Sample records for age sex geography

  1. Flaccid theory and the geographies of sexual health in the age of Viagra.

    PubMed

    Del Casino, Vincent J

    2007-12-01

    The discipline of geography is largely absent in discussions and debates about drug use practices and their relationships to sexual health. Given the important relationships among the use of drugs, performances of sexualized identities, and the practices of sex, it behooves medical and health geographers particularly, and social and cultural geographers more generally, to engage in the wider interdisciplinary debates about these relationships. Through a discussion of one drug, Viagra, this brief intervention offers an agenda for studying the geographies of sex, sexuality, and drug use. It is argued that drug use is an inherently geographic practice that reshapes how places are resituated in relation to the fluid and dynamic meanings of sex, sexuality, and sexual health, areas of research and practice that medical and health geographers ought to consider more seriously.

  2. [A study of victims of methylmercury poisoning outbreaks by age and sex in Minamata, Niigata and Iraqi outbreaks].

    PubMed

    Kinjo, Y; Nakano, A; Ishizaki, T; Maeda, K

    1991-07-01

    To investigate features of the incidence of methylmercury poisoning cases presumably caused by intake of polluted foods in Japan and Iraq, several populations exposed to polluted foods were analyzed by geography and/or occupation. Ratios of confirmed cases to the corresponding number by age and sex in the defined exposed population were calculated. The distribution of the ratios showed a unimodal age distribution for both males and females in the Japanese Minamata and Niigata population. On the contrary, in the Iraqi population, ratios distributed equally by age and sex groups, having no peaks. This difference between the two countries is probably due to the difference of ingestion by age and sex in fish and wheat, which was the primary source of methylmercury exposure.

  3. What does the geography of parthenogenesis teach us about sex?

    PubMed

    Tilquin, Anaïs; Kokko, Hanna

    2016-10-19

    Theory predicts that sexual reproduction is difficult to maintain if asexuality is an option, yet sex is very common. To understand why, it is important to pay attention to repeatably occurring conditions that favour transitions to, or persistence of, asexuality. Geographic parthenogenesis is a term that has been applied to describe a large variety of patterns where sexual and related asexual forms differ in their geographic distribution. Often asexuality is stated to occur in a habitat that is, in some sense, marginal, but the interpretation differs across studies: parthenogens might not only predominate near the margin of the sexuals' distribution, but might also extend far beyond the sexual range; they may be disproportionately found in newly colonizable areas (e.g. areas previously glaciated), or in habitats where abiotic selection pressures are relatively stronger than biotic ones (e.g. cold, dry). Here, we review the various patterns proposed in the literature, the hypotheses put forward to explain them, and the assumptions they rely on. Surprisingly, few mathematical models consider geographic parthenogenesis as their focal question, but all models for the evolution of sex could be evaluated in this framework if the (often ecological) causal factors vary predictably with geography. We also recommend broadening the taxa studied beyond the traditional favourites.This article is part of the themed issue 'Weird sex: the underappreciated diversity of sexual reproduction'. © 2016 The Author(s).

  4. What does the geography of parthenogenesis teach us about sex?

    PubMed Central

    Kokko, Hanna

    2016-01-01

    Theory predicts that sexual reproduction is difficult to maintain if asexuality is an option, yet sex is very common. To understand why, it is important to pay attention to repeatably occurring conditions that favour transitions to, or persistence of, asexuality. Geographic parthenogenesis is a term that has been applied to describe a large variety of patterns where sexual and related asexual forms differ in their geographic distribution. Often asexuality is stated to occur in a habitat that is, in some sense, marginal, but the interpretation differs across studies: parthenogens might not only predominate near the margin of the sexuals' distribution, but might also extend far beyond the sexual range; they may be disproportionately found in newly colonizable areas (e.g. areas previously glaciated), or in habitats where abiotic selection pressures are relatively stronger than biotic ones (e.g. cold, dry). Here, we review the various patterns proposed in the literature, the hypotheses put forward to explain them, and the assumptions they rely on. Surprisingly, few mathematical models consider geographic parthenogenesis as their focal question, but all models for the evolution of sex could be evaluated in this framework if the (often ecological) causal factors vary predictably with geography. We also recommend broadening the taxa studied beyond the traditional favourites. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Weird sex: the underappreciated diversity of sexual reproduction’. PMID:27619701

  5. Epidemiology of fractures in the United Kingdom 1988-2012: Variation with age, sex, geography, ethnicity and socioeconomic status.

    PubMed

    Curtis, Elizabeth M; van der Velde, Robert; Moon, Rebecca J; van den Bergh, Joop P W; Geusens, Piet; de Vries, Frank; van Staa, Tjeerd P; Cooper, Cyrus; Harvey, Nicholas C

    2016-06-01

    Rates of fracture worldwide are changing. Using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), age, and gender, geographical, ethnic and socioeconomic trends in fracture rates across the United Kingdom were studied over a 24-year period 1988-2012. Previously observed patterns in fracture incidence by age and fracture site were evident. New data on the influence of geographic location, ethnic group and socioeconomic status were obtained. With secular changes in age- and sex-specific fracture incidence observed in many populations, and global shifts towards an elderly demography, it is vital for health care planners to have an accurate understanding of fracture incidence nationally. We aimed to present up to date fracture incidence data in the UK, stratified by age, sex, geographic location, ethnicity and socioeconomic status. The Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) contains anonymised electronic health records for approximately 6.9% of the UK population. Information comes from General Practitioners, and covers 11.3 million people from 674 practices across the UK, demonstrated to be representative of the national population. The study population consisted of all permanently registered individuals aged ≥18years. Validated data on fracture incidence were obtained from their medical records, as was information on socioeconomic deprivation, ethnicity and geographic location. Age- and sex-specific fracture incidence rates were calculated. Fracture incidence rates by age and sex were comparable to those documented in previous studies and demonstrated a bimodal distribution. Substantial geographic heterogeneity in age- and sex adjusted fracture incidence was observed, with rates in Scotland almost 50% greater than those in London and South East England. Lowest rates of fracture were observed in black individuals of both sexes; rates of fragility fracture in white women were 4.7 times greater than in black women. Strong associations between deprivation and fracture

  6. The geography of sex-specific selection, local adaptation, and sexual dimorphism.

    PubMed

    Connallon, Tim

    2015-09-01

    Local adaptation and sexual dimorphism are iconic evolutionary scenarios of intraspecific adaptive differentiation in the face of gene flow. Although theory has traditionally considered local adaptation and sexual dimorphism as conceptually distinct processes, emerging data suggest that they often act concurrently during evolutionary diversification. Here, I merge theories of local adaptation in space and sex-specific adaptation over time, and show that their confluence yields several new predictions about the roles of context-specific selection, migration, and genetic correlations, in adaptive diversification. I specifically revisit two influential predictions from classical studies of clinal adaptation and sexual dimorphism: (1) that local adaptation should decrease with distance from the species' range center and (2) that opposing directional selection between the sexes (sexual antagonism) should inevitably accompany the evolution of sexual dimorphism. I show that both predictions can break down under clinally varying selection. First, the geography of local adaptation can be sexually dimorphic, with locations of relatively high local adaptation differing profoundly between the sexes. Second, the intensity of sexual antagonism varies across the species' range, with subpopulations near the range center representing hotspots for antagonistic selection. The results highlight the context-dependent roles of migration versus sexual conflict as primary constraints to adaptive diversification. © 2015 The Author(s). Evolution © 2015 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

  7. Omani Students' Definitions of Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Al-Nofli, Mohammed Abdullah

    2014-01-01

    Very few studies have been conducted on students' definitions of geography. The purpose of the present study was to add to the existing literature by exploring Omani students' definitions of geography. Participants were 477 students of grade 6 (ages 11-12) and grade 10 (ages 15-16) in one school district in Oman. They had been taught geography…

  8. Sex differences and sex hormones in anxiety-like behavior of aging rats.

    PubMed

    Domonkos, Emese; Borbélyová, Veronika; Csongová, Melinda; Bosý, Martin; Kačmárová, Mária; Ostatníková, Daniela; Hodosy, Július; Celec, Peter

    2017-07-01

    Sex differences in the prevalence of affective disorders might be attributable to different sex hormone milieu. The effects of short-term sex hormone deficiency on behavior, especially on anxiety have been studied in numerous animal experiments, mainly on young adult rats and mice. However, sex differences in aged animals and the effects of long-term hypogonadism are understudied. The aim of our study was to analyze sex differences in anxiety-like behavior in aged rats and to prove whether they can be attributed to endogenous sex hormone production in males. A battery of tests was performed to assess anxiety-like behavior in aged female, male and gonadectomized male rats castrated before puberty. In addition, the aged gonadectomized male rats were treated with a single injection of estradiol or testosterone or supplemented with estradiol for two-weeks. Female rats displayed a less anxious behavior than male rats in most of the conducted behavioral tests except the light-dark box. Long-term androgen deficiency decreased the sex difference in anxiety either partially (open field, PhenoTyper cage) or completely (elevated plus maze). Neither single injection of sex hormones, nor two-week supplementation of estradiol in gonadectomized aged male rats significantly affected their anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze. In conclusion, our results confirm sex differences in anxiety in aged rats likely mediated by endogenous testosterone production in males. Whether long-term supplementation with exogenous sex hormones could affect anxiety-like behavior in elderly individuals remains to be elucidated. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Celebrating Geography: Geography in Everyday Life.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fitzhugh, William P.

    The paper suggests that the five fundamental themes of geography can serve as a good starting point for understanding how geography affects lives everyday in every way. Geography serves to remind people how interwoven geographic concepts are in individuals' lives. Ten activities are suggested to incorporate the five fundamental themes into a…

  10. Evaluating the Geography Curriculum. Geography for Teachers Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marsden W. E.

    The book relates rational curriculum planning to the field of geography. Intended as an aid to geography teachers and teachers in training as they reconstruct geography syllabi, the book emphasizes the need to evaluate what goes into as well as what comes out of the geography curriculum. Section I identifies aims and objectives of geographic…

  11. Determining age and sex of American coots

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Eddleman, William R.; Knopf, Fritz L.

    1985-01-01

    Reliable techniques for age and sex determination of migrating and wintering American Coots (Fulica americana) have not been available. Breeding coots can be ages through age 3 by tarsal color (birds 4 years and older were placed in a 4+ age class) (Crawford 1978), and males and females have sex-specific behaviors and calls while on breeding territories (Gullion 1950, 1952). Externally, juvenile coots differ from adults in having gray (as opposed to white) bills and brown (as opposed to red) eyes to an age of 75 days (Gullion 1954-394). Bill color changes to white by about 120 days. No quantitative data have been available, however, on the proportion of juveniles retaining these traits throughout fall and early winter. Nonbreeding coots can be ages as juvenile or adult by internal examination of the thickness of the wall of the bursa of Fabricius, although bursal depth does not predictably decline with age (Fredrickson 1968). Attempts to sex coots by single external measurements of combinations of measurements have met with mixed success. Eight-five percent of 101 fall migrants in Wisconsin could be sexed by the length of the metatarsus-midtoe including claw by using 139.5 mm as a cutoff point (Burton 1959), whereas 88% of 67 coots in California were correctly sexed by the length of the metatarsus-midtoe without claw using 127.5 mm as the cutoff point (Gullion 1952). Two-hundred-thirty-two of 291 coots collected in Iowa, however, were in the zone of overlap between the sexes for this measurement (Fredrickson 1968). Previous studies attempting to develop aging and sexing techniques for American Coots have been limited to a few study sites or to 1 season or year, often failing to take geographical, annual, and seasonal morphological variation into account (e.g., Visser 1976, Fjeldsa 1977). We designed the present study to refine and quantify external and internal age and sex criteria for postbreeding coots, with the objective of defining techniques applicable for all

  12. Measuring trends in age at first sex and age at marriage in Manicaland, Zimbabwe.

    PubMed

    Cremin, I; Mushati, P; Hallett, T; Mupambireyi, Z; Nyamukapa, C; Garnett, G P; Gregson, S

    2009-04-01

    To identify reporting biases and to determine the influence of inconsistent reporting on observed trends in the timing of age at first sex and age at marriage. Longitudinal data from three rounds of a population-based cohort in eastern Zimbabwe were analysed. Reports of age at first sex and age at marriage from 6837 individuals attending multiple rounds were classified according to consistency. Survival analysis was used to identify trends in the timing of first sex and marriage. In this population, women initiate sex and enter marriage at younger ages than men but spend much less time between first sex and marriage. Among those surveyed between 1998 and 2005, median ages at first sex and first marriage were 18.5 years and 21.4 years for men and 18.2 years and 18.5 years, respectively, for women aged 15-54 years. High levels of reports of both age at first sex and age at marriage among those attending multiple surveys were found to be unreliable. Excluding reports identified as unreliable from these analyses did not alter the observed trends in either age at first sex or age at marriage. Tracing birth cohorts as they aged revealed reporting biases, particularly among the youngest cohorts. Comparisons by birth cohorts, which span a period of >40 years, indicate that median age at first sex has remained constant over time for women but has declined gradually for men. Although many reports of age at first sex and age at marriage were found to be unreliable, inclusion of such reports did not result in artificial generation or suppression of trends.

  13. Urban Geography: Topics in Geography, Number 1.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Council for Geographic Education.

    The scope, objectives, and some of the findings of urban geography are discussed in this paper. Curriculum development in urban geography at the high-school level is also briefly described. The first of six articles, "Aspects and Trends of Urban Geography," explains the urban geographer's interest in internal city structure, interaction of static…

  14. The confounding of race and geography: how much of the excess stroke mortality among African Americans is explained by geography?

    PubMed

    Yang, Dongyan; Howard, George; Coffey, Christopher S; Roseman, Jeffrey

    2004-01-01

    The excess stroke mortality among African Americans and Southerners is well known. Because a higher proportion of the population living in the 'Stroke Belt' is African American, then a portion of the estimated excess risk of stroke death traditionally associated with African-American race may be attributable to geography (i.e., race and geography are 'confounded'). In this paper we estimate the proportion of the excess stroke mortality among African Americans that is attributable to geography. The numbers of stroke deaths at the county level are available from the vital statistics system of the US. A total of 1,143 counties with a population of at least 500 whites and 500 African Americans were selected for these analyses. The black-to-white stroke mortality ratio was estimated with and without adjustment for county of residence for those aged 45-64 and for those aged 65 and over. The difference in the stroke mortality ratio before versus after adjustment for county provides an estimate of the proportion of the excess stroke mortality inappropriately attributed to race (that is in fact attributable to geographic region). For ages 45-64, the black-to-white stroke mortality ratio was reduced from 3.41 to 3.04 for men, and from 2.82 to 2.60 for women, suggesting that between 10 and 15% of the excess mortality traditionally attributed to race is rather due to geography. Over the age of 65, the black-to-white stroke mortality ratio was reduced from 1.31 to 1.27 for men, and from 1.097 to 1.095 for women, suggesting that between 2 and 13% of the excess mortality attributed to black race is actually attributable to geography. The reductions of all the four age strata gender groups were highly significant. These results suggest that a significant, although relatively small, proportion of the excess mortality traditionally attributed to race is rather a factor of geography. Copyright 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel

  15. Multiple sclerosis in US veterans of the Vietnam era and later military service: race, sex, and geography.

    PubMed

    Wallin, Mitchell T; Page, William F; Kurtzke, John F

    2004-01-01

    We identified 5345 cases of multiple sclerosis (MS) among US veterans who first entered military service between 1960 and 1994, and who were "service-connected" for MS by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Two controls per case were matched on age, date of service entry, and branch of service. Available for service and VA files were demographic and military data for 4951 cases and 9378 controls. Versus white men, relative risk of MS was significantly higher for all women, at 2.99 for whites, 2.86 for blacks, and 3.51 for those of other races. This was a significant increase from our prior series of veterans of World War II and the Korean Conflict, where white women had a relative risk of 1.79. Risk for black men was higher now (0.67 vs 0.44), while other men remained low (0.30 vs 0.22). Residence at service entry in the northern tier of states had a relative risk of 2.02 versus the southern tier, which was significantly less than the 2.64 for the earlier series. Residence by individual state at birth and service entry for white men further supported this decreasing geographic differential. Such marked changes in geography, sex, and race in such a short interval strongly imply a primary environmental factor in the cause or precipitation of this disease.

  16. Salt preference: age and sex related variability.

    PubMed

    Verma, Punam; Mittal, Sunita; Ghildiyal, Archana; Chaudhary, Lalita; Mahajan, K K

    2007-01-01

    Salt preference was assessed in 60 adults of 18-21 yrs of age (30 males and 30 females) and in 60 children of 7-12 yrs of age (30 boys and 30 girls). Subjects rated the preference on Likert scale for popcorns of five salt concentrations (OM, 1M, 2M, 3M and +3M). Statistical analysis using Two way ANOVA revealed statistically significant effect of age and sex on salt preference (F4,100 = 15.027, P < 0.01) and One Way ANOVA revealed statistically significant sex difference in salt preference of adults (F4,50 = 16.26, P < 0.01) but no statistically significant sex difference in salt preference of children (F4,50 = 4.08, P > 0.05). Dietary experiences during development and more physical activity in children may be responsible for higher salt preference in children while finding no sex variability in children favours the role of sex hormones in salt preference of male and females.

  17. Geography Teachers' Views on Effective Geography Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kocalar, Ali Osman; Demirkaya, Hilmi

    2017-01-01

    Geography teaching is fulfilled within the frame of a specific curriculum and in order to achieve some acquirements in Turkey. Though there are course books prepared in accordance with the curriculum and activities in order to achieve the acquirements in geography teaching, they are geography teachers who will coordinate and fulfill the curriculum…

  18. Geography Teachers' Metaphors Concerning the Concept of "Geography"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sagdic, Mustafa

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of the present study is to reveal geography teachers' perception on the concept of "Geography", by means of the metaphors they use. The study was participated by 116 geography teachers working in several high-schools in Istanbul City center within the 2012-2013 academic year. Answers to the following questions were sought in…

  19. Exploring Sex Roles in African Studies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, David R.

    A method for incorporating an examination of sex roles and position of women into an undergraduate course on geography of Africa is discussed. It is a regional geography course with a cultural emphasis. Five percent of the total instruction is devoted to the examination of women. This is justified because geographical concepts such as spatial…

  20. Hyperostosis frontalis interna: criteria for sexing and aging a skeleton.

    PubMed

    May, Hila; Peled, Nathan; Dar, Gali; Cohen, Haim; Abbas, Janan; Medlej, Bahaa; Hershkovitz, Israel

    2011-09-01

    Estimation of sex and age in skeletons is essential in anthropological and forensic medicine investigations. The aim of the current study was to examine the potential of hyperostosis frontalis interna (HFI) as a criterion for determining sex and age in forensic cases. Macroscopic examination of the inner aspect of the frontal bone of 768 skulls (326 males and 442 females) aged 1 to 103, which had undergone a head computerized tomography scan, was carried out using the volume rendering technique. HFI was divided into two categories: minor and major. HFI is a sex- and age-dependent phenomena, with females manifesting significantly higher prevalence than males (p<0.01). In both females and males, prevalence of HFI increases as age increases (p<0.01). We present herein the probabilities of designating an unknown skull to a specific sex and age cohort according to the presence of HFI (standardized to age distribution in an Israeli population). Moreover, we present the probability of an individual belonging to a specific sex or age cohort according to age or sex (respectively) and severity of HFI. We suggest a valid, reliable, and easy method for sex and age identification of unknown skulls.

  1. Global investigation of composition and interaction networks in gut microbiomes of individuals belonging to diverse geographies and age-groups.

    PubMed

    Yadav, Deepak; Ghosh, Tarini Shankar; Mande, Sharmila S

    2016-01-01

    Factors like ethnicity, diet and age of an individual have been hypothesized to play a role in determining the makeup of gut microbiome. In order to investigate the gut microbiome structure as well as the inter-microbial associations present therein, we have performed a comprehensive global comparative profiling of the structure (composition, relative heterogeneity and diversity) and the inter-microbial networks in the gut microbiomes of 399 individuals of eight different nationalities. The study identified certain geography-specific trends with respect to composition, intra-group heterogeneity and diversity of the gut microbiomes. Interestingly, the gut microbial association/mutual-exlusion networks were observed to exhibit several cross-geography trends. It was seen that though the composition of gut microbiomes of the American and European individuals were similar, there were distinct patterns in their microbial interaction networks. Amongst European gut-microbiomes, the co-occurrence network obtained for the Danish population was observed to be most dense. Distinct patterns were also observed within Chinese, Japanese and Indian datasets. While performing an age-wise comparison, it was observed that the microbial interactions increased with the age of individuals. Furthermore, certain bacterial groups were identified to be present only in the older age groups. The trends observed in gut microbial networks could be due to the inherent differences in the diet of individuals belonging to different nationalities. For example, the higher number of microbial associations in the Danish population as compared to the Spanish population, may be attributed to the evenly distributed diet of the later. This is in line with previously reported findings which indicate an increase in functional interdependency of microbes in individuals with higher nutritional status. To summarise, the present study identifies geography and age specific patterns in the composition as well as

  2. Geography in Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Graves, Norman J.

    The book reviews the historical development of geography as discipline and discusses the current status of geography teaching in British schools. Chapter one briefly identifies the rationale for including geography in the educational curriculum. Chapter two traces the role of geography in academic study from ancient Greece to the present. Growth…

  3. Activities Selected from the High School Geography Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Natoli, Salvatore J., Ed.; And Others

    Out of approximately 50 activities which were, for a variety of reasons, not included in the final version of the High School Geography Project course, Geography in an Urban Age, the HSGP staff selected eight which would be useful in many secondary school classrooms. The activities included here are: 1) Operation Bigger Beef (on themes of cultural…

  4. Geography and Environmental Studies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thomas, Peter

    1977-01-01

    This report of the status of geography in interdisciplinary environmental studies programs is based on a 1975-76 HMI survey of 43 schools to determine what is being taught in environmental studies with children aged 8-13 years and makes suggestions for improvements. (BR)

  5. How do health and biological age influence chronological age and sex differences in cognitive aging: moderating, mediating, or both?

    PubMed

    Wahlin, Ake; MacDonald, Stuart W S; deFrias, Cindy M; Nilsson, Lars-Göran; Dixon, Roger A

    2006-06-01

    Much research on cognitive competence in normal older adults has documented age and sex differences. The authors used new cross-sectional data from the Victoria Longitudinal Study (VLS) (n=386; age 61 to 95 years) to examine how health and biological age influence age and sex differences in cognitive aging. The authors found evidence for both moderating and mediating influences. Age differences were moderated by health status, such that the negative effects of age were most pronounced among participants of relatively better health. Sex differences were moderated by health and were more pronounced among participants reporting comparatively poorer health. Although health mediated a notable amount of age-related cognitive variation, BioAge mediated considerably more variance, even after statistical control for differences in health. A complex pattern emerged for the mediation of sex differences: Although BioAge accounted for sex-related variation in cognitive performance, health operated to suppress these differences. Overall, both health and BioAge predicted cognitive variation independently of chronological age. Copyright (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved.

  6. GEOGRAPHY nEtQUIPMENT to study geography: the homepage and reflections from the users

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pajtok-Tari, I.

    2009-04-01

    answers to the question, how the active teachers use the homepage, 98 % collect illustrations for the lessons, 71 % obtain new professional information from there, and 47 % of them enjoy the games on geography. The median of their age is ca. 36 years. The College students were asked about the competences being developed by using the GEOGRAPHY nEtQUIPMENT. The most frequently mentioned competences as successfully developed by the aid were (i) ability to visualise (i.e. to memorise and to reconstruct) the pieces of knowledge, (ii) ability to reconstruct the patterns in space (based on their 2D images), (iii) ability to explain the matters (images and documents) in their own words and (iv) ability to work in cooperation with each-other, thanks to the commonly elaborated tasks in the classroom. The nEtQUIPMENT is designated not only for geography. Having retained the structure of the above specified homepage for geography, there are other homepages in preparation, too. They are environmental sciences, chemistry, physics, mathematics, informatics, biology and sport, again for teachers and pupils of the above listed phenomena. In case of hands-on possibilities during the session, these branches of the homepage were also be introduced.

  7. Sex differences in normal age trajectories of functional brain networks.

    PubMed

    Scheinost, Dustin; Finn, Emily S; Tokoglu, Fuyuze; Shen, Xilin; Papademetris, Xenophon; Hampson, Michelle; Constable, R Todd

    2015-04-01

    Resting-state functional magnetic resonance image (rs-fMRI) is increasingly used to study functional brain networks. Nevertheless, variability in these networks due to factors such as sex and aging is not fully understood. This study explored sex differences in normal age trajectories of resting-state networks (RSNs) using a novel voxel-wise measure of functional connectivity, the intrinsic connectivity distribution (ICD). Males and females showed differential patterns of changing connectivity in large-scale RSNs during normal aging from early adulthood to late middle-age. In some networks, such as the default-mode network, males and females both showed decreases in connectivity with age, albeit at different rates. In other networks, such as the fronto-parietal network, males and females showed divergent connectivity trajectories with age. Main effects of sex and age were found in many of the same regions showing sex-related differences in aging. Finally, these sex differences in aging trajectories were robust to choice of preprocessing strategy, such as global signal regression. Our findings resolve some discrepancies in the literature, especially with respect to the trajectory of connectivity in the default mode, which can be explained by our observed interactions between sex and aging. Overall, results indicate that RSNs show different aging trajectories for males and females. Characterizing effects of sex and age on RSNs are critical first steps in understanding the functional organization of the human brain. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  8. The Geography of the Beatles Approaching Concepts of Human Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kruse, Robert J., II

    2004-01-01

    Human geography can be taught by focusing on popular culture contexts with which undergraduate students may already be familiar such as rock music. The Geography of the Beatles introduced undergraduate students to concepts of "new" cultural geography such as space, place, representation, geopolitics, social space, and tourism-pilgrimage…

  9. How gender, age, and geography influence the utilization of radiation therapy in the management of malignant melanoma

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    French, John; McGahan, Colleen; Duncan, Graeme

    2006-11-15

    Purpose: Comparing radiation therapy utilization rates (RTUR) to those predicted by best evidence is a useful measure of the equity and accessibility of service delivery. In this study the RTUR for melanoma was established for British Columbia, Canada, and compared with the rate suggested by the evidence. Demographic variables, specifically age, gender, and geography that influenced the RTUR were examined with a view to identifying methods of improving underutilization. Methods and Materials: The RTUR in the management of malignant melanoma was taken from British Columbia Cancer registry data for 1986 to 1998. Variations in utilization based on age, gender, healthmore » authority, stage of disease, and referral patterns were analyzed. Results: An RTUR of 11% was identified. This was consistent over time. Referral rates decreased between 1986 and 1998. RT is used mostly for later stage disease. Males were more likely to receive RT than females, related to later stage of disease in men. Referral rates decreased, but RTUR for referred cases increased, in health authorities that did not have a cancer center. Conclusions: Use of RT is influenced by age and by stage of disease. Overall RTUR in British Columbia is lower than suggested by best evidence. Referral patterns are influenced by geography. RTUR was higher in males, consistent with a different pattern of disease in males compared with females.« less

  10. What Is Innovative Geography Teaching? A Perspective from Geography Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Artvinli, Eyüp

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of the study is to examine views of geography teachers on innovative geography teaching. The study group consists of 15 geography teachers (8 Females, 7 Males). The study is designed in keeping with phenomenological research. Semi-structured interview form is used as a data collection tool in the study. The collected data are analyzed…

  11. An Analysis of Geography Content in Relation to Geography for Life Standards in Oman

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Al-Nofli, Mohammed Abdullah

    2018-01-01

    Since the publication of "Geography for Life: National Geography Standards" in the United States (Geography Education Standards Project, 1994), it has been widely used to develop quality curriculum materials for what students should know and able to do in geography. This study compared geography content taught in Omani public schools…

  12. Age difference asymmetry and a two-sex perspective.

    PubMed

    Ni Bhrolchain, M

    1992-01-01

    Age differences in marriage are examined using data from the Marriage and Divorce Statistics, Series FM2, 1966-87, in England and Wales. Specifically, there is a description of differentials in the spousal age gap by sex and marital status of the partner, trends in the age differences between spouses, the components of change in age differences, i.e., changing age at marriage, and changes in partner's marital status. Data were unavailable to answer whether or not changes in opportunity or constraint (shifts in age/sex distribution) or changing preferences in relation to age differences or both affected the shifts, but plausible interpretations are provided. The difference in ages is evident in the pattern of mean age difference in 1987 for single brides (3.0 years) and the mean gap for bachelors (1.6 years). These figures are still different from the 2.1-year gap in the marriages of 2 single partners or the 2.6-year gap for all marriages. The mean age of 1st marriages is 2.2 for both sexes, 1.6 for men and 3.0 for women. for 2nd and later marriages the pattern is reversed, where divorced women remarry to men averaging 1.7 years older while divorced men remarry a woman 5.3 years younger. The gaps among the widowed are 1.9 years for women and 6.7 years for men. The reasons for the differentials are that not all single men marry single women and the reverse, and that age differences depend on sex, marriage order for both sexes, and marital status of the partner. The longitudinal pattern of age differences being larger in remarriages than in 1st marriages is exhibited for male remarriages only; for women in remarriages the age difference is shortened from 3.0 years to 1.7 years. In comparing time trends, 1) the mean age gap is consistently larger in women's than in men's 1st marriages with a larger gap appearing closer to the present; 2) the age differences have fluctuated over time; 3) the gap in men's and women's marriages were similar up to 1970 and, between 1970

  13. Sex-Role Inconstancy, Biology, and Successful Aging: A Dialectical Model

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sinnott, Jan Dynda

    1977-01-01

    This paper examines sex-role inconstancy from a life-span point of view. New environmental realities and an increasing life-span may make traditional sex roles less functional in old age. Evidence is presented for more successful aging in persons manifesting convergent sex-role behavior. (Author)

  14. Why Geography Matters.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McDougall, Walter A.

    2001-01-01

    It is important to learn geography, yet most Americans leave school functionally illiterate in geography. Geography is fundamental to student maturation, the process of true education, and it is a springboard to every other science and humanities subject. Knowledge of maps and geographical information is crucial to the examination of economic,…

  15. Neurovascular control of blood pressure is influenced by aging, sex, and sex hormones.

    PubMed

    Baker, Sarah E; Limberg, Jacqueline K; Ranadive, Sushant M; Joyner, Michael J

    2016-12-01

    In this review, we highlight that the relationship between muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and mean arterial pressure is complex, differs by sex, and changes with age. In young men there is an inverse relationship between MSNA and cardiac output where high MSNA is compensated for by low cardiac output. This inverse relationship is not seen in older men. In young women sympathetic vasoconstriction is offset by β-adrenoreceptor mediated vasodilation, limiting the ability of young women to maintain blood pressure in response to orthostatic stress. However, β-mediated dilation in women is attenuated with age, leading to unopposed α-adrenergic vasoconstriction and a rise in the direct transduction of MSNA into increases in blood pressure. We propose that these changes with age and menopausal status are major contributing factors in the increased prevalence of hypertension in older women. In addition to aging, we highlight that changes in sex hormones in young women (across the menstrual cycle, with oral contraceptive use, or with pregnancy) influence MSNA and the transduction of MSNA into increases in blood pressure. It is likely that the β-adrenergic receptors and/or changes in baroreflex sensitivity play a large role in these sex differences and changes with alterations in sex hormones. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

  16. China's marriage squeeze: A decomposition into age and sex structure.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Quanbao; Li, Xiaomin; Li, Shuzhuo; Feldman, Marcus W

    2016-06-01

    Most recent studies of marriage patterns in China have emphasized the male-biased sex ratio but have largely neglected age structure as a factor in China's male marriage squeeze. In this paper we develop an index we call "spousal sex ratio" (SSR) to measure the marriage squeeze, and a method of decomposing the proportion of male surplus into age and sex structure effects within a small spousal age difference interval. We project that China's marriage market will be confronted with a relatively severe male squeeze. For the decomposition of the cohort aged 30, from 2010 to 2020 age structure will be dominant, while from 2020 through 2034 the contribution of age structure will gradually decrease and that of sex structure will increase. From then on, sex structure will be dominant. The index and decomposition, concentrated on a specific female birth cohort, can distinguish spousal competition for single cohorts which may be covered by a summary index for the whole marriage market; these can also be used for consecutive cohorts to reflect the situation of the whole marriage market.

  17. Czech Student Attitudes towards Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kubiatko, Milan; Janko, Tomas; Mrazkova, Katerina

    2012-01-01

    This study investigates 540 Czech lower secondary students' attitudes towards geography. It examined the general influence of gender and grade level on attitudes towards geography with an emphasis on four specific areas in particular: geography as a school subject; geography and the environment; the importance of geography; and the relevance of…

  18. Values in Geography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Buttimer, Annette

    This resource paper on values in geography is one of several developed by the Commission on College Geography as expository documents for the use of both the student and instructor at the college level. They are designed to supplement existing texts and to fill a gap between significant research in geography and readily accessible materials. The…

  19. Age and sex influences on running mechanics and coordination variability.

    PubMed

    Boyer, Katherine A; Freedman Silvernail, Julia; Hamill, Joseph

    2017-11-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of age on running mechanics separately for male and female runners and to quantify sex differences in running mechanics and coordination variability for older runners. Kinematics and kinetics were captured for 20 younger (10 male) and 20 older (10 male) adults running overground at 3.5 m · s -1 . A modified vector coding technique was used to calculate segment coordination variability. Lower extremity joint angles, moments and segment coordination variability were compared between age and sex groups. Significant sex-age interaction effects were found for heel-strike hip flexion and ankle in/eversion angles and peak ankle dorsiflexion angle. In older adults, mid-stance knee flexion angle, ankle inversion and abduction moments and hip abduction and external rotation moments differed by sex. Older compared with younger females had reduced coordination variability in the thigh-shank transverse plane couple but greater coordination variability for the shank rotation-foot eversion couple in early stance. These results suggest there may be a non-equivalent aging process in the movement mechanics for males and females. The age and sex differences in running mechanics and coordination variability highlight the need for sex-based analyses for future studies examining injury risk with age.

  20. The Ideas of Geography Teachers about In-Service Geography Training Activities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koc, Hakan

    2013-01-01

    The aim of the study is to evaluate the geography workshop (new approaches and new knowledge in geography), in view of the teachers, conducted within the in-service training activities for the geography teachers working in Sivas and Erzurum. The questionnaire, used as the data collection tool, was developed by the researcher. The questionnaire…

  1. Teaching Energy Geographies via Videography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Graybill, Jessica K.

    2016-01-01

    In our digital age of information acquisition, multimedia information streams are constant, constantly changing and often contain multiple messages about topics important to everyday life, such as energy geographies. Recognizing that college students are prime consumers of digital information, it seems that crafting of academic engagement for and…

  2. Eighth Grade Social Studies. An Experimental Program in Geography and Anthropology.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hanson, James; And Others

    GRADES OR AGES: Grade 8. SUBJECT MATTER: Geography and Anthropology. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The introductory material includes descriptions of geography and anthropology as disciplines, the basic course objectives, techniques for evaluating objectives and a student self-evaluation form. The guide covers six units: 1) "What Kind of…

  3. The association between major depression prevalence and sex becomes weaker with age.

    PubMed

    Patten, Scott B; Williams, Jeanne V A; Lavorato, Dina H; Wang, Jian Li; Bulloch, Andrew G M; Sajobi, Tolulope

    2016-02-01

    Women have a higher prevalence of major depressive episodes (MDE) than men, and the annual prevalence of MDE declines with age. Age by sex interactions may occur (a weakening of the sex effect with age), but are easily overlooked since individual studies lack statistical power to detect interactions. The objective of this study was to evaluate age by sex interactions in MDE prevalence. In Canada, a series of 10 national surveys conducted between 1996 and 2013 assessed MDE prevalence in respondents over the age of 14. Treating age as a continuous variable, binomial and linear regression was used to model age by sex interactions in each survey. To increase power, the survey-specific interaction coefficients were then pooled using meta-analytic methods. The estimated interaction terms were homogeneous. In the binomial regression model I (2) was 31.2 % and was not statistically significant (Q statistic = 13.1, df = 9, p = 0.159). The pooled estimate (-0.004) was significant (z = 3.13, p = 0.002), indicating that the effect of sex became weaker with increasing age. This resulted in near disappearance of the sex difference in the 75+ age group. This finding was also supported by an examination of age- and sex-specific estimates pooled across the surveys. The association of MDE prevalence with sex becomes weaker with age. The interaction may reflect biological effect modification. Investigators should test for, and consider inclusion of age by sex interactions in epidemiological analyses of MDE prevalence.

  4. Mallard age and sex determination from wings

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Carney, S.M.; Geis, A.D.

    1960-01-01

    This paper describes characters on the wing plumage of the mallard that indicate age and sex. A key outlines a logical order in which to check age and sex characters on wings. This method was tested and found to be more than 95 percent reliable, although it was found that considerable practice and training with known-age specimens was required to achieve this level of accuracy....The implications of this technique and the sampling procedure it permits are discussed. Wing collections could provide information on production, and, if coupled with a banding program could permit seasonal population estimates to be calculated. In addition, representative samples of wings would provide data to check the reliability of several other waterfowl surveys.

  5. Sex, the aging immune system, and chronic disease.

    PubMed

    Gubbels Bupp, Melanie R

    2015-04-01

    The immune systems of men and women differ in significant ways, especially after puberty. In particular, females are generally more prone to autoimmunity, but experience lower rates of infections and chronic inflammatory disease. Sex hormones, genes encoded on the sex chromosomes, and gender-specific behaviors likely contribute to these differences. The aging process is associated with changes in the composition and function of the immune system and these changes may occur at an accelerated rate in men as compared to women. Moreover, after the age of menopause, the incidence of chronic inflammatory disease in women approaches or exceeds that observed in males. At the same time, the incidence of autoimmunity in post-menopausal women is decreased or equivalent to the rates observed in similarly-aged men. Additional studies addressing the influence of sex on the pathogenesis of chronic and autoimmune diseases in the aged are warranted. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. "GFL2"! The Updated "Geography for Life: National Geography Standards, Second Edition"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heffron, Susan Gallagher

    2012-01-01

    "Geography for Life: National Geography Standards, Second Edition" ("GFL2") is the recently released update of the original edition published in 1994. The original edition of "Geography for Life" provided excellent guidance on geographic content for teachers, curriculum designers, publishers, and pre-service teachers as well as many other…

  7. Sex differences in the effect of aging on dry eye disease.

    PubMed

    Ahn, Jong Ho; Choi, Yoon-Hyeong; Paik, Hae Jung; Kim, Mee Kum; Wee, Won Ryang; Kim, Dong Hyun

    2017-01-01

    Aging is a major risk factor in dry eye disease (DED), and understanding sexual differences is very important in biomedical research. However, there is little information about sex differences in the effect of aging on DED. We investigated sex differences in the effect of aging and other risk factors for DED. This study included data of 16,824 adults from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010-2012), which is a population-based cross-sectional survey. DED was defined as the presence of frequent ocular dryness or a previous diagnosis by an ophthalmologist. Basic sociodemographic factors and previously known risk factors for DED were included in the analyses. Linear regression modeling and multivariate logistic regression modeling were used to compare the sex differences in the effect of risk factors for DED; we additionally performed tests for interactions between sex and other risk factors for DED in logistic regression models. In our linear regression models, the prevalence of DED symptoms in men increased with age ( R =0.311, P =0.012); however, there was no association between aging and DED in women ( P >0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that aging in men was not associated with DED (DED symptoms/diagnosis: odds ratio [OR] =1.01/1.04, each P >0.05), while aging in women was protectively associated with DED (DED symptoms/diagnosis: OR =0.94/0.91, P =0.011/0.003). Previous ocular surgery was significantly associated with DED in both men and women (men/women: OR =2.45/1.77 [DED symptoms] and 3.17/2.05 [DED diagnosis], each P <0.001). Tests for interactions of sex revealed significantly different aging × sex and previous ocular surgery × sex interactions ( P for interaction of sex: DED symptoms/diagnosis - 0.044/0.011 [age] and 0.012/0.006 [previous ocular surgery]). There were distinct sex differences in the effect of aging on DED in the Korean population. DED following ocular surgery also showed sexually different

  8. Recent Trends in Geography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Biddle, Don

    1985-01-01

    This article reports on current trends in geography instruction in Australia. It appeals for greater cooperation between "academic geographers" and geography teachers in the secondary schools. Concludes by voicing concern for improved geography instruction in the coming decade. (JDH)

  9. Geography 222 -- Issues in Economic Geography; Course Notes: Issues and Landscapes, [Introduction.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hurst, Eliot M. E.

    In his introduction to the course, Issues in Economic Geography, the author surveys the profession of geography, reviewing its history and its function in today's society and making recommendations for a "rethinking" of geography. He states that positivism, the search for emperically verifiable knowledge that makes an objective science of some…

  10. The Geography for Life Standards and American Political Geography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Douglas Deane

    1997-01-01

    Explores the intersection of geography and politics in U.S. public policy development and connects this to several of the National Geography Standards. Discusses contemporary issues including economic interdependence, the impact of migration, resource competition, cultural values, and environmental issues. Offers suggested student activities. (MJP)

  11. Geography literacy can develop Geography skills for high school students: is it true?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Utami, W. S.; Zain, I. M.; Sumarmi

    2018-01-01

    The most important issue related to education in Indonesia is the low quality of student learning and competence. The basic thing that is important to be studied is the demands of 21st-century skills that are difficult to fulfil with the low competence of student learning. Low competence of student learning demonstrated by low capacity of scientific literacy includes geography literacy. Geography skills of Indonesian students are also low. It is shown from the students’ ability to use maps to describe and to analyze is low. The purpose of this study is to determine the correlation between the literacy skills of geography to develop geography skills of high school students in Surabaya. Written and performance tests were given to the sample of 29 high school students. The results of the tests we analyzed based on Geography literacy and its correlation to Geography skills in terms of the ability to use the media, map, and analyze the phenomenon of the geosphere. The results showed that the students who have low literacy geography have difficulty in using map.

  12. Does the High School Geography Experience Influence Enrollment in University Geography Courses?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leydon, Joseph; McLaughlin, Christina; Wilson, Heather

    2017-01-01

    The literature suggests that owing to profound difficulties with high school geography curricula, teachers play a vital role in stimulating student interest and in providing a platform for continuation in the study of geography at university. Yet, with little empirical evidence offered in support, it is unclear why students select geography at…

  13. Evaluation of a Conceptual Geography Unit for Kindergarten. Earth: Man's Home.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Imperatore, William A.

    The main hypothesis was that the unit is appropriate for use at the kindergarten level. The evaluation was based upon the examination of four factors: 1) the reliability and item characteristics of the unit text; 2) the effect of bias associated with pupil sex, race, socio-economic status on geography achievement and learning gains; 3) the effect…

  14. Geography: Key to World Understanding.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dando, William A.

    1990-01-01

    Delineates the nature of applied geography, asserting that geography links the natural and social sciences. Underscores geography's role in data analysis and problem solving on a global scale. Traces the discipline's history. Maps geography's status in higher education institutions. Discusses new technologies used by geographers. Summarizes career…

  15. Romanticism as a function of age, sex, and ethnicity.

    PubMed

    Regan, Pamela C; Anguiano, Carlos

    2010-12-01

    This study examined the association between romanticism (operationalized as mean score on the Romantic Beliefs Scale) and age, sex, and ethnicity in a large community sample (N = 436). Age was negatively correlated with romanticism scores; as age increased, romanticism scores decreased. No sex differences were found; men and women had similar, moderate scores. Although ethnicity largely was unrelated to romanticism, Asian/Pacific Islander participants were significantly more romantic than were African-American participants.

  16. Biological age and sex-related declines in physical activity during adolescence.

    PubMed

    Cairney, John; Veldhuizen, Scott; Kwan, Matthew; Hay, John; Faught, Brent E

    2014-04-01

    Sex differences in the rate of decline in physical activity (PA) are most pronounced during adolescence. However, once boys and girls are aligned on biological age, sex differences in the patterns of PA become attenuated. The aim of this study was to test whether biological maturation can account for sex differences in participation in PA over time from late childhood to early adolescence. A prospective cohort of children (N = 2100; 1064 boys) was followed from ages 11 to 14 yr, with repeated assessments of PA and anthropometry. Self-reported participation in organized and free play activities was used to track participation in PA. Biological age was measured using an estimate of years to attainment of peak height velocity. Mixed-effects models were used to test whether controlling for biological age attenuates the effect of chronological age and sex on PA. As expected, the rate of decline in participation in PA was greater for girls than for boys (B = -1.18, P < 0.01). In multivariable analyses, adjusting for biological age completely attenuated the effect of sex and chronological age for participation in free play activities, but not for participation in organized play. Overall, biological age was a stronger predictor of participation than chronological age. The effect of biological age on sex by chronological age differences may be specific to certain types of PA participation. Given the importance of maturation to participation in activity, it is suggested that public health strategies target biological not chronological age to prevent declines in PA during adolescence particularly when promoting habitual or lifestyle activity.

  17. The Vision of Geography Underlying the Australian Geography Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maude, Alaric

    2013-01-01

    A common geography curriculum for Australian schools was approved in May 2013. This paper describes the conceptual and philosophical foundations of the curriculum through a discussion of its definition of geography, selection of concepts, integration of skills into the process of inquiry, and specification of learning about countries and…

  18. Aesthetics in Geography: Ideas for Teaching Geography Using Poetry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kirman, Joseph M.

    2007-01-01

    This article discusses how poetry can be used for teaching geography. The rational for using and writing poetry, its relationship to the National Standards for Geography, grade levels, pedagogical concerns associated with poetry writing, and subject integration are discussed. There are also classroom activities, sample discussion questions, lesson…

  19. Age dependent sex disproportion in US asthma hospitalization rates, 2000-2010.

    PubMed

    Lin, Robert Yao-wen; Ji, Rong; Liao, William

    2013-09-01

    Age-stratified sex differences in asthma hospitalizations rates have been reported to be most marked between the ages of 40 and 54 years in New York. It is not known whether age-dependent sex differences in asthma hospitalization rates also exist for the entire United States. To compare sex-specific hospitalization rates for asthma in adults in the United States and to describe the adjusted associations between female sex and age in the fifth to sixth decades of life. The National Inpatient Sample databases for 2000-2010 were queried for a principal diagnosis of asthma to calculate the ratio of female to male hospitalization rates for different decades of adult life. Logistic regression modeling was used to determine whether age in the fifth to sixth decades of life had associations with female sex that remained significant after adjusting for comorbidities and demographic features. For all years of the study, there was a distinct peaking in female to male ratio most manifested in the fifth to sixth decades of life. This age grouping was significantly associated with female sex. Models revealed that female sex was significantly associated with this age grouping, even after adjustment for obesity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, race, insurance status, discharge year, and smoking. Excluding identifiable repeat admissions also did not abrogate the age grouping association. There is a striking propensity of women in their fifth to sixth decades of life to be admitted for asthma, which appears to be independent of many known comorbidities. Copyright © 2013 American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Age- and sex-specific thorax finite element model development and simulation.

    PubMed

    Schoell, Samantha L; Weaver, Ashley A; Vavalle, Nicholas A; Stitzel, Joel D

    2015-01-01

    The shape, size, bone density, and cortical thickness of the thoracic skeleton vary significantly with age and sex, which can affect the injury tolerance, especially in at-risk populations such as the elderly. Computational modeling has emerged as a powerful and versatile tool to assess injury risk. However, current computational models only represent certain ages and sexes in the population. The purpose of this study was to morph an existing finite element (FE) model of the thorax to depict thorax morphology for males and females of ages 30 and 70 years old (YO) and to investigate the effect on injury risk. Age- and sex-specific FE models were developed using thin-plate spline interpolation. In order to execute the thin-plate spline interpolation, homologous landmarks on the reference, target, and FE model are required. An image segmentation and registration algorithm was used to collect homologous rib and sternum landmark data from males and females aged 0-100 years. The Generalized Procrustes Analysis was applied to the homologous landmark data to quantify age- and sex-specific isolated shape changes in the thorax. The Global Human Body Models Consortium (GHBMC) 50th percentile male occupant model was morphed to create age- and sex-specific thoracic shape change models (scaled to a 50th percentile male size). To evaluate the thoracic response, 2 loading cases (frontal hub impact and lateral impact) were simulated to assess the importance of geometric and material property changes with age and sex. Due to the geometric and material property changes with age and sex, there were observed differences in the response of the thorax in both the frontal and lateral impacts. Material property changes alone had little to no effect on the maximum thoracic force or the maximum percent compression. With age, the thorax becomes stiffer due to superior rotation of the ribs, which can result in increased bone strain that can increase the risk of fracture. For the 70-YO models

  1. China’s marriage squeeze: A decomposition into age and sex structure

    PubMed Central

    LI, Xiaomin; LI, Shuzhuo; FELDMAN, Marcus W.

    2016-01-01

    Most recent studies of marriage patterns in China have emphasized the male-biased sex ratio but have largely neglected age structure as a factor in China’s male marriage squeeze. In this paper we develop an index we call “spousal sex ratio” (SSR) to measure the marriage squeeze, and a method of decomposing the proportion of male surplus into age and sex structure effects within a small spousal age difference interval. We project that China’s marriage market will be confronted with a relatively severe male squeeze. For the decomposition of the cohort aged 30, from 2010 to 2020 age structure will be dominant, while from 2020 through 2034 the contribution of age structure will gradually decrease and that of sex structure will increase. From then on, sex structure will be dominant. The index and decomposition, concentrated on a specific female birth cohort, can distinguish spousal competition for single cohorts which may be covered by a summary index for the whole marriage market; these can also be used for consecutive cohorts to reflect the situation of the whole marriage market. PMID:27242390

  2. Aging obviates sex-specific physiological responses to exercise.

    PubMed

    Deschenes, Michael R; Taylor, Jessica L; Mangis, Katherine A

    2013-01-01

    Both sex and aging have been shown to affect physiological responses to exercise. The aim of the present investigation was to determine whether aging impacted the sex-specific nature of physiological responses to exercise commonly noted among young adults. Ten aged men (69.0 ± 1.7 years; mean ± SE) and 10 aged women (71.6 ± 1.3 years) reporting similar levels of habitual physical activity performed a 30-min exercise session at 60-65% of their predetermined peak oxygen uptake. Cardiovascular, thermoregulatory, and metabolic variables were assessed before exercise, at the 15th and 30th min of exercise, and at 5 and 15 min into a passive postexercise recovery period. Variables of interest were statistically analyzed via two-way analysis of variance with repeated measures; significance was set at P < 0.05. Significant effects of time (i.e., exercise) for each physiological variable of interest were identified, but not once was a significant effect of group (i.e., sex) detected. Exercise-induced physiological responses to prolonged, moderate intensity exercise were similar among aged men and aged women. This evidence that the sexually dimorphic nature of physiological responses to exercise is obviated with age should be taken into account when prescribing health-related exercise training programs for older individuals. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. The Rise of Applied Geography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Philpponneau, Michel

    1981-01-01

    Presents an historical overview of the use of the science of geography for practical purposes. Topics discussed include British schools of geography during the 19th century, contributions of many of the founders of applied geography, forms in which geographical work can be used for practical purposes, and the status of applied geography in various…

  4. How Are Non-Geography Majors Motivated in a Large Introductory World Geography Course?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Park, Seung Won; Huynh, Niem Tu

    2015-01-01

    University students who do not declare geography as their major are at risk of poor motivation to learn in an introductory geography class. However, research exploring the role of non-majors' motivation is lacking. This study examines motivational factors impacting non-geography students' engagement and performance. The findings suggest that…

  5. Sex hormones, aging, and Alzheimer’s disease

    PubMed Central

    Barron, Anna M.; Pike, Christian J.

    2012-01-01

    A promising strategy to delay and perhaps prevent Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is to identify the age-related changes that put the brain at risk for the disease. A significant normal age change known to result in tissue-specific dysfunction is the depletion of sex hormones. In women, menopause results in a relatively rapid loss of estradiol and progesterone. In men, aging is associated with a comparatively gradual yet significant decrease in testosterone. We review a broad literature that indicates age-related losses of estrogens in women and testosterone in men are risk factors for AD. Both estrogens and androgens exert a wide range of protective actions that improve multiple aspects of neural health, suggesting that hormone therapies have the potential to combat AD pathogenesis. However, translation of experimental findings into effective therapies has proven challenging. One emerging treatment option is the development of novel hormone mimetics termed selective estrogen and androgen receptor modulators. Continued research of sex hormones and their roles in the aging brain is expected to yield valuable approaches to reducing the risk of AD. PMID:22201929

  6. The Place of Place-Based Education in the Australian Primary Geography Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Preston, Lou

    2015-01-01

    The idea for this paper emerged from a recent qualitative investigation which examined the ways in which six Australian primary teachers conceptualised geography and geography teaching (Preston, 2014b). A finding of this research was a strong correlation between the breadth of geographical understandings and the years of experience and age of…

  7. Sex and Age Differences in Trail Half Marathon Running.

    PubMed

    Navalta, James W; Montes, Jeffrey; Tanner, Elizabeth A; Bodell, Nathaniel G; Young, John C

    2018-01-01

    Female participation is growing in trail running races. The purpose was to evaluate sex and age differences in top finishers of a trail running half marathon. Velocity differences between males (M) and females (F) were determined for the top 10 finishers of the Moab Trail Half Marathon from 2012 - 2015 across age, and by finishing place. Differences between age category and between sexes were determined through ANOVA with significance accepted at P < 0.05. A significant difference for running velocity was present between sexes at each age category (20-29 yr F = 2.9±0.3, M = 3.4±0.4 m·sec -1 ; 30-39 yr F = 2.8±0.3, M = 3.3±0.3; 40-49 yr F = 2.7±0.3, M = 3.0±0.5; 50-59 yr F = 2.3±0.2, M = 2.8±0.3; 60-69 yr F = 1.6±0.3, M = 2.2±0.4; P < 0.0001). Sex difference in trail running velocity was consistent (~13%) among all age categories with exception of the oldest group (33%, P = 0.0001). There were significantly greater female finishers in every age category (20 - 29 yr F = 107±18, M = 56±1;, 30 - 39 yr F = 150±34, M = 84±21; 40 - 49 yr F = 112±17, M = 64±16; P < 0.01) until 50 - 59 yr (F = 48±13, M = 41±14; P = 0.50). These data indicate that the widening gap in sex differences observed in road races are ameliorated in a trail running environment that has a larger number of female participants.

  8. Working, sex partner age differences, and sexual behavior among African American youth.

    PubMed

    Bauermeister, José A; Zimmerman, Marc; Xue, Yange; Gee, Gilbert C; Caldwell, Cleopatra H

    2009-10-01

    Participation in the workplace has been proposed as a potential structural-level HIV/STI prevention strategy for youth. Only a few cross-sectional studies have explored the effect of work during adolescence and young adulthood on sexual behavior and their results have been mixed. This study builds on this literature by exploring whether work influences youths' sexual behavior in a cohort of African American youth (N = 562; 45% males; M = 14.5 years, SD = 0.6) followed from adolescence to young adulthood (ages 13-25 years). Using growth curve modeling, we tested whether working was associated with older sex partners. Then, we explored the association between sex partner age differences and sexual behaviors (i.e., number of sex partners, condom use, and frequency of sexual intercourse). Finally, we tested whether the relationship between sex partner age differences and sexual behaviors was confounded by working. Working greater number of hours was not significantly associated with having older sex partners. Sex partner age differences was associated with number of partners, condom use, and higher sex frequency. These associations were larger for females. Working was associated with higher sex frequency, after accounting for age differences. We discuss the implications of these findings for future research and program planning, particularly in the context of youth development programs.

  9. Perspectives on Urban Geography in Advanced Placement® Human Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Benton-Short, Lisa; Monk, Liliana

    2016-01-01

    "Perspectives on Urban Geography" constitutes a major part of the AP Human Geography course outline. In this article, urban core revitalization and rising suburban poverty are considered as two challenges facing cities in developed countries; and industrialization and the growth of megacities as two challenges facing cities in developing…

  10. Effects of an Introductory Geography Course on Student Perceptions of Geography at the University of Idaho

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bowlick, Forrest J.; Kolden, Crystal A.

    2013-01-01

    This case study surveyed students in geography courses at the University of Idaho, investigating perceptions of geography's role in their daily lives, relevance to careers or academics, and parts of their geographic skill. Primarily, white, younger than 20, gender-balanced students in Introduction to Physical Geography and Human Geography courses…

  11. Evidence for sex differences in cardiovascular aging and adaptive responses to physical activity.

    PubMed

    Parker, Beth A; Kalasky, Martha J; Proctor, David N

    2010-09-01

    There are considerable data addressing sex-related differences in cardiovascular system aging and disease risk/progression. Sex differences in cardiovascular aging are evident during resting conditions, exercise, and other acute physiological challenges (e.g., orthostasis). In conjunction with these sex-related differences-or perhaps even as an underlying cause-the impact of cardiorespiratory fitness and/or physical activity on the aging cardiovascular system also appears to be sex-specific. Potential mechanisms contributing to sex-related differences in cardiovascular aging and adaptability include changes in sex hormones with age as well as sex differences in baseline fitness and the dose of activity needed to elicit cardiovascular adaptations. The purpose of the present paper is thus to review the primary research regarding sex-specific plasticity of the cardiovascular system to fitness and physical activity in older adults. Specifically, the paper will (1) briefly review known sex differences in cardiovascular aging, (2) detail emerging evidence regarding observed cardiovascular outcomes in investigations of exercise and physical activity in older men versus women, (3) explore mechanisms underlying the differing adaptations to exercise and habitual activity in men versus women, and (4) discuss implications of these findings with respect to chronic disease risk and exercise prescription.

  12. Evidence for sex differences in cardiovascular aging and adaptive responses to physical activity

    PubMed Central

    Parker, Beth A.; Kalasky, Martha J.; Proctor, David N.

