bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Estimation of fertility and mortality of the Kuwaiti population
Authors: El-Shalakani M. H.
Published: July 2008

Indirect techniques are applied to estimate the current level of fertility and mortality among Kuwaiti nationals in Kuwait during 1980–85. The various methods discussed provide estimates in the vicinity of 45 per thousand for birth rate and 8 per thousand for death rate. While child spacing by birth order in Kuwait is about 2 years, the proportion of childlessness is very low (1%). As a consequence of lower mortality and stable high fertility, the Kuwaiti population remains young.
Characteristics of emigrants from Hawaii
Authors: Johnson Ronald C. , Honbo Kelly Ann M. , Nagoshi Craig T.
Published: July 2008

As part of an ongoing study on young adult psychological and social development, data were obtained through parental reports on the present residences and educational and occupational attainments of 718 present or former residents of Hawaii (average age 31 years). These subjects, as well as their parents, had been tested between 1972 and 1976 on measures of cognitive abilities and personality. The extent of emigration to the mainland in this middle to upper-middle class sample was over 40%. On average, former Hawaii residents now living on the US mainland were of higher intelligence and educational background than their counterparts still living in Hawaii. Differences were also found for number of children, crossethnic marriages, and occupational attainment (males only). In addition, parents of US mainland residents scored significantly higher on measures of cognitive abilities and education than parents of current Hawaii residents.
Marriage and mortality: a life table analysis
Authors: Shaikh Kashem
Published: July 2008

This paper examines the effects of age at marriage and differential mortality of males and females on the incidence of widowhood between the sexes. Abridged life tables constructed from marital status and death registration data of a rural area of Bangladesh for the period 1974–79 were used. The difference in life expectancy between males and females varies from 0·4 to 2·2 years at the ages 0 to 65 years and over. The mortality differentials show that the probabilities of a male or a female surviving the other spouse would be approximately the same, were there no other influence. But the incidence of widows is about ten times that of widowers. Other relevant factors, under a given regime of mortality, are age at marriage and age difference between husband and wife.
Mortality by cause of death in a rural area of Machakos District, Kenya in 1975–78
Authors: Omondi-Odhiambo  , van Ginneken J. K. , Voorhoeve A. M.
Published: July 2008

This paper examines mortality by cause of death in a rural area of Machakos district in Kenya. The cause-of-death data collected between 1975 and 1978 were likely to be of fairly good quality. The number of deaths was higher among infants and children. Infectious diseases and diseases of the respiratory system were the leading causes of death among children below 5 years of age. Next in prominence were the causes ascribed to congenital anomalies and perinatal conditions.

Among adolescents and young adults, injury and poisoning, together with tuberculosis and other infectious and parasitic diseases, were the leading causes of death. Degenerative diseases, especially diseases of the circulatory system and neoplasms and respiratory illness, were responsible for the majority of deaths among the older population.
Coital frequency and twinning
Authors: Bønnelykke B. , Olsen J. , Nielsen J.
Published: July 2008

In a comparative study to enquire whether parents of twins, especially of dizygotic twins, have a higher frequency of sexual intercourse than parents of singleton infants, data on sociodemographic status, coital frequency and other variables were collected using a postal questionnaire. Parents of all twins born alive in Denmark in 1984 or 1985 were included as cases and a random sample of parents of singleton infants born in the same period were controls. No evidence of any difference in coital frequency was found between parents of twins (neither dizygotic twins nor monozygotic) and parents of singleton infants.
Frequency of intercourse and contraceptive choice
Authors: Glor Jeffrey E. , Severy Lawrence J.
Published: July 2008

The effects of frequency of intercourse on perceptions of two of the most widely used contraceptive methods, the pill and condom, were assessed in 128 female college students currently involved in a sexual relationship. Intercourse frequency was found to be strongly associated with knowledge of both methods. People experiencing more frequent sexual intercourse were more favourably disposed towards the pill and less towards the condom than people experiencing intercourse less frequently. Implications of these results are discussed.
Teenage childbearing: structural determinants in developing countries
Authors: Trent Katherine
Published: July 2008

Data for a sample of 50 developing countries are analysed to investigate the social correlates of the teenage birth rate. Of five major factors considered as predictors of national birth rates (socioeconomic development, family planning programmes, women's status, the sex ratio, and marriage patterns), regression analyses reveal that only the average age at marriage for women has a significant effect on the teenage birth rate. In contrast, all variables except the sex ratio and the average age at marriage for women have a significant effect on the total fertility rate.
Determinants of rural and urban fertility differentials in Nigeria
Authors: Chimere-Dan Orieji
Published: July 2008

Whatever proximate variables are examined, their differential effects on rural and urban fertility are small. This indicates that no major disturbance has taken place in urban or rural reproductive norms. However, two possible reasons for the converging pattern of rural and urban fertility in Nigeria are identified. One is that urban mothers in the first half of the childbearing age range have higher fertility than their rural counterparts. The other is that breast-feeding and post-partum abstinence, which are the major determinants of marital fertility, exert a more depressing influence on rural than urban fertility.
Childhood conditions and adult height
Authors: Hasle Henrik , Boldsen Jesper L.
Published: July 2008

