La Dynastie des Song: Histoire générale de la Chine (960-1279): Christian Lamouroux

Book Review: La Dynastie des Song: Histoire générale de la Chine (960-1279) Christian Lamouroux Paris: Les Belles Lettres, 2022, 816 pp. ISBN: 978225145128

Urban Life and Intellectual Crisis in Middle-Period China, 800-1100

In the eleventh century, the cities of the Song Empire (960-1279) emerged into writing. Literati in prior centuries had looked away from crowded streets, but literati in the eleventh century found beauty in towering buildings and busy harbors. Their purpose in writing the city was ideological. On the written page, they tried to establish a distinction that eluded them in the avenues and to discern an immanent pattern in the movement of people, goods, and money. By the end of the eleventh century, however, they recognized that they had failed in their efforts. They had lost the Way in the city. Urban Life and Intellectual Crisis in Middle-Period China, 800-1100 reveals the central place of urban life in the history of the eleventh century. Important developments in literary innovation and monetary policy, in canonical exegesis and civil engineering, in financial reform and public health, converge in this book as they converged in the city

Dike Reconstruction Polder Oudendijk

Reconstruction of dikes on soft subsoil is a common practice in the Netherlands. However in recent years some slidings of innerslopes have occurred in the execution phase due to very large and rapidly placed replenishments. Therefore investigations have been made for new methods to determine the short term stability of the soil structures. This paper describes the problems experienced during the reconstruction of a polder dike in the western part of the Netherlands, based on which several new methods are tested

Food-based approaches for controlling vitamin A deficiency : studies in breastfeeding women in Indonesia

Micronutrient deficiencies seriously hinder mental and physical development and are still an important cause of death in developing countries. Therefore, goals have been set worldwide for the year 2000: to eliminate deficiencies of vitamin A and iodine and to reduce prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in women by onethird of 1990 levels. Food-based approaches for the control of micronutrient deficiencies, using foods naturally rich in micronutrients and/or fortified foods, are preferable, because a pharmaceutical approach can only reach a selective group and is less sustainable. This thesis describes research on the role of foods for improving vitamin A status of breastfeeding women in Indonesia.In developing countries, people derive 80-85% of vitamin A from plant sources in the form of provitamin A carotenoids, which the body converts to vitamin A. Preformed vitamin A, retinol, exists only in animal foods and accounts for 15-20% of vitamin A intake. Our questionnaire confirmed that dark-green leafy vegetables are the most important source of vitamin A. However, feeding a portion of dark-green leafy vegetables daily for 12 weeks did not improve vitamin A status, while it improved after feeding a wafer enriched with the same amount of β-carotene. This, as well as results from other carefully controlled studies, contradicts the assumption that vegetables rich in provitamin A carotenoids can play an important role in the control of vitamin A deficiency. Causes of poor bioavailability of vegetable carotenoids could include: complex matrix of leaves; absorption inhibitors, such as fibre which entraps carotenoids, or other carotenoids which may compete for absorption; parasitic infestation; and genetic and/or dietary factors.A very limited effect on vitamin A status should not lead to the conclusion that promoting the consumption of dark-green leafy vegetables is no longer necessary, but food approaches should be based on a variety of foods. Also, factors to calculate vitamin A activity of carotenoids should be reconsidered. In addition, we conclude that vitamin A intake questionnaires, which could be very simple, should only be used to estimate the risk of poor vitamin A status at community level. Vitamin A status and changes in status are best assessed by measuring serum retinol. The measurement of serum β-carotene is recommended for evaluating food-based interventions, because it is very responsive

Impact of a Social Marketing Campaign Promoting Dark-green Leafy Vegetables and Eggs in Central Java,Indonesia

In order to work towards further reduction of vitamin A deficiency in central Java, Indonesia, a social marketing campaign promoting eggs and dark-green leafy vegetables was initiated in March 1996. The nutritional surveillance system (December 1995- December 1996) found the following. The campaign's messages were well noticed. Consumption of at least one egg in the past week increased from 80% to 92% in mothers and from 78% to 92% in children 1236 months old. It increased in all socio-economic groups and was independent of ownership of chickens. Most eggs had been purchased. The quantity of vegetables prepared increased from 93 to 111 g/person daily and most was purchased. Vitamin A intake increased from 335 to 371 RE/d for mothers and from 130 to 160 RE/d for children. Serum retinol levels increased after the start of the campaign, and were related to egg consumption and vitamin A intake. Because 1. data were collected in such a way that respondents were not aware of the link between data collected and the campaign, and 2. vitamin A status increased and was related to increased consumption of eggs and vitamin A intake, we conclude that the social marketing campaign was successful

Food assistance to tuberculosis patients: lessons from Afghanistan.

