Livelihood Shocks and Coping Strategies: An Empirical Study of Bangladesh Households

Households plan strategically for facing risks associated with livelihood security. Choosing a particular set of coping strategies depends on a number of factors including the types of crisis households face and options available. Often, poor households risk future income generating capacity for maintaining current food consumption. This paper examines strategies used by rural households for coping with the shocks and investigates whether there is any distinctive pattern in adopting these strategies. Using a cross section data set covering 1600 households from the northwestern Bangladesh, we estimate a trivariate probit model for explaining the adoption of coping strategies. Results indicate that choice of coping strategies depend on diversity and stability of household income sources. Households with higher education have greater access to stable incomes sources and have more income sources, and so are less likely to adopt ex-post coping strategies. Households with more assets are more likely to divest assets or obtain secured loans rather than rely on unsecured loans. Wealthier households are not less likely to adopt current adjustment strategies, suggesting that there is a general sequence of coping strategies that all households follow, irrespective of the assets they own.Consumer/Household Economics,

A Multi-Threading Algorithm for Constrained Path Optimization Problem on Road Networks

The constrained path optimization (CPO) problem takes the following input: (a) a road network represented as a directed graph, where each edge is associated with a "cost" and a "score" value; (b) a source-destination pair and; (c) a budget value, which denotes the maximum permissible cost of the solution. Given the input, the goal is to determine a path from source to destination, which maximizes the "score" while constraining the total "cost" of the path to be within the given budget value. CPO problem has applications in urban navigation. However, the CPO problem is computationally challenging as it can be reduced to an instance of the arc orienteering problem, which is known to be NP-hard. The current state-of-the-art algorithms for this problem are essentially serial in nature and cannot take full advantage (i.e., achieve good load balance) of the increasingly available multi-core systems to solve a CPO query. Our proposed parallel algorithm (with its intelligent task-assignment scheme) achieves both superior solution quality and very low execution times (via good load balancing). Moreover, our approach is also able to demonstrate an almost linear speed-up with an increase in the number of cores.Comment: 10 pages, 14 figures, accepted as a short paper in the 23rd International Conference on Web Information Systems Engineerin

Plasma modeling for a nonsymmetric capacitive discharge driven by a nonsinusoidal radio frequency current

An analytical solution for the sheath dynamics of an asymmetrically driven capacitively coupled plasma is obtained under the assumptions of time-independent, collisionless ion motion, inertialess electrons, and uniform current density. Modeling is performed considering that the plasma is driven by a nonsinusoidal radio frequency (rf) current which can be resolved into a finite number of harmonic components. Together with different sheath parameters the equation for the bulk plasma impedance is also obtained to calculate the overall plasma impedance and the overall rf voltage. Assuming equal plate areas the solution for a symmetric discharge is also obtainable from this model. We have found that the even harmonic components of rf voltage and impedance are always present, even in a symmetric discharge. Experimental results are shown to be in qualitative agreement with the theoretical model. The values of normalized rf voltage and impedance harmonics assume lower values as the asymmetry of the plasma chamber decreases

A proof-of-concept online metadata catalogue service of Earth observation datasets for human health research in exposomics

This article describes research carried out during 2023 under an International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS)-funded project to develop and disseminate a metadata catalogue of Earth observation data sources/products and types that are relevant to human health research in exposomics, as a free service to interested researchers worldwide. The proof-of-concept catalogue was informed by input from existing research literature on the subject (desk research), as well as online communications with, and relevant research publications collected from, a small panel (n = 5) of select experts from the academia in three countries (China, UK and USA). It has 90 metadata records of relevant Earth observation datasets (n = 40) and associated health-focused research publications (n = 50). The project's online portal offers a searchable version of the catalogue featuring a number of search modes and filtering options. It is hoped future, more comprehensive versions of this service will enable more researchers and studies to discover and use remote sensing data about population-level exposures to disease determinants (exposomic determinants of disease) in combination with other relevant data to reveal fresh insights that could improve our understanding of relevant diseases, and hence contribute to the development of better-optimized prevention and management plans to tackle them.Comment: 5 figure

Stimulatory Effect of Morning Bright Light on Reproductive Hormones and Ovulation: Results of a Controlled Crossover Trial

OBJECTIVES: Studies have shown a shortening of the menstrual cycle following light exposure in women with abnormally long menstrual cycles or with winter depression, suggesting that artificial light can influence reproductive hormones and ovulation. The study was designed to investigate this possibility. DESIGN: Placebo-controlled, crossover, counterbalanced order. SETTING: Medical centres and participants' homes in Novosibirsk (55°N), Russia. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-two women, aged 19–37 years, with baseline menstrual cycle length 28.1–37.8 d and no clinically evident endocrine abnormalities completed the study. The study lasted for two menstrual cycles separated by at least one off-protocol cycle. INTERVENTIONS: During one experimental cycle, bright light was administered at home for 1 wk with a light box emitting white light at 4,300 lux at 41 cm for 45 min shortly after awakening. During the other experimental cycle, dim light was <100 lux at 41 cm with a one-tube fluorescent source. OUTCOME MEASURES: Blood samples and ultrasound scans were obtained in the afternoon before and after the week of light exposure, on day ∼7 and 14 after menstruation onset. Further ultrasound scans after day 14 documented ovulation. Serum was assayed for thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), prolactin (PRL), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and estradiol (E2). RESULTS: Concentrations of PRL, LH, and FSH were significantly increased with bright versus dim light exposure, as was follicle size (ANOVA, intervention × day, p = 0.0043, 0.014, 0.049, and 0.042, respectively). The number of ovulatory cycles increased after exposure to bright compared to dim light (12 versus 6 cycles, Wilcoxon tied p = 0.034). CONCLUSIONS: Morning exposure to bright light in the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle stimulates the secretion of hypophyseal reproductive hormones, promotes ovary follicle growth, and increases ovulation rates in women with slightly lengthened menstrual cycles. This might be a promising method to overcome infertility

