How the internet increases modern contraception uptake: evidence from eight sub-Saharan African countries

Background Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries have the highest worldwide levels of unmet need for modern contraception. This has led to persistently high fertility rates in the region, rates which have had major adverse repercussions on the development potential there. Family planning programmes play a key role in improving the uptake of modern contraception, both by fostering women’s health and by lowering their fertility. Increasing awareness of contraception benefits is a major component of such programmes. Here, we ask whether internet access can bridge the gap between women’s need for modern contraception and women’s uptake of the same. Methods We use a compendium of data for 125 242 women, aged 15–49, from the Demographic Health Survey, Akamai and International Communication Union data, covering eight SSA countries, for the period 2014–2019. We apply a Two-Stage Least Square model, using as instruments for individual internet exposure the distance to the main server in the country and whether the backbone network in the country has been connected to at least one submarine cable. Results Internet exposure, measured as women access the internet at least monthly (almost daily), is associated with a positive, 11.4% (95% CI 10.6% to 12.2%) (53.8% (95% CI 13.4% to 94.1%)), increase in modern contraception uptake. Education is an important moderator. Poorly educated women benefit the most from internet exposure. Discussion Internet exposure appears to have significantly increased the uptake of modern contraception among sub-Saharan women. The poorly educated appear particularly to benefit. There are two mechanisms at play: the internet increases women’s knowledge of contraception; and, in parallel, fosters their empowerment

A Study of Marketing Strategy of Sony Electron in China

本文首先对索尼的企业创建、品牌成长、在华历程进行简要回顾。然后运用PEST、波特五力模型、SWOT分析法分析索尼电子在中国市场面临的宏观环境及所处的行业结构，揭示环境和行业结构对索尼电子带来的机会和挑战，分析索尼电子在中国营销的优势、劣势。在此基础上，以4P理论为视角，从产品、价格、渠道、促销四个方面对索尼在华营销策略进行了研究。研究发现，在产品策略方面，索尼注重以消费者需求为导向提供产品，在塑造品牌形象的同时不断加强售后服务网络的建设，以切实的行动维护消费者的利益，赢得了消费者的青睐；在价格策略方面，索尼主要采用了高价位的策略来提升产品定位，采用波浪式的降价来促销中等价位产品，结合中国市场的...The paper first makes a concise review of Sony’s history and its development in China. The paper then analyzes the macro environments and the industrial structure of Sony Electric in China by methods of PEST, Porter’s Five Forces Model and SWOT, to reveal opportunities and threats coming from the environments and the industrial structure, and analyzes Sony’s advantages and disadvantages in China’s...学位：文学硕士院系专业：新闻传播学院广告学系_传播学学号：3062007115249

Site-specific genetic engineering of the Anopheles gambiae Y chromosome.

Despite its function in sex determination and its role in driving genome evolution, the Y chromosome remains poorly understood in most species. Y chromosomes are gene-poor, repeat-rich and largely heterochromatic and therefore represent a difficult target for genetic engineering. The Y chromosome of the human malaria vector Anopheles gambiae appears to be involved in sex determination although very little is known about both its structure and function. Here, we characterize a transgenic strain of this mosquito species, obtained by transposon-mediated integration of a transgene construct onto the Y chromosome. Using meganuclease-induced homologous repair we introduce a site-specific recombination signal onto the Y chromosome and show that the resulting docking line can be used for secondary integration. To demonstrate its utility, we study the activity of a germ-line-specific promoter when located on the Y chromosome. We also show that Y-linked fluorescent transgenes allow automated sex separation of this important vector species, providing the means to generate large single-sex populations. Our findings will aid studies of sex chromosome function and enable the development of male-exclusive genetic traits for vector control

PICTS analysis of extended defects in heavily irradiated silicon

We report the results of an experimental study on radiation-induced defects in silicon p/sup +/n diodes irradiated with 1-MeV neutrons up to a fluence of 2.3 /spl times/ 10/sup 15/ cm/sup -2/. Heavily irradiated silicon diodes have been studied by means of photo induced current transient spectroscopy (PICTS) technique using a variable filling time. For every filling time, a dominant broad and structured peak has been found in the temperature range 200-300 K. Such a broad peak cannot be accounted for by considering isolated point defects, being consistent with a quasi-continuous distribution of deep levels inside the bandgap. In addition, it is observed that the spectral lineshape tends to broaden as the filling time is increased. The details of the lineshape modifications depend strongly on the irradiation fluence of the sample, in such a way that they cannot be explained only in terms of emissions from noninteracting electron states. Thus we suggest that the investigated broad peak should, at least in part, be generated by emission from extended defects, also known as clusters

Full Geant4 and FLUKA Simulations of an e-LINAC for its Use in Particle Detectors Performance Tests

