Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluation Of Pre And Post Treatment Filtration Performance Of Kinetico Macrolite® Ceramic Media Compared To Traditional Sand/Anthracite And Gac Filters In Drinking Water Treatment Process, Jeff Cochran

All ETDs from UAB

This study was conducted in conjunction with the Birmingham Water Works Board to evaluate Kinetico ceramic filter media against GAC (Granular Activated Carbon) and Sand/Anthracite filters. The Birmingham Water Works Board Water Treatment Pilot Plant was located and operated on the Shades Mountain Filter Plant (SMFP) premises. The evaluation was conducted in three phases: plant matching, plant optimization, and pre-filter testing. The initial phase called for determining the best combination of Kinetico Macrolite Ceramic media to match or outperform the existing Sand/Anthracite dual media filters located at SMFP. At the end of the testing it was determined that 18 inches …

Patterns Of Migration/Mobility And Hiv Risk Among Female Sex Workers: Tamil Nadu 2007-08, Niranjan Saggurti, Ravi K. Verma, Suvakanta N. Swain, Hanimi Reddy Modugu, Ajay Kumar Singh, Saumya Ramarao, Anrudh K. Jain

HIV and AIDS

In past years, considerable research has been undertaken on the role of female sex workers (FSWs) in the transmission of HIV infection. FSWs have been seen as a major “source” of infection, and consequently, have been extensively targeted to prevent its spread. There is, however, a gap in our understanding of the dynamics of sex work, sex workers' patterns of mobility, and the relationship of such mobility with risk of HIV infection and gender-based violence. The Population Council collaborated with its local partner, TNS, to carry out a study in Tamil Nadu to examine the patterns of mobility of FSWs …

Highlighting Marital Hiv Risk And Promoting Premarital Vct In Nyanza Province, Kenya, Ben Ochieng, Annabel Erulkar

Reproductive Health

This report describes a project undertaken in Kenya by the Population Council, in collaboration with PATH and Kendu Adventist Hospital, whose objectives were: 1) to design and implement educational strategies to raise awareness of the risks of HIV and early marriage; 2) to promote voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) for couples; and 3) to support and empower newly married girls through community-based clubs. The report notes that the strong technical support and leadership provided by the partners led to successful implementation of most project activities. The partnership enabled scarce resources to be shared, and has ensured that the comparative advantages …

Sharing Experiences With Comprehensive Responses To Adolescent Reproductive Health Needs In Africa, Nafissatou J. Diop, Anta Fall Diagne

Reproductive Health

In 1999, the Population Council’s USAID-funded Frontiers in Reproductive Health (FRONTIERS) project, began a three-year collaboration in Senegal on an adolescent reproductive health (ARH) pilot project that showed that a multisectoral, multidisciplinary approach can increase knowledge, enhance attitudes, and foster positive behaviors for reproductive health. Following requests from several neighboring countries, and given the long collaboration with WHO, FRONTIERS initiated efforts in 2007 to enable utilization of these findings in other African countries. The purpose of this report is to promote the utilization of multisectoral approaches for improving ARH programming by governments, donors, and national and international agencies in francophone …

Youth In India: Situation And Needs 2006-2007, Maharashtra, International Institute For Population Sciences (Iips)

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Youth in India: Situation and Needs Study (Youth Study) is the first-ever subnationally representative study conducted to identify key transitions experienced by married and unmarried youth in India. While today’s youth are healthier, more urbanized, and better educated than earlier generations, social and economic vulnerabilities persist. In the course of the transition to adulthood, young people face significant risks related to sexual and reproductive health, and many lack the knowledge and power to make informed sexual and reproductive choices. Several national policies and programs formulated since 2000 have underscored a commitment to addressing the multiple needs of this group …

Empowering Married Young Women And Improving Their Sexual And Reproductive Health: Effects Of The First-Time Parents Project, K.G. Santhya, Nicole Haberland, Arup Das, F. Ram, R.K. Sinha, Usha Ram, S.K. Mohanty

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Population Council, in partnership with Child In Need Institute in Kolkata, Deepak Charitable Trust in Vadodara, and International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, initiated the First-time Parents Project in India to develop and test an integrated package of health and social interventions to improve married young women’s reproductive and sexual health knowledge and practices, enhance their ability to act in their own interest, and expand their social support networks. The project was formulated on the hypothesis that the periods immediately following marriage and surrounding the first pregnancy and birth offer a unique and powerful entry point for improving the …

