House Hold Research Articles

Healthcare Seeking Behavior and Disease Perception Toward Cholera and Acute Diarrhea Among Populations Living in Cholera High-Priority Hotspots in Shashemene, Ethiopia.

Healthcare seeking behavior (HSB) and community perception on cholera can influence its management. We conducted a cross-sectional survey to generate evidence on cholera associated HSB and disease perception in populations living in cholera hotspots in Ethiopia. A total of 870 randomly selected households (HHs) in Shashemene Town (ST) and Shashemene Woreda (SW) participated in our survey in January 2022. Predominant HHs (91.0%; 792/870) responded "primary health center" as the nearest healthcare facility (HCF). Around 57.4% (247/430) of ST HHs traveled <30 minutes to the nearest HCF. In SW, 60.2% (265/440) of HHs travelled over 30 minutes and 25.9% (114/440) over 4 km. Two-thirds of all HHs paid <USD1 travel cost; SW residents had slightly higher cost burden. When cholera symptoms occur, 68.0% (83/122), 75.5% (114/151), 100.0% (52/52), and 100.0% (426/426) of 0-4, 5-14, 15-17, and ≥18 years, respectively, in ST sought healthcare at our sentinel-HCFs. In SW, younger children visited our sentinel-HCFs slightly more (82.6%, 86.7% in 1-4, 5-14 years, respectively) than older age groups (74.4%, 75.6% in 15-17, ≥ 18 years, respectively). Relatively more adults in ST (12.0%; 51/426) sought over-the-counter drugs at pharmacies than those in SW (2.5%; 11/435). Around 73.8% (642/870) of HHs were aware of cholera disease and 66.7% (428/642) of HHs considered eating unclean food as main causes of cholera. Variations in cholera prevention practices between rural and urban residents were shown. Addressing differences in HSB per age groups is needed for community engagement for early case detection and case management; critical in reducing cholera deaths and transmission.

Dissecting Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) to Assess Risk Factors for Cholera in Shashemene, Oromia Region, Ethiopia.

Cholera outbreaks have afflicted Ethiopia, with nearly 100 000 cases and 1030 deaths reported from 2015 to 2023, emphasizing the critical need to understand water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) risk factors. We conducted a cross-sectional household (HH) survey among 870 HHs in Shashemene Town and Shashemene Woreda, alongside extracting retrospective cholera case data from the Ethiopian Public Health Institute database. Relationships between WaSH and sociodemographic/economic-levels of HHs were examined. WaSH status and cholera attack rates (ARs) were described at kebele-level using geospatial mapping, and their association was statistically analyzed. Access to basic drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities was limited, with 67.5% (95% confidence interval, 64.4-70.6), 73.4% (70.3-76.3), and 30.3% (27.3-33.3) of HHs having access, respectively. Better WaSH practices were associated with urban residence (adjusted odds ratio, 1.7, [95% confidence interval, 1.1-2.7]), higher educational levels (2.7 [1.2-5.8]), and wealth (2.5 [1.6-4.0]). The association between cholera ARs and at least basic WaSH status was not statistically significant (multiple R2 = 0.13; P = .36), although localized effects were suggested for sanitation (Moran I = 0.22; P = .024). Addressing gaps in WaSH access and hygiene practices is crucial for reducing cholera risk. Further analyses with meaningful covariates and increased sample sizes are necessary to understand the association between cholera AR and specific WaSH components.