    2010-01-01

    There are considerable data addressing sex-related differences in cardiovascular system aging and disease risk/progression. Sex differences in cardiovascular aging are evident during resting conditions, exercise, and other acute physiological challenges (e.g., orthostasis). In conjunction with these sex-related differences—or perhaps even as an underlying cause—the impact of cardiorespiratory fitness and/or physical activity on the aging cardiovascular system also appears to be sex-specific. Potential mechanisms contributing to sex-related differences in cardiovascular aging and adaptability include changes in sex hormones with age as well as sex differences in baseline fitness and the dose of activity needed to elicit cardiovascular adaptations. The purpose of the present paper is thus to review the primary research regarding sex-specific plasticity of the cardiovascular system to fitness and physical activity in older adults. Specifically, the paper will (1) briefly review known sex differences in cardiovascular aging, (2) detail emerging evidence regarding observed cardiovascular outcomes in investigations of exercise and physical activity in older men versus women, (3) explore mechanisms underlying the differing adaptations to exercise and habitual activity in men versus women, and (4) discuss implications of these findings with respect to chronic disease risk and exercise prescription. PMID:20480371

  13. Locating Geography on the Curriculum Map.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pannwitt, Barbara, Ed.

    1986-01-01

    The document initially describes Part 1 of a two-part National Association of Secondary School Principals article, "Geographic Literacy: Essential in a Global Age," published in September 1986, and written to inform educational decision-makers about the need to institute, update, and enrich geography programs in U.S. schools. The second article,…

  14. Age- and sex-related growth patterns of the craniofacial complex in European children aged 3-6 years.

    PubMed

    Tutkuviene, Janina; Cattaneo, Cristina; Obertová, Zuzana; Ratnayake, Melanie; Poppa, Pasquale; Barkus, Arunas; Khalaj-Hedayati, Kerstin; Schroeder, Inge; Ritz-Timme, Stefanie

    2016-11-01

    Craniofacial growth changes in young children are not yet completely understood. Up-to-date references for craniofacial measurements are crucial for clinical assessment of orthodontic anomalies, craniofacial abnormalities and subsequent planning of interventions. To provide normal reference data and to identify growth patterns for craniofacial dimensions of European boys and girls aged 3-6 years. Using standard anthropometric methodology, body weight, body height and 23 craniofacial measurements were acquired for a cross-sectional sample of 681 healthy children (362 boys and 319 girls) aged 3-6 years from Germany, Italy and Lithuania. Descriptive statistics, correlation coefficients, percentage annual changes and percentage growth rates were used to analyse the dataset. Between the ages of 3-6 years, craniofacial measurements showed age- and sex-related patterns independent from patterns observed for body weight and body height. Sex-related differences were observed in the majority of craniofacial measurements. In both sexes, face heights and face depths showed the strongest correlation with age. Growth patterns differed by craniofacial measurement and can be summarised into eight distinct age- and sex-related patterns. This study provided reference data and identified sex- and age-related growth patterns of the craniofacial complex of young European children, which may be used for detailed assessment of normal growth in paediatrics, maxillofacial reconstructive surgery and possibly for forensic age assessment.

  15. 76 FR 80966 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection: Age, Sex, and Race of Persons...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-27

    ... Collection Activities; Proposed Collection: Age, Sex, and Race of Persons Arrested 18 Years of Age and Over; Age, Sex, and Race of Persons Arrested Under 18 Years of Age; Revision of a Currently Approved..., Sex, and Race of Persons Arrested 18 Years of Age and Over; Age, Sex, and Race of Persons Arrested...

  16. Whatever Happened to Economic Geography?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fagan, Robert

    1985-01-01

    Maintains that economic geography is alive and well. Describes some of the challenges facing research in economic geography and highlights the changing approaches being applied to economic geography. Includes sections on structural change, economic reorganization, and internationalization of manufacturing and finances. (JDH)

  17. Working, Sex Partner Age Differences, and Sexual Behavior among African American Youth

    PubMed Central

    Bauermeister, José A.; Zimmerman, Marc; Xue, Yange; Gee, Gilbert C.; Caldwell, Cleopatra H.

    2009-01-01

    Participation in the workplace has been proposed as a potential structural-level HIV/STI prevention strategy for youth. Only a few cross-sectional studies have explored the effect of work during adolescence and young adulthood on sexual behavior and their results have been mixed. This study builds on this literature by exploring whether work influences youths’ sexual behavior in a cohort of African American youth [N = 562; 45% males; M = 14.5 years, SD = 0.6] followed from adolescence to young adulthood (ages 13 to 25). Using growth curve modeling, we tested whether working was associated with older sex partners. Then, we explored the association between sex partner age differences and sexual behaviors (i.e., number of sex partners, condom use, and frequency of sexual intercourse). Finally, we tested whether the relationship between sex partner age differences and sexual behaviors was confounded by working. Working greater number of hours was not significantly associated with having older sex partners. Sex partner age differences was associated with number of partners, condom use, and and higher sex frequency. These associations were larger for females. Working was associated with higher sex frequency, after accounting for age differences. We discuss the implications of these findings for future research and program planning, particularly in the context of youth development programs. PMID:18574686

  18. Teaching Geography Using Films: A Proposal

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    di Palma, Maria Teresa

    2009-01-01

    Films are often used in schools to illustrate geography, but doing so may favor mainly passive learning. An experiment with twenty-eight pupils aged thirteen years (a whole class) had the aim of using cinema to promote active geographical learning. First, it was ascertained what the dominant geographical stereotypes were among the pupils and the…

  19. Reconciling Discourse about Geography and Teaching Geography: The Case of Singapore Pre-Service Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Seow, Tricia

    2016-01-01

    This study draws upon a Foucauldian notion of discourse to explore how four pre-service geography teachers in Singapore made decisions about what geography is and how to enact their understandings of geography in their classrooms. This analysis of discursive power is particularly relevant to Singapore because of the high level of state control…

  20. The Information Revolution in Geography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tikunov, Vladimir S.

    1996-01-01

    Describes a number of topics in geography that are effected by the multimedia information revolution. These include research in political geography, finance, and the geography of tourism and medicine. Considers new technologies assisting spatial modeling and visualization of data and their effects on these fields. (MJP)

  1. Age, sex, and setting factors and labor force in athletic training.

    PubMed

    Kahanov, Leamor; Eberman, Lindsey E

    2011-01-01

    Occupation or occupational setting shifts might be occurring in the athletic training profession, and differences between sexes might exist; however, little evidence exists to confirm this supposition. To evaluate trends in male and female athletic training employment patterns in terms of age and occupational setting. Cross-sectional study. We requested demographic data from the National Athletic Trainers' Association (October 27, 2009) and obtained frequency totals of members by sex across the occupational life span by occupational setting. Our sample included 18 571 athletic trainers employed in the 3 largest classifications of occupational settings within the profession: college or university, clinical, and secondary school. We calculated frequencies and percentages to determine demographic and descriptive data. We analyzed the data using an analysis of variance to identify the differences between sexes across age and setting. We observed trends in occupational setting and sex across ages 22 to 67 years. We identified differences between sexes across the ages 22 to 67 years (F(1,18569) = 110818.080, P < .001, η(2) = .068) and across occupational settings (F(1,18569) = 61.908, P < .001, η(2) = .003), noting a marked decline in female athletic trainers in the workforce beginning around age 28 years and an increase in male athletic trainers in the secondary school setting beginning around their middle to late 40s. We observed differences at the intercept between setting and sex (F(1,18569) = 63529.344, P < .001, η(2) = .845), which were greater when observed across the ages (F(1,18569) = 23566787.642, P < .001, η(2) = .939). We identified differences between sexes across settings and ages in addition to an overall decrease in the workforce among all professionals. A marked decline in female athletic trainers occurred at age 28 years, yet the male population increased at the secondary school level, suggesting a setting shift. Burnout, fatigue, pay scale, and a

  2. The Motive to Avoid Success Studied as a Function of Sex, Age, and Sex of Cue Variables.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Talcott, Lou Ann W.

    This thesis describes an experimental study of the "motive to avoid success," as described by Matina Horner (1968), using sex, age, and sex of cues as independent variables. School-aged subjects (5th, 8th, 11th grade and college students) wrote stories in response to one of two written thematic apperceptive cues. The dependent measure was the…

  3. Age, sex and reproductive status affect boldness in dogs.

    PubMed

    Starling, Melissa J; Branson, Nicholas; Thomson, Peter C; McGreevy, Paul D

    2013-09-01

    Boldness in dogs is believed to be one end of the shy-bold axis, representing a super-trait. Several personality traits fall under the influence of this super-trait. Previous studies have found that boldness is affected by breed and breed groups, influences performance in sporting dogs, and is affected in some cases by the sex of the dogs. This study investigated the effects of dog age, sex and reproductive status on boldness in dogs by way of a dog personality survey circulated amongst Australian dog owners. Age had a significant effect on boldness (F=4.476; DF=16,758; P<0.001), with boldness decreasing with age in years. Males were bolder than females (F=19.219; DF=1,758; P<0.001) and entire dogs were bolder than neutered dogs (F=4.330; DF=1,758; P<0.038). The study indicates how behaviour may change in adult dogs as they age and adds to the literature on how sex and reproductive status may affect personality in dogs. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Sex-specific phenotypes of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism in aged mice.

    PubMed

    Rakov, Helena; Engels, Kathrin; Hönes, Georg Sebastian; Brix, Klaudia; Köhrle, Josef; Moeller, Lars Christian; Zwanziger, Denise; Führer, Dagmar

    2017-12-22

    Sex and age play a role in the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction (TD), but their interrelationship for manifestation of hyper- and hypothyroidism is still not well understood. Using a murine model, we asked whether sex impacts the phenotypes of hyper- and hypothyroidism at two life stages. Hyper- and hypothyroidism were induced by i.p. T4 or MMI/ClO 4 -/LoI treatment over 7 weeks in 12- and 20-months-old female and male C57BL/6N mice. Control animals underwent PBS treatment (n = 7-11 animals/sex/treatment). Animals were investigated for impact of sex on body weight, food and water intake, body temperature, heart rate, behaviour (locomotor activity, motor coordination and strength) and serum thyroid hormone (TH) status. Distinct sex impact was found in eu- and hyperthyroid mice, while phenotypic traits of hypothyroidism were similar in male and female mice. No sex difference was found in TH status of euthyroid mice; however, T4 treatment resulted in twofold higher TT4, FT4 and FT3 serum concentrations in adult and old females compared to male animals. Hyperthyroid females consistently showed higher locomotor activity and better coordination but more impairment of muscle function by TH excess at adult age. Importantly and in contrast to male mice, adult and old hyperthyroid female mice showed increased body weight. Higher body temperature in female mice was confirmed in all age groups. No sex impact was found on heart rate irrespective of TH status in adult and old mice. By comparison of male and female mice with TD at two life stages, we found that sex modulates TH action in an organ- and function-specific manner. Sex differences were more pronounced under hyperthyroid conditions. Importantly, sex-specific differences in features of TD in adult and old mice were not conclusively explained by serum TH status in mice.

  5. Sex- and age-related variations of the somatotype in a Chuvasha population.

    PubMed

    Kalichman, L; Kobyliansky, E

    2006-01-01

    The aim of this large, cross-sectional study was to describe the age- and sex-related variations of the somatotype, employing Heath and Carter's method, in a Chuvasha population residing in a rural region in central Russia. The investigated sample included 802 males aged 18-89 years (mean 46.9) and 738 females aged 18-90 years (mean 48.6). We evaluated the age and sex differences by one-way ANOVA with somatotype components as dependent variables and sex or age groups as grouping variables. Sex differences of somatotypes appear to be the strongest for endomorphy, with generally higher values in women. Endomorphy in males remained virtually unchanged after 30 years of age, but endomorphy in females kept increasing up to the 6th decade, and then subsequently decreased. Virtually no differences were noted in mesomorphy and a very small difference in ectomorphy between males and females aged 18-30 years. A reduction of sexual dimorphism in all somatotype components after age 70 was also observed. The largest difference of all somatotype components appeared between age groups 18-30 and 31-40 years. Thereafter, somatotypes remained practically unchanged. Mesomorphy continued to increase until the 5th decade in both sexes, while in females, endomorphy continuously increased until their 6th decade. In the 7th and 8th decades, a decrease in mean values was observed. Mesomorphy and ectomorphy showed opposite age-related trends. Results of our study clearly suggest that in physique investigations, the somatotypes need to be studied in each sex separately, and in studies of young people, they need also to be adjusted to age.

  6. Stability and change in same-sex attraction, experience, and identity by sex and age in a New Zealand birth cohort.

    PubMed

    Dickson, Nigel; van Roode, Thea; Cameron, Claire; Paul, Charlotte

    2013-07-01

    Gaps remain in knowledge of changes in sexual orientation past adolescence and early adulthood. A longitudinal study of a New Zealand birth cohort was used to examine differences by age and sex in change in sexual attraction between 21 (1993/1994) and 38 years (2010/2011), sexual experiences between 26 and 38 years, and sexual identity between 32 and 38 years. Any same-sex attraction was significantly more common among women than men at all ages. Among women, any same-sex attraction increased up to age 26 (from 8.8 to 16.6 %), then decreased slightly by age 38 (12.0 %); among men, prevalence was significantly higher at age 38 (6.5 %) than 21 (4.2 %), but not in the intermediate assessments. It is likely that the social environment becoming more tolerant was responsible for some of the changes. Same-sex attraction was much more common than same-sex experiences or a same-sex identity, especially among women, with no major sex differences in these latter dimensions. Women exhibited much greater change in sexual attraction between assessments than men; for change in experiences and identity, sex differences were less marked and not statistically confirmed. Changes in the respective dimensions appeared more likely among those initially with mixed attraction and experiences, and among those initially identifying as bisexual, but this did not account for the sex difference in likelihood of change. These results provide contemporary information about the extent and variation of reported sexual attraction, experiences, and identity that we show continues across early and mid-adulthood.

  7. [Seed geography: its concept and basic scientific issues].

    PubMed

    Yu, Shun-Li; Wang, Zong-Shuai; Zeren, Wangmu

    2010-01-01

    In this paper, a new concept 'seed geography' was provided, and its definition, research contents, and scientific issues were put forward. Seed geography is a newly developed interdisciplinary science from plant geography, seed ecology, and phytosociology, which studies the geographic variation patterns of seed biological traits as well as their relationships with environmental factors from macroscopic to microscopic, and the seed formation, development, and change trends. The main research contents would include geography of seed mass, geography of seed chemical components, geography of seed morphology, geography of seed cell biological characteristics, geography of seed physiological characteristics, geography of seed genetic characteristics, and geography of flower and fruit. To explore the scientific issues in seed geography would help us to better understand the long-term adaptation and evolution of seed characteristics to natural environments.

  8. Paternal-age and birth-order effect on the human secondary sex ratio.

    PubMed Central

    Ruder, A

    1985-01-01

    Because of conflicting results in previous analyses of possible maternal and paternal effects on the variation in sex ratio at birth, records of United States live births in 1975 were sorted by offspring sex, live birth order (based on maternal parity), parental races, and, unlike prior studies, ungrouped parental ages. Linear regression and logistic analysis showed significant effects of birth order and paternal age on sex ratio in the white race data (1.67 million births; 10,219 different combinations of independent variables). Contrary to previous reported results, the paternal-age effect cannot be ascribed wholly to the high correlation between paternal age and birth order as maternal age, even more highly correlated with birth order, does not account for a significant additional reduction in sex-ratio variation over that accounted for by birth order alone. PMID:3985011

  9. Cognitive sex differences are not magnified as a function of age, sex hormones, or puberty development during early adolescence.

    PubMed

    Herlitz, Agneta; Reuterskiöld, Lena; Lovén, Johanna; Thilers, Petra P; Rehnman, Jenny

    2013-01-01

    Are cognitive sex differences magnified by individual differences in age, sex hormones, or puberty development? Cross-sectional samples of 12- to 14-year-old boys (n = 85) and girls (n = 102) completed tasks assessing episodic memory, face recognition, verbal fluency, and mental rotations. Blood estradiol, free testosterone, and self-rated puberty scores were obtained. Sex differences were found on all cognitive measures. However, the magnitude was not larger for older children, hormones and cognitive performance were not associated, and early maturers did not perform better than late maturers. Thus, cognitive sex differences were not associated with age, levels of sex hormones, or puberty development.

  10. The All-Russian Geography Olympiad

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Naumov, Alexey

    2007-01-01

    The history of intellectual geography competitions for secondary school students in Russia (by that time--USSR) began after World War II, when the Faculty of Geography of Lomonosov Moscow State University started to organise a yearly Geography Olympiad for Muscovite youngsters. Soon, organisers of this Olympiad decided to open it for secondary…

  11. The Nature of Geography and Its Perspectives in AP® Human Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Murphy, Alexander B.; Hare, Phillip R.

    2016-01-01

    AP Human Geography students need to develop an understanding of what it means to examine the world around them from a geographic perspective. Focusing attention on geography's concern with spatial relationships, place characteristics, and geographic context helps student appreciate the nature of the discipline and the insights it offers. These…

  12. A Modern City--Its Geography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mayer, Harold M.; And Others

    This publication contains nine articles intended to enhance teachers' understanding of urban geography. The articles are reprinted from issues of the 1969 volume of the Journal of Geography. Urban studies has been one of the most rapidly developing fields of geography during the post World War II generation. There has been extensive research and…

  13. Physical Attractiveness, Age, and Sex as Determinants of Reactions to Resumes.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Quereshi, M. Y.; Kay, Janet P.

    1986-01-01

    Physical attractiveness, age, and sex were manipulated to determine their effect on the evaluation of 54 hypothetical applicants' resumes for three different jobs by 60 Master's in Business Administration students. Physical attractiveness favorably influenced the suitability ratings for all jobs; raters' sex and age were not significant but…

  14. Determination of age, sex, and blood group from a single tooth.

    PubMed

    Nayar, Amit K; Parhar, Swati; Thind, Gagandeep; Sharma, Aman; Sharma, Divya

    2017-01-01

    Human identification is one of the most challenging subjects that human has been confronted with. Through the ages, odontological examinations have been a critical determinant in the search of human identity. Data in the form of age, gender, and blood group might provide vital clues in such investigations. In the recent times, it has been often desirable to preserve tissues for further investigations following the unfolding of certain events or discovery of new data. Hence, it is important to gather as much data as possible using less tissue. The purpose of this study was to determine age, sex, and ABO blood group of individual from a single tooth, to determine the effect of different environmental conditions, and to extract maximum information also at the same time preserving some tissue for the further investigation whenever needed. The study sample consisted of sixty teeth divided into four groups under different environmental conditions and time. The teeth were sectioned longitudinally in the buccolingual plane along the midline. Longitudinal ground sections of each tooth were prepared for age determination from cemental lines. Pulp removed was divided into two halves thereafter sex and blood group was determined. For correlation of age between estimated age and actual age, using cemental lines Pearson's correlation coefficient was applied. Further for determination of both sex and blood group between groups, Chi-square test was applied. A strong positive correlation was found between the estimated age and actual age of the study groups. Moreover, there was no significant difference between the actual and determined sex and blood group of the study groups. Although age, sex, and blood group are more reliably determined in freshly extracted teeth, these variables may be of significant help in identification even after a period of 6 weeks postextraction.

  15. Conjectures concerning cross-sex hormone treatment of aging transsexual persons.

    PubMed

    Gooren, Louis; Lips, Paul

    2014-08-01

    Guidelines for cross-sex hormone treatment of transsexual people are now in place. However, little attention has been paid to the issue of treatment suitability for older people. Does existing treatment need to be adapted as subjects age, and does it make a difference if treatment is only started when the subject is already older? To assess the necessity of adapting cross-sex hormone administration for elderly transsexual people. Risks/benefits of continued use of cross-sex hormones with regard to bone health, cardiovascular risks, and malignancies. Due to lack of data on the subject population, sex hormone treatment of other conditions in older non-transsexual people has been taken as the best available analogy to determine the extent to which these might be applicable to comparable transsexual persons. Findings in transsexual people receiving cross-sex hormone treatment sometimes modified the above approach of applying guidelines for the elderly to the aging transsexual population. Testosterone administration to female-to-male transsexual persons (FtoM) carries little risk with regard to cardiovascular disease and cancer. For those with high hematocrit or cardiac insufficiency the dose can be reduced. Administration of estrogens to male-to-female transsexual persons (MtoF), particularly when combined with progestins, does significantly increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (almost a twofold incidence compared with the general population). This may require dose adjustment or changing from oral to safer transdermal estrogens. Tumors of the breasts, prostate and pituitary may occur. In FtoM, breast cancer can occur even after breast ablation. Older subjects can commence cross-sex hormone treatment without disproportionate risks. Cross-sex hormones may be continued into old age but monitoring for cardiovascular disease and malignancies, both of the old and new sex, is recommended. MtoF will have more health complications in old age than Fto

  16. Variation in the Microbiota of Ixodes Ticks with Regard to Geography, Species, and Sex

    PubMed Central

    Van Treuren, Will; Ponnusamy, Loganathan; Brinkerhoff, R. Jory; Gonzalez, Antonio; Parobek, Christian M.; Juliano, Jonathan J.; Andreadis, Theodore G.; Falco, Richard C.; Ziegler, Lorenza Beati; Hathaway, Nicholas; Keeler, Corinna; Emch, Michael; Bailey, Jeffrey A.; Roe, R. Michael; Apperson, Charles S.; Knight, Rob

    2015-01-01

    Ixodes scapularis is the principal vector of Lyme disease on the East Coast and in the upper Midwest regions of the United States, yet the tick is also present in the Southeast, where Lyme disease is absent or rare. A closely related species, I. affinis, also carries the pathogen in the South but does not seem to transmit it to humans. In order to better understand the geographic diversity of the tick, we analyzed the microbiota of 104 adult I. scapularis and 13 adult I. affinis ticks captured in 19 locations in South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Connecticut, and New York. Initially, ticks from 4 sites were analyzed by 454 pyrosequencing. Subsequently, ticks from these sites plus 15 others were analyzed by sequencing with an Illumina MiSeq machine. By both analyses, the microbiomes of female ticks were significantly less diverse than those of male ticks. The dissimilarity between tick microbiomes increased with distance between sites, and the state in which a tick was collected could be inferred from its microbiota. The genus Rickettsia was prominent in all locations. Borrelia was also present in most locations and was present at especially high levels in one site in western Virginia. In contrast, members of the family Enterobacteriaceae were very common in North Carolina I. scapularis ticks but uncommon in I. scapularis ticks from other sites and in North Carolina I. affinis ticks. These data suggest substantial variations in the Ixodes microbiota in association with geography, species, and sex. PMID:26150449

  17. Variation in the Microbiota of Ixodes Ticks with Regard to Geography, Species, and Sex.

    PubMed

    Van Treuren, Will; Ponnusamy, Loganathan; Brinkerhoff, R Jory; Gonzalez, Antonio; Parobek, Christian M; Juliano, Jonathan J; Andreadis, Theodore G; Falco, Richard C; Ziegler, Lorenza Beati; Hathaway, Nicholas; Keeler, Corinna; Emch, Michael; Bailey, Jeffrey A; Roe, R Michael; Apperson, Charles S; Knight, Rob; Meshnick, Steven R

    2015-09-01

    Ixodes scapularis is the principal vector of Lyme disease on the East Coast and in the upper Midwest regions of the United States, yet the tick is also present in the Southeast, where Lyme disease is absent or rare. A closely related species, I. affinis, also carries the pathogen in the South but does not seem to transmit it to humans. In order to better understand the geographic diversity of the tick, we analyzed the microbiota of 104 adult I. scapularis and 13 adult I. affinis ticks captured in 19 locations in South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Connecticut, and New York. Initially, ticks from 4 sites were analyzed by 454 pyrosequencing. Subsequently, ticks from these sites plus 15 others were analyzed by sequencing with an Illumina MiSeq machine. By both analyses, the microbiomes of female ticks were significantly less diverse than those of male ticks. The dissimilarity between tick microbiomes increased with distance between sites, and the state in which a tick was collected could be inferred from its microbiota. The genus Rickettsia was prominent in all locations. Borrelia was also present in most locations and was present at especially high levels in one site in western Virginia. In contrast, members of the family Enterobacteriaceae were very common in North Carolina I. scapularis ticks but uncommon in I. scapularis ticks from other sites and in North Carolina I. affinis ticks. These data suggest substantial variations in the Ixodes microbiota in association with geography, species, and sex. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  18. Teaching American Ethnic Geography. Pathways in Geography Series Title No. 18.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Estaville, Lawrence E., Ed.; Rosen, Carol J., Ed.

    U.S. ethnic geography is an increasingly important focus of study due to cultural diversity and continued growth of the United States. Geographers are carefully studying the spatial aspects of present U.S. ethnic groups. This collection of essays addresses the important need for creating innovative approaches in teaching U.S. ethnic geography in…

  19. Geographers in the Post-Industrial Age: A Conceptual Curriculum Model for Geography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Verduin-Muller, Henriette

    The document describes a conceptual curriculum model for designing original geographical curriculum materials. The model emanated from a series of research projects at the Geographical Institute's Department of Geography for Education at the Rijksuniversiteit of Utrecht, the Netherlands. The objective of the research was to gain insight into the…

  20. Sex differences in neurochemical markers that correlate with behavior in aging mice.

    PubMed

    Frick, K M; Burlingame, L A; Delaney, S S; Berger-Sweeney, J

    2002-01-01

    Sex differences in neurochemical markers that correlate with behavior in aging mice NEUROBIOL AGING. We examined whether the enzymatic activities of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) were altered similarly with age in male and female mice, and whether these changes were correlated with age-related alterations in memory and anxiety. ChAT and GAD activities were measured in neocortex, hippocampus, and striatum of behaviorally characterized male and female C57BL/6 mice (5, 17, and 25 months). Generally, ChAT activity was increased, and GAD activity decreased, with age. However, disparate changes were revealed between the sexes; activities of both enzymes were decreased in 17-month males, whereas alterations in females were not observed until 25-months. Furthermore, enzyme-behavior correlations differed between the sexes; in males, ChAT activity was related to one behavioral task, whereas in females, activities of both enzymes were correlated with multiple tasks. Significant enzyme-behavior correlations were most evident at 17 months of age, likely the result of behavioral and enzymatic sex differences at this age. These data represent the first comprehensive report illustrating differential alterations of ChAT and GAD activities in aging male and female mice.

  1. Brain-Webbing and Mind-Melding in Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sawyer, Christian

    2010-01-01

    One of the author's most challenging and rewarding features in teaching AP Human Geography to high school-age thinkers is helping his students forge connections among the terms and concepts covered--"to see the connections among the dots." Too often, he finds his students first approach learning through the "memorize and regurgitate"…

  2. Sex and Age Differences in the Risk Threshold for Delinquency

    PubMed Central

    Loeber, Rolf; Slotboom, Anne-Marie; Bijleveld, Catrien C. J. H.; Hipwell, Alison E.; Stepp, Stephanie D.; Koot, Hans M.

    2015-01-01

    This study examines sex differences in the risk threshold for adolescent delinquency. Analyses were based on longitudinal data from the Pittsburgh Youth Study (n = 503) and the Pittsburgh Girls Study (n = 856). The study identified risk factors, promotive factors, and accumulated levels of risks as predictors of delinquency and nondelinquency, respectively. The risk thresholds for boys and girls were established at two developmental stages (late childhood: ages 10–12 years, and adolescence: ages 13–16 years) and compared between boys and girls. Sex similarities as well as differences existed in risk and promotive factors for delinquency. ROC analyses revealed only small sex differences in delinquency thresholds, that varied by age. Accumulative risk level had a linear relationship with boys’ delinquency and a quadratic relationship with girls’ delinquency, indicating stronger effects for girls at higher levels of risk. PMID:23183920

  3. Geography matters: the prevalence of diabetes in the Auckland Region by age, gender and ethnicity.

    PubMed

    Warin, Briar; Exeter, Daniel J; Zhao, Jinfeng; Kenealy, Timothy; Wells, Susan

    2016-06-10

    To determine whether the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in the greater Auckland Region varies by General Electoral District (GED). Using encrypted National Health Identifiers and record linkage of routine health datasets, we identified a regional cohort of people with diagnosed diabetes in 2011 from inpatient records and medication dispensing. The geographical unit of a person's residence (meshblock) was used to determine the GED of residence. We calculated prevalence estimates and 95% confidence intervals and used binary logistic regression to map geographical variations in diabetes. An estimated 63,014 people had diagnosed diabetes in Auckland in 2011, a prevalence of 8.5% of the adult population ≥30 years of age. We found significant variation in diabetes prevalence by age, gender, ethnicity and GED. There was a more than five-fold difference in the unadjusted prevalence of diabetes by GED, ranging from 3.2% (3.1 to 3.4%) in the North Shore to 17.3% (16.8 to 17.7%) in Mangere. Such variations remained after binary logistic regression adjusting for socio-demographic variables. Compared to New Zealand Europeans, Indian people had the highest odds of having diabetes at 3.85 (3.73 to 3.97), while the odds of people living in the most deprived areas having diabetes was nearly twice that of those living in least deprived areas (OR 1.93, [1.87 to 1.99]). Geographic variations in diabetes remained after adjusting for socio-demographic circumstances: people living in GEDs in south-west Auckland were at least 60% more likely than people living in the North Shore GED to have diabetes. There is significant variation in the prevalence of diabetes by GED in Auckland that persists across strata of age group, gender and ethnicity, and persists after controlling for these same variables. These inequities should prompt action by politicians, policymakers, funders, health providers and communities for interventions aimed at reducing such inequities. Geography and its

  4. Geography Teachers' Concepts of Working with Thinking through Geography Strategies--Results of an Empirical Reconstructive Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Applis, Stefan

    2016-01-01

    The educational standards in geography in the German-speaking world separately refer to the areas of competence of judgment and evaluation and thus attach outstanding importance to reflective value orientation in geography classes. The tasks and challenges that arise from that for geography teachers will be investigated in a…

  5. Sex- and age-related variation in metal content of penguin feathers.

    PubMed

    Squadrone, Stefania; Abete, Maria Cesarina; Brizio, Paola; Monaco, Gabriella; Colussi, Silvia; Biolatti, Cristina; Modesto, Paola; Acutis, Pier Luigi; Pessani, Daniela; Favaro, Livio

    2016-03-01

    The presence of xenobiotics, such as metals, in ecosystems is concerning due to their durability and they pose a threat to the health and life of organisms. Moreover, mercury can biomagnify in many marine food chains and, therefore, organisms at higher trophic levels can be adversely impacted. Although feathers have been used extensively as a bio-monitoring tool, only a few studies have addressed the effect of both age and sex on metal accumulation. In this study, the concentrations of trace elements were determined in the feathers of all members of a captive colony of African Penguins (Spheniscus demersus) housed in a zoological facility in Italy. Tests were performed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry to detect aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, nickel, lead, selenium, tin, vanadium, and zinc. Mercury was detected by a direct mercury analyzer. Sexing was performed by a molecular approach based on analyzing the chromo-helicase-DNA-binding1 gene, located on the sex chromosomes. Sex- and age-related differences were studied in order to investigate the different patterns of metal bioaccumulation between male and female individuals and between adults and juveniles. Juvenile females had significantly higher arsenic levels than males, while selenium levels increased significantly with age in both sexes. Penguins kept in controlled environments-given that diet and habitat are under strict control-represent a unique opportunity to determine if and how metal bioaccumulation is related to sex and age.

  6. The geography teacher's set of appliances - `GEOGRAPHY nEtQUIPMENT' - Self improved school equipment used in teaching geography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pajtok-Tari, I.

    2009-04-01

    The multimedia application and the use of Internet are becoming more and more common at schools and at homes due to the widespread of computers. The multimedia programs offer a great help for geography teachers because with their use all the visual aids are not needed in the classroom. They mix the advantages of blacboards, slides, displays, overhead projectors and VCR-s. At the same time offering other opportunities which could not be provided by the aids mentioned above because of their limits. Using a projector connected to a computer students can see the visual aids prepared by the teacher projected. Their use is justified because student's books cannot contain all the increasing amount of knowledge. Success is guaranteed because students are sensitive to new approaches. Digitalizing the material and finding it on the internet that way preparing a colourful, varied geography lesson is a time-consuming process. Being the methodologist and didactic information technologist at the Geography Department of Eszterházy Károly College I have been working for years on facilitating the work of my students, colleagues and my own activity using varied visual aids and types of equipment as preparation for the geography lesson. I have created an electronic set of appliances using the Dreamweaver MX program (‘GEOGRAPHY nEtQUIPMENT', from the 1st September 2006 on the Internet), it can be a real help for the teacher in each teaching situation. The ‘GEOGRAPHY nEtQUIPMENT' is a multimedia, Internet service which can be loaded free, the teacher gets into a virtual office clicking to the different pieces (drawer, shelf, wall map, globe, laptop, Tv set etc.) the teacher can continue with the necessary school equipment. Such equipment like: lesson plans for the lessons using digital technology, photos, video clips, animation, illustrations, pieces of music, maps, collection of minerals, database, diagrams, charts, bibliography, student's books, geography lexicons, magazines

  7. Taking Stock in Geography Education around the World: An International Perspective on the Teaching of Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DaSilva, Edmar Bernardes; Kvasnak, Robb Neil

    2011-01-01

    The identity of geography as a discipline since the nineteenth-century naissance of contemporary academia, if not before, has been often disputed. In higher education, geography is often part of the geosciences, often located in a geography, geology, earth science, and environmental science department or departments. In the world of education…

  8. A tabular format of Pyle's ageing and sexing methods for landbirds

    Treesearch

    W.H. Sakai; C.J. Ralph

    2002-01-01

    We present a new method of summarizing Peter Pyle's (1997) ageing and sexing guide into a tabular format that has proven to be extremely useful for both novice and experienced banders. This format allows quick and accurate assessment by a bander to distinguish species, age, and sex criteria. Rapid and accurate processing are essential to the health of birds...

  9. Turkish Primary Students' Perceptions of Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Senyurt, Secil

    2014-01-01

    This study provides an in-depth investigation of Turkish primary school students' perceptions of geography. Gender differences in students' perceptions of geography were investigated, including definitions of geography and its field of study. The findings showed that "landforms," "our geographical regions/Turkey,"…

  10. Sex-dependent effects of letrozole on anxiety in middle-aged rats.

    PubMed

    Borbélyová, Veronika; Domonkos, Emese; Csongová, Melinda; Kačmárová, Mária; Ostatníková, Daniela; Celec, Peter; Hodosy, Július

    2017-12-01

    Aromatase catalyzes the conversion of testosterone to estradiol and is involved in the physiological effects of sex hormones on brain function. Animal experiments have shown that the aromatase inhibitor, letrozole, can induce anxiety in young ovariectomized females that are used as a model of aging. Whether or not these effects would be similar in intact middle-aged animals is unknown. The aim of our study was to analyze the effects of letrozole on anxiety in middle-aged rats of both sexes. Fifteen month old male and female rats were treated daily with either letrozole or vehicle for 2 weeks. The elevated plus maze was used to test anxiety-like behaviour. Sex differences were found not only in plasma concentrations of testosterone but also in the effects of letrozole treatment on plasma testosterone (P<.05). The interaction between sex and treatment was also proven in locomotor activity (P<.05) and time spent in the open arms of the elevated plus maze (P<.05). Letrozole-treated male rats spent 95% less time in the open arms of the elevated plus maze than the control rats did (P<.05) suggesting an anxiogenic effect of aromatase inhibition. This difference was not found between letrozole-treated and vehicle-treated females. In contrast to previous experiments on young animals, letrozole seems to induce anxiety in male but not in female middle-aged rats. This sex-specific effect might be related to sex differences of oestrogen and androgen signalling in aging brains. These results should be taken into account in clinical applications of letrozole, especially in men. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  11. Chronic stress and neural function: accounting for sex and age.

    PubMed

    Luine, V N; Beck, K D; Bowman, R E; Frankfurt, M; Maclusky, N J

    2007-10-01

    Cognitive responses to stress follow the temporally dependent pattern originally established by Selye (1) wherein short-term stressors elicit adaptive responses whereas continued stress (chronic) results in maladaptive changes--deleterious effects on physiological systems and impaired cognition. However, this pattern for cognitive effects appears to apply to only half the population (males) and, more specifically, to young, adult males. Females show different cognitive responses to stress. In contrast to impaired cognition in males after chronic stress, female rodents show enhanced performance on the same memory tasks after the same stress. Not only cognition, but anxiety, shows sex-dependent changes following chronic stress--stress is anxiolytic in males and anxiogenic in females. Moreover, behavioral responses to chronic stress are different in developing as well as aging subjects (both sexes) as compared to adults. In aged rats, chronic stress enhances recognition memory in both sexes, does not alter spatial memory, and anxiety effects are opposite to young adults. When pregnant dams are exposed to chronic stress, at adulthood the offspring display yet different consequences of stress on anxiety and cognition, and, in contrast to adulthood when the behavioral effects of stress are reversible, prenatal stress effects appear enduring. Changing levels of estradiol in the sexes over the lifespan appear to contribute to the differences in response to stress. Thus, theories of stress dependent modulations in CNS function--developed solely in male models, focused on peripheral physiological processes and tested in adults--may require revision when applied to a more diverse population (age- and sex-wise) at least in relation to the neural functions of cognition and anxiety. Moreover, these results suggest that other stressors and neural functions should be investigated to determine whether age, sex and gonadal hormones also have an impact.

  12. Sex differences in elite swimming with advanced age are less than marathon running.

    PubMed

    Senefeld, J; Joyner, M J; Stevens, A; Hunter, S K

    2016-01-01

    The sex difference in marathon performance increases with finishing place and age of the runner but whether this occurs among swimmers is unknown. The purpose was to compare sex differences in swimming velocity across world record place (1st-10th), age group (25-89 years), and event distance. We also compared sex differences between freestyle swimming and marathon running. The world's top 10 swimming times of both sexes for World Championship freestyle stroke, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly events and the world's top 10 marathon times in 5-year age groups were obtained. Men were faster than women for freestyle (12.4 ± 4.2%), backstroke (12.8 ± 3.0%), and breaststroke (14.5 ± 3.2%), with the greatest sex differences for butterfly (16.7 ± 5.5%). The sex difference in swimming velocity increased across world record place for freestyle (P < 0.001), breaststroke, and butterfly for all age groups and distances (P < 0.001) because of a greater relative drop-off between first and 10th place for women. The sex difference in marathon running increased with the world record place and the sex difference for marathon running was greater than for swimming (P < 0.001). The sex difference in swimming increased with world record place and age, but was less than for marathon running. Collectively, these results suggest more depth in women's swimming than marathon running. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  13. A Road Map for Improving Geography Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wertheim, Jill A.; Edelson, Daniel C.; Hildebrant, Barbara; Hinde, Elizabeth; Kenney, Marianne; Kolvoord, Robert; Lanegran, David; Marcello, Jody Smothers; Morrill, Robert; Ruiz-Primo, Maria; Seixas, Peter; Shavelson, Richard

    2013-01-01

    In late 2012, both the second edition of the "Geography for Life: National Geography Standards" and the National Science Foundation-funded "Road Map for Geography Education Project" reports were released; the former document describes the conceptual goals for K-12 geography education, and the latter, a route to coordinating reform efforts to…

  14. Age and sex variation in serum albumin concentration: an observational study.

    PubMed

    Weaving, Gary; Batstone, Gifford F; Jones, Richard G

    2016-01-01

    In the UK, a common reference interval for serum albumin is widely used irrespective of age or sex. Implicit in this is that laboratories produce analytically similar results. This paper challenges the validity of this approach. A three-week collection of results sent to all primary care centres in England has been analysed by age, sex and laboratory. In all, 1,079,193 serum albumin reports were included in this analysis. The mean population serum albumin concentration increases to peak at around age 20 years and then decreases with increasing age. Values in females decrease more rapidly but become close to male values at 60 years. The variation between laboratories was large and potentially clinically significant. Reference intervals for serum albumin should be stratified by age and sex. Until there is greater methodological standardization, laboratories should determine their own reference intervals and not accept a single consensus reference interval. © The Author(s) 2015.

  15. In Search of Emerging Same-Sex Sexuality: Romantic Attractions at Age 13 Years.

    PubMed

    Li, Gu; Hines, Melissa

    2016-10-01

    Sex-typed behavior in childhood is significantly related to sexual orientation in adulthood. In addition, same-sex attractions in early adolescence are more non-exclusive than in adulthood and can differ from later same-sex orientations. However, little research has focused on romantic attractions as they emerge during early adolescence. Drawing a sample from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (197 girls, 204 boys), the current study examined whether same-sex romantic attractions at age 13 years were exclusive, and whether they were predicted by sex-typed behavior at age 3.5 years. No young adolescents in this sample reported exclusive same-sex attractions, and increased same-sex attractions were not significantly related to reduced other-sex sexualities. Childhood sex-typed behavior did not significantly predict early same-sex attractions, suggesting that early same-sex attractions differ from later same-sex orientations. The current study highlights the importance of studying the development of sexuality beginning prior to adulthood.

  16. Interactions between Age, Sex, and Hormones in Experimental Ischemic Stroke

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Fudong; McCullough, Louise D.

    2012-01-01

    Age, sex, and gonadal hormones have profound effects on ischemic stroke outcomes, although how these factors impact basic stroke pathophysiology remains unclear. There is a plethora of inconsistent data reported throughout the literature, primarily due to differences in the species examined, the timing and methods used to evaluate injury, the models used, and confusion regarding differences in stroke incidence as seen in clinical populations versus effects on acute neuroprotection or neurorepair in experimental stroke models. Sex and gonadal hormone exposure have considerable independent impact on stroke outcome, but these factors also interact with each other, and the contribution of each differs throughout the lifespan. The contribution of sex and hormones to experimental stroke will be the focus of this review. Recent advances and our current understanding of age, sex, and hormone interactions in ischemic stroke with a focus on inflammation will be discussed. PMID:23068990

  17. Toward a Geography of the Negro

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ritter, Fredric A.

    1971-01-01

    Within geography, Black America can best be studied in the geography of cities. Topics suggested include sources of data, urban sprawl, arrangement and support of cities, urban demography, urban land values, urban land uses, and especially the geography of the black community within the city. (NH)

  18. Recent Trends in Geography Education in Louisiana

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rohli, Robert V.; Binford, Paul E.

    2016-01-01

    Geography at elementary and middle schools in Louisiana, USA., remains a social studies strand along with civics, economics, and history, with no state-required geography course at any level. But because schools may require more geography than the state standard, this research examines the extent to which K-12 students are exposed to geography in…

  19. The geography of spatial synchrony.

    PubMed

    Walter, Jonathan A; Sheppard, Lawrence W; Anderson, Thomas L; Kastens, Jude H; Bjørnstad, Ottar N; Liebhold, Andrew M; Reuman, Daniel C

    2017-07-01

    Spatial synchrony, defined as correlated temporal fluctuations among populations, is a fundamental feature of population dynamics, but many aspects of synchrony remain poorly understood. Few studies have examined detailed geographical patterns of synchrony; instead most focus on how synchrony declines with increasing linear distance between locations, making the simplifying assumption that distance decay is isotropic. By synthesising and extending prior work, we show how geography of synchrony, a term which we use to refer to detailed spatial variation in patterns of synchrony, can be leveraged to understand ecological processes including identification of drivers of synchrony, a long-standing challenge. We focus on three main objectives: (1) showing conceptually and theoretically four mechanisms that can generate geographies of synchrony; (2) documenting complex and pronounced geographies of synchrony in two important study systems; and (3) demonstrating a variety of methods capable of revealing the geography of synchrony and, through it, underlying organism ecology. For example, we introduce a new type of network, the synchrony network, the structure of which provides ecological insight. By documenting the importance of geographies of synchrony, advancing conceptual frameworks, and demonstrating powerful methods, we aim to help elevate the geography of synchrony into a mainstream area of study and application. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

  20. The Practices of Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bednarz, Sarah Witham

    2016-01-01

    Sarah Bednarz begins by thanking Rebecca Theobald for the invitation to contrubute to this issue of "The Geography Teacher"("TGT"). As a member of the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) Publications Committee and coeditor of the "Journal of Geography," Bednarz confesses that she was not favorably…

  1. Geography Education: Applying Spatial Aspects to Everyday Life: American Association of Geographers Geography Education Specialty Group

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wessell, Jonathan E.

    2016-01-01

    Throughout his career teaching geography, Johnathan Wessell has always stressed to his students that they already knew a lot about geography before they entered his classroom. He writes in this article that once he convinces his students of this, they begin to realize that geography is all around them, and that they, in turn, begin to shift their…

  2. Empathy Mediates the Effects of Age and Sex on Altruistic Moral Decision Making.

    PubMed

    Rosen, Jan B; Brand, Matthias; Kalbe, Elke

    2016-01-01

    Moral decision making involves affective and cognitive functions like emotional empathy, reasoning and cognitive empathy/theory of mind (ToM), which are discussed to be subject to age-related alterations. Additionally, sex differences in moral decision making have been reported. However, age-related changes in moral decision making from early to late adulthood and their relation to sex and neuropsychological functions have not been studied yet. One hundred ninety seven participants (122 female), aged 19-86 years, were tested with a moral decision making task comprising forced choice "everyday life" situations in which an altruistic option that favors a socially accepted alternative had to be considered against an egoistic option that favors personal benefit over social interests. The percentage of altruistic decisions was analyzed. A structural equation model (SEM) was calculated to test the hypothesis whether age and sex predict altruistic moral decision, and whether relevant neuropsychological domains mediate these hypothesized relationships. A significant relationship between age and moral decision making was found indicating more frequent altruistic decisions with increasing age. Furthermore, women decided more altruistically than men. The SEM showed that both age and sex are significant predictors of altruistic moral decision making, mediated by emotional empathy but not by reasoning. No cognitive empathy and ToM scores were correlated to age and moral decision making at the same time and thus were not included in the SEM. Our data suggest that increasing age and female sex have an effect on altruistic moral decisions, but that this effect is fully mediated by emotional empathy. The fact that changes of moral decision making with age are mediated by emotional empathy can be interpreted in the light of the so-called "positivity effect" and increasing avoidance of negative affect in aging. The mediated sex effect might represent both biological aspects and

  3. Empathy Mediates the Effects of Age and Sex on Altruistic Moral Decision Making

    PubMed Central

    Rosen, Jan B.; Brand, Matthias; Kalbe, Elke

    2016-01-01

    Moral decision making involves affective and cognitive functions like emotional empathy, reasoning and cognitive empathy/theory of mind (ToM), which are discussed to be subject to age-related alterations. Additionally, sex differences in moral decision making have been reported. However, age-related changes in moral decision making from early to late adulthood and their relation to sex and neuropsychological functions have not been studied yet. One hundred ninety seven participants (122 female), aged 19–86 years, were tested with a moral decision making task comprising forced choice “everyday life” situations in which an altruistic option that favors a socially accepted alternative had to be considered against an egoistic option that favors personal benefit over social interests. The percentage of altruistic decisions was analyzed. A structural equation model (SEM) was calculated to test the hypothesis whether age and sex predict altruistic moral decision, and whether relevant neuropsychological domains mediate these hypothesized relationships. A significant relationship between age and moral decision making was found indicating more frequent altruistic decisions with increasing age. Furthermore, women decided more altruistically than men. The SEM showed that both age and sex are significant predictors of altruistic moral decision making, mediated by emotional empathy but not by reasoning. No cognitive empathy and ToM scores were correlated to age and moral decision making at the same time and thus were not included in the SEM. Our data suggest that increasing age and female sex have an effect on altruistic moral decisions, but that this effect is fully mediated by emotional empathy. The fact that changes of moral decision making with age are mediated by emotional empathy can be interpreted in the light of the so-called “positivity effect” and increasing avoidance of negative affect in aging. The mediated sex effect might represent both biological aspects

  4. Fitness prospects: effects of age, sex and recruitment age on reproductive value in a long-lived seabird.

    PubMed

    Zhang, He; Rebke, Maren; Becker, Peter H; Bouwhuis, Sandra

    2015-01-01

    Reproductive value is an integrated measure of survival and reproduction fundamental to understanding life-history evolution and population dynamics, but little is known about intraspecific variation in reproductive value and factors explaining such variation, if any. By applying generalized additive mixed models to longitudinal individual-based data of the common tern Sterna hirundo, we estimated age-specific annual survival probability, breeding probability and reproductive performance, based on which we calculated age-specific reproductive values. We investigated effects of sex and recruitment age (RA) on each trait. We found age effects on all traits, with survival and breeding probability declining with age, while reproductive performance first improved with age before levelling off. We only found a very small, marginally significant, sex effect on survival probability, but evidence for decreasing age-specific breeding probability and reproductive performance with RA. As a result, males had slightly lower age-specific reproductive values than females, while birds of both sexes that recruited at the earliest ages of 2 and 3 years (i.e. 54% of the tern population) had somewhat higher fitness prospects than birds recruiting at later ages. While the RA effects on breeding probability and reproductive performance were statistically significant, these effects were not large enough to translate to significant effects on reproductive value. Age-specific reproductive values provided evidence for senescence, which came with fitness costs in a range of 17-21% for the sex-RA groups. Our study suggests that intraspecific variation in reproductive value may exist, but that, in the common tern, the differences are small. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2014 British Ecological Society.

  5. Applied Geography Internships: Operational Canadian Models.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Foster, L. T.

    1982-01-01

    Anxious to maintain student enrollments, geography departments have placed greater emphasis on the applied nature of the discipline. Described are (1) the advantages of internships in college geography curricula that enable students to gain firsthand knowledge about the usefulness of geography in real world situations and (2) operational models…

  6. Environmental Education and Geography of Complexity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cecioni, Ester

    2005-01-01

    Geography is defined as "a transition point between natural temporality and human temporality" (Maragliano, 1998). Presented like this, geography seems, at least at first sight, to assume an inexorable function as a linking discipline between nature and society. Unfortunately this pivotal role is not realised, given that geography is…

  7. Returning "Region" to World Regional Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rees, Peter W.; Legates, Margaret

    2013-01-01

    World regional geography textbooks rarely focus on the process of region formation, despite frequent calls to reincorporate a regional approach to teaching global geography. An instructional strategy using problem-based learning in a small honors section of a large world regional geography course is described. Using a hypothetical scenario…

  8. Sex, gender, and age: contributions to laboratory pain responding in children and adolescents.

    PubMed

    Myers, Cynthia D; Tsao, Jennie C I; Glover, Dorie A; Kim, Su C; Turk, Norman; Zeltzer, Lonnie K

    2006-08-01

    A cross-sectional design across late childhood and adolescence examined the influence of sex, gender socialization, and age on responses to controlled laboratory pain tasks. Healthy children and adolescents (n = 240, 50% female, age 8 to 18 years) completed the Child Sex Role Inventory, a self-report measure of identification with stereotypically masculine and feminine personality traits, as an index of gender socialization and participated in pressure, cold pressor, and heat pain tasks. Pain tolerance, pain intensity, and bothersomeness of each pain task were assessed. Masculinity correlated with lower heat pain ratings in boys but not girls. Logistic regression indicated cold pain intensity ratings were predicted by sex, gender score, and the age-by-gender score interaction. Heat pain intensity was predicted by age, gender score, age-by-gender score interaction, and sex-by-gender score. The current findings support closer examination of the influence of gender socialization on young people's pain responses and highlight the importance of a multifactorial, developmental approach to studying the impact of gender socialization on the emergence of sex differences in pain responses after puberty.

  9. Impact of Age and Sex on Response to Asthma Therapy.

    PubMed

    Dunn, Ryan M; Lehman, Erik; Chinchilli, Vernon M; Martin, Richard J; Boushey, Homer A; Israel, Elliot; Kraft, Monica; Lazarus, Stephen C; Lemanske, Robert F; Lugogo, Njira L; Peters, Stephen P; Sorkness, Christine A; Szefler, Stanley; Wechsler, Michael E

    2015-09-01

    Age and sex are associated with differences in asthma prevalence and morbidity. To determine if age and sex associate with distinct phenotypes and a variable response to therapy in subjects with mild to moderate asthma. We used Asthma Clinical Research Network data to determine the impact of age and sex on phenotypes and treatment failures among subjects participating in 10 trials from 1993 to 2003. A total of 1,200 subjects were identified (median age, 30.4 yr; male, 520 [43.3%]; female, 680 [56.7%]) and analyzed. A higher proportion of subjects greater than or equal to 30 years old experienced treatment failures (17.3% vs. 10.3%; odds ratio [OR], 1.82; confidence interval [CI], 1.30-2.54; P < 0.001), and rates increased proportionally with increasing age older than 30 across the cohort (OR per yr, 1.02 [CI, 1.01-1.04]; OR per 5 yr, 1.13 [CI, 1.04-1.22]; P < 0.001). Lower lung function and longer duration of asthma were associated with a higher risk of treatment failures. A higher proportion of subjects greater than or equal to 30 years old receiving controller therapy experienced treatment failures. When stratified by specific therapy, treatment failures increased consistently for every year older than age 30 in subjects on inhaled corticosteroids (OR per year, 1.03; CI, 1.01-1.07). Females had a slightly higher FEV1 % predicted (84.5% vs. 81.1%; P < 0.001) but similar asthma control measures. There was not a statistically significant difference in treatment failures between females and males (15.2% vs. 11.7%; P = 0.088). Older age is associated with an increased risk of treatment failure, particularly in subjects taking inhaled corticosteroids. There was no significant difference in treatment failures between sexes.

  10. Geography Makes a Comeback.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McPike, Elizabeth; And Others

    1992-01-01

    Presents two lesson plans exemplifying analytical geography. The first lesson shows how medical geography can be used to track the silent route of cholera. The second lesson about the Bermuda Triangle is an exercise in fundamental mapping skills and teaches children a valuable lesson in double-checking facts. (RLC)

  11. Vocabulary, Grammar, Sex, and Aging.

    PubMed

    Moscoso Del Prado Martín, Fermín

    2017-05-01

    Understanding the changes in our language abilities along the lifespan is a crucial step for understanding the aging process both in normal and in abnormal circumstances. Besides controlled experimental tasks, it is equally crucial to investigate language in unconstrained conversation. I present an information-theoretical analysis of a corpus of dyadic conversations investigating how the richness of the vocabulary, the word-internal structure (inflectional morphology), and the syntax of the utterances evolves as a function of the speaker's age and sex. Although vocabulary diversity increases throughout the lifetime, grammatical diversities follow a different pattern, which also differs between women and men. Women use increasingly diverse syntactic structures at least up to their late fifties, and they do not deteriorate in terms of fluency through their lifespan. However, from age 45 onward, men exhibit a decrease in the diversity of the syntactic structures they use, coupled with an increased number of speech disfluencies. Copyright © 2016 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

  12. Age and sex identification of Akohekohe

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Simon, John C.; Pratt, T.K.; Berlin, Kim E.; Kowalsky, James R.

    1998-01-01

    We present methods to determine the age and sex of Akohekohe (Palmeria dolei), an endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper, developed on the basis of 45 museum specimens and 91 live birds captured on the island of Maui. Akohekohe retained all Juvenal primaries, some Juvenal secondaries, and some body feathers after the first prebasic molt; they attained full adult plumage after the second prebasic molt. Retention of brown Juvenal body feathers, especially on the head, distinguished most birds in the first basic plumage from adults, which have a full complement of distinctive, black lanceolate body feathers with white, gray, or orange tips. Male Akohekohe were heavier than females and had longer wing, tail, and tarsometatarsus lengths. We present a linear discriminant function to sex both adults and juveniles using lengths of their wing and tarsometatarsus.

  13. The influence of averageness on judgments of facial attractiveness: no own-age or own-sex advantage among children attending single-sex schools.

    PubMed

    Vingilis-Jaremko, Larissa; Maurer, Daphne; Gao, Xiaoqing

    2014-04-01

    We examined how recent biased face experience affects the influence of averageness on judgments of facial attractiveness among 8- and 9-year-old children attending a girls' school, a boys' school, and a mixed-sex school. We presented pairs of individual faces in which one face was transformed 50% toward its group average, whereas the other face was transformed 50% away from that average. Across blocks, the faces varied in age (adult, 9-year-old, or 5-year-old) and sex (male or female). We expected that averageness might influence attractiveness judgments more strongly for same-age faces and, for children attending single-sex schools, same-sex faces of that age because their prototype(s) should be best tuned to the faces they see most frequently. Averageness influenced children's judgments of attractiveness, but the strength of the influence was not modulated by the age of the face, nor did the effects of sex of face differ across schools. Recent biased experience might not have affected the results because of similarities between the average faces of different ages and sexes and/or because a minimum level of experience with a particular group of faces may be adequate for the formation of a veridical prototype and its influence on judgments of attractiveness. The results suggest that averageness affects children's judgments of the attractiveness of the faces they encounter in everyday life regardless of age or sex of face. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Sex and Age Differences in Future Temporal Perspective.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grant, Edward; Sawler, Joyce

    This study explored sex differences in the Future Temporal Perspectives (FTP) of children. The influences of age, social class and intelligence were also investigated, or FTP was generally believed to be affected by them. Subjects were 96 boys and 96 girls, selected from 26 schools in Nova Scotia, from three age groups: 9.6-11.0, 12.0-13.6, and…

  15. Zones of Difference, Boundaries of Access: Moral Geography and Community Mapping in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

    PubMed

    Thomann, Matthew

    2016-01-01

    In Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, 18% of men who have sex with men (MSM) are HIV-positive. Based on ethnographic research conducted among HIV peer educators and activists in Abidjan, I examine their narratives and hand-drawn maps of city space. I draw on a methodological process of map-making to examine research participants' evaluations of neighborhoods and link these evaluations to debates over national and cultural belonging in Côte d'Ivoire. I suggest a moral geography emerges from the maps and narratives and ask what the bioethical implications of moral geography are in the context of service delivery and activism among sexual minorities.

  16. Age-related changes in the craniofacial region in a modern Greek population sample of known age and sex.

    PubMed

    Chovalopoulou, Maria-Eleni; Bertsatos, Andreas; Papageorgopoulou, Christina

    2017-07-01

    The aim of this paper is to investigate ageing changes in craniofacial region in both sexes and evaluate whether these shape changes are substantial to achieve age discrimination of samples used in anthropological analyses. The study sample consisted of 157 crania of known sex and age (81 males and 76 females) belonging to individuals who lived in Greece during the twentieth century. The sample was divided in three age groups: young adults (YA, 18-39 years old), middle adults (MA, 40-59 years old) and old adults (OA, >60 years old). The three-dimensional coordinates of 31 ecto-cranial landmarks were digitized using a Microscribe 3DX contact digitizer, and landmark configurations were analyzed using the generalized least-squares Procrustes method. The results indicate that both males and females show significant difference among the age groups; however, shape differences can not be used for age group discrimination due to a large range on the accuracy of age group classification. The morphometric changes related to age were different between sexes.

