Trial for improved rhythm method

A British doctor, Michael Ash, is experimenting on a new birth control technique in Dublin. Sponsored by the World Health Organization, some 12 women will test Dr. Ash's technique at Dublin's Rotunda Hospital. This new technique is basically a refinement of the "rhythm method," thanks to a small electrical gadget. It involves measuring tiny electrical charges in the body which occur when the egg is released from the ovaries. This, it is hoped, will allow her to calculate her infertile period more precisely. The technique is still in its earliest stage. A spokesman described the trials as "very very preliminary." They have no idea whether it works or not, but are just trying to evaluate it. However, if successful, this new technique is likely to be acceptable to the Roman Catholic Church.     

Understanding population projections

This is a general introduction to how population projections are made and used for the consumers of this information. Population projections are computations of what future trends in fertility, mortality and migration of a population might be given set assumptions. They are not actual forecasts. Projections are used by planners in government and business for a clearer understanding of social changes. How to prepare projections, obtain base data, select starting and future levels of rates, variant series, and the mathematics involved are discussed. Assumptions must be carefully checked and chosen, since reliability of the projections depends on assumptions. There are 3 rules of thumb for reliability: 1) the shorter the projection period, the more reliable the projection; 2) the larger the geographic area being projected the more reliable the projection; 3) the lower the current fertility and the higher the current life expectancy, the lower the projection's margin of error. Major sources of data and projections on world, regional, national, subnational, and local areas and difficulties with data for developing countries are discussed. Available microcomputer programs for IBM PC compatible machines are listed and described briefly.     

Understanding aging in Korea

"This study discusses demographic trends, sociocultural characteristics, and policy choices of aging in [South] Korea.... Although the proportion of the elderly was not so high as to worry about aging before 1990, it is projected that one in eight Koreans will be aged 65 or more in 2020. Because the care for the elderly is mostly expected to be provided by each family, not by the state or Korean society, the role of the family is pivotal in coping with [the] aging problem.... Although adult children currently understand that their aged parents need assistance and support from them, they want to solve the issue of support for the elderly in a way different from the traditional.... This paper examines how the changing attitude toward the old is reflected in family life in terms of living arrangement and physical contacts. This paper also describes and discusses the current situation of various welfare policies on the elderly in Korea."     

Understanding circulation in Australia

Progress in the nascent field of inquiry concerned with understanding circulation in developed countries requires a balance between individual and aggregate modes of explanation. The sparsity and fragmentation of current studies is traced to the dearth of appropriate data sources and the complexity of circular moves, reflecting the integral connections between data, method and theory in migration research. It is argued that circulation, like permanent migration, can be divided into production-and consumption-related categories, but that measurement of circulation is complicated by three additional features: variable duration, repetition and seasonality. Four dimensions of population movement are identified: intensity of circular migration, movement distances, patterns of redistribution and migration networks. Census and survey data are used to quantify these dimensions. Revised version of Presidential Address to the Tenth Biennial Conference of the Australian Population Association, Melbourne, 29 November 2000.     

Understanding and Using Mediators and Moderators

Mediation and moderation are two theories for refining and understanding a causal relationship. Empirical investigation of mediators and moderators requires an integrated research design rather than the data analyses driven approach often seen in the literature. This paper described the conceptual foundation, research design, data analysis, as well as inferences involved in a mediation and/or moderation investigation in both experimental and non-experimental (i.e., correlational) contexts. The essential distinctions between the investigation of mediators and moderators were summarized and juxtaposed in an example of a causal relationship between test difficulty and test anxiety. In addition, the more elaborate models, moderated mediation and mediated moderation, the use of structural equation models, and the problems with model misspecification were discussed conceptually.

Understanding sibling differences in child labor

This study considers sibling differences in child labor in Nepal. The data are consistent with a model where parents care equally for all children but siblings differ in comparative advantage in household production, although parental preferences and credit constraints could also be important. Girls, especially older girls, tend to work more than their brothers. This extra work increases with the number of younger siblings and the spacing between siblings. The extra work performed by girls is such that, at modal birth spacing, the younger girl actually spends significantly more time working than her older brother.

