Digital Commons Network^™

Assessing The Need And Opportunities For Improved Linkages Between Conditional Cash Transfers And Reproductive Health Programs In Latin America And The Caribbean, Ricardo Vernon, M. Estela Rivero-Fuentes

Reproductive Health

The objective of this project was to document the structure and functioning of conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs in Latin America and the Caribbean, to assess opportunities for improved linkages between CCTs and reproductive health programs, and to explore the role that operations research may have in the improvement of CCT programs. Activities were conducted in the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, and Peru. Operational problems identified by CCT programs included the targeting and selection of beneficiaries, monitoring compliance with conditions for receiving cash transfers, the systems used to provide the transfers, and management weaknesses. Recommendations are made …

Developing Comprehensive And Evidence-Based Policy And Guidelines For Antenatal And Postnatal Care In Kwazulu-Natal, Prudence Ditlopo, Mantshi Menziwa, Saiqa Mullick, Saumya Ramarao, Janet Dalton, Dolly Nyasulu, Mags Beksinska, Busi Kunene

Reproductive Health

In May 2004, the Maternal Child and Women’s Health department of Kwazulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa requested technical assistance from the Population Council’s USAID-funded FRONTIERS project for developing standardized and comprehensive antenatal and postnatal (ANC/PNC) care policies and guidelines and supportive training and educational materials. The aims and objectives of this project were to: support the development of a comprehensive evidence-based antenatal and postnatal care program in KZN; consolidate lessons learned and evidence around delivery of comprehensive ANC and PNC; revise provincial guidelines to enable comprehensive ANC and PNC services that address PMTCT, partner involvement, syphilis screening, focused visits, and antiretrovirals; …

Technical Assistance For Implementing Best Practices In The Asia And Near East Region, M.E. Khan, Sohini Roychowdhury, Mary Philip Sebastian, Sitanshu Sekhar Kar, Anurag Mishra, Vivek Sharma, G. Narayana, Bhawana Sharma, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab, Ahmed Afifi

Reproductive Health

The Population Council's Frontiers in Reproductive Health (FRONTIERS) program offered technical assistance to any Asia Near East (ANE) country mission interested in funding adaptation of USAID‟s “best practices” in family planning or reproductive health. The ANE Bureau provided funding for the costs of FRONTIERS technical assistance. The overall objective of this study was to replicate and scale up "best practices" based on findings from FRONTIERS. The specific objectives were to institutionalize the Systematic Screening Instrument in the entire state of Uttarakhand, India; to strenghten emergency contraceptive pills service provision in Uttarakhand, India; and to enhance the use of Lactational Amenorrhea …

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 …

Situation Analysis Of The Integration Of Family Planning Services In Postpartum, Postabortion And Prevention Of Mother To Child Transmission Programs In Nicaragua, Freddy Solis, Ana Del Carmen Rojas, Gadea Adilia, M. Estela Rivero-Fuentes, Ricardo Vernon

Reproductive Health

Between September 2005 and April 2007, FRONTIERS and Alva, a Nicaraguan consulting firm, conducted a situation analysis of the provision and use of contraceptive services in postpartum, postabortion and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) programs. The project‘s objective was to assess the degree to which contraceptive services were linked to postpartum, postabortion and PMTCT services and if this allowed the programs to meet the contraceptive needs of their clients. The project proposes recommendations for improving the quality of these programs.

Exploring Positive Women's Lives In Namakkal District, India, P. Kousalya, Deepika Ganju

Reproductive Health

This report describes an initiative that was undertaken to document the experiences of HIV-positive ever-married women in Namakkal district, Tamil Nadu, India. The initiative sought to explore the circumstances in which women learned about their HIV status; their feelings on finding out they were HIV-positive; the nature of husband–wife relationships prior to and following disclosure of women’s HIV status; the extent of support or discrimination that women experienced from family members, friends, and neighbors; treatment-seeking behaviors; and women’s perspectives about ways in which the multiple needs of HIV-infected women can be met. Drawing on the testimonies of these women gathered …

Empowering Communities To Make Pregnancy Safer: An Intervention In Rural Andhra Pradesh, Dipa Sinha

Reproductive Health

Recognizing that multiple factors are responsible for adverse pregnancy-related outcomes, a community-based intervention was implemented in Mominpet, in Andhra Pradesh, India in collaboration with the M.V. Foundation, a nongovernmental organization. The intervention focused on improving maternal health outcomes by raising awareness and building family and community support for pregnant women; involving pregnant women’s families, notably their husbands, in pregnancy-related care; and supporting pregnant women to access health services. This report describes the experience and outcomes of the intervention. In particular, it explores the extent to which the intervention was effective in increasing community support for safe motherhood on the one …

The Use Or Non-Use Of Calculators Affects On Student's Ability To Perform Basic Mathematics Problems, Christina Miles

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine if the use or non-use of calculators in eighth grade mathematics classes affects a student's ability to solve basic mathematics equations in the Teen living (family and Consumer Science) class when working with simplistic life skill problems.

