Liberalising trade in health services: constraints and prospects for South Asian countries.

PubMed

Khatun, Fahmida; Ahamad, Mazbahul

2015-01-01

This paper attempts to examine the prospects and challenges associated with liberalising trade in health services in five South Asian countries, namely Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Country-specific secondary information, a brief literature review of empirical studies and debriefing sessions with key stakeholders are employed to explore the issues related to liberalising health services trade. The health sectors in India, Nepal and Pakistan are scheduled under General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) classification, whereas those in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are not. In Bangladesh, there is opportunity for investment in joint venture hospitals under Mode 3. Nonetheless, India is the largest trader in health services under all four modes. In Sri Lanka, cross-border trade in healthcare services is found to be insignificant. Moreover, expertise in eye treatment in Nepal could also attract foreign investment in medical services under Mode 3. In contrast, Pakistan exhibits no potential under Mode 4, because of a lack of healthcare professionals. In this view, the prospects of trade in health services within the South Asian region under the four GATS modes are constrained by infrastructural, regulatory, perception-related, logistical and cultural problems. Considering the level of development and commercial opportunities, regional integration in the health sector could be explored in such areas as telemedicine, medical tourism, cross-border investment and capacity building of health personnel. These developments call for stronger and pro-active government-to-government collaboration in the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) region in a transparent and accountable manner. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An analysis of purchase price of legal and illicit cigarettes in urban retail environments in 14 low- and middle-income countries.

PubMed

Brown, Jennifer; Welding, Kevin; Cohen, Joanna E; Cherukupalli, Rajeev; Washington, Carmen; Ferguson, Jacqueline; Clegg Smith, Katherine

2017-10-01

To estimate and compare price differences between legal and illicit cigarettes in 14 low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). A cross-sectional census of all packs available on the market was purchased. Cigarette packs were purchased in formal retail settings in three major cities in each of 14 LMIC: Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine and Vietnam. A total of 3240 packs were purchased (range = 58 packs in Egypt to 505 in Russia). Packs were categorized as 'legal' or 'illicit' based on the presence of a health warning label from the country of purchase and existence of a tax stamp; 2468 legal and 772 illicit packs were in the analysis. Descriptive statistics stratified by country, city and neighborhood socio-economic status were used to explore the association between price and legal status of cigarettes. The number of illicit cigarettes in the sample setting was small (n < 5) in five countries (Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia) and excluded from analysis. In the remaining nine countries, the median purchase price of legal cigarettes ranged from US$0.32 in Pakistan (n = 72) to US$3.24 in Turkey (n = 242); median purchase price of illicit cigarettes ranged from US$0.80 in Ukraine (n = 14) to US$3.08 in India (n = 41). The difference in median price between legal and illicit packs as a percentage of the price of legal packs ranged from 32% in Philippines to 455% in Bangladesh. Median purchase price of illicit cigarette packs was higher than that of legal cigarette packs in six countries (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam). Median purchase price of illicit packs was lower than that of legal packs in Turkey, Ukraine and China. The median purchase price of illicit cigarettes is higher than that of legal cigarette packs in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia appear to have few or no illicit cigarettes for purchase from formal, urban retailers. © 2017 The Authors. Addiction published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society for the Study of Addiction.

Cross-Sectional Time Series Analysis of Associations between Education and Girl Child Marriage in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan, 1991-2011

PubMed Central

Raj, Anita; McDougal, Lotus; Silverman, Jay G.; Rusch, Melanie L. A.

2014-01-01

Background Girl education is believed to be the best means of reducing girl child marriage (marriage <18 years) globally. However, in South Asia, where the majority of girl child marriages occur, substantial improvements in girl education have not corresponded to equivalent reductions in child marriage. This study examines the levels of education associated with female age at marriage over the previous 20 years across four South Asian nations with high rates (>20%) of girl child marriage- Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan. Methods Cross-sectional time series analyses were conducted on Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) from 1991 to 2011 in the four focal nations. Analyses were restricted to ever-married women aged 20–24 years. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to assess the effect of highest level of education received (none, primary, secondary or higher) on age at marriage (<14, 14–15, 16–17, 18 and older). Results In Bangladesh and Pakistan, primary education was not protective against girl child marriage; in Nepal, it was protective against marriage at <14 years (AOR = 0.42) but not for older adolescents. Secondary education was protective across minor age at marriage categories in Bangladesh (<14 years AOR = 0.10; 14–15 years AOR = .25; 16–17 years AOR = 0.64) and Nepal (<14 years AOR = 0.21; 14–15 years AOR = 0.25; 16–17 years AOR = 0.57), but protective against marriage of only younger adolescents in Pakistan (<14 years AOR = 0.19; 14–15 years AOR = 0.23). In India, primary and secondary education were respectively protective across all age at marriage categories (<14 years AOR = 0.34, AOR = 0.05; 14–15 years AOR = 0.52, AOR = 0.20; 16–17 years AOR = 0.71, AOR = 0.48). Conclusion Primary education is likely insufficient to reduce girl child marriage in South Asia, outside of India. Secondary education may be a better protective strategy against this practice for the region, but may be less effective for prevention of marriage among older relative to younger adolescents. PMID:25203635

An analysis of purchase price of legal and illicit cigarettes in urban retail environments in 14 low‐ and middle‐income countries

PubMed Central

Welding, Kevin; Cohen, Joanna E.; Cherukupalli, Rajeev; Washington, Carmen; Ferguson, Jacqueline; Clegg Smith, Katherine

2017-01-01

Abstract Background/Aims To estimate and compare price differences between legal and illicit cigarettes in 14 low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMIC). Design A cross‐sectional census of all packs available on the market was purchased. Setting Cigarette packs were purchased in formal retail settings in three major cities in each of 14 LMIC: Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine and Vietnam. Participants A total of 3240 packs were purchased (range = 58 packs in Egypt to 505 in Russia). Packs were categorized as ‘legal’ or ‘illicit’ based on the presence of a health warning label from the country of purchase and existence of a tax stamp; 2468 legal and 772 illicit packs were in the analysis. Measurements Descriptive statistics stratified by country, city and neighborhood socio‐economic status were used to explore the association between price and legal status of cigarettes. Findings The number of illicit cigarettes in the sample setting was small (n < 5) in five countries (Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia) and excluded from analysis. In the remaining nine countries, the median purchase price of legal cigarettes ranged from US$0.32 in Pakistan (n = 72) to US$3.24 in Turkey (n = 242); median purchase price of illicit cigarettes ranged from US$0.80 in Ukraine (n = 14) to US$3.08 in India (n = 41). The difference in median price between legal and illicit packs as a percentage of the price of legal packs ranged from 32% in Philippines to 455% in Bangladesh. Median purchase price of illicit cigarette packs was higher than that of legal cigarette packs in six countries (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam). Median purchase price of illicit packs was lower than that of legal packs in Turkey, Ukraine and China. Conclusions The median purchase price of illicit cigarettes is higher than that of legal cigarette packs in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia appear to have few or no illicit cigarettes for purchase from formal, urban retailers. PMID:28556313

Information Systems and Development in the Third World.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heitzman, James

1990-01-01

Discussion of the relationship between information and development in Third World countries highlights information systems development in four South Asian nations: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. The impact of microelectronics technology, development theories, multinational corporations, international information agencies, and…

Progress Toward Universal Health Coverage: A Comparative Analysis in 5 South Asian Countries.

PubMed

Rahman, Md Mizanur; Karan, Anup; Rahman, Md Shafiur; Parsons, Alexander; Abe, Sarah Krull; Bilano, Ver; Awan, Rabia; Gilmour, Stuart; Shibuya, Kenji

2017-09-01

Achieving universal health coverage is one of the key targets in the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. To investigate progress toward universal health coverage in 5 South Asian countries and assess inequalities in health services and financial risk protection indicators. In a population-based study, nationally representative household (335 373 households) survey data from Afghanistan (2014 and 2015), Bangladesh (2010 and 2014), India (2012 and 2014), Nepal (2014 and 2015), and Pakistan (2014) were used to calculate relative indices of health coverage, financial risk protection, and inequality in coverage among wealth quintiles. The study was conducted from June 2012 to February 2016. Three dimensions of universal health coverage were assessed: access to basic services, financial risk protection, and equity. Composite and indicator-specific coverage rates, stratified by wealth quintiles, were then estimated. Slope and relative index of inequality were used to assess inequalities in service and financial indicators. Access to basic care varied substantially across all South Asian countries, with mean rates of overall prevention coverage and treatment coverage of 53.0% (95% CI, 42.2%-63.6%) and 51.2% (95% CI, 45.2%-57.1%) in Afghanistan, 76.5% (95% CI, 61.0%-89.0%) and 44.8% (95% CI, 37.1%-52.5%) in Bangladesh, 74.2% (95% CI, 57.0%-88.1%) and 83.5% (95% CI, 54.4%-99.1%) in India, 76.8% (95% CI, 66.5%-85.7%) and 57.8% (95% CI, 50.1%-65.4%) in Nepal, and 69.8% (95% CI, 58.3%-80.2%) and 50.4% (95% CI, 37.1%-63.6%) in Pakistan. Financial risk protection was generally low, with 15.3% (95% CI, 14.7%-16.0%) of respondents in Afghanistan, 15.8% (95% CI, 14.9%-16.8%) in Bangladesh, 17.9% (95% CI, 17.7%-18.2%) in India, 11.8% (95% CI, 11.8%-11.9%) in Nepal, and 4.4% (95% CI, 4.0%-4.9%) in Pakistan reporting incurred catastrophic payments due to health care costs. Access to at least 4 antenatal care visits, institutional delivery, and presence of skilled attendant during delivery were at least 3 times higher among the wealthiest mothers in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan compared with the rates among poor mothers. Access to institutional delivery was 60 to 65 percentage points higher among wealthy than poor mothers in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan compared with 21 percentage points higher in India. Coverage was least equitable among the countries for adequate sanitation, institutional delivery, and the presence of skilled birth attendants. Health coverage and financial risk protection was low, and inequality in access to health care remains a serious issue for these South Asian countries. Greater progress is needed to improve treatment and preventive services and financial security.

Human waste: An underestimated source of nutrient pollution in coastal seas of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.

PubMed

Amin, Md Nurul; Kroeze, Carolien; Strokal, Maryna

2017-05-15

Many people practice open defecation in south Asia. As a result, lot of human waste containing nutrients such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) enter rivers. Rivers transport these nutrients to coastal waters, resulting in marine pollution. This source of nutrient pollution is, however, ignored in many nutrient models. We quantify nutrient export by large rivers to coastal seas of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, and the associated eutrophication potential in 2000 and 2050. Our new estimates for N and P inputs from human waste are one to two orders of magnitude higher than earlier model calculations. This leads to higher river export of nutrients to coastal seas, increasing the risk of coastal eutrophication potential (ICEP). The newly calculated future ICEP, for instance, Godavori river is 3 times higher than according to earlier studies. Our modeling approach is simple and transparent and can easily be applied to other data-poor basins. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

New fields are being added even while recent finds are brought on using floating production systems and gas pipelines. Intensive workover/redrilling continues in older onshore provinces. The paper discusses exploration, development, drilling and production in China, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Viet Nam, Pakistan, Myanmar, Brunei, and the Philippines, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Japan, Mongolia, and Taiwan are briefly mentioned.

Educational Building and Facilities in the Asian Region. Bulletin No. 17.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Bangkok (Thailand). Regional Office for Education in Asia and Oceania.

Educational facilities analyzed in this bulletin are in the countries of the Republic of Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. The first section reviews the historical reasons for different stages of school building development in the…

Role of Higher Education in Promoting Education for All.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Bangkok (Thailand). Regional Office for Education in Asia and the Pacific.

This summary of a conference examines the role of higher education in promoting education for all as discussed among representatives from Bangladesh, People's Republic of China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Participants emphasized the importance of…

Civil Airlines/Air Services in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Volumes 1 thru 4.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-03-01

endangers human life but it also has tremendous impact on the psychology of general travelling public on whose confidence the commercial aviation thrives...overhaul of SNECMA ATAR engines as well as the rebuilding of various airframes. The Kamra complex is equipped with electrical, hydraulic, instrument

Analysis of stakeholders networks of infant and young child nutrition programmes in Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

PubMed

Uddin, Shahadat; Mahmood, Hana; Senarath, Upul; Zahiruddin, Quazi; Karn, Sumit; Rasheed, Sabrina; Dibley, Michael

2017-06-13

Effective public policies are needed to support appropriate infant and young child feeding (IYCF) to ensure adequate child growth and development, especially in low and middle income countries. The aim of this study was to: (i) capture stakeholder networks in relation to funding and technical support for IYCF policy across five countries in South Asia (i.e. Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan); and (ii) understand how stakeholder networks differed between countries, and identify common actors and their patterns in network engagement across the region. The Net-Map method, which is an interview-based mapping technique to visualise and capture connections among different stakeholders that collaborate towards achieving a focused goal, has been used to map funding and technical support networks in all study sites. Our study was conducted at the national level in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, as well as in selected states or provinces in India and Pakistan during 2013-2014. We analysed the network data using a social network analysis software (NodeXL). The number of stakeholders identified as providing technical support was higher than the number of stakeholders providing funding support, across all study sites. India (New Delhi site - national level) site had the highest number of influential stakeholders for both funding (43) and technical support (86) activities. Among all nine study sites, India (New Delhi - national level) and Sri Lanka had the highest number of participating government stakeholders (22) in their respective funding networks. Sri Lanka also had the highest number of participating government stakeholders for technical support (34) among all the study sites. Government stakeholders are more engaged in technical support activities compared with their involvement in funding activities. The United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) were highly engaged stakeholders for both funding and technical support activities across all study sites. International stakeholders were highly involved in both the funding and technical support activities related to IYCF practices across these nine study sites. Government stakeholders received more support for funding and technical support activities from other stakeholders compared with the support that they offered. Stakeholders were, in general, more engaged for technical support activities compared with the funding activities.

Promotion of Primary Education for Girls and Disadvantaged Groups.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Bangkok (Thailand). Principal Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

This report presents the results of a meeting of education officials from Bangladesh, China, India, Japan, Nepal, Pakistan, and Thailand to discuss the promotion of primary education for girls and other disadvantaged groups in developing Asian countries. Chapter 1 serves as an introduction, discussing the goals and results of the meeting. Chapter…

Case Studies on Technical and Vocational Education in Asia and the Pacific. An Overview.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haas, Adrian

A project considered issues that might contribute toward raising the status of technical and vocational education (TVE) in Asia and the Pacific region. It also provided a review of TVE in Australia, Bangladesh, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Researchers involved in the…

Marxist Influences and South Asian Literature. South Asia Series Occasional Paper No. 23, Vol. II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coppola, Carlo, Ed.

This document is the second of two volumes of papers dealing with various aspects of Marxist literary influence, and more specifically socialist realism, in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Included in this volume are articles that deal with such subjects as socialist realism and the progressive movement in Malayalam, realism in Marathi creative…

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

The paper discusses the outlook for the gas and oil industries of the Far East. Large crude producing countries are upgrading their mature oil properties. Offshore gas fields are being found and developed as new pipeline infrastructures open several remote areas. Separate evaluations are given for China, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Viet Nam, Pakistan, Myanmar, Brunei, Philippines, and briefly for Cambodia, Bangladesh, Japan, Mongolia, Taiwan, Afghanistan, and the Malaysia-Thailand Joint Development Area.

Whole World Handbook. A Student Guide to Work, Study and Travel Abroad. 1978-79 Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Marjorie Adoff

This 1978-79 student guide to work, study, and travel abroad contains chapters on the following areas: Western Europe; the U.S.S.R. and Eastern Europe; the Middle East and North Africa; Africa south of the Sahara; South Asia (India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Pakistan); East Asia; Southeast Asia; Australia and New Zealand; Latin America and…

Research, Teaching Training in Demography: A Directory of Institutions in the ESCAP Region. Asian Population Studies Series No. 8, Supplement No. 3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok (Thailand).

This directory contains information on 39 institutions and 108 projects of research teaching and training in demography in Asia and the Pacific. Eight countries are represented: Australia, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Japan, New Zealand, and Pakistan. The following information is given for each institution: name, address, person in charge,…

Learning Needs and Problems in Primary Education. Report of Technical Working Group Meetings (Bangkok, Thailand, September 6-12, 1983). Volume I: Research Issues and Proposals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Bangkok (Thailand). Regional Office for Education in Asia and the Pacific.

This first volume in a two-part report reviews completed and proposed research studies on learning needs and problems in primary education and describes research proposed for Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, India, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Thailand. An introductory chapter considers the following…

HIV/AIDS in Bangladesh: a national surveillance

PubMed Central

Islam, Manirul; Mitra, Amal K; Mian, Anwarul Huq; Vermund, Sten H

2009-01-01

Summary Nationwide surveillance of HIV/AIDS from 1989 through 1996 in Bangladesh included several risk groups such as professional blood donors, patients with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), pregnant women at antenatal clinics, commercial sex workers (CSWs), patients with tuberculosis, long-distance truck drivers, sailors, and non-residents. The population was enrolled by convenience sampling after taking informed consent. Among 70,676 persons tested, 80 (1.13 per 1000) were HIV positive. The prevalence rate was steady until 1994, and then increased rapidly. The rate among male heterosexuals was significantly higher than that in females (3.40 per 1000 versus 0.29 per 1000; odds ratio (OR) 11.60; 95% confidence intervals (CI) 6.45 to 21.16; P<0.0001). Twelve per cent of patients with STDs had HIV. The HIV cases concentrated in 2 districts, Sylhet (25/72) and Chittagong (20/72), that border India and Myanmar (formerly Burma), respectively. Frequent movement of people of Bangladesh to India, Pakistan, Myanmar and Thailand, where HIV rates are higher, is one of the possible sources of spread of the cases. Bangladesh has the potential to avert epidemic spread of HIV at its early stage. PMID:10454184

Sex preference in South Asia: Sri Lanka an outlier.

PubMed

Abeykoon, A T

1995-09-01

At a 1994 symposium on sex preference in Asia, represented countries were grouped as follows: a) rapid fertility decline, strong son preference, and abnormal sex ratio at birth (China, Taiwan, and the Republic of Korea); b) rapid fertility decline, no son preference, and normal sex ratio at birth (Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand); and c) slow fertility decline, strong son preference, and normal sex ratio at birth (Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan). This article reviews the factors responsible for strong son preference in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan and the reasons for the lack of son preference in Sri Lanka. Abnormal sex ratios are attributed to sex-selective abortions. Sex preference in South Asia results in excessive mortality of female children. Mention is made of a higher mortality risk of daughters in Indian households with more older female children. Bairagi is cited for his evidence that in Bangladesh daughters having older sisters have a higher mortality risk. In Pakistan survey results indicate that sons are preferred. Numerous authors are cited for evidence suggesting that fertility might be lower if son preference were reduced. Rajaretnam and Deshpande are cited for findings that contraceptive prevalence in south India would increase by about 12% in high-prevalence areas and about 25% in low-prevalence areas in the absence of sex preference. Bourne and Walker and Das Gupta are identified as authors providing evidence that increased economic opportunities for women, increased women's status, and increased value placed on women's work would reduce the desire for sons. Cain argues for better old-age security and better access to food and medical care. Abeykoon has shown that weakened son preference in Sri Lanka occurred over a 20-year period as improvements were made in women's status. Parents in Sri Lanka give greater value to the small-family norm than to the sex of the child. A slight preference was found in 1975 and 1992. Discrimination in food and medical care in Sri Lanka was apparent only prior to 1962. Sri Lankan women have experienced rapid expansion of literacy and educational attainment, improved life expectancy, and wide economic involvement. Women in Sri Lanka are also less vulnerable to oppression within the family.

Some aspects of South Asia's groundwater irrigation economy: analyses from a survey in India, Pakistan, Nepal Terai and Bangladesh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shah, Tushaar; Singh, O. P.; Mukherji, Aditi

2006-03-01

Since 1960, South Asia has emerged as the largest user of groundwater in irrigation in the world. Yet, little is known about this burgeoning economy, now the mainstay of the region's agriculture, food security and livelihoods. Results from the first socio-economic survey of its kind, involving 2,629 well-owners from 278 villages from India, Pakistan, Nepal Terai and Bangladesh, show that groundwater is used in over 75% of the irrigated areas in the sample villages, far more than secondary estimates suggest. Thanks to the pervasive use of groundwater in irrigation, rain-fed farming regions are a rarity although rain-fed plots within villages abound. Groundwater irrigation is quintessentially supplemental and used mostly on water-economical inferior cereals and pulses, while a water-intensive wheat and rice system dominates canal areas. Subsidies on electricity and canal irrigation shape the sub-continental irrigation economy, but it is the diesel pump that drives it. Pervasive markets in tubewell irrigation services enhance irrigation access to the poor. Most farmers interviewed reported resource depletion and deterioration, but expressed more concern over the high cost and poor reliability of energy supply for groundwater irrigation, which has become the fulcrum of their survival strategy.

Public Libraries in Bangladesh.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khan, M. H.

1984-01-01

Overview of library movement in Bangladesh highlights British (1851-1947) and Pakistan periods (1947-1971), separation of Bangladesh from Pakistan, libraries in development plans (1951-1970), three important public libraries, development of national library, book resources, a library network plan, legislation, finance, leadership, library…

The 6 "biggies".

PubMed

Myers, N

1993-01-01

The 6 developing nations with the largest populations in mid-1993 were China with 1.18 billion people, India 897 million, Indonesia 188 million, Brazil 152 million, Pakistan 122 million, and Bangladesh 114 million. Successful expansion of population planning programs in these nations could help defuse the population bomb. China's fertility rate has hardly declined for several years, and the year 2000 projection had to be revised from 1.2 billion to 1.29 billion people. India's family planning efforts have also stalled, and even if it attains the two-child family by the year 2015, population growth will not level out before the total reaches 1.9 billion. In India, Kerala State's population density matches that of Bangladesh, and per-capita income is among the lowest in the country. Yet, life expectancy is one quarter above the national average, infant mortality less than half, and literacy almost twice. And the fertility rate is down to 2.3, contrasting strongly with India's average of 3.9. Indonesia's population growth rate has plunged from 2.3% per year in the mid-1960s to 1.97% in the mid-1980s and to 1.7% today. Women now have an average of only three children. Brazil has achieved an annual population growth rate of only 1.5% and a fertility rate of 2.6, but fewer than 3 married women in 5 use modern contraception. There are an estimated 2 million illegal abortions a year. Part of the problem is the gulf between poverty and affluence. As a result of this gulf, child mortality remains the fourth highest in Latin America. Pakistan's population is projected to grow to 275 million people by the year 2025. The current growth rate is 3.1% per year. Family size is 6.7 children, the desired size is 4 children, and only 9% of married women use modern contraception. In Bangladesh, in 1975, the family size was 7 children. In 1993, it was fewer than 5. The spread of family-planning facilities boosted contraceptive use from 3% in 1971 to 40% in 1991.

Processed foods as an integral part of universal salt iodization programs: a review of global experience and analyses of Bangladesh and Pakistan.

PubMed

Spohrer, Rebecca; Garrett, Greg S; Timmer, Arnold; Sankar, Rajan; Kar, Basanta; Rasool, Faiz; Locatelli-Rossi, Lorenzo

2012-12-01

Despite the reference to salt for food processing in the original definition of universal salt iodization (USI), national USI programs often do not explicitly address food industry salt. This may affect program impact and sustainability, given the increasing consumption of processed foods in developing countries. To review experience of the use of iodized salt in the food industry globally, and analyze the market context in Bangladesh and Pakistan to test whether this experience may be applicable to inform improved national USI programming in developing countries. A review of relevant international experience was undertaken. In Bangladesh and Pakistan, local rural market surveys were carried out. In Bangladesh, structured face-to-face interviews with bakers and indepth interviews with processed food wholesalers and retailers were conducted. In Pakistan, face-to-face structured interviews were conducted with food retailers and food labels were checked. Experience from industrialized countries reveals impact resulting from the use of iodized salt in the food industry. In Bangladesh and Pakistan, bread, biscuits, and snacks containing salt are increasingly available in rural areas. In Bangladesh, the majority of bakers surveyed claimed to use iodized salt. In Pakistan, 6 of 362 unique product labels listed iodized salt. Successful experience from developed countries needs to be adapted to the developing country context. The increasing availability of processed foods in rural Bangladesh and Pakistan provides an opportunity to increase iodine intake. However, the impact of this intervention remains to be quantified. To develop better national USI programs, further data are required on processed food consumption across population groups, iodine contents of food products, and the contribution of processed foods to iodine nutrition.

A Critical Analysis of the SRI Lankan Governments Counterinsurgency Campaign.

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-01-01

http://www. lacnet.org/ srilanka /issues/kumari.html, 1987), 1. 6Thomas. A. Marks, "Disintegration of the Revolution in Sri Lanka," in Maoist Insurgency...2Kumari Jayawardana, Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka and Regional Security (Internet: http-www.lacnet.org/ sriLanka /issues/kumari.html. 1987), 9. 3F.M 100...Sri Lanka: 1996), 17. 113 STABLE 5 VITAL STATISTICS: SRI LANKA COMPARED WITH SELECTED COUNTRIES IN ASIA Item Year SriLanka Bangladesh India Pakistan

Women and the media in South Asia.

PubMed

Sharma, S; Weerackody, I; Panday, N R; Al-mujahid, S; Musa, A B

1987-01-01

This article gives a brief overview of women's access to journalism and communication training, status of women in the media, their needs for development of skills, and portrayal of women in the media, in Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka. 5 authors from those countries contributed sections subdivided into each of these subheadings. In India, women have access to training, but their positions in the media are limited. They are often falsely stereotyped, sensationalized or exploited, or totally absent. In Sri Lanka, however, women are closer to being equal to men, in terms of training, hiring and employment, although they tend to work in women's periodicals. Women are shown in most of the advertisements, and are generally portrayed as perpetually in pursuit of glamour, food, clothes and cosmetics. Media in Nepal are comparatively new; for example, television is only 1 year old. Therefore, opportunities for women are few, and men dominate the hierarchy. Women are portrayed in the media negatively or sensationally, and used extensively in commercials. Women's position in Pakistan is limited in the cities by purdah and in rural areas by the feudal heritage, in which women are chattel. A minority of women are enrolled in journalism schools a employed in the media: those are excelling. Women are often either idealized, abused or caricatured as interested only in consumption. Women have recently entered the journalism profession in Bangladesh, now totaling 24 women. Mores do not permit women to work at night or on outside assignments. The media are liberal in Bangladesh, airing news about dowry abuse and female oppression openly. In most of the countries, women tend to work only until marriage, or afterward are limited by domestic duties.

Earth observation taken by the Expedition 28 crew

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-08-21

ISS028-E-029679 (21 Aug. 2011) --- A night time view of India-Pakistan borderlands is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 28 crew member on the International Space Station. Clusters of yellow lights on the Indo-Gangetic Plain of northern India and northern Pakistan reveal numerous cities both large and small in this photograph. Of the hundreds of clusters, the largest are the metropolitan areas associated with the capital cities of Islamabad, Pakistan in the foreground and New Delhi, India at the top?for scale these metropolitan areas are approximately 700 kilometers apart. The lines of major highways connecting the larger cities also stand out. More subtle but still visible at night are the general outlines of the towering and partly cloud-covered Himalayan ranges immediately to the north (left). A striking feature of this photograph is the line of lights, with a distinctly more orange hue, snaking across the central part of the image. It appears to be more continuous and brighter than most highways in the view. This is the fenced and floodlit border zone between the countries of India and Pakistan. The fence is designed to discourage smuggling and arms trafficking between the two countries. A similar fenced zone separates India?s eastern border from Bangladesh (not visible). This image was taken with a 16-mm lens, which provides the wide field of view, as the space station was tracking towards the southeast across the subcontinent of India. The station crew took the image as part of a continuous series of frames, each frame taken with a one-second exposure time to maximize light collection ? unfortunately, this also causes blurring of some ground features. The distinct, bright zone above the horizon (visible at top) is produced by airglow, a phenomena caused by excitation of atoms and molecules high in the atmosphere (above 80 kilometers, or 50 miles altitude) by ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Part of the ISS Permanent Multipurpose Module, or PMM, and a solar panel array are visible at right.

Cooperative Monitoring Center Occasional Paper/11: Cooperative Environmental Monitoring in the Coastal Regions of India and Pakistan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rajen, Gauray

1999-06-01

The cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan is an immediate need and of global concern, as these countries have tested nuclear devices, and have the capability to deploy nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles. Cooperative monitoring projects among neighboring countries in South Asia could build regional confidence, and, through gradual improvements in relations, reduce the threat of war and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. This paper discusses monitoring the trans-border movement of flow and sediment in the Indian and Pakistani coastal areas. Through such a project, India and Pakistan could initiate greater cooperation, and engender movement towardsmore » the resolution of the Sir Creek territorial dispute in their coastal region. The Joint Working Groups dialogue being conducted by India and Pakistan provides a mechanism for promoting such a project. The proposed project also falls within a regional framework of cooperation agreed to by several South Asian countries. This framework has been codified in the South Asian Seas Action Plan, developed by Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. This framework provides a useful starting point for Indian and Pakistani cooperative monitoring in their trans-border coastal area. The project discussed in this paper involves computer modeling, the placement of in situ sensors for remote data acquisition, and the development of joint reports. Preliminary computer modeling studies are presented in the paper. These results illustrate the cross-flow connections between Indian and Pakistani coastal regions and strengthen the argument for cooperation. Technologies and actions similar to those suggested for the coastal project are likely to be applied in future arms control and treaty verification agreements. The project, therefore, serves as a demonstration of cooperative monitoring technologies. The project will also increase people-to-people contacts among Indian and Pakistani policy makers and scientists. In the perceptions of the general public, the project will crystallize the idea that the two countries share ecosystems and natural resources, and have a vested interest in increased collaboration.« less

Working life tables, Bangladesh 1981.

PubMed

Matin, K A

1986-06-01

Data from the 1981 Bangladesh Population Census were used to construct life tables for working men and women. Bangladesh has a dependency burden of 109 dependents to 100 economically active population. Labor force participation rates in 1981 were 74.1/100 population aged 10 years and over for males and 4.3/100 population aged 10 years and over for females. The age-specific economic activity rates provided the essential link in translating life table data to working life table data. It was calculated that a newborn Bangladesh male had a working life expectancy of 37.8 years and an overall life expectancy of 50.0 years; working life expectancy peaks at 44.2 years at 10 years of age. A newborn female has a working life expectancy of 1.8 years and an overall life expectancy of 49.0 years; a maximum working life expectancy of 2.4 years is obtained at 10 years of age. In the period 1962-81, male working life expectancy registered a slight decline at all ages, while female working life expectancy increased by about 6 months for ages up to 30 years. Mortality accounts for a loss of about 10% of gross years of active life in the 10-69-year goups and 20% in the 10-79-year age group. The male working life expectancy values for Bangladesh in 1981 correspond well with those found in India in 1971, Pakistan in 1978, and Sri Lanka in 1971. However, there is wide divergency in terms of female working life expectancy values: such rates were significantly higher in Sri Lanka and India than in Bangladesh up to the age of 30 years, after which point there was little divergence.

Genesis of avian influenza H9N2 in Bangladesh.

PubMed

Shanmuganatham, Karthik; Feeroz, Mohammed M; Jones-Engel, Lisa; Walker, David; Alam, SMRabiul; Hasan, MKamrul; McKenzie, Pamela; Krauss, Scott; Webby, Richard J; Webster, Robert G

2014-12-01

Avian influenza subtype H9N2 is endemic in many bird species in Asia and the Middle East and has contributed to the genesis of H5N1, H7N9 and H10N8, which are potential pandemic threats. H9N2 viruses that have spread to Bangladesh have acquired multiple gene segments from highly pathogenic (HP) H7N3 viruses that are presumably in Pakistan and currently cocirculate with HP H5N1. However, the source and geographic origin of these H9N2 viruses are not clear. We characterized the complete genetic sequences of 37 Bangladeshi H9N2 viruses isolated in 2011-2013 and investigated their inter- and intrasubtypic genetic diversities by tracing their genesis in relationship to other H9N2 viruses isolated from neighboring countries. H9N2 viruses in Bangladesh are homogenous with several mammalian host-specific markers and are a new H9N2 sublineage wherein the hemagglutinin (HA) gene is derived from an Iranian H9N2 lineage (Mideast_B Iran), the neuraminidase (NA) and polymerase basic 2 (PB2) genes are from Dubai H9N2 (Mideast_C Dubai), and the non-structural protein (NS), nucleoprotein (NP), matrix protein (MP), polymerase acidic (PA) and polymerase basic 1 (PB1) genes are from HP H7N3 originating from Pakistan. Different H9N2 genotypes that were replaced in 2006 and 2009 by other reassortants have been detected in Bangladesh. Phylogenetic and molecular analyses suggest that the current genotype descended from the prototypical H9N2 lineage (G1), which circulated in poultry in China during the late 1990s and came to Bangladesh via the poultry trade within the Middle East, and that this genotype subsequently reassorted with H7N3 and H9N2 lineages from Pakistan and spread throughout India. Thus, continual surveillance of Bangladeshi HP H5N1, H7N3 and H9N2 is warranted to identify further evolution and adaptation to humans.

Genesis of avian influenza H9N2 in Bangladesh

PubMed Central

Shanmuganatham, Karthik; Feeroz, Mohammed M; Jones-Engel, Lisa; Walker, David; Alam, SMRabiul; Hasan, MKamrul; McKenzie, Pamela; Krauss, Scott; Webby, Richard J; Webster, Robert G

2014-01-01

Avian influenza subtype H9N2 is endemic in many bird species in Asia and the Middle East and has contributed to the genesis of H5N1, H7N9 and H10N8, which are potential pandemic threats. H9N2 viruses that have spread to Bangladesh have acquired multiple gene segments from highly pathogenic (HP) H7N3 viruses that are presumably in Pakistan and currently cocirculate with HP H5N1. However, the source and geographic origin of these H9N2 viruses are not clear. We characterized the complete genetic sequences of 37 Bangladeshi H9N2 viruses isolated in 2011–2013 and investigated their inter- and intrasubtypic genetic diversities by tracing their genesis in relationship to other H9N2 viruses isolated from neighboring countries. H9N2 viruses in Bangladesh are homogenous with several mammalian host-specific markers and are a new H9N2 sublineage wherein the hemagglutinin (HA) gene is derived from an Iranian H9N2 lineage (Mideast_B Iran), the neuraminidase (NA) and polymerase basic 2 (PB2) genes are from Dubai H9N2 (Mideast_C Dubai), and the non-structural protein (NS), nucleoprotein (NP), matrix protein (MP), polymerase acidic (PA) and polymerase basic 1 (PB1) genes are from HP H7N3 originating from Pakistan. Different H9N2 genotypes that were replaced in 2006 and 2009 by other reassortants have been detected in Bangladesh. Phylogenetic and molecular analyses suggest that the current genotype descended from the prototypical H9N2 lineage (G1), which circulated in poultry in China during the late 1990s and came to Bangladesh via the poultry trade within the Middle East, and that this genotype subsequently reassorted with H7N3 and H9N2 lineages from Pakistan and spread throughout India. Thus, continual surveillance of Bangladeshi HP H5N1, H7N3 and H9N2 is warranted to identify further evolution and adaptation to humans. PMID:26038507

Social Sciences in Asia I: Bangladesh, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, Thailand. Reports and Papers in the Social Sciences, No. 32.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Paris (France).

Part of a series which provides overviews of social science research and teaching in UNESCO member nations, the document focuses on Bangladesh, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Thailand. One chapter is devoted to each of the five nations. Chapter I discusses social science teaching at major universities in Bangladesh and recommends that research…

Emigration dynamics from and within South Asia.

PubMed

Shah, N M

1995-01-01

This review of current knowledge about emigration dynamics from and within South Asia (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) opens with a brief history of the three phases of emigration from the area since the 1830s (plantation labor; postindependence to the UK, US, Canada, and Australia; and labor migration to the oil-exporting countries). The influence of the creation of Pakistan and Bangladesh is also covered as are British colonial and commonwealth policies. It is noted that migration data are incomplete and that India exhibits an ambivalence about collecting such information. The discussion then turns to emigration since 1970 and considers permanent migration from South Asia to the traditional receivers; South Asian asylum seekers in Europe; South Asian refugees, illegal migrants, migrant workers (flows and destinations), the stock of contract migrant workers (and their characteristics); returnee migrant workers; and skill levels. Analysis is provided of macro level determinants of emigrations such as gross national product (level and growth), the general demographic and social situation, labor force growth and structure, poverty and inequality, and internal and international migration. Environmental factors causing displacement in Southern Asia include floods, cyclones, river bank erosion, drought, and desertification. Global warming could displace millions of people in the region, and development projects have contributed to displacement. The remainder of the report covers political and ethnic factors, micro-factors influencing migration decision-making, the policies of sending and receiving countries, the consequences of emigration, and the potential for migration in the future.

Assessing the capacity of ministries of health to use research in decision-making: conceptual framework and tool.

PubMed

Rodríguez, Daniela C; Hoe, Connie; Dale, Elina M; Rahman, M Hafizur; Akhter, Sadika; Hafeez, Assad; Irava, Wayne; Rajbangshi, Preety; Roman, Tamlyn; Ţîrdea, Marcela; Yamout, Rouham; Peters, David H

2017-08-01

The capacity to demand and use research is critical for governments if they are to develop policies that are informed by evidence. Existing tools designed to assess how government officials use evidence in decision-making have significant limitations for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs); they are rarely tested in LMICs and focus only on individual capacity. This paper introduces an instrument that was developed to assess Ministry of Health (MoH) capacity to demand and use research evidence for decision-making, which was tested for reliability and validity in eight LMICs (Bangladesh, Fiji, India, Lebanon, Moldova, Pakistan, South Africa, Zambia). Instrument development was based on a new conceptual framework that addresses individual, organisational and systems capacities, and items were drawn from existing instruments and a literature review. After initial item development and pre-testing to address face validity and item phrasing, the instrument was reduced to 54 items for further validation and item reduction. In-country study teams interviewed a systematic sample of 203 MoH officials. Exploratory factor analysis was used in addition to standard reliability and validity measures to further assess the items. Thirty items divided between two factors representing organisational and individual capacity constructs were identified. South Africa and Zambia demonstrated the highest level of organisational capacity to use research, whereas Pakistan and Bangladesh were the lowest two. In contrast, individual capacity was highest in Pakistan, followed by South Africa, whereas Bangladesh and Lebanon were the lowest. The framework and related instrument represent a new opportunity for MoHs to identify ways to understand and improve capacities to incorporate research evidence in decision-making, as well as to provide a basis for tracking change.

Changing roles of women: reproduction to production.

PubMed

Rachapaetayakom, J

1988-12-01

The status of women in the countries included in the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) varies widely from home labor and childbearing to social and political participation. In countries where the total fertility rate is high (over 6), such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal, the status of women is low. Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal, along with India, Sri Lanka, and China, also have the lowest levels of per capita income. The education of women is one of the earmarks of social development. Education enables women to delay marriage, reduce fertility, and participate in the economy. Between 1970 and 1980, the female literacy rate increased 10% in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines; and 5% in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal. Women's participation in the labor force is determined both by the stage of development of the country and by cultural factors. In Muslim countries the level of women's participation in the labor force is low. In Thailand and China it is very high. Women with the most education are likeliest to work in professional and administrative jobs. Self-employed women tend to have as little status and as many children as unpaid family workers, and women working in agriculture are almost as badly off. In Asia and the Pacific, except for Muslim countries, women have participated actively in family planning programs. In several countries in the region, women have been active in politics, but mostly at the local level. If women are to be integrated into the development process in the countries of Asia and the Pacific, attention must be given to their education and employment, to increasing the role of men in household and child rearing duties, and to research in the interrelations of population processes, women's status, and socioeconomic development.

Security of Small States, Problems of the States of the South Asian Region and Bangladesh’s Options for Security,

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-03-10

Ocean and the Pacific, such as, Sri Lanka, South Yemen, Malaysia and Egypt (not a small state but vulnerable) because of their strategic locations...400,000 Comoros 178 Djibouti 350 Ethiopia 2,960 Indonesia 20,000 Iran 20,000 Kenya 70,000 Kuwait 81,000 Madagascar 21 ,500 Malaysia 1,170,000 Maldives...step, Pakistan and India must freeze their conventional armaments at current levels. They should 79 ! F6 initiate talks to reduce conventional forces. The

Geographic information system (GIS) representation of coal-bearing areas in India and Bangladesh

USGS Publications Warehouse

Trippi, Michael H.; Tewalt, Susan J.

2011-01-01

Geographic information system (GIS) information may facilitate energy studies, which in turn provide input for energy policy decisions. Prior to this study, no GIS file representing the occurrence of coal-bearing units in India or Bangladesh was known to exist. This Open-File Report contains downloadable shapefiles representing the coalfields of India and Bangladesh and a limited number of chemical and petrographic analyses of India and Bangladesh coal samples. Also included are maps of India and Bangladesh showing the locations of the coalfields and coal samples in the shapefiles, figures summarizing the stratigraphic units in the coalfields of India and Bangladesh, and a brief report summarizing the stratigraphy and geographic locations of coal-bearing deposits in India and Bangladesh.

Geomorphology and Geodynamics at Crustal Boundaries within Asia and Africa

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

The release of SRTM images by NASA over the past two years year has been greeted by foreign Earth scientist's as "NASA's gift to the World". The goodwill that this has engendered in parts of Africa. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, as scientists in those countries contemplated what many of them considered an unprovoked and unjustifiable US invasion of Iraq, cannot be underestimated. We have used SRTM images from Africa and India and elsewhere to examine aspects of tectonism, geodynamics and tsunami and earthquake hazards. Highlights of this research are itemized in this final report. One difficulty that has arisen is , of course, that the funding for the science lead the availability of the data by more than a year. and as a result many of the findings are as yet unpublished.

South Asian migrant women and HIV/STIs: knowledge, attitudes and practices and the role of sexual power.

PubMed

Gagnon, Anita J; Merry, Lisa; Bocking, Jacqueline; Rosenberg, Ellen; Oxman-Martinez, Jacqueline

2010-01-01

Differences in relationship power dynamics or migration factors may affect knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) towards HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in resettling Migrant women. A sample of 122 women and men born in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan or Bangladesh and residing in Montreal completed questionnaires on HIV/STI KAP and decision-making power Within sexual relationships. Knowledge gaps and stigmatizing attitudes were found. STI/HIV information available in one's language and other educational strategies that consider women's Power may improve KAP among South Asian migrant women.

International trends in health science librarianship part 11: Japan and Korea.

PubMed

Sakai, Yukiko; Sato, Kuniko; Suwabe, Naoko; Gemba, Hiroko; Nozoe, Atsutake; Seo, Jeong-Wook; Kim, Hye Yang

2014-09-01

This is the 11th in a series of articles exploring international trends in health science librarianship. The previous article in this series looked at the Far East (Greater China, Hong Kong and Taiwan). The current issue surveys developments in Japan and Korea. The next issue will explore trends in South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka). Next year all four issues will be devoted to trends in four regions in Africa (Southern Africa, East Africa, West Africa and North Africa. © 2014 The authors. Health Information and Libraries Journal © 2014 Health Libraries Journal.

FUTURE OF BANGLADESH-INDIA RELATIONSHIP-A CRITICAL ANALYSIS

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-01

boundary disputes during this period with its neighbors India and Myanmar . “Bangladesh got 19,467 square kilometers out of 25,602 square kilometers...cooperation connectivity project like Bangladesh, India, Myanmar , Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) has recently been established...This maritime connectivity will facilitate India and Bangladesh exploiting seaports of Myanmar and Thailand to the east and Sri Lanka to the west for

Trends in inequalities in child stunting in South Asia.

PubMed

Krishna, Aditi; Mejía-Guevara, Iván; McGovern, Mark; Aguayo, Victor; Subramanian, S V

2017-10-19

We analysed socio-economic inequalities in stunting in South Asia and investigated disparities associated with factors at the individual, caregiver, and household levels (poor dietary diversity, low maternal education, and household poverty). We used time-series analysis of data from 55,459 children ages 6-23 months from Demographic and Health Surveys in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan (1991-2014). Logistic regression models, adjusted for age, sex, birth order, and place of residency, examined associations between stunting and multiple types of socio-economic disadvantage. All countries had high stunting rates. Bangladesh and Nepal recorded the largest reductions-2.9 and 4.1 percentage points per year, respectively-compared to 1.3 and 0.6 percentage points in India and Pakistan, respectively. Socio-economic adversity was associated with increased risk of stunting, regardless of disadvantage type. Poor children with inadequate diets and with poorly educated mothers experienced greater risk of stunting. Although stunting rates declined in the most deprived groups, socio-economic differences were largely preserved over time and in some cases worsened, namely, between wealth quintiles. The disproportionate burden of stunting experienced by the most disadvantaged children and the worsening inequalities between socio-economic groups are of concern in countries with substantial stunting burdens. Closing the gap between best and worst performing countries, and between most and least disadvantaged groups within countries, would yield substantial improvements in stunting rates in South Asia. To do so, greater attention needs to be paid to addressing the social, economic, and political drivers of stunting with targeted efforts towards the populations experiencing the greatest disadvantage and child growth faltering. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Child survival and changing fertility patterns in Pakistan.

