Determinants of Dietary Quality: Evidence from Bangladesh

Whereas a large number of empirical studies have been devoted to analyzing consumer demand for dietary energy (or dietary quantity), much less attention has been paid to the demand for dietary quality, an equally important aspect of food security. To address this gap in the literature, this paper uses data from a nationally representative household expenditure survey conducted in Bangladesh in 2000 on the food acquisition behavior of 7,440 households over a two week period. Two indicators of dietary quality are employed: household protein availability and household diet diversity. Using two-stage least squares regression to correct for the endogeneity of income, we find significant roles of income, education, gender of household head, and prices of key foods. The determination of dietary quality in the country has a strong gender dimension. While male education plays a positive role, female education is found to have a substantially stronger influence. Further, female household headship is associated with lower dietary quality than male headship. Given the crucial roles of income and education in increasing access to a high quality diet, the results call for the continued implementation of well targeted poverty reduction and education programs. Promoting female education and addressing the unique constraints faced by female headed households with respect to diet quality could be a significant policy instrument for government and non-government organizations in addressing food insecurity in Bangladesh.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Factors Associated with Tuberculosis and Rifampicin-Resistant Tuberculosis amongst Symptomatic Patients in India: A Retrospective Analysis

Background Tuberculosis remains a major public health challenge for India. Various studies have documented different levels of TB and multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB among diverse groups of the population. In view of renewed targets set under the End TB strategy by 2035, there is an urgent need for TB diagnosis to be strengthened. Drawing on data from a recent, multisite study, we address key questions for TB diagnosis amongst symptomatics presenting for care: are there subgroups of patients that are more likely than others, to be positive for TB? In turn, amongst these positive cases, are there factors—apart from treatment history—that may be predictive for multi-drug resistance? Methods We used data from a multi-centric prospective demonstration study, conducted from March 2012 to December 2013 in 18 sub-district level TB programme units (TUs) in India and covering a population of 8.8 million. In place of standard diagnostic tests, upfront Xpert MTB/RIF testing was offered to all presumptive TB symptomatics. Here, using data from this study, we used logistic regression to identify association between risk factors and TB and Rifampicin-Resistant TB among symptomatics enrolled in the study. Results We find that male gender; history of TB treatment; and adult age compared with either children or the elderly are risk factors associated with high TB detection amongst symptomatics, across the TUs. While treatment history is found be a significant risk factor for rifampicin-resistant TB, elderly (65+ yrs) people have significantly lower risk than other age groups. However, pediatric TB cases have no less risk of rifampicin resistance as compared with adults (OR 1.23 (95% C.I. 0.85–1.76)). Similarly, risk of rifampicin resistance among both the genders was the same. These patterns applied across the study sites involved. Notably in Mumbai, amongst those patients with microbiological confirmation of TB, female patients showed a higher risk of having MDR-TB than male patients. Conclusion Our results cast fresh light on the characteristics of symptomatics presenting for care who are most likely to be microbiologically positive for TB, and for rifampicin resistance. The challenges posed by TB control are complex and multifactorial: evidence from diverse sources, including retrospective studies such as that addressed here, can be invaluable in informing future strategies to accelerate declines in TB burden

The imposition of participation? the case of participatory water management in coastal bangladesh

Community-based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) has been promoted as part of the development discourse on sustainable natural resources management since the mid-1980s. It has influenced recent water policy in Bangladesh through the Guidelines for Participatory Water Management (GPWM) where community-based organisations are to participate in the management of water resources. This paper reviews the extent of success of such participatory water management. It does so by first discussing the changing discourses of participation in Bangladesh’s water policy from social mobilisation to decentralised CBNRM. Second, Bangladesh is used as a case study to draw attention to how the creation of separate water management organisations has been unable to promote inclusive participation. It argues that the current form of decentralisation through a CBNRM framework has not resulted in its stated aims of equitable, efficient, and sustainable management of natural resources; rather it has duplicated existing local government institutions. Finally, it questions the current investments into community-based organisations and recommends that the role of local government in water management be formally recognised

An Economic Study of the Effect of Android Platform Fragmentation on Security Updates

Vendors in the Android ecosystem typically customize their devices by modifying Android Open Source Project (AOSP) code, adding in-house developed proprietary software, and pre-installing third-party applications. However, research has documented how various security problems are associated with this customization process. We develop a model of the Android ecosystem utilizing the concepts of game theory and product differentiation to capture the competition involving two vendors customizing the AOSP platform. We show how the vendors are incentivized to differentiate their products from AOSP and from each other, and how prices are shaped through this differentiation process. We also consider two types of consumers: security-conscious consumers who understand and care about security, and na\"ive consumers who lack the ability to correctly evaluate security properties of vendor-supplied Android products or simply ignore security. It is evident that vendors shirk on security investments in the latter case. Regulators such as the U.S. Federal Trade Commission have sanctioned Android vendors for underinvestment in security, but the exact effects of these sanctions are difficult to disentangle with empirical data. Here, we model the impact of a regulator-imposed fine that incentivizes vendors to match a minimum security standard. Interestingly, we show how product prices will decrease for the same cost of customization in the presence of a fine, or a higher level of regulator-imposed minimum security.Comment: 22nd International Conference on Financial Cryptography and Data Security (FC 2018

