Women’s empowerment and food consumption:Evidence from female-headed households in Tanzania

Despite the growing recognition of women’s increasing role in the household and corresponding empowerment programs in sub-Saharan Africa,intensive research on the relationship between women’s influence and household food consumption is minimal.Using the most recent(2017-2018)national household survey data from Tanzania,this study examined the influence of women’s empowerment on household food consumption.First,we compared the monthly consumption of eight food categories between female-headed households(FHHs)and male-headed households(MHHs)using both descriptive statistics and the propensity score matching(PSM)method.Furthermore,we adopted the two-stage Linear Expenditure System and Almost Ideal Demand System model(LES-AIDS)to estimate income and price elasticities for the two household types.The results show that FHHs consume bread and cereals,fish,oils and fats,vegetables,and confectionery(sugar,jam,honey,chocolate,etc.)more than MHHs.Moreover,FHHs have a significantly higher income elasticity of demand for all food groups than MHHs.They are also more price elastic than MHHs in meat,fish,oils,fats,sugar,jam,honey,chocolate,etc.

The Three Principles of Institutional Safeguards for Women's Participation in Legislation in China

The participation of women in legislation is an important aspect and means of safeguarding women’s rights.Feminist theory,based on criticism of both the“citizenship identity theory as rights”and the“citizenship identity theory as responsibilities,”proposes the“citizenship identity theory as subjectivity.”Observing the current practice of women’s participation in legislation in China,two institutional safeguard principles can be summarized:the“minimum proportion”and the“influence evaluation.”However,each of these principles has its inherent limitations.Therefore,it is necessary to supplement them with the principle of“subjective participation”in a reflective manner.This principle requires women to participate substantively in the legislative process as subjects,express women’s needs and demands,input women’s perspectives and experiences,and reconstruct the distribution of rights and responsibilities in the existing legislation.The three principles complement each other and work together to comprehensively constitute the institutional structure of women’s participation in legislation,thereby promoting the reproduction of corresponding action structures.

A Historical Review of the Development of Women’s Higher Education in China (1908-2020): Stages, Explanations, and Trends

The development of women’s higher education in China can be divided into four stages:emergence(1908-1948);foundation(1949-1976);accelerating development(1977-2008);and the qualitative leap(2009-2020).This work considers the principal institutional mechanisms that contributed to this development.First,flexibly planned parenthood gradually promoted gender equality and openness in society facilitated by systematic“awards,grants,and loans”initiatives to support women’s higher education economically.Second,compulsory education ensured that left-out and migrant children had access to higher education.Third,effective connectivity across different education types bridged education gaps between those with different levels of education.Fourth,China made great efforts to invite and integrate international experiences that promoted the development of women’s higher education.Looking beyond these achievements,we also discuss the future trends of women’s higher education in China.

Attention Model for Chronic Conditions:Blind Women and Their Sons

It aimed to analyze the assistance to the blind woman during prenatal care, childbirth, and child-care in light of the Model of Attention to Chronic Conditions. This is a descriptive, qualitative study. A collection was done through semi-structured interview and analysis of the speeches, conducted by content technique proposed by Bardin, emerging from the screening process. Ten mothers aged between 21 and 42 years old participated in the study. Three categories were identified: prescriptive and focused attention on the disease;for collaborative and focused attention on the person;uniprofessional attention to the multidisciplinary attention;establishment of relationship between the family health strategy and the specialized outpatient care. The women experienced chronic conditions according to the Model in addition to blindness. Study results show that for blind women, attention in the health service has weaknesses in service, both in the prenatal period and childbirth, and in childcare. It deems necessary transformation in assisting the blind woman.

