Reproductive Preferences Research Articles

Markovian simulation for ancestors trees

We present a computational model to reconstruct trees of ancestors for animals with sexual reproduction. We show how is possible to reconstruct the number of ancestors in each generation using a recursive algorithm combined with a random number generator to constrain the maximum number of the following generation. This model allows to consider the reproductive preferences of particular species and combine several trees to simulate the behavior of a population. We also present an analytical framework considering the simulation as a theoretical stochastic process. Such process can be generalized in order to use an algorithm associated with it to simulate other similar processes of stochastic nature. The simulation is based on the theoretical model previously presented in [1].

Employee benefits, migration and social struggles: an Indian coalfield, 1895–1970

ABSTRACTDuring 1895–1970, in the Indian coalfield of Jharia, circular migration of the mineworker coexisted along with the fact that workers became regular over time. This article suggests that the development of employee benefits influenced the patterns of migration and settlement of workers. Employers, guided by a new industrial sensibility, came up with specific employee benefits, with an objective of continuous production from a group of settled workers. The workers’ approach to social security and the pressure exerted by them shaped the expansion of employee benefits. My finding takes an issue with the thesis of cheap migrant labour. The latter argument has insufficiently revealed the actual preferences of employees. My work critiques another thesis which suggests that workers maintained a preference for investment in rural homesteads; therefore choosing to remain oscillating migrants. My study suggests that workers developed a notion of the civilised and human form of life from the 1920s onwards. The self-respect campaign amongst the unprivileged caste groups, the movement for industrial democracy and national reconstruction and the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO’s) advocacy of civilised and human life for workers, gave a spur to new reproduction preferences. Now, they sought employee benefits regarded as necessary for a dignified living.

Reproductive preferences during middle childhood and early adolescence in Guatemala

Reproductive preferences and the spread of low fertility norms occupy a key position in debates regarding the causal mechanisms underlying sustained fertility declines. Most of the literature on reproductive preferences focuses on stability and variability of adult fertility preferences, and their relationship with behavioural outcomes. Little work has focused on the developmental origins of these preferences, particularly in populations undergoing rapid social and demographic change. This study explores the utility of integrating the ontogeny of fertility preferences into accounts of fertility declines. We analyse data on child and adolescent (age 8–15) reproductive preferences collected from a semi-rural community in the Guatemalan Highlands. We explore (1) the distribution of reproductive preferences across age and gender, (2) relationships between family structure and preferences, (3) the relationship between personal economic and occupational aspirations and reproductive preferences, and (4) the effects of parental investments in education on reproductive preferences. Findings reveal the early development of gender and ethnic differences in reported reproductive preferences, as well as evidence for the differential impact of family background and personal aspirations on the timing of reproductive events and ideal family size.

Performing purity: reproductive decision-making and implications for a community under threat of zika in iquitos, Peru

The long-term management and prevention of Zika virus requires understanding of reproductive and sexual health behaviours, including mechanisms of partnered decision-making. In this article, we report on a qualitative study conducted before the arrival of Zika in Iquitos, Peru. We assessed existing patterns of reproductive decision-making among partnered men and women in a community under threat of Zika and discuss how these may impact Zika prevention in the long-term. We used a rapid qualitative assessment methodology, including in-depth semi-structured interviews with partnered women (28) and men (21). Deeply unequal gender role expectations limit discussion of reproductive decisions until after a first child is born. Women needed to perform a domestic ‘of-the-house’ role to be considered suitable partners, leading them to hide their knowledge of sexual and reproductive health. Condoms symbolise risk and are unused with partners in committed relationships. A shared perception that men must take care of female partner’s sexual health, translates into male sexual and reproductive preferences overcoming female desires. Existing decision-making patterns lead to an increased risk of Zika exposure. Long-term response should expand Zika virus information and preventive messages to men and young people, in addition to engaging with broader societal challenges to gender inequity.

Alice in Wonderland: Unrealized fertility and satisfaction with number of children according to couples’ point of view in a city in Brazil

The gap between ideal and observed fertility is a very common phenomenon in Brazil. However, given the severe criticism of indicators on desired and ideal family sizes, it is important to reflect on how well fertility preferences are grasped by traditional questions. This paper discusses whether having fewer children than desired is a matter of choice or if it represents an inability to implement reproductive preferences, generating dissatisfaction with one´s fertility behavior. Data come from 62 in-depth interviews conducted with 31 couples with high educational levels, living in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, with up to two children. Negative discrepant fertility was predominant among most couples interviewed. Many of them, however, are fully satisfied with their current fertility situation and do not seem to be willing to implement their desire for more children.