Traditional home garden agro‐biodiversity dynamics, agro‐ecosystem services, and management practices in smallholder farmers setting, South‐Central Ethiopia

AbstractTraditional home gardens are rich in agro‐biodiversity and are crucial for improving and diversifying the livelihood of smallholder farmers. Though many researches are carried out on home gardens in tropical regions, there are only few studies on the dynamics of traditional home gardens, agro‐ecosystem services, indigenous management practices, and roles in mitigating climate shocks, which is the objective of the present study. For the same purpose, three sites were purposively selected out of which 308 sample smallholder households were chosen using a simple random sampling technique for a household survey. Key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and field observations were also used to collect data for cross‐checking the data collected through the house hold survey. Results demonstrate that there was a wide‐ranging diversity of crops in traditional home garden landscape. Both annual and perennial crops were incorporated into the home gardens to enhance their multiple agro‐ ecosystem services, including enhancing resilience to climate shocks. They ranged from herbaceous to large trees and food to cash crops. The primary agro‐ecosystem services that the home garden agro‐biodiversity delivered were diversifying the sources of food, income, and medicine, as well as improving food security. Home gardens were largely managed by indigenous knowledge, including hand weeding, manure and compost application, nursery preparation, fencing, and flood run‐off control. The agro‐biodiversity in traditional home gardens is more diverse, dynamic, and resilient to climate shocks. Nonetheless, they are neglected hotspots of agro‐biodiversity and sociocultural diversity. In conclusion, the agro‐biodiversity in traditional home gardens promotes food availability, accessibility, and utilization virtually all year round as well as contributes to the preservation of agricultural genetic and cultural diversity.

Analysis to determine the domestic water usage in Yolde - Pate Area of Yola South Local Government Area of Adamawa State Nigeria

This research study presents findings of the analysis of determining the domestic water usage in Yolde-Pate area of Yola South LGA of Adamawa State Nigeria. During the recce survey and final survey; the sources of domestic water were identified and mapped out in the study area which include: 127 Industrial borehole, 16 hand-pumps, 6 well water and 1 public tap. Domestic water usage moves in hand with its source and accessibility this is where Nearest Neighbor Analysis NNA was used and its summary depicts the following; z-score of 0.205792265731; which means the pattern does not appear to be significantly different than random; which is fairly recommendable. Mean Distance is 51.1643 Meters, Neighbor Ratio is 1.024, and p-value: 0.836953. This was achieved due to the highly precision DGPS used in determining the spatial positions of each of the 150 XYZ points of each water source location and digitally mapping out the whole study area. Then 600 well-structured questionnaires that were randomly distributed within the study area with the respondent’s responses largely related to the analysis of determining domestic water usage were retrieved and analyzed with the End User Analysis (EUA)Technique. The results show that the total volume of water used daily per house ranges from 52,247 to 78,856 liters for each house hold with a range of 54.53liters to 67.69 liters of water consumption per individual in a day; which fall short of WHO standard of 120 liters. However the EUA based on the population density of the study area reveals: first for the high density areas, which has 3 wards Gadawalowol Yolde Patte ward, Jalingo Yolde Patte ward and Chaka Midari ward with a mean population of 1187, mean household size of 4.67 individuals, 71500 liters as the mean total of consume water daily, 60.35 as the mean per capita water consumption per day individually while standard still remains 120 liters and the mean total of daily demand is 142,440 liters; which shows deficit of what is needed. For the medium density areas with an average population of 1093 which are made up of 2 wards depicts 61100 liters as the mean total of water consumed daily by each household, 55.86 liters was consumed by an individual with a daily mean demand of 131,160 liters. While the low-density areas which mainly is occupied by the Sabonpegi Yolde Patte ward residence has a population of 876, total water consumption per household of 52,247liters, Per Capita Water Consumption (liters per day) is 59,64liters while its water daily demand is 105 120 liters; similarly, a shortage of what is demanded and WHO standard exist also in the medium and low-density areas. Recommendations were then spelt out to improve water consumption and usage with well design accessibility structure to improve well-being of the people in this study area.