Combination treatment of inflammatory bowel disease:Present status and future perspectives

The treatment of patients with inflammatory bowel disease(IBD),especially those with severe or refractory disease,represents an important challenge for the clinical gastroenterologist.It seems to be no exaggeration to say that in these patients,not only the scientific background of the gastroenterologist is tested,but also the abundance of“gifts”that he should possess(insight,intuition,determ-ination,ability to take initiative,etc.)for the successful outcome of the treatment.In daily clinical practice,depending on the severity of the attack,IBD is treated with one or a combination of two or more pharmaceutical agents.These combin-ations include not only the first-line drugs(e.g.,mesalazine,corticosteroids,antibiotics,etc)but also second-and third-line drugs(immunosuppressants and biologic agents).It is a fact that despite the significant therapeutic advances there is still a significant percentage of patients who do not satisfactorily respond to the treatment applied.Therefore,a part of these patients are going to surgery.In recent years,several small-size clinical studies,reviews,and case reports have been published combining not only biological agents with other drugs(e.g.,immunosuppressants or corticosteroids)but also the combination of two biologi-cal agents simultaneously,especially in severe cases.In our opinion,it is at least a strange(and largely unexplained)fact that we often use combinations of drugs in a given patient although studies comparing the simultaneous administration of two or more drugs with monotherapy are very few.As mentioned above,there is a timid tendency in the literature to combine two biological agents in severe cases unresponsive to the applied treatment or patients with severe extraintestinal manifestations.The appropriate dosage,the duration of the administration,the suitable timing for checking the clinical and laboratory outcome,as well as the treatment side-effects,should be the subject of intense clinical research shortly.In this editorial,we attempt to summarize the existing data regarding the already applied combination therapies and to humbly formulate thoughts and suggestions for the future application of the combination treatment of biological agents in a well-defined category of patients.We suggest that the application of biomarkers and artificial intelligence could help in establishing new forms of treatment using the available modern drugs in patients with IBD resistant to treatment.

EXISTENCE AND UNIQUENESS OF SOLUTIONS FOR NONLINEAR FRACTIONAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS WITH NON-SEPARATED TYPE INTEGRAL BOUNDARY CONDITIONS

In this paper, we study a boundary value problem of nonlinear fractional dif- ferential equations of order q （1 〈 q 〈 2） with non-separated integral boundary conditions. Some new existence and uniqueness results are obtained by using some standard fixed point theorems and Leray-Schauder degree theory. Some illustrative examples are also presented. We extend previous results even in the integer case q = 2.

Influence of cultural factors on choice of childbirth place among women in Oyigbo Local Government Area,Rivers State,Nigeria

Objectives:This study aims to ascertain if cultural factors influence the childbirth place choice of women in Oyigbo.Materials and Methods:The study used a cross‑sectional study design using a self‑structured questionnaire as the instrument to collect data from 384 volunteers through simple random sampling,and these data were analyzed using frequency and percentage for descriptive statistics while Chi‑square was used for inferential statistics at 0.05 level of significance.Results:The influence of cultural factors such as family traditions(χ^(2)=12.56,P=0.006),beliefs(χ^(2)=70.66,P=0.000),lack of confidence in health facilities(χ^(2)=367.83,P=0.000),and the presence of male skilled birth attendants(χ^(2)=50.85,P=0.000)were statistically significant to the choice of childbirth place,while patriarchal system(χ^(2)=2.99,P=0.393)was not statistically significant to the choices of childbirth places of women in Oyigbo.Religion had a statistically significant influence on childbirth place(χ^(2)=125.46,P=0.000).Conclusion:This study shows that religious and cultural factors have a significant influence on the childbirth place choices of women in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State.

On a Discrete Fractional Boundary Value Problem with Nonlocal Fractional Boundary Conditions

In this paper, we investigate the nonlinear fractional difference equation with nonlocal fractional boundary conditions. We derive the Green's function for this problem and show that it satisfies certain properties. Some existence results are obtained by means of nonlinear alternative of Leray-Schauder type theorem and Krasnosel-skii's fixed point theorem.

满足条件(P)的循环序S-系对序幺半群的同调分类

研究同余λ(x ^(p),x^( q))的一些重要性质,单循环序S-系S/λ(x,x^(2))满足条件(P)和强平坦性的等价刻画以及满足条件(P)的循环序S-系对序幺半群的同调分类.

