High Sex Ratio Research Articles

The Role of Conflict in Sex Discrimination: The Case of Missing Girls

Conflicts between ethnic groups can threaten group survival and exacerbate son preference in conformity with the traditional role of men as group defenders. We study the impact of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region on the subnational variation of sex ratios among children in Armenia that has one of the world’s highest sex ratios at birth. Difference-in-differences analysis shows that communities closer to the conflict region have higher sex ratio among children relative to the communities farther away. The findings from household surveys show that fear of war is associated with a stronger son preference at the individual level.

Concurrent Partnerships Among Black Women in United States

The imbalanced sex ratio in the Black community could contribute to sexual partner concurrency. This study examined the association between perceptions of the availability of heterosexual male partners (sex ratio) and heterosexual Black women's attitudes and experiences with concurrent sexual partnerships. We found that perceptions of a high sex ratio (more men relative to women) were positively associated with attitudes towards concurrent sexual partnerships and prevalence of sexual concurrency. Future research must account for contextual factors influencing sexual networks such as the sex ratio that affect behaviors and attitudes influencing Black women's risk for HIV infection.

Primeiro relato de Cerchysiella insularis (Howard, 1897) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) parasitando Lobiopainsularis (Castelnau, 1840) (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) em morangueiro

ABSTRACT: Strawberry is one of the most socially and economically important small fruits in Brazil, with strong demand by the food industry driving high levels of production. However, phytosanitary problems, especially insect damage, can hamper strawberry cultivation. A pest of great concern is the strawberry sap beetle, Lobiopa insularis (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), which damages the fruits. Chemical control has not been effective against L. insularis, as it makes harvesting and marketing the product unfeasible. Parasitoids have been effectively utilized to control various strawberry pests and support sustainable production. We report the occurrence of the wasp Cerchysiella insularis (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) as a parasite of L. insularis on strawberries in São José dos Pinhais, Paraná, Brazil. Samples of strawberries (San Andreas cultivar) attacked by L. insularis were collected from February to March, 2019. Lobiopa insularis larvae were individually placed in rearing pots, fed on San Andreas strawberries, and checked weekly for symptoms of parasitism or parasitoid emergence. Parasitism rates were 33.85% in March and 45.90% in February. The sex ratio varied between 0.88 and 0.86. All parasitized larvae were infested by C. insularis. The natural parasitism rate above 33% and high sex ratio of C. insularis in strawberry crops indicated that it may have the potential in the control of L. insularis.

Observational Studies on Personal Hygiene and Sanitation Practices of Elderly Buddhists in Kathmandu Valley

The study Entitled “Observational studies on personal hygiene and sanitation practices of elderly Buddhists" was conducted in Kathmandu Valley. The main objective of this study was to analyze the personal hygiene and sanitation practices of elderly Buddhists. The study was based on descriptive design with qualitative and quantitative nature. Convenient sampling method was applied to collect the data and altogether 640 elderly Buddhists including of 320 male and 320 female were selected as a sample for study. Similarly, observation checklist with direct observation method was used for data collection. The three dimensions for hygiene and sanitation condition measurement such as satisfactory, good and poor were used. Out of total respondent, the most of the respondents (40.16%) were in age Group 60-64 years. The highest sex ratio (141.17) was found in 75-79 years age group and the lowest sex ratio (80.00) was found in 80 years and above age group. The mean age of male elders was 68 years and 67.36 years for female. Around 48% of elderly Buddhist had moderate condition of personal hygiene practices, nearly 40% respondents had satisfactory and around 12% elders had poor hygiene practices. Similarly, 39% elders had satisfactory sanitation practices, 42% respondents had moderate and 19% respondents had poor sanitation practices. As conclusion, most of the elders were practicing with moderate hygiene practices. The moderate condition negatively affects the health condition of Buddhists elders. Most of the elders were practicing with satisfactory sanitation practices the also affects the wellbeing of the Buddhists elders in Kathmandu Valley.

