Follow-up Reproductive Health Needs Assessment for Evaluation of a CBD Program in Maramba Division,Muheza District

This is the report of a follow up household survey conducted in 8 villages of Maramba Division, Muheza District 1.5 years after starting a CBD program. The main findings are; The contraceptive prevalence for modern methods was 33% compared to 24% in 1999. Among clients of oral contraceptives compliance to pill use can be estimated to be about 77%. Delivery indicators show that the rate of professionally assisted deliveries decreased from 55% in 1999 to only 33% in 2001. Knowledge on how to prevent STDs has improved. More women mention the use of condoms 16%(against 10% in 99) and having only one sexual partner 43% (against 27% in 99). It is concluded that CBD activities have a measurable impact on the contraceptive prevalence rate. If established at large scale the contraceptive prevalence of a whole region or even the whole country could increase considerably... Delivery indicators showed that the rate of home deliveries is increasing. Especially alarming is the increase in birth only attended by untrained people. There is an urgent need to further explore the reason and to react with appropriate measures. This rapid assessment methodology is very useful to provide at low cost population based data. This is especially important as long as reliable population data are missing. In selected area this type of survey should accompany a CBD program on regular basis

Survey and Service on STD/HIV/AIDS in Namungo Mines,Lindi Region

Namungo is small-scale mining in Ruangwa district, Lindi Region, with deposits of green gemstone (tsavorite). About 400 men and women are living in temporary settlements. In August 2001, an STD/HIV/AIDS workplace intervention started which comprised of: A baseline KAP study with villagers and miners, A survey on infection rates with Syphilis and HIV, Treatment of patients with STD, An educational campaign and Development of plans for continuos collaboration between the mine and the health system. The KAP-study showed that 81% of respondents knew that sexual intercourse/sex without a condom is the main mode of HIV transmission. 80% correctly started that a person infected with HIV can remain a symptomatic for a long period. Half of them responded to had paid sex with more than one partner during the last 12 mouth. Those reporting having used a condom in the past 3 month were 48%. 92% of the respondents reported willingness for Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) to know their HIV status. From 429 people who had came with symptoms of STDs most were treated for discharge syndrome (40% males,24 females) and for genital ulcers (38% in males and females) Testing and counseling for syphilis and HIV was offered to STD clients and volunteers. Infection rates were high in both groups, STD patients and volunteers with 18% for syphilis and 17% for HIV. The highest prevalence with 38% was found in women 30-34 years of age. The high infection rates, risky behavior and a high mobility of the people involved are a challenge to claim holders, health authorities and communities in the vicinity. Regular interventions urgently needed

Extended Non-Return-To-Zero Serial Channel Signaling

Methods and apparatus for serial channel operation are disclosed. An N+l -level signaling scheme is used to transmit N staggered but overlapping NRZ sub-sequences concurrently on a serial channel. Each sequence has a bit rate R and an essential bandwidth of R HZ. The combined bit rate of the channel is NxR, but due to a lack of correlation between the subsequences, the essential bandwidth remains approximately R Hz. The signaling scheme also contains redundancy that allows some errors to be detected and/or corrected. Other embodiments are also described and claimed. Patent No. : US 9,121,205 B1 Date of Patent: Feb. 21, 2012 Filed: Mar. 20, 2008 Int. Cl: H04K 1/10 (2006.01) U.S. Cl.: 375/260; 375/259 CPC Cl.: H04L 1/0063 (20130101); H04L 25/4904 (20130101); H04L 25/4917 (20130101); H04L 25/497 (2013.01) Field of Search: 375/260, 375/25

Differential Trace Profile for Printed Circuit Boards

Circuit boards and methods for their manufacture are disclosed. The circuit boards carry high-speed signals using conductors formed to include lengthwise channels. The channels increase the surface area of the conductors and therefore enhance the ability of the conductors to carry high-speed signals. In at least some embodiments, a discontinuity also exists between the dielectric constant within the channels and just outside the channels, which is believed to reduce signal loss into the dielectric material. Patent No.: US 8,168,891 BI Date of Patent: May 1, 2012 Filed: May 2, 2008 Int. Cl.: H05K 1/00 (2006.01) U.S. Cl.: 174/258; 174/255 U.S. Cl.: 375/260; 375/259 CPC Cl.: H01P 3/081 (20130101); H05K 1/0245 (20130101); H05K 1/024 (20130101); H05K 1/0216 (20130101); H05K 1/0298 (20130101); H05K 3/0091 (20130101); H05K 3/46 (20130101); H05K 1/0242 (20130101); Y10T 29/49156 (20150115); H05K 2201/09236 (20130101); H05K 2201/09745 (20130101); H05K 2201/098 (20130101); B32B 2457/08 (20130101); B32B 2309/08 (20130101); B32B 2305/076 (20130101); H05K 2201/0187 (20130101); H05K 3/4611 (20130101); H05K 1/0366 (20130101); H05K 2201/029 (20130101); Y10T 29/49165 (20150115); Y10T 29/49126 (20150115); Y10T 29/49117 (20150115); Y10T 29/49128 (20150115) Field of Search: 174/255,261,262,258; 361/777,780,794,78