Poverty, food insecurity and poor nutrition in the population are important contributors to the burden of tuberculosis (TB). For poor and food-insecure individuals, accessing and successfully completing anti-tuberculosis treatment over an extended period of time is challenging. Food and nutritional support as an incentive and enabler is employed by national TB control programmes (NTPs) worldwide as a means to encourage treatment initiation and adherence and to improve the nutritional status of patients with TB. It also offers a safety net for food-insecure households affected by TB to mitigate the financial consequences of the disease. This paper reports on the primary lessons from the review of the World Food Programme's (WFP's) Food Assistance Programme for TB patients in Afghanistan. It aims to inform the design, implementation and scale-up of TB programmes in settings where food insecurity and malnutrition are prevalent. It also documents qualitative findings that suggest that patients, their families and providers viewed food support as an important asset and an essential element of the national TB control strategy. While the impact on treatment success or case detection could not be quantified, it is likely that the WFP intervention had a positive impact on the patients and their households, therefore contributing to the success of the DOTS-based NTP

Diarrhea and fever as risk factors for anemia among children under age five living in urban slum areas of Indonesia

SummaryObjectivesTo characterize diarrhea and fever as risk factors for anemia among children in developing countries.MethodsWe characterized risk factors for anemia in a sample of 32873 children, aged 6–59 months, from poor families in urban slum areas of Indonesia from 2000 to 2003.ResultsThe prevalence of anemia was 58.7%. In separate multivariate models, after adjusting for age, sex, stunting, maternal age and education, and weekly per capita household expenditure, current diarrhea (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.07–1.35, p=0.002), current fever (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.18–1.75, p<0.0001), and a history of diarrhea in the previous seven days (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.03–1.23, p=0.024) were associated with an increased risk of anemia.ConclusionsDiarrhea and fever are important risk factors for anemia among young children living in urban slum communities in Indonesia

Evaluating positive experiences of very severe dementia patients

We developed a Snoezelen application to promote the wellbeing of people with severe dementia. During a Snoezelen session, patients are provided with positive and pleasurable experiences, through a combination of visual, auditory, olfactory, and haptic stimuli. Because no measure to evaluate appreciation or enjoyment by this target group themselves could be found, a new observation measure was created and compared to existing proxy measures in a visual stimulation study based on the Snoezelen philosophy. This measure contains three domain scales, Attention, Arousal, and Valence; two (Attention and Arousal) were sensitive enough to capture an effect, or at least a trend towards an effect, of stimulus condition. This finding is seen as promising for the further development of these kinds of observational measures for testing designs for and with this target group

Prevention of acute malnutrition: distribution of special nutritious foods and cash, and addressing underlying causes--what to recommend when, where, for whom, and how

Acute malnutrition is associated with increased morbidity and mortality risk. When episodes are prolonged or frequent, acute malnutrition is also associated with poor growth and development, which contributes to stunting Nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive strategies to prevent undernutrition during the first 1,000 days from conception to 24 months of age can reduce the risks of wasting, stunting, and micronutrient deficiencies. Under circumstances that exacerbate the underlying causes of undernutrition and increase the incidence of wasting, such as food insecurity related to lean seasons or emergencies, or increased incidence of illness, such as diarrhea or measles, additional efforts are required to prevent and treat wasting. Special nutritious foods directly meet the increased nutrient requirements of children at risk for wasting; assistance to vulnerable households, in the form of cash or food, enables households to better meet the food, health, and other needs of household members and may increase resilience; water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and health interventions help prevent and address illness and hence reduce wasting risk. The contributions of specific interventions to reducing the incidence of wasting are difficult to assess under emergency conditions, due to ethical constraints and to the fact that multiple strategies are implemented at the same time. However, pragmatic studies under real-life circumstances, using different designs, e.g., including a group receiving "best possible" treatment, can provide evidence about what works, to what extent, at what cost, and under which circumstances. Programs should address the most important causes in given contexts, be feasible to implement at scale, and assess implementation, coverage, and outcomes