Half Men Research Articles

Uncovering the Norms of Subtitling Taboo Language Into Arabic: Two and a Half Men From Past to Present

Uncovering the Norms of Subtitling Taboo Language Into Arabic: Two and a Half Men From Past to Present

A feminist political ecology of agricultural innovations in smallholder farming systems: Experiences from wheat production in Morocco and Uzbekistan

A clear consensus has emerged that innovations are important for adapting to drought and overcoming other biophysical limitations in smallholder farming systems; however, women are notably marginalized from agricultural innovations. We examine whether and how gendered roles and responsibilities shape the adoption and usage of improved wheat varieties and simultaneously uncover opportunities to address and lessen gender-based differences in agricultural innovations. The field data were collected using snowball sampling from seven communities (three in Morocco and four in Uzbekistan) among 574 farmers (half men and half women) of different generations, genders, social statuses, and social classes. Our findings demonstrate how the complex interactions of biophysical constraints, intra-household (spousal and kinship) relations, and the broader macro-level political economy of agriculture converge to influence different identities of women and men farmers’ wheat production and processing practices. We argue that without focusing on the socio-cultural factors affecting agriculture, new seed varieties alone cannot address the multifaceted problems confronting farmers in all parts of the world.

Linking seed networks and crop diversity contributions to people: A case study in small-scale farming systems in Sahelian Senegal

CONTEXTSmall farms rely on a range of nature's contributions to people (NCPs) provided by crop diversity, covering both material and immaterial dimensions that are crucial for livelihoods and well-being. The maintenance of these NCPs over time, despite perturbations, is a key component of small farms' resilience. However, the processes involved in farmers accessing the different NCPs provided by crops are largely unknown. Such knowledge would be instrumental for evaluating the vulnerability or resilience of farmers to potential disruptions that affect these distribution channels. OBJECTIVEIn this study, we analyzed how the seed provisioning networks used by farmers to access crops relate to the different NCPs they receive from these crops, through a case study in Sahelian Senegal. METHODSField surveys were conducted with 85 farmers, half men and half women, from two villages. The surveys documented which varieties of three important staple crop species (pearl millet, cowpea, peanut) farmers grew. Farmers were asked to cite their motivations for cultivating each variety as a proxy for NCPs, and to explain from where they obtained the seeds of each variety of these three species. We mobilized recent developments in Social-Ecological Network research, representing the relationships between social entities (i.e., farmers and seed sources), ecological entities (i.e., crops), and NCPs (i.e., motivations) as networks. We applied a block model clustering approach to analyze these relationships by testing if particular seed sources were associated with particular motivations, and if differences existed between men and women. We also analyzed households' profiles according to the motivations they cited and the seed sources they were connected to. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSWe found that some crops contributions were related to different seed sources, for instance crops associated to food provision were sourced through markets, peers, and legacy, while other contributions were related to one seed source type, for instance crops associated to attachment were sourced exclusively through legacy. Women relied on a more limited pool of seed sources than men, and they preferentially source seeds from peers. Last, two groups of households were differentiated based on the number of crops contributions and of seed sources they mentioned. SIGNIFICANCEOur study brings insights on how the observed social-ecological network patterns affect the access of men and women farmers to NCPs, and the consequences for the maintenance of NCP provision in the face of perturbations. It contributes to unraveling the processes involved in the resilience of small farms that rely on crop diversity for their livelihoods.

Socio-economic and education related inequities in use of modern contraceptive in seven sub-regions in Uganda