  17. Lafayette Geography Institute, 2000.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Indiana Univ.-Purdue Univ., Indianapolis. Geography Educators' Network of Indiana.

    This document contains 7 geography lesson plans: (1) "Can You Give Me Directions to the Game?" by Tim Robison (uses Geographic Information Systems to establish directions to a place; grades 6-8); (2) "Crossing China by Sampan" by Marcie Ritchie (examines the role of geography in communication throughout China; grade 6); (3)…

  18. Effects of age and sex on developmental neural networks of visual-spatial attention allocation.

    PubMed

    Rubia, Katya; Hyde, Zoe; Halari, Rozmin; Giampietro, Vincent; Smith, Anna

    2010-06-01

    Compared to our understanding of the functional maturation of brain networks underlying complex cognitive abilities, hardly anything is known of the neurofunctional development of simpler cognitive abilities such as visuo-spatial attention allocation. Furthermore, nothing is known on the effect of gender on the functional development of attention allocation. This study employed event related functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate effects of age, sex, and sex by age interactions on the brain activation of 63 males and females, between 13 to 38years, during a visual-spatial oddball task. Behaviourally, with increasing age, speed was traded for accuracy, indicative of a less impulsive performance style in older subjects. Increasing age was associated with progressively increased activation in typical areas of selective attention of lateral fronto-striatal and temporo-parietal brain regions. Sex difference analysis showed enhanced activation in right-hemispheric inferior frontal and superior temporal regions in females, and in left-hemispheric inferior temporo-parietal regions in males. Importantly, the age by sex interaction findings showed that these sex-dimorphic patterns of brain activation may be the result of underlying sex differences in the functional maturation of these brain regions, as females had sex-specific progressive age-correlations in the same right inferior fronto-striato-temporal areas, while male-specific age-correlations were in left medial temporal and parietal areas. The findings demonstrate progressive functional maturation of fronto-striato-parieto-temporal networks of the relatively simple function of attention allocation between early adolescence and mid-adulthood. They furthermore show that sex-dimorphic patterns of enhanced reliance on right inferior frontal, striatal and superior temporal regions in females and of left temporo-parietal regions in males during attention allocation may be the result of underlying sex

  19. Development of a Healthy Aging Score in the Population-Based Rotterdam Study: Evaluating Age and Sex Differences.

    PubMed

    Jaspers, Loes; Schoufour, Josje D; Erler, Nicole S; Darweesh, Sirwan K L; Portegies, Marileen L P; Sedaghat, Sanaz; Lahousse, Lies; Brusselle, Guy G; Stricker, Bruno H; Tiemeier, Henning; Ikram, M Arfan; Laven, Joop S E; Franco, Oscar H; Kavousi, Maryam

    2017-03-01

    To develop a healthy aging score (HAS), to assess age and sex differences in HAS, and to evaluate the association of the HAS with survival. Prospective population-based cohort. Inhabitants of Ommoord, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. A total of 1405 men and 2122 women, mean (standard deviation) age 75.9 (6.4) years. We included 7 domains in the total score of HAS: chronic diseases, mental health, cognitive function, physical function, pain, social support, and quality of life; each scored 0, 1, or 2 in each domain. A total score (range 0-14) was constructed and was assessed continuously and in tertiles (13-14: healthy aging, 11-12: intermediate aging, 0-10: poor aging). Sex-specific change in the mean HAS was computed for the age categories of 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80-84, and ≥85 years. The association between HAS and mortality was assessed with Cox proportional hazards models. Mean follow-up was 8.6 (3.4) years. Men had poorer scores in the chronic disease domain than women. However, women had poorer mental health, worse physical function, more pain, and lower quality of life compared with men. The prevalence of healthy aging was higher in men (n = 396, 28.2%), than in women (n = 526, 24.8%). The mean (standard deviation) HAS was 11.1 (2.2) in men and 10.7 (2.3) in women. Mean HAS was higher in men than in women for all age categories. The β for change in mean HAS across the 5 increasing age categories was -0.55 (-0.65 to -0.45) in men and -0.65 (-0.73 to -0.57) in women. The age-adjusted hazard ratio per unit increase in HAS with mortality was 0.86 (0.83-0.89) in men, and 0.89 (0.87-0.91) in women. Levels of HAS were lower in women compared with men, in all age categories. The HAS declined with increasing age for both sexes, albeit slightly steeper in women. The HAS was strongly associated with mortality in both sexes. A better understanding of population healthy aging and sex differences in this regard could aid to implement strategies for sustainable

  20. The contribution of geography to disparities in preventable hospitalisations between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.

    PubMed

    Harrold, Timothy C; Randall, Deborah A; Falster, Michael O; Lujic, Sanja; Jorm, Louisa R

    2014-01-01

    To quantify the independent roles of geography and Indigenous status in explaining disparities in Potentially Preventable Hospital (PPH) admissions between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Analysis of linked hospital admission data for New South Wales (NSW), Australia, for the period July 1 2003 to June 30 2008. Age-standardised admission rates, and rate ratios adjusted for age, sex and Statistical Local Area (SLA) of residence using multilevel models. PPH diagnoses accounted for 987,604 admissions in NSW over the study period, of which 3.7% were for Indigenous people. The age-standardised PPH admission rate was 76.5 and 27.3 per 1,000 for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people respectively. PPH admission rates in Indigenous people were 2.16 times higher than in non-Indigenous people of the same age group and sex who lived in the same SLA. The largest disparities in PPH admission rates were seen for diabetes complications, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and rheumatic heart disease. Both rates of PPH admission in Indigenous people, and the disparity in rates between Indigenous than non-Indigenous people, varied significantly by SLA, with greater disparities seen in regional and remote areas than in major cities. Higher rates of PPH admission among Indigenous people are not simply a function of their greater likelihood of living in rural and remote areas. The very considerable geographic variation in the disparity in rates of PPH admission between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people indicates that there is potential to reduce unwarranted variation by characterising outlying areas which contribute the most to this disparity.

  1. Defining Primary Geography from Teachers' Expertise: What Chilean Teachers Mean by Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Salinas-Silva, Victor; Perez-Gallardo, Patricio; Arenas-Martija, Andoni

    2015-01-01

    This article examines teachers' subject expertise in a context where geography could be considered a neglected school subject. Using an empirical approach to the problem, the article aims to provide a view on the dynamics of teaching primary geography in Chile, through considering teachers' narratives on curriculum making and their associated…

  2. Age and Sex Differences in Interaction with a Human Infant.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blakemore, Judith E. O.

    1981-01-01

    Examines sex differences in vocalizations and play behaviors displayed toward an infant by preschoolers, preadolescents, and adults. Preschoolers showed less interaction than older subjects. Males talked and played less with the baby than did females at all ages; however, among adult subjects, no sex-role effects were found. (Author/RH)

  3. Intrinsic connectivity networks from childhood to late adolescence: Effects of age and sex.

    PubMed

    Solé-Padullés, Cristina; Castro-Fornieles, Josefina; de la Serna, Elena; Calvo, Rosa; Baeza, Inmaculada; Moya, Jaime; Lázaro, Luisa; Rosa, Mireia; Bargalló, Nuria; Sugranyes, Gisela

    2016-02-01

    There is limited evidence on the effects of age and sex on intrinsic connectivity of networks underlying cognition during childhood and adolescence. Independent component analysis was conducted in 113 subjects aged 7-18; the default mode, executive control, anterior salience, basal ganglia, language and visuospatial networks were identified. The effect of age was examined with multiple regression, while sex and 'age × sex' interactions were assessed by dividing the sample according to age (7-12 and 13-18 years). As age increased, connectivity in the dorsal and ventral default mode network became more anterior and posterior, respectively, while in the executive control network, connectivity increased within frontoparietal regions. The basal ganglia network showed increased engagement of striatum, thalami and precuneus. The anterior salience network showed greater connectivity in frontal areas and anterior cingulate, and less connectivity of orbitofrontal, middle cingulate and temporoparietal regions. The language network presented increased connectivity of inferior frontal and decreased connectivity within the right middle frontal and left inferior parietal cortices. The visuospatial network showed greater engagement of inferior parietal and frontal cortices. No effect of sex, nor age by sex interactions was observed. These findings provide evidence of strengthening of cortico-cortical and cortico-subcortical networks across childhood and adolescence. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  4. Effects of age and sex on the results of an ankle plantar-flexor manual muscle test.

    PubMed

    Jan, Mei-Hwa; Chai, Huei-Ming; Lin, Yeong-Fwu; Lin, Janice Chien-Ho; Tsai, Li-Ying; Ou, Yu-Chih; Lin, Da-Hon

    2005-10-01

    The ability to perform 20 or more one-leg heel-rises is considered a "normal" grade for muscle strength (force-generating capacity of muscle) of the ankle plantar flexors, regardless of age and sex. Because muscle strength is closely related to age and sex, the "normal" test criterion was re-evaluated in different groups categorized by age and sex. One hundred eighty sedentary volunteers (21-80 years of age) without lower-limb lesions performed as many repetitions of one-leg heel-rise as possible. Lunsford and Perry criteria were used to determine completion of the test. The age and sex of the participants influenced the maximal repetitions of heel-rise, and the repetitions decreased with age and in female subjects. The muscle strength of the ankle plantar flexors, as measured by manual muscle testing, varied with age and sex. Clinicians should consider the variances of age and sex when they perform manual muscle testing of the ankle plantar flexors.

  5. [Medical geography].

    PubMed

    Hauri, D

    2007-10-17

    Hippocrates already noted that geographical factors such as climate, relief, geology but also settlement patterns had influenced the distribution of diseases. The task of medical geography is to investigate the associations between geographical factors and diseases. Thereby, geographic techniques and concepts are applied on health problems. Of particular importance is the mapping of diseases whose causes are environmental-related. In addition, epidemiological, ecological but also social scientific studies play an important part in the investigation of the associations between geographical factors and diseases. In order to understand the associations between the spatial distribution of diseases and environmental exposures, geographic information systems as well as statistical analyses have recently become more important. Some authors regard medical geography merely as supporting discipline of medicine. Nevertheless, as men and environment future and as they play an important part in the diffusion of diseases being regarded as defeated, medical geography will play an important part concerning medical questions. Especially travel medicine will rely on geographic knowledge, if a patient has to be consulted who plans to travel to an unknown country of which knowledge on the geographical distribution and ecology of diseases will be necessary.

  6. An Investigation into Geography Teachers' Use of Current Events in Geography Classes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Degirmenci, Yavuz; Ilter, Ilhan

    2017-01-01

    This study aimed to investigate the extent to which geography teachers use current events within the context of their geography instruction, their sources of information about current events, the methods and techniques they adopt while using current events in their teaching and the skills and values they expect their students to develop. The…

  7. Anti-aging drugs reduce hypothalamic inflammation in a sex-specific manner.

    PubMed

    Sadagurski, Marianna; Cady, Gillian; Miller, Richard A

    2017-08-01

    Aging leads to hypothalamic inflammation, but does so more slowly in mice whose lifespan has been extended by mutations that affect GH/IGF-1 signals. Early-life exposure to GH by injection, or to nutrient restriction in the first 3 weeks of life, also modulate both lifespan and the pace of hypothalamic inflammation. Three drugs extend lifespan of UM-HET3 mice in a sex-specific way: acarbose (ACA), 17-α-estradiol (17αE2), and nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), with more dramatic longevity increases in males in each case. In this study, we examined the effect of these anti-aging drugs on neuro-inflammation in hypothalamus and hippocampus. We found that age-associated hypothalamic inflammation is reduced in males but not in females at 12 months of age by ACA and 17αE2 and at 22 months of age in NDGA-treated mice. The three drugs blocked indices of hypothalamic reactive gliosis associated with aging, such as Iba-1-positive microglia and GFAP-positive astrocytes, as well as age-associated overproduction of TNF-α. This effect was not observed in drug-treated female mice or in the hippocampus of the drug-treated animals. On the other hand, caloric restriction (CR; an intervention that extends the lifespan in both sexes) significantly reduced hypothalamic microglia and TNF-α in both sexes at 12 months of age. Together, these results suggest that the extent of drug-induced changes in hypothalamic inflammatory processes is sexually dimorphic in a pattern that parallels the effects of these agents on mouse longevity and that mimics the changes seen, in both sexes, of long-lived nutrient restricted or mutant mice. © 2017 The Authors. Aging Cell published by the Anatomical Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  8. Visual geography

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    ,; ,; ,

    1991-01-01

    Maps are, among other things, a way of making geography visual. They are world views, ways of thinking, and ways of communicating. They depict our world and guide us through it. Visual Geography probes the essence of maps and mapmaking. It follows the story of cartography through the millennia, across the globe, and beyond the solar system. It includes some of the world's most beautiful and enduring maps, some of its most historic - a map in Columbus' hand, the map that was carried to the Moon, the first map to show America - and it examines the urge to map, to measure our world, and to record it graphically.

  9. Effects of age and sex on voice onset time: Evidence from Mandarin voiceless stops.

    PubMed

    Ma, Junzhou; Chen, Xiaoxiang; Wu, Yezhou; Zhang, Linjie

    2018-07-01

    Considerable studies have addressed effects of age and sex on voice onset time (VOT) in English. However, few studies have examined these effects on Mandarin stops. This study attempts to examine effects of age and sex on VOT in Mandarin. A total of 85 Mandarin-speaking children, aged 4-18 years old, and 13 adults as reference participated in a production experiment. Productions were elicited by reading target words in carrier phrases. Results showed that children aged 6-7 years old had longer VOTs than older ones for highly aspirated stops, and the same tendency was not observed for unaspirated stops. However, no linear developmental trend was observed for both highly aspirated and unaspirated stops. In addition, females displayed longer VOTs for highly aspirated stops and shorter for unaspirated stops, whereas significant sex differences in VOTs existed from 14 years old to adulthood for highly aspirated stops, and no significant sex differences in VOTs were found for unaspirated stops in each group, indicating that sex differences in VOTs varied with age and aspiration. The findings suggest that physiological changes in and differences between males and females provide account for some, but not all differences in VOTs across age and sex.

  10. Geography

    Science.gov Websites

    United States Census Bureau Topics Population Latest Information Age and Sex Ancestry Children Mobility Population Estimates Population Projections Race Veterans Economy Latest Information Portal Other Economic Programs Business Latest Information Business Characteristics Classification Codes

  11. Some Thoughts on Applied Geography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gritzner, Charles F.

    1979-01-01

    The geography student should be offered the option of applied geography courses as well as the more conservative humanistic approach, in order to respond to the challenges presented by existing societal needs and vocational opportunities. (Author/CK)

  12. Placing Advanced Placement® Human Geography: Its Role in U.S. Geography Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bednarz, Sarah Witham

    2016-01-01

    This article examines Advanced Placement Human Geography (AP HG) in the context of its place in efforts to reform geography education. It presents a critical analysis of the AP program and its curriculum, asserting that it represents "powerful knowledge" as conceptualized by Young. It concludes with a call for research in AP HG aligned…

  13. Understanding Our World through Geography. Activities To Improve Geography Skills and Promote Ecology.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aten, Jerry

    This book focuses on improving geography skills and knowledge of basic concepts for grades 4-8, through a variety of activities and resources. The book is divided into six sections that combine to make it convenient for use. The sections include: (1) "Map Reading Skills"; (2) "Geography Concepts and Definitions"; (3) "Peoples of the World"; (4) "A…

  14. Impact of Age and Sex on Response to Asthma Therapy

    PubMed Central

    Dunn, Ryan M.; Lehman, Erik; Chinchilli, Vernon M.; Martin, Richard J.; Boushey, Homer A.; Israel, Elliot; Kraft, Monica; Lazarus, Stephen C.; Lemanske, Robert F.; Lugogo, Njira L.; Peters, Stephen P.; Sorkness, Christine A.; Szefler, Stanley

    2015-01-01

    Rationale: Age and sex are associated with differences in asthma prevalence and morbidity. Objectives: To determine if age and sex associate with distinct phenotypes and a variable response to therapy in subjects with mild to moderate asthma. Methods: We used Asthma Clinical Research Network data to determine the impact of age and sex on phenotypes and treatment failures among subjects participating in 10 trials from 1993 to 2003. Measurements and Main Results: A total of 1,200 subjects were identified (median age, 30.4 yr; male, 520 [43.3%]; female, 680 [56.7%]) and analyzed. A higher proportion of subjects greater than or equal to 30 years old experienced treatment failures (17.3% vs. 10.3%; odds ratio [OR], 1.82; confidence interval [CI], 1.30–2.54; P < 0.001), and rates increased proportionally with increasing age older than 30 across the cohort (OR per yr, 1.02 [CI, 1.01–1.04]; OR per 5 yr, 1.13 [CI, 1.04–1.22]; P < 0.001). Lower lung function and longer duration of asthma were associated with a higher risk of treatment failures. A higher proportion of subjects greater than or equal to 30 years old receiving controller therapy experienced treatment failures. When stratified by specific therapy, treatment failures increased consistently for every year older than age 30 in subjects on inhaled corticosteroids (OR per year, 1.03; CI, 1.01–1.07). Females had a slightly higher FEV1 % predicted (84.5% vs. 81.1%; P < 0.001) but similar asthma control measures. There was not a statistically significant difference in treatment failures between females and males (15.2% vs. 11.7%; P = 0.088). Conclusions: Older age is associated with an increased risk of treatment failure, particularly in subjects taking inhaled corticosteroids. There was no significant difference in treatment failures between sexes. PMID:26068329

  15. Employment Discrimination: Age, Sex and National Origin.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carter, David G.; Lawson, Miriam

    Chapter 17 of a book on school law is an historical review of judicial decisions and legislative enactments that apply to employment. The purpose of the chapter is to analyze those cases concerned with discrimination because of sex, age, or national origin, and to discuss the decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court in these areas. Not until the…

  16. Sex ratio of equine offspring is affected by the ages of the mare and stallion.

    PubMed

    Santos, Marianna Machado; Maia, Leonardo Lara; Nobre, Daniel Magalhães; Oliveira Neto, José Ferraz; Garcia, Tiago Rezende; Lage, Maria Coeli Gomes Reis; de Melo, Maria Isabel Vaz; Viana, Walmir Santos; Palhares, Maristela Silveira; da Silva Filho, José Monteiro; Santos, Renato Lima; Valle, Guilherme Ribeiro

    2015-10-15

    The aim of this study was to determine the influence of parental age on the sex ratio of offspring in horses. Two trials were performed. In the first trial, the data from a randomly obtained population with a 1:1 sex ratio of 59,950 Mangalarga Marchador horses born in Brazil from 1990 to 2011 were analyzed. The sex ratios of the offspring were compared among groups according to the mare and the stallion ages (from 3 to 25 years). In the first step of the analysis, the mares and stallions were grouped according to age in 5-year intervals. In the second step, the groups were based on the parental age gap at conception. In the third step, the group of the mares and stallions with similar ages from the second step was subdivided, and the different parental age subgroups that were divided into 5-year intervals were compared. In the fourth step, the sex ratio of the offspring was determined according to the ages of the mares and the stallions at conception. The second trial was based on the data from 253 horses of several breeds that were born after natural gestation into a herd from 1989 to 2010, and the offspring of groups that were younger or older than 15 years were compared. The data from both trials were analyzed using a chi-square test (P ≤ 0.01 for the first trial; and P ≤ 0.05 for the second trial) for the comparisons of the sex ratios. In the first trial, the Spearman test (P ≤ 0.01) was used to verify the correlations between the parental age and the offspring sex ratio. In the first trial, the offspring sex ratio decreased as the mare or stallion age increased, and the decrease was more marked for the mares than for the stallions. In the second trial, the mares older than 15 years had more fillies than the younger mares, but the stallion age had no effect on the sex of the offspring. The first trial, with a large number of horses, revealed the pattern of the distribution of the sex ratios of offspring according to the parental age in horses, whereas the

  17. Age and sex differences in ranges of motion and motion patterns.

    PubMed

    Hwang, Jaejin; Jung, Myung-Chul

    2015-01-01

    This study investigated the effects of age and sex on joint ranges of motion (ROMs) and motion patterns. Forty participants performed 18 motions using eight body segments at self-selected speeds. Older subjects showed smaller ROMs than younger subjects for 11 motions; the greatest difference in ROM was 44.9% for eversion/inversion of the foot. Older subjects also required more time than younger subjects to approach the peak angular velocity for six motions. In contrast, sex significantly affected ROMs but not motion patterns. Male subjects exhibited smaller ROMs than female subjects for four motions; the greatest sex-dependent difference in ROM was 29.7% for ulnar/radial deviation of the hand. The age and sex effects depended on the specific segments used and motions performed, possibly because of differences in anatomical structures and frequencies of use of the joints in habitual physical activities between the groups.

  18. Muscularity as a function of species, sex and age in small mammals

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pace, N.; Rahlmann, D. F.; Smith, A. H.

    1984-01-01

    Changes in the body skeletal muscle mass SMM (measured as a function of the ratio between the body creatine mass and the fat-free muscle creatine), and in muscularity (expressed as the ratio of SMM to fat-free body mass) were studied as functions of age, sex, and species in mouse, rat, hamster, guinea pig, and rabbit. Six animals of each sex were examined in eight age cohorts ranging from 1 to 24 months. Both species and age factors affect SMM. Strong sexual dimorphism in the SMM changes with age was displayed by mouse, rat, and guinea pig, whereas the hamster and rabbit were statistically monomorphic. The mouse, rat, and hamster attain a maximal SMM at about 1 year of age, whereas in the guinea pig and rabbit the decrease in SMM starts after 2 years. The value of muscularity reached a peak at age of 2-3 months in all animals of both sexes, with a pronounced difference among the species. The mouse emerged as the most muscular, while the guinea pig the least muscular, of all species.

  19. Explaining the Rapid Increase in Nigeria's Sex Ratio at Birth: Factors and Implications.

    PubMed

    Kaba, Amadu J

    2015-06-01

    This paper examines the rapid increase in Nigeria's sex ratio at birth from 1.03 boys born for every 1 girl born in each year from 1996-2008 to 1.06 in each year from 2009-2014, second only to Tunisia in Africa at 1.07. The average sex ratio at birth in the world in 2014 was 1.07. In most Black African nations or Black majority nations, it is 1.03 or less. Among the factors presented for this development are: historical fluctuations of sex ratio at birth; geography and ethnicity; male preference/chasing a son; Age of parents; high death rates of male infants and males in general; and wealth/socioeconomic status. Among the potential implications are: young and poor men in Nigeria may not be able to find brides and form families due to a potential shortage of females; emigration of young and poor Nigerian men to West (Africa) and elsewhere to seek brides and form families; immigration of marriage age women from West (Africa) and around the world to Nigeria to seek husbands; and low contraceptive use and high fertility rates in Nigeria.

  20. Physical fitness in preschool children: association with sex, age and weight status.

    PubMed

    Latorre Román, P Á; Moreno Del Castillo, R; Lucena Zurita, M; Salas Sánchez, J; García-Pinillos, F; Mora López, D

    2017-03-01

    Because fitness level is a potent biomarker of health from an early age, the improvements of physical fitness performance through the promotion of physical activity could be important for the health of preschool children, particularly in obesity prevention. The purpose of this study is to determine the physical fitness in children aged 3-6 years, discriminating performance by sex, age and body mass index (BMI). A total of 3868 children from 3 to 6 years agreed voluntarily to participate. Demographic characteristics revealed that 1961 children were male (age: 55.71 ± 11.11 months old, BMI = 16.03 ± 1.93 kg/m 2 ), and 1907 were female (age 56.16 ± 0.97 months old, BMI = 15.85 ± 1.89 kg/m 2 ), and they were selected from 51 schools in southern Spain. Significant differences were found between sexes: boys showed a greater performance on cardio respiratory endurance, reaction time, strength and running speed. We found significant differences by sex in the different age groups (3, 4, 5 and 6 years old). Sex differences in physical fitness are evident at an early age; in addition, the relationship between physical fitness and BMI is inconsistent in preschool children. The improvements of physical fitness performance and its association with physical activity could be important for the health of children, particularly in obesity prevention. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  1. The Evaluation of High School Geography 9 and High School Geography 11 Text Books with Some Formulas of Readability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gecit, Yilmaz

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to evaluate readability of 9th and 11th grade geography text-books currently used in schools. As known, one of the most fundamental features in a text-book is the readability of the text by students. In addition, it is also very important that the fluency and suitability of books match age level. In this study, the…

  2. Geography's Crosscutting Themes: Golden Anniversary Reflections on "The Four Traditions of Geography"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Murphy, Alexander B.

    2014-01-01

    William Pattison's seminal 1964 article outlining geography's four core traditions provided an informative overview of distinct strands of research and teaching in geography. His article enhanced appreciation of the discipline's intellectual diversity, but it did not address why the identified traditions should be grouped together…

  3. The Impact of Older Age and Sex on Motion Discrimination.

    PubMed

    Conlon, Elizabeth G; Power, Garry F; Hine, Trevor J; Rahaley, Nicole

    2017-01-01

    Background/Study Context: Reports of age-related differences on motion discrimination tasks have produced inconsistent findings concerning the influence of sex. Some studies have reported that older women have higher thresholds than older men, with others finding that women have higher motion thresholds regardless of age group. Reports of the age at which declines in motion discrimination first occur also differ, with some studies reporting declines only in groups aged over 70 years, with others reporting that age-related decline occurs at a younger age. The current study aimed to determine whether the sex differences found occur because relative to men, women have greater difficulty extracting motion signals from noise (Experiment 1) or have greater difficulty making use of the available motion cues (Experiment 2) in these complex moving stimuli. In addition, the influence of these manipulations on groups aged under and over 70 years was explored. Motion discrimination measures were obtained using 39 older adults aged between 60 and 85 years (21 women) and 40 younger adults aged between 20 and 45 years (20 women). In Experiment 1, coherent motion and relative motion displacement thresholds were obtained. In Experiment 2, coherent motion thresholds were obtained for stimuli containing either 150 or 600 dots. In Experiment 1, the older group had significantly higher thresholds on the relative motion displacement and coherent motion tasks than a younger group. No differences in motion sensitivity were found in the older groups aged under or over 70 years. Women regardless of age group had significantly higher thresholds than men on both tasks. In Experiment 2, the older group had higher coherence thresholds than the younger group, and the number of dots presented had no influence on thresholds, for the older group or older women specifically. In the younger group, women had higher coherence thresholds than men with presentation of 150 but not 600 dots. There

  4. The Realm of Physical Geography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rea, Patrick S.

    This secondary education student geography book contains chapters on climate, landforms, oceans, world vegetation, water resources, and population. Each chapter provides an introduction that describes the unit's topics, descriptive and instructional materials, learning activities, and questions. A glossary of geography-related terms and an…

  5. Sex-related differences and age of peak performance in breaststroke versus freestyle swimming

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Sex-related differences in performance and in age of peak performance have been reported for freestyle swimming. However, little is known about the sex-related differences in other swimming styles. The aim of the present study was to compare performance and age of peak performance for elite men and women swimmers in breaststroke versus freestyle. Methods Race results were analyzed for swimmers at national ranked in the Swiss high score list (during 2006 through 2010) and for international swimmers who qualified for the finals of the FINA World Swimming Championships (during 2003 through 2011). Results The sex-related difference in swimming speed was significantly greater for freestyle than for breaststroke over 50 m, 100 m, and 200 m race distances for Swiss swimmers, but not for FINA finalists. The sex-related difference for both freestyle and breaststroke swimming speeds decreased significantly with increasing swimming distance for both groups. Race distance did not affect the age of peak performance by women in breaststroke, but age of peak performance was four years older for FINA women than for Swiss women. Men achieved peak swimming performance in breaststroke at younger ages for longer race distances, and the age of peak swimming performance was six years older for FINA men than for Swiss men. In freestyle swimming, race distance did not affect the age of peak swimming performance for Swiss women, but the age of peak swimming performance decreased with increasing race distance for Swiss men and for both sexes at the FINA World Championships. Conclusions Results of the present study indicate that (i) sex-related differences in swimming speed were greater for freestyle than for breaststroke for swimmers at national level, but not for swimmers at international level, and (ii) both female and male swimmers achieved peak swimming speeds at younger ages in breaststroke than in freestyle. Further studies are required to better understand differences

  6. Computer systems to support census geography.

    PubMed

    Deecker, G; Cunningham, R; Kidd, K

    1986-01-01

    The development of computer systems that support the geography of the census in Canada is described. The authors "present proposals for the 1991 Census that increase the level of automation, whether the geography changes or not. In addition, opportunities for change and improvement, should the geography change, are outlined. To minimize the risks involved, it is important to give these different proposals serious consideration early in the planning of a census." excerpt

  7. Relationships Between Meibomian Gland Loss and Age, Sex, and Dry Eye.

    PubMed

    Pult, Heiko

    2018-02-12

    This study evaluated relationships between meibomian gland loss (MGL) and age, sex, and dry eye. Dry eye and MGL of the lower eyelid was evaluated from 112 randomly selected subjects (66 women; mean age 62.8; SD ±15.7; and age range: 19-89 years) from Horst Riede GmbH, Weinheim, Germany. In addition, subjects were grouped into dry eye and non-dry eye by the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) score, lid-parallel conjunctival folds and non-invasive break-up time. Symptoms were evaluated by the OSDI. Meibography of the lower eyelid was performed using a Cobra camera (bon Optic, Lübeck, Germany), and images were analyzed by its digital grading tool. Data were analyzed by backward, multiple regression analyses and Pearson correlation. Analyzing all subjects, multiple regression analyses detected that age and dry eye status (dry eye diagnosis or OSDI) but not sex were significantly related to MGL. In both, non-dry eye (n=66) and dry eye subjects (n=46), dry eye status (OSDI) but not age or sex was significantly related to MGL. Ocular Surface Disease Index scores were significantly correlated with MGL, but this correlation was stronger among all subjects (Pearson correlation; r=0.536, P<0.001) and dry eye group subjects (r=0.520, P<0.001) than in non-dry eye group subjects (r=0.275, P=0.014). Dry eye group subjects showed significantly increased MGL of the lower eyelid. Age and dry eye status were related to MGL of the lower eyelid, but sex was not; dry eye status was the dominant factor.

  8. Educational Geographers and Applied Geography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Frazier, John W.

    1979-01-01

    Describes the development of applied geography programs and restructuring of curricula with an emphasis on new technique and methodology courses, though retaining the liberal arts role. Educational geographers can help the programs to succeed through curriculum analysis, auditing, advising students, and liaison with other geography sources. (CK)

  9. Sex modifies the relationship between age and gait: a population-based study of older adults.

    PubMed

    Callisaya, Michele L; Blizzard, Leigh; Schmidt, Michael D; McGinley, Jennifer L; Srikanth, Velandai K

    2008-02-01

    Adequate mobility is essential to maintain an independent and active lifestyle. The aim of this cross-sectional study is to examine the associations of age with temporal and spatial gait variables in a population-based sample of older people, and whether these associations are modified by sex. Men and women aged 60-86 years were randomly selected from the Southern Tasmanian electoral roll (n = 223). Gait speed, step length, cadence, step width, and double-support phase were recorded with a GAITRite walkway. Regression analysis was used to model the relationship between age, sex, and gait variables. For men, after adjusting for height and weight, age was linearly associated with all gait variables (p <.05) except cadence (p =.11). For women, all variables demonstrated a curvilinear association, with age-related change in these variables commencing during the 7th decade. Significant interactions were found between age and sex for speed (p =.04), cadence (p =.01), and double-support phase (p =.03). Associations were observed between age and a broad range of temporal and spatial gait variables in this study. These associations differed by sex, suggesting that the aging process may affect gait in men and women differently. These results provide a basis for further research into sex differences and mechanisms underlying gait changes with advancing age.

  10. Sex and STEM Occupation Predict Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) Scores in Half a Million People.

    PubMed

    Ruzich, Emily; Allison, Carrie; Chakrabarti, Bhismadev; Smith, Paula; Musto, Henry; Ring, Howard; Baron-Cohen, Simon

    2015-01-01

    This study assesses Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) scores in a 'big data' sample collected through the UK Channel 4 television website, following the broadcasting of a medical education program. We examine correlations between the AQ and age, sex, occupation, and UK geographic region in 450,394 individuals. We predicted that age and geography would not be correlated with AQ, whilst sex and occupation would have a correlation. Mean AQ for the total sample score was m = 19.83 (SD = 8.71), slightly higher than a previous systematic review of 6,900 individuals in a non-clinical sample (mean of means = 16.94) This likely reflects that this big-data sample includes individuals with autism who in the systematic review score much higher (mean of means = 35.19). As predicted, sex and occupation differences were observed: on average, males (m = 21.55, SD = 8.82) scored higher than females (m = 18.95; SD = 8.52), and individuals working in a STEM career (m = 21.92, SD = 8.92) scored higher than individuals non-STEM careers (m = 18.92, SD = 8.48). Also as predicted, age and geographic region were not meaningfully correlated with AQ. These results support previous findings relating to sex and STEM careers in the largest set of individuals for which AQ scores have been reported and suggest the AQ is a useful self-report measure of autistic traits.

  11. Identifying sex and age of akiapolaau

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Pratt, T.K.; Fancy, S.G.; Harada, C.K.; Lindsey, G.D.; Jacobi, J.D.

    1994-01-01

    Methods for identifying the sex and age of the Akiapolaau (Hemignathus munroi), an endangered honeycreeper found only on the island of Hawaii, were developed by examination and measurement of 73 museum specimens and 24 live birds captured in mist nests. Akiapolaau probably undergo a single annual molt, with most birds molting between February and July. The mottled juvenal plumage is replaced by a first basic plumage characterized by yellowish-gray or yellowish-green underparts and often by retained wingbars. Male Akiapolaau may not attain adult plumage until their third molt. In adult females, only the throat and upper breast become yellow, whereas in adult males the superciliaries, cheeks, and entire underparts are yellow. Adult males have greater exposed culmen, gonys, wing chord, tail, and tarsus lengths than do females. Akiapolaau in first prebasic molt or older can be identified as to sex by culmen length, that of males being >23.4 mm.

  12. The Four Traditions of Geography: A Unified Future Ahead?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marran, James F.

    1985-01-01

    Identifies William Pattison's four traditions of geography (spatial dimension, area studies, people-environment interaction, and earth science); discusses how geography instruction at secondary level has been one dimensional; describes High School Geography Project's efforts to revise geography curriculum by unifying Pattison's traditions (1960s);…

  13. A cross-sectional analysis of age and sex patterns in grip strength, tooth loss, near vision and hearing levels in Chinese aged 50-74 years.

    PubMed

    Wu, Yili; Pang, Zengchang; Zhang, Dongfeng; Jiang, Wenjie; Wang, Shaojie; Li, Shuxia; Kruse, Torben A; Christensen, Kaare; Tan, Qihua

    2012-01-01

    By focusing on four health variables, handgrip strength, near visual acuity, tooth loss and hearing level, this study examined the different patterns of age-related changes in these variables in Chinese aged from 50 to 74 years, as well as explored the relationship among the variables in a cross-sectional sample of 2006 individuals. The data exhibited high quality with a low missing rate of under 5% in any age groups for each variable. Effects of age and sex on the changes in the four health variables were assessed using multiple regression models with age and sex interactions included. Upon the highly significant effects of age on all four measurements, we observed substantially higher grip strength for men who, however, exhibited a faster age-related decline than for women. No sex difference or age-sex interaction was found in the number of teeth lost. Near visual acuity displayed a faster age-related decline in women than in men but neither the overall sex difference nor age-sex interaction reached statistical significance. For hearing function, while no sex difference was found at middle frequency, women had better sensitivity at high frequency and men were more sensitive at low frequency. Multivariate analysis did not support an age-related common mechanism underlying the four health variables. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Finding Geography Using Found Poetry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Foster, Ellen J.

    2012-01-01

    Functional literacy is important in both English/language arts and geography. Using the "found poetry" strategy, students will summarize a piece of text, identify main ideas and find geographic connections. While using young adult literature is a great way to incorporate geography into English/language arts classroom, understanding of geography…

  15. Replacing positivism in medical geography.

    PubMed

    Bennett, David

    2005-06-01

    Revisiting debates about philosophical approaches in medical geography suggests that logical positivism may have been prematurely discarded. An analysis of authoritative texts in medical geography and their sources in human geography shows that logical positivism has been conflated with Comtean positivism, science, empiricism, quantification, science politics, scientism and so on, to produce the "standard version" of the all-purpose pejorative "positivism", which it is easy to dismiss as an evil. It is argued that the standard version fails to do justice to logical positivism, being constructed on sources which are at some distance from the logical positivist movement itself. An alternative approach is then developed, an historically and geographically situated interpretation of logical positivism as a deliberately and knowingly constructed oppositional epistemology within an oppressive and anti-scientific culture predicated on idealist intuitionism. Contrasting the standard version with this alternative reading of logical positivism suggests that much may have been lost in human, and thus, medical geography, by throwing out the logical positivist baby with the "positivism" bath water. It is concluded that continuing to unpack the standard version of logical positivism may identify benefits from a more nuanced appreciation of logical positivism, but it is premature to take these to the level of detailed impacts on the kinds of medical geographies that could be done or the ways of doing them.

  16. Age and Sex Differences in Rates of Influenza-Associated Hospitalizations in Hong Kong.

    PubMed

    Wang, Xi-Ling; Yang, Lin; Chan, Kwok-Hung; Chan, King-Pan; Cao, Pei-Hua; Lau, Eric Ho-Yin; Peiris, J S Malik; Wong, Chit-Ming

    2015-08-15

    Few studies have explored age and sex differences in the disease burden of influenza, although men and women probably differ in their susceptibility to influenza infections. In this study, quasi-Poisson regression models were applied to weekly age- and sex-specific hospitalization numbers of pneumonia and influenza cases in the Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China, from 2004 to 2010. Age and sex differences were assessed by age- and sex-specific rates of excess hospitalization for influenza A subtypes A(H1N1), A(H3N2), and A(H1N1)pdm09 and influenza B, respectively. We found that, in children younger than 18 years, boys had a higher excess hospitalization rate than girls, with the male-to-female ratio of excess rate (MFR) ranging from 1.1 to 2.4. MFRs of hospitalization associated with different types/subtypes were less than 1.0 for adults younger than 40 years except for A(H3N2) (MFR = 1.6), while all the MFRs were equal to or higher than 1.0 in adults aged 40 years or more except for A(H1N1)pdm09 in elderly persons aged 65 years or more (MFR = 0.9). No MFR was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05) for hospitalizations associated with influenza type/subtype. There is some limited evidence on age and sex differences in hospitalization associated with influenza in the subtropical city of Hong Kong. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  17. Spatial Thinking Concepts in Early Grade-Level Geography Standards

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anthamatten, Peter

    2010-01-01

    Research in the cognition and learning sciences has demonstrated that the human brain contains basic structures whose functions are to perform a variety of specific spatial reasoning tasks and that children are capable of learning basic spatial concepts at an early age. There has been a call from within geography to recognize research on spatial…

  18. Using Geography To Integrate Science and Social Studies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dircks, Henry

    2002-01-01

    Focuses on geography in secondary education, offering reasons why geography is becoming more popular in schools. Provides four activities that integrate science and social studies through geography. Includes topics such as ecological disasters, monsoons, the ozone layer, and global warming. (CMK)

  19. Geography Textbook Assessment for Middle and High School Educators.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martin, Curtis M.

    This geography textbook assessment is a tool and a guide for teachers and curriculum administrators who are responsible for adopting classroom geography materials. The assessment's goal is to help teachers identify the geography textbooks that are most compatible with the content goals of the geography education reform movement as stated in "The…

  20. Sex hormones in Malay and Chinese men in Malaysia: are there age and race differences?

    PubMed Central

    Chin, Kok-Yong; Soelaiman, Ima-Nirwana; Mohamed, Isa Naina; Ahmad, Fairus; Ramli, Elvy Suhana Mohd; Aminuddin, Amilia; Ngah, Wan Zurinah Wan

    2013-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: Variations in the prevalence of sex-hormone-related diseases have been observed between Asian ethnic groups living in the same country; however, available data concerning their sex hormone levels are limited. The present study aimed to determine the influence of ethnicity and age on the sex hormone levels of Malay and Chinese men in Malaysia. METHODS: A total of 547 males of Malay and Chinese ethnicity residing in the Klang Valley Malaysia underwent a detailed screening, and their blood was collected for sex hormones analyses. RESULTS: Testosterone levels were normally distributed in the men (total, free and non-sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) bound fractions), and significant ethnic differences were observed (p<0.05); however, the effect size was small. In general, testosterone levels in males began to decline significantly after age 50. Significant ethnic differences in total, free and non-SHBG bound fraction estradiol levels were observed in the 20-29 and 50-59 age groups (p<0.05). The estradiol levels of Malay men decreased as they aged, but they increased for Chinese men starting at age 40. CONCLUSIONS: Small but significant differences in testosterone levels existed between Malay and Chinese males. Significant age and race differences existed in estradiol levels. These differences might contribute to the ethnic group differences in diseases related to sex hormones, which other studies have found in Malaysia. PMID:23525310

  1. Sex hormones in Malay and Chinese men in Malaysia: are there age and race differences?

    PubMed

    Chin, Kok-Yong; Soelaiman, Ima-Nirwana; Mohamed, Isa Naina; Ahmad, Fairus; Ramli, Elvy Suhana Mohd; Aminuddin, Amilia; Ngah, Wan Zurinah Wan

    2013-01-01

    Variations in the prevalence of sex-hormone-related diseases have been observed between Asian ethnic groups living in the same country; however, available data concerning their sex hormone levels are limited. The present study aimed to determine the influence of ethnicity and age on the sex hormone levels of Malay and Chinese men in Malaysia. A total of 547 males of Malay and Chinese ethnicity residing in the Klang Valley Malaysia underwent a detailed screening, and their blood was collected for sex hormones analyses. Testosterone levels were normally distributed in the men (total, free and non-sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) bound fractions), and significant ethnic differences were observed (p<0.05); however, the effect size was small. In general, testosterone levels in males began to decline significantly after age 50. Significant ethnic differences in total, free and non-SHBG bound fraction estradiol levels were observed in the 20-29 and 50-59 age groups (p<0.05). The estradiol levels of Malay men decreased as they aged, but they increased for Chinese men starting at age 40. Small but significant differences in testosterone levels existed between Malay and Chinese males. Significant age and race differences existed in estradiol levels. These differences might contribute to the ethnic group differences in diseases related to sex hormones, which other studies have found in Malaysia.

  2. Leading causes of injury hospitalisation in children aged 0-4 years in New South Wales by injury submechanism: a brief profile by age and sex.

    PubMed

    Schmertmann, Marcia; Williamson, Ann; Black, Deborah

    2012-11-01

    To identify the leading causes of injury in children aged 0-4 years by single year of age using injury submechanisms and present a brief epidemiologic profile of each cause. Hospitalisation data for New South Wales from 1999 to 2009 were used to identify the leading causes of injury for children aged 0-4 years by single year of age. For each leading cause, rates over time and by sex were calculated by single year of age. Associated age and sex risk ratios were estimated. The leading causes of injury for children aged <1, 1 and 2 years were falls while being carried, burns by hot non-aqueous substances and poisoning by other and unspecified pharmaceutical substances, respectively. Falls involving playground equipment ranked first for children aged 3-4 years. Each leading injury cause exhibited an age pattern that remained stable over time and by sex. Age predicted falls while being carried and both age and sex predicted the remaining leading injury causes, with age and sex interacting to predict burns by hot non-aqueous substances. Epidemiologic analysis using single-year age intervals and injury submechanisms results in a clearer picture of injury risk for young children. The findings of this study provide detailed information regarding the leading causes of hospitalised injury in young children by age and sex. Child health-care providers can use this information to focus discussions of child development and injury risk with families of young children and suggest appropriate prevention measures in terms of a child's age and sex. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2012 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

  3. Woodcock age and sex determination from wings

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Martin, F.W.

    1964-01-01

    Age of woodcock (Philohela minor) can be accurately determined throughout the year by differences in pattern, color, and wear of secondary feathers. Immature woodcock retain most secondaries during the postjuvenal molt that begins in July or August and ends in October. In contrast, subadults (first-year adults) and older woodcock molt all secondaries during the postnuptial molt beginning in June or July and ending in October. Retention of juvenal secondaries by immatures and molt of these feathers by adults form the basis for age determination. Sex of woodcock can be accurately determined by width of the outer three primaries, which are conspicuously narrower on males.

  4. AP Geography, Environmental Science Thrive

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Robelen, Erik W.

    2012-01-01

    Geography may not be particularly known as a hot topic among today's students--even some advocates suggest it suffers from an image problem--but by at least one measure, the subject is starting to come into its own. Across more than 30 topics covered in the Advanced Placement (AP) program, participation in geography is rising faster than any…

  5. Maths performance as a function of sex, laterality, and age of pubertal onset.

    PubMed

    Sappington, John; Topolski, Richard

    2005-07-01

    Sex differences in math/spatial performance demand explanations. Within the biological view, the complexity and number of variables make the explanation difficult at best. Laterality and age of pubertal onset have been investigated prominently in this context but rarely considered as interactions in the same study. Some 468 college subjects with SAT MATH (SAT M) scores were divided into 12 groups defined by sex, laterality, and age (early, middle, and late) of pubertal onset. Significant main effects for sex and age of onset emerged, as did an interaction between lateral preference and pubertal onset. Generally males outperformed females. The combination of maleness, sinistrality, and early maturation was associated with high SAT M scores. Sinistrality and late maturation among females predicted very poor math performance.

  6. Media development effectiveness of geography 3d muckups

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Prasetya, S. P.; Daryono; Budiyanto, E.

    2018-01-01

    Geography examines geosphere phenomena that occurs in a space associated with humans on earth’s surface. Media 3D models are an important visual media in presenting spatial objects on the earth’s surface. This study aims to develop a decent 3D mockups media used for learning materials and test the effectiveness of media geography 3D mockups on learning outcomes. The study involved 90 students of Geography Education, Faculty of Social Sciences and Law, State University of Surabaya. Method development using a model of the Borg and Gall (1989) which has been modified into three stages, namely the introduction, development, and testing. The study produced instructional media 3D Muckups eligible to be used as a learning medium for the material hydrosphere geography, geology, and geomorphology. 3D mockups media use in learning geography materials can increase the activity of students, student interest and a positive response to raise the student learning outcomes as the material can be delivered more concrete geography. Based on observations conducted student activity occurs continuously increase in the use of 3D models for learning geography material.

  7. Fieldwork in Geography Education: Defining or Declining? The State of Fieldwork in Canadian Undergraduate Geography Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wilson, Heather; Leydon, Joseph; Wincentak, Joanna

    2017-01-01

    This paper investigates the prevalence of fieldwork in undergraduate Geography programs in Canada. It examines the presence of fieldwork, provided through both field courses and courses that include fieldwork components, by reviewing program requirements and course offerings in undergraduate geography programs. The research explores the extent to…

  8. Refractive errors in a Brazilian population: age and sex distribution.

    PubMed

    Ferraz, Fabio H; Corrente, José E; Opromolla, Paula; Padovani, Carlos Roberto; Schellini, Silvana A

    2015-01-01

    To determine the prevalence of refractive errors and their distribution according to age and sex in a Brazilian population. This population-based cross-sectional study involved 7654 Brazilian inhabitants of nine municipalities of Sao Paulo State, Brazil, between March 2004 and July 2005. Participants aged >1 year were selected using a random, stratified, household cluster sampling technique, excluding individuals with previous refractive or cataract surgery. Myopia was defined as spherical equivalent (SE) ≤-0.5D, high myopia as SE ≤-3.0D, hyperopia as SE ≥+0.5D, high hyperopia as SE ≥+3D, astigmatism as ≤-0.5DC and anisometropia as ≥1.0D difference between eyes. Age, sex, complaints and a comprehensive eye examination including cycloplegic refraction test were collected and analysed using descriptive analysis, univariate and multivariate methods. The prevalence of astigmatism was 59.7%, hyperopia 33.8% and myopia was 25.3%. Astigmatism had a progressive increase with age. With-the-rule (WTR) axes of astigmatism were more frequently observed in the young participants and the against-the-rule (ATR) axes were more frequent in the older subjects. The onset of myopia occurred more frequently between the 2nd and 3rd decades of life. Anisometropia showed a prevalence of 13.2% (95% CI 12.4-13.9; p < 0.001). There was an association between age and all types of refractive error and hyperopia was also associated with sex. Hyperopia was associated with WTR axes (odds ratio 0.73; 95% CI: 0.6-0.8; p < 0.001) and myopia with ATR axes (odds ratio 0.66; 95% CI: 0.6-0.8; p < 0.001). Astigmatism was the most prevalent refractive error in a Brazilian population. There was a strong relationship between age and all refractive errors and between hyperopia and sex. WTR astigmatism was more frequently associated with hyperopia and ATR astigmatism with myopia. The vast majority of participants had low-grade refractive error, which favours planning aimed at correction of

  9. Age, Sex, and Cultural Differences in the Meaning of Achievement.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Salili, Farideh

    This study explored variations in the meaning and psychological dimensions of achievement among people of different ages, sexes, and cultures. Subjects were 504 male and female British and Chinese students aged 13-55 in Hong Kong. Repertory grid technique was used to elicit success situations and related constructs. A group grid was then…

  10. The interaction of glottal-pulse rate and vocal-tract length in judgements of speaker size, sex, and age

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smith, David R. R.; Patterson, Roy D.

    2005-11-01

    Glottal-pulse rate (GPR) and vocal-tract length (VTL) are related to the size, sex, and age of the speaker but it is not clear how the two factors combine to influence our perception of speaker size, sex, and age. This paper describes experiments designed to measure the effect of the interaction of GPR and VTL upon judgements of speaker size, sex, and age. Vowels were scaled to represent people with a wide range of GPRs and VTLs, including many well beyond the normal range of the population, and listeners were asked to judge the size and sex/age of the speaker. The judgements of speaker size show that VTL has a strong influence upon perceived speaker size. The results for the sex and age categorization (man, woman, boy, or girl) show that, for vowels with GPR and VTL values in the normal range, judgements of speaker sex and age are influenced about equally by GPR and VTL. For vowels with abnormal combinations of low GPRs and short VTLs, the VTL information appears to decide the sex/age judgement.

  11. Opinions and Self-Evaluation of the Students of Geography Department about the Applications of Cooperative Learning in Regional Geography Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aydin, Fatih

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this study was to determine the opinions and self-evaluation of the students of Geography Department about the applications of Cooperative Learning in Regional Geography course. The study was carried out for twelve weeks with 76 students who are in the Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts, Karabuk University between 2011-12. In this…

  12. On Teaching the History and Philosophy of Geography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meir, Avinoam

    To shed light on the question of whether college geography students should be and/or are being instructed about the history and philosophy of geography, a survey was undertaken to determine the educational objectives and practices of geography educators. Approximately 215 American and Canadian geographic educators and chairpersons of geography…

  13. Neurobehavioral Deficits Consistent Across Age and Sex in Youth with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

    PubMed Central

    Panczakiewicz, Amy L.; Glass, Leila; Coles, Claire D.; Kable, Julie A.; Sowell, Elizabeth R.; Wozniak, Jeffrey R.; Jones, Kenneth Lyons; Riley, Edward P.; Mattson, Sarah N.

    2016-01-01

    Background Neurobehavioral consequences of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure are well documented, however the role of age or sex in these effects has not been studied. The current study examined the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure, sex, and age on neurobehavioral functioning in children. Methods Subjects were 407 youth with prenatal alcohol exposure (n=192) and controls (n=215). Two age groups [child (5–7y) or adolescent (10–16y)] and both sexes were included. All subjects completed standardized neuropsychological testing and caregivers completed parent-report measures of psychopathology and adaptive behavior. Neuropsychological functioning, psychopathology, and adaptive behavior were analyzed with separate 2 (exposure history) × 2 (sex) × 2 (age) MANOVAs. Significant effects were followed by univariate analyses. Results No three-way or two-way interactions were significant. The main effect of group was significant in all three MANOVAs, with the control group performing better than the alcohol-exposed group on all measures. The main effect of age was significant for neuropsychological performance and adaptive functioning across exposure groups with younger children performing better than older children on three measures (language, communication, socialization). Older children performed better than younger children on a different language measure. The main effect of sex was significant for neuropsychological performance and psychopathology; across exposure groups, males had stronger language and visual-spatial scores and fewer somatic complaints than females. Conclusion Prenatal alcohol exposure resulted in impaired neuropsychological and behavioral functioning. Although adolescents with prenatal alcohol exposure may perform more poorly than younger exposed children, the same was true for non-exposed children. Thus, these cross-sectional data indicate that the developmental trajectory for neuropsychological and behavioral performance is not altered by

  14. Neurobehavioral Deficits Consistent Across Age and Sex in Youth with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure.

    PubMed

    Panczakiewicz, Amy L; Glass, Leila; Coles, Claire D; Kable, Julie A; Sowell, Elizabeth R; Wozniak, Jeffrey R; Jones, Kenneth Lyons; Riley, Edward P; Mattson, Sarah N

    2016-09-01

    Neurobehavioral consequences of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure are well documented; however, the role of age or sex in these effects has not been studied. The current study examined the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure, sex, and age on neurobehavioral functioning in children. Subjects were 407 youth with prenatal alcohol exposure (n = 192) and controls (n = 215). Two age groups (child [5 to 7 years] or adolescent [10 to 16 years]) and both sexes were included. All subjects completed standardized neuropsychological testing, and caregivers completed parent-report measures of psychopathology and adaptive behavior. Neuropsychological functioning, psychopathology, and adaptive behavior were analyzed with separate 2 (exposure history) × 2 (sex) × 2 (age) multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs). Significant effects were followed by univariate analyses. No 3-way or 2-way interactions were significant. The main effect of group was significant in all 3 MANOVAs, with the control group performing better than the alcohol-exposed group on all measures. The main effect of age was significant for neuropsychological performance and adaptive functioning across exposure groups with younger children performing better than older children on 3 measures (language, communication, socialization). Older children performed better than younger children on a different language measure. The main effect of sex was significant for neuropsychological performance and psychopathology; across exposure groups, males had stronger language and visual spatial scores and fewer somatic complaints than females. Prenatal alcohol exposure resulted in impaired neuropsychological and behavioral functioning. Although adolescents with prenatal alcohol exposure may perform more poorly than younger exposed children, the same was true for nonexposed children. Thus, these cross-sectional data indicate that the developmental trajectory for neuropsychological and behavioral performance is not

  15. Aging and sex hormones in males

    PubMed Central

    Decaroli, Maria Chiara

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Several large cohort studies have disclosed the trajectories of sex steroids changes overtime in men and their clinical significance. In men the slow, physiological decline of serum testosterone (T) with advancing age overlaps with the clinical condition of overt, pathological hypogonadism. In addition, the increasing number of comorbidities, together with the high prevalence of chronic diseases, all further contribute to the decrease of serum T concentrations in the aging male. For all these reasons both the diagnosis of late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) in men and the decision about starting or not T replacement treatment remain challenging. At present, the biochemical finding of T deficiency alone is not sufficient for diagnosing hypogonadism in older men. Coupling hypogonadal symptoms with documented low serum T represents the best strategy to refine the diagnosis of hypogonadism in older men and to avoid unnecessary treatments. PMID:27831823

  16. Early Instruction in Geography: An Exploration in the Ecology of Kindergarten and First-Grade Geography Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walker, Scott L.

    2007-01-01

    This article presents an introductory study of early-grade level geography education in terms of human ecology using accepted cognitive process and knowledge dimensions related to learning. The central question addressed is "at what cognitive process and knowledge levels do kindergarten and first-grade teachers teach geography?" A tentative answer…

  17. Age, Sex, and Religious Beliefs Impact the Attitude towards Cord Blood Banking.

    PubMed

    Sundell, Inger Birgitta; Setzer, Teddi J

    2015-01-01

    In this study, a self-administered questionnaire was used to assess opinions about stem cell research and cord blood banking. Three attitudes were examined: willingness to accept cord blood banking, willingness to accept embryonic stem cell research, and religious belief system. A total of 90 Wayne State University students enrolled in the study in response to an invitation posted on a web page for the university. Sex distribution among study participants was 79 females and eight males; three declined to state their sex. Support for cord blood banking was high (> 70%) among students. Students over the age of 25 years of age were more (85%) positive than students 18 to 24 years old (57%). They prefered a public cord blood bank over a private cord blood bank. Atheist/agnostic or spiritual/not religious students (> 90%), Catholic students (78%) and Christian students (58%) support cord blood banking. Age, sex and religion seems influence the student's attitude towards stem cell research and cord blood banking.

  18. Geography of Religion at Slippery Rock State College.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hannon, Thomas J., Jr.

    The paper presents a course outline intended for use in a one semester geography of religion course on the college level. Geography of religion is interpreted to include all aspects of the impact of religion on cultural, political, and economic geography. Objectives are to emphasize distributional aspects of religion and religious phenomena,…

  19. The Geography Teacher. Volume 5, Number 2, 2008

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Geography Teacher, 2008

    2008-01-01

    "The Geography Teacher" provides hands-on reference and educative material for K-12 Geography teachers. The journal also pioneers innovative ideas for contemporary teaching methods, including lesson plans. This issue contains the following: (1) Ask Dr. de Blij (Harm de Blij); (2) Geography: Is it a Boy's Subject? (Lisa Smitreski); (3) A…

  20. Methods of Suicide by Age: Sex and Race Differences among the Young and Old.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McIntosh, John L.; Santos, John F.

    1986-01-01

    Annual official statistics for specific methods of suicide (firearms, hanging, poisons) by age for different sex and racial groups (Whites, Blacks, non-Whites excluding Black) were examined from 1960 to 1978. Comparisons among the age-sex-race groups, along with trends over time and differences in the methods employed, were noted. (Author/ABL)

  1. Sex differences, sexual selection, and ageing: an experimental evolution approach.

    PubMed

    Maklakov, Alexei A; Bonduriansky, Russell; Brooks, Robert C

    2009-10-01

    Life-history (LH) theory predicts that selection will optimize the trade-off between reproduction and somatic maintenance. Reproductive ageing and finite life span are direct consequences of such optimization. Sexual selection and conflict profoundly affect the reproductive strategies of the sexes and thus can play an important role in the evolution of life span and ageing. In theory, sexual selection can favor the evolution of either faster or slower ageing, but the evidence is equivocal. We used a novel selection experiment to investigate the potential of sexual selection to influence the adaptive evolution of age-specific LH traits. We selected replicate populations of the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus for age at reproduction ("Young" and "Old") either with or without sexual selection. We found that LH selection resulted in the evolution of age-specific reproduction and mortality but these changes were largely unaffected by sexual selection. Sexual selection depressed net reproductive performance and failed to promote adaptation. Nonetheless, the evolution of several traits differed between males and females. These data challenge the importance of current sexual selection in promoting rapid adaptation to environmental change but support the hypothesis that sex differences in LH-a historical signature of sexual selection-are key in shaping trait responses to novel selection.

