Risk of violence from the man involved in the pregnancy after receiving or being denied an abortion.

BackgroundIntimate partner violence is common among women having abortions, with between 6% and 22% reporting recent violence from an intimate partner. Concern about violence is a reason some pregnant women decide to terminate their pregnancies. Whether risk of violence decreases after having an abortion, remains unknown.MethodsData are from the Turnaway Study, a prospective cohort study of women seeking abortions at 30 facilities across the U.S. Participants included women who: presented just prior to a facility's gestational age limit and received abortions (Near Limit Abortion Group, n = 452), presented just beyond the gestational limit and were denied abortions (Turnaways, n = 231), and received first trimester abortions (First Trimester Abortion Group, n = 273). Mixed effects logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between receiving versus being denied abortion and subsequent violence from the man involved in the pregnancy over 2.5 years.ResultsPhysical violence decreased for Near Limits (adjusted odds ratios (aOR), 0.93 per month; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.90, 0.96), but not Turnaways who gave birth (P < .05 versus Near Limits). The decrease for First Trimesters was similar to Near Limits (P = .324). Psychological violence decreased for all groups (aOR, 0.97; CI 0.94, 1.00), with no differential change across groups.ConclusionsPolicies restricting abortion provision may result in more women being unable to terminate unwanted pregnancies, potentially keeping them in contact with violent partners, and putting women and their children at risk

Overland flow time of concentration on flat terrains

Time of concentration parameter is defined very loosely in literature and it is calculated rather subjectively in practice (Akan 1986). The situation becomes adverse as the terrain slope approaches zero; because the slope generally appears in the denominator of any formula for time of concentration, this time goes to infinity as the slope goes to zero. The variables affecting this time parameter on flat terrains have been studied through plot scale field experiments. It has been found that the antecedent moisture and rainfall rate control this parameter. Some of the existing time of concentration methods have been compared, and it is found that all the empirical models compared under predict this time parameter. This under prediction can be attributed first to the differing concepts of time of concentration previous researchers have modeled, secondly to the absence of any accounting for the initial moisture content in their respective equations and thirdly to the watersheds where these models have been calibrated. At lower time of concentrations, Izzard-based model predictions show some results close to the observed values. A methodology to determine the plot scale surface undulations has been developed to estimate the depression storage. Regression equations have been derived based upon the experiments to determine the overland flow times on a flat plot of 30 feet length with uniform rainfall intensity. The application of these equations on other lengths cannot be ascertained. Equations for the hydrograph slope on flat terrains have been determined for bare clay and grass plots

Examining the Determinants of Sexual Violence Among Young, Married Women in Southern India

The prevalence of sexual violence is increasingly being studied in India. Yet the determinants of sexual violence, irrespective of physical violence, remain largely unexplored. Here the authors identify the determinants of sexual violence, and additionally, explore how the presence of physical violence modifies these determinants. A cross-sectional analysis is conducted using baseline data from a longitudinal study involving young married women attending reproductive health clinics in Southern India. A multivariable logistic regression analysis is conducted to first identify determinants of sexual violence and then repeated after stratifying elements based on presence or absence of physical violence identified from participants’ reports. 36% and 50% of the participants report experiencing sexual and physical violence, respectively. After adjusting for other covariates, women’s partners’ characteristics are found most significantly associated with their odds of experiencing sexual violence. These characteristics include husbands’ primary education, employment as drivers, alcohol consumption, and having multiple sex partners. Women’s contribution to household income also increases their odds of experiencing sexual violence by almost twofold; however, if they are solely responsible for “all” household income, the relationship is found to be protective. Physical violence modifies the determinants of sexual violence, and among women not experiencing physical violence, husbands’ primary education and employment as drivers increase women’s odds of experiencing sexual violence nearly threefold, and women who contribute “all” the household income (n = 62) do not experience sexual violence. These relationships are not significant among women experiencing physical violence. Study findings improve the understanding of the determinants of sexual violence. Future research is needed to examine the risk factors for different types of GBV independently and to tease apart the differences in risk factors depending on women’s experiences. The significance of male partners’ characteristics warrants in-depth research, and in order to promote gender-equitable norms, future interventions need to focus on male behaviors and men’s day-to-day survival challenges, all of which likely influence conflicts in marital relationships

