Does micro-credit empower women : evidence from Bangladesh

This paper examines the effects of men's and women's participation in group-based micro-credit programs on a large set of qualitative responses to questions that characterize women's autonomy and gender relations within the household. The data come from a special survey carried out in rural Bangladesh in 1998-99. The results are consistent with the view that women's participation in micro-credit programs helps to increase women's empowerment. Credit program participation leads to women taking a greater role in household decisionmaking, having greater access to financial and economic resources, having greater social networks, having greater bargaining power compared with their husbands, and having greater freedom of mobility. Female credit also tended to increase spousal communication in general about family planning and parenting concerns. The effects of male credit on women's empowerment were, at best, neutral, and at worse, decidedly negative. Male credit had a negative effect on several arenas of women's empowerment, including physical mobility, access to savings and economic resources, and power to manage some household transactions.Public Health Promotion,Economic Theory&Research,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Anthropology,Environmental Economics&Policies,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Anthropology,Environmental Economics&Policies,Housing&Human Habitats,Economic Theory&Research

Soil respiration patterns and controls in limestone cedar glades

Aims Drivers of soil respiration (R s ) in rock outcrop ecosystems remain poorly understood. We investigated these drivers in limestone cedar glades, known for their concentrations of endemic plant species and for seasonal hydrologic extremes (xeric and saturated conditions), and compared our findings to those in temperate grasslands and semi-arid ecosystems. Methods We measured R s , soil temperature (T s ), volumetric soil water content (SWC), soil organic matter (SOM), soil depth, and vegetation cover monthly over 16 mo and analyzed effects of these variables on R s . Results Seasonally, R s primarily tracked T s (r2 = 0.77; P \u3c 0.01), however R s was depressed during a summer drought. SOM was highly variable spatially, and incorporating SOM effects into the R s model dramatically improved model performance. Both shallow soil and sparse vegetation cover were also associated with lower R s . Conclusions Soil depth, SOM, and vegetation cover were important drivers of R s in limestone cedar glades. Seasonal R s patterns reflected those for mesic temperate grasslands more than for semi-arid ecosystems, in that R s primarily tracked temperature for most of the year

Acute cannabis consumption and motor vehicle collision risk: systematic review of observational studies and meta-analysis

Objective To determine whether the acute consumption of cannabis (cannabinoids) by drivers increases the risk of a motor vehicle collision

Perceived Damage by Elk in the Arkansas Ozarks

Wildlife managers in Arkansas are faced with managing a growing population of Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus neloni) that has extended its range to incorporate private lands near the Buffalo National River (BNR) in northcentral Arkansas. This range expansion has created conflicts between private landowners and wildlife management personnel. To document the extent of damage and assess attitudes of landowners with elk on their land, interviews were conducted with landowners who contacted us or the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission about problems with elk. A survey also was created and sent to landowners who live near the BNR in Boone and Newton counties and who may have elk on their land. Ten of 18 respondents with elk on their land reported having a problem with nuisance activity. Landowners indicated that most damage was to pastures, hay crops, and food plots. Damage appeared to occur more often in summer, when elk home ranges were smallest, than in other seasons. Landowners incurring damage from elk had a strong negative opinion. Continued research into effective management practices should be conducted to properly manage this growing population of elk and reduce conflicts between elk and Arkansas landowners

Breaking the Tire Cycle Advocacy Campaign

WiLDCOAST, an environmental nonprofit on the United States-Mexico border has a program that focuses on the flow of used tires into California from Mexico was a huge burden on local communities. This program was the basis for this advocacy campaign which focuses on a legislative fix to break the tire cycle, and reduce the associated economic, public health, and environmental impacts that these tires cause. This project became state law.https://digital.sandiego.edu/npi-bpl-advocacy/1001/thumbnail.jp

The reciprocity dimension of solidarity:Insights from three European countries

First published online: 16 January 2019The article argues that closer attention to how solidarity is understood and expressed in different European contexts can shed light on the conditions for establishing a social and solidarity economy. Drawing on data collected within the H2020 SOLIDUS project, which explores current expressions of European solidarity, the comparative analysis covers three social economy initiatives, each representing a country with different political and economic context. The analysis focuses on solidarity as reciprocity and, in particular, how it is affected by such factors as actor motivations, internal participatory functioning, resource mix and political legitimacy. While further empirical work is needed, the findings suggest that solidarity as reciprocity produced by social and solidarity economy organisations thrives where political institutions are both supportive and trusted, where public funding is accessible, and where partnerships with relatively autonomous social and solidarity economy organisations are genuinely collaborative

Determining Mentoring Needs in Counselor Education Programs

This article describes the development and initial score validation of the Mentoring Needs in Counselor Education Scale (MNCES), designed to evaluate the mentoring needs of counselor education students and pre-tenured faculty. Exploratory factor analysis (n = 278) yielded a 32-item, five-component solution with strong score reliability as indicated by Cronbach’s alpha values above .70: Career and Professional Development (.82), Research and Scholarship (.86), Growth and Support (.83), Multicultural and Environmental Issues (.84), and Practitioner Role (72). The MNCES provides a tool for facilitating conversations regarding mentorship expectations between mentees and mentors in the field of counseling

Susceptibility of Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles stephensi to tropical isolates of Plasmodium falciparum

Background: The susceptibility of anopheline mosquito species to Plasmodium infection is known to be variable with some mosquitoes more permissive to infection than others. Little work, however, has been carried out investigating the susceptibility of major malaria vectors to geographically diverse tropical isolates of Plasmodium falciparum aside from examining the possibility of infection extending its range from tropical regions into more temperate zones. Methods: This study investigates the susceptibility of two major tropical mosquito hosts (Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles stephensi) to P. falciparum isolates of different tropical geographical origins. Cultured parasite isolates were fed via membrane feeders simultaneously to both mosquito species and the resulting mosquito infections were compared. Results: Infection prevalence was variable with African parasites equally successful in both mosquito species, Thai parasites significantly more successful in An. stephensi, and PNG parasites largely unsuccessful in both species. Conclusion: Infection success of P. falciparum was variable according to geographical origin of both the parasite and the mosquito. Data presented raise the possibility that local adaptation of tropical parasites and mosquitoes has a role to play in limiting gene flow between allopatric parasite populations