Factors associated with unmet need for contraception in Mexico: evidence from the National Survey of Demographic Dynamics 2014

BackgroundWorldwide, the importance of contraception to control fertility has been recognized. A useful indicator of the gap between reproductive preferences and the provision of contraception is “unmet need for contraception”. The aims of this paper are to estimate the levels of unmet need for contraception among married and single women, and to explore factors associated with unmet need for contraception for spacing and limiting births in Mexico.MethodsWe used the Mexican National Survey of Demographic Dynamics 2014, using a sub-sample of 56,797 sexually active women aged 15–49 years who were either currently in union or who had never been in union to estimate the prevalence of unmet need for spacing and limiting births. We applied multivariable binary logistic regressions to examine the relationship between unmet need for spacing and limiting considering associated factors.ResultsUnmet need for contraception was estimated at 11.5% among women in union (6.4% limiting; 5.1% spacing), and 28.9% for women never in union (8% limiting; 20.9% spacing). In the logistic regression for unmet need for spacing, the likelihood was statistically significant associated with younger women (OR = 6.8; CI = 2.95–15.48); women never in union (OR = 1.6; CI = 1.40–1.79); low levels of education (OR = 1.4; CI = 1.26–1.56); and residing in poor regions (OR = 1.9; CI = 1.52–2.49). Those with full access to public services were significantly less likely to have unmet need for spacing (OR = 0.8; CI = 0.66–0.88).In the logistic regression for unmet need for limiting, being younger (OR = 6.3; CI = 4.73–8.27), never in union and sexually active (OR = 3.0; CI = 2.47–3.54); with less schooling (OR 1.13; CI: 1.02–1.26); rural residence (OR = 1.2; CI = 1.07–1.32); and residing in poor regions (OR = 1.5; CI = 1.23–1.93) were factors positively associated with this unmet need. Women with private health services were the least likely to have unmet need for limiting (OR = 0.5; CI = 0.37–0.77).ConclusionsYounger women currently in union and never in union had the highest unmet needs of contraception for spacing and limiting. The results from this study suggest that in Mexico family planning services must prioritize the contraception needs of all young women, both in union and not in union, with appropriate and suitable services to cover their needs.

Determination and Validation of Mix Parameters for Modifying Envelopment in Object-Based Audio

Envelopment is an important attribute of listener preference for spatial audio reproduction. Object-based audio offers the possibility of altering the rendering of an audio scene in order to modify or maintain perceptual attributes - including envelopment - if the relationships between attributes and mix parameters are known. In a method of adjustment experiment, mixing engineers were asked to produce mixes of four program items at low, medium, and high levels of envelopment, in 2-channel, 5-channel, and 22-channel reproduction systems. The participants could vary a range of level, position, and equalization parameters that can be modified in object-based audio systems. The parameters could be varied separately for different semantic object categories. Nine parameters were found to have significant relationships with envelopment; parameters relating to the horizontal and vertical spread of sources were shown to be most important. A follow-on experiment demonstrated that these parameters can be adjusted to produce a range of envelopment levels in other program items.

The End of the Rejuvenation of the Fertility Schedule in Brazil: Evidence from Changes in Contraception Use and Reproductive Preferences among Adolescents and Young Women

For the first time since the beginning of Brazil’s fertility decline, its schedule has stopped rejuvenating. A key factor for this phenomenon is the sharp decrease of fertility among teenagers in the first decade of the 21st century. This paper examines recent changes in two determinants of reproductive behavior of adolescents and young women in Brazil: the use of contraceptives and the ideal number of children. Using data from the 1996 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) and the 2006 Pesquisa Nacional de Demografia e Saúde (PNDS), changes in the use of contraceptives and reproductive preferences according to age groups and cohorts are examined. The results show a great increase in the use of contraception among adolescents and young women and indicate an increase in preference for low parity and a decrease in the average ideal number of children across cohorts. The early fertility schedule in Brazil in addition with lower expectations regarding future fertility strongly suggest that there is a lot of room for further decline of fertility in the country. The study emphasizes recent and not yet investigated changes in adolescents and young women' reproductive behavior in Brazil and sheds light on the likely continuation of changes in the Brazilian fertility schedule and level.

