Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Birth Intervals and Reproductive Intentions in Eastern Africa:Insights from Urban Fertility Transitions

This thesis examines the dynamics of fertility in Eastern Africa with a particular focus on urban women. Urbanisation has long been closely associated with demographic transition and the reproductive behaviour of urban women is thought to provide insights about the future fertility transition at the national level. A mixed methods approach is used to explore birth intervals, family building strategies and women‟s fertility intentions. The quantitative analysis uses Demographic and Health Survey data from Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, while the qualitative analysis uses data from focus group discussions that I conducted in two informal settlements of Nairobi, Kenya. The analysis of birth intervals uses survival analysis to calculate interval-duration-specific fertility rates, median birth intervals and parity progression ratios. These are used to make inferences about fertility decision-making at the population level. Birth intervals are long and lengthening in all four countries, particularly among women who have used contraception and women with higher levels of education. Large differences exist in birth interval lengths between rural and urban women, even when the results are disaggregated by contraceptive use and educational status. Generally, lengthening birth intervals are being driven by increasing birth postponement and birth spacing, with postponement dominating among women with very long birth intervals. In Ethiopia, there is some evidence of parity-specific family size limitation. The focus group discussions were analysed using a thematic approach. Urban living, particularly in the informal settlements, is characterised by high levels of social uncertainty, especially among new immigrants from rural areas. This is an important influence on women‟s relationships, which are found to be highly unstable. Fertility intentions are found to be fluid and contingent upon a variety of different factors in women‟s lives. As a result, women‟s decisions about birth spacing and family size are less distinct than demographic theory often assumes. In sum, this thesis contributes to the body of research suggesting that long birth intervals and postponement are both important features of the fertility transition in Sub-Saharan Africa. These phenomenon are related to each other: social uncertainty leads to fluid fertility intentions, which, in turn cause the widespread postponement of births and lengthening birth intervals.
Evaluation of SWAT model applicability for waterbody impairment identification and TMDL analysis

Title of Document: EVALUATION OF SWAT MODEL APPLICABILITY FOR WATERBODY IMPAIRMENT IDENTIFICATION AND TMDL ANALYSIS Aisha Michel Sexton, Doctor of Philosophy, 2007 Directed By: Professor, Adel Shirmohammadi, Fischell Department of Bioengineering The U.S. EPA’s Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program has encountered hindrances in its implementation partly because of its strong dependence on mathematical models to set limitations on the release of impairing substances. The uncertainty associated with predictions of such models is often not formally quantified and typically assigned as an arbitrary safety factor to the margin of safety (MOS) portion of TMDL allocations. AVSWAT-X, a semi-distributed, watershed-scale model, was evaluated to determine its applicability to identify the impairment status and tabulate a nutrient TMDL for a waterbody located in the Piedmont physiographic region of Maryland. The methodology for tabulating the nutrient TMDL is an enhancement over current methods used in Maryland. The mean-value first-order reliability method (MFORM) was used to calculate variance in output variables with respect to input parameter variance and the MOS value was derived based on the level confidence in meeting the water quality standard. A calibration, validation and an uncertainty analysis was conducted on the AVSWAT-X model. Monthly results indicated that AVSWAT-X is a good predictor of streamflow, a moderate (at best) predictor of nutrient loading and a poor predictor of sediment loading. Improved performance was observed on an annual basis for nitrate and sediment loadings, indicating the most appropriate use of SWAT for longterm simulations. The most pronounced reason for discrepancies in model performance was the use of the SCS curve number method to tabulate surface runoff. Uncertainty results indicated that input parameters that are highly sensitive may not necessarily contribute the largest amount of uncertainty to model output. The largest amount of variance in output variables occurred during wet periods. Predicted sediment output had the largest amount of variability around its mean, followed by nitrate, phosphate, and streamflow as indicated by average annual coefficients of variation of 28%, 19%, 17%, and 15%, respectively. The methodology used in this study to quantify the nitrate TMDL and the MOS associated with it, was a useful tool and an improvement over current methods of nutrient TMDL analysis in Maryland. Overall, AVSWAT-X is a moderate to good model for estimating waterbody impairment and conducting TMDL analysis of waterbodies impaired by nutrients.
Evidence on pro-equity interventions to improve immunization coverage for zero-dose children and missed communities

All six effectiveness studies found positive results related to vaccine coverage based on either the activities used to enhance microplanning (comparing “new” versus more traditional techniques) or related to the microplanning process itself. Across these studies, four of which presented equity-focused results, almost all reported on digital activities, including use of geospatial technologies, such as GIS. Notably, all articles involved the use of microplanning for campaigns or other supplemental immunization activities (SIA). The four equity-focused studies presented microplanning as a mechanism to reach and/or identify under-vaccinated communities and zero-dose children. This subset is most relevant to examining the effectiveness of implementing microplanning to improve equity. Below are detailed study descriptions:
Response of sea-ice models to perturbations in surface heat flux

