Household health assessment and associated water sample analysis in the Miches watershed of the Dominican Republic

Background. Diarrhea and malnutrition are the leading causes of mortality for children age one to four in the Dominican Republic. Communities within the Miches watershed lack sanitation infrastructure and water purification systems, which increases the risk of exposure to water-borne pathogens. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to analyze health information gathered through household interviews and to test water samples for the presence of diarrheagenic pathogens and antibiotic-resistant bacteria within the Miches watershed. Methods. Frequency counts and thematic analysis were used to investigate Human Health Survey responses and Fisher's exact test was used to determine correlation between water source and reported illness. Bacteria cultured from water samples were analyzed by Gram stain, real-time PCR, API® 20E biochemical identification, and for antibiotic resistance. Results. Community members reported concerns about water sources with respect to water quality, availability, and environmental contamination. Pathogenic strains of E. coli were present in the water samples. Drinking aquifer water was positively-correlated with reported stomach aches (p=0.04) while drinking from rivers or creeks was associated with the reported absence of “gripe” (cold or flu) (p=0.01). The lack of association between reported illnesses and water source for the majority of variables suggested that there were multiple vehicles of disease transmission. Antibiotic resistant bacteria were isolated from the water samples tested. Conclusions. The presence of pathogenic E. coli in water samples suggested that water is at least one route of transmission for diarrheagenic pathogens in the Miches watershed. The presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the water samples may indicate the proliferation of resistance plasmids in the environment as a result of antibiotic overuse in human and animal populations and a lack of sanitation infrastructure. An intervention that targets areas of hygiene, sanitation, and water purification is recommended to limit human exposure to diarrheagenic pathogens and antibiotic-resistant organisms. ^

HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD STRUCTURE: ITS INFLUENCE ON THE DIETARY QUALITY OF U.S. HOUSEHOLDS, 1977-78 (UNITED STATES, NATIONWIDE FOOD CONSUMPTION SURVEY)

Using analysis of variance, household data collected in the Spring portion of the 1977-78 Nationwide Food Consumption Survey conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture were analyzed to examine the relationship between household characteristics and dietary quality of the household food supply. Results indicated that head of household structure was a statistically significant variable, with female headed households having higher dietary quality.^ Further analysis indicated that neither race, degree of urbanization, regional location, the education level of the female head, nor her employment status were significant variables in influencing dietary quality. The influence of head of household structure remained significant when these variables were controlled. However, income, household size, and family life cycle stage had statistically significant effects on dietary quality, and when individually controlled, the influence of head of household structure disappeared. ^

The Darién Region, Connecting Road of the Americas, among the expressions of hydric wealth, land vocation and the extractive exploration on its violated forms

Colombia has oceanic waters, catchment areas, like lakes, cienagas and swamps, water flows, like rivers, gorges and streams, small rivers and groundwater. The oceanic waters are the Caribbean Sea-1600 km and the Pacific Ocean-1300 km that comprise the north and west continental territory, respectively. Actually the Region of Darién, geographically bounded by the Carribean Sea to the north is becoming to be focused by studies due to use conflicts and disputes about water and a forest reserve on its territories. Considering its location, strategic at northwestern Colombia, frontier region with Central America, several dynamics are imposed. One of them is the implantation of a road system entitled Connecting Road of the Americas. This fact means the construction of an infra-structure that will cross a special zone formed by swamps and jungle known as The Darién Gap. Evidences of such interests are revealed by projects like the constructions of Turbo's Port in the Atlantic Ocean, Department of Antioquia and Tribugá's Port in the Pacific Ocean, Department of Choco, the mountain road and the coastal conection Colombia-Venezuela attending to the main intentions of the central region of the department (Metropolitan Area of Aburrá Valley-AMVA). Human settlements form a productive system, based on small and medium familiar agriculture's production, corresponding to the western portion and piedmont of Abibe's mountain at its antioquian portion, alluvial plan that forms the rivers on this area, the littoral zone that delimits the Carribean Sea, the Darién and Baudó Mountains and the gulf that receives, among other waters, the ones from Atrato and León, as well as the exodus process constitutes a forced exit resulting from actions of several armed groups. It can be identified intense historical, cultural, political and environmental relations, specially the last one associated with strategic ecosystems that are fundamental for the hydric regulation of the region, as well as food safety of the local inhabitants. Results from two researches (UPB, 2007 y 2010) reveals this quick transformation in the spatial re-configuration, demographical and economical indicators and the exacerbated fight for resources, damaging the extractive vocation in the Region. Path to commerce of illegalities (drugs, guns) and to implementation of the agroindustrial project for biofuel production, cooperation program that involves Venezuela, Brazil and Colombia. Appropriation modes allow the existence of strategies since global interests revealing a development logic that privileges the conception of an artificialized nature. Since the smallest portion of rural areas, specific modes of resources exploration are linked to imposed interests of transnational corporations. Disparate consequences are going deeper evidenced by social, technical and nature transformations, envisioning risks for the habitability's condition

