Social change, migration and pregnancy intervals

Maternity histories from residents of a Pacific Island society, Tokelau, and migrants to New Zealand, are analysed using life table techniques. Inter-cohort differentials in patterns of family formation were found in the total Tokelau-origin population. The process of accelerated timing and spacing of pregnancies was more pronounced among migrants who tended to marry later, be pregnant at marriage, have shorter inter-pregnancy intervals at lower parities and to show evidence of family limitation occurring at higher parities. These results point to the significance of changing patterns of social control on strategies of family building

Will There be a Single European Community Insurance Market after 1992?

There is a great deal of talk nowadays within each of the twelve Member States of the European Community, and outside too, about 1992. People are saying: We must be ready for 1992, when the barriers will fall, and the Community\u27s single Internal Market will come about. It all makes splendid headlines for the press, and it has caught the public\u27s imagination. Nothing is new, of course, about the idea of creating a single Common Market among the Member States. Doing so is a fundamental objective of the Treaty of Rome of 1958, which founded the European Economic Community ( EC or Community ). Indeed, much has already been done to bring about a single Common Market. As part of this continuing project, the Community, consisting of twelve sovereign Member States with widely different traditions of insurance practice and regulation, intends to create a single insurance market -- something the United States has never achieved -- by the end of 1992. Can it be done? And what will the consequences be, not only for Europe but also for the rest of the world? This Article provides some of the answers. Before examining recent developments, we will first focus on the objectives of the Community and then briefly glance at the more distant past

Will There be a Single European Community Insurance Market after 1992?

There is a great deal of talk nowadays within each of the twelve Member States of the European Community, and outside too, about 1992. People are saying: We must be ready for 1992, when the barriers will fall, and the Community\u27s single Internal Market will come about. It all makes splendid headlines for the press, and it has caught the public\u27s imagination. Nothing is new, of course, about the idea of creating a single Common Market among the Member States. Doing so is a fundamental objective of the Treaty of Rome of 1958, which founded the European Economic Community ( EC or Community ). Indeed, much has already been done to bring about a single Common Market. As part of this continuing project, the Community, consisting of twelve sovereign Member States with widely different traditions of insurance practice and regulation, intends to create a single insurance market -- something the United States has never achieved -- by the end of 1992. Can it be done? And what will the consequences be, not only for Europe but also for the rest of the world? This Article provides some of the answers. Before examining recent developments, we will first focus on the objectives of the Community and then briefly glance at the more distant past

Globalization and Public Budgeting

Around the world, demands for greater transparency in government activities has taken root and blossomed. One hot button, in particular, has become a focal point of discussion in recent years: public budgets. Democratic systems across the globe are faced with the dilemma of making fiscal administration more transparent to the public, and one tool that many local governments, in particular, have found successful is participatory budgeting

Motivational Interviewing for Smoking Cessation in Primary Care

Smoking is hazardous to human health and continues to be devastating to a patient’s physical health as well as to the entirety of the health care system. Smoking is both a public and personal health concern. The overall prevalence of tobacco dependence has decreased since smoking became a known health hazard, but it remains high in the general population as well as for the patients utilizing primary care in Rutland, Vermont. Nurse practitioners are holistic practitioners and are well suited to assist patients to change unhealthy behaviors. Behavior change, especially smoking cessation, is particularly difficult for patients. Motivational interviewing is an evidenced based method that has been extensively investigated to assist patients to overcome their tobacco addiction. This paper includes description of a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Project, health intervention, utilizing a motivational interviewing method to assist tobacco dependent patients in primary care. This project was based on the Transtheoretical Model of Health Behavior Change and principles of motivational interviewing utilized to assist patients to progress along the stages of change towards cessation. Data was collected to provide programmatic evaluation and an understanding of barriers associated with assisting tobacco dependent patients in primary care. This paper provides a review of recent literature about motivational interviewing for smoking cessation, a detailed description of the DNP project implementation, data collected during the implementation, analysis and implications of the data collected, as well as a plan for project sustainment

Visual suppression of the vestibulo-ocular reflex during space flight

Visual suppression of the vestibulo-ocular reflex was studied in 16 subjects on 4 Space Shuttle missions. Eye movements were recorded by electro-oculography while subjects fixated a head mounted target during active sinusoidal head oscillation at 0.3 Hz. Adequacy of suppression was evaluated by the number of nystagmus beats, the mean amplitude of each beat, and the cumulative amplitude of nystagmus during two head oscillation cycles. Vestibulo-ocular reflex suppression was unaffected by space flight. Subjects with space motion sickness during flight had significantly more nystagmus beats than unaffected individuals. These susceptible subjects also tended to have more nystagmus beats before flight

