A Comprehensive Data Driven Evaluation of Wide Area Probe Data: Opportunities and Challenges.

There is a growing desire, among transportation organizations and state DOTs, to consider augmenting traditional traffic data collection with probe - based services for expanded coverage under constrained budgets. The nature of traffic data collection with probes is however dramatically different from traditional traffic data collection techniques. This affects how the new technology is applied and used to solve current traffic problems such as traffic incident management and roadway performance assessment. The current paper summarizes the experiences and lessons learned while using probe data for traffic operations and safety management and makes recommendations on opportunities to maximize the use of probe data in light of its limitations

Social capital is associated with improved subjective well-being of older adults with chronic non-communicable disease in six low- and middle-income countries

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are increasingly contributing to the morbidity and mortality burden of low and-middle income countries (LMIC). Social capital, particularly participation has been considered as a possible protective factor in the prevention and management of chronic conditions. It is also largely shown to have a negative effect on the well-being of patients. The current discourse on the well-being of individuals with NCDs is however focused more on a comparison with those with no NCDs without considering the difference between individuals with one chronic condition versus those with multiple chronic conditions (MCC). Method and objective: We employed a multinomial logit model to examine the effect of social capital, particularly social participation, on the subjective well-being (SWB) of older adults with single chronic condition and MCC in six LMIC. Findings: Social capital was associated with increased subjective well-being of adults in all the six countries. The positive association between social capital and subjective well-being was higher for those with a single chronic condition than those with multiple chronic conditions in India and South Africa. Conversely, an increase in the likelihood of having higher subjective well-being as social capital increased was greater for those with multiple chronic conditions compared to those with a single chronic condition in Ghana. Discussion: The findings suggest that improving the social capital of older adults with chronic diseases could potentially improve their subjective well-being. This study, therefore, provides valuable insights into potential social determinants of subjective well-being of older adults with chronic diseases in six different countries undergoing transition. Additional research is needed to determine if these factors do in fact have causal effects on SWB in these populations

The burden of drug resistance tuberculosis in Ghana; results of the First National Survey.

Resistance to Tuberculosis drugs has become a major threat to the control of tuberculosis (TB) globally. We conducted the first nation-wide drug resistance survey to investigate the level and pattern of resistance to first-line TB drugs among newly and previously treated sputum smear-positive TB cases. We also evaluated associations between potential risk factors and TB drug resistance. Using the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on conducting national TB surveys, we selected study participants from 33 health facilities from across the country, grouped into 29 clusters, and included them into the survey. Between April 2016 and June 2017, a total of 927 patients (859 new and 68 previously treated) were enrolled in the survey. Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) isolates were successfully cultured from 598 (65.5%) patient samples and underwent DST, 550 from newly diagnosed and 48 from previously treated patients. The proportion of patients who showed resistance to any of the TB drugs tested was 25.2% (95% CI; 21.8-28.9). The most frequent resistance was to Streptomycin (STR) (12.3%), followed by Isoniazid (INH) (10.4%), with Rifampicin (RIF), showing the least resistance of 2.4%. Resistance to Isoniazid and Rifampicin (multi-drug resistance) was found in 19 (3.2%; 95% CI: 1.9-4.9) isolates. Prevalence of multidrug resistance was 7 (1.3%; 95% CI: 0.5-2.6) among newly diagnosed and 12 (25.0%; 95% CI: 13.6-39.6) among previously treated patients. At both univariate and multivariate analysis, MDR-TB was positively associated with previous history of TB treatment (OR = 5.09, 95% CI: 1.75-14.75, p = 0.003); (OR = 5.41, 95% CI: 1.69-17.30, p = 0.004). The higher levels of MDR-TB and overall resistance to any TB drug among previously treated patients raises concerns about adherence to treatment. This calls for strengthening existing TB programme measures to ensure a system for adequately testing and monitoring TB drug resistance

Invisible among the vulnerable: a nuanced perspective of energy poverty at the intersection of gender and disability in South Africa