Competencia y conflicto. Hesíodo y los consejos de administración familiar : Una lectura política del tópico

El proyecto del presente trabajo consiste en reflexionar sobre la constitución del sujeto ético-político en los Erga de Hesíodo. Trabajaremos desde una propuesta de matriz antropológica, en torno a los consejos de administración familiar que el poeta propone, recurriendo a Jenofonte cuando la comparación sea oportuna. Siguiendo el horizonte semántico del término chresis, indagaremos dos cuestiones fundamentales, la gestión del hogar, a partir de la problematización del matrimonio como cuestión afín, y la gestión de los vínculos personales, que van más allá del oikos, para convocar a otros actores, el hermano, el huésped, el amigo. En ambos niveles, el estrictamente familiar con la presencia del marido y la esposa en el centro de la escena, y el familiar, en sentido más amplio, los tópicos devuelven ciertas preocupaciones y reflexiones en torno a cuestiones que se repiten, el trabajo, la riqueza, la productividad, la prudencia, el honor, la convivencia, la tolerancia. Se plasma un universo antropológico que nos permite relevar, desde los topoi recortados, la pequeña familia intramuros y la gran familia extramuros, la preocupación habitual de la constitución de un sujeto temperante que en Hesíodo cobra distintas aristas. El modelo discursivo obedece a las reglas de formación que reconocemos en los Erga como matriz de discurso: recomendaciones, consejos, exhortaciones, que delinean dos topoi reconocibles, dos categorías de sujetos, dos registros de conductas, dos modelos de instalación en la vida. Hesíodo nos tiene acostumbrados a esos sistemas binarios que, a nuestro juicio, se inscriben en la lógica del linaje. Hombres, valores, conductas de matriz diurna o nocturna, positiva o negativa, luminosa o tenebrosa. La vida familiar y la comunitaria no parece escapar a esta lógica binaria y el corpus de consejos no hace otra cosa que vigorizar con su logos el aspecto diurno de la tensión

The Darién Region, Connecting Road of the Americas, among the expressions of hydric wealth, land vocation and the extractive exploration on its violated forms

