The relationship between maternal-foetal attachment, self esteem and social support in pregnant adolescents

Fifty pregnant teenagers (mean age 17.8, range 15-19) were recruited to take part in a semi-structured research interview investigating the relationships between self esteem, social support and maternal-foetal attachment. Three objective research instruments were employed: i) The Maternal-Foetal Attachment Scale (MFAS, Cranley, 1981), ii) The Support Behaviours Inventory (SBI, Brown, 1988) and iii) Rosenberg\u27s Self Esteem Scale (RSE, Rosenberg, 1979). Measures of social support were derived from self-ratings and qualitative data was collected exploring the mother\u27s relationship with her foetus

Baboon endogenous virus genome. I. Restriction enzyme map of the unintegrated DNA genome of a primate retrovirus

A detailed restriction map was deduced for the genome of an endogenous retrovirus of a higher primate, that of baboon. The cleavage sites for 12 restriction enzymes were mapped. The unintegrated linear viral DNA intermediate that is produced by infection of permissive cells with baboon endogenous virus was isolated. Hybridization with a strong-stop complementary DNA probe demonstrated presence of a terminal repetition in the linear viral DNA. The positions of restriction sites for two particular enzymes, SmaI and XhoI, near each end were consistent with this result and indicated that the length of the repetition is 0.55 +/- 0.01 kilobase. The linear viral DNA had a unique restriction map indicating that it is not a set of random circular permutations of the RNA genome. From hybridization with a 3'-specific probe, the DNA restriction map was aligned relative to the 5'-to-3' orientation of the viral RNA. We observed a minor heterogeneity in a BamHI recognition site 1.95 kilobases from the right end of the linear map

Contribution of Community Based Health Planning Service in Maternal Health Service Delivery in the Tamale Metropolitan Area, Ghana.

The fast approach of the end of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the end of 2015 has driven many countries to accelerate their efforts at achieving the goals. In line with the proposed means of measuring the success of the MDG 5 by World Health Organisation (WHO): to reduce country maternal mortality ratios and achieve universal reproductive health, Ghana has been implementing the Community based Health Planning Services (CHPS) strategy to address the MDG 4 and 5. This study sought to assess the contribution of the CHPS to the attainment of the MDG5 using the indicators of antenatal care, delivery services, postnatal care and community participation components of CHPS. Adopting qualitative and quantitative study approach and the cross sectional research design, the Tamale Metropolitan Area (TaMA) was brought into focus to have a snap shot view on the contribution of CHPS to maternal health. Three hundred and ninety five women of child bearing age (15-49 years), 31 Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) and six health professionals in the CHPS zones provided information for the study through questionnaire administration, focused group discussions and interviews respectively. The results revealed that, 80.8percent of the women attended antenatal clinic in their respective CHPS compound. All the CHPS in the study did not provide delivery services for the women due to lack of midwives. Further, 89 percent of the women were delivered by TBAs at home whilst the rest delivered in either a health centre or hospital because of complications in pregnancy. All respondents received the first 24 hours postnatal care from either TBAs, or nurses who worked in their respective CHPS compound and midwives in the health centres or hospitals. All respondents accessed general health services in their zonal CHPS. The study concludes that, for full implementation of the CHPS to effectively contribute to the achievement of the MDG5, the District Director of Health Services should post midwives to the CHPS compound to ensure that skilled delivery services are provided. Keywords: Community based Heath Planning Service, Antenatal care, Delivery care and Postnatal care

Baboon endogenous virus genome: Molecular cloning and structural characterization of nondefective viral genomes from DNA of a baboon cell strain