Self-reported height and childhood conditions among 1711 Danish male general workers born between 1923 and 1940 were analysed. No significant associations were found between adult height and father's occupation, growing up with both parents, paternal unemployment, sickness among the parents, parents receiving disability pension, economical problems in childhood, area of residence in childhood, and years at school. The study therefore provides no support for the hypothesis that poor childhood conditions are the cause of low adult height in this socially very homogeneous sample.
Social and family characteristics of marriage in England and Wales: information derived from marriage registration records
Authors: Haskey John C.
Published: July 2008

Information on social and family aspects of marriage was obtained from a sample of over a thousand marriages solemnised in England and Wales in 1979. The data include the standard demographic variables concerning the couple and their marriage and also: the day of the week the marriage was celebrated; whether the fathers or relatives of similar surname to the spouses acted as witnesses; the patterns of name usage by brides; the numbers of forenames of the marriage partners and their fathers; and the frequency of bridegrooms having one or more forenames in common with their fathers. The factors are analysed in terms of social class differences as well as in relation to the distance over which marriages range and other demographic characteristics of the partners and their marriage.
Paraguayan pharmacies and the sale of pseudo-abortifacients
Authors: de Oddone Nelly Krayacich , Shedlin Michele G. , Welsh Michael , Potts Malcolm , Feldblum Paul
Published: July 2008

This study was conducted in 1985 in Asunción, Paraguay, 6 years after the closure of the state supported family planning services. Data from national surveys in 1977 and 1987 permit a comparison of sources of contraceptive supplies before and after the elimination of government support for family planning. The purchase of pseudo-abortifacients from private pharmacies was used as an indication of induced abortion. After the loss of government clinics, it is suggested that some women turned to pharmacists to obtain pseudo-abortifacients when faced with unwanted pregnancy. There is an indication of increased pseudo-abortifacient use, particularly among unmarried women and those from poorer neighbourhoods.
Sex preferences for offspring among men in the western area of Sierra Leone
Authors: Campbell Eugene K.
Published: July 2008

This study reveals evidence of a significant sex preference among men. Programmes aimed at changing men's views on the importance of the sex of a child must be implemented in order to reduce the desired family size and eventual fertility.
Some factors in the choice of male or female sterilisation in Aberdeen
Authors: Thompson Barbara , MacGillivray Ian , Fraser Cynthia
Published: July 2008

In a random sample of 84 men and 167 women, medical considerations, an intransigent attitude of one partner or a fear of adverse effects, were related to the decision on which partner should seek sterilisation. Only 19% of couples felt that they had a real choice between male and female sterilisation.
Biosocial correlates of stature in a 16-year-old British cohort
Authors: Terrell Thomas R. , Mascie-Taylor C. G. N.
Published: July 2008

Analyses of the height variation of 16-year-old members of the British National Child Development Study revealed a number of biological and social variables which associated with stature. After multiple regression analyses only eight variables, namely social class, family size, tenure (owner occupied or one of several types of rented home), crowding status, number of children sleeping in the bed, region of the country, sex of child, and pubic hair rating, remained significant. The total variation explained by these biosocial variables was 37·5%.
Socioeconomic, demographic and environmental determinants of infant mortality in Nepal
Authors: Gubhaju Bhakta , Streatfield Kim , Majumder Abul Kashem
Published: July 2008

The Nepal Fertility and Family Planning Survey of 1986 demonstrated that demographic variables, previous birth interval and survival of preceding child, still predominated as determinants of infant mortality, particularly in rural areas of Nepal. However, in urban Nepal, where the level of socioeconomic development is higher, an environmental variable, along with previous birth interval and survival of preceding child emerges as important in determining infant mortality. Separate policy measures for child survival prospects in rural and urban Nepal are suggested.
Birth spacing and infant mortality: evidence for eighteenth and nineteenth century German villages
Authors: Pebley Anne R. , Hermalin Albert I. , Knodel John
Published: July 2008

Data from an historical population in which fertility control was minimal and modern health services were mostly unavailable are used to show that there appears to have been a strong association between previous birth interval length and infant mortality, especially when the previous child survived. Although only imperfect proxies for breast-feeding practices and other potentially confounding factors are available for this population, the results suggest that the association between previous interval length and infant mortality in this population is not solely, or primarily, a function of differences in breast-feeding behaviour or socioeconomic status. Other factors, e.g. maternal depletion or sibling competition, are more likely to explain the observed association.
Child morbidity patterns in Ethiopia
Authors: Yohannes A. G. , Streatfield K. , Bost L.
Published: July 2008

This study is based on the 1983 Rural Health Survey of Ethiopia. Patterns and levels of child morbidity by age, sex, geographic region, and sanitary facilities are examined. Morbidity levels peak in the second year of life. Diarrhoeal diseases are of major importance, especially among infants and toddlers. Parasitic diseases, and respiratory diseases other than pneumonia, become increasingly important with age.