BackgroundAdvocacy for equity in health service utilization and access, including Family Planning (FP) continues to be a cornerstone in increasing universal health coverage. Inequities in Family planning are highlighted by the differences in reproductive health outcomes or in the distribution of resources among different population groups. In this study we examine inequities in use of modern contraceptives with respect to Socio-economic and Education dimensions in seven sub-regions in Uganda.MethodsThe data were obtained from a baseline cross-sectional study in seven statistical regions where a program entitled “Reducing High Fertility Rates and Improving Sexual Reproductive Health Outcomes in Uganda, (RISE)” is implemented in Uganda. There was a total of 3,607 respondents, half of whom were women of reproductive age (15-49 years) and the other half men (18-54 years). Equity in family planning utilization was assessed by geography, wealth/economic and social-demographics. The use of modern family planning was measured as; using or not using modern FP. Concentration indices were used to measure the degree of Inequality in the use of modern contraceptives. Prevalence Ratios to compare use of modern FP were computed using modified Poisson regression run in STATA V15.ResultsThree-quarters (75.6%) of the participants in rural areas were married compared to only 63% in the urban. Overall use of modern contraceptives was 34.2% [CI:30.9, 37.6], without significant variation by rural/urban settings. Women in the higher socio-economic status (SES) were more advantaged in use of modern contraceptives compared to lower SES women. The overall Erreygers Concentration Index, as a measure of inequity, was 0.172, p<0.001. Overall, inequity in use of modern contraceptives by education was highest in favor of women with higher education (ECI=0.146, p=0.0001), and the concentration of use of modern contraceptives in women with higher education was significant in the rural but not urban areasConclusionInequities in the use of modern contraceptives still exist in favor of women with more education or higher socio-economic status, mainly in the rural settings. Focused programmatic interventions in rural settings should be delivered if universal Family Planning uptake is to be improved.

Boron Exposure Assessment of Desalinated Seawater on an Island in China.

This study aimed to investigate the boron level in drinking water and daily boron intake of island residents, and to have a health risk assessment of the boron exposure. One-year water boron surveillance was made through the 18 selected sampling sites (5 finished water and 13 tap water) covered by 5 water treatment plants with different water sources. We recruited 220 healthy volunteers (half men and half women) from 89 families covering all age groups living in Shengshan to provide basic information and living habits. One-third of the families attended the daily food boron intake evaluation through the double meal method for three days. In each family, only one family member provided the food samples. Urine samples were collected from all subjects to get the urine boron level. Furthermore, we used the EPA model and TDI for health risk assessments. The boron level in finished water and tap water with different sources were 0.68-1.46 mg/L and 0.62-1.26 mg/L for desalinated water, 0.30-0.39 mg/L and 0.20-0.50 mg/L for reservoir water, and 0.32-0.43 mg/L and 0.20-0.79 mg/L for mixture water. The average level of water boron intake, diet boron intake, and total boron intake was 0.113 ± 0.127 mg/d, 1.562 ± 0.927 mg/d, 1.674 ± 0.939mg/d, respectively, for the select sampling subjects. There were no significant differences in total boron intake for different age groups (1.685 ± 1.216 mg/d vs. 1.669 ± 0.793 mg/d for <45 yrs vs. ≥45 yrs, p = 0.968) and gender groups (1.754 ± 1.009 mg/d vs. 1.633 ± 0.923 mg/d for male vs. female, p = 0.735). Urine boron concentrations were similar in the two age groups (1.938 mg/g creatinine vs. 1.762 mg/g creatinine for <45 yrs vs. ≥45 yrs, p = 0.635). There were significant differences in urinary boron between males and females (1.569 mg/g creatinine vs. 2.148 mg/g creatinine, p = 0.018). The largest hazard quotient (HQ) of drinking water was 0.31, and the total boron exposures in this population were 0.03 mg/kg bw per day. The study showed that there was no possible non-carcinogenic risk of water boron exposure and lower health risk of total boron exposure to humans in this region, but its toxicity should not be ignored. The subsequent studies should strengthen the analysis of the subgroup populations.

Artistic motivations are intrinsic, specific, and temporally stable by nature: Evidence from large real-life Brazilian public data between 1987–2004

