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This IMR Dispatch engages with Ireland's White Paper to End Direct Provision (2021) - the Government of Ireland's most recent policy statement on the provision of settlement services for migrants seeking asylum in Ireland. The actions outlined in the White Paper promise to reorder the provision of accommodation and support for such migrants. A range of positive inputs are included, the most significant of which is the proposed discontinuation of Ireland's current system of dispersed ‘camp-like’ communal accommodations for International Protection applicants and its replacement with a new person-centered system of ‘own room’ and ‘own door’ accommodations in the community. A wide range of personal supports are envisaged as well. At first glance, this White Paper shows that the Government of Ireland has engaged with the concerns of organizations active in Ireland's social protection sector in general, and with the needs of applicants for international protection in particular, to provide a more humane system of International Protection. However, tensions are discernible, and we contend that there is ample evidence of the Government of Ireland's impulse to retain command and control of its migration management processes in the White Paper, even against the background of its new, more human-rights-based approach. We suggest that the spatialities inherent in the proposal point to a potential rearticulation of state control rather than to any diminution of same.

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The introduction to the 2022 Special Issue presents the 20 articles that discuss the demographic aspects and the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. It synthesises the main findings from the contributions, emphasising the demographic, social and economic characteristics that influenced the spread of infections and determined the number of deaths. We highlight the specific focus on measurement issues, often with a comparative framework across several countries, and at the regional level as well, both within and beyond Europe. We also summarise the impact of the measures imposed to contain the spread of the virus, such as lockdowns. Moreover, we explore the impact of the pandemic on the quality of relationships, the intention and the motivation to have children, and realised fertility. In addition, we present the authors’ broader reflections on the risks faced by different communities of individuals, and the potential consequences for their life trajectories, including in relation to other current risks that overlap with the pandemic (recent armed conflicts), and for the achievability of the Sustainable Development Goals themselves.

This study described patterns of response versus nonresponse, earlier versus later response, and paper versus web response to the 2017–2018 Health & Employment Survey (HES). We predicted odds of responding to the survey based on demographic factors and examined impact of multiple email reminders on response volume. The overall completion rate was 65%. The likelihood of responding to HES was more than doubled when the web survey was an option. Most web surveys were received during the first two months of data collection compared with less than one-third of paper surveys. Multiple email reminders resulted in increased responses. To offer mode options to all, more efforts should be made on collecting valid email addresses.

Refugees become asylum-seekers not only because the receiving country gives them the bureaucratic-legal status but also because they start to identify with the status. This article examines how refugees learn to be asylum-seekers even when they question asylum decisions. It uses Foucault's idea of governmentality to assess how governmental policies become translated into asylum-seekers’ collective and personal conducts as asylum-seekers, sometimes in ways that undermine the official policy. This article introduces the idea of papered governmentality, in which the production of papers is a governmental technology to manage not only populations but also personal identities and conducts. It investigates how asylum-seekers’ own role in papered governmentality as receivers, producers, and users of various papers in the asylum process transforms their conducts and identities in ways that reshape how they are governed. The empirical research site was an asylum-seekers’ protest in Finland where the first author conducted participant observation about how papers included in the asylum process were collected, read, discussed, circulated, and co-produced. The article finds that when migration control utilizes laws, bureaucratic documents, and other liberal governmental technologies designed to modify autonomous individuals’ own decisions to migrate, it produces not only control but also identification with the host country and some freedom to choose how to act with governmental decisions.

Objectives Using the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS) questionnaire, a web-based survey was organized alongside a face-to-face (F2F) survey including a paper-and-pencil (P&P) questionnaire for sensitive topics. Associated with these different modes, other design features varied too (e.g., recruitment, incentives, sampling). We assessed whether these whole data collection systems developed around the modes produced equivalent health estimates. Methods Data were obtained from two population-based surveys: the EHISWEB (web-administered, n = 1010) and the Belgian Health Interview Survey 2018 (BHIS2018) (interviewer-administered, n = 2748). Logistic regression analyses were used to assess mode system differences while adjusting for socio-demographic differences in the net samples. Results For the P&P mode of the BHIS, significant mode system differences were detected for 2 of the 9 health indicators. Among the indicators collected via the F2F mode, 9 of the 18 indicators showed significant differences. Conclusions Indicators collected via the web-based and P&P self-administered modes were generally more comparable than indicators collected via the web-based and F2F mode. Furthermore, fewer differences were detected for indicators based on simple and factual questions compared to indicators based on subjective or complex questions.