Abstract This study addresses a crucial gap in the existing literature by exploring the intricate relationship between gender, disability, and energy poverty. While prior research has shown that females and persons with disabilities are more vulnerable to energy poverty, our study adopts an intersectionality framework to investigate how these identities interact with other variables, including life dissatisfaction, food insecurity, and energy subsidy, to shape the experience of energy deprivation. Using a series of robust techniques, our analysis of the General Household Survey in South Africa reveals several noteworthy findings. First, while females are less likely to be energy poor, the intersection between females and disability significantly amplifies their risk of energy poverty by 2.6%. Our mediation analysis further elucidates that life dissatisfaction and food insecurity serve as critical mechanisms through which this intersection exacerbates energy poverty. Importantly, we also find that the impact of energy subsidy is most effective when targeted toward females with disabilities, highlighting the need for tailored interventions. We call for policymakers and stakeholders to prioritize targeted energy subsidy schemes for persons with disabilities and females, recognizing the critical role such policies can play in mitigating energy poverty and promoting equity

Form and content: Re-writing Ishinguro\u27s ‘An Artist of the Floating World’ from new critical lens

Ishiguro has created a diverse range of characters, settings, and plots in his literary work, and he has worked in a variety of genres. He has created both female and male central characters with equal success. The role of memory in shaping characters\u27 understanding of themselves has been a recurring theme. Ishiguro is also preoccupied with power and the consequences of authoritarian ideologies. An Artist of the Floating World is a Historical Fiction. It is set in Japan, between 1948 to 1950, after World War II. Masuji Ono is the novel\u27s narrator and protagonist. He is an unreliable narrator, to a certain extent by his own admission, since he often confesses to memory lapses or uncertainty about the events he narrates. The novel assumes mostly a rational and forthright tone. It achieves emotional quality mostly through subtle means and by occasionally contrasting its controlled tone with moments in which the tone very briefly becomes more dramatic. Its mood is similarly calm, pedestrian, and even professional, but when describing the past, it often shifts abruptly. "The floating world" For instance, has a fantastic, fragile mood

A Comprehensive Data Driven Evaluation of Wide Area Probe Data: Opportunities and Challenges.

There is a growing desire, among transportation organizations and state DOTs, to consider augmenting traditional traffic data collection with probe - based services for expanded coverage under constrained budgets. The nature of traffic data collection with probes is however dramatically different from traditional traffic data collection techniques. This affects how the new technology is applied and used to solve current traffic problems such as traffic incident management and roadway performance assessment. The current paper summarizes the experiences and lessons learned while using probe data for traffic operations and safety management and makes recommendations on opportunities to maximize the use of probe data in light of its limitations.This paper was peer-reviewed by TRB and presented at the Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C. and can be cited as Adu-Gyamfi, Yaw Okyere, Anuj Sharma, Skylar Knickerbocker, Neal Hawkins, and Michael Jackson. "Comprehensive Data Driven Evaluation of Wide Area Probe Data: Opportunities and Challenges." In Transportation Research Board 95th Annual Meeting, no. 16-6482. 2016. Posted with permission.</p

Aetiology of viral hepatitis among jaundiced patients presenting to a tertiary hospital in Ghana.

BACKGROUND:Viral hepatitis continues to play significant role in causing morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Apart from the few population based studies available, not many have investigated the burden of these viruses in jaundiced patients. Among the few studies, hepatitis E is the least studied among jaundiced patients. This study was aimed at describing the frequency, distribution and risk of the different hepatitis viruses among jaundiced patients reporting to the second largest teaching hospital in Ghana. METHODS:From November, 2015 to April, 2016, a cross-sectional study was conducted among jaundiced patients attending the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. Between 3-5 ml of blood was collected from each patient and screened for viral hepatitis agents using both serologic and molecular-based assays. RESULTS:In the 155 patients recruited, hepatitis B was the most prevalent [54.2% (95% CI = 46.0%-62.2%)] followed by hepatitis E [32.9% (95% CI = 25.6-40.9%)]. Most cases of hepatitis E occurred as co-infections with hepatitis B (18%), with the predominant clinical feature being hepatocellular carcinoma. Risk factor variable analysis showed middle and older aged individuals were more at risk of hepatitis B exposure whereas younger age groups (<18 years) were more at risk of hepatitis E virus infection. CONCLUSION:Hepatitis viruses are still important in the viral aetiology of jaundice in Ghana. Hepatitis B and hepatitis E co-infections could play significant roles in causing severe disease. A more aggressive approach needs to be adopted in order to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with hepatitis causing viruses in Ghana and other developing countries