Newspaper Announcements Research Articles

Health behaviors, body composition, and coronary heart disease risk in women with multiple sclerosis

Slawta JN, Wilcox AR, McCubbin JA, Nalle DJ, Fox SD, Anderson G. Health behaviors, body composition, and coronary heart disease risk in women with multiple sclerosis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2003;84:1823–30. Objectives To explore coronary heart disease risk in a sample of women with multiple sclerosis (MS) by identifying the presence of established risk factors for coronary heart disease and to determine the relationship between disease severity and level of participation in health-related behaviors. Design Survey study. Setting Five general community settings in Oregon. Participants Women with physician-diagnosed MS (N=123) recruited from MS chapters, physician referrals, and newspaper announcements. Interventions Not applicable. Main outcome measures Modified Yale Physical Activity Survey, Block Food Frequency Questionnaire, blood analysis, skinfolds, and waist and hip circumferences. Results The majority of women met current physical activity guidelines. The frequencies of unfavorable levels of metabolic variables and obesity were similar to those reported in the general population. Significant associations were observed between mobility and physical activity, total and abdominal fat, and several dietary habits. Conclusion Coronary heart disease risk in this sample was comparable to that of the general population of women without MS. Physical inactivity, body composition, and perhaps nutritional habits decline with decreasing mobility, emphasizing the need for families and health care providers to work together to find solutions that increase health-promoting behaviors in women with more advanced MS.

The Effects Of Adding Booster Sessions To A Prevention Training Program For Committed Couples

There is still a lack of indicated prevention programs for couples who, although subjectively concerned about their relationship, do not seek marital therapy. In a previous randomized controlled study, the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioural psychoeducational program delivered on a weekend by two trainers for groups of four couples was established. The program consists of communication and problem-solving training, couples' discussions to clarify their relationship expectations, and exercises to enhance their sensual/sexual relationship. In the current study, the effectiveness of adding two booster sessions with each couple individually one and three months after the weekend training program was investigated. Sixty-two couples were recruited by newspaper announcements. At post assessment, couples emitted significantly more positive and less negative verbal and nonverbal communication behaviours during a conflict discussion task than at pre-assessment, thus replicating the previous findings. At the 1-year follow-up, couples with booster sessions reported significant higher marital satisfaction ratings and fewer problem areas than couples receiving the weekend program only. Booster sessions seem to be effective in enhancing the long-term effectiveness of preventive interventions.

Different Sources, Different Answers: Aspects on Women's Work in Sundsvall, Sweden, 1860–1893

It is often hard to unravel the actual work of women in history. Generally few sources are able to give vital information on their occupational structure. What we know, though, is that a vast majority of women were engaged in domestic work. Servants frequently appear in quantitative data, such as parish registers, poll-taxes, or censuses. Nevertheless, these sources fail to cover what women really were doing in order to pay for their daily bread. But in what ways the occupation reported in the quantitative records disagreed from women's actual work is difficult to judge. Additionally, in many cases these records leave no occupational information on women at all. With the computerized parish registers of the Demographic Data Base at Umea University, Sweden, it is possible to link alternative information on individual women's work to the quantitative data and build on the picture of women's occupations. Consequently, whereas the parish registers enable us to deal with demographic issues concerning the marital, geographical, and social path of women in the past, the alternative sources formed by local newspapers, patient records, and business statistics offer further information on their life and working conditions. This paper reveals that alternative sources are better than the quantitative data at revealing the often multi-occupational and part-time work of urban women. Newspaper advertisements, announcements, and police reports, for instance, reveal the voices of the otherwise silent women workers and tell us about their urban context. The town and time in focus is Sundsvall in 1860–1893, a Swedish sawmill town situated about 400 kilometers north of Stockholm.