Streaming Emergency Department Patients to Primary Care Services: Developing a Consensus in North East London

Report of local research on emergency care decision

Novel peptides of therapeutic promise from Indian conidae

Highly structured small peptides are the major toxic constituents of the venom of cone snails, a family of widely distributed predatory marine molluscs. These animals use the venom for rapid prey immobilization. The peptide components in the venom target a wide variety of membrane-bound ion channels and receptors. Many have been found to be highly selective for a diverse range of mammalian ion channels and receptors associated with pain-signaling pathways. Their small size, structural stability, and target specificity make them attractive pharmacologic agents. A select number of laboratories mainly from the United States, Europe, Australia, Israel, and China have been engaged in intense drug discovery programs based on peptides from a few snail species. Coastal India has an estimated 20-30% of the known cone species; however, few serious studies have been reported so far. We have begun a comprehensive program for the identification and characterization of peptides from cone snails found in Indian Coastal waters. This presentation reviews our progress over the last 2 years. As expected from the evolutionary history of these venom components, our search has yielded novel peptides of therapeutic promise from the new species that we have studied

The effectiveness and safety of antifibrinolytics in patients with acute intracranial haemorrhage: statistical analysis plan for an individual patient data meta-analysis

Introduction: The Antifibrinolytic Trialists Collaboration aims to increase knowledge about the effectiveness and safety of antifibrinolytic treatment by conducting individual patient data (IPD) meta-analyses of randomised trials. This article presents the statistical analysis plan for an IPD meta-analysis of the effects of antifibrinolytics for acute intracranial haemorrhage. Methods: The protocol for the IPD meta-analysis has been registered with PROSPERO (CRD42016052155). We will conduct an individual patient data meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials with 1000 patients or more assessing the effects of antifibrinolytics in acute intracranial haemorrhage. We will assess the effect on two co-primary outcomes: 1) death in hospital at end of trial follow-up, and 2) death in hospital or dependency at end of trial follow-up. The co-primary outcomes will be limited to patients treated within three hours of injury or stroke onset. We will report treatment effects using odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. We use logistic regression models to examine how the effect of antifibrinolytics vary by time to treatment, severity of intracranial bleeding, and age. We will also examine the effect of antifibrinolytics on secondary outcomes including death, dependency, vascular occlusive events, seizures, and neurological outcomes. Secondary outcomes will be assessed in all patients irrespective of time of treatment. All analyses will be conducted on an intention-to-treat basis. Conclusions: This IPD meta-analysis will examine important clinical questions about the effects of antifibrinolytic treatment in patients with intracranial haemorrhage that cannot be answered using aggregate data. With IPD we can examine how effects vary by time to treatment, bleeding severity, and age, to gain better understanding of the balance of benefit and harms on which to base recommendations for practice

Massive right-sided hemorrhagic pleural effusion due to pancreatitis; a case report

BACKGROUND: Hemorrhagic pleural effusion, especially in the right hemithorax rarely occurs as the sole presentation of pancreatitis. CASE PRESENTATION: This article reports massive right-sided hemorrhagic pleural effusion as the sole manifestation of pancreatitis in a 16-year-old Iranian boy. The patient referred to Nemazee Hospital, the main hospital of southern Iran, with right-sided shoulder and chest pain accompanied with dyspnea. His chest x-ray showed massive right-sided pleural effusion. The pleural fluid amylase was markedly elevated (8840 U/L), higher than that in the serum (3318 U/L). Abdominal CT scan showed a cystic structure measuring about 5·2 cm in the head of pancreas, highly suggestive of a pancreatic pseudocyst. Pleural effusion resolved after 3 weeks of chest tube insertion but not completely. After this period of conservative therapy another CT scan showed that pseudocyst was still in the head of pancreas. So, external drainage was done with mushroom insertion and the patient was discharged after 40 days of hospitalization. The cause of pancreatitis could not be identified. CONCLUSION: Pancreatitis should be taken into consideration when hemorrhagic pleural effusion, especially in the right hemithorax occurs

Recent Developments in Understanding Two-dimensional Turbulence and the Nastrom-Gage Spectrum

Two-dimensional turbulence appears to be a more formidable problem than three-dimensional turbulence despite the numerical advantage of working with one less dimension. In the present paper we review recent numerical investigations of the phenomenology of two-dimensional turbulence as well as recent theoretical breakthroughs by various leading researchers. We also review efforts to reconcile the observed energy spectrum of the atmosphere (the spectrum) with the predictions of two-dimensional turbulence and quasi-geostrophic turbulence.Comment: Invited review; accepted by J. Low Temp. Phys.; Proceedings for Warwick Turbulence Symposium Workshop on Universal features in turbulence: from quantum to cosmological scales, 200