PubMed

Sathar, Z A

1992-01-01

Pakistan is a country with high fertility and high infant and child mortality, and declines in total mortality and substantial development initiatives. The discussion considers whether fertility patterns in Pakistan can be related to changes in child mortality, and whether current and future changes in fertility influence child survival favorably. Omran's study linked large family size to child survival. Resources, which are divided, become more important deficits in households below the poverty line: a situation common in Pakistan. High fertility is associated with short birth intervals, which are related to higher infant and child mortality. In Pakistan, the spacing and mortality link was found among both poverty and higher socioeconomic households. There is some support for the notion that it is birth weight and general health that are linked to survival rather than competition for resources. Other studies link the maternal age at birth and birth order with child mortality (Alam and Cleland). Trussel argues for limiting births in high risk ages of under 20 years and over 35 years. The exact casual link is not well documented. Institutional and community factors are also considered important in influencing child survival: sanitation, potable water, access to roads, electricity, health and family planning services, and sewage. Young infants are more vulnerable to these factors. Bangladesh and some Indian states have shown that population programs and raising per captia incomes are necessary to fertility decline. In India, female autonomy, access to education, and more equal income distribution were considered more important than economic development to child survival. In Pakistan, Sathar and Kazi have linked at least 2 years of elementary, maternal education with reductions in child mortality. The pervasiveness of female illiteracy hinders the chances of child survival. Sex preferences also impact on female children. The probably impacts of declines in breast feeding, smaller family sizes, and delayed childbearing on child survival are discussed. Lessons to be learned from sub-Saharan Africa are that countries should not be caught in social cutbacks due to structural adjustment packages, and should use approaches, such as in Matlab in Bangladesh, to provide contraceptives and immunization. Policy must emphasize female education at least through the primary level for long lasting effects.

The climate-water-health nexus in emerging megacities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akanda, Ali Shafqat; Hossain, Faisal

2012-09-01

Today a handful of developing nations (India, China, Nigeria, Brazil, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Pakistan) account for more than half of the world's population. A majority of these nations are rapidly urbanizing, as people from remote regions migrate in search of economic prosperity [Cohen, 2003]. Such a rural-to-urban migratory trend has been the leading cause of cities expanding to megacities, which are defined by the United Nations as cities with a population greater than 10 million. By 2025 a greater proportion of the world's megacities, most of them situated in low-lying coastal areas, will be in developing nations in Asia and Africa (Figure 1a) [Asian Development Bank, 2012].

International Game 󈨧: Crisis in South Asia, 28-30 January 1999

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-01-01

19 APPENDIX A: INDIA /PAKISTAN: MILITARY ASSUMPTIONS IN 2003...21 APPENDIX B: INDIA − PAKISTAN CHRONOLOGY ................................................. 23 APPENDIX C: INDIA COUNTRY PROFILE...42 APPENDIX E: INDIA AND PAKISTAN SANCTIONS ................................................ 53 i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The primary purpose

Head and neck cancer in South Asia: macroeconomic consequences and the role of surgery.

PubMed

Alkire, Blake C; Bergmark, Regan W; Chambers, Kyle; Cheney, Mack L; Meara, John G

2015-04-27

Head and neck cancer, for which the diagnosis and treatment are often surgical, comprises a substantial proportion of the burden of disease in South Asia. Further, estimates of surgical volume suggest this region faces a critical shortage of surgical capacity. We aimed to estimate the total economic welfare losses due to the morbidity and mortality of head and neck cancer in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh for 1 year (2010). We used publicly available estimates from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation regarding the morbidity and mortality of head and neck cancer in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, along with an economic concept termed the value of a statistical life, to estimate total economic welfare losses due to head and neck cancer in the aforementioned countries in the year 2010. The counterfactual scenario is absence of disease. Sensitivity analyses were done with regard to how the value of a statistical life changes with income. In 2010, the most conservative estimate of economic welfare losses due to head and neck cancer in the three studied countries is US$16·9 billion (2010 USD, PPP), equivalent to 0·26% of their combined gross domestic product (GDP). The welfare losses experienced by the population younger than 70 years of age accounted for US$15·2 billion (90% of the total losses). When adjusted for the size of their respective economies, Bangladesh, the poorest of the three countries, incurred the greatest loss (US$930 million), equivalent to 0·29% of its GDP. India and Pakistan experienced welfare losses of US$14·1 billion and US$1·9 billion, respectively. These figures are equivalent to 0·26% of the GDP for both countries. Oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer made up the largest share of the total burden at 39% (US$6·6 billion), followed closely by oral cavity cancer at 34% (US$5·7 billion). The burden of non-communicable diseases, to which cancer contributes greatly, is growing at a rapid pace in South Asia. Head and neck cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality in this region, and this study suggests that the associated economic welfare losses, estimated to be US$16·9 billion in 2010 alone, are substantial. A number of strategies are available to address this burden. Surgery, as part of a multidisciplinary approach that includes radiation therapy and chemotherapy, plays a central part in the diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancer, and building surgical capacity, which offers large economies of scope and scale, can not only address the burden of head and neck cancer, but also create a platform for beginning to confront the rising tide of non-communicable diseases. None. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of Dietary and Metabolic Risk Factors on Cardiovascular and Diabetes Mortality in South Asia: Analysis From the 2010 Global Burden of Disease Study.

PubMed

Yakoob, Mohammad Y; Micha, Renata; Khatibzadeh, Shahab; Singh, Gitanjali M; Shi, Peilin; Ahsan, Habibul; Balakrishna, Nagalla; Brahmam, Ginnela N V; Chen, Yu; Afshin, Ashkan; Fahimi, Saman; Danaei, Goodarz; Powles, John W; Ezzati, Majid; Mozaffarian, Dariush

2016-12-01

To quantify cardiovascular disease and diabetes deaths attributable to dietary and metabolic risks by country, age, sex, and time in South Asian countries. We used the 2010 Global Burden of Disease national surveys to characterize risk factor levels by age and sex. We derived etiological effects of risk factors-disease endpoints, by age, from meta-analyses. We defined optimal levels. We combined these inputs with cause-specific mortality rates to compute population-attributable fractions as a percentage of total cardiometabolic deaths. Suboptimal diet was the leading cause of cardiometabolic mortality in 4 of 5 countries, with population-attributable fractions from 40.7% (95% uncertainty interval = 37.4, 44.1) in Bangladesh to 56.9% (95% uncertainty interval = 52.4, 61.5) in Pakistan. High systolic blood pressure was the second leading cause, except in Bangladesh, where it superseded suboptimal diet. This was followed in all nations by high fasting plasma glucose, low fruit intake, and low whole grain intake. Other prominent burdens were more variable, such as low intake of vegetables, low omega-3 fats, and high sodium intake in India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Important similarities and differences are evident in cardiometabolic mortality burdens of modifiable dietary and metabolic risks across these countries, informing health policy and program priorities.

Groundwater quality and depletion in the Indo-Gangetic Basin mapped from in situ observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacDonald, A. M.; Bonsor, H. C.; Ahmed, K. M.; Burgess, W. G.; Basharat, M.; Calow, R. C.; Dixit, A.; Foster, S. S. D.; Gopal, K.; Lapworth, D. J.; Lark, R. M.; Moench, M.; Mukherjee, A.; Rao, M. S.; Shamsudduha, M.; Smith, L.; Taylor, R. G.; Tucker, J.; van Steenbergen, F.; Yadav, S. K.

2016-10-01

Groundwater abstraction from the transboundary Indo-Gangetic Basin comprises 25% of global groundwater withdrawals, sustaining agricultural productivity in Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Recent interpretations of satellite gravity data indicate that current abstraction is unsustainable, yet these large-scale interpretations lack the spatio-temporal resolution required to govern groundwater effectively. Here we report new evidence from high-resolution in situ records of groundwater levels, abstraction and groundwater quality, which reveal that sustainable groundwater supplies are constrained more by extensive contamination than depletion. We estimate the volume of groundwater to 200 m depth to be >20 times the combined annual flow of the Indus, Brahmaputra and Ganges, and show the water table has been stable or rising across 70% of the aquifer between 2000 and 2012. Groundwater levels are falling in the remaining 30%, amounting to a net annual depletion of 8.0 +/- 3.0 km3. Within 60% of the aquifer, access to potable groundwater is restricted by excessive salinity or arsenic. Recent groundwater depletion in northern India and Pakistan has occurred within a longer history of groundwater accumulation from extensive canal leakage. This basin-wide synthesis of in situ groundwater observations provides the spatial detail essential for policy development, and the historical context to help evaluate recent satellite gravity data.

Distribution and dynamics of mangrove forests of South Asia.

PubMed

Giri, Chandra; Long, Jordan; Abbas, Sawaid; Murali, R Mani; Qamer, Faisal M; Pengra, Bruce; Thau, David

2015-01-15

Mangrove forests in South Asia occur along the tidal sea edge of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. These forests provide important ecosystem goods and services to the region's dense coastal populations and support important functions of the biosphere. Mangroves are under threat from both natural and anthropogenic stressors; however the current status and dynamics of the region's mangroves are poorly understood. We mapped the current extent of mangrove forests in South Asia and identified mangrove forest cover change (gain and loss) from 2000 to 2012 using Landsat satellite data. We also conducted three case studies in Indus Delta (Pakistan), Goa (India), and Sundarbans (Bangladesh and India) to identify rates, patterns, and causes of change in greater spatial and thematic details compared to regional assessment of mangrove forests. Our findings revealed that the areal extent of mangrove forests in South Asia is approximately 1,187,476 ha representing ∼7% of the global total. Our results showed that from 2000 to 2012, 92,135 ha of mangroves were deforested and 80,461 ha were reforested with a net loss of 11,673 ha. In all three case studies, mangrove areas have remained the same or increased slightly, however, the turnover was greater than the net change. Both, natural and anthropogenic factors are responsible for the change and turnover. The major causes of forest cover change are similar throughout the region; however, specific factors may be dominant in specific areas. Major causes of deforestation in South Asia include (i) conversion to other land use (e.g. conversion to agriculture, shrimp farms, development, and human settlement), (ii) over-harvesting (e.g. grazing, browsing and lopping, and fishing), (iii) pollution, (iv) decline in freshwater availability, (v) floodings, (vi) reduction of silt deposition, (vii) coastal erosion, and (viii) disturbances from tropical cyclones and tsunamis. Our analysis in the region's diverse socio-economic and environmental conditions highlights complex patterns of mangrove distribution and change. Results from this study provide important insight to the conservation and management of the important and threatened South Asian mangrove ecosystem. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Drivers of nutritional change in four South Asian countries: a dynamic observational analysis.

PubMed

Headey, Derek; Hoddinott, John; Park, Seollee

2016-05-01

This paper quantifies the factors explaining long-term improvements in child height for age z-scores in Bangladesh (1996/1997-2011), India (1992/1993-2005/2006), Nepal (1997-2011) and Pakistan (1991-2013). We apply the same statistical techniques to data from a common data source from which we have extracted a set of common explanatory variables that capture 'nutrition-sensitive' factors. Three are particularly important in explaining height for age z-score changes over these timeframes: improvements in material well-being; increases in female education; and improvements in sanitation. These factors have comparable associations across all four countries. © 2016 The Authors. Maternal & Child Nutrition published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Drivers of nutritional change in four South Asian countries: a dynamic observational analysis

PubMed Central

Hoddinott, John; Park, Seollee

2016-01-01

Abstract This paper quantifies the factors explaining long‐term improvements in child height for age z‐scores in Bangladesh (1996/1997–2011), India (1992/1993–2005/2006), Nepal (1997–2011) and Pakistan (1991–2013). We apply the same statistical techniques to data from a common data source from which we have extracted a set of common explanatory variables that capture ‘nutrition‐sensitive’ factors. Three are particularly important in explaining height for age z‐score changes over these timeframes: improvements in material well‐being; increases in female education; and improvements in sanitation. These factors have comparable associations across all four countries. PMID:27187917

Understanding Warlordism

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-01

trade items also divert India - Pakistan trade through Dubai and Pakistan -Iran trade through Afghanistan. 63 Rubin, The Fragmentation of Afghanistan...grey market. Much more serious, state import duties in Pakistan and India are circumvented by purchases made in duty free Dubai and funneled through...obtain them. For example, Pakistan , India and China all have escalating demands for energy, including gas and oil from the Central Asian Republics

Regional Gradients in Institutional Cesarean Delivery Rates: Evidence from Five Countries in Asia.

PubMed

Sepehri, Ardeshir; Guliani, Harminder

2017-03-01

Although the influence of the type of institutional setting on the risk of cesarean birth is well documented, less is known about the regional variations in institution-specific cesarean rates within countries. Our purpose was to examine regional variations in cesarean rates across public and private facilities in five Asian countries with a sizeable private sector: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, and the Philippines. Demographic Health Survey data and a hierarchical model were used to assess regional variations in the mode of delivery while controlling for a wide range of socioeconomic, demographic, and maternal risk factors. The risk of cesarean birth was greater in a private facility than in a government hospital by 36-48 percent in India and Indonesia and by 130 percent in Bangladesh. Regional gradients in cesarean birth were found to be steeper for deliveries in private facilities than in government hospitals in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The residents of India's high-use states were 55 percent more likely to undergo a cesarean delivery in a government hospital and 83 percent more likely in a private facility than their counterparts in the medium-use states. Similarly, compared to the residents of the Philippines's medium-use provinces, giving birth in a government facility increased the likelihood of a cesarean delivery by 84 percent and by 173 percent in a private facility. Large regional variations in cesarean rates suggest the need for more informed clinical decision making with respect to the selection of cases for cesarean delivery and the establishment of well-developed guidelines and standards at the provincial or state levels. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Determinants of Uncontrolled Hypertension in Rural Communities in South Asia - Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

PubMed

Jafar, Tazeen H; Gandhi, Mihir; Jehan, Imtiaz; Naheed, Aliya; de Silva, H Asita; Shahab, Hunaina; Alam, Dewan; Luke, Nathasha; Lim, Ching Wee

2018-04-26

Uncontrolled blood pressure (BP) is a leading risk factor for death and disability in South Asia. We aimed to determine the cross-country variation, and the factors associated with uncontrolled BP among adults treated for hypertension in rural South Asia. We enrolled 1718 individuals aged ≥40 years treated for hypertension in a cross-sectional study from rural communities in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Multivariable logistic regression model was used to determine the factors associated with uncontrolled BP (systolic BP ≥140 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥90 mmHg). Among hypertensive individuals, 58.0% (95% confidence interval 55.7, 60.4) had uncontrolled BP: 52.8% (49.0, 56.6) in Bangladesh, 70.6% (65.7, 75.1) in Pakistan, and 56.5% (52.7, 60.1) in Sri Lanka. The odds (odds ratio (95% confidence interval)) of uncontrolled BP were significantly higher in individuals with lower wealth index (1.17 (1.02, 1.35)); single vs married (1.46 (1.10, 1.93)); higher log urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (1.41 (1.24, 1.60)); lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (1.23 (1.01, 1.49)); low vs high adherence to antihypertensive medication (1.50 (1.16, 1.94)); and Pakistan (2.91 (1.60, 5.28)) vs Sri Lanka. However, the odds were lower in those with vs without self-reported kidney disease (0.51 (0.28, 0.91)); and receiving vs not receiving statins (0.62 (0.44, 0.87)). The majority of individuals with treated hypertension have uncontrolled BP in rural Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka with significant disparities among and within countries. Urgent public health efforts are needed to improve access and adherence to antihypertensive medications in disadvantaged populations in rural South Asia.

US and Pakistan Relations: Muddling Towards Compelling Coincident Interests

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-20

disputes and conflicts with India coupled 3 with the pursuit of their related competitive nuclear programs generated discord between the US and Pakistan...miles of a hostile India ; second there existed highly contentious border and territorial disputes with India with a focus on India ‟s annexation of the...largely Muslim populated princely state of Kashmir (the source of five key rivers flowing into and through Pakistan); and finally India (with

A Multihazard Regional Level Impact Assessment for South Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amarnath, Giriraj; Alahacoon, Niranga; Aggarwal, Pramod; Smakhtin, Vladimir

2016-04-01

To prioritize climate adaptation strategies, there is a need for quantitative and systematic regional-level assessments which are comparable across multiple climatic hazard regimes. Assessing which countries in a region are most vulnerable to climate change requires analysis of multiple climatic hazards including: droughts, floods, extreme temperature as well as rainfall and sea-level rise. These five climatic hazards, along with population densities were modelled using GIS which enabled a summary of associated human exposure and agriculture losses. A combined index based on hazard, exposure and adaptive capacity is introduced to identify areas of extreme risks. The analysis results in population climate hazard exposure defined as the relative likelihood that a person in a given location was exposed to a given climate-hazard event in a given period of time. The study presents a detailed and coherent approach to fine-scale climate hazard mapping and identification of risks areas for the regions of South Asia that, for the first time, combines the following unique features: (a) methodological consistency across different climate-related hazards, (b) assessment of total exposure on population and agricultural losses, (c) regional-level spatial coverage, and (d) development of customized tools using ArcGIS toolbox that allow assessment of changes in exposure over time and easy replacement of existing datasets with a newly released or superior datasets. The resulting maps enable comparison of the most vulnerable regions in South Asia to climate-related hazards and is among the most urgent of policy needs. Subnational areas (regions/districts/provinces) most vulnerable to climate change impacts in South Asia are documented. The approach involves overlaying climate hazard maps, sensitivity maps, and adaptive capacity maps following the vulnerability assessment framework of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The study used data on the spatial distribution of various climate-related hazards in 1,398 subnational areas of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. An analysis of country-level population exposure showed that approximately 750 million people are affected from combined climate-hazards. Of the affected population 72% are in India, followed by 12% each from Bangladesh and Pakistan. Due in part to the economic importance of agriculture, it was found to be most vulnerable and exposed to climate extremes. An analysis of individual hazards indicates that floods and droughts) are the dominant hazards impacting agricultural areas followed by extreme rainfall, extreme temperature and sea-level rise. Based on this vulnerability assessment, all the regions of Bangladesh and the Indian States in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Orissa; Ampara, Puttalam, Trincomalee, Mannar and Batticaloa in Sri Lanka; Sind and Baluchistan in Pakistan; Central and East Nepal; and the transboundary river basins of Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra are among the most vulnerable regions in South Asia.

Risk factors of overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence in South Asian countries: a systematic review of the evidence.

PubMed

Mistry, S K; Puthussery, S

2015-03-01

To assess and synthesize the published evidence on risk factors of overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence in South Asia. A systematically conducted narrative review. A systematic review was conducted of all primary studies published between January 1990 and June 2013 from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Maldives located through the following data bases: PubMed, PubMed central, EMBASE, MEDLINE, BioMed central, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and electronic libraries of the authors' institutions. Data extraction and quality appraisal of included studies was done independently by two authors and findings were synthesized in a narrative manner as meta-analysis was found to be inappropriate due to heterogeneity of the included studies. Eleven primary studies were included in the final review, all of which were conducted in school settings in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Prevalence of overweight and obesity showed wide variations in the included studies. The key individual risk factors with statistically significant associations to overweight and obesity included: lack of physical activities reported in six studies; prolonged TV watching/playing computer games reported in four studies; frequent consumption of fast food/junk food reported in four studies; and frequent consumption of calorie dense food items reported in two studies. Family level risk factors included higher socioeconomic status reported in four studies and family history of obesity reported in three studies. This review provides evidence of key contributors to the increasing burden of obesity and overweight among children and adolescents in South Asia, and demonstrates the nutritional transition that characterizes other developing countries and regions around the world. The findings have implications for policy, practice and the development of interventions at various levels to promote healthy eating and physical activity among children and adolescents in the region as well as more globally. Copyright © 2014 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

South Asian co-operation in population education. Materials jointly developed for common use by South Asian population education programmes.

PubMed

1992-01-01

Southern Asian population education programs have developed common materials on population and family life education. Countries involved were Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The development of materials occurred as a byproduct of workshop conducted in Nepal from December 3-7, 1990 and December 2-10, 1991 in Sri Lanka. The 1st meeting was organized by UNESCO's Population Education Advisory team, and 6 curriculum topics were identified. Pretesting of materials was conducted between meetings. The final product was a set of 10 posters and 2 comic strips on the quality of life developed by India for elementary level use; a family life and sex education syllabus developed by Sri Lanka for secondary school use; 5 modules with teacher's guides and sample lessons for secondary school use; 5 modules and a teacher's guide on transmission of values on population education by Pakistan; 25 flip charts on maternal and child health for illiterates developed by Nepal; and a field guide on environmental protection for nonformal field workers developed by Bangladesh. Materials were designed through brainstorming sessions, designing of materials by experts, review by other groups, and retesting on target audiences. Revision followed pretesting. The plan for assuring use of materials was to have UNESCO print prototypes and then participants would seek financial support for country supplies. A suggestion was made to leave ample space for insertion of local language captions. Another suggestion was that the cartoon strip "Girls are Pearls" be printed on students' exercise books for all member countries. Member countries should also have available selected materials translated into English and distributed. UNESCO should continue to play the role of facilitator of information and expertise exchange among member countries. Another mutually cooperative activity was the Group Training Course on Population Education for the South Asian subregion held in December 1991.

Mother-to-mother therapy in India and Pakistan: adaptation and feasibility evaluation of the peer-delivered Thinking Healthy Programme.

PubMed

Atif, Najia; Krishna, Revathi N; Sikander, Siham; Lazarus, Anisha; Nisar, Anum; Ahmad, Ikhlaq; Raman, Roopa; Fuhr, Daniela C; Patel, Vikram; Rahman, Atif

2017-02-23

Perinatal depression is highly prevalent in South Asia. Although effective and culturally feasible interventions exist, a key bottleneck for scaled-up delivery is lack of trained human resource. The aim of this study was to adapt an evidence-based intervention so that local women from the community (peers) could be trained to deliver it, and to test the adapted intervention for feasibility in India and Pakistan. The study was conducted in Rawalpindi, Pakistan and Goa, India. To inform the adaptation process, qualitative data was collected through 7 focus groups (four in Pakistan and three in India) and 61 in-depth interviews (India only). Following adaptation, the intervention was delivered to depressed mothers (20 in Pakistan and 24 in India) for six months through 8 peers in Pakistan and nine in India. Post intervention data was collected from depressed mothers and peers through 41 in-depth interviews (29 in Pakistan and 12 in India) and eight focus groups (one in Pakistan and seven in India). Data was analysed using Framework Analysis approach. Most mothers perceived the intervention to be acceptable, useful, and viewed the peers as effective delivery-agents. The simple format using vignettes, pictures and everyday terms to describe distress made the intervention easy to understand and deliver. The peers were able to use techniques for behavioural activation with relative ease. Both the mothers and peers found that shared life-experiences and personal characteristics greatly facilitated the intervention-delivery. A minority of mothers had concerns about confidentiality and stigma related to their condition, and some peers felt the role was emotionally challenging. The study demonstrates the feasibility of using peers to provide interventions for perinatal depression in two South Asian settings. Peers can be a potential resource to deliver evidence-based psychosocial interventions. Pakistan Trial: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02111915 (9 April 2014), India Trial: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02104232 (1 April 2014).

Crop-specific seasonal estimates of irrigation-water demand in South Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biemans, Hester; Siderius, Christian; Mishra, Ashok; Ahmad, Bashir

2016-05-01

Especially in the Himalayan headwaters of the main rivers in South Asia, shifts in runoff are expected as a result of a rapidly changing climate. In recent years, our insight into these shifts and their impact on water availability has increased. However, a similar detailed understanding of the seasonal pattern in water demand is surprisingly absent. This hampers a proper assessment of water stress and ways to cope and adapt. In this study, the seasonal pattern of irrigation-water demand resulting from the typical practice of multiple cropping in South Asia was accounted for by introducing double cropping with monsoon-dependent planting dates in a hydrology and vegetation model. Crop yields were calibrated to the latest state-level statistics of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. The improvements in seasonal land use and cropping periods lead to lower estimates of irrigation-water demand compared to previous model-based studies, despite the net irrigated area being higher. Crop irrigation-water demand differs sharply between seasons and regions; in Pakistan, winter (rabi) and monsoon summer (kharif) irrigation demands are almost equal, whereas in Bangladesh the rabi demand is ~ 100 times higher. Moreover, the relative importance of irrigation supply versus rain decreases sharply from west to east. Given the size and importance of South Asia improved regional estimates of food production and its irrigation-water demand will also affect global estimates. In models used for global water resources and food-security assessments, processes like multiple cropping and monsoon-dependent planting dates should not be ignored.

Remote Sensing and River Discharge Forecasting for Major Rivers in South Asia (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webster, P. J.; Hopson, T. M.; Hirpa, F. A.; Brakenridge, G. R.; De-Groeve, T.; Shrestha, K.; Gebremichael, M.; Restrepo, P. J.

2013-12-01

The South Asia is a flashpoint for natural disasters particularly flooding of the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra has profound societal impacts for the region and globally. The 2007 Brahmaputra floods affecting India and Bangladesh, the 2008 avulsion of the Kosi River in India, the 2010 flooding of the Indus River in Pakistan and the 2013 Uttarakhand exemplify disasters on scales almost inconceivable elsewhere. Their frequent occurrence of floods combined with large and rapidly growing populations, high levels of poverty and low resilience, exacerbate the impact of the hazards. Mitigation of these devastating hazards are compounded by limited flood forecast capability, lack of rain/gauge measuring stations and forecast use within and outside the country, and transboundary data sharing on natural hazards. Here, we demonstrate the utility of remotely-derived hydrologic and weather products in producing skillful flood forecasting information without reliance on vulnerable in situ data sources. Over the last decade a forecast system has been providing operational probabilistic forecasts of severe flooding of the Brahmaputra and Ganges Rivers in Bangldesh was developed (Hopson and Webster 2010). The system utilizes ECMWF weather forecast uncertainty information and ensemble weather forecasts, rain gauge and satellite-derived precipitation estimates, together with the limited near-real-time river stage observations from Bangladesh. This system has been expanded to Pakistan and has successfully forecast the 2010-2012 flooding (Shrestha and Webster 2013). To overcome the in situ hydrological data problem, recent efforts in parallel with the numerical modeling have utilized microwave satellite remote sensing of river widths to generate operational discharge advective-based forecasts for the Ganges and Brahmaputra. More than twenty remotely locations upstream of Bangldesh were used to produce stand-alone river flow nowcasts and forecasts at 1-15 days lead time. showing that satellite-based flow estimates are a useful source of dynamical surface water information in data-scarce regions and that they could be used for model calibration and data assimilation purposes in near-time hydrologic forecast applications (Hirpa et al. 2013). More recent efforts during this year's monsoon season are optimally combining these different independent sources of river forecast information along with archived flood inundation imagery of the Dartmouth Flood Observatory to improve the visualization and overall skill of the ongoing CFAB ensemble weather forecast-based flood forecasting system within the unique context of the ongoing flood forecasting efforts for Bangladesh.

U.S.-China Counterterrorism Cooperation: Issues for U.S. Policy

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-07-08

2005 and 2006 raised U.S. concerns, despite the SCO’s claim to be a counterterrorism group. In addition to Mongolia, the countries of India , Pakistan ... Pakistan to counter terrorists and the Taliban increased after the attack in Mumbai, India , in November 2008. Pakistan’s Interior Minister confirmed...in February 2009 that some of plotters were in Pakistan . The CIA reportedly brokered intelligence-sharing between India and Pakistan .130 Also in

Smoking and smokeless tobacco use in nine South and Southeast Asian countries: prevalence estimates and social determinants from Demographic and Health Surveys.

PubMed

Sreeramareddy, Chandrashekhar T; Pradhan, Pranil Man Singh; Mir, Imtiyaz Ali; Sin, Shwe

2014-01-01

In South and Southeast Asian countries, tobacco is consumed in diverse forms, and smoking among women is very low. We aimed to provide national estimates of prevalence and social determinants of smoking and smokeless tobacco use among men and women separately. Data from Demographic and Health Surveys completed in nine countries (India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives, Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Timor Leste) were analyzed. Current smoking or smokeless tobacco use was assessed as response "yes" to one or more of three questions, such as "Do you currently smoke cigarettes?" Weighted country-level prevalence rates for socio-economic subgroups were calculated for smoking and smokeless tobacco use. Binary logistic regression analyses were done on STATA/IC (version 10) by 'svy' command. Prevalence and type of tobacco use among men and women varied across the countries and among socio-economic sub groups. Smoking prevalence was much lower in women than men in all countries. Smoking among men was very high in Indonesia, Maldives, and Bangladesh. Smokeless tobacco (mainly chewable) was used in diverse forms, particularly in India, among both men and women. Chewing tobacco was common in Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives, and Cambodia. Both smoking and smokeless tobacco use were associated with higher age, lower education, and poverty, but their association with place of residence and marital status was not uniform between men and women across the countries. Policymakers should consider type of tobacco consumption and their differentials among various population subgroups to implement country-specific tobacco control policies and target the vulnerable groups. Smokeless tobacco use should also be prioritized in tobacco control efforts.

Balancing U.S. Interests Amidst the India and Pakistan Conflict

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-04-01

yields caste violence, especially towards women and children. In addition, India suffers rifts between Christians, Muslims and Hindus that generates...USAWC STRATEGY RESEARCH PROJECT BALANCING U.S. INTERESTS AMIDST THE INDIA AND PAKISTAN CONFLICT by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas L. Glardon United...Interests Amidst the India and Pakistan Conflict 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) Thomas Glardon 5d

Effects of papaya leaves on thrombocyte counts in dengue--a case report.

PubMed

Siddique, Osama; Sundus, Ayesha; Ibrahim, Mohammad Faisal

2014-03-01

Dengue fever is on the rise in developing nations like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. There is no antiviral chemotherapy or vaccine for dengue virus and management of the disease is done on supportive measures. The decline in the thrombocyte count leads to dengue haemorrhagic fever accounting for complications and mortality. Oral administration of Carica papaya leaves extract is said to have a positive impact on thrombocyte count. A 23-year-old man was administered a calculated dose for five days. Blood samples were tested for complete blood count before and after the administration of the juice. Thrombocyte count had increased from 28000/micro liter to 138000/micro liter at the end of five days. We present our experience here.

Chain migration through the social network: experience of labour migrants in Kuwait.

PubMed

Shah, N M; Menon, I

1999-01-01

"Labour migration to the Gulf countries is predominantly contract based and a majority of workers fall below the salary ceiling necessary for sponsoring family members. Despite this, social networks have expanded in Kuwait, primarily in the form of sponsorship of additional labour migrants by those already in the country. The objectives of the article are to describe how the process of arranging sponsorship works, to delineate the predictors of moving through a friend or relative, or arranging sponsorship for a subsequent labour migrant, and to assess the ¿multiplier' effect of the above process. The article is based on a survey among 800 South Asian skilled and unskilled male migrants, 200 each from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka." (EXCERPT)

Patterns of Use and Perceptions of Harm of Smokeless Tobacco in Navi Mumbai, India and Dhaka, Bangladesh.

PubMed

Mutti, Seema; Reid, Jessica L; Gupta, Prakash C; Pednekar, Mangesh S; Dhumal, Gauri; Nargis, Nigar; Hussain, Akm Ghulam; Hammond, David

2016-01-01

Globally, smokeless tobacco use is disproportionately concentrated in low-income and middle-income countries like India and Bangladesh. The current study examined comparative patterns of use and perceptions of harm for different smokeless tobacco products among adults and youth in Navi Mumbai, India, and Dhaka, Bangladesh. Face-to-face interviews were conducted on tablets with adult (19 years and older) smokeless tobacco users and youth (16-18 years) users and non-users in Navi Mumbai ( n = 1002), and Dhaka ( n = 1081). A majority (88.9%) of smokeless tobacco users reported daily use. Approximately one-fifth (20.4%) of the sample were mixed-users (used both smoked and smokeless tobacco), of which about half (54.4%) reported that they primarily used smokeless over smoked forms like cigarettes or bidis. The proportion of users planning to quit was higher in India than in Bangladesh (75.7% vs. 49.8%, p < 0.001). Gutkha was the most commonly used smokeless product in India, and pan masala in Bangladesh. Among users in Bangladesh, the most commonly reported reason for using their usual product was the belief that it was "less harmful" than other types. Perceptions of harm also differed with respect to a respondent's usual product. Bangladeshi respondents reported more negative attitudes toward smokeless tobacco compared to Indian respondents. The findings highlight the high daily use of smokeless tobacco, and the high prevalence of false beliefs about its harms. This set of findings reinforces the need to implement effective tobacco control strategies in low and middle-income countries like India and Bangladesh.

77 FR 29755 - Additional Designations, Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-18

..., Fisherman Colony Mahim, Mumbai, India; House No. C-201, Extension-A, Karachi Development Scheme, Karachi, Pakistan; DOB 24 Nov 1960; POB Mumbai (Bombay), India; nationality India; Passport AA762402 (Pakistan); alt... Manzil, 78 Temkar Street, Nagpada, Mumbai, India; DOB 31 Dec 1955; alt. DOB 1960; POB Mumbai (Bombay...

Skin conditions of baseball, cricket, and softball players.

PubMed

Farhadian, Joshua A; Tlougan, Brook E; Adams, Brian B; Leventhal, Jonathan S; Sanchez, Miguel R

2013-07-01

Each year in the United States over 80 million people participate in bat-and-ball sports, for example baseball and softball. Cricket, the world's second most popular sport, is enjoyed by hundreds of millions of participants in such countries as India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh, South Africa, West Indies, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe. Although any player can develop skin disease as a result of participation in these bat-and-ball sports, competitive team athletes are especially prone to skin problems related to infection, trauma, allergy, solar exposure, and other causes. These diseases can produce symptoms that hinder individual athletic performance and participation. In this review, we discuss the diagnosis and best-practice management of skin diseases that can develop as a result of participation in baseball, softball, and cricket.

International labour migration statistics in Asia: an appraisal.

PubMed

Athukorala, P C; Wickramasekara, P

1996-01-01

"The present paper attempts a critical review of the data systems of seven major labour-exporting countries--Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand--which account for over 90 per cent of labour outflows from Asia....Data...are discussed under separate sections focusing on limitations as well as potential for further exploitation.... For all countries reviewed here, these data significantly understate total labour outflows, and the magnitude of the error seems to vary between countries and reflect both differences relating to the coverage and efficiency of the approval and monitoring procedure. This throws serious doubts on the appropriateness of official outmigration series for cross country comparison. Frequent changes in reporting procedures also make for discrete changes and spurious shifts in data which render trend analysis quite hazardous." (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA) excerpt

Diversity and Molecular Phylogeny of Mitochondrial DNA of Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta) in Bangladesh

PubMed Central

HASAN, M. KAMRUL; FEEROZ, M. MOSTAFA; JONES-ENGEL, LISA; ENGEL, GREGORY A.; KANTHASWAMY, SREE; SMITH, DAVID GLENN

2015-01-01

While studies of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) in the eastern (e.g., China) and western (e.g., India) parts of their geographic range have revealed major genetic differences that warrant the recognition of two different subspecies, little is known about genetic characteristics of rhesus macaques in the transitional zone extending from eastern India and Bangladesh through the northern part of Indo-China, the probable original homeland of the species. We analyzed genetic variation of 762 base pairs of mitochondrial DNA from 86 fecal swab samples and 19 blood samples from 25 local populations of rhesus macaque in Bangladesh collected from January 2010 to August 2012. These sequences were compared with those of rhesus macaques from India, China, and Myanmar. Forty-six haplotypes defined by 200 (26%) polymorphic nucleotide sites were detected. Estimates of gene diversity, expected heterozygosity, and nucleotide diversity for the total population were 0.9599 ± 0.0097, 0.0193 ± 0.0582, and 0.0196 ± 0.0098, respectively. A mismatch distribution of paired nucleotide differences yielded a statistically significantly negative value of Tajima's D, reflecting a population that rapidly expanded after the terminal Pleistocene. Most haplotypes throughout regions of Bangladesh, including an isolated region in the southwestern area (Sundarbans), clustered with haplotypes assigned to the minor haplogroup Ind-2 from India reflecting an east to west dispersal of rhesus macaques to India. Haplotypes from the southeast region of Bangladesh formed a cluster with those from Myanmar, and represent the oldest rhesus macaque haplotypes of Bangladesh. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that rhesus macaques first entered Bangladesh from the southeast, probably from Indo-China, then dispersed westward throughout eastern and central India. PMID:24810278

Diversity and molecular phylogeny of mitochondrial DNA of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) in Bangladesh.

PubMed

Hasan, M Kamrul; Feeroz, M Mostafa; Jones-Engel, Lisa; Engel, Gregory A; Kanthaswamy, Sree; Smith, David Glenn

2014-11-01

While studies of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) in the eastern (e.g., China) and western (e.g., India) parts of their geographic range have revealed major genetic differences that warrant the recognition of two different subspecies, little is known about genetic characteristics of rhesus macaques in the transitional zone extending from eastern India and Bangladesh through the northern part of Indo-China, the probable original homeland of the species. We analyzed genetic variation of 762 base pairs of mitochondrial DNA from 86 fecal swab samples and 19 blood samples from 25 local populations of rhesus macaque in Bangladesh collected from January 2010 to August 2012. These sequences were compared with those of rhesus macaques from India, China, and Myanmar. Forty-six haplotypes defined by 200 (26%) polymorphic nucleotide sites were detected. Estimates of gene diversity, expected heterozygosity, and nucleotide diversity for the total population were 0.9599 ± 0.0097, 0.0193 ± 0.0582, and 0.0196 ± 0.0098, respectively. A mismatch distribution of paired nucleotide differences yielded a statistically significantly negative value of Tajima's D, reflecting a population that rapidly expanded after the terminal Pleistocene. Most haplotypes throughout regions of Bangladesh, including an isolated region in the southwestern area (Sundarbans), clustered with haplotypes assigned to the minor haplogroup Ind-2 from India reflecting an east to west dispersal of rhesus macaques to India. Haplotypes from the southeast region of Bangladesh formed a cluster with those from Myanmar, and represent the oldest rhesus macaque haplotypes of Bangladesh. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that rhesus macaques first entered Bangladesh from the southeast, probably from Indo-China, then dispersed westward throughout eastern and central India. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Patterns of Use and Perceptions of Harm of Smokeless Tobacco in Navi Mumbai, India and Dhaka, Bangladesh

PubMed Central

Mutti, Seema; Reid, Jessica L.; Gupta, Prakash C.; Pednekar, Mangesh S.; Dhumal, Gauri; Nargis, Nigar; Hussain, AKM Ghulam; Hammond, David

2016-01-01

Background: Globally, smokeless tobacco use is disproportionately concentrated in low-income and middle-income countries like India and Bangladesh. Objectives: The current study examined comparative patterns of use and perceptions of harm for different smokeless tobacco products among adults and youth in Navi Mumbai, India, and Dhaka, Bangladesh. Methods: Face-to-face interviews were conducted on tablets with adult (19 years and older) smokeless tobacco users and youth (16–18 years) users and non-users in Navi Mumbai (n = 1002), and Dhaka (n = 1081). Results: A majority (88.9%) of smokeless tobacco users reported daily use. Approximately one-fifth (20.4%) of the sample were mixed-users (used both smoked and smokeless tobacco), of which about half (54.4%) reported that they primarily used smokeless over smoked forms like cigarettes or bidis. The proportion of users planning to quit was higher in India than in Bangladesh (75.7% vs. 49.8%, p < 0.001). Gutkha was the most commonly used smokeless product in India, and pan masala in Bangladesh. Among users in Bangladesh, the most commonly reported reason for using their usual product was the belief that it was “less harmful” than other types. Perceptions of harm also differed with respect to a respondent's usual product. Bangladeshi respondents reported more negative attitudes toward smokeless tobacco compared to Indian respondents. Conclusions: The findings highlight the high daily use of smokeless tobacco, and the high prevalence of false beliefs about its harms. This set of findings reinforces the need to implement effective tobacco control strategies in low and middle-income countries like India and Bangladesh. PMID:27890978

JPRS Report, Near East & South Asia.

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-04-11

Iran. In the view of many, if India had not blindly followed the Soviet Union on Afghanistan, the country’s relations with Pakistan would not have...States to Pakistan , ostensibly for the Mujahi- deen. The other aspect of the Soviet withdrawal from Afghan- istan of importance to India is that, as a...Indefinitely: The contacts between the officials were to culminate in a meeting of the Joint India - Pakistan Commission at the ministerial level here in

Opportunity knocks.

PubMed

Miller, B D

1990-01-01

A preference for bearing sons has existed for centuries in some cultures. In India, for example, female infanticide, the neglect of daughters, and the abuse and deprivation of adult females have long been common practice and an integral part of society. Bearing and nurturing sons at the expense of daughters resulted in the creation of large local forces of males considered to be a normal and necessary factor in maintaining the economic and political strength of the family, lineage, and village. Daughters were the expendable offspring. Indeed, the neglect and murder of female offspring has led to a national population in which there are 20-30 million fewer females than males. This skewed sex ratio is real and increasing in India, especially in recent decades. Scattered information on imbalanced sex ratios favoring males exists for some parts of eastern and southern India. Most evidence, however, indicates the existence of a longstanding and pervasive culture limiting female survival in the northwestern plains, especially among propertied groups. On this issue, northern India therefore resembles neighboring districts in Pakistan, while eastern India resembles Bangladesh. The author notes that progress in improving female child health in the Punjab, a region in which daughter neglect has been extreme and pervasive, signals hope for the future. At Ludhiana Christian Medical College, the decentralized program of household visits, careful record-keeping, and maternal education have been making a difference in female child survival rates. That program can and should serve as a model for the rest of India, with appropriate modifications depending upon the social and economic context.

Convocation address.

PubMed

Swaminathan, M S

1998-07-01

This address delivered to the 40th convocation of the International Institute for Population Sciences in India in 1998 opens by noting that a shortage of jobs for youth is India's most urgent problem but that the problems that attend the increasing numbers of elderly also require serious attention. The address then notes that the Earth's population is growing at an unsustainable rate while economic inequities among countries are increasing, so that, while intellectual property is becoming the most important asset in developed countries, nutritional anemia among pregnant women causes their offspring to be unable to achieve their full intellectual potential from birth. Next, the address uses a discussion of the 18th-century work on population of the Marquis de Condorcet and of Thomas Malthus to lead into a consideration of estimated increased needs of countries like India and China to import food grains in the near future. Next, the progress of demographic transition in Indian states is covered and applied to Mahbub ul Haq's measure of human deprivation developed for and applied to the region of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives). The address continues by reiterating some of the major recommendations forwarded by a government of India committee charged in 1995 with drafting a national population policy. Finally, the address suggests specific actions that could be important components of the Hunger-Free India Programme and concludes that all success rests on the successful implementation of appropriate population policies.

Nuclear programs in India and Pakistan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mian, Zia

India and Pakistan launched their respective nuclear programs in the 1940s and 1950s with considerable foreign technical support, especially from the United States Atoms for Peace Program. The technology and training that was acquired served as the platform for later nuclear weapon development efforts that included nuclear weapon testing in 1974 and in 1998 by India, and also in 1998 by Pakistan - which had illicitly acquired uranium enrichment technology especially from Europe and received assistance from China. As of 2013, both India and Pakistan were continuing to produce fissile material for weapons, in the case of India also formore » nuclear naval fuel, and were developing a diverse array of ballistic and cruise missiles. International efforts to restrain the South Asian nuclear build-up have been largely set aside over the past decade as Pakistani support became central for the U.S. war in Afghanistan and as U.S. geopolitical and economic interests in supporting the rise of India, in part as a counter to China, led to India being exempted both from U.S non-proliferation laws and international nuclear trade guidelines. In the absence of determined international action and with Pakistan blocking the start of talks on a fissile material cutoff treaty, nuclear weapon programs in South Asia are likely to keep growing for the foreseeable future.« less

Nuclear programs in India and Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mian, Zia

2014-05-01

India and Pakistan launched their respective nuclear programs in the 1940s and 1950s with considerable foreign technical support, especially from the United States Atoms for Peace Program. The technology and training that was acquired served as the platform for later nuclear weapon development efforts that included nuclear weapon testing in 1974 and in 1998 by India, and also in 1998 by Pakistan - which had illicitly acquired uranium enrichment technology especially from Europe and received assistance from China. As of 2013, both India and Pakistan were continuing to produce fissile material for weapons, in the case of India also for nuclear naval fuel, and were developing a diverse array of ballistic and cruise missiles. International efforts to restrain the South Asian nuclear build-up have been largely set aside over the past decade as Pakistani support became central for the U.S. war in Afghanistan and as U.S. geopolitical and economic interests in supporting the rise of India, in part as a counter to China, led to India being exempted both from U.S non-proliferation laws and international nuclear trade guidelines. In the absence of determined international action and with Pakistan blocking the start of talks on a fissile material cutoff treaty, nuclear weapon programs in South Asia are likely to keep growing for the foreseeable future.

Evaluation and Characterization of Health Economics and Outcomes Research in SAARC Nations.

PubMed

Mehta, Manthan; Nerurkar, Rajan

2018-05-01

To identify, evaluate, and characterize the variety, quality, and intent of the health economics and outcomes research studies being conducted in SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) nations. Studies published in English language between 1990 and 2015 were retrieved from Medline databases using relevant search strategies. Studies were independently reviewed as per Cochrane methodology and information on the type of research and outcomes were extracted. Quality of reporting was assessed. Of the 2638 studies screened from eight SAARC nations, a total of 179 were included for review (India = 140; Bangladesh = 12; Sri Lanka = 8; Pakistan = 7; Afghanistan = 5; Nepal = 4; Bhutan = 2; Maldives = 1). The broad study categories were cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs = 76 studies), cost analyses (35 studies), and burden of illness (BOI=26 studies). The outcomes evaluated were direct costs, indirect costs, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). Cost of medicines, consultation and hospital charges, and monitoring costs were assessed as direct medical costs along with non-direct medical costs such as travel and food for patients and caregivers. The components of indirect costs were loss of income of patients and caregivers and loss of productivity. Quality of life (QoL) was assessed in 48 studies. The most commonly used instrument for assessing QoL was the WHO-Quality of Life BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire (76%). The Quality of Health Economic Studies (QHES) score was used for quality assessment of full economic studies (44 studies). The mean QHES score was 43.76. This review identifies various patterns of health economic studies in eight SAARC nations. The quality of economic evaluation studies for health care in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Maldives needs improvement. There is a need to generate the capacity of researchers to undertake quality economic evaluations as well as an orientation of the policy makers so that there is a demand for such studies as well as a scope for its use in policy making.

