility; and this was particularly true for interspousal communication, race and religious commitment.
The Costs of Family Planning Programs: Methodological Issues with an Application to Barbados
Authors: Slavin Stephen L. , Bilsborrow Richard E.
Published: July 2008

Despite the great amount of resources invested in family planning programs around the world and the considerable attention given to appraising their effects, little has been written about the analysis of family planning costs. Indeed, costs often seem to be virtually ignored. In the likely event that the growth of resources available for financing family planning programs in the future ceases to be as high as the expansion in demand for family planning, pressures will develop for better ways of evaluating family planning costs. This paper considers two major methodological issues—what should be included in family planning costs and what is the most practically useful classification. First, we recommend the use of a complete, inclusive concept of economic costs, including the imputation of costs of ‘free’ or donated inputs. Second, a classification of costs into administrative, motivational and contraceptive is suggested. The location of the usual types of family planning in these categories is then indicated.

Both the concept of economic costs and their three-fold classification are illustrated with detailed data on the family program in Barbados from its inception in 1955 through 1974.
Attitudes of Rural Thai Women Towards Induced Abortion
Authors: Burnight Robert G. , Leoprapai Boonlert
Published: July 2008

Questions concerning their attitudes towards induced abortion in six different circumstances were asked of 1254 rural Thai married women, aged 15–44, in a 1972 nationwide fertility survey. A positive response was given to one or more of the questions by nearly three-fifths of the women; the largest proportion of positive responses (42·0%) was given by women if the pregnancy resulted from rape, and 40·1 % responded affirmatively if the pregnancy might endanger the health of the woman. The lowest proportions, but still nearly one-fifth of the women, were in favour of abortion if the couple do not want another child or if they cannot support another child. Responses are analysed in relation to the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the women and their husbands, to fertility and family planning experiences, and to the women's communication activities. Comparisons of the results are made with similar data from rural South Korea, rural US and suburban Thailand. The study suggests that positive attitudes towards induced abortion among Thai rural women reflect traditional values, not recent ‘modernization’ ones.
Third Time Unlucky: A Study of Women who have Three or More Legal Abortions
Authors: Brewer Colin
Published: July 2008

Of 50 women who were having their third or subsequent legal abortion, 23 were pregnant because their contraceptive method had failed, 24 because of erratic contraceptive use, and three had changed their mind about an initially welcome pregnancy. There was a significant relationship between erratic use and a history of medical consultation for psychiatric reasons, and a suggestion that unsettled relationships and low educational status are also related to erratic use.

Inappropriate contraceptive advice was an important factor in several cases. Since the perfect contraceptive does not exist, and since some people are more unlucky than others, repeated abortion cannot be eliminated, but it may be reduced by giving especially careful contraceptive advice to those who are clearly at risk.

There is no evidence that abortion is being deliberately used as a method of birth control.
A Comparison of Menstrual Bleeding Patterns Associated with Three Iud Models: An Example of Reference Period Analysis
Authors: Mayes David G.
Published: July 2008

The purpose of this paper is two-fold; first, it seeks to examine the differences in menstrual bleeding patterns between users of three IUD models and second, it presents the advantages and disadvantages of the methods of analysis recommended by the Exeter Workshop on Bleeding Pattern Analysis reported by Snowden (1977, see p. 107 of this issue). The principal feature of this means of comparison is that the pattern of menstrual bleeding is assumed to be complex and multivariate. Previous analysis has tended to concentrate on the length of menstrual cycles, where such cycles are denned as the interval between the onset of one period of menstrual bleeding and the next. In addition to this type of information, the present study also incorporates information on the length and variability of periods of bleeding and intervals between bleeding. This information is readily available and easily collected.
Recent Fertility Trends in Suriname
Authors: Lamur Humphrey E.
Published: July 2008

A rapid decline in fertility took place in Suriname between 1962 and 1974, and then stopped. While this sudden stabilization is surprising, it is not unusual. Similar trends have occurred in some Caribbean and Latin-American countries. The 1962–74 fall in fertility in Suriname seems to have been due to a combination of socioeconomic factors and the activities of the Suriname Family Planning Association, founded in 1968.
Differential Fertility by Religious Group in Rural Sierra Leone
Authors: Bailey Mohamed
Published: July 2008

This study examines the influence of Islam and Christianity (Catholicism and Protestantism) on fertility in rural Sierra Leone. Analyses using number of children ever born and number of living children for currently married women of childbearing ages 15–49 as measures of fertility show that Muslim fertility is lower than either Catholic or Protestant fertility net of relevant demographic and socioeconomic variables.