  2. Geography Teachers' Stories of Sustainability: An Introduction to Narrative Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brooks, Clare

    2016-01-01

    Geography teacher recruitment and retention is an important issue for the future of geography education. This Special Issue of "International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education" ("IRGEE") tackles this issue head on by focusing on geography teachers' narratives about their experiences of teaching geography, and…

  3. Naked at Our Age: Talking out Loud about Senior Sex

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davis, Melanie

    2012-01-01

    "Naked at Our Age" is an excellent resource for sexually interested and/or active adults over the age of 60. The book combines the author's personal reflections, questions and stories shared by older adults, and advice from sex therapists, sexuality educators, the author, and health care providers. The breadth of topics makes the book useful to…

  4. Age, sex, marital status and suicide: an empirical study of east and west.

    PubMed

    Yip, P S

    1998-02-01

    The relationships among age, sex, marital status and suicidal behaviour in Australia and Hong Kong showed disparity in age-specific suicide rates among the four marital status groups, never married, married, widowed and divorced, for both sexes in the two locations. Examining the coefficients of preservation suggested the coefficient for never married to married in all cases was larger than 1, except for the groups of teenagers aged 15-19 years for both sexes and of elderly women aged 60 years or over in Hong Kong. The widowed or divorced groups have lower suicide rates than the married women among the elderly in Hong Kong. Hong Kong women seem not to have been benefited in marriage as much as men. Responsibility and workload in married life rather than low social status are the likely reasons for the relative high female suicide rate in Hong Kong. Possible cultural and environmental factors which are somewhat speculative (yet to be confirmed) are discussed.

  5. Teachers Envisioning Future Geography Education at Their Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Béneker, Tine; Palings, Hans; Krause, Uwe

    2015-01-01

    One of the challenges of a geography teacher education program is preparing teachers for their leading roles in keeping geography education relevant for the young people of today. It is important to allow teachers to think about geography education and the future and to foster their curriculum-making competences. In a master course at Fontys…

  6. Fitkids Treadmill Test: Age- and Sex-Related Normative Values in Dutch Children and Adolescents.

    PubMed

    Kotte, Elles M W; de Groot, Janke F; Bongers, Bart C; Winkler, Alexander M F; Takken, Tim

    2016-11-01

    Recent research has shown that the Fitkids Treadmill Test (FTT) is a valid and reproducible exercise test for the assessment of aerobic exercise capacity in children and adolescents who are healthy. The study objective was to provide sex- and age-related normative values for FTT performance in children and adolescents who were healthy, developing typically, and 6 to 18 years of age. This was a cross-sectional, observational study. Three hundred fifty-six children and adolescents who were healthy (174 boys and 182 girls; mean age=12.9 years, SD=3.7) performed the FTT to their maximal effort to assess time to exhaustion (TTE). The least-mean-square method was used to generate sex- and age-related centile charts (P3, P10, P25, P50, P75, P90, and P97) for TTE on the FTT. In boys, the reference curve (P50) showed an almost linear increase in TTE with age, from 8.8 minutes at 6 years of age to 16.1 minutes at 18 years of age. In girls, the P50 values for TTE increased from 8.8 minutes at 6 years of age to 12.5 minutes at 18 years of age, with a plateau in TTE starting at approximately 10 years of age. Youth who were not white were underrepresented in this study. This study describes sex- and age-related normative values for FTT performance in children and adolescents who were healthy, developing typically, and 6 to 18 years of age. These age- and sex-related normative values will increase the usefulness of the FTT in clinical practice. © 2016 American Physical Therapy Association.

  7. Geography and Interdisciplinary, Future Oriented Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Austin, C. Murray

    This paper identifies issues which can best be understood within a geographic dimension and suggests how educators at all levels can help students understand the increasing interdependence in economic, political, social, and technological systems by emphasizing geography's integrative dimensions. Geography's potential as an integrating force in…

  8. Population Geography: Problems, Concepts, and Prospects.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peters, Gary L.; Larkin, Robert P.

    This book introduces secondary students to population geography. Material from other disciplines is included because the study of population is multidisciplinary. It is presented in eleven chapters. The introduction considers definitions of concepts and aspects of population geography, explaining the emphasis on spatial patterns of population…

  9. Age and Sex Related Differences in Subcortical Brain Iron Concentrations among Healthy Adults

    PubMed Central

    Persson, Ninni; Wu, Jianlin; Zhang, Qing; Liu, Ting; Shen, Jing; Bao, Ruyi; Ni, Mingfei; Liu, Tian; Wang, Yi; Spincemaille, Pascal

    2015-01-01

    Age and sex can influence brain iron levels. We studied the influence of these variables on deep gray matter magnetic susceptibilities. In 183 healthy volunteers (44.7 ± 14.2 years, range 20-69, ♀ 49%), in vivo Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM) at 1.5T was performed to estimate brain iron accumulation in the following regions of interest (ROIs): caudate nucleus (Cd), putamen (Pt), globus pallidus (Gp), thalamus (Th), pulvinar (Pul), red nucleus (Rn), substantia nigra (Sn) and the cerebellar dentate nuclei (Dn). We gauged the influence of age and sex on magnetic susceptibility by specifying a series of Structural Equation Models. The distributions of susceptibility varied in degree across the structures, conforming to histologic findings (Hallgren & Sourander, 1958), with the highest degree of susceptibility in the Gp and the lowest in the Th. Iron increase correlated across several ROIs, which may reflect an underlying age-related process. Advanced age was associated with a particularly strong linear rise of susceptibility in the striatum. Nonlinear age trends were found in the Rn, where they were the most pronounced, followed by the Pul and Sn, while minimal nonlinear trends were observed for the Pt, Th, and Dn. Moreover, sex related variations were observed, so that women showed lower levels of susceptibility in the Sn after accounting for age. Regional susceptibility of the Pul increased linearly with age in men but exhibited a nonlinear association with age in women with a leveling off starting from midlife. Women expected to be post menopause (+51 years) showed lower total magnetic susceptibility in the subcortical gray matter. The current report is consistent with previous reports of age related variations of brain iron, but also adds to the current knowledge by reporting age-related changes in less studied, smaller subcortical nuclei. This is the first in-vivo report to show lower total subcortical brain iron levels selectively in women from

  10. Age and sex related differences in subcortical brain iron concentrations among healthy adults.

    PubMed

    Persson, Ninni; Wu, Jianlin; Zhang, Qing; Liu, Ting; Shen, Jing; Bao, Ruyi; Ni, Mingfei; Liu, Tian; Wang, Yi; Spincemaille, Pascal

    2015-11-15

    Age and sex can influence brain iron levels. We studied the influence of these variables on deep gray matter magnetic susceptibilities. In 183 healthy volunteers (44.7 ± 14.2 years, range 20-69, ♀ 49%), in vivo quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) at 1.5T was performed to estimate brain iron accumulation in the following regions of interest (ROIs): caudate nucleus (Cd), putamen (Pt), globus pallidus (Gp), thalamus (Th), pulvinar (Pul), red nucleus (Rn), substantia nigra (Sn) and the cerebellar dentate nuclei (Dn). We gauged the influence of age and sex on magnetic susceptibility by specifying a series of structural equation models. The distributions of susceptibility varied in degree across the structures, conforming to histologic findings (Hallgren and Sourander, 1958), with the highest degree of susceptibility in the Gp and the lowest in the Th. Iron increase correlated across several ROIs, which may reflect an underlying age-related process. Advanced age was associated with a particularly strong linear rise of susceptibility in the striatum. Nonlinear age trends were found in the Rn, where they were the most pronounced, followed by the Pul and Sn, while minimal nonlinear trends were observed for the Pt, Th, and Dn. Moreover, sex related variations were observed, so that women showed lower levels of susceptibility in the Sn after accounting for age. Regional susceptibility of the Pul increased linearly with age in men but exhibited a nonlinear association with age in women with a leveling off starting from midlife. Women expected to be post menopause (+51 years) showed lower total magnetic susceptibility in the subcortical gray matter. The current report not only is consistent with previous reports of age related variations of brain iron, but also adds to the current knowledge by reporting age-related changes in less studied, smaller subcortical nuclei. This is the first in-vivo report to show lower total subcortical brain iron levels selectively in women

  11. Age and sex differences of risk factors of activity limitations in Japanese older adults.

    PubMed

    Monma, Takafumi; Takeda, Fumi; Noguchi, Haruko; Tamiya, Nanako

    2016-06-01

    The objective of the present study was to verify how socioeconomic and physical/mental health status would be associated with activity limitations by age and sex among older adults, using nationally representative cross-sectional data in Japan. The present study focused on 8373 older adults aged 65 years or older extracted from the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions conducted in 2007 by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses and population-attributable risk were applied to validate the relationships of socioeconomic and physical/mental health status with activity limitations among the total population, and by age groups (young-old or old-old) and sex. Mental health showed the highest odds ratio and population-attributable risk in the total population. In addition, low back pain was associated with activity limitations regardless of age and sex. Other musculoskeletal diseases, such as arthropathy and osteoporosis, were related to activity limitations for women, regardless of age, whereas cardiovascular diseases, including angina pectoris/myocardial infarction and cerebral stroke, were associated with activity limitations for men in any age group. There were no statistically significant correlations between socioeconomic status and activity limitations in any groups. Mental health was the most important factor of activity limitations in Japanese older adults. Furthermore, low back pain regardless of age and sex, other musculoskeletal diseases only for women and cardiovascular diseases mainly for men could also be significant risk factors to activity limitations. Therefore, preventive approaches of activity limitations considering sex differences are important for older adults in Japan. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2015; ●●: ●●-●●. © 2015 Japan Geriatrics Society.

  12. Problems of Geography as General Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harper, Robert A.

    The increasing interdependency and regional specialization of today's world demand a new approach to the teaching of introductory geography courses. By focusing on the interrelationship of physical, cultural, and economic geography, a course for general education students can foster development of the geographic perspective on human systems needed…

  13. Role of Estrogen and Other Sex Hormones in Brain Aging. Neuroprotection and DNA Repair

    PubMed Central

    Zárate, Sandra; Stevnsner, Tinna; Gredilla, Ricardo

    2017-01-01

    Aging is an inevitable biological process characterized by a progressive decline in physiological function and increased susceptibility to disease. The detrimental effects of aging are observed in all tissues, the brain being the most important one due to its main role in the homeostasis of the organism. As our knowledge about the underlying mechanisms of brain aging increases, potential approaches to preserve brain function rise significantly. Accumulating evidence suggests that loss of genomic maintenance may contribute to aging, especially in the central nervous system (CNS) owing to its low DNA repair capacity. Sex hormones, particularly estrogens, possess potent antioxidant properties and play important roles in maintaining normal reproductive and non-reproductive functions. They exert neuroprotective actions and their loss during aging and natural or surgical menopause is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, neuroinflammation, synaptic decline, cognitive impairment and increased risk of age-related disorders. Moreover, loss of sex hormones has been suggested to promote an accelerated aging phenotype eventually leading to the development of brain hypometabolism, a feature often observed in menopausal women and prodromal Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Although data on the relation between sex hormones and DNA repair mechanisms in the brain is still limited, various investigations have linked sex hormone levels with different DNA repair enzymes. Here, we review estrogen anti-aging and neuroprotective mechanisms, which are currently an area of intense study, together with the effect they may have on the DNA repair capacity in the brain. PMID:29311911

  14. [Lead intakes by different age-sex population groups from Chinese total diet study in 2000].

    PubMed

    Zhang, Lei; Gao, Junquan; Li, Xiaowei

    2007-07-01

    To estimate the dietary lead intakes by different age-sex population groups in China. The lead concentrations of food sample from 3rd Chinese total diet study were determined, and then were combined with the food consumption by population of ten age-sex groups, The lead intakes, and its distribution and dietary sources were obtained. It was found that the mean and median concentrations of lead in all food samples were 0.118 and 0.052mg/kg, respectively. The highest concentration of individual sample and mean concentrations of lead in preserved egg were 8.964mg/kg and 2.577mg/kg, respectively. The vegetable samples in Hubei Province were heavily contaminated. The lead intakes by different age-sex groups were estimated to be 54.9-112.7microg/day. The average dietary lead intakes by 2-7 years old group could reach 86.1% of PTWI, and individual lead intakes by about 30% children in this group exceed PTWI. But the average dietary lead intakes of other age-sex population groups ranged from 42.8% to 86.1% of PTWI. The main sources of dietary lead were cereals and vegetables in ten age-sex population groups, and could reach 72%-80% of total lead intakes. Although the dietary lead intakes by different age-sex population groups are all lower than PTWI, it should be decreased to a lower level. Moreover, the dietary exposures to lead are higher enough for 2-7 years old children and population in some provinces to be considered seriously.

  15. Master's Theses in Geography: American and Canadian Universities. A Bibliography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stuart, Merrill M.

    The bibliography cites over 5,000 master's theses completed in geography departments in the United States and Canada through 1972. The theses are arranged by author within one of the following categories: (1) agricultural geography; (2) association of man and environment; (3) climatology; (4) cultural geography; (5) educational geography; (6)…

  16. Syphilis among middle-aged female sex workers in China: a three-site cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Liu, Hongjie; Dumenci, Levent; Morisky, Donald E; Xu, Yongfang; Li, Xiaojing; Jiang, Baofa

    2016-05-10

    This study addresses the lack of empirical studies about the epidemic of syphilis among middle-aged female sex workers (FSWs). The objectives of this study were to investigate prevalence of syphilis, and its potential risk factors among middle-aged FSWs in China. A cross-sectional study with respondent-driven sampling (RDS). A multisite study conducted at three Chinese cites (Nanning, Hefei, and Qingdao) with different levels of sexually transmitted diseases in 2014. 1245 middle-aged female sex workers who were over 35 years old (about 400 per study site). Unprotected commercial sex, and syphilis and HIV infection were biologically tested and measured. The RDS-adjusted prevalence of active syphilis was 17.3% in Hefei, 9.9% in Qingdao, and 5.4% in Nanning. The RDS-adjusted prevalence of prevalent syphilis was between 6.8% and 33.6% in the three cities. The proportion of unprotected sex in the past 48 h verified by the prostate-specific antigen test (PSA) was between 27.8% and 42.4%. Multiple log-binomial regression analyses indicate that middle-aged FSWs who had 5 or more clients in the past week prior to interviews and engaged in unprotected sex were more likely to be active syphilitic cases. Middle-aged FSWs who had rural residency were less likely to be active syphilitic cases. In contrast with previous studies that reported low prevalence of syphilis and high prevalence of protected sex among FSWs in China, both the prevalence of syphilis and unprotected sex were high among middle-aged FSWs. Evidence-based intervention programmes should be developed and evaluated among this vulnerable population in China and other countries with similar settings. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  17. Estimating Small-area Populations by Age and Sex Using Spatial Interpolation and Statistical Inference Methods

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Qai, Qiang; Rushton, Gerald; Bhaduri, Budhendra L

    The objective of this research is to compute population estimates by age and sex for small areas whose boundaries are different from those for which the population counts were made. In our approach, population surfaces and age-sex proportion surfaces are separately estimated. Age-sex population estimates for small areas and their confidence intervals are then computed using a binomial model with the two surfaces as inputs. The approach was implemented for Iowa using a 90 m resolution population grid (LandScan USA) and U.S. Census 2000 population. Three spatial interpolation methods, the areal weighting (AW) method, the ordinary kriging (OK) method, andmore » a modification of the pycnophylactic method, were used on Census Tract populations to estimate the age-sex proportion surfaces. To verify the model, age-sex population estimates were computed for paired Block Groups that straddled Census Tracts and therefore were spatially misaligned with them. The pycnophylactic method and the OK method were more accurate than the AW method. The approach is general and can be used to estimate subgroup-count types of variables from information in existing administrative areas for custom-defined areas used as the spatial basis of support in other applications.« less

  18. Using Literature To Teach Geography in High Schools. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hume, Susan E.

    This digest discusses various ways in which literature can be incorporated with world geography to make better connections across the curriculum. Reasons to use a literature-based approach to teach geography include: (1) there is a natural link between geography and literature; (2) the study of literature improves comprehension of geography; and…

  19. Enframing Geography: Subject, Curriculum, Knowledge, Responsibility

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Winter, Christine

    2012-01-01

    The word "geo-graphy" means "writing the earth". The subject of geography bears responsibility for engaging, constituting and configuring world knowledge, in other words, what the world is. This paper describes an enquiry into the nature of school geographical knowledge at a time of curriculum policy reform. In 2010, the newly…

  20. How to Write Geography Teaching Paper

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liu, Hua; Li, Lu

    2011-01-01

    Geography teaching paper is the paper especially to describe geography teaching reform and research achievement, its main purpose is to find solution to handle questions encountered in teaching through personal teaching practice, constant trying and exploration, and to scientifically summarize the procedure and methods to deal with the problem,…

  1. Ethnic Diversity in Geography Undergraduate Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Estaville, Lawrence E.; Akiwumi, Fenda A.; Montalvo, Edris J.

    2008-01-01

    The discipline of geography in the United States has not done a good job of attracting people, other than Asians, from underrepresented ethnic groups. This article examines undergraduate geography programs in the United States to understand better the status of their ethnic diversity, particularly regarding Hispanics and African Americans, and to…

  2. Variance in age-specific sex composition of Pacific halibut catches, and comparison of statistical and genetic methods for reconstructing sex ratios

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Loher, Timothy; Woods, Monica A.; Jimenez-Hidalgo, Isadora; Hauser, Lorenz

    2016-01-01

    Declines in size at age of Pacific halibut Hippoglossus stenolepis, in concert with sexually-dimorphic growth and a constant minimum commercial size limit, have led to the expectation that the sex composition of commercial catches should be increasingly female-biased. Sensitivity analyses suggest that variance in sex composition of landings may be the most influential source of uncertainty affecting current understanding of spawning stock biomass. However, there is no reliable way to determine sex at landing because all halibut are eviscerated at sea. In 2014, a statistical method based on survey data was developed to estimate the probability that fish of any given length at age (LAA) would be female, derived from the fundamental observation that large, young fish are likely female whereas small, old fish have a high probability of being male. Here, we examine variability in age-specific sex composition using at-sea commercial and closed-season survey catches, and compare the accuracy of the survey-based LAA technique to genetic markers for reconstructing the sex composition of catches. Sexing by LAA performed best for summer-collected samples, consistent with the hypothesis that the ability to characterize catches can be influenced by seasonal demographic shifts. Additionally, differences between survey and commercial selectivity that allow fishers to harvest larger fish within cohorts may generate important mismatch between survey and commercial datasets. Length-at-age-based estimates ranged from 4.7% underestimation of female proportion to 12.0% overestimation, with mean error of 5.8 ± 1.5%. Ratios determined by genetics were closer to true sample proportions and displayed less variability; estimation to within < 1% of true ratios was limited to genetics. Genetic estimation of female proportions ranged from 4.9% underestimation to 2.5% overestimation, with a mean absolute error of 1.2 ± 1.2%. Males were generally more difficult to assign than females: 6.7% of

  3. Perspectives on Cultural Geography in AP® Human Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hall, Christopher; Johnston-Anumonwo, Ibipo

    2016-01-01

    This article provides an overview of selected current concerns in cultural geography and the way it is taught. It includes coverage of cultural convergence and divergence, race and gender as culturally defined topics, and best teaching practices, including those related to analyzing controversial issues. Two important geographical models are laid…

  4. Perspectives on Political Geography in AP® Human Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leib, Jonathan; Smothers-Marcello, Jody

    2016-01-01

    Two trends have remade the field of political geography over the past quarter-century. First, a revision of taken-for-granted concepts that amounted to "spatial determinism." Second, pioneering many new and emerging concepts such as political ecology. Both trends are important contributions to the evolving section of the AP Human…

  5. Geography Preservice Teachers' Disposition toward Teaching Spatial Thinking through Geography: A Comparison between China and Korea

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Jinhee; Jo, Injeong; Xuan, Xiaowei; Zhou, Weiguo

    2018-01-01

    Although geography education researchers in both China and Korea acknowledge that the education of spatial thinking and the development of teachers' dispositions toward teaching spatial thinking are important, very few studies are available on the topic. This article examines the dispositions of Chinese and Korean geography preservice teachers'…

  6. Sex work in geographic perspective: a multi-disciplinary approach to mapping and understanding female sex work venues in Southwest China.

    PubMed

    Lorway, Robert; Khan, Shamshad; Chevrier, Claudyne; Huynh, Anthony; Zhang, Juying; Ma, Xiao; Blanchard, James; Yu, Nancy

    2017-05-01

    This paper examines the findings from an extensive geographic mapping study of female sex work venues located in the south western Chinese city of Zigong, in Sichuan province. Drawing upon the findings from quantitative research, secondary historical sources and field notes, composed during participant observation, we provide a nuanced portrait of how the operation of sex work can be conceptualised in spatial terms, where 'space' is regarded as something socially constructed and historically contingent. The sex work geographies we analyse hold important implications for prevention work conducted in the region. When the sexual practices between sex workers and their clients are viewed against a wider geographic and historical backdrop, focus shifts from the properties and intentionalities of individuals towards the kinds of spaces where sex work operates, the organisation of which are underpinned by economic forces that have given rise to the rapid proliferation of small urban spaces in contemporary China.

  7. Age- and sex-related differences in the anthropometry and neuromuscular fitness of competitive taekwondo athletes.

    PubMed

    Nikolaidis, Pantelis Theodoros; Buśko, Krzysztof; Clemente, Filipe Manuel; Tasiopoulos, Ioannis; Knechtle, Beat

    2016-01-01

    Anthropometry and neuromuscular fitness have been shown to relate with taekwondo (TKD) performance; however, little information is available on the variation of these fitness components by sex and age in athletes practicing this sport. The aim of the present study was to examine the anthropometry and neuromuscular fitness of TKD athletes by sex and age. A total of 393 athletes (7-48 years old), separated into six age groups (7-9, 10-11, 12-13, 14-17, 18-32, and 33+), were examined for anthropometry and performed a series of neuromuscular fitness tests (flexibility, agility, muscle power, and isometric strength). An age × sex interaction on body mass, body height, and body fat percentage (BF, p ≤0.003, η 2 ≥0.045), but not on body mass index ( p =0.172, η 2 =0.020), was shown, where a larger increase in body mass and body height from 12-13 to 14-17 groups was observed in males than in females, and the sex difference in BF increased from 12-13 to 14-17 age group. An age × sex interaction on sit-and-reach (SAR) test, mean power output in the Bosco test, and Abalakov jump ( p ≤0.038, η 2 ≥0.031) was observed with larger differences between 12-13 and 18-32 groups in males than in females. In SAR, it was remarkable that the male athletes achieved similar scores as female athletes in the 18-32 group. An age × sex group interaction on measures of isometric muscle strength (right and left handgrip, trunk, and legs) was also shown ( p ≤0.002, η 2 ≥0.068), where larger differences in male than female athletes were observed between the 12-13 and 14-17 groups. From a practical perspective, coaches can use these findings as reference for the evaluation of their athletes. Because the anthropometric characteristics and neuromuscular fitness varied by sex (i.e., highest scores in males, except flexibility) and age (i.e., highest scores in the 18-32 age group) with unique sport-specific patterns in TKD athletes, these findings would be important for the

  8. Teaching Geography through an Animated Lens

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kenna, Joshua L.; Waters, Stewart

    2017-01-01

    Geography is a fun and exciting discipline involving the interrogation of place and space. Film is a powerful and meaningful tool, which also transmits perceptions of place and space. Therefore, this article builds a rationale for utilizing film in the teaching of geography, particularly animated film. Next, it discusses two classroom-tested…

  9. Information Geography: A Bridge between Engineering and the Social Sciences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Paradiso, Maria

    2006-01-01

    This paper presents the metaphor of engineering and the social sciences located on either side of a chasm and connected by the bridge of information geography. Information geography is not an integral part of engineering and is a new field within geography, a social science discipline. The specialty of information geography is one of the newest in…

  10. How sex and age affect immune responses, susceptibility to infections, and response to vaccination

    PubMed Central

    Giefing-Kröll, Carmen; Berger, Peter; Lepperdinger, Günter; Grubeck-Loebenstein, Beatrix

    2015-01-01

    Do men die young and sick, or do women live long and healthy? By trying to explain the sexual dimorphism in life expectancy, both biological and environmental aspects are presently being addressed. Besides age-related changes, both the immune and the endocrine system exhibit significant sex-specific differences. This review deals with the aging immune system and its interplay with sex steroid hormones. Together, they impact on the etiopathology of many infectious diseases, which are still the major causes of morbidity and mortality in people at old age. Among men, susceptibilities toward many infectious diseases and the corresponding mortality rates are higher. Responses to various types of vaccination are often higher among women thereby also mounting stronger humoral responses. Women appear immune-privileged. The major sex steroid hormones exhibit opposing effects on cells of both the adaptive and the innate immune system: estradiol being mainly enhancing, testosterone by and large suppressive. However, levels of sex hormones change with age. At menopause transition, dropping estradiol potentially enhances immunosenescence effects posing postmenopausal women at additional, yet specific risks. Conclusively during aging, interventions, which distinctively consider the changing level of individual hormones, shall provide potent options in maintaining optimal immune functions. PMID:25720438

  11. Cholesterol Curves to Identify Population Norms by Age and Sex in Healthy Weight Children

    PubMed Central

    Skinner, Asheley Cockrell; Steiner, Michael J.; Chung, Arlene E.; Perrin, Eliana M.

    2012-01-01

    Objective Develop clinically applicable charts of lipid values illustrating fluctuations throughout childhood and by sex among healthy weight children. Methods The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999–2008) was used to estimate total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglycerides by age and sex in healthy weight children age 3 to 17 years. Using LMS procedures, the authors created smoothed curves demonstrating population-based 50th percentile for age and the 75th and 95th percentiles. Results The curves were based on 7681 children meeting inclusion criteria. Total cholesterol, HDL, and LDL demonstrated peaks at approximately 8 to 12 years for boys. Similar peaks were evident for girls at slightly younger ages, approximately 7 to 11 years. Triglycerides showed peaks for girls, but values were similar across ages for boys. Conclusions The use of fixed lipid value cutoffs in established guidelines regardless of age or sex likely mislabels many children as abnormal. The authors’ charts may allow for a more nuanced interpretation based on population norms. PMID:22157422

  12. Sex- and age-based variation in transfusion practices among patients undergoing major surgery.

    PubMed

    Valero-Elizondo, Javier; Spolverato, Gaya; Kim, Yuhree; Wagner, Doris; Ejaz, Aslam; Frank, Steven M; Pawlik, Timothy M

    2015-11-01

    Data on hemoglobin (Hb) threshold levels for "appropriate" packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusions have not taken into account patient-specific variables such as sex and age. We sought to define differences in perioperative transfusion practices based on patient sex and age among patients undergoing complex gastrointestinal (GI) and cardiothoracic-vascular (CT-V) surgical procedures. All patients undergoing any major GI or CT-V procedures between January 2010 and April 2014 at the Johns Hopkins Hospital were identified. Data on sex, age, as well as other clinicopathologic and procedures were collected and analyzed relative to transfusion practices (restrictive: transfusion at blood Hb < 7 vs liberal transfusion at Hb ≥ 7 g/dL). Among the 10,772 patients included in the study cohort, 4,689 (44.0%) were transfused with ≥ 1 PRBC. Median preoperative Hb was lower among women (12.3 vs 13.4 g/dL in men) and the aged (<65 years, 13.1 vs ≥ 65 years, 12.7 g/dL) patients (both P < .05). On adjusted analysis, male sex (odds ratio [OR], 1.13; 95% CI, 1.02-1.26; P = .03) and age ≥ 65 (OR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.35-2.33; P < .001) were associated independently with an increased odds of receipt of ≥ 1 PRBC. Although sex did not seem to impact transfusion strategy, patient age did impact the relative trigger used by providers for a transfusion. Specifically, patients 65-74 years (OR, 2.87; 95% CI, 1.93-4.26) and those ≥ 74 years (OR, 3.42; 95% CI, 2.28-5.14) were at a much greater odds of being transfused liberally compared with patients <65 years old (both P < .05). The proportion of patients who had a potentially avoidable transfusion (ie, both trigger ≥ 7 and target ≥ 9 g/dL) was greater among aged patients (50%) compared with nonaged patients (41%; P < .001). Of note, a restrictive transfusion strategy did not increase the risk of overall morbidity among women (OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.59-0.99; P = .04) or aged (OR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.87-1.47; P = .37) patients. Sex and age

  13. Enhancing the earth-science content and inquiry basis of physical geography education in Singapore schools

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McCaughey, J.; Chong, E.

    2011-12-01

    Singapore has a long tradition of geography education at the secondary and Junior College levels (ages 12-18). Although most geography teachers teach both human and physical geography, many of them have received more extensive university training in human geography. The Earth Obervatory of Singapore (EOS), a newly established research institute at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), is building an education and outreach program to integrate its research across formal and informal education. We are collaborating with the Singapore Ministry of Education to enhance the earth-science content and inquiry basis of physical geography education in Singapore classrooms. EOS is providing input to national curriculum, textbook materials, and teaching resources, as well as providing inquiry-based field seminars and workshops for inservice teachers. An upcoming 5-year "Our Dynamic Earth" exhibit at the Science Centre Singapore will be a centerpoint of outreach to younger students, their teachers and parents, and to the community at large. On a longer time scale, the upcoming undergraduate program in earth science at NTU, the first of its kind in Singapore, will provide a stream of earth scientists into the geography teaching workforce. Developing ties between EOS and the National Institute of Education will further enhance teacher training. With a highly centralized curriculum, small land area, high-performing student population, and key stakeholders eager to collaborate with EOS, Singapore presents an unusual opportunity to impact classrooms on a national scale.

  14. Sex differences in the effects of juvenile and adult diet on age-dependent reproductive effort.

    PubMed

    Houslay, T M; Hunt, J; Tinsley, M C; Bussière, L F

    2015-05-01

    Sexual selection should cause sex differences in patterns of resource allocation. When current and future reproductive effort trade off, variation in resource acquisition might further cause sex differences in age-dependent investment, or in sensitivity to changes in resource availability over time. However, the nature and prevalence of sex differences in age-dependent investment remain unclear. We manipulated resource acquisition at juvenile and adult stages in decorated crickets, Gryllodes sigillatus, and assessed effects on sex-specific allocation to age-dependent reproductive effort (calling in males, fecundity in females) and longevity. We predicted that the resource and time demands of egg production would result in relatively consistent female strategies across treatments, whereas male investment should depend sharply on diet. Contrary to expectations, female age-dependent reproductive effort diverged substantially across treatments, with resource-limited females showing much lower and later investment in reproduction; the highest fecundity was associated with intermediate lifespans. In contrast, long-lived males always signalled more than short-lived males, and male age-dependent reproductive effort did not depend on diet. We found consistently positive covariance between male reproductive effort and lifespan, whereas diet altered this covariance in females, revealing sex differences in the benefits of allocation to longevity. Our results support sex-specific selection on allocation patterns, but also suggest a simpler alternative: males may use social feedback to make allocation decisions and preferentially store resources as energetic reserves in its absence. Increased calling effort with age therefore could be caused by gradual resource accumulation, heightened mortality risk over time, and a lack of feedback from available mates. © 2015 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2015 European Society For Evolutionary

  15. GeoGebra in a Geography Class

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Herceg, Ðorde; Herceg-Mandic, Vera

    2013-01-01

    Certain secondary school subjects, such as geography, contain topics which are based on mathematical concepts. However, some geography teachers either fail to recognize this connection or choose to ignore it when they teach. Instead, they present the subject matter as a collection of facts, which need to be memorized and reproduced by the pupils.…

  16. Influence of female sex and fertile age on neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders.

    PubMed

    Borisow, Nadja; Kleiter, Ingo; Gahlen, Anna; Fischer, Katrin; Wernecke, Klaus-Dieter; Pache, Florence; Ruprecht, Klemens; Havla, Joachim; Krumbholz, Markus; Kümpfel, Tania; Aktas, Orhan; Ringelstein, Marius; Geis, Christian; Kleinschnitz, Christoph; Berthele, Achim; Hemmer, Bernhard; Angstwurm, Klemens; Weissert, Robert; Stellmann, Jan-Patrick; Schuster, Simon; Stangel, Martin; Lauda, Florian; Tumani, Hayrettin; Mayer, Christoph; Zeltner, Lena; Ziemann, Ulf; Linker, Ralf A; Schwab, Matthias; Marziniak, Martin; Then Bergh, Florian; Hofstadt-van Oy, Ulrich; Neuhaus, Oliver; Winkelmann, Alexander; Marouf, Wael; Rückriem, Lioba; Faiss, Jürgen; Wildemann, Brigitte; Paul, Friedemann; Jarius, Sven; Trebst, Corinna; Hellwig, Kerstin

    2017-07-01

    Gender and age at onset are important epidemiological factors influencing prevalence, clinical presentation, and treatment response in autoimmune diseases. To evaluate the impact of female sex and fertile age on aquaporin-4-antibody (AQP4-ab) status, attack localization, and response to attack treatment in patients with neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and its spectrum disorders (neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD)). Female-to-male ratios, diagnosis at last visit (NMO vs NMOSD), attack localization, attack treatment, and outcome were compared according to sex and age at disease or attack onset. A total of 186 NMO/SD patients (82% female) were included. In AQP4-ab-positive patients, female predominance was most pronounced during fertile age (female-to-male ratio 23:1). Female patients were more likely to be positive for AQP4-abs (92% vs 55%; p < 0.001). Interval between onset and diagnosis of NMO/SD was longer in women than in men (mean 54 vs 27 months; p = 0.023). In women, attacks occurring ⩽40 years of age were more likely to show complete remission ( p = 0.003) and better response to high-dose intravenous steroids ( p = 0.005) compared to woman at >40 years. Our data suggest an influence of sex and age on susceptibility to AQP4-ab-positive NMO/SD. Genetic and hormonal factors might contribute to pathophysiology of NMO/SD.

  17. Preschoolers' Beliefs about Sex and Age Differences in Emotionality.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karbon, Mariss; And Others

    1992-01-01

    Assesses beliefs of 32 male and 35 female middle-class preschool children about the frequency and intensity with which girls, boys, women, and men experience anger, sadness, and happiness. Children's beliefs are complex; they vary as a function of the target person's age and sex and of the specific emotion. (SLD)

  18. Geography & Weather: Hurricanes.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mogil, H. Michael; Collins, H. Thomas

    1989-01-01

    Background information using Hurricane Gilbert (1988) is provided. Ideas for 27 activities including a mapping activity are discussed. The 5 themes of geography are listed and a glossary is given. (CW)

  19. [Chinese Total Diet Study in 2000. Cadium intakes by different age-sex population groups].

    PubMed

    Zhang, Lei; Gao, Junquan; Li, Xiaowei

    2008-05-01

    To estimate the dietary cadium intakes by different age-sex groups in China. The cadium concentrations of food sample from 3rd Chinese total diet study were determined, and then combine these data with the food consumption by population of ten age-sex groups, The cadium intakes, and its distribution and dietary sources were obtained. It was found that the mean and median concentrations of cadium in all food samples were 0.046 and 0.006 mg/kg, respectively. The cadium contents in shellfish and liver were far higher than other food staffs. The cadium intakes by different age-sex groups were estimated to be 12.0 - 25.9 microg/day, ranged from 30.3% to 67.0% of PTWI. The individual dietary cadium intakes by 14% children in 2 - 7 years old group exceed PTWI. Cereals, vegetables and seafood were the main sources of cadium exposure, and contributed about 80% of total intakes. Although the dietary cadium intakes by different age-sex groups are all lower than PTWI, they are increased in the past decade. Moreover, in some provinces, the cadium burden of people is heavy.

  20. Relationship between cortisol reactivity to psychosocial stress and declarative memory decline during aging: Impact of age and sex.

    PubMed

    Dos Santos, Aline Talita; Leyendecker, Dayse Maria D; Costa, Ana Lucia Siqueira; de Souza-Talarico, Juliana Nery

    2018-01-01

    To analyze the relationship between memory performance and the neuroendocrine and cardiovascular response to acute psychosocial stress in healthy older people, and the sex and age impact in this relationship. We randomly selected 100 literate older adults, without cognitive or functional impairment. The neuroendocrine stress response was evaluated by measuring the concentration of salivary cortisol, whereas cardiovascular reactions were determined based on blood pressure and heart rate measures taken before, during and after participant exposure to an acute psychosocial stressor (the Trier social stress test [TSST]). Memory performance was evaluated by applying the word pairs test before and after the TSST. A significant reduction in the word pair test scores was observed after the TSST, and a negative correlation between cortisol concentration and immediate and delayed recall of the word pair. Cortisol concentration associated with age, sex and education explained memory performance variability before and after the TSST. The results showed that the influence of acute stress on memory performance during aging might vary according to age and sex, highlighting potential differences in the vulnerability of older individuals to the neurotoxic effects of stress exposure on memory and consequently on the development of cognitive disorders. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; 18: 169-176. © 2017 Japan Geriatrics Society.

  1. Odour-Mediated Orientation of Beetles Is Influenced by Age, Sex and Morph

    PubMed Central

    Arnold, Sarah E. J.; Stevenson, Philip C.; Belmain, Steven R.

    2012-01-01

    The behaviour of insects is dictated by a combination of factors and may vary considerably between individuals, but small insects are often considered en masse and thus these differences can be overlooked. For example, the cowpea bruchid Callosobruchus maculatus F. exists naturally in two adult forms: the active (flight) form for dispersal, and the inactive (flightless), more fecund but shorter-lived form. Given that these morphs show dissimilar biology, it is possible that they differ in odour-mediated orientation and yet studies of this species frequently neglect to distinguish morph type, or are carried out only on the inactive morph. Along with sex and age of individual, adult morph could be an important variable determining the biology of this and similar species, informing studies on evolution, ecology and pest management. We used an olfactometer with motion-tracking to investigate whether the olfactory behaviour and orientation of C. maculatus towards infested and uninfested cowpeas and a plant-derived repellent compound, methyl salicylate, differed between morphs or sexes. We found significant differences between the behaviour of male and female beetles and beetles of different ages, as well as interactive effects of sex, morph and age, in response to both host and repellent odours. This study demonstrates that behavioural experiments on insects should control for sex and age, while also considering differences between adult morphs where present in insect species. This finding has broad implications for fundamental entomological research, particularly when exploring the relationships between physiology, behaviour and evolutionary biology, and the application of crop protection strategies. PMID:23145074

  2. Age-related sex differences in language lateralization: A magnetoencephalography study in children.

    PubMed

    Yu, Vickie Y; MacDonald, Matt J; Oh, Anna; Hua, Gordon N; De Nil, Luc F; Pang, Elizabeth W

    2014-09-01

    It is well supported by behavioral and neuroimaging studies that typical language function is lateralized to the left hemisphere in the adult brain and this laterality is less well defined in children. The behavioral literature suggests there maybe be sex differences in language development, but this has not been examined systematically with neuroimaging. In this study, magnetoencephalography was used to investigate the spatiotemporal patterns of language lateralization as a function of age and sex. Eighty typically developing children (46 female, 34 male; 4-18 years) participated in an overt visual verb generation task. An analysis method called differential beamforming was used to analyze language-related changes in oscillatory activity referred to as low-gamma event-related desynchrony (ERD). The proportion of ERD over language areas relative to total ERD was calculated. We found different patterns of laterality between boys and girls. Boys showed left-hemisphere lateralization in the frontal and temporal language-related areas across age groups, whereas girls showed a more bilateral pattern, particularly in frontal language-related areas. Differences in patterns of ERD were most striking between boys and girls in the younger age groups, and these patterns became more similar with increasing age, specifically in the preteen years. Our findings show sex differences in language lateralization during childhood; however, these differences do not seem to persist into adulthood. We present possible explanations for these differences. We also discuss the implications of these findings for presurgical language mapping in children and highlight the importance of examining the question of sex-related language differences across development.

  3. Differences in Prevalence of Symptomatic Zika Virus Infection, by Age and Sex-Puerto Rico, 2016.

    PubMed

    Lozier, Matthew J; Burke, Rachel M; Lopez, Juan; Acevedo, Veronica; Amador, Manuel; Read, Jennifer S; Jara, Amanda; Waterman, Stephen H; Barrera, Roberto; Muñoz-Jordan, Jorge; Rivera-Garcia, Brenda; Sharp, Tyler M

    2018-05-05

    During the outbreak of Zika virus (ZIKV) disease in Puerto Rico in 2016, nonpregnant women aged 20-39 years were disproportionately identified with ZIKV disease. We used household-based cluster investigations to determine whether this disparity was associated with age- or sex-dependent differences in the rate of ZIKV infection or reported symptoms. Participation was offered to residents of households within a 100-m radius of the residences of a convenience sample of 19 laboratory-confirmed ZIKV disease cases. Participants answered a questionnaire and provided specimens for diagnostic testing by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Among 367 study participants, 114 (31.1%) were laboratory positive for ZIKV infection, of whom 30% reported a recent illness (defined as self-reported rash or arthralgia) attributable to ZIKV infection. Age and sex were not associated with ZIKV infection. Female sex (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR], 2.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.40, 3.67), age <40 years (aPR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.55, 3.70), and asthma (aPR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.12, 2.37) were independently associated with symptomatic infection. Although neither female sex nor age were associated with an increased prevalence of ZIKV infection, both were associated with symptomatic infection. Further investigation to identify a potential mechanism of age- and sex-dependent differences in reporting symptomatic ZIKV infection is warranted.

  4. Age- and sex-specific mortality and population structure in sea otters

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bodkin, James L.; Burdin, A.M.; Ryazanov, D.A.

    2000-01-01

    We used 742 beach-cast carcasses to characterize age- and sex-specific sea otter mortality during the winter of 1990-1991 at Bering Island, Russia. We also examined 363 carcasses recovered after the 1989 grounding of the T/V Exxon Valdez, to characterize age and sex composition in the living western Prince William Sound (WPWS) sea otter population. At Bering Island, mortality was male-biased (81%), and 75% were adults. The WPWS population was female-biased (59%) and most animals were subadult (79% of the males and 45% of the females). In the decade prior to 1990-1991 we found increasing sea otter densities (particularly among males), declining prey resources, and declining weights in adult male sea otters at Bering Island. Our findings suggest the increased mortality at Bering Island in 1990-1991 was a density-dependent population response. We propose male-maintained breeding territories and exclusion of juvenile females by adult females, providing a mechanism for maintaining densities in female areas below densities in male areas and for potentially moderating the effects of prey reductions on the female population. Increased adult male mortality at Bering Island in 1990-1991 likely modified the sex and age class structure there toward that observed in Prince William Sound.

  5. A Thematic Approach to Regional Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walter, Bob J.; Bernard, Frank E.

    1973-01-01

    An innovative, thematic approach to the teaching of African geography is offered in an attempt to modernize African regional geography, bring it in phase with the rest of the discipline, and emphasize the essential unity of the spatial viewpoint. Five themes are used as the framework for providing an integrating overview of the continent and its…

  6. Commonsense Geography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McHoul, Alec

    1990-01-01

    Presents an ethnomethodological study of how Australian high school geography teachers and students rely on common sense knowledge and reasoning to facilitate learning. Analyzes portions of transcripts from a class activity in which students built a scale model of a city. Explains location categorization devices, illustrating how learning involves…

  7. Sex, Aging, and Preexisting Cerebral Ischemic Disease in Patients With Aortic Stenosis

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Ping; Acker, Michael A.; Bilello, Michel; Melhem, Elias R.; Stambrook, Elizabeth; Ratcliffe, Sarah J.; Floyd, Thomas F.

    2011-01-01

    Background Patients undergoing cardiac surgery have a high frequency of preexisting cerebral ischemic lesions, the presence of which appears to predict cognitive sequelae. Patients undergoing aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis (AS) incur an exceptionally high risk for perioperative cerebral ischemia. The extreme risk in this subgroup may arise from the preexisting burden of cerebral ischemic disease. We tested the hypotheses that increasing age, female sex, coronary artery disease, and the severity of AS are predictive of the severity of preexisting cerebral ischemic lesions. Methods A total of 95 subjects were included in this study. Subjects were imaged on 1.5 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging scanners to obtain multimodal image sets which were used for the automatic segmentation of cerebral lesion volume. The dependence of lesion volume upon age, sex, coronary artery disease, and the severity of AS were tested. Results The results demonstrate a strong correlation between aging, female sex, and white matter and ischemia-like lesion volume in patients with aortic stenosis. Conclusions Women and those of advanced age presenting for aortic valve replacement for AS may incur a particularly high risk for postoperative neurologic sequelae due to an exceptional preexisting burden of cerebral ischemic disease. PMID:20868818

  8. Statistics for Geography Teachers: Topics in Geography, Number 2.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Council for Geographic Education.

    This publication is designed to provide geography teachers with useful statistical information. It presents tables, maps, graphs, diagrams, and explanations of statistical data in 24 areas. The areas in which statistics are given are conversions, measurement, astronomy, time, daylight, twilight, latitude and longitude as distance, the relationship…

  9. Apolipoprotein E and Alzheimer disease: Genotype-specific risks by age and sex

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bickeboeller, H.; Babron, M.C.; Clerget-Darpoux, F.

    1997-02-01

    The distribution of apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotypes as a function of age and sex has been examined in a French population of 417 Alzheimer disease (AD) patients and 1,030 control subjects. When compared to the APOE {epsilon}3 allele, an increased risk associated with the APOE {epsilon}4 allele (odds ratio [OR] [{epsilon}4] = 2.7 with 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.0-3.6; P < .001) and a protective effect of the APOE {epsilon}2 allele (OR[{epsilon}2] = 0.5 with 95% CI = 0.3-0.98; P = .012) were retrieved. An effect of the {epsilon}4 allele dosage on susceptibility was confirmed (OR[{epsilon}4/{epsilon}4] vs. the {epsilon}3/{epsilon}3more » genotype = 11.2 [95% CI = 4.0-31.6]; OR[{epsilon}3/{epsilon}4] vs. the {epsilon}3/{epsilon}3 genotype = 2.2 [95% Cl = 1.5-3.5]). The frequency of the {epsilon}4 allele was lower in male cases than in female cases, but, since a similar difference was found in controls, this does not lead to a difference in OR between sex. ORs for the {epsilon}4 allele versus the {epsilon}3 allele, OR({epsilon}4), were not equal in all age classes: OR({epsilon}4) in the extreme groups with onset at < 60 years or > 79 years were significantly lower than those from the age groups 60-79 years. In {epsilon}3/{epsilon}4 individuals, sex-specific lifetime risk estimates by age 85 years (i.e., sex-specific penetrances by age 85 years) were 0.14 (95% CI 0.04-0.30) for men and 0.17 (95% CI 0.09-0.28) for women. 53 refs., 1 fig., 3 tabs.« less

  10. Unique sex- and age-dependent effects in protective pathways in acute kidney injury.

    PubMed

    Boddu, Ravindra; Fan, Chunlan; Rangarajan, Sunil; Sunil, Bhuvana; Bolisetty, Subhashini; Curtis, Lisa M

    2017-09-01

    Sex and age influence susceptibility to acute kidney injury (AKI), with young females exhibiting lowest incidence. In these studies, we investigated mechanisms which may underlie the sex/age-based dissimilarities. Cisplatin (Cp)-induced AKI resulted in morphological evidence of injury in all groups. A minimal rise in plasma creatinine (PCr) was seen in Young Females, whereas in Aged Females, PCr rose precipitously. Relative to Young Males, Aged Males showed significantly, but temporally, comparably elevated PCr. Notably, Aged Females showed significantly greater mortality, whereas Young Females exhibited none. Tissue KIM-1 and plasma NGAL were significantly lower in Young Females than all others. IGFBP7 levels were modestly increased in both Young groups. IGFBP7 levels in Aged Females were significantly elevated at baseline relative to Aged Males, and increased linearly through day 3 , when these levels were comparable in both Aged groups. Plasma cytokine levels similarly showed a pattern of protective effects preferentially in Young Females. Expression of the drug transporter MATE2 did not explain the sex/age distinctions. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) levels (~28-kDa species) showed elevation at day 1 in all groups with highest levels seen in Young Males. Exclusively in Young Females, these levels returned to baseline on day 3 , suggestive of a more efficient recovery. In aggregate, we demonstrate, for the first time, a distinctive pattern of response to AKI in Young Females relative to males which appears to be significantly altered in aging. These distinctions may offer novel targets to exploit therapeutically in both females and males in the treatment of AKI.

  11. Effects of genes, sex, age, and activity on BMC, bone size, and areal and volumetric BMD.

    PubMed

    Havill, Lorena M; Mahaney, Michael C; L Binkley, Teresa; Specker, Bonny L

    2007-05-01

    Quantitative genetic analyses of bone data for 710 inter-related individuals 8-85 yr of age found high heritability estimates for BMC, bone area, and areal and volumetric BMD that varied across bone sites. Activity levels, especially time in moderate plus vigorous activity, had notable effects on bone. In some cases, these effects were age and sex specific. Genetic and environmental factors play a complex role in determining BMC, bone size, and BMD. This study assessed the heritability of bone measures; characterized the effects of age, sex, and physical activity on bone; and tested for age- and sex-specific bone effects of activity. Measures of bone size and areal and volumetric density (aBMD and vBMD, respectively) were obtained by DXA and pQCT on 710 related individuals (466 women) 8-85 yr of age. Measures of activity included percent time in moderate + vigorous activity (%ModVig), stair flights climbed per day, and miles walked per day. Quantitative genetic analyses were conducted to model the effects of activity and covariates on bone outcomes. Accounting for effects of age, sex, and activity levels, genes explained 40-62% of the residual variation in BMC and BMD and 27-75% in bone size (all p<0.001). Decline in femoral neck (FN), hip, and spine aBMD with advancing age was greater among women than men (age-by-sex interaction; all p sex-by-activity interaction, both p

  12. Computer Network Resources for Physical Geography Instruction.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bishop, Michael P.; And Others

    1993-01-01

    Asserts that the use of computer networks provides an important and effective resource for geography instruction. Describes the use of the Internet network in physical geography instruction. Provides an example of the use of Internet resources in a climatology/meteorology course. (CFR)

  13. Age and sex selectivity in trapping mule deer

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Garrott, R.A.; White, G.C.

    1982-01-01

    A mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) trapping experiment is described using modified Clover traps in which changes in the placement of bait and height of the trap door modified the ratio of adult does to male and female fawns captured. The mechanisms responsible for the changes in age-sex capture ratios are discussed and indicate that modified Clover traps selectivity capture mule deer, thus introducing bias into population sampling. (JMT)

  14. Neuropsychological sex differences associated with age of initiated use among young adult cannabis users.

    PubMed

    Crane, Natania A; Schuster, Randi Melissa; Mermelstein, Robin J; Gonzalez, Raul

    2015-01-01

    Earlier initiation of cannabis use is associated with poorer neuropsychological functioning across several domains. Given well-documented sex differences in neuromaturation during adolescence, initiation of cannabis use during this time may affect neuropsychological functioning differently for males and females. In the current study, we examined sex differences in the relationship between age of initiated cannabis use and neuropsychological performance after controlling for amount of lifetime cannabis use in 44 male and 25 female young adult cannabis users. We found that an earlier age of initiated use was related to poorer episodic memory, especially immediate recall, in females, but not in males. On the other hand, we found that, surprisingly, an earlier age of initiated use was associated with better decision making overall. However, exploratory analyses found sex-specific factors associated with decision making and age of initiated use, specifically that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in females may drive the relationship between an earlier age of initiated use and better decision making. Further, an earlier age of initiated use was associated with less education, a lower IQ, and fewer years of mother's education for females, but more lifetime cannabis use for males. Taken together, our findings suggest there are sex differences in the associations between age of initiated cannabis use and neuropsychological functioning. The current study provides preliminary evidence that males and females may have different neuropsychological vulnerabilities that place them at risk for initiating cannabis use and continued cannabis use, highlighting the importance of examining the impact of cannabis on neuropsychological functioning separately for males and females.

  15. Sex-related differences in the wheel-running activity of mice decline with increasing age.

    PubMed

    Bartling, Babett; Al-Robaiy, Samiya; Lehnich, Holger; Binder, Leonore; Hiebl, Bernhard; Simm, Andreas

    2017-01-01

    Laboratory mice of both sexes having free access to running wheels are commonly used to study mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of physical exercise on health and aging in human. However, comparative wheel-running activity profiles of male and female mice for a long period of time in which increasing age plays an additional role are unknown. Therefore, we permanently recorded the wheel-running activity (i.e., total distance, median velocity, time of breaks) of female and male mice until 9months of age. Our records indicated higher wheel-running distances for females than males which were highest in 2-month-old mice. This was mainly reached by higher running velocities of the females and not by longer running times. However, the sex-related differences declined in parallel to the age-associated reduction in wheel-running activities. Female mice also showed more variances between the weekly running distances than males, which were recorded most often for females being 4-6months old but not older. Additional records of 24-month-old mice of both sexes indicated highly reduced wheel-running activities at old age. Surprisingly, this reduction at old age resulted mainly from lower running velocities and not from shorter running times. Old mice also differed in their course of night activity which peaked later compared to younger mice. In summary, we demonstrated the influence of sex on the age-dependent activity profile of mice which is somewhat contrasting to humans, and this has to be considered when transferring exercise-mediated mechanism from mouse to human. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  16. Ideal resuscitation pressure for uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock in different ages and sexes of rats

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Introduction Our previous studies demonstrated that 50-60 mmHg mean arterial blood pressure was the ideal target hypotension for uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock during the active hemorrhage in sexually mature rats. The ideal target resuscitation pressure for immature and older rats has not been determined. Methods To elucidate this issue, using uncontrolled hemorrhagic-shock rats of different ages and sexes (6 weeks, 14 weeks and 1.5 years representing pre-adult, adult and older rats, respectively), the resuscitation effects of different target pressures (40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 mmHg) on uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock during active hemorrhage and the age and sex differences were observed. Results Different target resuscitation pressures had different resuscitation outcomes for the same age and sex of rats. The optimal target resuscitation pressures for 6-week-old, 14-week-old and 1.5-year-old rats were 40 to 50 mmHg, 50 to 60 mmHg and 70 mmHg respectively. Ideal target resuscitation pressures were significantly superior to other resuscitation pressures in improving the hemodynamics, blood perfusion, organ function and animal survival of uncontrolled hemorrhagic-shock rats (P < 0.01). For same target resuscitation pressures, the beneficial effect on hemorrhagic shock had a significant age difference (P < 0.01) but no sex difference (P > 0.05). Different resuscitation pressures had no effect on coagulation function. Conclusion Hemorrhagic-shock rats at different ages have different target resuscitation pressures during active hemorrhage. The ideal target resuscitation hypotension for 6-week-old, 14-week-old and 1.5-year-old rats was 40 to 50 mmHg, 50 to 60 mmHg and 70 mmHg, respectively. Their resuscitation effects have significant age difference but had no sex difference. PMID:24020401

  17. Approaches of researches in medical geography in Poland and Ukraine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pantylej, Wiktoria

    2008-01-01

    This paper deals with the historical review of medical geography in the world, in Poland and in Ukraine. There are different approaches in medical geography: according to the research subject (ecological and economic approaches) and according to the current affairs of research (approach concerns sexuality, the age of the population and accordingly, accessibility of health care services to the population). To the author's mind, the most perspective approaches in medical geography in Poland and Ukraine are as follows: - integrative - dedicated to the health status of the population in connection with the quality and life level; - mathematical-statistical - connected with the problem of synthetic indexes of health status of the populations and factors influencing it, and with the problem of economic value of health and life of the population; - social-economic - the analysis of the influence of socioeconomic factors (such as wealth measure, rate of unemployment, work conditions and others) on public health; - ecological - connected with the researches dedicated to the analysis of environmental impact on public health status of the population; - demographical - the analysis of demographical factors of forming public health status; - social-psychological - health culture of the population, perception of the own health/morbidity and health care systems existing in different countries.

  18. Teaching Geography in American History. ERIC Trends/Issues, Paper No. 1.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Backler, Alan

    This ERIC Trends Issues paper highlights the complementary qualities of geography and history and recommends the infusion of geography core themes into high school U.S. history courses. Part 1, "Rationale for Teaching Geography in American History," features information about: (1) overcoming the neglect of geography instruction; (2)…

  19. A Content Comparison of Six Physical Geography Textbooks Spanning a Century

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jennings, Steven A.

    2006-01-01

    Six physical geography textbooks published between 1901 and 2002 were qualitatively analysed for content and compared to the National Geography Standards. General relationships to dominant approaches to geography, content, and pedagogy of these textbooks were analysed. These textbooks reflect dominant approaches to geography at the time they were…

  20. A Teacher's Bookshelf: The Historical Geography of the United States.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Danzer, Gerald A.

    1993-01-01

    Contends that historical geography helps teachers understand the link between history and geography. Presents an annotated bibliography of recommended geography books for teachers. Asserts that the most essential volume is an atlas of U.S. history. (CFR)

  1. Barriers to Teaching Introductory Physical Geography Online

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ritter, Michael E.

