The spatial construction of young people's livelihoods in rural southern Africa

Young people in southern Africa, in common with young people around the world, are social agents, constructing their own lives, albeit within significant structural constraints. Unlike young people in some regions, for most the need to generate a livelihood is a key consideration. Livelihood construction is a profoundly spatial activity, yet while there have been a number of studies of the spatial construction of young people's livelihoods in African cities, the spatiality of rural livelihoods has received less attention. Rural environments pose particular challenges for livelihood construction, and require particular spatial strategies. Four are discussed here: accessing education and training; migration for work; developing extensive social networks; and producing for markets. There are, however, aspects of the spatial structuring of rural southern African societies that seriously constrain the pursuit of productive livelihoods by young people. Two are considered: migration (for reasons unconnected with young people's livelihoods) and marriage practices

Rural young people's opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship in globalised southern Africa: The limitations of targeting policies

This paper is based on a study with rural young people in Malawi and Lesotho, focusing on their possibilities for accessing (self)employment in the face of the various constraints imposed by their poor rural situations. Participatory group exercises, combined with individual interviews in two rural villages, provided personal stories about jobs and businesses that the young people were engaged in, as well as previous experiences and future plans. Constraints, as well as enabling factors, working at both individual and structural levels were analysed. Policies intended to address the needs of young people tend to seek to target the most vulnerable, often on the basis of individual-and household-level characteristics (e.g. women, orphans and AIDS-affected households). We argue that this: (1) neglects the structural factors operating at national and global levels; and (2) fails to recognise that factors interact to produce vulnerability, rather than this being rooted in separate characteristics. We demonstrate that an intersectional approach, drawn from feminist studies, is a useful theoretical lens, which, in combination with a livelihoods perspective, helps illuminate the needs of rural young people. In situations characterised by high levels of poverty and multiple vulnerabilities, we argue that it can be costly and ineffective to try to decide 'who is most vulnerable'; rather, resources can be more effectively spent in trying to improve conditions that will benefit all rural young people

Socio-economic causes of food insecurity in Malawi

The food crisis that Malawi experienced in 2002 led to hundreds – maybe thousands – of hunger-related deaths, which is more than any famine in living memory. During this famine, maize production fell by over 30% and maize prices rose by over 300% (Devereux, 2002). At the peak of the crisis, nearly a third of the population were dependent on food aid (USAID/Malawi, 2004)

Income-generating activities for young people in southern Africa: Exploring AIDS and other constraints

Copyright @ 2010 The Authors. The Geographical Journal © 2010 Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers). The published version of the article can be accessed via the link below.This paper reports on a study with rural young people (aged 10–24 years) in Malawi and Lesotho, focusing on their opportunities to learn skills and access capital and assets to engage in incomegenerating activities (IGAs). Participatory group exercises and individual interviews provide many examples of how young people learn skills and start small businesses, as well as an insight into their strategic thinking about engaging in these livelihood options. Various factors, including the effects of AIDS, are shown to affect young people’s prospects of succeeding in their ventures.Young people are very keen on starting IGAs, and are supported by adult members of their communities in asking for interventions to help them. We argue that expanded vocational and business training, focusing on locally appropriate types and scale of businesses, coupled with help to raise start-up capital has the potential to improve the chances of young people who are poor and/or AIDS-affected securing sustainable rural livelihoods in their futures. Since AIDS is intertwined with many other issues affecting young people’s livelihoods, it is problematic to single out and target only AIDS-affected young people with interventions on skills building and IGAs. Policymakers’ attitudes to vocational skills training and support for IGAs in Malawi and Lesotho are also explored, and policy recommendations made to support vulnerable rural young people in their attempts to build sustainable livelihoods.ESRC/DFI

Brachial Approach As an Alternative Technique of Fibrin Sheath Removal for Implanted Venous Access Devices.

Implanted venous access device (IVAD) late dysfunction is commonly caused by fibrin sheath formation. The standard method of endovascular fibrin sheath removal is performed via the femoral vein. However, it is not always technically feasible and sometimes contraindicated. Moreover, approximately 4-6 h of bed rest is necessary after the procedure. In this article, we describe an alternative method of fibrin sheath removal using the brachial vein approach in a young woman receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer. The right basilic vein was punctured, and a long 6°F introducer sheath was advanced into the right subclavian vein. Endovascular maneuvers consisted on advancing Atrieve™ Vascular Snare 15-9 mm after catheter insertion in the superior vena cava through a 5.2°F Judkins left catheter. IVAD patency was restored without any complication, and the patient was discharged immediately after the procedure. In conclusion, fibrin sheath removal from an obstructed IVAD could be performed via the right brachial vein. Further research is necessary in order to prove efficacy of this technique

