Individual and community-level socioeconomic position and its association with adolescents experience of childhood sexual abuse : a multilevel analysis of six countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

Background: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a substantial global health and human rights problem and consequently a growing concern in sub-Saharan Africa. We examined the association between individual and community-level socioeconomic status (SES) and the likelihood of reporting CSA. Methods: We applied multiple multilevel logistic regression analysis on Demographic and Health Survey data for 6,351female adolescents between the ages of 15 and 18 years from six countries in sub-Saharan Africa, between 2006 and 2008. Results: About 70% of the reported cases of CSA were between 14 and 17 years. Zambia had the highest proportion of reported cases of CSA (5.8%). At the individual and community level, we found that there was no association between CSA and socioeconomic position. This study provides evidence that the likelihood of reporting CSA cut across all individual SES as well as all community socioeconomic strata. Conclusions: We found no evidence of socioeconomic differentials in adolescents’ experience of CSA, suggesting that adolescents from the six countries studied experienced CSA regardless of their individual- and community-level socioeconomic position. However, we found some evidence of geographical clustering, adolescents in the same community are subject to common contextual influences. Further studies are needed to explore possible effects of countries’ political, social, economic, legal, and cultural impact on Childhood sexual abuse

A comparative study of the socioeconomic factors associated with childhood sexual abuse in sub-Saharan Africa

Background: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a problem of considerable proportion in Africa where up to one-third of adolescent girls report their first sexual experience as being forced. The impact of child hood sexual abuse resonates in all areas of health. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of childhood sexual abuse and variations across socioeconomic status in six sub-Saharan countries. Methods: Datasets from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) in six sub-Saharan African countries conducted between 2003 and 2007 were used to access the relationship between CSA and socio economic status using multiple logistic regression models. Results: There was no association between CSA and education, wealth and area of settlement. However, there was contrasting association between CSA and working status of women. Conclusion: This study concurs with other western studies which indicate that CSA transcends across all socio economic group. It is therefore important that effective preventive strategies are developed and implemented that will cross across all socio-economic groups. © Ismail Yahaya et al

Sardine (Sardinella sp.) Quality Based on Organoleptic Tests in Atapupu Waters, Belu Regency, East Nusa Tenggara

One of the fish handling techniques needed to maintain fish freshness is the cold chain application. Cold chain system is very important to be applied in the post-catch handling process to extend the fish rigor mortis phase. Fishermen and fishmongers are people who play an important role in maintaining fish freshness. The purpose of this study was to determine the fresh sardine organoleptic quality after catching until reaching consumers or initial selling. The method used is a survey method through on board direct fish handling activity observation conducted by fishermen and fishmongers at selling locations, as well as fish organoleptic tests using score sheets for fresh fish with observations based on transit time starting from fishing vessel after catching, collectors, fishmongers to the first consumers. Organoleptic quality measurement of sardine taken from fishmongers in Atapupu waters showed that sardine quality fitted for consumption with an organoleptic value of >7

Por Dentro da Mente de um Proletário Acadêmico: Um Ensaio sobre o Processo de Desenvolvimento de uma Dissertação de Mestrado em Administração sob o Aspecto dos Diferentes Modelos de Tomada de Decisão

Este estudo trata-se de um estudo teórico que abrange as decisões tomadas pelos indivíduos diretamente envolvidos na produção da dissertação, ou seja, o mestrando e o professor orientador, sob a luz de quatro diferentes modelos de tomada de decisão: Modelo Racional, Modelo Comportamental, Modelo Incremental e Modelo Político. Uma melhor compreensão das decisões tomadas nas diversas etapas da produção da dissertação e das características dessas decisões pode colaborar para o entendimento das razões impactantes na qualidade do produto final, que vem sendo questionada. Por fim, a análise das decisões que compõem as diferentes etapas de desenvolvimento da dissertação sugere a possibilidade da ocorrência de distintos tipos de decisão nas diferentes etapas de trabalho

A second monoclinic polymorph of 6-amino-1,3-dimethyl-5-[(E)-2-(methyl­sulfan­yl)benzyl­idene­amino]­pyrimidine-2,4(1H,3H)-dione

