Singida Regional and District Projections

\ud This report presents population projections for the period 2003 to 2025 for Singida Region and its districts. The projections were made using a Cohort Component Method (Spectrum System), whereby three components responsible for population change, namely: mortality, fertility and\ud migration were projected separately as well as HIV/AIDS prevalence. The projected components were then applied to 2002 midyear base population in order to come up with the desired projections from 2003 to 2025. The report gives mortality, fertility, migration and HIV/AIDS assumptions, and shows Singida’s demographic and socio-economic future trends. The results include estimated population by sex in single years and five-year age groups as well as some demographic indicators. The results show that population growth for the period 2003 to 2025 shows a decrease in growth rates. The projections show that population growth rate will decrease from 2.4 percent in 2003 (with a population of 1,118,874) to 1.5 percent in 2025 (with a population of 1,897,726). Sex Ratio at birth is projected to increase from 95 males per 100 females in 2003 to 100 males per 100 females in 2025. Mortality estimates show that Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) is expected to decline for both sexes from 84 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2003 to 43 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2025. Under Five Mortality Rate (U5MR) for both sexes will also decline from 135 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2003 to 62 deaths per 1,000 live births in the year 2025. The mortality projected estimates further show that the life expectancy at birth for females is higher compared to that of males as expected. Life expectancy at birth for Singida will increase from 55 years in 2003 to 63 years in 2025 for both sexes. For male population, life expectancy at birth will increase from 56 years in year 2003 to 63 years in 2025, while for female population, the life expectancy at birth will increase from 54 years in 2003 to 63 years in 2025. On fertility, TFR will decline from 6.0 children per woman in 2003 to 3.0 children per woman in 2025.\u

Influence of lunar cycle and hydrological parameters on the depth-wise distribution of zooplankton in the inshore waters off Tuticorin, Gulf of Mannar

A study was conduced to assess the depth wise variation and influence of lunar cycle and hydrological parameters on the distribution of zooplankton constituents in Tuticorin inshore waters between April 2011 and March 2012. Fortnightly sampling of zooplankton and hydrological parameters at four different depths like 5 m, 10 m, 15 m and 20 m was carried out on every full moon and new moon day to assess the variation. The zooplankton constituents were found in dominance in the order of copepod> decapod>Lucifer>fish eggs>cladocerans> Alima larvae>chaetognatha at all the depths. The swarming of zooplankton constituents were noticed more towards 15 m depth especially during new moon period. The full moon and new moon variation in the density was statistically significant for bivalve larvae and Lucifer (p<0.05) and the depth wise variation was significant only for decapods (p<0.05). The studies indicated that northeast monsoon which starts during late September in Tuticorin influences the environmental conditions as well as the distribution patterns of the zooplankton constituents in the Tuticorin inshore waters

Does an inverted pendulum model accurately represent the gait of individuals with unilateral transfemoral amputation while walking over level ground?

Study Design: Controlled trial Background: An inverted pendulum model represents the mechanical function of able-bodied walking accurately, with centre of mass height and forward velocity data plotting as sinusoidal curves, 180 degrees out of phase. Objectives: The current study investigated whether the inverted pendulum model represented level gait in individuals with a unilateral transfemoral amputation. Methods: Kinematic and kinetic data from ten individuals with unilateral transfemoral amputation and fifteen able-bodied participants were recorded during level walking. Results: During level walking, the inverted pendulum model described able-bodied gait well throughout the gait cycle, with median relative time shifts between centre of mass height and velocity maxima and minima of between 1.2%-1.8% of gait cycle. In the group with unilateral transfemoral amputation, the relative time shift was significantly increased during the prosthetic limb initial double-limb support phase by 6.3%. Conclusion: The gait of individuals with unilateral transfemoral amputation shows deviation from a synchronous inverted pendulum model during prosthetic limb stance. The reported divergence may help explain such individuals’ increased metabolic cost of gait. Temporal divergence of inverted pendulum behaviour could potentially be utilised as a tool to assess the efficacy of prosthetic device prescription