Several heterogeneities in the baboon endogenous virus (BaEV) genomes that are present in the DNA of normal baboon tissues and the baboon cell strain BEF-3 have been described previously. To study these genomes, we cloned BaEV proviruses from BEF-3 cellular DNA into the vector Charon 4A. Of the four full-length clones isolated, one was nondefective as determined by transfection. The sequence of a portion of this clone was found to code for amino acids 61-91 in the p30 region of the gag gene. This identification allowed us to align the restriction map with the BaEV genetic map. One heterogeneity, a BamHI site 2.4 kilobases (kb) from the proviral 5' end, was located close to the gag-pol junction; another, a BamHI site 1.4 kb from the 5' end of the genome, corresponded to the gag p30 coding sequence for amino acids 32-34; and a third, a Xho I site, was near the 3' end of the pol gene. To select the nondefective BaEV genomes from BEF-3 cells, we infected permissive cells with virus produced by BEF-3 cells and also transfected BEF-3 cellular DNA into permissive cells. The BaEV genomes in the permissive recipient cultures were then analyzed by restriction enzyme analysis. These nondefective genomes were found to be heterogeneous with respect to the gag-pol BamHI site and the Xho I site, but all were found to contain the BamHI site 1.4 kb from the 5' end of the genome

Articulation rate and its relationship to disfluency type, duration, and temperament in preschool children who stutter

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between articulation rate, frequency and duration of disfluencies of different types, and temperament in preschool children who stutter (CWS). In spontaneous speech samples from 19 children CWS (mean age = 3:9; years: months), we measured articulation rate, the frequency and duration of (a) sound prolongations; (b) soundsyllable repetitions; (c) single syllable whole word repetitions; and (d) clusters. Temperament was assessed with the Children’s Behavior Questionnaire (Rothbart et al., 2001). There was a significant negative correlation between articulation rate and average duration of sound prolongations (p\u3c0.01), and between articulation rate and frequency of stuttering-like disfluencies (SLDs) (p\u3c0.05). No other relationships proved statistically significant. Results do not support models of stuttering development that implicate particular characteristics of temperament as proximal contributors to stuttering; however, this is likely due to the fact that current methods, including the ones used in the present study, do not allow for the identification of a functional relationship between temperament and speech production. Findings do indicate that for some CWS, relatively longer sound prolongations co-occur with relatively slower speech rate, which suggests that sound prolongations, across a range of durations, may represent a distinct type of SLD, not just in their obvious perceptual characteristics, but in their potential influence on overall speech production at multiple levels

Articulation rate and its relationship to disfluency type, duration, and temperament in preschool children who stutter

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between articulation rate, frequency and duration of disfluencies of different types, and temperament in preschool children who stutter (CWS). In spontaneous speech samples from 19 children CWS (mean age = 3:9; years: months), we measured articulation rate, the frequency and duration of (a) sound prolongations; (b) soundsyllable repetitions; (c) single syllable whole word repetitions; and (d) clusters. Temperament was assessed with the Children’s Behavior Questionnaire (Rothbart et al., 2001). There was a significant negative correlation between articulation rate and average duration of sound prolongations (p\u3c0.01), and between articulation rate and frequency of stuttering-like disfluencies (SLDs) (p\u3c0.05). No other relationships proved statistically significant. Results do not support models of stuttering development that implicate particular characteristics of temperament as proximal contributors to stuttering; however, this is likely due to the fact that current methods, including the ones used in the present study, do not allow for the identification of a functional relationship between temperament and speech production. Findings do indicate that for some CWS, relatively longer sound prolongations co-occur with relatively slower speech rate, which suggests that sound prolongations, across a range of durations, may represent a distinct type of SLD, not just in their obvious perceptual characteristics, but in their potential influence on overall speech production at multiple levels

FACTORS INFLUENCING LOCALS’ PERSPECTIVES ON TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN CAMEROON

Tourism development is linked to community-based transformation and growth, impacting the residents’ livelihoods. The study aimed to comprehensively understand locals’ perspectives on tourism development. The study mainly focused on identifying the factors that influence these perspectives and assessing their implications for sustainable tourism planning and management, using Yaoundé in Cameroon as a case study. Employing a quantitative survey research design, the study collected data from 385 locals using non-probability convenience sampling. Key findings revealed that positive perceptions of tourism development are linked to benefits. As residents benefit economically and socially from tourism, they desire increased tourist arrivals and see tourism as having positive impacts. A gap between training and participation in conservancy was identified, suggesting a major implication of the need to incorporate local voices in tourism planning and policies for more sustainable and inclusive growth of the tourism industry. By exposing factors that influence locals’ perspectives and assessing the implications for sustainable tourism management and planning, the study contributes to the literature and provides valuable insights to inform decision-making in the tourism industry