Studies on the Predisposing Factors of Protein Energy Malnutrition Among Pregnant Women in a Nigerian Community

Protein Energy Malnutrition (PEM) continues to be a major public health problem in developing countries and affects mostly infants, young children, pregnant and lactating mothers. This study was carried on some of the factors that predispose pregnant women to PEM and hence identify groups at greater risk. A total of 1387 pregnant women (910 in the urban area and 477 in the rural areas) were recruited for the study. Anthropometric indices of weight, height and Body Mass Index (BMI) of the pregnant women were measured and semi structured questionnaires were used to elicit information on possible predisposing factors such as age, level of education, parity, child spacing etc. Results obtained showed that the mean weight and height of the rural pregnant women, were significantly (p<0.0001) lower than those of the urban pregnant women. The mean BMI of the rural subjects, was also significantly (p< 0.0027) lower than that of the urban subjects. Analysis of the effect of age showed that the younger age category (24 years and below) had significantly (p<0.0001) lower mean BMI and higher prevalence of PEM while the effect of level of education showed significantly (p<0006) lower mean BMI and higher PEM prevalence among the less educated (no formal and primary education). Those with parity of two, one and primipara showed significantly (p<0.0175) lower mean BMI while child spacing did not have any significant effect on both mean BMI and prevalence of PEM. The implications of these findings are discussed and recommendations made on how to tackle the problem

Variations in Phosphatase Activity of Crude Oil and Used Crankase Oil Polluted Agricultural Soil.

A study of the variations in phosphatase activity of crude oil and used crankcase oil polluted agricultural soil was carried out.  Eight square metre farmland was cleared and divided into seven lots (A, B1, B2, B3, C1, C2, C3) of 60 cm2 each with 30 cm2 spaces in between them. Six out of the seven lots were polluted with three different concentrations of bonny light crude oil and used crankcase oil. The results showed a decrease in both alkaline and acid phosphatase activities mainly at the topsoil, with lowest alkaline phosphatase values of 0.6440+0.0026 I.U.L-1 and 0.6440+0.0051 I.U.L-1 for weeks 7 and 8 of 6 dm3 bonny light crude oil and used crankcase oil respectively. Lowest acid phosphatase activities was observed in week 5 of 6 dm3 bonny light crude oil and used crankcase oil  with values of 0.0370+0.0039 I.U.L-1 and 0.0305+0.0037 I.U.L-1 respectively . Key words: Hydrocarbons, Pollution, Soil, Enzyme, Phosphatase

Intentions to use contraceptives in Pakistan: implications for behavior change campaigns

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Since 1990-91, traditional method use has increased at a faster rate in Pakistan than modern method use. The importance of hormonal methods or the IUD has diminished and that of traditional methods has increased in the method mix. There is a need to identify factors motivating and deterring the adoption of specific family planning methods among married men and women in Pakistan.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In addition to social and demographic characteristics of respondents, a representative household survey collected information on psychological correlates of family planning behavior from 1,788 non-pregnant wives and 1,805 husbands with not-pregnant wives. Males and females were from separate households. Principal components analysis was conducted to identify the underlying constructs that were important for each gender. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the correlates of male and female intentions to use contraceptive methods.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Amongst women, the perception that her in-laws support family planning use was the strongest determinant of her intentions to use contraceptive methods. A woman's belief in the importance of spacing children and her perception that a choice of methods and facilities with competent staff were available were also powerful drivers of her intentions to use contraceptive methods. The strongest obstacle to a woman's forming an intention to use contraceptive methods was her belief that family planning decisions were made by the husband and fertility was determined by God's will. Fears that family planning would harm a woman's womb lowered a woman's intentions to use methods requiring procedures, such as the IUD and female sterilization.</p> <p>The perception that a responsible, caring, husband uses family planning to improve the standard of living of his family and to protect his wife's health was the most important determinant of a man's intention to use condoms. A husband's lack of self-efficacy in being able to discuss family planning with his wife was the strongest driver of the intention to use withdrawal. A man's fear that contraceptives would make a woman sterile and harm her womb lowered his intention to use modern contraceptive methods.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These findings highlight the importance of having secondary target audiences such as mothers-in-law and husbands in family planning behavior change campaigns implemented in Pakistan. Campaigns that stress the importance of child spacing are likely to have an impact. Client perceptions of the quality of care are important determinants of intentions to use contraceptive methods in Pakistan. Client concerns that the IUD and sterilization procedures might harm a woman's womb and cause sterility should be addressed. The findings suggest that there is a need to assess the actual quality of service delivery in Pakistan.</p