Background Web-based questionnaires allow collecting data quickly, with minimal costs from large sample groups and through Web-based self-administered forms. Until recently, there has been a lack of evidence from large-scale epidemiological studies and nutrition surveys that have evaluated the comparison between traditional and new technologies to measure dietary intake. Objective This study aimed to compare results from the general baseline questionnaire (Q_0) and the 10-year follow-up questionnaire (Q_10) in the Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra (SUN) prospective cohort, obtained from different subjects, some of whom used a paper-based version, and others used a Web-based version. Both baseline and 10-year assessments included a validated 136-item semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ), used to collect dietary intake. Methods The SUN project is a prospective cohort study (with continuous open recruitment and many participants who were recently recruited). All participants were university graduates. Participants who completed the validated FFQ at baseline (FFQ_0, n=22,564) were selected. The variables analyzed were classified into 6 groups of questions: (1) FFQ (136 items), (2) healthy eating attitudes (10 items), (3) alcohol consumption (3 items), (4) physical activity during leisure time (17 items), (5) other activities (24 items), and (6) personality traits (3 items). Multiple linear and logistic regression models were used to assess the adjusted differences between the mean number of missing values and the risk of having apparently incorrect values for FFQ items or mismatches and inconsistencies in dietary variables. Results Only 1.5% (339/22564) and 60.71% (6765/11144) participants reported their information using the Web-based version for Q_0 and Q_10, respectively, and 51.40 % (11598/22564) and 100.00% (11144/11144) of participants who completed the Q_0 and Q_10, respectively, had the option of choosing the Web-based version. Sociodemographic, lifestyle, health characteristics, food consumption, and energy and nutrient intakes were similar among participants, according to the type of questionnaire used in Q_10. Less than 0.5% of values were missing for items related to healthy eating attitudes, alcohol consumption, and personality traits in the Web-based questionnaires. The proportion of missing data in FFQ, leisure time physical activity, and other activities was higher in paper-based questionnaires than Web-based questionnaires. In Web-based questionnaires, a high degree of internal consistency was found when comparing answers that should not be contradictory, such as the frequency of fruit as dessert versus total fruit consumption and the frequency of fried food consumptions versus oil consumption. Conclusions Incorporating a Web-based version for a baseline and 10-year questionnaire has not implicated a loss of data quality in this cohort of highly educated adults. Younger participants showed greater preference for Web-based questionnaires. Web-based questionnaires were filled out to a greater extent and with less missing items than paper-based questionnaires. Further research is needed to optimize data collection and response rate in Web-based questionnaires.

Introduction: Heterogenous sexual intercourse often produces a powerful orgasm that stimulates the pituitary function. Studies have suggested ejaculation frequency based on age. Materials and Methods: Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect information from subjects. Semen samples were collected from sperm donors and sub-fertile men who presented for infertility challenges. Processing and analysis of semen samples were done according to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Sperm deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fragmentation was evaluated using the Halosperm kit. Results: Among sperm donors, those aged χ2 = 0.09, P-value = 0.81, OR = 3.2, 95% CI: 0.23, 45.19) while among sub-fertile men those aged ≥40 years were approximately 2.3 times more likely to have very low frequency of MESI compared to aged χ2 = 2.11, P-value = 0.51, OR = 2.27, 95% CI: 0.74, 9.92). The frequency of all categories of MESI was highest among sub-fertile men aged χ2 = 0.03, P-value = 0.57, OR = 2.42, 95% CI: 0.41, 14.46). Sub-fertile men aged ≥40 with diastolic hypertension (≥90 mmHg) were approximately 6 times more likely to have a low (6 - 10) frequency of MESI compared to those aged χ2 = 1.97, P-value = 0.16, OR = 6.22, 95% CI: 0.69, 55.77). Overall mean fertilization rate was significantly higher (t-test = 2.44, P-value = 0.01) among sub-fertile men aged

Background: Paper questionnaires have traditionally been the first choice for data collection in research. However, declining response rates over the past decade have increased the risk of selection bias in cross-sectional studies. The growing use of the Internet offers new ways of collecting data, but trials using Web-based questionnaires have so far seen mixed results. A secure, online digital mailbox (e-Boks) linked to a civil registration number became mandatory for all Danish citizens in 2014 (exemption granted only in extraordinary cases). Approximately 89% of the Danish population have a digital mailbox, which is used for correspondence with public authorities. Objective: We aimed to compare response rates, completeness of data, and financial costs for different invitation methods: traditional surface mail and digital mail. Methods: We designed a cross-sectional comparative study. An invitation to participate in a survey on help-seeking behavior in out-of-hours care was sent to two groups of randomly selected citizens from age groups 30-39 and 50-59 years and parents to those aged 0-4 years using either traditional surface mail (paper group) or digital mail sent to a secure online mailbox (digital group). Costs per respondent were measured by adding up all costs for handling, dispatch, printing, and work salary and then dividing the total figure by the number of respondents. Data completeness was assessed by comparing the number of missing values between the two methods. Socioeconomic variables (age, gender, family income, education duration, immigrant status, and job status) were compared both between respondents and nonrespondents and within these groups to evaluate the degree of selection bias. Results: A total 3600 citizens were invited in each group; 1303 (36.29%) responded to the digital invitation and 1653 (45.99%) to the paper invitation (difference 9.66%, 95% CI 7.40-11.92). The costs were €1.51 per respondent for the digital group and €15.67 for paper group respondents. Paper questionnaires generally had more missing values; this was significant in five of 17 variables (P