AbstractArtistic behavior as aesthetically enhancing activities is conceptualized as a functionally autonomous activity within the evolved human behavioral repertoire. Accordingly, it should be intrinsically motivated, and it might also be expected to be temporally stable and domain specific. Preferential freely-pursued activities reflect intrinsic motivation and offer a valuable measure of artistic motivation. We used a large decades-long real-life public Brazilian data set from university applications to test these ideas. We analysed data on extra-class activities from 674.699 late-adolescents applying for university courses between 1987 and 2004, mostly between 17 and 19 years of age; approximately half men and half women. We found that 27% of individuals reported that Artistic/cultural activities were the leisure-time activity they participated in most frequently, and 32% reported they spent the longest period of free-time doing Artistic-activities (theater/cinema, music, dance, art-craft/plastic arts). Interestingly, from this whole sample, only less than 3% actually applied for artistic careers, which suggests that the prevalence of prioritizing artistic activities is higher than commonly assumed and includes not only professional artists, but also many hobbyists, amateurs and dedicated fans. Further, artistic careers applicants prioritize art almost three times more than the total of applicants, suggesting its specificity. After controlling for inconsistency of answer options during the period, prioritizing both Artistic/cultural and Artistic-activities remained temporally stable, as predicted. Despite limitations, overall results supported the hypotheses that artistic behavior is more intrinsically motivated, domain specific, and temporally stable. This plausibly demonstrates that artistic propensity has at least partly an evolved nature.

Mental health in smart cities: The role of technology during COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 has changed the daily lives of citizens around the world and exposed the vulnerability of life and the functioning of cities. The pandemic has forced citizens to adapt to new models of remote work during quarantine and access to smart technology-based services. The article aims to assess citizens' perceptions of the technological solutions provided by smart cities and, in particular, the municipality of Paphos before and after the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as to evaluate their impact on citizens' mental health. The results of the study contribute to the understanding of the mental health benefits for citizens living in smart cities compared to people living in low-tech areas, revealing the potential positive effects of smart technologies, as well as the change in people's digital decision-making before and after the pandemic

Combined fMRI Region- and Network-Analysis Reveal New Insights of Top-Down Modulation of Bottom-Up Processes in Auditory Laterality.

Dichotic listening along with the right-ear advantage (REA) has been a standard method of investigating auditory laterality ever since it was first introduced into neuropsychology in the early 1960s. Beginning in the 1980s, authors reported that it was possible to modulate the bottom-up driven perceptual REA by instructing subjects to selectively attend to and report only from the right or left ear. In the present study, we investigated neuronal correlates of both the bottom-up and top-down modulation of the REA through two fMRI analysis approaches: a traditional region approach and a network connectivity approach. Blood-Oxygenation-Level-Dependent (BOLD) fMRI data were acquired while subjects performed the standard forced-attention paradigm. We asked two questions, could the behavioral REA be replicated in unique brain markers, and second if the profound instruction-induced modulation of the REA found in behavioral data would correspond to a similar modulation of brain activation, both region- and network-specific modulations. The subjects were 70 healthy adult right-handers, about half men and half women. fMRI data were acquired in a 3T MR scanner, and the behavioral results replicated previous findings with a REA in the non-forced (NF) and forced-right (FR) conditions, and a tendency for a left-ear advantage (LEA) in the FL-condition. The fMRI data showed unique activations in the speech perception areas of the left temporal lobe when directly contrasted with activations in the homologous right side. However, there were no remaining unique activations when the FR- and FL-conditions were contrasted against each other, and with the NF-condition, using a conservative significance thresholding. The fMRI results are conceptualized within a network connectivity frame of reference, especially with reference to the extrinsic mode network (EMN). The EMN is a generalized task-positive network that is upregulated whenever the task demands exceed a certain threshold irrespective of the specifics and demands of the task. This could explain the similarity of activations for the FR- and FL-conditions, despite the clear differences in behavior.

APPLICATION OF THE DIAPER USE RATING SCALE IN A MEDICAL CLINIC OF A UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

Objectives:apply the evaluation scale for the use of diapers and absorbent products (AUFA Scale) in patients admitted to the medical clinic; identify and analyze the results of this application, the sociodemographic profile of patients in vogue as well as repercussions on the skin related to the use of sanitary pads and diapers. Method: observational, cross-sectional, descriptive and exploratory study, carried out in the medical clinic sector of the University Hospital Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho (HUCFF/UFRJ), from November 2019 to February 2020, with a convenience sample of 46 patients. There was application of a form to survey general data and, later, the application of the AUFA scale, which identified the following variables: skin conditions, skin aging, cognitive ability, motor skills and incontinence. Results: all 46 patients were using diapers, half women and the other half men, mostly elderly and without a diagnosis of incontinence. In view of the application and analysis of the AUFA scale, only 18 patients (39.14%) were indicated for diaper use. With the inappropriate use of diapers, 27 patients had skin lesions resulting from moisture, a situation that was justified by the absence of systematic care observation for the prevention and treatment of dermatitis associated with incontinence in the evaluated patients. Conclusion:the use of the AUFA scale is indicated to identify patients who need to wear diapers, delimiting care with their management and thus preventing complications and worsening of incontinence.