The Dilemma of Women’s Voices in the Post-Epidemic Era:Misconceptions of Feminism on Digital Media Platforms-The Example of Sina Weibo

Weibo,one of China’s largest digital media platforms,has become a major platform for women’s voices to fight for equality.However,misconceptions of feminism on Weibo have become obstacles to women’s voices,for which the platforms did not post women’s views prominently.From the perspective of women themselves,this paper adopted a questionnaire to study the misunderstanding of feminism and its impact on women’s expression on Weibo.

Identifying the Cultural Shifts and Societal Changes That Facilitated the Rise in Box Office Performance of Chinese Women’s Cinema in the 21st Century

With the gradual improvement of Chinese women’s status in the 21st century,gender studies and gender relations have become one of the hottest topics in Chinese society,which consequently prompted Chinese Women’s Cinema to attract the attention of larger audiences.With regard to the box office performance of Chinese Women’s Cinema,there seems to be a gap in research in finding an association between women’s status and the relevant films’box office performance.The purpose of this research is to outline the underlying reasons for the changes in gender roles and gender representation in the Chinese film industry over the past few decades in order to better understand this expansive social change in the 21st century.This study provides a comprehensive analysis through the use of questionnaires to better understand society’s attitude towards gender representation within the film industry.The questionnaire findings indicate that there is a direct correlation between people’s awareness of women’s changing status and gender equality and their acceptance of materials produced by Chinese Women’s Cinema.At the some time,it highlights that the Chinese government’s support and initiatives for gender equality have had a significant impact on the general popularity of Chinese Women’s Cinema.The significance of this research is to effectively popularize Chinese Women’s Cinema culture and the box office growth by understanding the social attitude towards gender representation in the Chinese film industry and to provide relevant information about the development direction and trend of Chinese Women’s Cinema.Furthermore,this research aims to provide foundational support for gender equality and help to understand the underlying factors that society needs to promote gender equality.

Do Chinese Women Face Subtle Discrimination in Job Hiring?

Gender discrimination has long been the problem that exists in the entire world,including China.However,as more and more people are focusing on the general gender discrimination,the group recognized an extension of such discrimination-pregnancy discrimination in job hiring(the discrimination that women who are pregnant or have the inclination to pregnancy receive in hiring).The possible subtle pregnancy discrimination may be one of the main causes that lead to the declining fertility rate in China.The group decided to conduct an experiment to determine whether women are receiving more subtle discrimination in job hiring due to their identity as mother than men with children,men without children,and women without children.Using the form of questionary and resumes,the team found that Chinese women are indeed enduring subtle discrimination in work hiring.The experiment highlights the importance to promote further equality among women.However,there are some confounding variables,like the level of patient of the HR who reads the resume,affecting the ultimate result of the study.Keywords:gender discrimination,women’s career,Chinese job market,pregnancy discrimination,fertility rate in China.

Shifting balance from neurodegeneration to regeneration of the brain: a novel therapeutic approach to Alzheimer's disease and related neurodegenerative conditions

Neurodegeneration is one of the biggest public health problems in modern society. Age-associated neurodegeneration, which is accelerated several-fold in Alzheimer＇s disease （AD） alone, is not only an enormous social and economic burden to the affected in- dividuals and their families, but is also a great scientific challenge. Currently 25-35 million people worldwide suffer from AD, the single largest cause of dementia in middle- to old-aged individuals. These numbers are projected to triple by 2050 if no treatment to prevent or reverse AD is developed.