The interaction between wife's educational level and her religious affiliation was statistically significant for number of children ever born but not for number of living children. Religion is shown to be an important factor in differentiating fertility behaviour at different educational levels. Among wives with no schooling, differences in religion lead to small fertility differentials; among those with primary or higher education, the fertility differentials are substantial.
Factors Affecting Suicide in Young, Middle-Aged and Elderly Men
Authors: Araki S. , Murata K.
Published: July 2008

The effects of socioeconomic and geographical factors on age-specific mortality by suicide in men were assessed in 46 Japanese prefectures (counties) by stepwise regression analysis twice at 5-year intervals, before and after a serious economic crisis. The following factors were significantly related to the mortality in the two years: (1) the proportion of old and young men in the population for young men; (2) low income for middle-aged men; and (3) rural residence for elderly men. The mortality significantly increased after the crisis in young and middle-aged men, while no significant alteration was observed in elderly men. It is suggested that young and middle-aged men are more sensitive to socioeconomic changes in society while elderly men are mainly affected by the factor of rural residence.
Time Trends in Inequalities in Health
Authors: Carr-Hill Roy A.
Published: July 2008

The conventional belief since the publication of the Black Report is that social inequalities in health have been increasing since 1931–32 although it has been argued that the measure of inequality used is inappropriate. All analyses have been based on mortality rates which, in large part, reflect inequalities in health over the previous 50 years and not current trends. This paper argues that time trends should be assessed with a current health status measure and suggests using height at age 20 as a good measure of the achieved health status of a group. Analysis of a government survey shows that inequalities have stayed the same since 1940, both for men classified by their own occupation and for women classified by their father's occupation.
The Intellectual Achievement of Only Children
Authors: Polit Denise F. , Falbo Toni
Published: July 2008

A quantitative review of the literature on the intellectual achievement of only children indicated that only children were never at a disadvantage in relation to any comparison group; nor were they significantly different from first-born children or children from two-child families. Moreover, only children were at a significant advantage in comparison with later-born children and those from large families. The consistency of these findings across subgroups suggests that interpersonal mechanisms are largely responsible. The strong only-child advantage on tests of verbal ability, together with the overall pattern of findings, implicates parent–child interactions as responsible for the family size and birth order variations in intellectual achievement.
Effect of Famine on Fertility in a, Rural Area of Bangladesh
Authors: Razzaque Abdur
Published: July 2008

This study investigates the effects of the 1974–75 famine on differential fertility in a rural population of Bangladesh, using information on household socioeconomic status collected in the 1974 census, and registration data on births, deaths and migrations for the period 1974–77 from the Demographic Surveillance System of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh. Occupation of household head was taken as a measure of socioeconomic status. Total fertility rates were analysed for three periods: pre-famine, famine and post-famine. Overall fertility declined due to the famine by 34%, but this was compensated partially by a 17% increase in the post-famine period. Fertility of women of all ages and socioeconomic groups was affected by the famine, a more pronounced effect being observed among the poor. Fertility showed a higher post-famine recovery among women in the middle socioeconomic groups and in those aged 25–34 years.
Aspects of Fertility in Suva, Fiji
Authors: Clegg E. J.
Published: July 2008

Recent changes in vital rates in Fiji suggest that the Melanesian (MF) component of the population is growing faster than the Indian (IF) component, thus reversing a long-standing demographic trend.