A new monoclinic form of the title compound, C14H16N4O2S, has been identified unexpectedly during an attempt to synthesize a coordination compound. The heterocyclic ring is essentially planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.005 Å) and makes a dihedral angle of 8.77 (5)° with the benzene ring. This is in contrast to 12.24 (7)° reported for the first monoclinic polymorph [Booysen et al. (2011 ▶). Acta Cryst. E67, o1592]. An intra­molecular N—H⋯S hydrogen bond is observed. In the crystal, inter­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the mol­ecules into zigzag chains along the b axis. The closest distance between the centroids of symmetry-related heterocyclic rings is 3.5161 (6) Å

Social disorganization and history of child sexual abuse against girls in sub-Saharan Africa: a multilevel analysis

Abstract Background: Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a considerable public health problem. Less focus has been paid to the role of community level factors associated with CSA. The aim of this study was to examine the association between neighbourhood-level measures of social disorganization and CSA. Methods: We applied multiple multilevel logistic regression analysis on Demographic and Health Survey data for 6,351 adolescents from six countries in sub-Saharan Africa between 2006 and 2008. Results: The percentage of adolescents that had experienced CSA ranged from 1.04% to 5.84%. There was a significant variation in the odds of reporting CSA across the communities, suggesting 18% of the variation in CSA could be attributed to community level factors. Respondents currently employed were more likely to have reported CSA than those who were unemployed (odds ratio [OR] = 2.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.48 to 2.83). Respondents from communities with a high family disruption rate were 57% more likely to have reported CSA (OR=1.57, 95% CI 1.14 to 2.16). Conclusion: We found that exposure to CSA was associated with high community level of family disruption, thus suggesting that neighbourhoods may indeed have significant important effects on exposure to CSA. Further studies are needed to explore pathways that connect the individual and neighbourhood levels, that is, means through which deleterious neighbourhood effects are transmitted to individuals

Phylogeography and Ethnogenesis of Aboriginal Southeast Asians

Studying the genetic history of the Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia can provide crucial clues to the peopling of Southeast Asia as a whole. We have analyzed mitochondrial DNA (mtDNAs) control-region and coding-region markers in 447 mtDNAs from the region, including 260 Orang Asli, representative of each of the traditional groupings, the Semang, the Senoi, and the Aboriginal Malays, allowing us to test hypotheses about their origins. All of the Orang Asli groups have undergone high levels of genetic drift, but phylogeographic traces nevertheless remain of the ancestry of their maternal lineages. The Semang have a deep ancestry within the Malay Peninsula, dating to the initial settlement from Africa >50,000 years ago. The Senoi appear to be a composite group, with approximately half of the maternal lineages tracing back to the ancestors of the Semang and about half to Indochina. This is in agreement with the suggestion that they represent the descendants of early Austroasiatic speaking agriculturalists, who brought both their language and their technology to the southern part of the peninsula ∼4,000 years ago and coalesced with the indigenous population. The Aboriginal Malays are more diverse, and although they show some connections with island Southeast Asia, as expected, they also harbor haplogroups that are either novel or rare elsewhere. Contrary to expectations, complete mtDNA genome sequences from one of these, R9b, suggest an ancestry in Indochina around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum, followed by an early-Holocene dispersal through the Malay Peninsula into island Southeast Asia

Social disorganization and history of child sexual abuse against girls in sub-Saharan Africa : a multilevel analysis

Background: Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a considerable public health problem. Less focus has been paid to the role of community level factors associated with CSA. The aim of this study was to examine the association between neighbourhood-level measures of social disorganization and CSA. Methods: We applied multiple multilevel logistic regression analysis on Demographic and Health Survey data for 6,351 adolescents from six countries in sub-Saharan Africa between 2006 and 2008. Results: The percentage of adolescents that had experienced CSA ranged from 1.04% to 5.84%. There was a significant variation in the odds of reporting CSA across the communities, suggesting 18% of the variation in CSA could be attributed to community level factors. Respondents currently employed were more likely to have reported CSA than those who were unemployed (odds ratio [OR] = 2.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.48 to 2.83). Respondents from communities with a high family disruption rate were 57% more likely to have reported CSA (OR=1.57, 95% CI 1.14 to 2.16). Conclusion: We found that exposure to CSA was associated with high community level of family disruption, thus suggesting that neighbourhoods may indeed have significant important effects on exposure to CSA. Further studies are needed to explore pathways that connect the individual and neighbourhood levels, that is, means through which deleterious neighbourhood effects are transmitted to individuals