Evaluation of the force applied by the adductor muscles in a healthy student population performing an adduction task

Abstract Background The adduction and abduction movement (closing and open the legs) are important tasks in daily activities. The evaluation and monitor of the force exerted by the adductor muscles can be used as a rehabilitation progress indicator, particularly in people with injuries in the central nervous system or motor neurons. The development of biomechanical devices to quantify and identify patterns in this type of force with healthy people can be a contribution in this domain. This work, approved by the Ethical Committee of IPC, aims to evaluate the force applied by the adductor muscles from a healthy group of students, performing the closing legs task. Methods The study was carried out at Applied Biomechanics Laboratory of IPC, with a group of 32 healthy volunteers from the student community (19-26 yo), half men - half women, without lower limb injuries, 59,38% with a prevalence of sedentary lifestyle. Volunteers, sitting in a comfortable position, press a biomechanical device placed between the legs. The time-force was registered for four discrete open-leg positions. Results The maximum mean forces were 199N in women and 257N in men, both in the shorter range of the open-leg position. The peak of force decreases with open leg distance for both genders and was achieved between 34%–54% of the performance time ([3, 28] seconds). Moderate correlations were identified between forces applied and skeletal muscles and resting metabolism. Conclusion The time-force applied was identified and registered with a developed biomechanical device. Obtained values are reliable and can be a support for future investigations.

Vague eggs and tags: Prevelar merger in Seattle

AbstractThis study describes prevelar merger, the raising of low-front /æ, ɛ/ and lowering of mid-front /e/ before the voiced velar /ɡ/, in Seattle, Washington. In the most advanced part of this change in progress, all twenty speakers (age 18–62, half men, half women, all white) produced /ɛɡ/ and /eɡ/ (beg, vague) as upgliding diphthongs merged in F1 and F2 directly between their nonprevelar counterparts (dress, face). /æɡ/ (bag) was also diphthongal, but its height varied between speakers, with middle-aged men showing near-complete three-way merger with beg-vague and younger speakers raising less, suggesting reversal or avoidance of this component. Previous work lacked information about vague and thus described bag- and beg-raising as failing to reach the height of nonprevelar face. This study revealed that vague is lowered, creating a merger target for both raised beg and bag within a separate diphthongal prevelar subsystem.

Ideje globalizma u holivudskim sitkomima

Globalization is a process that has lasted for centuries. People naturally tend to cross state borders. Some from cultural motives of getting to know the world, others from economic ones, and others from political ones. Over time, the idea of globalism emerged. It implied a directed activity of global importation of the world with the aim of strengthening large corporations and their countries. These are primarily corporations and political elites of the United States. Those ideas of globalism are promoted and imported into the modern world through the creation of greater economic interdependence and de-sovereignization of states, through military and political domination, through new technologies, but also through culture and the media. In that context, Hollywood series also play an important role. By analyzing the content of the most watched Hollywood sitcoms, such as The House of Cards, The Americans, The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men, this research determines which ideas of globalism these series promote and in what way. This raises the question of the importance of Western media and culture in the process of globalization of the world.

Pilot Study On Effect Of Ipsilateral Long Kinetic Chains On Shoulder Elevation Strength