Patterns of family building were studied in the respondent families of 302 MF and 324 IF children at school in the capital, Suva. Melanesian families were larger than IF families, even when corrected for differences in maternal age and social class. Particularly among IF families, there was a significant effect of social class on family size, higher status families having fewer children. Among all groups there was evidence of a secular trend to earlier childbearing and, less clearly, to an earlier cessation of childbearing. Among both races age-specific fertility levels were similar in younger age-groups, but older IF mothers showed significantly lower fertility.

It is suggested that among IF families, who form a more urbanized and commercially/industrially oriented segment of the Fijian population, two factors may account for the reduction in fertility: (i) pressure to limit population growth in the interests of racial harmony; and (ii) economic pressure resulting in a demographic transition. The latter suggestion is supported by the fact that the greatest decrease in fertility occurs among high status families. Among MFs the reduction in fertility has been less, due probably to the absence of a ‘racial harmony’ incentive and also to a lesser economic stimulus.
Maternal Age at Last Birth in Egypt
Authors: Horne Amelia Dale , Suchindran Chirayath M.
Published: July 2008

A proportional hazards regression model was applied to data on women aged 45–49 from the Egyptian Fertility Survey, to assess the effects of women's education, residence, and marital experience on their age at the birth of their last child. When age at marriage and parity were controlled, well-educated urban women tended to stop reproducing earlier than less educated rural women. Compared to intact first marriages, marital dissolution (divorce, widowhood, or separation) with remarriage tended to prolong the age at last birth, while failure to remarry tended to hasten it.
Lactation, Nutrition and Fertility and the Secretion of Prolactin and Gonadotrophins in Mopan Mayan Women
Authors: Fink A. E. , Fink G. , Wilson H. , Bennie J. , Carroll S. , Dick H.
Published: July 2008

The effect of lactation on menstrual cycles, ovulation and conception was studied in a group of non-contracepting Amerindian Mopan Mayan women. Anthropological observations of relevant events were made over a 21-month period. Blood samples were assayed to determine the plasma concentrations of prolactin, luteinising hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, human chorionic gonadotrophin, placental lactogen, oestrogen, progesterone and cortisol. The data show that: frequent and prolonged breast-feeding was associated with a marked increase in plasma prolactin concentrations to levels similar to those in lactating Gaing but higher than those in lactating Scottish women; ovulatory menstrual cycles and pregnancy occurred during frequent lactation; in lactating menstruating women there was an inverse correlation between fat weight and months post-partum. These data suggest that other factors as well as suckling account for the effects of lactation on fecundity.
Response Reliability of Demographic Data: A Longitudinal Study in Sri Lanka
Authors: De Silva W. I.
Published: July 2008

Response consistency was examined by linking the records of women interviewed in the 1982 Sri Lanka Contraceptive Prevalence Survey with records from the same individuals followed up 3 years later. Seventy-eight percent of women reported identical year of birth in the two surveys, but only 58% were consistent for age at marriage. Data on sterilisation and number of children born were highly reliable, but wives' reports on husband's age and education were relatively weak. Multivariate analysis of the effects of socioeconomic factors on consistency in age reporting confirms that education is the most influential factor related to consistency, followed by religion and husband's occupation.
The Influence of Religious Affiliation on Surname Repetition in Marriages in Tiszaszalka, Hungary
Authors: Koertvelyessy T. , Crawford M. H. , Pap M. , Szilagyi K.
Published: July 2008

The repeated-pairs of surnames in marriages (RP) approach is applied to the population of Tiszaszalka in north-eastern Hungary. The results indicate that: (1) lineage-like behaviour in mate choice results in population subdivision in both the Catholics and the Protestants of the village; (2) unlike in some other Tiszahat villages, the isonymous and the repeating unions in Tiszaszalka occur in different lineages so, in neither of these subpopulations are isonymous and repeating unions monopolised by a few lineages; (3) religious affilitation influences the mating structure of the population as measured by RP summary scores.
Age Variations in the Proximate Determinants of Child Mortality in South-West Nigeria
Authors: Ahonsi Babatunde A.
Published: July 2008