Estrogen replacement therapy and nocturnal periodic limb movements:: A randomized controlled trial

Objective: To evaluate the effect of estrogen replacement therapy on nocturnal periodic limb movements in a randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled, crossover trial. Methods: Seventy-one healthy postmenopausal women volunteered in answer to a newspaper announcement; 62 women completed the follow-up. Frequency of nocturnal body movements was measured with the static-charge-sensitive bed and all-night polysomnographic recordings. Serum estradiol (E2) and FSH concentrations were also measured at baseline and after each treatment period. The power of the study setup was 94%. Results: Nearly half the women presented with episodes of periodic limb movements (30 of 62 women, or 48%, during placebo and 27, or 44%, during estrogen therapy). In 17 (27%) during placebo and 19 (31%) during estrogen therapy, frequency of periodic limb movements exceeded index level 5 per hour while subjects were in bed. Incidence or intensity of movements, movement durations, and movement intervals did not change with estrogen therapy. The arousal index was similar during the two treatments (medians = 1.7 for placebo and 1.3 for estrogen, P = .758). Variations in serum E2 concentration, age, and body mass index did not explain variations in movement activity. Conclusion: Estrogen replacement therapy in doses used to control climacteric symptoms does not alter the incidence or intensity of nocturnal periodic limb movements.

«Darf es ein wenig mehr sein?» Zur Wirksamkeit von Auffrischungssitzungen bei der Prävention von Beziehungsstörungen

A little bit more? The Impact of Adding Booster Sessions to a Prevention Training Program for Marital Distress Introduction: There is still a lack of indicated prevention programs for couples who, although subjectively concerned about their relationship, do not seek marital therapy. In a previous study, the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral psychoeducational program delivered on a weekend by 2 trainers for groups of 4 couples was established. The program consists of communication and problem-solving training, couples’ discussions to clarify their relationship expectations, and exercises to enhance their sensual/sexual relationship. Method: In the current study, the effectiveness of adding two booster sessions with each couple individually 1 and 3 months after the weekend training to the program was investigated. n = 62 couples were recruited by newspaper announcements. Results: At postassessment, couples showed more positive and less negative verbal and nonverbal communication behaviors during a conflict discussion task than at preassessment, thus replicating the previous findings. At the 1-year follow-up, couples with booster sessions reported significant higher marital satisfaction ratings and fewer problem areas than couples receiving the weekend program only. Discussion: Booster sessions seem to be effective in enhancing the long-term effectiveness of preventive interventions.

Johann Christian Bach in Eighteenth-Century Dutch Newspaper Announcements

Johann Christian Bach in Eighteenth-Century Dutch Newspaper Announcements

Indizierte Prävention bei Beziehungsstörungen eines psychoedukativen Kompaktprogrammes für Paare

The efficacy of cognitive behavioral marital therapy for distressed couples and of prevention programs for couples planning marriage has been convincingly proven. However, there is a lack of indicated prevention programs for married couples who do not seek marital therapy although they are subjectively concerned about their deteriorating marriage. In this study the efficacy of a compact psychoeducational group prevention program (EPL II) was investigated in a randomized controlled study with 67 couples. The couples were recruited by newspaper announcements, then randomly assigned to the EPL-II prevention program or to a waiting-list control group. The EPL II lasts 16 hours and is carried out by 2 trainers on a weekend. It consists of communication and problem-solving training, discussions of the couples to clarify their relationship expectations, and an excercise to enhance their sensual/sexual relationship. At postassessment 15 weeks after the training, EPL-II couples showed more positive verbal and nonverbal communication behavior during a conflict discussion task than control couples, who reported significantly more relationship problem areas and displayed more negative communication behavior. At the 1-year follow-up, EPL-II couples reported fewer problem areas in comparison to the preassessment.