There is growing evidence to suggest that kinetic chains extend far beyond the core muscles, following myofascial meridians that interestingly appear to overlap with classically-known acupuncture channels. Strengthening programs during the rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries utilize kinetic chain exercises; however, how lower extremity strength potentially directly affects upper extremity strength has not been quantified. PURPOSE: To examine quantitatively the effect on shoulder elevation strength (SES) in the sagittal plane on ipsilateral lower extremity tibialis anterior muscle activation. METHODS: Twenty young healthy adult volunteers (half women, half men), ages 20-60 years, having no shoulder pain were recruited. Participants had baseline SES evaluated with a hand-held dynamometer applied just proximal to the radial styloid with the arm held in 90-degree elevation in the sagittal plane. The participants underwent the following interventions: SES and ipsilateral anterior tibialis muscle activation (IATMA) while standing, SES and IATMA while seated with legs dangling, and SES with ipsilateral gastrocnemius activation while seated with legs dangling. RESULTS: In females, IATMA, in standing and seated position, reduced SES by a mean percentage of 12.57 and 14.88, respectively, from baseline. SES with gastrocsoleus activation (reciprocal relaxation of anterior tibialis) reduced SES by a mean percentage of 3.93 from baseline. In males, IATMA, in standing and seated position, reduced SES by a mean percentage of 5.58 and 10.84, respectively, from baseline. SES with gastrocsoleus activation (reciprocal relaxation of anterior tibialis) reduced SES by a mean percentage of 3.3 from baseline. CONCLUSIONS: IATMA directly reduces SES; it also produces a greater decrement in SES compared to ipsilateral gastrocsoleus activation. This kinetic chain effect appears coincident with known myofascial meridians.

Gender dalam Perspektif Hadis Maudhu’i

This article examined the controversy of women's testimony and leadership between normative and substantive meanings based on Islamic legal agreements. Hadith about women's testimony of half men's testimony in the terms of law must be reviewed through socio-history. In hermeniotic perspective, the verse about testimony must be seen as a response to the historical facts at the time this verse came down. Thus, compiling historical facts has changed, it can be done to reinterpret the verses and hadith. The hadith about women's leadership in politics in terms of sanad is valid but the understanding of hadith must be approached based on sosio history because the matan of hadith is not always factual. This hadith was conveyed in response to the news of the appointment of Kisra's daughter, a woman who did not receive social approval from the community so that the hadith was acceptable only locally and temporally, not universally applicable. Therefore, leadership in politics can be carried out by anyone, male and female, as long as he/she gain legitimacy from the community.

Evaluación del estado periodontal en una población afro-uruguaya residente en Montevideo. Estudio transversal

Te diversity approach in health focuses on recognizing and paying special attention to the different interests, demands, needs and health-disease processes specifc to certain people. Ethnic-racial considerations in these cases become fundamental. In Uruguay, census data show that 8.1% of the population (approximately 255,000 people) consider themselves Afrodescendants, which makes them the main ethnic-racial minority of the country. To date, there are no surveys on the periodontal condition of Afrodescendant population in our country. Objective: to evaluate the oral and periodontal status of patients through health-disease process indicators. Materials and methods: descriptive, cross-sectional study of the Afro Uruguayan population. Inclusion criteria: age range from 15 to 35, living in Montevideo. Exclusion criteria: pregnancy, having received periodontal treatment or treatment with antibiotics in the last 6 months. The size of each population sample with or without African origin was of 40 individuals each, half men, half women. Te Rediente Clinical History was used, the periodontal parameters were recorded using a periodontal probe calibrated by millimeter, and six sites per tooth were examined in a full mouth. Results: thegroup of Afrodescendants have one less tooth, on average, than non-Afrodescendants, especially the frst mandibular molars. Tey also show higher prevalence, depth and severity of attachment loss compared to the control group. No statistically signifcant differences were found in probing depth between the two groups. Conclusions: Afrodescendants became part of the popular sectors of society, which makes them more vulnerable. In the age range considered (15-35), Afrodescendants have higher prevalence, extension and severity of clinical attachment loss than non-Afrodescendants. No statistically signifcant differences were found in the considered age range regarding probing depth in the populations examined.

