Safety and acceptability of tubal ligation procedures performed by trained clinical officers in rural Uganda.

OBJECTIVE: To assess safety associated with tubal ligation performed by trained clinical officers (COs) in rural Uganda. METHODS: Between March and June 2012, 518 women in 4 regions of Uganda were recruited into a prospective cohort study and followed at days 3, 7, and 45 after undergoing tubal ligation performed by a trained CO. Intraoperative and postoperative adverse events (minor, moderate, or major), and acceptability were assessed. RESULTS: Mean age was 36 years (range, 20-49 years) and mean number of living children was 6.7 (range, 0-15). The overall rate of major adverse events was 1.5%: 0.4% intraoperatively; 1.9% at day 3; and 0.2% at day 7. The majority of women who underwent tubal ligation reported a good/very good experience at the facility (range, 94%-99%) and would recommend the health services to a friend (range, 93%-98%). CONCLUSION: In the present study, task sharing of tubal ligation to trained COs in private facilities was safe. Women reported high levels of satisfaction with the procedure. Training COs could be an effective strategy for expanding family-planning services to rural Uganda

Povišenje koncentracije tumorskoga nekrotizirajućeg faktora-alfa i promjena aktivnosti enzima laktat dehidrogenaze u radnika eksponiranih prašini stočne hrane onečišćene mikotoksinima

Six types of animal-feed ingredients and swine mixed feeds from factories in northern Thailand were sampled for analysis of mycotoxins. Mycotoxins found in foodstuffs included aflatoxins, fumonisins, ochratoxins, T-2 toxin, vomitoxin and zearalenone. Samples of airborne dust generated while handling animal feed were collected and analysed to assess exposure of workers to aflatoxins. The average aflatoxin level in the control air samples was 0.99 ng/m.3. Higher levels of aflatoxins were found in the air samples taken by samplers attached to five workers adding hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate to animal feed (group 1; 1.55 ng/m.3) and five workers adding glucomannan to animal feed (group 2; 6.25 ng/m.3). The exposed workers showed a change in lactate dehydrogenase isoenzyme activity and tumor necrosis factor- levels in plasma. These changes may be associated with inhalation of mycotoxins and other contaminants in foodstuff. Occupational exposure to mycotoxins and mycotoxin adsorbents needs further evaluation in order to set up a proper system for long term surveillance of exposed population.U ovome radu autori su analizirali mikotoksine u uzorcima 6 vrsta mješavina hrane za svinje iz Sjeverne provincije u Tajlandu, a sa svrhom procjene ekspozicije radnika prašini kontaminiranoj mikotoksinima. Pratili su i neke biološke učinke u 10 eksponiranih radnika i u 4 neeksponirana, koji su služili za usporedbu. U uzorcima hrane za svinje utvrdili su prisutnost aflatoksina, fumonizina, okratoksina, T-2-toksina, vomitoksina i zeralenona. Uzorci udisanog zraka skupljani su individualnim sisaljkama za uzorkovanje, i to tijekom 8-satnog rada i uz protok od 2.000 ml/min. Aflatoksine u skupljenim uzorcima zraka analizirali su s pomoću ELISA kita. Prva skupina od 5 radnika bila je eksponirana prašini iz mješavine stočne hrane kojoj je prethodno dodan adsorbens aluminijev silikat. Uzorak je sadržavao 1,55 ng aflatoksina u m3 usisanog zraka. Drugih 5 radnika koji su radili sa stočnom hranom kojoj je prethodno primiješan adsorbens glukomanan bila je eksponirana prašini što je sadržavala 6,25 ng aflatoksina u m3 udisanog zraka. U uzorcima udisanog zraka neeksponiranih osoba bilo je 0,99 ng aflatoksina u m3. Aktivnost izoenzima LDH u plazmi određivana je elektroforezom. U eksponiranih radnika aktivnost LDH1 bila je značajno (P<0,05) niža, a LDH3 i LDH4 značajno (P<0,05) viša negoli u neeksponiranih radnika. Koncentracija tumorskoga nekrotizirajućeg faktora-alfa određivana je s pomoću komercijalnog ELISA kita i iznosila je 29,7 pk/ml plazme u radnika prve skupine i 107 pk/ml plazme u radnika druge skupine. U neeksponiranih radnika ovaj se faktor nije mogao detektirati. Dobiveni rezultati upućuju na vjerojatnost da bi udisanje prašine kontaminirane aflatoksinom, a možda i drugim mikotoksinima, moglo dovesti do oštećenja ciljnih organa, vjerojatno pluća i slezene

Interval estimates of bit-error rate of burst error sequences

This dissertation examines the accuracy of bit-error rate estimates in burst error channels. Conventional methods of calculating the confidence interval for non-burst or uncorrelated error sequences are reviewed. These methods are modified and applied to correlated or burst error sequences, and the effect of burst errors in error sequences on the accuracy of the confidence interval estimation is studied. Conventional methods generate confidence intervals that are too small for burst error sequences. The modified calculation method widens the range of the interval according to the level of correlation in an error sequence. This new method works with both uncorrelated as well as correlated error sequences --Abstract, page iii

Accuracy of Computer Simulations that use Common Pseudo-random Number Generators

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 26-29, 1998 / Town & Country Resort Hotel and Convention Center, San Diego, CaliforniaIn computer simulations of communication systems, linear congruential generators and shift registers are typically used to model noise and data sources. These generators are often assumed to be close to ideal (i.e. delta correlated), and an insignificant source of error in the simulation results. The samples generated by these algorithms have non-ideal autocorrelation functions, which may cause a non-uniform distribution in the data or noise signals. This error may cause the simulation bit-error-rate (BER) to be artificially high or low. In this paper, the problem is described through the use of confidence intervals. Tests are performed on several pseudo-random generators to access which ones are acceptable for computer simulation.International Foundation for TelemeteringProceedings from the International Telemetering Conference are made available by the International Foundation for Telemetering and the University of Arizona Libraries. Visit http://www.telemetry.org/index.php/contact-us if you have questions about items in this collection