Coverage and Determinants of Infant Postnatal Care in Nigeria: a Population-based Cross-sectional Study

Background: In 2019, Nigeria had the most under-5 child deaths globally, many of which occurred within the neonatal period, especially in the first week after birth. Despite the effectiveness of infant postnatal care (PNC) attendance recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), this problem persists. Therefore, the study examined coverage and determinants of infant PNC attendance in Nigeria. Methods: Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) 2018 data were used to evaluate infant PNC coverage and determinants. Infant PNC was defined as receipt of care within two days of birth. Children delivered up to two years before the 2018 NDHS were included. We examined predictors of infant PNC with Poisson regression models to estimate relative risks (RR).Results: The national coverage of infant PNC was 37.3% (95% CI: 35.8%–38.7%). Significant heterogeneity in PNC attendance exists at state and regional levels. Facility delivery was strongly associated with uptake of PNC (RR: 6.07; 95% CI: 5.60–6.58). Greater maternal education, maternal employment, urban residence, female head of household, and greater wealth were also associated with increased likelihood of PNC visits. Conclusions: Uptake of infant PNC in Nigeria is low. Interventions are urgently needed to promote equity in access and increase demand.

Temporal Decoration of the Female Head Gear of Upper Volga Region of 13th-15th Centuries

The author examines temporal decoration of the female head gear, revealed in the burial sites and on the settlements of the Upper Volga region of the 13th – 15th centuries. Throughout the 13th century the cast "imitation" jewelry was used, imitating pre-Mongolian precious attire with colts and temporal rings with grain and filigree beads. The most common decorations were the temporal rings with smooth beads, preserved in the attire until the end of the 14th century, and simple temporal rings of small and medium-diameter with entering ends and bent ends. The cast lunar false-woven rings were also revealed. In the 13th century the new forms of jewelry appeared. These are the temporal rings with a shaped blade, modifications of which used during the 13th –1th centuries. Probably the temporal rings were used in a combination with a rigid headgear and earrings, which became a part of the costume in the 14th century.

Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Genes Associated With Sexual Dichromatism of Head Feather Color in Mallard

Sexual dimorphism of feather color is typical in mallards, in which drakes exhibit green head feathers, while females show dull head feather color. We showed that more melanosomes deposited in the males’ head’s feather barbules than females and further form a two-dimensional hexagonal lattice, which conferred the green feather coloration of drakes. Additionally, transcriptome analysis revealed that some essential melanin biosynthesis genes were highly expressed in feather follicles during the development of green feathers, contributing to melanin deposition. We further identified 18 candidate differentially expressed genes, which may affect the sharp color differences between the males’ head feathers, back feathers, and the females’ head feathers. TYR and TYRP1 genes are associated with melanin biosynthesis directly. Their expressions in the males’ head feather follicles were significantly higher than those in the back feather follicles and females’ head feather follicles. Most clearly, the expression of TYRP1 was 256 and 32 times higher in the head follicles of males than in those of the female head and the male back, respectively. Hence, TYR and TYRP1 are probably the most critical candidate genes in DEGs. They may affect the sexual dimorphism of head feather color by cis-regulation of some transcription factors and the Z-chromosome dosage effect.

Temporal and sequential order of nonoverlapping gene networks unraveled in mated female Drosophila

In this study, we reanalyzed available datasets of gene expression changes in female Drosophila head induced by mating. Mated females present metabolic phenotypic changes and display behavioral characteristics that are not observed in virgin females, such as repulsion to male sexual aggressiveness, fidelity to food spots selected for oviposition, and restriction to the colonization of new niches. We characterize gene networks that play a role in female brain plasticity after mating using AMINE, a novel algorithm to find dysregulated modules of interacting genes. The uncovered networks of altered genes revealed a strong specificity for each successive period of life span after mating in the female head, with little conservation between them. This finding highlights a temporal order of recruitment of waves of interconnected genes which are apparently transiently modified: the first wave disappears before the emergence of the second wave in a reversible manner and ends with few consolidated gene expression changes at day 20. This analysis might document an extended field of a programmatic control of female phenotypic traits by male seminal fluid.

Leadership Characteristics of Female School Principals According to Female Teachers

Although the number of female teachers in schools is higher, this is not evident when looking at leadership levels. Various studies have examined this situation. In this study, the perspectives of female teachers working in private schools who are gradually raising their educational levels are discussed in depth about female head teachers. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 37 female teachers working in private schools in the Anatolian part of Istanbul. The data were analysed using content analysis, one of the qualitative analysis methods. As a result of the research, three main themes were found among the characteristics of female leaders, the competencies of female leaders, and the impact on the work environment. Under the theme of characteristics of female leaders, there are five categories: being selfish, forming problematic working relationships, being detail-obsessed, being jealous, acting emotionally; under the theme of competencies of female leaders: they lead well, their leadership skills are weak, they cannot be fair and impartial, they are not solution-oriented. The theme of the impact of female leaders on the work environment is a chaotic environment; communication is important, supportive environment.

