Prevention for those who have freedom of choice – or among the choice-disabled: confronting equity in the AIDS epidemic

With the exception of post-exposure prophylaxis for reported rape, no preventive strategy addresses the choice disabled – those who might like to benefit from AIDS prevention but who are unable to do so because they do not have the power to make and to act on prevention decisions. In southern African countries, where one in every three has been forced to have sex by the age of 18 years, a very large proportion of the population is choice disabled. This group is at higher risk of HIV infection and unable to respond to AIDS prevention programmes; they represent a reservoir of infection. Reduction of sexual violence would probably decrease HIV transmission directly, but also indirectly as more people can respond to existing AIDS prevention programmes

Première for Lövsta experiments with growing and finishing pigs. Inclusion of mussel meal in pig diets

In mid September the very first experiment with growing/finishing pigs at Lövsta Livestock Research Centre will start. This will be a double première event – the first growing/finishing pig experiment at the new research centre and – to our knowledge - the first experiment with mussel meal in pig diets. This mussel meal is produced from mussel meat only, ie no shells are included. Mussel meal has proved to be an excellent feed ingredient for poultry – what about pigs

Initiation rites at menarche and self-reported dysmenorrhoea among indigenous women of the Colombian Amazon: A cross-sectional study

Objectives: To investigate the association between self-reported dysmenorrhoea and patterns of female initiation rites at menarche among Amazonian indigenous peoples of Vaupés in Colombia. Design: A cross-sectional study of all women in seven indigenous communities. Questionnaire administered in local language documented female initiation rites and experience of dysmenorrhoea. Analysis examined 10 initiation components separately, then together, comparing women who underwent all rites, some rites and no rites. Settings: Seven indigenous communities belonging to the Tukano language group in the Great Eastern Reservation of Vaupés (Colombia) in 2008. Participants: All women over the age of 13 years living in the seven communities in Vaupés, who had experienced at least two menstruations (n=185), aged 13-88 years (mean 32.5; SD 15.6). Primary and secondary outcome measures: The analysis rested on pelvic pain to define dysmenorrhoea as the main outcome. Women were also asked about other disorders present during menstruation or the precedent days, and about the interval between two menstruations and duration of each one. Results: Only 17.3% (32/185) completed all initiation rites and 52.4% (97/185) reported dysmenorrhoea. Women not completing the rites were more likely to report dysmenorrhoea than those who did so (p=0.01 Fisher exact), taking into account age, education, community, parity and use of family planning. Women who completed less than the full complement of rites had higher risk than those who completed all rites. Those who did not complete all rites reported increased severity of dysmenorrhoea (p=0.00014). Conclusions: Our results are compatible with an association between traditional practices and women's health. We could exclude indirect associations with age, education, parity and use of family planning as explanations for the association. The study indicates feasibility, possible utility and limits of intercultural epidemiology in small groups

Epidemiological geomatics in evaluation of mine risk education in Afghanistan: introducing population weighted raster maps

Evaluation of mine risk education in Afghanistan used population weighted raster maps as an evaluation tool to assess mine education performance, coverage and costs. A stratified last-stage random cluster sample produced representative data on mine risk and exposure to education. Clusters were weighted by the population they represented, rather than the land area. A "friction surface" hooked the population weight into interpolation of cluster-specific indicators. The resulting population weighted raster contours offer a model of the population effects of landmine risks and risk education. Five indicator levels ordered the evidence from simple description of the population-weighted indicators (level 0), through risk analysis (levels 1–3) to modelling programme investment and local variations (level 4). Using graphic overlay techniques, it was possible to metamorphose the map, portraying the prediction of what might happen over time, based on the causality models developed in the epidemiological analysis. Based on a lattice of local site-specific predictions, each cluster being a small universe, the "average" prediction was immediately interpretable without losing the spatial complexity