Performance and egg quality traits of local chickens across different agroecologies in the Kewot district, North Shewa zone, Northern Ethiopia

This study was conducted to evaluate the performance (productive and reproductive) potential and egg quality traits of local chickens (LCs) across different agroecologies (AEs) in the Kewot district, North Shewa zone, northern Ethiopia. A multistage sampling technique was used to select the study sites and households (HHs). The data were collected through semi-structured questionnaires, monitoring and measurements. A total of 147 HHs were included in this study. Ninety brooding hens were monitored to determine hatchability and survivability percentages. A body weight of 120 LCs was measured at the market centres. Furthermore, the egg quality traits of 120 freshly laid eggs were evaluated. The data were analysed by a statistical package for social sciences (version 20). In the study area, the average flock size of the LC/HH populations was 9.90 ± 0.36. The most common flock type was chicks, followed by pullets, with significantly lower (p < 0.05) in the lowland (LL) AE. The mean age at first egg of females and the mean age at sexual maturity of males were 6.05 ± 0.06 and 5.68 ± 0.08 months, respectively. The numbers of eggs per clutch and per year were 14.29 ± 0.40 and 50.02 ± 1.51, respectively. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in the average number of clutches/hen/year across AEs, while significantly lower (p < 0.05) numbers of eggs per clutch and per year were recorded for highland (HL) AEs than for LL agro-ecology. The mean hatchability percentage was 80.94 ± 1.69%. The mean market body weights of the male and female LCs were 0.91 ± 0.05 and 0.82 ± 0.05 kg, respectively. There were significant differences (p < 0.05) in egg weight, egg width, shell thickness, shell ratio, albumen height, albumen and yolk weight, yolk colour, and Haugh unit (HU) between the AEs. The results revealed that the performance potential and egg quality traits of the LC in the study district were somewhat poor. Therefore, AE-specific development interventions should be designed and implemented to improve the performance potential and egg quality traits of LC in the study area.

Implementation of Smart Blind Shopping Trolley

Recently researches and many developments were going in the field of automation and embedded systems to develop and reduce the work of the manpower in industry as well as in public domain areas like Railway station for automatic ticket collection, Metro bus, Flight etc. This system can be used to develop more automation in and to help the blind people, old age and handicapped person we proposed a technique named as automatic trolley carrier navigation and the billing system. This method can be implemented in all shopping malls, big clothing shop, house hold appliances shops etc. It avoids the people to stand in a big queue and automatic billing can be done. Moreover, it helps blind people, old age people, Handicapped Persons in the shopping malls make them to purchase in shopping malls by informing about the product, quantity, price and automatic billing etc. The use of RFID reader is to scan the RFID tag of all products to Identify the name, price, quantity of the products. Depending on the RF signal from the RFID - reader, it passes the information to the micro - controller and from that it identifies the product and, quantity, price of each product. The ultrasonic sensor is used to detect the any obstacles as well as the object.

ASSESSMENT OF CONCIOSNESS, VIEW AND PRACTICES OF HOUSEHOLD ON ENVIRONMENTAL SANITATION OF KADUNA STATE

This research was designed to examine and analyze , the assessment of consciousness ,view and practice of house hold on environmental sanitation of kaduna state of Nigeria , Sanitation is a way of life , it is the quality living that is expressed, in clean home, clean farm, clean neighborhood and the entire community. One level of civilized living to which a community has attained is expressed by the quality of environmental sanitation , human health is closely to the total environment, that is, physical, biological and social in which people live. Effective sanitation through integrated approach to sewage and refuse disposal in Nigeria is an important way of reducing the incidence and prevalence of disease condition and of improving the quality of life. Through integrated approach to sewage and refuse disposal in Nigeria is an important way of reducing the incidence and prevalence of disease condition and of improving the quality of life , recommendation were indicated which include that government should swing into action by providing various measure in order to prevent and reduces diesease in the kaduna town. our water should be properly treated by adding chlorine to it before drinking and bathing with it , we also advice to keep clean areas where food are prepared and these food should be properly covered to avoid outbreak of a diesease.