Development of Community Based Rehabilitation in Pakistan: Bringing Mental Handicap into Focus.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miles, M.

1998-01-01

Reviews the history of services for people with mental disabilities in Pakistan, with emphasis on the development of outreach projects based on principles of community-based rehabilitation. Strategies are suggested that build on existing realities and strengths of families and communities. Promising examples from Bangladesh are cited. (Author/DB)

Rabies in South Asia: fighting for elimination.

PubMed

Chowdhury, Fazle-Rabbi; Basher, Ariful; Amin, Mohammad R; Hassan, Nazia; Patwary, Mohammad I

2015-01-01

South Asia is regarded as the hot spot for the tourist and travelers. Unfortunately, three big countries (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh) of this region belong to top five rabies endemic countries of the world. Around 55,000 people die of rabies every year globally and 45% of them belong to South and South East Asia. Countries are now working on the elimination of rabies by the year 2020. Elimination of animal rabies is the pivotal of controlling human rabies. Dog (primary source) registration, population control and mass vaccination are the different ways of eliminating animal rabies. Pre (for risk groups including travelers) and post-exposure vaccine is the core for controlling human rabies. Post-exposure vaccine consists of nerve tissue vaccine and tissue culture vaccine. Due to low antigenicity and post-vaccine neurological complications all countries of South Asia except Pakistan have phased out the production and use of nerve tissue vaccine. To reduce the cost intramuscular regimen is now largely replaced by intradermal regimen and equine rabies immunoglobulin will probably replace human immunoglobulin in future for category III animal bite. 'SAARC' took initiatives for rabies elimination through 'SAARC development fund' which would hopefully play a vital role in regional collaboration to make the region rabies free.

Emigration dynamics in South Asia, IOM / UNFPA workshop, 2-3 September 1996, IOM headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland.

PubMed

Appleyard, R

1996-01-01

This paper describes the six research monographs that were presented at the Emigration Dynamic Workshops in South Asia in September 1996. Research reports were presented by Associate Professor Nasra Shah on an overview of emigration dynamics, Dr. Godfrey Gunatilleke on the role of networks and community structures in migration from Sri Lanka, Dr. Raisul Awal Mahmood on illegal migration from Bangladesh to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, and Delhi due to desperate poverty, Dr. Farooq-i-Azam on high and low labor-sending migration districts in Pakistan, Dr. Mahendra K. Premi on the impact of internal Indian migration on international migration, and Dr. P.R. Gopinathan Nair on emigration from Kerala, India, to the Middle East. Representatives of South Asian governments discussed the implications of the research findings. Pakistan's representative urged cooperation and joint strategies among labor-sending countries. He cautioned that income and remittance estimates were unstable and unrealistic for inclusion in economic development plans. The Indian representative noted that, although Indian emigration is low, it is highly visible in the press. He agreed with the suggestion for greater cooperation between sending countries. The Bangladesh representative stated that the country needed to locate new markets for Bangladeshi emigrants, to guarantee the rights of emigrant workers, and to prevent trafficking in illegal migrant workers. Three major topics were discussed in the workshop session on the implementation of programs based on research findings. Workshop participants recommended updated information on migration trends, updated information on labor markets in receiving countries, formal and regular policy dialogue between sending countries, and promotion of continuing research by the International Organization on Migration.

India-China Rivalry and Strategic Options for Bangladesh

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-14

the Indian experts believe that Indian economy will be overwhelmed by the Chinese. While China is interested in a Free Trade Agreement ( FTA ) with... Penguin Books. Ray, Jayanta Kumar, and Muntassir Mamoon. 2011. India-Bangladesh relations: Current perspective. New Delhi: KW Publishers. Rowland, John

Note on demographic estimates 1979.

PubMed

1979-01-01

Based on UN projections, national projections, and the South Pacific Commission data, the ESCAP Population Division has compiled estimates of the 1979 population and demogaphic figures for the 38 member countries and associate members. The 1979 population is estimated at 2,400 million, 55% of the world total of 4,336 million. China comprises 39% of the region, India, 28%. China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan comprise 6 of the 10 largest countries in the world. China and India are growing at the rate of 1 million people per month. Between 1978-9 Hong Kong experienced the highest rate of growth, 6.2%, Niue the lowest, 4.5%. Life expectancy at birth is 58.7 years in the ESCAP region, but is over 70 in Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. At 75.2 years life expectancy in Japan is highest in the world. By world standards, a high percentage of females aged 16-64 are economically active. More than half the women aged 15-64 are in the labor force in 10 of the ESCAP countries. The region is still 73% rural. By the end of the 20th century the population of the ESCAP region is projected at 3,272 million, a 36% increase over the 1979 total.

Comparative analysis of three prehospital emergency medical services organizations in India and Pakistan.

PubMed

Sriram, V; Gururaj, G; Razzak, J A; Naseer, R; Hyder, A A

2016-08-01

Strengthened emergency medical services (EMS) are urgently required in South Asia to reduce needless death and disability. Several EMS models have been introduced in India and Pakistan, and research on these models can facilitate improvements to EMS in the region. Our objective was to conduct a cross-case comparative analysis of three EMS organizations in India and Pakistan - GVK EMRI, Aman Foundation and Rescue 1122 - in order to draw out similarities and differences in their models. Case study methodology was used to systematically explore the organizational models of GVK EMRI (Karnataka, India), Aman Foundation (Karachi, Pakistan), and Rescue 1122 (Punjab, Pakistan). Qualitative methods - interviews, document review and non-participant observation - were utilized, and using a process of constant comparison, data were analysed across cases according to the WHO health system 'building blocks'. Emergent themes under each health system 'building block' of service delivery, health workforce, medical products and technology, health information systems, leadership and governance, and financing were described. Cross-cutting issues not applicable to any single building block were further identified. This cross-case comparison, the first of its kind in low- and middle-income countries, highlights key innovations and lessons, and areas of further research across EMS organizations in India, Pakistan and other resource-poor settings. Copyright © 2016 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Vocational Training in Asia and the Pacific: A Profile of Bangladesh.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

International Labour Office, Islamabad (Pakistan). Asian and Pacific Skill Development Programme.

This country profile of Bangladesh is one of a series of country profiles intended to give the user a graphic view of the structure, outputs, and legal basis of the vocational training system of individual countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The data, gathered by the Asian and Pacific Skill Development Programme in Pakistan, generally cover the…

English as a Global Language and the Question of Nation-Building Education in Bangladesh

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Imam, Syeda Rumnaz

2005-01-01

The national language Bangla (Bengali), which is spoken by 98% of the people, is foundational to the nation of Bangladesh as a nation. Language played a crucial role in the struggle for independence from Pakistan which was finally successful in 1971. The medium of instruction in state-provided basic education is Bangla. Nevertheless, as in the…

Gender and socio-cultural determinants of delay to diagnosis of TB in Bangladesh, India and Malawi.

PubMed

Gosoniu, G D; Ganapathy, S; Kemp, J; Auer, C; Somma, D; Karim, F; Weiss, M G

2008-07-01

Tuberculosis (TB) control programmes in Bangladesh, India and Malawi. To compare the interval from symptom onset to diagnosis of TB for men and women, and to assess socio-cultural and gender-related features of illness explaining diagnostic delay. Semi-structured Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue (EMIC) interviews were administered to 100 or more patients at each site, assessing categories of distress, perceived causes and help seeking. Based on time from initial symptoms to diagnosis of TB, patients were classified with problem delay (>90 days), timely diagnosis (< or =30 days) or moderate delay. EMIC interview data were analysed to explain problem delay. The median interval from symptom onset to diagnosis was longest in India and shortest in Malawi. With adjustment for confounding, female sex (Bangladesh), and status of married woman (India) and housewife (Malawi) were associated with problem delay. Prominent non-specific symptoms--chest pain (Bangladesh) and breathlessness (Malawi)--were also significant. Cough in India, widely associated with TB, was associated with timely diagnosis. Sanitation as a perceived cause linked to poor urban conditions was associated with delayed diagnosis in India. Specific prior help seeking with circuitous referral patterns was identified. The study identified gender- and illness-related features of diagnostic delay. Further research distinguishing patient and provider delay is needed.

Kashmir--The Key to Peace in Afghanistan

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

Missile Crisis the U.S. had to learn similar lessons in the early years of it gaining nuclear weapons. Victoria Schofield and Praveen Swami reinforce...12 Praveen Swami, India, Pakistan and the Secret Jihad (London: Routledge, 2007), 204. 13 Peter Lavoy, Asymmetric Warefare in South Asia: the...Swami, Praveen . India, Pakistan and the Secret Jihad. London: Routledge, 2007. Talbot, Ian. Pakistan: A Modern History. New Delhi: Oxford University

Childhood diarrhoeal deaths in seven low- and middle-income countries

PubMed Central

Rahman, Ahmed Ehsanur; Moinuddin, Md; Molla, Mitike; Worku, Alemayehu; Hurt, Lisa; Kirkwood, Betty; Mohan, Sanjana Brahmawar; Mazumder, Sarmila; Bhutta, Zulfiqar; Raza, Farrukh; Mrema, Sigilbert; Masanja, Honorati; Kadobera, Daniel; Waiswa, Peter; Bahl, Rajiv; Zangenberg, Mike

2014-01-01

Abstract Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics of children who died from diarrhoea in low- and middle-income countries, such as the duration of diarrhoea, comorbid conditions, care-seeking behaviour and oral rehydration therapy use. Methods The study included verbal autopsy data on children who died from diarrhoea between 2000 and 2012 at seven sites in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Pakistan, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania, respectively. Data came from demographic surveillance sites, randomized trials and an extended Demographic and Health Survey. The type of diarrhoea was classified as acute watery, acute bloody or persistent and risk factors were identified. Deaths in children aged 1 to 11 months and 1 to 4 years were analysed separately. Findings The proportion of childhood deaths due to diarrhoea varied considerably across the seven sites from less than 3% to 30%. Among children aged 1–4 years, acute watery diarrhoea accounted for 31–69% of diarrhoeal deaths, acute bloody diarrhoea for 12–28%, and persistent diarrhoea for 12–56%. Among infants aged 1–11 months, persistent diarrhoea accounted for over 30% of diarrhoeal deaths in Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. At most sites, more than 40% of children who died from persistent diarrhoea were malnourished. Conclusion Persistent diarrhoea remains an important cause of diarrhoeal death in young children in low- and middle-income countries. Research is needed on the public health burden of persistent diarrhoea and current treatment practices to understand why children are still dying from the condition. PMID:25378757

75 FR 21151 - Designation of Two Individuals Pursuant to Executive Order 13224

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-22

..., Pakistan; DOB 5 Oct 1951; POB Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, India; nationality Pakistan; Passport KZ 550207 (Pakistan); alt. Passport G154297 (Pakistan); alt. Passport KC550207 (Pakistan) (individual) [SDGT]. 2...; a.k.a. ``USTAAD SHEHEB''), Karachi, Pakistan; DOB circa 1955; alt. DOB circa 1964; POB Sarghoda...

'Lived Islam' in India and Bangladesh: negotiating religion to realise reproductive aspirations.

PubMed

Sahu, Biswamitra; Hutter, Inge

2012-01-01

This paper seeks to answer the question of how Muslim women interpret and negotiate religion in order to realise their reproductive aspirations. A close reading of lived experiences of 32 Muslim women from a varied educational background yields a wider perspective of the different interpretations of reproductive norms employed by adherents of the same religion (Islam), situated in two countries (India/Bangladesh) and group (majority/minority) contexts. Further, this comparative study yields a deeper understanding of agency that is employed by Muslim participants in each country. Muslim women - both in India and Bangladesh - are not passive followers of religious norms, but have agency to bring change in their own life and take an active role in planning their family, thereby transgressing religious norms in reproductive matters. Muslim women in India exercise their agency by adopting sterilisation - a method proscribed by Islam - without the knowledge of their significant others. Muslim women in Bangladesh use their agency by making a flexible interpretation of Islam in reproductive matters. A lesson learned from this comparative study is the need to remove barriers that prevent the adoption of contraceptives by Muslim minorities in India and to design family planning programmes that takes into account their religious needs.

The United States -- India Strategic Relationship

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-17

India and Pakistan in the late 1990s complicated India’s national security calculus . This section will examine the seminal national security events...This opinion was also shared by Indian nuclear scientist A.P. J . Kalam, who advocated that India should not be constrained by the Missile Technology...Affairs 89, no. 2 (March-April 2010), and Ashley J . Tellis, “The Merits of Dehypenation: Explaining U.S. Success in Engaging India and Pakistan,” The

U.S. Security Cooperation with India and Pakistan: A Comparative Study

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

Pakistan’s nuclear ambitions, and resulted in further sanctions200 Pakistan spent the better part of the 1990s seething about the U.S. “abandonment... nuclear accident that happens in future. (From India’s perspective, the problem of liability has been exacerbated by the Fukushima disaster and anti...14. SUBJECT TERMS: United States, India, Pakistan, Security Cooperation, South Asia, Cold War, Defense Cooperation, Kashmir, Nuclear

Bangladesh v. India: A Positive Step Forward in Public Order of the Seas

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-09-05

between India and Bangladesh, “regarding the delimitation of the maritime boundary between them in the territorial sea, the exclusive economic zone...Diplomatic Relations ................................................................................................... 31 Political and Economic ...xiii Glossary CLCS Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone ICJ International Court of

Literacy Programs and Non-Formal Education of Bangladesh and India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rahman, Mohammad Saidur; Yasmin, Farzana; Begum, Monzil Ara; Ara, Jesmin; Nath, Tapan Kumar

2010-01-01

In both Bangladesh and India expand non-formal education (NFE) programs for unenrolled and drop-out children and adults (8-45 year cohort) for ensure comparable standard with the primary curriculum, establish equivalency of NFE with primary education and overall competency, raise qualification and training level of teachers for effective delivery…

Unemployment of Educated Youth in Asia: A Comparative Analysis of the Situation in India, Bangladesh and the Philippines.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Das, A. K.

This study of unemployment among university graduates in West Bengal (India), Bangladesh, and the Philippines provides socioeconomic and educational characteristics of these areas, a comparative analysis of unemployment, and suggested measures for reducing unemployment. The International Institute for Educational Planning studies, focusing on…

The cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka: an annotated provisional catalogue, regional checklist and bibliography.

PubMed

Price, Benjamin Wills; Allan, Elizabeth Louise; Marathe, Kiran; Sarkar, Vivek; Simon, Chris; Kunte, Krushnamegh

2016-01-01

The cicadas of the Indian subcontinent, like many other insects in the region, have remained understudied since the early part of the 20th Century, and await modern taxonomic, systematic and phylogenetic treatment. This paper presents an updated systematic catalogue of cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) from India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka, the first in over a century. This paper treats 281 species, including: India and Bangladesh (189 species), Bhutan (19 species), Myanmar (81 species), Nepal (46 species) and Sri Lanka (22 species). For each species all recognized junior synonyms are included with information on the type material and additional specimens where relevant. The global distributional range and notes on the taxonomy of each species are included where appropriate. Two lists are provided: (1) species known to occur in India and Bangladesh (treated as a geographic unit), Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka; and (2) species previously listed from these countries in error. A bibliography of species descriptions is provided, with the papers containing the original descriptions provided where copyright allows.

The cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka: an annotated provisional catalogue, regional checklist and bibliography

PubMed Central

Allan, Elizabeth Louise; Marathe, Kiran; Sarkar, Vivek; Simon, Chris; Kunte, Krushnamegh

2016-01-01

Abstract Background The cicadas of the Indian subcontinent, like many other insects in the region, have remained understudied since the early part of the 20th Century, and await modern taxonomic, systematic and phylogenetic treatment. This paper presents an updated systematic catalogue of cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) from India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka, the first in over a century. New information This paper treats 281 species, including: India and Bangladesh (189 species), Bhutan (19 species), Myanmar (81 species), Nepal (46 species) and Sri Lanka (22 species). For each species all recognized junior synonyms are included with information on the type material and additional specimens where relevant. The global distributional range and notes on the taxonomy of each species are included where appropriate. Two lists are provided: (1) species known to occur in India and Bangladesh (treated as a geographic unit), Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka; and (2) species previously listed from these countries in error. A bibliography of species descriptions is provided, with the papers containing the original descriptions provided where copyright allows. PMID:27660527

The Deadly Combination of Heat and Humidity in India and Pakistan in Summer 2015

DOE PAGES

Wehner, Michael; Stone, Dáithí; Krishnan, Hari; ...

2016-12-01

We find that the deadly heat waves in India and Pakistan in 2015 were exacerbated by anthropogenic climate change. Although the impacts of both events were severe, the events themselves were not connected to each other.

The Deadly Combination of Heat and Humidity in India and Pakistan in Summer 2015

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wehner, Michael; Stone, Dáithí; Krishnan, Hari

We find that the deadly heat waves in India and Pakistan in 2015 were exacerbated by anthropogenic climate change. Although the impacts of both events were severe, the events themselves were not connected to each other.

Perspectives from South and East Asia on clinical and research ethics: a literature review.

PubMed

Pratt, Bridget; Van, Cassandra; Cong, Yali; Rashid, Harun; Kumar, Nandini; Ahmad, Aasim; Upshur, Ross; Loff, Bebe

2014-04-01

A review was conducted of English-language peer-reviewed and gray literature on health and ethics written by authors from Bangladesh, China, India, and Pakistan. This was supplemented by the knowledge of co-authors who are involved in bioethics capacity building in these countries. Of the identified literature that focused on the application of Western principles, it largely discussed informed consent and revealed norms in clinical decision-making that include physician paternalism, family involvement in decision-making, and reluctance to provide information that might upset patients. It appears that Western ethical principles may be interpreted and applied in unexpected ways. The literature further indicates that, although there is some consistency with Western ideas, Islamic, Confucian, and Indian religious and philosophical traditions contain concepts not reflected in international guidance. Findings suggest scholars from these countries seek to enter into a bioethics dialogue with the potential to enrich and inform "international" frameworks.

India-U.S. Relations

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-02-13

U.S. Relations Summary Long considered a “strategic backwater”from Washington’s perspective, South Asia has emerged in the 21st century as...South Asia focuses on ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan, a problem rooted in unfinished business from the 1947 Partition, competing claims to...weapons and ballistic missiles in South Asia . Both India and Pakistan have resisted external pressure to sign the major nonproliferation treaties

India-U.S. Relations

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-03

Summary Long considered a “strategic backwater”from Washington’s perspective, South Asia has emerged in the 21st century as increasingly vital to... Asia focuses on ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan, a problem rooted in unfinished business from the 1947 Partition, competing claims to the...and ballistic missiles in South Asia . Both India and Pakistan have resisted external pressure to sign the major nonproliferation treaties. In 1998

Linking national and global population agendas: case studies from eight developing countries.

PubMed

Lee, K; Walt, G

1995-06-01

This comparative study of the determinants of family planning policy initiation and implementation focuses on four pairs of countries: Zambia/Zimbabwe, Algeria/Tunisia, Pakistan/Bangladesh, and Philippines/Thailand. The conclusion is drawn that global efforts had an influence on national policy makers and on putting family planning issues on the policy agenda. Global impacts were affected by national economic and social conditions and the broader political and economic relations with Western countries. The absolute level of economic development was found to be unrelated to the timing of initiation of family planning on national policy agendas. Stronger national family planning programs occurred in countries where policy makers linked economic development at whatever level with the need to limit population growth. Pakistan and Thailand in the 1960s illustrated this commitment to family planning programs, and Zambia and Algeria illustrated the lack of connection between development and population growth at the policy level and the lack of family planning on the policy agenda. Affiliation with the West during the 1960s meant early initiation of family planning in Pakistan/Bangladesh and Philippines/Thailand. Stronger commitment to program implementation occurred only in Thailand during the 1970s and Zimbabwe during the 1980s. Commitment lessened in the Philippines and Pakistan. Program implementation and national support of family planning were viewed as also dependent upon domestic factors, such as sufficient resources. Algeria/Tunisia and Zambia/Zimbabwe were countries that promoted family planning only after national political ideology shifted and anti-imperialist sentiments subsided. The impact of the international Cairo conference on these countries was minimal in terms of policy change. Most of the countries however desired greater support from donors. Even objections from the Vatican and internal domestic pressures were insufficient to prevent countries such as the Philippines and Pakistan from supporting the Cairo Plan of Action and a family planning and reproductive health agenda. Bangladesh and Pakistan are given as examples of countries where differences in the focus of foreign aid impacted on the national support for social services.

Pakistan: Ascending a Path through Regional Turmoil

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

Correspondingly, the US perceives that it is Pakistan’s unwarranted and paranoid fear of India (and mistrust of the reliability of the US) that is causing...For instance, Pakistan has welcomed the Iranian offer to overcome its energy crisis with the building of the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline...mitigate its effects. It may have to look both inwards and outwards to overcome this emerging crisis. It will have to carefully develop a viable

Molecular detection and genetic diversity of Babesia gibsoni in dogs in India.

PubMed

Singh, M N; Raina, O K; Sankar, M; Rialch, Ajayta; Tigga, M N; Kumar, G Ravi; Banerjee, P S

2016-07-01

Babesia gibsoni is a tick borne intraerythrocytic protozoan parasite causing piroplasmosis in dogs and has been predominantly reported in Asian countries, including Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Bangladesh and India. The present communication is the first evidence on the genetic diversity of B. gibsoni of dogs in India. Blood samples were collected from 164 dogs in north and northeast states of India and 13 dogs (7.9%) were found positive for B. gibsoni infection by microscopic examination of blood smears. Molecular confirmation of these microscopic positive cases for B. gibsoni was carried out by 18S rRNA nested-PCR, followed by sequencing. Nested-PCR for the 18S rRNA gene was also carried out on microscopically B. gibsoni negative samples that detected a higher percentage of dogs (28.6%) infected with B. gibsoni. Genetic diversity in B. gibsoni in India was determined by studying B. gibsoni thrombospondin-related adhesive protein (BgTRAP) gene fragments (855bp) in 19 isolates from four north and northeast states of India. Phylogenetic analysis of the BgTRAP gene revealed that B. gibsoni parasite in India and Bangladesh formed a distinct cluster away from other Asian B. gibsoni isolates available from Japan, Taiwan and Korea. In addition, tandem repeat analysis of the BgTRAP gene clearly showed considerable genetic variation among Indian isolates that was shared by B. gibsoni isolates of Bangladesh. These results suggested that B. gibsoni parasites in a different genetic clade are endemic in dogs in India and Bangladesh. Further studies are required for better understanding of the genetic diversity of B. gibsoni prevalent in India and in its neighbouring countries. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Isolation and phylogenetic characterization of haemagglutinin and neuraminidase genes of H9N2 low pathogenicity avian influenza virus isolated from commercial layers in India.

PubMed

Gowthaman, Vasudevan; Singh, Shambu Dayal; Dhama, Kuldeep; Srinivasan, Palani; Saravanan, Sellappan; Murthy, Thippichettypalayam Ramasamy Gopala Krishna; Sukumar, Kuppanan; Mathapati, Basavaraj; Lebarbenchon, Camille; Malik, Yashpal Singh; Ramakrishnan, Muthannan Andavar

2016-12-01

Avian influenza is a highly infectious and dynamically evolving disease of birds causing high morbidity and mortality. It is caused by avian influenza virus (AIV) that belongs to the family Orthomyxoviridae. Two types of AIV have been described based on their pathogenicity viz. highly pathogenic avian influenza virus that causes severe disease with high mortality and low pathogenic avian influenza virus (LPAI) that generally causes asymptomatic infection or a mild disease. The H9N2 subtype is the widely circulated LPAI type in the world. The H9N2 subtype of was first reported from northern India in March 2003. However, systematical surveillance information for the evolution of H9N2 viruses in poultry flocks of Southern India is lacking. The present study reports the isolation and characterization of H9N2 isolates from the southern parts of the country during the period between May 2010 and September 2011. Out of the 30 poultry flocks investigated, six were found to be positive for HA activity. Further, all the six samples conformed as AIV. Partial nucleotide sequencing of the HA and NA genes revealed that all were belonging to the H9N2 subtype. Phylogenetically, the HA and NA genes of the H9N2 viruses from India clustered with those isolated from Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Middle East, although we were not able to conclude on their exact geographic origin.

About "Save the Children Committee (India)".

PubMed

1996-01-01

This article describes the activity among charitable committees to provide education and shelter to orphans and homeless children in India. "Save The Children Committee" of the All India Women's Conference began operations during the Bengal famine of 1943 by providing shelter to children who were homeless or did not know where their parents were. The Bengal Relief Committee also provided shelters, which later became Children's Homes, which were operated by the Save The Children Committee. Funding support for the homes came from individual donors and organizations. The Bengal government provided Rs.25/month/child for 450 children. Children's homes were set up in Phola, Mymensingh, and Brahmanberia, in the present day Bangladesh, and in Bankura. The Committee took over homes in Mahishadal, Khagda, and Belbeni. After 1948, the Children's Homes in East Pakistan were transferred to India. In 1952, several Children's Committees merged. Funds were supplied by international organizations. Government support levels varied over time. Schools for orphans changed from an emphasis on self-reliance and work to ordinary schooling. Brief descriptions are provided for homes at Pifa, Mangalgunge in Bongaon Subdivision, Thakurpukur in 24-Parganas, and Khagda in Midnapore district. For example, the home at Khagda was begun by the Bengal Relief Committee at the time of the famine of 1944. Save The Children Committee took over its operations in 1946. It is now a home for 21 boys. The boys have access to a good high school, have achieved academically, and received respect from the community.

Physical activity patterns among South-Asian adults: a systematic review

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Physical activity (PA) has many beneficial physical and mental health effects. Physical inactivity is considered the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality. At present there are no systematic reviews on PA patterns among South Asian adults residing in the region. The present study aims to systematically evaluate studies on PA patterns in South Asian countries. A five-staged comprehensive search of the literature was conducted in Medline, Web of Science and SciVerse Scopus using keywords ‘Exercise’, ‘Walking’, ‘Physical activity’, ‘Inactivity’, ‘Physical Activity Questionnaire’, ‘International Physical Activity Questionnaire’, ‘IPAQ’, ‘Global Physical Activity Questionnaire’ and ‘GPAQ’, combined with individual country names. The search was restricted to English language articles conducted in humans and published before 31st December 2012. To obtain additional data a manual search of the reference lists of articles was performed. Data were also retrieved from the search of relevant web sites and online resources. The total number of hits obtained from the initial search was 1,771. The total number of research articles included in the present review is eleven (India-8, Sri Lanka-2, Pakistan-1). In addition, eleven country reports (Nepal-3, Bangladesh-2, India-2, Sri Lanka-2, Bhutan-1, Maldives-1) of World Health Organization STEPS survey from the South-Asian countries were retrieved online. In the research articles the overall prevalence of inactivity was as follows; India (18.5%-88.4%), Pakistan (60.1%) and Sri Lanka (11.0%-31.8%). STEPS survey reports were available from all countries except Pakistan. Overall in majority of STEPS surveys females were more inactive compared to males. Furthermore, leisure related inactivity was >75% in studies reporting inactivity in this domain and people were more active in transport domain when compared with the other domains. In conclusion, our results show that there is a wide variation in the prevalence of physical inactivity among South-Asian adults within and between countries. Furthermore, physical inactivity in South Asian adults was associated with several socio-demographic characteristics. Majority of South Asian adults were inactive during their leisure time. These Factors need to be considered when planning future interventions and research aimed at improving PA in the region. PMID:24119682

Nuclear nonproliferation: India Pakistan. Research report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fallon, J.S.

1997-04-01

As most of the world continues to seek ways to reduce or eliminate the spread of nuclear weapons, two countries seem intent on pursuing a path which is contradictory. India and Pakistan, two neighboring and frequently warring nations, condemn the use of nuclear weapons as they continue to develop the capability to deliver a nuclear payload. Additionally, India has stood against the Non-Proliferation Treaty, insisting that all nations must agree to eliminate nuclear weapons. It is against this seemingly hopeless situation that this report is focused. How can nuclear proliferation in South Asia be diffused while answering the security concernsmore » of both India and Pakistan. What I offer here is a review of the history, the current situation for the area, and a proposed solution to this nuclear stalemate.« less

A systematic review of the epidemiology of unintentional burn injuries in South Asia.

PubMed

Golshan, Ashkan; Patel, Cyra; Hyder, Adnan A

2013-09-01

Burns are a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in developing countries. We examined the epidemiology of unintentional burns in South Asia to identify trends and gaps in information. A MEDLINE/PUBMED search (1970-2011) was undertaken on empirical studies that focused on burns in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Data analyzed included demographics, injury details and risk factors. Twenty-seven studies were identified, mostly from India. Burns were more common among males at younger ages (0-12 years) and among females from adolescence onward (>14 years). Flame-related burns and scalds accounted for over 80% of burns in most cases, and were the most common types of injuries observed among children and women with most burns occurring in the home. Electrical burns occurred mostly among men. Important risk factors for burns included low socioeconomic status, being younger, wearing loose, flammable clothing and the use of kerosene. Data on care-seeking and treatment were limited. Preventing burns in the household in South Asia, particularly around kitchen activities, is essential. Children in South Asia are susceptible to burns and are an important target population. Future research should focus on filling the gaps in burn epidemiology found in this review.

India-U.S. Relations

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-11-09

Asia focuses on ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan, a problem rooted in unfinished business from the 1947 Partition and competing claims to the...between India and Pakistan. The United States also seeks to curtail the proliferation of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in South Asia . Both...qdr/fulltext/nss2002.pdf] and [http://www.comw.org/qdr/fulltext/nss2006.pdf]. President Bill Clinton’s March 2000 visit to South Asia seemed a major

Performance of Electricity Generation from Bryophyllum Leaf for Practical Utilisation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, Md. Kamrul Alam

2017-01-01

Constructing an affordable cost, environment friendly simplified electrical energy source with Pathor Kuchi Leaf (PKL) for power electrifications which will significantly upgrade the life style of 1.6 billion people especially, who live in rural areas of Bangladesh. However, one fifth of the world's population still lack access to electricity-well, mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan). This innovative technology will meet essential requirements as lighting, telecommunication as well as information access. Electrodes are put into the Bryophyllum Pinnatum Leaf (BPL) or Pathor Kuchi Leaf (PKL) sap and they produce substantially sufficient amount of electricity to power energy consumed electronics and electrical appliances. CuSO4.5H2O solution is used as a secondary salt. The role of CuSO4.5H2O solution has been studied. The electrical and chemical properties, a very important factor for PKL electricity generation device have been studied in this research work. The electrical properties are: internal resistance, voltage regulation, energy efficiency, pulse performance, self discharge characteristics, discharge characteristics with load, capacity of the PKL cell, temperature characteristics and life cycle of the PKL cell. The chemical properties are: variation of voltage, current with the variation of [Zn2+], [Cu2+] and time. The performance of the production of the two bi-products (fertilizer and hydrogen gas production) has been studied. Variation of concentration of Zn2+ and Cu2+ with the variation of percentage of the I am grateful to the authority of the Science and technology ministry,Bangladesh for financial support during the research work.

Nutrition transition in South Asia: the emergence of non-communicable chronic diseases

PubMed Central

Bishwajit, Ghose

2015-01-01

Overview: South Asian countries have experienced a remarkable economic growth during last two decades along with subsequent transformation in social, economic and food systems. Rising disposable income levels continue to drive the nutrition transition characterized by a shift from a traditional high-carbohydrate, low-fat diets towards diets with a lower carbohydrate and higher proportion of saturated fat, sugar and salt. Steered by various transitions in demographic, economic and nutritional terms, South Asian population are experiencing a rapidly changing disease profile. While the healthcare systems have long been striving to disentangle from the vicious cycle of poverty and undernutrition, South Asian countries are now confronted with an emerging epidemic of obesity and a constellation of other non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This dual burden is bringing about a serious health and economic conundrum and is generating enormous pressure on the already overstretched healthcare system of South Asian countries. Objectives: The Nutrition transition has been a very popular topic in the field of human nutrition during last few decades and many countries and broad geographic regions have been studied. However there is no review on this topic in the context of South Asia  as yet. The main purpose of this review is to highlight the factors accounting for the onset of nutrition transition and its subsequent impact on epidemiological transition in five major South Asian countries including Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Special emphasis was given on India and Bangladesh as they together account for 94% of the regional population and about half world’s malnourished population. Methods: This study is literature based. Main data sources were published research articles obtained through an electronic medical databases search. PMID:26834976

Burden of asthma, dyspnea, and chronic cough in South Asia.

PubMed

Bishwajit, Ghose; Tang, Shangfeng; Yaya, Sanni; Feng, Zhanchun

2017-01-01

Asthma, dyspnea, and chronic cough are well-established risk factors of COPD and often associated with exacerbation of the disease, which is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in South Asian countries. The aims of this study were to, 1) measure the prevalence of asthma, dyspnea, and chronic cough, and 2) assess the relationship between these respiratory problems and self-reported health status among South Asians. Data for this research came from the World Health Survey (2002-2003) conducted by the World Health Organization. Subjects were 35,929 men and women, aged 18 years and older, selected from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Crude prevalence rates of asthma, dyspnea, and chronic cough were presented as percentages, and the results of their association with subjective health status were presented as odds ratios and corresponding 95% CIs. Prevalence of daily smoking was highest in Bangladesh (39.9%) and lowest in Sri Lanka (14.1%). Prevalence of asthma was highest in India (6.3%), while Nepal had the highest prevalence of dyspnea (11.3%) and chronic cough (15.3%). Overall prevalence of asthma and dyspnea was higher among women, while that of chronic cough was higher among men. Significant differences were observed in the prevalence rates of all the conditions among regular, occasional, and nonsmokers. A majority of the men and women who had asthma, dyspnea, and chronic cough had higher likelihood of reporting poor health status compared to those who did not have these diseases. Findings suggest that prevalence rates of asthma, dyspnea, and chronic cough were considerably high in all the countries and were significantly associated with poor subjective health. Being a high COPD-prone region, programs targeted to address these diseases could help reduce the burden of COPD and respiratory disease-related mortalities in South Asia.

Self-reported tobacco smoking practices among medical students and their perceptions towards training about tobacco smoking in medical curricula: A cross-sectional, questionnaire survey in Malaysia, India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

PubMed

Sreeramareddy, Chandrashekhar T; Suri, Sushil; Menezes, Ritesh G; Kumar, H N Harsha; Rahman, Mahbubur; Islam, Md R; Pereira, Xavier V; Shah, Mohsin; Sathian, Brijesh; Shetty, Ullasa; Vaswani, Vina R

2010-11-16

Tobacco smoking issues in developing countries are usually taught non-systematically as and when the topic arose. The World Health Organisation and Global Health Professional Student Survey (GHPSS) have suggested introducing a separate integrated tobacco module into medical school curricula. Our aim was to assess medical students' tobacco smoking habits, their practices towards patients' smoking habits and attitude towards teaching about smoking in medical schools. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was carried out among final year undergraduate medical students in Malaysia, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. An anonymous, self-administered questionnaire included items on demographic information, students' current practices about patients' tobacco smoking habits, their perception towards tobacco education in medical schools on a five point Likert scale. Questions about tobacco smoking habits were adapted from GHPSS questionnaire. An 'ever smoker' was defined as one who had smoked during lifetime, even if had tried a few puffs once or twice. 'Current smoker' was defined as those who had smoked tobacco product on one or more days in the preceding month of the survey. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Overall response rate was 81.6% (922/1130). Median age was 22 years while 50.7% were males and 48.2% were females. The overall prevalence of 'ever smokers' and 'current smokers' was 31.7% and 13.1% respectively. A majority (> 80%) of students asked the patients about their smoking habits during clinical postings/clerkships. Only a third of them did counselling, and assessed the patients' willingness to quit. Majority of the students agreed about doctors' role in tobacco control as being role models, competence in smoking cessation methods, counseling, and the need for training about tobacco cessation in medical schools. About 50% agreed that current curriculum teaches about tobacco smoking but not systematically and should be included as a separate module. Majority of the students indicated that topics about health effects, nicotine addiction and its treatment, counselling, prevention of relapse were important or very important in training about tobacco smoking. Medical educators should consider revising medical curricula to improve training about tobacco smoking cessation in medical schools. Our results should be supported by surveys from other medical schools in developing countries of Asia.

Measuring Coverage in MNCH: A Prospective Validation Study in Pakistan and Bangladesh on Measuring Correct Treatment of Childhood Pneumonia

PubMed Central

el Arifeen, Shams; Khan, Amira M.; Huque, M. Hamidul; Kazmi, Narjis; Roy, Sushmita; Abbasi, Saleem; Rahman, Qazi Sadeq-ur; Theodoratou, Evropi; Khorshed, Mahmuda Shayema; Rahman, Kazi Mizanur; Bari, Sanwarul; Kaiser, M. Mahfuzul Islam; Saha, Samir K.; Ahmed, A. S. M. Nawshad Uddin; Rudan, Igor; Bryce, Jennifer; Qazi, Shamim Ahmad; Campbell, Harry

2013-01-01

Background Antibiotic treatment for pneumonia as measured by Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) is a key indicator for tracking progress in achieving Millennium Development Goal 4. Concerns about the validity of this indicator led us to perform an evaluation in urban and rural settings in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Methods and Findings Caregivers of 950 children under 5 y with pneumonia and 980 with “no pneumonia” were identified in urban and rural settings and allocated for DHS/MICS questions 2 or 4 wk later. Study physicians assigned a diagnosis of pneumonia as reference standard; the predictive ability of DHS/MICS questions and additional measurement tools to identify pneumonia versus non-pneumonia cases was evaluated. Results at both sites showed suboptimal discriminative power, with no difference between 2- or 4-wk recall. Individual patterns of sensitivity and specificity varied substantially across study sites (sensitivity 66.9% and 45.5%, and specificity 68.8% and 69.5%, for DHS in Pakistan and Bangladesh, respectively). Prescribed antibiotics for pneumonia were correctly recalled by about two-thirds of caregivers using DHS questions, increasing to 72% and 82% in Pakistan and Bangladesh, respectively, using a drug chart and detailed enquiry. Conclusions Monitoring antibiotic treatment of pneumonia is essential for national and global programs. Current (DHS/MICS questions) and proposed new (video and pneumonia score) methods of identifying pneumonia based on maternal recall discriminate poorly between pneumonia and children with cough. Furthermore, these methods have a low yield to identify children who have true pneumonia. Reported antibiotic treatment rates among these children are therefore not a valid proxy indicator of pneumonia treatment rates. These results have important implications for program monitoring and suggest that data in its current format from DHS/MICS surveys should not be used for the purpose of monitoring antibiotic treatment rates in children with pneumonia at the present time. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary PMID:23667339

On the fog variability over south Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syed, F. S.; Körnich, H.; Tjernström, M.

2012-12-01

An increasing trend in fog frequencies over south Asia during winter in the last few decades has resulted in large economical losses and has caused substantial difficulties in the daily lives of people. In order to better understand the fog phenomenon, we investigated the climatology, inter-annual variability and trends in the fog occurrence from 1976 to 2010 using observational data from 82 stations, well distributed over India and Pakistan. Fog blankets large area from Pakistan to Bangladesh across north India from west to east running almost parallel to south of the Himalayas. An EOF analysis revealed that the fog variability over the whole region is coupled and therefore must be governed by some large scale phenomenon on the inter-annual time scale. Significant positive trends were found in the fog frequency but this increase is not gradual, as with the humidity, but comprises of two distinct regimes shifts, in 1990 and 1998, with respect to both mean and variance. The fog is also detected in ERA-Interim 3 hourly, surface and model level forecast data when using the concept of "cross-over temperature" combined with boundary layer stability. This fog index is able to reproduce the regime shift around 1998 and shows that the method can be applied to analyze fog over south Asia. The inter-annual variability seems to be associated with the wave train originating from the North Atlantic in the upper troposphere that when causing higher pressure over the region results in an increased boundary layer stability and surface-near relative humidity. The trend and shifts in the fog occurrence seems to be associated with the gradual increasing trend in relative humidity from 1990 onwards.

The Most Serious Offenses and Penalties Concerning Unsafe Foods under the Food Safety Laws in Bangladesh, India, and Australia: A Critical Analysis.

PubMed

Solaiman, S M; Ali, Abu Noman M Atahar

2015-01-01

The right to food is an internationally recognized human rignt, which inherently denotes the right to safe food simply because unsafe foods cause different diseases resulting in consumer's disability, organ failure, or even early demise. Food safety currently may not be an issue of public concern in Australia, but it has been a "silent killer" for decades in both Bangladesh and India contributing to deaths of thousands and injuries of millions of others. Unscrupulous businesses have been making money at the cost of immense human casualties with almost complete impunity in Bangladesh. The situation in Bangladesh is so intractable that the government has been making laws one after another; but food traders remain undeterred, and consequently consumers continue to die from adulterated foods. This paper examines the loopholes in the definitions of the most serious offenses under three major pieces of legislation in Bangladesh, India, and Australia. It finds that all three statutes seem flawed to some extent, though they all may mutually benefit from one another in defining and clarifying the most serious food safety offenses and penalties with a view to strengthening their effectiveness.

Prevalence and determinants of caesarean section in private and public health facilities in underserved South Asian communities: cross-sectional analysis of data from Bangladesh, India and Nepal

PubMed Central

Neuman, Melissa; Alcock, Glyn; Azad, Kishwar; Kuddus, Abdul; Osrin, David; More, Neena Shah; Nair, Nirmala; Tripathy, Prasanta; Sikorski, Catherine; Saville, Naomi; Sen, Aman; Colbourn, Tim; Houweling, Tanja A J; Seward, Nadine; Manandhar, Dharma S; Shrestha, Bhim P; Costello, Anthony; Prost, Audrey

2014-01-01

Objectives To describe the prevalence and determinants of births by caesarean section in private and public health facilities in underserved communities in South Asia. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting 81 community-based geographical clusters in four locations in Bangladesh, India and Nepal (three rural, one urban). Participants 45 327 births occurring in the study areas between 2005 and 2012. Outcome measures Proportion of caesarean section deliveries by location and type of facility; determinants of caesarean section delivery by location. Results Institutional delivery rates varied widely between settings, from 21% in rural India to 90% in urban India. The proportion of private and charitable facility births delivered by caesarean section was 73% in Bangladesh, 30% in rural Nepal, 18% in urban India and 5% in rural India. The odds of caesarean section were greater in private and charitable health facilities than in public facilities in three of four study locations, even when adjusted for pregnancy and delivery characteristics, maternal characteristics and year of delivery (Bangladesh: adjusted OR (AOR) 5.91, 95% CI 5.15 to 6.78; Nepal: AOR 2.37, 95% CI 1.62 to 3.44; urban India: AOR 1.22, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.38). We found that highly educated women were particularly likely to deliver by caesarean in private facilities in urban India (AOR 2.10; 95% CI 1.61 to 2.75) and also in rural Bangladesh (AOR 11.09, 95% CI 6.28 to 19.57). Conclusions Our results lend support to the hypothesis that increased caesarean section rates in these South Asian countries may be driven in part by the private sector. They also suggest that preferences for caesarean delivery may be higher among highly educated women, and that individual-level and provider-level factors interact in driving caesarean rates higher. Rates of caesarean section in the private sector, and their maternal and neonatal health outcomes, require close monitoring. PMID:25550293

The Relevancy of the Clausewitzian Trinity to the War on Terrorism

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-04-14

Jordan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Syria, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia , Myanmar, Indonesia, Philippines, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait...routinely discounted. American patriotism, obesity , emotionality, self-centeredness: these are the crucial issues.”111

International Migration of Doctors, and Its Impact on Availability of Psychiatrists in Low and Middle Income Countries

PubMed Central

Jenkins, Rachel; Kydd, Robert; Mullen, Paul; Thomson, Kenneth; Sculley, James; Kuper, Susan; Carroll, Joanna; Gureje, Oye; Hatcher, Simon; Brownie, Sharon; Carroll, Christopher; Hollins, Sheila; Wong, Mai Luen

2010-01-01

Background Migration of health professionals from low and middle income countries to rich countries is a large scale and long-standing phenomenon, which is detrimental to the health systems in the donor countries. We sought to explore the extent of psychiatric migration. Methods In our study, we use the respective professional databases in each country to establish the numbers of psychiatrists currently registered in the UK, US, New Zealand, and Australia who originate from other countries. We also estimate the impact of this migration on the psychiatrist population ratios in the donor countries. Findings We document large numbers of psychiatrists currently registered in the UK, US, New Zealand and Australia originating from India (4687 psychiatrists), Pakistan (1158), Bangladesh (149) , Nigeria (384) , Egypt (484), Sri Lanka (142), Philippines (1593). For some countries of origin, the numbers of psychiatrists currently registered within high-income countries' professional databases are very small (e.g., 5 psychiatrists of Tanzanian origin registered in the 4 high-income countries we studied), but this number is very significant compared to the 15 psychiatrists currently registered in Tanzania). Without such emigration, many countries would have more than double the number of psychiatrists per 100, 000 population (e.g. Bangladesh, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon); and some countries would have had five to eight times more psychiatrists per 100,000 (e.g. Philippines, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Liberia, Nigeria and Zambia). Conclusions Large numbers of psychiatrists originating from key low and middle income countries are currently registered in the UK, US, New Zealand and Australia, with concomitant impact on the psychiatrist/population ratio n the originating countries. We suggest that creative international policy approaches are needed to ensure the individual migration rights of health professionals do not compromise societal population rights to health, and that there are public and fair agreements between countries within an internationally agreed framework. PMID:20140216

Education of Children with Disabilities in India and Pakistan: Critical Analysis of Developments in the Last 15 Years

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singal, Nidhi

2016-01-01

This article presents an analysis of key developments in educational policies and strategies, since 2000, in relation to the education of children with disabilities in India and Pakistan. It responds to a set of specific questions focused on factors that have shaped the increased emphasis on education of children with disabilities, how national…

English Teaching Profiles from the British Council: Burma, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Lesotho, New Zealand, Pakistan, Qatar, Malaysia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

British Council, London (England). English Language and Literature Div.