There are currently a variety of one- and two-dimensional sea-ice models being used for climate simulations and sensitivity studies. Though all the models can be timed to simulate current-day conditions to some degree of accuracy, the responses of each model to perturbations in forcing from the atmosphere or ocean are different. Thus, climate-change prediction depends on the choice of sea-ice model. In this study, the sensitivities of various sea-ice models to external heat-flux perturbations are examined in a systematic manner. Starting from similar baseline annual thicknesses, each model is subjected to an applied heat-flux perturbation to assess icemelt. Separate experiments are conducted to compare the response of each model to heat fluxes applied at the atmospheric and the oceanic interfaces. It is found that the magnitude of the heat-flux perturbation required to melt ice varies greatly among different models, with the largest difference arising between models that include ice dynamics vs those that do not. Most models show an asymmetry in the response to heat-flux perturbations applied at the top and bottom surfaces of the ice. This study has implications for the choice of sea-ice models used for climate-change simulations. It also gives insight to the accuracy required for observations and model simulations of the surface heat fluxes.
Physical Aspects of Chemical Carcinogenesis

This study investigated the effects of chemical carcinogenesis induced by 7, 12-dimethylbenz (α) anthracene (DMBA) in mice. The respiratory activity of isolated mitochondria in mouse livers was investigated at various times after the subcutaneous administration of DMBA. Our findings indicated that DMBA derivatives did not exhibit damaging effects on mitochondrial membranes. On the contrary, they showed a stimulating effect on the phosphorylation process compared with the control. This paper discusses the possible role of coherent electromagnetic radiation in biological systems. Additionally, data on the non-chemical interactions between isolated mitochondria and the material (plexiglass and quartz) of the incubation cells were considered. Carcinogenesis was previously considered an exclusive process of biochemical and genetic disorders. However, recent studies have increasingly focused on the physical aspects of carcinogenesis, such as the influence of various wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation on biological systems, the special energy organization of the intracellular space associated with the architectonics of mitochondria and microtubules, and the generation of coherent electromagnetic waves. It was assumed that the biological features of the malignant cells were due to the violation of the electrodynamic parameters of the intracellular space, and the initiating factor was the intrinsic emission of carcinogenic substances. The results of this study indicated that non-chemical factors influenced the mitochondrial poly-enzyme system and confirmed the importance of the non-chemical effect of a carcinogen on bio-objects by examining respiration and phosphorylation of isolated mouse liver mitochondria at various times after the subcutaneous injection of DMBA.
Evaluation of ergonomic criteria with an AHP-based approach in the textile
industry and ordering alternatives

The textile sector, which has a wide application area worldwide and in Turkey, is one of the most critical sectors. Ergonomic risks, which are the most important risk factors of the sector, which contain many dangers in terms of work accidents and occupational diseases, affect the health and safety of the employee. In this area where human dependence continues, and labour-intensive production exists, it is aimed to make an ergonomic risk ranking of the sections of a textile factory within the borders of Yozgat province. Within the scope of this target, alternatives, criteria, and sub-criteria were determined after scientific literature, expert opinions, interviews with managers and employees, and a detailed examination of the textile factory, and the ranking of alternatives was made with the AHP method. Alternatives include sewing, ironing, quality control, packaging and shipping, slaughterhouse, and printing. The riskiest section has emerged as the sewing workshop. This study will not only increase the awareness of ergonomics and reduce occupational health and safety problems but also contribute to reducing workplace costs and losses.
SEEING WEATHER THROUGH CHAOS A Case Study of Disembedding Skills in Undergraduate Meteorology Students

and Geosciences, Towson University, Towson, Maryland; Petcovic—Mallinson Institute for Science Education, and Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan; Bals-elsholz— Department of Geography and Meteorology, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana; ellis—Mallinson Institute for Science Education, and Department of Geography, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Peggy McNeal, pmcneal@towson.edu
Earnings and Dividend Informativeness When Cash Flow Rights are Separated from Voting Rights

We investigate the relative informativeness of earnings and dividends for firms with dual class capital structures. In these firms, two classes of common stock create a separation between cash flow rights and voting rights. Despite the concentrated ownership in the dual class firms, we find significantly lower informativeness of earnings, in the form of a weaker returns-earnings association, than for single class stocks. We attribute this finding to the reduced management accountability resulting from the separation of cash flow and voting rights. While not consistent across all specifications, the results of returnsdividends tests generally show greater dividend informativeness for the dual class stocks, consistent with the view that dividends are particularly salient for non-controlling shareholders when cash flow rights are separated from voting rights.
Being an International Student in Turkey During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenological Study