Using Brain Compatible Assessment To Obtain Higher Test Scores As Compared To Multiple Choice Tests, Raena Weimer

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine whether high school students enrolled in Resource Management for Independent Living obtained higher test scores when evaluated using brain-compatible assessments.

Strengthening Health And Family Planning Services In Low Performing And Hard-To-Reach Areas Of Bangladesh: Workshop Report, Ubaidur Rob, Md. Noorunnabi Talukder

Reproductive Health

Although Bangladesh has established a comprehensive physical infrastructure to deliver health and family planning services with a network of primary health care facilities in rural areas, the impact of this health service network has been much less than expected because services do not reach all regions effectively. Two divisions, Sylhet and Chittagong, remain the most disadvantaged in terms of health and population outcomes and access to services, compounded by poor utilization of facilities in these areas. Moreover, the current health and population sector programs are beset with human resources and infrastructural problems. The Population Council organized a workshop to find …

The Incentive Effects Of ‘Minor League’ Tournaments: An Empirical Analysis Of The Pga Tour Qualifying Tournament And The Nationwide Tour, Adam Hanna

Undergraduate Economic Review

This paper uses two original data sets from the world of professional golf to test tournament theory’s basic prediction that increasing prize levels lead to increased effort among tournament participants. The realm of professional golf was chosen because the incentive structure (prizes) and player output levels (scores) are readily available. Specifically, this paper uses time series data to determine if the rising prize money on the PGA Tour influences competitors’ scores at the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, and it uses cross-sectional data to determine if prize levels influence Nationwide Tour competitors’ scores as they attempt to move to the PGA …

Adaptive Technology Catalog, Cisr

Global CWD Repository

By design, the purpose of this Adaptive Technology Catalog is to provide a resource for governments, survivor-assistance and other agencies to help victims of landmines and other explosive remnants of war (ERW) and other disabled workers get back to self-sufficiency and paid work.

Designing, developing and identifying simple and inexpensive tools and programs that assist with survivor work reintegration is a challenge with broad implications for the economic recovery of communities and nations as they emerge from conflict. The Adaptive Technology Catalog was created to offer information pertaining to both products that are readily available for use and those that …

Introducing Systematic Screening To Reduce Unmet Health Needs: A Manager's Manual, Ricardo Vernon, James R. Foreit, Emma Ottolenghi

Reproductive Health

This manual is designed to help program decision-makers, managers, supervisors, and providers introduce systematic screening in their health services. Systematic screening can improve women’s health by addressing multiple unmet needs for reproductive and other health services. This manual provides: activities necessary to implement systematic screening; how to select facilities, services to screen for, and who will screen; systematic screening checklist development, adaptation, and pretesting; advice for training screeners/providers and supervisors and an outline of a generic training agenda. The manual’s contents may be adapted to reflect local, national, or programmatic health priorities and resources as well as to promote the …

L’Introduction De L’Identification Systématique Pour Réduire Les Besoins Non Satisfaits En Santé : Manuel Du Manager, Ricardo Vernon, James R. Foreit, Emma Ottolenghi

Reproductive Health

Ce manuel est conçu pour aider les décideurs, les gestionnaires, les superviseurs et les prestataires de programmes à introduire le dépistage systématique dans leurs services de santé. Le dépistage systématique peut améliorer la santé des femmes en répondant à de multiples besoins non satisfaits en matière de services de santé reproductive et autres. Ce manuel fournit : les activités nécessaires à la mise en œuvre du dépistage systématique ; comment sélectionner les installations, les services à dépister et qui sera dépisté ; l'élaboration, l'adaptation et le prétest systématiques d'une liste de contrôle de dépistage ; des conseils pour les agents …

Adapting Focused Antenatal Care: Lessons From Three African Countries, Harriet Birungi

Reproductive Health

In 2001, the World Health Organization issued guidance on a new model of antenatal care (ANC) called goal-oriented or focused antenatal care (FANC), for implementation in developing countries. The new model reduces the number of required antenatal visits to four, and provides focused services shown to improve maternal outcomes. FANC emphasizes helping women maintain normal pregnancies by identifying existing health conditions, detecting emerging complications, promoting health, preparing for a healthy birth, and educating clients on postpartum care including nutrition, breastfeeding, and family planning. Trials conducted in Argentina, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand proved that FANC was safe and was a …