The Orbit of the New Milky Way Globular Cluster FSR1716 =VVV-GC05

Indexación: Scopus.We use deep, multi-epoch near-IR images of the VISTA Variables in the Via Lictea (VVV) Survey to measure proper motions (PMs) of stars in the Milky Way globular cluster (GC) FSR1716 = VVV-GC05. The colormagnitude diagram of this object, made by using PM-selected members, shows an extended horizontal branch, nine confirmed RR Lyrae (RRL) members in the instability strip, and possibly several hotter stars extending to the blue. Based on the fundamental-mode (ab-type) RRL stars that move coherently with the cluster, we confirmed that FSR1716 is an Oosterhoff I GC with a mean period aPabn = 0.574 days. Intriguingly, we detect tidal extensions to both sides of this cluster in the spatial distribution of PM-selected member stars. Also, one of the confirmed RRabs is located -11 arcmin in projection from the cluster center, suggesting that FSR1716 may be losing stars due to the gravitational interaction with the Galaxy. We also measure radial velocities (RVs) for five cluster red giants selected using the PMs. The combination of RVs and PMs allow us to compute for the first time the orbit of this GC, using an updated Galactic potential. The orbit results to be confined within|Zmax| < 2.0 kpc, and has eccentricity 0.4 < e < 0.6, with perigalactic distance 1.5 < Rperi (kpc) < 2.3, and apogalactic distance 5.3 < Rapo (kpc) < 6.4. We conclude that, in agreement with its relatively low metallicity ([Fe/H] =-1.4 dex), this is an inner-halo GC plunging into the disk of the Galaxy. As such, this is a unique object with which to test the dynamical processes that contribute to the disruption of Galactic GCs. © 2018. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aacd0

Ascending aortic remodelling in Fabry disease after long-term enzyme replacement therapy.

Previous cross-sectional studies reported a high prevalence of ascending aorta dilations/aneurysms in male adults with Fabry disease, independently of cardiovascular risk factors. To characterise the remodelling of the ascending aorta in classic Fabry disease under long-term enzyme replacement therapy. Diameter of the ascending aorta was measured with magnetic resonance imaging at the sino-tubular junction (STJ), and proximal (pAsAo), and distal ascending aorta (dAsAo) at baseline, and after 5 and 10 years of enzyme replacement therapy in 15 adult Fabry patients (10 males; 5 females). Over a mean follow-up of 9.5 years, the annual expansion rates measured in 10 males with Fabry disease were 0.41 ± 0.16, 0.36 ± 0.25 and 0.41 ± 0.26 mm/y at the STJ, pAsAo and dAsAo, respectively. Expansion rate at the pAsAo level in male patients was significantly higher than the expected expansion projected from theoretical normal values: 0.36 ± 0.25 vs 0.13 ± 0.05, p = 0.017. In 5 females, the annual expansion rates at the STJ, pAsAo and dAsAo were 0.14 ± 0.11, 0.21 ± 0.18 and 0.26 ± 0.24 mm/y, respectively. There was no significant difference from the projected normal expansion rate at the level of the pAsAo: 0.21 ± 0.18 vs 0.13 ± 0.04, p = 0.39. Our data suggest that the remodelling of the ascending aorta is more pronounced in male patients with Fabry disease under long-term enzyme replacement therapy compared with the progression observed in a large population study

Lépésről lépésre : A családkísérés mint a Jelenlét eszköze = Step by step : The family mentoring, a tool of Presence methodology

A tanulmány a Felzárkózó települések programba bevont – jelenleg száztizenhét településen élő –, kisgyermeket nevelő családok mindennapi szociális kíséréséről, a családmentorok munkájáról szól. Arról a bizalomra épülő, komplex bio-pszicho-szociális folyamatról, amellyel segíthetjük az ide születő gyermekek egészséges fejlődéséhez szükséges feltételek biztosítását, a családok, helyi közösségek lehetőségeinek, erőforrásainak figyelembevételével. A következőkben a családmentorok tevékenységének áttekintésén keresztül mutatjuk be ezt az új, innovatív, szociális segítői munkakört, amelynek képviselői alapvetően a kisgyermekes családok otthonaiban, hétköznapi életük szerves részeként vannak jelen, így kiegészítő szerepet töltenek be az ellátórendszerek, intézményes ellátások mellett. = The study is about the daily social support and the work provided by family mentors within the Emerging Settlements Programme, involving families with small children, currently living in 117 settlements. It is about the complex bio-psycho-social process built on trust, by which we can help ensure the conditions necessary for the healthy development of children born there, taking into account the possibilities and resources of families and local communities. We present a new, innovative social support role through an overview of the activities provided by family mentors. They are essentially working in the homes of families raising small children, as an integral part of their daily lives, thus playing a complementary role to the existing care systems, in addition to available institutional care

Evolution of the Cross-Sectional Area of the Osseous Lumbar Spinal Canal across Decades: A CT Study with Reference Ranges in a Swiss Population.

Spinal canal dimensions may vary according to ethnicity as reported values differ among studies in European and Chinese populations. Here, we studied the change in the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the osseous lumbar spinal canal measured in subjects from three ethnic groups born 70 years apart and established reference values for our local population. This retrospective study included a total of 1050 subjects born between 1930 and 1999 stratified by birth decade. All subjects underwent lumbar spine computed tomography (CT) as a standardized imaging procedure following trauma. Three independent observers measured the CSA of the osseous lumbar spinal canal at the L2 and L4 pedicle levels. Lumbar spine CSA was smaller at both L2 and L4 in subjects born in later generations (p &lt; 0.001; p = 0.001). This difference reached significance for patients born three to five decades apart. This was also true within two of the three ethnic subgroups. Patient height was very weakly correlated with the CSA at both L2 and L4 (r = 0.109, p = 0.005; r = 0.116, p = 0.002). The interobserver reliability of the measurements was good. This study confirms the decrease of osseous lumbar spinal canal dimensions across decades in our local population