Understanding the 1996 census migration data

The Australian Census provides two approaches to measuring migration: indicators which distinguish movers from non-movers, and a geographic classification which identifies each person’s usual residence on census night, and their usual address one year and five years previously. Although these data represent a rich source of information, they contain several traps for the unwary. We show that differences in the variables and classifications used can result in marked variations in the apparent intensity and patterns of migration. The questionnaire and processing methodology used in the 1996 Census also resulted in a number of inconsistencies between the migration indicators and the usual address information. We examine the magnitude and source of these anomalies, assess their implications and propose a partial solution. The views expressed in this paper are personal and do not necessarily reflect those of the Australian Bureau of Statistics.     

Understanding Global Demographic Convergence since 1950

Is the world converging to a single demographic regime? Or are groups of countries following distinct paths through the process of demographic transition? The answers to these questions are pivotal to our understanding of the nature and mechanisms of population change. They are also key elements for deriving the assumptions that should underlie population projections. There has been considerable interest in global demographic convergence during the last decade, with most work drawing on statistical methods that are widely used in economics. This article takes a different approach to most of the existing literature, examining the fertility and mortality trajectories over time that various appropriately defned world regions have followed. The data suggest that five distinct regional histories can be traced in mortality, and three in fertility, and that global convergence has moved more rapidly and unambiguously in fertility than in mortality.     

Understanding Mortality Rate Deceleration and Heterogeneity

ABSTRACT

Generic relationships between heterogeneity in population frailty and flattening of aggregate population hazard functions at extreme ages are drawn from classical mathematical results on the limiting behavior of Laplace transforms. In particular, it shows that the population hazard function converges to a constant precisely when the distribution of unobserved heterogeneity in initial mortalities behaves asymptotically as a polynomial near zero.     

如何理解老龄社会及其特点

文章在提出“社会构架”这一重要概念的基础上,探讨了人口年龄结构和社会构架之间的关系,认为老龄社会是从人口年龄结构和社会构架关系的角度来识别人类社会形态的一个新范畴。通过比较青年型、成年型和老年型人口年龄结构及其相对应的社会构架的差异,从形态学的角度描述和分析了老龄社会的基本特征,即老龄社会是一种全新的社会主体构成,在经济结构、社会结构和政治结构以及文化价值导向等方面区别于青年型和成年型两类社会。     

Understanding the population dimension in development planning

In the Philippines initial efforts to adopt population policies focused on reducing rapid population growth through fertility control. The history of the national population welfare congress, which started in 1978, reflects this emphasis on family planning as a major deterrent to rapid population growth. It was only in recent years that the 2-way relationship between population and development came to be better appreciated. The 6th National Populaton Welfare Congress was a response to this need to broaden the scope of population concerns and integrate the population dimension into development planning. This viewpoint regards population not as a demand variable but as a factor that can be influenced by economic and social development. Dr. Mercedes B. Concepcion, dean of the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI), discussed population trends, prospects, and problems in a paper presented before the 6th congress. In 1980, she said, the Philippine population was 48.1 million persons, up by 11.4 million persons or 31%, over the3l.7 million enumerated in 1970. While the rate of populated growth remains high, data indicate a decreasing post-World War II trend, from 3.06% in 1948-60 to 2.68% in 1975-80. The proportion of the population below 15 has dropped by 2 percentage points, while the number of persons in the working ages 15-64 has increased. In 1 of the 3 group sessions during the congress, the participants tried to define the Philippines' population distribution goals, the requirement of an urban-rural balance, and priority intervention areas. In that session 2 main papers were presented -- one on human settlements and urbanization and the other on macroeconomic policies and their spatial implications. In another sessionplanners and researchers examined the socioeconomic and demographic impact of development programs, specifically the impact of rural electrification on fertility change in Misamis Oriental, a province in Southern Philippines. In the main paper presented in that session, Dr. Herrin indicated that the most rapid decline in marital fertility in the Philippines occurred among highly educated parents with high incomes and living in the urbanized areas of Metro Manila, Southern Luzon, and Central Luzon. The 3rd group session discussed mortality trends and prospects as well as the present forms of government intervention to reverse these trends. Generally, a declining trend has been observed in the crude death rate and in infant mortality.     