    2012-01-01

    Learning geography online is becoming an option for more students but not without controversy. Issues of faculty resources, logistics, professional recognition, and pedagogical concerns are cited as barriers to teaching online. Offering introductory physical geography online presents special challenges. As a general education course, an…

  2. Gene-Environment Interplay in Depressive Symptoms: Moderation by Age, Sex, and Physical Illness

    PubMed Central

    Petkus, Andrew J.; Beam, Christopher R.; Johnson, Wendy; Kaprio, Jaakko; Korhonen, Tellervo; McGue, Matt; Neiderhiser, Jenae M.; Pedersen, Nancy L.; Reynolds, Chandra A.; Gatz, Margaret

    2017-01-01

    Background Numerous factors influence late-life depressive symptoms in adults, many not thoroughly characterized. We addressed whether genetic and environmental influences on depressive symptoms differed by age, sex, and physical illness. Methods The analysis sample included 24,436 twins aged 40 through 90 drawn from the Interplay of Genes and Environment across Multiple Studies (IGEMS) consortium. Biometric analyses tested age, sex, and physical illness moderation of genetic and environmental variance in depressive symptoms. Results Women reported greater depressive symptoms than men. After age 60, there was an accelerating increase in depressive symptom scores with age, but this did not appreciably affect genetic and environmental variances. Overlap in genetic influences between physical illness and depressive symptoms was greater in men than in women. Additionally, in men extent of overlap was greater with worse physical illness (the genetic correlation ranged from near .00 for the least physical illness to nearly .60 with physical illness two SD above the mean). For men and women, the same environmental factors that influenced depressive symptoms also influenced physical illness. Conclusions Findings suggested that genetic factors play a larger part in the association between depressive symptoms and physical illness for men than for women. For both sexes, across all ages, physical illness may similarly trigger social and health limitations that contribute to depressive symptoms. PMID:28202098

  3. Gene-environment interplay in depressive symptoms: moderation by age, sex, and physical illness.

    PubMed

    Petkus, A J; Beam, C R; Johnson, W; Kaprio, J; Korhonen, T; McGue, M; Neiderhiser, J M; Pedersen, N L; Reynolds, C A; Gatz, M

    2017-07-01

    Numerous factors influence late-life depressive symptoms in adults, many not thoroughly characterized. We addressed whether genetic and environmental influences on depressive symptoms differed by age, sex, and physical illness. The analysis sample included 24 436 twins aged 40-90 years drawn from the Interplay of Genes and Environment across Multiple Studies (IGEMS) Consortium. Biometric analyses tested age, sex, and physical illness moderation of genetic and environmental variance in depressive symptoms. Women reported greater depressive symptoms than men. After age 60, there was an accelerating increase in depressive symptom scores with age, but this did not appreciably affect genetic and environmental variances. Overlap in genetic influences between physical illness and depressive symptoms was greater in men than in women. Additionally, in men extent of overlap was greater with worse physical illness (the genetic correlation ranged from near 0.00 for the least physical illness to nearly 0.60 with physical illness 2 s.d. above the mean). For men and women, the same environmental factors that influenced depressive symptoms also influenced physical illness. Findings suggested that genetic factors play a larger part in the association between depressive symptoms and physical illness for men than for women. For both sexes, across all ages, physical illness may similarly trigger social and health limitations that contribute to depressive symptoms.

  4. Applied Geography at a Small State College.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Trindell, Roger

    The geography department at Mansfield State College (Pennsylvania) has maintained and even increased enrollment by expanding into a Department of Geography and Regional Planning and by offering internship programs to its students. Goals of the department are to develop special emphases in environmental planning, resource management, recreational…

  5. Competition and Habitat Quality Influence Age and Sex Distribution in Wintering Rusty Blackbirds

    PubMed Central

    Mettke-Hofmann, Claudia; Hamel, Paul B.; Hofmann, Gerhard; Zenzal Jr., Theodore J.; Pellegrini, Anne; Malpass, Jennifer; Garfinkel, Megan; Schiff, Nathan

    2015-01-01

    Bird habitat quality is often inferred from species abundance measures during the breeding and non-breeding season and used for conservation management decisions. However, during the non-breeding season age and sex classes often occupy different habitats which suggest a need for more habitat-specific data. Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) is a forested wetland specialist wintering in bottomland hardwood forests in the south-eastern U. S. and belongs to the most steeply declining songbirds in the U.S. Little information is available to support priority birds such as the Rusty Blackbird wintering in this threatened habitat. We assessed age and sex distribution and body condition of Rusty Blackbirds among the three major habitats used by this species in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley and also measured food availability. Overall, pecan groves had the highest biomass mainly driven by the amount of nuts. Invertebrate biomass was highest in forests but contributed only a small percentage to overall biomass. Age and sex classes were unevenly distributed among habitats with adult males primarily occupying pecan groves containing the highest nut biomass, females being found in forests which had the lowest nut biomass and young males primarily staying in forest fragments along creeks which had intermediate nut biomass. Males were in better body condition than females and were in slightly better condition in pecan groves. The results suggest that adult males occupy the highest quality habitat and may competitively exclude the other age and sex classes. PMID:25946335

  6. Competition and habitat quality influence age and sex distribution in wintering rusty blackbirds.

    PubMed

    Mettke-Hofmann, Claudia; Hamel, Paul B; Hofmann, Gerhard; Zenzal, Theodore J; Pellegrini, Anne; Malpass, Jennifer; Garfinkel, Megan; Schiff, Nathan; Greenberg, Russell

    2015-01-01

    Bird habitat quality is often inferred from species abundance measures during the breeding and non-breeding season and used for conservation management decisions. However, during the non-breeding season age and sex classes often occupy different habitats which suggest a need for more habitat-specific data. Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) is a forested wetland specialist wintering in bottomland hardwood forests in the south-eastern U. S. and belongs to the most steeply declining songbirds in the U.S. Little information is available to support priority birds such as the Rusty Blackbird wintering in this threatened habitat. We assessed age and sex distribution and body condition of Rusty Blackbirds among the three major habitats used by this species in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley and also measured food availability. Overall, pecan groves had the highest biomass mainly driven by the amount of nuts. Invertebrate biomass was highest in forests but contributed only a small percentage to overall biomass. Age and sex classes were unevenly distributed among habitats with adult males primarily occupying pecan groves containing the highest nut biomass, females being found in forests which had the lowest nut biomass and young males primarily staying in forest fragments along creeks which had intermediate nut biomass. Males were in better body condition than females and were in slightly better condition in pecan groves. The results suggest that adult males occupy the highest quality habitat and may competitively exclude the other age and sex classes.

  7. Genetics: A New Landscape for Medical Geography

    PubMed Central

    Carrel, Margaret; Emch, Michael

    2014-01-01

    The emergence and re-emergence of human pathogens resistant to medical treatment will present a challenge to the international public health community in the coming decades. Geography is uniquely positioned to examine the progressive evolution of pathogens across space and through time, and to link molecular change to interactions between population and environmental drivers. Landscape as an organizing principle for the integration of natural and cultural forces has a long history in geography, and, more specifically, in medical geography. Here, we explore the role of landscape in medical geography, the emergent field of landscape genetics, and the great potential that exists in the combination of these two disciplines. We argue that landscape genetics can enhance medical geographic studies of local-level disease environments with quantitative tests of how human-environment interactions influence pathogenic characteristics. In turn, such analyses can expand theories of disease diffusion to the molecular scale and distinguish the important factors in ecologies of disease that drive genetic change of pathogens. PMID:24558292

  8. Everyday Geography: 365 Reflections on Why Geography Matters

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kerski, Joseph

    2012-01-01

    Last year, beginning on New Year's Day, as president of the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE), the author wrote one tweet every day beginning with "What is Geography? 1 of 365" and posted them to his Twitter page. His goals in the series were several. He sought to point out as organization president how the NCGE serves the geography…

  9. Variations in Dream Recall Frequency and Dream Theme Diversity by Age and Sex

    PubMed Central

    Nielsen, Tore

    2012-01-01

    We assessed dream recall frequency (DRF) and dream theme diversity (DTD) with an internet questionnaire among a cohort of 28,888 male and female participants aged 10–79 years in a cross-sectional design. DRF increased from adolescence (ages 10–19) to early adulthood (20–29) and then decreased again for the next 20 years. The nature of this decrease differed for males and females. For males, it began earlier (30–39), proceeded more gradually, and reached a nadir earlier (40–49) than it did for females. For females, it began later (40–49), dropped more abruptly, and reached nadir later (50–59). Marked sex differences were observed for age strata 10–19 through 40–49 and year-by-year analyses estimated the window for these differences to be more precisely from 14 to 44 years. DTD decreased linearly with age for both sexes up to 50–59 and then dropped even more sharply for 60–79. There was a sex difference favoring males on this measure but only for ages 10–19. Findings replicate, in a single sample, those from several previous studies showing an increase in DRF from adolescence to early adulthood, a subsequent decrease primarily in early and middle adulthood, and different patterns of age-related decrease in the two sexes. Age-related changes in sleep structure, such as decreasing %REM sleep which parallel the observed dream recall changes, might help explain these findings, but these sleep changes are much smaller and more gradual in nature. Changes in the phase and amplitude of circadian rhythms of REM propensity and generational differences in life experiences may also account for some part of the findings. That decreases in DTD parallel known age-related decreases in episodic and autobiographical memory may signify that this new diversity measure indexes an aspect of autobiographical memory that also influences dream recall. PMID:22783222

  10. A Comparative Analysis of Geography Education: International Samples and Turkey

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Incekara, Suleyman

    2010-01-01

    In today's world, the developments being experienced in geography education are focusing on issues like the following: integrating technology into geography courses, placing a comprehensive and integrative perspective regarding geography into the curriculum, stressing independent learning and team-learning simultaneously, educating students to…

  11. Age- and Sex-Specific Causal Effects of Adiposity on Cardiovascular Risk Factors

    PubMed Central

    Fall, Tove; Hägg, Sara; Ploner, Alexander; Mägi, Reedik; Fischer, Krista; Draisma, Harmen H.M.; Sarin, Antti-Pekka; Benyamin, Beben; Ladenvall, Claes; Åkerlund, Mikael; Kals, Mart; Esko, Tõnu; Nelson, Christopher P.; Kaakinen, Marika; Huikari, Ville; Mangino, Massimo; Meirhaeghe, Aline; Kristiansson, Kati; Nuotio, Marja-Liisa; Kobl, Michael; Grallert, Harald; Dehghan, Abbas; Kuningas, Maris; de Vries, Paul S.; de Bruijn, Renée F.A.G.; Willems, Sara M.; Heikkilä, Kauko; Silventoinen, Karri; Pietiläinen, Kirsi H.; Legry, Vanessa; Giedraitis, Vilmantas; Goumidi, Louisa; Syvänen, Ann-Christine; Strauch, Konstantin; Koenig, Wolfgang; Lichtner, Peter; Herder, Christian; Palotie, Aarno; Menni, Cristina; Uitterlinden, André G.; Kuulasmaa, Kari; Havulinna, Aki S.; Moreno, Luis A.; Gonzalez-Gross, Marcela; Evans, Alun; Tregouet, David-Alexandre; Yarnell, John W.G.; Virtamo, Jarmo; Ferrières, Jean; Veronesi, Giovanni; Perola, Markus; Arveiler, Dominique; Brambilla, Paolo; Lind, Lars; Kaprio, Jaakko; Hofman, Albert; Stricker, Bruno H.; van Duijn, Cornelia M.; Ikram, M. Arfan; Franco, Oscar H.; Cottel, Dominique; Dallongeville, Jean; Hall, Alistair S.; Jula, Antti; Tobin, Martin D.; Penninx, Brenda W.; Peters, Annette; Gieger, Christian; Samani, Nilesh J.; Montgomery, Grant W.; Whitfield, John B.; Martin, Nicholas G.; Groop, Leif; Spector, Tim D.; Magnusson, Patrik K.; Amouyel, Philippe; Boomsma, Dorret I.; Nilsson, Peter M.; Järvelin, Marjo-Riitta; Lyssenko, Valeriya; Metspalu, Andres; Strachan, David P.; Salomaa, Veikko; Ripatti, Samuli; Pedersen, Nancy L.; Prokopenko, Inga; McCarthy, Mark I.

    2015-01-01

    Observational studies have reported different effects of adiposity on cardiovascular risk factors across age and sex. Since cardiovascular risk factors are enriched in obese individuals, it has not been easy to dissect the effects of adiposity from those of other risk factors. We used a Mendelian randomization approach, applying a set of 32 genetic markers to estimate the causal effect of adiposity on blood pressure, glycemic indices, circulating lipid levels, and markers of inflammation and liver disease in up to 67,553 individuals. All analyses were stratified by age (cutoff 55 years of age) and sex. The genetic score was associated with BMI in both nonstratified analysis (P = 2.8 × 10−107) and stratified analyses (all P < 3.3 × 10−30). We found evidence of a causal effect of adiposity on blood pressure, fasting levels of insulin, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides in a nonstratified analysis and in the <55-year stratum. Further, we found evidence of a smaller causal effect on total cholesterol (P for difference = 0.015) in the ≥55-year stratum than in the <55-year stratum, a finding that could be explained by biology, survival bias, or differential medication. In conclusion, this study extends previous knowledge of the effects of adiposity by providing sex- and age-specific causal estimates on cardiovascular risk factors. PMID:25712996

  12. Disparities in Temporal and Geographic Patterns of Declining Heart Disease Mortality by Race and Sex in the United States, 1973-2010.

    PubMed

    Vaughan, Adam S; Quick, Harrison; Pathak, Elizabeth B; Kramer, Michael R; Casper, Michele

    2015-12-15

    Examining small-area differences in the strength of declining heart disease mortality by race and sex provides important context for current racial and geographic disparities and identifies localities that could benefit from targeted interventions. We identified and described temporal trends in declining county-level heart disease mortality by race, sex, and geography between 1973 and 2010. Using a Bayesian hierarchical model, we estimated age-adjusted mortality with diseases of the heart listed as the underlying cause for 3099 counties. County-level percentage declines were calculated by race and sex for 3 time periods (1973-1985, 1986-1997, 1998-2010). Strong declines were statistically faster or no different than the total national decline in that time period. We observed county-level race-sex disparities in heart disease mortality trends. Continual (from 1973 to 2010) strong declines occurred in 73.2%, 44.6%, 15.5%, and 17.3% of counties for white men, white women, black men, and black women, respectively. Delayed (1998-2010) strong declines occurred in 15.4%, 42.0%, 75.5%, and 76.6% of counties for white men, white women, black men, and black women, respectively. Counties with the weakest patterns of decline were concentrated in the South. Since 1973, heart disease mortality has declined substantially for these race-sex groups. Patterns of decline differed by race and geography, reflecting potential disparities in national and local drivers of these declines. Better understanding of racial and geographic disparities in the diffusion of heart disease prevention and treatment may allow us to find clues to progress toward racial and geographic equity in heart disease mortality. © 2015 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley Blackwell.

  13. Building Geography's New Frontier: Implementing the Australian Curriculum Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Purnell, Ken

    2013-01-01

    The introduction of Geography as a compulsory learning area from Foundation year, such as Kindergarten, to Year 8 in Australia provides new opportunities for learning and teaching. Opportunities, in part, will be driven by challenges associated with the introduction of this learning area. Key challenges are about variability: in take-up of the…

  14. Manual control age and sex differences in 4 to 11 year old children.

    PubMed

    Flatters, Ian; Hill, Liam J B; Williams, Justin H G; Barber, Sally E; Mon-Williams, Mark

    2014-01-01

    To what degree does being male or female influence the development of manual skills in pre-pubescent children? This question is important because of the emphasis placed on developing important new manual skills during this period of a child's education (e.g. writing, drawing, using computers). We investigated age and sex-differences in the ability of 422 children to control a handheld stylus. A task battery deployed using tablet PC technology presented interactive visual targets on a computer screen whilst simultaneously recording participant's objective kinematic responses, via their interactions with the on-screen stimuli using the handheld stylus. The battery required children use the stylus to: (i) make a series of aiming movements, (ii) trace a series of abstract shapes and (iii) track a moving object. The tasks were not familiar to the children, allowing measurement of a general ability that might be meaningfully labelled 'manual control', whilst minimising culturally determined differences in experience (as much as possible). A reliable interaction between sex and age was found on the aiming task, with girls' movement times being faster than boys in younger age groups (e.g. 4-5 years) but with this pattern reversing in older children (10-11 years). The improved performance in older boys on the aiming task is consistent with prior evidence of a male advantage for gross-motor aiming tasks, which begins to emerge during adolescence. A small but reliable sex difference was found in tracing skill, with girls showing a slightly higher level of performance than boys irrespective of age. There were no reliable sex differences between boys and girls on the tracking task. Overall, the findings suggest that prepubescent girls are more likely to have superior manual control abilities for performing novel tasks. However, these small population differences do not suggest that the sexes require different educational support whilst developing their manual skills.

  15. An evaluation of sex-age-kill (SAK) model performance

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Millspaugh, Joshua J.; Skalski, John R.; Townsend, Richard L.; Diefenbach, Duane R.; Boyce, Mark S.; Hansen, Lonnie P.; Kammermeyer, Kent

    2009-01-01

    The sex-age-kill (SAK) model is widely used to estimate abundance of harvested large mammals, including white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Despite a long history of use, few formal evaluations of SAK performance exist. We investigated how violations of the stable age distribution and stationary population assumption, changes to male or female harvest, stochastic effects (i.e., random fluctuations in recruitment and survival), and sampling efforts influenced SAK estimation. When the simulated population had a stable age distribution and λ > 1, the SAK model underestimated abundance. Conversely, when λ < 1, the SAK overestimated abundance. When changes to male harvest were introduced, SAK estimates were opposite the true population trend. In contrast, SAK estimates were robust to changes in female harvest rates. Stochastic effects caused SAK estimates to fluctuate about their equilibrium abundance, but the effect dampened as the size of the surveyed population increased. When we considered both stochastic effects and sampling error at a deer management unit scale the resultant abundance estimates were within ±121.9% of the true population level 95% of the time. These combined results demonstrate extreme sensitivity to model violations and scale of analysis. Without changes to model formulation, the SAK model will be biased when λ ≠ 1. Furthermore, any factor that alters the male harvest rate, such as changes to regulations or changes in hunter attitudes, will bias population estimates. Sex-age-kill estimates may be precise at large spatial scales, such as the state level, but less so at the individual management unit level. Alternative models, such as statistical age-at-harvest models, which require similar data types, might allow for more robust, broad-scale demographic assessments.

  16. Fieldwork Lesson based on" the International Geography Olympiad" (iGeo)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Otani, Seiichi

    2017-04-01

    Japanese social studies consist of three fields. That's geography, history and civics. About geographical studies in Japan, it has a lot of contents of human geography and has little contents of natural geography. I think that Japanese social studies teachers should teach more natural geography contents for ESD.   There is a fieldwork lesson in geographical studies in Japan. This is the educational activity by which body and head were used. But in fact, fieldwork lessons are not performed in many Japanese junior high schools. I was a leader of iGeo2012 (in Germany). iGeo is held by three tests; Multimedia tests, Writing tests and Fieldwork tests. The test is included of a lot of contents of natural geography. And there are two skills that students acquire through the fieldwork test in iGeo. One is a map making skill, the other is decision making skill. Japanese students need more knowledge of natural geography. And those are not enough skills for Japanese students. So I did a fieldwork lesson based on iGeo's fieldwork test. The fieldwork lesson was performed around the school. It was also performed under the point of natural geography. After the lessons, students could improve map making skill. Because a lot of maps made by students in this lesson got prize of map contest in Japan. Some maps were included the view of natural geography.

  17. Sex- and age-dependent gene expression in human liver: An implication for drug-metabolizing enzymes.

    PubMed

    Uno, Yasuhiro; Takata, Ryo; Kito, Go; Yamazaki, Hiroshi; Nakagawa, Kazuko; Nakamura, Yusuke; Kamataki, Tetsuya; Katagiri, Toyomasa

    2017-02-01

    Sex and age differences in hepatic expression of drug-metabolizing enzyme genes could cause variations in drug metabolism, but has not been fully elucidated, especially in Asian population. In this study, the global expression of human hepatic genes was analyzed by microarrays in 40 Japanese subjects (27 males and 13 females). Thirty-five sex-biased genes were identified (P < 0.005). Whereas, 60 age-biased genes in two age groups, <60 years and ≥70 years (P < 0.001), were identified in males. By Gene Ontology analysis, the sex-biased genes were related to protein catabolism and modification, while the age-biased genes were related to transcription regulation and cell death. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction confirmed the female-biased expression of drug-metabolizing enzyme genes BChE, CYP4X1, and SULT1E1 (≥1.5-fold, P < 0.05). Further analysis of drug-metabolizing enzyme genes indicated that expression of CYP2A6 and CYP3A4 in females in the ≥70 age group was less than in the <60 age group (≥1.5-fold, P < 0.05), and this trend was also observed for PXR expression in males (≥1.5-fold, P < 0.05). The results presented provide important insights into hepatic physiology and function, especially drug metabolism, with respect to sex and age. Copyright © 2016 The Japanese Society for the Study of Xenobiotics. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. The morphology of human hyoid bone in relation to sex, age and body proportions.

    PubMed

    Urbanová, P; Hejna, P; Zátopková, L; Šafr, M

    2013-06-01

    Morphological aspects of the human hyoid bone are, like many other skeletal elements in human body, greatly affected by individual's sex, age and body proportions. Still, the known sex-dependent bimodality of a number of body size characteristics overshadows the true within-group patterns. Given the ambiguity of the causal effects of age, sex and body size upon hyoid morphology the present study puts the relationship between shape of human hyoid bone and body proportions (height and weight) under scrutiny of a morphological study. Using 211 hyoid bones and landmark-based methods of geometric morphometrics, it was shown that the size of hyoid bones correlated positively with measured body dimensions but showed no correlation if the individual's sex was controlled for. For shape variables, our results revealed that hyoid morphology is clearly related to body size as expressed in terms of the height and weight. Yet, the hyoid shape was shown to result primarily from the sex-related bimodal distribution of studied body size descriptors which, in the case of the height-dependent model, exhibited opposite trends for males and females. Apart from the global hyoid shape given by spatial arrangements of the greater horns, body size dependency was translated into size and position of the hyoid body. None of the body size characters had any impact on hyoid asymmetry. Ultimately, sexually dimorphic variation was revealed for age-dependent changes in both size and shape of hyoid bones as male hyoids tend to be more susceptible to modifications with age than female bones. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  19. A Geography Syllabus for the Next Millennium.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stirling, Susan

    1998-01-01

    Proposes content changes for a revised geography syllabus in New Zealand discussing each strand: (1) social organization; (2) culture and heritage; (3) place and environment; (4) time, continuity, and change; (5) resources and economic activities; and (6) making sense of planet earth and beyond. Addresses current trends in geography and syllabus…

  20. Beyond Science and Math: Integrating Geography Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grubbs, Michael E.; Grubbs, Steven

    2015-01-01

    This article discusses the status of World Geography Education and the importance of these concepts in developing 21st century students. Moreover, the authors also showcase how World Geography concepts can be intentionally taught through a technological/engineering, design-based learning challenge that requires students to solve a global housing…

  1. Effect of age and sex on lacosamide pharmacokinetics in healthy adult subjects and adults with focal epilepsy.

    PubMed

    Schaefer, Carina; Cawello, Willi; Waitzinger, Josef; Elshoff, Jan-Peer

    2015-04-01

    Age- and sex-related differences in body composition could affect the pharmacokinetic parameters of administered drugs. The purpose of this post hoc analysis was to investigate the influences of age and sex on the pharmacokinetics of lacosamide. This post hoc analysis used pharmacokinetic data taken at steady state from (i) two phase I studies of oral lacosamide in healthy adult subjects (n = 66), and (ii) a population pharmacokinetic analysis carried out using data from two phase III studies of adjunctive oral lacosamide in adults (n = 565) with focal epilepsy taking 1-3 concomitant anti-epileptic drugs. Phase I data were stratified by age and sex as 'younger female' (aged 18-40 years), 'younger male' (aged 18-45 years) or 'elderly male/female' (aged ≥65 years), then normalized by body weight (lean body weight or fat-free mass), height or volume of distribution, and analysed using non-compartmental analysis. Population pharmacokinetic data were stratified by sex and analysed using a one-compartment model. Minor numerical differences between lacosamide exposure [the area under the concentration-time curve at steady state over the dosage interval (AUCτ,ss)] and the maximum plasma concentration at steady state (C max,ss) in subjects of different ages or sexes were noted. The differences could be explained by a scaling factor between the drug applied and the plasma concentration. Following normalization by lean body weight or volume of distribution, an analysis of relative bioavailability resulted in 90 % confidence intervals of the ratios for AUCτ,ss and C max,ss for age (elderly to younger) or sex (male to female) falling within the range accepted for equivalence (80-125 %); without normalization, the 90 % confidence intervals were outside this range. Minor numerical differences in lacosamide plasma concentrations were noted in the comparison between male and female patients (aged 16-71 years) with focal epilepsy. Simulations using different body weights

  2. Vocational interests in the United States: Sex, age, ethnicity, and year effects.

    PubMed

    Morris, Michael L

    2016-10-01

    Vocational interests predict educational and career choices, job performance, and career success (Rounds & Su, 2014). Although sex differences in vocational interests have long been observed (Thorndike, 1911), an appropriate overall measure has been lacking from the literature. Using a cross-sectional sample of United States residents aged 14 to 63 who completed the Strong Interest Inventory assessment between 2005 and 2014 (N = 1,283,110), I examined sex, age, ethnicity, and year effects on work related interest levels using both multivariate and univariate effect size estimates of individual dimensions (Holland's Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional). Men scored higher on Realistic (d = -1.14), Investigative (d = -.32), Enterprising (d = -.22), and Conventional (d = -.23), while women scored higher on Artistic (d = .19) and Social (d = .38), mostly replicating previous univariate findings. Multivariate, overall sex differences were very large (disattenuated Mahalanobis' D = 1.61; 27% overlap). Interest levels were slightly lower and overall sex differences larger in younger samples. Overall sex differences have narrowed slightly for 18-22 year-olds in more recent samples. Generally very small ethnicity effects included relatively higher Investigative and Enterprising scores for Asians, Indians, and Middle Easterners, lower Realistic scores for Blacks and Native Americans, higher Realistic, Artistic, and Social scores for Pacific Islanders, and lower Conventional scores for Whites. Using Prediger's (1982) model, women were more interested in people (d = 1.01) and ideas (d = .18), while men were more interested in things and data. These results, consistent with previous reviews showing large sex differences and small year effects, suggest that large sex differences in work related interests will continue to be observed for decades. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  3. Using Technology for Geography Teacher Education: Web-Based Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Frazier, Cheryl A.; Boehm, Richard G.

    2012-01-01

    This qualitative study explores the perceived value of a video-based online workshop in Geography, "Watershed Management," part of the Geography: Teaching with the Stars series, a 22 program professional development series for teachers of geography, social studies, and environmental science. Results indicated that teachers reported…

  4. Age of Sexual Debut and Physical Dating Violence Victimization: Sex Differences among US High School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ihongbe, Timothy O.; Cha, Susan; Masho, Saba W.

    2017-01-01

    Background: Research has shown that early age of sexual debut is associated with physical dating violence (PDV), but sex-specific associations are sparse. We estimated the prevalence of PDV victimization in high school students who have initiated sexual intercourse and examined sex-specific association between age of sexual debut and PDV…

  5. Geography and Orienteering

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adams, W. P.

    1972-01-01

    Orienteering is a rapidly growing sport, developed in Sweden, which has great possibilities for education in geography. It can be conceived as an organizing device for outdoor work and as a basis for developing map skills and for map construction. (Author)

  6. Cognitive function and associated factors among older people in Taiwan: age and sex differences.

    PubMed

    Li, Cheng-Lun; Hsu, Hui-Chuan

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study was to examine cognitive function and the risk and the protective factors by age and sex among Taiwanese older people. The data were from a nation-representative panel of older people in Taiwan. The participants completing both the 2003 and 2007 waves were included for analysis in this study (n=3228). Descriptive analysis and generalized linear model were applied, and the samples were stratified by age groups and by sex. The factors related to higher cognitive function at the intercept included being younger, male, higher education, and doing unpaid work. At the time slope, the age effect and physical function difficulties would reduce the cognitive function across time, while education and providing informational support would increase the cognitive function across time. There were age- and sex-differences in the factors related to cognitive function, particularly on the working status and social participation. Different health promotion strategies to target these populations should be accordingly developed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Geography Education Research and Why It Matters

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lambert, David

    2010-01-01

    This paper provides a commentary on the "condition" of geography education research as a field of study. It does so partly through a comparative discussion with another subject field in education, mathematics. In the context of fragility and comparative weakness of research in geography education, the paper urges researchers to keep focused on…

  8. Performance Development in Adolescent Track and Field Athletes According to Age, Sex and Sport Discipline

    PubMed Central

    Tønnessen, Espen; Svendsen, Ida Siobhan; Olsen, Inge Christoffer; Guttormsen, Atle; Haugen, Thomas

    2015-01-01

    Introduction Sex-specific differences that arise during puberty have a pronounced effect on the training process. However, the consequences this should have for goal-setting, planning and implementation of training for boys and girls of different ages remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to quantify performance developments in athletic running and jumping disciplines in the age range 11-18 and identify progression differences as a function of age, discipline and sex. Methods The 100 all-time best Norwegian male and female 60-m, 800-m, long jump and high jump athletes in each age category from 11 to 18 years were analysed using mixed models with random intercept according to athlete. Results Male and female athletes perform almost equally in running and jumping events up to the age of 12. Beyond this age, males outperform females. Relative annual performance development in females gradually decreases throughout the analyzed age period. In males, annual relative performance development accelerates up to the age of 13 (for running events) or 14 (for jumping events) and then gradually declines when approaching 18 years of age. The relative improvement from age 11 to 18 was twice as high in jumping events compared to running events. For all of the analyzed disciplines, overall improvement rates were >50% higher for males than for females. The performance sex difference evolves from < 5% to 10-18% in all the analyzed disciplines from age 11 to 18 yr. Conclusion To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to present absolute and relative annual performance developments in running and jumping events for competitive athletes from early to late adolescence. These results allow coaches and athletes to set realistic goals and prescribe conditioning programs that take into account sex-specific differences in the rate of performance development at different stages of maturation. PMID:26043192

  9. Influence of age, sex, and strength training on human muscle gene expression determined by microarray

    PubMed Central

    ROTH, STEPHEN M.; FERRELL, ROBERT E.; PETERS, DAVID G.; METTER, E. JEFFREY; HURLEY, BEN F.; ROGERS, MARC A.

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of age, sex, and strength training (ST) on large-scale gene expression patterns in vastus lateralis muscle biopsies using high-density cDNA microarrays and quantitative PCR. Muscle samples from sedentary young (20–30 yr) and older (65–75 yr) men and women (5 per group) were obtained before and after a 9-wk unilateral heavy resistance ST program. RNA was hybridized to cDNA filter microarrays representing ~4,000 known human genes and comparisons were made among arrays to determine differential gene expression as a result of age and sex differences, and/or response to ST. Sex had the strongest influence on muscle gene expression, with differential expression (>1.7-fold) observed for ~200 genes between men and women (~75% with higher expression in men). Age contributed to differential expression as well, as ~50 genes were identified as differentially expressed (>1.7-fold) in relation to age, representing structural, metabolic, and regulatory gene classes. Sixty-nine genes were identified as being differentially expressed (>1.7-fold) in all groups in response to ST, and the majority of these were downregulated. Quantitative PCR was employed to validate expression levels for caldesmon, SWI/SNF (BAF60b), and four-and-a-half LIM domains 1. These significant differences suggest that in the analysis of skeletal muscle gene expression issues of sex, age, and habitual physical activity must be addressed, with sex being the most critical variable. PMID:12209020

  10. The Lack of Interdisciplinarity in Undergraduate Geography Teaching in Turkey

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bilgili, Münür

    2018-01-01

    The aim of this study is to understand and explore interdisciplinarity in geography and undergraduate geography courses in geography teaching departments in Turkey. There is a growing literature in science underscoring the importance of interdisciplinary approach and its beneficial outcomes. Increasing body of knowledge on social theory, on…

  11. Local-global interference is modulated by age, sex and anterior corpus callosum size

    PubMed Central

    Müller-Oehring, Eva M.; Schulte, Tilman; Raassi, Carla; Pfefferbaum, Adolf; Sullivan, Edith V.

    2007-01-01

    To identify attentional and neural mechanisms affecting global and local feature extraction, we devised a global-local hierarchical letter paradigm to test the hypothesis that aging reduces functional cerebral lateralization through corpus callosum (CC) degradation. Participants (37 men and women, 26–79 years) performed a task requiring global, local, or global+local attention and underwent structural MRI for CC measurement. Although reaction time (RT) slowed with age, all participants had faster RTs to local than global targets. This local precedence effect together with greater interference from incongruent local information and greater response conflict from local targets each correlated with older age and smaller callosal genu (anterior) areas. These findings support the hypothesis that the CC mediates lateralized local-global processes by inhibition of task-irrelevant information under selective attention conditions. Further, with advancing age smaller genu size leads to less robust inhibition, thereby reducing cerebral lateralization and permitting interference to influence processing. Sex was an additional modifier of interference, in that callosum-interference relationships were evident in women but not in men. Regardless of age, smaller splenium (posterior) areas correlated with less response facilitation from repetition priming of global targets in men, but with greater response facilitation from repetition priming of local targets in women. Our data indicate the following dissociation: Anterior callosal structure was associated with inhibitory processes (i.e., interference from incongruency and response conflict), which are vulnerable to the effects of age and sex, whereas posterior callosal structure was associated with facilitation processes from repetition priming dependent on sex and independent of age. PMID:17335783

  12. Local-global interference is modulated by age, sex and anterior corpus callosum size.

    PubMed

    Müller-Oehring, Eva M; Schulte, Tilman; Raassi, Carla; Pfefferbaum, Adolf; Sullivan, Edith V

    2007-04-20

    To identify attentional and neural mechanisms affecting global and local feature extraction, we devised a global-local hierarchical letter paradigm to test the hypothesis that aging reduces functional cerebral lateralization through corpus callosum (CC) degradation. Participants (37 men and women, 26-79 years) performed a task requiring global, local, or global+local attention and underwent structural MRI for CC measurement. Although reaction time (RT) slowed with age, all participants had faster RTs to local than global targets. This local precedence effect together with greater interference from incongruent local information and greater response conflict from local targets each correlated with older age and smaller callosal genu (anterior) areas. These findings support the hypothesis that the CC mediates lateralized local-global processes by inhibition of task-irrelevant information under selective attention conditions. Further, with advancing age smaller genu size leads to less robust inhibition, thereby reducing cerebral lateralization and permitting interference to influence processing. Sex was an additional modifier of interference, in that callosum-interference relationships were evident in women but not in men. Regardless of age, smaller splenium (posterior) areas correlated with less response facilitation from repetition priming of global targets in men, but with greater response facilitation from repetition priming of local targets in women. Our data indicate the following dissociation: anterior callosal structure was associated with inhibitory processes (i.e., interference from incongruency and response conflict), which are vulnerable to the effects of age and sex, whereas posterior callosal structure was associated with facilitation processes from repetition priming dependent on sex and independent of age.

  13. Cranium asymmetry in a modern Greek population sample of known age and sex.

    PubMed

    Chovalopoulou, Maria-Eleni; Papageorgopoulou, Christina; Bertsatos, Andreas

    2017-05-01

    The aim of this paper is to evaluate and quantify cranium asymmetry, sexual differences in the set of individual asymmetry scores, and the relationship between fluctuating asymmetry and age, in a modern Greek population sample. In addition, we test for the developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis by assessing the correlation between fluctuating asymmetry and cause of death. The study sample consisted of 173 crania of known sex and adult age (92 males, 81 females) belonging to individuals who lived in Greece during the twentieth century. The three-dimensional coordinates of 77 ectocranial landmarks were digitized using a Microscribe 3DX contact digitizer and landmark configurations were analyzed using the generalized least-squares Procrustes method. Regarding directional asymmetry, the results show that the human skull has a tendency for a left-side excess for the Greek population. No significant directional asymmetry differences between the sexes are found. The highest levels of fluctuating asymmetry for both sexes are located on the skull base. The levels of fluctuating asymmetry in all cranial regions appear higher for males than females. Nevertheless, these differences do not present any statistical significance between sexes. Additionally, there is no relationship between fluctuating asymmetry scores and age for both males and females. Finally, the results of this study could not confirm that early development has a significant impact on adult health outcomes.

  14. Sex Differences in the Biology and Pathology of the Aging Heart.

    PubMed

    Keller, Kaitlyn M; Howlett, Susan E

    2016-09-01

    The knowledge that advanced age is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) has stimulated interest in cardiac aging. Understanding how the heart remodels with age can help us appreciate why older individuals are more likely to acquire heart disease. Growing evidence in both humans and animals shows that the heart exhibits distinct structural and functional changes as a consequence of age. These changes occur even in the absence of overt cardiovascular disease and are often maladaptive. For example, atrial hypertrophy and fibrosis may increase susceptibility to atrial fibrillation in older adults. Age-dependent increases in left ventricular fibrosis, stiffness, and wall thickness promote diastolic dysfunction, predisposing to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. The influence of age on the heart is evident at rest but is even more prominent during exercise. There is also evidence for sex-specific variation in age-associated remodelling. For instance, there is some evidence that the number of ventricular myocytes declines with age through apoptosis in men but not in women. This helps explain why older men are more likely than women to experience heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Emerging evidence from preclinical studies suggests that frailty rather than chronological age promotes adverse cardiac remodelling. Mechanisms implicated in cardiac aging include impaired calcium handling, excessive activation of the ß-adrenergic and renin-angiotensin systems, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Further research into cardiac aging in both sexes is needed, because it may be possible to modify disease treatment if the substrate upon which the disease first develops is better understood. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Rethinking Postgraduate Geography Education in the USA: Issues and Concerns

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Foote, Kenneth; Bednarz, Sarah; Monk, Janice; Solem, Michael; Stoltman, Joseph

    2012-01-01

    Postgraduate geography education in the USA is growing and changing. In recent years, the number of postgraduate programs has increased at both the doctoral and master's levels. Interest in improving and reforming doctoral education has increased dramatically both inside and outside geography, and geography has been involved in these reforms.…

  16. Teaching Gender Geography in Aotearoa New Zealand

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Longhurst, Robyn

    2011-01-01

    In New Zealand universities, gender is still not a substantial part of the curriculum in most geography departments. Although at the University of Waikato, the situation is different. Its specific history of radical scholarship has enabled feminist academics in a variety of disciplines including geography to have had a stronger voice than in other…

  17. Discovering World Geography with Books Kids Love.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chicola, Nancy A.; English, Eleanor B.

    This book integrates geography elements, national academic standards, and the five geography themes with activities that provide a foundation for geographic learning. Organized around geographic realms (with background information and maps for each realm), the book is suitable for use with grades K-6, with indications for K-2, 2-4, and 4-6, plus…

  18. Perspectives on Population in AP® Human Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lu, Max; Keller, Kenneth

    2016-01-01

    A study of human geography begins with the human population. In fact, demographic topics frequently relate to other units in the AP Human Geography course. The three main concepts elaborated upon in this article are (1) the demographic transition model, (2) Malthusian theory and its critics, and (3) pronatalist and antinatalist policies that might…

  19. Effects of age, education, and sex on response bias in a recognition task.

    PubMed

    Marquié, J C; Baracat, B

    2000-09-01

    This study examined age-related differences in decision criteria and the extent to which inconsistencies in earlier findings could be due to sampling artifacts, especially the underlying effects of educational level and sex. Male and female participants (N = 3,059) from 4 age groups (32, 42, 52, and 62 years) and a wide range of educational levels performed a word recognition task. Response bias was assessed with a nonparametric index derived from signal detection theory. The analyses revealed no age differences except for the most educated subjects, for whom increased age was associated with stricter decision criteria. Lower levels of education and men as compared with women were associated with a more conservative bias. Controlling for the level of sensitivity did not significantly change this pattern of results. This finding stresses the need for caution in generalizing age differences obtained from samples that are only partly representative or imbalanced with respect to education and sex.

  20. The academic success of GIS in geography: Problems and prospects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Longley, Paul A.

    The success of GIS has in some ways proved to be a mixed blessing to academic geography. While quantitative geography has developed as a disciplinary specialism over a long period of time, the infusion of GIS has been more rapid and applications-led. Geography has been a consumer, not producer, of mainstream GIS software, and as such GIS may even contribute towards accelerated de-skilling of the discipline. The technology nevertheless provides a crucial means of dealing with the current proliferation of digital data, and has important implications for the future development of geography.

  1. Prevalence and associations of anisometropia with spherical ametropia, cylindrical power, age, and sex in refractive surgery candidates.

    PubMed

    Linke, Stephan J; Richard, Gisbert; Katz, Toam

    2011-09-29

    To analyze the prevalence and associations of anisometropia with spherical ametropia, astigmatism, age, and sex in a refractive surgery population. Medical records of 27,070 eyes of 13,535 refractive surgery candidates were reviewed. Anisometropia, defined as the absolute difference in mean spherical equivalent powers between right and left eyes, was analyzed for subjective (A(subj)) and cycloplegic refraction (A(cycl)). Correlations between anisometropia (>1 diopter) and spherical ametropia, cylindrical power, age, and sex, were analyzed using χ² and nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis or Mann-Whitney tests and binomial logistic regression analyses. Power vector analysis was applied for further analysis of cylindrical power. Prevalence of A(subj) was 18.5% and of A(cycl) was 19.3%. In hyperopes, logistic regression analysis revealed that only spherical refractive error (odds ratio [OR], 0.72) and age (OR, 0.97) were independently associated with anisometropia. A(subj) decreased with increasing spherical ametropia and advancing age. Cylindrical power and sex did not significantly affect A(subj). In myopes all explanatory variables (spherical power OR, 0.93; cylindrical power OR, 0.75; age OR, 1.02; sex OR, 0.8) were independently associated with anisometropia. Cylindrical power was most strongly associated with anisometropia. Advancing age and increasing spherical/cylindrical power correlated positively with increasing anisometropia in myopic subjects. Female sex was more closely associated with anisometropia. This large-scale retrospective analysis confirmed an independent association between anisometropia and both spherical ametropia and age in refractive surgery candidates. Notably, an inverse relationship between these parameters in hyperopes was observed. Cylindrical power and female sex were independently associated with anisometropia in myopes.

  2. Remote memory as a function of age and sex.

    PubMed

    Storandt, M; Grant, E A; Gordon, B C

    1978-10-01

    Memory for events which occurred between 1910 and 1969 was examined in individuals ranging in age from 20 to 80 years. Two types of events were included: Those which represented happenings of historical significance and those which dealt with the entertainment world of the past. Men were found to recall historical items significantly better than women, while entertainment items were equally well recalled by the two sexes. Age of peak memory for past events from the entertainment world increased with the age of the item; individuals seemed to remember best those events which occurred in their youth or young adulthood. This pattern was not replicated with respect to the historical current events items; however, these items may be a biased test of remote memory in women.

  3. Hematological parameters in relation to age, sex and biochemical values for mute swans (Cygnus olor).

    PubMed

    Dolka, B; Włodarczyk, R; Zbikowski, A; Dolka, I; Szeleszczuk, P; Kluciński, W

    2014-06-01

    The knowledge of the correct morphological and biochemical parameters in mute swans is an important indicator of their health status, body condition, adaptation to habitat and useful diagnostic tools in veterinary practice and ecological research. The aim of the study was to obtain hematological parameters in relation to age, sex and serum biochemistry values in wild-living mute swans. We found the significant differences in the erythrocyte count, hematocrit, hemoglobin concentration and erythrocyte sedimentation rate in relation to age of mute swans. There were no differences in hematological values between males and females. The leukogram and H/L ratio did not vary by age and sex in swans. Among of biochemical parameters the slightly increased AST, ALP, CK, K, urea, decreased CHOL and TG values were recorded. As far as we know, this is the first study in which the morphometric parameters of blood cells in mute swans were presented. We found extremely low concentration of lead in blood (at subthreshold level). No blood parasites were found in blood smears. The analysis of body mass and biometric parameters revealed a significant differences dependent on age and sex. No differences in the scaled mass index were found. Our results represent a normal hematologic and blood chemistry values and age-sex related changes, as reference values for the mute swan.

  4. High sex ratios in rural China: declining well-being with age in never-married men.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Xudong; Hesketh, Therese

    2017-09-19

    In parts of rural China male-biased sex ratios at birth, combined with out-migration of women, have led to highly male-biased adult sex ratios, resulting in large numbers of men being unable to marry, in a culture where marriage and reproduction are an expectation. The aim of this study was to test the hypotheses that older unmarried men are more predisposed to depression, low self-esteem and aggression than both those who are married, and those who are younger and unmarried. Self-completion questionnaires were administered among men aged 20-40 in 48 villages in rural Guizhou province, southwestern China. Tools used included the Beck Depression Inventory, the Rosenberg's Self-esteem Scale and the Bryant-Smith Aggression Questionnaire. Regression models assessed psychological wellbeing while adjusting for socio-demographic variables. Completed questionnaires were obtained from 957 never-married men, 535 married men aged 30-40, 394 partnered men and 382 unpartnered men aged 20-29. After adjusting for socio-demographic variables, never-married men were more predisposed to depression ( p < 0.05), aggression ( p < 0.01), low self-esteem ( p < 0.05) and suicidal tendencies ( p < 0.001). All the psychological measures deteriorated with age in never-married men. In contrast, married men remained stable on these dimensions with age. Never-married men are a psychologically highly vulnerable group in a society where marriage is an expectation. Since the highest birth sex-ratio cohorts have not yet reached reproductive age, the social tragedy of these men will last for at least another generation.This article is part of the themed issue 'Adult sex ratios and reproductive decisions: a critical re-examination of sex differences in human and animal societies'. © 2017 The Authors.

  5. Age-related sex differences in body condition and telomere dynamics of red-sided garter snakes

    PubMed Central

    Rollings, Nicky; Uhrig, Emily J.; Krohmer, Randolph W.; Waye, Heather L.; Mason, Robert T.; Olsson, Mats; Whittington, Camilla M.

    2017-01-01

    Life-history strategies vary dramatically between the sexes, which may drive divergence in sex-specific senescence and mortality rates. Telomeres are tandem nucleotide repeats that protect the ends of chromosomes from erosion during cell division. Telomeres have been implicated in senescence and mortality because they tend to shorten with stress, growth and age. We investigated age-specific telomere length in female and male red-sided garter snakes, Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis. We hypothesized that age-specific telomere length would differ between males and females given their divergent reproductive strategies. Male garter snakes emerge from hibernation with high levels of corticosterone, which facilitates energy mobilization to fuel mate-searching, courtship and mating behaviours during a two to four week aphagous breeding period at the den site. Conversely, females remain at the dens for only about 4 days and seem to invest more energy in growth and cellular maintenance, as they usually reproduce biennially. As male investment in reproduction involves a yearly bout of physiologically stressful activities, while females prioritize self-maintenance, we predicted male snakes would experience more age-specific telomere loss than females. We investigated this prediction using skeletochronology to determine the ages of individuals and qPCR to determine telomere length in a cross-sectional study. For both sexes, telomere length was positively related to body condition. Telomere length decreased with age in male garter snakes, but remained stable in female snakes. There was no correlation between telomere length and growth in either sex, suggesting that our results are a consequence of divergent selection on life histories of males and females. Different selection on the sexes may be the physiological consequence of the sexual dimorphism and mating system dynamics displayed by this species. PMID:28381620

  6. Age-related sex differences in body condition and telomere dynamics of red-sided garter snakes.

    PubMed

    Rollings, Nicky; Uhrig, Emily J; Krohmer, Randolph W; Waye, Heather L; Mason, Robert T; Olsson, Mats; Whittington, Camilla M; Friesen, Christopher R

    2017-04-12

    Life-history strategies vary dramatically between the sexes, which may drive divergence in sex-specific senescence and mortality rates. Telomeres are tandem nucleotide repeats that protect the ends of chromosomes from erosion during cell division. Telomeres have been implicated in senescence and mortality because they tend to shorten with stress, growth and age. We investigated age-specific telomere length in female and male red-sided garter snakes, Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis We hypothesized that age-specific telomere length would differ between males and females given their divergent reproductive strategies. Male garter snakes emerge from hibernation with high levels of corticosterone, which facilitates energy mobilization to fuel mate-searching, courtship and mating behaviours during a two to four week aphagous breeding period at the den site. Conversely, females remain at the dens for only about 4 days and seem to invest more energy in growth and cellular maintenance, as they usually reproduce biennially. As male investment in reproduction involves a yearly bout of physiologically stressful activities, while females prioritize self-maintenance, we predicted male snakes would experience more age-specific telomere loss than females. We investigated this prediction using skeletochronology to determine the ages of individuals and qPCR to determine telomere length in a cross-sectional study. For both sexes, telomere length was positively related to body condition. Telomere length decreased with age in male garter snakes, but remained stable in female snakes. There was no correlation between telomere length and growth in either sex, suggesting that our results are a consequence of divergent selection on life histories of males and females. Different selection on the sexes may be the physiological consequence of the sexual dimorphism and mating system dynamics displayed by this species. © 2017 The Author(s).

  7. Oxidative stress and the evolution of sex differences in life span and ageing in the decorated cricket, Gryllodes sigillatus.

    PubMed

    Archer, Catharine R; Sakaluk, Scott K; Selman, Colin; Royle, Nick J; Hunt, John

    2013-03-01

    The Free Radical Theory of Ageing (FRTA) predicts that oxidative stress, induced when levels of reactive oxygen species exceed the capacity of antioxidant defenses, causes ageing. Recently, it has also been argued that oxidative damage may mediate important life-history trade-offs. Here, we use inbred lines of the decorated cricket, Gryllodes sigillatus, to estimate the genetic (co)variance between age-dependent reproductive effort, life span, ageing, oxidative damage, and total antioxidant capacity within and between the sexes. The FRTA predicts that oxidative damage should accumulate with age and negatively correlate with life span. We find that protein oxidation is greater in the shorter lived sex (females) and negatively genetically correlated with life span in both sexes. However, oxidative damage did not accumulate with age in either sex. Previously we have shown antagonistic pleiotropy between the genes for early-life reproductive effort and ageing rate in both sexes, although this was stronger in females. In females, we find that elevated fecundity early in life is associated with greater protein oxidation later in life, which is in turn positively correlated with the rate of ageing. Our results provide mixed support for the FRTA but suggest that oxidative stress may mediate sex-specific life-history strategies in G. sigillatus. © 2012 The Author(s). Evolution© 2012 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

  8. English Primary Trainee Teachers' Perceptions of Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morley, Emma

    2012-01-01

    This paper summarises the findings of research conducted with one cohort of English undergraduate primary teacher trainees on point of entry to a 4-year course. The research examines the perceptions held of geography as a subject discipline and the purposes of teaching the subject. Two hundred and eleven trainees were asked to define geography and…

  9. Distinctive roles of age, sex, and genetics in shaping transcriptional variation of human immune responses to microbial challenges.

    PubMed

    Piasecka, Barbara; Duffy, Darragh; Urrutia, Alejandra; Quach, Hélène; Patin, Etienne; Posseme, Céline; Bergstedt, Jacob; Charbit, Bruno; Rouilly, Vincent; MacPherson, Cameron R; Hasan, Milena; Albaud, Benoit; Gentien, David; Fellay, Jacques; Albert, Matthew L; Quintana-Murci, Lluis

    2018-01-16

    The contribution of host genetic and nongenetic factors to immunological differences in humans remains largely undefined. Here, we generated bacterial-, fungal-, and viral-induced immune transcriptional profiles in an age- and sex-balanced cohort of 1,000 healthy individuals and searched for the determinants of immune response variation. We found that age and sex affected the transcriptional response of most immune-related genes, with age effects being more stimulus-specific relative to sex effects, which were largely shared across conditions. Although specific cell populations mediated the effects of age and sex on gene expression, including CD8 + T cells for age and CD4 + T cells and monocytes for sex, we detected a direct effect of these intrinsic factors for the majority of immune genes. The mapping of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) revealed that genetic factors had a stronger effect on immune gene regulation than age and sex, yet they affected a smaller number of genes. Importantly, we identified numerous genetic variants that manifested their regulatory effects exclusively on immune stimulation, including a Candida albicans -specific master regulator at the CR1 locus. These response eQTLs were enriched in disease-associated variants, particularly for autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, indicating that differences in disease risk may result from regulatory variants exerting their effects only in the presence of immune stress. Together, this study quantifies the respective effects of age, sex, genetics, and cellular heterogeneity on the interindividual variability of immune responses and constitutes a valuable resource for further exploration in the context of different infection risks or disease outcomes. Copyright © 2018 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

  10. Sex- and age-dependent patterns of survival and breeding success in a long-lived endangered avian scavenger

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sanz-Aguilar, Ana; Cortés-Avizanda, Ainara; Serrano, David; Blanco, Guillermo; Ceballos, Olga; Grande, Juan M.; Tella, José L.; Donázar, José A.

    2017-01-01

    In long-lived species, the age-, stage- and/or sex-dependent patterns of survival and reproduction determine the evolution of life history strategies, the shape of the reproductive value, and ultimately population dynamics. We evaluate the combined effects of age and sex in recruitment, breeder survival and breeding success of the globally endangered Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus), using 31-years of exhaustive data on marked individuals in Spain. Mean age of first reproduction was 7-yrs for both sexes, but females showed an earlier median and a larger variance than males. We found an age-related improvement in breeding success at the population level responding to the selective appearance and disappearance of phenotypes of different quality but unrelated to within-individual aging effects. Old males (≥8 yrs) showed a higher survival than both young males (≤7 yrs) and females, these later in turn not showing aging effects. Evolutionary trade-offs between age of recruitment and fitness (probably related to costs of territory acquisition and defense) as well as human-related mortality may explain these findings. Sex- and age-related differences in foraging strategies and susceptibility to toxics could be behind the relatively low survival of females and young males, adding a new concern for the conservation of this endangered species.

  11. Self-concept of academic ability as a function of sex, age, and academic achievement among African adolescents.

    PubMed

    Mboya, M M

    1998-08-01

    This study examined (a) sex and age variations for scores on Self-concept of Academic Ability and academic achievement among 244 African adolescents attending a coeducational high school and (b) correlations between scores on Self-concept of Academic Ability and academic achievement by sex and age. No significant sex differences were found, but there were significant age differences on the Self-concept scores and measures of English, science, and history but not in mathematics. A significant positive correlation was found between Self-concept scores and academic achievement for boys and girls and in all age groups, but the magnitude of the correlations with achievement in mathematics was stronger among boys than among girls.

  12. Age and sex differences in paranormal beliefs: a response to Vitulli, Tipton, and Rowe (1999)

    PubMed

    Irwin, H J

    2000-04-01

    Vitulli, Tipton, and Rowe (1999) report evidence of age and sex differences in the strength of paranormal beliefs. An alternative interpretation of their data is offered in terms of differential item functioning. It is suggested that respondents' interpretation of paranormal belief test items may vary with age and sex, and that such differences in the strength with which such beliefs are endorsed has not been conclusively established by Vitulli, et al.

  13. Sex-based memory advantages and cognitive aging: a challenge to the cognitive reserve construct?

    PubMed

    Caselli, Richard J; Dueck, Amylou C; Locke, Dona E C; Baxter, Leslie C; Woodruff, Bryan K; Geda, Yonas E

    2015-02-01

    Education and related proxies for cognitive reserve (CR) are confounded by associations with environmental factors that correlate with cerebrovascular disease possibly explaining discrepancies between studies examining their relationships to cognitive aging and dementia. In contrast, sex-related memory differences may be a better proxy. Since they arise developmentally, they are less likely to reflect environmental confounds. Women outperform men on verbal and men generally outperform women on visuospatial memory tasks. Furthermore, memory declines during the preclinical stage of AD, when it is clinically indistinguishable from normal aging. To determine whether CR mitigates age-related memory decline, we examined the effects of gender and APOE genotype on longitudinal memory performances. Memory decline was assessed in a cohort of healthy men and women enriched for APOE ɛ4 who completed two verbal [Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT), Buschke Selective Reminding Test (SRT)] and two visuospatial [Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (CFT), and Benton Visual Retention Test (VRT)] memory tests, as well as in a separate larger and older cohort [National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC)] who completed a verbal memory test (Logical Memory). Age-related memory decline was accelerated in APOE ɛ4 carriers on all verbal memory measures (AVLT, p=.03; SRT p<.001; logical memory p<.001) and on the VRT p=.006. Baseline sex associated differences were retained over time, but no sex differences in rate of decline were found for any measure in either cohort. Sex-based memory advantage does not mitigate age-related memory decline in either APOE ɛ4 carriers or non-carriers.

  14. Effects of age and sex on hormonal responses to weightlessness simulation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Larochelle, F.; Leach, C.; Vernikos-Danellis, J.

    1982-01-01

    The effects of horizontal bedrest on the excretion of catecholamines, aldosterone, and cortisol by human subjects grouped by age and sex are examined. The responses are assessed by assays of 24-hr urine samples collected throughout the studies. In 36-45-yr-olds, the excretion of epinephrine increases, whereas it decreases in the 46-55- and 56-65-yr-old groups. Norepinephrine excretion decreases (5-27%) in all groups during bedrest. Aldosterone excretion increases in the younger two groups of both males (19 and 6%) and females (47 and 9%). A slight decrease is observed in 56-65-yr-old males (6%), whereas excretion in females is unchanged. Cortisol excretion increases in the youngest groups of both men (12%) and women (13%) but decreases in the 56-65-yr-old groups (6 and 5%). For the two groups of intermediate age (46-55 yr), excretion in females decreases (15%), whereas in males it increases (19%). It is believed that hormone measurements may be of value in explaining variation in stress tolerance due to age and/or sex during space flight.

  15. Sex-Related and Age-Related Differences in Knee Strength of Basketball Players Ages 11–17 Years

    PubMed Central

    Vardaxis, Vassilios G.

    2003-01-01

    Objective: To assess hamstrings and quadriceps strength of basketball players ages 11–13 and 15–17 years. Design and Setting: This cross-sectional study occurred during the 2000 American Youth Basketball Tour National Tournament. We investigated whether sex- or age-related strength differences existed among study participants. Subjects: Forty-one tournament participants (22 girls, 19 boys; 11–13 or 15–17 years old) who reported no history of knee sprain or surgery were recruited. Measurements: We used a Cybex II dynamometer to obtain isokinetic concentric peak torques relative to body mass (Nm/kg) at 60°/s for hamstrings and quadriceps bilaterally. From average peak torques, we determined ipsilateral hamstrings:quadriceps and homologous muscle-group ratios. Results: Correlations between hamstrings and quadriceps strength measures ranged from 0.78 to 0.97. Players 15–17 years old had greater relative hamstrings and quadriceps strength than 11- to 13-year-old athletes. Age and sex interacted significantly for quadriceps strength. The quadriceps strength of 15- to 17-year-old girls did not differ from that of 11- to 13-year-old girls, whereas 15- to 17-year-old boys had stronger quadriceps than 11- to 13-year-old boys. Boys 15–17 years old had greater quadriceps strength than girls 15–17 years old. Conclusions: This study is unique in providing normative data for the hamstrings and quadriceps strength of basketball players 11–13 and 15–17 years old. Age-related strength differences did not occur consistently between the sexes, as girls 11–13 and 15–17 years old had similar relative quadriceps strength. PMID:14608433

  16. Age-Specific Sex Differences in Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Depicted Carotid Intraplaque Hemorrhage.

