The Association among Literacy, Numeracy, HIV Knowledge and Health-Seeking Behavior: A Population-Based Survey of Women in Rural Mozambique

BACKGROUND: Limited literacy skills are common in the United States (US) and are related to lower HIV knowledge and worse health behaviors and outcomes. The extent of these associations is unknown in countries like Mozambique, where no rigorously validated literacy and numeracy measures exist. METHODS: A validated measure of literacy and numeracy, the Wide Range Achievement Test, version 3 (WRAT-3) was translated into Portuguese, adapted for a Mozambican context, and administered to a cross-section of female heads-of-household during a provincially representative survey conducted from August 8 to September 25, 2010. Construct validity of each subscale was examined by testing associations with education, income, and possession of socioeconomic assets, stratified by Portuguese speaking ability. Multivariable regression models estimated the association among literacy/numeracy and HIV knowledge, self-reported HIV testing, and utilization of prenatal care. RESULTS: Data from 3,557 women were analyzed; 1,110 (37.9%) reported speaking Portuguese. Respondents' mean age was 31.2; 44.6% lacked formal education, and 34.3% reported no income. Illiteracy was common (50.4% of Portuguese speakers, 93.7% of non-Portuguese speakers) and the mean numeracy score (10.4) corresponded to US kindergarten-level skills. Literacy or numeracy was associated (p<0.01) with education, income, age, and other socioeconomic assets. Literacy and numeracy skills were associated with HIV knowledge in adjusted models, but not with HIV testing or receipt of clinic-based prenatal care. CONCLUSION: The adapted literacy and numeracy subscales are valid for use with rural Mozambican women. Limited literacy and numeracy skills were common and associated with lower HIV knowledge. Further study is needed to determine the extent to which addressing literacy/numeracy will lead to improved health outcomes

Melamine Acoustic Chemosensor Based on Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Film

A melamine piezomicrogravimetric (acoustic) chemosensor using a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) film has been devised and tested. The MIP films were prepared by electropolymerization of the melamine complexed by the functional monomer of the bis(bithiophene) derivative bearing an 18-crown-6 substituent 4. The structure of the MIP-melamine complex was visualized by the DFT B3LYP/3-21G(*) energy optimization calculations. The sensitivity and selectivity of the MIP film was improved by cross-linking the polymer with the bithianaphthene monomer 5 and the presence of the porogenic ionic liquid in the prepolymerization solution. After electropolymerization, the melamine template was extracted from the MIP film with an aqueous strong base solution. The measurements of UV-vis spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), DPV, and EIS as well as scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) imaging confirmed extraction of the melamine template from the MIP film and then rebinding of the melamine analyte while the film relative roughness and porosity was determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging, respectively. The analytical as well as kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of the chemosensing were assessed under flow-injection analysis (FIA) conditions with piezoelectric microgravimetry (PM) detection. The linear concentration range for melamine detection was 5 nM to at least 1 mM with a limit of detection of 3c5 nM. The chemosensor successfully discriminated the cyanuric acid, cyromazine, and ammeline interfering agents

Fail but try again? The effects of age, gender, and multiple-owner experience on failed entrepreneurs’ reentry

We investigate what leads failed entrepreneurs to reenter entrepreneurship by taking a developmental career perspective. Specifically, we hypothesize that the age of failed entrepreneurs has a non-linear relationship with the likelihood of reentering entrepreneurship that follows different career stages (early, middle, and late). The gender of failed entrepreneurs and multiple-owner experience in the failed firm are hypothesized to be moderators of this relationship. We test our hypotheses using a database consisting of the Swedish population, including 4,761 entrepreneurs who failed between 2000 and 2004. Analyzing their career paths over the years following their failure offers support for our theoretical expectations