Understanding Antigay Bias From a Cognitive-Affective-Behavioral Perspective

In general, United States citizens have become increasingly more accepting of lesbians and gay men over the past few decades. Despite this shift in public attitudes, antigay bias remains openly tolerated, accepted, practiced, and even defended by a substantial portion of the population. This article reviews why and how antigay bias persists using a cognitive-affective-behavioral perspective that touches on sociocognitive factors such as prejudice and stereotyping, as well as features unique to antigay bias, such as its concealable nature. The article concludes with a discussion of how understanding modern antigay bias through a cognitive-affective-behavioral lens can be applied to reduce discrimination against gays and lesbians.     

Understanding Hypergamous Marriages of Chinese Rural Women

Population Research and Policy Review - In China, hypergamy is a socially desirable marriage but an understudied topic. Less has been written on how personal traits and structural factors are...     

Understanding material deprivation: A comparative European analysis

In this paper, taking advantage of the inclusion of a special module on material deprivation in EU-SILC 2009, we provide a comparative analysis of patterns of deprivation. Our analysis identifies six relatively distinct dimensions of deprivation with generally satisfactory overall levels of reliability and mean levels of reliability across countries. Multi-level analysis based on 28 European countries reveals systematic variation in the importance of within and between country variation for a range of deprivation dimensions. The basic deprivation dimension is the sole dimension to display a graduated pattern of variation across countries. It also reveals the highest correlations with national and household income, the remaining deprivation dimensions and economic stress. It comes closest to capturing an underlying dimension of generalized deprivation that can provide the basis for a comparative European analysis of exclusion from customary standards of living. A multilevel analysis revealed that a range of household characteristics and household reference person socio-economic factors were related to basic deprivation and controlling for contextual differences in such factors allowed us to account for substantial proportions of both within and between country variance. The addition of macro-economic factors relating to average levels of disposable income and income inequality contributed relatively little further in the way of explanatory power. Further analysis revealed the existence of a set of significant interactions between micro socio-economic attributes and country level gross national disposable income per capita. The impact of socio-economic differentiation was significantly greater where average income levels were lower. Or, in other words, the impact of the latter was greater for more disadvantaged socio-economic groups. Our analysis supports the suggestion that an emphasis on the primary role of income inequality to the neglect of differences in absolute levels of income may be misleading in important respects.     

Understanding the Bear Movement in Gay Male Culture

Abstract

The bear movement emerged in the gay male culture of the 1980s, but little research on this group has been conducted. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the meanings and functions of bear identity. Six bear-identified men participated in intensive interviews investigating this question. Results suggest that men who identify as bears consciously adopt a masculine aesthetic that signifies values of self-acceptance and maturity. The participants described the acceptance of diverse body shapes and ages within the bear community as leading to positive self-esteem and body image. Results are discussed in relation to clinical and advocacy work. They broaden the awareness of the diversity of cultures that exist within the gay community.     

Understanding stillbirth stigma: A scoping literature review

BackgroundThe World Health Organization, and the 2011 and 2016 Lancet Stillbirth series as well as medical and scientific literature, have all called for stillbirth stigma to be reduced. However, few studies have explored or attempted to conceptualise the meaning of stigma in the context of stillbirth.AimTo explore the current knowledge surrounding stillbirth stigma, specifically the extent, type and experiences of bereaved parents.MethodsA five-stage scoping review framework was utilised. A search of relevant databases (MedLine, EMBASE, PsychInfo, PsychArticles, and Ovid Emcare) was undertaken with several key words related to ‘stillbirth’ and ‘stigma.’ The reference lists of included studies were also searched.FindingsA total of 23 resources met the inclusion criteria for this review. A thematic analysis regarding how stigma was conceptualised and/or experienced within results and/or discussion was employed on these studies. Five over-arching themes, with several sub-themes, were discovered: Type of stigma, identity, silence, bereaved mothers’ experiences of stigma in low-income countries and transformation.DiscussionStillbirth stigma remains an under-researched topic. Few articles conceptualised the experiences of the bereaved parent within a stigma framework. However, examples of bereaved parents enduring stigma were found within the literature. Common stigmatising experiences included, bereaved parents’ identities being challenged; and feelings of shame, guilt, and blame after their stillbirth. Stigmatising experiences could be different based on the bereaved parent’s cultural background.ConclusionFurther research which attempts to conceptualise stillbirth stigma and explores those experiences from a bereaved parent perspective is needed to help inform stigma reduction strategies.