scholarly journals Effects of complexity of handwashing instructions on handwashing procedure replication in low-income urban slums in Bangladesh: a randomized non-inferiority field trial

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 416-428
Author(s):  
Nuhu Amin ◽  
Dawn D. Sagerman ◽  
Fosiul A. Nizame ◽  
Kishor K. Das ◽  
Md Nuruzzaman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Simple Group ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Field Trial ◽  
Urban Slums ◽  
Instruction Sets ◽  
Mothers And Children ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Complex Instruction ◽  
Time Periods

Abstract Handwashing instructions vary in complexity, with some recommending multiple steps. To assess whether complex handwashing instructions changed handwashing procedure replication, we conducted a randomized non-inferiority trial in a low-income area, Dhaka. We randomly assigned mothers and children aged 5–10 years to one of three handwashing instruction sets: simple (N = 85 mothers/134 children), moderate (N = 75 mothers/148 children), or complex (84 mothers/147 children). Simple instructions had three steps: wet, lather, and rinse hands, and moderate included the simple instructions plus steps to scrub palms, backs of hands, and dry hands in the air. Complex instructions included moderate instructions plus steps to scrub between fingers, under nails, and lather for 20 s. After baseline, cue cards were used to promote handwashing instructions, and adherence after 2 weeks of interventions was evaluated. Compliance with handwashing procedure replication to all instructions in simple, moderate, and complex increased after the intervention among mothers and children. Compliance to all instructions in the simple group was higher in the simple group (100%) compared to all instructions in moderate (47%) and complex instruction groups (38%). Simple handwashing steps are easier to remember for long time periods compared to complex steps.

scholarly journals Evaluating the scope and intensity of the conflict trap

2017 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Håvard Hegre ◽  
Håvard Mokleiv Nygård ◽  
Ranveig Flaten Ræder
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Income Country ◽  
Low Income Country ◽  
Internal Armed Conflict ◽  
Long Time ◽  
History Of ◽  
Time Periods ◽  
The Impact

Several studies show that internal armed conflict breeds conflict by exacerbating conditions that increase the chances of war breaking out again. Empirically, this ‘conflict trap’ works through four pathways: conflicts increase the likelihood of continuation, recurrence, escalation, and diffusion of conflict. Past empirical studies have underestimated the scope and intensity of the conflict trap since they consider the impact of conflict only through one of these pathways and rarely across sufficiently long time periods. This article shows that simulation and forecasting techniques are useful and indeed necessary to quantify the total, aggregated effect of the conflict trap, over long time periods and across countries. We develop a country-year statistical model that allows estimating the probability of no conflict, minor conflict, and major conflict, and the probabilities of transition between these states. A set of variables denoting the immediate and more distant conflict history of the country are used as endogenous predictors in the simulated forecasts. Another set of variables shown to be robustly associated with armed conflict are treated as exogenous predictors. We show that the conflict trap is even more severe than earlier studies have indicated. For instance, if a large low-income country with no previous conflicts is simulated to have two to three years of conflict over the 2015–18 period, we find that it will have nine more years of conflict over the 2019–40 period than if peace holds up to 2018. Conversely, if a large low-income country that has had major conflict with more than 1,000 battle-related deaths in several of the past ten years succeeds in containing violence to minor conflict over the 2015–18 period, we find that it will experience five fewer years of conflict in the subsequent 20 years than if violence continues unabated.

Ecosan Can Provide Sustainable Sanitation in Emergency Situations with Benefits for the Millennium Development Goals

2006 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
E. v. Münch ◽  
G. Amy ◽  
J. F. Fesselet
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Millennium Development Goals ◽  
Net Present Value ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Value Analysis ◽  
Emergency Situations ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Sanitation Systems