There are no significant sex differentials in morbidity except for higher rates of diarrhoeal diseases among female children. Geographic differentials are quite marked with particularly high morbidity levels from all disease types in the western mountainous regions of Ethiopia. Access to high quality drinking water, a latrine, and garbage disposal, are strongly related to reduced overall morbidity levels, though not necessarily to reduced diarrhoeal disease levels.
Estimates of metabolic adaptation in women living in developing countries: technical limitations
Authors: Henry C. J. K.
Published: July 2008

The measurement of food intake has long been used to describe ‘adaptation’ to low energy intakes in certain tropical peoples. However, the methods available to quantify food intake are unlikely to reflect accurately real energy intakes in free living peoples. Alternatively, estimating energy expenditure shows some promise—particularly the measurement of basal metabolic rate (BMR). The BMR may be measured effectively in males, but females show wide intra-individual variation in BMR during their menstrual cycle, which makes BMR measurements more difficult to interpret in the context of adaptation. The use of double-labelled water may be the only method suitable to quantify and define ‘adaptation’ to low intakes in women.
Determinants of current contraceptive use among Ghanaian women at the highest risk of pregnancy
Authors: Oheneba-Sakyi Yaw
Published: July 2008

This study uses data from the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) of 1988 to examine factors determining the continued low levels of contraceptive use in Ghana. The women currently using efficient contraception are those who have sexual intercourse regularly, who discuss family planning with their partner, whose husbands approve of the use of family planning, and who live in the northern sector of the country. The finding that husband's approval is an important determinant of efficient contraceptive use has significant policy implications for Ghana and other African countries, to motivate both husbands and wives to share fertility control responsibilities.
Levels and differentials in weight, height and Body Mass Index among mothers in a rural area of Bangladesh
Authors: Bhuiya Abbas , Mostafa Golam
Published: July 2008

This study examined the variation in weight, height and body mass index of 1048 mothers living in a rural area of Bangladesh in relation to age, education, number of previous pregnancies, number of dead children, religion, family type, family size, and amount of land owned by the household. Multiple regression analysis revealed a positive relationship of education with all three variables. Moslem mothers were on average in better condition than Hindus. The number of dead children showed a negative relationship with height, weight and body mass index.
Nuptiality patterns in two West African states
Authors: Onuoha Nelson
Published: July 2008

Using data from the Demographic Health Survey for Ghana and Senegal, the influences of education and rural versus urban residence, and the difference between the two states on proportions married by various ages and on singulate mean age at marriage are investigated.
Inbreeding coefficients from the surnames of grandparents of the schoolchildren in Albanian-speaking Italian villages
Authors: Biondi G. , Lasker G. W. , Raspe Pamela , Mascie-Taylor C. G. N.
Published: July 2008

Data on grandparental surnames were obtained from children in 45 Italo-Albanesi villages in nine provinces of southern Italy and Sicily. Concordance of surnames (isonymy) and inbreeding by village were estimated for each province and on the total sample. Total mean isonymy is 0·0251. The weighted mean inbreeding coefficient, and its random and non-random components are 0·0063, 0·0024 and 0·0039, respectively. Isonymy values are similar to those of rural Italian villages except that Alpine and some Appennine villages appear to be more isolated and inbred.
Evaluation of natural family planning programmes in Liberia and Zambia
Authors: Gray Ronald H. , Kambic Robert T. , Lanctot Claude A. , Martin Mary C. , Wesley Roselind , Cremins Richard
Published: July 2008

Studies to evaluate use-effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of natural family planning (NFP) were conducted in Liberia and Zambia. The Liberian programme provided uni-purpose NFP services to 1055 clients mainly in rural areas; the Zambian programme provided NFP services integrated with MCH to 2709 clients predominantly in urban areas. The one-year life table continuation and unplanned pregnancy rates were 78·9 and 4·3 per 100 women-years in Liberia, compared to 71·2 and 8·9 in Zambia. However, high rates of loss to follow-up mandate caution in interpretation of these results, especially in Zambia. More women progressed to autonomous NFP use in Liberia (58%) than in Zambia (35·3%). However, programme costs per couple-year protection were lower in Zambia (US$25·7) than in Liberia (US$47·1). Costs per couple-year protection were higher during learning than autonomy, and declined over time. These studies suggest that NFP programmes can achieve acceptable use-and cost-effectiveness in Africa.
Influence of son preference on the contraceptive use and fertility of Sri Lankan women
Authors: De Silva W. Indralal
Published: July 2008