This study aims at identifying the experiences of international students from different countries studying at Turkish universities during the COVID-19 pandemic.A phenomenological qualitative study was designed accordingly. The sample consists of 20 international students selected using the maximum variation sampling technique. An interview form prepared by the researchers to determine the experiences of international studentsduring the COVID-19 pandemic was used to collect data.The data were collected through online interviews (Zoom) conducted with the participants. Content analysiswas applied to the data. MAXQDA 2020 software package was used for content analysis. The obtained results revealed that related to the pandemic, international students in Turkey had some positive and negative experiences in their social life, communication with acquaintances, psychological condition, education, and travel.
Pragian conodont zonal classification in Nevada, western North America

A tripartite global zonal scale for the Pragian Stage (Devonian) was recommended by the Subcomission on Devonian Stratigraphy in 1989. Since that time, additions to the data on the two primary lineages used for the subdivision of the Pragian, Eognathodus and early Polygnathus, have shown: 1) that the Lochkovian-Pragian boundary criterion is useable as defi ned and is applicable on a global scale, but that the boundary-stratotype section in the Barrandian region of the Czech Republic has serious limitations as a reference section; 2) the criteria for the internal subdivision of the Pragian are not globally applicable; and 3) that the taxon that we have used in Nevada to mark the base of the Emsian is Polygnathus lenzi, whose range may be different from that of Australian P. dehiscens, the supposed criterion for the base of the Emsian. The problem of interregional correlation within the Pragian and with the base of the Emsian can be solved only by increasing our understanding of the evolutionary pathways within all lineages and to develop better standards of comparison with the aim of fi nding a few intra-Pragian interregional correspondences. This paper reviews the Pragian of Nevada and compares it with Alaska, Canada, eastern Australia, and central Europe and suggests a regional scale for use in the western North American Cordillera. Evolutionary stages within the Eognathodontidae plus the help of Pedavis and Icriodus make the best scale for Nevada. However, the subdivisions proposed here (irregularis-profunda Zone; profunda–brevicauda Zone; brevicauda-mariannae Zone; mariannae-lenzi Zone) are not the same as those of the SDS and cannot be applied on a global scale. The fi rst two are based on evolutionary appearances; the last two on the lowest occurrences of distinctive and widespread taxa in North America. One new genus, Masaraella (type species, Ozarkodina pandora Murphy, Matti & Walliser, 1981) and four new species, Masaraella epsilon, Masaraella riosi, Gondwania profunda, and Pedavis longicauda, are described.
STUDIES ON GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF THE ALTITUDINAL LAPSE RATE OF TEMPERATURE IN CHINA

Based on the statistical analysis, the author studied the geographic distribution of altitudinal lapse rate of temperature (ALRT) in China from points of the difference of the ALRT between the south and north, annual change of the ALRT and effect of macrotopography on the ALRT, using temperature data from 671 national standard meteorological stations.
Modes of Atmospheric Energetics Based on HadGEM3-GC3.1-LL Simulations in the Framework of CMIP6

In this study, the focus is on investigating how different climate scenarios, as they have been adopted in Phase 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6), can lead to different regimes in the energetics components in Lorenz’s energy cycle, hence impacting the “working rate” of the climate system, which is considered as a “heat engine. ” The four energy forms on which this investigation is based on are the zonal and eddy components of the available potential and kinetic energies. The permissible correspondingly considered transformations between these forms of energy are also studied. Generation of available potential energy and dissipation of kinetic energy complete the Lorenz energy cycle that is adopted here. In the CMIP6 approach, the results of different climate change analyses were collected in a matrix defined by two dimensions: climate exposure as characterized by a radiative forcing or temperature level and socioeconomic development as classified by the pathways, known as Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs). The basis of the calculations in this study is the climatic projection produced by the HadGEM3-GC3.1-LL climatic model in the period from 2015 to 2100. In this respect, the results are presented in terms of time projections of the energetics components under different SSPs. The results have shown that the different SSPs yield diverse energetics regimes, consequently impacting on Lorenz energy cycle and, hence, a “working rate” of the climate system based on the components of this cycle. In this respect, Lorenz energy cycle projections are presented, under different SSPs. The results are also contrasted to the calculations for the historical period 1929 to 2014 as this is simulated by the same climatic model.
The Effect of Two Types of Intense Interval and Resistance Training and Grape Seed Oil on the Expression of Selected Genes Involved in the Oxidation of Free Fatty Acids in the Gastrocnemius and Soleus Muscles of Male Rats