Five-year review of an international clinical research-training program

The exponential increase in clinical research has profoundly changed medical sciences. Evidence that has accumulated in the past three decades from clinical trials has led to the proposal that clinical care should not be based solely on clinical expertise and patient values, and should integrate robust data from systematic research. As a consequence, clinical research has become more complex and methods have become more rigorous, and evidence is usually not easily translated into clinical practice. Therefore, the instruction of clinical research methods for scientists and clinicians must adapt to this new reality. To address this challenge, a global distance-learning clinical research-training program was developed, based on collaborative learning, the pedagogical goal of which was to develop critical thinking skills in clinical research. We describe and analyze the challenges and possible solutions of this course after 5 years of experience (2008-2012) with this program. Through evaluation by students and faculty, we identified and reviewed the following challenges of our program: 1) student engagement and motivation, 2) impact of heterogeneous audience on learning, 3) learning in large groups, 4) enhancing group learning, 5) enhancing social presence, 6) dropouts, 7) quality control, and 8) course management. We discuss these issues and potential alternatives with regard to our research and background

Mortars with incorporation of phase change materials (PCM): physical and mechanical properties and durability

O despertar da consciência ambiental pela sociedade, tem levantado problemas até então ignorados tais como os consumos energéticos. Numa sociedade com um elevado ritmo de crescimento e padrões de conforto cada vez maiores, surge a necessidade de minimizar os elevados consumos energéticos, tirando partido de fontes de energia renováveis. As argamassas com incorporação de materiais de mudança de fase (PCM) possuem a capacidade de regular a temperatura no interior dos edifícios, contribuindo desta forma para o aumento do nível de conforto térmico e diminuição do recurso a equipamentos de climatização, apenas com recurso à energia solar. Contudo, a incorporação de materiais de mudança de fase em argamassas modifica algumas das suas principais características. Portanto, o principal objetivo deste estudo consistiu na caracterização física e mecânica de argamassas aditivadas com PCM, assim como na avaliação da sua durabilidade. Para tal foram desenvolvidas 12 composições distintas, à base de diferentes ligantes e dopadas com 40% de PCM. Tendo sido possível observar que a incorporação de PCM provoca diferenças significativas em propriedades tais como a trabalhabilidade, resistência à compressão, resistência à flexão, aderência, absorção de água por capilaridade, absorção de água por imersão e resistência a ações de gelo-degelo. Contudo, foi possível concluir que a incorporação de PCM nas argamassas pode ser realizada com sucesso. Sendo que, as alterações verificadas nas argamassas podem ser contornadas através da incorporação de uma maior dosagem de ligante, superplastificante e até mesmo a inclusão de fibras. Apesar dos resultados desta investigação serem promissores é importante referir que outras investigações devem ser realizadas com o intuito de observar a influência do PCM em argamassas constituídas por outros materiais.The awakening of environmental awareness by society has raised issues previously ignored such as energy consumption. In a society with a high growth rate and increased standards of comfort arises the need to minimize the currently high energy consumption by taking advantage of renewable energy sources. The mortars with incorporation of phase change materials (PCM) have the ability to regulate the temperature inside buildings, contributing to the thermal comfort and reduction of the use of heating and cooling equipment, using only the energy supplied by the sun. However, the incorporation of phase change materials in mortars modifies its characteristics. The main purpose of this study was the physical and mechanical characterization, as well the evaluation of the durability. Twelve compositions were developed, based in different binders and doped with 40% of PCM. It was possible to observe that the incorporation of PCM in mortars caused significant differences in properties, such as workability, compression strength, flexural strength, adhesion, water absorption by capillarity, water absorption by immersion and degradation after freeze-thaw cycles. However, it was concluded that the incorporation of PCM in mortars can be performed successfully. Being that the changes in mortars can be solved by incorporating a higher content of binder, superplasticizer and the inclusion of fibers. Although the results of this investigation are promising it is important to note that further investigations should be performed aiming to observe the influence of PCM in mortars composed by other materials.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia pelo financiamento deste trabalho de investigação desenvolvido no âmbito do projeto “ Contribuição de Argamassas Térmicas Ativas para a Eficiência Energética dos Edifícios” (PTDC/ECM/102154/2008) e à atribuição da bolsa individual de doutoramento com referência SFRH/BD/95611/2013