The effect of moderate son preference on family size is analysed using data from the 1982 Sri Lanka Contraceptive Prevalence Survey whose respondents were followed-up in the 1985 Sri Lanka Contraceptive Survey. Reported reproductive intentions on desire for additional children were not always reflected in overall contraceptive use. Complicating factors were the use of modern and traditional methods and the role of induced abortion. Longitudinal observations of the 1982–85 period relating women's individual reproductive behaviour to their intentions show no consistent behavioural difference between those with and without sons. However, at any given parity, the proportion reporting at least one additional child born during the intersurvey period was higher among those women who intended to have at least one additional child than among those who wanted to stop childbearing. This analysis suggests that son preference finds expression more through reproductive intentions than through actual fertility behaviour in the follow-up period.
Availability of marriage partners in England and Wales: a comparison of three measures
Authors: Lampard Richard
Published: July 2008

Measures of partner availability introduced by Goldman, Westoff & Hammerslough (1984) and by Veevers (1988) are described and a new measure of partner availability, the Iterated Availability Ratio, is introduced. The three measures are applied to 1981 Census data for England and Wales and their abilities to predict regional variations in age-specific marriage rates are compared.
Trends in fertility and intermarriage among immigrant populations in Western Europe as measures of integration
Authors: Coleman D. A.
Published: July 2008

Demographic data on fertility and intermarriage are useful measures of integration and assimilation. This paper reviews trends in total fertility and intermarriage of foreign populations in Europe and compares them with the trends in fertility of the host population and the sending country. In almost all cases fertility has declined. The fertility of most European immigrant populations and of some West Indian and non-Muslim Asian populations has declined to a period level at or below that of the host society. Muslim populations from Turkey, North Africa and South Asia have shown the least decline. Intermarriage is proceeding faster than might be expected in immigrant populations which seemed in economic terms to be imperfectly integrated. Up to 40% of West Indians born in the UK, for example, appear to have white partners as do high proportions of young Maghrebians in France.
Parasitic infections and psychopathology: a preliminary hypothesis
Authors: Pachman Joseph , Belanger Susan A.
Published: July 2008

The relationship between chronic parasitic loads and psychopathology is examined. Research suggests that: (1) psychiatric disorders are more prevalent in less developed countries where parasitic loads are more endemic; (2) individual patients with parasitic loads are more likely to exhibit mental status changes; (3) there is an improvement in the mental status of a subset of psychiatric patients following treatment for parasites. Inasmuch as the prevalence of parasitic content is underestimated in both more developed and less developed countries, an awareness of this relationship should increase understanding of the needs of infected individuals, and be taken into consideration when evaluating psychiatric patients.
Birth order, interpregnancy interval and birth outcomes among Filipino infants
Authors: Miller Jane E.
Published: July 2008

This study examines the effects of birth order and interpregnancy interval on birthweight, gestational age, weight-for-gestational age, infant length, and weight-for-length in a sample of 2063 births from a longitudinal study in the Philippines. First births are the most disadvantaged of any birth order/spacing group. The risks associated with short intervals (<6 months) and high birth order (fifth or higher) are confined to infants who have both attributes; there is no excess risk associated with short previous intervals among lower-order infants, nor for high birth order infants conceived after longer intervals. This pattern is observed for all five birth outcomes and neonatal mortality, and persists in models that control for mother's age, education, smoking, family health history and nutritional status. Since fewer than 2% of births are both short interval and high birth order, the potential reduction in the incidence of low birthweight or neonatal mortality from avoiding this category of high-risk births is quite small (1–2%).
Sibling and environmental correlates of adolescents' aspirations: family group differences
Authors: Marjoribanks Kevin
Published: July 2008

Relationships were examined between sibling variables, perceptions of learning environments and aspirations for Australian adolescents from family contexts defined conjointly by human and social capital. Generally, the findings using a regression approach indicated that sibling variables continued to have significant and often complex associations with adolescents' aspirations after taking into account relationships between perceptions of learning environments and aspirations. Also, relationships between sibling variables, perceptions of learning environments and aspirations, varied for adolescents from the different family contexts.
Determinants of contraceptive use in Morocco: stopping behaviour in traditional populations
Authors: Varea C. , Crognier E. , Bley D. , Boetsch G. , Baudot P. , Baali A. , Hilali M. K.
Published: July 2008

The determinants of modern contraceptive use in traditional populations are analysed in married women aged 30–44 living in the province of Marrakech (Morocco). Women who have never used contraception have smaller family sizes than those who do: the number of live children (or live births) is the variable with maximum predictive power on contraceptive use, while child mortality is the main inhibiting factor. The probability of contraceptive use increases with female age at marriage and decreases with the woman's age, indicating a generational change in reproductive behaviour. The socioeconomic variables education, employment and residence, have no significant independent predictive character on contraceptive use, although the interaction between education and residence does. The paper evaluates the hypothesis that traditional populations in the initial phase of their demographic transition resort to modern contraception in order to stop childbearing, when they have reached a desired number of children, rather than to space births or reduce their fertility.
The male versus female perspective on family planning: Kinshasa, Zaire
Authors: Bertrand Jane T. , Makani Bakutuvwidi , Edwards Michael P. , Baughman Nancy C. , Niwembo Kinavwidi Lewu , Djunghu Balowa
Published: July 2008