Background: This research aimed to investigate the effect of resistance and high-intense interval training and the consumption of grape seed oil on the expression of HADHA, CPT1, and CD36 genes in male rats' gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. Methods: Thirty male Wistar rats (250 ± 25g) were divided into six groups. The resistance training group performed the training in 3 weekly sessions for 8 weeks, and the interval training group performed high-intensity running on a treadmill for eight weeks, 5 sessions a week. The grape seed oil (3.7g/kg) was administered by gavage. The expression of HADH1, CPT1, and CD36 genes was measured in the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. Results: The results showed that the expression of the CD36 gene increased in the gastrocnemius muscle in the resistance training group (P = 0.043), grape seed oil group (P = 0.042), and grape seed oil plus intense interval training (P = 0.005) group compared to the saline control group. Moreover, the expression of CD36 (P = 0.021) and CPT1 (P = 0.005) genes in the soleus muscle increased in the resistance training plus grape seed oil group compared to the control group. However, the CPT1 expression in the gastrocnemius muscle had no significant difference among all groups. The HADHA expression in the gastrocnemius significantly increased in the resistance training plus grape seed oil group (P = 0.04) compared to the grape seed oil group. However, its expression in the soleus muscle significantly increased in the intense interval training plus grape seed oil group compared to the control group (P = 0.04). Conclusions: It can be concluded that resistance, high-intensity interval training, and the consumption of grape seed oil can be a good combination to provide energy.
Biotic indicators of grassland condition in KwaZulu-Natal, with management recommendations.

The South African grassland biome is disappearing rapidly through advancing development and change in agricultural land use. One of the most threatened grassland types, Midlands Mistbelt, in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands is an extremely diverse and home to many endemic species across an array of taxa. Three taxa, namely, grasses, grasshoppers and butterflies represent various trophic levels, which are important to the functioning of the grasslands. Ten grasslands were sampled by walking ten fifty metre transects for a twelve-month period. The grasslands were selected as they represented a range of management practices and varying environmental conditions. Using Indicator Species Analysis (ISA) twenty-two species of grasshopper were identified as indicators of environmental variables and management practices. The abundances of the various species indicated the intensity of the management regimes or disturbances. Using the twenty-two grasshopper species abundances and a three hundred point sampling assessment of the grasses creates an assessment tool that can rapidly appraise the management of the grassland, but due to lack of data for other taxa, cannot assess whether management practices for the focal taxa create congruent results for non-focal taxa. Two of the three taxa proved to be good indicators of grassland health, whilst the third, butterflies were ineffectual, due to low abundance and richness. From the results it was concluded that burning was taking place to frequently, and required a reduction to every four years, as this would improve butterfly richness and abundance, and increase abundance of endemic and flightless grasshopper speCies. A rotational grazing system needs to be implemented at sites where continual grazing takes place, wildlife or livestock, impacts on the grassland condition and species diversity. Increasing habitat heterogeneity increases species diversity, and allows later successional species to be included in the grasshopper assemblage. Management of the grasslands in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands needs to be more responsive and adaptive. In addition, small fragment management needs to be intensified to provide a range of habitats and refugia that will suit all species. This study advocates the use of grasshoppers and grasses as suitable biotic indicators of grasslands in the KwaZuluNatal Midlands. Blonc INDICATORS OF GRASSLAND CONDITION IN KWAZULU·NATAL WITH MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS
Evaluation of the Relationship between Oxygenation Indices and the Extent of Radiographic Findings in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Oxygenation indices are used to assess the condition of patients with pneumonia and ARDS. These indexes determine the status of patients as well as the mortality rate of respiratory diseases and the need for intubation. The aim of this study was to determine and compare oxygenation indices and the extent of radiographic findings in patients with COVID-19 in ICU at Shariati Hospital. Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional study that was performed prospectively in the intensive care units of Shariati Hospital in Tehran. Patients admitted to the intensive care unit were examined if they met the inclusion criteria. Data were analysed by SPSS software version 26. Results: In this study, 39 patients were evaluated. Of these, 35.9% were men and 64.1% were women. The mean age of the population was 62 ±17. On average, SpO2 and PaO2 were not significantly different based on pulmonary involvement, severity of pulmonary involvement and also the pattern of pulmonary involvement (p> 0.05). No significant relationship was found between the severity of ARDS and the parameters of pulmonary involvement severity on CT scan (p> 0.05). Conclusion: It seems that there is no significant relationship between oxygenation indices and the extent of radiographic findings in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Also, the severity of ARDS has no significant relationship with the extent of radiographic findings (CT scan). Oxygen saturation should be used as an adjunct when considering a CT scan of the lung, but should not be used as the sole means of diagnosis.