Parents Matter: How Supportive Parenting Influences The Behaviours Of Youth, Maharashtra, International Institute For Population Sciences (Iips)

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In India, policies and programs have increasingly recognized the need to actively engage parents in enabling adolescents to make safe and healthy transitions to adulthood. The design of appropriate strategies to engage parents is, however, hampered by the paucity of evidence available. Little is known about the socialization of daughters and sons, the extent to which socialization practices differ for daughters and sons, and the extent to and ways in which parents communicate sensitive matters to their adolescent children. Similarly, research is limited that sheds light on the role of socialization patterns and parental interaction in influencing young people’s schooling …

Sensitization Of Ovarian Cancer Cells To Cisplatin By Genistein: The Role Of Nf-Kappab, Leigh A. Solomon, Shadan Ali, Sanjeev Banerjee, Adnan R. Munkarah, Robert T. Morris, Fazlul H. Sarkar

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Platinum-resistance (PR) continues to be a major problem in the management of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Response to various chemotherapeutic agents is poor in patients deemed PR. Genistein, a soy isoflavone has been shown to enhance the effect of chemotherapy in prostate and pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo by reversing chemo-resistance phenotype. The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of combination therapy with genistein and cisplatin as well as other cytotoxic conventional chemotherapeutic agents in platinum-sensitive (PS) and resistant EOC cells.

Methods

The PS human ovarian cancer cell line A2780 and its …

Sexuality Education For Youth In Maharashtra: Yes Or No?, International Institute For Population Sciences (Iips)

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Serious reservations have been expressed in Maharashtra about the sexuality component of programs intended to build awareness of safe and healthy behaviors for school-going youth. This policy brief answers: Is there a need for sexuality education in school and out-of-school in Maharashtra? Are the concerns expressed supported by evidence? Evidence was obtained from the Youth in India: Situation and Needs study conducted in Maharashtra, which explored young people’s awareness of sexual and reproductive matters, sexual experiences of youth, parent–child communication on sexual and reproductive matters, and experience and acceptability of sexuality education programs. Parents were asked whether they had discussed …

Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program: 2007-2008 Annual Report, Southern Nevada Health District

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Reports

The goal of the Southern Nevada Health District Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP) is to eliminate lead poisoning as a significant health risk for children living in the state of Nevada. These efforts started in Clark County, where over 70 percent of the state’s population resides and will expand to Northern and rural Nevada by the end of the grant term.

Évaluation De La Coordination Des Muscles Dorso-Lombaires Chez Des Gens Présentant Une Lombalgie : Une Base De Données Revisitée, Christian Larivière, David Mcfadden, A. Bertrand Arsenault, Thierry Petitjean-Roget

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Problématique de santé et sécurité du travail et objectifs spécifiques : Le développement d’outils quantitatifs d’évaluation des déficiences ou des incapacités qui résultent de ces déficiences représente un des axes de recherche définis dans le champ réadaptation de l’IRSST. La littérature actuelle démontre que les gens présentant une lombalgie chronique ont une coordination musculaire altérée, ce qui représente un marqueur intéressant pour des fins d’évaluation lors d’un programme de réadaptation. C’est qu’une coordination musculaire qui revient à la normale pourrait indiquer que les structures lésées ont été réparées. Cependant, l’étude de la coordination musculaire n’est pas facile à quantifier chez …

Tms : L'Influence Des Représentations De La Maladie, De La Douleur Et De La Guérison Sur Le Processus De Réadaptation Au Travail, Raymond Baril, Marie-José Durand, Marie-France Coutu, Daniel Côté, Geneviève Cadieux, Annick Rouleau, Suzy Ngomo

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Click here for the English version of this report

Problématique de santé et sécurité du travail et objectifs spécifiques :

Les troubles musculo-squelettiques (TMS) affectent une grande proportion des travailleurs du Québec et engendrent des coûts humains, sociaux et financiers très importants. Ces troubles laissent des séquelles persistantes chez une proportion non négligeable de travailleurs. Afin d’effectuer un retour au travail sain et sécuritaire, ceux-ci doivent souvent avoir recours à un processus de réadaptation. Le processus de réactivation et de retour au travail n’est pas nécessairement linéaire. Les travailleurs passent plutôt par des phases caractérisées par une évolution physique, psychologique …