Effect of Plant Growth Regulator on Growth, Yield, Quality and Economic of Summer Squash (Cucurbita pepo L. Var. Pattypan) in Mid Hills of Uttarakhand

Field study on the Effect of Plant Growth Regulator on Growth and Yield of Summer Squash (Cucurbita pepo L. Var. Pattypan) was conducted during 2017 (summer season). Ten treatments of plant growth regulator consist of T1 Control; T2 Ethrel 150 ppm; T3 Ethrel 200 ppm; T4 Ethrel @ 250 ppm; T5 Gibberellic acid (GA3) @ 25 ppm; T6 Gibberellic acid (GA3) @ 50 ppm; T7 Gibberellic acid (GA3) @ 75 ppm; T8 Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) @ 50 ppm; T9 Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) @ 100 ppm; T10 Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) @ 150 ppm were tried in Randomized Complete Block Design having three replications. Results revealed that the maximum number of male flowers per plant (13.63) was found under T5 that was closely followed by T4, T7, T3 and the lowest number of male flowers per plant (7.06) in T9. In contrast, the maximum number of female flowers per plant (7.86) was found under T9 while the lowest number of female flowers per plant (4.76) was found under T7.The lowest sex ratio (1.26) was observed with T9, while the highest sex ratio (2.43) was observed with T6.The maximum fruit set percent (71.58) were found under T8 that was statistically identical by T10: Naphthalene acetic acid 150 ppm while the minimum fruit set (49.02) were found under T2. Different plant growth regulators showed a statistically significant variation on number of fruits per plant. The maximum (6.03) fruits per plant in number were recorded under T9 and the minimum fruits per plant were recorded in T2. The yield of summer squash was recorded the maximum (403.75 q ha-1) in treatment T4 which was closely followed by T10. The quality parameters i.e., TSS (4.66) and shelf life (114.6 days) of summer squash was determined the maximum in T8 as compared to other treatments. The economics of using different growth regulators revealed that the benefit cost ratio was the maximum with Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) @ 100 ppm (T9) followed by Ethrel 250 ppm (T4). The overall results showed that the effective treatment for increasing femaleness and yield of Summer Squash was Ethrel (250 ppm) with the satisfactory benefit cost ratio (4.23).

From Birth to Marriage: Sex Ratios in the Late Imperial and Early Soviet Urals

This article analyses sex ratios in late nineteenth – to early twentieth-century Russia focusing on the easternmost frontier of its European part – Perm Province with a population of about 3 million. High sex ratio at birth, in infancy, and childhood has been widely used to assess gender discriminatory practices in several countries, including some European ones. Russia is usually depicted as highly patriarchal with a low social status of women, always subordinated to their fathers and husbands. However, little has been done to study sex ratios. This article presents the first long-term research on sex ratio which relies on county (uyezd)-level information from the 1897 Russian census and the first Soviet 1926 census as well as the household censuses of 1887, 1900, and 1912. The authors also used local statistics based on the parish records with vital events. Additionally, they computed the sex ratios in different groups from birth to age at marriage, their dynamics over almost 40 years and their correlation with several factors including infant mortality rates, religious adherence, and occupations. They did not find signs of gender specific practices discriminating females right after their birth, during infancy or childhood. The research shows that average sex ratios at birth in Perm province were close to the biological norm 105, and its dramatic decrease in the following months was due to the high infant mortality rate combined with the girls’ biological advantage. This advantage, however, ended once they reached marriageable age.