Colombia has oceanic waters, catchment areas, like lakes, cienagas and swamps, water flows, like rivers, gorges and streams, small rivers and groundwater. The oceanic waters are the Caribbean Sea-1600 km and the Pacific Ocean-1300 km that comprise the north and west continental territory, respectively. Actually the Region of Darién, geographically bounded by the Carribean Sea to the north is becoming to be focused by studies due to use conflicts and disputes about water and a forest reserve on its territories. Considering its location, strategic at northwestern Colombia, frontier region with Central America, several dynamics are imposed. One of them is the implantation of a road system entitled Connecting Road of the Americas. This fact means the construction of an infra-structure that will cross a special zone formed by swamps and jungle known as The Darién Gap. Evidences of such interests are revealed by projects like the constructions of Turbo's Port in the Atlantic Ocean, Department of Antioquia and Tribugá's Port in the Pacific Ocean, Department of Choco, the mountain road and the coastal conection Colombia-Venezuela attending to the main intentions of the central region of the department (Metropolitan Area of Aburrá Valley-AMVA). Human settlements form a productive system, based on small and medium familiar agriculture's production, corresponding to the western portion and piedmont of Abibe's mountain at its antioquian portion, alluvial plan that forms the rivers on this area, the littoral zone that delimits the Carribean Sea, the Darién and Baudó Mountains and the gulf that receives, among other waters, the ones from Atrato and León, as well as the exodus process constitutes a forced exit resulting from actions of several armed groups. It can be identified intense historical, cultural, political and environmental relations, specially the last one associated with strategic ecosystems that are fundamental for the hydric regulation of the region, as well as food safety of the local inhabitants. Results from two researches (UPB, 2007 y 2010) reveals this quick transformation in the spatial re-configuration, demographical and economical indicators and the exacerbated fight for resources, damaging the extractive vocation in the Region. Path to commerce of illegalities (drugs, guns) and to implementation of the agroindustrial project for biofuel production, cooperation program that involves Venezuela, Brazil and Colombia. Appropriation modes allow the existence of strategies since global interests revealing a development logic that privileges the conception of an artificialized nature. Since the smallest portion of rural areas, specific modes of resources exploration are linked to imposed interests of transnational corporations. Disparate consequences are going deeper evidenced by social, technical and nature transformations, envisioning risks for the habitability's condition

Competencia y conflicto. Hesíodo y los consejos de administración familiar : Una lectura política del tópico

El proyecto del presente trabajo consiste en reflexionar sobre la constitución del sujeto ético-político en los Erga de Hesíodo. Trabajaremos desde una propuesta de matriz antropológica, en torno a los consejos de administración familiar que el poeta propone, recurriendo a Jenofonte cuando la comparación sea oportuna. Siguiendo el horizonte semántico del término chresis, indagaremos dos cuestiones fundamentales, la gestión del hogar, a partir de la problematización del matrimonio como cuestión afín, y la gestión de los vínculos personales, que van más allá del oikos, para convocar a otros actores, el hermano, el huésped, el amigo. En ambos niveles, el estrictamente familiar con la presencia del marido y la esposa en el centro de la escena, y el familiar, en sentido más amplio, los tópicos devuelven ciertas preocupaciones y reflexiones en torno a cuestiones que se repiten, el trabajo, la riqueza, la productividad, la prudencia, el honor, la convivencia, la tolerancia. Se plasma un universo antropológico que nos permite relevar, desde los topoi recortados, la pequeña familia intramuros y la gran familia extramuros, la preocupación habitual de la constitución de un sujeto temperante que en Hesíodo cobra distintas aristas. El modelo discursivo obedece a las reglas de formación que reconocemos en los Erga como matriz de discurso: recomendaciones, consejos, exhortaciones, que delinean dos topoi reconocibles, dos categorías de sujetos, dos registros de conductas, dos modelos de instalación en la vida. Hesíodo nos tiene acostumbrados a esos sistemas binarios que, a nuestro juicio, se inscriben en la lógica del linaje. Hombres, valores, conductas de matriz diurna o nocturna, positiva o negativa, luminosa o tenebrosa. La vida familiar y la comunitaria no parece escapar a esta lógica binaria y el corpus de consejos no hace otra cosa que vigorizar con su logos el aspecto diurno de la tensión

The Darién Region, Connecting Road of the Americas, among the expressions of hydric wealth, land vocation and the extractive exploration on its violated forms