S弯收扩喷管过膨胀状态下流动分离特性研究

为了研究S弯收扩喷管过膨胀状态下的流动分离特性,数值模拟了不同落压比(NPR)下S弯收扩喷管内的流动特征。结果表明:在落压比为2.0时,喷管内发生非对称分离,出现非对称的双“λ”激波结构,喷流整体向上偏转,上侧出现限制性流动分离RSS,下侧出现自由性流动分离FSS,并产生三维分离涡,喷流出现明显的三维效应。随着落压比从高度过膨胀状态下开始增加,喷管下侧保持FSS不变,喷管上侧RSS逐渐向后移动,直至与外界大气相连,转变为FSS,之后随着落压比增加,上下侧分离结构逐渐对称。推力矢量角随着落压比的增加先增加,后在极小的落压比变化范围内快速降低,直至变为0°,之后保持0°不变。

Mechanisms and Associated Factors of Nocturia in Women Attending Two Urogynecology Clinics: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Nocturia has a multifactorial etiology, and its diagnostic approach involves, in addition to medical history and physical examination, the use of a bladder diary to define the pathophysiological mechanisms present in each case. Methods: This study investigated the prevalence of nocturia, its mechanisms, and associated factors in women with lower urinary tract symptoms attending two urogynecology clinics in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Anamnesis, physical examination, and a 24-hour bladder diary were conducted. Two definitions of nocturia were considered: one or more nighttime voids and two or more nighttime voids. Mann-Whitney and Chi-square tests were used, with p-value ≤ 0.05 considered significant. Results: A total of 133 participants were included. The majority were aged 60 years or older (61.4%) and had three or more comorbidities (66.7%), with systemic arterial hypertension being the most prevalent (59.1%). Of the total participants, 54 (41.4%) completed the bladder diary. Among those with one or more nighttime voids (70.7%), the prevalence of nocturnal polyuria was 69.1%, reduced nocturnal bladder capacity was 17.3%, and global polyuria was 12.9%. Among participants with two or more nighttime voids (56.4%), the prevalences were respectively 68.2%, 19.1%, and 13.6%. Among the mechanisms, associations were found only with global polyuria, namely: use of insulin, body mass index and tobacco consumption. An association was also found between recurrent urinary tract infection and global polyuria in participants with two or more nighttime voids. Conclusions: The prevalence of nocturia was higher than that reported in general population studies and specialized services for lower urinary tract symptoms. Nocturnal polyuria was the most prevalent mechanism. Associations were observed between the use of insulin, body mass index, tobacco consumption, and recurrent urinary tract infection with global polyuria. No associations were found between any clinical or demographic variables and nocturnal polyuria or reduced nocturnal bladder capacity.

Spline Fictitious Boundary Element Alternating Method for Edge Crack Problems with Mixed Boundary Conditions

The alternating method based on the fundamental solutions of the infinite domain containing a crack,namely Muskhelishvili’s solutions,divides the complex structure with a crack into a simple model without crack which can be solved by traditional numerical methods and an infinite domain with a crack which can be solved by Muskhelishvili’s solutions.However,this alternating method cannot be directly applied to the edge crack problems since partial crack surface of Muskhelishvili’s solutions is located outside the computational domain.In this paper,an improved alternating method,the spline fictitious boundary element alternating method(SFBEAM),based on infinite domain with the combination of spline fictitious boundary element method(SFBEM)and Muskhelishvili’s solutions is proposed to solve the edge crack problems.Since the SFBEM and Muskhelishvili’s solutions are obtained in the framework of infinite domain,no special treatment is needed for solving the problem of edge cracks.Different mixed boundary conditions edge crack problems with varies of computational parameters are given to certify the high precision,efficiency and applicability of the proposed method compared with other alternating methods and extend finite element method.

Bioleaching behavior and surface property of pyrites in different metallogenic conditions

The bioleaching behaviors and surface properties of pyrites in two metallogenic conditions by Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans were investigated by adsorption tests, zeta-potential measurements and bioleaching experiments. It is found that there were significant differences in the microorganism adsorption capacity, electrokinetic properties and bioleaching behaviors for the two pyrites. The S. thermosulfidooxidans adsorption capacity on high temperature hydrothermal(hy_high_temp) pyrite is larger than that on sendimentary coal(sed_coal) pyrite. It may be that more extracellular polymeric substances(EPS) is produced when it is difficult for microorganism to make use of hy_high_temp pyrite as source of energy, and get leaching bacteria attached to pyrite by means of EPS. The zeta-potential measurements indicated that zeta-potential value of hy_high_temp pyrite was higher than that of sed_coal pyrite in pH range of 2–10. After interacting with cells, the IEP(Iso-Electric Point) of hy_high_temp pyrite shifted obviously to that of bacterial. In contrast, the IEP of sed_coal pyrite remained unchanged nearly. The bioleaching results showed that hy_high_temp pyrite did not dissolve and the leaching extent was only 0.82%, while that of sed_coal pyrite was 34.59%. Attempts were taken to illustrate the remarkable difference between bioleaching results of two pyrites from a semiconductor energy band theory perspective.

