The impact of technical change on the rural Kenyan household: evidence from the integrated agricultural development program, a research proposal and literature review

The research draws together two areas of inquiry: the employment and welfare implications of technical change in agriculture and the economic roles of women in rural Kenya. Anthropological sources indicate that traditionally men, women and children have had responsibility for different crops, tasks and support obligations within the rural Kenyan household. Although the traditional patterns have changed due to the colonial experience and pressures of increasing commercialisation of the rural economy, they still form the basis for current practices and attitudes. The basic research hypothesis is that the division of labor, rights and obligations by sex and age within the rural household will be an important factor affecting: adoption and effective use of new technology as well as the welfare consequences of adoption for each household member and the household as a whole. Concomitantly, it is hypothesized that technical change will have a differential impact on the labor input of each household member as well as on his or her access to productive resources, right to the benefits generated by increased productivity and decision making roles within the household. The research proposes to examine the hypotheses within the context of evaluation of the constraints and consequences of adoption of the Integrated Agricultural Development Program (IADP) recommended crop packages for a sub-set of 6 IADP areas spanning 3 climatic zones and 4 agro-ecological zones

Is Male Androphilia a Context-Dependent Cross-Cultural Universal?

The cross-cultural ethnographic literature has traditionally used the label male “homosexuality” to describe sexual relationships between biological males without considering whether or not the concept encompasses primary sexual attraction to adult males. Although male androphilia seems to be found in all national populations, its universal existence in tribal populations has been questioned. Our goal is to review previous cross-cultural classifications and surveys of male same sex behavior to present a system that does justice to its varied expressions, especially as it is informed by contemporary sexuality research. Previous comparative research does not effectively distinguish male same sex behavior from male androphilia. Using the standard cross-cultural sample (SCCS) as a sampling frame and the ethnographic sources in the human relations area files and elsewhere, we present distributional data on various forms of male same sex behavior. The SCCS is useful because it is designed to be representative of all historically known social formations and the sample is designed to reduce similarities as a consequence of common descent or historical origin as well as reduce the probability of diffusion of sociocultural practices from one culture to another. Our results show that male same sex behavior as well as male androphilia is much more common than previously estimated in the SCCS. With our findings, we make an argument that male androphilia is a context-dependent cross-cultural universal

Ontogenetic changes in cutaneous and branchial ionocytes and morphology in yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) larvae.

The development of osmoregulatory and gas exchange organs was studied in larval yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) from 2 to 25 days post-hatching (2.9-24.5 mm standard length, SL). Cutaneous and branchial ionocytes were identified using Na+/K+-ATPase immunostaining and scanning electron microscopy. Cutaneous ionocyte abundance significantly increased with SL, but a reduction in ionocyte size and density resulted in a significant decrease in relative ionocyte area. Cutaneous ionocytes in preflexion larvae had a wide apical opening with extended microvilli; however, microvilli retracted into an apical pit from flexion onward. Lamellae in the gill and pseudobranch were first detected ~ 3.3 mm SL. Ionocytes were always present on the gill arch, first appeared in the filaments and lamellae of the pseudobranch at 3.4 mm SL, and later in gill filaments at 4.2 mm SL, but were never observed in the gill lamellae. Unlike the cutaneous ionocytes, gill and pseudobranch ionocytes had a wide apical opening with extended microvilli throughout larval development. The interlamellar fusion, a specialized gill structure binding the lamellae of ram-ventilating fish, began forming by ~ 24.5 mm SL and contained ionocytes, a localization never before reported. Ionocytes were retained on the lamellar fusions and also found on the filament fusions of larger sub-adult yellowfin tuna; however, sub-adult gill ionocytes had apical pits. These results indicate a shift in gas exchange and NaCl secretion from the skin to branchial organs around the flexion stage, and reveal novel aspects of ionocyte localization and morphology in ram-ventilating fishes

Why practice philosophy as a way of life?