This paper describes the potential of ecological sanitation (ecosan) to provide sustainable excreta disposal in emergency situations and in peri-urban areas or slums in developing countries. At the present time, pit latrines are the most common form of excreta disposal both for emergency situations and in low-income peri-urban areas or slums. Although not intended to be a long-term solution, pit latrines provided during emergencies are often used for a long time (more than six months to years). This practice is not sustainable if the area is prone to flooding or there are soil conditions that allow groundwater pollution in areas where groundwater is used for drinking water, to name but two of the main factors. We propose eight criteria for the applicability of ecosan based on analysis of three case studies representing different types of emergency situations. The two most important criteria are awareness and expertise in ecosan within the aid agencies, and availability of standardised, lightweight toilet units that are quick to assemble and easy to transport (e.g. container for faeces, and urine diversion squatting pan made of impact-resistant molded polypropylene). Such toilets could be moved to, or replicated in, other areas in need after the emergency (peri-urban areas or slums). This would provide benefits for Millennium Development Goals achievements (targets on hunger, child mortality, sanitation and slum dwellers) at lower cost than conventional sanitation systems. Costs for sanitation systems should be compared based on the entire system (toilet, transport, treatment, reuse in agriculture), using Net Present Value analysis for capital, and operating and maintenance costs.

scholarly journals Modeling and Simulation of Sky Survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (16) ◽  
pp. 7584
Author(s):  
Kun Hu ◽  
Hongfei Wang ◽  
Wenzhao Zhang ◽  
Yuohua Xu ◽  
Shengmao He
Keyword(s):  
Modeling And Simulation ◽  
Scheduling Algorithm ◽  
Space Station ◽  
Scientific Output ◽  
Mission Planning ◽  
Design Algorithm ◽  
Sky Survey ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Time Periods ◽  
Design Ideas

Sky surveys with wide and deep field are the key direction of international astronomy research for the next decades. It is worthwhile to study how to design a sky survey algorithm to obtain the maximum scientific output in a limited period of observation. In this paper, the modeling and simulation of a wide and deep sky survey mission are presented using a Staged Design Algorithm (SDA), which takes into account the inefficient time periods and difficult-to-observe sky areas. In order to ensure the effective completion of the long-time survey observation tasks in large sky areas, a two-stage scheduling algorithm is designed. Firstly, the inefficient time periods and difficult observation areas are scheduled, and then the overall observation is carried out. The prearranged schedule is arranged when inefficient time periods or difficult areas are encountered during the overall arrangement. The simulation results are verified on the basic data of the China Space Station Telescope (CSST), and the obtained simulation result is three years ahead of the target of the telescope design to complete the wide and deep sky survey of 15,000 deg2. The design ideas in this paper not only have good results for sky survey observation but also can be extended to similar satellite Earth observation mission planning.

Spatial and temporal variation in abundance, group size and behaviour of bottlenose dolphins in the Florida coastal Everglades

2017 ◽  
Vol 98 (5) ◽  
pp. 1097-1107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin E. Sarabia ◽  
Michael R. Heithaus ◽  
Jeremy J. Kiszka
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Variation ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
Ecosystem Restoration ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽  
Coastal Oceans ◽  
Inland Bays ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Time Periods ◽  
Ecological Importance

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are abundant in many coastal ecosystems, including the coastal Everglades. Understanding spatial and temporal variation in their abundance and group sizes is important for estimating their potential ecological importance and predicting how environmental changes (e.g. ecosystem restoration) might impact their populations. From August 2010 to June 2012, we completed a total of 67 belt transects covering a total of 2650 linear km and an area of 1232 km2. Dolphin densities varied spatially and temporally. The highest densities of dolphins were found in coastal oceans and inland bays and were lowest in rivers. Use of rivers, however, increased during the dry season while densities in other habitats remained similar across seasons. Dolphins appeared to prefer portions of bays close to mangrove-covered islands over open waters. A resighting rate of 63.6% of individuals across the 2-year study suggests that at least a portion of the population is probably resident within study regions over long time periods. The largest groups (mean 6.28, range 1–31) were found in open waters and bays despite apparently low predation pressure. Indeed, shark bite scars – likely the result of unsuccessful predation attempts – were conclusively observed on only 1% of individuals. Although further studies are warranted, the high densities of dolphins suggest that they are an important upper trophic level predator in the coastal Everglades, but their ecological importance probably varies in space and time.

scholarly journals Are stock returns an inflation hedge for the UK? Evidence from a wavelet analysis using over three centuries of data