Males have often been neglected in both family planning programmes and in surveys used to design and evaluate such programmes. A 1988 study on fertility, family planning and AIDS in Kinshasa, Zaire, provides comparable data on 3140 men and 3485 women of reproductive age which served as the basis for analysing male/female differences. The study indicated a fair degree of similarity in the attitudes, beliefs, knowledge levels and practices of men and women regarding fertility and family planning. Where they differed (e.g. on expected or ideal number of children, the desire for more children at parity 7 or above), men tended to be more pronatalist than women. The implications of the findings for future family planning programmes are discussed. Programmes should target males because of their role as decision makers within Zairian society.
Biosocial perspective of consanguineous marriages in rural and urban swat, Pakistan
Authors: Wahab Abdul , Ahmad Mahmud
Published: July 2008

Consanguineous marriages in two population samples, one rural and one urban, from Swat (Pakistan) were studied. The frequency of consanguineous marriages was found to be 37·13% and 31·11%, and mean inbreeding coefficients were calculated as 0·0168 and 0·0162, for the rural and urban populations respectively. The most frequent type of marriage was between first cousins, in both samples. Among first cousin marriages, those with father's brother's daughter were predominant. Mean inbreeding coefficient was higher for higher socioeconomic groups in both samples. Differences by ethnic and educational groups were also found. Contrary to previous studies, a significant increase in the incidence of consanguineous marriages over the years has been observed. The incidence of premature mortality was significantly higher only in the offspring of first cousin marriages. Significantly higher incidence of morbidity in the offspring of consanguineous marriages was also observed.
Intelligence is not just mental speed
Authors: Rabbitt Patrick
Published: July 2008

It has long been known that people who have high scores on intelligence tests are also relatively fast at simple laboratory tests of ‘mental speed’ (Woodrow, cited in Woodworth, 1946). When first observed these correlations attracted little interest because, though ubiquitous, they are very modest, accounting for only 3–9% of variance between individuals (Sternberg, R. J., 1977). Correlations between intelligence test scores (TSs) and speed of performance on simple tasks were seen as less interesting than equally strong associations between TSs and performance on simple tests of memory and learning (Woodrow, 1938). The idea that intelligence can be defined as the capacity to learn new skills seemed a more fruitful guide to the development of individual differences in competence (Woodrow, 1946). Further, since scores on most intelligence tests represent the number of problems correctly solved within a time limit, it did not seem remarkable that people who can solve complex problems quickly should also be able to make simple decisions fast. Finally, evidence accumulated that, speed and accuracy of problem solving can be independent; for example, the times that individuals take to solve complex spatial problems do not predict their error-rates (Egan, 1978). Consequently mental speed was seen as only one of many different demands that solving intelligence test problems make on the cognitive system. Many distinguished investigators believe that better insights can be gained into the nature of individual differences in intellectual ability by studying correlations between TSs and performance on complex tasks that demand the encoding, organisation and transformation of information in working memory or successive stages in syllogism solution (e.g. Carpenter & Just, 1989; Daneman & Carpenter, 1980; Kyllonen & Crystal, 1990; Necka, 1992; Sternberg, R. J., 1977).
Molecular genetic research on IQ: can it be done? Should it be done?
Authors: Daniels Jo , McGuffin Peter , Owen Mike
Published: July 2008

An obvious requirement before embarking on molecular genetic investigation of a trait is prior evidence from ‘classic’ genetic studies that there is indeed a genetic component. Many behavioural traits are familial and these range from comparatively uncommon single gene disorders such as Huntington's disease which has a typical mendelian dominant pattern of transmission, to much commoner characteristics such as career choice or religious denomination which, it might be assumed, are heavily influenced by cultural factors. In between, there is a wide range of attributes including personality type, cognitive ability and liability to common disorders such as depression, that show a tendency to run in families, and which could conceivably be explained by shared genes, shared environment or a combination of the two.
What genetic research on intelligence tells us about the environment
Authors: Plomin Robert , Petrill Stephen A. , Cutting Alexandra L.
Published: July 2008

More than a century ago, Francis Galton, the father of behavioural genetics, coined the scientific use of the phrase nature–nurture. He believed that ability, especially individual differences in intelligence, is due primarily to nature rather than nurture, as implied by the title of his earliest and most famous work,Hereditary Genius(1869). In a paper on twins, he declared that ‘there is no escape from the conclusion that nature prevails enormously over nurture’ (1875. p. 404).
The impact on fertility of contraceptive failure in China in the 1980s
Authors: Wang Duolao , Diamond Ian
Published: July 2008