This essay explains why there are good reasons to practice philosophy as a way of life. The argument begins with the assumption that we should live well but that our understanding of how to live well can be mistaken. Philosophical reason and reflection can help correct these mistakes. Nonetheless, the evidence suggests that philosophical reasoning often fails to change our dispositions and behavior. Drawing on the work of Pierre Hadot, the essay claims that spiritual exercises and communal engagement mitigate the factors that prevent us from living in accord- ance with our conceptions of the good life. So, many of us have reasons to engage in philosophical reasoning along with behavioral, cognitive, and social strategies to alter our behavior and attitudes so that they’re in line with our philosophical commitments. In these respects, many of us should practice philosophy as a way of life

miR-322-5p targets IGF-1 and is suppressed in the heart of rats with pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterised by remodelling of the pulmonary vasculature leading to right ventricular hypertrophy. Here we show that miR-322-5p (the rodent orthologue of miR-424-5p) expression is decreased in the right ventricle of monocrotaline-treated rats, a model of PAH, whereas a putative target insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is increased. IGF-1 mRNA was enriched 16-fold in RNA immunoprecipitated with Ago2, indicating binding to miR-322-5p. In cell transfection experiments, miR-322-5p suppressed the activity of a luciferase reporter containing a section of the IGF-1 3′ untranslated region (UTR) as well as IGF-1 mRNA and protein levels. Taken together, these data suggest that miR-322 targets IGF-1, a process downregulated in PAH-related RV hypertrophy

Inflated Impact Factors? The True Impact of Evolutionary Papers in Non-Evolutionary Journals

Amongst the numerous problems associated with the use of impact factors as a measure of quality are the systematic differences in impact factors that exist among scientific fields. While in theory this can be circumvented by limiting comparisons to journals within the same field, for a diverse and multidisciplinary field like evolutionary biology, in which the majority of papers are published in journals that publish both evolutionary and non-evolutionary papers, this is impossible. However, a journal's overall impact factor may well be a poor predictor for the impact of its evolutionary papers. The extremely high impact factors of some multidisciplinary journals, for example, are by many believed to be driven mostly by publications from other fields. Despite plenty of speculation, however, we know as yet very little about the true impact of evolutionary papers in journals not specifically classified as evolutionary. Here I present, for a wide range of journals, an analysis of the number of evolutionary papers they publish and their average impact. I show that there are large differences in impact among evolutionary and non-evolutionary papers within journals; while the impact of evolutionary papers published in multidisciplinary journals is substantially overestimated by their overall impact factor, the impact of evolutionary papers in many of the more specialized, non-evolutionary journals is significantly underestimated. This suggests that, for evolutionary biologists, publishing in high-impact multidisciplinary journals should not receive as much weight as it does now, while evolutionary papers in more narrowly defined journals are currently undervalued. Importantly, however, their ranking remains largely unaffected. While journal impact factors may thus indeed provide a meaningful qualitative measure of impact, a fair quantitative comparison requires a more sophisticated journal classification system, together with multiple field-specific impact statistics per journal

Parental Report of Self and Child Worry During Acute Pain: A Critical Factor in Determining Parental Pain Judgment

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine which variables predict parental postvaccination pain ratings. It was hypothesized that after child behavior, parental sensitivity, and parental reports of worry would be the strongest predictors. Methods: Data for 215 parent-child dyads were analyzed from a longitudinal cohort at the preschool (4 to 5 y of age) vaccination. Preschoolers' pain behaviors 15 seconds, 1 minute 15 seconds, and 2 minutes 15 seconds after the painful immunization were observed and rated. Parental sensitivity, as well as parental own worry and their assessment of their child's worry, were assessed before and after the needle. Three regression models were used to determine the impact of these variables on parental pain assessment. Results: Preschoolers' pain behaviors moderately accounted for variance in parental pain judgment (R=0.23 to 0.28). Parental sensitivity was not a significant unique predictor of parental pain rating at the preschool age. Parental assessment of their own worry and worry about their preschoolers after the needle were critical contributors to parental pain judgment. Post hoc analyses suggest that parents who report low child worry, are more congruent with their child during regulatory phases postvaccination. However, both parents with high and low self-worry had more congruent pain ratings with child pain behavior scores during the reactivity phase. Discussion: The study suggests that the majority of variance in parent pain ratings was not predominantly based on preschoolers' pain behaviors. Parental worry levels and their assessment of their child's worry were also significant predictors. Clinical implications are discussed