The role of English and the status of English language instruction is reported for Burma, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Lesotho, New Zealand, Pakistan, Qatar, and Malaysia. The profile for each country contains a summary of English instruction within and outside of the educational system, teacher supply and qualifications,…

Developing Strategies for Communications about Disability: Experiences in the U.S., Hong Kong, India and Pakistan. Monograph #47.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kolucki, Barbara

The manual describes a variety of media approaches in the United States, Hong Kong, India, and Pakistan to changing attitudes toward the disabled. Four principles of media communications are stressed: (1) children's television is an important vehicle for changing attitudes; (2) it is vital to know the audience; (3) active participation by the…

Protocol for the mixed-methods process and context evaluation of the TB & Tobacco randomised controlled trial in Bangladesh and Pakistan: a hybrid effectiveness–implementation study

PubMed Central

Nohavova, Iveta; Dogar, Omara; Kralikova, Eva; Pankova, Alexandra; Zvolska, Kamila; Huque, Rumana; Fatima, Razia; Noor, Maryam; Elsey, Helen; Sheikh, Aziz; Siddiqi, Kamran; Kotz, Daniel

2018-01-01

Introduction Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant public health problem in South Asia. Tobacco use increases the risks of TB infection and TB progression. The TB& Tobacco placebo-controlled randomised trial aims to (1) assess the effectiveness of the tobacco cessation medication cytisine versus placebo when combined with behavioural support and (2) implement tobacco cessation medication and behavioural support as part of general TB care in Bangladesh and Pakistan. This paper summarises the process and context evaluation protocol embedded in the effectiveness–implementation hybrid design. Methods and analysis We are conducting a mixed-methods process and context evaluation informed by an intervention logic model that draws on the UK Medical Research Council’s Process Evaluation Guidance. Our approach includes quantitative and qualitative data collection on context, recruitment, reach, dose delivered, dose received and fidelity. Quantitative data include patient characteristics, reach of recruitment among eligible patients, routine trial data on dose delivered and dose received, and a COM-B (‘capability’, ‘opportunity’, ‘motivation’ and ‘behaviour’) questionnaire filled in by participating health workers. Qualitative data include semistructured interviews with TB health workers and patients, and with policy-makers at district and central levels in each country. Interviews will be analysed using the framework approach. The behavioural intervention delivery is audio recorded and assessed using a predefined fidelity coding index based on behavioural change technique taxonomy. Ethics and dissemination The study complies with the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki. Ethics approval for the study and process evaluation was granted by the University of Leeds (qualitative components), University of York (trial data and fidelity assessment), Bangladesh Medical Research Council and Bangladesh Drug Administration (trial data and qualitative components) and Pakistan Medical Research Council (trial data and qualitative components). Results of this research will be disseminated through reports to stakeholders and peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. Trial registration number ISRCTN43811467; Pre-results. PMID:29602847

Understanding care and feeding practices: building blocks for a sustainable intervention in India and Pakistan.

PubMed

Lingam, Raghu; Gupta, Pallavi; Zafar, Shamsa; Hill, Zelee; Yousafzai, Aisha; Iyengar, Sharad; Sikander, Siham; Haq, Zaeem ul; Mehta, Shilpa; Skordis-Worrel, Jolene; Rahman, Atif; Kirkwood, Betty

2014-01-01

Undernutrition and inadequate stimulation both negatively influence child health and development and have a long-term impact on school attainment and income. This paper reports data from India and Pakistan looking at how families interact, play with, and feed children; their expectations of growth and development; and the perceived benefits, consequences, opportunities, and barriers of adopting recommended feeding and developmental behaviors. These data were collected as part of formative research for the Sustainable Program Incorporating Nutrition and Games (SPRING) trial. This trial aims to deliver an innovative, feasible, affordable, and sustainable intervention that can achieve delivery at a scale of known effective interventions that maximize child development, growth, and survival and improve maternal psychosocial well-being in rural India and Pakistan. © 2014 New York Academy of Sciences.

Russia`s Great Game in a nuclear South Asia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pilat, J.F.; Taylor, T.T.

1998-12-31

Lost in the noise of Pakistan`s nuclear weapon tests in the western Baluchistan desert on 28 and 30 May was a surprising diplomatic move by Russia. On 23 May, Russia became the first state to express its willingness to recognize India as a nuclear-weapon state, provided that India commits itself to the international nonproliferation regime. Russia`s Ambassador to India, Albert Chernyshev, stated in the days after the Indian but before the Pakistani nuclear tests that ``India proclaimed itself a nuclear weapons power. One now hopes that India will behave as a nuclear weapons power by acting responsibly. Every nuclear weaponsmore » state has some rights. But for getting recognition it must have some obligations. Once it is ready to show these obligations by joining the nonproliferation regime, its recognition as a nuclear weapons power will follow.`` Russia`s Great Game in South Asia in pursuit of short-term economic and other interests appears to be a serious obstacle on the path to dealing effectively with the South Asian nuclear crisis. Grave damage to security, stability and nonproliferation has already resulted from India`s and Pakistan`s actions, but the situation does not have to spiral out of control. It is imperative that the international community respond appropriately to this challenge. The international community is at a crossroads and Russia`s actions will be critical. Will it be willing to go beyond the narrow economic and political calculations reflected in its diplomatic posturing, and take actions that will serve its long-term interests by bridging differences with other great powers in order to demonstrate to India that it has not chosen the right path. If Russia decides it can gain from India`s current, perilous path and blocks or otherwise frustrates appropriate responses, the nuclear danger on the subcontinent will escalate and the global regimes to promote nonproliferation and to ban testing will be seriously, perhaps fatally, weakened with unpredictable regional and global effects.« less

Satellite based classification (haze, fog) and affected area estimation over Indo - Pak Sub-Continent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghauri, Badar; Zafar, Sumaira

2016-07-01

Northern Pakistan and bordering Indian Punjab experience intense smog and fog during fall and winters. Environmentalists have been raising their voices over the situation and demanded control over regional emissions to save the livelihood of millions of dwellers whose trade, commerce and agriculture is at stake because of long smog/ fog spells.. This paper estimates the area affected by haze, smog and fog during 2006- 2010. MODIS (geo-referenced MODIS subsets India1, 2 &3) of the area in Pakistan and India from 2006 to 2010 for the period October to February) were analyzed using state of the art software ENVI 4.2 and ArcGIS 10.2. This process resulted in area belonging to each class that is; haze, smog and fog. On the basis of density, haze and fog cover was determined. Variations in fog cover, its density and identification of location of fog initiation process were also determined using near real time (30 minutes) METEOSAT-7 IODC data where actually fog formation started and then extended to the area of favorable conditions. Haze has been noticed to intensify due to massive burning of agricultural waste (rice husk) in India and Pakistan towards the end of October each year. MODIS thermal anomalies/fire data (MYD 14) were also used to verify this activity on the ground, which results in hazy conditions at regional level during fall months. Haze-affected area during 2006 to 2010 in Pakistan ranged from 155,000 Km2 to 354,000 Km2 and in India it ranged from 333,000 Km2 to 846,000 Km2. Similarly winter fog cover during this period in Pakistan varied from 136,000 Km2 to 381,000 Km2 and in India it was estimated at 327,000 Km2 to 566,000 Km2. This phenomenon was more prominent in India than in Pakistan where and fog cover was at least twice than that was observed in Pakistan. It has been noted that area covered by fog, smog and haze doubled during the study period in the region. Atmospheric dimming during autumn/ fall also reduces the mixing height leading to greater pollutants accumulation. So far no mitigation steps have been taken to combat this regional issue. Reduction in local emissions is highly recommended to save at least the lives of vulnerable (children, elderly, patients etc).

Perspectives on diagnostic strategies for hyperglycemia in pregnancy - Dealing with the barriers and challenges in South Asia.

PubMed

Kapur, Anil; Divakar, Hema; Seshiah, Veeraswamy

2018-02-02

Estimates indicate that south Asia accounts for over two fifths of the global burden of hyperglycemia in pregnancy (HIP) and the ongoing nutritional and epidemiological transition may make the situation worse. Given their higher risk, all women of south Asian decent require to be tested for HIP. With approximately 37 million births annually in the region requires that 37 million women be tested annually; thereby placing a huge burden on the fragile inadequately resourced health systems in the region with poor awareness and lack of trained manpower. Recommendation for testing must therefore be pragmatic, feasible, convenient and cost effective. Diabetes in pregnancy study group India (DIPSI) has proposed a simple testing protocol that is endorsed by the Indian National Guideline on GDM, and by the FIGO guideline on HIP for use in South Asia. This testing protocol has received widespread support in the region. Despite the many challenges it is encouraging to note that in the four large countries in the region - Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka which account for over 80% of the estimated burden of HIP in south Asia, large scale credible programs have been initiated to address the identified barriers. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Low Cancer Risk of South Asians: A Brief Report.

PubMed

Tran, H Nicole; Udaltsova, Natalia; Li, Yan; Klatsky, Arthur L

2018-03-02

South Asians (ancestry in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, or Sri Lanka) may have lower cancer risk than other racial-ethnic groups. To supplement published cohort data suggesting low cancer risk in South Asians. Logistic regression models with 7 covariates to study cancer mortality through 2012 in 273,843 persons (1117 South Asians) with baseline examination data from 1964 to 1985. Cancer mortality. Through 2012, death was attributed to cancer in 28,031 persons, of which 1555 were Asians, including 32 South Asians. The all-Asian vs white adjusted odds ratio was 1.0, and the South Asian vs white odds ratio was 0.5 (p < 0.001). In separate regressions, South Asians were at lower risk than blacks, Chinese, Filipinos, Japanese, or other Asians. The South Asian-white disparity was concentrated in men but was generally similar when strata of smoking, body mass index, baseline age, and date of death were compared. These data support the observation that compared with whites and other Asian groups, South Asians, especially men, have a lower risk of cancer.

Frictions That Activate Change: Dynamics of Global to Local Non-Governmental Organizations for Female Education and Empowerment in China, India, and Pakistan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seeberg, Vilma; Baily, Supriya; Khan, Asima; Ross, Heidi; Wang, Yimin; Shah, Payal; Wang, Lei

2017-01-01

This article examines how non-governmental organizations create resources and spaces for girls and women's education and empowerment in China, India and Pakistan--in the context of global expectations and local state relations as well as cultural norms. We examine the dynamics that foster female empowerment associated with educational attainment.…

Writing against Culture: Unveiling Education and Modernity for Hindu Indian and Muslim Pakistani Women through an "Ethnography of the Particular"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shah, Payal P.; Khurshid, Ayesha

2018-01-01

In this article, we analyze our experiences engaging in a collaborative ethnographic project. This project brings together two ethnographic studies undertaken independently from the other in Gujarat, India and Punjab, Pakistan. We integrate the narratives of young, rural Hindu women in India with those of young, rural Muslim women in Pakistan to…

Indian-U.S. Relations

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-03

U.S. Relations Summary Long considered a “strategic backwater”from Washington’s perspective, South Asia has emerged in the 21st century as increasingly...in South Asia focuses on ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan, a problem rooted in unfinished business from the 1947 Partition, competing...nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in South Asia . Both India and Pakistan have resisted external pressure to sign the major nonproliferation

Evidence-based decision on medical technologies in Asia Pacific: experiences from India, Malaysia, Philippines, and Pakistan.

PubMed

Thatte, Urmila; Hussain, Samsinah; de Rosas-Valera, Madeleine; Malik, Muhammad Ashar

2009-01-01

This paper discusses national programs implemented in India, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Philippines to generate and apply evidence in making informed policy decisions on the approval, pricing, reimbursement and financing of medicines, diagnostics, and medical devices. In all countries, the Ministries of Health are generally responsible for approval of health technologies through various agencies like the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation in India, Bureau of Food and Drugs for medicines and Bureau of Health Devices and Technology for medical devices in the Philippines, the National Pharmaceutical Control Bureau, Health Technology Assessment Unit and Medical Device Bureau in Malaysia, and the Drug Control Organization in Pakistan. Product dossiers are evaluated while taking decisions. India has a strong price control mechanism through the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority. In the Philippines, the Essential Drug Price Monitoring System monitors prices of 37 essential drugs monthly from all drugstore outlets nationwide. In Malaysia and Pakistan registration pricing of new drugs is negotiated/fixed by the government with the vendor. A mix of social, voluntary private and community-based health insurance plans are available in India while the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation is responsible for reimbursement of drugs and medical devices in the Philippines. In Malaysia no formal reimbursement system is being practiced, and in Pakistan the government reimburses medical claims of its employees. In both India and the Philippines the bulk of health expenditure is out of pocket while the government pays for 20% and 28% respectively in both countries. The public health care services in Malaysia are heavily subsidized by the government with minimum fee being charged to the public. The government of Pakistan gives free medicines to its citizens at the public health facilities. In the region under discussion, one of the priority areas that the different regulatory agencies would benefit from is human resource development to facilitate the process of evidence based assessment of health technologies. Higher budgetary allocation and stronger legislation is also needed along with interagency and international coordination and cooperation to harmonize.

Floods in Bangladesh and Northeast India

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

For the past month heavy monsoon rains have led to massive flooding in eastern India, Nepal, and Bangladesh, which have killed over 500 people and left millions homeless. This false-color image acquired on August 5, 2002, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Terra spacecraft shows the extent of this flooding. In the upper right-hand corner of the image, the swollen Brahmaputra River runs east to west through the Indian state of Assam. Normally, the river and its tributaries would resemble a tangle of thin lines. Moving to the upper left-hand corner, flooding can be seen along the Ganges River in the state of Bihar, India. Both of these rivers flow into Bangladesh along with many others from India and Nepal. Heavy monsoon rains from all across the region have inundated the small country with water this year. Floodwaters have all but covered northeastern Bangladesh, which is usually dry. The Jamuna River, which runs down the center of the country off of the Brahmaputra River, now resembles a narrow lake. Millions of dollars in crops have been destroyed and thousands have been left stranded in their villages or on rafts. Forecasters are warning that flooding could get worse. In the false-color image, land is green, and water is black and dark brown. Clouds appear pink, red and white. Credit: Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

Movements of people, ideas, trade, and technology: Toward a peaceful coexistence of India and Pakistan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ahmed, S.; Das, S.

1998-03-01

The potential exists for peaceful and constructive bilateral relations between India and Pakistan. Domestic developments in both countries, the changing global economic and political environment, and structural changes in regional trading patterns have created new opportunities for replacing traditional Indian and Pakistani perceptions of hostility and suspicion with mutual understanding and trust. This substitution process can be accelerated by increasing people-to-people contact, the free flow of information, and economic and technological cooperation between the two neighbors. Nonmilitary confidence building measures could create conditions for an incremental reduction on tensions between India and Pakistan. A popular consciousness for enhanced bilateral cooperationmore » is growing. This process could be strengthened by identifying and exploring new areas of mutually beneficial cooperation that could pave the way for peace.« less

DNA barcoding of Bemisia tabaci complex (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) reveals southerly expansion of the dominant whitefly species on cotton in Pakistan.

PubMed

Ashfaq, Muhammad; Hebert, Paul D N; Mirza, M Sajjad; Khan, Arif M; Mansoor, Shahid; Shah, Ghulam S; Zafar, Yusuf

2014-01-01

Although whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci complex) are an important pest of cotton in Pakistan, its taxonomic diversity is poorly understood. As DNA barcoding is an effective tool for resolving species complexes and analyzing species distributions, we used this approach to analyze genetic diversity in the B. tabaci complex and map the distribution of B. tabaci lineages in cotton growing areas of Pakistan. Sequence diversity in the DNA barcode region (mtCOI-5') was examined in 593 whiteflies from Pakistan to determine the number of whitefly species and their distributions in the cotton-growing areas of Punjab and Sindh provinces. These new records were integrated with another 173 barcode sequences for B. tabaci, most from India, to better understand regional whitefly diversity. The Barcode Index Number (BIN) System assigned the 766 sequences to 15 BINs, including nine from Pakistan. Representative specimens of each Pakistan BIN were analyzed for mtCOI-3' to allow their assignment to one of the putative species in the B. tabaci complex recognized on the basis of sequence variation in this gene region. This analysis revealed the presence of Asia II 1, Middle East-Asia Minor 1, Asia 1, Asia II 5, Asia II 7, and a new lineage "Pakistan". The first two taxa were found in both Punjab and Sindh, but Asia 1 was only detected in Sindh, while Asia II 5, Asia II 7 and "Pakistan" were only present in Punjab. The haplotype networks showed that most haplotypes of Asia II 1, a species implicated in transmission of the cotton leaf curl virus, occurred in both India and Pakistan. DNA barcodes successfully discriminated cryptic species in B. tabaci complex. The dominant haplotypes in the B. tabaci complex were shared by India and Pakistan. Asia II 1 was previously restricted to Punjab, but is now the dominant lineage in southern Sindh; its southward spread may have serious implications for cotton plantations in this region.

Institutional and Regulatory Economics of Electricity Market Reforms: the Evidence from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Bipulendu

Five South Asian countries-- India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka -- embarked on electricity market reforms in the 1990's. The dissertation uses the framework of New Institutional Economics to assess the effects on electricity sector performance of both observables elements of reform (i.e. privatization, unbundling, establishment of independent regulatory agencies etc.) as well as the unobservable elements (informal beliefs, habit, norms and culture of the actors involved in reforms). The first part of the dissertation -- econometric analysis of the relationship between observable electricity market reform measures and performance indicators -- finds that for the most part electricity market reforms in South Asia are having a positive impact on the performance of the sector. This is particularly the case for reforms that have increased private sector participation in generation and distribution and have vertically unbundled utilities into generation, transmission and distribution entities. Many of the reforms are positively correlated with higher tariffs, indicating a cost to the consumers from the reforms. The relationship between independent regulation and performance indicators , however, is not established. The second part of the dissertation - analytical narrative of the reform experiences of Gujarat and Nepal -- examines the informal elements (such as beliefs, norms, culture) that motivate behavior and explains how and why reform outcomes differed in these two places. The dissertation finds that the strength of formal institutions rules and the nature of social norms and customs have a significant influence on the outcome of reforms. Aided by the strength of its formal institutional framework and more evolved social norms and customs that encouraged people to follow formal rules, reforms in the Indian state of Gujarat were a success. The weakness of the formal institutional framework and the predominance of relation-based norms and customs in Nepal that led to limited compliance with formal rules, by contrast, limited the success of power sector reforms there. Efforts to reform the electricity sector in South Asia undertaken by governments with the assistance of development agencies such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have focused to a large extent on getting the content of electricity market reform measures such as unbundling, privatization, and establishment of a power market right. The analysis in this dissertation suggests that such measures will be more successful in places with relatively robust formal rule based systems. Countries that are planning to carry out significant reforms in the electricity sector will benefit from the explicit consideration of the informal norms, habits and customs of the actors that will be affected by the reforms.

Population policy.

PubMed

1987-03-01

Participants in the Seminar on Population Policies for Top-level Policy Makers and Program Managers, meeting in Thailand during January 1987, examined the challenges now facing them regarding the implementation of fertility regulation programs in their respective countries -- Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, and Thailand. This Seminar was organized to coincide with the completion of an Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) study investigating the impact and efficiency of family planning programs in the region. Country studies were reviewed at the Seminar along with policy issues about the status of women, incentive and disincentive programs, and socioeconomic factors affecting fertility. In Bangladesh the government recognizes population growth as its top priority problem related to the socioeconomic development of the country and is working to promote a reorientation strategy from the previous clinic-oriented to a multidimensional family welfare program. China's family planning program seeks to postpone marraige, space the births of children between 3-5 years, and promote the 1-child family. Its goal is to reduce the rate of natural increase from 12/1000 in 1978 to 5/1000 by 1985 and 0 by 2000. India's 7th Five-Year-Plan (1986-90) calls for establishing a 2-child family norm by 2000. In Indonesia the government's population policy includes reducing the rate of population growth, achieving a redistribution of the population, adjusting economic factors, and creating prosperous families. The government of Indonesia reversed its policy to reduce the population growth rate in 1984 and announced its goal of achieving a population of 70 million by 2100 in order to support mass consumption industries. It has created an income tax deduction system favoring large families and maternity benefits for women who have up to 5 children as incentives. Nepal's official policy is to decrease fertility, control international migration, and modify the spatial distribution of the population. To reduce its population growth rate, Pakistan has adopted a multi-sectoral, multidimensional approach to family planning. The policy of the government of the Philippines is to bring the population growth rate in line with the availability of natural resources and employment opportunities. In its 5-year plan covering 1982-86, the government of the Republic of Korea emphasized social development, attempting to more fully integrate population and development policies and programs within relevant sectors. To reduce its population growth rate to 1.3% by 1992, the government of Thailand is expanding the reach of its family planning program.

CTX-M ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae: estimated prevalence in adults in England in 2014

PubMed Central

McNulty, Cliodna A M; Lecky, Donna M; Xu-McCrae, Li; Nakiboneka-Ssenabulya, Deborah; Chung, Keun-Taik; Nichols, Tom; Thomas, Helen Lucy; Thomas, Mike; Alvarez-Buylla, Adela; Turner, Kim; Shabir, Sahida; Manzoor, Susan; Smith, Stephen; Crocker, Linda; Hawkey, Peter M

2018-01-01

Abstract Background ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBLPE) are increasing in prevalence worldwide and are more difficult to treat than non-ESBLPE. Their prevalence in the UK general population is unknown, as the only previous UK ESBLPE faecal colonization study involved patients with diarrhoea. Objectives To estimate the prevalence of CTX-M ESBLPE faecal colonization in the general adult population of England in 2014, and investigate risk factors. Methods A stratified random sample of 58 337 registered patients from 16 general practices within four areas of England were invited to participate by returning faeces specimens and self-completed questionnaires. Specimens were tested for ESBLPE and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE). Results 2430 individuals participated (4% of those invited). The estimated prevalence of colonization with CTX-M ESBLPE in England was 7.3% (95% CI 5.6%–9.4%) (Shropshire 774 participants, 4.9% colonization; Southampton City 740 participants, 9.2%; Newham 612 participants, 12.7%; Heart of Birmingham 234 individuals, 16.0%) and was particularly high in: those born in Afghanistan (10 participants, 60.0% colonization, 95% CI 29.7%–84.2%); those born on the Indian subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka) (259 participants, 25.0% colonization, 95% CI 18.5%–32.9%); travellers to South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or Nepal) in the last year (140 participants, 38.5% colonization, 95% CI 27.8%–50.5%); and healthcare domestics (8 participants, unweighted 37.5% colonization, 95% CI 8.5%–75.5%). Risk factors identified included: being born in the Indian subcontinent (aOR 5.4, 95% CI 3.0–9.7); travel to South Asia (aOR 2.9, 95% CI 1.8–4.8) or to Africa, China, South or Central America, South East or Pacific Asia or Afghanistan (aOR 2.6, 95% CI 1.7–4.1) in the last year; and working as a healthcare domestic (aOR 6.2, 95% CI 1.3–31). None of the 48 participants who took co-amoxiclav in the last year was colonized with CTX-M ESBLPE. blaCTX-M-15 accounted for 66% of CTX-M ESBLPE positives. 0.1% (two participants) were colonized with CPE. Conclusions CTX-M ESBLPE are established in the general population in England and prevalence is particularly high in people from certain countries of birth or with recent travel. We recommend that these findings be taken into account in guidance on the empirical management of patients presenting with a likely Enterobacteriaceae infection. PMID:29514211

Genetic relatedness of ciprofloxacin-resistant Shigella dysenteriae type 1 strains isolated in south Asia.

PubMed

Talukder, Kaisar A; Khajanchi, Bijay K; Islam, M Aminul; Dutta, Dilip K; Islam, Zhahirul; Safa, Ashrafus; Khan, G Y; Alam, Khorshed; Hossain, M A; Malla, Sarala; Niyogi, S K; Rahman, Mustafizur; Watanabe, Haruo; Nair, G Balakrish; Sack, David A

2004-10-01

The aim of the present study was to determine the clonal relationships of ciprofloxacin-resistant Shigella dysenteriae type 1 strains isolated from south Asia, and S. dysenteriae 1 strains associated with epidemics in 1978, 1984 and 1994. The antimicrobial susceptibilities were examined by NCCLS methods. Molecular epidemiological characterization was performed by plasmid profiling, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and mutation analysis of the quinolone resistance-determining region (QRDR) of gyrA by sequencing. Plasmid patterns of the current ciprofloxacin-resistant strains from India, Nepal and Bangladesh were very similar to those of the 1978, 1984 and 1994 epidemic isolates of S. dysenteriae 1, except for the presence of a new plasmid of approximately 2.6 MDa, which was found in one recent ciprofloxacin-resistant strain isolated in Bangladesh. PFGE analysis showed that the ciprofloxacin-resistant strains isolated in Bangladesh, India and Nepal belonged to a PFGE type (type A), which was possibly related to that of the 1984 and 1994 clone of S. dysenteriae 1, but different from 1978 epidemic strains. The current ciprofloxacin-resistant strains belong to five subtypes (A3-A7), all of which were found in India, but in Bangladesh and Nepal, only A3 existed. Mutation analysis of the QRDR of gyrA revealed that amino acid substitutions at positions 83 and 87 of ciprofloxacin-resistant strains isolated in Bangladesh were similar to those of the strains isolated in Nepal, but different (at position 87) from ciprofloxacin-resistant strains isolated in India. PFGE and mutation analysis of gyrA showed differences between the current ciprofloxacin-resistant S. dysenteriae 1 strains isolated in south Asia and those associated with epidemics in 1978, 1984 and 1994.

USSR Report, International Affairs

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-02-28

Pakistan, Iran, Bangladesh, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia , Algeria, the People’s Democratic Republic of South Yemen, and others persuasively...village nestling at the foot of the mountains. 85 He was about 100 years old. More agates, amethysts, and rubies had passed through his hands than you

Reabsorption of returning workers from the Gulf: the Asian experience.

PubMed

Kazi, S

1994-01-01

This study examines trends in return labor migration from the Middle East to South Asia and Southeast Asia. Survey data were used to describe trends in outmigration and socioeconomic characteristics of return migrants and to examine the extent to which return migration is associated with skill level and use of savings and remittances on their return. General trends indicate a decline in outmigration during the late 1980s and early 1990s, after oil prices dropped in 1986. Migrants from Pakistan and Korea declined by half during 1981-85 and by 40% among Indian migrants. The demand for service workers and migrants willing to accept cuts in wages was unaffected. Outmigration from Southeast Asian countries grew in the recent past. These increases were due to the replacement of workers from Jordan and Yemen who were expelled from Saudi Arabia after the Gulf crisis. The shift in occupational demand to service and higher level workers is expected to weaken migration from Pakistan and Bangladesh and to strengthen migration from Sri Lanka and other Southeast Asian countries with a skilled migrant labor force. Outmigration from Southeast Asian countries increased to high-growth destination countries such as Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore. Socioeconomic characteristics of migrants varied by country of origin. For instance, Philippine migrants were better educated. Migrants from Thailand, Bangladesh, and Pakistan were from rural and impoverished areas. Sri Lanka and the Philippines had many women migrants. Return migrants encountered high unemployment. Return migrants to Korea had fewer reemployment problems. Reemployment was associated with local country conditions. Unskilled workers had the highest rates of unemployment. Savings tended to be invested in real estate and housing. Savings and investment from remittance income was high in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Thailand.

76 FR 59495 - Presidential Determination on Major Illicit Drug Transit or Major Illicit Drug Producing...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-26

..., Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Laos, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. A... provinces, are through Iran to Turkey and Western Europe; through Pakistan to Africa, Asia, and the Middle... of opium poppy cultivated in Pakistan is much less than Afghanistan, the country continues to qualify...

Minimum Nuclear Deterrence Postures in South Asia: An Overview

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-10-01

states in May 1998, India and Pakistan both espoused nuclear restraint. Their senior officials soon embraced the language of "minimum credible...Air Force and Army. India’s longer-range nuclear-capable missiles such as the Agni, however, are still in the research and development process under...explained in Appendix A, Pakistan continued between 1991 and 1998 to enrich uranium to low- enriched (LEU) levels. Since enrichment is an iterative process

The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the peer-delivered Thinking Healthy Programme for perinatal depression in Pakistan and India: the SHARE study protocol for randomised controlled trials.

PubMed

Sikander, Siham; Lazarus, Anisha; Bangash, Omer; Fuhr, Daniela C; Weobong, Benedict; Krishna, Revathi N; Ahmad, Ikhlaq; Weiss, Helen A; Price, LeShawndra; Rahman, Atif; Patel, Vikram

2015-11-25

Rates of perinatal depression (antenatal and postnatal depression) in South Asia are among the highest in the world. The delivery of effective psychological treatments for perinatal depression through existing health systems is a challenge due to a lack of human resources. This paper reports on a trial protocol that aims to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the Thinking Healthy Programme delivered by peers (Thinking Healthy Programme Peer-delivered; THPP), for women with moderate to severe perinatal depression in rural and urban settings in Pakistan and India. THPP is evaluated with two randomised controlled trials: a cluster trial in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, and an individually randomised trial in Goa, India. Trial participants are pregnant women who are registered with the lady health workers in the study area in Pakistan and pregnant women attending outpatient antenatal clinics in India. They will be screened using the patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depression symptoms and will be eligible if their PHQ-9 is equal to or greater than 10 (PHQ-9 ≥ 10). The sample size will be 560 and 280 women in Pakistan and India, respectively. Women in the intervention arm (THPP) will be offered ten individual and four group sessions (Pakistan) or 6-14 individual sessions (India) delivered by a peer (defined as a mother from the same community who is trained and supervised in delivering the intervention). Women in the control arm (enhanced usual care) will receive health care as usual, enhanced by providing the gynaecologist or primary-health facilities with adapted WHO mhGAP guidelines for depression treatment, and providing the woman with her diagnosis and information on how to seek help for herself. The primary outcomes are remission and severity of depression symptoms at the 6-month postnatal follow-up. Secondary outcomes include remission and severity of depression symptoms at the 3-month postnatal follow-up, functional disability, perceived social support, breastfeeding rates, infant height and weight, and costs of health care at the 3- and 6-month postnatal follow-ups. The primary analysis will be intention-to-treat. The trials have the potential to strengthen the evidence on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an evidence-based psychological treatment recommended by the World Health Organisation and delivered by peers for perinatal depression. The trials have the unique opportunity to overcome the shortage of human resources in global mental health and may advance our understanding about the use of peers who work in partnership with the existing health systems in low-resource settings. Pakistan Trial: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02111915 (9 April 2014) India Trial: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02104232 (1 April 2014).

India's population in transition.

PubMed

Visaria, L; Visaria, P

1995-10-01

This demographic profile of India addresses fertility, family planning, and economic issues. India is described as a country shifting from economic policies of self-reliance to active involvement in international trade. Wealth has increased, particularly at higher educational levels, yet 25% still live below the official poverty line and almost 66% of Indian women are illiterate. The government program in family planning, which was instituted during the early 1950s, did not change the rate of natural increase, which remained stable at 2.2% over the past 30 years. 1993 marked the first time the growth rate decline to under 2%. The growth rate in 1995 was 1.9%. The total population is expected double in 36 years. Only Nigeria, Pakistan, and Bangladesh had a higher growth rate and higher fertility in 1995. India is geographically diverse (with the northern Himalayan mountain zone, the central alluvial plains, the western desert region, and the southern peninsula with forest, mountains, and plains). There are regional differences in the fertility rates, which range from replacement level in Kerala and Goa to 5.5 children in Uttar Pradesh. Fertility is expected to decline throughout India due to the slower pace of childbearing among women over the age of 35 years, the increase in contraceptive use, and increases in marriage age. Increased educational levels in India and its state variations are related to lower fertility. Literacy campaigns are considered to be effective means of increasing the educational levels of women. Urbanization is not expected to markedly affect fertility levels. Urban population, which is concentrated in a few large cities, remains a small proportion of total population. Greater shifts are evident in the transition from agriculture to other wage labor. Fertility is expected to decline as women's share of labor force activity increases. The major determinant of fertility decline in India is use of family planning, which has improved in access and use during the 1980s. If India is to keep a stable population under 1.6 billion in the future, Indians may have to accept only one child per family.

75 FR 42164 - Notice of Final Determination Updating the List of Products Requiring Federal Contractor...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-20

..., Pakistan. Charcoal Brazil. Coal Pakistan. Coca (stimulant plant) Colombia. Cocoa Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria... Argentina, India, Thailand. Gold Burkina Faso. Granite Nigeria. Gravel (crushed stones) Nigeria. Pornography...

Health effects of particulate air pollution and airborne desert dust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lelieveld, J.; Pozzer, A.; Giannadaki, D.; Fnais, M.

2013-12-01

Air pollution by fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has increased strongly with industrialization and urbanization. In the past decades this increase has taken place at a particularly high pace in South and East Asia. We estimate the premature mortality and the years of human life lost (YLL) caused by anthropogenic PM2.5 and airborne desert dust (DU2.5) on regional and national scales (Giannadaki et al., 2013; Lelieveld et al., 2013). This is based on high-resolution global model calculations that resolve urban and industrial regions in relatively great detail. We apply an epidemiological health impact function and find that especially in large countries with extensive suburban and rural populations, air pollution-induced mortality rates have been underestimated given that previous studies largely focused on the urban environment. We calculate a global premature mortality by anthropogenic aerosols of 2.2 million/year (YLL ≈ 16 million/year) due to lung cancer and cardiopulmonary disease. High mortality rates by PM2.5 are found in China, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Indonesia. Desert dust DU2.5 aerosols add about 0.4 million/year (YLL ≈ 3.6 million/year). Particularly significant mortality rates by DU2.5 occur in Pakistan, China and India. The estimated global mean per capita mortality caused by airborne particulates is about 0.1%/year (about two thirds of that caused by tobacco smoking). We show that the highest premature mortality rates are found in the Southeast Asia and Western Pacific regions (about 25% and 46% of the global rate, respectively) where more than a dozen of the most highly polluted megacities are located. References: Giannadaki, D., A. Pozzer, and J. Lelieveld, Modeled global effects of airborne desert dust on air quality and premature mortality, Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss. (submitted), 2013. Lelieveld, J., C. Barlas, D. Giannadaki, and A. Pozzer, Model calculated global, regional and megacity premature mortality due to air pollution by ozone and fine particulate matter, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 7023-7037, 2013.

Malaria successes and challenges in Asia.

PubMed

Bhatia, Rajesh; Rastogi, Rakesh Mani; Ortega, Leonard

2013-12-01

Asia ranks second to Africa in terms of malaria burden. In 19 countries of Asia, malaria is endemic and 2.31 billion people or 62% of the total population in these countries are at risk of malaria. In 2010, WHO estimated around 34.8 million cases and 45,600 deaths due to malaria in Asia. In 2011, 2.7 million cases and > 2000 deaths were reported. India, Indonesia, Myanmar and Pakistan are responsible for >85% of the reported cases (confirmed) and deaths in Asia. In last 10 yr, due to availability of donor's fund specially from Global fund, significant progress has been made by the countries in Asia in scaling-up malaria control interventions which were instrumental in reducing malaria morbidity and mortality significantly. There is a large heterogeneity in malaria epidemiology in Asia. As a result, the success in malaria control/elimination is also diverse. As compared to the data of the year 2000, out of 19 malaria endemic countries, 12 countries were able to reduce malaria incidence (microscopically confirmed cases only) by 75%. Two countries, namely Bangladesh and Malaysia are projected to reach 75% reduction by 2015 while India is projected to reach 50-75% only by 2015. The trend could not be assessed in four countries, namely Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan and Timor-Leste due to insufficient consistent data. Numerous key challenges need to be addressed to sustain the gains and eliminate malaria in most parts of Asia. Some of these are to control the spread of resistance in Plasmodium falciparum to artemisinin, control of outdoor transmission, control of vivax malaria and ensuring universal coverage of key interventions. Asia has the potential to influence the malaria epidemiology all over the world as well as to support the global efforts in controlling and eliminating malaria through production of quality-assured ACTs, RDTs and long-lasting insecticidal nets.

Climate Change: U.S.-China Partnership for Global Security

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-01

our best traditions – find common ground to move the country forward, keep our country safe and strong, and lay the groundwork for decades of...only can this be dangerous to the region in view of Indian on-going conflict with Pakistan . India is but one example of the widespread impact that...sustain the lives of nearly 3 billion people in this Southwest Asian region—in People’s Republic of China (PRC), India, and Pakistan . Changes within

Extension of the Caucasus Seismic Information Network Study into Central Asia

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk test site in Kazakhstan, Lop Nor in China, Pokharan in India, and Chagai in Pakistan, as well as for several peaceful... Semipalatinsk test site in Kazakhstan, Lop Nor in China, Pokharan in India, and Chagai in Pakistan, and several peaceful nuclear explosion (PNE) events...truth in tomography studies. Figures 5 and 6 show waveforms for a nuclear explosion at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan and for a

The Relationship between Body Mass Index in Pregnancy and Adverse Maternal, Perinatal, and Neonatal Outcomes in Rural India and Pakistan.

PubMed

Short, Vanessa L; Geller, Stacie E; Moore, Janet L; McClure, Elizabeth M; Goudar, Shivaprasad S; Dhaded, Sangappa M; Kodkany, Bhalachandra S; Saleem, Sarah; Naqvi, Farnaz; Pasha, Omrana; Goldenberg, Robert L; Patel, Archana B; Hibberd, Patricia L; Garces, Ana L; Koso-Thomas, Marion; Miodovnik, Menachem; Wallace, Dennis D; Derman, Richard J

2018-01-24

 The objective of this study was to describe the relationship between early pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and maternal, perinatal, and neonatal outcomes in rural India and Pakistan.  In a prospective, population-based pregnancy registry implemented in communities in Thatta, Pakistan and Nagpur and Belagavi, India, we obtained women's BMI prior to 12 weeks' gestation (categorized as underweight, normal, overweight, and obese following World Health Organization criteria). Outcomes were assessed 42 days postpartum.  The proportion of women with an adverse maternal outcome increased with increasing maternal BMI. Less than one-third of nonoverweight/nonobese women, 47.2% of overweight women, and 56.0% of obese women experienced an adverse maternal outcome. After controlling for site, maternal age and parity, risks of hypertensive disease/severe preeclampsia/eclampsia, cesarean/assisted delivery, and antibiotic use were higher among women with higher BMIs. Overweight women also had significantly higher risk of perinatal and early neonatal mortality compared with underweight/normal BMI women. Overweight women had a significantly higher perinatal mortality rate.  High BMI in early pregnancy was associated with increased risk of adverse maternal, perinatal, and neonatal outcomes in rural India and Pakistan. These findings present an opportunity to inform efforts for women to optimize weight prior to conception to improve pregnancy outcomes. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Climate Variability over India and Bangladesh from the Perturbed UK Met Office Hadley Model: Impacts on Flow and Nutrient Fluxes in the Ganges Delta System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitehead, P. G.; Caesar, J.; Crossman, J.; Barbour, E.; Ledesma, J.; Futter, M. N.

2015-12-01

A semi-distributed flow and water quality model (INCA- Integrated Catchments Model) has been set up for the whole of the Ganges- Brahmaputra- Meghna (GBM) River system in India and Bangladesh. These massive rivers transport large fluxes of water and nutrients into the Bay of Bengal via the GBM Delta system in Bangladesh. Future climate change will impact these fluxes with changing rainfall, temperature, evapotranspiration and soil moisture deficits being altered in the catchment systems. In this study the INCA model has been used to assess potential impacts of climate change using the UK Met Office Hadley Centre GCM model linked to a regionally coupled model of South East Asia, covering India and Bangladesh. The Hadley Centre model has been pururbed by varying the parameters in the model to generate 17 realisations of future climates. Some of these reflect expected change but others capture the more extreme potential behaviour of future climate conditions. The 17 realisations have been used to drive the INCA Flow and Nitrogen model inorder to generate downstream times series of hydrology and nitrate- nitrogen. The variability of the climates on these fluxes are investigated and and their likley impact on the Bay of Begal Delta considered. Results indicate a slight shift in the monsoon season with increased wet season flows and increased temperatures which alter nutrient fluxes. Societal Importance to Stakeholders The GBM Delta supports one of the most densely populated regions of people living in poverty, who rely on ecosystem services provided by the Delta for survival. These ecosystem services are dependent upon fluxes of water and nutrients. Freshwater for urban, agriculture, and aquaculture requirements are essential to livelihoods. Nutrient loads stimulate estuarine ecosystems, supporting fishing stocks, which contribute significantly the economy of Bangladesh. Thus the societal importance of upstream climate driven change change in Bangladesh are very significant to many stakeholders in Bangladesh at the local, regional and national levels.

To sell or not sell: Assessments of Bangladesh hydrocarbons

USGS Publications Warehouse

Milici, Robert C.; Warwick, Peter D.; Attanasi, Emil D.; Wandrey, Craig J.

2002-01-01

A decision by the government of Bangladesh to sell or not sell some of its natural gas reserves to neighboring countries in South Asia will be important in determining the economic future of Bangladesh, a country with an area about equal to Wisconsin.Bangladesh is a country of 150 million people, many of whom live at or below the poverty line. It is situated almost entirely on the great low-lying delta of the Ganges and Brahmaputra River systems. Folded Tertiary strata that form hill tracts in easternmost Bangladesh, adjacent India, and Myanmar provide a little relief above a monotonous deltaic terrain (Fig. 1).

75 FR 29884 - Implementation of Changes from the 2009 Annual Review of the Entity List

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-28

..., Pakistan, Russia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates. Entities listed under the destinations of Armenia... the remaining seven destinations: China, India, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, Syria, and the United Arab...

NASA Spacecraft Images Severe Flooding in South Asia

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-09-27

NASA Terra spacecraft captured this image of the city of Jhudo, Pakistan, and surrounding countryside on Sept. 24, 2011. Torrential monsoon rains in south Asia have displaced hundreds of thousands of residents in India, Pakistan and Thailand.

Homology difference analysis of invasive mealybug species Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley in Southern China with COI gene sequence variability.

PubMed

Wu, F Z; Ma, J; Hu, X N; Zeng, L

2015-02-01

The mealybug species Phenacoccus solenopsis (P. solenopsis) has caused much agricultural damage since its recent invasion in China. However, the source of this invasion remains unclear. This study uses molecular methods to clarify the relationships among different population of P. solenopsis from China, USA, Pakistan, India, and Vietnam to determine the geographic origin of the introduction of this species into China. P. solenopsis samples were collected from 25 different locations in three provinces of Southern China. Samples from the USA, Pakistan, and Vietnam were also obtained. Parts of the mitochondrial genes for cytochrome oxidase I (COI) were sequenced for each sample. Homologous DNA sequences of the samples from the USA and India were downloaded from Gen Bank. Two haplotypes were found in China. The first was from most samples from the Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan populations in the China and Pakistan groups, and the second from a few samples from the Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan populations in the China, Pakistan, India, and Vietnam groups. As shown in the maximum likelihood of trees constructed using the COI sequences, these samples belonged to two clades. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that most P. solenopsis mealybugs in Southern China are probably closely related to populations in Pakistan. The variation, relationship, expansion, and probable geographic origin of P. solenopsis mealybugs in Southern China are also discussed.

Does Measles Vaccination Reduce the Risk of Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) and Diarrhea in Children: A Multi-Country Study?

PubMed

Bawankule, Rahul; Singh, Abhishek; Kumar, Kaushalendra; Shetye, Sadanand

2017-01-01

Pneumonia and diarrhea occur either as complications or secondary infections in measles affected children. So, the integrated Global Action Plan for Pneumonia and Diarrhea (GAPPD) by WHO and UNICEF includes measles vaccination as preventive measure in children. The objective of the study is to examine the effect of measles vaccination on Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) and diarrhea in children in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan. We analyzed data from the most recent rounds of Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) in the selected countries. We included children age 12-59 months in the analysis. We used multivariable binary logistic regression to examine the effect of measles vaccination on ARI and diarrhea in children. We also estimated Vaccination Effectiveness (VE). More than 60 percent of the children age 12-59 months were given measles vaccine before the survey in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, India and Pakistan. Children who were given the measles vaccine were less likely to suffer from ARI than unvaccinated children in India and Pakistan. Children who were given the measles vaccine had a lower risk of diarrhea than those who did not receive it in all the selected countries except Ethiopia. Measles vaccination was associated with reduction in ARI cases by 15-30 percent in India and Pakistan, and diarrhea cases by 12-22 percent in the Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Nigeria and Pakistan. The receipt of the measles vaccine was associated with decrease in ARI and diarrhea in children. The immunization program must ensure that each child gets the recommended doses of measles vaccine at the appropriate age. The measles vaccination should be given more attention as a preventive intervention under the Global Action Plan for Pneumonia and Diarrhea (GAPPD) in all low and middle-income countries.

Prevalence of arthritis in India and Pakistan: a review.