Introduction: In humans, the ideal ejaculation frequency depends on age, exercise and sexual potential. Natural ejaculation frequency balances the testosterone levels in the body. Materials and Methods: Semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect information from subjects. Semen samples were collected from sperm donors and sub-fertile men who presented for infertility challenges. Processing and analysis of semen samples were done according to World Health Organization guidelines. Sperm DNA fragmentation was evaluated using the Halosperm® kit. Results: A total of 114 subjects, including 19 sperm donors and 95 sub-fertile males were studied. There was a significant difference (t = −5.96, P-value = 0.00001) in the mean [±sd] age of sperm donors (30.8 [8.1]) and that of sub-fertile men (42.3 [76]). There was a significant difference (t= −4.10, P-value = 0.0005) in the mean monthly ejaculation during sexual intercourse (MESI) among sperm donors with DNA fragmentation index −2.20, P-value = 0.02) in MESI among sub-fertile men aged ≥40 years (8.9 [4.6]) than among those aged −0.67, SE = 0.28, t = −2.40, P-value = 0.02, 95% CI: −1.24, −0.10). Conclusion: In men < 40 years, fewer MESI did not worsen the DFI. A higher number of professionals such as doctors, lawyers and engineers, reported lower monthly frequency of sexual ejaculations compared to entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs and non-smokers had the highest frequencies of MESI.

AIMS The experiment tested the effects of a web-push survey research protocol, compared with the standard mailed paper-and-pencil protocol, among young adults aged 19-30 years in the 'Monitoring the Future' (MTF) longitudinal study. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS The US-based MTF study has measured substance use trends among young adults in panel samples followed biennially, using consistent mailed survey procedures from 1977 to 2017. In 2018, young adult participants in the MTF longitudinal component scheduled to be surveyed at ages 19-30 in 2018 (from high school senior cohorts of 2006-17, n = 14 709) were randomly assigned to receive the standard mail/paper survey procedures or new web-push procedures. MEASUREMENTS Primary outcomes were responding to the survey and prevalence estimates for past 30-day use of alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana and illicit drugs. FINDINGS The web-push response rate was 39.07% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 37.889, 40.258]; this was significantly better than the standard MTF response rate of 35.12% (95% CI = 33.964, 36.285). After adjusting for covariates, the web-push condition was associated with a 19% increase in the odds of responding compared with standard MTF (adjusted odds ratio = 1.188; 95% CI = 1.096, 1.287). Substance use prevalence estimates were very similar and differences became negligible when using attrition weights and controlling for socio-demographic characteristics. CONCLUSIONS The web-push protocol produced a higher response rate than the mailed pencil and paper protocol in the Monitoring the Future panel study, without substantially affecting estimates of substance use once attrition weights and socio-demographic variables were factored in.

Esta nota describe una experiencia de trabajo de archivo en el que la documentacion principal en la investigacion es nacida digital. La ya notable presencia de herramientas y tecnicas digitales en el escritorio de historiadores e historiadoras y las crecientes series de documentos nacidos binarios introducen interrogantes y problemas en la labor intelectual diaria. Las tensiones entre practicas de archivo con disposiciones propias de la cultura letrada y el tipo de experiencia que describe esta nota exigen aproximaciones novedosas y enriquecedoras. Se presentan aqui dos enfoques que renuevan las preguntas sobre la nocion de archivo.

The American Name Society is issuing a call for papers for the Modern Language Association Convention 2023 which is scheduled to take place January 5-8, 2023 in San Francisco, California.