Age variations in the influences of three sets of proximate factors on child survival in Ondo State, Nigeria, during 1981–86 are described. Biodemographic factors covary very strongly with mortality risks during the first month of life, weakly during months 1–11, and imperceptibly beyond infancy. Microenvironmental factors progressively strongly covary with mortality after the neonatal period, while health services accessibility and care factors broadly covary strongly with mortality throughout early childhood. Patterns in the size of the hypothetical population-level impacts of these factors suggest that promoting assisted use of toilet facilities within households by under-5s and wider provision of dispensaries and hospitals would yield cost-effective and notable reductions in overall childhood mortality levels in the study setting.
Sterilisation as a Method of Contraception: Recent Trends in Great Britain and their Implications
Authors: Murphy M.
Published: July 2008

Data on patterns and trends in sterilisation in Britain among women, men and couples are presented using life table approaches with data from a national survey, the General Household Survey. Among couples under age 50, sterilisation is the main method of contraception used, with slightly more women than men being sterilised, although this is reversed if only contraceptive sterilisation is considered. Trends in contraception have remained relatively constant in recent decades. Patterns of sterilisation differ following births of different orders. For example, the resort to sterilisation is much quicker after a third birth than after a second. The proportions of men and women who have been sterilised and then formed a subsequent partnership are very small, so the effect of sterilisation in preventing births in such unions is negligible.
Biodemographic Alterations Derived from Reservoir Building in a Rural Settlement in Spain
Authors: Edo M. Alvarez , Compadre E. Sanchez
Published: July 2008

The building of dams to collect water for hydroelectricity and irrigation brings about environmental alterations and hence the appearance of a new ecosystem. These changes affect the human environment and result in demographic, social and economic alterations of the original settlements. In the mountainous regions of Palencia in the north of Spain, three dams have been built this century. This paper analyses the biodemographic modifications in the settlement directly affected by the construction of these dams, and compares it with nearby control settlements with similar demographic and social structure, in order to establish the effects of the flooding of extensive areas.
Old Age Security and Inheritance in Nepal: Motives Versus Means
Authors: Niraula Bhanu B.
Published: July 2008

This paper documents expectations of old age support in rural Nepal. Current living arrangements of the elderly have been analysed with a focus on the ownership of land holdings. It is argued that the inter-generational transfer of property through inheritance from the older to the younger generation, especially among sons, together with the Nepali normative prescription that sons care for their aged parents, provides a mechanism for old age support. However, land is becoming a scarce resource, cultural traditions are breaking down through modernisation and the living conditions of the elderly are likely to deteriorate as this process continues.
Determinants of Infant Mortality in Malawi: An Analysis to Control for Death Clustering within Families
Authors: Madise Nyovani J. , Diamond Ian
Published: July 2008

The 1988 Malawi Traditional and Modern Methods of Child Spacing Survey data are used to identify determinants of infant mortality in Malawi. The logistic binomial analysis shows that socioeconomic factors are significant even during the neonatal period while the length of the preceding birth interval is significant in the post-neonatal period only. There is a strong familial correlation of mortality risks during both the neonatal and post-neonatal periods but the effect of geographical area of residence is stronger in the post-neonatal period.
Factors influencing the sex ratio at birth in Australia, 1902–65
Authors: Pollard G. N.
Published: July 2008

Using Australian records of human births for the first six decades of the twentieth century, the proportions of male and female births are studied in relation to the mother's age, the father's age, the parents' ages in combination, and certain other factors. The principal data used relate to the years 1931–55, during which over 3 million children were born, yet even so the significant features are not easy to discern.

Masculinity tends to fall as the age of either parent increases. But it is only average or below if one parent is old while the other is young. For high masculinity, both parents must be young.

The Australian data are available in a form which enables the sex ratio to be studied also in relation to (a) the season of the year; (b) urban and rural areas; (c) the different states of the Commonwealth; (d) births inside and outside marriage; and (e) single and multiple births. When the influence of the parents' ages is eliminated, however, it does not appear as though the sex ratio varies significantly with any of these factors.
A longitudinal study of child growth in a rural community in Jamaica
Authors: Standard K. L. , Desai Patricia , Miall W. E.
Published: July 2008

A longitudinal study of the growth of a cohort of 229 infants born in a rural area in Jamaica and followed to their 4th birthdays is described, and this paper reports analyses of the anthropometric measurements.