PubMed

Akhter, Ehtisham; Bilal, Saira; Kiani, Adnan; Haque, Uzma

2011-07-01

Recent studies of rheumatoid arthritis worldwide suggest that prevalence of arthritis is higher in Europe and North America than in developing countries. Prevalence data for major arthritis disorders have been compiled in West for several decades, but figures from the third world are just emerging. A coordinated effort by WHO and ILAR (International League Against Rheumatism) has resulted in collecting data for countries like Philippines, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, and rural South Africa but the information about prevalence of arthritis in India and Pakistan is scarce. Since both countries, i.e., India and Pakistan, share some ethnic identity, we reviewed published literature to examine the prevalence of arthritis in these countries. Medline and Pubmed were searched for suitable articles about arthritis from 1980 and onwards. Findings from these articles were reviewed and summarized. The prevalence, clinical features, and laboratory findings of rheumatoid arthritis are compiled for both India and Pakistan. Data collected from these two countries were compared with each other, and some of the characteristics of the disease were compared with Europe and North America. It is found to be quite similar to developed countries. Additionally, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is of different variety than reported in West. It is more of polyarticular onset type while in West pauciarticular predominates. Additionally, in systemic onset, JRA uveitis and ANA are common finding in developed countries; on the other hand, they are hardly seen in this region. Although the prevalence of arthritis in Pakistan and India is similar to Western countries, there are inherent differences (clinical features, laboratory findings) in the presentation of disease. The major strength of the study is that it is the first to pool reports to provide an estimate of the disease in the Indian subcontinent. Scarcity of data is one of the major limitations. This study helps to understand the pattern of disease in this part of country that can be stepping-stone for policy makers to draft policies that can affect target population more appropriately.

Prevalence of food allergies in South Asia.

PubMed

Arakali, Schweta R; Green, Todd D; Dinakar, Chitra

2017-01-01

To evaluate the published medical literature on the prevalence and types of food allergies in South Asia. A PubMed search was performed using the keywords India and food allergy, Asia and food allergy, and South Asia and food allergy for any period. Articles cited in selected studies were reviewed for their appropriateness of inclusion into this review. Publications were included that were original research and fit the topic of food allergy and South Asia. South Asia is defined as region inclusive of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. A total of 169 articles were initially identified, and 47 were reviewed in detail for inclusion in this review. The primary focus was placed on 10 studies that consisted of case reports of newly reported or documented food allergy, survey studies that investigated food allergy prevalence in specific demographics, and prospective and cross-sectional studies with case controls, all of which investigated food allergy prevalence by allergy testing in a selected population. The medical literature on the prevalence and types of food allergy in South Asia indicates that there is a variety of unusual and unique allergens and an overall low incidence of food allergy. There is also an association of increased food allergy prevalence in individuals who live in metropolitan regions or who migrate to communities that have adopted westernization. Copyright © 2016 American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interseismic deformation at the leading edge of obliquely converging Burmese plate in densely populated Bangladesh.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akhter, S. H.; Steckler, M. S.; Seeber, L.; Mondal, D. R.; Goodbred, S. L., Jr.

2016-12-01

Densely populated Bangladesh sits at the juncture of 3-tectonic plates, India to the west and southwest, Eurasia to the north and non-rigid Burma platelet to the east. Moreover, the plate boundary between India and Burma passes through Bangladesh - the eastern part belongs to Burma plate while the western part belongs to Indian plate. Eastern Bangladesh, northeastern India and western Myanmar is characterized by the up to 250 km wide and 1400 km long Indo-Burma fold and thrust belt resulting from the oblique convergence of India-Burma plates. The northern extension of the Sumatra-Andaman subduction zone evolved from typical oceanic subduction in the Paleogene to the present subaerial subduction of the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta. Subduction of the thick sedimentary pile has created the broad accretionary prism that prograding westward in Bangladesh. The deformation front runs near the low elevation Meghna estuary to the south and Sylhet marshes to the north. It is further demarcated by the westernmost buried anticlines of the fold and thrust belt, the Shahbazpur, Muladi, Kamta structures west of the Meghna River and Chatak structure in Sylhet. This position is reinforced by variations in the depth of the Holocene/Pleistocene boundary from shallow drilling. Recent GPS analysis demonstrates that the Indo-Burman subduction in deltaic Bangladesh is still active with convergence of 13 to 17 mm/y and that the décollement beneath the fold-thrust belt is locked (Steckler et. al., 2016). A megathrust earthquake occurred along Chittagong-Arakan coast in 1762 and a great earthquake in Upper Assam in 1548 brought remarkable changes in topography of these regions. A seismic gap exists between these two regions, i.e., in the Chittagong-Sylhet segment. The amount of elastic energy that has been stored in this seismic gap for at least 400 years is likely to slip >6m of the megathrust with a potential earthquake of Mw 8.2+ although it is unknown if the megathrust is seismogenic up to the deformation front.

Improving management of type 2 diabetes in South Asian patients: a systematic review of intervention studies

PubMed Central

Bhurji, N; Javer, J; Gasevic, D; Khan, N A

2016-01-01

Objectives Optimal control of type 2 diabetes is challenging in many patient populations including in South Asian patients. We systematically reviewed studies on the effect of diabetes management interventions targeted at South Asian patients with type 2 diabetes on glycaemic control. Design Systematic review of MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL databases for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and pre-post-test studies (January 1990 to February 2014). Studies were stratified by where interventions were conducted (South Asia vs Western countries). Participants Patients originating from Pakistan, Bangladesh or India with type 2 diabetes. Primary outcome Change in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c). Secondary end points included change in blood pressure, lipid levels, anthropomorphics and knowledge. Results 23 studies (15 RCTs) met criteria for analysis with 7 from Western countries (n=2532) and 16 from South Asia (n=1081). Interventions in Western countries included translated diabetes education, additional clinical care, written materials, visual aids, and bilingual community-based peers and/or health professionals. Interventions conducted in South Asia included yoga, meditation or exercise, community-based peers, health professionals and dietary education (cooking exercises). Among RCTs in India (5 trials; n=390), 4 demonstrated significant reductions in HbA1c in the intervention group compared with usual care (yoga and exercise interventions). Among the 4 RCTs conducted in Europe (n=2161), only 1 study, an education intervention of 113 patients, reported a significant reduction in HbA1c with the intervention. Lipids, blood pressure and knowledge improved in both groups with studies from India more often reporting reductions in body mass index and waist circumference. Conclusions Overall, there was little improvement in HbA1c level in diabetes management interventions targeted at South Asians living in Europe compared with usual care, although other outcomes did improve. The smaller studies in India demonstrated significant improvements in glycaemic and other end points. Novel strategies are needed to improve glycaemic control in South Asians living outside of India. PMID:27098819

Colonialism, Education and Rural Buddhist Communities in Bangladesh

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barua, Bijoy

2007-01-01

This paper will excavate pre-independence (British/Pakistan) and post-independence colonial education interventions into Buddhist culture and education with the view to expose the nature and shape of colonial domination and related Buddhist efforts at cultural and educational decolonization. This will be accomplished by (a) considering a brief…

Introduction and evolution of dengue virus type 2 in Pakistan: a phylogeographic analysis.

PubMed

Akram, Madiha; Fatima, Zareen; Purdy, Mike A; Sue, Amanda; Saleem, Sana; Amin, Irum; Shahid, Muhammad; Idrees, Muhammad; Nawaz, Rabia

2015-09-22

Pattern of Dengue periodic epidemics through the years along with sporadic cases of Dengue hemorrhagic fever followed by a severe 2011 epidemic of Dengue fever in Pakistan make Pakistan a Dengue endemic country. To study the entry and evolution of dengue virus serotype 2 (DENV-2) in Pakistan, we sequenced three full length genomes and 24 complete envelope sequences of DENV-2 from the years 2010, 2011 and 2013 collected from Punjab province of Pakistan. Phylogenetic and Bayesian phylogeographic analyses was applied to three full genome sequences as well as 24 envelope sequences to study the spatiotemporal dynamics of DENV-2 in Pakistan. Most of the DENV-2 viruses from the years 2008 to 2013 formed a monophyletic Pakistani clade in IVb sublineage of cosmopolitan genotype except one 2008 DENV-2 strain. Phylogeographic analysis revealed that this 2008 DENV-2 strain was rooted to India 25.4 years ago with a location probability of 0.88. However Pakistani clade rooted back to Sri Lanka 12.6 years ago with a location probability of 0.57. DENV-2 genotype IV was introduced in Pakistan in two time events. First event was introduction from India to Pakistan in the late 1980s (around 1986), and second event was introduction from Sri Lanka to Pakistan around 2000. The later introduction event was responsible for major outbreaks in the Punjab region of Pakistan, including major 2011 outbreak. After the second Introduction event, DENV-2 circulated locally in the region forming a distinct Sublineage within the IVb cosmopolitan genotype of DENV-2.

Floods in Northeast India and Bangladesh

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

For the past two weeks floods have ravaged Bangladesh (center) and eastern India (draped around Bangladesh to the north), killing over 50 people and displacing hundreds of thousands from their homes. These false-color images acquired on July 15 and 16, 2002, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Terra satellite show some of the worst flooding. The dark brown, swollen river in the images (top right on July 16; center on July 15) is the Brahmaputra River, which flows through the middle of the Indian state of Assam at the foothills of the Himalaya Mountains. A large, black area south of the Brahmaputra (partially obscured by clouds) shows flooded areas in Bangladesh. Floods of this magnitude have been known to occur in southern Bangladesh and are caused by storms washing seawater over coastal regions. This year, however, unrelenting torrential rains across the entire eastern sub-continent gave rise to the deluge. The massive amounts of rainwater that fell on Nepal and Assam drained into an already waterlogged eastern Bangladesh. Normally, the Brahmaputra River and its tributaries would resemble a tangle of thin lines, and the large black patches in Bangladesh would be the color of the rest of the land surface, tan. In these false-color images, land is tan, and clouds are pink and white. Water comes across as black or dark brown, depending on its sediment level, with clearer water being closer to black. Credit: Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

Molecular marker based characterization and genetic diversity of wheat genotypes in relation to boron efficiency

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Boron deficient soils pose a critical problem to wheat production in many areas of the world including Bangladesh and causes significant yield reduction. Therefore, in the present study, 21 diverse wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes collected from three different countries (Bangladesh, India, a...

Stratigraphic response and mammalian dispersal during initial India-Asia collision: Evidence from the Ghazij Formation, Balochistan, Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clyde, William C.; Khan, Intizar H.; Gingerich, Philip D.

2003-12-01

Initial continental collision between India and Asia is thought to have caused significant changes to global climate and biota, yet its timing and biogeographic consequences are uncertain. Structural and geophysical evidence indicates initial collision during the early Paleogene, but sedimentary evidence of this has been controversial owing to the intense deformation and metamorphism along the suture zone. Modern orders of mammals that appeared abruptly on northern continents coincident with the global warming event marking the Paleocene-Eocene boundary are hypothesized to have originated on the Indian subcontinent, but no relevant paleontological information has been available to test this idea. Here we present new paleomagnetic, sedimentologic, and paleontologic evidence to show that the lower Eocene Ghazij Formation of western Pakistan records continental sedimentation and mammalian dispersal associated with initial India-Asia collision. Our results are consistent with the initial collision occurring near the Paleocene-Eocene boundary, but modern orders of mammals appeared later in Indo-Pakistan and thus did not likely originate on the Indian subcontinent.

The epidemic of HIV/AIDS in developing countries; the current scenario in Pakistan.

PubMed

Yousaf, Muhammad Z; Zia, Sadia; Babar, Masroor E; Ashfaq, Usman A

2011-08-12

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency virus) causes (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) AIDS, in which the immune system of body totally fails to develop any defense against the foreign invaders. Infection with HIV occurs by transfer of blood, semen, and breast milk. HIV/AIDS is a global problem and it results nearly 25 million deaths worldwide. Developing countries like Pakistan have issues regarding Public Health. Currently, epidemic of HIV/AIDS is established in Pakistan and there is a threat of an expanded HIV/AIDS outbreak in the country. The major reason is that population is engaging in high-risk practices, low awareness about HIV/AIDS, and treacherous blood transfusion practices. A supplementary threat to Pakistan is India because both sharing a border and India is facing a rapidly growing HIV/AIDS epidemic. Local NGOs, National and International organizations are warning that in near future Pakistan may experiences bad situation regarding HIV/AIDS.In the present article we focused current situation of surveillance of HIV/AIDS, its virology, genotype, diagnostics, high-risk groups, reasons of vulnerability in Pakistani population, and the role of different national and international organizations in this situation.

Identification and molecular characterization of a new recombinant begomovirus and associated betasatellite DNA infecting Capsicum annuum in India.

PubMed

Bhatt, Bhavin S; Chahwala, Fenisha D; Rathod, Sangeeta; Singh, Achuit K

2016-05-01

Capsicum annuum (Chilli) is a perennial herbaceous plant that is cultivated as an annual crop throughout the world, including India. Chilli leaf curl disease (ChiLCD) is a major biotic constraint, causing major losses in chilli production. During 2014, leaf samples of chilli plants displaying leaf curl disease were collected from the Ahmedabad district of Gujarat, India. These samples were used to isolate, clone and sequence viral genomic DNA and an associated betasatellite DNA molecule. Sequence analysis showed 90.4 % nucleotide sequence identity to the previously reported chilli leaf curl virus-[India:Guntur:2009] (ChiLCV-[IN:Gun:09]. As per ICTV nomenclature rules, ChiLCV-Ahm represents a new species of begomovirus, and we therefore propose the name chilli leaf curl Ahmedabad virus-[India:Ahmedabad:2014] (ChiLCAV-[IN:Ahm:14]). The associated betasatellite DNA showed a maximum of 93.5 % nucleotide sequence identity to a previously reported tomato leaf curl Bangladesh betasatellite and may be named tomato leaf curl Bangladesh betasatellite-[India:Ahmedabad:Chilli:2014].

Strengthening policy research on infant and young child feeding: An imperative to support countries in scaling up impact on nutrition.

PubMed

Menon, Purnima; Thow, Anne Marie

2017-06-13

Enabling policy environments for nutrition require require evidence to support best practice and engagement with political and policy contexts, as well as leadership, resourcing, advocacy, and technical support. However, research on nutrition policy contexts is limited. The papers in this special supplement on policy contexts for infant and young child feeding (IYCF) in South Asia makes a valuable contribution to understanding the policy landscape and political dynamics in the region and the global literature. Studies included in this special supplement analyzed policy content and stakeholder influence on IYCF in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and assess the role of advocacy in addressing multiple elements of the policy environment. These analyses highlight opportunities to harmonize and manage the demands and interests of multiple actors while strengthening policy to strategically support optimal IYCF as the ultimate goal. They also provide robust examples of research on policy environments and policy change. Further investments in research on policy contexts for nutrition can help to understand and support continued progress towards improved actions for nutrition.

Health promotion in South East Asia.

PubMed

Mir, N S

1998-01-01

The countries of the South East Asia region, which includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, Pakistan, Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, have undertaken a variety of strategies to address the health challenges in the region. The ever-growing pressure of population in the region has allowed rapid transmission of communicable diseases like malaria, tuberculosis (TB), leprosy, and HIV/AIDS. One of the innovative community-based health initiatives in response to this problem is Indonesia's Primary Health Care Project. This project aimed to develop a sustainable health infrastructure by training medical staff, coordinators, village cadres, midwives and those working for TB programs; provision of ongoing guidance and education in this area; and provision of medicines and funds. The project has pioneered a process towards positive changes. Another strategy is the collaboration of youth groups, island development committees, and health workers in Maldives which has led to the declaration of two islands (Madifushi and Haa Alif Berinmadhoo) as 'no smoking' islands. In addition, Sarvodaya has successfully developed a methodology to involve Buddhist monks in AIDS prevention and control through "the Buddhist approach to AIDS prevention in Sri Lanka."

Oil jobs have big impact on heavily populated Middle East.

PubMed

Omran, A R; Roudi, F

1993-09-01

Labor force interdependence creates a complex pattern among countries in the Middle East. Oil-rich countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates) must import two-thirds of their labor force, including 80% of their professional and technical workers. These migrant workers come from Egypt (60%), Jordan, Yemen, Sudan, and South Asia, and the money they send home is a major factor in the economies of their native lands. Many Arabs who are considered foreign laborers have spent their entire lives, or have even been born, in the oil-rich countries; they have no hope of attaining citizenship. South Asians compete with Arabs for work in the Gulf States and tend to accept less-desirable jobs and lower wages. South Asian workers migrate from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Korea, the Philippines, and Thailand. Middle Eastern women have social constraints on labor force participation, and most of the women working n the Gulf States are Asian; they often work as domestics. The women of the Middle East are an untapped resource for this labor market.

Global risk of pharmaceutical contamination from highly populated developing countries.

PubMed

Rehman, Muhammad Saif Ur; Rashid, Naim; Ashfaq, Muhammad; Saif, Ameena; Ahmad, Nasir; Han, Jong-In

2015-11-01

Global pharmaceutical industry has relocated from the west to Asian countries to ensure competitive advantage. This industrial relocation has posed serious threats to the environment. The present study was carried out to assess the possible pharmaceutical contamination in the environment of emerging pharmaceutical manufacturing countries (Bangladesh, China, India and Pakistan). Although these countries have made tremendous progress in the pharmaceutical sector but most of their industrial units discharge wastewater into domestic sewage network without any treatment. The application of untreated wastewater (industrial and domestic) and biosolids (sewage sludge and manure) in agriculture causes the contamination of surface water, soil, groundwater, and the entire food web with pharmaceutical compounds (PCs), their metabolites and transformed products (TPs), and multidrug resistant microbes. This pharmaceutical contamination in Asian countries poses global risks via product export and international traveling. Several prospective research hypotheses including the development of new analytical methods to monitor these PCs/TPs and their metabolites, highly resistant microbial strains, and mixture toxicity as a consequence of pharmaceutical contamination in these emerging pharmaceutical exporters have also been proposed based on the available literature. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Health burden of skin lesions at low arsenic exposure through groundwater in Pakistan. Is river the source?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fatmi, Zafar, E-mail: zafar.fatmi@aku.edu; Azam, Iqbal; Ahmed, Faiza

2009-07-15

A significant proportion of groundwater in south Asia is contaminated with arsenic. Pakistan has low levels of arsenic in groundwater compared with China, Bangladesh and India. A representative multi-stage cluster survey conducted among 3874 persons {>=}15 years of age to determine the prevalence of arsenic skin lesions, its relation with arsenic levels and cumulative arsenic dose in drinking water in a rural district (population: 1.82 million) in Pakistan. Spot-urine arsenic levels were compared among individuals with and without arsenic skin lesions. In addition, the relation of age, body mass index, smoking status with arsenic skin lesions was determined. The geographicalmore » distribution of the skin lesions and arsenic-contaminated wells in the district were ascertained using global positioning system. The total arsenic, inorganic and organic forms, in water and spot-urine samples were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The prevalence of skin lesions of arsenic was estimated for complex survey design, using surveyfreq and surveylogistic options of SAS 9.1 software.The prevalence of definitive cases i.e. hyperkeratosis of both palms and soles, was 3.4 per 1000 and suspected cases i.e. any sign of arsenic skin lesions (melanosis and/or keratosis), were 13.0 per 1000 among {>=}15-year-old persons in the district. Cumulative arsenic exposure (dose) was calculated from levels of arsenic in water and duration of use of current drinking water source. Prevalence of skin lesions increases with cumulative arsenic exposure (dose) in drinking water and arsenic levels in urine. Skin lesions were 2.5-fold among individuals with BMI <18.5 kg/m{sup 2}. Geographically, more arsenic-contaminated wells and skin lesions were alongside Indus River, suggests a strong link between arsenic contamination of groundwater with proximity to river.This is the first reported epidemiological and clinical evidence of arsenic skin lesions due to groundwater in Pakistan. Further investigations and focal mitigation measures for arsenic may be carried out alongside Indus River.« less

Feasibility of a combined camp approach for vector control together with active case detection of visceral leishmaniasis, post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis, tuberculosis, leprosy and malaria in Bangladesh, India and Nepal: an exploratory study.

PubMed

Banjara, Megha R; Kroeger, Axel; Huda, Mamun M; Kumar, Vijay; Gurung, Chitra K; Das, Murari L; Rijal, Suman; Das, Pradeep; Mondal, Dinesh

2015-06-01

We assessed the feasibility and results of active case detection (ACD) of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) and other febrile diseases as well as of bednet impregnation for vector control. Fever camps were organized and analyzed in twelve VL endemic villages in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. VL, PKDL, tuberculosis, malaria and leprosy were screened among the febrile patients attending the camps, and existing bednets were impregnated with a slow release insecticide. Among the camp attendees one new VL case and two PKDL cases were detected in Bangladesh and one VL case in Nepal. Among suspected tuberculosis cases two were positive in India but none in the other countries. In India, two leprosy cases were found. No malaria cases were detected. Bednet impregnation coverage during fever camps was more than 80% in the three countries. Bednet impregnation led to a reduction of sandfly densities after 2 weeks by 86% and 32%, and after 4 weeks by 95% and 12% in India and Nepal respectively. The additional costs for the control programmes seem to be reasonable. It is feasible to combine ACD camps for VL and PKDL along with other febrile diseases, and vector control with bednet impregnation. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

India-U.S. Relations

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-07-31

military exercises. Discussions of possi- ble sales to India of major U.S.-built weapons systems are ongoing. Continuing U.S. interest in South Asia ...India and Pakistan. The United States also seeks to curtail the proliferation of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in South Asia . Both India and...RL33515, Combat Aircraft Sales to South Asia .) ! Rates of separatist-related violence in India-controlled Kashmir have spiked following a May massacre of

Reimbursement policies in the Asia-Pacific for chronic hepatitis B.

PubMed

Lim, Seng Gee; Amarapurkar, Deepak N; Chan, Henry Lik-Yuen; Crawford, Darrell H; Gane, Edward J; Han, Kwang-Hyub; Ahn, Sang Hoon; Jafri, Wasim; Jia, Jidong; Kao, Jia-Horng; Lesmana, Laurentius A; Lesmana, C Rinaldi A; Mohamed, Rosmawati; Phiet, Pham Hoang; Piratvisuth, Teerha; Sarin, Shiv K; Sollarno, Jose D; Eguchi, Yuichiro; Mahtab, Mamun-Al; Lee, Keat Hong

2015-01-01

There is considerable variation in reimbursement policies in Asian countries and this is likely to have an impact on treatment practice for chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Consequently a survey of leading hepatologists was performed to evaluate such policies and their impact on management of CHB in the Asia Pacific region. A questionnaire was sent to key hepatologists in Asia Pacific for information on CHB reimbursement policy-its nature, coverage, funding source, duration, review strategy and impact on Asia Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL) CHB guidelines. The results were analysed and described. Leading hepatologists from 16 Asia Pacific countries responded. Almost all of the countries have reimbursement policies but eligibility varied from only a limited group (e.g. civil servants only) to universal access. In most instances reimbursement was from the central government (except China, Pakistan and Hong Kong). Reimbursement policies were usually created by Ministry of Health committees, who received input from medical professionals, although they may not be aware of the APASL guidelines. Policies were limited by available resources, funds and prioritization. Where there was a regular review this occurred between 1 and 5 years. The quantum of reimbursement varied from 50% in Singapore to 100% in the majority of other countries. The criteria for treatment reimbursement were based on doctor's opinion alone (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam) or specific clinical/laboratory criteria in the rest of the countries. In general, most countries offered unlimited duration for reimbursement except Taiwan, Indonesia and Pakistan. Monitoring tests for treatment response were reimbursed in all countries other than Vietnam. Viral resistance was diagnosed by viral or biochemical breakthrough, and viral resistance testing was uncommon. The main rescue therapy was adefovir. Reimbursement policies differed from country to country, the quantum and the proportion of patients who received reimbursement also varied significantly. Asia Pacific countries were able to follow APASL guidelines with variable success based on their reimbursement policies.

Zinc status in South Asian populations--an update.

PubMed

Akhtar, Saeed

2013-06-01

This article attempts to highlight the prevalence of zinc deficiency and its health and economic consequences in South Asian developing countries and to shed light on possible approaches to combating zinc deficiency. A computer-based search was performed on PubMed, Google, and ScienceDirect.com to retrieve relevant scientific literature published between 2000 and 2012. The search yielded 194 articles, of which 71 were culled. Studies were further screened on the basis of population groups, age and sex, pregnancy, and lactation. The most relevant articles were included in the review. Cutoffs for serum zinc concentration defined for zinc deficiency were 65 microg/dL for males and females aged < 10 years, 66 microg/dL for non-pregnant females, and 70 microg/dL for males aged > or = 10 years. Population segments from rural and urban areas of South Asian developing countries were included in the analysis. They comprised pregnant and lactating women, preschool and school children. The analysis reveals that zinc deficiency is high among children, pregnant and lactating women in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Diarrhoea has been established as a leading cause to intensify zinc deficiency in Bangladesh. Little has been done in Sri Lanka and Nepal to estimate the prevalence of zinc deficiency precisely. A substantial population segment of the South Asian developing countries is predisposed to zinc deficiency which is further provoked by increased requirements for zinc under certain physiological conditions. Supplementation, fortification, and dietary diversification are the most viable strategies to enhancing zinc status among various population groups.

Women and ethnic cleansing: a history of Partition in India and Pakistan.

PubMed

Gonzalez Manchon, B

2000-01-01

After the departure of the British, India was divided into a non-Muslim-majority state (India) and a new Muslim-majority entity (Pakistan). This territorial separation of religious communities emerged as the political solution to communal tensions and Muslim claims for a separate state. In this paper, the books ¿Borders and Boundaries: Women in India's Partition¿ by Ritu Menon and Kamla Bhasin and ¿The Other Side of Silence: Voices from the Partition of India¿ by Urvashi Butalia are reviewed. It is noted that these books establish the links between historical Partition events, their dramatic consequences for women, and the reflections of past divisions in the context of more contemporary realities. Overall, from the thoughtful interpretation of the Partition events provided by these books, it is concluded that the division has far from provided appropriate solutions to outstanding problems. It has also been responsible for creating great human distress, but also for inducing the emergence of even more complex issues around the nationalist question.

The effect of El-Niño on South Asian Monsoon and agricultural production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukherjee, A.

2015-12-01

Mukherjee A, Wang S.Y.Abstract:The South Asian Monsoon has a prominent and significant impact on South Asian countries like India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and it is one of the most studied phenomena in the world. The monsoon is historically known to be influenced by El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The inter-annual and inter-decadal variability of seasonal precipitation over India strongly depends upon the ENSO phasing. The average southwest monsoon rainfall received during the years with El Niño was found to be less compared to normal years and the average rainfall during the northeast monsoon is higher in coastal Andhra Pradesh. ENSO is anti-correlated with Indian summer monsoon (ISM). The last prominent effect of ENSO on India's monsoon occurred in 2009 with 23% reduction in annual rainfall, reducing summer sown crops such as rice, sugar cane etc. and pushing up food prices. Climatic resources endowment plays a major role in planning agricultural production in tropical and sub-tropical environment especially under rain-fed agriculture, and so contingent crop planning drawn on this relationship would help to mitigate the effects of ENSO episodes in the region. The unexplored area in this domain of research is the changes in the frequency and intensity of ENSO due to global warming and its impact on ENSO prediction and agricultural management practices. We analyze the last 30 years datasets of Pacific SST, and precipitation and air temperature over Southeast Asia to examine the evolution of ENSO teleconnections with ISM, as well as making estimates of drought indices such as Palmer Drought Severity Index. This research can lead toward better crop management strategies in the South Asian monsoon region.

Autism Spectrum disorders (ASD) in South Asia: a systematic review.

PubMed

Hossain, Mohammad Didar; Ahmed, Helal Uddin; Jalal Uddin, M M; Chowdhury, Waziul Alam; Iqbal, Mohd S; Kabir, Razin Iqbal; Chowdhury, Imran Ahmed; Aftab, Afzal; Datta, Pran Gopal; Rabbani, Golam; Hossain, Saima Wazed; Sarker, Malabika

2017-08-01

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of complex neurodevelopmental disorders. The prevalence of ASD in many South Asian countries is still unknown. The aim of this study was to systematically review available epidemiological studies of ASD in this region to identify gaps in our current knowledge. We searched, collected and evaluated articles published between January 1962 and July 2016 which reported the prevalence of ASD in eight South Asian countries. The search was conducted in line with the PRISMA guidelines. We identified six articles from Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka which met our predefined inclusion criteria. The reported prevalence of ASD in South Asia ranged from 0.09% in India to 1.07% in Sri Lanka that indicates up to one in 93 children have ASD in this region. Alarmingly high prevalence (3%) was reported in Dhaka city. Study sample sizes ranged from 374 in Sri Lanka to 18,480 in India. The age range varied between 1 and 30 years. No studies were found which reported the prevalence of ASD in Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Afghanistan. This review identifies methodological differences in case definition, screening instruments and diagnostic criteria among reported three countries which make it very difficult to compare the studies. Our study is an attempt at understanding the scale of the problem and scarcity of information regarding ASD in the South Asia. This study will contribute to the evidence base needed to design further research and make policy decisions on addressing this issue in this region. Knowing the prevalence of ASD in South Asia is vital to ensure the effective allocation of resources and services.

DNA Barcoding of Bemisia tabaci Complex (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) Reveals Southerly Expansion of the Dominant Whitefly Species on Cotton in Pakistan

PubMed Central

Ashfaq, Muhammad; Hebert, Paul D. N.; Mirza, M. Sajjad; Khan, Arif M.; Mansoor, Shahid; Shah, Ghulam S.; Zafar, Yusuf

2014-01-01

Background Although whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci complex) are an important pest of cotton in Pakistan, its taxonomic diversity is poorly understood. As DNA barcoding is an effective tool for resolving species complexes and analyzing species distributions, we used this approach to analyze genetic diversity in the B. tabaci complex and map the distribution of B. tabaci lineages in cotton growing areas of Pakistan. Methods/Principal Findings Sequence diversity in the DNA barcode region (mtCOI-5′) was examined in 593 whiteflies from Pakistan to determine the number of whitefly species and their distributions in the cotton-growing areas of Punjab and Sindh provinces. These new records were integrated with another 173 barcode sequences for B. tabaci, most from India, to better understand regional whitefly diversity. The Barcode Index Number (BIN) System assigned the 766 sequences to 15 BINs, including nine from Pakistan. Representative specimens of each Pakistan BIN were analyzed for mtCOI-3′ to allow their assignment to one of the putative species in the B. tabaci complex recognized on the basis of sequence variation in this gene region. This analysis revealed the presence of Asia II 1, Middle East-Asia Minor 1, Asia 1, Asia II 5, Asia II 7, and a new lineage “Pakistan”. The first two taxa were found in both Punjab and Sindh, but Asia 1 was only detected in Sindh, while Asia II 5, Asia II 7 and “Pakistan” were only present in Punjab. The haplotype networks showed that most haplotypes of Asia II 1, a species implicated in transmission of the cotton leaf curl virus, occurred in both India and Pakistan. Conclusions DNA barcodes successfully discriminated cryptic species in B. tabaci complex. The dominant haplotypes in the B. tabaci complex were shared by India and Pakistan. Asia II 1 was previously restricted to Punjab, but is now the dominant lineage in southern Sindh; its southward spread may have serious implications for cotton plantations in this region. PMID:25099936

From Handpumps to Health: The Evolution of Water and Sanitation Programmes in Bangladesh, India and Nigeria.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Black, Maggie

The case histories of water and sanitation schemes described in this volume can best be understood by identifying the moments at which critical hurdles were encountered and surmounted. The first case study, which concerns Bangladesh, discusses promising prospects that existed amid the pollution and the technical and managerial expansion of the…

Physical inactivity and self-reported depression among middle- and older-aged population in South Asia: World health survey.

PubMed

Bishwajit, Ghose; O'Leary, Daniel Peter; Ghosh, Sharmistha; Yaya, Sanni; Shangfeng, Tang; Feng, Zhanchun

2017-04-28

With the increase in the understanding of the influence of various lifestyle factors such as sedentary behaviour and level of physical activity (PA) on physical and mental health, there has been a growing research interest on how physical inactivity correlates with depressive outcomes across countries. The present study aimed to examine 1) the pattern of engaging in PA among middle- and older-aged population in four South Asian countries, and 2) whether PA is associated with higher prevalence of depression. This cross-sectional study is based on country-representative data obtained from WHO's World Health Survey (WHS). Subjects were 7204 men and women aged above 50 years from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, all of which are classified as Low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) in World Bank reports. Outcome variables were self-ported depression (SRD) and ever being diagnosed with depression. Association between frequency of moderate (MPA) and vigorous physical activity (VPA) and depression was analysed by multivariable regression methods. Prevalence of self-reported depression was respectively 47.7%, 40.3%, 40.4% and 11.4% in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Prevalence of being ever diagnosed with depression was highest in Nepal (38.7%), followed by India (17.7%), Bangladesh (2.5%) and Sri Lanka (2%). Multivariable analysis shown statistically significant association between PA and diagnosed depression in Bangladesh and India, but not with SRD. In Bangladesh, compared to those who reported engaging in MPA on daily basis, the odds of reporting diagnosed depression were more than five times higher [AOR = 5.512; 95% CI = 1.159-26.21] for those who never took MPA. In India, those never took VPA had 44% higher [AOR = 1.442; 95% CI = 1.046-1.987] odds of being diagnosed with depression compared those who never engaged in VPA. Lower frequency of vigorous physical activity were significantly associated with higher rates of depression diagnosed. Based on the findings, it is recommendable that health programs targeting mental health among middle- and older-aged population take steps to promote the level of PA within a multi-dimensional depression prevention framework. Longitudinal studies are needed to understand the role of vigorous and moderate physical activity on the onset and intervention of depression among elderly population in the region.

JPRS Report Near East & South Asia, India.

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-06-24

year, in December, it exploded its largest nuclear bomb, resulting in an earthquake-like atmosphere in Hong Kong and Macao. It has been learned that a...Widespread, Threat to Internal Security [ORGANISER 2 May] 19 Threat From China’s Nuclear , Missile Programs Analyzed [JANSATTA 19 May] 20...States has stopped aid to Pakistan since 1990, in order to show its opposition to Pakistan’s making nuclear bombs. Pakistan is facing serious

Molecular characterization of foot-and-mouth disease virus: implications for disease control in Bangladesh.

PubMed

Loth, L; Osmani, M G; Kalam, M A; Chakraborty, R K; Wadsworth, J; Knowles, N J; Hammond, J M; Benigno, C

2011-06-01

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is endemic in Bangladesh, and to implement an effective FMD control programme, it is essential to understand the complex epidemiology of the disease. Here, we report on the characterization of FMD virus (FMDV) recovered from FMD outbreaks in Bangladesh in late 2009. All isolated viruses belonged to the FMDV serotype O. The phylogenetic reconstruction showed that all isolates belonged to the Middle East-South Asia (ME-SA) topotype, but fell into two distinct sublineages, one named Ind-2001 (the other has not been named). Within both sublineages, the 2009 Bangladesh isolates were most closely related to viruses from Nepal collected during 2008 and 2009. Additionally, both sublineages contained older viruses from India collected in 2000 and 2001. In South Asia, there is extensive cross-border cattle movement from Nepal and India to Bangladesh. Both these findings have implications for the control of FMD in Bangladesh. Because of the porous borders, a regional FMD control strategy should be developed. Further, animal identification and monitoring animal movements are necessary to identify the cross-border movements and market chain interactions of ruminants, leading to improved border and movement controls. Additionally, a vaccination strategy should be developed with the initial objective of protecting small-scale dairy herds from disease. For any successful FMD control programme, long-term Government commitment and adequate resources are necessary. A sustainable programme will also need farmer education, commitment and financial contributions. © 2011 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Indian psychiatry and research in Pakistan.

PubMed

Chaudhry, Haroon Rashid

2010-01-01

In Asian culture, there is much stigmatization attached on having mental health problems and seeking help from a mental health expert. It is therefore, not surprising, that this stigmatization results in the refutation of the subsistence of a psychiatric problem in an individual and his family but also produces obstruction to help-seeking desires. To get a clear picture of the existence of psychiatric issues in the population, various research projects addressing psychiatric issues in children, women, and elderly are conducted both in Pakistan and India. A significant input has been taken from research conducted in India combating disaster management. In addition, public awareness programs are organized to provide information about common psychiatric disorders in children, adults, women, and the elderly.-Furthermore, psychiatric patients and their families are educated for the management of mental heath problems related to marriage, pregnancy, birth and hazards of smoking & substance abuse in young adults. Keeping in view the similarity in cultural background, treatment models, family structure, and psychosocial factors, collaborative research studies should be encouraged leading to improvement in psychiatric care of the patients both in India and Pakistan.

Screening of atmospheric short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins in India and Pakistan using polyurethane foam based passive air sampler.

PubMed

Chaemfa, Chakra; Xu, Yue; Li, Jun; Chakraborty, Paromita; Hussain Syed, Jabir; Naseem Malik, Riffat; Wang, Yan; Tian, Chongguo; Zhang, Gan; Jones, Kevin C

2014-05-06

Production and use of chlorinated paraffins (CPs) have been increasing in India. Distribution of CPs in the area and vicinity have become a great concern due to their persistency and toxicity. Polyurethane foam based passive air samplers (PUF-PAS) was deployed in order to screen the presence of short- and medium- chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs and MCCPs) in the outdoor atmosphere at many sites in India (in winter 2006) and Pakistan (in winter 2011). Concentrations of SCCPs and MCCPs ranged from not detected (ND) to 47.4 and 0 to 38.2 ng m(-3) with means of 8.11 and 4.83 ng m(-3), respectively. Indian concentrations showed higher average levels of both SCCPs and MCCPs India (10.2 ng m(-3) and 3.62 ng m(-3)than the samples from Pakistan (5.13 ng m(-3) and 4.21 ng m(-3)). Relative abundance patterns of carbon number are C10 > C11 > C12 ∼ C13 for SCCPs and C14 > C15 > C16 C17 for MCCP with similarity to the profiles of samples from China, the biggest CPs producer in the world. Principal Component Analysis suggested that detected SCCPs and MCCPs in this study originated from the same emission source.

An integrated approach to improving rural livelihoods: examples from India and Bangladesh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Croke, Barry; Merritt, Wendy; Cornish, Peter; Syme, Geoffrey J.; Roth, Christian H.

2018-02-01

This paper presents an overview of work in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and SW Bangladesh through a series of projects from 2005 to the present, considering the impact of farming systems, water shed development and/or agricultural intensification on livelihoods in selected rural areas of India and Bangladesh. The projects spanned a range of scales spanning from the village scale (˜ 1 km2) to the meso-scale (˜ 100 km2), and considered social as well as biophysical aspects. They focused mainly on the food and water part of the food-water-energy nexus. These projects were in collaboration with a range of organisations in India and Bangladesh, including NGOs, universities, and government research organisations and departments. The projects were part funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, and built on other projects that have been undertaken within the region. An element of each of these projects was to understand how the hydrological cycle could be managed sustainably to improve agricultural systems and livelihoods of marginal groups. As such, they evaluated appropriate technology that is generally not dependent on high-energy inputs (mechanisation). This includes assessing the availability of water, and identifying potential water resources that have not been developed; understanding current agricultural systems and investigating ways of improving water use efficiency; and understanding social dynamics of the affected communities including the potential opportunities and negative impacts of watershed development and agricultural development.

The Baloch-Islamabad Tensions: Problems of National Integration

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-01

advantageous to India. Additionally, Gwadar presents a threat to India’s pursuit of regional hegemony . Ashley Tellis posits that “India seeks to provide...threat to Indian regional hegemony .152 Furthermore, India knows that Pakistan, through the help of an external partner, could limit India’s...Heather Streets, Martial Races: The Military, Race and Masculinity in British Imperial India (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2004), 168

Trade Remedies: A Primer

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-05-01

Turkmenistan Turkey Trinidad Tajikistan Pakistan Philippines Malaysia Lithuania Latvia Estonia Ecuador Czechoslovakia Bangladesh Poland Norway Moldova Iran...while continuing domestic production of more high-end items. Many furniture retailers reportedly became furious with furniture industry petitioners...because they feared that the higher prices caused by possible AD duties would depress sales and result in the layoffs of retail employees. Furniture

Progress toward interruption of wild poliovirus transmission--worldwide, January 2011-March 2012.

PubMed

2012-05-18

In January 2012, completion of polio eradication was declared a programmatic emergency for global public health by the Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO). Despite major progress since the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in 1988, circulation of indigenous wild poliovirus (WPV) continues in three countries (Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan). India has not reported a polio case since January 2011, and is considered polio-free since February 2012. This report highlights progress toward global polio eradication during January 2011-March 2012. The number of polio cases reported globally decreased by 52%, from 1,352 in 2010 to 650 in 2011. Those 650 cases included 341 (53%) reported from the four polio-endemic countries (Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan), 230 (35%) from previously polio-free countries in which WPV importations led to reestablished transmission for ≥12 months (Angola, Chad, and Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRC]), and 79 (12%) from nine countries affected by outbreaks. Compared with 2010, WPV cases increased in 2011 in Afghanistan (69%), Nigeria (66%), and Pakistan (27%), but decreased in India (98%). During January-March 2012, 59% fewer cases were reported worldwide (as of May 15) compared with the same period in 2011, and all cases in 2012 have been reported from Afghanistan, Chad, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Although progress toward polio eradication was substantial in 2011, persistent WPV circulation in 2012, particularly in Nigeria and Pakistan, poses an ongoing threat to eradication efforts, underscoring the need for emergency measures by polio-affected countries and those at risk for outbreaks after importation.

Makran Mountain Range, Indus River Valley, Pakistan, India

NASA Image and Video Library

1984-10-13

41G-120-040 (5-13 Oct. 1984) --- Pakistan, featuring the city of Karachi, the Makran mountain range, the mouth of the Indus River and the North Arabian Sea were photographed with a medium format camera aboard the space shuttle Challenger during the 41-G mission. Photo credit: NASA

Pakistan embarks on new campaign to reduce fertility.

PubMed

1992-01-01

There was both international and domestic significance in a plea for population stabilization issued by Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in his address at the recent Earth Summit conference in Rio de Janeiro. Speaking as both a national leader and chairman of the Group of 77, a coalition of developing countries, Sharif said that to eradicate the abject poverty under which more than a billion people in the world live today "developing countries must assume their full responsibility in limiting population growth to manageable levels." Those words may seem odd coming from the leader of a country that has been indifferent about population problems for the past 2 decades. Until Prime Minister Sharif made a public commitment to a population program last July, the last leader of Pakistan to take such action was the late President Ayub Khan in 1969. With an annual 3.1% growth rate, Pakistan's population of 122 million is projected to double in only 23 years. The average Pakistani woman has 6.1 children in her reproductive lifetime. Reduction of population growth was an issue in the October 1990 election campaign. After his Islamic Democratic Alliance won, the government named Syeda Abida Hussain, a prominent and popular politician, to the cabinet post of Minister of Family Welfare. Hussain, who is now Pakistan's Ambassador to the US, recalls that many experts felt that starting a population program would be "an impossible undertaking, "that" attitudes were not conducive to family planning and government would never support it." In a speech on World Population Day in Rio, organized by the Population Institute, she said she soon found that "the problems were managerial, not attitudinal." She maintained that the relatively low acceptance of contraception among the people of Pakistan, Bangladesh and India is not because of religion or ideology "but because they are too poor to have access to birth control." Shortly after Hussain was names Minister of Family Welfare, she travelled throughout Pakistan to promote a small family norm. Under the new government program, family planning services would be provided along with maternal and child health services. Meanwhile, in an address before a national population conference, Prime Minister Sharif made a strong emotional appeal for a slowdown in population growth. He directed all government ministries and departments to provide all possible support. A recent study in Pakistan showed that the lack of service delivery outlets, rather than lack of awareness of family planning, was the reason behind the weak response to earlier programs. The study further indicated that 60% of married women either do not want more children or want to delay their next birth, but only 20% have access to family planning services. 90% said their desired family size was 4 children, yet they were having 7. The shortage of family planning services is especially acute in rural areas. While 54% of the country's 35 million urban residents have access to services, only 5% of rural people do. In the past, population programs in Pakistan have been handicapped by bureaucratic red tape, inefficiency and corruption. But with the Prime Minister solidly supporting lower population growth as a key to the success of his economic initiatives, top managers of the program are optimistic that this time it will work. "Bringing down the population growth rate in Pakistan is not the world's responsibility, "says Ambassador Syeda Abida Hussain. "It is Pakistan's." full text

Aerosol Radiative Forcing over North India during Pre-Monsoon Season using WRF-Chem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Misra, A.; Kumar, K.; Michael, M.; Tripathi, S. N.

2013-12-01

Study of aerosols is important for a fair understanding of the Earth climate system. This requires knowledge of the physical, chemical, optical, and morphological properties of aerosols. Aerosol radiative forcing provides information on the effect of aerosols on the Earth radiation budget. Radiative forcing estimates using model data provide an opportunity to examine the contribution of individual aerosol species to overall radiative forcing. We have used Weather Research and Forecast with Online Chemistry (WRF-Chem) derived aerosol concentration data to compute aerosol radiative forcing over north India during pre-monsoon season of 2008, 2009, and 2010. WRF-Chem derived mass concentrations are converted to number concentrations using standard procedure. Optical Properties of Aerosol and Cloud (OPAC) software package is used to compute extinction and scattering coefficients, and asymmetry parameter. Computations are performed at different altitudes and the obtained values are integrated to get the column optical properties. Santa Barbara Discrete Ordinate Radiative Transfer (SBDART) model is used to calculate the radiative forcing at surface and top-of-atmosphere. Higher values of aerosol radiative forcing are observed over desert region in western Indian state of Rajasthan, and Punjab of Pakistan. Contribution of individual aerosol species to atmospheric radiative forcing is also assessed. Dust radiative forcing is high over western India. Radiative forcing due to BC and water-soluble (WASO) aerosols are higher over north-west Indian states of Punjab and Haryana, and the Indo-Gangetic Basin. A pool of high WASO optical depth and radiative forcing is observed over the Indo-Bangladesh border. The findings of aerosol optical depth and radiative forcing are consistent with the geography and prevailing aerosol climatology of various regions. Heating rate profiles due to total aerosols and only due to BC have been evaluated at selected stations in north India. They show variation between various stations and seasons.