Electrical Power Losses in a Photovoltaic Solar Cell Operating under Partial Shading Conditions

The aim of this paper is to determine the power losses recorded by a PV generator operating under partial shading conditions. These losses are evaluated through two distinct methods. The first method is based on mathematical modeling, while the second is based on Simulink’s physical model. The losses recorded are considerable and increase as a function of the increase in the percentage of shading up to a limit value where they become constant in the case where an ideal by-pass diode is connected in parallel with the modules. This limit value is non-existent in the case where the bypass diode is not ideal, which in fact corresponds to the real model. However, it emerges that the power losses are minimized in a PV system comprising bypass diodes, in particular in the case where the partial shading is considerable.

血清sFlt-1、PLGF与子痫前期发病及病情严重程度的关系

目的 探讨血清可溶性类fms酪氨酸激酶-1(sFlt-1)、胎盘生长因子(PLGF)与子痫前期发病及病情严重程度的关系。方法 前瞻性纳入2021年1月至2023年5月长治医学院附属和平医院收治的子痫前期孕妇100例为观察组,另选取同期100名健康孕妇为对照组。检测并比较两组血清sFlt-1、PLGF水平,通过受试者工作特征(ROC)曲线分析血清sFlt-1、PLGF水平对子痫前期发病的预测价值,同时比较不同病情严重程度子痫前期孕妇基线资料(年龄、孕周、体重指数、孕次)及血清sFlt-1、PLGF水平,最后通过Spearman秩相关分析不同病情严重程度的子痫前期孕妇与血清PLGF、sFlt-1水平的相关性。结果 观察组血清sFlt-1为(31.26±8.38)μg/L,高于对照组[(16.48±3.45)μg/L],血清PLGF水平为(1.17±0.25)μg/L,低于对照组[(1.72±0.28)μg/L],差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。经ROC曲线分析证实血清sFlt-1、PLGF水平可预测子痫前期,曲线下面积为0.941、0.949,均有较好预测价值(P<0.05)。轻度与高度子痫前期孕妇年龄、孕周、体重指数、孕次比较,差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05);重度子痫前期孕妇血清sFlt-1水平为(36.97±10.87)μg/L,高于轻度子痫前期孕妇[(26.45±6.78)μg/L],血清PLGF水平为(1.05±0.31)μg/L,高于轻度子痫前期孕妇[(1.31±0.22)μg/L],差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。血清sFlt-1与病情严重程度呈正相关(r=4.564,P<0.05),PLGF水平与病情严重程度呈负相关(r=-5.164,P<0.05)。结论 血清sFlt-1水平与子痫前期孕妇病情严重程度呈正相关,血清PLGF水平与子痫前期患者病情严重程度呈负相关,临床医师应对上述指标密切监测,以预测疾病发生与进展。

Analyzing the Influences on Women’s Upbringing and Their Educational Significance Using the Case of Estella,the Heroine of Great Expectations

This paper explores the influences on women’s upbringing and their educational significance by using the character Estella from Great Expectations as a case study.Through analyzing the impact of social environment,family education,and self-awakening,this article aims to promote gender equality and the construction of a feminist cognitive community.It delves into the class divisions of 19th-century England,the manipulative family education imposed on Estella by Miss Havisham,and Estella’s journey towards self-consciousness after her foster mother’s death.The study highlights the challenges faced by women in societal constraints,family expectations,and the importance of self-discovery in overcoming these limitations.