Serum estrogen level, attention, memory and other cognitive functions in middle-aged women

Objective To evaluate the relationship between serum estradiol level and cognitive processing efficiency and memory.Methods Sixty-three healthy women aged 45–65 years were recruited through a newspaper announcement. The subjects were divided into two subgroups (low-estrogen group, n = 37 and high-estrogen group, n = 26) according to their serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and estradiol levels. In the high-estrogen group, estrogen was either endogenous or supplied by estrogen replacement therapy. Automatic and controlled cognitive processing and attentional resources were measured using CogniSpeed software, together with conventional tests of cognitive performance: similarities, digit span, digit symbol, block design, object naming and recall, paired word associates (PWA) recall, Benton visual retention and paced auditory serial addition test (PASAT). The Beck depression inventory was also assessed.Results Cognitive reaction speeds were similar in both groups. Women with low estrogen levels made more errors in the vigilance test (sustained attention, p = 0.040). There were no differences in short-term or long-term memory, or verbal, visual or working memory between the study groups. Older women were slower in the ten-choice reaction time (10-CRT) test (r = 0.25, p = 0.047) and made more errors in the test of suppressing attention (Stroop incongruence test; r = 0.34, p = 0.007) and in the sustaining attention test (vigilance test; r = 0.47, p < 0.001). Depression scores did not correlate with cognitive variables.Conclusions Cognitive performance was well preserved in healthy middle-aged women. Cognitive speed, accuracy, attentional resources and memory did not show impairment with decline of serum estrogen level in this age group.

A Note on the Medals of the British Archaeological Association

A few years ago Paul Robinson of the Devizes Museum found a uniface medal for sale in a local market. It bears the name of the British Archaeological Association and its foundation date, 1843. Robinson asked this author about where and when it was issued. A search through the Association's Journal revealed several references to the Association having issued medals for some of its early annual meetings. Enquiries to the Department of Coins and Medals, British Museum, and to the Heberden Coin Room, Ashmolean Museum, demonstrated the existence of four medals and another struck by the Association's first President, Lord Albert Conynham. Furthermore, the scrapbooks of Charles Roach Smith, the Association's first Honorary Secretary, in the library of the Society of Antiquaries, contain several documents which elucidate the history of the medals. These medals and that produced for the Reginald Taylor Essay Prize are of sufficient interest to warrant description as an interesting and largely unknown aspect of the Association's history. The Association's first congress, after its foundation in 1843, was held at Canterbury between 9 and 14 September 1844. To commemorate the visit, silver and bronze medals were struck by W. J. Taylor. A newspaper announcement mentions the medal: 'The figures on the obverse allegorically represent the society by a hand pouring oil from a Roman flask into a Roman lamp'.! The reverse is decorated with the arms of Canterbury. A printed announcement stated that 'Mr. W. J. Taylor begs to inform Members of the BRITISH ARCHiEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, this his Medal, struck to commemorate the FIRST ANNUAL MEETING of the Association, is on sale for a short time, at 6 shillings in bronze and 12 shillings in silver; if sent by post, prepayment, with an additional six pence, will be required. The Medals are only to be obtained of the Artist, and of C. R. SMITH, Esq., Honorary Secretary of the Association, who has kindly permitted a quantity to remain for distribution at his residence, 5, Liverpool Street, Cit. Ear{y application is requested.' The announcement is dated I October 1844, with the address 3 Litchfield Street, Soho.2 Roach Smith's scrapbook for the congress includes manuscript lists of subscribers for the medals, signed by the members, with the note 'The Secretary will receive the Subscriptions and give a Voucher for the delivery of the Medal'; the medals, presumably available for members at the congress, were priced at four shillings, case included. The lists, headed by the President, Lord Albert Conynham, with six medals, have some sixtynine individuals ordering eighty-six medals, only two of them in silver.3 Several complimentary medals were despatched, for the scrapbook contains three letters of thanks: one from the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne, dated I October 1844, 'for a Bronze medal struck on the anniversary of the meeting of the British Archaeological Society'; one from the Herefordshire Natural History, Philosophical, Antiquarian and Literary Society, dated 4 November 1844; the other from Les

The efficacy of a compact psychoeducational group training program for married couples.