Pakistan and Water: New Pressures on Global Security and Human Health

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

The Indus River is the major source of water for the more than 180 million people of Pakistan. A rapidly increasing population over the past 60 years has created new pressures on water that was once a plentiful resource for the health and development of the country. Rising tensions between India and Pakistan, which share the Indus flow, may lead to violent confrontation in an already volatile part of the globe. The recent flooding, which affected more than 20 million people, drew attention to poor management of the rivers of Pakistan. Public health has the scientific knowledge and professional capacity to help develop water management practices that could improve population health in Pakistan. PMID:21421956

Shifting Geo politics in the Greater South Asia Region

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-01

border with Iran. Finally, India and Bangladesh have connections with Southeast Asia as a result of their land borders with Myanmar (which the...Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which offshore territory is located significantly closer to Myanmar and Thailand than to India. Shifting Geo-politics in the...minority in Bhutan. In northeastern India, Nagas and other tribals are ethnically similar to people living in Myanmar . Conversely, hardline

Postgraduate education in nutrition in south Asia: a huge mismatch between investments and needs

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Despite decades of nutrition advocacy and programming, the nutrition situation in South Asian countries is alarming. We assume that modern training in nutrition at the post graduate level is an important contributor to building the capacity of individuals to think and act effectively when combating undernutrition. In this context, this paper presents a regional situation analysis of master’s level academic initiatives in nutrition with a special focus on the type of programme we think is most likely to be helpful in addressing undernutrition at the population level: Public Health Nutrition (PHN). Methods This situational analysis of Masters in nutrition across South Asian countries viz. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan was conducted using an intensive and systematic Internet search. Further, detailed information was extracted from the individual institute websites and library visits. Results Of the131 master’s degree programmes we identified one that was in PHN while another 15 had modules in PHN. Most of these universities and institutions were found in India with a few in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In the rest of the countries, neither nutrition nor PHN emerged as an academic discipline at the master’s level. In terms of eligibility Indian and Sri Lankan programmes were most inclusive, with the remaining countries restricting eligibility to those with health qualifications. On modules, no country had any on nutrition policy or on nutrition’s interactions with agriculture, social protection, water and sanitation or women’s empowerment. Conclusion If a strong focus on public health nutrition is key to reducing undernutrition, then the poor availability of such courses in the region is cause for concern. Nutrition master’s courses in general focus too little on the kinds of strategies highlighted in the recent Lancet series on nutrition. Governments seeking to accelerate declines in undernutrition should incentivize the delivery of postgraduate programmes in nutrition and Public Health Nutrition (PHN) that reflect the modern consensus on priority actions. In the absence of PHN type programmes, the competence to scale up nutrition capacity is likely to be impaired and the human potential of millions of infants will continue to be squandered. PMID:24397258

Postgraduate education in nutrition in south Asia: a huge mismatch between investments and needs.

PubMed

Khandelwal, Shweta; Paul, Tanusree; Haddad, Lawrence; Bhalla, Surbhi; Gillespie, Stuart; Laxminarayan, Ramanan

2014-01-07

Despite decades of nutrition advocacy and programming, the nutrition situation in South Asian countries is alarming. We assume that modern training in nutrition at the post graduate level is an important contributor to building the capacity of individuals to think and act effectively when combating undernutrition. In this context, this paper presents a regional situation analysis of master's level academic initiatives in nutrition with a special focus on the type of programme we think is most likely to be helpful in addressing undernutrition at the population level: Public Health Nutrition (PHN). This situational analysis of Masters in nutrition across South Asian countries viz. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan was conducted using an intensive and systematic Internet search. Further, detailed information was extracted from the individual institute websites and library visits. Of the 131 master's degree programmes we identified one that was in PHN while another 15 had modules in PHN. Most of these universities and institutions were found in India with a few in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In the rest of the countries, neither nutrition nor PHN emerged as an academic discipline at the master's level. In terms of eligibility Indian and Sri Lankan programmes were most inclusive, with the remaining countries restricting eligibility to those with health qualifications. On modules, no country had any on nutrition policy or on nutrition's interactions with agriculture, social protection, water and sanitation or women's empowerment. If a strong focus on public health nutrition is key to reducing undernutrition, then the poor availability of such courses in the region is cause for concern. Nutrition master's courses in general focus too little on the kinds of strategies highlighted in the recent Lancet series on nutrition. Governments seeking to accelerate declines in undernutrition should incentivize the delivery of postgraduate programmes in nutrition and Public Health Nutrition (PHN) that reflect the modern consensus on priority actions. In the absence of PHN type programmes, the competence to scale up nutrition capacity is likely to be impaired and the human potential of millions of infants will continue to be squandered.

Determinants of intra-household food allocation between adults in South Asia - a systematic review.

PubMed

Harris-Fry, Helen; Shrestha, Niva; Costello, Anthony; Saville, Naomi M

2017-06-21

Nutrition interventions, often delivered at the household level, could increase their efficiency by channelling resources towards pregnant or lactating women, instead of leaving resources to be disproportionately allocated to traditionally favoured men. However, understanding of how to design targeted nutrition programs is limited by a lack of understanding of the factors affecting the intra-household allocation of food. We systematically reviewed literature on the factors affecting the allocation of food to adults in South Asian households (in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka) and developed a framework of food allocation determinants. Two reviewers independently searched and filtered results from PubMed, Web of Knowledge and Scopus databases by using pre-defined search terms and hand-searching the references from selected papers. Determinants were extracted, categorised into a framework, and narratively described. We used adapted Downs and Black and Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklists to assess the quality of evidence. Out of 6928 retrieved studies we found 60 relevant results. Recent, high quality evidence was limited and mainly from Bangladesh, India and Nepal. There were no results from Iran, Afghanistan, Maldives, or Bhutan. At the intra-household level, food allocation was determined by relative differences in household members' income, bargaining power, food behaviours, social status, tastes and preferences, and interpersonal relationships. Household-level determinants included wealth, food security, occupation, land ownership, household size, religion / ethnicity / caste, education, and nutrition knowledge. In general, the highest inequity occurred in households experiencing severe or unexpected food insecurity, and also in better-off, high caste households, whereas poorer, low caste but not severely food insecure households were more equitable. Food allocation also varied regionally and seasonally. Program benefits may be differentially distributed within households of different socioeconomic status, and targeting of nutrition programs might be improved by influencing determinants that are amenable to change, such as food security, women's employment, or nutrition knowledge. Longitudinal studies in different settings could unravel causal effects. Conclusions are not generalizable to the whole South Asian region, and research is needed in many countries.

Teacher Education in Northeast India--Status, Weaknesses and Alternatives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhattacharjee, D. S.

2011-01-01

Northeast India comprises of a cluster of eight states--Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. The region is usually stereotyped as underdeveloped. Geographically, the region is surrounded by international border with part of Nepal, Bhutan, China, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Prevalence of insurgency and…

Mining cotton germplasm resources to fight Cotton Leaf Curl Virus

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

CLCuV (Cotton Leaf Curl Virus) is a major threat to cotton production in Pakistan and parts of India and has been reported in cotton producing countries in Africa, as well as China and Uzbekistan. Identifying sources of resistance to CLCuV helps not only countries such as Pakistan where the virus is...

India.

PubMed

1985-05-01

In this discussion of India attention is directed to the following: the people; geography; history; government; political conditions; the economy; foreign relations (Pakistan and Bangladesh, China, and the Soviet Union); defense; and the relations between the US and India. In 1983 India's population was estimated at 746 million with an annual growth rate of 2.24%. The infant mortality rate was estimated at 116/1000 in 1984 with a life expectancy of 54.9 years. Although India occupies only 2.4% of the world's land area, it supports nearly 15% of the world's population. 2 major ethnic strains predominate in India: the Aryan in the north and the Dravidian in the south, although the lines between them are blurred. India dominates the South Asian subcontinent geographically. The people of India have had a continuous civilization since about 2500 B.C., when the inhabitants of the Indus River Valley developed an urban culture based on commerce, trade, and, to a lesser degree, agriculture. This civilization declined about 1500 B.C. and Aryan tribes originating in central Asia absorbed parts of its culture as they spread out over the South Asian subcontinent. During the next few centuries, India flourished under several successive empires. The 1st British outpost in South Asia was established in 1619 at Surat on the northwestern coast of India. The British gradually expanded their influence until, by the 1850s, they controlled almost the entire area of present-day India. Independence was attained on August 15, 1947, and India became a dominion within the Commonwealth of Nations with Jawaharlal Nehru as prime minister. According to its constitution, India is a "sovereign socialist secular democratic republic." Like the US, India has a federal form of government, but the central government in India has greater power in relation to its states, and government is patterned after the British parliamentary system. The Congress Party has ruled India since independence with the exception of the 1977-79 period of Janta Party rule. Domestically, India has made much progress since independnece. A relatively sophisticated industrial base and a large pool of skilled labor have been created, but agriculture remains the crucial sector and supports 70% of the people. It contributes about 40% of gross national product (GNP). Only modest gains in per capita GNP have been achieved. Agricultural production has been increasing at an average annual rate of around 3%. Cotton and jute textile production continues to be the most important industry, but public sector firms in steel, heavy industry, and chemicals have become important since 1960. Supreme command of India's armed forces rests with the president but actual responsibility for national defense lies with the Cabinet Committee for Political Affairs. The US and India have aimed at cordial relations. The US is India's largest trading partner and has been an important source of foreign economic assistance.

Enhancing Preparation for Large Nipah Outbreaks Beyond Bangladesh: Preventing a Tragedy like Ebola in West Africa.

PubMed

Donaldson, Halsie; Lucey, Daniel

2018-06-04

The Nipah virus has been reported to be transmitted from person-to-person following close contact in non-urban parts of India (including Kerala as of May 2018),Bangladesh, and the Philippines. It can cause encephalitis and pneumonia, and has a high case fatality rate. Nipah is a prime example of a One Health zoonotic emerging and reemerging infectious disease with consistent links to fruit bats, and sometimes pigs or horses. We argue for anticipating larger rural, and urban, outbreaks of Nipah, and preparing for them by accelerating development and testing of countermeasures: antiviral drugs,immunotherapeutic antibodies, vaccines, rapid diagnostics, personal protective equipment(PPE) for health workers and online WHO training by experts from Bangladesh, India and elsewhere. Anticipating and preparing for larger rural, and urban, Nipah outbreaks in nations with no experience with Nipah, will help avoid what the United Nations, 2016 report on Ebola in West Africa called a "preventable tragedy". Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Beyond Kargil: The technology of peace in India-Pakistan border relations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tahir-Kheli, S.; Biringer, K.L.

2000-01-12

The potential for cooperation between India and Pakistan is substantial. Topics as widely varying as national security, the environment and trade hold the potential for improved bilateral relations. This paper looks at a few areas in which monitoring technology could contribute to enhancing cooperative border agreements between the two nations. The goal of the paper is not to provide prescriptive solutions to regional problems, but to expand the number of options being considered for improving Indian-Pakistan relations. Many of the impediments to bilateral progress are a result of a history of conflict and mistrust. By utilizing technical monitoring and inspections,more » each side can begin to replace suspicion and doubt with knowledge and information useful in making informed political, economic and military decisions. At the same time, technical monitoring and inspections can build confidence through common interactions. India and Pakistan have pledged to resolve their disputes, including Kashmir, through dialogue. Implementation of that pledge is influenced by a number of factors, including changes in the political systems and the fortunes of the leadership. Events of the past year and a half have severely tested these two governments' ability to move forward along a constructive and positive path. Testing of new missile systems both preceded and followed testing of nuclear weapons in May 1998. Both countries disregarded subsequent international displeasure as they proceeded to openly declare their respective nuclear capability. Their brief engagement with each other in February 1999 and movement toward a rapprochement diluted international condemnation of their nuclear activity. Within a recent period of nine months however, progress in the dialogue has been stalled first by the Pakistani move in Kashmir in May 1999, then by the Indian election in the summer of 1999 and most recently by the military coup in Pakistan.« less

Molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of Explanatum explanatum in India based on nucleotide sequences of ribosomal ITS2 and the mitochondrial gene nad1.

PubMed

Hayashi, Kei; Mohanta, Uday K; Ohari, Yuma; Neeraja, Tambireddy; Singh, T Shantikumar; Sugiyama, Hiromu; Itagaki, Tadashi

2016-12-01

The aim of this study was to analyze the phylogenetic relationship between Explanatum explanatum populations in India and other countries of the Indian subcontinent. Seventy liver amphistomes collected from four localities in India were identified as E. explanatum based on the nucleotide sequences of ribosomal ITS2. The flukes were then analyzed phylogenetically based on the nucleotide sequence of the mitochondrial gene nad1 in comparison with flukes from Bangladesh and Nepal. In the resulting phylogenetic tree, the nad1 haplotypes from India were divided into four clades, and the flukes showing the haplotypes of clades A and C were predominant in India. The haplotypes of the clades A and C have also been detected in Bangladesh and Nepal, and therefore, it seems they occur commonly throughout the Indian subcontinent. The results of AMOVA suggested that gene flow was likely to occur between E. explanatum populations in these countries. These countries are geographically close and have been historically and culturally connected to each other, and therefore, the movements of host ruminants among these countries might have been involved in the migration of the flukes and their gene flow.

Surrounding the consequences of watershed disasters in the periphery of the Indian triangle

Treesearch

Rohan Ekanayake

1991-01-01

The watershed of the 'Indian Triangle' is formed by the flow of two mighty rivers which emanate from the Himalaya. The Ganges and teh Brahmaputra embrace the lands and the peoples of Nepal*, India* and Bangladesh* before emptying in the Bay of Bengal. A recent monsoon submerged two thirds of the low-lying Bangladesh rendering 23 million people homeless. can...

Access to water and sanitation among people with disabilities: results from cross-sectional surveys in Bangladesh, Cameroon, India and Malawi

PubMed Central

Mactaggart, Islay; Schmidt, Wolf-Peter; Bostoen, Kristof; Chunga, Joseph; Danquah, Lisa; Halder, Amal Krishna; Parveen Jolly, Saira; Polack, Sarah; Rahman, Mahfuzar; Snel, Marielle; Kuper, Hannah; Biran, Adam

2018-01-01

Objectives To assess access to adequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) among people with disabilities at the household and individual level. Design Cross-sectional surveys. Setting Data were included from five district-level or regional-level surveys: two in Bangladesh (Bangladesh-1, Bangladesh-2), and one each in Cameroon, Malawi and India. Participants 99 252 participants were sampled across the datasets (range: 3567–75 767), including 2494 with disabilities (93–1374). Outcome Prevalence of access to WASH at household and individual level. Data analysis Age/sex disaggregated disability prevalence estimates were calculated accounting for survey design. The Unicef/WHO Joint Monitoring Programme definitions were used to classify facilities as improved/unimproved. Multivariable logistic regression was undertaken to compare between households with/without a person with a disability, and to identify predictors of access among people with disabilities. Results There were no differences in access to improved sanitation or water sources between households with/without members with disabilities across the datasets. In Bangladesh-2, households including a person with a disability were more likely to share facilities with other households (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1 to 1.5). Households with people with disabilities were more likely to spend >30 min (round-trip) collecting drinking water than households without in both Cameroon (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.0 to 3.4) and India (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.2 to 4.7). Within households, people with disabilities reported difficulties collecting water themselves (23%–80% unable to) and accessing the same sanitation facilities as other household members, particularly without coming into contact with faeces (up to 47% in Bangladesh-2). These difficulties were most marked for people with more severe impairments. Conclusions People with disabilities may not have poorer access to WASH at the household level, but may have poorer quality of access within their households. Further programmatic work is needed to ensure WASH facilities are inclusive of people with disabilities. PMID:29866723

Women's NGOs mobilize for population summit.

PubMed

1993-10-01

The Center for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA) encouraged representatives from women's nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to attend the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, Egypt. ICPD policy makers held issues meetings in September, 1993, for women's NGOs. the ICPD will have a direct bearing on women's issues such as access to family planning, reproductive health care, the fate of girls, and gender equality. 31 alumni of CEDPA met with UN officials and other NGO leaders at the second ICPD Preparatory Committee meeting in New York. CEDPA was encouraged that US policy supported women-managed and women-centered health services. CEDPA president Peggy Curlin recommends health and girl's education as the best means for improving the quality of life in developing countries. CEDPA has a Leadership and Advocacy Project, which promotes women's leadership in population policy at ICPD, regionally, and nationally. CEDPA recommends that women's NGOs and CEDPA link up with appropriate regional networks (in Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, and Pakistan). Women can become involved in the ICPD by becoming an NGO representative to the conference. Women can also become involved by writing to CEDPA about their concerns regarding gender equity and women's empowerment, reproductive rights, girl child initiatives, and adequate resources for NGOs.

Asians seek end to girls' trafficking.

PubMed

1997-01-01

Each year, approximately 1 million Asian children under 18 years old, many of them female, become prostitutes. With regard to this problem, the Summit Foundation, the United Nations Population Fund, UNICEF, and the Centre for Development and Population Activities are sponsoring a conference entitled "Girls' Rights, Society's Responsibility: Taking Action Against Child Sexual Exploitation," on December 8-10, 1997, at the Nehru Centre, Worli, Bombay. Policy makers from government, the legal and police professions, corporations, the tourism industry, and grassroots organizations will attend. Representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Thailand will develop coordinated strategies to end the abuse. The experiences of community-based nongovernmental organizations will be used to develop approaches to prevent exploitation, provide surveillance, and rehabilitate girls who have been exploited. The Nehru Centre, Jet Airways, and the President Hotel of Bombay will provide support. Participants are to include the Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, UNIFEM, the World Health Organization, the World Bank, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Oxfam, CIDA, SIDA, NORAD, and many corporations (Bata, Apeejay, Pepsi, Tata, Godrej, Mahindra and Mahindra, and hotel and tourist businesses).

HIMALA: climate impacts on glaciers, snow, and hydrology in the Himalayan region

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brown, Molly Elizabeth; Ouyang, Hua; Habib, Shahid; Shrestha, Basanta; Shrestha, Mandira; Panday, Prajjwal; Tzortziou, Maria; Policelli, Frederick; Artan, Guleid; Giriraj, Amarnath; Bajracharya, Sagar R.; Racoviteanu, Adina

2010-01-01

Glaciers are the largest reservoir of freshwater on Earth, supporting one third of the world's population. The Himalaya possess one of the largest resources of snow and ice, which act as a freshwater reservoir for more than 1.3 billion people. This article describes a new project called HIMALA, which focuses on utilizing satellite-based products for better understanding of hydrological processes of the river basins of the region. With support from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), together with its partners and member countries, has been working on the application of satellite-based rainfall estimates for flood prediction. The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) partners are working with ICIMOD to incorporate snowmelt and glacier melt into a widely used hydrological model. Thus, through improved modeling of the contribution of snow and ice meltwater to river flow in the region, the HIMALA project will improve the ability of ICIMOD and its partners to understand the impact of weather and climate on floods, droughts, and other water- and climate-induced natural hazards in the Himalayan region in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan.

HIMALA: Climate Impacts on Glaciers, Snow, and Hydrology in the Himalayan Region

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Molly Elizabeth; Ouyang, Hua; Habib, Shahid; Shrestha, Basanta; Shrestha, Mandira; Panday, Prajjwal; Tzortziou, Maria; Policelli, Frederick; Artan, Guleid; Giriraj, Amarnath;

The MAL-ED Cohort Study: Methods and Lessons Learned When Assessing Early Child Development and Caregiving Mediators in Infants and Young Children in 8 Low- and Middle-Income Countries

PubMed Central

Murray-Kolb, Laura E.; Rasmussen, Zeba A.; Scharf, Rebecca J.; Rasheed, Muneera A.; Svensen, Erling; Seidman, Jessica C.; Tofail, Fahmida; Koshy, Beena; Shrestha, Rita; Maphula, Angelina; Vasquez, Angel Orbe; da Costa, Hilda P.; Yousafzai, Aisha K.; Oria, Reinaldo B.; Roshan, Reeba; Bayyo, Eliwasa B.; Kosek, Margaret; Shrestha, Sanjaya; Schaefer, Barbara A.; Bessong, Pascal; Ahmed, Tahmeed; Lang, Dennis

2014-01-01

More epidemiological data are needed on risk and protective factors for child development. In The Etiology, Risk Factors and Interactions of Enteric Infections and Malnutrition and the Consequences for Child Health and Development (MAL-ED) cohort study, we assessed child development in a harmonious manner across 8 sites in Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, South Africa, and Tanzania. From birth to 24 months, development and language acquisition were assessed via the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development and a modified MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory. Other measures were infant temperament, the child's environment, maternal psychological adjustment, and maternal reasoning abilities. We developed standard operating procedures and used multiple techniques to ensure appropriate adaptation and quality assurance across the sites. Test adaptation required significant time and human resources but is essential for data quality; funders should support this step in future studies. At the end of this study, we will have a portfolio of culturally adapted instruments for child development studies with examination of psychometric properties of each tool used. PMID:25305296

International trends in health science librarianship part 12: South Asia (India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka).

PubMed

Joshi, Medha; Ali Anwar, Mumtaz; Ullah, Midrar; Kuruppu, Chandrani

2014-12-01

This is the 12th in a series of articles exploring international trends in health science librarianship. This issue describes developments in health science librarianship in the first decade of the 21st century in South Asia. The three contributors report on challenges facing health science librarians in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. There is consensus as to the need for education, training and professional development. Starting in the next issue, the focus will turn to Africa, starting with countries in southern Africa. JM. © 2014 The authors. Health Information and Libraries Journal © 2014 Health Libraries Journal.

Geologic constraints on clandestine nuclear testing in South Asia

PubMed Central

Davis, Dan M.; Sykes, Lynn R.

1999-01-01

Cavity decoupling in salt is the most plausible means by which a nation could conduct clandestine testing of militarily significant nuclear weapons. The conditions under which solution-mined salt can be used for this purpose are quite restrictive. The salt must be thick and reasonably pure. Containment of explosions sets a shallow limit on depth, and cavity stability sets a deep limit. These constraints are met in considerably <1% of the total land area of India and Pakistan. Most of that area is too dry for cavity construction by solution mining; disposal of brine in rivers can be detected easily. Salt domes, the most favorable structures for constructing large cavities, are not present in India and Pakistan. Confidence that they are adhering to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) is enhanced by their geological conditions, which are quite favorable to verification, not evasion. Thus, their participation in the CTBT is constrained overwhelmingly by political, not scientific, issues. Confidence in the verification of the CTBT could be enhanced if India and Pakistan permitted stations of the various monitoring technologies that are now widely deployed elsewhere to be operated on their territories. PMID:10500134

Higher Education and the Labour Market in Asia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanyal, Bikas C.

This 1971-76 study of the employment markets in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka reveals that, except in the Philippines, unemployment is increasing at a very fast rate relative to the level of education per person. In the Philippines and in India, enrollment ratios for higher education have been substantially higher…

Tobacco use, exposure to second-hand smoke, and cessation training among the third-year medical and dental students in selected Member States of South-East Asia region: a trend analysis on data from the Global Health Professions Student Survey, 2005-2011.

PubMed

Sinha, D N; Rinchen, S; Palipudi, K M; Naing Shein, Nang Naing; de Silva, P; Khadka, B B; Pednekar, M; Singh, G; Pitayarangsarit, S; Bhattad, V B; Lee, K A; Asma, S; Singh, P K

2012-01-01

The Medical and Dental Global Health Professions Student Surveys (GHPSS) are surveys based in schools that collect self-administered data from students on the prevalence of tobacco use, exposure to second-hand smoke, and tobacco cessation training, among the third-year medical and dental students. Two rounds of medical and dental GHPSS have been conducted in Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, among the third-year medical and dental students, between 2005 and 2006 and 2009 and 2011. The prevalence of any tobacco use among third-year male and female medical students did not change in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal between 2005 and 2006 and 2009 and 2011; however, it reduced significantly among females in Myanmar (3.3% in 2006 to 1.8% in 2009) and in Sri Lanka (2.5% in 2006 to 0.6% in 2011). The prevalence of any tobacco use among third-year male dental students did not change in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Thailand between 2005 and 2006 and 2009 and 2011; however, in Myanmar, the prevalence increased significantly (35.6% in 2006 to 49.5% in 2009). Among the third-year female students, a significant increase in prevalence was noticed in Bangladesh (4.0% in 2005 to 22.2% in 2009) and Thailand (0.7% in 2006 to 2.1% in 2011). It remained unchanged in the other three countries. Prevalence of exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) both at home and in public places, among medical students, decreased significantly in Myanmar and Sri Lanka between 2006 and 2009 and in 2011. Among dental students, the prevalence of SHS exposure at home reduced significantly in Bangladesh, India, and Myanmar, and in public places in India. However, there was an increase of SHS exposure among dental students in Nepal, both at home and in public places, between 2005 and 2011. Medical students in Myanmar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka reported a declining trend in schools, with a smoking ban policy in place, between 2005 and 2006 and 2009 and 2011, while proportions of dental students reported that schools with a smoking ban policy have increased significantly in Bangladesh and Myanmar. Ever receiving cessation training increased significantly among medical students in Sri Lanka only, whereas, among dental students, it increased in India, Nepal, and Thailand. Trends of tobacco use and exposure to SHS among medical and dental students in most countries of the South-East Asia Region had changed only relatively between the two rounds of GHPSS (2005-2006 and 2009-2011). No significant improvement was observed in the trend in schools with a policy banning smoking in school buildings and clinics. Almost all countries in the SEA Region that participated in GHPSS showed no significant change in ever having received formal training on tobacco cessation among medical and dental students.

Spatiotemporal assessment of CO2 emissions and its satellite remote sensing over Pakistan and neighboring regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

ul-Haq, Zia; Tariq, Salman; Ali, Muhammad

2017-01-01

For the first time, anthropogenic CO2 emissions and spatiotemporal variability of mid-tropospheric CO2 has been discussed using EDGAR database and Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) onboard Aqua satellite observations. The EDGAR data indicate an increase of 147% in anthropogenic CO2 emissions from 66,101 to 163,737 Gg for Pakistan during the period of 1990-2008. Dera Ghazi Khan (Pakistan) is found with the highest increase of 260% of anthropogenic CO2 emissions followed by Delhi (India) 153%, Karachi (Pakistan) 66% and Lahore (Pakistan) 59% whereas a decreasing trend of -53% is observed for Kabul (Afghanistan) during 1990-2008. Industrial activities, road transportation, open field crop-waste burning, and energy production have been identified as major anthropogenic emission sources of CO2 in the studied region. AIRS CO2 retrievals over Pakistan and adjoining areas of India and Afghanistan show an averaged CO2 to be 383±5 ppm with a positive trend of 5.05% during December 2002 to February 2012. An elevated value of CO2 has been observed over northern mountainous and high human settlement regions. The seasonal analysis shows a spring maximum 385±5 ppm with a secondary peak in late autumn, and the highest increasing trend of 5.5% associated with winter. May and August showed maximum and minimum mean monthly values of 385±5 ppm and 382±5 ppm respectively. HYSPLIT trajectories of air masses movement have been drawn to track CO2 transport.

Lessons from India’s Counterinsurgency Campaign in Jammu and Kashmir

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-10

counterproductive in reducing the overall violence in Kashmir. Figures compiled from data kept by the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs by Indian journalist Praveen ...force would only gain more support for the 48Schofield, Kashmir in Conflict, 148-150. 49The 1990 fatality figures compiled by Praveen Swami (India...India, Pakistan, and the Unending War. New York: I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd, 2003. Swami, Praveen . “Failed Threats and Flawed Fences: India’s Military

Sex preference and its effect on family size and child welfare.

PubMed

Williamson, N E

1982-12-01

Sex discrimination begins before birth in many parts of the world. Many cultures have myths about how parents can increase their chances of having a son. There is now a test, anmiocentesis, that provides the scientific method for determining sex before birth. The text involves examining the chromosomes in the amniotic fluid. Until now little advantage has been taken of this knowledge since amniocentesis is uncommon around the world. There are recent news reports that assert that in India female fetuses are being aborted. The same has been rumored for China. Sex selection may become more widespread as the technology of sex detection improves. Currently, an abortion for the purpose of sex selection must be performed in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy because the test can be done only after the 3rd or 4th month of pregnancy. A technology which permits very early sex detection could, when combined with early menstrual regulation, have widespread ramifications, particularly since the preference for sons is so widespread. Son preference is common throughout the world and is unusually strong in Arab countries and in South Asia. It is fairly mild in Latin America and Southeast Asia. In Africa sex preference has not become a public issue for fertility is so high. Policymakers in countries such as Bangladesh, China, India, Pakistan, South Korea, and Taiwan have recently become concerned about sex preference for their objective is to reduce the population growth rates of their countries. Among countries with son preference China is unusual in that the government has tried to undermine the basis for son preference. It has encouraged families with an only daughter to adopt a son-in-law and have him take the family name. It has tried to equalize women's position in marriage and the economy. The policymakers in other countries assume that son preference will diminish with modernization. Family planning workers in most Asian countries assume that sex preference affects family size. A cross-cultural study including data from Bangladesh, India, and Morocco found that families starting out with a string on sons were as likely to have more children as those families who began with a string of daughters. Approaches to changing attitudes about sex preference include attempting to reorganize society and reform the partriarchal family, emphasize economic development, and ignoring the problem. Sex preference is the result of social organization, family structure, economic activities, religious beliefs, and tradition.

Country News.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Population Education Newsletter and Forum, 1987

1987-01-01

Reports on the progress of population education programs in various countries in Asia and the Pacific region. Describes current developments in Bangladesh, China, India, Malaysia, Maldives, and Viet Nam. (TW)

The population slide.

PubMed

Mukerjee, M

1998-12-01

The level of total fertility in Bangladesh has fallen from 7 in 1975 to 3 today, the sharpest fertility transition in South Asia. Fertility decline in Bangladesh and Nepal follows such transition occurring first in Sri Lanka, then in India. While in Western countries, levels of fertility began to fall once an advanced stage of development had been reached, these new declines in South Asia are not directly correlated with indicators of development such as increased literacy or the alleviation of poverty. Bangladesh has experienced major fertility decline despite being one of the world's 20 poorest countries. Fertility decline in Bangladesh may be attributed to a combination of an effective government family planning program, a general desire among Bangladesh's population to bear fewer children, reductions in mortality, the availability of microcredit, changes in women's status, and the provision of health and family planning information over the radio 6 hours per day.

Refinement of arsenic attributable health risks in rural Pakistan using population specific dietary intake values.

PubMed

Rasheed, Hifza; Slack, Rebecca; Kay, Paul; Gong, Yun Yun

2017-02-01

Previous risk assessment studies have often utilised generic consumption or intake values when evaluating ingestion exposure pathways. If these values do not accurately reflect the country or scenario in question, the resulting risk assessment will not provide a meaningful representation of cancer risks in that particular country/scenario. This study sought to determine water and food intake parameters for one region in South Asia, rural Pakistan, and assess the role population specific intake parameters play in cancer risk assessment. A questionnaire was developed to collect data on sociodemographic features and 24-h water and food consumption patterns from a rural community. The impact of dietary differences on cancer susceptibility linked to arsenic exposure was evaluated by calculating cancer risks using the data collected in the current study against standard water and food intake levels for the USA, Europe and Asia. A probabilistic cancer risk was performed for each set of intake values of this study. Average daily total water intake based on drinking direct plain water and indirect water from food and beverages was found to be 3.5Lday -1 (95% CI: 3.38, 3.57) exceeding the US Environmental Protection Agency's default (2.5Lday -1 ) and World Health Organization's recommended intake value (2Lday -1 ). Average daily rice intake (469gday -1 ) was found to be lower than in India and Bangladesh whereas wheat intake (402gday -1 ) was higher than intake reported for USA, Europe and Asian sub-regions. Consequently, arsenic-associated cumulative cancer risks determined for daily water intake was found to be 17 chances in children of 3-6years (95% CI: 0.0014, 0.0017), 14 in children of age 6-16years (95% CI: 0.001, 0.0011) and 6 in adults of 16-67years (95% CI: 0.0006, 0.0006) in a population size of 10,000. This is higher than the risks estimated using the US Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organization's default recommended water intake levels. Rice intake data showed early life cumulative cancer risks of 15 chances in 10,000 for children of 3-6years (95% CI: 0.0012, 0.0015), 14 in children of 6-16years (95% CI: 0.0011, 0.0014) and later life risk of 8 adults (95% CI: 0.0008, 0.0008) in a population of 10,000. This is lower than the cancer risks in countries with higher rice intake and elevated arsenic levels (Bangladesh and India). Cumulative cancer risk from arsenic exposure showed the relative risk contribution from total water to be 51%, from rice to be 44% and 5% from wheat intake. The study demonstrates the need to use population specific dietary information for risk assessment and risk management studies. Probabilistic risk assessment concluded the importance of dietary intake in estimating cancer risk, along with arsenic concentrations in water or food and age of exposed rural population. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

South Asia: A Strategic Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-01-01

deal with India and Pakistan m a comprehensive and coherent matter, especially m recent years In the post-Cold War context, our interest m “ global ... issues ,” especially non-prohferatlon, has driven U S r@atlons with both Palustan and India At present, our ablhty to conduct normal secunty relations

The 1970 Bhola cyclone, nationalist politics, and the subsistence crisis contract in Bangladesh.

PubMed

Hossain, Naomi

2018-01-01

The devastating Bhola cyclone in November 1970 is credited with having triggered the political events that led to the division of Pakistan and the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. A callous response to the disaster by the Pakistani regime resulted in a landslide electoral victory for Bengali nationalists, followed by a bitter and bloody civil war. Yet, despite its political momentousness, the Bhola cyclone has been the subject of little political analysis. This paper examines the events, arguing that its extraordinary political significance put disaster management on the nationalist agenda; the famine of 1974 confirmed its centrality, producing a social contract to protect the population against disasters and subsistence crises on which the country's acclaimed resilience to the effects of climate change rests. The Bhola cyclone also drew international attention to this neglected, little-known region, and in general can be seen as foundational for the subsequent developmental achievements of Bangladesh. © 2018 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2018.

A systematic review of air pollution as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in South Asia: limited evidence from India and Pakistan.

PubMed

Yamamoto, S S; Phalkey, R; Malik, A A

2014-03-01

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are major contributors to mortality and morbidity in South Asia. Chronic exposure to air pollution is an important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, although the majority of studies to date have been conducted in developed countries. Both indoor and outdoor air pollution are growing problems in developing countries in South Asia yet the impact on rising rates of CVD in these regions has largely been ignored. We aimed to assess the evidence available regarding air pollution effects on CVD and CVD risk factors in lower income countries in South Asia. A literature search was conducted in PubMed and Web of Science. Our inclusion criteria included peer-reviewed, original, empirical articles published in English between the years 1990 and 2012, conducted in the World Bank South Asia region (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka). This resulted in 30 articles. Nine articles met our inclusion criteria and were assessed for this systematic review. Most of the studies were cross-sectional and examined measured particulate matter effects on CVD outcomes and indicators. We observed a bias as nearly all of the studies were from India. Hypertension and CVD deaths were positively associated with higher particulate matter levels. Biomarkers of oxidative stress such as increased levels of P-selection expressing platelets, depleted superoxide dismutase and reactive oxygen species generation as well as elevated levels of inflammatory-related C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 were also positively associated with biomass use or elevated particulate matter levels. An important outcome of this investigation was the evidence suggesting important air pollution effects regarding CVD risk in South Asia. However, too few studies have been conducted. There is as an urgent need for longer term investigations using robust measures of air pollution with different population groups that include a wider range of air pollutants and outcomes, including early indicators of CVD. These regions are facing burdens from increasing urbanization, air pollution and populations, generally weaker health infrastructure, aging populations and increased incidence of non-communicable diseases, included CVD. The extent to which the problem of air pollution and CVD will impact these countries will depend largely on the information available to inform policy and programs, which are still lacking, political will as well as social and economic development. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Groundwater arsenic contamination in Bangladesh-21 Years of research.

PubMed

Chakraborti, Dipankar; Rahman, Mohammad Mahmudur; Mukherjee, Amitava; Alauddin, Mohammad; Hassan, Manzurul; Dutta, Rathindra Nath; Pati, Shymapada; Mukherjee, Subhash Chandra; Roy, Shibtosh; Quamruzzman, Quazi; Rahman, Mahmuder; Morshed, Salim; Islam, Tanzima; Sorif, Shaharir; Selim, Md; Islam, Md Razaul; Hossain, Md Monower

2015-01-01

Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE), Bangladesh first identified their groundwater arsenic contamination in 1993. But before the international arsenic conference in Dhaka in February 1998, the problem was not widely accepted. Even in the international arsenic conference in West-Bengal, India in February, 1995, representatives of international agencies in Bangladesh and Bangladesh government attended the conference but they denied the groundwater arsenic contamination in Bangladesh. School of Environmental Studies (SOES), Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India first identified arsenic patient in Bangladesh in 1992 and informed WHO, UNICEF of Bangladesh and Govt. of Bangladesh from April 1994 to August 1995. British Geological Survey (BGS) dug hand tube-wells in Bangladesh in 1980s and early 1990s but they did not test the water for arsenic. Again BGS came back to Bangladesh in 1992 to assess the quality of the water of the tube-wells they installed but they still did not test for arsenic when groundwater arsenic contamination and its health effects in West Bengal in Bengal delta was already published in WHO Bulletin in 1988. From December 1996, SOES in collaboration with Dhaka Community Hospital (DCH), Bangladesh started analyzing hand tube-wells for arsenic from all 64 districts in four geomorphologic regions of Bangladesh. So far over 54,000 tube-well water samples had been analyzed by flow injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (FI-HG-AAS). From SOES water analysis data at present we could assess status of arsenic groundwater contamination in four geo-morphological regions of Bangladesh and location of possible arsenic safe groundwater. SOES and DCH also made some preliminary work with their medical team to identify patients suffering from arsenic related diseases. SOES further analyzed few thousands biological samples (hair, nail, urine and skin scales) and foodstuffs for arsenic to know arsenic body burden and people sub-clinically affected. SOES and DCH made a few follow-up studies in some districts to know their overall situations after 9 to 18 years of their first exposure. The overall conclusion from these follow-up studies is (a) villagers are now more aware about the danger of drinking arsenic contaminated water (b) villagers are currently drinking less arsenic contaminated water (c) many villagers in affected village died of cancer (d) arsenic contaminated water is in use for agricultural irrigation and arsenic exposure from food chain could be future danger. Since at present more information is coming about health effects from low arsenic exposure, Bangladesh Government should immediately focus on their huge surface water management and reduce their permissible limit of arsenic in drinking water. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Attitudes toward Wife Beating: A Cross-Country Study in Asia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rani, Manju; Bonu, Sekhar

2009-01-01

Using demographic and health surveys conducted between 1998 and 2001 from seven countries (Armenia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Kazakhstan, Nepal, and Turkey), the study found that acceptance of wife beating ranged from 29% in Nepal, to 57% in India (women only), and from 26% in Kazakhstan, to 56% in Turkey (men only). Increasing wealth predicted…

Chronic kidney disease hotspots in developing countries in South Asia.

PubMed

Abraham, Georgi; Varughese, Santosh; Thandavan, Thiagarajan; Iyengar, Arpana; Fernando, Edwin; Naqvi, S A Jaffar; Sheriff, Rezvi; Ur-Rashid, Harun; Gopalakrishnan, Natarajan; Kafle, Rishi Kumar

2016-02-01

In many developing countries in the South Asian region, screening for chronic diseases in the community has shown a widely varying prevalence. However, certain geographical regions have shown a high prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) of unknown etiology. This predominantly affects the young and middle-aged population with a lower socioeconomic status. Here, we describe the hotspots of CKD of undiagnosed etiology in South Asian countries including the North, Central and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka and the coastal region of the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. Screening of these populations has revealed cases of CKD in various stages. Race has also been shown to be a factor, with a much lower prevalence of CKD in whites compared to Asians, which could be related to the known influence of ethnicity on CKD development as well as environmental factors. The difference between developed and developing nations is most stark in the realm of healthcare, which translates into CKD hotspots in many regions of South Asian countries. Additionally, the burden of CKD stage G5 remains unknown due to the lack of registry reports, poor access to healthcare and lack of an organized chronic disease management program. The population receiving various forms of renal replacement therapy has dramatically increased in the last decade due to better access to point of care, despite the disproportionate increase in nephrology manpower. In this article we will discuss the nephrology care provided in various countries in South Asia, including India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.

Long-term trends and spatial patterns of PM2.5-induced premature mortality in South and Southeast Asia from 1999 to 2014.

PubMed

Shi, Yusheng; Matsunaga, Tsuneo; Yamaguchi, Yasushi; Zhao, Aimei; Li, Zhengqiang; Gu, Xingfa

2018-08-01

Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) poses a potential threat to human health, including premature mortality under long-term exposure. Based on a long-term series of high-resolution (0.01°×0.01°) satellite-retrieved PM 2.5 concentrations, this study estimated the premature mortality attributable to PM 2.5 in South and Southeast Asia (SSEA) from 1999 to 2014. Then, the long-term trends and spatial characteristics of PM 2.5 -induced premature deaths (1999-2014) were analyzed using trend analyses and standard deviation ellipses. Results showed the estimated number of PM 2.5 -induced average annual premature deaths in SSEA was 1,447,000. The numbers increased from 1,179,400 in 1999 to 1,724,900 in 2014, with a growth rate of 38% and net increase of 545,500. Stroke and ischemic heart disease were the two principal contributors, accounting for 39% and 35% of the total, respectively. High values were concentrated in North India, Bangladesh, East Pakistan, and some metropolitan areas of Southeast Asia. An estimated 991,600 deaths in India was quantified (i.e., ~69% of the total premature deaths in SSEA). The long-term trends (1999-2014) of PM 2.5 -related premature mortality exhibited consistent incremental tendencies in all countries except Sri Lanka. The findings of this study suggest that strict controls of PM 2.5 concentrations in SSEA are urgently required. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Eradication of dracunculiasis from Pakistan.

PubMed

Hopkins, D R; Azam, M; Ruiz-Tiben, E; Kappus, K D

1995-09-02

In 1986 the World Health Organization targeted dracunculiasis (Guinea-worm disease), which seriously impairs socioeconomic development in 16 African countries, India, Pakistan, and Yemen, to be eradicated globally. The target date for eradication by the end of 1995 was established in 1991. Pakistan eradicated dracunculiasis from the country in October, 1993, after a national campaign which began in 1987 with a nationwide village-by-village search for cases. The infection, which is transmitted by drinking water from ponds containing infected water fleas, was eradicated by using health education, cloth filters, and the cyclopsicide, temephos; and in the later stages, by case containment. Methods pioneered in Pakistan's National Guinea Worm Eradication Program are now being applied in remaining endemic countries.

India and Pakistan Civil-Military Relations

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-21

members of the state and the business community and dominated by Urdu-speaking migrants from India, called ‘mohajirs’. It also included some Punjabis ...1971 would eliminate the Bengali majority in the country and gradually the Punjabi population would assert more influence at the expense of the...Muhajirs, and Punjabis ,” Comparative Politics, 23(3), (1991), 299-312. 16 should take power over British India when the British left. He

Maternal high-risk fertility behavior and association with chronic undernutrition among children under age 5 y in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal: Do poor children have a higher risk?

PubMed

Rahman, Mosiur; Haque, Syed Emdadul; Zahan, Sarwar; Islam, Jahirul; Rahman, Mosfequr; Asaduzzaman, M D; Haque, Nuruzzaman; Islam, Ahmed Zohirul; Huda, Durul; Mostofa, Golam

2018-05-01

We aimed to examine whether an association exists between maternal high-risk fertility behavior and chronic undernutrition among children under 5 y of age. In addition, we explored the relationship between poverty and high-risk fertility behavior and the relative roles they play as obstacles in the reduction of the risk of undernutrition among children. The analysis was based on responses from married women ages 15 to 49 who lived with at least one child under the age of 5; and three cross-sectional, nationally representative samples from India, Bangladesh, and Nepal were considered. Maternal high-risk fertility behavior was associated with an increased risk of chronic undernutrition among children in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Multiple high-risk categories appeared to have more profound consequences on the outcomes measured. Findings also demonstrated that with regard to the risk of undernutrition, children of mothers who were either poor or who experienced high-risk fertility were not uniquely disadvantaged. The results suggest that with regard to the risk of chronic undernutrition, the negative effect of high-risk fertility behavior extends across all economic backgrounds and is not limited to children of mothers who were either poor or who experienced high-risk fertility. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Perceived effectiveness of text and pictorial health warnings for smokeless tobacco packages in Navi Mumbai, India, and Dhaka, Bangladesh: findings from an experimental study.

