Health Educational Needs Of Adolescent And Nonadolescent Mothers: A Comparative Study

The purpose of this descriptive comparative study was to answer the following research questions : 1) Is there a difference in the health educational needs between adolescent and nonadolescent mothers, and 2) What are the specific differences in the health educational needs between adolescent and nonadolescent mothers

Operational Limits of Blade Coating with High Aspect Ratio Pigments

During the blade coating of paper, operational issues such as stalagmite formation, scratches or spits can develop at high solids content and high web speeds. For coatings that contain high aspect ratio pigments, these difficulties appear at lower solids concentrations and slower machine speeds than with more spherical shaped pigments. These operational issues are important because plate shaped particles have good properties in publication and barrier grades. A number of possible mechanisms have been described in the literature, but a clear cause has not been established nor have methods to estimate the operational limits been proposed. The influence of particle characteristics on rheology, dewatering and operational issues was determined with a series of experiments. The effect of particle shape and size distribution on the dewatering and filtercake permeability were analyzed. The porosity and pore size distribution of dried filtercakes were also characterized. Runnability studies were conducted to determine the operational windows based on pigment shape and solids content. A bench top blade coater was developed to measure operational issues; small changes in the roll speed resulted in fluctuations in the speed at which blade deposits begin to appear. A high speed cylindrical laboratory coater (CLC) was used to determine the operational and quality issues for various solids content for two pigments with different shape factors on two paper surfaces with varying absorption rates; a mobile video camera, mounted to the blade structure, was used to record the coating event. The rate of dewatering of a coating formulation is influenced but the shape of the particles, where high aspect ratio pigments tend to dewater slower than those with a lower shape factor. High aspect ratio pigments have low filtercake permeabilities compared to the low aspect ratio pigments. The results indicate that the rate of dewatering is controlled by the size of the connections or throats between the pores and not the average pore size. Latex addition, in these systems, did not influence permeability to a large extent. A method to determine the operational window was developed using the bench top blade coater which provides a measure of the maximum speed attainable at a given solids content before runnability defects appear: operational limits obtained with the bench coater correlate with those obtained with the CLC. With the absence of a base sheet, latex or other additives and binders, typical blade deposits were still generated with the bench coater. Small changes in solids content lead to large changes in coating speed. The influence of a permeable substrate on operational limits was minor. The operating window did not correlate with steady shear viscosity but did seem to relate to complex viscosity. A linear relationship between the operational limits and the difference between the coating solids and the immobilization solids. This relationship may help predict operational limits of other coating formulations. Operating limits seem to be determined by a dynamic flow leading to particle jamming behavior. A mathematical model was developed to estimate the formation of a filtercake during blade coating. Experimental values for all parameters were based on the conducted runnability studies. The permeabilities of the base sheet and the coating filtercake play a crucial role in the formation of the filtercake. Using the conditions that are similar to the CLC experiments, it was found that filtercake growth would not have impeded blade coating

Quotas and qualifications: the impact of gender quota laws on the qualifications of legislators in the Italian parliament

This article addresses concerns that candidates nominated because of gender quota laws will be less qualified for office. While questions of candidate quality have long been relevant to legislative behavior, quota laws requiring a certain percentage of candidates for national office to be women have generated renewed interest. Gender quotas are often perceived to reduce the scope of political competition. By putting gender identity center stage, they preclude the possibility that elections will be based on ‘ideas’ or ‘merit’ alone. Other electoral rules that restrict candidate selection, such as the centralization of candidate selection common in closed list PR systems, have been found to reduce the quality of candidates. Rules that open selection, such as primaries, result in higher quality candidates. We exploit the institutional design of Italy’s mixed electoral system in 1994, where quotas were applied only to the PR portion of the list, to compare the qualifications of men, women, and ‘quota women’. We estimate regressions on several measures of deputies’ qualifications for office and performance in office. We find that unlike other rules limiting candidate selection, quotas are not associated with lower quality on most measures of qualifications. In fact, quota women have more local government experience than other legislators and lower rates of absenteeism than their male counterparts. Contrary to critics, quota laws may have a positive impact on legislator quality. Once the quota law was rescinded, quota women were less likely to be re-elected than non-quota women or men, which suggests that discrimination – not qualification – limits women’s status as candidates

Physical Literacy in the Library Or, how we ended up loaning out rubber chickens

We must consider the reality: most Canadian children are not receiving the required amount of daily physical activity for healthy development. Seven percent of five- to eleven-year-olds and four per cent of 12- to 17-year-olds in Canada meeting recommended guidelines of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity daily. Canadian adults are not participating in the required amount of weekly physical activity to maintain health (150 minutes per week). Canadian children have insufficient skill levels to participate in everyday physical activity (biking, running, jumping, playground games and equipment). WE have a public health issue -- and the PUBLIC library can help