New Facts about M. A. Alexandrova, the First Head of Ryazan Teachers’ Institute for Women

Семья Постниковых не одно поколение верно служила России: мужчины-офицеры отдавали жизни на ратных полях Русско-японской, Великой Отечественной войн. Женщины оставили заметный след в сфере образования. М. А. Постникова (после замужества в 1903 году Александрова) вошла в историю как первая женщина-начальница первого женского учительского института, открытого в Рязани. Ее сестра Анна Алексеевна Наркович возглавляла гимназии в Смоленской и Рязанской губерниях. Многое в личной жизни и профессиональной деятельности Марии Алексеевны стало известно благодаря ее переписке с выдающимися учеными — С. Ф. Платоновым и А. Е. Пресняковым. Себя она считала верной ученицей первого и близким другом второго, который не раз упоминал ее имя в своих письмах. Поработав в Петербурге, проехав Россию до Хабаровска и обратно, в 1915 году М. А. Александрова после неожиданного назначения переехала в Рязань, где работала почти 10 лет. Здесь же и закончилась ее жизнь в 50 лет. О последних днях Марии Алексеевны известно из двух публикуемых нами в статье писем ее родной сестры Анны Алексеевны на имя Надежды Николаевны Платоновой. В письмах упомянуты и другие родственники, что позволяет уточнить и конкретизировать имеющиеся о них скудные сведения. For many generations the Postnikovs served Russia truly and well. Men of the family fought in the battles of the Russo-Japanese War and World War II, while women of the family were prominent educators. M. A. Postnikova (known by her married name M. A. Alexandrova) is the first female head of the first teachers’ institute for women in Ryazan. Her sister Anna Alekseyevna Narkovich headed gymnasiums in the Smolensk Region and in the Ryazan Region. We know about her private life through her correspondence with such prominent scholars as S. F. Platonov and A. E. Presnyakov. Being a devoted student of the former and a close friend of the latter she was often mentioned in A. E. Presnyakov’s letters. Having worked in St. Petersburg, and having traveled across the country to Khabarovsk and back, M. A. Alexandrova moved to Ryazan where she was appointed head of the teachers’ institute and where she worked for 10 years. She passed away in Ryazan in 1915 at the age of 50. Her last days are known to us due to the letters of her sister Anna Alekseyevna to Nadezhda Nikolayevna Platonova. The letters contain information about other relatives too, which provides more specific data.

Access to Healthcare and Health Seeking Behaviour among Female Head Porters in Kumasi, Ghana: The Impact on Public Health

Given the nodality of Kumasi, the city attracts migrants from all parts of Ghana into its market space. Notable among such migrants are the female head porters popularly called “Kayayie”. As a result of the expensive rents in urban space, female head porters live in kiosks, verandas, and squatters in any available space. This exposes the porters to a myriad of environmental and health risks amidst poor health-seeking behaviour. This study sought to examine access to health and health-seeking behaviour of female head porters in Kumasi. The study adopted quantitative methods in collecting and analyzing data. The primary units of the investigation were female head porters. The study used a sample size of 250 respondents who were interviewed through self-administered questionnaires. Findings show that only 25.2% of the respondents had access to healthcare, as about 74.8% lacked access to basic healthcare. The majority of those who had access to healthcare (54%) go to the health facility by foot, while about 42.9% access the facility by car. Though 71.4% of the head porters were subscribers of NHIS, only 25.2% resort to professional healthcare givers when they are sick. Generally, access to health and health-seeking was poor among the female head porters. The study recommended the expansion of health facilities, especially in poor urban communities, and education on health-seeking among head porters. Keywords: Female head porters, Health seeking behaviour, Health conditions, Migration; Urban poor.

Novel Symbiotic Association Between Euwallacea Ambrosia Beetle and Fusarium Fungus on Fig Trees in Japan

Ficus carica plantations in Japan were first reported to be infested by an ambrosia beetle species, identified as Euwallacea interjectus, in 1996. The purpose of this study was to determine the symbiotic fungi of female adults of E. interjectus emerging from F. carica trees infected with fig wilt disease (FWD). Dispersal adults (51 females) of E. interjectus, which were collected from logs of an infested fig tree in Hiroshima Prefecture, Western Japan, were separated into three respective body parts (head, thorax, and abdomen) and used for fungal isolation. Isolated fungi were identified based on the morphological characteristics and DNA sequence data. Over 13 species of associated fungi were detected, of which a specific fungus, Fusarium kuroshium, was dominant in female head (including oral mycangia). The plant-pathogenic fungus of FWD, Ceratocystis ficicola, was not observed within any body parts of E. interjectus. We further discussed the relationship among E. interjectus and its associated fungi in fig tree.

Analysis of Conflict Resolution Strategies of Head Teachers: Teachers’ Perspective

Conflict managing has become a center of gravity of human activities in these days. Head teachers should be well aware how to resolve conflict among staff members. So, the study was designed to analyze how head teachers can resolve conflict among staff members and was there any significance difference between male and female head teachers’ conflict resolving strategies. Survey method was used to investigate conflict resolving strategies of the head teachers. Bahawalpur was the population of the study. Convenient sampling technique was used to select sample. Self-constructed instrument was applied to collect data. Questionnaire was consist of five types of parameters i-e integrating conflict, obliging conflict, dominating conflict, avoidance conflict and compromising conflict. The major finding of the study was that majority of the head teachers exercise integrating conflict resolution strategies to resolve conflict. Major part of the head teachers adopted obliging conflict resolution strategies to resolve the conflict. Mainstream of head teachers used dominating conflict resolving strategies to resolve conflict. Majority of the head teachers exercise dominating conflict resolving strategies. Greater part of the respondents agreed that head teachers adopted compromising conflict resolving strategies to resolve conflict among staff members. Gender wise comparison indicates that there was a significance difference between male and female head teachers to use the conflict resolution strategies at secondary level.