Evaluating The Healthy States Initiative Policy Forums, Jessica Harmon

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Since 2005, The Council of State Governments (CSG) has participated in a cooperative agreement funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) called the Healthy States Initiative. The initiative promotes public health by providing information resources to state legislators through publications and public health forums. CSG is interested in information about the impact of the public health forums on state legislators. More specifically, they would like to know if the forums have encouraged the participants to produce public health legislation, to support funding for public health projects, and to work closely with colleagues and various groups to improve …

The Female Condom In Ghana: Exploring The Current State Of Affairs And Gauging Potential For Enhanced Promotion, Reshma Naik, Martha Brady

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The female condom (FC) is the only safe and effective female-initiated method that provides simultaneous protection against unintended pregnancy as well as sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. An exploratory exercise was conducted by the Population Council to gain an understanding of the current and historical landscape of FC procurement, distribution, and programming in Ghana and to explore the viability of enhancing national FC promotion. The exercise revealed that a large-scale launch of the FC occurred in Ghana in 2000 and was largely successful in raising product awareness; however, uptake remained low. Momentum has waned since the initial launch and financial …

Young People's Participation In Civil Society And Political Life In Maharashtra, International Institute For Population Sciences (Iips)

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Youth participation in civil society and political life is increasingly recognized as an important development objective. The opportunities for participation that young people experience in their communities may influence their development and the types of transitions they make to adulthood. Moreover, behaviors and attitudes relating to community participation that individuals adopt as young people predict lifelong civic affiliations and perspectives. In India, the National Youth Policy 2003 has underscored the role of India’s youth in political decision-making, and has argued for greater representation of youth in appropriate bodies as well as more extensive youth participation in program design and implementation. …

Early Marriage And Sexual And Reproductive Health Risks: Experiences Of Young Women And Men In Andhra Pradesh And Madhya Pradesh, India, K.G. Santhya, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Saswata Ghosh

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Population Council undertook a large-scale study of married young women and men in two rural settings in India to assess their situation and vulnerability to HIV and other adverse sexual and reproductive health outcomes. Findings of the study clearly underscore the vulnerability of married youth to STI/HIV as a result of risky sexual experiences before, within, and after marriage. Furthermore, there is a need to sensitize healthcare providers to the special needs and vulnerability of married young people and orient them to the need for developing appropriate strategies to reach diverse groups of young people, including married young women …

Youth In India: Situation And Needs 2006-2007, Executive Summary, Maharashtra, International Institute For Population Sciences (Iips), Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This executive summary presents, in brief, findings on the situation of youth in Maharashtra, part of a subnational study undertaken by the International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, and the Population Council, New Delhi, as part of a project to collect information on key transitions experienced by youth in India. Transitions include those related to education, workforce participation, sexual activity, marriage, health and civic participation, the magnitude and patterns of young people’s sexual and reproductive practices before, within, and outside of marriage, as well as related knowledge, decision-making, and attitudes. The project was implemented in six states of India, namely, …

Validation Of Two Qualitative Occupational Expose Assessment Models For Particulates And Vapors, Leshan J. Elliott

All ETDs from UAB

o ensure industrial workers are not overexposed to hazardous chemicals, it is necessary to evaluate the magnitude of occupational exposures. Small and medium sized companies usually do not employ industrial hygienists or other professionals trained in occupational exposure evaluations. Thus, traditional quantitative air sampling methods are usually not feasible due to resource and budgetary limitations. Qualitative exposure assessment models have gained in popularity because they are simple, inexpensive, and less time consuming than quantitative methods. Models are available which predict exposure concentrations or categorize exposures as acceptable or unacceptable. Unfortunately, most models have not been validated or previous studies have …

Guía Operativa Para Programas De Educación Sexual Y Servicios De Salud Reproductiva Para Jóvenes, Ofelia Aguilar, Lorena Santos, Marisa Diaz Infante, Rocio Mejia, Ricardo Vernon, Antonieta Martin

Reproductive Health

El presente libro tiene como fin poner al alcance de personas y organizaciones interesadas en establecer políticas y programas de servicios y educación sexual para los jóvenes, una guía basada en el Programa Gente Joven que implementa la Fundación Mexicana para la Planeación Familiar, A.C. (MEXFAM). Consideramos que los componentes y las actividades de este programa pueden ser adaptados en otras latitudes y así enriquecer proyectos orientados al trabajo con jóvenes.