The gendered workplaces of women garment workers in Istanbul

Drawing on 20 semi-structured interviews with women garment workers in a low-income neighbourhood of Istanbul, and observations in the ateliers where they worked, this article examines their work experiences in the gendered and sexualised work atmosphere of garment workshops. There are three interrelated levels upon which the gender-related issues emerge in women garment workers’ stories. The first set of discourses portrays young female garment workers in highly sexualised terms, and the second concerns the use of kinship vocabulary and avoidance of impersonal work relationships. That is, women workers’ experiences in capitalist production sites were trivialised and regulated through the sexualisation of their bodies and the deployment of kinship idioms while addressing their role at the workplace. The third level analyses women’s submissive, subversive or contradictory responses to these gendered disciplinary techniques and representations, i.e. the construction of their subjectivities. These three levels point to two things: first, cultural presumptions about marriage, women’s sexuality and reproductive cycles are materialised at the workplace. Second, gendered instantiations of these presumptions in a specific work environment are both informed by their familial roles (such as daughter, wife, mother, widowed) and inform their future reproductive preferences (whether they marry, have a child, get a divorce, etc.). This article shows how the ways in which women’s difference is construed and acted upon in the garment industry are inseparable from women’s reproductive decisions.

Fear, opposition, ambivalence, and omission: Results from a follow-up study on unmet need for family planning in Ghana.

IntroductionDespite a relatively strong family planning program and regionally modest levels of fertility, Ghana recorded one of the highest levels of unmet need for family planning on the African continent in 2008. Unmet need for family planning is a composite measure based on apparent contradictions between women’s reproductive preferences and practices. Women who want to space or limit births but are not using contraception are considered to have an unmet need for family planning. The study sought to understand the reasons behind high levels of unmet need for family planning in Ghana.MethodsA mixed methods follow-up study was embedded within the stratified, two-stage cluster sample of the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS). Women in 13 survey clusters who were identified as having unmet need, along with a reference group of current family planning users, were approached to be reinterviewed within an average of three weeks from their GDHS interview. Follow-up respondents were asked a combination of closed- and open-ended questions about fertility preferences and contraceptive use. Closed-ended responses were compared against the original survey; transcripts were thematically coded and analyzed using qualitative analysis software.ResultsAmong fecund women identified by the 2014 GDHS as having unmet need, follow-up interviews revealed substantial underreporting of method use, particularly traditional methods. Complete postpartum abstinence was sometimes the intended method of family planning but was overlooked during questions about method use. Other respondents classified as having unmet need had ambivalent fertility preferences. In several cases, respondents expressed revised fertility preferences upon follow-up that would have made them ineligible for inclusion in the unmet need category. The reference group of family planning users also expressed unstable fertility preferences. Aversion to modern method use was generally more substantial than reported in the GDHS, particularly the risk of menstrual side effects, personal or partner opposition to family planning, and religious opposition to contraception.

Decision-Making for an Incapacitated Pregnant Patient.

Decisions about continuing or terminating a pregnancy touch on profound, individualized questions about bodily integrity, reproductive autonomy, deeply held values regarding one's capacity for parenthood, and, in the case of a high-risk pregnancy, the risks one is willing to take to have a baby. So far as possible, reproductive decisions are made between a patient, in some cases her partner, and her medical provider. However, this standard framework cannot be applied if the patient lacks decision-making capacity. In this essay, we discuss one such case that came before our clinical ethics team. We describe the challenges of respecting a patient's reproductive preferences when the patient cannot share what those preferences are, and we argue that decisions regarding reproductive health care should not be treated with exceptionalism. Rather, they should proceed under the normal processes of surrogate decision-making, including the application of substituted judgment. This approach enables us to take the patient's values into account when considering the questions implicated in reproductive health care, just as we do for other kinds of health care decisions in which a patient's deeply held values are salient.

Pakistan’s devolved family planning services : poor governance may be the main issue

Regardless of the declining rates of fertility in the late twentieth century, the population growth rate in Pakistan is the highest in the region and only surpassed by sub-Saharan Africa across the globe. The main reasons are access for poor women in villages due to shortage of outlets and outreach programs and poor service provision due to lack of equipment, inefficiency to retain staff and overload of other responsibilities like polio campaign. A fear of side effects, health concerns, low female literacy rate, weak women autonomy and high mortality rates are important deterrents from usage of family planning services. Researchers have summed up the difficulties of Pakistan in this matter as, “a reluctance or inability to translate reproductive preferences into appropriate behaviour.” The government and ministries mutual cooperation in articulating policies helps in role clarification with respect to population planning. Advocacy at the district, provincial and federal levels is required counselled by medical research along with social objectives by liaising with states with experience of tackling the same issue to analyze performances based on accomplishment of specific FP indicators.