Colombia has oceanic waters, catchment areas, like lakes, cienagas and swamps, water flows, like rivers, gorges and streams, small rivers and groundwater. The oceanic waters are the Caribbean Sea-1600 km and the Pacific Ocean-1300 km that comprise the north and west continental territory, respectively. Actually the Region of Darién, geographically bounded by the Carribean Sea to the north is becoming to be focused by studies due to use conflicts and disputes about water and a forest reserve on its territories. Considering its location, strategic at northwestern Colombia, frontier region with Central America, several dynamics are imposed. One of them is the implantation of a road system entitled Connecting Road of the Americas. This fact means the construction of an infra-structure that will cross a special zone formed by swamps and jungle known as The Darién Gap. Evidences of such interests are revealed by projects like the constructions of Turbo's Port in the Atlantic Ocean, Department of Antioquia and Tribugá's Port in the Pacific Ocean, Department of Choco, the mountain road and the coastal conection Colombia-Venezuela attending to the main intentions of the central region of the department (Metropolitan Area of Aburrá Valley-AMVA). Human settlements form a productive system, based on small and medium familiar agriculture's production, corresponding to the western portion and piedmont of Abibe's mountain at its antioquian portion, alluvial plan that forms the rivers on this area, the littoral zone that delimits the Carribean Sea, the Darién and Baudó Mountains and the gulf that receives, among other waters, the ones from Atrato and León, as well as the exodus process constitutes a forced exit resulting from actions of several armed groups. It can be identified intense historical, cultural, political and environmental relations, specially the last one associated with strategic ecosystems that are fundamental for the hydric regulation of the region, as well as food safety of the local inhabitants. Results from two researches (UPB, 2007 y 2010) reveals this quick transformation in the spatial re-configuration, demographical and economical indicators and the exacerbated fight for resources, damaging the extractive vocation in the Region. Path to commerce of illegalities (drugs, guns) and to implementation of the agroindustrial project for biofuel production, cooperation program that involves Venezuela, Brazil and Colombia. Appropriation modes allow the existence of strategies since global interests revealing a development logic that privileges the conception of an artificialized nature. Since the smallest portion of rural areas, specific modes of resources exploration are linked to imposed interests of transnational corporations. Disparate consequences are going deeper evidenced by social, technical and nature transformations, envisioning risks for the habitability's condition

Competencia y conflicto. Hesíodo y los consejos de administración familiar : Una lectura política del tópico

El proyecto del presente trabajo consiste en reflexionar sobre la constitución del sujeto ético-político en los Erga de Hesíodo. Trabajaremos desde una propuesta de matriz antropológica, en torno a los consejos de administración familiar que el poeta propone, recurriendo a Jenofonte cuando la comparación sea oportuna. Siguiendo el horizonte semántico del término chresis, indagaremos dos cuestiones fundamentales, la gestión del hogar, a partir de la problematización del matrimonio como cuestión afín, y la gestión de los vínculos personales, que van más allá del oikos, para convocar a otros actores, el hermano, el huésped, el amigo. En ambos niveles, el estrictamente familiar con la presencia del marido y la esposa en el centro de la escena, y el familiar, en sentido más amplio, los tópicos devuelven ciertas preocupaciones y reflexiones en torno a cuestiones que se repiten, el trabajo, la riqueza, la productividad, la prudencia, el honor, la convivencia, la tolerancia. Se plasma un universo antropológico que nos permite relevar, desde los topoi recortados, la pequeña familia intramuros y la gran familia extramuros, la preocupación habitual de la constitución de un sujeto temperante que en Hesíodo cobra distintas aristas. El modelo discursivo obedece a las reglas de formación que reconocemos en los Erga como matriz de discurso: recomendaciones, consejos, exhortaciones, que delinean dos topoi reconocibles, dos categorías de sujetos, dos registros de conductas, dos modelos de instalación en la vida. Hesíodo nos tiene acostumbrados a esos sistemas binarios que, a nuestro juicio, se inscriben en la lógica del linaje. Hombres, valores, conductas de matriz diurna o nocturna, positiva o negativa, luminosa o tenebrosa. La vida familiar y la comunitaria no parece escapar a esta lógica binaria y el corpus de consejos no hace otra cosa que vigorizar con su logos el aspecto diurno de la tensión

Influence of Social Institutions on Inequality in China

This study analyses the impact of changes in social institutions, i.e. in the informal and formal social security system, on income inequality in China. This study uses an inequality decomposition analysis approach comparing household survey data for 1988 with 1995.Three main results emerge from the analysis: first, it findsthat the family based social security is losing its importance mainly through the changes in employment pattern in a household. This change contributes to rising income inequality. Second, thestudy shows that the introduction of new formal social security system helped to equalise the distribution of retired household members' income in urban areas in 1995. Third, however, these changes have only benefited a restricted number of persons. Benefits for rural migrants are low and most of the rural population has still no access to the new system.