Improvements of the Set Up and Procedures for Beam Energy Measurements at BESSY II

With a 7 T wiggler in operation all attempts to detect the resonant depolarization of the electron spins were unsuccessful at BESSY II. This was attributed to the severely reduced degree of spin polarization of the electrons moving in the alternating fields of the strong wiggler which on the other hand nearly doubles the radiation loss per turn. The key to a clear detection of the depolarization is the improvement of the sensitivity of the polarimeter, based on the spin dependent Touschek scattering cross section and the more effective and thus full depolarization of the beam. With these improvements the high precision beam energy determination can again be performed in parallel to the normal user operation and without any noticeable perturbations to the bea

Parasitoid complex of fall armyworm, spodoptera frugiperda, in Ghana and Benin

Open Access Journal; Published online: 21 Jan 2020The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, a moth originating from the American continent, has recently invaded most African countries, where it is seriously threatening food security as a pest of cereals. The current management methods rely heavily on the use of synthetic insecticides but there is a need for more sustainable control methods, including biological control. Surveys were conducted in two West African countries, Ghana and Benin, to determine the native parasitoid complex and assess parasitism rates of S. frugiperda. Samples of S. frugiperda eggs and larvae were collected in maize fields located in 56 and 90 localities of Ghana and Benin, respectively, from July 2018 to July 2019. Ten species were found parasitizing the pest, including two egg parasitoids, one egg–larval, five larval and two larval–pupal parasitoids. The two most abundant parasitoids in both countries were two Braconidae: the egg‐larval parasitoid Chelonus bifoveolatus and the larval parasitoid Coccygidum luteum. Parasitism rates were determined in three Ghanaian regions and averages varied from 0% to 75% between sites and from 5% to 38% between regions. These data provide an important baseline for the development of various biological control options. The two egg parasitoids, Telenomus remus and Trichogramma sp. can be used in augmentative biological control and investigations should be conducted to assess how cultural practices can enhance the action of the main parasitoids, C. luteum and Ch. bifoveolatus, in the field. Understanding the parasitoid complex of S. frugiperda in Africa is also necessary before any development of classical biological controls involving the introduction of parasitoids from the Americas

3D Modeling of Murine Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: Quantification of Segmentation and Volumetric Reconstruction

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAA) cause 5,900 deaths in the United States each year. Surgical intervention is clinically studied by non-invasive techniques such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. However, three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound imaging has become an inexpensive alternative and useful tool to characterize aneurysms, allowing for reconstruction of the vessel, quantification of hemodynamics through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation, and possible prediction of aortic expansion and rupture. However, current analysis techniques for these images require the use of multiple software platforms for either modeling or simulation, prompting the need for alternatives to improve data processing. This study monitors the development of AAAs in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice infused with Angiotensin II using 3D ultrasound imaging with the purpose of evaluating the accuracy of SimVascular, a semi-automated specialized open source simulation software; for image reconstruction. The total volume to length ratio of the suprarenal aorta was obtained for 7 mice and compared to software that allows only segmentation and volume quantification (VevoLAB; FUJIFILM VisualSonics). We found that the volume per length measurements obtained with SimVascular (10.57 ± 6.96 mm2) were very similar to those obtained by VevoLAB (10.55 ± 6.95 mm2, p=0.77). In conclusion, SimVascular is an optimal tool for reconstructing vessel geometries from 3D ultrasound data due to its robust accuracy, efficiency, and semi-automatic computational processing capabilities used for modeling that will allow for future CFD simulation

Changes in Vessel Properties During Early Progression of Murine Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms from In Vivo Ultrasound

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are a common and frequently fatal disease characterized by the weakening and dilation of the aorta. The larger the aneurysm, the higher the chances are of rupturing and life-threatening hemorrhage. The aim of this study is to apply the angiotensin II (AngII) model of AAAs in male apolipoprotein-E-deficient mice (apoE-/- C57Bl/6J), in order to analyze, quantify, and understand the pathologies and characteristics associated with early AAA development. To date, many studies focusing on the evaluation of AAA characteristics have been performed ex vivo. Therefore, we focused on in vivo assessment, through the use of high frequency ultrasound technology, to measure parameters such as aortic diameter, volume, circumferential cyclic strain, blood flow velocity, and thrombus volume. Data analysis from this 7-day study suggests an increase in aortic diameter and volume, a decrease in aortic blood flow velocity and strain, and large variations in volumes of the thrombotic volume within the aneurysm’s false lumen. Our analysis of these AAA features has shown that there are a variety of patterns, which may provide insight into further understanding AAA pathology in this model. Future work will focus on comparing the relationship between the features during early AAA formation