History and biology of the reassigned Ruvu Weaver Ploceus holoxanthus

Ploceus holoxanthus was formally described by Karel Johan Gustav Hartlaub in 1891, based on specimens collected by Friedrich  Bohndorff, from Mtoni on the Kingani (now Ruvu) River, Tanzania. Reichenow (1904, p 91) and Zedlitz (1916) synonymized this taxon with African Golden Weaver P. subaureus, although Shelley (1905) and Hartert (1907) had recognized it as a new species. Sclater (1930) and other subsequent authors simply considered P. holoxanthus as a synonym of African Golden Weaver, and eventually it was not even listed as a synonym. In recent years, birds resembling P. holoxanthus have been increasingly photographed. Thus, this taxon was included in a recent phylogeny of the Ploceidae, which recognized P. holoxanthus as a valid species. This paper reviews the history of this taxon, lists all specimens, published references and photographs, and measurements. The nest and eggs are described for the first time. Keywords: Ploceus holoxanthus, Ploceus subaureus, Ruvu River, Mtoni, Bagamoyo, Zedlitz, Tanzani

Increasing the demand for childhood vaccination in developing countries: a systematic review

This article provides a systematic review of 60 studies of evidence for improving routine vaccination programs in developing countries. Mass media campaigns may be effective, but the impact depends on access to media and may be costly if run at a local level. Interventions to increase demand for routine childhood vaccination have not been adequately investigated. Collateral-free credit to poor women may improve their autonomy and capacity to care for their families, including vaccination. However, attempts to maintain or increase deteriorating vaccination coverage almost all focus on supply side interventions: improving availability and delivery of vaccines

Micro-regional planning: evidence-based community buy-in for health development in five of Mexico’s poorest rural districts

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Community participation was a core tenet of Primary Health Care as articulated in the 1970s. How this could be generated and maintained was less clear. This historical article describes development of protocols for evidence-based community mobilisation in five local administrative units (<it>municipios</it>) in the Mexican state of Guerrero between 1992 and 1995.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A sample of five to eight sentinel sites represented each of the most impoverished municipalities of the poorest five of the state's seven regions. A 1992 baseline survey of diarrhoea and its actionable determinants provided the substrate for discussion with local planners and communities. Municipal planners used different strategies to promote participation. In one municipality, new health committees took control of water quality. In another, municipal authorities hired health promoters; a song promoted oral rehydration, and house-to-house interpersonal discussions promoted chlorination. In the poorest and most mountainous municipality, <it>radio casera</it> (home-made radio) soap operas used local "stars". In the largest and most disparate municipality, a child-to-family scheme relied on primary and secondary school teachers. The research team assessed outcomes at intervals and used the results to reinforce local planning and action.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Diarrhoea rates declined in all five municipalities, and there were several positive intermediate outcomes from the communication strategies – changing knowledge, household practices and uptake of services. There was a strong link between specific contents of the communication package and the changing knowledge or practices.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Apart from these evidence-based interventions, other factors probably contributed to the decline of childhood diarrhoea. But, by monitoring implementation of planning decisions and the impact this has at community level, micro-regional planning can stimulate and reinforce actions likely to improve the health of communities. The process empowered municipalities to get access to more resources from the state government and international agencies.</p

Maximising Academic and Social Outcomes

The MASOEE project brings together engineering faculties in the EUniWell alliance to share best practices for teaching transversal skills so that engineers contribute to societal well-being. The study combines the expertise of several engineering faculties at European universities. It focuses on sharing and developing expertise to improve the social outcomes of engineering students. Namely, researchers examine the similarities and differences between partners regarding their student bodies, teaching, programme structures, and institutions’ culture. Moreover, the work also explores how transversal skills are taught, what student attitudes are in terms of learning these skills, and how educators can better teach them. The research design includes several activities across four work packages (WPs). To ensure that partners use the same skill descriptions, we use well-established organizations' existing definitions. WP1 strives to identify best practices within EUniWell based on the 15 entrepreneurial competencies defined in EU EntreComp Framework. WP2 targets engineering students' ability to solve complex challenges, communication, and networking skills defined in the "21st century skills" by the World Economic Forum. WP3 investigates the engineering schools’ capacity to train engineering students in sustainable competence, forming responsible engineers capable of developing sustainable solutions using the skills defined by the EU GreenComp. WP4 supports the other packages with engineering education research, specifically data collection and analysis, knowledge forming, and evaluation. The project runs from August 2022 until September 2023. The MASOEE project partners gather knowledge within their organisations through joint surveys and focus groups and collectively identify and share best practices. The engineering identity, taught as transversal skills by participating partners, can evolve from a traditional technologist identity along three paths: the self-made engineer, the progressive technologist, and the responsible engineer. By sharing best practices for teaching these skills, we believe we will better understand what the future engineer - who integrates all three identities – will be.<br/