The certification of indigeneship in Nigeria has become one of the most contested documentation processes in the country, given its implications for Nigerians’ citizenship rights and political and economic opportunities. This paper analyses the contestations over and around indigeneship certification in Plateau State. It argues that while the notion of indigeneship has roots in the colonial period, postcolonial forces have reshaped and transformed it. The increasingly poor documentation practices of the Nigerian state, particularly at the local level, have interacted with a fragmentation and formalisation of “indigenous belonging” and given it new functions. In the context of Plateau State, then, this paper shows how these processes have resulted in at least two distinct forms of contestation over indigeneship: first, the intergroup competition over indigeneship in Jos North and, second, the contestation around the margins of indigeneship in the rural areas of Quan Pan.

Although a woman's fertility declines markedly in her late-30s and early-40s, gradually more and more women start a family at this stage of their lives, with the average age of childbirth progressively increasing. More women are storing their eggs (oocytes) to give them the potential opportunity to have a baby in the future. Nonetheless, the number of egg freezing cycles accounts for less than 2% of IVF cycles, and the number of cycles using stored eggs is even lower. The technology for freezing eggs changed dramatically about a decade ago with the development of a technique of rapid freezing called vitrification, which gives success rates almost as good as using fresh eggs. The growing use of this technique, and the publicity surrounding how this technique may have been promoted, has led to this paper. It is essential that women are very clearly informed about the likely success rates of egg freezing, particularly as it is entirely provided by the private sector, with the associated concerns of financial costs and inappropriate or inaccurate marketing. Its success is strongly dependent on the age of the woman at the time of freezing her eggs, with much higher success rates in those aged 35 years and under. Current legislation only allows women to store eggs for 10 years, which conflicts with the better success rates when women do so at a younger age. The reasons behind the increase in egg freezing are complex, but the most common reason given by women storing eggs is that they do not have a partner and are concerned that by the time they do find themselves in a relationship within which they wish to start a family, they may not be able to. We conclude that elective egg freezing provides women with an opportunity to take action about the drop in their fertility, but at present most women who are doing this are already in their later 30s when the success rates are limited. We strongly support the need for improved and continuing education of both women and men regarding the decline in female fertility with age.

Bean, Frank D., Susan K. Brown y James D. Bachmeier (2015), Parents without papers: The progress and pitfalls of Mexican-American integration, Nueva York, Russell Sage Foundation.

The Vice President of the American Name Society, Dr. Luisa Caiazzo, is issuing a call for papers for a specialissue of NAMES on the selection and meaning of toponyms in works of fiction.

Introduction Still a controversial issue, family history is known as a risk factor for the development of Cerebrovascular Diseases (CVD). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between parental history and risk of CVD in their offspring in Iranian population. Methods Isfahan Cohort Study (ICS) included total 6504 healthy participants which were randomly selected through a two-stage cluster sampling method from three districts. The participants were followed prospectively for 10 years. The diagnosis of CVD were confirmed by expert panelist. Clinically validated history of CVD was established for definition of parental history of CVD. Types of history were categorized into paternal, maternal, both parents, and no history. Results The prevalence of CVD is generally higher among female offspring compared with male ones (P

This book represents a collection of 135 essays - essentially blogs - published on internet websites over the past 20 years by Joseph Chamie, former director of the United Nations Population Division and subsequently research director of the Center for Migration Studies and editor of I International Migration Review i , now retired The websites are YaleGlobal (https://yaleglobal yale edu, now lamentably defunct, but archived), Inter Press Service (http://www ipsnews net), PassBlue (https://www passblue com, specialized in covering the United Nations), and The Globalist (https://www theglobalist com) - all mainstream, upscale outlets [Extracted from the article] Copyright of Population & Development Review is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use This abstract may be abridged No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract (Copyright applies to all Abstracts )

Objectives: The objective of the present study was to investigate the risk of death from non-malignant diseases in female pulp and paper workers in Norway. Methods: A total of 3143 women first employed between 1920–93 were included in the study cohort. Information about each cohort member was obtained from personnel record files in the mills in order to identify employment periods and job categories. Data on cause and date of death were added by linkage to the Cause of Death Register using unique personal identification numbers. The follow up period was 1951–2000. Standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated using the national female mortality rates as reference. Poisson regression analysis was used to examine internal relations between the duration of employment in paper departments and the risk of death from selected causes. Relative risks (RRs) and 95% CIs were calculated. Results: The study showed a significantly increased risk for total non-malignant mortality (SMR = 1.14, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.24), mainly due to increased mortality from ischaemic heart disease (SMR = 1.22, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.43) and cerebrovascular diseases (SMR = 1.16, 95% CI 0.94 to 1.42). Analysis by department showed the highest risk of death in paper department workers with short term employment. Internal analyses showed a 5% and 9% increase in risk of dying from ischaemic heart disease and respiratory diseases, respectively, among paper department workers exposed to paper dust. The risk decreased with increasing duration of employment. Conclusion: The increased risk of ischaemic heart diseases and respiratory diseases seen among employees of paper departments may be related to exposure to paper dust.