Awareness of Rural and Urban Youth Towards Female Foeticide

The present study was conducted in Bikaner district of Rajasthan, India during November 2019–May 2020 to assess the awareness of rural and urban youth towards female foeticide and to find out the relationship of socio-economic characteristics of respondents with their awareness in Bikaner district of Rajasthan, India. Two panchayat samiti were selected based on highest sex ratio i.e., Sridungargarh and lowest sex ratio i.e., Kolayat. Bikaner city was divided into two zone i.e., east, and west. Out of them one ward was selected randomly from each zone i.e., ward number 60 was from east zone and ward number 44 was from west zone. A total of 200 respondents were selected for the study purpose. Questionnaire method was used for collecting data from the respondents. The result showed that all the respondents knew about the meaning of female foeticide, sex of the foetus could be determined before birth, female foeticide affects the society and repetitive abortion was hazardous to health of the female. The 25% respondents knew about overall sex ratio of Rajasthan and father was responsible for the sex of the child, 22% mother was responsible and only 14.5% of the respondents were aware about law related to PC- PNDT and MTP Act. The result showed that the 64% of the respondents had medium awareness level, while 21 and 15% of the respondents had low and high level of awareness about female foeticide.

Sex-related differences in clinical characteristics of children with ASD without ID: Results from the ELENA cohort.

The literature on sex related-clinical differences for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is highly contradictory, whereas this topic has major clinical implications. We aimed to investigate sex-related clinical differences in children with ASD without intellectual disability (ID). We compared 319 boys and 65 girls with ASD without ID, aged from 2 to 12 years, recruited from a multiregional cohort on their clinical profiles based on the scores for the Vineland-II, the SRS-2, the ADOS calibrated severity score, sensory processing, aberrant behaviors, and comorbidity rates. Our results confirm a high sex ratio of 4.9 males/females. Many similarities were found in the clinical profiles. However, we found that girls had higher SRS-2 total scores. In addition, there was a negative correlation between the SRS-2 total score and the intellectual quotient level (IQ) for girls only. We confirm the higher rates of boys with ASD without ID. A comparison between the girls and boys showed them to have similar clinical profiles, except for the SRS- 2 total scores, which were higher among girls, suggesting more severe social impairment perceived by parents. Our findings that the cognitive level is related to ASD severity in girls should be taken into account during the diagnostic procedure in the clinical interpretation of gold-standard measures of ASD, and additional clinical observations are necessary. [ClinicalTrials.gov], identifier [NCT02625116s].

A Micro-Level Explanation for Suicidal Ideation Based on Marriage-Squeeze and Social Support Among Rural Men in China.

Higher sex ratio at birth often leads to sex imbalance and a severe squeeze on the marriage market. Up to now, no systematic studies have examined the relationship between marriage squeeze and suicidal ideation among rural men in a context of sex imbalance. Using surveys conducted in Chaohu (Anhui Province) and Ankang (Shaanxi Province) in China, this study analyzed the impact of marriage squeeze and social support on suicidal ideation among rural men. The perceived marriage squeeze significantly and positively affected suicidal ideation and the perceived social support negatively affected suicidal ideation among married and unmarried rural men. Objective social support did not significantly affect suicidal ideation among married men; however, it negatively affected suicidal ideation among unmarried men. Marriage squeeze increased the incidence of suicidal ideation among rural men, but perceived social support acted as a protective factor against suicidal ideation. These findings support the main effect hypothesis of social support. Objective social support is a double-edged sword, which may increase suicidal ideation incidence among rural men. The article ends with the conclusions and limitations of this study.

An empirical analysis of the impact of gender inequality and sex ratios at birth on China's economic growth.

The contribution of women to China's economic growth and development cannot be overemphasized. Women play important social, economic, and productive roles in any economy. China remains one of the countries in the world with severe gender inequality and sex ratio at birth (SRB) imbalance. Severe gender inequality and disenfranchisement of girls with abnormally high sex ratios at birth reflect deep-rooted sexism and adversely affect girls' development. For China to achieve economic growth, women should not be ignored and marginalized so that they can contribute to the country's growth, but the sex ratio at birth needs to be lowered because only women can contribute to growth. Thus, this study empirically predicts an asymmetric relationship between gender inequality, sex ratio at birth and economic growth, using NARDL model over the period 1980-2020. The NARDL results show that increases in gender inequality and sex ratio at birth significantly reduce economic growth in both the short and long term, while reductions in gender inequality and sex ratio at birth significantly boost economic growth in both the short and long term. Moreover, the results show the significant contribution of female labor force participation and female education (secondary and higher education) to economic growth. However, infant mortality rate significantly reduced economic growth. Strategically, the study recommends equal opportunities for women in employment, education, health, economics, and politics to reduce gender disparities and thereby promote sustainable economic growth in China. Moreover, policymakers should introduce new population policy to stabilize the sex ratio at birth, thereby promoting China's long-term economic growth.