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aviral Kumar Tiwari ◽  
Juncal Cunado ◽  
Rangan Gupta ◽  
Mark E. Wohar
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Wavelet Analysis ◽  
Stock Returns ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Inflation Rates ◽  
The Us ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Time Periods ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract This paper analyzes the relationship between stock returns and the inflation rates for the UK over a long time period (February 1790–February 2017) and at different frequencies, by employing a wavelet analysis. We also compare the results for the UK economy with those for the US and two developing countries (India and South Africa). Overall, our results tend to suggest that, while the relationship between stock returns and inflation rates varies across frequencies and time periods, there is no evidence of stock returns acting as an inflation hedge, irrespective of whether we look at the two developed or the two developing markets in our sample.

Introduction

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Rachel Kahn Best
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Social Movements ◽  
Interest Groups ◽  
Agenda Setting ◽  
Social Problems ◽  
Contentious Politics ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Time Periods ◽  
Time Changes ◽  
Or Organization

For more than a century, disease campaigns have been the causes Americans ask their neighbors to donate to and the issues that inspire them to march and volunteer. Studies of social movements, interest groups, agenda setting, and social problems tend to focus on contentious politics and study one movement or organization at a time. But these approaches cannot reveal why disease campaigns are the battles Americans can agree to fight, why some diseases attract more attention than others, and how fighting one disease at a time changes charity and public policy. Understanding the causes and effects of disease campaigns, requires studying consensus politics and collecting data on fields of organizations over long time periods.

Description of My Model

2019 ◽  
pp. 56-59
Author(s):  
Andrew Smithers
Keyword(s):  
Capital Stock ◽  
Full Employment ◽  
Quality Improvements ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Us ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Civilian Employment ◽  
Time Periods ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Employment Quality

The volume of the capital stock is defined as the original cost at constant prices of all tangible capital that has not been scrapped. Due to the poor data available for the UK my calculations and testing have had to be limited to the US. The volume of labour is defined as civilian employment. Quality improvements for both labour and capital are defined as being part of TFP. TFP is under conditions of full employment and must therefore be measured over long time periods. All growth comes from TFP, changes in labour and NTVs. The change in the volume of capital less the change in the volume of labour equals the change in NTVs and the balance is that from changes in technology (TFP). NTV is exogenous in aggregate. The value of the capital stock, but not its volume, is mean-reverting.

scholarly journals Effects of Freeway Rerouting and Boulevard Replacement on Air Pollution Exposure and Neighborhood Attributes

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (21) ◽  
pp. 4072
Author(s):  
Regan F. Patterson ◽  
Robert A. Harley
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Property Values ◽  
Black Population ◽  
Neighborhood Change ◽  
Street Level ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Pollution Exposure

Freeway rerouting and replacement with a street-level boulevard are urban transportation policies, that may help redress disproportionate air pollution burdens resulting from freeway construction that took place during the mid-20th century. However, environmental justice activism for freeway rerouting and urban green space creation may have the unintended consequence of environmental gentrification. In this paper, we investigate the effects of freeway routing decisions on exposure to traffic-related air pollution and neighborhood socioeconomic and demographic change. We focus on the effects of rerouting the Cypress Freeway in West Oakland, along with the construction of a street-level boulevard (Mandela Parkway), on the original freeway alignment. The impacts of two rebuild scenarios, freeway rebuild-in-place and reroute, on near-roadway NOx and BC concentrations are compared. We also assess changes in demographics and land use in West Oakland, between the time when the Cypress Freeway was damaged by a major earthquake and after completion of Mandela Parkway. Our research indicates that freeway rerouting reduced annual average concentrations of both NOx (−38% ± 4%) and BC (−25% ± 2%) along the Mandela Parkway alignment. However, there is evidence of environmentally driven neighborhood change, given that there are larger decreases in the long-time Black population (−28%) and increases in property values (184%) along Mandela Parkway, compared to West Oakland as a whole. There are some attributes along the Mandela Parkway that enable low-income residents to live in proximity to the street-level boulevard, such as affordable housing.

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