Background: The ‘impact’ of a scientific paper is a measure of influence in its field. In recent years, traditional, citation-based measures of impact have been complemented by Altmetrics, which quantify outputs including social media footprint. As authors and research institutions seek to increase their visibility both within and beyond the academic community, it is important to identify and compare the determinants of traditional and alternative metrics. We explored this using Stroke – a leading journal in its field. Methods: We described the impact of original research papers published in Stroke (2015-2016) using citation count and Altmetric Attention Score (Altmetrics). Using these two metrics as our outcomes, we assessed univariable and multivariable associations with 21 plausibly relevant publication features. We set the significance threshold at p Results: Across 911 papers published in Stroke, there was an average citation count of 21.60 (±17.40) and Altmetric score of 17.99 (±47.37). The two impact measures were weakly correlated (r=0.15, p Conclusion: Papers published in Stroke have impact. Certain aspects of content and format may contribute to impact, but these differ for traditional measures and Altmetrics, and explain only a very modest proportion of variance in the latter. Citation counts and Altmetrics seem to represent different constructs and, therefore, should be used in conjunction to allow a more comprehensive assessment of publication impact.

Health and well-being have been historically uncommon areas of focus in studies of forced migration within the social sciences, where the focus has more often been focused broadly on identity, liminality, and social suffering. Urban refugees have also been largely excluded from the narrative. Yet, urban refugees represent the majority of the world’s refugees, which means we are effectively excluding the majority of the refugee experience from our research. Health is often a central marker of inequality and marginalization. Understanding the entanglement of forced migration to urban areas and health bears enormous potential for policy and practice. This paper will outline what we know, and set an agenda for the study of urban refugee health.

Background. Suicide is a global public health problem too often neglected by researchers and Bangladesh is not an exception. There is no suicide surveillance and nationwide study is yet to be conducted in the country.Objectives. This paper aimed to look into suicide based on newspaper reporting in Bangladesh focusing on the demographic variables and risk factors.Methods. 6 national newspapers were scrutinized from November 2016 to April 2017. Data were checked, cross-checked, and then analyzed with SPSS software.Results. In a duration of six months, a total of 271 cases were reported; age was found to be in the range of 11–70 years (26.67±13.47). 61% of the reported cases were below 30 years of age, 58% were female, 24% were students, 17% were house makers, 61% were from rural background, and 45% were married. Hanging was found to be the commonest method (82.29%); marital and familial discord remained a noticeable risk factor (34.32%). Family members and neighbors noticed 103 cases, and only 3 cases were found to have suicide notes.Conclusion. Suicide is an underattended public health problem in Bangladesh with few researches and paucity of literature. Establishment of national suicide surveillance is now a time demanded step.

The goals of this research were to: 1) utilize geographic and geostatistical methods available in geographic information systems (GIS) software to gain an in-depth understanding of the spatial distribution of ovarian cancer incidence rates, at national, state and county levels; and2) based on patterns identified from the first goal, conduct a preliminary assessment of the hypothesized association between ovarian cancer occurrence and pulp and paper manufacturing. We used the following approaches: 1) exploratory spatial data analysis of 2008-2012 ovarian cancer incidence at the county level – choropleth mapping, trend surface analysis, spatial autocorrelation and hot spot analysis;2) exploratory spatial data analysis of pulp and paper production sites, using EPA's Toxic Release Inventory data from 1988-2012;3) geographically weighted regression analysis to examine the relationship between ovarian cancer incidence and toxic emissions to air and surface water; and4) preliminary fate and transport modeling of a case study area (Wisconsin) to examine river effluent and atmospheric dispersion of chemical by-products. Results indicate that there is a strong north-to-south trend (i.e. higher rates in the north) in ovarian cancer incidence at both state and county levels. This coincides with historically higher numbers of pulp and paper mills in northern states. Exceptions to this overall trend are statistically significant multi-county clusters of high rates in Georgia and Alabama, both of which have high levels of pulp and paper production. The hypothesis is weakly supported by geographically weighted regression, when migration patterns are taken into account. In conclusion, this research indicates that there is some support, at an ecological level, for the hypothesized association between ovarian cancer incidence rates and pulp and paper production. Citation Format: Carol L. Hanchette, PhD. OVARIAN CANCER AND PULP AND PAPER MANUFACTURING IN THE US: A GEOSPATIAL ANALYSIS [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 11th Biennial Ovarian Cancer Research Symposium; Sep 12-13, 2016; Seattle, WA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2017;23(11 Suppl):Abstract nr AP03.