Synthetic experiments in the benzo-pyrone series Part LXV. Synthesis of α-methyl karanjin and related compounds

This article does not have an abstract

The novel link between inflammatory enzyme C2GNT and the shedding of syndecan-1 in podocyte dysfunction

Syndecan-1 is known to be a potential contributor to sub-clinical inflammation in diabetic nephropathy (DN). Loss of syndecan-1 from the surface of podocytes is thought to lead to cell dysfunction, which leads to the detachment of viable podocytes from the glomerulus, an early feature of DN. Although the mechanisms of constitutive syndecan-1 shedding have been addressed by several studies, the pathological mechanisms are less elucidated. The aim of this investigation is to consider the role of the O-glycosylating enzyme C2GNT in syndecan-1 shedding by podocytes. Conditionally immortalised human podocytes were used to study the effect of hyperglycaemia and C2GNT knock-down on syndecan-1 shedding by these cells. Hyperglycaemia induced C2GNT activity in podocytes results in increased O-glycosylation on the surface syndecan-1 in cells treated with high glucose compared to percentage of normal glucose (219.5±145.7 vs . 100%, P<0.05). This increase in O-glycosylation is associated with an increase in the shedding of the syndecan-1 ectodomain by podocytes treated with high glucose compared to percentage of normal glucose (118.2±7.1 vs. 100%, P<0.05). Moreover, podocytes manipulated for C2GNT knockdown show reduced syndecan-1 shedding when treated with high glucose compared to wild type cells treated with high glucose (89.97±11.95 vs. 118.2±7.17, P<0.05). Our findings suggest that the activity of o-glycosylating enzyme C2GNT is raised in podocytes under diabetic conditions. We demonstrate for the first time a novel mecha nism of pathological syndecan-1 shedding induced by C2GNT activity. This excess syndecan-1 shedding by podocytes can contribute to podocyte dysfunction

Ferments in the Field: Introductory Reflections on the Past, Present and Future of Communication Studies

Journal of Communication (JoC) published its special issue “Ferment in the Field” in 1983 (vol. 33, no. 3). Thirty-five years later there still is a great interest in discussing the origins, current state, and prospects of our field. This special issue titled Ferments in the Field: The Past, Present and Future of Communication Studies presents 20 articles, plus this introduction, with the intention to assess the field and provoke discussions about the status of communication studies. This introductory article provides an overview of the contributions and discusses major trends in communication studies that have shaped the field since the original “ferment” issue. They include: (a) communication studies on a global scale, (b) researching communication in the fast-changing digital media environment, (c) the importance of critical communication studies, (d) the new critical and materialist turn, and (e) praxis communication and ways to address power imbalance in knowledge production

Understanding the Rise and Transformation of Business Collective Action in India

Scholars of business associations have recently learned a great deal about how associations contribute to development, but much less about the origins of such developmental associations. This essay introduces and assesses a new political explanation for the origins of ‘developmental associations.’ Conventional wisdom holds that developmental associations must be able to rise above political and collusive pressures and establish autonomy from states. Yet, I argue that these associations’ developmental capacities emerge as a result of active state support by key actors, and in response to challenges and threats posed by competitive business organizations. Developmental associations emerge and acquire their capacities as they confront internal threats from other associations, as well as utilize the opportunities presented by the national state and international channels. In this view, functional or organizational capacity is not enough, rather, developmental business associations, must exhibit political capacity—that is the ability to manage the political environment, and respond to the structure of opportunities and threats. This explanation views developmental business associations as political organizations seeking power as well as offers a historically sensitive analysis of transformation of business politics in reforming India