The Influence of Individual, Environmental, Technology, and Manufacturing Factors on Iraqi Gas and Oil Companies

Implementation of agile technology and its effects on individuals, the environment, technology, and manufacturing factors are the focus of this study, with a special focus on agile technology's moderating effect. Consequently, this study investigates a unique conceptual framework to extend the notions of agile technology implementation in order to address this research gap. This conceptual framework has been subjected to empirical testing, with 380 population-representative employees serving as participants. This study establishes the inclusion requirements for Iraqi oil and gas firms. Using a self-administered questionnaire, data are collected and analyzed using structural equation modelling (PLS). The finding shows that there are various factors that have a positive effect on oil and gas companies in Iraq. The implementation of agile technology also has a partially significant positive moderating effect on these factors, indicating that agile technology can amplify the positive impact of these factors. This can lead to profits and the ability for companies to achieve long-term goals and a competitive advantage in the business environment while achieving sustainability in the oil and gas field. These findings are significant, as they suggest that the implementation of agile technology can have a positive impact on the oil and gas industry in Iraq, leading to long-term sustainability and profitability

Determination of Entropy and Specific Heat of Hydrogen from Partition Functions of Elementary Particles

Elementary particles are atomic or sub-atomic particles that make up all kinds of matter. They are classified into two main groups, namely: bosons and fermions. In other words, bosons and fermions are found in all states of matter, viz: solids, liquids and gases. Fermions are constituents of matter while bosons are force carriers. Bosons are particles that transmit interactions or the constituents of radiation. The main objective of this paper is to derive and integrate the intermolecular partition function into the general partition function of the elementary gases. The application of the partition function so formulated in the determination of the thermodynamic states of the elementary particles and its validity can eventually be addressed. The partition function of a system is the ratio of the total number of particles in the system to the number of particles in the lowest energy state of that system. Thus, it is dimensionless. Partition function is very important in the analyses of thermodynamic systems. Once an expression for the partition function of a system is known, then the thermodynamic functions appertaining to the system; entropy, specific heat capacity, Helmholtz free energy, internal energy, etc can be determined. Many have been neglecting the effects of intermolecular interactions while calculating the overall partition function of interacting systems. This article considered the common way of determining partition function, z without considering intermolecular interaction effects and compared it with z determined by taking cognizance of the effects of intermolecular interactions. A comparison of the two was made, and the result analyzed. An overview of the various z’s in the old way was presented and a new one called inter-particle interaction partition function was derived using the Schrodinger equation. . To validate the work, the entropies and specific heats of hydrogen were compared with published data by two-way ANOVA.  It was determined that the values were significantly different as expected. This work has established that intermolecular interactio

Equality of averaged and quenched large deviations for random walks in random environments in dimensions four and higher

We consider large deviations for nearest-neighbor random walk in a uniformly elliptic i.i.d. environment. It is easy to see that the quenched and the averaged rate functions are not identically equal. When the dimension is at least four and Sznitman's transience condition (T) is satisfied, we prove that these rate functions are finite and equal on a closed set whose interior contains every nonzero velocity at which the rate functions vanish.Comment: 17 pages. Minor revision. In particular, note the change in the title of the paper. To appear in Probability Theory and Related Fields

Slaying the "Troll of Transplantation"-new frontiers in cytomegalovirus management. A report from the CMV International Symposium 2023

: The 2023 International CMV Symposium took place in Barcelona in May 2023. During the 2-day meeting, delegates and faculty discussed the ongoing challenge of managing the risk of cytomegalovirus infection (the Troll of Transplantation) after solid organ or hematopoietic cell transplantation. Opportunities to improve outcomes of transplant recipients by applying advances in antiviral prophylaxis or pre-emptive therapy, immunotherapy, and monitoring of cell-mediated immunity to routine clinical practice were debated and relevant educational clinical cases presented. This review summarizes the presentations, cases, and discussions from the meeting and describes how further advances are needed before the Troll of Transplantation is slain

Effects of Potassium Iodate Application on the Biomass and Iodine concentration of Selected Indigenous Nigerian Vegetables