The latitudinal herbivory-defense hypothesis (LHDH) predicts that plants near the equator will be more heavily defended against herbivores than are plants at higher latitudes. Although this idea is widely found in the literature, recent studies have called this biogeographic pattern into question. We sought to evaluate the LHDH in a high-latitude terrestrial ecosystem where fire and mammalian herbivores may contribute to selection for higher levels of defensive chemistry. To address this objective, we collected seeds of Alaska paper birch (Betula neoalaskana) from nine locations along two north-south transects between 55 degrees N and 62 degrees N latitudes in western, interior Canada. The birch seeds were planted in pots in a common garden in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. From the resulting seedlings, we determined levels of chemical defense by assessing the density of resin glands, which have been shown to be negatively correlated with browsing. To assess plant architectural traits such as height, mean individual leaf area, and root-to-shoot ratio, we harvested a subset of the birch seedlings. Further, we used these traits to examine growth-defense trade-offs. Contrary to the LHDH, we found a positive correlation between chemical defense and latitude. Investigating relationships with fire, we found a strong positive correlation between resin gland density and percentage of area annually burned (PAAB) around each collection location and also between PAAB and latitude. Additionally, birch seedlings originating from higher latitudes were shorter, smaller-leaved, and rootier than their lower-latitude counterparts. Growth-defense trade-offs were observed in negative correlations between resin gland density and height and leaf size. Seedlings with higher resin gland densities also allocated less biomass to shoots and more to roots. These results further call into question the LHDH and provide specific information about latitudinal trends in plant defense at high, northern latitudes where fire is a major ecosystem driver and mammals are the main herbivores of deciduous trees such as birches. We propose that these interconnected relationships are the key drivers of the positive correlation between defense and latitude in B. neoalaskana. Understanding patterns of boreal plant defense and growth is especially important because high latitude ecosystems are particularly susceptible to climate change. Key words: Alaska paper birch; Betula neoalaskana; biogeography; chemical defense; grotvth-defense trade-offs; inherent growth rate; latitude; latitudinal herbivory-defense hypothesis; papyr'feric acid; plant ar- chitecture; resin glands; root-to-shoot ratio.

Successful Polistes dominulus nests can be started by one or more nest founding queens (foundresses). Consequently, there is much interest in the specific benefits that induce cooperation among foundresses. Here, we experimentally demonstrate one major benefit of cooperation, namely that multiple foundresses increase colony productivity. This increase is close to the value predicted by subtracting the productivity of undisturbed single-foundress colonies from the productivity of undisturbed multiple-foundress colonies. However, we found no evidence that an associating foundress' contribution to colony growth is preserved if she disappears (assured fitness returns). Our correlational data suggest that cooperation provides survival benefits, multiple-foundress colonies are more likely to survive to produce offspring than are single-foundress colonies, and individual foundresses in multiple-foundress groups are less likely to disappear before worker emergence than foundresses nesting alone. Therefore, association provides substantial productivity and survival benefits for cooperating foundresses. Copyright 2003.

The authors studied a cohort of 30,157 male pulp and paper workers in British Columbia, Canada. Of these, 20,373 worked in kraft mills only, 5,249 in sulfite mills only, and 4,535 in both kraft and sulfite mills. All workers with at least 1 year of employment on January 1, 1950, or thereafter until December 31, 1992, were studied. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were used to compare the mortality rates of the cohort with those of the Canadian male population. Ninety percent confidence intervals (CIs) for the SMRs were obtained. Cancer risks significantly associated with work duration and time from first employment of 15 years or more were observed: 1) total cohort: pleura (SMR = 3.61, 90% CI 1.42-7.58); kidney (SMR = 1.69, 90% CI 1.13-2.43); brain (SMR = 1.51, 90% CI 1.03-2.16); 2) workers in kraft mills only: kidney (SMR = 1.92, 90% CI 1.04-3.26); 3) workers in sulfite mills only: Hodgkin's disease (SMR = 4.79, 90% CI 1.29-12.37); 4) workers ever employed in both kraft and sulfite mills: esophagus (SMR = 1.91, 90% CI 1.00-3.33). These malignancies have been associated with the following known or suspected carcinogens to which pulp and paper workers may have been exposed: asbestos (pleura), biocides (kidney), formaldehyde (kidney, brain, Hodgkin's disease), hypochlorite (esophagus). A nested case-control study with detailed exposure assessment is under way to help determine whether excess risks for specific cancers reflect exposure among subsets of workers.