There is a lack of psychoeducational programs for married couples who, although subjectively concerned about their marriages, do not seek marital therapy. In this study, the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral program delivered on a weekend by 2 trainers for groups of 4 couples was investigated. Couples (n = 67) were recruited by newspaper announcements, then randomly assigned to the intervention program or a waiting-list control group. The program consisted of communication and problem-solving training, couples' discussions to clarify their relationship expectations, and exercises to enhance their sensual or sexual relationship. At postassessment, intervention couples emitted more positive verbal and nonverbal communication behaviors during a conflict discussion task than did control couples, who reported significantly more relationship problem areas and displayed more negative communication behaviors. At the 1-year follow-up, intervention couples reported fewer problem areas in comparison with preassessment.

Does folk medicine work? A randomized clinical trial on patients with prolonged back pain

Objective: To determine whether traditional bone-setting or continuous light exercise therapy could ease back pain and improve function better than ordinary physiotherapy. Design: Observer-blinded, randomized clinical trial with a 6-month follow-up. Setting: An outpatient institution for folk medicine research. Patients: Of 147 back pain patients recruited from local health centers and by newspaper announcements, 132 were found eligible (non-retired, no contraindications to manipulation) and entered. A final 114 (one dropout) with back pain for longer than 7 weeks were included in this intent to treat analysis. Interventions: Bone-setting, guidance for continuous light back movements or physiotherapy for up to ten 1-hour sessions during 6 weeks. Main Outcome Measures: Spinal mobility and muscular performance. Back pain assessed by visual analog scales (VAS). Results: The physical measures changed only modestly, from one tenth to half of standard deviation, while the VAS was halved. The thoracolumbar side-bending, the modified Schober, and the VAS were significantly better improved by bone-setting than by exercise but not better than by physiotherapy. Conclusion: Neither bone-setting nor exercise differed significantly from physiotherapy, but bone-setting improved lateral and forward bending of the spine and back pain more than did exercise.

Congratulation and thank you announcements in Jordanian newspapers: Cultural and communicative functions

This study examines congratulation and thank you announcements in Jordanian newspapers. The practice of placing personal messages of congratulations and thanks in newspapers, which is very common in Jordan, will be looked at in terms of their use by Jordanian people for the purpose of serving a number of communicative functions. The purpose of this investigation is to determine the full extent of the communication that is thereby achieved, which clearly extends well beyond the normal information‐giving function of newspaper announcements. Various aspects of these announcements — their structure, distribution, size, number, position in the newspaper, frequency, use of photographs — were examined in order to see what type of sociolinguistic information they attempt to communicate. The findings demonstrate that these announcements can be seen as real communicative events, in the sense that they attempt to communicate a wealth of information about the announcer and the addressee(s). Some announcement were also found to be used by some institutions or individuals for the purpose of selling themselves or selling the addressee(s) to the public. Moreover, the study also revealed that congratulation and thank you announcements are governed by such sociological factors as sex, socio‐economic status, and occasion, among other factors. The findings presented here bear on orientations toward the importance of studying language as a communicative device in relation to the society in which it is used and the sociocultural functions it attempts to serve.

The politics and ethics of lesbian and gay “wedding”; announcements in newspapers

The decision to run or not run lesbian and gay commitment announcements—or “wedding”; announcements—in newspapers is inherently political, involving choices about how to represent the world and whose definitions to use. I begin by examining oppression, media representations of lesbians and gays, and the politics of visibility. Then, drawing on interviews with editors at papers that run the announcements, I point out the limitations of basing a decision to run the announcements on the ideology of objectivity. While supporting that decision, I argue that journalists should more openly address the politics of newsmaking. The retreat to objectivity, while sometimes a good short‐term strategy for deflecting critics, is counterproductive and dishonest. Journalists should make a commitment to a liberatory politics that explicitly works for people who are oppressed.