A qualitative exploration of the experiences of pregnant women living with obesity and accessing antenatal care

Women are advised to optimise weight before pregnancy. However, many are either already living with overweight or obesity prior to becoming pregnant, increasing the risks for adverse outcomes. Health care professionals (HCP) are responsible for advising women of risks throughout and following pregnancy. However, midwives find broaching the conversation around maternal obesity difficult. This difficulty may be due to insufficient knowledge regarding the management of obesity during pregnancy or because they do not wish to offend. This study explored the experiences of accessing antenatal care in pregnant women living with obesity. Seventeen women completed a semi-structuredinterview. Transcripts were analysed thematically. Four themes were developed:1) antenatal care is inconsistent, 2)additional support is needed, 3) women feel judged about their weight, and 4) weight cycling is highly prevalent. Findings suggest that pregnant women living with obesity often experience weight bias from HCPs, feel judged because of their weight and are left feeling confused andoverlooked. Women reported inconsistencies in advice and care offered,and acknowledged a lack of continuity of care throughout pregnancy. We call for an urgent need for further multidisciplinary training to address the concerns, experiences and needs of pregnant women living with obesity

Quotas and qualifications: the impact of gender quota laws on the qualifications of legislators in the Italian parliament

This article addresses concerns that candidates nominated because of gender quota laws will be less qualified for office. While questions of candidate quality have long been relevant to legislative behavior, quota laws requiring a certain percentage of candidates for national office to be women have generated renewed interest. Gender quotas are often perceived to reduce the scope of political competition. By putting gender identity center stage, they preclude the possibility that elections will be based on ‘ideas’ or ‘merit’ alone. Other electoral rules that restrict candidate selection, such as the centralization of candidate selection common in closed list PR systems, have been found to reduce the quality of candidates. Rules that open selection, such as primaries, result in higher quality candidates. We exploit the institutional design of Italy’s mixed electoral system in 1994, where quotas were applied only to the PR portion of the list, to compare the qualifications of men, women, and ‘quota women’. We estimate regressions on several measures of deputies’ qualifications for office and performance in office. We find that unlike other rules limiting candidate selection, quotas are not associated with lower quality on most measures of qualifications. In fact, quota women have more local government experience than other legislators and lower rates of absenteeism than their male counterparts. Contrary to critics, quota laws may have apositiveimpact on legislator quality. Once the quota law was rescinded, quota women were less likely to be re-elected than non-quota women or men, which suggests that discrimination – not qualification – limits women’s status as candidates.</jats:p

Decades of Delay: EPA Leadership Still Lacking in Protecting America's Great River

This report demonstrates the continuing failure of EPA's voluntary approach and the continuing and growing threats of unregulated nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. EPA has the power and the duty to act to require reasonable, common-sense regulations to address the growing scourge of nutrient pollution, and it should do so. Once again, MRC calls upon EPA to remedy this state of affairs, specifically recommending that EPA:Develop numeric phosphorus criteria for each of the eight states that have yet to adopt them, and numeric nitrogen criteria for all 10 states.Require states to assess their waters for nitrogen and phosphorus pollution and to prioritize TMDL development and implementation planning accordingly.Increase oversight of the state NPDES programs to ensure that both narrative and numeric nutrient criteria are implemented through limits in permits, including the use of Water Quality Based Effluent Limits (WQBELs) where appropriate.Disapprove TMDLs that lacking reasonable assurance that nonpoint source reductions are likely to occur and lack monitoring and timelines to ensure that planned reductions actually take place. Further, EPA needs to provide oversight to ensure consistency among EPA Regions in TMDL review and approval (especially in Regions 4 and 6.)Ensure that states' Nutrient Reduction Strategies contain implementation plans detailing point and nonpoint source reductions needed, responsible parties, funding mechanisms, milestones, measurement metrics, and reasonable timelines.Require states under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act to identify programs and practices for controlling nonpoint sources of pollution to the maximum extent possible

Novel tools and techniques in forensic entomology : the need for robust research

During the last two decades, the study of forensic entomology has evolved in leaps and bounds. With the advent of molecular tools and increased access to published research, the focus has shifted from case studies to integrative ecology and applied research. The Royal Entomological Society journal of Medical and Veterinary Entomology has realised the need to broaden the scope of publications to embrace this evolution. We have updated the scope of our journal to include novel and relevant research on arthropods of medical, veterinary or forensic importance. We welcome experimental research on arthropod development and behaviour, as well as methodological innovations in laboratory and field research. While forensic case studies are limited in geographical application (and so will not be considered for publication), research on medical and veterinary important species' development, distribution patterns and identification have the potential for forensic application.http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/mvehj2024Zoology and EntomologyNon

Novel tools and techniques in forensic entomology: The need for robust research

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