Iodine is a trace element in soil and water that is involved in some important metabolic functions in human development. In many areas of the world, the surface soil becomes progressively poorer in iodide through accelerated deforestation, flooding and soil erosion. Hence, the food grown in iodine deficient regions can never provide enough iodine for the people and livestock living there. This study was aimed at increasing the level of iodine in commonly consumed vegetables by iodination of irrigation water with potassium iodate. The results obtained showed that, the increase in iodine concentration in fluted pumpkin ranged from 89.02 ± 0.31 to 140.36 ± 1.08 ìg/100 g in week 4 and 102.86 ± 0.60 to 115.89 ± 0.05 ìg/100g in week 6. The increase in iodine concentration in the vegetable marrows ranged from 60.879 ± 0.32 to 76.786 ± 0.16 ìg/100 g in week 4 and 62.078 ± 0.09 to 107.679 ± 0.24 ìg/100 g in week 6. The increase in iodine concentration in water leaf ranged from 61.59 ± 0.24 to 73.41 ± 0.83 ìg/100 g in week 4 and 62.06 ± 0.09 to 96.25 ± 0.025 ìg/100 g in week 6. From the results, the vegetables treated with 40 ìg/l potassium iodate showed the highest iodine level in week 4. These results from this iodine biofortification studies, suggest that the iodine added to the soil increased iodine uptake by the vegetables. Suggesting that iodination of irrigation water is an advantageous and cost-effective method of supplying iodine, since it requires simple technology.Key words: Fortification, iodine deficiency disorders, iodination, irrigation, potassium iodate

The relationship between body image and marital adjustment in infertile women

Introduction: Body image is one of the most important issues in women's mental health and due to its relationship with physical, cognitive and emotional aspects of women’s life; it can predict their healthy or unhealthy behaviors. According to some research reports, women’s negative or positive body image can affect their marital relationships. Considering the impact of infertility on both body image and marital adjustment and the lack of evidence regarding the relationship of these two variables in infertility, this study aimed to investigate the relationship of body image with marital adjustment in infertile women in 2010 in Mashhad. Methods: This correlational study was carried out on 130 infertile women referred to Montaserie Infertility Research Center in Mashhad who were selected through convenient sampling. Research tools were consisted of valid and reliable demographic questionnaire including personal and infertility-related information, modified Younesi Body Image Questionnaire and Spanier marital adjustment scale (DAS) which were completed by subjects. Data analysis was carried out by SPSS software (version 15/5) using t-tests, one way ANOVA, and Spearman and Pearson correlation test. Results: 93/1% of women reported positive body image and 76/9% had high marital adjustment. There was a direct correlation between the overall score of body image with marital adjustment (P<0/001). There was also a direct correlation between the scores of body image subscales including body in loneliness (P= 0/001), real body (P=0/014), public image of body (P=0/016), spouse image of body (P<0/001) and spouse family image of body (P<0/001) with marital adjustment. However, this relationship was not observed between the subscale of ideal body and marital adjustment. Conclusion: The presence of a direct correlation between body image and marital adjustment could guide developing educational or counseling programs particularly for infertile women who suffer from marital disputes. Keywords: Body image, Marital adjustment, Infertilit

Automatic Verification of Erlang-Style Concurrency

This paper presents an approach to verify safety properties of Erlang-style, higher-order concurrent programs automatically. Inspired by Core Erlang, we introduce Lambda-Actor, a prototypical functional language with pattern-matching algebraic data types, augmented with process creation and asynchronous message-passing primitives. We formalise an abstract model of Lambda-Actor programs called Actor Communicating System (ACS) which has a natural interpretation as a vector addition system, for which some verification problems are decidable. We give a parametric abstract interpretation framework for Lambda-Actor and use it to build a polytime computable, flow-based, abstract semantics of Lambda-Actor programs, which we then use to bootstrap the ACS construction, thus deriving a more accurate abstract model of the input program. We have constructed Soter, a tool implementation of the verification method, thereby obtaining the first fully-automatic, infinite-state model checker for a core fragment of Erlang. We find that in practice our abstraction technique is accurate enough to verify an interesting range of safety properties. Though the ACS coverability problem is Expspace-complete, Soter can analyse these verification problems surprisingly efficiently.Comment: 12 pages plus appendix, 4 figures, 1 table. The tool is available at http://mjolnir.cs.ox.ac.uk/soter