1,182 research outputs found
The evaluation of the Woman’s Condom marketing approach: What value did peer-led interpersonal communication add to the promotion of a new female condom in urban Lusaka?
No full textDuring a mass media campaign accompanying the launch of the Maximum Diva Woman’s Condom (WC) in Lusaka, Zambia, a cluster-randomized evaluation was implemented to measure the added impact of a peer-led interpersonal communication (IPC) intervention on the awareness and uptake of the new female condom (FC). The WC and mass media campaign were introduced simultaneously in 40 urban wards in April 2016; half of the wards were randomly assigned to the treatment (IPC intervention) with cross-sectional surveys conducted before (n=2,364) and one year after (n=2,430) the start of the intervention. A pre-specified intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis measured the impact of randomization to IPC at the community level. In adjusted ITT models, there were no statistically significant differences between intervention and control groups. Due to significant implementation challenges, we also conducted exploratory secondary analyses to estimate effects among those who attended an IPC event (n = 66) using instrumental variable and inverse probability weighting analyses. In addition to increases in FC identification (IPC attendees had higher reported use of any condom, improved perceptions of FC’s, and were more likely to have discussed contraceptive use with their partner as compared to non-attendees). The introduction of a new FC product combined with an IPC intervention significantly increased general knowledge and awareness in the community as compared to media alone, but did not lead to detectable community level impacts on other primary outcomes of interest. Observational evidence from our study suggests that IPC attendance is associated with increased use and negotiation. Future studies should explore the intensity and duration of IPC programming necessary to achieve detectable community level impacts on behavior
The evaluation of the Woman’s Condom marketing approach: What value did peer-led interpersonal communication add to the promotion of a new female condom in urban Lusaka?
No full textDuring a mass media campaign accompanying the launch of the Maximum Diva Woman’s Condom (WC) in Lusaka, Zambia, a cluster-randomized evaluation was implemented to measure the added impact of a peer-led interpersonal communication (IPC) intervention on the awareness and uptake of the new female condom (FC). The WC and mass media campaign were introduced simultaneously in 40 urban wards in April 2016; half of the wards were randomly assigned to the treatment (IPC intervention) with cross-sectional surveys conducted before (n=2,364) and one year after (n=2,430) the start of the intervention. A pre-specified intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis measured the impact of randomization to IPC at the community level. In adjusted ITT models, there were no statistically significant differences between intervention and control groups. Due to significant implementation challenges, we also conducted exploratory secondary analyses to estimate effects among those who attended an IPC event (n = 66) using instrumental variable and inverse probability weighting analyses. In addition to increases in FC identification (IPC attendees had higher reported use of any condom, improved perceptions of FC’s, and were more likely to have discussed contraceptive use with their partner as compared to non-attendees). The introduction of a new FC product combined with an IPC intervention significantly increased general knowledge and awareness in the community as compared to media alone, but did not lead to detectable community level impacts on other primary outcomes of interest. Observational evidence from our study suggests that IPC attendance is associated with increased use and negotiation. Future studies should explore the intensity and duration of IPC programming necessary to achieve detectable community level impacts on behavior
Miniemulsion photopolymerization in a continuous tubular reactor: particle size control via membrane emulsification
No full textSynthesis of polymeric nanoparticles of adjustable size in the submicron-range 200-950 nm has been conductedviamembrane emulsification combined with photoinduced miniemulsion polymerization in a continuous tubular flow reactor. Monomer droplets comprising methyl methacrylate (MMA), hexadecane and the photoinitiator diphenyl(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)phosphine oxide were prepared as an aqueous emulsion with the surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) using fixed membrane pore sizes of 100, 200, 300 and 400 nm. Radical polymerizations were subsequently conducted by exposure of these emulsions to visible (violet) irradiation (lambda(max)= 405 nm) at room temperature in a continuous tubular flow reactor for polymerization times (residence times) as short as 10 min. Careful consideration of the SDS concentration as well as the use of an aqueous phase radical scavenger enabled design of systems providing exclusive monomer droplet nucleation (in the absence of secondary nucleation). In contrast to conventional emulsification techniques, membrane emulsification provides an energy efficient method for tuning the polymer particle size from submicron to micron range by appropriate selection of pore size.Boyer, C; Zetterlund, PB (corresponding author), Univ New South Wales, Ctr Adv Macromol Design CAMD, Sch Chem Engn, High St Gate 2, Sydney, NSW 2033, Australia; Univ New South Wales, Australian Ctr Nanomed, High St Gate 2, Sydney, NSW 2033, Australia.