Financial Capacity Building For Ngo Sustainability, John H. Bratt, Rick Homan, Barbara Janowitz, James R. Foreit

Reproductive Health

While demand for family planning and reproductive health services is increasing worldwide, a number of recent trends threaten the financial sustainability of donor-supported NGOs that provide these services. First, the U.S. Agency for International Development has seen its funding for population assistance decline since 1995. A second reason is the growth of government-funded programs that provide these services for low-income clients, which reduced the need for NGOs to focus programs entirely on the poor. Health-sector reform has created opportunities for NGOs via public–private partnerships in some countries, but sustained public-sector support is unlikely given limited economic growth in domestic economies …

Heavy Metal Content In Soils Under Different Wastewater Irrigation Patterns In Chihuahua, Mexico, V. M. Maldonado, H. Q. Rubio-Arias, R. Quintana, R. A. Saucedo, Melida Gutierrez, J. A. Ortega, G. V. Nevarez

College of Natural and Applied Sciences

An area near the city of Chihuahua has been traditionally irrigated with wastewater to grow forage crops. It has been hypothesized that metal levels could be found in these soils high enough to cause potential health problems to the population. The objective of this study was to determine heavy metal concentrations in different soils due to irrigation practices. Four soil types were evaluated; a soil with a past and present history of wastewater irrigation (S1), a soil with a history of wastewater irrigation until 2003 (S2), a soil with no irrigation history (S3), and a soil similar to S1 and …

Stages Of Progression In Drug Abuse Involvement Across Generations In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Medhat M. Bassiony

Neurosciences

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the stages of progression in drug involvement among adolescents and adults in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: One hundred and one consecutive male patients (91 adults and 10 adolescents), with substance abuse or dependence according to DSM-IV criteria, admitted to Al-Amal Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, during July and August 2002 for treatment, were included in the study. All participants answered a questionnaire, which included questions pertaining to the ages and stages of progression in drug abuse. RESULTS: Adolescents started using tobacco and drugs at a younger age than adults. The difference is statistically significant for drugs (14.6 +/- …

Dermatological Manifestations Of Epilepsy Among Adult Sudanese Epileptic Patients, Abbashar H. Mohmad, Amar E. Mohmad, Faroug Y. Omer, Amira S. Abdulgalil, Esam M. Ahmad, Mohmad M. Aldar

Neurosciences

OBJECTIVE: To study the pattern of dermatological changes associated with epilepsy among adult Sudanese epileptic patients. METHODS: This non-interventional descriptive study included 360 adult Sudanese epileptic patients and was conducted at the El Shaab Teaching Hospital, Khartoum, Sudan, from February 2004 to August 2007. All patients had full detailed history and clinical examination. A dermatologist assessed the dermatological changes. Investigations carried out included EEG, CT brain, and serial of drug serum levels. RESULTS: Out of 360 patients, 31 were found to have scars due to repeated attacks of convulsions, one patient was found to have neurofibromatoma, one had tuberous-sclerosis, one …

Lethal Systemic Degos Disease With Prominent Cardio-Pulmonary Involvement, Ali Y. Notash, Hamed Mazoochy, Mostafa Mirshams, Azita Nikoo

Saudi Medical Journal

Degos disease DD is a rare obstructive vasculopathy characterized by distinctive skin lesions. Involvement of the soles, palms and genitalia is rare. In most cases, disease has an unfavorable course and involves gastrointestinal tract, central nervous system and occasionally other organs. Pleural and pericardial involvements are usually minor manifestations with prolonged course. Death occurs in approximately 50% of the patients usually due to intestinal perforation or central nervous system bleeding. We describe a 48-year-old man of lethal systemic DD. Widespread skin lesions with involvement of palmoplantar surfaces, genitalia and scalp were ignored for 3 years, whereas the disease revealed own …

Merosin-Deficient Congenital Muscular Dystrophy In An Omani Boy, Amna Al-Futaisi, Almundher Almawali, Raghad Abdwani, Vasudev T. Rao, Hashim Javad, Roshan Koul

Neurosciences

Merosin-deficient congenital muscular dystrophy is an autosomal recessive disease that can manifest differently in different ethnic groups. This often presents as a floppy infant, and normal mental development. The creatine kinase is usually elevated with white matter abnormalities on brain imaging. In this report, we describe an infant with Merosin-deficient congenital muscular dystrophy who presented with delayed motor milestones and hypotonia. The clinical features, biopsy findings, and neuroimaging abnormalities in our patient are described.

Free Radical Injury For In Vivo Induction Of Platelet Aggregation. A Model In Microcirculatory Studies Of The Brain, Farouk M. El-Sabban

Neurosciences

No abstract provided.

