Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Function-­Preserving Filters For Sampling In Biological Networks, Kathryn Dempsey Cooper, Sanjukta Bhowmick, Hesham Ali

Interdisciplinary Informatics Faculty Publications

Assays created to study systems of disease and aging can offer a whole new set of therapeutic targets. However, with experiments of this immense volume, data becomes unmanageable for many traditional analyses. Enter the biological network, a tool for modeling relationships among high-throughput data that is quickly rising in popularity. Small networks (in the order of hundreds to few thousands of nodes) use relationships between network structure to infer biological function; this relationship has been confirmed and used in many studies to advance the study of model organisms. Networks built for assessing entire genomes, or entire protein repertoires, however, tend …

Team Science: Research 2012, University Office For Research, South Dakota State University

State of Discovery South Dakota State University's Research Magazine

CONTENTS:

Wheat [Page] 2
Nutrition [Page] 4
Health Sciences [Page] 5
Mathematics and Statistics [Page] 6
Biofuels [Page] 8
Photovoltaics [Page] 10
Mountain Lions [Page] 12
GISc Center of Excellence [Page] 14
By the Numbers [Page] 16

The Relationship Of Social Stress, Economic Hardship, And Psychological Distress To Addiction Severity Among Kentucky Substance Abuse Treatment Participants, Elizabeth A. Wahler

Theses and Dissertations--Social Work

Stress is associated with poor mental health, specifically anxiety and depression, and stress and mental health problems are predictors of substance dependence and relapse. Social characteristics, such as racial/ethnic minority status, female gender, and low socioeconomic status, are often associated with increased psychological distress and substance use disorders. Pearlin’s social stress theory postulates that this association is due to increased exposure to stress and subsequent experiences of distress related to social disadvantage and decreased access to resources for coping with stress. This project uses a social stress theoretical perspective to examine predictors of substance use after treatment entry and follow-up …

Cross-Cultural Comparison Of Perceptions About School Feeding Programs From Ghanaian And U.S. Adults, Yolanda L. Jackson

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Because of an increase in food insecurity over the past decade, the U.S. and many developing countries are focusing efforts on issues relating to child hunger. School feeding programs have been in existence for roughly 220 years but modifications have been made over the years to improve the quality of food they serve. Little research has been conducted about adult perceptions of school feeding programs and the impact it has on the community in the U.S. as well as developing countries such as Ghana, West Africa. Because of the gap in literature on school feeding programs and adult perceptions about …

Treating Detained Juveniles: Measuring Mental Health Traits And Gender Differences, Todd L. Grande, Janelle M. Hallman, Lee A. Underwood, Kellie M. Warren, Mark Rehfuss

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

An understanding of gender-specific differences between detained male and female youth and how these differences relate to mental health is fundamental to understanding, assessing, and treating this population. This study examined the prevalence of mental health symptoms among a sample of 4,015 incarcerated juveniles who were assessed at intake using the BASC-2, MAYSI-2, and Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children. Significant differences were found between males and females on many of the instruments’ clinical scales, the effect size, however, was small. The prevalence of mental health symptoms varied greatly based on the instrument used (12% and 70% for males; 18% and …

Health Effects Associated With Foreclosure: A Secondary Analysis Of Hospital Discharge Data, Nancy N. Menzel, Sheniz Moonie, Melva Thompson-Robinson

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the health effects of high home foreclosure rates in an area of the United States of America and the utility of hospital discharge data for this purpose.

Methods: We analyzed hospital discharge data from three postal zip codes using the principal diagnosis for 25 Diagnostic Related Groups associated with stress. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize hospital discharge rates for each condition by year and zip code. To test for differences across time, the Cochran-Armitage trend test was performed.