Histopathological alterations in the vital organs of Indian major carp Labeo rohita exposed to monosodium glutamate (MSG)

BackgroundMonosodium glutamate (MSG E621) is one of the most popular flavouring agents of modern times and is widely used in many commercially packed food and even in house hold cooking. Previous studies revealed that excessive intake of MSG in diet causes obesity, metabolic defects, nephrotoxicity, neurotoxicity and hepatotoxicity in rats, but no reports are available in the literature about the ecotoxicological assessment of MSG by using fishes as a bioindicators. Since fishes are important consumer in aquatic food chain and directly linked with human health status, the present study was aimed to investigate the impact of MSG in freshwater fish Labeo rohita by using histological biomarkers.ResultsNinety-six h-LC50 of MSG to Labeo rohita was determined (1.5 g/L), and fish exposed to sub-lethal concentration of MSG (1/10th of 96 h-LC50 concentration of MSG (150 mg/L)) showed distinguished behavioural changes like erratic movement, loss of appetite and excessive mucous secretion all over the body as an adaptive syndrome to avoid the direct exposure to MSG in the medium. Histopathological analysis clearly depicts severe damages in the vital organs of fish. In gills, epithelial necrosis, hypertrophy, hyperplasia, primary and secondary gill lamellae degeneration, oedema, fusion of adjacent secondary lamellae and rupture of gill epithelium were observed. The intensity of tissue damage was increased as the exposure period was extended. The liver displayed vein congestion, vacuole formation, degeneration in parenchymal cells and bile stagnation, whereas MSG-treated kidney tissue showed high interstitial inflammation. Among the vital organs gill and liver displayed the highest histopathological alterations.ConclusionsThe present study clearly demonstrated that MSG is toxic to fish and able to cause significant damages in the vital organs as the exposure period was extended. Since the studies on the toxicity of MSG to fish are rare, the present investigation may contribute to the scarce literature on sub-lethal toxicity of MSG to freshwater fishes.

Impact of the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic on food security among Ho indigenous community of Jharkhand, India

Abstract Background Food insecurity and hunger are global concerns further exacerbated by the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. There is a need to understand the depth of this impact, especially among smallholder farmers, and recognize specific coping strategies that offered resilience to inform preparedness in future. The present cross-sectional study assessed the impact of the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic on different dimensions of food security among smallholder farmers of Ho indigenous community of Jharkhand, India. It also explored potential resilient attributes of their food systems. Results Most of the respondents (67.2%) reported reduced food consumption at the household (HH) level. Majority faced difficulty in accessing food from different food sources; however, easier access to government food security programmes was highlighted. Around 40% reported change in their ability to purchase farming inputs. Market vendors reported disruptions in food procurement owing to travel restrictions; however, no change was reported for home-produced foods in agricultural lands/kitchen gardens. Prices of indigenous foods produced locally decreased/remained same; however, for cereals, pulses, and other HH staples, prices increased during second wave. Difficulty in accessing wild food environment (OR: 1.7, CI 0.40, 7.75), change in food prices (OR: 19.9, CI 5.25, 76.02), decrease in HH income (OR: 9.2, CI 2.99, 28.60) were found to be significantly associated with reduction in HH food consumption (p &lt; 0.01). The coping strategies adopted by the community included sale of cultivated and wild produce in local weekly markets to ensure additional income. Conclusions The findings highlight the need to reinforce the traditional ecological knowledge of the Ho community and focus on practices around their food systems, engrained into their socio-cultural ecosystems that may offer resilience against future stresses. In addition, the need of systemic support to ensure the social and economic well-being of the community needs to be prioritized.