Contraceptive failure was an important determinant of fertility in China in the 1980s. Based on the data from the China Two-per-Thousand Fertility Survey, this study shows that about 7% of the general fertility rate of currently married women aged 15–49 for a 12-month period is attributed to contraceptive failure, mainly due to the high failure rate associated with IUD use. A number of demographic characteristics are associated with contraceptive use, and with contraceptive failure and its outcome. Relevant socioeconomic differentials are also identified.
Premarital sexual experience of married women in Kinshasa, Zaire
Authors: Djamba Yanyi K.
Published: July 2008

Using responses from questions about age at first sexual intercourse and age at first marriage, this paper offers a method of studying premarital sexual behaviour in societies where the subject is a taboo topic. More than half of the currently married women in Kinshasa engaged in sexual intercourse before marriage. The likelihood of having premarital intercourse increases among younger women, those with higher education, and those whose ethnic groups have liberal attitudes towards sexual conduct. The results also suggest that sexual activity accounts for late marriage.
Experiences of Women Refused National Health Service Abortion
Authors: Ashton John R.
Published: July 2008

Out of 197 Wessex women undergoing a legal abortion at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) clinic at Brighton, 31 (15·7%) had already been refused a termination of pregnancy by at least one National Health Service doctor in Wessex. Almost all of these pregnancies were terminated for reasons covered by the social clause of the 1967 Abortion Act.

The principal reasons given for refusal of termination were that the women had insufficient grounds for termination under the Abortion Act, or that they were too late. Some were given misleading information. Refusal of an operation may have led to one woman having a second trimester rather a first trimester procedure when she went to BPAS. Some of these patients reported medical consultations which they had found to be upsetting or hurtful. It is suggested that the interests both of women seeking abortion and of doctors opposed to abortion would be best served if the Health Authorities were to provide alternative referral pathways to special abortion facilities.
Sex Education and Contraceptive Practice Amongst Abortion Patients
Authors: Ashton John R.
Published: July 2008

Three hundred and eight Wessex women obtaining induced abortions in the National Health Service, or in a charitable clinic, were interviewed at the time of their operation. Information was obtained as to their sources of sexual knowledge, their use and experience of contraception and their intentions with regard to sterilization in the future.

Whilst there has apparently been an increase in the amount of sex education provided in schools over the last decade, its effectiveness must be in some doubt. There is still a failure to provide contraceptive services which reach younger patients, and it is suggested that family doctors may sometimes miss opportunities to offer their patients full advice as to the methods available.
Surnames in Five English Villages: Relationship to each other, to Surrounding Areas, and to England and Wales
Authors: Lasker G. W. , Mascie-Taylor C. G. N.
Published: July 2008

The surnames of all adult residents of five neighbouring communities in the fenlands of Cambridgeshire are compared with each other and with those of the 165,533 persons married in England and Wales in the period January to March 1975. Among the villages the average coefficient of relationship by isonymy (Ri) is 76 × 10−5. The villages nearer together may have a tendency to higher values of Ri: the correlation of Ri with the natural log of distance between villages is −0·49, p = 0·07. The surnames of the five villages give a weighted average Ri with the whole area about 25 miles of 54 × 10−5 and with a zone 25–40 miles away of 45 × 10−5, whereas Ri with all England and Wales is 42 × 10−5. Rare surnames show a much sharper gradient and contribute approximately twice as much to the coefficient in the 25–40 mile zone and six times as much within 25 miles as found with all England and Wales. Moderately frequent surnames and even common surnames show the same gradient, but to a lesser degree. In the part of Cambridgeshire studied, the present distribution of surnames indicates a slight but appreciable local isolation, with the degree of relationship decreasing from among local villages to that between the villages and all England and Wales. This pattern is consistent with the theory of genetic inbreeding based on distance but there is considerable variability in individual instances.
A Note on Desired Family Size and Contraceptive use in Rural Egypt
Authors: Stokes C. Shannon , Schutjer Wayne A. , Poindexter John R.
Published: July 2008

The influence of fertility preferences on contraceptive use is examined among a sample of low income, rural Egyptian women. The findings reveal that while overall use of contraceptives was at modest levels, one-third of respondents who wanted no more children were currently practising contraception. Moreover, fertility preference emerged as the strongest predictor of contraception among the series of social and demographic factors examined.
Components of Period Fertility in the Irish Republic, 1962–77
Authors: Wilson-Davis K.
Published: July 2008

The method of decomposition is applied to evaluate the role played by fertility and changing nuptiality patterns in the number of legitimate live births in Ireland, 1962–77. In recent years there has been a demographic ‘transformation’ in Ireland with increasing proportions marrying and at younger ages than previously while the crude birth rate has remained one of the highest in Western Europe.

The analysis shows that the upward trend in births between 1962 and 1977 was due to more women marrying than in previous years and marrying at younger ages, but that age-specific birth rates have declined dramatically.