Adrenoceptors on blood cells in patients with primary hypertension: correlation with blood pressure and related variables

Alterations in platelet alpha 2-adrenoceptor and mononuclear leucocyte beta 2-adrenoceptor characteristics in primary hypertension have been extensively studied. The results of the reports have not been consistent, possibly because of the small number of subjects in most of the studies. We therefore studied the blood-cell adrenoceptor characteristics in a relatively large group of primary hypertensive and normotensive subjects. Platelet alpha 2-adrenoceptor characteristics were compared in 65 hypertensive and 51 normotensive subjects. Mononuclear leucocyte beta 2-adrenoceptor characteristics were compared in 72 hypertensives and 67 normotensives. Untreated hypertensive subjects were selected from the outpatient clinic and the normotensive controls were recruited by a newspaper announcement. Platelets and mononuclear leucocytes were isolated from blood samples obtained after at least 10 min supine rest. The alpha 2- and beta 2-adrenoceptor characteristics were determined with [3H]-rauwolscine and [125I]-(-1)cyanopindolol, respectively. Correlations between the adrenoceptor characteristics and clinical parameters of the subjects were studied. No differences in alpha 2- or beta 2-adrenoceptor densities were observed between the two groups. However, a significantly lower equilibrium dissociation constant for [3H]-rauwolscine was observed in the hypertensive group. The correlations between the adrenoceptor characteristics and clinical parameters were weak and mostly not statistically significant. The results were compared with the most relevant studies in the literature. From our study and the literature, we conclude that blood-cell adrenoceptor characteristics are unchanged in primary hypertension.

Obituary announcements as communicative events in Nigerian English

ABSTRACT: Announcements and remembrances of deaths in Nigerian newspapers written in English are communicative events. Their information load goes far beyond the ordinary communication of the news that a death has occurred. Various aspects of these announcements, like size, position in the newspaper, the use of photographs, the frequency of appearance in one or more newspapers, are examined to show how they communicate information about the socioeconomic status of both the deceased and his/her survivors. Obituary announcements in Nigerian newspapers are compared with similar death notices in English, German and Indian newspapers, and their similarities and differences observed. They all share in the strategy of using metaphors to avoid a direct mention of, or reference to, death. While English and German death notices merely announce deaths. Nigerian obituaries are both longer and more elaborate in the information they carry. As a nativized variety of English, the Nigerian English used in obituary announcements exhibits certain peculiarities which are the results of its co‐existence with Nigerian indigenous languages in the context of its use. This paper argues for these peculiarities to be seen not as ‘errors’ or ‘mistakes’, but rather as the productive liveliness of a vibrant variety of the English language which has implications for sociolinguistic and pragmatic as well as language teaching and learning theories.

Training in controlled drinking for early-stage problem drinkers.

SummaryForty‐eight early‐stage problem drinkers were recruited through a newspaper announcement and randomly assigned to one of four outpatient treatment groups: (1) Bibliotherapy‐ Behavioral Self‐Control Training (BSCT), (2) BSCT‐therapist directed, (3) Training in Coping Skills and (4) a combination of BSCT and Coping Skill Training. The weekly alcohol consumption in all groups decreased significantly from intake to 3, 6 and 12 month follow‐up. There were no significant differences among the groups. At the same time the number of life problems decreased significantly. The majority of the clients reduced their alcohol consumption during the assessment period, before treatment started. The absence of a non‐treatment control group means that we cannot be sure about the reasons for this early change. Theoretical implications of these results are discussed.

Whole-grain bread baking class

Whole-grain bread baking classes are a positive, innovative way to provide nutrition education and encourage dietary change. The classes provide each participant with a chance to make a loaf of bread from start to finish and an opportunity to learn more about nutrition through activities that are offered while the bread is rising and baking. We advertise the class through newspaper announcements, flyers, and posters. Each class is limited to 14 participants. (Extra names are put on the waiting list and notified of the next class.) The fee of $2.50 per person covers the costs of ingredients and handouts. The class is three hours long and meets only one time. If you are interested in teaching such a class, do not let lack of fancy accommodations stop you. I use a small church kitchen. Some of the people work on counter tops while the others use a large table set up in the hall . Although the church kitchen contains two ovens, we also use several toaster ovens, so that we can bake all 14 loaves at once. Since the kitchen has no utensils, we ask each participant to bring a bowl, measuring cups and spoons, a large mixing spoon, and a loaf pan. The close working conditions seem to encourage interaction, creativity, and cooperation. We have found that dividing the class into two groups with one nutritionist leading each group works well. Each participant receives a copy of the recipe (see recipe A), and we talk the group through the actual mixing and kneading process, explaining nutrition and chemical principles of bread baking as we go along. We also discuss the function of each ingredient, yeast metabolism, gluten development, and rising and baking conditions, as well as the advantages of using whole grains and of limiting intake of fat, sweeteners, and salt. Once each student has mixed the aM _~ __