196 COVID-19 Hospitalization and Death by Concentrated Racial/Ethnic and Economic Segregation: Los Angeles County, January 2020-June 2023

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: This study aims to assess associations over time between several area-based indices of concentration at the extremes and COVID-19 hospitalization and death in Los Angeles County, from January 2020 to June 2023. These measures reflect concentrations of racial/ethnic and economic segregation at the census tract level. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Indices of concentration at the extremes (ICEs) for economic segregation, racial/ethnic segregation, and a combination of the two were constructed for each Los Angeles County (LAC) census tract, using 2015-2019 ACS data. The index ranges from -1 to 1 and is the number of advantaged households (HH) minus the number of disadvantaged HH over the total number of HH measured. Economic segregation is HH income over $100,000 vs. below $25,000 per year and racial/ethnic segregation defined as White and Non-Hispanic vs. non-White or Hispanic HH. The distribution of index scores was divided into quintiles (Q1-Q5) for all LAC census tracts. Age-adjusted hospitalization and death rates were derived at the census tract level by quarter (QTR) based on Los Angeles County Department of Public Health surveillance data. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Age-adjusted hospitalization and death rates were consistently higher across all quarters in Q1 (most deprived) vs. Q5 (most privileged) for all ICE measures. For ICE of economic segregation, the age-adjusted hospitalization and death rate ratios between Q1 and Q5 were 2.12 (range: 1.32 - 4.15; peak 2020 QTR2) and 2.02 (range: 1.46 - 3.21; peak 2021 QTR1), respectively. For ICE of racial segregation, the age-adjusted hospitalization and death rate ratio between Q1 and Q5 was 2.03 (range: 1.08 - 3.95; peak 2020 QTR3) and 1.77 (range: 1.03 - 2.80; peak 2021 QTR1). The ICE of economic/racial segregation combined was the highest, with averages of the age-adjusted hospitalization and death rate ratios between Q1 and Q5 being 2.26 (1.16 - 4.43; peak 2020 QTR2) and 1.99 (range: 1.22 - 3.32; peak 2021 QTR1). DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: This study assesses the impact of geographic segregation based on indices that quantify the concentration of both deprivation, privilege, and racial/ethnic group, demonstrating that segregation and economic deprivation are consistently associated with higher rates of age-adjusted hospitalization and death from COVID-19 in LAC.

IJCM_300A: Clinical medicine and Public health: Is the dichotomy justified? Epidemiological investigation of a Hepatitis A case admitted at a tertiary care hospital

Background: Outbreaks of Hepatitis A Virus (HAV) infection have been associated with poor sanitation, inadequate sewage disposal and contamination of food and water. Objective: To identify the epidemiological factors associated with a patient who presented with fever and vomiting and diagnosed with Hepatitis A. Methodology: 23-year-old, female patient was admitted in the general medicine department of a tertiary care hospital with complaints of fever and vomiting. IgM ELISA tests for Hepatitis A and Hepatitis E were positive. The patient’s mother had similar symptoms. Community Medicine department was informed about the patient. A team comprising of postgraduate students, MSW, ASHA worker and Anganwadi worker visited the patient’s house. Information including clinical history, source of drinking water, history of food and water intake from outside, sanitation and waste disposal methods of the house hold were collected. Stakeholders including the counsellor and members of the self-help group of the area were informed. House to house visit of all houses in 200 meters radius from patients’ house was done to look for more cases and to assess the environment sanitation. Results: The team identified that the source of drinking water of the patient’s family was a well which was not sanitary. A nearby house was identified with an open well with open sullage less than one meter away. Seven children of that household had fever and jaundice and were treated from a local hospital, one week prior. Stakeholders were also informed and both the wells were chlorinated and the families were educated about the importance of boiling water before consumption, proper disposal of sullage and waste disposal. Conclusion: Interdepartmental communication between clinical medicine and public health played an important role in identifying and eliminating the source of infection even when one patient was diagnosed and helped to prevent HAV outbreak.

Food Insecurity, Low Household Income, and Low Education Level Increase the Risk of Having Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease Among Adolescents in the United States.