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The purpose of this book is to make available, to people and organizations interested in establishing policies and programs on sexual education and services for young people, a …

Evaluation Of The Long-Term Impact Of The Tostan Programme On The Abandonment Of Fgm/C And Early Marriage: Results From A Qualitative Study In Senegal, Nafissatou J. Diop, Amadou Moreau, Helene Benga

Reproductive Health

In 1998–99, a village empowerment program was implemented in the Thiès/Fatick and Kolda regions of Senegal by the nongovernmental organization Tostan, to mobilize communities to hold public declarations in support of abandoning harmful traditional practices, including female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and child marriage. The information presented in this report indicates that many did end the practices following a public declaration, however, the lack of follow-up in the field and the absence of support mechanisms pose a large obstacle. Nevertheless, the program achieved significant results: knowledge of life skills resulting in positive changes and a shift in the perception of FGM/C …

Analysis Of The Evolution Of The Practice Of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting In Burkina Faso, Nafissatou J. Diop, Zakari Congo, Aina Ouedraogo, Alphosine Sawadogo, Lydia Saloucou, Ida Tamini

Reproductive Health

This study was undertaken as a collaboration between the Population Council’s Frontiers in Reproductive Health program and the Comité National de Lutte contre la Pratique de l’Excision (CNLPE) within the Ministry of Social Action and National Solidarity in Burkina Faso. The creation of a favorable environment for the campaign against excision in Burkina Faso has facilitated various anti-cutting activities over the past two decades and enabled the achievement of gains, both in terms of awareness and behavior change. However some of the strategies need further readjustment: among the reasons why excision still continues in Burkina Faso is a certain view …

Technical Assistance To The Interagency Coordination Group Seeking To Reduce Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, Nafissatou J. Diop

Reproductive Health

This report documents technical assistance provided by FRONTIERS to the Interagency Coordination Group seeking to reduce female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in sub-Saharan Africa. In particular, staff assisted the group in networking, learning to talk to each other, setting up an operational way of functioning, and influencing key international policy and programmatic documents. Lessons learned through operations research on FGM/C were disseminated widely through the group’s activities and FRONTIERS technical assistance influenced several plans of action and implementation programs. The report notes that in addition to better networking for presenting a common regional vision during the development of policy and programmatic …

Creating The Conditions For Scaling Up The Integration Of Reproductive Health Services For Men In Health And Family Welfare Centers In Bangladesh, M.A. Mannan, Jafar Ahmad Hakim, Syeda Tazneen Waris, Ashraf Ali, Akm Nurul Hakim, Abdul Hannan, Sameena Chowdhury, Saria Tasnim, Saiful Islam, Aqm Rezaul Karim, Sharif M.I. Hossain, Ubaidur Rob, M.E. Khan

Reproductive Health

An operations research study, supported by the Population Council’s Frontiers in Reproductive Health (FRONTIERS) program, showed that reproductive health services for men could be feasibly and acceptably integrated within the Health and Family Welfare Centres in Bangladesh, which have been primarily women-centered health facilities. Given these findings, a follow-up study was implemented to create the conditions for scaling up the model through identifying and piloting the operational details to consider when taking the intervention to scale. The findings presented in this report suggest that this model of service delivery and training can be scaled up countrywide, preferably in stages. To …

Strengthening Emergency Contraception In Nepal, Mahendra Pd. Shrestha, Sharif M.I. Hossain, M.E. Khan

Reproductive Health

A national workshop on emergency contraception was organized in Nepal by the Family Health Division within the Ministry of Health in 2004, with technical assistance provided by the FRONTIERS program of the Population Council. Among many conclusions from the workshop, one recommendation was that emergency contraceptive pills (ECP) should be introduced through the government family planning program to assist in reducing unwanted pregnancies. Based on the Population Council’s past experiences with introducing and mainstreaming ECP services in Bangladesh and India, a phase-wise introduction of ECP in Nepal was recommended. The project findings suggest that Nepalese women continue to face an …

Comparing The Effectiveness And Costs Of Alternative Strategies For Improving Access To Information And Services For The Iud In Ghana, Ivy Osei, Gertrude Voetagbe, Moses Aikins, John Gyapong, Philomena Nyarko, Harriet Birungi, Gloria Quansah Asare, Henrietta Odoi-Agyarko, Olivia Aglah