When investment backfires: Unbalanced sex ratios and mental health among boys in rural areas

In China, a key feature of demographic transition is the abnormally high sex ratio, resulting in a shortage of brides. In addition, depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents have risen sharply in the last decade, and among these adolescents, boys in ru

Understanding the Geography of Victimization: A Spatial Analysis of Intimate Partner Violence in India.

Most studies on intimate partner violence (IPV) and its drivers have focused on individual-and household-level characteristics of the victim. Recent studies have acknowledged that it is a community-level phenomenon, using spatial analytical methods to analyze community-level determinants of IPV and its geographic dimensions. Such studies provide mixed evidence on the impact of different factors and need to be supplemented by similar studies-particularly in South Asian countries where IPV is common. The present study examines district-level variations in the incidence of various forms of IPV and identifies its determinants in India, a fast-growing South Asian country with poor gender indicators. The study combines data from the National Family Health Survey, District Level Household Survey, and the decadal Census. It applies spatial analytical methods such as the Global Moran's I, Getis-ord statistic, and Multivariate Local Geary to determine the nature of the spatial distribution of different categories of IPV. Spatial regression models are used to identify the community-level predictors of each category of IPV. The study finds non-random overlapping spatial clusters in the eastern part of India. The study also finds that neighborhoods characterized by low empowerment levels, and with a high child sex ratio, road connectivity, and proportion of socially marginalized groups are more likely to exhibit high levels of all types of IPV-although the impact of these determinants varies across districts. Furthermore, spill-overs in the incidence of IPV between neighboring districts are also observed. The study concludes by recommending the use of localized policies, rather than broad national or state policies, in reducing IPV.

Influence of different hosts on biological parameters of the fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Tunisia

The Mediterranean fruit fly, Medfly, Ceratitis capitata (Wied.), is one of major and destructive insect pests of fruit crops worldwide. The influence of seven species of fruit on the biological parameters of C. capitata was examined. The fruits tested were: Citrus sinensis (Thomson navel L.), Clementine (Citrus clementica L.), Mandarin (Citrus deliciosa or reticulate L.), Lemon (Citrus limon L.), Maltese (Oranger de Malte), bitter orange (Citrus aurantium L.), and Peach (Prunus persica L.). The highest number of eggs laid by the females was observed in Citrus aurantium (13.62±0.69) and the lowest in Citrus deliciosa (10.05±0.20). The longest egg incubation time was observed in Citrus limon (2.66±0.51) and the shortest was observed in Prunus persica (2±0.00). The shortest pupal development time (8.83 days) was observed in Prunus persica, whereas the longest (11.66days) was in Citrus limon. Adult emergence rates were generally high (>60%), except for Citrus sinensis. The highest sex ratio was observed in Citrus aurantium (0.579±0) and the lowest was observed in Citrus limon (0.271±0.01). Life expectancy at pupal eclosion was recorded at adult C. capitata. The lives of adult flies were shorter or longer according to the species. Males lived longer than female on all host plants. Results showed the most suitable host-fruit for C. capitata was peach; although Citrus aurantium were shown to be the preferred host for oviposition and seem to have an important role as alternative host between Mars and Mai, allowing the continuous development of C. capitata throughout the year. The importance of these results could be used to determine perfect times for management treatments.

Sex-ratio at birth in Nigeria: A demographic perspective.