In the United States, 10.2% households (HH) report child food insecurity. We assessed associations between metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MASLD) and food insecurity among the adolescents in the United States. This cross-sectional study was performed using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2017-2018. Food insecurity was assessed by the US Department of Agriculture Child Food Security Survey Module. MASLD was defined by transient elastography. Among 771 adolescents (aged 12-18 years) (mean age 14.7 years; 52.5% male; 50.9% White, 12.7% Black, 24.4% Hispanic, and 12.1% other), 9.8% reported food insecurity; MASLD prevalence of 10.12% (95% confidence interval [CI] 7.13%-13.20%) affecting 4.27 million adolescents; and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease prevalence of 10.77% (95% CI 7.76-13.78) affecting 4.52 million adolescents. There was near-perfect concordance between MASLD and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (Cohen's κ coefficient of 0.971, 95% CI 0.946-0.996). The prevalence of MASLD was greater among food-insecure adolescents vs food-secure ones (17.4% vs 9.4%) and adolescents living with a low HH income vs those with a higher HH income (15.0% vs 7.2%) and living with a head of HH with a lower education level vs one with a higher education level (18.0% vs 8.2%) ( P < 0.05). The fully adjusted model showed that compared with adolescents living in a higher HH income, food-insecure adolescents living in low income HH had a 3-fold greater risk (odds ratio [OR] 3.25, 1.31-8.08) of having MASLD, while food-secure adolescents living in low-income HH had no increased risk (OR 1.58, 0.85-2.93, P = 0.139). The fully adjusted odds of having MASLD was elevated by +163% with the presence of HTN (OR 2.63, 1.02-6.78), +241% with being Hispanic (OR 3.41, 1.36-8.56), and +138% with being male (OR 2.38, 1.20-4.75). In addition, a 1-unit increase in BMI was associated with 25% increase in the odds of having MASLD (OR 1.25, 1.17-1.33) among US adolescents. Food insecurity is associated with MASLD among US low-income adolescents especially Hispanic male individuals with obesity and hypertension. Policies addressing inequities are needed.

Perceptions of Deficiencies in the Basic Conditions for Farm Management and Quality of Life in Coffee-Growing Households: A Panel Analysis of a Rural Community in Eastern Uganda.

In the present study, information collected from 360 coffee-cultivating households (HHs) is used to investigate perceptions of deficiencies in three sub-counties in Eastern Uganda and to study changes in these perceptions between two survey rounds. The results of an explorative principal components analysis identify five factors affecting farmers' perceptions. Whereas perceptions of deficiencies in the preconditions for farm management activities differ significantly between the three sub-counties investigated, indicators of deficiencies in general life quality are distributed more equally. Deteriorations are explained mainly by perceived changes in weather conditions. On the one hand, it can be assumed that the high constraint level will continue to increase in the future due to climate change and its impacts on life quality and the basic conditions required for farm management. On the other hand, access to resources such as water taps but also increased competition between buyers, have improved the situation. Results further indicate that if activities such as the expansion of information access and improvement of road conditions (after land registration) are implemented on a larger scale, these negative trends can be partly counteracted to help farmers maintain the conditions for effective farm management and improve their quality of life in the future.

On-Farm Monitoring of Feed Effects on Milk Yield and Composition in Crossbred Dairy Cows at Gidole Town, Ethiopia

The study was conducted at Gidole town to evaluate the impact of three feeding practices (low, medium, and better-off) on milk composition and yield in Holstein Friesian crossbred dairy (HFCD) cows at the farm level across three lactation stages (early, mid, and late). In the study area, challenges and opportunities for dairy production were thoroughly assessed. Data were collected from 12 systematically selected households (HHs), representing the three feeding groups (poor, medium, and better-off), shortly after cows gave birth. During early lactation, three feeding households had daily milk yields (DMYs) of 3.61± 0.23, 8.25± 0.69, and 9.47± 0.88, respectively. The DMY was 3.64± 0.75, 7.81± 0.87, and 9.37± 0.71 amid lactation. Across all lactation stages, the feeding groups exhibited significant differences in DMY, fat content, protein levels, and lactose composition (P &lt; 0.05). The cows’ diets directly influenced these variations. Given the reported differences in dairy cow performance among HHs, optimal practices would be disseminated by extension workers. Lack of land, high feed prices, and low productivity were identified as important constraints in the study area, whereas boosting milk demand, revenue, and knowledge through extension services were studied as potential options for milk production. Keywords: feeding practices, Holstein Friesian, milk composition, milk yield