ReP-ETD: A Repetitive Preprocessing technique for Embedded Text Detection from images in spam emails

Email service proves to be a convenient and powerful communication tool. As internet continues to grow, the type of information available to user has shifted from text only to multimedia enriched. Embedded text in multimedia content is one of the prevalent means for delivering messages to content viewers. With the increasing importance of emails and the incursions of internet marketers, spam has become a major problem and has given rise to unwanted mails. Spammers are continuously adopting new techniques to evade detection. Image spam is one such technique where in embedded text within images carries the main information of the spam message instead of text based spam. Currently, image spam is evaluated to be roughly 50% of all spam traffic and is still on the rise, thus a serious research issue. Filtering mails is one of the popular approaches used to block spam mails. This work proposes new model ReP-ETD (Repetitive Pre-processing technique for Embedded Text Detection) for efficiently and accurately detecting spam in email images. The performance of the proposed ReP-ETD model has been evaluated across the identified parameters and compared with other existing models. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model

Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial of invasive versus conservative management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax

INTRODUCTION: Current management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) is variable, with little evidence from randomised controlled trials to guide treatment. Guidelines emphasise intervention in many patients, which involves chest drain insertion, hospital admission and occasionally surgery. However, there is evidence that conservative management may be effective and safe, and it may also reduce the risk of recurrence. Significant questions remain regarding the optimal initial approach to the management of PSP

The effects of walking speed on minimum toe clearance and on the temporal relationship between minimum clearance and peak swing-foot velocity in unilateral trans-tibial amputees

yesBackground: Minimum toe clearance is a critical gait event because it coincides with peak forward velocity of the swing foot, and thus, there is an increased risk of tripping and falling. Trans-tibial amputees have increased risk of tripping compared to able-bodied individuals. Assessment of toe clearance during gait is thus clinically relevant. In able-bodied gait, minimum toe clearance increases with faster walking speeds, and it is widely reported that there is synchronicity between when peak swing-foot velocity and minimum toe clearance occur. There are no such studies involving lower-limb amputees. Objectives: To determine the effects of walking speed on minimum toe clearance and on the temporal relationship between clearance and peak swing-foot velocity in unilateral trans-tibial amputees. Study design: Cross-sectional. Methods: A total of 10 trans-tibial participants walked at slow, customary and fast speeds. Minimum toe clearance and the timings of minimum toe clearance and peak swing-foot velocity were determined and compared between intact and prosthetic sides. Results: Minimum toe clearance was reduced on the prosthetic side and, unlike on the intact side, did not increase with walking speed increase. Peak swing-foot velocity consistently occurred (~0.014 s) after point of minimum toe clearance on both limbs across all walking speeds, but there was no significant difference in the toe–ground clearance between the two events. Conclusion: The absence of speed related increases in minimum toe clearance on the prosthetic side suggests that speed related modulation of toe clearance for an intact limb typically occurs at the swing-limb ankle. The temporal consistency between peak foot velocity and minimum toe clearance on each limb suggests that swing-phase inter-segmental coordination is unaffected by trans-tibial amputation. Clinical relevance The lack of increase in minimum toe clearance on the prosthetic side at higher walking speeds may potentially increase risk of tripping. Findings indicate that determining the instant of peak swing-foot velocity will also consistently identify when/where minimum toe clearance occurs

The experience of Wagogo women who have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM) in Tanzania