It is postulated that both the increasing nuptiality and the decreasing marital fertility have been occasioned by the increasing use of ‘artificial’ contraception in Ireland.
Statistical structure of the fluctuating wall pressure and its in-plane gradients at high Reynolds number
Authors: KLEWICKI J. C. , PRIYADARSHANA P. J. A. , METZGER M. M.
Published: July 2008

The fluctuating wall pressure and its gradients in the plane of the surface were measured beneath the turbulent boundary layer that forms over the salt playa of Utah's west desert. Measurements were acquired under the condition of near-neutral thermal stability to best mimic the canonical zero-pressure-gradient boundary-layer flow. The Reynolds number (based on surface-layer thickness, δ, and the friction velocity, uτ) was estimated to be 1 × 106 ± 2 × 105. The equivalent sandgrain surface roughness was estimated to be in the range 15≤ks+≤85. Pressure measurements acquired simultaneously from an array of up to ten microphones were analysed. A compact array of four microphones was used to estimate the instantaneous streamwise and spanwise gradients of the surface pressure. Owing to the large length scales and low flow speeds, attaining accurate pressure statistics in the present flow required sensors capable of measuring unusually low frequencies. The effects of imperfect spatial and temporal resolution on the present measurements were also explored. Relative to pressure, pressure gradients exhibit an enhanced sensitivity to spatial resolution. Their accurate measurement does not, however, require fully capturing the low frequencies that are inherent and significant in the pressure itself. The present pressure spectra convincingly exhibit over three decades of approximately −1 slope. Comparisons with low-Reynolds-number data support previous predictions that the inner normalized wall pressure variance increases logarithmically with Reynolds number. The wall pressure autocorrelation exhibits its first zero-crossing at an advected length that is between one tenth and one fifth of the surface-layer thickness. Under any of the normalizations investigated, the present surface vorticity flux intensity values are difficult to reconcile with low-Reynolds-number data trends. Inner variables, however, do yield normalized flux intensity values that are of the same order of magnitude at low and high Reynolds number. Spectra reveal that even at high Reynolds number, the primary contributions to the pressure gradient intensities occur over a relatively narrow frequency range. This frequency range is shown to be consistent with the scale of the sublayer pocket motions. In accord with low-Reynolds-number data, the streamwise pressure gradient signals at high Reynolds number are also characterized by statistically significant pairings of opposing sign fluctuations.
Sialadenoma papilliferum of nasal cavity: case report
Authors: Ozel H E , Ergul G , Gur O E , Kulacoglu S , Ozdem C
Published: July 2008

Objective:

We report a rare case of sialadenoma papilliferum.

Method:

A case report of sialadenoma papilliferum is presented.

Results:

A 67-year-old woman presented with recurrent epistaxis. She was found to have an exophytic, well circumscribed mass on the nasal septum mucosa. The lesion was completely excised. A diagnosis of sialadenoma papilliferum was made based on the characteristic histological pattern. Follow up showed no evidence of recurrence. Subsequently, the patient remained well without complaint of epistaxis.

Conclusion:

To our knowledge, this is the first report in the world literature of sialadenoma papilliferum of the nasal cavity. This case indicates that this rare tumour can present with epistaxis, and can be resolved by means of total excision.
Effects of epibioticEnteromorphaspp. on the mole crabEmerita analogain the Peruvian central coast
Authors: Firstater Fausto N. , Hidalgo Fernando J. , Lomovasky Betina J. , Gallegos Percy , Gamero Patricia , Iribarne Oscar O.
Published: July 2008

Epibiotic interactions between macroalgae and crustaceans have rarely been described. We examined the interaction between the mole crab,Emerita analogaand the opportunistic algaeEnteromophaspp. in a sandy beach of the central coast of Peru.Enteromorphaspp. was found fouling the carapace of the mole crab that provides the only stable substrate to spore settlement in the beach environment. Epibiosis prevalence was up to 2.1%, and affected mainly larger, ovigerous females. Prevalence presented a seasonal pattern, with peaks during summer. Mole crab body condition was higher when fouled, whereas fecundity was not affected. Fouled mole crabs burrowed at lower speed, which was reversible by the removal of epibiotic algae. The burrowing depth was not affected by epibiosis. Contrary to the expected, the effects of algal epibiosis on demographic and life history parameters of mole crabs, with the exception of body condition, were mainly neutral but important on behavioural traits.
Neuronal plasticity of the enteric nervous system is correlated with chagasic megacolon development
Authors: da SILVEIRA A. B. M. , FREITAS M. A. R. , de OLIVEIRA E. C. , NETO S. G. , LUQUETTI A. O. , FURNESS J. B. , CORREA-OLIVEIRA R. , d'AVILA REIS D.
Published: July 2008