Exploring the Concepts of Collection Practices of Bark - From Ancient to Modern

Indian indigenous health care tradition plays a vital role in the health sector as it forms the major resource base of the medicinal plants. Precisely, 90% of the plant constituents are yet to be explored while only 10% have been studied. The global popularity of ancient Ayurvedic medicine is creating the persistent increase in demand and supply of Ayurveda medicinal plants. Advantages of these medicinal herbs either in single or many combinations, one part or the whole plant are known in every Indian house hold from the time of our ancestors. Ayurvedic science, the Indian system of medicine is known for the uniqueness of utilising different parts of the medicinal plant such as roots, leaves, flowers, barks etc and even minerals to treat various disorders. Even Ayurveda Acharyas has stressed upon the medicinal values that each part of the plant possess and has described multiple benefits of these drugs. Dravyaguna is one among the branches of Ayurvedic science that deals with the studies related to Ayurvedic drugs that includes Analytical and physio-chemical studies. In association with the clinical studies, physicochemical and analytical studies are need of the hour to comprehend the beneficial properties of the different parts of the medicinal plants. In this regard, we find many studies but not on the collection of barks. This study is an attempt to explore in depth, the collection practices of barks mentioned in ancient period and modern period.

Therapeutic management to concurrent infection of Haemoproteus columbae and Trichomonas spp. in domestic rock pigeons

Two domestic rock pigeons were presented to Veterinary Clinical Complex, VC &amp; RI, Orathanadu, TANUVAS with the history of circling, rotating its head, complete inappetence and regurgitation. On clinical examination bird appeared dull, depressed and circling of head appreciated and also noticed the presence of Pseudolynchia canariensis. Blood smear examination revealed a characteristic halter shaped gametocytes of Haemoproteus columbae encircling the nucleus of erythrocytes and the crop fluid examination revealed the presence of Trichomonas gallinae. Faecal sample examination revealed the absence of intestinal parasites. The birds were treated with oral Chloroquine @5mg/kg body weight and Metronidazole @50 mg as total dose along with the multivitamin supplementation. The whole flock in the house hold were treated with Permethrin (0.25%) spray by external application to control vector population. After five days of the treatment the clinical condition of the birds were reviewed which showed complete recovery without any complications.

A Study on Cyber-Crime Awareness Among Students in Chhattisgarh

The current study's objective is to ascertain students' awareness of cybercrime in the Chhattisgarh region. In the world we live in, technology is now required in every aspect of life from house hold work to running a multinational company and national security. Although technology makes life easier, there are risks associated with it, such as cybercrime (fraud, assault, bullying, sexual harassment, phishing). Students must understand that cyber security awareness is necessary to prevent any kind of cyber-crime. For understanding the cyber-awareness among Students of Chhattisgarh we collected data from Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University in Raipur. The cyber-crime awareness scale created by Dr. S. Rajasekar (2011) was used to test students' awareness of cybercrime using a questionnaire-based survey method. In this study, student demographic information (gender, location) is taken into account when measuring understanding of cyber-threats. . The hypothesis is tested using the t-test. The results show that although male and female students' knowledge of cybercrime is not statistically different, there is a significant difference between students in rural and urban locations.