Expression Of The Human Epo Gene In Banana (Musa Acuminata) / Geradline Joanne Fernando, Fernando Geradline Joanne

Student Works (2000-2009)

Erythropoietin (EPO) is a glycoprotein hormone which plays a vital role in the regulation of the formation of red blood cells in mammals. Inadequate production of EPO was found to be one of the major causes of anaemia. Anaemia is also a frequent complication to many other diseases such as AIDS, chronic renal failure, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. In the mid-1980s, anaemia was treated with blood transfusion which however brought about many other problems. The advent of recombinant DNA technology proved to be a useful method for the mass production of recombinant EPO. However, finding a stable biofactory for the production …

The Development, Predation, And Reproduction Of Phytoseiulus Persimilis Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae) From Hatay Fed Tetranychus Cinnabarinus Boisduval (Acari: Tetranychidae) Larvae And Protonymphs At Different Temperatures, Cengi̇z Kazak

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Developmental time, predation, and reproduction of Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot from Hatay on a diet of Tetranychus cinnabarinus Boisduval larvae and protonymphs at temperatures of 20, 25, and 30 °C (75% ± 10% RH and a 14:10-h L:D (light:dark) cycle) were studied. P. persimilis females feeding on T. cinnabarinus larvae completed development in 8.12, 5.79, and 3.88 days at 20, 25, and 30 °C, respectively, during which time the females consumed on average 16.10, 16.09, and 17.18 T. cinnabarinus larvae, respectively. Alternatively, P. persimilis females completed development at the same 3 temperatures in 8.16, 5.73, and 4.27 days, respectively, on a …

No.57 An Emergency Order Suspending Provisions Of Certain Laws And Rules In Order To Provide Relief To Evacuees Of Hurricane Gustav, Phil Bredesen

Executive Orders

No abstract provided.

Flow-Acting: Modern Sports Science And The Preparation Of Actors, Barrett Slade Billew

Theses and Dissertations

Theatre artists and acting teachers throughout history have sought to find and create presence. By combining modern sports science with an understanding of systems of actor training I have suggested an approach that makes presence a trainable skill. My coach Dr. Scott Sonnon, developer of the Circular Strength Training System, has refined modern sports science to emphasize the development and maintenance of flow-state. This state allows the athlete to respond openly and freely within a constantly changing situation.By combining my life long study of acting with my eight years of work with Coach Sonnon I am developing a system to …

Esthetic Posterior Stainless Steel Crowns And Their Relative Shear Strengths, Lonny Dale Carmichael

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate esthetic posterior stainless steel crowns (EP-SSC) and compare their relative shear strengths.Methods: Sixty EP-SSC were compared. 15 crowns from NuSmile® Primary Crowns, Kinder Krowns, and Dental Innovators 1UP and EC Crowns were studied. The crowns were cemented to a typodont tooth then thermally cycled in water baths to simulate oral conditions. Shear strengths were evaluated by subjecting these crowns to simulated forces of occlusion.Results: The force required to cause shearing of the esthetic facings was statistically significant. With the 1UP crown being significantly weaker than the other crowns tested. Conclusion: The …

Embedding Indigenous Content Into Qualitative Research In Psychology In Reflective Case Studies: A Case For Social Change, Andrew Guilfoyle

EDU-COM International Conference

Australian universities recognise cultural competency as an essential attribute for graduates. Within this context, The Australian Psychology Accreditation Committee (APAC) has enforced requirements for students within psychology programmes to have access to Indigenous content. Though Indigenous participation rates are low, the inclusion of Indigenous content or what is often labeled ‗Indigenous psychology‘ acts at least as a symbolic gesture and important step forward in reconciling the massively disadvantaged position of Indigenous Australians. However there is little to date in that way of guides to help develop appropriate teaching methods to include such content more substantially in programmes. This paper reflects …

Traditional Pedagogical Tools: Examining Peer Feedback In The Basic Communication Course, Julie Semlak

Basic Communication Course Annual

Peer feedback is used in many basic communication courses, yet little is known about the pedagogical value of the written peer feedback provided for speakers, or the process of providing peer feedback. Using social learning theory as a theoretical foundation, this study explores the use of peer feedback in the basic communication course.

Findings indicate the content of peer feedback is less useful than instructor feedback for preparing future speeches. However, this study also reveals the process of providing peer feedback provides a model for vicarious learning, allowing basic course students to critically analyze a speech presented by a peer. …

Employers' Concerns Regarding Research Participation, Alicia M. Johnson, Ann Marie Dale, Jaime Strickland, Pat Venditti, Bradley A. Evanoff

Occupational and Health Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.