Results: Most conditions did not demonstrate a statistical change between 2005 and …

Mild Cognitive Impairment: Statistical Models Of Transition Using Longitudinal Clinical Data, Erin L. Abner, Richard J. Kryscio, Gregory E. Cooper, David W. Fardo, Gregory A. Jicha, Marta S. Mendiondo, Peter T. Nelson, Charles D. Smith, Linda J. Van Eldik, Lijie Wan, Frederick A. Schmitt

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) refers to the clinical state between normal cognition and probable Alzheimer's disease (AD), but persons diagnosed with MCI may progress to non-AD forms of dementia, remain MCI until death, or recover to normal cognition. Risk factors for these various clinical changes, which we term "transitions," may provide targets for therapeutic interventions. Therefore, it is useful to develop new approaches to assess risk factors for these transitions. Markov models have been used to investigate the transient nature of MCI represented by amnestic single-domain and mixed MCI states, where mixed MCI comprised all other MCI subtypes based on …

Injectable Contraceptives: Perspectives And Experiences Of Women And Health Care Providers In India, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, A.J. Francis Zavier

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This report is the result of a study that aimed to shed light on the feasibility and acceptability of making injectable contraceptives more widely available to women in India. The study focused on injectable contraceptive users, new method adopters, and healthcare providers drawn from the facilities of a range of reproductive health. Healthcare providers were, for the most part, in favor of offering injectable contraceptives, however, they argued strongly for certain prerequisites, such as comprehensive and sensitive counseling and effective follow-up. Findings further suggest that there is a demand for injectable contraceptives among women, and that both women and healthcare …

Increasing Opportunities To Delay Marriage And Promote Schooling: Results From A Baseline Survey In Rural Tanzania, Eunice N. Muthengi, Annabel Erulkar

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This research brief describes girls' experience of early marriage, education, and sexual behavior in the Tabora region of Tanzania. Research shows that a considerable proportion of girls married early, have only limited discussions on health issues with their spouses, experience intimate partner violence, and have high unmet need for family planning. Tabora Development Foundation Trust, in partnership with the Population Council, is implementing strategies—including community awareness, support to get girls back into school and keep them there, and conditional transfers—to increase marriage age in the rural Tabora region. The goal is to identify effective, sustainable, and cost-effective approaches to increase …

Female Disadvantage In The Egyptian Labor Market: A Youth Perspective, Maia Sieverding

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In this brief, three aspects of female youth’s disadvantage in the labor market are analyzed: low labor force participation, high unemployment, and concentration in the public sector. These issues are closely interrelated and can be addressed through a set of policies that promote family-friendly employment conditions and the formalization of the private sector. The establishment of job search services for female youth is also critical to addressing the gender gap in unemployment.

The Impact Of Water Supply And Sanitation On Child Health: Evidence From Egypt, Rania Roushdy, Maia Sieverding, Hanan Radwan

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative data, this working paper investigates whether access to improved sources of water and sanitation is an effective “treatment” for the incidence of diarrhea among children under five years of age in Egypt. Both components of the study indicate that widespread access to improved sources of drinking water and toilet facilities exists across Egypt; however, service quality remains a significant problem in many areas. In particular, cuts in water supply—and the resulting practice of storing water—are quite common; a sizable percentage of flush toilet facilities are not connected to the public sewer system; and …

Violence Against Adolescent Girls: A Fundamental Challenge To Meaningful Equality, Judith Bruce

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Societies, rich and poor alike, are increasingly articulating commitments that guarantee girls safe and equal access to entitlements, services, social participation, and economic opportunities. yet threats of violence in many forms intervene to prevent girls from claiming their rights. Many countries stipulate equality between males and females in their constitutions. Theoretically, safe access to resources and facilities is equally afforded to girls and boys, however a far higher proportion of boys and a smaller subset of usually more privileged girls may actually claim their rights and opportunities. The experience of violence is devastating at the individual emotional and physical level. …

Using Data To See And Select The Most Vulnerable Adolescent Girls, Sarah Engebretsen