Moderate impairment of growth affected the majority of children and was most marked between the ages of 3 and 15 months. Severe impairment occurred in boys more often than girls and in this comm unity was rarely attributable to disease.

The concept of weight faltering has been investigated in some detail; failure to gain weight for a period of 6 months occurred in almost half the children but was not, by itself, a useful prognostic index of malnutrition; it occurred commonly in children of above average weight whose subsequent growth was normal.

The provision of intensive care at specially appointed child welfare clinics did not completely prevent the development of serious malnutrition.
Personality differences within families: comparison of adult brothers and sisters
Authors: Price John
Published: July 2008

313 pairs of brothers and 296 pairs of sisters were compared by one or both parents in a postal questionnaire. For 495 pairs independent questionnaires were completed by father and mother, and agreement between parents was good.

There was a marked tendency for the first-born child to be rated as less fond of cuddling; he was also easier to train, worked harder at school, set himself higher standards, and was more serious, methodical, law-abiding, tidy and less impulsive; he learned to talk and read at a younger age and was rated as having more natural ability at schoolwork. These three groups of first-born attributes were relatively independent; for instance, even the first-born with less ability at schoolwork were given more responsibility at school. In the 152 pairs which did not contain a first-born, little birth order effect could be found, whether or not the elder was the eldest of his or her sex.

There was a slight tendency for the broader, fatter and more muscular child to be less nervous and highly strung, but otherwise differences in physique were not related to differences in behaviour. Abilities at schoolwork, games, music and painting were not related. Tendency to anxiety and depression was related to lack of sociability; to stubbornness and lack of practicality; to angryness but not the bottling up of anger; to level of aspiration but not the possession of abilities or good looks. These relations of anxiety and depression in a normal sample closely parallel the items which distinguish psychiatric patients from their healthy siblings.
Intelligence, education and fertility: a comparison between the 1932 Scott Surveys
Authors: Maxwell James
Published: July 2008

In 1932 all 11-year-old children in Scottish schools were given a group intelligence test, and a sample of 1000 was individually tested. The future careers of this sample were followed till 1939. In 1968, 709 of the original sample could be traced, and data about education, employment, and family were obtained. In 1947, a parallel survey was conducted in Scotland, and a sample of 1208 children was individually tested, and followed up for 16 years. The same data about education, employment and family are available for the 1947 Sample.A comparison between length of school education indicates a greater proportion completing a full secondary education in the 1947 than in the 1932 Sample. Proportionally, more of the 1947 Sample graduated from university. In marriage, it is possible to cut across the 1932 Sample at the age of 27 years, to make direct comparison with the 1947 Sample at the same age. The greatest incidence of marriage is in the middle range of IQ, but later records for the 1932 Sample show a relative uniformity of marriage over the IQ range. The pattern for occupational class is similar. There is a slight tendency to later marriage in the 1932 Sample. Two measures of differential fertility for IQ are used. For both samples, there is a negative relationship between the mean IQs of the sample members and the number of their sibs, more marked for the 1947 Sample. The number of children born to members of the two samples before the age of 27 years shows a similar relationship, but in the following 20 years the pattern for the 1932 Sample changes to one with a peak of mean IQ at two children. It is suggested that linear differential fertility for IQ may be a function of the age of the parent.
Delineation of the lowest social class
Authors: Askham Janet
Published: July 2008

Many criticisms can be made of the practice of dividing the population into social classes solely on the basis of occupation. This paper reports the results of an attempt to improve one aspect of such classifications (The Registrar General's Classification). The lowest social class (social class V) is the most heterogeneous of all the classes; it is suggested that it can usefully be subdivided into a ‘stable’ and an ‘unstable’ social class. Into the stable class (V) go the steadily employed, though unskilled, men and their families. Into the unstable class (V) would go those families most lacking in skill and property, signified by long-term or frequent unemployment, or the complete absence of a male head of the household. An attempt is made to justify this subdivision both theoretically and empirically by the demonstration that there are significant differences between social classes V stable and V unstable with regard to selected social class attributes.