Sexual and Reproductive Health Care Utilization and Preferences of Young Women With Cystic Fibrosis

Sexual and Reproductive Health Care Utilization and Preferences of Young Women With Cystic Fibrosis

Spatial Distribution and Trends of Fertility Differentials in Toba Tek Singh District, Punjab-Pakistan

This study examines socio-economic and demographic factors as fertility differentials and draws conclusions upon data collected from some selected rural and urban localities of Toba Tek Sing-Punjab. The analysis carried to examine change in fertility trends and preferences in relation to children ever born to currently married women. The ideal family size from the both localities is 3.98 which, is still reckoned high as compared to the (NGRP) National Growth Rate in Pakistan which is 3.80. The dependent variable is reproductive preference measured by a single indicator- ideal no. of children and gender in both urban and rural localities as same study was conducted by National Institute of Population Studies (NIPS) in 1990-91 and 2006-07. In Pakistan number of demographic surveys has revealed that woman of reproductive age generally prefer more children than their own preferred family size. The aim of this study is to contribute into the existing literature on the geographical patterns of fertility differentials in a district of the Punjab. This will help planners to formulate more effective fertility related policies and programmes in the country. This is also a continuum of DHS conducted in mid 1980s to elaborate fertility patterns among married couples. The goal is to dig deeper into the relationship between education and fertility has been a central focus within demography and related social sciences. Higher education is associated with higher age at first birth and lower number of children discussed the implication of findings in the context of policy framework to enhance the public awareness about the small family in context with high quality life. Higher fertility in a country like Pakistan is rooted in cultural believes about children and number, pre-natal control measures should be targeted more at women attitude to large family. This is to provide policy makers with an understanding of the potential demand for fertility control and help in formulating policies to reduce fertility and improve socio-economic climate of the district.

New species of arboreal rat of the genus Rhipidomys (Cricetidae, Sigmodontinae) from Sangay National Park, Ecuador

We describe a new species of climbing rat of the genus Rhipidomys based on cranial and external morphology, morphometrics, and phylogenetic analyses of cytochrome b gene. This taxon was compared with species of Rhipidomys present in Ecuador, principally R. latimanus, which is a closely related species based on molecular analysis, and with several species from Colombia and Peru. The new species is easily distinguished from congeneric species by the relatively small size of its body (average head–body length 123 mm) and its distinctive cranial morphology including: Interorbital region constricted; postorbital crest almost imperceptible in females and evident only slightly in males; braincase wide and round; nasals narrow in their posterior and gradually expand forward; anteromedian flexus is well defined and deep; m3 with hypoflexid large and deep; mesopterygoid fossa extends beyond the third molar and capsular process on mandible well developed, forming an evident projection. The new species is only known from the southeastern portion of Sangay National Park in Ecuador and is therefore likely endemic to the Cordillera Oriental of Ecuador. We also provide natural history and reproductive observations, vocalization analysis, habitat preference, and phylogenetic placement of this species.

Discrepant Fertility in Brazil

Two distinct groups with respect to realization of reproductive preferences coexist in Brazil: women who have more children than they would like and women whose reproductive period result in fewer children than they thought ideal. There is discrepant fertility in both cases. This study aims to enhance knowledge about this phenomenon by analyzing the discrepant fertility according to socio-demographic variables, especially for women who have fewer children than they desire and thus have a negative discrepant fertility (NDF). This study uses data from the National Demographic and Health Surveys for Women and Children from 1996 and 2006. The results show an increasing trend in NDF associated with fewer children, higher educational attainment, older age at first childbirth, and less time available to achieve the ideal number of children.

A qualitative analysis of the effect of a community-based primary health care programme on reproductive preferences and contraceptive use among the Kassena-Nankana of northern Ghana.