    PubMed

    Singh, Navneet; Moody, Alan R; Zhang, Bowen; Kaminski, Isabella; Kapur, Kush; Chiu, Stephanie; Tyrrell, Pascal N

    2017-08-01

    Stroke rates are higher in men compared with women in the fourth through seventh decades of life, and higher rates may result from differences in carotid intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH), an unstable atherosclerotic plaque component. We report age-specific sex differences in the presence of magnetic resonance imaging-depicted carotid IPH. Patients (n=1115) underwent magnetic resonance imaging for carotid IPH between 2005 and 2014. Low-grade carotid stenosis patients (n=906) without prior endarterectomy were eligible for this cross-sectional study. Of the 906 patients included (mean age±SD in years, 66.98±15.15), 63 (6.95%) had carotid IPH. In men and women, carotid IPH was present in 11.43% (48 of 420) and 3.09% (15 of 486), respectively ( P <0.0001). Multivariable logistic regression analysis confirmed greater odds of carotid IPH in men for all ages: 45 to 54 (odds ratio=45.45; 95% confidence interval, 3.43-500), 55 to 64 years (odds ratio=21.74; 95% confidence interval, 3.21-142.86), 65 to 74 years (odds ratio=10.42; 95% confidence interval, 2.91-37.04), and ≥75 years (odds ratio=5.00; 95% confidence interval, 2.31-10.75). Male sex modified the effect of age on the presence of carotid IPH (β=0.074; SE=0.036; P =0.0411). Men have greater age-specific odds of magnetic resonance imaging-depicted carotid IPH compared with women. With increasing age post-menopause, the odds of carotid IPH in women becomes closer to that of men. Delayed onset of carotid IPH in women, an unstable plaque component, may partly explain differential stroke rates between sexes, and further studies are warranted. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

  17. Sex Differences in Preschoolers' Perceptions of Young, Middle-Aged and Elderly Adults.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Downs, A. Chris; Walz, Patricia J.

    This study examines the sex differences in preschool children's perception of male and female adults of different ages (young, middle-aged and elderly) and the degree to which physical attractiveness plays a role in children's attributions concerning adults. Forty 3- and 4-year-old children (20 boys, 20 girls) from middle-income families served as…

  18. Geography - Changing Faces of the Earth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hanacek-Schubert, Christopher

    2017-04-01

    Geography - Changing Faces of the Earth In Austria there are currently some major reforms concerning high school education underway. At our school, the Bundesgymnasium and Bundesrealgymnasium Draschestrasse, a school belonging to the Vienna Bilingual Schooling branch, we have developed a course system in which pupils can select courses and determine individually which areas of study they want to focus on. Specially devised courses have been developed which fit within the framework of natural and applied sciences but go beyond the basic curriculum in geography. At the same time the structure of the basic courses, compulsory for all pupils, was altered in order to allow for topics that are currently in the news to be dealt with sufficiently. In the basic courses of geography exogenic and endogenic forces are dealt with extensively. The main idea is to make children aware of the powers that make landscapes look the way the do now - and what their appearance may have been thousands or millions of years ago. A piece of rubble, a depression in the landscape or the way a tree may bend may serve as the key to what lies underneath earth's surface. These tell-tale signs are worth investigating, they can open up our eyes and change our perception of the world. A great focus, in particular in the 7th grade, is placed on glaciers and karst, most notably in the Alps and the Mediterranean region, whereas the 6th grade emphasizes weathering, erosion and endogenic forces in the geography curriculum. The newly installed whiteboards at our school allow for excellent visualization of subject-related aspects concerning the aforementioned topics and issues. In addition to the geography basic-course we have devised a special course entitled „Dante's Peak" which deals specifically with the endogenic forces that help shape the appearance of the earth, in particular plate tectonics, vulcanism, earthquakes.

  19. Saussure and Linguistic Geography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harris, Roy

    1993-01-01

    Discusses Saussures's "Cours de linguistique generale," which was published in 1916, and devotes specific attention to the significance of Part VI, which is devoted to linguistic geography. (16 references) (Author/VWL)

  20. Urolithiasis in dogs. II: Breed prevalence, and interrelations of breed, sex, age, and mineral composition.

    PubMed

    Ling, G V; Franti, C E; Ruby, A L; Johnson, D L

    1998-05-01

    To analyze selected breed-related data for canine urinary calculi. 11,000 specimens: 5,781 from female dogs, 5,215 from males, and 4 from dogs of unrecorded sex. Information was compiled for all canine urinary calculi submitted between July 1981 and January 1994. Results for a mixed-breed group and 26 of the most common breeds of stone-forming dogs were analyzed. Interrelations of breed, sex, and age of affected dogs and mineral composition of the specimens were determined. Prevalence of 5 specific mineral types was significantly correlated between the sexes of 27 common breed groups: struvite, calcium phosphate (apatite), calcium oxalate, brushite, and urate. Struvite-containing calculi were seen in high proportions in both sexes of 7 breeds, and in low proportions in both sexes of 7 other breeds. Male and female Lhasa Apsos, Cairn Terriers, and 5 other breeds had high proportions of oxalate-containing calculi; values in males were substantially higher. Low numbers of oxalate-containing calculi were seen in both sexes of 7 breeds; Dalmatians had the lowest numbers. Males and females of 6 breeds had high numbers of urate-containing calculi, Dalmatians and English Bulldogs had the highest numbers. Low amounts of urate were found in calculi from males and females of 6 breeds, Samoyeds had the lowest numbers. Highest proportions of cystine-containing calculi were seen in male Dachshunds, English Bulldogs, and Chihuahuas. Males of 8 breeds had no specimens that contained cystine; only 2 such specimens were obtained from females. Prevalence of uroliths differs among breed, age, and sex of affected dogs. Breed, sex, and age of dogs; mineral types of calculi in males versus females; and their anatomic location within the tract are important considerations for clinicians when evaluating risk in dogs with urolithiasis and in identifying areas that need further in-depth applied or clinical investigation, or both.

  1. Bias in the reporting of sex and age in biomedical research on mouse models

    PubMed Central

    Flórez-Vargas, Oscar; Brass, Andy; Karystianis, George; Bramhall, Michael; Stevens, Robert; Cruickshank, Sheena; Nenadic, Goran

    2016-01-01

    In animal-based biomedical research, both the sex and the age of the animals studied affect disease phenotypes by modifying their susceptibility, presentation and response to treatment. The accurate reporting of experimental methods and materials, including the sex and age of animals, is essential so that other researchers can build on the results of such studies. Here we use text mining to study 15,311 research papers in which mice were the focus of the study. We find that the percentage of papers reporting the sex and age of mice has increased over the past two decades: however, only about 50% of the papers published in 2014 reported these two variables. We also compared the quality of reporting in six preclinical research areas and found evidence for different levels of sex-bias in these areas: the strongest male-bias was observed in cardiovascular disease models and the strongest female-bias was found in infectious disease models. These results demonstrate the ability of text mining to contribute to the ongoing debate about the reproducibility of research, and confirm the need to continue efforts to improve the reporting of experimental methods and materials. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.13615.001 PMID:26939790

  2. Early determinants of vagal activity at preschool age - With potential dependence on sex.

    PubMed

    Kühne, Britta; Genser, Bernd; De Bock, Freia

    2016-12-01

    In children, autonomic nervous function is related to various highly prevalent health problems and might therefore represent an early indicator of ill health. We aimed to investigate the role of early-life exposures and physical activity (PA) as potential determinants of autonomic function at preschool age. We used an existing longitudinal data set of repeated vagal tone measurements (assessed via heart rate recovery (HRR)) and retrospectively assessed early-life exposures in 1052 children (mean age: 59.4months, 47.5% girls) from 52 preschools in Germany recruited from 2008 to 2010. HRR 1min after submaximal exercise served as primary outcome. Through multilevel linear regression analysis adjusted for demographic and socioeconomic factors, we assessed the association between repeatedly measured HRR and pregnancy smoking status, breastfeeding and objectively measured PA. Besides significant regression coefficients for previously described correlates of HRR (sex, age), we could show positive associations of HRR with breastfeeding (six versus zero months: +4.2 beats per minute (BPM), p=0.004) and PA (+1.0BPM for 10min increase of moderate-to-vigorous PA/day, p<0.001). Smoking before and during pregnancy showed no significant association with HRR in the total sample. However, we found interactions between sex and smoking before and during pregnancy as well as between sex and breastfeeding, suggesting significant associations with HRR only in girls. Besides PA, early pre- and postnatal exposures seem to have long-lasting effects on children's autonomic function, still recordable at preschool age. Our data suggest that these effects might be sex-dependent. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Learning through Geography. Pathways in Geography Series, Title No. 7.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Slater, Frances

    This teacher's guide is to enable the teacher to promote thinking through the use of geography. The book lays out the rationale in learning theory for an issues-based, question-driven inquiry method and proceeds through a simple model of progression from identifying key questions to developing generalizations. Students study issues of geographic…

  4. The Geography of Germany: Lessons for Teaching the Five Themes of Geography. Social Studies, Grades 9-12. Update 1997/1998.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blankenship, Glen; Tinkler, D. William

    This packet contains five lessons related to the five themes of geography: location; place; human-environment interaction; movement; and region. The lessons are designed to support the teaching of courses in world geography, U.S. government/civics, and economics from a comparative U.S./German perspective. Lessons include: (1) "Location of…

  5. Manual Control Age and Sex Differences in 4 to 11 Year Old Children

    PubMed Central

    Flatters, Ian; Hill, Liam J. B.; Williams, Justin H. G.; Barber, Sally E.; Mon-Williams, Mark

    2014-01-01

    To what degree does being male or female influence the development of manual skills in pre-pubescent children? This question is important because of the emphasis placed on developing important new manual skills during this period of a child's education (e.g. writing, drawing, using computers). We investigated age and sex-differences in the ability of 422 children to control a handheld stylus. A task battery deployed using tablet PC technology presented interactive visual targets on a computer screen whilst simultaneously recording participant's objective kinematic responses, via their interactions with the on-screen stimuli using the handheld stylus. The battery required children use the stylus to: (i) make a series of aiming movements, (ii) trace a series of abstract shapes and (iii) track a moving object. The tasks were not familiar to the children, allowing measurement of a general ability that might be meaningfully labelled ‘manual control’, whilst minimising culturally determined differences in experience (as much as possible). A reliable interaction between sex and age was found on the aiming task, with girls' movement times being faster than boys in younger age groups (e.g. 4–5 years) but with this pattern reversing in older children (10–11 years). The improved performance in older boys on the aiming task is consistent with prior evidence of a male advantage for gross-motor aiming tasks, which begins to emerge during adolescence. A small but reliable sex difference was found in tracing skill, with girls showing a slightly higher level of performance than boys irrespective of age. There were no reliable sex differences between boys and girls on the tracking task. Overall, the findings suggest that prepubescent girls are more likely to have superior manual control abilities for performing novel tasks. However, these small population differences do not suggest that the sexes require different educational support whilst developing their manual skills

  6. Can Neglected Tropical Diseases Compromise Human Wellbeing in Sex-, Age-, and Trait-Specific Ways?

    PubMed Central

    Geary, David C.

    2016-01-01

    Traits that facilitate competition for reproductive resources or that influence mate choice have evolved to signal resilience to infectious disease and other stressors. As a result, the dynamics of competition and choice can, in theory, be used to generate predictions about sex-, age-, and trait-specific vulnerabilities for any sexually reproducing species, including humans. These dynamics and associated vulnerabilities are reviewed for nonhuman species, focusing on traits that are compromised by exposure to parasites. Using the same approach, sex-, age-, and trait-specific vulnerabilities to parasitic disease are illustrated for children’s and adolescent’s physical growth and fitness. Suggestions are then provided for widening the assessment of human vulnerabilities to include age-appropriate measures of behavioral (e.g., children’s play) and cognitive (e.g., language fluency) traits. These are traits that are likely to be compromised by infection in age- and sex-specific ways. Inclusion of these types of measures in studies of neglected tropic diseases has the potential to provide a more nuanced understanding of how these diseases undermine human wellbeing and may provide a useful means to study the efficacy of associated treatments. PMID:27077746

  7. Health-Related Physical Fitness in Hungarian Youth: Age, Sex, and Regional Profiles

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Welk, Gregory J.; Saint-Maurice, Pedro F.; Csányi, Tamás

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine region, age, and sex profiles of physical fitness in Hungarian youth. Method: A sample of 2,602 Hungarian youth aged 10 to 18 years old completed a series of physical fitness field tests: the Progressive Aerobic Cardiorespiratory Endurance Run (PACER) fitness test, body mass index (BMI), percent…

  8. A Note on Sex Differences in Mental Rotation in Different Age Groups

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Geiser, Christian; Lehmann, Wolfgang; Eid, Michael

    2008-01-01

    A large number of studies have reported average performance differences in favor of males in mental rotation tasks. However, it is still unclear to what extent the magnitude of the sex differences varies across age, and whether the differences increase with age. In this study, we reanalyzed data from a cross-sectional investigation of N = 1624…

  9. From swing to cane: Sex differences of EEG resting-state temporal patterns during maturation and aging.

    PubMed

    Tomescu, M I; Rihs, T A; Rochas, V; Hardmeier, M; Britz, J; Allali, G; Fuhr, P; Eliez, S; Michel, C M

    2018-06-01

    While many insights on brain development and aging have been gained by studying resting-state networks with fMRI, relating these changes to cognitive functions is limited by the temporal resolution of fMRI. In order to better grasp short-lasting and dynamically changing mental activities, an increasing number of studies utilize EEG to define resting-state networks, thereby often using the concept of EEG microstates. These are brief (around 100 ms) periods of stable scalp potential fields that are influenced by cognitive states and are sensitive to neuropsychiatric diseases. Despite the rising popularity of the EEG microstate approach, information about age changes is sparse and nothing is known about sex differences. Here we investigated age and sex related changes of the temporal dynamics of EEG microstates in 179 healthy individuals (6-87 years old, 90 females, 204-channel EEG). We show strong sex-specific changes in microstate dynamics during adolescence as well as at older age. In addition, males and females differ in the duration and occurrence of specific microstates. These results are of relevance for the comparison of studies in populations of different age and sex and for the understanding of the changes in neuropsychiatric diseases. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  10. Age and sex determination of juvenile band-tailed pigeons

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    White, J.A.; Braun, C.E.

    1978-01-01

    Captive band-tailed pigeons (Columbafasciata) were studied to document progression of molts and plumages from juvenal to adult age. Immature pigeons began the post-juvenal molt at 35 days which continued up to 340 days. The only 3 plumage characters useful for identification and estimation of age were presence of juvenal lesser, middle, and greater secondary coverts, juvenal secondaries, and juvenal primaries. While juvenal primaries were still present, hatching dates could be estimated up to 252 days (N = 84). Secondary feather presence and molt stage could be used to identify juvenile pigeons for more than 340 days (N = 24). Using coloration of the crown and breast feathers, 96 percent of the immature pigeons examined (106 of 110) at 80 days of age were classified accurately as to sex.

  11. Sex Offenders in the Digital Age.

    PubMed

    Chan, Eric J; McNiel, Dale E; Binder, Renee L

    2016-09-01

    With most youths now using the Internet and social networking sites (SNSs), the public has become increasingly concerned about risks posed by online predators. In response, lawmakers have begun to pass laws that ban or limit sex offenders' use of the Internet and SNSs. At the time of this article, 12 states and the federal government have passed legislation attempting to restrict or ban the use of SNSs by registered sex offenders. These laws have been successfully challenged in 4 states. In this article, we discuss examples of case law that illustrate evolving trends regarding Internet and social networking site restrictions on sex offenders on supervised release, as well as those who have already completed their sentences. We also review constitutional questions and empirical evidence concerning Internet and social networking use by sex offenders. To our knowledge, this is the first paper in the psychiatric literature that addresses the evolving legal landscape in reference to sex offenders and their use of the Internet and SNSs. This article is intended to help inform forensic mental health professionals who work with sex offenders on current concerns in this rapidly evolving legal landscape. © 2016 American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.

  12. Sex differences in episodic memory in early midlife: impact of reproductive aging.

    PubMed

    Rentz, Dorene M; Weiss, Blair K; Jacobs, Emily G; Cherkerzian, Sara; Klibanski, Anne; Remington, Anne; Aizley, Harlyn; Goldstein, Jill M

    2017-04-01

    Few have characterized cognitive changes with age as a function of menopausal stage relative to men, or sex differences in components of memory in early midlife. The study aim was to investigate variation in memory function in early midlife as a function of sex, sex steroid hormones, and reproductive status. A total of 212 men and women aged 45 to 55 were selected for this cross-sectional study from a prenatal cohort of pregnancies whose mothers were originally recruited in 1959 to 1966. They underwent clinical and cognitive testing and hormonal assessments of menopause status. Multivariate general linear models for multiple memory outcomes were used to test hypotheses controlling for potential confounders. Episodic memory, executive function, semantic processing, and estimated verbal intelligence were assessed. Associative memory and episodic verbal memory were assessed using Face-Name Associative Memory Exam (FNAME) and Selective Reminding Test (SRT), given increased sensitivity to detecting early cognitive decline. Impacts of sex and reproductive stage on performance were tested. Women outperformed men on all memory measures including FNAME (β = -0.30, P < 0.0001) and SRT (β = -0.29, P < 0.0001). Furthermore, premenopausal and perimenopausal women outperformed postmenopausal women on FNAME (initial learning, β= 0.32, P = 0.01) and SRT (recall, β= 2.39, P = 0.02). Across all women, higher estradiol was associated with better SRT performance (recall, β = 1.96, P = 0.01) and marginally associated with FNAME (initial learning, β = 0.19, P = 0.06). This study demonstrated that, in early midlife, women outperformed age-matched men across all memory measures, but sex differences were attenuated for postmenopausal women. Initial learning and memory retrieval were particularly vulnerable, whereas memory consolidation and storage were preserved. Findings underscore the significance of the decline in ovarian estradiol production in

  13. Impact of age and sex on normal left heart structure and function.

    PubMed

    Hagström, Linn; Henein, Michael Y; Karp, Kjell; Waldenström, Anders; Lindqvist, Per

    2017-11-01

    Accurate age- and sex-related normal reference values of ventricular structure and function are important to determine the level of dysfunction in patients. The aim of this study therefore was to document normal age range sex-related measurements of LV structural and functional measurements to serve such purpose. We evaluated left ventricular structure and function in 293 healthy subjects between 20 and 90 years with equally distributed gender. Doppler echocardiography was used including measure of both systolic and diastolic functions. Due to systolic LV function, only long axis function correlated with age (r = 0·55, P<0·01) and the correlation was stronger in females. Concerning diastolic function, there was a strong age correlation in all parameters used (r = 0·40-0·74, P<0·001). Due to LV structural changes over age, females showed a larger reduction in end-diastolic volumes, but no or trivial difference in wall thickness after the age of 60 years. Age is associated with significant normal changes in left ventricular structure and function, which should be considered when deciding on normality. These changes are related to systemic arterial changes as well as body stature, thus reflecting overall body ageing process. Furthermore, normal cardiac ageing in females might partly explain the higher prevalence of heart failure with preserved ejection in females. © 2016 Scandinavian Society of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  14. Finding A Way: Encouraging Underrepresented Groups in Geography. An Annotated Bibliography. Pathways in Geography Series Resource Publication, Title No. 5.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    LeVasseur, Michal

    This bibliography is intended to begin the process of awareness necessary to encourage young women and racial and ethnic minorities in geography classes across the nation. Women and minority racial and ethnic groups have long been seriously underrepresented in the discipline of geography both in the applied and professional world and in academic…

  15. Age and sex differences in the risk of causing vehicle collisions in Spain, 1990 to 1999.

    PubMed

    Claret, Pablo Lardelli; Castillo, Juan de Dios Luna del; Moleón, José Juan Jiménez; Cavanillas, Aurora Bueno; Martín, Miguel García; Vargas, Ramón Gálvez

    2003-03-01

    This retrospective, paired case-control study was designed to estimate crude and adjusted effects of age and sex on the risk of causing collisions between vehicles with four or more wheels in Spain during the period from 1990 to 1999. We selected all 220284 collisions registered from 1990 to 1999 in the Spanish Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) traffic crash database in which only one driver committed any infraction. Information was collected about age, sex and several confounding factors for both the responsible and paired-by-collision nonresponsible drivers. Crude and adjusted odds ratios (aORs) were calculated for each age and sex category. For men, the lowest risk was seen for drivers aged 25-49 years. Below the age of 35 years the crude odds ratio (cOR) was highest in the 18-24-year-old group (1.61; CI: 1.57-1.65). The risk increased significantly and exponentially after the age of 50 years, to a maximum odds ratio of 3.71 (3.43-4.00) for drivers aged >74 years. In women, the lowest risk values were found for the 25-44-year-old age group. In older women the risk increased significantly with age to a maximum odds ratio of 3.02 (2.31-3.97) in the oldest age group. aOR estimates tended to be lower than crude estimates for drivers younger than 40 years of age, but the opposite was seen for drivers 40 years old and older. Regarding sex differences, among younger drivers crude and aORs for men were higher than for women. Our results suggest that the risk of causing a collision between vehicles with four or more wheels is directly dependent on the driver's age.

  16. [Brain apparent diffusion coefficient: differences caused by age, sex, laterality, and distinct b value].

    PubMed

    García Santos, J M; Ordóñez González, C; Torres del Río, S

    2009-01-01

    To analyze the effects of age, sex, and b value on the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in brain areas affected by neurodegenerative diseases. We studied the ADC of the genu and splenium of the corpus callosum and of the hippocampus in normal patients using diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) with b1,000 s/mm2 and b3,000 s/mm2. We calculated the differences between the ADC (diffusion differential [DD]) with b1,000 and with b3,000 for each region. Patients were classified into the following age groups (60 years old). We used a Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVA and the Bonferroni correction to analyze the differences in ADC and DD between age groups and between sexes. Pearson's chi-square test was used to correlate the ADC and DD with age. In the right hippocampus, we observed differences in ADC (b1,000, p=0.011; b3,000, p=0.024) and DD (p=0.006) with age. Differences in ADC were observed between the 31-60 year-old age group and the >60 year-old age group (p=0.009) for b1,000, and between the<30 year-old age group and the 31-60 year-old age group (p=0.036) for b3,000. The DD in the >60 year-old age group was different from the rest. In the corpus callosum, there were significant differences between sexes in the DD of the genu (p=0.016). The DD was correlated with age in the right hippocampus (r=0.321, p=0.023). Our data indicate greater stability in mean ADC values with b3000 during aging. It might be useful to analyze the ADC with a higher b in patients with neurodegenerative diseases.

  17. Global Health, Geographical Contingency, and Contingent Geographies

    PubMed Central

    Herrick, Clare

    2016-01-01

    Health geography has emerged from under the “shadow of the medical” to become one of the most vibrant of all the subdisciplines. Yet, this success has also meant that health research has become increasingly siloed within this subdisciplinary domain. As this article explores, this represents a potential lost opportunity with regard to the study of global health, which has instead come to be dominated by anthropology and political science. Chief among the former's concerns are exploring the gap between the programmatic intentions of global health and the unintended or unanticipated consequences of their deployment. This article asserts that recent work on contingency within geography offers significant conceptual potential for examining this gap. It therefore uses the example of alcohol taxation in Botswana, an emergent global health target and tool, to explore how geographical contingency and the emergent, contingent geographies that result might help counter the prevailing tendency for geography to be side-stepped within critical studies of global health. At the very least, then, this intervention aims to encourage reflection by geographers on how to make explicit the all-too-often implicit links between their research and global health debates located outside the discipline. PMID:27611662

  18. Subsequent Sexual Risks Among Men Who Have Sex with Men May Differ by Sex of First Partner and Age at Sexual Debut: A Cross-Sectional Study in Beijing, China.

    PubMed

    Liu, Yu; Qian, Han-Zhu; Amico, K Rivet; Liu, Hongjie; Yin, Lu; Ruan, Yuhua; Shao, Yiming; Zhang, Chen; Vermund, Sten H

    2017-10-01

    Sexual debut experience may influence HIV/sexual risks among men who have sex with men (MSM). We assessed associations between age of sexual debut and sex of debut partner with recent (past-3-month) sexual/HIV/syphilis risks among 3588 community-based Chinese MSM. Sexual debut with women was associated with more recent (condomless) insertive anal sex with men, more recent (condomless) vaginal sex, and more lifetime female partners. Sexual debut with men was associated with more recent (condomless) receptive anal sex with men and more lifetime male partners. All associations were strongest among those having first sex ≤18 years in both groups. Earlier sexual debut was associated with higher HIV/syphilis risk; HIV risk was higher with first sex with a man, but syphilis was higher with first sex with a woman. Earlier age of sexual debut is associated with greater HIV/syphilis and sexual risks, but MSM risk differs with first sex with women versus men.

  19. Tourism and Geography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Longmire, Joan M.

    1997-01-01

    Presents a lesson outline in which students study the application of geography to the tourism industry by first discussing tourism, then researching various tourist destinations and comparing them. Notes the geographic skills and national standards addressed, materials needed, lesson objective, suggested teaching procedures, and a student handout.…

  20. Geography's Image Crisis.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hudson, John C.

    1984-01-01

    If geography faces a crisis today, it is an inner crisis that has come from listening to those who advocate aggrandizement rather than accomplishment. Geographers should devote no more time than necessary to the business of selling themselves and, instead, produce the kind of scholarship that commands attention. (RM)

  1. Age- and sex-specific causal effects of adiposity on cardiovascular risk factors.

    PubMed

    Fall, Tove; Hägg, Sara; Ploner, Alexander; Mägi, Reedik; Fischer, Krista; Draisma, Harmen H M; Sarin, Antti-Pekka; Benyamin, Beben; Ladenvall, Claes; Åkerlund, Mikael; Kals, Mart; Esko, Tõnu; Nelson, Christopher P; Kaakinen, Marika; Huikari, Ville; Mangino, Massimo; Meirhaeghe, Aline; Kristiansson, Kati; Nuotio, Marja-Liisa; Kobl, Michael; Grallert, Harald; Dehghan, Abbas; Kuningas, Maris; de Vries, Paul S; de Bruijn, Renée F A G; Willems, Sara M; Heikkilä, Kauko; Silventoinen, Karri; Pietiläinen, Kirsi H; Legry, Vanessa; Giedraitis, Vilmantas; Goumidi, Louisa; Syvänen, Ann-Christine; Strauch, Konstantin; Koenig, Wolfgang; Lichtner, Peter; Herder, Christian; Palotie, Aarno; Menni, Cristina; Uitterlinden, André G; Kuulasmaa, Kari; Havulinna, Aki S; Moreno, Luis A; Gonzalez-Gross, Marcela; Evans, Alun; Tregouet, David-Alexandre; Yarnell, John W G; Virtamo, Jarmo; Ferrières, Jean; Veronesi, Giovanni; Perola, Markus; Arveiler, Dominique; Brambilla, Paolo; Lind, Lars; Kaprio, Jaakko; Hofman, Albert; Stricker, Bruno H; van Duijn, Cornelia M; Ikram, M Arfan; Franco, Oscar H; Cottel, Dominique; Dallongeville, Jean; Hall, Alistair S; Jula, Antti; Tobin, Martin D; Penninx, Brenda W; Peters, Annette; Gieger, Christian; Samani, Nilesh J; Montgomery, Grant W; Whitfield, John B; Martin, Nicholas G; Groop, Leif; Spector, Tim D; Magnusson, Patrik K; Amouyel, Philippe; Boomsma, Dorret I; Nilsson, Peter M; Järvelin, Marjo-Riitta; Lyssenko, Valeriya; Metspalu, Andres; Strachan, David P; Salomaa, Veikko; Ripatti, Samuli; Pedersen, Nancy L; Prokopenko, Inga; McCarthy, Mark I; Ingelsson, Erik

    2015-05-01

    Observational studies have reported different effects of adiposity on cardiovascular risk factors across age and sex. Since cardiovascular risk factors are enriched in obese individuals, it has not been easy to dissect the effects of adiposity from those of other risk factors. We used a Mendelian randomization approach, applying a set of 32 genetic markers to estimate the causal effect of adiposity on blood pressure, glycemic indices, circulating lipid levels, and markers of inflammation and liver disease in up to 67,553 individuals. All analyses were stratified by age (cutoff 55 years of age) and sex. The genetic score was associated with BMI in both nonstratified analysis (P = 2.8 × 10(-107)) and stratified analyses (all P < 3.3 × 10(-30)). We found evidence of a causal effect of adiposity on blood pressure, fasting levels of insulin, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides in a nonstratified analysis and in the <55-year stratum. Further, we found evidence of a smaller causal effect on total cholesterol (P for difference = 0.015) in the ≥55-year stratum than in the <55-year stratum, a finding that could be explained by biology, survival bias, or differential medication. In conclusion, this study extends previous knowledge of the effects of adiposity by providing sex- and age-specific causal estimates on cardiovascular risk factors. © 2015 by the American Diabetes Association. Readers may use this article as long as the work is properly cited, the use is educational and not for profit, and the work is not altered.

  2. Effects of Sex, Strain, and Energy Intake on Hallmarks of Aging in Mice.

    PubMed

    Mitchell, Sarah J; Madrigal-Matute, Julio; Scheibye-Knudsen, Morten; Fang, Evandro; Aon, Miguel; González-Reyes, José A; Cortassa, Sonia; Kaushik, Susmita; Gonzalez-Freire, Marta; Patel, Bindi; Wahl, Devin; Ali, Ahmed; Calvo-Rubio, Miguel; Burón, María I; Guiterrez, Vincent; Ward, Theresa M; Palacios, Hector H; Cai, Huan; Frederick, David W; Hine, Christopher; Broeskamp, Filomena; Habering, Lukas; Dawson, John; Beasley, T Mark; Wan, Junxiang; Ikeno, Yuji; Hubbard, Gene; Becker, Kevin G; Zhang, Yongqing; Bohr, Vilhelm A; Longo, Dan L; Navas, Placido; Ferrucci, Luigi; Sinclair, David A; Cohen, Pinchas; Egan, Josephine M; Mitchell, James R; Baur, Joseph A; Allison, David B; Anson, R Michael; Villalba, José M; Madeo, Frank; Cuervo, Ana Maria; Pearson, Kevin J; Ingram, Donald K; Bernier, Michel; de Cabo, Rafael

    2016-06-14

    Calorie restriction (CR) is the most robust non-genetic intervention to delay aging. However, there are a number of emerging experimental variables that alter CR responses. We investigated the role of sex, strain, and level of CR on health and survival in mice. CR did not always correlate with lifespan extension, although it consistently improved health across strains and sexes. Transcriptional and metabolomics changes driven by CR in liver indicated anaplerotic filling of the Krebs cycle together with fatty acid fueling of mitochondria. CR prevented age-associated decline in the liver proteostasis network while increasing mitochondrial number, preserving mitochondrial ultrastructure and function with age. Abrogation of mitochondrial function negated life-prolonging effects of CR in yeast and worms. Our data illustrate the complexity of CR in the context of aging, with a clear separation of outcomes related to health and survival, highlighting complexities of translation of CR into human interventions. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  3. Australia in German Geography Textbooks for Middle Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hamann, Berta

    2007-01-01

    German Geography textbooks are structured using the principle of "Systematic Geography based on a regional example" that is predominant in Germany. Compared to other macroregions such as Europe, North America, Africa, or Asia, however, Australia is presented less frequently in school textbooks. Those textbooks which deal with Australia…

  4. Mentoring: A New Approach to Geography Teacher Preparation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bednarz, Sarah Witham; Bockenhauer, Mark H.; Walk, Fred H.

    2005-01-01

    Geography teacher preparation is an ongoing problem for the discipline. Changes in certification requirements and federal and state educational policies have diminished the role of colleges and universities in educating teachers. At the same time, geography education reform efforts have resulted in higher standards and an increased quantity of…

  5. Higher Geography Education in Bulgaria: Problems and Perspectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vodenska, Maria

    2004-01-01

    Geography is a traditional subject in Bulgarian education, both secondary and higher. Some of the most eminent Bulgarian scientists were geographers and theirs are many publications dealing not only with geography, but also with history, economics, ethnology, ethnography, political science, urban science and other disciplines. Major changes have…

  6. Age-Sex Structure of the Population and Demographic Processes in Environmentally Challenged Mining Region (on the example of Kemerovo region)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Leshukov, Timofey; Brel, Olga; Zaytseva, Anna; Kaizer, Philipp; Makarov, Kirill

    2017-11-01

    The main goal of the article is to show the influence of the age-sex structure of the population on the basic demographic processes in the Kemerovo region. During research the authors have established correlation links between the sex-age structure of the population and the main demographic indicators (birth and mortality rate, morbidity rate, migration and others) based on the analysis of official statistical data. The direct influence of internal and external factors on the age-sex structure of the population is revealed. Conclusions about the impact of demographic processes on the sex-age structure of the population of the Kemerovo region are drawn.

  7. Sex-specific developmental models for Creophilus maxillosus (L.) (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae): searching for larger accuracy of insect age estimates.

    PubMed

    Frątczak-Łagiewska, Katarzyna; Matuszewski, Szymon

    2018-05-01

    Differences in size between males and females, called the sexual size dimorphism, are common in insects. These differences may be followed by differences in the duration of development. Accordingly, it is believed that insect sex may be used to increase the accuracy of insect age estimates in forensic entomology. Here, the sex-specific differences in the development of Creophilus maxillosus were studied at seven constant temperatures. We have also created separate developmental models for males and females of C. maxillosus and tested them in a validation study to answer a question whether sex-specific developmental models improve the accuracy of insect age estimates. Results demonstrate that males of C. maxillosus developed significantly longer than females. The sex-specific and general models for the total immature development had the same optimal temperature range and similar developmental threshold but different thermal constant K, which was the largest in the case of the male-specific model and the smallest in the case of the female-specific model. Despite these differences, validation study revealed just minimal and statistically insignificant differences in the accuracy of age estimates using sex-specific and general thermal summation models. This finding indicates that in spite of statistically significant differences in the duration of immature development between females and males of C. maxillosus, there is no increase in the accuracy of insect age estimates while using the sex-specific thermal summation models compared to the general model. Accordingly, this study does not support the use of sex-specific developmental data for the estimation of insect age in forensic entomology.

  8. The Effects of Aging and Sex Steroid Deficiency on the Murine Skeleton Are Independent and Mechanistically Distinct

    PubMed Central

    Ucer, Serra; Iyer, Srividhya; Kim, Ha-Neui; Han, Li; Rutlen, Christine; Allison, Kelly; Thostenson, Jeff D; de Cabo, Rafael; Jilka, Robert L; O’Brien, Charles; Almeida, Maria; Manolagas, Stavros C

    2017-01-01

    Old age and sex steroid deficiency are the two most critical factors for the development of osteoporosis. It remains unknown, however, whether the molecular culprits of the two conditions are similar or distinct. We show herein that at 19.5 months of age —a time by which the age-dependent decline of cortical and cancellous bone mass and cortical porosity were fully manifested in C57BL/6J mice—these animals remained functionally estrogen sufficient. Transgenic mice with conditional expression of mitochondria-targeted catalase—a potent H2O2 inactivating enzyme—in cells of the myeloid lineage (mitoCAT;LysM-Cre mice) were protected from the loss of cortical, but not cancellous, bone caused by gonadectomy in either sex. Consistent with these findings, in vitro studies with ERα-deficient Prx1+ cells and gonadectomized young adult mice showed that in both sexes decreased ERα signaling in Prx1+ cells leads to an increase in SDF1, a.k.a. CXCL12, an osteoclastogenic cytokine whose effects were abrogated in macrophages from mitoCAT;LysM-Cre mice. In contrast to sex steroid deficiency, the adverse effects of aging on either cortical or cancellous bone were unaffected in mitoCAT;LysM-Cre mice. On the other hand, attenuation of H2O2 generation in cells of the mesenchymal lineage targeted by Prx1-Cre partially prevented the loss of cortical bone caused by old age. Our results suggest the effects of sex steroid deficiency and aging on the murine skeleton are independent and result from distinct mechanisms. In the former, the prevailing mechanism of the cortical bone loss in both sexes is increased osteoclastogenesis caused by estrogen deficiency; this is likely driven, at least in part, by mesenchymal/stromal cell–derived SDF1. Decreased osteoblastogenesis, owing in part to increased H2O2, combined with increased osteoclastogenesis caused by aging mechanisms independent of estrogen deficiency, are the prevailing mechanisms of the loss of cortical bone with old age

  9. Geography and Weather: Seasons.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Collins, H. Thomas; Mogil, H. Michael

    1989-01-01

    Discussed are the reasons for the changing of the seasons on earth. Included are 27 activities which can be used to teach geography and the seasons. Diagrams of planetary motion and climatographs are presented. (CW)

  10. Integrating Opportunities: Applied Interdisciplinary Research in Undergraduate Geography and Geology Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kubiatko, Milan; Mrazkova, Katerina; Janko, Tomas

    2012-01-01

    Pupils' perception of any science subject significantly influences their achievement. Identification of perception of some subject is essential part of educational research. This study is focused on finding out differences in the four dimensions of geography perception (1. Geography as a school subject; 2. Geography and environment; 3 Importance…

  11. What Is Geography? Perceptions of First Year Undergraduates in South Africa

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Knight, Jasper; Robinson, Kirsten

    2017-01-01

    Disciplines such as Geography are well placed to respond to the changing needs of society and the effective application of geographical knowledge to real-world problems. This project surveyed first year Geography undergraduates' understanding of "What is Geography?", both before and after an exercise in which geographic topics were…

  12. Sex-specific genetic diversity is shaped by cultural factors in Inner Asian human populations.

    PubMed

    Marchi, Nina; Hegay, Tatyana; Mennecier, Philippe; Georges, Myriam; Laurent, Romain; Whitten, Mark; Endicott, Philipp; Aldashev, Almaz; Dorzhu, Choduraa; Nasyrova, Firuza; Chichlo, Boris; Ségurel, Laure; Heyer, Evelyne

    2017-04-01

    Sex-specific genetic structures have been previously documented worldwide in humans, even though causal factors have not always clearly been identified. In this study, we investigated the impact of ethnicity, geography and social organization on the sex-specific genetic structure in Inner Asia. Furthermore, we explored the process of ethnogenesis in multiple ethnic groups. We sampled DNA in Central and Northern Asia from 39 populations of Indo-Iranian and Turkic-Mongolic native speakers. We focused on genetic data of the Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA. First, we compared the frequencies of haplogroups to South European and East Asian populations. Then, we investigated the genetic differentiation for eight Y-STRs and the HVS1 region, and tested for the effect of geography and ethnicity on such patterns. Finally, we reconstructed the male demographic history, inferred split times and effective population sizes of different ethnic groups. Based on the haplogroup data, we observed that the Indo-Iranian- and Turkic-Mongolic-speaking populations have distinct genetic backgrounds. However, each population showed consistent mtDNA and Y chromosome haplogroups patterns. As expected in patrilocal populations, we found that the Y-STRs were more structured than the HVS1. While ethnicity strongly influenced the genetic diversity on the Y chromosome, geography better explained that of the mtDNA. Furthermore, when looking at various ethnic groups, we systematically found a genetic split time older than historical records, suggesting a cultural rather than biological process of ethnogenesis. This study highlights that, in Inner Asia, specific cultural behaviors, especially patrilineality and patrilocality, leave a detectable signature on the sex-specific genetic structure. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Selective aggressiveness in European free-tailed bats ( Tadarida teniotis): influence of familiarity, age and sex

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ancillotto, Leonardo; Russo, Danilo

    2014-03-01

    Bats are highly social mammals that often form large groups and represent good models to test the role played by individual status in shaping social relationships. Social cohesion relies on the ability of group and individual recognition, which is mediated by a range of sensorial cues. In this study, we selected the European free-tailed bat Tadarida teniotis as a model species to test the effects of familiarity, sex and age on aggressiveness and mutual tolerance. We hypothesize that T. teniotis is able to recognize group members and exhibit selective aggressiveness, and thus we predict fewer aggressive events and more amicable encounters between colony mates than between strangers. As female bats are generally more sociable and perform prolonged parental care to juveniles even after weaning, we hypothesize that sex and age of bats have significant influences on aggressive behaviours and thus predict that females will perform more amicable behaviours than males and that adults of both sexes will be less aggressive towards juveniles. Our results confirm that T. teniotis is able to discriminate between familiar and stranger individuals, showing higher rates of aggressive behaviours towards the latter. Females are more prone to exhibit amicable behaviours, particularly during same-sex interactions, while males show higher level of aggressiveness. Juveniles are subjected to fewer aggressive behaviours by adults of both sexes. Familiarity appears crucial for T. teniotis in determining the degree of aggressiveness during social interactions but the rate of aggressive events is also influenced by intrinsic individual factors such as sex and age.

  14. Newspapers, Football & Geography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kansas City Star/Times, MO. Educational Services Dept.

    This booklet focuses on the Kansas City (Missouri) Chiefs professional football team and is designed to teach geography through the use of newspapers. In Section 1, "The Local Scene," the instructional activities help students to learn about the Kansas City metropolitan area through collecting news stories and advertisements. Section 2,…

  15. Introductory Disciplines of Astronomy in Undergraduation Geography in Brazilian Public Universities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Henrique Azevedo Sobreira, Paulo

    2015-08-01

    There are some previous works about introductory disciplines of Astronomy in higher education in various undergraduation at Brazilian universities, but this is a specific research for Geography courses in public universities. Some undergraduate courses in Geography in Brazil offer introductory disciplines of Astronomy, since the second half of the twentieth century. This work presents an updated survey on the topic, and it proposes an effort at the national level, for the benefit of the increase in introductory disciplines of Astronomy in undergraduation in Geography. The data collected from public universities were obtained from the consultation of the websites of state universities, federal and county in 2012, 2013 and 2015, for information on the Geography courses and, among them, those with disciplines of Astronomy. The results show that there are 94 undergraduation in Geography courses in public universities, 12 of them had introductory disciplines of Astronomy until 2012 and 2013. In 2015 three of these disciplines were canceled which reduced to 9 universities. There were 23 undergraduation in Geography courses in 10 bachelor degrees and 14 education degrees with Astronomy disciplines. At 2015 it decreased to 20 in 5 bachelors and 8 education degrees. There are two undergraduation Geography courses with two introductory disciplines of Astronomy, while the other 18 offer only one discipline. The inclusion of introductory disciplines of Astronomy depends on the actions of professors' groups who works in undergraduation Geography courses, and of the astronomers initiative to offering them. The ideal is that the astronomers who actuate like professors in universities, normally in Math, Physics, Technologies, Enginnering and Science courses, they would can help and offer introductory disciplines in Astronomy for undergraduation in Geography courses.

  16. Geography Teachers' Attitudes and Beliefs Regarding Classroom Management

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dikmenli, Yurdal; Çifçi, Taner

    2016-01-01

    This study scrutinizes geography teachers' attitude and belief levels regarding classroom management. As a matter of fact, classroom management is one of the prominent areas emphasized by all educators. Descriptive correlational survey model was used in the study. Study group includes 58 geography teachers working in Sivas province during the…

  17. The Geography Teacher. Volume 4, Number 2, 2007

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Geography Teacher, 2007

    2007-01-01

    "The Geography Teacher" provides hands-on reference and educative material for K-12 Geography teachers. The journal also pioneers innovative ideas for contemporary teaching methods, including lesson plans. This issue contains the following: (1) Ask Dr. de Blij (Dr. Harm de Blij); (2) Improving Geographic Understanding with a State Atlas…

  18. Inventing Geography: Writing as a Social Justice Pedagogy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heyman, Rich

    2004-01-01

    A critical geographic pedagogy of writing can help students participate in public life by gaining access to the means of knowledge production. Drawing on pedagogical and composition theory, this article analyzes student papers from an introductory-level geography course to show how geography teachers can create assignments that broaden the scope…

  19. Mobile Learning in a Human Geography Field Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jarvis, Claire; Tate, Nicholas; Dickie, Jennifer; Brown, Gavin

    2016-01-01

    This article reports on reusable mobile digital learning resources designed to assist human geography undergraduate students in exploring the geographies of life in Dublin. Developing active learning that goes beyond data collection to encourage observation and thinking in the field is important. Achieving this in the context of large class sizes…

  20. Music Regions and Mental Maps: Teaching Cultural Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shobe, Hunter; Banis, David

    2010-01-01

    Music informs understandings of place and is an excellent vehicle for teaching cultural geography. A study was developed of geography students' perception of where music genres predominate in the United States. Its approach, involving mental map exercises, reveals the usefulness and importance of maps as an iterative process in teaching cultural…

  1. Prevalence of self-reported musculoskeletal pain symptoms among school-age adolescents: age and sex differences.

    PubMed

    Keeratisiroj, Orawan; Siritaratiwat, Wantana

    2018-04-25

    Non-specific musculoskeletal pain symptoms are common in adolescents and may differ between the sexes, and be related to age and daily activities. It is critical to examine the prevalence and frequency of symptoms in adolescent students who tend to have pain which interferes with their routine activities. This study aimed to explore the prevalence and frequency of self-reported musculoskeletal pain symptoms by age and sex, and we also examined the association of symptoms with routine activities of school-age adolescents by area of pain. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Thai students aged 10-19 years. All 2,750 students were asked to report previous 7-day and/or 12-month pain using the Standardized Nordic Questionnaire (Thai version) in 10 body areas. Multivariable logistic regression adjusted for age and sex was used to analyze the association between daily activity and musculoskeletal pain symptoms. A total of 76.1% (n=2,093) of students reported experiencing pain in the previous 7 days, 73.0% (n=2,007) reported in the previous 12-month period and 83.8% (n=2,304) reported pain in both 7-day and 12-month periods. The most common pain area was from a headache, with other areas being neck and shoulders, in that order, for both periods of time. The prevalence of musculoskeletal pain was especially higher in older groups and females. Participants reported frequency of pain as "sometimes in different areas" ranging from 78.4% to 88% and severity of pain at 3.82±2.06 out of 10 (95% CI 3.74-3.91). Routine daily activities associated with symptoms of headache, neck, shoulders, and ankles or feet pain were computer use (head, OR=2.22), school bag carrying (neck, OR=2.05), school bag carrying (shoulder, OR=3.09), and playing sports (ankle or foot, OR=2.68). The prevalence of musculoskeletal pain symptoms was high in both the previous 7-day and 12-month periods, especially in females and older adolescents, although most of them sometimes experienced pain

  2. Comorbidity Analysis According to Sex and Age in Hypertension Patients in China.

    PubMed

    Liu, Jiaqi; Ma, James; Wang, Jiaojiao; Zeng, Daniel Dajun; Song, Hongbin; Wang, Ligui; Cao, Zhidong

    2016-01-01

    Hypertension, an important risk factor for the health of human being, is often accompanied by various comorbidities. However, the incidence patterns of those comorbidities have not been widely studied. Applying big-data techniques on a large collection of electronic medical records, we investigated sex-specific and age-specific detection rates of some important comorbidities of hypertension, and sketched their relationships to reveal the risk for hypertension patients. We collected a total of 6,371,963 hypertension-related medical records from 106 hospitals in 72 cities throughout China. Those records were reported to a National Center for Disease Control in China between 2011 and 2013. Based on the comprehensive and geographically distributed data set, we identified the top 20 comorbidities of hypertension, and disclosed the sex-specific and age-specific patterns of those comorbidities. A comorbidities network was constructed based on the frequency of co-occurrence relationships among those comorbidities. The top four comorbidities of hypertension were coronary heart disease, diabetes, hyperlipemia, and arteriosclerosis, whose detection rates were 21.71% (21.49% for men vs 21.95% for women), 16.00% (16.24% vs 15.74%), 13.81% (13.86% vs 13.76%), and 12.66% (12.25% vs 13.08%), respectively. The age-specific detection rates of comorbidities showed five unique patterns and also indicated that nephropathy, uremia, and anemia were significant risks for patients under 39 years of age. On the other hand, coronary heart disease, diabetes, arteriosclerosis, hyperlipemia, and cerebral infarction were more likely to occur in older patients. The comorbidity network that we constructed indicated that the top 20 comorbidities of hypertension had strong co-occurrence correlations. Hypertension patients can be aware of their risks of comorbidities based on our sex-specific results, age-specific patterns, and the comorbidity network. Our findings provide useful insights into the

  3. Teaching about Human Geography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schlene, Vickie J.

    1991-01-01

    Presents a sampling of items from the ERIC database concerning the teaching of human geography. Includes documents dealing with Africa, Asia, the United States, Canada, Antarctica, and geographic concepts. Explains how to obtain ERIC documents. (SG)

  4. Is Singapore's School Geography Relevant to Our Changing World?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chang, Chew-Hung

    2011-01-01

    How school geography should be taught has been a longstanding issue for geography educators. In some countries, state or national level curriculum predicates how the subject should be taught in schools. This paper examines these questions in relation to existing frameworks of conceptualizing school geography, such as the International Charter on…

  5. Finding a Way: Learning Activities in Geography for Grades 7-11.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Council for Geographic Education.

    This set of curriculum modules contains geography learning activities that emphasize strategies to encourage young women in geography and social studies classes. Compiled in an effort to improve the motivation and achievement levels of students in geography classrooms, grades 7-11, the modules aim to boost academic performance and overall interest…

  6. Age Stereotypes as a Function of Sex, Race, and Vocational Preference.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Crew, James C.

    1983-01-01

    Examined the influence of race, age, sex, and vocational preference on attitudes toward older workers in a study of 125 business students. Results showed Blacks rated a younger worker more favorably and an older worker less favorably than Whites on three of four work-related dimensions. (JAC)

  7. Ancient X chromosomes reveal contrasting sex bias in Neolithic and Bronze Age Eurasian migrations.

    PubMed

    Goldberg, Amy; Günther, Torsten; Rosenberg, Noah A; Jakobsson, Mattias

    2017-03-07

    Dramatic events in human prehistory, such as the spread of agriculture to Europe from Anatolia and the late Neolithic/Bronze Age migration from the Pontic-Caspian Steppe, can be investigated using patterns of genetic variation among the people who lived in those times. In particular, studies of differing female and male demographic histories on the basis of ancient genomes can provide information about complexities of social structures and cultural interactions in prehistoric populations. We use a mechanistic admixture model to compare the sex-specifically-inherited X chromosome with the autosomes in 20 early Neolithic and 16 late Neolithic/Bronze Age human remains. Contrary to previous hypotheses suggested by the patrilocality of many agricultural populations, we find no evidence of sex-biased admixture during the migration that spread farming across Europe during the early Neolithic. For later migrations from the Pontic Steppe during the late Neolithic/Bronze Age, however, we estimate a dramatic male bias, with approximately five to 14 migrating males for every migrating female. We find evidence of ongoing, primarily male, migration from the steppe to central Europe over a period of multiple generations, with a level of sex bias that excludes a pulse migration during a single generation. The contrasting patterns of sex-specific migration during these two migrations suggest a view of differing cultural histories in which the Neolithic transition was driven by mass migration of both males and females in roughly equal numbers, perhaps whole families, whereas the later Bronze Age migration and cultural shift were instead driven by male migration, potentially connected to new technology and conquest.

  8. Real-time Space-time Integration in GIScience and Geography

    PubMed Central

    Richardson, Douglas B.

    2013-01-01

    Space-time integration has long been the topic of study and speculation in geography. However, in recent years an entirely new form of space-time integration has become possible in GIS and GIScience: real-time space-time integration and interaction. While real-time spatiotemporal data is now being generated almost ubiquitously, and its applications in research and commerce are widespread and rapidly accelerating, the ability to continuously create and interact with fused space-time data in geography and GIScience is a recent phenomenon, made possible by the invention and development of real-time interactive (RTI) GPS/GIS technology and functionality in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This innovation has since functioned as a core change agent in geography, cartography, GIScience and many related fields, profoundly realigning traditional relationships and structures, expanding research horizons, and transforming the ways geographic data is now collected, mapped, modeled, and used, both in geography and in science and society more broadly. Real-time space-time interactive functionality remains today the underlying process generating the current explosion of fused spatiotemporal data, new geographic research initiatives, and myriad geospatial applications in governments, businesses, and society. This essay addresses briefly the development of these real-time space-time functions and capabilities; their impact on geography, cartography, and GIScience; and some implications for how discovery and change can occur in geography and GIScience, and how we might foster continued innovation in these fields. PMID:24587490

  9. Real-time Space-time Integration in GIScience and Geography.

    PubMed

    Richardson, Douglas B

    2013-01-01

    Space-time integration has long been the topic of study and speculation in geography. However, in recent years an entirely new form of space-time integration has become possible in GIS and GIScience: real-time space-time integration and interaction. While real-time spatiotemporal data is now being generated almost ubiquitously, and its applications in research and commerce are widespread and rapidly accelerating, the ability to continuously create and interact with fused space-time data in geography and GIScience is a recent phenomenon, made possible by the invention and development of real-time interactive (RTI) GPS/GIS technology and functionality in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This innovation has since functioned as a core change agent in geography, cartography, GIScience and many related fields, profoundly realigning traditional relationships and structures, expanding research horizons, and transforming the ways geographic data is now collected, mapped, modeled, and used, both in geography and in science and society more broadly. Real-time space-time interactive functionality remains today the underlying process generating the current explosion of fused spatiotemporal data, new geographic research initiatives, and myriad geospatial applications in governments, businesses, and society. This essay addresses briefly the development of these real-time space-time functions and capabilities; their impact on geography, cartography, and GIScience; and some implications for how discovery and change can occur in geography and GIScience, and how we might foster continued innovation in these fields.

  10. The Geography Teacher. Volume 5, Number 1, 2008

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Geography Teacher, 2008

    2008-01-01

    "The Geography Teacher" provides hands-on reference and educative material for K-12 Geography teachers. The journal also pioneers innovative ideas for contemporary teaching methods, including lesson plans. This issue contains the following: (1) Ask Dr. de Blij (Dr. Harm de Blij); (2) Around the World in Eighty Days (Donald P. Albert);…

  11. A Bibliography of Paperback Books Relating to Geography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hornstein, Hugh A.

    A total of 641 paperback books by commercial publishers and university presses, including a brief sampling by the United States Government, published between 1950 and 1970, with the majority appearing after 1965, are listed in this bibliography for geography and social studies teachers. Emphasis is on a broad coverage of geography including…

  12. "Journal of Geography" Key Words: Trends and Recommendations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mitchell, Jerry T.; Brysch, Carmen P.; Collins, Larianne

    2015-01-01

    The "Journal of Geography" has used key words since 1990 to help readers and researchers seek out work of particular interest. Key words generally supplement article titles and are hopefully chosen with care. The focus of this article is the "Journal of Geography" key word, its presence, timing, and frequency. Using a…

  13. Some Thoughts about a New International Geography Test

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    van der Schee, Joop; Notte, Henk; Zwartjes, Luc

    2010-01-01

    An important question for geography teachers all over the world is how to define, stimulate and test geographic literacy. Although modern technology is no guarantee of quality, it offers new possibilities for teaching and testing, as can be seen in contemporary geography learning/teaching units using digital maps and interactive tests. Tests such…

  14. The Geography Teacher. Volume 4, Number 1, 2007

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Geography Teacher, 2007

    2007-01-01

    "The Geography Teacher" provides hands-on reference and educative material for K-12 Geography teachers. The journal also pioneers innovative ideas for contemporary teaching methods, including lesson plans. This issue contains the following: (1) Ask Dr. de Blij (Dr. Harm de Blij); (2) Refugees in America (TGT); (3) Guinness and the Irish…

  15. Multiple Cultures of Doing Geography Facilitate Global Studies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ahamer, Gilbert

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: This article aims to explain why geography is a prime discipline for analysing globalisation and a multicultural view of Global Studies. The generic approach of human geography to first select an appropriate methodology is taken as a key approach. Design/methodology/approach: Concepts from aggregate disciplines such as history, economics,…

  16. The Geography Teacher. Volume 6, Number 2, 2009

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Geography Teacher, 2009

    2009-01-01

    "The Geography Teacher" provides hands-on reference and educative material for K-12 Geography teachers. The journal also pioneers innovative ideas for contemporary teaching methods, including lesson plans. This issue contains the following: (1) Census in Schools Program (census.gov); (2) Ask Dr. de Blij (Dr. Harm de Blij); (3) Eritrea:…

  17. The Geography Teacher. Volume 6, Number 1, 2009

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Geography Teacher, 2009

    2009-01-01

    "The Geography Teacher" provides hands-on reference and educative material for K-12 Geography teachers. The journal also pioneers innovative ideas for contemporary teaching methods, including lesson plans. This issue contains the following: (1) Ask Dr. de Blij (Dr. Harm de Blij); (2) Meet GADO (TGT); (3) Why French? (David Bulambo Bitingingwa);…

  18. GEO-Teach: A Preservice Teacher Preparation Program in Geography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Doering, Aaron; And Others

    1995-01-01

    Describes GEO-Teach, a project designed to develop a model preservice curriculum for secondary geography teachers. Maintains that it incorporates the National Geography Standards and merges content and pedagogy through cooperation between academic geographers and education faculty. (CFR)

  19. A review of bufflehead sex and age criteria with notes on weights

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Henny, C.J.; Carter, J.L.; Carter, Barbara J.

    1981-01-01

    Summary: Buftleheads Bucephala albeola were collected along the Oregon coast during the hunting season. Birds were first sexed and aged upon cloacal and internal characteristics. Results were then compared with data derived from wing plumage. A small change was made in Carney's (1964) wing plumage key to improve its accuracy. Although only a few studies have been made of Bufflehead weights, it seems that in at least several of these, some immature males have been included in the female category. This mistake has probably resulted from the extremely small penis in the immatures. The foot web length shows potential as a simple sexing criterion during the fall and winter for immatures which are the most difficult to sex under field conditions.

