215 research outputs found
Social interaction of teenage mothers during and after their pregnancy
Extensive attention has been given to adolescent sexuality and teenage pregnancy in the past 30 years, yet many teenagers still fall pregnant. A teenager who becomes a parent is at a significant disadvantage in becoming a contributing adult, both psychosocially and economically. The objective of the study was to describe the social interaction of teenage mothers at Ga-Rankuwa Hospital during and after their pregnancy.
Seventy teenage mothers were interviewed using an interview schedule. Thirty-four of them stayed with both parents, 19 with the mother only and the rest with relatives or their partner's mother. Only one was married (by customary law), and most (59%) had known their partner for 12-24 months. Fifty-two talked to someone when they discovered that they were pregnant, nine were too scared to do so and the other nine were unaware of the pregnancy until it was discovered by a family member. Most (58) wished to return to school within a year, seven wished to find work (after first looking after the baby), and two wished to get married.
In conclusion, the majority of teenagers who fall pregnant do so while still at school. Teenagers are at risk of unwanted pregnancies. Few first tell their mothers about the pregnancy, although most talk to someone soon after discovering that they are pregnant. Most, however, retain the support of their families during and after the pregnancy.
Keywords: adolescent, pregnancy, social interaction, post-partum
For full text, click here: SA Fam Prac 2004;46(2):21-2
A Practitionerâs Critique : the One-Stop Shop Regime of the COMESA Competition Commission
The âCompetition Commissionâ for the âCommon Market for Eastern and Southern Africaâ has been established as the competition law enforcer of the âCommon Market for Eastern and Southern Africaâ, an international region of 21 African member states. The âCompetition Commissionâ is a regional body said to enjoy international legal personality. This regional body considers itself to be a âone-stop shopâ within the âCommon Market for Eastern and Southern Africaâ and hence seeks to exercise its jurisdiction to the exclusion of that of ânational competition authoritiesâ within the âCommon Market for Eastern and Southern Africaâ. However, in practice this âone-stop shopâ persona has not been accepted by all member states of the âCommon Market for Eastern and Southern Africaâ â leading to jurisdictional confusion, legal uncertainty and enforcement fragmentation. This paper is a consideration of whether the âCompetition Commissionâ has the requisite consent from member states of the âCommon Market for Eastern and Southern Africaâ to operate as a âone-stop shopâ, and, if so, the paper considers what obstacles stand in the way of the effective application of the said âone-stop shopâ jurisdiction within the âCommon Market for Eastern and Southern Africaâ.Mini Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2018.Public LawLLMUnrestricte
Gendering Bodies: Violence as Performance in Irelandâs War of Independence (1919-1921)
This thesis argues that constructs of gender underpinned violence on women in the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921). These acts were not only informed by female victimsâ perceived gender, but also performed Crown Force and the Irish Republican Army perpetratorsâ view of their own gendered roles and duties, as well as attitudes towards masculinity and war. Using the historiography of the Irish Revolution (1912-1923) as well as gender and performance studies literature â namely Critical Discourse Analysis and the early work of Judith Butler â this paper provides an account of how gender was imagined and experienced by the ârevolutionary generationâ on the eve of this formative decade in Irelandâs history. Using source material including witness statements, police reports, and military memoranda, this thesis then details how gendered violence on women â physical, psychological and sexual â âperformedâ the military masculine identities of Crown Forces and the Irish Republican Army respectively. By examining this aspect of Irish womenâs experiences during the War of Independence, this thesis seeks to contribute to the ongoing undertaking of gendering the historiography of the Revolution.
Keywords: Ireland; War of Independence; Gender; Violence; Performance; Revolution; Sexual Violence
COVID-19, ICT literacy, and Mental Health of University Students: A Three-Country Study
We ran a cross-national project examining the mental health of university students in Ghana, South Africa, and the United States against the backdrop of a surge in the digitalization of teaching at universities in these countries wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic
Monospecific inhibitors show that both mannan-binding lectin-associated serine protease (MASP)-1 and -2 are essential for lectin pathway activation and reveal structural plasticity of MASP-2.