BackgroundIn 2000, Ghana launched the Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) initiative to improve access to health and family planning services. This initiative was based in part on research, known as the Navrongo Project, conducted in the Kassena-Nankana district (KND) between 1994 to 2003 which demonstrated significant impact on fertility and child mortality. This paper examines current contraceptive perceptions in communities that were exposed to the Project’s service models over the 1994 to 2003 period, and the post-experimental policies of the CHPS era.MethodsQualitative study was conducted in the KND of Ghana from June to September, 2012, by convening 8 male and 8 female FGD panels as well as 8 in-depth interviews of community leaders. Data collection was stratified by original experimental cell of the Navrongo Project to permit appraisal of social effects of contrasting experimental conditions. Inductive content analysis was performed with QSR Nvivo 10 to identify predominant themes.ResultsWhile findings show that exposure to community-based services was associated with enhanced approval of birth spacing and limitation, this view is grounded in perceptions that childhood survival has improved. Nonetheless, concerns were expressed about contraceptive side effects, prominently permanent sterility. Strategies for male outreach and community engagement originally introduced during the Navrongo Project have not been sustained with CHPS scale-up. The apparent atrophy of attention to the needs of men may explain the resistance of some males to the notion of female reproductive autonomy and the practice of some women to adopt contraception in secret. Despite this apparent programmatic dearth of male engagement, there is evidence to suggest that social impact of the original male engagement strategy persists in communities where male mobilization was combined with doorstep provision of family planning care during the Navrongo Project.ConclusionCommunity-based services fostered attitudinal change towards family planning in a traditional sub-Saharan African setting. Sustained exposure to primary health care that have improved the survival of children has made the use of contraception more acceptable. Efforts should be embedded in primary health care programmes that address concerns about child survival while also consigning sustained priority to the information needs of men.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12913-016-1325-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

From biology to management of Savi's pine vole (Microtus savii).

Savi's pine vole (Microtus savii) is a rodent species of the Cricetidae family, inhabiting southern European agroecosystems. It is considered to be the main cause of rodent-attributed damage in Italy. To achieve an effective management, detailed knowledge of this species is needed. However, the available information about this species is fragmentary and incomplete. In this paper, the existing knowledge of Savi's pine vole taxonomy, reproduction, population dynamics, habitat and food preferences is reviewed in order to organise available information and identify priority areas of future research. Some of the changes in farming practices that have occurred in recent decades may have increased the impact of Savi's pine vole populations in crop fields. To manage this pest species effectively, an integrated strategy is recommended (involving habitat management, trapping and, when appropriate, the use of rodenticides). The apparent lack of cyclical population outbreaks and the relatively small litter size and long gestation and interpartum period of this species suggest that it could be more manageable than other vole species, while its strict herbivorous diet, stable population size in open habitats and wide distribution seem to indicate it as an ideal model species for risk assessment studies.

Reproductive Decision-Making in MMR Mutation Carriers After Results Disclosure: Impact of Psychological Status in Childbearing Options.

Reproductive techniques such as prenatal diagnosis (PND) or preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), although debated, are legally forbidden in France in case of Lynch syndrome. The preference of mutation carriers about their reproductive options is not systematically considered in France. We aimed to prospectively assess the reproductive preferences of mismatch repair mutation carriers consulting in our institution (2003-2010, n = 100). We also considered the short- and long-term post-disclosure psychological impact using the Impact of Events Scale-Revised questionnaire to measure the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in those patients. Complete data were obtained for 34 respondents (17 males, 17 females, median age of 33.5years [22-59]). Seventeen respondents (57%) preferred spontaneous natural conception versus 28% and 35% choosing PND and PGD, respectively. At results disclosure, respondents mainly explained their distress by fear of premature death (43%) and transmitting mutated genes (42%). One year later, this last fear remained predominant in 55% of subjects. None of the main socio-demographical, psychological or medical variables (including fear of transmitting mutations) was significantly associated with the reproductive preferences. Results disclosure had a real and time-decreasing psychological impact on mutation carriers. Reproductive techniques, expected to decrease the hereditary risk, were not significantly preferred to natural conception.

Ecology and niche specialization of two bonefish species in Hawai‘i

Bonefishes are a cryptic species complex that are a prized sportfish in many places around the world. In Hawai‘i they have a long history of use and today have important recreational, and cultural value. In the early 1980s, two distinct species of bonefishes were determined to inhabit Hawaiian waters (Albula glossodonta “round jaw”, and A. virgata “sharp jaw”). Little is known about the life histories of these two species, hindering population assessments and relevant fisheries management guidelines. In addition, no ecological studies have been conducted to examine interactions or separation between these species. This research assesses how differences in size, abundance, diet, growth, reproduction, and habitat preference of the two bonefish species in Hawai‘i can explain the coexistence and persistence of these two closely related species. Differences in size structure, growth rates, and spawning patterns for each species provides species-specific life history information that differentiates them ecologically and is useful for population assessments and in developing species-specific management strategies. We found that the wide-ranging species, A. glossodonta had a larger mean size, length at a given weight, and size at maturity than the endemic, A. virgata. We found differences in prey preferences between the two species that support our hypothesis that differences in jaw morphologies and habitat preferences translate to dissimilarities in diet. This study contributes to our knowledge about these species and provides an example of niche specialization in two closely related and cohabiting species.