This study has been carried out amidst new developments made at global, regional and local levels regarding the practice of Female Genital Mutilations (FGM). The declarations, conventions and articles agreed and implemented by the UN member states and the regional organs such as the African Union have put in place strategies to eliminate FGM. Moreover, the respective state governments have passed legislation against FGM. Following these developments and initiatives there has been increased social paradigm shift targeting the essence of the FGM practice. The shift has discouraged some parents from sending their girls for circumcision, but also has pushed FGM underground. The open initiation rites where boys and girls were pronounced adults, and which served as a strong social support for the circumcised women have been dismantled.Against this background, this thesis explores the experience of Wagogo women who have undergone FGM and the knowledge, attitudes and practice of former circumcisers in Dodoma Tanzania. The study has employed a constructivist-interpretivist theoretical stance, approaching it through explorative qualitative design involving 25 circumcised women and three former circumcisers. Data were gathered using semi-structured interviews within the broader feminist perspective; and were analysed thematically.The findings suggest that, indeed women circumcised under a patriarchy experience both overt and covert pain. Within the social paradigm shift there is weakening of social support; hence, destabilization of engagement coping strategies that used to assist circumcised women to cope with the overt pain. Consequently, more women are suffering from covert pain because of untreated overt pain but also due to failed engagement coping strategies. Subsequently, more circumcised women have resorted to disengagement strategies to alleviate covert pain. While new developments safeguard girls who are yet to be circumcised, none of them consider the predicament of circumcised women. Hence, the study seeks to empower the latter so that their plight and voice can be heard

Prevalence of marine litter along the Indian beaches : A preliminary account on its status and composition

Beach litter are man-made objects discarded directly or indirectly. This study brings out synoptic picture of status and composition of beach litter from 254 selected beaches along the maritime States of Peninsular coast of India as well as the Union Territories of Andaman and Lakshadweep Islands from the one time observation conducted between October 2013 and January 2014 for the first time. These beaches were classified and graded with colour codes according to the levels of beach litter. Beach litter from different maritime States and the UTs showed that Odisha coast has the lowest (0.31 g/m2) quantity and Goa coast (205.75 g/m2) the highest quantity of beach debris. Archipelagic coasts of Andamans as well as Lakshadweep recorded values higher than Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal. Samples of debris collected from beaches revealed that all the items were domestic and anthropogenic discards. Plastic litters such as single use carry bags and sachets of soft drinks, edible oils, detergents, beverages, cases of cosmetics, toothpaste, PET bottles, ice cream containers etc., recorded highest mean of 25.47g/m2 from Goa coast and the lowest (0.08 g/m2) from Odisha. The relative percentage of mean values of plastic (B group) items in beach debris along the Indian coast registered highest mean percentage from Maharashtra (81 %) and the lowest mean from beaches of Andhra Pradesh (7%). The two island Union Territories registered 40% (Lakshadweep) and 47% (Andamans) of plastics over the total debris, while the national average was only 14%. Available online at: www.mbai.org.in doi: 10.6024/jmbai.2017.59.1.1953-03 Out of the total 254 beaches surveyed, 51 beaches were graded as very clean with green (<1 g/m2) colour, 122 beaches were graded as Clean and depicted by blue colour. Beaches of very clean grade (<1 g/m2) were found in Kerala (17), Maharashtra (12), Tamil Nadu (2), Andhra Pradesh (4), Odisha (7) and West Bengal (3). Whereas extremely littered beaches (>100 g/m2) were found in Karnataka (13), Goa, Gujarat, and Andaman Island. With reference to the coastal population and per capita share of beach debris, Goa registered highest values (40.97 kg/head) and the Odisha coast registered the lowest values (0.005 kg/head)

Job Satisfaction of Women Employees and its Effect on Mental Health

Job satisfaction is the extent to which an employee feels self-motivated, content satisfied with their job. Job satisfaction happens when an employee feels he or she is having job stability, job security, career growth and a comfortable work life balance. Job satisfaction is important in predicting the work behavior. This feeling influences the mental health of women employees in the present research study was conducted on 200 women employees working in Bengaluru city. Sample consists 100 women employees working private companies and 100 women employees working in government sector in Bangaluru city. Their job satisfaction was assessed using Job satisfaction Scale by Dr. Amar Singh and Dr. Sharma(2012) and Mental health was assessed by using Employee mental health inventory developed by Dr. Jagadish (2001).Based on the obtained research An suitable stastical technique was used to analyze obtained results