Perencanaan Strategi Sistem dan Teknologi Informasi pada PT. Tripuri Mitra Nobelindo

Competitions faced by companies are some obstacles in achieving the business objectives to maintain the company\u27s growth and survival. The use of information technology trend requires companies to use it in order to compete with competitors. Strategic planning of information system (IS) and information technology (IT) which refer to business strategy should be customized to the company\u27s business processes. The process of finding a future application portfolio is preceded by the discovery of business strategy, IS/IT strategy managemen and IT strategy. The method used is the strategic planning of information system and information technology of Ward and Peppard. The discovery of business strategy through internal and external analysis of the company is done using tools: PEST, SWOT, Porter\u27s five competitive model, Value chain, and CSF. The analysis of the current information systems helps determine the proposed IS and IT plan. The result achieved is strategic system plan and information technology that are appropriate to the company in achieving its business goals

Effects of arthroscopic vs. mini-open rotator cuff repair on function, pain & range of motion. A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective To assess the effectiveness of arthroscopic versus mini-open rotator cuff repair on function, pain and range of motion at 3-, 6- and 12-month follow ups. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Setting Clinical setting. Participants Patients 18 years and older with a rotator cuff tear. Intervention/Comparison Arthroscopic/mini-open rotator cuff repair surgery followed by post operative rehabilitation. Main outcome measures Function and pain. Results Six RCTs (n = 670) were included. The pooled results, demonstrated no significant difference between arthroscopic and mini open approach to rotator cuff repair on function (very low quality, 4 RCTs, 495 patients, SMD 0.00, 3-month; very low quality, 4 RCTs, 495 patients, SMD -0.01, 6-month; very low quality, 3 RCTs, 462 patients, SMD -0.09, 12-months). For pain, the pooled results, were not statistically different between groups (very low quality, 3 RCTs, 254 patients, MD -0.21, 3-month; very low quality, 3 RCTs, 254 patients, MD -0.03, 6-month; very low quality, 2 RCTs, 194 patients, MD -0.35, 12-months). Conclusion The effects of arthroscopic compared to mini-open rotator cuff repair, on function, pain and range of motion are too small to be clinically important at 3-, 6- and 12-month follow ups

Sound production and spectral hearing sensitivity in the Hawaiian sergeant damselfish, Abudefduf abdominalis

Sounds provide important signals for inter- and intraspecific communication in fishes, but few studies examine fish acoustic behavior in the context of coevolution of sound production and hearing ability within a species. This study characterizes the acoustic behavior in a reproductive population of the Hawaiian sergeant fish, Abudefduf abdominalis, and compares acoustic features to hearing ability, measured by the auditory evoked potential (AEP) technique. Sergeant fish produce sounds at close distances to the intended receiver (≤1-2 body lengths), with different pulse characteristics that are associated primarily with aggression, nest preparation and courtship-female-visit behaviors. Energy peaks of all sounds were between 90 and 380 Hz, whereas courtship-visit sounds had a pulse repetition rate of 125 Hz with harmonic intervals up to 1 kHz. AEP threshold, which is probably higher than the behavioral threshold, indicates best sensitivity at low frequencies (95-240 Hz), with the lowest threshold at 125 Hz (123-127 dBrms re: 1 μPa). Thus, sound production and hearing in A. abdominalis are closely matched in the frequency domain and are useful for courtship and mating at close distances. Measured hearing thresholds did not differ among males and females during spawning or non-spawning periods, which indicates a lack of sex differences and seasonal variation in hearing capabilities. These data provide the first evidence that Abudefduf uses true acoustic communication on a level similar to that of both more derived (e.g. Dascyllus, Chromis) and more basal (e.g. Stegastes) soniferous pomacentrids. This correlation between sound production and hearing ability is consistent with the sensory drive model of signal evolution in which the sender and receiver systems coevolve within the constraints of the environment to maximize information transfer of acoustic signals

Relativistic contraction and related effects in noninertial frames

Although there is no relative motion among different points on a rotating disc, each point belongs to a different noninertial frame. This fact, not recognized in previous approaches to the Ehrenfest paradox and related problems, is exploited to give a correct treatment of a rotating ring and a rotating disc. Tensile stresses are recovered, but, contrary to the prediction of the standard approach, it is found that an observer on the rim of the disc will see equal lengths of other differently moving objects as an inertial observer whose instantaneous position and velocity are equal to that of the observer on the rim. The rate of clocks at various positions, as seen by various observers, is also discussed. Some results are generalized for observers arbitrarily moving in a flat or a curved spacetime. The generally accepted formula for the space line element in a non-time-orthogonal frame is found inappropriate in some cases. Use of Fermi coordinates leads to the result that for any observer the velocity of light is isotropic and is equal to $c$, providing that it is measured by propagating a light beam in a small neighborhood of the observer.Comment: 15 pages, significantly revised version, title changed, to appear in Phys. Rev.