In this work we present the results of full Geant4 and FLUKA simulations and comparison with dosimetry data of an electron LINAC of St. Maria Hospital located in Terni, Italy. The facility is being used primarily for radiotherapy and the goal of present study is the detailed investigation of electron beam parameters to evaluate the possibility to use the e-LINAC (during time slots when it is not used for radiotherapy) to test the performance of detector systems in particular those designed to operate in space. The critical beam parameters are electron energy, profile and flux available at the surface of device to be tested. The present work aims to extract these parameters from dosimetry calibration data available at the e-LINAC. The electron energy ranges is from 4 MeV to 20 MeV. The dose measurements have been performed by using an Advanced Markus Chamber which has a small sensitive volume.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, 2 table

Comparison of anticoagulation quality between acenocoumarol and warfarin in patients with mechanical prosthetic heart valves. insights from the nationwide plectrum study

Vitamin K antagonists are indicated for the thromboprophylaxis in patients with mechanical prosthetic heart valves (MPHV). However, it is unclear whether some differences between acenocoumarol and warfarin in terms of anticoagulation quality do exist. We included 2111 MPHV patients included in the nationwide PLECTRUM registry. We evaluated anticoagulation quality by the time in therapeutic range (TiTR). Factors associated with acenocoumarol use and with low TiTR were investigated by multivariable logistic regression analysis. Mean age was 56.8 ± 12.3 years; 44.6% of patients were women and 395 patients were on acenocoumarol. A multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that patients on acenocoumarol had more comorbidities (i.e., ≥3, odds ratio (OR) 1.443, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.081-1.927, p = 0.013). The mean TiTR was lower in the acenocoumarol than in the warfarin group (56.1 ± 19.2% vs. 61.6 ± 19.4%, p < 0.001). A higher prevalence of TiTR (<60%, <65%, or <70%) was found in acenocoumarol users than in warfarin ones (p < 0.001 for all comparisons). Acenocoumarol use was associated with low TiTR regardless of the cutoff used at multivariable analysis. A lower TiTR on acenocoumarol was found in all subgroups of patients analyzed according to sex, hypertension, diabetes, age, valve site, atrial fibrillation, and INR range. In conclusion, anticoagulation quality was consistently lower in MPHV patients on acenocoumarol compared to those on warfarin

Efectos del tiempo de espera prefaena y la zona térmica en camión sobre la inmovilidad tónica en pollos parrilleros

La cadena de producción industrial de carne aviar incluye procedimientos que afectan el bienestar animal y consecuentemente la calidad del producto obtenido. Para evaluar el efecto del transporte y la manipulación pre-faena sobre el nivel de miedo en pollos, se han empleado pruebas de diferente tipo entre las cuales la inmovilidad tónica (IT) se destaca por su fácil determinación. El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar el efecto del tiempo de espera en playa de faena y la ubicación de la jaula en los camiones, sobre la duración de la IT en pollos parrilleros. El análisis comparativo se realizó mediante ANOVA en un arreglo factorial, tomándose como efectos principales el tiempo en playa de espera y la localización de la jaula en el camión. Se observaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas (p=0,0001) para IT, con valores de 248,88±12,86 s para el grupo espera larga y 167,88±13,4 s para espera corta. La zona térmica del camión también registró diferencias significativas (p=0,03) con valores de 189,06±14,74 s (zona ventilada) y 227,69±17,23 s (zona no ventilada). No se observaron diferencias significativas para el número de intentos de inducción a la inmovilidad en función del tiempo de espera y zona térmica del camión (p=0,08). No existieron correlaciones significativas entre las variables dependientes en ambos grupos experimentales. Los resultados de este trabajo permiten inferir que tiempos de espera en la playa pre-faena superiores a 3½ horas y altas temperaturas, provocan aumento en la duración de la IT, lo que la transforma en una herramienta útil para medir el estado de miedo de los pollos como consecuencia de ambas situacione

Densidad de alojamiento, hematocrito y relación heterófilo/linfocito en pollos parrilleros en las cuatro estaciones del año