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The Diatomaceæ of Philadelphia and vicinity, by Charles S. Boyer, illustrated with seven hundred drawings by the author
No full textBringing technical authoring skills to life for students through an employer audience
No full textIt is crucial that students in the computing area are equipped with strong research and technical authoring skills and expertise. These are transferable lifelong skills which are sometimes difficult to develop and can be viewed as ‘dull’ by the students. This study explores a more authentic and lively approach to delivering and assessing a module on technical authoring to undergraduate computing students. Students were asked to produce work for presentation at a conference aimed at external participants mainly from local industry and business. This challenged the students in terms of their technical authoring skills and brought a professionalism and realism to the module. There were other less obvious benefits from this approach. Students gained in confidence through the work they presented but also through being ‘delegates’ at the conference and engaging in the question and answer sessions. Student feedback on the module was positive and constructive and their assessment work was of a high standard
"Historian of the spirit": an introduction to the life and ideas of Christopher H. Dawson, 1889-1970
No full textWhat follows is an intellectual biography of the English Catholic historian Christopher Henry Dawson (1889-1970). If there is one overarching thesis to this dissertation, it is that Dawson's place within the history of Britain and the United States and within the historical academy in general has been hitherto underappreciated as a result of unfair categorization of his work by critics, and equally unhelpful credulous assessments imd subsequent politicization of his scholarship by overzealous admirers. Even though his perspectives will probably never be completely embraced by the historical academy due to current trends in historiography, it is hoped that this dissertation will demonstrate that Dawson’s scholarship is deserving of study because of the breadth of his intellectual and practical activity in Britain during the twentieth century, and his groundbreaking role in identifying the importance of culture and religious belief to historiography. The introduction includes a review of the most important secondary literature about Dawson that will be used throughout the work. The main text of the dissertation develops chronologically, and is in eight parts, each part representing a distinct phase of Dawson's life. Part Chie (1889-1914) examines the formative years of his childhood, his education, his conversion to the Roman Catholic Church, and how his experiences formed the basis for his opinions about history, religion, and world around him. Part Two (1915-1929) explores the schools of thought that shaped Dawson’s ideas as a young scholar, and the ideas expressed in his first two books. Part Three (1930-1934) represents the most active time of Dawson's career, and the period during which he became a widely read Catholic intellectual and historian of Europe. Part Four (1935-1939) examines Dawson's commentaries on European political movements during the 1930ร. Part Five (1940-1945) discusses Dawson's role as the vice-president of die wartime ecumenical movement 'The Sword of the Spirit', as well as his book written at the height of the Movement's success. Part Six (1946-1952) covers Dawson's ideas from his Gifford Lectures, and his interest in American Catholicism. Part Seven (1953-1962) covers Dawson's vision for American Catholics and education, and his position at Harvard University, which he held from 1958 until a series of strokes forced him to retire, and return to England in 1962. Part Eight (1963-1970) briefly discussed the events of the last years of his life. The conclusion serves as a summary of his contribution and legacy as a major twentieth-century intellectual
The Diatomace\ue6 of Philadelphia and vicinity, by Charles S. Boyer, illustrated with seven hundred drawings by the author
No full textThe Diatomace\ue6 of Philadelphia and vicinity, by Charles S. Boyer, illustrated with seven hundred drawings by the author
No full textQuantification of pregabalin using hydrophilic interaction hplc-high-resolution ms in postmortem human samples: Eighteen case reports
No full textPregabalin is a drug for treating epilepsy, anxiety disorders and neuropathic pain. Cases of poisoning are rare, though some have been fatal. Concentrations of pregabalin in postmortem human samples and its distribution have very rarely been documented. As the literature is so scarce, we propose to report the concentrations in autopsy samples of 18 people who had been taking Lyrica®, including one case of a mixed overdose involving pregabalin. Analysis was carried out using an original Hydrophilic Interaction LIquid Chromatography (HILIC) technique coupled with a high-resolution mass spectrometer (m/z 160.1334 ± 5 ppm). The sensitivity of the technique enables a quick and simple treatment of the samples by protein precipitation. The method was validated in the whole blood with detection and quantification limits of 0.025 and 0.060 μg/mL, respectively. Pregabalin was a likely factor in the cause of death in 3 of the 18 cases. In the other individuals, the concentrations ranged from 0.4 to 17.0 in the peripheral blood, 1.5 to 11.1 in the central blood, 126.6 to 2004.6 in the urine and 10.5 to 58.3 μg/mL in the bile, with median values of 5.6, 4.6, 534.6 and 17.7, respectively. © The Author [2014]. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved
Technological innovation, institutions and human purposefulness in socioeconomic evolution: A preface to Christopher Freeman "Systems of Innovation. Selected Essays in Evolutionary Economics"
No full textChristopher Freeman; National Systems of Innovation; Techno-economic paradigms; Variety of capitalisms; Political economics; Evolutionary Economics
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