Contraception and unmet-needs in Africa

Philosophiae Doctor - PhDThe first objective of this study is to show if diffusion of contraception in areas of traditional high fertility has gone through profound changes. Indeed, we would like to know if contraceptive behaviours have evolved because of new fertility perceptions and also because partners now have greater freedom to make choices in a relationship. The second objective of this study is not only to highlight the levels and trends of contraception and the factors influencing their use (government policies, role of family planning, etc.) in developing countries, but also to consider the population of unmet-needs of contraception. Indeed, the level of contraceptive use depends obviously on users, but also on non-users with no needs and non-users with unsatisfied needs. The understanding of this last category of females is essential to a more accurate estimation of contraception levels, and, therefore for the estimation of fertility levels. This study analyses the contraceptive use in several developing countries in Africa and highlights the unsatisfied needs of contraception, to understand why such needs exist. To do so, we shall analyse available demographic data for thirty-five African countries by using the available Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), from the 1980's to 2000's considering the DHS I, DHS II, DHS III and DHS IV. This great variety of surveys, seventy-nine in total, permits one to compare levels of contraception and 'unmet-needs' from country to country. The surveys also, make it possible to compare the evolution over time of specific countries or specific regions, and to subsequently comprehend the determining factors of contraceptive use or non-use.South Afric

REALITY TELEVISION VIEWING INFLUENCED BY EMERGING ADULTS’ DIFFERENTIATION

The purpose of this study is to examine direct and indirect effects of differentiation on viewers’ television involvement and Gottman’s Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse behaviors through the amount of reality television viewed and viewers’ marriage readiness (i.e. relationship intentions) for emerging adults (age 18-26). Studies have identified that some emerging adults are thriving and living positively and others face many challenges (Nelson, & Padilla-Walker, 2013). Reality television has been increasingly popular within this demographic and labeled a “Super Peer,� because of its immense influence (Ward, 2002). There is a lack of research that assesses what variables affect reality television viewership. The researcher utilized a structural equation model to examine the relationships between differentiation and the impact of reality television. The data was collected through an online survey to understand the indirect and direct effects of reality television viewership on emerging adults and relationships

Avoiding the Catch-22: Reforming the Renewable Fuel Standard to Protect Freshwater Resources and Promote Energy Independence

Part I presents background on the ethanol industry and the implementation and development of the RFS. It also gives a brief overview of the non-water-related reasons that have led various sectors of the economy to oppose ethanol. Part II provides an overview of ethanol production (from cornfield to refinery) and the impact each stage of the process has on freshwater resources in the United States. Given the harm that the current RFS has caused by failing to consider the impact of the ethanol production process on our nation\u27s freshwater resources, a policy change needs to happen. Yet there are some benefits that biofuels might still provide, which is why Part III argues for a reform and not a repeal of the RFS. Part IV offers a proposal for reforming the RFS. Instead of mandating that fuels contain a fixed volume of conventional biofuels, the RFS should provide the states with more flexibility to adopt renewable biofuel programs that reduce the localized freshwater impacts. By reforming the RFS to consider ethanol production\u27s effects on water resources, Congress can promote a cooperative relationship between the states and the EPA to avoid the catch-22 between ethanol and water

Remake – Remodel: Bildverarbeitung als Weltverarbeitung in der Fotografie des 19. Jahrhunderts

Der Zweifel an der Evidenz der ontologisch-indexikalischen Referenz des fotografischen Bildes und das ausgerufene Ende des «fotografischen Zeitalters» (Wolf 2002 u. 2003) sind durchaus zeitgleiche, wenn auch nicht gänzlich neue und überraschende Phänomene. Selbst wenn es den Anschein haben mag, dass die Fotografie erst mit Aufkommen der digitalen Bildbearbeitungstechniken ihre indexikalische Verankerung in der Wirklichkeit verloren hat, die vorher ihr Bildprogramm nachdrücklich bestimmt hatte, so erweist sich die gesamte Geschichte der Fotografie als eine der bewussten Bildmanipulation. Sieben knappe Blitzlichter in die Geschichte der Fotografie, die pars pro toto Experimente und Regeln zeigen, mögen dies verdeutlichen (vgl. Fineman 2012). Sie sind programmatische Erkundungen einer Arbeit an der Fotografie, der es darauf ankam, mit dem neuen Medium zu spielen, seine Grenzen auszuloten und seine Möglichkeiten zu erkunden. Dabei sind Fragen einer Praxeologie der Fotografie mindestens ebenso wichtig wie jene nach ihrer Ontologie

The Neganthropocene

In the essays and lectures here titled Neganthropocene, Stiegler opens an entirely new front moving beyond the dead-end “banality” of the Anthropocene. Stiegler stakes out a battleplan to proceed beyond, indeed shrugging off, the fulfillment of nihilism that the era of climate chaos ushers in