Las variaciones del entorno avícola derivadas de la densidad de alojamiento influyen sobre el bienestar animal, cuyo deterioro se refleja en distintos indicadores hemáticos. El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar el efecto de la reducción en la densidad de alojamiento sobre el hematocrito y la relación heterófilo/linfocito (H/L) en pollos parrilleros machos y hembras en las cuatro estaciones del año. Se trabajó con pollos híbridos Cobb500 en lotes mixtos, en galpones oscurecidos de ventilación forzada tipo túnel. Las densidades de alojamiento aplicadas fueron: estándar (14 pollos/m2) y reducida (12 pollos/m2). En el sacrificio a los 42 días de edad se tomaron muestras de sangre anticoagulada de 30 machos y 30 hembras de cada tratamiento, determinándose el hematocrito por el método micro y la relación H/L por el recuento de heterófilos y linfocitos mediante frotis. Los datos se evaluaron con la prueba U de Mann-Whitney en forma separada para cada sexo y estación, con la densidad como fuente de variación. El valor del hematocrito mostró diferencias significativas a favor de las hembras alojadas con densidad estándar en el invierno (estándar 32,5 vs reducida 31%; p=0,035) y una diferencia marginalmente significativa para este grupo experimental en el ensayo de primavera (estándar 31 vs reducida 30%; p=0,093). La H/L mostró diferencias marginalmente significativas en los machos con valor más alto en la densidad reducida en verano (p=0,093) y en las hembras en verano (p=0,08) y en invierno (p=0,077). Se concluye que la modificación de la densidad de alojamiento en invierno genera condiciones ambientales que derivan en un aumento del hematocrito en los pollos alojados a mayor densidad, respuesta que es más evidente en el caso de las hembras, en tanto que la disminución de la densidad produce aumentos de la H/L no compatibles con situaciones de estrés crónico

Seamount Subduction and Megathrust Seismicity: The Interplay Between Geometry and Friction

Subducting seamounts are recognized as one of the key features influencing megathrust earthquakes. However, whether they trigger or arrest ruptures remains debated. Here, we use analog models to study the influence of a single seamount on megathrust earthquakes, separating the effect of topography from that of friction. Four different model configurations have been developed (i.e., flat interface, high and low friction seamount, low friction patch). In our models, the seamount reduces recurrence time, interseismic coupling, and fault strength, suggesting that it acts as a barrier: 80% of the ruptures concentrate in flat regions that surround the seamount and only smaller magnitude earthquakes nucleate above it. The low-friction zone, which mimics the fluid accumulation or the establishment of fracture systems in natural cases, seems to be the most efficient in arresting rupture propagation in our experimental setting

Efecto de la densidad de alojamiento y la zona del galpón sobre indicadores de bienestar en pollos parrilleros

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of decreasing stocking density and shed area on footpad dermatitis, hock burn, and ventral feathers cleanliness of broilers reared in winter. The work was carried out on a commercial farm in the northeast of the Santa Fe province, Argentina. 54,000 broilers were housed in sex-mixed batches, in two darkened sheds, divided into three zones: Panels, Intermediate and Extractors. Two stocking densities were evaluated: 14 and 12 chickens/m2, standard and reduced, respectively. At 41 days feet and hock lesions and cleanliness of ventral feathers was assessed in 120 chickens per area. Significant differences were registered for footpad lesions in Extractors (p = 0.0006), Intermediate (p = 0.0002) and Panels (p <0.0001) zones, with predominance of lesions 1 and 2 in Intermediate and Panels zones with standard density. Non-significant differences were observed for hock lesions in Extractors (p = 0.111) a response not seen in Intermediate (p = 0.024) and Panels (p <0.0001) zones, with more type 2 lesions in both zones under standard density. Feather cleanliness showed significant differences in Extractors (p = 0.014) Intermediate (p = 0.01) and Panels (p <0.0001), with a higher proportion of type 3 plumage dirt with standard density. Welfare indicators behaviour showed the favourable change achieved by reducing stocking density in broilers production.El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar el efecto de la disminución de la densidad de alojamiento y de la zona del galpón sobre lesiones en almohadilla plantar, tarso y suciedad de plumas ventrales de pollos de engorde criados en invierno. El trabajo se realizó en una granja comercial en el noreste de la provincia de Santa Fe, Argentina. Se alojaron 54.000 pollos de engorde en lotes mixtos, en dos galpones oscurecidos, divididos en tres zonas: Paneles, Intermedia y Extractores. Se evaluaron dos densidades de alojamiento: 14 y 12 pollos/m2, estándar y reducida, respectivamente. A los 41 días se valoró la presencia de lesiones y suciedad del plumaje ventral en 120 pollos por zona. Las lesiones de almohadilla plantar registraron diferencias significativas en Extractores (p= 0,0006), Intermedia (p= 0,0002) y Paneles (p< 0,0001), con mayoría de lesiones 1 y 2 en Intermedia y Paneles con densidad estándar. Las lesiones de tarso no fueron significativas en Extractores (p= 0,1107), sí en Intermedia (p= 0,0235) y Paneles (p< 0,0001), ambas, con más lesiones tipo 2 en la densidad estándar. En suciedad de plumas hubo diferencias significativas en Extractores (p= 0,014), Intermedia (p= 0,01) y Paneles (p< 0,0001), con mayor proporción de plumaje tipo 3 en la densidad estándar. Las variables evaluadas dan cuenta del cambio favorable en la situación de bienestar alcanzada mediante la reducción de la densidad de alojamiento en pollos de engorde