Eye and head motion during head turns in spaceflight

Eye-head motion was studied pre-, in- and postflight during single voluntary head turns. A transient increase in vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gain occurred early in the flight, but later trended toward normal. This increased gain was produced by a relative increase in eye counterrotation velocity. Asymmetries in gain with right and left turns also occurred, caused by asymmetries in eye counterrotation velocities. These findings were remarkably similar to those from Soviet primate studies using gaze fixation targets, except the human study trended more rapidly toward normal. These findings differ substantially from those measuring VOR gain by head oscillation, in which no significant changes were found inflight. No visual disturbances were noted in either test condition or in normal activities. These head turn studies are the only ones to date documenting any functional change in VOR in weightlessness

Studies of the vestibulo-ocular reflex on STS 4, 5 and 6

The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) may be altered by weightlessness. Since this reflex plays a large role in visual stabilization, it was important to document any changes caused by space flight. This is a report on findings on STS-4 through 6 and is part of a larger study of neurosensory adaptation done on STS-4 through 8. Voluntary horizontal head oscillations at 1/3 Hz with amplitude of 30 deg right and left of center were recorded by a potentiometer and compared to eye position recorded by electroculography under the following conditions: eyes open, head fixed, tracking horizontal targets switched 0, 15, and 30 degrees right and left (optokinetic reflex - OKR - and calibration); eyes open and fixed on static external target with oscillation, (vestibulo ocular reflex, eyes closed - VOR EC); eyes open and wearing opaque goggles with target fixed in imagination (vestibulo-ocular reflex, eyes shaded - VOR ES); and eyes open and fixed on a head synchronized target with head oscillation (VOR suppression). No significant changes were found in voluntary head oscillation frequency or amplitude in those with (n=5), and without (n=3), space motion sickness (SMS), with phase of flight or test condition. Variations in head oscillation were too small to have produced detectable changes in test results

Studies of the horizontal vestibulo-ocular reflex on STS 7 and 8

Unpaced voluntary horizontal head oscillation was used to study the Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex (VOR) on Shuttle flights STS 7 and 8. Ten subjects performed head oscillations at 0.33 Hz + or - 30 deg amplitude under the followng conditions: VVOR (visual VOR), eyes open and fixed on a stationary target; VOR-EC, with eyes closed and fixed on the same target in imagination; and VOR-S (VOR suppression), with eyes open and fixed on a head-synchronized target. Effects of weightlessness, flight phase, and Space Motion Sickness (SMS) on head oscillation characteristics were examined. A significant increase in head oscillation frequency was noted inflight in subjects free from SMS. In subjects susceptible to SMS, frequency was reduced during their Symptomatic period. The data also suggest that the amplitude and peak velocity of head oscillation were reduced early inflight. No significant changes were noted in reflex gain or phase in any of the test conditions; however, there was a suggestion of an increase in VVOR and VOR-ES gain early inflight in asymptomatic subjects. A significant difference in VOR-S was found between SMS susceptible and non-susceptible subjects. There is no evidence that any changes in VOR characteristics contributed to SMS

Oestrogen, testosterone, cytotoxin and cholinesterase inhibitor removal during reclamation of sewage to drinking water

Namibia is the driest sub-Saharan country in Africa. Namibia’s capital, Windhoek, reclaims sewage water for domestic use at the Goreangab Water Reclamation Plant (GWRP). Risks associated with sewage effluent and reclaimed sewage should be closely monitored; therefore water at the Gammams Sewage Treatment Plant (GSTP) inlet and outlet, as well as reclaimed water from the GWRP, were assayed using selected bioassays. Samples collected were analysed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent-assays and chromogenic tests for steroid hormones, neurotoxicity, cytotoxicity and inflammatory activity. Estradiol level at the sewage treatment inlet was 78 pg/mℓ and the treated sewage level showed an 83% to 95% reduction in this, while after reclamation the level was below detection limit. Estrone concentrations at the sewage treatment inlet ranged from 10 to 161 pg/mℓ. Sewage treatment reduced estrone by between 85% and 92%. After reclamation the level of estrone was below detection limit. Testosterone ranged between 162 and 405 pg/mℓ at the sewage plant inlet. Sewage treatment removed 96% of the initial testosterone. The residual testosterone was effectively removed by processes in GWRP and after reclamation no testosterone was detected in water. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition at the sewage treatment inlet was 50% while it was only 27% after sewage treatment. After reclamation AChE inhibition was not detected. Only water at the sewage inlet in March and February showed cytotoxicity. High inflammatory activity was detected at the sewage plant inlet. Sewage treatment reduced inflammatory activity by 64%. After reclamation low inflammatory activity was induced. Treated sewage used for reclamation tested positive for most of the biomarkers and can pose a risk to human health. However, reclamation successfully removed these contaminants. Due to the presence of contaminants in the intake water at the reclamation plant, it is essential to routinely monitor the water produced by the reclamation plant for potential residues that can adversely affect human health.Web of Scienc