Associations between a cash voucher intervention, food consumption, and coping strategies in Somali food-insecure populations

BackgroundThis cross-sectional study aimed to explore the association between cash voucher assistance on building community resiliency and improving food security among 1371 households (HH) living in northern and southern regions of Somalia. The secondary data analysis used endline data from participants in World Vision’s Emergency Food Security Program from May 2018 to May 2019. The participants received unconditional cash vouchers, conditional cash for work vouchers, and nutrition and livelihood trainings. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore the association between program interventions and food consumption score (FCS, borderline/poor: 0–35, acceptable: > 35) and reduced coping strategy index (rCSI, acceptable: 0–3, emergency/crisis: 4–56).ResultsA total of 41.5% of all HH that received cash vouchers reported borderline/poor FCS and 71.1% had emergency/crisis rCSI. Utilization of vouchers for food purchase (0.34; 0.23, 0.51) and purchase of more types of food for greater dietary diversity (0.70; 0.55, 0.89) were negatively associated with acceptable FCS. Participants who redeemed cash vouchers were less likely to have an emergency/crisis rCSI (0.68; 0.61, 0.76). Utilization of cash vouchers had a positive association with increased conflict within the HH (2.90; 1.29, 6.48). Participants reporting benefits from improved community rehabilitation through increased check dams were more likely to have acceptable rCSI (2.37; 1.45, 3.89).ConclusionsOur findings suggest that interventions utilizing cash vouchers have to consider contextual factors in calculations of voucher entitlements, increase investment in water management and livelihood skills training, and expand nutrition and livelihood trainings to men and boys to foster women empowerment and improve food security outcomes.

Impact of a High Penetration of Electric Vehicles and Photovoltaic Inverters on Power Quality in an Urban Residential Grid Part I – Unbalance

This paper presents a measurement-based assessment of the impact of a high penetration of plug-in electric vehicles with on-board charger (EVC) and photovoltaic inverters (PVI) on Power Quality in a public low voltage (LV) network. The paper consists of two parts. This first part is focused on the impact on unbalance, the second part is related to harmonics. The results are based on extensive measurements in an urban residential grid with almost 100 households (HH), 43 PVIs and 36 EVCs. The impact of PVI and EVC on unbalance at different levels of aggregation is described in detail. At first the individual impact of a single PVI and EVC is discussed for different operating conditions. In particular, a sunny day, a cloudy day and hours during the night are used for PVI, while periods of charging and periods of no charging are considered for EVC. Next sections analyse the interaction between PVI, EVC and residual load at household level as well as the overall impact of PVIs and EVCs in the low voltage grid. The analysis considers current unbalance and voltage unbalance.

A Regional Perspective of Socio-Ecological Predictors for Fruit and Nut Tree Varietal Diversity Maintained by Farmer Communities in Central Asia

The five independent countries of Central Asia, namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, contain one of the richest areas in the world for the specific and intraspecific diversity of temperate fruit and nut tree species. Research was carried out via the collaboration of national research and education institutes with local community-based agencies and farmer communities. Raw data (2014 observations) for almond, apple, apricot, cherry plum, currant, grapevine, pear, pomegranate, and walnut were collected at the household (HH) level across the five countries: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan. A set of models was used, including household variety richness as the dependent variable, to understand the influence of socio-ecological variables on the amount and distribution of crop varietal diversity in the farmers’ production systems. Four variables were included as explanatory variables of variety richness (fixed factors): ecoregion, ethno-linguistic group, management, and abiotic stress. The results show clear evidence that abiotic stress determines a higher richness of intra-specific diversity in the form of local varieties grown by farmers living in climatically unfavorable areas. The results for the studied ecoregions follow the same trend, with ecoregions with harsher conditions displaying a higher positive correlation with diversity. Mild environments such as the Central Asian riparian woodlands show an unexpectedly lower diversity than other harsher ecoregions. Ethno-linguistic groups also have an effect on the level of varietal diversity used, related to both historic nomadic practices and a culture of harvesting wild fruit and nuts in mountainous areas. The home garden management system hosts a higher diversity compared to larger production systems such as orchards. In Central Asia, encouraging the cultivation of local varieties of fruit and nut trees provides a key productive and resilient livelihood strategy for farmers living under the harsh environmental conditions of the region while providing a unique opportunity to conserve a genetic heritage of global importance.