The circulation and water masses in the Gulf of the Farallones

Six ADCP and CTD ship surveys of the continental shelf and slope in the vicinity of the Gulf of the Farallones, CA, were conducted in 1990}1992. ADCP data provide much more detail on the structure of the currents over the slope and shelf in the Gulf and reveal a persistent, largely barotropic poleward #ow with a complex mesoscale #ow "eld superimposed. The directly measured currents are not well represented by the geostrophic velocity "elds derived from hydrographic casts. Important upper-ocean circulation features include: a Slope Countercurrent (SCC), variable shelf circulation, and submesoscale eddy-like features. The SCC was present in all seasons and is believed due to a strong year-round positive wind-stress curl enhanced by Point Reyes. Its #ow was poleward throughout the upper 300 m, and often surface intensi"ed. Poleward transport in the upper 400 m was 1}3 Sv, much greater than previous geostrophic estimates for the California Current System constrained to a 500 dbar reference level. The shelf circulation was much more variable than the SCC and generally exhibited a pattern consistent with classic Ekman dynamics, responding to synoptic wind forcing. Submesoscale vortices, or eddies, often dominated the general #ow "eld. These eddies are thought to be generated by the frictional torque associated with current}topography interactions. Their centers typically have a distinct water type associated with either the SCC or the southward-#owing California Current. Higher spiciness anomalies, representing a higher percentage of Paci"c Equatorial Water (PEW), were typically found in the core of the SCC or within anticyclonic eddies. Lower (bland) spiciness anomalies, characteristic of a higher percentage of Paci"c Subarctic Water (PSAW), were associated with cyclonic eddies. While these circulation features were largely barotropic, the #ow also adjusted baroclinically to changes in the density "eld, as di!erent water types were advected by the general #ow "eld or by mesoscale instabilities in the large-scale boundary currents as they interacted with topography. Despite a seasonal cycle in regional wind and ocean temperature time series, there is no obvious seasonal pattern in the circulation. Most of the temporal variability in the current appears to be due to synoptic and interannual variations in atmospheric forcing. Because of the very dynamic three-dimensional nature of the regional circulation, the Gulf of the Farallones is likely to be a center for active mixing and exchange between the coastal and California Current waters, relative to most US west coast locales

Relationship among research collaboration, number of documents and number of citations. A case study in Spanish computer science production in 2000-2009.

This paper analyzes the relationship among research collaboration, number of documents and number of citations of computer science research activity. It analyzes the number of documents and citations and how they vary by number of authors. They are also analyzed (according to author set cardinality) under different circumstances, that is, when documents are written in different types of collaboration, when documents are published in different document types, when documents are published in different computer science subdisciplines, and, finally, when documents are published by journals with different impact factor quartiles. To investigate the above relationships, this paper analyzes the publications listed in the Web of Science and produced by active Spanish university professors between 2000 and 2009, working in the computer science field. Analyzing all documents, we show that the highest percentage of documents are published by three authors, whereas single-authored documents account for the lowest percentage. By number of citations, there is no positive association between the author cardinality and citation impact. Statistical tests show that documents written by two authors receive more citations per document and year than documents published by more authors. In contrast, results do not show statistically significant differences between documents published by two authors and one author. The research findings suggest that international collaboration results on average in publications with higher citation rates than national and institutional collaborations. We also find differences regarding citation rates between journals and conferences, across different computer science subdisciplines and journal quartiles as expected. Finally, our impression is that the collaborative level (number of authors per document) will increase in the coming years, and documents published by three or four authors will be the trend in computer science literature