The lectin pathway is an antibody-independent activation route
of the complement system. It provides immediate defense against
pathogens and altered self-cells, but it also causes severe
tissue damage after stroke, heart attack and other ischemia
reperfusion injuries. The pathway is triggered by target-binding
of pattern recognition molecules leading to the activation of
zymogen mannan-binding lectin-associated serine proteases
(MASPs). MASP-2 is considered as the autonomous pathway-
activator while MASP-1 as an auxiliary component. We evolved a
pair of monospecific MASP inhibitors. In accordance with the key
role of MASP-2, the MASP-2 inhibitor completely blocks the
lectin pathway activation. Importantly, the MASP-1 inhibitor
does the same demonstrating that MASP-1 is not an auxiliary but
an essential pathway component. We report the first Michaelis-
like complex structures of MASP-1 and MASP-2 formed with
substrate-like inhibitors. The 1.28 A resolution MASP-2
structure reveals significant plasticity of the protease
suggesting that either an induced fit or a conformational
selection mechanism should contribute to the extreme specificity
of the enzyme
<Original Paper>The Effect of Acid Concentration on the Emission Intensity of Transition Metal Lines in ICP-AES
In order to obtain reliable results by the technique of Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES), it is imperative to avoid or correct for interferences caused by the matrix of the solution samples. Differences in the acid concentration between the samples and the standards can significantly affect the analytical results. This effect has been investigated by analyzing several series of solution samples. The increase in the acid concentration is obviously accompanied by an increase in the viscosity, resulting in an initial decrease of the analytical signal. Further increasing the acid concentration, however, brings about a positive effect, which is largely enhanced by applying higher HCl concentrations in the washing solution and is efficiently reduced by purging the solution feeding line of the system. The positive effect is presumably related to the enhancement of excitation. This interpretation is suggested by the comparison of results obtained by two different instruments and different kinds of acid in the samples. The obtained relative intensity functions are suitable for the mathematical correction of matrix-induced interferences, provided the conditions of washing are standardized
Neuromodulation of astrocytic K+ clearance
Potassium homeostasis is fundamental for brain function. Therefore, effective removal of excessive K+ from the synaptic cleft during neuronal activity is paramount. Astrocytes play a key role in K+ clearance from the extracellular milieu using various mechanisms, including uptake via Kir
channels and the Na+-K+ ATPase, and spatial buffering through the astrocytic gap-junction coupled network. Recently we showed that alterations in the concentrations of extracellular potassium ([K+]o) or impairments of the astrocytic clearance mechanism affect the resonance and oscillatory behavior
of both the individual and networks of neurons. These results indicate that astrocytes have the potential to modulate neuronal network activity, however, the cellular effectors that may affect the astrocytic K+ clearance process are still unknown. In this study, we have investigated the impact
of neuromodulators, which are known to mediate changes in network oscillatory behavior, on the astrocytic clearance process. Our results suggest that while some neuromodulators (5-HT; NA) might affect astrocytic spatial buffering via gap-junctions, others (DA; Histamine) primarily affect
the uptake mechanism via Kir channels. These results suggest that neuromodulators can affect network oscillatory activity through parallel activation of both neurons and astrocytes, establishing a synergistic mechanism to maximize the synchronous network activity
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Body structural and cellular aging of women with low socioeconomic status in Hungary: A pilot study.
OBJECTIVES: The health status of an individual is determined not only by their genetic background but also by their physical environment, social environment and access and use of the health care system. The Roma are one of the largest ethnic minority groups in Hungary. The majority of the Roma population live in poor conditions in segregated settlements in Hungary, with most experiencing higher exposure to environmental health hazards. The main aim of this study was to examine the biological health and aging status of Roma women living in low socioeconomic conditions in Hungary. METHODS: Low SES Roma (n: 20) and high SES non-Roma women (n: 30) aged between 35 and 65âyears were enrolled to the present analysis. Body mass components were estimated by body impedance analysis, bone structure was estimated by quantitative ultrasound technique. Cellular aging was assessed by X chromosome loss estimation. Data on health status, lifestyle and socioeconomic factors were collected by questionnaires. RESULTS: The results revealed that low SES women are prone to be more obese, have a higher amount of abdominal body fat, and have worse bone structure than the national reference values. A positive relationship was found between aging and the rate of X chromosome loss was detected only in women with low SES. Waist to hip ratio, existence of cardiovascular diseases and the number of gravidities were predictors of the rate of X chromosome loss in women. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that age-adjusted rate of X chromosome loss could be related to the socioeconomic status
Abnormal Motor Activity and Thermoregulation in a Schizophrenia Rat Model for Translational Science
Schizophrenia is accompanied by altered motor activity and abnormal thermoregulation; therefore, the presence of these symptoms can enhance the face validity of a schizophrenia animal model. The goal was to characterize these parameters in freely moving condition of a new substrain of rats showing several schizophrenia-related alterations.Male Wistar rats were used: the new substrain housed individually (for four weeks) and treated subchronically with ketamine, and naive animals without any manipulations. Adult animals were implanted with E-Mitter transponders intraabdominally to record body temperature and locomotor activity continuously. The circadian rhythm of these parameters and the acute effects of changes in light conditions were analyzed under undisturbed circumstances, and the effects of different interventions (handling, bed changing or intraperitoneal vehicle injection) were also determined.Decreased motor activity with fragmented pattern was observed in the new substrain. However, these animals had higher body temperature during the active phase, and they showed wider range of its alterations, too. The changes in light conditions and different interventions produced blunted hyperactivity and altered body temperature responses in the new substrain. Poincaré plot analysis of body temperature revealed enhanced short- and long-term variabilities during the active phase compared to the inactive phase in both groups. Furthermore, the new substrain showed increased short- and long-term variabilities with lower degree of asymmetry suggesting autonomic dysregulation.In summary, the new substrain with schizophrenia-related phenomena showed disturbed motor activity and thermoregulation suggesting that these objectively determined parameters can be biomarkers in translational research
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