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Investment in adolescent girls is crucial in the developing world where a large proportion of the population is under the age of 24. It is critical to protecting rights to schooling, bodily integrity, and legal and chosen marriage, and to reducing fertility while increasing productive capacity. Making adolescent girls visible is essential so that investments can be targeted toward those at the highest risk of the poorest outcomes. This guide seeks to find and target vulnerable adolescent girls and shape policy context. It provides guidance on resources and tools that can reveal the internal diversity of adolescents, identify the onset …

La Santé Des Adolescentes Vulnérables : Un Investissement Stratégique Doublement Rentable, Jennifer Catino

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Le monde compte aujourd’hui 1,2 milliard d’adolescents âgés de 10 à 19 ans. Près de 90% d’entre eux vivent dans les pays en développement et environ 600 millions sont de sexe féminin. L’adolescence représente normalement une période de santé florissante bien que sujette à de nombreux changements socio-développementaux dont les implications affectent, tout particulièrement, la santé des filles. La plupart des centaines de millions de filles et jeunes femmes du monde en développement vivent dans des conditions et des circonstances qui les rendent vulnérables aux risques de santé et sociaux. Ces adolescentes sont souvent pauvres, déscolarisées, mariées, migrantes, membres de …

Réseaux Sociaux Et Les Capacités Financières Des Filles Employées De Maison À Bobo-Dioulasso, Gisele Kaboré

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Depuis plus d’une année, le Population Council assure la mise en œuvre du projet «Filles Éveillées» ciblant les travailleuses domestiques dans les zones urbaines au Burkina Faso. L’objectif de cette étude est d’avoir une meilleure connaissance des réseaux sociaux des filles—soit avec les personnes dans sa nouvelle communauté soit avec des personnes dans son village à travers la technologie—depuis leurs zones d’origine, sachant que la phase de transit n’est pas bien comprise mais que ça peut influencer le séjour de la fille en ville. Cette étude a pour objectif de cerner les capacités et les modes de gestion financières des …

Providing Maternal And Newborn Health Services: Experiences Of Auxiliary Nurse Midwives In Rajasthan, K.G. Santhya, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

To better understand the experiences of auxiliary nurse-midwives (ANMs) in providing maternal and newborn health services and to obtain their perspectives on Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), the Population Council undertook an exploratory study of ANMs in two districts of the north-western state of Rajasthan, India. Findings show that the vast majority of the ANMs were aware of best practices related to the immediate care of the newborn. Nevertheless, the findings also suggested a number of priority areas for action, including increased investment in training, encouraging provision of services on a more regular basis, making special efforts to enable ANMs to …

Female Disadvantage In The Egyptian Labor Market: A Youth Perspective [Arabic], Maia Sieverding

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In this brief, three aspects of female youth’s disadvantage in the labor market are analyzed: low labor force participation, high unemployment, and concentration in the public sector. These issues are closely interrelated and can be addressed through a set of policies that promote family-friendly employment conditions and the formalization of the private sector. The establishment of job search services for female youth is also critical to addressing the gender gap in unemployment.

Is Early Childhood Care And Education A Good Investment For Egypt? Estimates Of Educational Impacts, Costs, And Benefits [Arabic], Caroline Krafft

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This summary details the impact of early childhood education in Egypt. The results show that early childhood care and education has an impact on educational attainment that is both statistically significant and sizeable. Such interventions increase overall educational attainment by approximately one year, primarily due to decreased primary and preparatory drop out. The impact on educational attainment is reflected in improved school performance, such as higher test scores, decreased grade repetition, and improvements in school tracking, during the early years. Investments in early childhood education can be a powerful approach to improving educational outcomes, and the research suggests that increases …

Challenges Facing The Egyptian Education System: Access, Quality, And Inequality, Caroline Krafft

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This brief analyzes and summarizes young people's responses to the 2009 Survey of Young People in Egypt (SYPE) to identify the greatest challenges facing the Egyptian educational system, focusing specifically on primary through secondary schooling. Results show that access to school has improved, but some youth, especially females in rural Upper Egypt, remain outside the school system and are increasingly marginalized. The Egyptian school system is delivering low-quality education that is irrelevant to the labor market and has problems with repetition, absenteeism, and drop out which reduce the efficiency of the education system. Unequal distribution of resources in the education …