  20. Geography. Senior Division.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ontario Dept. of Education, Toronto.

    An integrated secondary curriculum is outlined in this particular guide for Canadian schools. The grade 11 World Geography course is intended to help students place geographic concepts developed in the first ten years of school into a systematic framework. Here conservation of all resources is an important topic: water resources and pollution,…

  1. Quality Rankings of Ph.D.-Granting Departments of Geography, 1925-1980.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Warf, Barney; Webster, David S.

    All of the major academic quality rankings of American Ph.D.-granting geography departments during 1925-80 are examined, and trends in the universities and regions in which the best Ph.D.-granting geography departments have been located are analyzed. Seven major ratings of geography departments are considered. Reputational rankings were conducted…

  2. The effect of age and sex on facial mimicry: a three-dimensional study in healthy adults.

    PubMed

    Sforza, C; Mapelli, A; Galante, D; Moriconi, S; Ibba, T M; Ferraro, L; Ferrario, V F

    2010-10-01

    To assess sex- and age-related characteristics in standardized facial movements, 40 healthy adults (20 men, 20 women; aged 20-50 years) performed seven standardized facial movements (maximum smile; free smile; "surprise" with closed mouth; "surprise" with open mouth; eye closure; right- and left-side eye closures). The three-dimensional coordinates of 21 soft tissue facial landmarks were recorded by a motion analyser, their movements computed, and asymmetry indices calculated. Within each movement, total facial mobility was independent from sex and age (analysis of variance, p>0.05). Asymmetry indices of the eyes and mouth were similar in both sexes (p>0.05). Age significantly influenced eye and mouth asymmetries of the right-side eye closure, and eye asymmetry of the surprise movement. On average, the asymmetry indices of the symmetric movements were always lower than 8%, and most did not deviate from the expected value of 0 (Student's t). Larger asymmetries were found for the asymmetric eye closures (eyes, up to 50%, p<0.05; mouth, up to 30%, p<0.05 only in the 20-30-year-old subjects). In conclusion, sex and age had a limited influence on total facial motion and asymmetry in normal adult men and women. Copyright © 2010 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Reasons for use of the family and medical leave act by sex and age.

    PubMed

    Lee, Jo Ann; Sanford, Zachary

    2004-12-01

    Applications (completed between 1995 and 2000) for leave by full-time staff employees working for a southeastern university of moderate size were examined by sex and age. Chi-square tests for frequencies of requests by reason (care for others vs own health condition) for taking leave were not associated with sex but were associated with age. The Family and Medical Leave Act may help both men and women assume dual roles of worker and family caregiver. Older workers were more likely to take leave to care for their own health condition than to care for others.

  4. Neural Control of the Circulation: How Sex and Age Differences Interact in Humans

    PubMed Central

    Joyner, Michael J.; Barnes, Jill N.; Hart, Emma C.; Wallin, B. Gunnar; Charkoudian, Nisha

    2015-01-01

    The autonomic nervous system is a key regulator of cardiovascular system. In this review we focus on how sex and aging influence autonomic regulation of blood pressure in humans in an effort to understand general issues related to how the autonomic nervous system regulates blood pressure, and the cardiovascular system as a whole. Younger women generally have lower blood pressure and sympathetic activity than younger men. However, both sexes show marked inter-individual variability across age groups with significant overlap seen. Additionally, while men across the lifespan show a clear relationship between markers of whole body sympathetic activity and vascular resistance, such a relationship is not seen in young women. In this context, the ability of the sympathetic nerves to evoke vasoconstriction is lower in young women likely as a result of concurrent β2 mediated vasodilation that offsets α-adrenergic vasoconstriction. These differences reflect both central sympatho-inhibitory effects of estrogen and also its influence on peripheral vasodilation at the level of the vascular smooth muscle and endothelium. By contrast post-menopausal women show a clear relationship between markers of whole body sympathetic traffic and vascular resistance, and sympathetic activity rises progressively in both sexes with aging. These central findings in humans are discussed in the context of differences in population-based trends in blood pressure and orthostatic intolerance. The many areas where there is little sex-specific data on how the autonomic nervous system participates in the regulation of the human cardiovascular system are highlighted. PMID:25589269

  5. Age- and sex-related characteristics of tonic GABA currents in the rat substantia nigra pars reticulata.

    PubMed

    Chudomel, O; Hasson, H; Bojar, M; Moshé, S L; Galanopoulou, A S

    2015-04-01

    Previous studies have shown that the pharmacologic effects of GABAergic drugs and the postsynaptic phasic GABAAergic inhibitory responses in the anterior part of the rat substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNRA) are age- and sex-specific. Here, we investigate whether there are age- and sex-related differences in the expression of the δ GABAA receptor (GABAAR) subunit and GABAAR mediated tonic currents. We have used δ-specific immunochemistry and whole cell patch clamp to study GABAAR mediated tonic currents in the SNRA of male and female postnatal day (PN) PN5-9, PN11-16, and PN25-32 rats. We observed age-related decline, but no sex-specific changes, in bicuculline (BIM) sensitive GABAAR tonic current density, which correlated with the decline in δ subunit in the SNRA between PN15 and 30. Furthermore, we show that the GABAAR tonic currents can be modified by muscimol (GABAAR agonist; partial GABACR agonist), THIP (4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoxazolo (5,4-c)pyridin-3-ol: α4β3δ GABAARs agonist and GABACR antagonist), and zolpidem (α1-subunit selective GABAAR agonist) in age- and sex-dependent manner specific for each drug. We propose that the emergence of the GABAAR-sensitive anticonvulsant effects of the rat SNRA during development may depend upon the developmental decline in tonic GABAergic inhibition of the activity of rat SNRA neurons, although other sex-specific factors are also involved.

  6. Aging and memory: corrections for age, sex and education for three widely used memory tests.

    PubMed

    Zappalà, G; Measso, G; Cavarzeran, F; Grigoletto, F; Lebowitz, B; Pirozzolo, F; Amaducci, L; Massari, D; Crook, T

    1995-04-01

    The associate learning subtest from the Wechsler Memory Scale; Benton's Visual Retention test and a Controlled Word Association Task (FAS) were administered to a random sample of normal, healthy individuals whose age ranged from 20 to 79 years, recruited within the Italian peninsula. The neuropsychological examination took place on a mobile unit and the tests were given by the same team of neuropsychologists to reduce variability among examiners. The Research Project was known as Progetto Memoria. Corrections to the scores of these tests were calculated for age, sex, and education. These corrected values will allow clinicians to screen for memory impairment with greater precision among normally aging individuals, thus improving differential diagnosis between physiologic and pathologic deterioration of cognitive functions.

  7. Sex and Age Differences in Attitude toward the Opposite Sex.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Silver, Rawley

    1997-01-01

    Examines fantasies about the opposite sex expressed by 116 children, adolescents, and adults responding to the Drawing from Imagination task of the Silver Drawing Test of Cognition and Emotion. Results indicate that both males and females expressed more negative than positive feelings toward subjects of the opposite sex. Males were more negative.…

  8. Using Cocoa and Chocolate to Teach Human Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alberts, Heike C.

    2010-01-01

    Food topics are uniquely suited to increase students' interest in human geography. A highly processed food like chocolate can be studied in a variety of different ways, making it possible to include chocolate examples and activities at various points in a human geography class. The goals of this article are to provide sufficient background…

  9. Australian Primary In-Service Teachers' Conceptions of Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Preston, Lou

    2015-01-01

    This paper reports on the second part of a two pronged qualitative investigation that examines the ways in which Australian primary teachers conceptualise geography and geography teaching. In the first part of the project, 47 pre-service primary teachers were surveyed. In this paper, I draw on interviews with six in-service primary teachers to…

  10. Geography and Creativity: Developing Joyful and Imaginative Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scoffham, Stephen

    2013-01-01

    Creativity is a complex and contested notion but is now widely recognised as a feature of learning across the curriculum. This article explores how primary geography teaching can be enriched by creative practice. It goes beyond simply suggesting imaginative ways to devise geography lessons, to outline a pedagogy which places children at the heart…

  11. Pre-Service Teachers Learn to Teach Geography: A Suggested Course Model

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mitchell, Jerry T.

    2018-01-01

    How to improve geography education via teacher preparation programs has been a concern for nearly three decades, but few examples of a single, comprehensive university-level course exist. The purpose of this article is to share the model of a pre-service geography education methods course. Within the course, geography content (physical and social)…

  12. Geography Standards in the United States: Past Influences and Future Prospects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bednarz, Sarah Witham; Heffron, Susan Gallagher; Solem, Michael

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to examine how geography is represented and positioned in primary and secondary (referred to here as K-12) education in the United States through a critical analysis of the content and implementation of the National Geography Standards, "Geography for Life." We begin by providing context on the organization…

  13. A Comparative Analysis regarding Pictures Included in Secondary School Geography Textbooks Taught in Turkey

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yasar, Okan; Seremet, Mehmet

    2007-01-01

    This study brings in a comparative approach regarding pictures involved in secondary school (14-17 ages) textbooks taught in Turkey. In this respect, following the classification of pictures (line drawings and photographs) included in secondary school education geography textbooks, evaluation of the photographs in books in question in terms of…

  14. Few Sex Differences in Hospitalized Suicide Attempters Aged 70 and Above.

    PubMed

    Wiktorsson, Stefan; Rydberg Sterner, Therese; Mellqvist Fässberg, Madeleine; Skoog, Ingmar; Ingeborg Berg, Anne; Duberstein, Paul; Van Orden, Kimberly; Waern, Margda

    2018-01-16

    Relatively little research attention has been paid to sex issues in late life suicidal behaviour. The aim was to compare clinical characteristics of women and men aged 70+ who were hospitalized after a suicide attempt. We hypothesized higher depression and anxiety scores in women, and we expected to find that men would more often attribute the attempt to health problems and compromised autonomy. Participants (56 women and 47 men, mean age 80) were interviewed by a psychologist. In addition to psychiatric and somatic health assessments, participants responded to an open-ended question concerning attributions of the attempt. There were no sex differences in depression and anxiety. Forty-five percent of the men and 14% of the women had a history of substance use disorder ( p = 0.02). At least one serious physical disability was noted in 60.7% of the women and 53.2% of the men ( p = 0.55). Proportions attributing their attempt to somatic illness did not differ (women, 14.5% vs. men 17.4%, p = 0.79), and similar proportions attributed the attempt to reduced autonomy (women, 21.8% vs. men, 26.1%, p = 0.64). We found strikingly similar figures for depression scores, functional disability and attributions for attempting suicide in older men and women. Larger studies are needed in diverse settings as sex differences might be influenced by cultural context.

  15. Age- and sex-related emotional and behavioral problems in children with autism spectrum disorders: comparison with control children.

    PubMed

    Horiuchi, Fumie; Oka, Yasunori; Uno, Hiroyuki; Kawabe, Kentaro; Okada, Fumi; Saito, Isao; Tanigawa, Takeshi; Ueno, Shu-ichi

    2014-07-01

    Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often present with emotional and behavioral problems, which could change the clinical course, especially during childhood, and affect future quality of life. The aim of this study was to clarify the age- and sex-related differences of these problems in ASD. The study subjects were 173 patients with ASD (age: 4-16 years) and 173 age- and sex-matched community children (control group). The parent version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was used for comparison of the emotional and behavioral problems between the two groups. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire scores were significantly higher in children with ASD than controls at all ages. The score of total difficulties was significantly higher in girls with ASD than in boys, while the score in male controls was significantly higher than in female controls. Age-related differences in emotional and behavioral problems were observed both in children with ASD and controls, but the characteristics were different: in children with ASD, emotional symptoms and peer problems in both sexes and conduct problems in girls increased significantly with age, while none of the problems in the controls changed with age except for a decrease in the score of hyperactivity/inattention developmentally in both sexes. Prosocial behaviors of children with ASD and controls showed small changes with age. Emotional and behavioral problems are common in children with ASD and showed age- and sex-related differences. Our study emphasizes the importance of recognizing those differences among children with ASD for early intervention. © 2014 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2014 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.

  16. Age- and sex-specific reference values of a test of neck muscle endurance.

    PubMed

    Peolsson, Anneli; Almkvist, Cecilia; Dahlberg, Camilla; Lindqvist, Sara; Pettersson, Susanne

    2007-01-01

    This study evaluates age- and sex-specific reference values for neck muscle endurance (NME). In this cross-sectional study, 116 randomly selected, healthy volunteers (ages 25-64 years) stratified according to age and gender participated. Dorsal and ventral NME was measured in seconds until exhaustion in a laying-down position. A weight of 4 kg for men or 2 kg for women was used in the dorsal procedure. The ventral procedure was performed without external load. Background and physical activity data were obtained and used in the analysis of NME performance. Mean values for dorsal and ventral NME were about 7 and 2.5 minutes for men and 8.5 and 0.5 minutes for women, respectively. The cutoff values for subnormal dorsal and ventral NME were 157 and 56 seconds for men and 173 and 23 seconds for women, respectively. Women's NME was 122% of men's NME in the dorsal (P = .17) and 24% of men's NME in the ventral (P < .0001) procedure. There were no significant differences among age groups. In multiple regression analysis, physical activity explained 4% of variability in the performance of the dorsal NME; and sex explained 37% of the variability in the performance of ventral NME. The reference values and the cutoff points obtained could be used in clinical practice to identify patients with a subnormal NME. Sex is an important consideration when using both the test procedure and the reference values.

  17. Chemosensory event-related potentials in relation to side of stimulation, age, sex, and stimulus concentration.

    PubMed

    Stuck, B A; Frey, S; Freiburg, C; Hörmann, K; Zahnert, T; Hummel, T

    2006-06-01

    For chemosensory event-related potentials (ERP) significant effects of age and sex have been demonstrated. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of stimulus concentration, side of stimulation, and sex on the topographical distribution of chemosensory ERP in a large group of subjects stratified for different age groups. In addition, psychophysical measures of both olfactory and trigeminal function should be assessed in greater detail compared to previous work. A total of 95 healthy subjects participated in the study. Olfactory functions were tested using the 'Sniffin' Sticks' comprising tests of odor identification, odor discrimination, and odor threshold. Trigeminal sensitivity was assessed on a psychophysical level using a lateralization paradigm. ERP to the olfactory stimulant H2S and the trigeminal irritant CO2 were recorded; stimuli were presented in different concentrations to the left and right nostril. Olfactory thresholds exhibited an age-related increase while the outcome of psychophysical trigeminal tests was not significantly affected by age. In contrast, there was no significant main effect of the factor 'sex' for olfactory tests, while women scored higher than men in the trigeminal task. ERP to olfactory and trigeminal stimuli exhibited a relationship to stimulus concentration, age, and sex with youngest women showing largest amplitudes and shortest latencies. There was no significant main effect of left- or right-sided stimulation on ERP. Measures of olfactory function were found to correlate with parameters of olfactory ERP even when controlling for the subject's age. In addition, correlations between scores in the lateralization task and parameters of the trigeminal ERP were found. Based on electrophysiological data obtained in a large sample size the present results established an age-related loss of olfactory and trigeminal function, which appears to be almost linear. Further, the present results emphasize that responses to

  18. Effect of sex, age, and breed on genetic recombination features in cattle

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Meiotic recombination is a fundamental biological process which generates genetic diversity, affects fertility, and influences evolvability. Here we investigate the roles of sex, age, and breed in cattle recombination features, including recombination rate, location and crossover interference. Usin...

  19. Transformative Geography: Ethics and Action in Elementary and Secondary Geography Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kirman, Joseph M.

    2003-01-01

    Geographic ethics are profoundly important if students are expected to be stewards of the earth and responsible citizens whose decisions about the environment will affect our planet's future. The proposed framework, founded in geography but applicable to other subject areas, guides students to moral decisions for the well-being of the planet and…

  20. Community factors shaping early age at first sex among adolescents in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi, and Uganda.

    PubMed

    Stephenson, Rob; Simon, Calleen; Finneran, Catherine

    2014-06-01

    Using data from the National Survey of Adolescents (2004), we examine the community-level factors associated with early age at first sex among adolescents 14-19 years old in four African countries. Regression models are fitted separately by sex for each country for an outcome measuring early age at first sex, with a focus on community-level factors as potential influences of age on sexual debut. The community-level factors associated with adolescents' sexual debut vary widely by both country and gender. Community influences that emerge as risk or protective factors of early sexual debut include community levels of adolescent marriage, wealth, religious group affiliation, sex education, parental monitoring, reproductive health knowledge, media exposure, membership in adolescent social group, and use of alcohol. Results indicate the importance of context-specific understanding of adolescents' sexual behaviour and suggest how elements of place should be harnessed in the development of effective HIV and sexual health interventions.

  1. Fetal sex differences in human chorionic gonadotropin fluctuate by maternal race, age, weight and by gestational age

    PubMed Central

    Adibi, J. J.; Lee, M. K.; Saha, S.; Boscardin, W. J.; Apfel, A.; Currier, R. J.

    2015-01-01

    Circulating levels of the placental glycoprotein hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) are higher in women carrying female v. male fetuses; yet, the significance of this difference with respect to maternal factors, environmental exposures and neonatal outcomes is unknown. As a first step in evaluating the biologic and clinical significance of sex differences in hCG, we conducted a population-level analysis to assess its stability across subgroups. Subjects were women carrying singleton pregnancies who participated in prenatal and newborn screening programs in CA from 2009 to 2012 (1.1 million serum samples). hCG was measured in the first and second trimesters and fetal sex was determined from the neonatal record. Multivariate linear models were used to estimate hCG means in women carrying female and male fetuses. We report fluctuations in the ratios of female to male hCG by maternal factors and by gestational age. hCG was higher in the case of a female fetus by 11 and 8% in the first and second trimesters, respectively (P <0.0001). There were small (1–5%) fluctuations in the sex difference by maternal race, weight and age. The female-to-male ratio in hCG decreased from 17 to 2% in the first trimester, and then increased from 2 to 19% in the second trimester (P <0.0001). We demonstrate within a well enumerated, diverse US population that the sex difference in hCG overall is stable. Small fluctuations within population subgroups may be relevant to environmental and physiologic effects on the placenta and can be probed further using these types of data. PMID:26242396

  2. A psychometric evaluation of the DSM-IV borderline personality disorder criteria: age and sex moderation of criterion functioning

    PubMed Central

    Aggen, S. H.; Neale, M. C.; Røysamb, E.; Reichborn-Kjennerud, T.; Kendler, K. S.

    2009-01-01

    Background Despite its importance as a paradigmatic personality disorder, little is known about the measurement invariance of the DSM-IV borderline personality disorder (BPD) criteria ; that is, whether the criteria assess the disorder equivalently across different groups. Method BPD criteria were evaluated at interview in 2794 young adult Norwegian twins. Analyses, based on item-response modeling, were conducted to test for differential age and sex moderation of the individual BPD criteria characteristics given factor-level covariate effects. Results Confirmatory factor analytic results supported a unidimensional structure for the nine BPD criteria. Compared to males, females had a higher BPD factor mean, larger factor variance and there was a significant age by sex interaction on the factor mean. Strong differential sex and age by sex interaction effects were found for the ‘ impulsivity ’ criterion factor loading and threshold. Impulsivity related to the BPD factor poorly in young females but improved significantly in older females. Males reported more impulsivity compared to females and this difference increased with age. The ‘ affective instability ’ threshold was also moderated, with males reporting less than expected. Conclusions The results suggest the DSM-IV BPD ‘ impulsivity ’ and ‘ affective instability ’ criteria function differentially with respect to age and sex, with impulsivity being especially problematic. If verified, these findings have important implications for the interpretation of prior research with these criteria. These non-invariant age and sex effects may be identifying criteria-level expression features relevant to BPD nosology and etiology. Criterion functioning assessed using modern psychometric methods should be considered in the development of DSM-V. PMID:19400977

  3. Vasopressin regulates social recognition in juvenile and adult rats of both sexes, but in sex- and age-specific ways

    PubMed Central

    Veenema, AH; Bredewold, R; De Vries, GJ

    2011-01-01

    In adult male rats, vasopressin (AVP) facilitates social recognition via activation of V1a receptors within the lateral septum. Much less is known about how AVP affects social recognition in adult females or in juvenile animals of either sex. We found that administration of the specific V1a receptor antagonist (CH2)5Tyr(Me)AVP into the lateral septum of adult rats impaired, whereas AVP extended, social discrimination in both sexes. In juveniles, however, we detected a sex difference, such that males but not females showed social discrimination. Interestingly, administration of the V1a receptor antagonist to juveniles (either intracerebroventricularly or locally in the lateral septum) did not prevent social discrimination, but instead significantly decreased the investigation of a novel as opposed to a familiar animal in both sexes, with stronger effects in males. V1a receptors were found to be abundantly expressed in the lateral septum with higher binding density in females than in males at both ages. These findings demonstrate that activation of V1a receptors in the septum is important for social recognition in both sexes, and that the roles of septal V1a receptors in social recognition change during development. PMID:22033278

  4. The effect of age, genotype and sex on carcass traits, meat quality and sensory attributes of geese

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    Objective The aim of this study was to compare carcass traits, meat quality and sensory attributes in two different genotypes of geese according to age and sex. Methods The experiment was carried out on 160 birds of two genotypes of geese: the Czech Goose (CG) breed and a Eskildsen Schwer (ES) hybrid. One-d-old goslings were divided into four groups according to genotype and sex. Two dates for slaughtering (at 8 and 16 wk of age of goslings) were undertaken. Results The slaughter weight, cold carcass weight and dressing percentage were affected by all the studied factors, and significant interactions between age, genotype and sex were detected in the slaughter weight (p<0.001) and cold carcass weight (p = 0.004). The pH was not affected by any of studied factors, whereas in terms of meat colour parameters there were observed significant effects of age on L* and b* value and a significant effect of sex on a* value. The meat fat content was higher (p = 0.002) in ES. Higher score for overall acceptance of goose meat was recorded for ES at both ages compared to CG. Conclusion ES had higher dressing percentage and better sensory attributes, whereas CG exceled in the favourable nutritional value of the meat. PMID:28823138

  5. Differences by age and sex in the sedentary time of adults in Scotland.

    PubMed

    Strain, Tessa; Kelly, Paul; Mutrie, Nanette; Fitzsimons, Claire

    2018-04-01

    Previous nationally-representative research in Scotland found a j-shaped relationship between age and leisure sedentary time (ST): a decrease from young to middle-age, before rising steeply in older-age. This study investigated the effects of age and sex on weekday (including work) ST for all adults and stratified by work-status, and on weekend day ST. Differences in the relative contributions of component behaviours were also investigated. Responses from 14,367 adult (≥16 years) 2012-14 Scottish Health Survey participants were analysed using linear regressions. We found no j-shaped relationship between age and weekday ST. Instead, only 16-24 year olds reported lower levels than those over 75 years (6.6 (95% CI: 6.3-6.9) compared to 7.4 (95% CI: 7.2-7.6) hours/day; p < 0001). The j-shape was only evident in the stratified analysis amongst women not in work, and for weekend day ST for all groups. For those in work, work ST accounted for 45% of weekday ST. Television/screen ST made up over half of leisure ST on weekdays and weekend days, regardless of sex, age, or work-status. These results challenge our understanding of how ST varies by age. Interventions to reduce ST should consider differences in the relative contributions of ST behaviours by age and work-status.

  6. The effect of age, sex and obesity on fundamental motor skills among 4 to 6 years-old children.

    PubMed

    Vameghi, Roshanak; Shams, Amir; Shamsipour Dehkordi, Parvane

    2013-04-01

    To examine the effect of age, sex and obesity on Fundamental Motor Skills (FMS) in 4 to 6 years-old children. A total of 400 preschool children (200 boys and 200 girls) between the ages of 4 to 6 years old participated in this research. Subjects were selected through multi-stage cluster random sampling. Fundamental motor skills (FMS) were assessed with using the OSU-SIGMA scale. Body mass index (BMI) was directly measured from height(m)(2)/weight(kg) for each child and based on CDC growth charts, normal weight, overweight and obesity were defined. The results showed that age and sex variables were a significant effect on walking and running skills, but BMI was not significant (P>0.05). Also, these variables had a significant effect on jumping, skipping, hopping and ladder climbing. In both ages, boys in jumping and ladder climbing skills were better than girls, but the girls were better in skipping and hopping skills (P<0.05). Moreover, the results showed that age and BMI variables have a significant effect on stair climbing skill, but sex was not significant (P>0.05). For object control skills, the results showed that age and sex variables were a significant effect on catching and throwing skills, but BMI was not significant (P>0.05). Finally, the age, sex and BMI variables were a significant effect on kicking and sticking skills. This research demonstrated that boys performed better than girls, and both overweight and obese children have lower performance than normal children.

  7. Who perpetrates violence against children? A systematic analysis of age-specific and sex-specific data

    PubMed Central

    Devries, Karen; Knight, Louise; Petzold, Max; Merrill, Katherine G; Maxwell, Lauren; Williams, Abigail; Cappa, Claudia; Chan, Ko Ling; Garcia-Moreno, Claudia; Hollis, NaTasha; Kress, Howard; Peterman, Amber; Walsh, Sophie D; Kishor, Sunita; Guedes, Alessandra; Bott, Sarah; Butron Riveros, Betzabe C; Watts, Charlotte; Abrahams, Naeemah

    2018-01-01

    Objective The epidemiology of violence against children is likely to differ substantially by sex and age of the victim and the perpetrator. Thus far, investment in effective prevention strategies has been hindered by lack of clarity in the burden of childhood violence across these dimensions. We produced the first age-specific and sex-specific prevalence estimates by perpetrator type for physical, sexual and emotional violence against children globally. Design We used random effects meta-regression to estimate prevalence. Estimates were adjusted for relevant quality covariates, variation in definitions of violence and weighted by region-specific, age-specific and sex-specific population data to ensure estimates reflect country population structures. Data sources Secondary data from 600 population or school-based representative datasets and 43 publications obtained via systematic literature review, representing 13 830 estimates from 171 countries. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Estimates for recent violence against children aged 0–19 were included. Results The most common perpetrators of physical and emotional violence for both boys and girls across a range of ages are household members, with prevalence often surpassing 50%, followed by student peers. Children reported experiencing more emotional than physical violence from both household members and students. The most common perpetrators of sexual violence against girls aged 15–19 years are intimate partners; however, few data on other perpetrators of sexual violence against children are systematically collected internationally. Few age-specific and sex-specific data are available on violence perpetration by schoolteachers; however, existing data indicate high prevalence of physical violence from teachers towards students. Data from other authority figures, strangers, siblings and other adults are limited, as are data on neglect of children. Conclusions Without further investment in data

  8. Who perpetrates violence against children? A systematic analysis of age-specific and sex-specific data.

    PubMed

    Devries, Karen; Knight, Louise; Petzold, Max; Merrill, Katherine G; Maxwell, Lauren; Williams, Abigail; Cappa, Claudia; Chan, Ko Ling; Garcia-Moreno, Claudia; Hollis, NaTasha; Kress, Howard; Peterman, Amber; Walsh, Sophie D; Kishor, Sunita; Guedes, Alessandra; Bott, Sarah; Butron Riveros, Betzabe C; Watts, Charlotte; Abrahams, Naeemah

    2018-01-01

    The epidemiology of violence against children is likely to differ substantially by sex and age of the victim and the perpetrator. Thus far, investment in effective prevention strategies has been hindered by lack of clarity in the burden of childhood violence across these dimensions. We produced the first age-specific and sex-specific prevalence estimates by perpetrator type for physical, sexual and emotional violence against children globally. We used random effects meta-regression to estimate prevalence. Estimates were adjusted for relevant quality covariates, variation in definitions of violence and weighted by region-specific, age-specific and sex-specific population data to ensure estimates reflect country population structures. Secondary data from 600 population or school-based representative datasets and 43 publications obtained via systematic literature review, representing 13 830 estimates from 171 countries. Estimates for recent violence against children aged 0-19 were included. The most common perpetrators of physical and emotional violence for both boys and girls across a range of ages are household members, with prevalence often surpassing 50%, followed by student peers. Children reported experiencing more emotional than physical violence from both household members and students. The most common perpetrators of sexual violence against girls aged 15-19 years are intimate partners; however, few data on other perpetrators of sexual violence against children are systematically collected internationally. Few age-specific and sex-specific data are available on violence perpetration by schoolteachers; however, existing data indicate high prevalence of physical violence from teachers towards students. Data from other authority figures, strangers, siblings and other adults are limited, as are data on neglect of children. Without further investment in data generation on violence exposure from multiple perpetrators for boys and girls of all ages, progress

  9. High sex ratios in rural China: declining well-being with age in never-married men

    PubMed Central

    Zhou, Xudong

    2017-01-01

    In parts of rural China male-biased sex ratios at birth, combined with out-migration of women, have led to highly male-biased adult sex ratios, resulting in large numbers of men being unable to marry, in a culture where marriage and reproduction are an expectation. The aim of this study was to test the hypotheses that older unmarried men are more predisposed to depression, low self-esteem and aggression than both those who are married, and those who are younger and unmarried. Self-completion questionnaires were administered among men aged 20–40 in 48 villages in rural Guizhou province, southwestern China. Tools used included the Beck Depression Inventory, the Rosenberg's Self-esteem Scale and the Bryant-Smith Aggression Questionnaire. Regression models assessed psychological wellbeing while adjusting for socio-demographic variables. Completed questionnaires were obtained from 957 never-married men, 535 married men aged 30–40, 394 partnered men and 382 unpartnered men aged 20–29. After adjusting for socio-demographic variables, never-married men were more predisposed to depression (p < 0.05), aggression (p < 0.01), low self-esteem (p < 0.05) and suicidal tendencies (p < 0.001). All the psychological measures deteriorated with age in never-married men. In contrast, married men remained stable on these dimensions with age. Never-married men are a psychologically highly vulnerable group in a society where marriage is an expectation. Since the highest birth sex–ratio cohorts have not yet reached reproductive age, the social tragedy of these men will last for at least another generation. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Adult sex ratios and reproductive decisions: a critical re-examination of sex differences in human and animal societies’. PMID:28760765

  10. Age-related collagen turnover of the interstitial matrix and basement membrane: Implications of age- and sex-dependent remodeling of the extracellular matrix.

    PubMed

    Kehlet, Stephanie N; Willumsen, Nicholas; Armbrecht, Gabriele; Dietzel, Roswitha; Brix, Susanne; Henriksen, Kim; Karsdal, Morten A

    2018-01-01

    The extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a vital role in maintaining normal tissue function. Collagens are major components of the ECM and there is a tight equilibrium between degradation and formation of these proteins ensuring tissue health and homeostasis. As a consequence of tissue turnover, small collagen fragments are released into the circulation, which act as important biomarkers in the study of certain tissue-related remodeling factors in health and disease. The aim of this study was to establish an age-related collagen turnover profile of the main collagens of the interstitial matrix (type I and III collagen) and basement membrane (type IV collagen) in healthy men and women. By using well-characterized competitive ELISA-assays, we assessed specific fragments of degraded (C1M, C3M, C4M) and formed (PINP, Pro-C3, P4NP7S) type I, III and IV collagen in serum from 617 healthy men and women ranging in ages from 22 to 86. Subjects were divided into 5-year age groups according to their sex and age. Groups were compared using Kruskal-Wallis adjusted for Dunn's multiple comparisons test and Mann-Whitney t-test. Age-specific changes in collagen turnover was most profound for type I collagen. PINP levels decreased in men with advancing age, whereas in women, the level decreased in early adulthood followed by an increase around the age of menopause (age 40-60). Sex-specific changes in type I, III and IV collagen turnover was present at the age around menopause (age 40-60) with women having an increased turnover. In summary, collagen turnover is affected by age and sex with the interstitial matrix and the basement membrane being differently regulated. The observed changes needs to be accounted for when measuring ECM related biomarkers in clinical studies.

  11. Age and sex-related differences in 431 pediatric facial fractures at a level 1 trauma center.

    PubMed

    Hoppe, Ian C; Kordahi, Anthony M; Paik, Angie M; Lee, Edward S; Granick, Mark S

    2014-10-01

    Age and sex-related changes in the pattern of fractures and concomitant injuries observed in this patient population is helpful in understanding craniofacial development and the treatment of these unique injuries. The goal of this study was to examine all facial fractures occurring in a child and adolescent population (age 18 or less) at a trauma center to determine any age or sex-related variability amongst fracture patterns and concomitant injuries. All facial fractures occurring at a trauma center were collected over a 12-year period based on International Classification of Disease, rev. 9 codes. This was delimited to include only those patients 18 years of age or younger. Age, sex, mechanism, and fracture types were collected and analyzed. During this time period, there were 3147 patients with facial fractures treated at our institution, 353 of which were in children and adolescent patients. Upon further review 68 patients were excluded due to insufficient data for analysis, leaving 285 patients for review, with a total of 431 fractures. The most common etiology of injury was assault for males and motor vehicle accidents (MVA) for females. The most common fracture was of the mandible in males and of the orbit in females. The most common etiology in younger age groups includes falls and pedestrian struck. Older age groups exhibit a higher incidence of assault-related injuries. Younger age groups showed a propensity for orbital fractures as opposed to older age groups where mandibular fractures predominated. Intracranial hemorrhage was the most common concomitant injury across most age groups. The differences noted in etiology of injury, fracture patterns, and concomitant injuries between sexes and different age groups likely reflects the differing activities that each group engages in predominantly. In addition the growing facial skeleton offers varying degrees of protection to the cranial contents as force-absorbing mechanisms develop. Copyright © 2014

  12. Sex and Age Differences in Achievement Goal Orientations in Turkish Adolescents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sahin, Ertugrul; Topkaya, Nursel; Kürkçü, Recep

    2016-01-01

    Culture plays an important role in the achievement goal orientations of students, which may vary as they progress through their lifespan. However, research examining achievement goal orientations in the Turkish cultural context is scarce. Based on contextual and developmental theories, the aim of this study was to examine sex and age differences…

  13. [Age- and sex-specific reference intervals for 10 health examination items: mega-data from a Japanese Health Service Association].

    PubMed

    Suka, Machi; Yoshida, Katsumi; Kawai, Tadashi; Aoki, Yoshikazu; Yamane, Noriyuki; Yamauchi, Kuniaki

    2005-07-01

    To determine age- and sex-specific reference intervals for 10 health examination items in Japanese adults. Health examination data were accumulated from 24 different prefectural health service associations affiliated with the Japan Association of Health Service. Those who were non-smokers, drank less than 7 days/week, and had a body mass index of 18.5-24.9kg/m2 were sampled as a reference population (n = 737,538; 224,947 men and 512,591 women). After classified by age and sex, reference intervals for 10 health examination items (systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglyceride, glucose, uric acid, AST, ALT, gamma-GT, and hemoglobin) were estimated using the parametric and nonparametric methods. In every item except for hemoglobin, men had higher reference intervals than women. Systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, and glucose showed an upward trend in values with increasing age. Hemoglobin showed a downward trend in values with increasing age. Triglyceride, ALT, and gamma-GT reached a peak in middle age. Overall, parametric estimates showed narrower reference intervals than non-parametric estimates. Reference intervals vary with age and sex. Age- and sex-specific reference intervals may contribute to better assessment of health examination data.

  14. Sex differences in obesity and cognitive function in a cognitively normal aging Chinese Han population.

    PubMed

    Li, Wei; Qiu, Qi; Sun, Lin; Yue, Ling; Wang, Tao; Li, Xia; Xiao, Shifu

    2017-01-01

    Sex differences in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment have been well recognized. However, sex differences in cognitive function and obesity in cognitively normal aging Chinese Han population have not attracted much attention. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between sex, obesity, and cognitive function in an elderly Chinese population with normal cognitive function. A total of 228 cognitively normal aging participants (males/females =93/135) entered this study. Their general demographic information (sex, age, and education) was collected by standardized questionnaire. Apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype and serum lipid levels were measured. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was used to assess participants' cognitive function. The prevalence of obesity in elderly women (18/133, 13.5%) was significantly higher than that in men (5/92, 5.4%, P =0.009). Regression analyses showed that obesity was associated with drinking alcohol (OR =13.695, P =0.045) and triglyceride (OR =1.436, P =0.048) in women and limited to low-density lipoprotein (OR =11.829, P =0.023) in men. Women performed worse on the naming score for MoCA than men ( P <0.01). Stepwise linear regression analysis showed that education ( t =3.689, P <0.001) and smoking ( t =2.031, P =0.045) were related to the score of naming in female, while high-density lipoprotein ( t =-2.077, P =0.041) was related to the score of naming in male; however, no correlation was found between body mass index and cognitive function in both male and female ( P >0.05). Our finding suggests that there are significant sex differences in obesity and specific cognitive domains in aging Chinese Han population with normal cognitive function.

  15. Job Sharing in Geography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kay, Jeanne

    1982-01-01

    Job sharing is an employment alternative in which two qualified individuals manage the responsibilities of a single position. Discusses the barriers to and the potential, advantages, disadvantages, pitfalls, and challenges of job sharing. Focuses on job sharing in the geography profession. (Author/JN)

  16. Oil and the economic geography of the Middle East and North Africa

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kortepeter, C.M.

    1990-01-01

    This book gives us the opportunity to follow the development of the field of economic geography as applied to the Middle East during the past half century. The materials are arranged under the following three headings: Geography and Petroleum: Boundaries and Boundary Disputes: and Social Geography.

  17. "Lesbian Migrants in the Gentrified Valley" and "Other" Geographies of Rural Gentrification

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Darren P.; Holt, Louise

    2005-01-01

    This paper explores the migration and cultural consumption practices of lesbian households within processes of rural change. Taking forward Phillips' (2004. Progress in Human Geography 28, 5-30) discussion of neglected geographies of rural gentrification, and building upon Halfacree's (2001. International Journal of Population Geography 7,…

  18. The effect of age, sex, and physical activity on entheseal morphology in a contemporary Italian skeletal collection.

    PubMed

    Milella, Marco; Giovanna Belcastro, Maria; Zollikofer, Christoph P E; Mariotti, Valentina

    2012-07-01

    Entheseal changes are traditionally included in a large array of skeletal features commonly referred to as "skeletal markers of activity." However, medical studies and recent anthropological analyses of identified skeletal series suggest a complex combination of physiological and biomechanical factors underlying the variability of such "markers." The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between age, sex, physical activity, and entheseal variability. To this end, 23 postcranial entheses are examined in a large (N = 484) Italian contemporary skeletal series using standardized scoring methods. The sample comprises subjects of known age, sex and, mostly, occupation. Results show a strong relationship between age and entheseal changes. Differences between sexes are also highlighted, while the effects of physical activity appear moderate. Altogether, our study indicates that entheseal morphology primarily reflects the age of an individual, while correlation with lifetime activity remains ambiguous. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. Sex-Based Differences in Asthma among Preschool and School-Aged Children in Korea.

    PubMed

    Jang, Yeonsoo; Shin, Anna

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to explore risk factors related to asthma prevalence among preschool and school-aged children using a representative national dataset from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) conducted from 2009-2011. We evaluated the demographic information, health status, household environment, socioeconomic status, and parents' health status of 3,542 children aged 4-12 years. A sex-stratified multivariate logistic regression was used to obtain adjusted prevalence odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals after accounting for primary sample units, stratification, and sample weights. The sex-specific asthma prevalence in the 4- to 12-year-old children was 7.39% in boys and 6.27% in girls. Boys and girls with comorbid atopic dermatitis were more likely to have asthma than those without atopic dermatitis (boys: OR = 2.20, p = 0.0071; girls: OR = 2.33, p = 0.0031). Boys and girls with ≥1 asthmatic parent were more likely to have asthma than those without asthmatic parents (boys: OR = 3.90, p = 0.0006; girls: OR = 3.65, p = 0.0138). As girls got older, the prevalence of asthma decreased (OR = 0.90, p = 0.0408). Girls residing in rural areas were 60% less likely to have asthma than those residing in urban areas (p = 0.0309). Boys with ≥5 family members were more likely to have asthma than those with ≤3 family members (OR = 2.45, p = 0.0323). The factors related to asthma prevalence may differ depending on sex in preschool and school-aged children. By understanding the characteristics of sex-based differences in asthma, individualized asthma management plans may be established clinically.

  20. Linking Temperamental Shyness and Social Anxiety in Childhood and Adolescence: Moderating Influences of Sex and Age.

    PubMed

    Tsui, Tiffany Y L; Lahat, Ayelet; Schmidt, Louis A

    2017-10-01

    Although childhood shyness has been linked to social anxiety problems, the factors playing a role in this association have gone largely unexplored. Here we examined the potential moderating roles of sex and age on this relation in a sample of 119 (75 girls) children (10-12 years) and adolescents (14-16 years). As predicted, shyness was positively associated with social anxiety symptoms. Sex, but not age, served as a moderating factor in linking shyness and social anxiety. Specifically, shyness was more strongly associated with social anxiety symptoms among girls than boys. These results suggest the importance of considering sex differences when examining the relation between shyness and social anxiety in childhood and adolescence.

  1. Age- and Sex-Specific Reference Values for Media/Lumen Ratio in Small Arteries and Relationship With Risk Factors.

    PubMed

    Bruno, Rosa Maria; Grassi, Guido; Seravalle, Gino; Savoia, Carmine; Rizzoni, Damiano; Virdis, Agostino

    2018-04-23

    Small-artery remodeling is an early feature of target organ damage in hypertension and retains a negative prognostic value. The aim of the study is to establish age- and sex-specific reference values for media/lumen in small arteries obtained in humans by biopsy. Data from 91 healthy individuals and 200 individuals with cardiovascular risk factors in primary prevention from 4 Italian centers were pooled. Sex-specific equations for media/lumen in the healthy subpopulation, with age as dependent variable, were calculated. These equations were used to calculate predicted media/lumen values in individuals with risk factors and Z scores. The association between classical risk factors and Z scores was then explored by multiple regression analysis. A second-degree polynomial equation model was chosen to obtain sex-specific equations for media/lumen, with age as dependent variable. In the population with risk factors (111 men, age 50.5±14.0 years, hypertension 80.5%), media/lumen Z scores were independently associated with body mass index (standardized β=0.293, P =0.0001), total cholesterol (β=0.191, P =0.031), current smoking (β=0.238, P =0.0005), fasting blood glucose (β=0.204, P =0.003), systolic blood pressure (β=0.233, P =0.023), and female sex (β=0.799, P =0.038). A significant interaction between female sex and total cholesterol was found (β=-0.979, P =0.014). Results were substantially similar in the hypertensive subgroup. A method to calculate individual values of remodeling and growth index based on reference values was also presented. Age- and sex-specific percentiles of media/lumen in a healthy population were estimated. In a predominantly hypertensive population, media/lumen Z scores were associated with major cardiovascular risk factors, including body mass index, cholesterol, smoking, glucose, and systolic blood pressure. Significant sex differences were observed. © 2018 American Heart Association, Inc.

  2. Postgraduate Educational Practice in Australian Geography: Change and Stasis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fincher, Ruth

    2012-01-01

    Within Australia most Departments of Geography have been merged with programmes in Environmental Studies or Earth Sciences, and have been cast as multidisciplinary contributors to the increasingly vocational concerns of universities. One outcome is that named Geography programmes for postgraduates are not growing in institutional prominence in…

  3. The Importance of Sex and the Meaning of Sex and Sexual Pleasure for Men Aged 60 and Older Who Engage in Heterosexual Relationships: Findings from a Qualitative Interview Study.

    PubMed

    Fileborn, Bianca; Hinchliff, Sharron; Lyons, Anthony; Heywood, Wendy; Minichiello, Victor; Brown, Graham; Malta, Sue; Barrett, Catherine; Crameri, Pauline

    2017-10-01

    That many older individuals continue to engage in various forms of sexual expression well into later life is now well established in the literature. To date, however, only a small body of qualitative research has examined older men's experiences and understandings of sex in later life. Likewise, the ways in which older men's discussions on sex may be used as an avenue for "doing" masculinity remain underexplored. Older men are particularly interesting in this regard, as they inhabit an increasingly subordinated position in relation to hegemonic masculine ideals because of their age. To what extent might this limit or, alternatively, open up the possibilities for sexual expression and subjectivity in later life? Drawing on a subset of findings from Sex, Age, and Me: A National Study with Australian Women and Men Aged 60 and Older, data from qualitative interviews with 27 Australian men were explored in this article. The first Australian study of its kind, we argue that older men who engage in heterosexual relationships draw on a diverse and complex array of discursive positions regarding sex, relationships, and masculinity in making sense of their experiences of sex in later life. Older men are a heterogeneous group, and their experiences and understandings of sex do not simplistically follow "decline" or "success" narratives of aging. The findings of this research build upon and extend emerging research illustrating the centrality of intimacy to older men's sexual lives, while simultaneously highlighting the ways in which the body and discursive constructions of sex intersect to shape older men's sexual subjectivities.

  4. Educational inequalities in smoking among Japanese adults aged 25-94 years: Nationally representative sex- and age-specific statistics.

    PubMed

    Tabuchi, Takahiro; Kondo, Naoki

    2017-04-01

    Few studies have investigated differences in age- and gender-specific educational gradients in tobacco smoking among the whole range of adult age groups. We examined educational inequality in smoking among Japanese adults aged 25-94 years. Using a large nationally representative sample (167,925 men and 186,588 women) in 2010, prevalence of current smoking and heavy smoking among daily smokers and their inequalities attributable to educational attainment were analyzed according to sex and age groups. Among men aged 25-34 years, junior high school graduates had the highest current smoking prevalence at 68.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 66.0%-70.6%), and graduate school graduates had the lowest at 19.4% (95% CI, 17.2%-21.9%). High school graduates had the second highest current smoking prevalence (e.g., 55.9%; 95% CI, 54.9%-56.8% in men aged 25-34 years). Among men aged 75-94 years, the difference in current smoking across educational categories was small. A similar but steeper educational gradient in current smoking was observed among women. Among women aged 25-34 years, junior high school graduates had the highest current smoking prevalence at 49.3% (95% CI, 46.3%-52.3%), and graduate school graduates had the lowest at 4.8% (95% CI, 2.9%-7.4%). Compared with older age groups, such as 65-94 years, younger age groups, such as 25-54 years, had higher estimates of inequality indicators for educational inequality in both current and heavy smoking in both sexes. Educational inequalities in current and heavy smoking were apparent and large in the young population compared with older generations. The current study provides basic data on educational inequalities in smoking among Japanese adults. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Age- and sex-related regional compressive strength characteristics of human lumbar vertebrae in osteoporosis

    PubMed Central

    Kurutz, Márta; Donáth, Judit; Gálos, Miklós; Varga, Péter; Fornet, Béla

    2008-01-01

    Objective To obtain the compressive load bearing and energy absorption capacity of lumbar vertebrae of osteoporotic elderly for the everyday medical praxis in terms of the simple diagnostic data, like computed tomography (CT), densitometry, age, and sex. Methods Compressive test of 54 osteoporotic cadaver vertebrae L1 and L2, 16 males and 38 females (age range 43–93, mean age 71.6 ± 13.3 years, mean bone mineral density (BMD) 0.377 ± 0.089 g/cm2, mean T-score −5.57 ± 0.79, Z-score −4.05 ± 0.77) was investigated. Based on the load-displacement diagrams and the measured geometrical parameters of vertebral bodies, proportional, ultimate and yield stresses and strains, Young’s modulus, ductility and energy absorption capacity were determined. Three vertebral regions were distinguished: superior, central and inferior regions, but certain parameters were calculated for the upper/ lower intermediate layers, as well. Cross-sectional areas, and certain bone tissue parameters were determined by image analysis of CT pictures of vertebrae. Sex- and age-related decline functions and trends of strength characteristics were determined. Results Size-corrected failure load was 15%–25% smaller in women, proportional and ultimate stresses were about 30%–35% smaller for women in any region, and 20%–25% higher in central regions for both sexes. Young’s moduli were about 30% smaller in women in any region, and 20%–25% smaller in the central region for both sexes. Small strains were higher in males, large strains were higher in females, namely, proportional strains were about 25% larger in men, yield and ultimate strains were quasi equal for sexes, break strains were 10% higher in women. Ultimate energy absorption capacity was 10%–20% higher in men; the final ductile energy absorption capacity was quasi equal for sexes in all levels. Age-dependence was stronger for men, mainly in central regions (ultimate load, male: r = −0.66, p < 0.01, female: r = −0.52, p

  6. Sex- and age- specific relations between economic development, economic inequality and homicide rates in people aged 0-24 years: a cross-sectional analysis.

    PubMed

    Butchart, Alexander; Engström, Karin

    2002-01-01

    To test whether relations between economic development, economic inequality, and child and youth homicide rates are sex- and age-specific, and whether a country's wealth modifies the impact of economic inequality on homicide rates. Outcome variables were homicide rates around 1994 in males and females in the age ranges 0-4, 5-9, 10-14, 15-19 and 20-24 years from 61 countries. Predictor variables were per capita gross domestic product (GDP), GINI coefficient, percentage change in per capita gross national product (GNP) and female economic activity as a percentage of male economic activity. Relations were analysed by ordinary least squares regression. All predictors explained significant variances in homicide rates in those aged 15-24. Associations were stronger for males than females and weak for children aged 0-9. Models that included female economic inequality and percentage change in GNP increased the effect in children aged 0-9 and the explained variance in females aged 20-24. For children aged 0-4, country clustering by income increased the explained variance for both sexes. For males aged 15-24, the association with economic inequality was strong in countries with low incomes and weak in those with high incomes. Relations between economic factors and child and youth homicide rates varied with age and sex. Interventions to target economic factors would have the strongest impact on rates of homicide in young adults and late adolescent males. In societies with high economic inequality, redistributing wealth without increasing per capita GDP would reduce homicide rates less than redistributions linked with overall economic development.

  7. Sex differences in cognitive ageing: testing predictions derived from life-history theory in a dioecious nematode.

    PubMed

    Zwoinska, Martyna K; Kolm, Niclas; Maklakov, Alexei A

    2013-12-01

    Life-history theory maintains that organisms allocate limited resources to different traits to maximize fitness. Learning ability and memory are costly and known to trade-off with longevity in invertebrates. However, since the relationship between longevity and fitness often differs between the sexes, it is likely that sexes will differentially resolve the trade-off between learning and longevity. We used an established associative learning paradigm in the dioecious nematode Caenorhabditis remanei, which is sexually dimorphic for lifespan, to study age-related learning ability in males and females. In particular, we tested the hypothesis that females (the shorter-lived sex) show higher learning ability than males early in life but senesce faster. Indeed, young females outperformed young males in learning a novel association between an odour (butanone) and food (bacteria). However, while learning ability and offspring production declined rapidly with age in females, males maintained high levels of these traits until mid-age. These results not only demonstrate sexual dimorphism in age-related learning ability but also suggest that it conforms to predictions derived from the life-history theory. © 2013.

  8. Perceived social support in a large community sample--age and sex differences.

    PubMed

    Coventry, W L; Gillespie, N A; Heath, A C; Martin, N G

    2004-08-01

    The positive health and wellbeing effects of social support have been consistently demonstrated in the literature since the late 1970s. However, a better understanding of the effects of age and sex is required. We examined the factor structure and reliability of Kessler's Perceived Social Support (KPSS) measure in a community-based sample that comprised younger and older adult cohorts from the Australian Twin Registry (ATR), totalling 11,389 males and females aged 18-95, of whom 887 were retested 25 months later. Factor analysis consistently identified seven factors: support from spouse, twin, children, parents, relatives, friends and helping support. Internal reliability for the seven dimensions ranged from 0.87 to 0.71 and test-retest reliability ranged from 0.75 to 0.48. Perceived support was only marginally higher in females. Age dependencies were explored. Across the age range, there was a slight decline (more marked in females) in the perceived support from spouse, parent and friend, a slight increase in perceived relative and helping support for males but none for females, a substantial increase in the perceived support from children for males and females and a negligible decline in total KPSS for females against a negligible increase for males. The perceived support from twin remained constant. Females were more likely to have a confidant, although this declined with age whilst increasing with age for males. Total scores for perceived social support conflate heterogeneous patterns on sub-scales that differ markedly by age and sex. Our paper describes these relationships in detail in a very large Australian sample.

  9. Impact of Age, Sex and Indexation Method on MR Left Ventricular Reference Values in the Framingham Heart Study Offspring Cohort

    PubMed Central

    Yeon, Susan B.; Salton, Carol J.; Gona, Philimon; Chuang, Michael L.; Blease, Susan J.; Han, Yuchi; Tsao, Connie W.; Danias, Peter G.; Levy, Daniel; O’Donnell, Christopher J.; Manning, Warren J.

    2014-01-01

    Purpose To determine normative values for left ventricular (LV) volumes, mass, concentricity and ejection fraction (EF) and investigate associations between sex, age and body size with LV parameters in community dwelling adults. Materials and Methods 1794 Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort members underwent LV short-axis oriented, contiguous multislice ciné SSFP MR of the left ventricle; from these a healthy referent group (N=852, 61±9 years, 40% men) free of clinical cardiac disease and hypertension (SBP<140, DBP<90 mmHg, never used antihypertensive medication ≥ 30 years prior to scanning) was identified. Referent participants were stratified by sex and age group (≤55, 56-65, >65 years); LV parameters were indexed to measures of body size. Results Men have greater LV volumes and mass than women both before and after indexation to height, powers of height, and body surface area (p<0.01 all), but indexation to fat-free mass yielded greater LV volume and mass in women. In both sexes, LV volumes and mass decrease with advancing age, though indexation attenuates this association. LVEF is greater in women than men (68±5% vs. 66±5%, p<0.01) and increases with age in both sexes (p<0.05). Conclusion Among non-hypertensive adults free of cardiac disease, men have greater LV volumes and mass with sex differences generally persisting after indexation to body size. LV volumes and mass tend to decrease with greater age in both sexes. Female sex and advanced age were both associated with greater LVEF. PMID:24817313

  10. Influence of personality, age, sex, and estrous state on chimpanzee problem-solving success

    PubMed Central

    Hopper, Lydia M.; Price, Sara A.; Freeman, Hani D.; Lambeth, Susan P.; Schapiro, Steven J.

    2015-01-01

    Despite the importance of individual problem solvers for group- and individual-level fitness, the correlates of individual problem-solving success are still an open topic of investigation. In addition to demographic factors, such as age or sex, certain personality dimensions have also been revealed as reliable correlates of problem-solving by animals. Such correlates, however, have been little-studied in chimpanzees. To empirically test the influence of age, sex, estrous state, and different personality factors on chimpanzee problem-solving, we individually tested 36 captive chimpanzees with two novel foraging puzzles. We included both female (N = 24) and male (N = 12) adult chimpanzees (aged 14–47 years) in our sample. We also controlled for the females’ estrous state—a potential influence on cognitive reasoning—by testing cycling females both when their sexual swelling was maximally tumescent (associated with the luteinizing hormone surge of a female’s estrous cycle) and again when it was detumescent. Although we found no correlation between the chimpanzees’ success with either puzzle and their age or sex, the chimpanzees’ personality ratings did correlate with responses to the novel foraging puzzles. Specifically, male chimpanzees that were rated highly on the factors Methodical, Openness (to experience), and Dominance spent longer interacting with the puzzles. There was also a positive relationship between the latency of females to begin interacting with the two tasks and their rating on the factor Reactivity/Undependability. No other significant correlations were found, but we report tentative evidence for increased problem-solving success by the females when they had detumescent estrous swellings. PMID:24322874

  11. Influence of personality, age, sex, and estrous state on chimpanzee problem-solving success.

    PubMed

    Hopper, Lydia M; Price, Sara A; Freeman, Hani D; Lambeth, Susan P; Schapiro, Steven J; Kendal, Rachel L

    2014-07-01

    Despite the importance of individual problem solvers for group- and individual-level fitness, the correlates of individual problem-solving success are still an open topic of investigation. In addition to demographic factors, such as age or sex, certain personality dimensions have also been revealed as reliable correlates of problem-solving by animals. Such correlates, however, have been little-studied in chimpanzees. To empirically test the influence of age, sex, estrous state, and different personality factors on chimpanzee problem-solving, we individually tested 36 captive chimpanzees with two novel foraging puzzles. We included both female (N=24) and male (N=12) adult chimpanzees (aged 14-47 years) in our sample. We also controlled for the females' estrous state-a potential influence on cognitive reasoning-by testing cycling females both when their sexual swelling was maximally tumescent (associated with the luteinizing hormone surge of a female's estrous cycle) and again when it was detumescent. Although we found no correlation between the chimpanzees' success with either puzzle and their age or sex, the chimpanzees' personality ratings did correlate with responses to the novel foraging puzzles. Specifically, male chimpanzees that were rated highly on the factors Methodical, Openness (to experience), and Dominance spent longer interacting with the puzzles. There was also a positive relationship between the latency of females to begin interacting with the two tasks and their rating on the factor Reactivity/Undependability. No other significant correlations were found, but we report tentative evidence for increased problem-solving success by the females when they had detumescent estrous swellings.

  12. Demand for Colonoscopy in Colorectal Cancer Screening Using a Quantitative Fecal Immunochemical Test and Age/Sex-Specific Thresholds for Test Positivity.

    PubMed

    Chen, Sam Li-Sheng; Hsu, Chen-Yang; Yen, Amy Ming-Fang; Young, Graeme P; Chiu, Sherry Yueh-Hsia; Fann, Jean Ching-Yuan; Lee, Yi-Chia; Chiu, Han-Mo; Chiou, Shu-Ti; Chen, Hsiu-Hsi

    2018-06-01

    Background: Despite age and sex differences in fecal hemoglobin (f-Hb) concentrations, most fecal immunochemical test (FIT) screening programs use population-average cut-points for test positivity. The impact of age/sex-specific threshold on FIT accuracy and colonoscopy demand for colorectal cancer screening are unknown. Methods: Using data from 723,113 participants enrolled in a Taiwanese population-based colorectal cancer screening with single FIT between 2004 and 2009, sensitivity and specificity were estimated for various f-Hb thresholds for test positivity. This included estimates based on a "universal" threshold, receiver-operating-characteristic curve-derived threshold, targeted sensitivity, targeted false-positive rate, and a colonoscopy-capacity-adjusted method integrating colonoscopy workload with and without age/sex adjustments. Results: Optimal age/sex-specific thresholds were found to be equal to or lower than the universal 20 μg Hb/g threshold. For older males, a higher threshold (24 μg Hb/g) was identified using a 5% false-positive rate. Importantly, a nonlinear relationship was observed between sensitivity and colonoscopy workload with workload rising disproportionately to sensitivity at 16 μg Hb/g. At this "colonoscopy-capacity-adjusted" threshold, the test positivity (colonoscopy workload) was 4.67% and sensitivity was 79.5%, compared with a lower 4.0% workload and a lower 78.7% sensitivity using 20 μg Hb/g. When constrained on capacity, age/sex-adjusted estimates were generally lower. However, optimizing age/-sex-adjusted thresholds increased colonoscopy demand across models by 17% or greater compared with a universal threshold. Conclusions: Age/sex-specific thresholds improve FIT accuracy with modest increases in colonoscopy demand. Impact: Colonoscopy-capacity-adjusted and age/sex-specific f-Hb thresholds may be useful in optimizing individual screening programs based on detection accuracy, population characteristics, and clinical capacity

  13. Meeting the Challenge of Systemic Change in Geography Education: Lucy Sprague Mitchell's Young Geographers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Downs, Roger M.