Differences in Sexual Behavior of Teenagers and Young Adults with Cerebral Palsy: The Role of Sexual Needs and Sexual Esteem

Sexuality is an inherent attribute of all human beings regardless of their race, religion and the level of physical fitness. The way it is perceived and manifested is determined by a number of biopsychosocial factors. In some people, including persons with cerebral palsy, the factors and their influence are rooted in the psychophysical condition of the human body. The aim of this study was to answer the question about how the levels of sexual esteem and sexual needs differentiate the sexual behaviors of young people with cerebral palsy. The study being presented was conducted with 62 young persons with cerebral palsy (half women and half men), who were selected using purposive sampling. They were aged 15–25 years and were individuals without cognitive difficulties. The research tool used was the Cerebral Palsy Individual’s Sexual Behavior Questionnaire developed by the authors. The findings of the study showed that half of the participants engaged in various sexual behaviors from the list that was presented to them. The frequencies of these engagements depended on the levels of their sexual esteem and sexual needs. Persons characterized by high levels of sexual esteem and sexual needs (much fewer than those with the low levels of both characteristics) engaged in sexual behaviors significantly more frequently. The most frequent among them was direct engagement in sexual activity (petting and sexual intercourse; p ≤ .001) and then exposure to sexually explicit magazines or films (p ≤ .05).

Sitcom humour as ventriloquism

Ventriloquism has been used as a source domain to conceptualise a range of different aspects of discourse, meaning-making and understanding, and in Cooren's (e.g., 2010) view on a communicative constitution of reality even as a model for communication at large. In Telecinematic Discourse (TCD), the language of fictional film and television, the notion that characters onscreen speak on behalf of someone or something else is a particularly tangible representation of the duality of communicative levels by which TCD is usually characterised. Moreover, Goffman's (1986/1974) canonical understanding of ventriloquism, as well as the employment of the same term in neuroscience, film studies and narrative theory point to additional understandings of ventriloquism that are relevant for the understanding not just of TCD, but also for humour therein. This paper brings together such different views of ventriloquist effects and uses examples from sitcoms to demonstrate how ventriloquism can be used as an alternative to the traditional spatial understanding of the communicative setting of TCD. These examples originate from Anger Management and Two and a Half Men, which are regarded here as two connected acts of ventriloquism, staged by actor Charlie Sheen and producer Chuck Lorre as part of their public feud in 2011. Analysing these scenes through the lens of ventriloquism provides a dynamic view of agency and an understanding of the television audience as active viewers who infer ventriloquists based on the dummy actions encoded in the multimodal text surface.

Delineation of the Prostate Bed: The "Invisible Target" Is Still an Issue?

For pathological high-risk prostate cancer, adjuvant irradiation has shown a survival benefit. Phase III studies have highlighted that half men would face biochemical relapse and would be candidate for radiotherapy at adjuvant or salvage times. Despite at least four published international contouring guidelines from different collaborative groups, discrepancies remain for volumes, delineation, and margins to be considered in order to optimize radiotherapy planning. This article from “Groupe d’Etude des Tumeurs UroGénitales (GETUG)” members will focus on controversies to help clinicians to create best volume delineation for adjuvant or salvage post prostatectomy radiotherapy.

Having it both ways: Two and a Half Men, Entourage, and televising post-feminist masculinity

This article explores representations of juvenile post-feminist masculinity across two television texts: Two and a Half Men and Entourage. These programs exhibit a contradictory continuum of masculine performances allowing men to “have it both ways,” or to be both sensitive and casually sexist within contemporary culture. By detailing how similar kinds of masculinity exist across two seemingly disparate channels and television programs, this analysis also decouples automatic assumptions about representation as being primarily linked to notions of “quality” or “complex” TV emerging from cable and pay cable channels, and instead demonstrates the importance of looking for representational similarities as much as differences and distinctions across channels in order to fully understand the relational shifts between constructions of masculinity and post-feminist illogics.

Research on the image of sweeping robot based on the Artificial Neural Network

Based on the theory of Artificial Neural Network and Kansei Engineering, the image of sweeping robots are formed using the content analysis method, and propose four kinds of sweeping robot as the experimental samples, which have a strong influence on the market. The image questionnaires are compiled by the semantic differences methods. 200 office workers, half men and half women, are chose as the survey respondents. And use SPSS statistical software for data analysis. Afterwards, the BP Artificial Neural Network model is established by Matlab based on the questionnaire results, and the optimized design scheme with image feature combination for sweeping robot products is generated on the basis of BP Artificial Neural Network model. This study construct the emotional demands on the image level, and carry out experiments and statistical analysis, which lays a solid foundation for the study of product image in theory and approach.