Belize Coverage Exercise Study: Assessing The Status To Build A Portfolio Of Targeted Interventions For Vulnerable Girls, Joint Un Programme Of Adolescent Girls

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The United Nation Children Fund, the United Nations Population Fund, and Population Council staff collaborated on a number of activities to generate evidence on the lives and experiences of adolescent girls in Belize. The goal of the collaboration was to establish targeted, evidence-based policies and programs sensitive to the unique needs of girls. The information presented in this report is of particular interest to program planners, policymakers, and decisionmakers from a wide range of institutions seeking to designate resources for programs and policies for vulnerable or marginalized subgroups of young people, particularly girls, in Belize. The report presents empirical evidence …

Berhane Hewan ('Light For Eve'): Increasing Opportunities To Delay Marriage And Promote Schooling, Annabel Erulkar, Eunice N. Muthengi

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This policy brief describes the findings of a pilot study on girls’ experience of early marriage, education, and sexual behavior in rural Amhara Region, Ethiopia. The brief also discusses efforts in the region to delay marriage and promote girls’ schooling. The Amhara Bureau of Women, Children and Youth Affairs and the Population Council pilot-tested a program to delay marriage and support schooling in rural Amhara Region. The program, entitled Berhane Hewan (Amharic for “Light for Eve”), included community conversations, support for remaining in school, and conditional cash transfers if girls remained unmarried and in school for the duration of the …

A Functional Agility Short-Term Fatigue Protocol Changes Lower Extremity Mechanics, Nelson Cortes, David Quammen, Shawn Lucci, Eric Greska, James Onate

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a functional agility fatigue protocol on lower extremity biomechanics between two unanticipated tasks (stop-jump and sidestep). The subjects consisted of fifteen female collegiate soccer athletes (19 ± 0.7 years, 1.67 ± 0.1 m, 61.7± 8 kg) free of lower extremity injury. Participants performed five trials of stop-jump and sidestep tasks. A functional short-term agility protocol was performed, and immediately following participants repeated the unanticipated running tasks. Lower extremity kinematic and kinetic values were obtained pre and post fatigue. Repeated measures analyses of variance were conducted for each dependent variable …

Training Manual On The Use Of Magnesium Sulphate In The Management Of Severe Pre-Eclampsia And Eclampsia [Trainee Version], Federal Ministry Of Health, Population Council

Reproductive Health

This training manual provides detailed, descriptive, and practical instructions and tips necessary to respond to obstetric emergencies (severe pre-eclampsia and eclampsia). The manual is an integral part of the collaborative efforts between the Federal Ministry of Health and the MacArthur Foundation to scale up the use of magnesium sulphate in the management of severe pre-eclampsia and eclampsia in Nigerian health facilities. Magnesium sulphate has been established as the gold standard in the management of severe pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, but lack of knowledge and necessary skill have been identified as some of the factors responsible for its limited use in Nigeria. …

Testing The Feasibility Of Police Provision Of Emergency Contraception In Malawi, Malawi Human Rights Resource Centre, Malawi Police Service, Ministry Of Health

Reproductive Health

Violence against women and children remains a major public health and human rights challenge in the world. This report provides information on a project evaluating the feasibility of having trained police officers safely and effectively provide emergency contraception (EC) to survivors of sexual assault as a means of broadening access to comprehensive care in Malawi. The effort capitalized on findings that the majority of survivors of sexual assault in Malawi report to the police first. Results from the project, implemented by the Malawi Human Rights Centre and Malawi Police Service, demonstrate that it is feasible to implement police provision of …

Family Planning Programs For The 21st Century: Rationale And Design, John Bongaarts, John C. Cleland, John Townsend, Jane T. Bertrand, Monica Das Gupta