AimsTo evaluate the relative efficiencies of five Internet-based digital and three paper-based scientific surveys and to estimate the costs for different-sized cohorts.MethodsInvitations to participate in a survey were distributed via e-mail to employees of two university hospitals (E1 and E2) and to members of a medical association (E3), as a link placed in a special text on the municipal homepage regularly read by the administrative employees of two cities (H1 and H2), and paper-based to workers at an automobile enterprise (P1) and college (P2) and senior (P3) students. The main parameters analyzed included the numbers of invited and actual participants, and the time and cost to complete the survey. Statistical analysis was descriptive, except for the Kruskal-Wallis-H-test, which was used to compare the three recruitment methods. Cost efficiencies were compared and extrapolated to different-sized cohorts.ResultsThe ratios of completely answered questionnaires to distributed questionnaires were between 81.5% (E1) and 97.4% (P2). Between 6.4% (P1) and 57.0% (P2) of the invited participants completely answered the questionnaires. The costs per completely answered questionnaire were $0.57-$1.41 (E1-3), $1.70 and $0.80 for H1 and H2, respectively, and $3.36-$4.21 (P1-3). Based on our results, electronic surveys with 10, 20, 30, or 42 questions would be estimated to be most cost (and time) efficient if more than 101.6-225.9 (128.2-391.7), 139.8-229.2 (93.8-193.6), 165.8-230.6 (68.7-115.7), or 188.2-231.5 (44.4-72.7) participants were required, respectively.ConclusionsThe study efficiency depended on the technical modalities of the survey methods and engagement of the participants. Depending on our study design, our results suggest that in similar projects that will certainly have more than two to three hundred required participants, the most efficient way of conducting a questionnaire-based survey is likely via the Internet with a digital questionnaire, specifically via a centralized e-mail.

Using the internet to administer questionnaires for data collection has triggered interest in the past decade of survey research (Israel 2009). In Canada, the general population with access to the internet has grown from 60 % in 2005 to 80 % (Statistics Canada 2011), with young adults following the same trend (Lenhart et al. 2010). However, this trend is not evident across population subgroups as only 54 % of households in the lowest income quartile have access to the internet (Statistics Canada 2011). It is thought that web questionnaire administration can help in countering low response rates and growing research costs, but we were concerned that it should not create socio-economic selection bias problems. Researchers have questioned the influence of invitations that promote access to web versions of questionnaires only, hereby defined as ‘‘Web-only’’ invitations (Kwak and Radler 2002). Indeed, ‘‘Mixed-mode’’ invitations, hereby defined as invitations promoting additional modes of response (paper copy, phone or face-to-face interviews, etc.), have had relative success in increasing response rates (Shih and Fan 2007; Zuidgeest et al. 2011; Van den Berg et al. 2011). With the internet use trends changing rapidly, few recent studies have examined whether response rate and socio-economic status are associated with invitation methods in a population of young adults. In this paper, we report results from a study in which we tested whether adding a paper version of a questionnaire to a mailed invitation (a Mixed-mode invitation) will leads to a sample with different modes of response (i.e. telephone, mail or web), rates of response and socio-demographic characteristics when compared with a Web-only mailed invitation. This study was undertaken within the purview of a larger study entitled the Interdisciplinary Study of Inequalities in Smoking (ISIS), whose goal is to better understand the effects of neighbourhood and individual characteristics in the inequitable socio-economic distribution of smoking across Montreal neighbourhoods.

Delayed recognition is a concept applied to articles that receive very few to no citations for a certain period of time following publication, before becoming actively cited. To determine whether such a time spent in relative obscurity had an effect on subsequent citation patterns, we selected articles that received no citations before the passage of ten full years since publication, investigated the subsequent yearly citations received over a period of 37 years and compared them with the citations received by a group of papers without such a latency period. Our study finds that papers with delayed recognition do not exhibit the typical early peak, then slow decline in citations, but that the vast majority enter decline immediately after their first – and often only – citation. Middling papers’ citations remain stable over their lifetime, whereas the more highly cited papers, some of which fall into the “sleeping beauty” subtype, show non-stop growth in citations received. Finally, papers published in different disciplines exhibit similar behavior and did not differ significantly.

Many animals have ornaments that mediate choice and competition in social and sexual contexts. Individuals with elaborate sexual ornaments typically have higher fitness than those with less elaborate ornaments, but less is known about whether socially selected ornaments are associated with fitness. Here, we test the relationship between fitness and facial patterns that are a socially selected signal of fighting ability in Polistes dominula wasps. We found wasps that signal higher fighting ability have larger nests, are more likely to survive harsh winters, and obtain higher dominance rank than wasps that signal lower fighting ability. In comparison, body weight was not associated with fitness. Larger wasps were dominant over smaller wasps, but showed no difference in nest size or survival. Overall, the positive relationship between wasp facial patterns and fitness indicates that receivers can obtain diverse information about a signaler's phenotypic quality by paying attention to socially selected ornaments. Therefore, there are surprisingly strong parallels between the information conveyed by socially and sexually selected signals. Similar fitness relationships in social and sexually selected signals may be one reason it can be difficult to distinguish the role of social versus sexual selection in ornament evolution.