    2016-01-01

    The history of K-12 geography education has been characterized by recurrent high hopes and dashed expectations. There have, however, been moments when the trajectory of geography education might have changed to offer students the opportunity to develop a thorough working knowledge of geography. Lucy Sprague Mitchell's geography program developed…

  14. Geography and Map Libraries Section. Special Libraries Division. Papers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    International Federation of Library Associations, The Hague (Netherlands).

    Papers on geography and map librarianship presented at the 1982 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference include: (1) "Geographical Canada-Research and the Network of Canada Collections in the Federal Republic of Germany" by Hermann Gunzel, which describes the history of German research in Canadian geography,…

  15. The Four Traditions of Geography, Professional Paper No. 25.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pattison, William D.

    Four geography concepts illustrate the varied nature of the science and provide a pluralistic basis for uniting professional and pedagogical geography and for promoting communication with laymen. The spatial tradition, based on interest in geometry and movement, separates aspects of distance, form, direction, and position from events themselves.…

  16. Down to Earth: Contemplative Thinking Exercises for Geography Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    de Busser, Cathelijne

    2014-01-01

    Contemporary geography education is mostly based on rational linear thinking skills, such as observation, explanation, interpretation, calculation and analysis. Even field trips--according to many the "heart" of geography--are often organized in a logical, rational manner, in which learners step-by-step improve their understanding of the…

  17. Oxytocin modulates meta-mood as a function of age and sex

    PubMed Central

    Ebner, Natalie C.; Horta, Marilyn; Lin, Tian; Feifel, David; Fischer, Håkan; Cohen, Ronald A.

    2015-01-01

    Attending to and understanding one’s own feelings are components of meta-mood and constitute important socio-affective skills across the entire lifespan. Growing evidence suggests a modulatory role of the neuropeptide oxytocin on various socio-affective processes. Going beyond previous work that almost exclusively examined young men and perceptions of emotions in others, the current study investigated effects of intranasal oxytocin on meta-mood in young and older men and women. In a double-blind between-group design, participants were randomly assigned to self-administer either intranasal oxytocin or a placebo before responding to items from the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS) about attention to feelings and clarity of feelings. In contrast to older women, oxytocin relative to placebo increased attention to feelings in older men. Oxytocin relative to placebo enhanced meta-mood in young female participants but reduced it in older female participants. This pattern of findings supports an age- and sex-differential modulatory function of the neuropeptide oxytocin on meta-mood, possibly associated with neurobiological differences with age and sex. PMID:26441637

  18. Postural laterality in Iberian ibex Capra pyrenaica: effects of age, sex and nursing suggest stress and social information.

    PubMed

    Sarasa, Mathieu; Soriguer, Ramón C; Serrano, Emmanuel; Granados, José-Enrique; Pérez, Jesús M

    2014-01-01

    Most studies of lateralized behaviour have to date focused on active behaviour such as sensorial perception and locomotion and little is known about lateralized postures, such as lying, that can potentially magnify the effectiveness of lateralized perception and reaction. Moreover, the relative importance of factors such as sex, age and the stress associated with social status in laterality is now a subject of increasing interest. In this study, we assess the importance of sex, age and reproductive investment in females in lying laterality in the Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica). Using generalized additive models under an information-theoretic approach based on the Akaike information criterion, we analyzed lying laterality of 78 individually marked ibexes. Sex, age and nursing appeared as key factors associated, in interaction and non-linearly, with lying laterality. Beyond the benefits of studying laterality with non-linear models, our results highlight the fact that a combination of static factors such as sex, and dynamic factors such as age and stress associated with parental care, are associated with postural laterality.

  19. How Is Your Moon Geography?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGlathery, Glenn

    1971-01-01

    Describes geography of the moon. A brief history of selenographic history is given and basic features including lunar seas, mountains, craters, rays, and faults are described. Lunar photographs are included. (JM)

  20. Sex, age, and sex hormones affect recall of words in a directed forgetting paradigm.

    PubMed

    Kerschbaum, Hubert H; Hofbauer, Ildiko; Gföllner, Anna; Ebner, Birgit; Bresgen, Nikolaus; Bäuml, Karl-Heinz T

    2017-01-02

    During the course of serious discussion, an unexpected interruption may induce forgetting of the original topic of a conversation. Sex, age, and sex hormone levels may affect frequency and extension of forgetting. In a list-method directed forgetting paradigm, subjects have to learn two word lists. After learning list 1, subjects receive either a forget or a remember list 1 cue. When the participants had learned list 2 and completed a distraction task, they were asked to write down as many recalled items as possible, starting either with list 1 or list 2 items. In the present study, 96 naturally cycling women, 60 oral contraceptive users, 56 postmenopausal women, and 41 young men were assigned to one of these different experimental conditions. Forget-cued young subjects recall fewer list 1 items (list 1 forgetting) but more list 2 items (list 2 enhancement) compared with remember-cued subjects. However, forget-cued postmenopausal women showed reduced list 1 forgetting but enhanced list 2 retention. Remember-cued naturally cycling women recalled more list 1 items than oral contraceptive users, young men, and postmenopausal women. In forget-cued follicular women, salivary progesterone correlated positively with recalled list 2 items. Salivary 17β-estradiol did not correlate with recalled list 1 or list 2 items in either remember- or forget-cued young women. However, salivary 17β-estradiol correlated with item recall in remember-cued postmenopausal women. Our findings suggest that sex hormones do not globally modulate verbal memory or forgetting, but selectively affect cue-specific processing. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  1. Variations of thickness of trigonal muscle layer in different age and sex.

    PubMed

    Sultana, J; Khalil, M; Sultana, S Z; Mannan, S; Choudhury, S; Ara, A; Sumi, M S; Farzana, T; Sultana, R; Tania, A H

    2014-10-01

    This cross sectional descriptive study was to measure the thickness of muscular layer in trigone of the urinary bladder and to establish the difference between sexes of different age groups in Bangladeshi cadaver. A total 60 human urinary bladders were collected by purposive sampling from May 2013 to October 2013. Among them from male 43 and from female 17 were collected from Bangladeshi cadavers of age ranging from 01 to 60 years, from autopsy laboratory of the Department of Forensic Medicine of Mymensingh Medical College, Mymensingh. The thickness of muscular layer in trigone of the urinary bladder was measured and significant differences of the value between age and sex groups were observed. The mean±SD thickness of muscular layer of trigone of the urinary bladder was 318.59±93.15μm in age Group A (01 to 20 years), 633.25±79.79μm in age Group B (21 to 40 years), and 352.50±116.15μm in age Group C (41 to 60 years). The mean difference of muscular layer of the trigone of the urinary bladder between age Groups A&B, B&C was statistically highly significant, where p=0.001. In statistical analysis, differences between age groups were calculated by using one way ANOVA test. The present study revealed that the value of thickness of muscular layer in trigone of the urinary bladder was increased with the increase of age and it was declined to a low level in the late age. The mean value of muscular layer of the trigone of the urinary bladder was higher in male than that of in female of Group A, B & C.

  2. Interactive Problem-Solving Geography: An Introduction in Chinese Classrooms to Locational Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wai, Nu Nu; Giles, John H.

    2006-01-01

    Reform in geography education, as reflected in "Geography for Life: National Geography Standards" (1994) for the U.S.A., favors a constructivist approach to learning. This study examines the acceptance of this approach among students in two upper secondary schools in China. A lesson was developed to illustrate interactive problem solving…

  3. Primary Geography in the Republic of Ireland: Practices, Issues and Possible Futures

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pike, Susan

    2015-01-01

    In the Republic of Ireland, geography is recognized as an important subject for children to learn and all pupils take it throughout their primary school years. The current curriculum, the Primary School Curriculum-Geography, follows a tradition of innovative, child-centered geography curricula in Ireland. This article outlines the history of…

  4. Continuity in sex-typed behavior from preschool to adolescence: a longitudinal population study of boys and girls aged 3-13 years.

    PubMed

    Golombok, Susan; Rust, John; Zervoulis, Karyofyllis; Golding, Jean; Hines, Melissa

    2012-06-01

    Sex-typed behavior was assessed at age 3 using the Pre-School Activities Inventory, and at age 13 using the Multidimensional Gender Identity Scale, in 54 masculine boys, 57 masculine girls, 75 feminine boys, 65 feminine girls, 61 control boys, and 65 control girls. At age 13, girls who had been masculine at age 3 felt less similar to other girls, were less content being a girl, and had greater self-efficacy for male-typed activities than control girls, and girls who had been feminine at age 3 had greater self-efficacy for female-typed activities. Boys who had been feminine at age 3 felt less similar to other boys and had lower self-efficacy for male-typed activities than control boys at age 13, and boys who had been masculine at age 3 felt more competent in agentic roles. Thus, sex-typed behavior at age 3 predicted sex-typed behavior at age 13. It was concluded that the degree of sex-typed behavior shown by preschool children is a good indicator of their degree of sex-typed behavior following the transition to adolescence.

  5. Does age matter? Sexual event-level analysis of age-disparate sexual partners among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBM) in Vancouver, Canada.

    PubMed

    Closson, K; Lachowsky, N J; Cui, Z; Shurgold, S; Sereda, P; Rich, A; Moore, D M; Roth, E A; Hogg, R S

    2017-08-01

    To determine factors associated with age-disparate sexual partners among Vancouver gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBM). Sexually active GBM aged ≥16 years were recruited from February 2012 to February 2014. Participants self-completed a questionnaire on demographics, attitudes and sexual behaviour and substance use at last sexual event with five most recent partners. Two generalised linear mixed models identified factors associated with: (1) 'same-age' (referent), 'younger' or 'much-younger' and (2) 'same-age' (referent), 'older' or 'much-older' partners. Statistical interactions between age and HIV status were tested. Participants (n=719) were predominantly gay (85.1%), White (75.0%), HIV-negative/unknown status (72.9%) with median age of 33 years (Q1,Q3: 26,47). A minority of sexual events were reported with much-older/much-younger partners (13.7%). In the multivariable models, GBM reporting older partners were more likely to be Asian or Latino, have greater Escape Motivation scores, report their partner used erectile dysfunction drugs (EDDs) and have received something for sex; compared with condom-protected insertive anal sex, participants with older partners were more likely to report condomless insertive anal sex with a serodiscordant or unknown status partner or no insertive anal sex. GBM reporting older partners were less likely to be bisexual-identified, have given something for sex and report event-level alcohol and EDD use. GBM reporting younger partners were more likely to have annual incomes >$30 000 and have met their partner online. As per significant statistical interactions, age-disparate relations were more common for younger HIV-positive and older HIV-negative GBM. Differences among age-disparate partners highlight important targets for health promotion and future research. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  6. Age- and sex-specific analysis of patients with embolic stroke of undetermined source.

    PubMed

    Ntaios, George; Lip, Gregory Y H; Vemmos, Konstantinos; Koroboki, Eleni; Manios, Efstathios; Vemmou, Anastasia; Rodríguez-Campello, Ana; Cuadrado-Godia, Elisa; Roquer, Jaume; Arnao, Valentina; Caso, Valeria; Paciaroni, Maurizio; Diez-Tejedor, Exuperio; Fuentes, Blanca; Pérez Lucas, Josefa; Arauz, Antonio; Ameriso, Sebastian F; Pertierra, Lucía; Gómez-Schneider, Maia; Hawkes, Maximiliano A; Bandini, Fabio; Chavarria Cano, Beatriz; Iglesias Mohedano, Ana Maria; García Pastor, Andrés; Gil-Núñez, Antonio; Putaala, Jukka; Tatlisumak, Turgut; Barboza, Miguel A; Athanasakis, George; Gioulekas, Fotios; Makaritsis, Konstantinos; Papavasileiou, Vasileios

    2017-08-08

    To investigate whether the correlation of age and sex with the risk of recurrence and death seen in patients with previous ischemic stroke is also evident in patients with embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS). We pooled datasets of 11 stroke registries from Europe and America. ESUS was defined according to the Cryptogenic Stroke/ESUS International Working Group. We performed Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier product limit analyses to investigate whether age (<60, 60-80, >80 years) and sex were independently associated with the risk for ischemic stroke/TIA recurrence or death. Ischemic stroke/TIA recurrences and deaths per 100 patient-years were 2.46 and 1.01 in patients <60 years old, 5.76 and 5.23 in patients 60 to 80 years old, 7.88 and 11.58 in those >80 years old, 3.53 and 3.48 in women, and 4.49 and 3.98 in men, respectively. Female sex was not associated with increased risk for recurrent ischemic stroke/TIA (hazard ratio [HR] 1.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.84-1.58) or death (HR 1.35, 95% CI 0.97-1.86). Compared with the group <60 years old, the 60- to 80- and >80-year groups had higher 10-year cumulative probability of recurrent ischemic stroke/TIA (14.0%, 47.9%, and 37.0%, respectively, p < 0.001) and death (6.4%, 40.6%, and 100%, respectively, p < 0.001) and higher risk for recurrent ischemic stroke/TIA (HR 1.90, 95% CI 1.21-2.98 and HR 2.71, 95% CI 1.57-4.70, respectively) and death (HR 4.43, 95% CI 2.32-8.44 and HR 8.01, 95% CI 3.98-16.10, respectively). Age, but not sex, is a strong predictor of stroke recurrence and death in ESUS. The risk is ≈3- and 8-fold higher in patients >80 years compared with those <60 years of age, respectively. The age distribution in the ongoing ESUS trials may potentially influence their power to detect a significant treatment association. © 2017 American Academy of Neurology.

  7. Geography and the Properties of Surfaces. The Sandwich Theorem - A Basic One for Geography.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    the nature of the Sandwich Theorem and its relationship to Geography and provides an algorithm and a complete program to achieve ’solutions.’ Also included is a translation of one work of Hugo Steinhaus . (Author)

  8. Comorbidity Analysis According to Sex and Age in Hypertension Patients in China

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Jiaqi; Ma, James; Wang, Jiaojiao; Zeng, Daniel Dajun; Song, Hongbin; Wang, Ligui; Cao, Zhidong

    2016-01-01

    Background: Hypertension, an important risk factor for the health of human being, is often accompanied by various comorbidities. However, the incidence patterns of those comorbidities have not been widely studied. Aim: Applying big-data techniques on a large collection of electronic medical records, we investigated sex-specific and age-specific detection rates of some important comorbidities of hypertension, and sketched their relationships to reveal the risk for hypertension patients. Methods: We collected a total of 6,371,963 hypertension-related medical records from 106 hospitals in 72 cities throughout China. Those records were reported to a National Center for Disease Control in China between 2011 and 2013. Based on the comprehensive and geographically distributed data set, we identified the top 20 comorbidities of hypertension, and disclosed the sex-specific and age-specific patterns of those comorbidities. A comorbidities network was constructed based on the frequency of co-occurrence relationships among those comorbidities. Results: The top four comorbidities of hypertension were coronary heart disease, diabetes, hyperlipemia, and arteriosclerosis, whose detection rates were 21.71% (21.49% for men vs 21.95% for women), 16.00% (16.24% vs 15.74%), 13.81% (13.86% vs 13.76%), and 12.66% (12.25% vs 13.08%), respectively. The age-specific detection rates of comorbidities showed five unique patterns and also indicated that nephropathy, uremia, and anemia were significant risks for patients under 39 years of age. On the other hand, coronary heart disease, diabetes, arteriosclerosis, hyperlipemia, and cerebral infarction were more likely to occur in older patients. The comorbidity network that we constructed indicated that the top 20 comorbidities of hypertension had strong co-occurrence correlations. Conclusions: Hypertension patients can be aware of their risks of comorbidities based on our sex-specific results, age-specific patterns, and the comorbidity network

  9. Autonomic nervous system reactivity within the valence-arousal affective space: Modulation by sex and age.

    PubMed

    Gomez, Patrick; von Gunten, Armin; Danuser, Brigitta

    2016-11-01

    In the present study, we examined how sex and age shape cardiovascular, electrodermal, and pupillary reactivity to picture series within the valence-arousal affective space in a sample of 176 healthy younger, middle-aged, and older men and women. Across participants, heart rate (HR) decelerated with increasing self-reported unpleasantness, whereas skin conductance level (SCL) and pupil size (PS) increased with increasing self-rated arousal. Systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure increased with increasing self-rated arousal when valence was pleasant but much less when valence was unpleasant. Compared to women, men exhibited a stronger correlation between valence and HR and an SBP response characterized by larger increases for pleasant high-arousal states and lower change scores for unpleasant low- and high-arousal and pleasant low-arousal states. Men's largest SCL change scores were for pleasant high-arousal states, whereas women's largest SCL change scores were for unpleasant high-arousal states. The arousal-PS relationship was stronger among women, in particular for unpleasant series. From younger to older age, there were decreases in the strength of the valence-HR, arousal-SCL, and arousal-PS relationships. Older adults had larger overall increases in SBP and DBP than younger adults, but the relationships with self-reported valence and arousal were not age dependent. We discuss how the observed sex and age effects may reflect sex and age differences in emotional processing and in basic autonomic nervous system functioning. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Time Since First Acting on Same-Sex Attraction and Recreational Drug Use among Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM): Is There an Effect of "Gay Age"?

    PubMed

    Rice, Cara E; Vasilenko, Sara A; Lanza, Stephanie T; Davis, John A; Fields, Karen S; Ervin, Melissa; Norris Turner, Abigail

    2018-04-16

    Men who have sex with men (MSM) have higher rates of substance use compared to men who have sex with women. Among MSM, drug use is linked to higher-risk sexual behavior and acquisition of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. We hypothesize that time since first acting on one's same sex attraction, or one's "gay age", could be predictive of drug using behavior. We examined this question among 176 MSM, aged 18-35, presenting at a public sexual health clinic. Behavioral data were captured using interviewer- and self-administered surveys and clinical data were extracted from medical records. We used modified Poisson regression to examine associations between gay age and recent recreational drug use, and separately, between gay age and recent marijuana use. In total, 43% of participants reported recent marijuana use and 26% of participants reported recent use of other drugs. The associations between gay age and marijuana use and other drug use varied by HIV status. After adjustment for biological age, race, and education, a one-year increase in gay age was associated with significantly increased drug use among HIV-negative men (adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR): 1.08; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03-1.14), but we observed no association between gay age and drug use among HIV-positive men (aPR: 0.96, 95% CI: 0.86-1.07). Gay age was not associated with marijuana use in HIV-negative (aPR: 1.00, 95% CI: 0.95-1.04) or HIV-positive (aPR: 1.06, 95% CI: 0.98-1.14) men. In summary, HIV-negative MSM who had experienced more time since first same-sex experience had significantly increased prevalence of recent drug use.

  11. Effect of degree of urbanisation on age and sex-specific asthma prevalence in Swedish preschool children.

    PubMed

    Bröms, Kristina; Norbäck, Dan; Eriksson, Margaretha; Sundelin, Claes; Svärdsudd, Kurt

    2009-08-20

    There are few studies on age and sex-specific asthma prevalence in the age range 1-6 years. The purpose of this report was to estimate age and sex specific asthma prevalence in preschool children and to analyse the influence of possible demographic and geographic determinants. All 70 allergen avoidance day-care centres and 140 matched ordinary day-care centres across Sweden were sampled. The parents of all 8,757 children attending these day-care centres received the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) written questionnaire, supplemented with questions on medical treatment, physician assessed asthma diagnosis, and other asthma related questions. The response rate was 68%. The age specific asthma prevalence, adjusted for the underlying municipality population size, was among boys 9.7% at age 1, 11.1% at age 2, 11.4 at age 3, 10.5 at age 4, 8.7 at age 5, and 6.4 at age 6. The corresponding proportions among girls were 8.9%, 9.9%, 9.8%, 8.8%, 7.0%, and 5.0%, on average 9.6% for boys and 8.2% for girls, altogether 8.9%. In addition to age and sex the prevalence increased by municipality population density, a proxy for degree of urbanisation. Moreover, there was a remaining weak geographical gradient with increasing prevalence towards the north and the west. The age-specific asthma prevalence was curvilinear with a peak around age 3 and somewhat higher for boys than for girls. The asthma prevalence increased in a slowly accelerating pace by municipality population density as a proxy for degree of urbanisation.

  12. Age-specific and sex-specific morbidity and mortality from avian influenza A(H7N9).

    PubMed

    Dudley, Joseph P; Mackay, Ian M

    2013-11-01

    We used data on age and sex for 136 laboratory confirmed human A(H7N9) cases reported as of 11 August 2013 to compare age-specific and sex-specific patterns of morbidity and mortality from the avian influenza A(H7N9) virus with those of the avian influenza A(H5N1) virus. Human A(H7N9) cases exhibit high degrees of age and sex bias: mortality is heavily biased toward males >50 years, no deaths have been reported among individuals <25 years old, and relatively few cases documented among children or adolescents. The proportion of fatal cases (PFC) for human A(H7N9) cases as of 11 August 2013 was 32%, compared to a cumulative PFC for A(H5N1) of 83% in Indonesia and 36% in Egypt. Approximately 75% of cases of all A(H7N9) cases occurred among individuals >45 years old. Morbidity and mortality from A(H7N9) are lowest among individuals between 10 and 29 years, the age group which exhibits the highest cumulative morbidity and case fatality rates from A(H5N1). Although individuals <20 years old comprise nearly 50% of all human A(H5N1) cases, only 7% of all reported A(H7N9) cases and no deaths have been reported among individuals in this age group. Only 4% of A(H7N9) cases occurred among children<5 years old, and only one case from the 10 to 20 year age group. Age- and sex-related differences in morbidity and mortality from emerging zoonotic diseases can provide insights into ecological, economic, and cultural factors that may contribute to the emergence and proliferation of novel zoonotic diseases in human populations. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. The Pedagogical Implications of a Futures Program in Geography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McDaniel, Robert

    The intent of this paper is to provide geography educators and researchers with insights into creating a "geography of the future." Among the insights of major interest to geographers (including students, teachers, researchers, and other professional geographers) are that altered states of consciousness (such as often brought on by hallucinogens)…

  14. World Geography Curriculum Guide: Secondary Social Studies. Bulletin 1727.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nicolosi, Louis J.; And Others

    This world geography curriculum guide is designed to help teachers improve the quality of secondary level geography instruction. The guide contains Louisiana's social studies curriculum goals and information about the scope and sequence of the state's social studies program. Part 1 discusses the major geographical concepts of: (1) map and globe…

  15. Critical Thinking Tendencies of Geography Teacher Candidates in Turkey

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Geçit, Yilmaz; Akarsu, Ali Haydar

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this research is to determine the critical thinking levels of geography teacher candidates. The research was descriptive and conducted in a relational survey model. The population of this study consists of students of the geography department of Karadeniz Technical University, Atatürk University and Marmara University education…

  16. European Geography Higher Education Fieldwork and the Skills Agenda

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wall, Glenda P.; Speake, Janet

    2012-01-01

    The Bologna Declaration focuses on skill acquisition as a means of improving student employability and fieldwork is considered to be a pivotal teaching method for geography students to obtain such skills. This paper presents results from a major substantive survey of European geography academics and students which investigated their perspectives…

  17. An Examination of Geography Teachers' Reflective Thinking Tendencies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yildirim, Tahsin

    2017-01-01

    This study is a descriptive research study executed using a scanning model with the purpose of examining geography teachers' tendencies towards reflective thinking according to different variables. The study group consisted of 218 geography teachers serving in schools under the Ministry of National Education in the 2016/2017 education period. For…

  18. Teaching Gender and Geography: The Case of the Netherlands

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fortuijn, Joos Droogleever

    2011-01-01

    Feminist geography teaching in universities in the Netherlands originated 30 years ago in an academic context that counteracted this new development for ideological reasons. Nowadays, the neoliberal conditions of the market have replaced the conservative ideology that prevailed 30 years ago. Feminist geography is supported as far as it returns…

  19. Perceptions of Geography Teachers to Integrating Technology to Teaching and Their Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sanli, Cennet; Sezer, Adem; Pinar, Adnan

    2016-01-01

    In present study the objective has been to manifest perceptions and practices of geography teachers towards integrating technology to teaching geography. In 5 different types of schools within Nevsehir (Turkey) city center, a total of 22 geography teachers volunteering to participate in the research were included in this study in which data were…

  20. The effects of age, sex, and hormones on emotional conflict-related brain response during adolescence

    PubMed Central

    Cservenka, Anita; Stroup, Madison L.; Etkin, Amit; Nagel, Bonnie J.

    2015-01-01

    While cognitive and emotional systems both undergo development during adolescence, few studies have explored top-down inhibitory control brain activity in the context of affective processing, critical to informing adolescent psychopathology. In this study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine brain response during an Emotional Conflict (EmC) Task across 10–15-year-old youth. During the EmC Task, participants indicated the emotion of facial expressions, while disregarding emotion-congruent and incongruent words printed across the faces. We examined the relationships of age, sex, and gonadal hormones with brain activity on Incongruent vs. Congruent trials. Age was negatively associated with middle frontal gyrus activity, controlling for performance and movement confounds. Sex differences were present in occipital and parietal cortices, and were driven by activation in females, and deactivation in males to Congruent trials. Testosterone was negatively related with frontal and striatal brain response in males, and cerebellar and precuneus response in females. Estradiol was negatively related with fronto-cerebellar, cingulate, and precuneus brain activity in males, and positively related with occipital response in females. To our knowledge, this is the first study reporting the effects of age, sex, and sex steroids during an emotion-cognition task in adolescents. Further research is needed to examine longitudinal development of emotion-cognition interactions and deviations in psychiatric disorders in adolescence. PMID:26175008

  1. The effects of age, sex, and hormones on emotional conflict-related brain response during adolescence.

    PubMed

    Cservenka, Anita; Stroup, Madison L; Etkin, Amit; Nagel, Bonnie J

    2015-10-01

    While cognitive and emotional systems both undergo development during adolescence, few studies have explored top-down inhibitory control brain activity in the context of affective processing, critical to informing adolescent psychopathology. In this study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine brain response during an Emotional Conflict (EmC) Task across 10-15-year-old youth. During the EmC Task, participants indicated the emotion of facial expressions, while disregarding emotion-congruent and incongruent words printed across the faces. We examined the relationships of age, sex, and gonadal hormones with brain activity on Incongruent vs. Congruent trials. Age was negatively associated with middle frontal gyrus activity, controlling for performance and movement confounds. Sex differences were present in occipital and parietal cortices, and were driven by activation in females, and deactivation in males to Congruent trials. Testosterone was negatively related with frontal and striatal brain response in males, and cerebellar and precuneus response in females. Estradiol was negatively related with fronto-cerebellar, cingulate, and precuneus brain activity in males, and positively related with occipital response in females. To our knowledge, this is the first study reporting the effects of age, sex, and sex steroids during an emotion-cognition task in adolescents. Further research is needed to examine longitudinal development of emotion-cognition interactions and deviations in psychiatric disorders in adolescence. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Cross-sectional geometry of Pecos Pueblo femora and tibiae--a biomechanical investigation: II. Sex, age, side differences.

    PubMed

    Ruff, C B; Hayes, W C

    1983-03-01

    Intra-populational variation in cross-sectional geometric properties of the femur and tibia are investigated in the Pecos Pueblo skeletal sample. Sex differences in geometric parameters suggest that male lower limb bones are more adapted for A-P bending, females for M-L bending. Proposed explanations for this finding include sexual dimorphism in pelvic structure and culturally prescribed sex-related activities at Pecos. With aging, both males and females undergo endosteal resorption and cortical thinning, greater among females. Both sexes also demonstrate an increase with age in subperiosteal area and second moments of area, supporting results reported in some studies of modern population samples. Sex and site-specific remodeling of the femur and tibia with aging also occur. These localized remodeling changes appear to selectively conserve more compact cortical bone in areas of high mechanical stress. Side differences in cross-sectional geometric properties indicate that left lower limb bones are generally larger than right lower limb bones, with asymmetry greater among females. In particular, left femora and tibiae are relatively stronger in A-P bending, again more so in females.

  3. High-glucose diets have sex-specific effects on aging in C. elegans: toxic to hermaphrodites but beneficial to males.

    PubMed

    Liggett, Marjorie R; Hoy, Michael J; Mastroianni, Michael; Mondoux, Michelle A

    2015-06-01

    Diet and sex are important determinants of lifespan. In humans, high sugar diets, obesity, and type 2 diabetes correlate with decreased lifespan, and females generally live longer than males. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a classical model for aging studies, and has also proven useful for characterizing the response to high-glucose diets. However, studies on male animals are lacking. We found a surprising dichotomy: glucose regulates lifespan and aging in a sex-specific manner, with beneficial effects on males compared to toxic effects on hermaphrodites. High-glucose diet resulted in greater mobility with age for males, along with a modest increase in median lifespan. In contrast, high-glucose diets decrease both lifespan and mobility for hermaphrodites. Understanding sex-specific responses to high-glucose diets will be important for determining which evolutionarily conserved glucose-responsive pathways that regulate aging are "universal" and which are likely to be cell-type or sex-specific.

  4. Age- and sex-related variations in the brain white matter fractal dimension throughout adulthood: an MRI study.

    PubMed

    Farahibozorg, S; Hashemi-Golpayegani, S M; Ashburner, J

    2015-03-01

    To observe age- and sex-related differences in the complexity of the global and hemispheric white matter (WM) throughout adulthood by means of fractal dimension (FD). A box-counting algorithm was used to extract FD from the WM magnetic resonance images of 209 healthy adults from three structural layers, including general (gFD), skeleton (sFD), and boundaries (bFD). Model selection algorithms and statistical analyses, respectively, were used to examine the patterns and significance of the changes. gFD and sFD showed inverse U-shape patterns with aging, with a slighter slope of increase from young to mid-age and a steeper decrease to the old. bFD was less affected by age. Sex differences were evident, specifically in gFD and sFD, with men showing higher FDs. Age × sex interaction was significant mainly in the hemispheric analysis, with men undergoing sharper age-related changes. After adjusting for the volume effect, age-related results remained approximately the same, but sex differences changed in most of the features, with women indicating higher values, specifically in the left hemisphere and boundaries. Right hemisphere was still more complex in men. This study is the first that investigates the WM FD spanning adulthood, treating age both as a continuous and categorical variable. We found positive correlations between FD and volume, and our results show similarities with those investigating small-world properties of the brain networks, as well as those of functional complexity and WM integrity. These suggest that FD could yield a highly compact description of the structural changes and also might inform us about functional and cognitive variations.

  5. Investigating the modulation of genetic effects on late AMD by age and sex: Lessons learned and two additional loci

    PubMed Central

    Grassmann, Felix; Gorski, Mathias; Loss, Julika; Heid, Iris M.

    2018-01-01

    Late-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of visual impairment in the elderly with a complex etiology. The most important non-modifiable risk factors for onset and progression of late AMD are age and genetic risk factors, however, little is known about the interplay between genetics and age or sex. Here, we conducted a large-scale age- and sex-stratified genome-wide association study (GWAS) using 1000 Genomes imputed genome-wide and ExomeChip data (>12 million variants). The data were established by the International Age-related Macular Degeneration Genomics Consortium (IAMDGC) from 16,144 late AMD cases and 17,832 controls. Our systematic search for interaction effects yielded significantly stronger effects among younger individuals at two known AMD loci (near CFH and ARMS2/HTRA1). Accounting for age and gene-age interaction using a joint test identified two additional AMD loci compared to the previous main effect scan. One of these two is a novel AMD GWAS locus, near the retinal clusterin-like protein (CLUL1) gene, and the other, near the retinaldehyde binding protein 1 (RLBP1), was recently identified in a joint analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial variants. Despite considerable power in our data, neither sex-dependent effects nor effects with opposite directions between younger and older individuals were observed. This is the first genome-wide interaction study to incorporate age, sex and their interaction with genetic effects for late AMD. Results diminish the potential for a role of sex in the etiology of late AMD yet highlight the importance and existence of age-dependent genetic effects. PMID:29529059

  6. Effects of age, sex, and genotype on high-sensitivity metabolomic profiles in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster

    PubMed Central

    Hoffman, Jessica M; Soltow, Quinlyn A; Li, Shuzhao; Sidik, Alfire; Jones, Dean P; Promislow, Daniel E L

    2014-01-01

    Researchers have used whole-genome sequencing and gene expression profiling to identify genes associated with age, in the hope of understanding the underlying mechanisms of senescence. But there is a substantial gap from variation in gene sequences and expression levels to variation in age or life expectancy. In an attempt to bridge this gap, here we describe the effects of age, sex, genotype, and their interactions on high-sensitivity metabolomic profiles in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. Among the 6800 features analyzed, we found that over one-quarter of all metabolites were significantly associated with age, sex, genotype, or their interactions, and multivariate analysis shows that individual metabolomic profiles are highly predictive of these traits. Using a metabolomic equivalent of gene set enrichment analysis, we identified numerous metabolic pathways that were enriched among metabolites associated with age, sex, and genotype, including pathways involving sugar and glycerophospholipid metabolism, neurotransmitters, amino acids, and the carnitine shuttle. Our results suggest that high-sensitivity metabolomic studies have excellent potential not only to reveal mechanisms that lead to senescence, but also to help us understand differences in patterns of aging among genotypes and between males and females. PMID:24636523

  7. Street connectivity and obesity in Glasgow, Scotland: impact of age, sex and socioeconomic position.

    PubMed

    Ball, Kylie; Lamb, Karen; Travaglini, Noemi; Ellaway, Anne

    2012-11-01

    This study investigated associations of street connectivity with body mass index (BMI), and whether these associations varied by sex, age and socioeconomic position, amongst adults in Glasgow, Scotland. Data on socio-demographic variables, height and weight were collected from 1062 participants in the Greater Glasgow Health and Well-being Study, and linked with neighbourhood-level census and geo-referenced data on area level deprivation and street connectivity. Results of multilevel models showed that, after adjustment for individual level covariates, street connectivity was not significantly associated with either BMI or BMI category; nor were there any significant interactions between age, sex or socioeconomic position and street connectivity. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. School Choice in a Stratified Geography: Class, Geography, Otherness, and Moral Boundaries

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gabay-Egozi, Limor

    2016-01-01

    Using open-ended, semi-structured interviews, this study pulls together insights on social class and geography to explore how parents choose schools differently for their children in a unique Israeli setting. Querying parents' feelings and perceptions about themselves and others in their immediate and distant locality offers an opportunity to…

  9. The Best of Both Worlds: Blending History and Geography in the K-12 Curriculum.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boehm, Richard G.; Saxe, David Warren; Rutherford, David J.

    This report shows how the study of U.S. history can be enriched by blending geography into the curriculum. Because the fields of history and geography have not been melded together in terms of curricula, often history is not taught in relation to geography and geography has tended to be taught primarily as location/place information. The report…

  10. Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) in children and adolescents: Effects of sex and age

    PubMed Central

    Tsao, Jennie C. I.; Seidman, Laura C.; Evans, Subhadra; Lung, Kirsten C.; Zeltzer, Lonnie K.; Naliboff, Bruce D.

    2013-01-01

    Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) refers to the diminution of perceived pain intensity for a test stimulus following application of a conditioning stimulus to a remote area of the body, and is thought to reflect the descending inhibition of nociceptive signals. Studying CPM in children may inform interventions to enhance central pain inhibition within a developmental framework. We assessed CPM in 133 healthy children (mean age = 13 years; 52.6% girls) and tested the effects of sex and age. Participants were exposed to four trials of a pressure test stimulus before, during, and after the application of a cold water conditioning stimulus. CPM was documented by a reduction in pressure pain ratings during cold water administration. Older children (12–17 years) exhibited greater CPM than younger (8–11 years) children. No sex differences in CPM were found. Lower heart rate variability (HRV) at baseline and after pain induction was associated with less CPM controlling for child age. The findings of greater CPM in the older age cohort suggest a developmental improvement in central pain inhibitory mechanisms. The results highlight the need to examine developmental and contributory factors in central pain inhibitory mechanisms in children to guide effective, age appropriate, pain interventions. PMID:23541066

  11. Experiencing Cultural Geography in the Birthplace of the Blues

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Strait, John

    2014-01-01

    Over time, fewer and fewer geography scholars have the opportunity to actually engage in fieldwork. This article summarizes a field experience shared by a group of geography faculty and students who traveled through the Mississippi Delta endeavoring to study the dynamic nature of the region's blues music and culture. This endeavor entailed the…

  12. AP Human Geography and Success on the AP Test

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roncone, John; Newhalfen, Nate

    2013-01-01

    Classroom projects that explore culture and globalization enhance the curriculum and help students see how geography directly connects to their lives. These authors contend that a project-based approach can supplement the teaching of an AP Human Geography course, and visualize this course as an essential tool for students to truly understand how…

  13. The Use of Computers in the Teaching of Geography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kent, W. Ashley, Ed.

    Eleven essays describe state of the art developments in the use of computers and computer-assisted learning to teach geography. Descriptions of the use of computers in the teaching of geography in their respective countries are contributed by educators from the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Scotland,…

  14. Teaching Physical Geography with Toys, Household Items, and Food

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carnahan, Laura; Pankratz, Mary Jo; Alberts, Heike

    2014-01-01

    While many college physical geography instructors already use a wide variety of creative teaching approaches in their classes, others have not yet been exposed to teaching with toys, household items, or food. The goal in this article is to present some ideas for teaching college-level physical geography (weather/climate and geomorphology) for…

  15. Seeking Synthesis: An Integration Exercise for Teaching Regional Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Mark C.

    2014-01-01

    This article describes a lesson plan on achieving synthesis, the integration of diverse information sources to create a new whole, vital to the intellectual task of the geographer. This is true regardless of the type of geography being conducted or studied. Synthesis remains central to geography, whether understanding a region, pulling together an…

  16. Age-specific and sex-specific prevalence and incidence of mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and Alzheimer dementia in blacks and whites: a report from the Einstein Aging Study.

    PubMed

    Katz, Mindy J; Lipton, Richard B; Hall, Charles B; Zimmerman, Molly E; Sanders, Amy E; Verghese, Joe; Dickson, Dennis W; Derby, Carol A

    2012-01-01

    As the population ages, the need to characterize rates of cognitive impairment and dementia within demographic groups defined by age, sex, and race becomes increasingly important. There are limited data available on the prevalence and incidence of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and nonamnestic mild cognitive impairment (naMCI) from population-based studies. The Einstein Aging Study, a systematically recruited community-based cohort of 1944 adults aged 70 or older (1168 dementia free at baseline; mean age, 78.8 y; average follow-up, 3.9 y), provides the opportunity to examine the prevalence and incidence rates for dementia, Alzheimer dementia (AD), aMCI, and naMCI by demographic characteristics. Dementia prevalence was 6.5% (4.9% AD). Overall dementia incidence was 2.9/100 person-years (2.3/100 person-years for AD). Dementia and AD rates increased with age but did not differ by sex. Prevalence of aMCI was 11.6%, and naMCI prevalence was 9.9%. aMCI incidence was 3.8 and naMCI incidence was 3.9/100 person-years. Rates of aMCI increased significantly with age in men and in blacks; sex, education, and race were not significant risk factors. In contrast, naMCI incidence did not increase with age; however, blacks were at higher risk compared with whites, even when controlling for sex and education. Results highlight the public health significance of preclinical cognitive disease.

  17. Growth Hormone Dynamics in Healthy Adults Are Related to Age and Sex and Strongly Dependent on Body Mass Index.

    PubMed

    Roelfsema, Ferdinand; Veldhuis, Johannes D

    2016-01-01

    Studies on 24-hour growth hormone (GH) secretion are rare. The influences of sex, age, and adiposity are well recognized but generally derived from specific, selected subject groups, not spanning sexes, many age decades, and a range of body weights. Our goal was to investigate GH dynamics in a group of 130 healthy adult subjects, both men and women, across 5 age decades as well as a 2.5-fold range of body mass index (BMI) values. GH was measured by a sensitive immunofluorometric assay. Secretion parameters were quantified by automated deconvolution and relative pattern randomness by approximate entropy (ApEn). The median age was 40 years (range 20-77). The median BMI was 26 (range 18.3-49.8). Pulsatile 24-hour GH secretion was negatively correlated with age (p = 0.002) and BMI (p < 0.0001). Basal GH secretion negatively correlated with BMI (p = 0.003) but not with age. The sex- dependent GH secretion (greater in women) was no longer detectable after 50 years of age. Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 levels were lower in women over 50 years of age compared with men of a similar age. ApEn showed an age-related increase in both sexes and was higher in premenopausal and postmenopausal women than in men of comparable age (p < 0.0001). A single fasting GH measurement is not informative of 24-hour GH secretion. BMI dominates the negative regulation of 24-hour GH secretion across 5 decades of age in this up till now largest cohort of healthy adults who underwent 24-hour blood sampling. Sex also impacts GH secretion before the age of 50 years as well as its regularity at all ages. Differences in serum IGF-1 partly depend on the pre- or postmenopausal state. Finally, a single GH measurement is not informative of 24-hour GH secretion. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  18. Sex- and age- specific relations between economic development, economic inequality and homicide rates in people aged 0-24 years: a cross-sectional analysis.

    PubMed Central

    Butchart, Alexander; Engström, Karin

    2002-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To test whether relations between economic development, economic inequality, and child and youth homicide rates are sex- and age-specific, and whether a country's wealth modifies the impact of economic inequality on homicide rates. METHODS: Outcome variables were homicide rates around 1994 in males and females in the age ranges 0-4, 5-9, 10-14, 15-19 and 20-24 years from 61 countries. Predictor variables were per capita gross domestic product (GDP), GINI coefficient, percentage change in per capita gross national product (GNP) and female economic activity as a percentage of male economic activity. Relations were analysed by ordinary least squares regression. FINDINGS: All predictors explained significant variances in homicide rates in those aged 15-24. Associations were stronger for males than females and weak for children aged 0-9. Models that included female economic inequality and percentage change in GNP increased the effect in children aged 0-9 and the explained variance in females aged 20-24. For children aged 0-4, country clustering by income increased the explained variance for both sexes. For males aged 15-24, the association with economic inequality was strong in countries with low incomes and weak in those with high incomes. CONCLUSION: Relations between economic factors and child and youth homicide rates varied with age and sex. Interventions to target economic factors would have the strongest impact on rates of homicide in young adults and late adolescent males. In societies with high economic inequality, redistributing wealth without increasing per capita GDP would reduce homicide rates less than redistributions linked with overall economic development. PMID:12471400

  19. Economic productivity by age and sex: 2007 estimates for the United States.

    PubMed

    Grosse, Scott D; Krueger, Kurt V; Mvundura, Mercy

    2009-07-01

    Human capital estimates of labor productivity are often used to estimate the economic impact of diseases and injuries that cause incapacitation or death. Estimates of average hourly, annual, and lifetime economic productivity, both market and household, were calculated in 2007 US dollars for 5-year age groups for men, women, and both sexes in the United States. Data from the American Time Use Survey were used to estimate hours of paid work and household services and hourly and annual earnings and household productivity. Present values of discounted lifetime earnings were calculated for each age group using the 2004 US life tables and a discount rate of 3% per year and assuming future productivity growth of 1% per year. The estimates of hours and productivity were calculated using the time diaries of 72,922 persons included in the American Time Use Survey for the years 2003 to 2007. The present value of lifetime productivity is approximately $1.2 million in 2007 dollars for children under 5 years of age. For adults in their 20s and 30s, it is approximately $1.6 million and then it declines with increasing age. Productivity estimates are higher for males than for females, more for market productivity than for total productivity. Changes in hours of paid employment and household services can affect economic productivity by age and sex. This is the first publication to include estimates of household services based on contemporary time use data for the US population.

  20. Gender and social geography: impact on Lady Health Workers mobility in Pakistan.

    PubMed

    Mumtaz, Zubia

    2012-10-16

    In Pakistan, where gendered norms restrict women's mobility, female community health workers (CHWs) provide doorstep primary health services to home-bound women. The program has not achieved optimal functioning. One reason, I argue, may be that the CHWs are unable to make home visits because they have to operate within the same gender system that necessitated their appointment in the first place. Ethnographic research shows that women's mobility in Pakistan is determined not so much by physical geography as by social geography (the analysis of social phenomena in space). Irrespective of physical location, the presence of biradaria members (extended family) creates a socially acceptable 'inside space' to which women are limited. The presence of a non-biradari person, especially a man, transforms any space into an 'outside space', forbidden space. This study aims to understand how these cultural norms affect CHWs' home-visit rates and the quality of services delivered. Data will be collected in district Attock, Punjab. Twenty randomly selected CHWs will first be interviewed to explore their experiences of delivering doorstep services in the context of gendered norms that promote women's seclusion. Each CHW will be requested to draw a map of her catchment area using social mapping techniques. These maps will be used to survey women of reproductive age to assess variations in the CHW's home visitation rates and quality of family planning services provided. A sample size of 760 households (38 per CHW) is estimated to have the power to detect, with 95% confidence, households the CHWs do not visit. To explore the role of the larger community in shaping the CHWs mobility experiences, 25 community members will be interviewed and five CHWs observed as they conduct their home visits. The survey data will be merged with the maps to demonstrate if any disjunctures exist between CHWs' social geography and physical geography. Furthermore, the impacts these geographies have on

  1. Digital Geography and the Race for the White House

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kenreich, Todd W.

    2016-01-01

    With the 2016 presidential election right around the corner, geography provides a dynamic view of the spatial patterns and processes that shape the electorate. The major presidential campaigns know that a winning strategy must use geography to make informed decisions about where to allocate limited resources such as money and staff. In the end,…

  2. Geography Teachers' Usage of the Internet for Education Purposes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sezer, Adem

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to determine geography teachers' use of the Internet for education purposes and the extent to which Turkish Internet sites can fulfill the needs and requirements of geography teachers' Internet usage. Research is carried out using the screening method. Data were collected by means of a measurement tool that was…

  3. Primary Geography Education in China: Past, Current and Future

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Xuan, Xiaowei; Duan, Yushan; Sun, Yue

    2015-01-01

    In China, geography education in primary schools (grades 1 to 6) has not been emphasized, although some scholars have done research in this area. In order to deepen the understanding of primary geography education in China, this paper examines its history, current situation, and future trends. The authors used the method of document analysis and…

  4. Student Teachers' Reflections on Prior Experiences of Learning Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dolan, Anne M.; Waldron, Fionnuala; Pike, Susan; Greenwood, Richard

    2014-01-01

    Primary geography education is an important part of initial teacher education. The importance of prior experiences in the development of student teachers has long been recognised and there is growing evidence of the nature of those experiences in areas such as geography. This paper reports the findings of research conducted with one cohort of…

  5. Age and sex bias in the reconstruction of past population structures.

    PubMed

    Bello, Silvia M; Thomann, Aminte; Signoli, Michel; Dutour, Olivier; Andrews, Peter

    2006-01-01

    Palaeodemographical studies are founded on the assumption that the sex and age distribution of the skeletal sample reflects the constitution of the original population. It is becoming increasingly clear, however, that the type and amount of information that may be derived from osteoarchaeological collections are related to the state of preservation of remains. This work proposes a new method to evaluate bone preservation, to identify age and sex biases in the preservation of human skeletal remains, and to assess whether differences in preservation patterns are more dependent on factors intrinsic or extrinsic to anatomical features of human bones. Three osteological collections and over 600 skeletons were observed. The state of preservation of human bones was assessed using three preservation indexes: the anatomical preservation index (API), the bone representation index (BRI), and the qualitative bone index (QBI). The results suggest that subadult skeletons are generally more poorly preserved and with bones less well-represented than adult skeletons. Among subadults, female and male skeletons have different patterns of preservation according to their age. This pattern of preservation depends on intrinsic anatomical properties of bones themselves, while external factors can only increase these differences in the state of preservation and representation of osseous remains. It is concluded from this that failure to recognize these differences may lead to misleading interpretations of paleodemography of past human populations.

  6. Sex Differences in Preschoolers' Perceptions of Young, Middle-Aged, and Elderly Adults.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Downs, A. Chris; Walz, Patricia J.

    1981-01-01

    The purposes of this study were (1) to replicate research regarding preschoolers' attitudes toward young, middle-aged, and elderly adults; (2) to examine sex differences in responses to male and female adults; and (3) to study the degree to which physical attractiveness influences children's reactions toward adults. (Author/DB)

  7. The Effect of Age, Race, and Sex on Social Cognitive Performance in Individuals With Schizophrenia.

    PubMed

    Pinkham, Amy E; Kelsven, Skylar; Kouros, Chrystyna; Harvey, Philip D; Penn, David L

    2017-05-01

    Age, race, and sex are linked to social cognitive performance among healthy individuals, but whether similar effects are evident in schizophrenia is unknown. Data from 170 individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and 98 healthy controls were used to examine relations between these demographic factors and performance across multiple domains and measures of social cognition. Sex was not related to performance on any domain, but older age was related to poorer emotion recognition from dynamic stimuli in both patients and controls. In patients, older age was also associated with better abilities to decipher hints. Both Caucasian patients and controls performed better than African American individuals on emotion recognition and mental state attribution tasks that use only Caucasian individuals as visual stimuli. Findings suggest rather limited influences of demographic factors but do demonstrate normative age and race effects among patients. Findings also highlight important methodological considerations for measurement of social cognition.

  8. Looking, Smiling, Laughing, and Moving in Restaurants: Sex and Age Differences.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adams, Robert M.; Kirkevold, Barbara

    Body movements and facial expressions of males and females in a restaurant setting were examined, with the goal of providing differences in frequency as a function of age and sex. The subjects (N-197 males and N=131 females) were seated in three Seattle fast food restaurants and were selected on a semi-random basis and then observed for three…

  9. Estimating ages of white-tailed deer: Age and sex patterns of error using tooth wear-and-replacement and consistency of cementum annuli

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Samuel, Michael D.; Storm, Daniel J.; Rolley, Robert E.; Beissel, Thomas; Richards, Bryan J.; Van Deelen, Timothy R.

    2014-01-01

    The age structure of harvested animals provides the basis for many demographic analyses. Ages of harvested white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and other ungulates often are estimated by evaluating replacement and wear patterns of teeth, which is subjective and error-prone. Few previous studies however, examined age- and sex-specific error rates. Counting cementum annuli of incisors is an alternative, more accurate method of estimating age, but factors that influence consistency of cementum annuli counts are poorly known. We estimated age of 1,261 adult (≥1.5 yr old) white-tailed deer harvested in Wisconsin and Illinois (USA; 2005–2008) using both wear-and-replacement and cementum annuli. We compared cementum annuli with wear-and-replacement estimates to assess misclassification rates by sex and age. Wear-and-replacement for estimating ages of white-tailed deer resulted in substantial misclassification compared with cementum annuli. Age classes of females were consistently underestimated, while those of males were underestimated for younger age classes but overestimated for older age classes. Misclassification resulted in an impression of a younger age-structure than actually was the case. Additionally, we obtained paired age-estimates from cementum annuli for 295 deer. Consistency of paired cementum annuli age-estimates decreased with age, was lower in females than males, and decreased as age estimates became less certain. Our results indicated that errors in the wear-and-replacement techniques are substantial and could impact demographic analyses that use age-structure information. 

  10. 34 CFR 403.92 - Under what circumstances may the age limit under the Sex Equity Program be waived?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... Sex Equity Program be waived? 403.92 Section 403.92 Education Regulations of the Offices of the... the Basic Programs? Sex Equity Program § 403.92 Under what circumstances may the age limit under the Sex Equity Program be waived? The individual appointed under § 403.13(a) may waive the requirement in...

  11. 34 CFR 403.92 - Under what circumstances may the age limit under the Sex Equity Program be waived?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... Sex Equity Program be waived? 403.92 Section 403.92 Education Regulations of the Offices of the... the Basic Programs? Sex Equity Program § 403.92 Under what circumstances may the age limit under the Sex Equity Program be waived? The individual appointed under § 403.13(a) may waive the requirement in...

  12. 34 CFR 403.92 - Under what circumstances may the age limit under the Sex Equity Program be waived?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... Sex Equity Program be waived? 403.92 Section 403.92 Education Regulations of the Offices of the... the Basic Programs? Sex Equity Program § 403.92 Under what circumstances may the age limit under the Sex Equity Program be waived? The individual appointed under § 403.13(a) may waive the requirement in...

  13. 34 CFR 403.92 - Under what circumstances may the age limit under the Sex Equity Program be waived?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... Sex Equity Program be waived? 403.92 Section 403.92 Education Regulations of the Offices of the... the Basic Programs? Sex Equity Program § 403.92 Under what circumstances may the age limit under the Sex Equity Program be waived? The individual appointed under § 403.13(a) may waive the requirement in...

  14. 34 CFR 403.92 - Under what circumstances may the age limit under the Sex Equity Program be waived?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Sex Equity Program be waived? 403.92 Section 403.92 Education Regulations of the Offices of the... the Basic Programs? Sex Equity Program § 403.92 Under what circumstances may the age limit under the Sex Equity Program be waived? The individual appointed under § 403.13(a) may waive the requirement in...

  15. A Look at Academic Positions in Geography, 1974-83.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gerlach, Jerry

    This paper looks at the college positions in geography that have become available in the last 8 years and notes their regional distribution. These positions are projected into 1982 and 1983 and compared with the number of individuals qualified to fill them. To measure the number of positions available in geography, the number of new academic…

  16. Using "Petites Projects" to Further Engage Students in Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Katz, Richard

    2013-01-01

    The challenge of teaching AP Human Geography to high school students is to make geography relevant, engaging and "real world." Often the pace of teaching AP classes constrains the ability of teachers to do creative projects and truly engage students until after the exam is over in May. In this lesson plan, the author suggests using "Petites…

  17. Associations between AUDIT-C and mortality vary by age and sex.

    PubMed

    Harris, Alex H S; Bradley, Katharine A; Bowe, Thomas; Henderson, Patricia; Moos, Rudolf

    2010-10-01

    We sought to determine the sex- and age-specific risk of mortality associated with scores on the 3-item Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) questionnaire using data from a national sample of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) patients. Men (N = 215,924) and women (N = 9168) who completed the AUDIT-C in a patient survey were followed for 24 months. AUDIT-C categories (0, 1-4, 5-8, 9-12) were evaluated as predictors of mortality in logistic regression models, adjusted for age, race, education, marital status, smoking, depression, and comorbidities. For women, AUDIT-C scores of 9-12 were associated with a significantly increased risk of death compared to the AUDIT-C 1-4 group (odds ratio [OR] 7.09; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.67, 18.82). For men overall, AUDIT-C scores of 5-8 and 9-12 were associated with increased risk of death compared to the AUDIT-C 1-4 group (OR 1.13, 95% CI = 1.05, 1.21, and OR 1.63, 95% CI = 1.45, 1.84, respectively) but these associations varied by age. These results provide sex- and age-tailored risk information that clinicians can use in evidence-based conversations with patients about the health-related risks of their alcohol consumption. This study adds to the growing literature establishing the AUDIT-C as a scaled marker of alcohol-related risk or "vital sign" that might facilitate the detection and management of alcohol-related risks and problems.

  18. Age, sex, and performance influence the visuospatial working memory network in childhood.

    PubMed

    Spencer-Smith, Megan; Ritter, Barbara Catherine; Mürner-Lavanchy, Ines; El-Koussy, Marwan; Steinlin, Maja; Everts, Regula

    2013-01-01

    This study describes the influence of age, sex, and working memory (WM) performance on the visuospatial WM network. Thirty-nine healthy children (7-12 years) completed a dot location functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) task. Percent signal change measured the intensity and laterality indices measured the asymmetry of activation in frontal and parietal brain regions. Old children showed greater intensity of activation in parietal regions than young children but no differences in lateralization were observed. Intensity of activation was similar across sex and WM performance groups. Girls and high WM performers showed more right-sided lateralization of parietal regions than boys and low WM performers.

  19. Trail Making Test: normative data for Turkish elderly population by age, sex and education.

    PubMed

    Cangoz, Banu; Karakoc, Ebru; Selekler, Kaynak

    2009-08-15

    Trail Making Test (TMT) is a neuropsychological test, which has parts A and B that can precisely measure executive functions, like complex visual-motor conceptual screening, planning, organization, abstract thinking and response inhibition. The main purpose of this study is to standardize TMT for Turkish adults and/or elderly population. This study primarily consists of two main parts; norm determination study and reliability/validity studies, respectively. The standardization study was carried on 484 participants (238 female and 246 male). Participants at the age of 50 years and older were selected from a pool of people employed in or retired from governmental and/or private institutions. The research design of this study involves the following variables mainly; age (7 subgroups), sex (2 subgroups) and education (3 subgroups). Age, sex and education variables have significant influence on eight different kinds of TMT scores. Statistical analysis by ANOVA revealed a major effect of age (p<0.001) and education (p<0.001) on time spent in Part A or B, or time difference between Parts B and A, or sum of Parts A and B. Similarly, influence of sex (p<0.05) on time spent on Part A or B, or sum of Parts A and B was shown to be significant. Kruskal-Wallis Test was performed and chi-square (chi(2)) values revealed that, correction scores for Part A and B were found to be influenced by age groups (p<0.001). Test-retest reliability and inter-rater reliability coefficients for time scores of Parts A and B were estimated as 0.78, 0.99 and 0.73, 0.93, respectively. This study provides normative data for a psychometric tool that reliably measures the executive functions in Turkish elderly population at the age of 50 and over.

  20. The Geography of Korea.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Park, Young-Han

    1988-01-01

    Briefly surveys the geography of both North and South Korea, examining mountain ranges, rivers, soil, and climate. Also discusses the economic activities of South Korea, including industrialization, transportation, population, and the urban system. Provides a map of the Korean peninsula and a table of land area and population by province. (GEA)