PubMed

Mutti, Seema; Reid, Jessica L; Gupta, Prakash C; Pednekar, Mangesh S; Dhumal, Gauri; Nargis, Nigar; Hussain, Akm Ghulam; Hammond, David

2016-07-01

To examine the perceived effectiveness of text and pictorial smokeless tobacco health warnings in India and Bangladesh, including different types of message content. An experimental study was conducted in Navi Mumbai, India (n=1002), and Dhaka, Bangladesh (n=1081). Face-to-face interviews were conducted on tablets with adult (≥19 years) smokeless tobacco users and youth (16-18 years) users and non-users. Respondents viewed warnings depicting five health effects, within one of the four randomly assigned warning label conditions (or message themes): (1) text-only, (2) symbolic pictorial, (3) graphic pictorial or (4) personal testimonial pictorial messages. Text-only warnings were perceived as less effective than all of the pictorial styles (p<0.001 for all). Graphic warnings were given higher effectiveness ratings than symbolic or testimonial warnings (p<0.001). No differences were observed in levels of agreement with negative attitudes and beliefs across message themes, after respondents had viewed warnings. Pictorial warnings are more effective than text-only messages. Pictorial warnings depicting graphic health effects may have the greatest impact, consistent with research from high-income countries on cigarette warnings. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Leveling the Playing Field: Giving Girls An Equal Chance for Basic Education--Three Countries' Efforts. EDI Learning Resources Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stromquist, Nelly; Murphy, Paud

This booklet examines the efforts of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Malawi to increase the enrollment of girls in their schools. Each country has severe problems of access to education for girls; the gender gap in the gross enrollment rate at the primary school level is at least 10 percentage points in each country. What is noteworthy about these three…

Confidence building measures at sea:opportunities for India and Pakistan.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vohra, Ravi Bhushan Rear Admiral; ); Ansari, Hasan Masood Rear Admiral

2003-12-01

The sea presents unique possibilities for implementing confidence building measures (CBMs) between India and Pakistan that are currently not available along the contentious land borders surrounding Jammu and Kashmir. This is due to the nature of maritime issues, the common military culture of naval forces, and a less contentious history of maritime interaction between the two nations. Maritime issues of mutual concern provide a strong foundation for more far-reaching future CBMs on land, while addressing pressing security, economic, and humanitarian needs at sea in the near-term. Although Indian and Pakistani maritime forces currently have stronger opportunities to cooperate with onemore » another than their counterparts on land, reliable mechanisms to alleviate tension or promote operational coordination remain non-existent. Therefore, possible maritime CBMs, as well as pragmatic mechanisms to initiate and sustain cooperation, require serious examination. This report reflects the unique joint research undertaking of two retired Senior Naval Officers from both India and Pakistan, sponsored by the Cooperative Monitoring Center of the International Security Center at Sandia National Laboratories. Research focuses on technology as a valuable tool to facilitate confidence building between states having a low level of initial trust. Technical CBMs not only increase transparency, but also provide standardized, scientific means of interacting on politically difficult problems. Admirals Vohra and Ansari introduce technology as a mechanism to facilitate consistent forms of cooperation and initiate discussion in the maritime realm. They present technical CBMs capable of being acted upon as well as high-level political recommendations regarding the following issues: (1) Delimitation of the maritime boundary between India and Pakistan and its relationship to the Sir Creek dispute; (2) Restoration of full shipping links and the security of ports and cargos; (3) Fishing within disputed areas and resolution of issues relating to arrest and repatriation of fishermen from both sides; and (4) Naval and maritime agency interaction and possibilities for cooperation.« less

A taxonomic review of the genus Antepipona de Saussure, 1855 (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) from India.

PubMed

Kumar, Girish P; Carpenter, James M; Sureshan, Pavittu M

2016-08-16

A review of 20 Indian species of the genus Antepipona de Saussure with a key to species and subspecies is provided. A new synonymy is proposed for Antepipona biguttata (Fabricius, 1787) =A. excelsa keralensis Lambert, 2004, syn. nov. The parasitic association of Strepsiptera is reported for the first time in the genus Antepipona. Antepipona rufescens (Smith, 1857) is newly recorded from India and A. ovalis (de Saussure, 1853) from Bangladesh. The reported distributions of ten species within India are enlarged.

Multiplex PCR technique could be an alternative approach for early detection of leprosy among close contacts--a pilot study from India.

PubMed

Banerjee, Surajita; Sarkar, Kamalesh; Gupta, Soma; Mahapatra, Prasanta Sinha; Gupta, Siddhartha; Guha, Samudra; Bandhopadhayay, Debasis; Ghosal, Chaitry; Paine, Suman Kalyan; Dutta, Rathindra Nath; Biswas, Nibir; Bhattacharya, Basudev

2010-08-24

Implementation of Multi drug Therapy (MDT) regimen has resulted in the decline of the total number of leprosy cases in the world. Though the prevalence rate has been declining, the incidence rate remains more or less constant and high in South East Asian countries particularly in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Srilanka. Leprosy, particularly that of multibacillary type spreads silently before it is clinically detected. An early detection and treatment would help to prevent transmission in the community. Multiplex PCR (M-PCR) technique appears to be promising towards early detection among contacts of leprosy cases. A total of 234 paucibacillary (PB) and 205 multibacillary (MB) leprosy cases were studied in a community of an endemic area of Bankura district of West Bengal (Eastern India). They were assessed by smear examination for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) and M-PCR technique. These patients were treated with Multidrug Therapy (MDT) as prescribed by WHO following detection. A total of 110 MB and 72 PB contacts were studied by performing M-PCR in their nasal swab samples. 83.4% of MB patients were observed to be positive by smear examination for AFB and 89.2% by M-PCR. While 22.2% of PB patients were found to be positive by smear examination for AFB, 80.3% of these patients were positive by M-PCR. Among leprosy contacts (using M-PCR), 10.9% were found to be positive among MB contacts and 1.3% among PB contacts. Interestingly, two contacts of M-PCR positive MB cases developed leprosy during the period of two years follow up. The M-PCR technique appears to be an efficient tool for early detection of leprosy cases in community based contact tracing amongst close associates of PB and MB cases. Early contact tracing using a molecular biology tool can be of great help in curbing the incidence of leprosy further.

What is the role of community capabilities for maternal health? An exploration of community capabilities as determinants to institutional deliveries in Bangladesh, India, and Uganda.

PubMed

Paina, Ligia; Vadrevu, Lalitha; Hanifi, S M Manzoor Ahmed; Akuze, Joseph; Rieder, Rachel; Chan, Kitty S; Peters, David H

2016-11-15

While community capabilities are recognized as important factors in developing resilient health systems and communities, appropriate metrics for these have not yet been developed. Furthermore, the role of community capabilities on access to maternal health services has been underexplored. In this paper, we summarize the development of a community capability score based on the Future Health System (FHS) project's experience in Bangladesh, India, and Uganda, and, examine the role of community capabilities as determinants of institutional delivery in these three contexts. We developed a community capability score using a pooled dataset containing cross-sectional household survey data from Bangladesh, India, and Uganda. Our main outcome of interest was whether the woman delivered in an institution. Our predictor variables included the community capability score, as well as a series of previously identified determinants of maternal health. We calculate both population-averaged effects (using GEE logistic regression), as well as sub-national level effects (using a mixed effects model). Our final sample for analysis included 2775 women, of which 1238 were from Bangladesh, 1199 from India, and 338 from Uganda. We found that individual-level determinants of institutional deliveries, such as maternal education, parity, and ante-natal care access were significant in our analysis and had a strong impact on a woman's odds of delivering in an institution. We also found that, in addition to individual-level determinants, greater community capability was significantly associated with higher odds of institutional delivery. For every additional capability, the odds of institutional delivery would increase by up to almost 6 %. Individual-level characteristics are strong determinants of whether a woman delivered in an institution. However, we found that community capability also plays an important role, and should be taken into account when designing programs and interventions to support institutional deliveries. Consideration of individual factors and the capabilities of the communities in which people live would contribute to the vision of supporting people-centered approaches to health.

Natural disaster-induced environmental migration from the Indian subcontinent resulting in malaria outbreak in Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mavrouli, Maria; Mavroulis, Spyridon; Piperaki, Evangelia-Theofano; Hadjichristodoulou, Christos; Tsakris, Athanassios

2017-04-01

Extreme hydrometeorological disasters such as floods and hurricanes can severely damage human life, natural and built environment and economic development. Consequently, they can result in environmental migration (EM). In case of infectious disease (ID) outbreaks during the post-disaster period and subsequent EM, environmental refugees from endemic regions serve as ID carriers to their new residence sites altering the spatial ID distribution and incidence. The continuous massive influx of environmental refugees from malaria endemic regions to non-endemic ones can build up a parasite reservoir among naive host populations. Initially, serum specimens were collected in 2012 from asymptomatic individuals, 298 Greeks and 721 immigrants residing in areas of documented local malaria transmission in Laconia (Southern Peloponnese) and in Eastern Attica, Greece. Sera were tested for antibodies against Plasmodium vivax and P. falciparum using the Malaria-Ab ELISA (IBL International GMBH, Hamburg, Germany). Taking into account that Greece has been declared malaria free by the WHO since 1974, we conducted an extensive and systematic literature review related to natural disasters leading among others to increased malaria risk in Indian Subcontinent and respective forced EM in order to detect relative possible causes of reintroduction and localized outbreaks of malaria in Greece. Regarding the country of origin, information was available for 685 (95%) of the 721 immigrants. Of the 678 immigrants from Indian Subcontinent, 627 (92.5%) originated from Pakistan, 24 (3.53%) Afghanistan, 24 (3.53%) India and 3 (0.44%) Bangladesh. Of the 721 immigrants, 582 and 124 resided in Laconia and Eastern Attica respectively. Seventy-one immigrants residing in Laconia and 14 in Eastern Attica were positive for antimalarial antibodies, while none of the 298 Greeks residing in Laconia (N=248) and Attica (N=50) was found positive. Based on already published scientific data, Pakistan has been exposed to extreme monsoon flooding during 2003, 2007 and 2010-2014, and is ranked 9th in terms of flood affected countries worldwide. In 2010, Pakistan experienced the worst floods recorded in its recent history since approximately 20% of Pakistan's total area inundated and about 20 million people were directly affected by destruction of livelihood, property and infrastructure, with a death toll of about 2000, 37 million medical consultations (acute respiratory infection-23%, skin diseases-11%, acute diarrhea-9%, suspected malaria-6%) and over 10 million internal and international environmental refugees. In conclusion, Greece has been declared malaria free since 1974. However, an increase in cases of P. vivax malaria has been detected since 2009. Since immigrants originate mostly from Pakistan, reasons for this increase may include the forced EM induced by the 2010 and subsequent Pakistan floods that led to increased malaria cases in Indian subcontinent, surges of environmental refugees from these malaria endemic flood-affected regions and the existence of permissive Anopheles vectors in Greece.

The genus Alphocoris in the Indomalaya (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Scutelleridae).

PubMed

RÉdei, DÁvid; Tsai, Jing-Fu; Jindra, ZdenĚk

2018-02-21

The Indomalayan species of the genus Alphocoris Germar, 1839 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Scutelleridae: Odontotarsinae: Odontotarsini) are revised. Three species, A. caudatus Rédei, Tsai Jindra, sp. nov. (India: Maharashtra), A. naso Rédei Tsai, sp. nov. (India: Goa), and A. asper Rédei, Tsai Jindra, sp. nov. (India: Goa and Maharashtra), are recognized. The type material of A. lixoides Germar, 1839 (type locality: Senegal) is documented; previous records of this species from India and Pakistan are considered as based on misidentifications, the species is restricted to the Afrotropical Region.

A genetic chronology for the Indian Subcontinent points to heavily sex-biased dispersals.

PubMed

Silva, Marina; Oliveira, Marisa; Vieira, Daniel; Brandão, Andreia; Rito, Teresa; Pereira, Joana B; Fraser, Ross M; Hudson, Bob; Gandini, Francesca; Edwards, Ceiridwen; Pala, Maria; Koch, John; Wilson, James F; Pereira, Luísa; Richards, Martin B; Soares, Pedro

2017-03-23

India is a patchwork of tribal and non-tribal populations that speak many different languages from various language families. Indo-European, spoken across northern and central India, and also in Pakistan and Bangladesh, has been frequently connected to the so-called "Indo-Aryan invasions" from Central Asia ~3.5 ka and the establishment of the caste system, but the extent of immigration at this time remains extremely controversial. South India, on the other hand, is dominated by Dravidian languages. India displays a high level of endogamy due to its strict social boundaries, and high genetic drift as a result of long-term isolation which, together with a very complex history, makes the genetic study of Indian populations challenging. We have combined a detailed, high-resolution mitogenome analysis with summaries of autosomal data and Y-chromosome lineages to establish a settlement chronology for the Indian Subcontinent. Maternal lineages document the earliest settlement ~55-65 ka (thousand years ago), and major population shifts in the later Pleistocene that explain previous dating discrepancies and neutrality violation. Whilst current genome-wide analyses conflate all dispersals from Southwest and Central Asia, we were able to tease out from the mitogenome data distinct dispersal episodes dating from between the Last Glacial Maximum to the Bronze Age. Moreover, we found an extremely marked sex bias by comparing the different genetic systems. Maternal lineages primarily reflect earlier, pre-Holocene processes, and paternal lineages predominantly episodes within the last 10 ka. In particular, genetic influx from Central Asia in the Bronze Age was strongly male-driven, consistent with the patriarchal, patrilocal and patrilineal social structure attributed to the inferred pastoralist early Indo-European society. This was part of a much wider process of Indo-European expansion, with an ultimate source in the Pontic-Caspian region, which carried closely related Y-chromosome lineages, a smaller fraction of autosomal genome-wide variation and an even smaller fraction of mitogenomes across a vast swathe of Eurasia between 5 and 3.5 ka.

Differential female mortality and health care in South Asia.

PubMed

Harriss, B

1989-04-01

This report examines differential female mortality in South Asia--India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Under conditions of mortality decline and an aggregate trend toward convergence of life expectancy, disequilibria which are comparatively unusual, persist. The converging life expectancies are a product of changes unique to each sex. Female mortality gains after the reproductive period conceal excess female mortality from the post-neonatal period to 5 years and in most regions of South Asia during the reproductive years as well. These imbalances appear to be most exaggerated on the upper Gangetic plain and among communities such as the Jats and Rajputs. The most marked imbalances do not bear a consistent relationship to economic conditions. They may, however, be declining over time. In certain regions of India, most notably in the peripheral south, discrimination against women is not seen in demographic data and has not been for several decades. Male life expectancy is being affected by only slow improvement in male mortality from age 35. Major social changes are accompanying these changes in gender differences in vital statistics, including changes in the technology of agricultural production, falling female participation rates, the education of girls, the increasing practice of dowry, and fertility decision making changes. It is not clear whether child mortality or maternal mortality is the key to the political economy of Indian demography, whether maldistribution of food or health care is the prime determinant of excess female child mortality, whether excess female mortality is the result of being neglect or conscious selection, whether regional contrasts result from differences in the religious roles of sons between north and south India, whether the female sex is culturally inferior and the male sex superior, whether food scarcity is more important than food availability in the determination of sex bias, whether poverty results in greater discrimination, whether class position determines reproductive strategy, whether major contrasts in demographic regime exist between north and south India, or whether material conditions or cultural practices determine demographic regimes. The workshop papers contributed data for the decision process, advocacy for the agenda, and details on the results of implementation, and the realities of access.

Genetic differentiation and geographical Relationship of Asian barley landraces using SSRs

PubMed Central

Naeem, Rehan; Dahleen, Lynn; Mirza, Bushra

2011-01-01

Genetic diversity in 403 morphologically distinct landraces of barley (Hordeum vulgare L. subsp. vulgare) originating from seven geographical zones of Asia was studied using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers from regions of medium to high recombination in the barley genome. The seven polymorphic SSR markers representing each of the chromosomes chosen for the study revealed a high level of allelic diversity among the landraces. Genetic richness was highest in those from India, followed by Pakistan while it was lowest for Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Out of the 50 alleles detected, 15 were unique to a geographic region. Genetic diversity was highest for landraces from Pakistan (0.70 ± 0.06) and lowest for those from Uzbekistan (0.18 ± 0.17). Likewise, polymorphic information content (PIC) was highest for Pakistan (0.67 ± 0.06) and lowest for Uzbekistan (0.15 ± 0.17). Diversity among groups was 40% compared to 60% within groups. Principal component analysis clustered the barley landraces into three groups to predict their domestication patterns. In total 51.58% of the variation was explained by the first two principal components of the barley germplasm. Pakistan landraces were clustered separately from those of India, Iran, Nepal and Iraq, whereas those from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan were clustered together into a separate group. PMID:21734828

Acceptability of locally produced ready-to-use therapeutic foods in Ethiopia, Ghana, Pakistan and India.

PubMed

Weber, Jacklyn M; Ryan, Kelsey N; Tandon, Rajiv; Mathur, Meeta; Girma, Tsinuel; Steiner-Asiedu, Matilda; Saalia, Firibu; Zaidi, Shujaat; Soofi, Sajid; Okos, Martin; Vosti, Stephen A; Manary, Mark J

2017-04-01

Successful treatment of severe acute malnutrition has been achieved with ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), but only 15% of children with severe acute malnutrition receive RUTF. The objective of this study was to determine whether new formulations of RUTF produced using locally available ingredients were acceptable to young children in Ethiopia, Ghana, Pakistan and India. The local RUTFs were formulated using a linear programming tool that allows for inclusion of only local ingredients and minimizes cost. The study consisted of 4 two-arm, crossover, site-randomized food acceptability trials to test the acceptability of an alternative RUTF formula compared with the standard peanut-based RUTF containing powdered milk. Fifty children with moderate wasting in each country were enrolled in the 2-week study. Acceptability was measured by overall consumption, likeability and adverse effects reported by caregivers. Two of the four RUTFs did not include peanut, and all four used alternative dairy proteins rather than milk. The ingredient cost of all of the RUTFs was about 60% of standard RUTF. In Ethiopia, Ghana and India, the local RUTF was tolerated well without increased reports of rash, diarrhoea or vomiting. Children consumed similar amounts of local RUTF and standard RUTF and preferred them similarly as well. In Pakistan, local RUTF was consumed in similar quantities, but mothers perceived that children did not enjoy it as much as standard RUTF. Our results support the further investigation of these local RUTFs in Ethiopia, Ghana and India in equivalency trials and suggest that local RUTFs may be of lower cost. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Initial India-Asia Collision: Sedimentologic, Paleomagnetic and Paleontologic Evidence From the Ghazij Formation, Balochistan, Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clyde, W. C.; Khan, I. H.; Gingerich, P. D.

2003-12-01

Initial continental collision between India and Asia is thought to have caused significant changes to global climate and biota, yet its timing and biogeographic consequences are uncertain. Structural and geophysical evidence indicates initial collision during the early Paleogene, but sedimentary evidence of this has been controversial owing to the intense deformation and metamorphism along the suture zone. Modern orders of mammals that appeared abruptly on northern continents coincident with the global warming event marking the Paleocene-Eocene boundary are hypothesized to have originated on the Indian subcontinent, but no relevant paleontologic information has been available to test this idea. Here we present sedimentologic, paleomagnetic, and paleontologic results that show the lower Eocene Ghazij Formation of western Pakistan records continental sedimentation and mammalian dispersal associated with initial India-Asia collision. Sedimentologically, the Ghazij exhibits a clear transition from shallow-marine facies in the lower part, to paralic deltaic facies in the middle part, and continental fluvial facies in the upper part. Paleomagnetic data indicate that Ghazij deposition occurred just before a pronounced decrease in the sea-floor spreading rate of the Indian Ocean. Large fossil mammal assemblages show strong endemism in the middle part of the formation but increasing cosmopolitanism and affiliation with northern continents higher in the formation. Our results support the hypothesis that initial continent-continent contact occurred near the Paleocene-Eocene boundary along the northwest edge of the Indo-Pakistan plate and that subsequent closure occurred diachronously along the rest of the suture. However, it appears that during initial collision, modern orders of mammals dispersed into India rather than out of it.

Population and population policy in Pakistan.

PubMed

Mauldin, W P

1963-02-01

Pakistan is a divided country with different religious groups represented. Since independence in 1941, the Muslim population has increased more rapidly than the Hindu population, the West Pakistan population more rapidly and steadily than the East Pakistan population. In the late 1950s the Pakistan government initiated a family planning program. The program has trained medical and paramedical personnel in family planning, added family planning services to existing medical centers, planned for a National Research Institute of Family Planning, employed mobile units to reach outlying areas, conducted limited clinical studies on some contraceptives, and used mass media advertising. Only India and Japan are doing more with government-sponsored family planning. A weak organizational structure and an inadequate number of trained personnel are the main weakness of the program. It is too early to assess the success of the program. A 10-point reduction in annual birth rates will be considered successful.

Hepatitis B epidemiology in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

PubMed

André, F

2000-02-18

Asia and Africa have previously been classified as areas of high endemicity for hepatitis B virus (HBV), but in some countries highly effective vaccination programmes have shifted this pattern towards intermediate or low endemicity. Thus, China is now the only country in Asia where HBV endemicity is high. Countries with intermediate endemicity include India, Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand, and those with low endemicity include Japan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. Most countries in Africa have high HBV endemicity, with the exceptions of Tunisia and Morocco, which have intermediate endemicity. Zambia has borderline intermediate/high endemicity. In the Middle East, Bahrain, Iran, Israel and Kuwait are areas of low endemicity, Cyprus, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates have intermediate endemicity, and Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Palestine, Yemen and Saudi Arabia have high endemicity. All of these Middle East countries reach a large proportion of their population with hepatitis B vaccination, which is reducing the infection rate, particularly in Saudi Arabia. The vaccination programme in Taiwan has also greatly reduced the HBV infection rate. Future vaccination programmes must take into account the mode of transmission of HBV, the healthcare infrastructure to deliver vaccination, and the socioeconomic and political factors in each individual country, to determine the most cost-effective way of infection control.

[Tuberculosis and malaria global prophylaxis in the light of decisions of the Big Eight].

PubMed

Onishchenko, G G

2008-01-01

At the present time about two million people, one third of the Earth's population, are carriers of tuberculosis agent. Though tuberculosis is curable disease, it continues to take away lives of about 4400 persons; most of them are young and are in the most productive age. The most active incidence rate of tuberculosis occurs in the countries of Africa to the south of Sahara (29% of all cases of tuberculosis per head); half of new cases of tuberculosis fall on Asian countries: Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Philippines. The governments of Big Eight maintain activities that have stabilized morbidity of tuberculosis on a world scale. Over 11 years (1995 - 2006) World Health Organization (WHO) implemented the DOTS strategy (Directly Observed Treatment with Short course of chemotherapy) in 183 countries and tested it on 26 millions patients with tuberculosis. Global data acquisition in 2005 found out morbidity of tuberculosis in 59% (the aim is 70%) and successful cure in 84% cases (the aim is 85 %). In 2006 WHO started realization of the Global Plan "Stop tuberculosis" (2006 - 2012). At the present time Global Fund use about 17% its resources to finance programs against tuberculosis. These funds help to reveal 5 millions extra cases of tuberculosis and cure 3 millions patients in the network of DOTS.

Development and characterization of a cell line TTCF from endangered mahseer Tor tor (Ham.).

PubMed

Yadav, K; Lakra, W S; Sharma, J; Goswami, M; Singh, Akhilesh

2012-08-01

Tor tor is an important game and food fish of India with a distribution throughout Asia from the trans-Himalayan region to the Mekong River basin to Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia. A new cell line named TTCF was developed from the caudal fin of T. tor for the first time. The cell line was optimally maintained at 28°C in Leibovitz-15 (L-15) medium supplemented with 20% fetal bovine serum (FBS). The propagation of TTCF cells showed a high plating efficiency of 63.00%. The cytogenetic analysis revealed a diploid count of 100 chromosomes at passage 15, 30, 45 and 60 passages. The viability of the TTCF cell line was found to be 72% after 6 months of cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen (-196°C). The origin of the cell lines was confirmed by the amplification of 578- and 655-bp sequences of 16S rRNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) genes of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) respectively. TTCF cells were successfully transfected with green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter plasmids. Further, immunocytochemistry studies confirm its fibroblastic morphology of cells. Genotoxicity assessment of H₂O₂ in TTCF cell line revealed the utility of TTCF cell line as in vitro model for aquatic toxicological studies.

Are TB control programmes in South Asia ignoring children with disease? A situational analysis.

PubMed

Shakoor, Sadia; Qamar, Farah Naz; Mir, Fatima; Zaidi, Anita; Hasan, Rumina

2015-02-01

Paediatric tuberculosis (TB) has long been an evasive entity for public health practitioners striving to control the disease. Owing to difficulty in diagnosis of paediatric TB, incidence estimates based on current case detection fall short of actual rates. The four high-burden countries in South Asia (SA-HBC)-Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh-alone account for >75% of missed TB cases worldwide. It follows that these countries are also responsible for a large although unmeasured proportion of missed paediatric cases. In view of current Millennium Development Goals recommending a scale-up of paediatric TB detection and management globally, there is a dire need to improve paediatric TB programmes in these high-burden countries. Inherent problems with diagnosis of paediatric TB are compounded by programmatic and social barriers in SA-HBC. We have reviewed the current situation of TB control programmes in SA-HBC countries based on published statistics and performed a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats situational analysis with a view towards identifying critical issues operant in the region posing barriers to improving paediatric TB control. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Biotech crop planting resumes high adoption in 2016.

PubMed

Aldemita, Rhodora R; Hautea, Randy A

2018-01-02

The global area of biotech crops in 2016 increased from 179.7 million hectares to 185.1 million hectares, a 3% increase equivalent to 5.4 million hectares. Some 26 countries planted biotech crops, 19 of which were developing countries and seven were industrial. Information and data collected from various credible sources showed variations from the previous year. Fluctuations in biotech crop area (both increases and decreases) are influenced by factors including, among others, acceptance and commercialization of new products, demand for meat and livestock feeds, weather conditions, global market price, disease/pest pressure, and government's enabling policies. Countries which have increased biotech crop area in decreasing order in 2016 were Brazil, United States of America, Canada, South Africa, Australia, Bolivia, Philippines, Spain, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Colombia, Honduras, Chile, Sudan, Slovakia, and Costa Rica. Countries with decreased biotech area in decreasing order were China, India, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Mexico, Portugal, and Czech Republic, in decreasing incremental decrease in biotech area. Pakistan and Myanmar were the only countries with no change in biotech crop (cotton) planted. Information detailed in the paper including future crops and traits in each country could guide stakeholders in informed crafting of strategies and policies for increased adoption of biotech crops in the country.

The Banyan tree: overseas migrants from South Asia.

PubMed

Tinker, H

1979-10-01

The number of Indian emigrants throughout the years has made little or no population difference to the country. With the population of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh totalling about 700 million in the mid 1970s, emigration is almost irrelevant. In 3 small nations, Mauritius, Fiji, and Guyana, Indians form the majority of the population. Present demographic trends point to the same majority in Trinidad. Indians also are an important group in Malaya, Singapore, and Ceylon, where they are more than 10% of the overall population. In other countries Indians form a small, minority population without political power. Almost all the overseas communities preserved the essential of the Hindu, Muslim, or Sikh religions which they took with them. In the Caribbean the Indian, or East Indian, has discarded his mother tongue after 3 or more generations in isolation. In South Africa only very old emigrants still speak their native tongue. Indian communities abroad often separate into Hindu and Muslim communities. British society uses the term "multi-racial" to describe the pluralistic cultures in its colonies, but British culture is not multiracial. The term has meaning only when applied to an urban area such as Singapore. In Singapore a multilingual policy is applied in order to make the multiracial ideal a reality.

Attitudes toward wife beating: a cross-country study in Asia.

PubMed

Rani, Manju; Bonu, Sekhar

2009-08-01

Using demographic and health surveys conducted between 1998 and 2001 from seven countries (Armenia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Kazakhstan, Nepal, and Turkey), the study found that acceptance of wife beating ranged from 29% in Nepal, to 57% in India (women only), and from 26% in Kazakhstan, to 56% in Turkey (men only). Increasing wealth predicted less acceptance of wife beating, except in Cambodia and Nepal. Higher education level was negatively associated with acceptance in Turkey and Bangladesh. Younger respondents justified wife beating more often, with some exceptions, showing persistent intergenerational transmission of gender norms. Working women were equally or more likely to justify wife beating compared to nonworking women. Men were significantly more likely to justify wife beating in Armenia, Nepal, and Turkey. Targeted proactive efforts are needed to change these norms, such as improving female literacy rates and other enabling factors.

Prevalence and sociodemographic determinants of tobacco use in four countries of the World Health Organization: South-East Asia region: findings from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey.

PubMed

Palipudi, K; Rizwan, S A; Sinha, D N; Andes, L J; Amarchand, R; Krishnan, A; Asma, S

2014-12-01

Tobacco use is a leading cause of deaths and Disability Adjusted Life Years lost worldwide, particularly in South-East Asia. Health risks associated with exclusive use of one form of tobacco alone has a different health risk profile when compared to dual use. In order to tease out specific profiles of mutually exclusive categories of tobacco use, we carried out this analysis. The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) data was used to describe the profiles of three mutually exclusive tobacco use categories ("Current smoking only," "Current smokeless tobacco [SLT] use only," and "Dual use") in four World Health Organization South-East Asia Region countries, namely Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and Thailand. GATS was a nationally representative household-based survey that used a stratified multistage cluster sampling design proportional to population size. Prevalence of different forms of usage were described as proportions. Logistics regression analyses was performed to calculate odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals. All analyses were weighted, accounted for the complex sampling design and conducted using SPSS version 18. The prevalence of different forms of tobacco use varied across countries. Current tobacco use ranged from 27.2% in Thailand to 43.3% in Bangladesh. Exclusively smoking was more common in Indonesia (34.0%) and Thailand (23.4%) and less common in Bangladesh (16.1%) and India (8.7%). Exclusively using SLT was more common in Bangladesh (20.3%) and India (20.6%) and less common on Indonesia (0.9%) and Thailand (3.5%). Dual use of smoking and SLT was found in Bangladesh (6.8%) and India (5.3%), but was negligible in Indonesia (0.8) and Thailand (0.4%). Gender, age, education and wealth had significant effects on the OR for most forms of tobacco use across all four countries with the exceptions of SLT use in Indonesia and dual use in both Indonesia and Thailand. In general, the different forms of tobacco use increased among males and with increasing age; and decreased with higher education and wealth. The results for urban versus rural residence were mixed and frequently not significant once controlling for the other demographic factors. This study addressed the socioeconomic disparities, which underlie health inequities due to tobacco use. Tobacco control activities in these countries should take in account local cultural, social and demographic factors for successful implementation.

Association of tomato leaf curl Gujarat virus and tomato leaf curl Bangladesh betasatellite on papaya showing typical leaf curl symptoms in North India.

PubMed

Varun, Priyanka; Saxena, Sangeeta

2018-05-01

Papaya leaf curl is an economically important disease occurring in papaya growing tropical and subtropical areas. Papaya leaf curl virus, a begomovirus, is the main causative agent for the disease, but many other begomoviruses as well as betasatellites have also been reported on papaya leaf curl disease. Rapidly evolving host range of begomoviruses is a major issue for developing successful resistance strategies against begomoviral infection considering their expanding host range and mixed infection. In our study, we have identified the presence of begomovirus and associated satellite molecule on papaya showing severe leaf curl symptoms in Lucknow, India. Analysis of complete DNA-A component of this isolate (MG757245) revealed the highest similarity (91%) with tomato leaf curl Gujarat virus (ToLCuGuV), while sequence data of betasatellite (MG478451) showed maximum (89%) identity with tomato leaf curl Bangladesh betasatellite (ToLCuBB). This is the first report on identification of ToLCuGuV and ToLCuBB coinfecting papaya plants in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (India).

Promotion of well-switching to mitigate the current arsenic crisis in Bangladesh.

PubMed Central

Van Geen, Alexander; Ahsan, Habibul; Horneman, Allan H.; Dhar, Ratan K.; Zheng, Yan; Hussain, Iftikhhar; Ahmed, Kazi Matin; Gelman, Andrew; Stute, Martin; Simpson, H. James; Wallace, Sean; Small, Christopher; Parvez, Faruque; Slavkovich, Vesna; Loiacono, Nancy J.; Becker, Marck; Cheng, Zhongqi; Momotaj, Hassina; Shahnewaz, Mohammad; Seddique, Ashraf Ali; Graziano, Joseph H.

2002-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To survey tube wells and households in Araihazar upazila, Bangladesh, to set the stage for a long-term epidemiological study of the consequences of chronic arsenic exposure. METHODS: Water samples and household data were collected over a period of 4 months in 2000 from 4997 contiguous tube wells serving a population of 55000, the position of each well being determined to within +/- 30 m using Global Positioning System receivers. Arsenic concentrations were determined by graphite-furnace atomic-absorption spectrometry. In addition, groundwater samples collected every 2 weeks for an entire year from six tube wells were analysed for arsenic by high-resolution inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. FINDINGS: Half of the wells surveyed in Araihazar had been installed in the previous 5 years; 94% were privately owned. Only about 48% of the surveyed wells supplied water with an arsenic content below 50 micro g/l, the current Bangladesh standard for drinking-water. Similar to other regions of Bangladesh and West Bengal, India, the distribution of arsenic in Araihazar is spatially highly variable (range: 5-860 micro g/l) and therefore difficult to predict. Because of this variability, however, close to 90% of the inhabitants live within 100 m of a safe well. Monitoring of six tube wells currently meeting the 50 micro g/l standard showed no indication of a seasonal cycle in arsenic concentrations coupled to the hydrological cycle. This suggests that well-switching is a viable option in Araihazar, at least for the short term. CONCLUSIONS: Well-switching should be more systematically encouraged in Araihazar and many other parts of Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. Social barriers to well-switching need to be better understood and, if possible, overcome. PMID:12378292

Micro-insurance in Bangladesh: Risk Protection for the Poor?

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Health services and modern medicines are out of reach for over one billion people globally. Micro-insurance for health is one method to address unmet health needs. This case study used a social exclusion perspective to assess the health and poverty impact of micro-insurance for health in Bangladesh and contrasts this with several micro-insurance systems for health offered in India. Micro-insurance for health in Bangladesh targeted towards the poor and the ultra-poor provides basic healthcare at an affordable rate whereas the Indian micro-insurance schemes for health have been implemented across larger populations and include high-cost and low-frequency events. Results of analysis of the existing literature showed that micro-insurance for health as currently offered in Bangladesh increased access to, and use of, basic health services among excluded populations but did not reduce the likelihood that essential health-related costs would be a catastrophic expense for a marginalized household. PMID:19761089

Pakistan: A Nation at War with Itself

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-01

boundaries in India.13 As a recent Rand Corporation report argued, “the Use of militant groups, including the Taliban, has remained an important instrument...government at Dhaka in East Pakistan. Pakistan’s experiments with democracy have been marked by a “multi- layered trajectory of contrasts and...protect the city by destroying a large number of bridges on the canal that surrounded it. The Indian strategy of expanding the war beyond Kashmir was

Maritime Issues between Pakistan and India: Seeking Cooperation and Regional Stability

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-01

release; distribution is unlimited 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE 13. ABSTRACT (maximum 200 words ) Since independence, relations between Pakistan and...the way for the resolution of more complex and substantive disputes in the future. In other words , peace in Kashmir may be wrought at sea...could pave the way for the resolution of more complex and substantive disputes in the future. In other words , peace in Kashmir may be wrought at sea

Multicomponent intervention versus usual care for management of hypertension in rural Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka: study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Jafar, Tazeen H; Jehan, Imtiaz; de Silva, H Asita; Naheed, Aliya; Gandhi, Mihir; Assam, Pryseley; Finkelstein, Eric A; Quigley, Helena Legido; Bilger, Marcel; Khan, Aamir Hameed; Clemens, John David; Ebrahim, Shah; Turner, Elizabeth L; Kasturiratne, Anuradhani

2017-06-12

High blood pressure (BP) is the leading attributable risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). In rural South Asia, hypertension continues to be a significant public health issue with sub-optimal BP control rates. The goal of the trial is to compare a multicomponent intervention (MCI) to usual care to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the MCI for lowering BP among adults with hypertension in rural communities in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. This study is a stratified, cluster randomized controlled trial with a qualitative component for evaluation of processes and stakeholder feedback. The MCI has five components: (1) home health education by government community health workers (CHWs), (2) BP monitoring and stepped-up referral to a trained general practitioner using a checklist, (3) training public and private providers in management of hypertension and using a checklist, (4) designating hypertension triage counter and hypertension care coordinators in government clinics and (5) a financing model to compensate for additional health services and provide subsidies to low income individuals with poorly controlled hypertension. Usual care will comprise existing services in the community without any additional training. The trial will be conducted on 2550 individuals aged ≥40 years with hypertension (with systolic BP ≥140 mm Hg or diastolic BP ≥90 mm Hg, based on the mean of the last two of three measurements from two separate days, or on antihypertensive therapy) in 30 rural communities in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The primary outcome is change in systolic BP from baseline to follow-up at 24 months post-randomization. The incremental cost of MCI per CVD disability-adjusted life years averted will be computed. Stakeholders including policy makers, provincial- and district-level coordinators of relevant programmes, physicians, CHWs, key community leaders, hypertensive individuals and family members in the identified clusters will be interviewed. The study will provide evidence of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of MCI strategies for BP control compared to usual care in the rural public health infrastructure in South Asian countries. If shown to be successful, MCI may be a long-term sustainable strategy for tackling the rising rates of CVD in low resourced countries. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02657746 . Registered on 14 January 2016.

Comparative study on fashion & textile design higher education system, Pakistan vs UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hameed, Umer; Umer, Saima

2017-10-01

Fashion clothing has a fundamental link to what is generally called global society. However, fashion as a social phenomenon does not only co-create and shape society’s image, it also reflects its current status and responds to the changes taking place in it. [1] In the past few years, Design Education has gained more and more importance. As our clothing consumption has reached an all-time high, and in response, advocates for creative, mindful, eco-friendlier design are screaming their message louder than ever. And it seems the fashion industry is finally listening: More and more fashion designers with formal education are engaging in the practical field. Thus as the demand for more creative designers increases among production side. [2]. In the world of globalization almost every country in the world wants their education system to be the best, so their students can obtain the necessary skills and knowledge taught by the schools/universities that meets the challenges of the 21st century. [4]. South Asian countries including Pakistan, Bangladesh and India play a very prominent role in cotton and Garnet production. The textiles and clothing sector has been one of the leading manufacturing sectors of South Asia in terms of its contribution to output, employment and trade. The sector collectively employs over 55 million people directly and more than 90 million indirectly in the region. [5]. Besides the availability of raw material, south Asia still deprived in the value addition in Textile, Apparel and fashion products. Parallel to the other factors associated with competitiveness like poor state of trade facilitation, high transaction costs associated with cross-border exchanges and supply chains this region also lacks in creative, innovative and value added products. [6] The presented research explores how Pakistan and UK way of higher education system works in the domain of Apparel Design in which way both the countries differ and how they are leading in the field of higher education and it also highlight the different pathway that leads to the different type of man power in this domain. Presented research will focus on the study of different modules of textile & Apparel Design Higher Education in Pakistan & UK. Its relation and comparison will be an important area of study. Research work document the Educational modules, its implementation and impact on industry. Afterwards this data was used for comparative study between higher education systems in Textile & Fashion Design

Possible impacts of the pre-monsoon dry line and sea breeze front on nocturnal rainfall over northeast Bangladesh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stiller-Reeve, Mathew; Toniazzo, Thomas; Kolstad, Erik; Spengler, Thomas

2017-04-01

The northeast region of Bangladesh receives a large amount of rainfall before the large-scale monsoon circulation begins. For example, in April (a "pre-monsoon" month) 2010, 804 mm of rain fell in the regional capital Sylhet. It was the second wettest month of the entire year. From our conversations with the local people, we know that this pre-monsoon rainfall is extremely important to their livelihoods. We therefore need to understand it's triggering mechanisms. Several theories have been published, all of which are likely to be at play. However, in this work we look more closely at how the sea breeze front and prominent pre-monsoonal dry line in this region may play a role. If these mechanisms play a role in the convection, then it is likely that they trigger convection further afield, and then the resulting systems then propagate towards northeast Bangladesh. We believe this because rainfall associated with dry line/sea-breeze front convection often occurs during the late afternoon, but the rainfall over northeast Bangladesh shows a clear late-night/early-morning maxima. At present, the temporal and spatial resolution of the regional observations is inappropriate for examining these possible mechanisms. We therefore use a numerical model (WRF) to investigate the possible links between the convection and the sea breeze front and dry line. We use April 2010 as a case study since it was such a wet pre-monsoon month. The simulation shows that a sea breeze circulation often develops during the day in the coastal zone of Bangladesh and northeast India. After sunset the sea breeze front propagates inland pushing back the hot, dry air over India. On several days during the simulation, convection is triggered along the sea breeze front, which then propagates towards northeast Bangladesh and intensifies across the topography surrounding the Sylhet region. From our simulations, it appears that nocturnal convection over northeast Bangladesh is triggered by several mechanisms, but that the dry line and sea breeze front could also be an active contributor.

India Should Develop Its Naval Power in View of Growing Potential Security Concerns Connected to China’s Non-Transparent Intentions in the Indian Ocean Region

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-09

across the Indian Ocean is central to interests of India and China. Hence, both have increased their regional presence using diplomatic, economic , and...trade across the Indian Ocean is central to interests of India and China. Hence, both have increased their regional presence using diplomatic, economic ...of Defense Staff CPEC China Pakistan Economic Corridor GDP Gross Domestic Product IOR Indian Ocean Region NSS National Security Strategy PLAN

Indo-Russian Military and Nuclear Cooperation: Implications for U.S. Security Interests

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-12-01

India’s quest for global status and equity. The rise of the BJP has resulted in a new approach to international nuclear politics in New Delhi. India has...normative advantages afforded to India by the acquisition of nuclear arms. These polar views result in a "chicken or the egg scenario" in which one side...decisions by its leadership could result in the first bilateral nuclear exchange in history (with Pakistan or China) or lead to direct conflict with the

The Foreign Disclosure and Technical Information System (FORDTIS) User Manual

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-07-01

INDIA 10 BRITISH INDIAN OCEAN TERRITORY IP CLIPPERTON ISLAND IQ UNITED STATES MISCELLANEOUS PACIFIC ISLANDS (obsolete) IR , IRAN IS ISRAEL IT...CARTIER ISLANDS AU AUSTRIA AV ANGUILLA AY ANTARCTICA BA BAHRAIN BB BARBADOS ’ - ’ BC BOTSWANA BD BERMUDA BE BELGIUM BP...BAHAMAS, THE BG BANGLADESH BH BELIZE BL BOLIVIA BM BURMA BN BENIN (formerly DM) BP SOLOMON ISLANDS BQ NAVASSA ISLAND BR BRAZIL BS BASSAS DA INDIA

Domestic abuse and the duties of physicians: a case report.

PubMed

Hossain, Nazli; Khan, Sharmeen

2015-01-01

Domestic violence against women is a global issue. An earlier report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA, reported that injury caused by domestic violence was the second most common cause of death during pregnancy and in the postpartum period (1). The pregnancy-associated homicide ratio was found to be 1.7 per 100,000 deliveries and firearms were identified as the main source of injury. Domestic violence is more common in developing countries than in the developed world, and rural areas are worse affected than urban ones. The risk factors associated with intimate partner violence include husbands being unemloyed, belonging to a lower socioeconomic group, poor educational status, and alcohol and substance abuse. In a hospital-based study of 500 women, around 12.6% reported physical abuse by their spouses in index pregnancy (2). In another hospital-based study in which women were interviewed during the postpartum period, 23% reported physical abuse during index pregnancy (3). Death as a result of violence is not a new phenomenon. In 1994 the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reported 372 cases of domestic violence, due to which around 274 women died during an 8-month period. According to a report for the year 2012-13 around 389 cases of domestic violence were reported in the Pakistani media that year. The same report states that in 2013, more than 800 women committed suicide due to domestic violence. In 2013, the Provincial Assembly of Sindh, Pakistan, passed The Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill, 2013, which imposes a fine of Rs 20,000 for violent offences against women. Such bills have not been passed in other provincial assemblies of the country. Other countries in South Asia (India, Nepal, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan) have national laws which make provision for extending medical assistance to women who have suffered domestic violence (4). However, a lot remains to be done to translate these laws into actual practice. In Nepal, special cells have been set up in police stations to offer services to women reporting domestic violence. Among those responsible for the implementation of these services, only a few were found to be aware of the fact that such services were supposed to be provided (5). Only 8% of women knew that such services were available (6). In Bangladesh, crisis centres have been established in tertiary care hospitals to deal with domestic abuse. Manuals have been designed for the attending doctors on how to provide assistance to the women and on the reporting of such events (6). In India, providers of medical care do not consider it their duty to report domestic violence (4).There is a need to sensitise the medical fraternity to this issue, especially since many victims present to hospitals. Health providers also need to be given guidance on the steps they can take when confronted with cases of domestic violence. Around two decades ago, the American Medical Association recommended universal screening for intimate partner violence. This led to a sharp increase of 30% in reporting of intimate partner violence among certain groups of the population (7).

Association between gap in spousal education and domestic violence in India and Bangladesh.

PubMed

Rapp, Daniel; Zoch, Beate; Khan, M Mobarak H; Pollmann, Thorsten; Krämer, Alexander

2012-06-21

Domestic violence (DV) against women is a serious human rights abuse and well recognised global public health concern. The occurrence of DV is negatively associated with the educational level of spouses but studies dealing with educational discrepancies of spouses show contradicting results: Wives with higher education than their husbands were more likely to ever experience DV as compared to equally educated couples. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between spousal education gap (SEG) and the prevalence and severity of DV in India and Bangladesh. Nationally representative data collected through the 2005/2006 Indian National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) and 2007 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) were used. In total, we analysed data of 69,805 women aged 15-49 years (Bangladesh: 4,195 women, India: 65,610 women). In addition to univariate and bivariable analyses, a multinomial logistic regression model was used to quantify the association between education gap and less severe as well as severe domestic violence. Adjustment was made for age, religion, and family structure. Wives with higher education than their husbands were less likely to experience less severe (OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.77-0.89) and severe (OR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.72-0.87) DV as compared to equally low-educated spouses (reference group). Equally high-educated couples revealed the lowest likelihood of experiencing DV (severe violence: OR 0.43, CI 0.39-0.48; less severe violence: OR 0.59, CI 0.55-0.63). The model's goodness of fit was low (Nagelkerke's R2 = 0.152). Our analysis revealed no increased DV among wives with a higher educational level than their husbands. Moreover, the results point towards a decrease of severe violence with an increase in education levels among spouses. However, the model did not explain a satisfying amount of DV. Therefore, further research should be done to reveal unknown determinants so that suitable interventions to reduce DV can be developed.