The study attempts at estimating the sex-ratio at birth in Nigeria. The study focuses on demographic surveys with complete maternity histories, including some 0.50 million births. It compares results with published estimates from births in health facilities and a few data from vital registration, including some 1.13 million births. Results from demographic surveys give an estimate of about 106 boys for 100 girls. There were no significant variations by large region in the country, and no significant trend over the years (1990-2018). Published estimates provided a similar value (106.2), with somewhat lower value in health facilities (105.3), and somewhat higher values in local vital registration (106.8), and major variations among available studies. Despite uncertainty, Nigeria appears to have higher sex-ratios than most African countries, with the exception of Ethiopia, and higher values than its five neighboring countries. Reasons for these high values of the secondary sex-ratio are discussed.

The association between the 2D:4D ratio and offspring sex at birth: A cross‐sectional study in Ghana

The 2D:4D ratio is the putative marker of prenatal androgen exposure. Low maternal 2D:4D ratio has been associated with high or male-biased secondary sex ratio. Hitherto, there has not been any study in Ghana regarding the maternal 2D:4D ratio and sex ratio at birth. This study sought to investigate this observation in a Ghanaian population. The study was cross-sectional from December 2020 to April 2021 involving 272 first-time mothers. The mean ± SD age of the mothers was 23.9 ± 3.67 years. The right (2D:4DR), the left (2D:4DL), the mean (M2D:4D) digit ratios and the right-left difference (Dr-l) of the mothers were measured using computer-assisted analysis. The mothers were stratified by their digit ratios, and the cohort sex ratio (CSR) for each stratum was then calculated as the proportion of sons. The mean ± SD of the 2D:4DR of mothers-with-daughters and mothers-with-sons were 0.941 ± 0.032 and 0.933 ± 0.037, respectively. The mean ± SD of the 2D:4DL of mothers-with-daughters was 0.934 ± 0.034, while that of mothers-with-sons was 0.931 ± 0.039. The offspring sex at birth and the CSR was not associated with either the mother's right, left, mean 2D:4D ratio or their difference (Dr-l). However, mothers-with-daughters showed rightward asymmetry in their 2D:4D ratios as the Dr-l significantly and positively deviated from zero (p < .010). The maternal 2D:4D ratio may not be associated with their offspring sex at birth among first-time mothers. This study adds to the limited data on studies regarding offspring sex at birth and the 2D:4D ratio in Ghana and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Growth, yield, and fruit quality responses of three cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) varieties to different ethephon concentrations

The decline in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) production in Indonesia was correlated with sex ratio imbalance. Therefore, ethephon could be used to retard vegetative growth and modify the sex ratio of the cucumber plant towards femaleness to increase yield. This regulator also has the ability to increase fruit quality. The objective of this research was to investigate the growth, yield, and fruit quality responses of three cucumber varieties to different ethephon concentrations. A factorial randomized block design was used and consisted of cucumber variety (Vanesa, Mars, and Roberto) and ethephon concentration (no ethephon, 150 ppm, and 300 ppm). Each treatment was replicated three times. The results revealed that 150 ppm of ethephon reduced vegetative growth and increased the number of female flowers, sex ratio, fruit diameter, and marketable fruits. Roberto variety had the highest sex ratio, fruit length, total carotenoid, flavonoid, and phenolic content. The interaction effect showed that Roberto with 150 ppm of ethephon exhibited the best in male flower number and fruit weight per plant. Overall, the ethephon treatment at 150 ppm and Roberto variety were recommended to increase the yield and quality of cucumber.

Effects of Food and Nutritional Behavior on Health Status of the Elderly Buddhists