Introduction Nurses with long durations of rotating night shifts appear to be at increased risk for coronary heart disease. But industrial shift work among women has not been well-studied. Methods Women employed more than one year from cohorts of soft paper mills (n=3354) and pulp and paper mills (n=2278) were evaluated in this study. Mill-specific job exposure matrices for shift work and noise exposure were developed at department and job levels. Every worked year was classified for shift work as probable, possible (including shift with no nights) or not likely. Similarly, noise was classified into seven 5 dBA bins 100 dBA. Here we present the cohort mortality from myocardial infarction for 1969–2013 as standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) compared to the general population in Sweden. Results Fatal myocardial infarctions (n=186) were increased in the cohort of women (SMR 123, 95% CI 106–142). Those classified as probable shift work (n=2399) had an SMR of 129 (98-166) and possible shift work (n=2060) had an SMR of 118 (93-146). Women with >10 years exposure to noise >90 dBA (n=602) had an SMR of 142 (103-192). SMRs declined with lower noise and shorter duration of noise, similar for both types of paper mills. Conclusions Shift working women in paper mills have an increased mortality from myocardial infarction, but the effect of shift work is difficult to separate from noise exposure. Probable shift work and shorter durations of noise exposure >85 dBA were still associated with elevated SMRs.

Objectives This study investigated whether previous findings of an increased risk of gliomas among workers in some pulp and paper mills could be confirmed for all Swedish pulp and paper mill workers and whether the increase could be attributed to certain occupational groups. Methods The study was based on the Swedish Cancer Environment Register, which links the incidence of cancer from 1971 to 1990 and the 1960 and 1970 census data on codes of occupation and industry for the whole population. Standardized incidence ratios (SIR) were used to estimate the risks for men in different occupations in pulp (N=28 142) and paper (N=39 169) mills in 1960, 1970 or both years as compared with those of all gainfully employed men in Sweden. Results Maintenance workers employed in pulp or paper mills in 1960, 1970 or both years, as well as pulp workers, showed an increased incidence of gliomas in 1971-1990 [SIR 1.5, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.1-2.1 and SIR 1.5, 95% CI 1.0-2.2, respectively], whereas the incidence among process workers in paper mills was lower than expected (SIR 0.6, 95% CI 0.3-0.9). Taken together, all employed men in the pulp mill industry had an increased incidence of gliomas (SIR 1.3, 95% CI 1.0-1.7). Conclusions Pulp mill workers, but not paper mill workers, were found to have more gliomas in 1971-1990 than expected. There was an increased risk of gliomas among maintenance workers in both pulp and paper mills. Few risk factors for brain tumors are recognized, and the causes of the increase are not obvious.

Objectives The study investigated cancer incidence among 23 718 male pulp and paper workers employed continuously for at least 1 year between 1920 and 1993 in Norway. Methods The name, date of birth, personal identification number, dates of hire and termination for all employment periods, specific department, and job categories were registered for each worker. Six subcohorts were established (sulfite mill, sulfate mill, paper mill, maintenance department, administrative staff and other departments). Data on the cohort were linked with data in the Norwegian Cancer Register. The follow-up period for cancer incidence, date of death, or emigration was from 1953 through 1993. Results An excess incidence of lung cancer was found among both short- and long-term employees [standardized incidence ratio (SIR) 1.5, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.13-2.03 and SIR 1.2, 95% CI 1.09-1.34, respectively], especially for workers with the longest latency (SIR 1.3, 95% CI 1.08-1.44) and for sulfite mill workers (SIR 1.5, 95% CI 1.09-1.99). The risk for pleural mesothelioma was also increased (SIR 2.4, 95% CI 1.45-3.75), especially among maintenance workers. The results also showed an increased risk for malignant melanoma (SIR 1.3, 95% CI 1.04-1.60), an unexpected finding. Conclusion Almost all the increased risk for lung cancer can be explained by a combination of smoking habits and asbestos use, although an effect of other work-related exposures (sulfur and chloride compounds, wood dust) cannot be excluded. Most of the cases of pleural mesothelioma occurred in departments where asbestos was used. There is no clear explanation for the excess of malignant melanoma, and the finding may be a chance occurrence.