410 research outputs found
Power and the gendered division of contraceptive use in Western European couples
Recent research has approached contraceptive use, or âfertility workâ, as another household task that is primarily managed by women. Building on the theoretical frameworks of relative resource theory and gender perspectives, this study investigates the association between partnersâ power (measured as their relative education, division of housework and decision-making) and the choice of male versus female, or no contraception. Data from the Generations and Gender Survey for four Western European countries (Austria, Belgium, France and Germany; 2005-2010) are used to examine the hypotheses with multinomial logistic diagonal reference models. The results show that manâs and womanâs educational level are equally important predictors for a coupleâs contraceptive method choice. Furthermore, the findings suggest that households in which the man performs more housework or the woman has more say in decisions are more likely to rely on male methods or female sterilization, rather than on the more commonly used female reversible methods
Gender inequality and the âEast-Westâ divide in contraception: an analysis at the individual, couple, and country level
Gender inequalities and depression
More gender-equal societies promote better mental health among both men and women and reduce the gender gap in depressive symptom
Effets du milieu de culture sur la production d'embryoïdes destinés à la cryoconservation chez le palmier à huile (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.)
Gender specific effects of financial and housework contributions on depression: a multi-actor study among three household types in Belgium
Studies that focus on the effects of both the division of household chores and of financial contributions on the mental health of couples are scarce. This paper expands on previous research by paying attention to the variation of this relationship among three types of households: male breadwinner, one-and-a-half-earner and dual-earner. Using paired data from the tenth wave of the Panel Study of Belgian Households, collected in 2001, we perform separate linear regressions for men (N = 1054) and women (N = 1054). The results suggest that in one-and-a-half-earner households, womenâs employment has a negative effect on their partnerâs depression level and that in dual-earner households, the effect of womenâs employment is only negative if men are not the major breadwinner. Crossover effects of depression between partners seem to mediate part of the aforementioned associations
Macrophage activation and human immunodeficiency virus infection: HIV replication directs macrophages towards a pro-inflammatory phenotype while previous activation modulates macrophage susceptibility to infection and viral production
AbstractMacrophages are pivotal for the regulation of immune and inflammatory responses, but whether their role in HIV infection is protective or deleterious remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of pro- and anti-inflammatory stimuli on macrophage sensitivity to two different aspects of HIV infection: their susceptibility to infection stricto sensu, which we measured by endpoint titration method, and their ability to support virus spread, which we measured by using an RT activity assay in infection kinetics. We show a partially protective role for pro-inflammatory agents as well as for IL-4. We also illustrate that various different stimuli display differential effects on macrophage susceptibility to HIV and on virus replication that occurs thereafter. On the other hand, HIV replication strongly repressed CD206 and CD163 expression, thus clearly orientating macrophages towards a pro-inflammatory phenotype, but independently of TNF. Taken together, our results emphasize that HIV infection of macrophages sets up inflammation at the cell level but through unexpected mechanisms. This may limit target susceptibility and participate in virus clearance but may also result in tissue damage
Importance of sucrose for the acquisition of tolerance to dessication and cryopreservation of oil palm somatic embryos
Reprise de l'embryogenÚse adventive à partir d'embryons somatiques de caféier (Coffea arabica L.) aprÚs leur congélation dans l'azote liquide
Des embryons somatiques de cafĂ©iers (#C. arabica$ L.), obtenus Ă partir d'explants foliaires, survivent Ă une congĂ©lation Ă -196°C. Les jeunes embryons sont isolĂ©s puis cultivĂ©s pendant 24 heures sur un milieu enrichi en saccharose (0,75 M). Ils sont ensuite mis Ă incuber pendant 2 heures dans une solution cryoprotectrice contenant la mĂȘme concentration en saccharose et 5 % de dimĂ©thysulfoxyde. PlacĂ©s dans des ampoules cryobiologiques, ils sont alors congelĂ©s lentement, jusqu'Ă -40°C, avant d'ĂȘtre plongĂ©s et conservĂ©s dans de l'azote liquide. AprĂšs un rĂ©chauffement rapide dans un bain-marie Ă 40°C, les embryons sont repiquĂ©s chaque jour sur des milieux dont la concentration en saccharose est progressivement abaissĂ©e jusqu'Ă la valeur standard de 0,1 M. Le taux de reprise de l'embryogenĂšse adventive atteint 50 %, 17 semaines aprĂšs le rĂ©chauffement. Les premiĂšres plantules, obtenues in vitro Ă partir de matĂ©riel congelĂ©, ont un dĂ©veloppement apparemment normal. Dans un proche avenir, la technique mise au point pourrait ĂȘtre Ă©largie Ă d'autres espĂšces actuellement entretenues en champ par les stations de recherche cafĂ©iĂšre. (RĂ©sumĂ© d'auteur
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