Minimization of Illness Absenteeism in Primary School Students Using Low-Cost Hygiene Interventions

Objective: Safe water and hygiene intervention was evaluated to assess its impact on students’ health, hygiene practices and reduction in illness absenteeism in primary school students. Method: After evaluatingprimary schools of Amravati district; 50 students with high enteric illness absenteeism were selected for study. Families with problem of in-house water contamination were provided earthen pot with tap for water storage and soap for hand washing at school and home. Household drinking waters (before and after intervention) were analyzed for potability. Results: By adopting correct water storage (water container with tap), handling and hand washing practices found to improve health and reduction in 20% illness absenteeism in school. Promoting these interventions and improvement in water-behavioral practices prevented in-house-water contamination. Conclusion: These low cost intervention (water storage container with tap) promises to reducing school absenteeism by minimizing risk of transmission of enteric infections by promoting water and student hygiene

Moment properties of estimators for an extreme value regression model with type 2 censoring

An extreme value regression model for grouped data with type 2 censoring is considered. The response variable is taken to have a type 1 ext reme va lue d i s t r i b u t i on for sma l l e s t v a l ue s a nd a s tandar d linear regression model is assumed f o r t he means . Large sampl e approximations to the variances of the maximum likelihood estimators are derived. The small sample moment properties of the maximum likelihood estimators are evaluated by simulation for the case of simp l e l i n e a r r e g ress i o n . T h e r e sul t s s h o w t h a t t h e e stima t or o f the scale parameter has a s t rong bias in sma l l samples, particularly when ther e is a heavy degree of censoring. Final l y , sma l l sample variance and mean square error efficiences of the best linear unbiased estimators relative to the maximum likelihood estimators are assessed

Algorithms for Visualizing Phylogenetic Networks

We study the problem of visualizing phylogenetic networks, which are extensions of the Tree of Life in biology. We use a space filling visualization method, called DAGmaps, in order to obtain clear visualizations using limited space. In this paper, we restrict our attention to galled trees and galled networks and present linear time algorithms for visualizing them as DAGmaps.Comment: Appears in the Proceedings of the 24th International Symposium on Graph Drawing and Network Visualization (GD 2016

Moment properties of estimators for an exponential regression with type 1 censoring

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Public expenditure planning in Albania

This paper looks at public expenditure planning in Albania, presenting and analysing the first two post-communist era Medium-Term Expenditure Plans (METPs) that have been introduced by the Albanian government for the periods 2000-2001 and 2002-2004, respectively. Albania's medium-term macroeconomic perspectives and elements of fiscal decentralisation, as incorporated by the Local Government Law of Albania, are presented, too. It is found that, taking into account the first years of post-communist governance, both METPs provide an improved framework for the budget drafting, i.e. for a realistic macroeconomic and fiscal planning of public expenditure and a clearer linkage of government policies with public expenditure plans, thus showing better the priorities in public expenditure. --public expenditure planning,Medium-Term Expenditure Plans,fiscal decentralisation

Drinking Water Quality Deterioration in Households of Students with High Illness Absenteeism

Objective: School and household lacked safe drinking water and thus school absenteeism rates were high among students with poor water quality. So we assessed fecal contamination of drinking water in households of students with high illness absenteeism and evaluate the factors for non-potability. Method: Drinking water samples (100) were collected from household water container of 50 students for fecal contamination. Results: A total of 40 (80%) family’s water was potable before use, out of which 40% became non-potable after use. Factors responsible for reduction in potability were water withdrawal without handwashing up to (56%), poor domestic hygiene (56%), dipping hands in water (55%), placing water dipper on lid (52%) and no washing of container (0%). Socio-economic condition also had impact on water potability. Conclusion: Water quality deterioration occurs by multiple factors like improper storage, unhygienic habits of water handling and circumstances. Results focused on the need for further protocols for safe and hygienic storage of water