Chagas' disease is one of the few functional gastrointestinal disorders for which a causative agent has been identified. However, some pathological aspects of the chagasic megasyndromes are still incompletely understood. Chagasic megacolon is characterized by an inflammatory process, organ dilatation and neuronal reduction in both plexuses of the enteric nervous system (ENS). Although some studies on the ENS in Chagas' disease have been performed, the process of neuronal destruction and neuronal regeneration still remains unclear. Our hypothesis is that the regeneration process of the ENS may be involved with the mechanisms that prevent or retard organ dilatation and chagasic megacolon development. For that reason, we evaluated the neuronal regeneration with the marker GAP-43 in the colon's neuronal plexuses from chagasic patients with megacolon, and from non-infected individuals. Visual examination and quantitative analysis revealed an increased neuronal regeneration process in the dilated portion from chagasic patients when compared with the non-dilated portion and with non-infected individuals. We believe that this increased regeneration can be interpreted as an accentuated neuronal plasticity that may be a response of the ENS to avoid megacolon propagation to the entire organ and maintain the colon functional innervation.
International collaboration in Antarctica: the International Polar Years, the International Geophysical Year, and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
Authors: Summerhayes Colin P.
Published: July 2008

As the fourth International Polar Year (IPY) 2007–2008, gets into full swing it is timely to reflect on the history of development of international scientific collaboration in the IPYs since the first one in 1882–1883, including the third, which evolved into the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957–1958. The success of international scientific collaboration in the IGY led the International Council for Science (ICSU), the body that managed the IGY, to create the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) to carry forward the collaboration in Antarctic science that had begun during the IGY. This year, 2008, seems an appropriate time to undertake such an historical review, given that we are not only midway through the fourth IPY, but also that it is SCAR's 50th anniversary; the first SCAR meeting having been held in The Hague on 3–5 February 1958. Since SCAR's membership began with 12 member countries and 4 ICSU unions, membership has grown to 34 countries and 8 ICSU unions, with more expected to join at the 30th meeting of SCAR in Moscow in July 2008. Both SCAR's activities and those of the fourth IPY benefit from international collaboration not only between scientists, but also between the national Antarctic operations managers, working together through the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programmes (COMNAP), and national policy makers working together through the Antarctic Treaty mechanisms. Thanks to all their efforts, the IPY of 2007–2009 will leave behind a legacy of enhanced observing systems for documenting the status and change of all aspects of the Antarctic environment as the basis for improved forecasting of its future condition. SCAR expects to play a major role in the design of those systems and their use to improve scientific understanding of the place of the Antarctic in the global environmental system, and the pace and direction of change within that system.
Analogy as relational priming: A developmental and computational perspective on the origins of a complex cognitive skill
Authors: Leech Robert , Mareschal Denis , Cooper Richard P.
Published: July 2008

The development of analogical reasoning has traditionally been understood in terms of theories of adult competence. This approach emphasizes structured representations and structure mapping. In contrast, we argue that by taking a developmental perspective, analogical reasoning can be viewed as the product of a substantially different cognitive ability – relational priming. To illustrate this, we present a computational (here connectionist) account where analogy arises gradually as a by-product of pattern completion in a recurrent network. Initial exposure to a situation primes a relation that can then be applied to a novel situation to make an analogy. Relations are represented as transformations between states. The network exhibits behaviors consistent with a broad range of key phenomena from the developmental literature, lending support to the appropriateness of this approach (using low-level cognitive mechanisms) for investigating a domain that has normally been the preserve of high-level models. Furthermore, we present an additional simulation that integrates the relational priming mechanism with deliberative controlled use of inhibition to demonstrate how the framework can be extended to complex analogical reasoning, such as the data from explicit mapping studies in the literature on adults. This account highlights how taking a developmental perspective constrains the theory construction and cognitive modeling processes in a way that differs substantially from that based purely on adult studies, and illustrates how a putative complex cognitive skill can emerge out of a simple mechanism.
Dynamic sets of potentially interchangeable connotations: A theory of mental objects
Authors: Linhares Alexandre
Published: July 2008

Analogy-making is an ability with which we can abstract from surface similarities and perceive deep, meaningful similarities between different mental objects and situations. I propose that mental objects are dynamically changing sets of potentially interchangeable connotations. Unfortunately, most models of analogy seem devoid of both semantics and relevance-extraction, postulating analogy as a one-to-one mapping devoid of connotation transfer.
Development and evolution of cognition: One doth not fly into flying!
Authors: Wasserman Edward A.
Published: July 2008

Abstract thought, in general, and – reasoning by analogy, in particular, have been said to reside at the very summit of human cognition. Leech et al. endeavor to comprehend the development of analogous thinking in human beings. Applying Leech et al.'s general approach to the evolution of analogical behavior in animals might also prove to be of considerable value.
Addiction science as a hedgehog and as a fox
Authors: Bickel Warren K. , Yi Richard
Published: July 2008

Redish et al. provide a significant advance in our understanding of addiction by showing that the various addictive processes are in fact all decision-making processes and each may undergird addiction. We propose means for identifying more central addiction processes. This recognition of the complexity of addiction followed by identification of more central processes would help guide the development of prevention and treatment.