Reproductive Health

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) was prompted to explore ways of increasing interest in the IUD through increasing awareness of this and other long-acting and permanent methods via interpersonal channels and by intensifying campaigns to dispel rumors about the method. The Health Research Unit of the GHS, EngenderHealth’s Quality Health Partners project, and the Population Council’s Frontiers in Reproductive Health (FRONTIERS) project collaborated with the GHS to test innovative approaches to increase awareness of the IUD and to improve access to the method. The study examined the general and method-specific knowledge of long-acting family planning methods among clients and providers, …

Situation Analysis Of The Integration Of Family Planning Services In Postpartum, Postabortion And Prevention Of Mother To Child Transmission Programs In Haiti, M. Estela Rivero-Fuentes, Ricardo Vernon, Michaelle Boulos, Louis-Marie Boulos

Reproductive Health

This report presents the results of a situation analysis of the provision and use of contraception in postpartum, postabortion, and Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services in Haiti. FRONTIERS provided the Centre d’Évaluation et de Recherche Appliqueé (Center for Evaluation and Applied Research or CERA) with technical assistance for the data collection, cleaning, and entry processes. The study found that there is a substantial unmet need for family planning services among postpartum women and many missed opportunities to provide these services during the pregnancy-extended postpartum period continuum. Most outpatient services have adequately implemented HIV counseling for pregnant women, …

Introduction Of Emergency Contraceptive Pills In The Public Health System Of Pakistan: A South-To-South Collaboration, M.E. Khan, Gul Rashida, Sharif M.I. Hossain, Ali M. Mir, Ubaidur Rob

Reproductive Health

This report describes a south-to-south collaboration to assist the Ministry of Health of Pakistan to introduce emergency contraception (EC) into its family planning program, supported by the Population Council’s USAID-funded Frontiers in Reproductive Health (FRONTIERS) program. The collaboration consisted of a three-day visit by senior managers from the Pakistani health authorities to Bangladesh to familiarize them with the EC program in that country, followed by a two-day consultative meeting in Islamabad to draw up concrete plans for introduction of the method into the Pakistan system. Participants at the consultation developed plans to introduce EC into both community-based distribution and clinical …

Improving Communication Between Parents And Adolescents On Reproductive Health And Hiv/Aids, Nafissatou J. Diop, Alioune Diagne

Reproductive Health

Cette recherche opérationnelle avait pour but d’évaluer la fonctionnalité et l’efficacité d’un modèle d’intervention destiné à prendre en charge les besoins d’informations des adolescent(e)s en matière de santé de la reproduction et cela à travers le renforcement et l’amélioration de la communication entre les parents et les enfants/adolescent(e)s. Les résultats ont montré la faisabilité de mettre en place un programme qui est spécifiquement destiné à améliorer le niveau et la qualité de la communication entre les parents/tuteurs et les adolescent(e)s sur les questions de SR/VIH/SIDA et cela malgré le caractère encore sensible de cette question dans le contexte socioculturel sénégalais. …

Enhancing Utilization Of The Findings From The Youth Reproductive Health Project In Senegal, Nafissatou J. Diop, Anta Fall Diagne

Reproductive Health

This operations research (OR) study focused on providing information appropriate to the cultural context of Senegalese adolescents on a variety of reproductive health issues including: knowledge of the human body; puberty; sexuality; gender roles; different cultural, familial, and peer values regarding sexual and reproductive behavior; contraception; responsible parenthood; STIs and AIDS; and sources of help and services. The study was undertaken in three urban communities in northern Senegal and had an overall positive result on young people's reproductive health knowledge, enhanced community understanding of youth reproductive health needs, and showed that a multisectoral approach is vital to supporting young people’s …

Sexual And Reproductive Health Needs Of Adolescents Perinatally Infected With Hiv In Uganda, Harriet Birungi, John Frank Mugisha, Juliana K. Nyombi, Francis Obare, Humphres Evelia, Hannington Nyinkavu

Reproductive Health

In Uganda, HIV/AIDS treatment, care and support programs are still organized around either adult or pediatric care and fail to adequately address the needs of adolescents, specifically perinatally-infected adolescents. This study, implemented jointly by the Population Council's Frontiers in Reproductive Health (FRONTIERS) program and the AIDS Support Organization (TASO), aimed to better understand the reproductive health and sexuality of this population group, and to identify anxieties or fears they have around entering social stages of adulthood. This study confirms that wide programmatic gaps exist in addressing the sexual and reproductive health needs of young people perinatally infected with HIV who …