The study entitled “Effects of Food and Nutritional Behavior on Health Status of the Elderly Buddhists" was conducted in Kathmandu Valley. The main objective of this study was to analyze the existing food and nutritional behavior and its effects on health of elderly Buddhists. The study was based on descriptive design with quantitative nature. Convenient sampling method was applied to collect the data and altogether 640 elderly Buddhists including of 320 male and 320 female were selected as a sample for study. Structured interview schedule was used for data collection. Nearly 41% elders were in age Group 60-64 years. The highest sex ratio was 141. The mean age of male elders was 68 years and 67.36 years for female. Nearly 90.9% of male elders and 83.7% female elderly Buddhists had good knowledge on nutritious and preventive food elements. 42.3% of male elders and 47.5 female elders were vegetarian in their late elderly ages. Elderly Buddhists preferred cereals, seasonal fruits and vegetables as 70.4%, 57.7% and 63.5% respectively in their first priority during late elderly ages. Nearly 89% male and 82% female elderly Buddhists were in the favor of healthy food behavior for healthy being. It is concluded that the elderly age is very critical in terms of health and wellbeing. In this study, the proportion of elderly male and female Buddhists in age group above sixty years seems satisfactory in comparison of the national elderly population proportion and sex ratio. In fact behavior of healthy food habit of elderly Buddhists was so good because of their good socio-economic status, cultural norms and values, respect for the elders and urban life style. The elderly Buddhists themselves, family members, community and the government policy should be careful on food and nutrition practices and programs for promotion of elderly health and wellbeing longer.

Death, sex, and fertility: female infanticide in rural Spain, 1750–1950

Abstract Relying on longitudinal micro data from rural Spain between 1750 and 1950, this article evidences that families mortally neglected a significant fraction of their female babies. Firstly, baptism records exhibited exceptionally high sex ratios at birth until the late nineteenth century. Secondly, having no previous male siblings increased the probability of male baptisms. Likewise, this same feature, together with the number of siblings alive, also increased female mortality during the first day of life. These findings are concentrated at higher parities and among landless and semi-landless families. Lastly, under-registration cannot explain these patterns affecting female mortality shortly after birth.

Correlation of Sex Ratio and Population of Callosobruchus chinensis L. (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) in Mung Beans

One of the important pests on mung beans is the warehouse pest Callosobruchus chinensis (Coleoptera: Bruchidae). These pests can cause yield losses of up to 90%. Populations of adult C. chinensis have a close correlation in influencing the development of this pest in mung bean storage. This study aims to determine the correlation between the sex ratio of the population and its development in C. chinensis and to see its preference for mung beans. This research was conducted at the Plant Breeding Laboratory, Brawijaya University. The method was carried out by investing adult C. chinensis in mung beans based on the sex ratio, there are four sex ratio comparisons observed. Observations were made every week to see the number of eggs, larvaes, adults and dead insects. Based on the results of the study, the sex ratio of 2 males and 3 females resulted in the highest number of populations, a total of 72 eggs and 46 adult C. chinensis. Our hypothesis is that a high sex ratio leads to an increase in the population of C. chinensis. The vima variety is resistant mung beans compared to consumption varieties because it has lower seed weight loss. The results of this study are preliminary results that can be used for further research to evaluate the correlation between sex ratio, population and development of C. chinensis

Phenology of Oithona similis demonstrates that ecological flexibility may be a winning trait in the warming Arctic

Rapidly warming Arctic is facing significant shifts in the zooplankton size-spectra manifested as increasing numbers of the small-sized copepod Oithona similis. Here we present a unique continuous data set covering 22 months, on its copepodite structure along with environmental drivers in the Atlantic-influenced high Arctic fjord Isfjorden (Spitsbergen). Abundance maxima of O. similis were observed in September when the highest seawater temperature was recorded. A high concentration of the indicator species of Atlantification Oithona atlantica was also observed at that time. The clear dominance of O. similis in the zooplankton community during the dark, theoretically unproductive season emphasizes its substantial role in sustaining a continuous carbon flow, when most of the large herbivorous copepods fall into sleeping state. The high sex ratio observed twice in both years during periods of high primary production suggests two main reproductive events per year. O. similis reproduced even in very low temperatures (< 0 °C) previously thought to limit their fecundity, which proves its unique thermal tolerance. Our study provides a new insight on ecology of this key copepod of marine ecosystems across the globe, and thus confirm the Climatic Variability Hypothesis assuming that natural selection favour species with such flexible adaptive traits as O. similis.