Engendering Agency: The Differentiated Impact of Educational Initiatives in Zambia and India

Efforts to interrupt the reproduction of unequal gender relations in schools involve alternative practices and pedagogies intended to transform students’ notions of gender and gender relations. Beyond the protective environments where such educational initiatives take shape, however, students must rely on their own sense of agency to reenact newly developed gender roles, behaviors, and understandings. This article examines how human agency is differentially experienced and acted upon by boy and girl students responding to educational nongovernmental initiatives in Zambia and India. Two case studies are reviewed, offering evidence from participants in educational programs that seek to deliberately disrupt gender inequality, revealing distinct ways in which boys and girls respond to such efforts. It is argued that structural inequalities tend to privilege boys and enable them to experience more “transformative agency” and efficacy when asserting new understandings of gender and gender relations

Geo-statistical approach for prediction of groundwater quality in Chunnakam Aquifer, Jaffna Peninsula

Chunnakam aquifer is the main limestone aquifer of Jaffna Peninsula. The population of the Jaffna Peninsula depends entirely on groundwater resources to meet all of their water requirements. Thus for protecting groundwater quality in Chunnakam aquifer, data on spatial and temporal distribution are important. Geostatistics methods are one of the most advanced techniques for interpolation of groundwater quality. In this study, Ordinary Kriging and IDW methods were used for predicting spatial distribution of some groundwater characteristics such as: Electrical Conductivity (EC), pH, nitrate as nitrogen, chloride, calcium, carbonate, bicarbonate, sulfate and sodium concentration. Forty four wells were selected to represent the entire Chunnakam aquifer during January, March, April, July and October 2011 to represent wet and dry season within a year. After normalization of data, variogram was computed. Suitable model for fitness on experimental variogram was selected based on less Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) value. Then the best method for interpolation was selected, using cross validation and RMSE. Results showed that for all groundwater quality, Ordinary Kriging performed better than IDW method to simulate groundwater quality. Finally, using Ordinary Kriging method, maps of groundwater quality were prepared for studied groundwater quality in Chunnakam aquifer. The result of Ordinary Kriging interpolation showed that higher EC, chloride, sulphate and sodium concentrations are clearly shown to be more common closer to the coast, and decreasing inland due to intrusion of seawater into the Chunnakam aquifer. Also higher NO3 - - N are observed in intensified agricultural areas of Chunnakam aquifer in Jaffna Peninsula

Ultrasound-guided Foam Sclerotherapy Combined with Sapheno-femoral Ligation Compared to Surgical Treatment of Varicose Veins: Early Results of a Randomised Controlled Trial

AbstractAimThis study is a prospective randomised controlled trial comparing sapheno-femoral ligation, great saphenous stripping and multiple avulsions with sapheno-femoral ligation and ultrasound guided foam sclerotherapy to the saphenous vein. Primary end points were patient recovery period and quality of life and secondary end points frequency of complications on the two arms of the trial and the cost of the treatment.Material and methodSixty patients with primary varicose veins due to GSV incompetence and suitable for day case surgery were randomly allocated to undergo ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy with sapheno-femoral ligation under local anaesthesia (n=30) or sapheno-femoral ligation, stripping and multiple avulsions under general anaesthesia (n=30). The study protocol included history, physical examination, assignment of CEAP class and assessment venous clinical severity score (VCSS), completion of the aberdeen vein questionnaire (AVQ) and colour duplex ultrasound.ResultsAll treatments were completed as intended. Median time to return to normal activities was significantly reduced in the foam sclerotherapy group (2 days) compared to the surgical group (8 days) (p<0.001, Mann–Whitney).AVQ score was also significantly reduced at 3 months by 46% in the sclerotherapy group, and by 40% in the conventional surgery group (p<0.001, Wilcoxon).The time taken to complete treatment was shorter in the foam sclerotherapy plus SFJ ligation group: 45 vs. 85min (p<0.001, Mann–Whitney).The overall cost of the procedure in the sclerotherapy group (£672.97) was significantly less compared to conventional surgery (£1120.64).At 3 weeks, there was no statistical difference in the complication rate between the two groups. At 3 months, median CEAP class dropped from four pre-operatively to one following treatment in both groups and the median VCSS score dropped from five to one in group one and from seven to three in group two (p<0.001, Wilcoxon test). In group one four patients (13%) had a recanalised vein which needed further sessions of foam sclerotherapy, resulting in a short-term closure rate of 87%.ConclusionUltrasound guided sclerotherapy combined with sapheno-femoral ligation was less expensive, involved a shorter treatment time and resulted in more rapid recovery compared to sapheno-femoral ligation, saphenous stripping and phlebectomies

Five Decadal Trends in Averages and Extremes of Rainfall and Temperature in Sri Lanka

In this study, we used a comprehensive set of statistical metrics to investigate the historical trends in averages and extremes of rainfall and temperature in Sri Lanka. The data consist of 55 years (1961–2015) of daily rainfall, maximum temperature (Tmax), and minimum temperature (Tmin) records from 20 stations scattered throughout Sri Lanka. The linear trends were analyzed using the nonparametric Mann–Kendall test and Sen–Theil regression. The prewhitening method was first used to remove autocorrelation from the time series, and the modified seasonal Mann–Kendall test was then applied for the seasonal data. The results show that, during May, 15% of the stations showed a significant decrease in wet days, which may be due to the delayed southwest monsoon (SWM) to Sri Lanka. A remarkable increase in the annual average temperature of Tmin and Tmax was observed as 70% and 55% of the stations, respectively. For the entire period, 80% of the stations demonstrated statistically significant increases of Tmin during June and July. The daily temperature range (DTR) exhibited a widespread increase at the stations located within the southwestern coast region of Sri Lanka. Although changes in global climate, teleconnections, and local deforestation in recent decades at least partially influence the trends observed in Sri Lanka, a formal trend attribution study should be conducted