ON TELLING THE NEWS: GRANDPARENTHOOD AS AN ANNOUNCEABLE EVENT

Congratulations cards, gifts, and announcements in newspapers are some features of the social rituals surrounding the birth of a child, normally a happy occasion. A subtle mixture of public and private activity intermingle in reactions to this unique yet universal event. In this article I intend to explore the rituals and processes involved in hearing and spreading the news of a birth, with particular reference to grandparents. Such a discussion of the announceable features of becoming a grandparent can form the beginning of an assessment of the meaning and significance of grnadparenthood, something which has received little attention in sociological work. In providing an account of the essential features of ‘telling the news’, I hope to generate an understanding both of the procedures used to ‘make sense’ of grandparenthood, and of the structural assumptions and processes underlying the way in which events are announced.

Popular Bands of Sierra Leone: 1920 to the Present

1920 to the present, is intended to fill a gap in an area of musical activity where there has been a dearth of documentation. It is based on data that I have collected over a long period of time with the hope of being able to achieve that objective. In this paper, a survey of the activities of popular and popular musicians during the years 1920s-1980 will be interworked with an appraisal of the instrumentation, playing style, and other aspects of a selected repertory of popular music. In particular, selected texts of a class of popular songs of Sierra Leone in vernacular languages will be analyzed as illustrative of a Tin Pan Alley type of music found in Sierra Leone. The year 1920 is chosen as a convenient starting point since records about popular or musicians before that date are hard to find, if there ever were any such bands. In the interviews I conducted with retired members of popular bands, their comments confirmed the virtual absence of such before the 1920s. It was this situation that caused men and boys of the so-called boys of the C.M.S. Grammar School (i.e., Church Missionary Society Grammar School) and the Wesleyan Boys High School to come together to form the popular that began to appear in the 1920s and 1930s. Before and after 1920 there were music schools for girls and young ladies, to which the Casely-Hayfords (particularly Chief Mrs. Adelaide Casely-Hayford) made their laudable contributions. Also, according to newspaper announcements in the Sierra Leone Weekly News, in Freetown (the capital city) there were regular offerings of concerts, operettas, and choral performances, both religious and secular. In fact, such announcements can be traced back as far as 1886, the year a notice was published about a solo concert to be given in Freetown by a European named Snell.' As stated above, when popular began to appear in the 1920s, their membership consisted of those who had been recruited from the old boys bands of the two secondary schools. It should be observed that the bandmasters of those bands, Henry Smart and Professor Ebenezer Johnson Greywoode, contributed in no small measure to providing the necessary inspiration and basic

Myths and Realities of Role Incompatibility of Women Scientists

This study aims to gain new insights into the relative importance of 'role incompatibility' in combining a career in science and marnage and a family as an explanation of women's unequal position in science The life histories of women scientists, their family responsibilities and professional partici pation in the scientific community are examined on the basis of empirical data. The data are from a survey of a sample of junior research fellows of the Academy of Finland, which include both women and men, on the one hand, and letter responses to a newspaper announcement by a heterogeneous cross-section of women scientists, on the other The results are reviewed in the light of international findings. Companson of married and single female and male scientists suggests that there is no incompatibility between a scientific career and a family as such. On the contrary, even though family obligations bring an extra work-load for women, marriage seems to have a positive effect on the professional life of women scientists. Married female and male scientists seem professionally more active and productive than their single colleagues.