Reproductive Health

Family planning improves health, reduces poverty, and empowers women. Yet, today, more than 200 million women in the developing world want to avoid pregnancy but are not using a modern method of contraception. They face many obstacles, including lack of access to information and health-care services, opposition from their husbands and communities, misperceptions about side effects, and cost. Family planning programs are among the most successful development interventions of the past 50 years. They are unique in their range of potential benefits, encompassing economic development, maternal and child health, educational advances, and women’s empowerment. Research shows that with high-quality voluntary …

Executive Summary—Family Planning Programs For The 21st Century: Rationale And Design, John Bongaarts, John C. Cleland, John Townsend, Jane T. Bertrand, Monica Das Gupta

Reproductive Health

This document contains the executive summary of “Family Planning Programs for the 21st Century: Rationale and Design.” The first half of the book makes the case for why increased funding and support for voluntary family planning programs are needed. The second half explains how reinvigorated voluntary family planning programs can be structured to operate more effectively. Family planning is one of the most successful development interventions of the past 50 years. It is unique in its range of potential benefits, encompassing economic development, maternal and child health, educational advances, and women’s empowerment. Research shows that with high-quality voluntary …

Policy Brief: Designing And Implementing High-Quality Voluntary Family Planning Programs, Population Council

Reproductive Health

Voluntary high-quality family planning programs reduce poverty and improve women’s and children’s health by speeding fertility declines. They are one of the most cost-effective health and development investments available to governments. But, today, more than 200 million women worldwide lack access to modern contraception. If this unmet need for family planning could be met, 54 million unintended pregnancies, 26 million abortions, more than 79,000 maternal deaths, and 1.1 million infant deaths could be prevented each year. This policy brief states that global interest in family planning is growing as the benefits of family planning programs are becoming increasingly evident. However, …

Policy Brief: Designing And Implementing High-Quality Voluntary Family Planning Programs [Arabic], Population Council

Reproductive Health

Voluntary high-quality family planning programs reduce poverty and improve women’s and children’s health by speeding fertility declines. They are one of the most cost-effective health and development investments available to governments. But, today, more than 200 million women worldwide lack access to modern contraception. If this unmet need for family planning could be met, 54 million unintended pregnancies, 26 million abortions, more than 79,000 maternal deaths, and 1.1 million infant deaths could be prevented each year. This policy brief states that global interest in family planning is growing as the benefits of family planning programs are becoming increasingly evident. However, …

Résumé Exécutif—Les Programmes De Planification Familiale Du Xxie Siècle: Fondement Et Conception, John Bongaarts, John C. Cleland, John Townsend, Jane T. Bertrand, Monica Das Gupta

Reproductive Health

Ce document contient le résumé exécutif de «Les programmes de planification familiale pour le XXIe siècle: Fondement et conception». La première moitié de l'ouvrage explique pourquoi un financement et un soutien accrus en faveur des programmes de planification familiale volontaire sont nécessaires. La seconde moitié explique comment les programmes renforcés de planification familiale volontaire peuvent être structurés de manière à fonctionner avec plus d’efficacité. La planification familiale est l'une des interventions les plus réussies de développement de ces 50 dernières années. Elle est unique en termes d’avantages potentiels, et englobe le développement économique, la santé maternelle et infantile, …

Incentivizing Providers To Improve Maternal, Newborn And Child Health Services In Bangladesh: Pay-For-Performance Model Refinement And Advocacy (P4p Mra) Final Report, Md. Noorunnabi Talukder, Ubaidur Rob, Laila Rahman, A.K.M. Zafar Ullah Khan, Riad Mahmud, Azizul Alim, Ismat Ara Hena, Farhana Akter, Anup Kumar Dey

Reproductive Health

An operations research project by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Bangladesh tested the feasibility of a pay-for-performance (P4P) approach, which offered financial incentives to reward service providers for meeting and exceeding specified performance targets for maternal, newborn, and child health services. In response to the encouraging findings, the DGHS implemented a follow-up project, with technical assistance from Population Council and UNICEF, to utilize the experiences and findings of the P4P OR project. Despite it short duration, implementation of the revised P4P scheme induced improvements in service volume and …