Poverty Analysis of Ethiopian Females in the Amhara Region: Utilizing BMI as an Indicator of Poverty

This paper analyzes poverty-affected females in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. As the measurement of poverty, the paper uses body mass index (BMI) because it is one of the effective tools for measuring individual poverty level. The results of the BMI analysis show that the most poverty-affected female group is the female household heads in urban areas. The results, however, should be treated carefully considering the different social and economic structure of urban and rural areas, and the interdependent relationship between these two areas. In rural areas, access to land is the biggest issue affecting the BMI, while in urban areas, the occupation of husbands or partners is more important. These differences by area do not mean that there is no intersection between the urban and rural female groups because the majority of females in urban areas migrated from rural areas to urban areas due to various reasons such as divorce, marriage, and job opportunities.

Development of land rental market and its effect on household farming in rural China : an empirical study in Zhejiang Province

This paper investigates the impact of land rental market development on the efficiency of labor allocation and land utilization in rural China. To test the hypothesis that the shadow wage of a rent-in household with limited off-farm opportunities will increase with the development of a land rental market for households, a statistical comparison between the shadow wage and the estimated market wage was conducted. The results showed that the shadow wage for both rent-in households and non-rent-in households was significantly lower than the market wage, but that the wage for the rent-in households was statistically higher than that for non-rent-in households in Fenghua and Deqing, the two counties surveyed in this study. In addition, the estimated marginal product of farmland for rent-in households was statistically higher than the actual land rent that those households paid, while a null hypothesis that the actual rental fee accepted by rent-out households is equivalent to the marginal product of farmland for those households was not rejected in Fenghua county where land transactions by mutual agreement were more prevalent. These results indicate that the development of the land rental market facilitates the efficiency of labor allocation and farmland utilization in rural China.

The Bangladesh gender gap in education : biased intra-household educational expenditures

By investigating the educational expenditure of children over the ten years (2000 to 2010), we evaluate whether there exists any gender specific discrepancy at the household level and the trend of such discrepancy over the years. Using three rounds of nationally representative Household Income & Expenditure Surveys this study reveals that households spend less on education for their school-going girls compared to boys. By disaggregating the total expenditure into fixed and variable components, we find persistent gender imbalance in educational expenditure where households provide better quality of education for boys. Moreover, we find that gender based discrepancy has a very persistent trend and does not show any significant sign of narrowing the gap over the years. Cohort wise difference-in-difference estimation also reveals that the gap has initially widened and later converged but has not diminished beyond the initial level of discrepancy, which may warrant targeted policy intervention.

Measuring the effect of agricultural cooperatives on household income using PSM-DID : a case study of a rice-producing cooperative in China

Agricultural cooperatives in China, known as Farmers' Professional Cooperatives (FPCs), are becoming popular and have been intensely promoted by the Chinese government to improve the economic welfare of small farmers. However, very few studies on Chinese agricultural cooperatives have measured the benefits to farmers who participate in FPCs after controlling for time-invariant attributes of farmers. This paper investigates the treatment effect of participation in a rice-producing cooperative in suburban China using propensity score matching (PSM) and difference-in-differences (DID) method. Estimated results show that no significant difference is observed between participants and non-participants of the cooperative in terms of net income from rice production when controlling for the difference in farmers' rice incomes before the treatment. In addition, there is no significant heterogeneity of the treatment effects between large and small farmers, although the probability of participation in the cooperative is significantly higher when the size of cultivated rice farmland is greater. These results indicate that the benefits of the cooperative appear to be overestimated considering the vigorous policy supports for FPCs from the Chinese government.