Performing monkeys of Bangladesh: characterizing their source and genetic variation.

PubMed

Hasan, M Kamrul; Feeroz, M Mostafa; Jones-Engel, Lisa; Engel, Gregory A; Akhtar, Sharmin; Kanthaswamy, Sree; Smith, David Glenn

2016-04-01

The acquisition and training of monkeys to perform is a centuries-old tradition in South Asia, resulting in a large number of rhesus macaques kept in captivity for this purpose. The performing monkeys are reportedly collected from free-ranging populations, and may escape from their owners or may be released into other populations. In order to determine whether this tradition involving the acquisition and movement of animals has influenced the population structure of free-ranging rhesus macaques in Bangladesh, we first characterized the source of these monkeys. Biological samples from 65 performing macaques collected between January 2010 and August 2013 were analyzed for genetic variation using 716 base pairs of mitochondrial DNA. Performing monkey sequences were compared with those of free-ranging rhesus macaque populations in Bangladesh, India and Myanmar. Forty-five haplotypes with 116 (16 %) polymorphic nucleotide sites were detected among the performing monkeys. As for the free-ranging rhesus population, most of the substitutions (89 %) were transitions, and no indels (insertion/deletion) were observed. The estimate of the mean number of pair-wise differences for the performing monkey population was 10.1264 ± 4.686, compared to 14.076 ± 6.363 for the free-ranging population. Fifteen free-ranging rhesus macaque populations were identified as the source of performing monkeys in Bangladesh; several of these populations were from areas where active provisioning has resulted in a large number of macaques. The collection of performing monkeys from India was also evident.

Performing monkeys of Bangladesh: characterizing their source and genetic variation

PubMed Central

Hasan, M Kamrul; Feeroz, M Mostafa; Jones-Engel, Lisa; Engel, Gregory A; Akhtar, Sharmin; Kanthaswamy, Sree; Smith, David Glenn

2016-01-01

The acquisition and training of monkeys to perform is a century's old tradition in South Asia, resulting in a large number of rhesus macaques kept in captivity for this purpose. The performing monkeys are reportedly collected from free-ranging populations and may escape from their owners or be released into other populations. In order to determine whether this tradition, that involves the acquisition and movement of animals, has influenced the population structure of free-ranging rhesus macaques in Bangladesh we first characterized the source of these monkeys. Biological samples from 65 performing macaques, collected between January 2010 and August 2013 were analyzed for genetic variation using 716 base pairs of mitochondrial DNA. Performing monkey sequences were compared with those of free-ranging rhesus macaque populations in Bangladesh, India and Myanmar. Forty-five haplotypes with 116 (16%) polymorphic nucleotide sites were detected among the performing monkeys. As for the free-ranging rhesus population, most of the substitutions (89%) were transitions and no indels (insertion/deletion) were observed. The estimate of the mean number of pair-wise difference for the performing monkey population was 10.1264 ± 4.686, compared to 14.076 ± 6.363 for the free-ranging population. Fifteen free-ranging rhesus macaque populations were identified as the source of performing monkeys in Bangladesh; several of these populations were from areas where active provisioning has resulted in a large number of macaques. Collection of performing monkeys from India was also evident. PMID:26758818

The Continuing Evolution of H5N1 and H9N2 Influenza Viruses in Bangladesh

PubMed Central

Marinova-Petkova, Atanaska; Shanmuganatham, Karthik; Feeroz, Mohammed M.; Jones-Engel, Lisa; Hassan, M. Kamrul; Akhtar, Sharmin; Turner, Jasmine; Walker, David; Seiler, Patrick; Franks, John; McKenzie, Pamela; Krauss, Scott; Webby, Richard J.; Webster, Robert G.

2017-01-01

Summary In 2011, avian influenza surveillance at the Bangladesh live bird markets (LBMs) showed complete replacement of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus of clade 2.2.2 (Qinghai-like H5N1 lineage) by the HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.2.1. This clade, which continues to circulate in Bangladesh and neighboring countries, is an intra- and inter-clade reassortant; its HA, PB1, PA and NS genes come from subclade 2.3.2.1a; PB2 from subclade 2.3.2.1c; and NA, NP, and M from clade 2.3.4.2. The H9N2 influenza viruses co-circulating in the Bangladesh LBMs are also reassortants, possessing five genes (NS, M, NP, PA, and PB1) from a HPAI H7N3 virus previously isolated in Pakistan. Despite frequent co-infection of chickens and ducks, reassortment between these H5N1 and H9N2 viruses has been rare. However, all such reassortants detected in 2011 through 2013 have carried 7 genes from HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.2.1a and the PB1 gene from the Bangladeshi H9N2 clade G1 Mideast, itself derived from HPAI H7N3 virus. Although, the live birds which we sampled in Bangladesh showed no clinical signs of morbidity, the emergence of this reassortant HPAI H5N1 lineage further complicates endemic circulation of H5N1 viruses in Bangladesh, posing a threat to both poultry and humans. PMID:27309046

The Continuing Evolution of H5N1 and H9N2 Influenza Viruses in Bangladesh Between 2013 and 2014.

PubMed

Marinova-Petkova, Atanaska; Shanmuganatham, Karthik; Feeroz, Mohammed M; Jones-Engel, Lisa; Hasan, M Kamrul; Akhtar, Sharmin; Turner, Jasmine; Walker, David; Seiler, Patrick; Franks, John; McKenzie, Pamela; Krauss, Scott; Webby, Richard J; Webster, Robert G

2016-05-01

In 2011, avian influenza surveillance at the Bangladesh live bird markets (LBMs) showed complete replacement of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus of clade 2.2.2 (Qinghai-like H5N1 lineage) by the HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.2.1. This clade, which continues to circulate in Bangladesh and neighboring countries, is an intra-and interclade reassortant; its HA, polymerase basic 1 (PB1), polymerase (PA), and nonstructural (NS) genes come from subclade 2.3.2.1a; the polymerase basic 2 (PB2) comes from subclade 2.3.2.1c; and the NA, nucleocapsid protein (NP), and matrix (M) gene from clade 2.3.4.2. The H9N2 influenza viruses cocirculating in the Bangladesh LBMs are also reassortants, possessing five genes (NS, M, NP, PA, and PB1) from an HPAI H7N3 virus previously isolated in Pakistan. Despite frequent coinfection of chickens and ducks, reassortment between these H5N1 and H9N2 viruses has been rare. However, all such reassortants detected in 2011 through 2013 have carried seven genes from the local HPAI H5N1 lineage and the PB1 gene from the Bangladeshi H9N2 clade G1 Mideast, itself derived from HPAI H7N3 virus. Although the live birds we sampled in Bangladesh showed no clinical signs of morbidity, the emergence of this reassortant HPAI H5N1 lineage further complicates endemic circulation of H5N1 viruses in Bangladesh, posing a threat to both poultry and humans.

Reduction of ruminant methane emissions - a win-win-win opportunity for business, development, and the environment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Livingston, R.

1997-12-31

This paper describes research efforts of The Global Livestock Producers Program (GLPP) in establishing self-sustaining enterprises for cost-effective technologies (i.e., animal nutrition and genetic improvement) and global methane emissions reductions in developing world nations. The US Environmental Protection Agency has funded several studies to examine the possibilities of reducing ruminant methane emissions in India, Tanzania, Bangladesh, and Brazil. The results of the studies showed that: (1) many developing countries` production systems are inefficient, and (2) great potential exists for decreasing global methane emissions through increasing animal productivity. From this effort, the GLPP established livestock development projects in India, Zimbabwe, andmore » Tanzania, and is developing projects for Bangladesh, Nepal, and Brazil. The GLPP has developed a proven methodology for assessing ruminant methane and incorporating methane emissions monitoring into viable projects.« less

Makran Mountain Range, Indus River Valley, Pakistan, India

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

The enormous geologic pressures exerted by continental drift can be very well illustrated by the long northward curving parallel folded mountain ridges and valleys of the coastal Makran Range of Pakistan (27.0N, 66.0E). As a result of the collision of the northward bound Indian sub-continent into the Asian Continent, the east/west parallel range has been bent in a great northward arc and forming the Indus River valley at the interface of the collision.

Selected Translations from Kommunist, Number 8, 1961.

DTIC Science & Technology

1961-07-21

and developing» There are hqw significant sectionä of a workuig C3äSS in India , •Indonesia and in the/majority of countries Of latin America, In... Pakistan , Thai- land,’Malaya, and the Philippines. In many others such as Tunisia, , Iibya,’Kenya, Iforocco and Liberia, the imperialist .countries haver... Pakistan whose rulers have linked the country to the -■- imperialist’military blocs. About 1c$ of Pakistanis budget is spent for military purposes

Pakistan's kidney trade: an overview of the 2007 'Transplantation of Human Organs and Human Tissue Ordinance.' To what extent will it curb the trade?

PubMed

Raza, Mohsen; Skordis-Worrall, Jolene

2012-01-01

Pakistan has the unenviable reputation for being one of the world's leading 'transplant tourism' destinations, largely the buying and selling of kidneys from its impoverished population to rich international patients. After nearly two decades of pressure to formally prohibit the trade, the Government of Pakistan promulgated the 'Transplantation of Human Organs and Human Tissue Ordinance' (THOTO) in 2007. This was then passed by Senate and enshrined in law in March 2010. This paper gives a brief overview of the organ trade within Pakistan and analyses the criteria of THOTO in banning the widespread practise. It then goes on to answer: 'To what extent will THOTO succeed in curbing Pakistan's kidney trade?' This is aided by the use of a comparative case study looking at India's failed organ trade legislation. This paper concludes THOTO has set a strong basis for curbing Pakistan's kidney trade. However, for this to be successfully achieved, it needs to be implemented with strong and sustained political will, strict and efficient enforcement as well as effective monitoring and evaluation. Efforts are needed to tackle both 'supply' and 'demand' factors of Pakistan's kidney trade, with developed countries also having a responsibility to reduce the flow of citizens travelling to Pakistan to purchase a kidney.

Comparison of GPS and GRACE hydrological loading signatures in Myanmar, India, Bangladesh, and Bhutan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Materna, K.; Feng, L.; Lindsey, E. O.; Hill, E.; Burgmann, R.

2017-12-01

The elastic response of the lithosphere to surface mass redistributions produces significant deformation that can be observed in geodetic time series. This deformation is especially pronounced in Southeast Asia, where the annual monsoon produces large-amplitude hydrological loads. The MIBB network of 20 continuous GPS stations in Myanmar, India, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, operational since 2012, provides an opportunity to study the earth's response to these loads. In this study, we use GRACE gravity products as an estimate of surface water distribution, and input these estimates into an elastic loading calculation. We compare the predicted deformation with that observed with GPS. We find that elastic loading from the GRACE gravity field is able to explain the phase and the peak-to-peak amplitude (typically 2-3 cm) of the vertical GPS oscillations in northeast India and central Myanmar. GRACE-based corrections reduce the RMS scatter of the GPS data by 30%-45% in these regions. However, this approach does not capture all of the variation in central Bangladesh and southern Myanmar. Local hydrological effects, non-tidal ocean loads, poroelastic deformation, or differences in elastic properties may explain discrepancies between the GPS and GRACE signals in these places. The results of our calculations have practical implications for campaign GPS measurements in Myanmar, which make up the majority of geodetic measurements at this point. We may be able to reduce errors in campaign measurements and increase the accuracy of velocity estimates by correcting for hydrologic signals with GRACE data. The results also have potential implications for crustal rheology in Southeast Asia.

Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension among the elderly in Bangladesh and India: a multicentre study.

PubMed Central

2001-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension among elderly individuals in Bangladesh and India. METHOD: A community-based sample of 1203 elderly individuals (670 women; mean age, 70 years) was selected using a multistage cluster sampling technique from two sites in Bangladesh and three sites in India. FINDINGS: The overall prevalence of hypertension (WHO-International Society for Hypertension criteria) was 65% (95% confidence interval = 62-67%). The prevalence was higher in urban than rural areas, but did not differ significantly between the sexes. Multiple logistic regression analyses identified a higher body mass index, higher education status and prevalent diabetes mellitus as important correlates of the prevalence of hypertension. Physical activity, rural residence, and current smoking were inversely related to the prevalence of hypertension. Among study subjects who had hypertension, 45% were aware of their condition, 40% were taking anti-hypertensive medications, but only 10% achieved the level established by the US Sixth Joint National Committee on Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of Hypertension (JNC VI)/WHO criteria. A visit to a physician in the previous year, higher educational attainment and being female emerged as important correlates of hypertension awareness. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings emphasize the need to implement effective and low cost management regimens based on absolute levels of cardiovascular risk appropriate for the economic context. From a public health perspective, the only sustainable approach to the high prevalence of hypertension in the Indian subcontinent is through a strategy to reduce the average blood pressure in the population. PMID:11436469

7 CFR 319.59-4 - Karnal bunt.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... following regions: Afghanistan, India, Iran, Iraq, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, and South Africa. (2) The... solution of hot water and detergent, applied under pressure of at least 30 pounds per square inch, at a...

The Northern Rupture of the 1762 Arakan Meghathrust Earthquake and other Potential Earthquake Sources in Bangladesh.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akhter, S. H.; Seeber, L.; Steckler, M. S.

2015-12-01

Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. It occupies a major part of the Bengal Basin, which contains the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta (GBD), the largest and one of the most active of world deltas, and is located along the Alpine-Himalayan seismic belt. As such it is vulnerable to many natural hazards, especially earthquakes. The country sits at the junction of three tectonic plates - Indian, Eurasian, and the Burma 'sliver' of the Sunda plate. These form two boundaries where plates converge- the India-Eurasia plate boundary to the north forming the Himalaya Arc and the India-Burma plate boundary to the east forming the Indo-Burma Arc. The India-Burma plate boundary is exceptionally wide because collision with the GBD feeds an exception amount of sediment into the subduction zone. Thus the Himalayan continent collision orogeny along with its syntaxes to the N and NE of Bangladesh and the Burma Arc subduction boundary surround Bangladesh on two sides with active faults of regional scale, raising the potential for high-magnitude earthquakes. In recent years Bangladesh has experienced minor to moderate earthquakes. Historical records show that major and great earthquakes have ravaged the country and the neighboring region several times over the last 450 years. Field observations of Tertiary structures along the Chittagong-Teknaf coast reveal that the rupture of 1762 Arakan megathrust earthquake extended as far north as the Sitakund anticline to the north of the city of Chittagong. This earthquake brought changes to the landscape, uplifting the Teknaf peninsula and St. Martin's Island by about 2-2.5 m, and activated two mud volcanos along the axis of the Sitakund anticline, where large tabular blocks of exotic crystalline limestone, were tectonically transported from a deep-seated formation along with the eruptive mud. Vast area of the coast including inland areas east of the lower Meghna River were inundated. More than 500 peoples died near Dhaka as the tsunami or a seiche destroyed mud bamboo houses and capsized boats. The St. Martin's Island is believed to have been an unpopulated shoal before the 1762 earthquake. The presence of three uplifted terraces in the Teknaf coast suggest similar earthquakes of great magnitude have ruptured the Chittagong-Arakan coast in the historic past.

Devario in Bangladesh: Species diversity, sibling species, and introgression within danionin cyprinids (Teleostei: Cyprinidae: Danioninae).

PubMed

Kullander, Sven O; Rahman, Md Mizanur; Norén, Michael; Mollah, Abdur Rob

2017-01-01

Four species of Devario are recorded from Bangladesh: D. aequipinnatus, D. anomalus, D. coxi, new species, and D. devario. Devario aequipinnatus has a wide distribution in northern India and Bangladesh. Devario coxi, from southeastern Bangladesh near Cox's Bazar, differs from D. aequipinnatus in mtDNA (COI, p-distance 1.8%), colouration, proportional measurements, and meristics. The minor morphological differences and low frequency of overlapping meristics suggest relatively recent separation of D. coxi from other D. aequipinnatus. Devario anomalus occurs only in southeastern Bangladesh and is here reported from localities in addition to the type locality. It differs from the similar D. xyrops in adjacent Myanmar by slender body shape and by 2.3% p-distance in the COI gene. Specimens of D. anomalus from the Sangu River were found to have the mitochondrial genome of D. aequipinnatus from Bangladesh, but agree with other D. anomalus in the nuclear RAG1 gene. Devario devario has a wide distribution on the Indian Peninsula and border regions; in Bangladesh it is restricted in distribution to the Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Meghna drainages. Reports of D. assamensis and D. malabaricus from Bangladesh are misidentifications. Perilampus ostreographus M'Clelland, 1839, is tentatively synonymized with D. aequipinnatus. Phylogenetic analysis of 14 species of striped devarios based on the COI gene results in a polytomy with four unresolved clades. Devario deruptotalea from the Chindwin basin is the sister group of D. aequipinnatus+D. coxi. Devario devario is the sistergroup of D. xyrops+D. anomalus.

Influence through Airpower Security Cooperation in Egypt and Pakistan: Lessons for Iraq

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-01

reengage the world’s primary arms suppliers (who happened to be the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council) in cooperative restrictions...billion over five years, the purpose of which was to give “Pakistan confidence in our commitment to its security and provide us with reciprocal...prospect of nuclear war.72 The ongoing dispute with India over Kashmir in particular is a “ tinder box” issue over which the positions of the United

History as the Architect of the Present: What Made Kashmir the Nucleus of South Asia Terrorism? India-Pakistan Conflict and Its Impact on U.S. Homeland Security

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-01

by1929, 62% of the whole Indian Army was Punjabi , even though Punjab constituted only ten percent of British Indian population. The selective...army. Punjabi soldiers imbibed their colonial master’s attitudes and looked down upon Bengalis and considered them untrustworthy (Ali, 1983). When...military-rural elite complex (Racine, 2002). East Pakistan comprised 56 percent of Pakistan’s population; however, the Punjabi - dominated military

Crisis Stability and Long-Range Strike: A Comparative Analysis of Fighters, Bombers, and Missiles

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

1947–1949 Crisis pakistan: Seize Kashmir hawker tempests , but not brandished or employed no India: Deny pakistan control of Kashmir hawker... tempests , but not brandished or employed no war Berlin 1948–1949 Crisis uSSR: Force western powers out of west Berlin Bombers and strike aircraft...resolution to border dispute B-24, B-57, hF-24, tempest , Mystère IV, Ouragan aircraft, but none brandished or employed no war Table C.1

The DISAM Journal of International Security Assistance Management. Volume 24, Number 1, Fall 2001

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-01-01

U.A.E. 5,000 5 Egypt 4,700 6 Israel 4,300 7 India 3,900 8 South Korea 3,400 9 Pakistan 3,300 10 Indonesia 3,200 Rank Recipient Agreements Value 1997-2000...nations in the value of arms transfer agreements, concluding $14 billion in such agreements. India ranked second at $7.6 billion. Egypt ranked third...purchasers, concluding $7.4 billion in such agreements. India ranked second with $4.8 billion in such agreements. South Korea ranked third with $2.3

Social determinants of health and tobacco use in thirteen low and middle income countries: evidence from Global Adult Tobacco Survey.

PubMed

Palipudi, Krishna M; Gupta, Prakash C; Sinha, Dhirendra N; Andes, Linda J; Asma, Samira; McAfee, Tim

2012-01-01

Tobacco use has been identified as the single biggest cause of inequality in morbidity. The objective of this study is to examine the role of social determinants on current tobacco use in thirteen low-and-middle income countries. We used nationally representative data from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) conducted during 2008-2010 in 13 low-and-middle income countries: Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Russian Federation, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, and Viet Nam. These surveys provided information on 209,027 respondent's aged 15 years and above and the country datasets were analyzed individually for estimating current tobacco use across various socio-demographic factors (gender, age, place of residence, education, wealth index, and knowledge on harmful effects of smoking). Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to predict the impact of these determinants on current tobacco use status. Current tobacco use was defined as current smoking or use of smokeless tobacco, either daily or occasionally. Former smokers were excluded from the analysis. Adjusted odds ratios for current tobacco use after controlling other cofactors, was significantly higher for males across all countries and for urban areas in eight of the 13 countries. For educational level, the trend was significant in Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Philippines and Thailand demonstrating decreasing prevalence of tobacco use with increasing levels of education. For wealth index, the trend of decreasing prevalence of tobacco use with increasing wealth was significant for Bangladesh, India, Philippines, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay and Viet Nam. The trend of decreasing prevalence with increasing levels of knowledge on harmful effects of smoking was significant in China, India, Philippines, Poland, Russian Federation, Thailand, Ukraine and Viet Nam. These findings demonstrate a significant but varied role of social determinants on current tobacco use within and across countries.

Is There Future Utility in Nuclear Weapons Nuclear Weapons Save Lives

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-02-13

operate with relative impunity short of large-scale conflict. Some point to a nuclear India and Pakistan as an example of instability concern. In...1997, South Asia observer Neil Joeck argued that “ India and Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities have not created strategic stability (and) do not reduce...elimination of illiteracy , provision of sustainable energy, debt relief for developing countries, clearance of landmines and more has been estimated

Assessing the Risk of Inadvertent Nuclear War Between India and Pakistan

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-12-01

stories/review.htm>. 5 avoided partly as a result of this. Hundreds of nuclear weapons tests were conducted, proving the technical capability of...sites in Cuba. The results of such an attack could have been disastrous, putting conventional systems in direct contact with nuclear systems, and... nuclear weapons and their delivery systems. Finally, India and Pakistan’s nuclear doctrines are compared. These comparisons yield important results

Unlocking India’s Strategic Potential in Central Asia

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

influence via the newly created Eurasian Economic Union. China is expanding its reach through a recently launched Silk Road Eco- nomic Belt. Other...argues that India needs not only to compete but also cooperate with its perceived rivals in the broader region, especially China and Pakistan. Most...a comparative perspec- tive with China , another aspiring Asian great power poised to stiffen competition for resources and influ- ence worldwide

Military Post Office Location List (MPOLL)

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-02-01

ISLE OF GJ GRENADA IN INDIA GK GUERNSEY 10 BRITISH INDIAN GL GREENLAND OCEAN TERRITORY GO GLORIOSO ISLANDS IP CLIPPERTON ISLAND GP GUADELOUPE IR IRAN GQ...A) BG BANGLADESH BH BELIZE AC ANTIGUA and BARBUDA BL BOLIVIA AF AFGHANISTAN BM BURMA AG ALGERIA BN BENIN AL ALBANIA BP SOLOMON ISLANDS AN ANDORRA BQ...NAVASSA ISLAND AO ANGOLA BR BRAZIL AQ AMERICAN SAMOA BS BASSAS DA INDIA AR ARGENTINA BT BHUTAN AS AUSTRALIA BU BULGARIA AT ASHMORE AND CARTIER

Impacts of Floods Events on Food Security

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caporali, E.; Pacetti, T.; Rulli, M. C.

2017-12-01

The analysis of the interactions among natural disasters and food security is particularly significant for developing countries where food availability (one of the four pillars of food security together with access, utilization and stability) can be highly jeopardize by extreme events that damage the primary access to food, i.e. the agriculture. The main objective of this study is to analyze the impact of flood events on food security for two disastrous flood events in Bangladesh on 2007 and in Pakistan on 2010, selected here as case studies based on the existing literature related to extreme floods.The adopted methodology integrates remote sensing data, agricultural statistics, and water footprint values in order to (i) evaluating the potentially affected agricultural areas; (ii) converting the affected areas into crop loss; (iii) estimating the associated calories and water footprint losses. In Bangladesh, the estimated lost rice is around 12.5% of the total potential production, which implies a 5.3% calories loss with respect to the total potential energy provided by rice and 4.4% of total WF associated to national food supply. In Pakistan, the results show a crops loss of 19% for sugarcane and 40% for rice, with a related calories loss of 8.5% and a WF loss of 13.5%.The results highlight the countries vulnerability to flood, being both countries strongly dependent on local agricultural production. The 2007 flood event reflected critically upon Bangladeshi food security, almost doubling the existing food deficit. The same happened in Pakistan where an already scarce food supply has been worsened by the 2010 flood.Method results are fully repeatable; whereas, for remote sensed data the sources of data are valid worldwide and the data regarding land use and crops characteristics are strongly site specific, which need to be carefully evaluated.These case studies stress the importance of integrating different analysis approaches to carry out an assessment of the meaningful connections between flood and food security and to enhance the resilience of territories.

Rising trade, declining stocks: The global gugul (Commiphora wightii) trade.

PubMed

Cunningham, A B; Brinckmann, J A; Kulloli, R N; Schippmann, U

2018-09-15

Commiphora wightii is exploited in India and Pakistan for an oleo-resin (gum guggul) traditionally used in Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani medical systems. Processed C. wightii oleo-resin products are exported from India to 42 countries, including re-export to Pakistan, for anti-inflammatory use and as an anti-inflammatory and an anti-obesity treatment considered to lower cholesterol and lipid levels. The C. wightii export trade has particular relevance to the European Union because Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, and United Kingdom are importing countries. Demand and prices for C. wightii oleo-resin are increasing and wild stocks of C. wightii are in decline. The overexploitation of C. wightii after tapping for its commercially valuable oleo-resin is not a new problem, however, but one that has existed for over 50 years. Lopping and chopping trees to extract C. wightii oleo-resin has had a devastating impact on C. wightii populations since the 1960's. The aim of this study was to review the sustainability of the global trade in C. wightii oleo-resin. This included reviewing studies on resin tapping methods and the impacts of wild harvest on C. wightii populations in India and Pakistan. Firstly, we reviewed studies on impacts of C. wightii oleo-resin harvest and on the policy responses taken in relation to harvest and trade in C. wightii oleo-resin. Secondly, we reviewed studies on C. wightii cultivation. Thirdly, global trade data for C. wightii were analyzed. Destructive harvest to obtain the gum is the major threat facing this species. C. wightii populations are also fragmented by habitat loss through clearing for farming. Cutting and lopping in order to extract the medicinal gum are a major threat to C. wightii populations, as is poor recruitment due to grazing by livestock. As a result of over-exploitation, C. wightii oleo-resin production has declined in India. In Gujarat, a key production area, the decline over a 50-year period has been from 30 t in 1963, to 2.42 t in 1999 to 1.6 t in 2013. Consequently, large quantities of C. wightii oleo-resin (around 505 t/year) are imported into India from Pakistan. An estimated 193 t/year of crude gum equivalent is exported from India in the form of processed products. With remaining populations in decline due to commercial exploitation for international trade, a range of policy options (such as CITES Appendix II listing) and practical conservation actions (such as cultivation) need to be considered. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Health Education Intervention. An Annotated Bibliography. Nutrition Education Series Issue 13.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Paris (France).

This annotated bibliography contains 73 citations describing health education programs around the world. Countries represented include: Bangladesh, Egypt, Gambia, Gilbert Islands, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Kenya, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Peru, Philippines, Swaziland, Thailand, Tunisia, Australia, Colombia, India, United Kingdom, Canada,…

Missing in action: teacher and health worker absence in developing countries.

PubMed

Chaudhury, Nazmul; Hammer, Jeffrey; Kremer, Michael; Muralidharan, Karthik; Rogers, F Halsey

2006-01-01

In this paper, we report results from surveys in which enumerators make unannounced visits to primary schools and health clinics in Bangladesh, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Peru and Uganda and recorded whether they found teachers and health workers in the facilities.

The Nonproliferation Review

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

RAJEN,GAURAV; BIRINGER,KENT L.

2000-07-28

The aim of this paper is to understand the numerous nuclear-related agreements that involve India and Pakistan, and in so doing identify starting points for future confidence-creating and confidence-building projects. Existing nuclear-related agreements provide a framework under which various projects can be proposed that foster greater nuclear transparency and cooperation in South Asia. The basic assumptions and arguments underlying this paper can be summarized as follows: (1) Increased nuclear transparency between India and Pakistan is a worthwhile objective, as it will lead to the irreversibility of extant nuclear agreements, the prospects of future agreements; and the balance of opacity andmore » transparency required for stability in times of crises; (2) Given the current state of Indian and Pakistani relations, incremental progress in increased nuclear transparency is the most likely future outcome; and (3) Incremental progress can be achieved by enhancing the information exchange required by existing nuclear-related agreements.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

O'Driscoll, M.

Power capacity additions in Asia will at least triple by 2010, and Arthur D. Little Inc. predicts natural gas can pick up a good 15 percent of that market. The study predicts Asia potentially will need 720 gigawatts of new power generation by 2010, of which 15 percent may be gas-based. This represents a market three times the size of the US market in the same period, and would require more than $1 trillion in investment to finance the power generation projects alone. Six forces are driving new market opportunities for natural gas in Asia, and have set the stagemore » for major investments in Asian gas-based power generation. They are: New technologies; growing environmental pressures; privatization; alternative energy pricing; gas availability; and continued economic growth. Japan, South Korea and Taiwan already have large, well-established markets for both gas and power that provide minimal opportunities for foreign investment. But the rest of Asia - specifically, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the People's Republic of China, Thailand, Bangladesh and Myanmar - is still relatively undeveloped, the study said, and gas is emerging as an energy import substitute or export earner. The study found those countries will turn increased environmental awareness and concern into legislation as their economic prosperity grows, leading to a higher future value for natural gas relative to other fuels. Stricter emissions standards will favor gas over diesel, fuel oil and coal.« less

Summary of regional response to the fourth inquiry.

PubMed

1979-01-01

Most of the governments that have responded to the 4th United Nations Population Growth Inquiry consider that the current rates of population growth are constraining the achievement of objectives of social economic development, and thus are unsatisfactory. The view of the governments of Iran, Pakistan, the Republic of Korea and Sri Lanka is that their current rates of growth constrain all aspects of development. The governments of Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore regard their current rates of growth as satisfactory and contributing to different aspects of economic and social development. As for mortality, most governments in the ESCAP region consider the current level of average life expectancy at birth acceptable, but present levels are unacceptable to the governments of Bangladesh, India, Iran, Nepal, Samoa and Thailand. Most governments consider their current levels of fertility to be too high and that they constrain the family well being, but the governments of Japan and Singapore believe that their fertility has contributed to the family well being. Additional attention in the inquiry was directed to obtaining information on the promotion of knowledge and policies (data collection and analysis; research; management, training, education and information; and development and evaluation of population policies). 10 governments have established a high level unit to deal with population policies, and 10 governments have indicated that they have integrated population measures and programs into comprehensive social and economic plans and programs.

Neem components as potential agents for cancer prevention and treatment

PubMed Central

Hao, Fang; Kumar, Sandeep; Yadav, Neelu; Chandra, Dhyan

2016-01-01

Azadirachta indica, also known as neem, is commonly found in many semi-tropical and tropical countries including India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. The components extracted from neem plant have been used in traditional medicine for the cure of multiple diseases including cancer for centuries. The extracts of seeds, leaves, flowers, and fruits of neem have consistently shown chemopreventive and antitumor effects in different types of cancer. Azadirachtin and nimbolide are among the few bioactive components in neem that have been studied extensively, but research on a great number of additional bioactive components is warranted. The key anticancer effects of neem components on malignant cells include inhibition of cell proliferation, induction of cell death, suppression of cancer angiogenesis, restoration of cellular reduction/oxidation (redox) balance, and enhancement of the host immune responses against tumor cells. While the underlying mechanisms of these effects are mostly unclear, the suppression of NF-κB signaling pathway is, at least partially, involved in the anticancer functions of neem components. Importantly, the anti-proliferative and apoptosis-inducing effects of neem components are tumor selective as the effects on normal cells are significantly weaker. In addition, neem extracts sensitize cancer cells to immunotherapy and radiotherapy, and enhance the efficacy of certain cancer chemotherapeutic agents. This review summarizes the current updates on the anticancer effects of neem components and their possible impact on managing cancer incidence and treatment. PMID:25016141

National roll-out of latent tuberculosis testing and treatment for new migrants in England: a retrospective evaluation in a high-incidence area

PubMed Central

Loutet, Miranda G.; Burman, Matthew; Jayasekera, Nivenka; Trathen, Duncan; Dart, Susan; Kunst, Heinke; Zenner, Dominik

2018-01-01

Latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) screening is an important intervention for tuberculosis (TB) elimination in low-incidence countries and is, therefore, a key component of England's TB control strategy. This study describes outcomes from a LTBI screening programme in a high-incidence area to inform national LTBI screening in England and other low-incidence countries. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of LTBI screening among eligible migrants (from high-incidence countries and entered the UK within the last 5 years), who were identified at primary-care clinics in Newham, London between August 2014 and August 2015. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with LTBI testing uptake, interferon-γ release assay (IGRA) positivity and treatment uptake. 40% of individuals offered LTBI screening received an IGRA test. The majority of individuals tested were 16–35 years old, male and born in India, Bangladesh or Pakistan. Country of birth, smoking status and co-morbidities were associated with LTBI testing uptake. IGRA positivity was 32% among those tested and was significantly associated with country of birth, age, sex and co-morbidities. This study identifies factors associated with screening uptake, IGRA positivity and treatment uptake, and improves understanding of groups that should be supported to increase acceptability of LTBI testing and treatment in the community. PMID:29326327

Vitamin D Status in South Asian Populations - Risks and Opportunities.

PubMed

Akhtar, Saeed

2016-08-17

Human body acquires a significant amount of vitamin D by cutaneous synthesis under the action of sunlight and less is supplied through nutritional sources. Diversified sociocultural and economic determinants have been identified that limit the dietary intake of vitamin D and enough distribution of sunlight to maintain optimal levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D). Consequently, the world has witnessed a high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in resource-limited South Asian countries. The purpose of this review is to provide a South Asian perspective of vitamin D status, critically examining India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, and to shed light on potential determinants (latitude and season, sunshine exposure habits, age, gender, and genetic factors) leading to hypovitaminosis D among a variety of population groups. Literature search was carried out using bibliographic databases "PubMed," "Google Scholar," and "ScienceDirect.com." Serum 25(OH)D level, 20-50 nmol/L, was mainly taken as vitamin D deficiency, and determinants of low serum 25(OH)D concentration of the population under study were also considered. The review concludes that vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent among South Asian populations and global efforts are needed to overcome hypovitaminosis in the region. In addition, dietary diversification, supplementation and fortification of foods with vitamin D, adequate exposure to sunlight, and consumption of animal foods were suggested as viable approaches to maintain 25(OH)D levels for optimal health.

Breast and cervical cancer screening among South Asian immigrants in the United States.

PubMed

Menon, Usha; Szalacha, Laura A; Prabhughate, Abhijit

2012-01-01

South Asian (SA) immigrants (from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) constitute the fastest growing of all Asian American immigrants to the United States, with a growth rate of 106% from 1990 to 2001. Data are lacking on health behaviors of this population subgroup, including cancer-related information. : The purpose of this study was to assess rates and correlates of breast and cervical cancer screening in a community sample of SAs. Participants were recruited from among attendees of 3 community-based agency programs. Data were collected in English, Hindi, and Gujarati from a convenience sample of 198 participants. Two-thirds of the sample (n = 127, 65.5%) had ever had a mammogram, whereas only a third (n = 65, 32.8%) had ever had a Papanicolaou smear or vaginal examination. Several predisposing factors (eg, country of birth, years in the United States, acculturation, age, and acknowledged barriers to screening) were significant predictors of breast and cervical screening, whereas the only enabling factor was past screening behavior. Additional study is warranted on cultural aspects of cancer screening behaviors. These data are formative on facilitators and barriers to mammogram and Papanicolaou test completion among these understudied minority women. Nurses who practice in primary care may begin to target health education based on sociodemographics of SA women and emphasize discussion of barriers to screening.

Sex preference and contraceptive behaviour among men in Mbeya region, Tanzania.

PubMed

Mwageni, E A; Ankomah, A; Powell, R A

2001-04-01

While recent studies confirm parental child sex preference in less developed countries, its pattern varies. Son preference is especially prevalent in Bangladesh, China, India, and Pakistan. Sex preference in sub-Saharan Africa is a neglected area of enquiry. Completed research focuses on women's views to the neglect of men, despite the latter's importance as primary decision-makers. This study identifies factors influencing contraceptive behaviour among men in Mbeya region, Tanzania, demonstrating how it is affected by their preferred family sex composition. Data used were collected from a cross-sectional survey of 600 men aged 16-50 and six focus groups conducted in the region's rural and urban areas. Using single statements and Coombs' Scales, sex preference was found to be prevalent in the study area, with sons strongly preferred to daughters. Sex preference is significantly associated with the number of existing daughters a man has, his marital status, residence and occupation. Findings suggest programmes should be initiated to challenge men's attitudes towards one-sex family composition. Men should be educated about the advantages of small family sizes and persuaded that both children's sexes are equally important. Such measures can assist men in reconsidering their desired family sizes, reduce biases towards one sex, minimise marital problems and improve women's status. Efforts to increase contraceptive use in Tanzania will be hampered, however, if men maintain their preference for sons over daughters.

Control of oral cancer in developing countries

PubMed Central

1984-01-01

Oral cancer is one of the 10 most common cancers in the world. In Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka it is the most common and accounts for about a third of all cancers. More than 100 000 new cases occur every year in south and south-east Asia, with poor prospects of survival. The importance of oral cancer as a public health priority is underscored by the fact that the suffering, disfigurement, and death it causes need not occur. The commonest cause of oral cancer—tobacco use—is well known and can be eliminated. For the oral cancer cases that do occur, detection at an early stage is possible, allowing simple inexpensive treatment, and resulting in long-term survival. Enough is already known about the disease and its prevention for action to be taken. With firm commitment, correct priorities, and concerted efforts by governments and individuals, strategies can be designed, programmes can be implemented, and the disease can be prevented. The economic saving in health care costs to a country, by itself, justifies these steps; the prevention of suffering and death of oral cancer victims makes them mandatory. This article reviews the current knowledge about the epidemiology, etiology, pathology, prevention, and treatment of oral cancer. It describes a strategy for controlling the disease, sets priorities, and recommends actions that governments and individuals can take. Finally, it identifies targets for future research. PMID:6335843

Spatial analysis and identification of high risk plague regions in Pakistan based on associated rodent species distribution.

PubMed

Shabbir, Madiha; Aleem, Maha; Javed, Sundus; Wagner, David M; Keim, Paul S; Eqani, Syed Ali Musstjab Akbar Shah; Bokhari, Habib

2016-08-02

Plague, caused by Yersinia pestitis, is an infectious bacterial disease that has a high fatality rate if untreated. Rodents are plague reservoirs and play an important role in disease spread. Plague cases have been reported extensively since the second pandemic from the 14th century in countries sharing borders with Pakistan, such as China and India, as well as nearby countries including Russia and central Asia. Despite being centrally located in a plague-infested geographical zone, there has been no plague incidence reported from Pakistan. This study aims to pinpoint some of the potentially important aspects of the disease, which have to be considered when assessing potential risk associated with a plague outbreak in Pakistan. In this context, the occurrence and distribution of plague-associated rodent reservoirs in different regions of Pakistan in relation to those found in the neighboring countries were mapped. In addition, the climatic factors that may also influence disease spread by affecting the growth of the bacteria are also discussed. The combined epidemiological and ecological surveillance studies suggest a prevalence of several potential rodent carriers in certain districts with the possibility of a plague outbreak in Pakistan.

Comparing and contrasting observed adaptations in three deltas: the Ganges-Meghna-Brahmaputra, Mahanadi and Volta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicholls, R. J.; Suckall, N.; Mensah, A.; Mondal, S.; Dey, S.; Hazra, S.

2015-12-01

In low and middle-income countries, many deltaic communities directly depend on the natural environment for income and well-being. Current environmental concerns that threaten deltaic communities, such as increasing salinity, sedimentation, erosion and subsidence are likely to be exacerbated by climate change and variability, for example sea-level rise, increased storminess and rising temperatures. Such changes, along with other social and environmental stressors, mean that communities must adapt. This paper outlines findings of a systematic review of the peer-reviewed and grey literature that examines observed adaptations in three deltas of differing sizes in various geographical contexts: the Ganges-Meghna-Brahmaputra in India and Bangladesh, the Mahanadi in India, and the Volta in Ghana. It compares and contrasts various elements of observed adaptations, including who is driving the adaptation, the beneficiaries, barriers to participation and evidence for maladaptation. The predominant drivers of adaptation vary from government (at state level in India and national level in Bangladesh) and NGOs (in Ghana). Autonomous adaptations are not widely reported in the literature from any of the deltas. In all three deltas there is a focus on supporting adaptation in farming rather than fishing; despite the fact that fisheries contribute to local food security as well as national economies. Lack of access to financial, natural, physical and human capital are common barriers to adaptation in all three deltas. Additionally the Indian literature in particular highlights the lack of coordination between different government departments, coupled with an excessively top-down (state-driven) approach to adaptation. Maladaptation is most commonly reported in the literature from Bangladesh, for example, loss of employment of inland fishermen in embanked areas. The paper concludes by highlighting some of the implications of these findings for adaptation policy in deltas.

The Relationship between Hydroclimatic Variables and Faecal Indicator Bacteria in River Basins in Pakistan and Bangladesh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hofstra, Nynke; Shahid Iqbal, M.; Majedul Islam, M. M.

2016-04-01

Water contaminated with pathogenic bacteria causing diarrhoea poses a health risk to the population. Worldwide, diarrhoea is the 3rd leading cause of death. A changing climate may increase the concentration of pathogens in surface water. Increased temperature will mostly increase the inactivation of pathogens and therefore decrease the surface water concentration. Increased precipitation may dilute contaminated water, but may also increase the runoff of pathogens into the surface water. Decreased precipitation may have the opposite effect. Moreover, increased chance of extreme precipitation events and increased risk of floods may also increase the runoff of pathogens into the surface water. The net balance of these effects is uncertain. The objective of our study is to quantify the relationship between hydroclimatic variables (surface air and water temperature, precipitation and runoff) and faecal indicator bacteria (FIB, E. coli and Enterococci) in two rivers in Pakistan and Bangladesh. In these countries health problems are large, particularly in annual periods of flood. We studied FIB instead of pathogens, because of the costs associated with pathogen measurements. The relationship between FIB and hydroclimatic variables is expected to be comparable to the relationship between pathogens and hydroclimatic variables. For both regions the FIB concentrations have been monitored for two years between 2013 and 2015 at several points in the rivers. Concentrations of FIB in Kabul (Pakistan) and Betna (Bangladesh) river basins are very high (up to 5.2 log10 cfu/100ml). Due to a broken waste water treatment system of the city of Peshawar, concentrations are higher in Kabul than in the Betna river. All hydroclimatic variables positively correlate with FIB. An unexpected positive relation with temperature can be explained by the fact that temperature and discharge increase at the same time and possibly FIB growth. The positive relation with precipitation and discharge shows that not the dilution, but the increased runoff of FIB is more important. Regression models for each of the measurement locations in Kabul river show that water temperature, discharge and precipitation together explain a large part of the variance (R2 equals 0.72-0.94) for E. coli. The regression model for Betna river comprises water temperature and discharge and for E. coli R2=0.47 and for Enterococci R2=0.49. We can conclude that FIB concentrations increase with increasing temperature and particularly precipitation and discharge. We expect pathogen concentrationss to increase in a similar way and would therefore expect increased health risk due to climate change in Kabul and Betna river basins.

The Art of Ore: Chinese Strategy in Africa

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-01

multitude of other countries, including Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma, India, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos , Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia...76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Mongolia 4,677 km...Mineral Production in 2005 Source: W. David Menzie and Pui-Kwan Tse , Made in China: China‟s Growing Appetite for Minerals, US Geological Survey, 2006

An Interview with Samuel J. Locklear III

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

between India and Pakistan and running basically north to south. In addition to a population of 3.6 billion, the area has the world’s largest economies...building partnerships with key nations such as India and Singapore. We are building a partner relationship with China that some people find...well. We hope that the Chinese bring great ships to Pearl Harbor and join in the festivities that are associated with RIMPAC. It’s hard to build

Devario in Bangladesh: Species diversity, sibling species, and introgression within danionin cyprinids (Teleostei: Cyprinidae: Danioninae)

PubMed Central

Rahman, Md. Mizanur; Norén, Michael; Mollah, Abdur Rob

2017-01-01

Four species of Devario are recorded from Bangladesh: D. aequipinnatus, D. anomalus, D. coxi, new species, and D. devario. Devario aequipinnatus has a wide distribution in northern India and Bangladesh. Devario coxi, from southeastern Bangladesh near Cox’s Bazar, differs from D. aequipinnatus in mtDNA (COI, p-distance 1.8%), colouration, proportional measurements, and meristics. The minor morphological differences and low frequency of overlapping meristics suggest relatively recent separation of D. coxi from other D. aequipinnatus. Devario anomalus occurs only in southeastern Bangladesh and is here reported from localities in addition to the type locality. It differs from the similar D. xyrops in adjacent Myanmar by slender body shape and by 2.3% p-distance in the COI gene. Specimens of D. anomalus from the Sangu River were found to have the mitochondrial genome of D. aequipinnatus from Bangladesh, but agree with other D. anomalus in the nuclear RAG1 gene. Devario devario has a wide distribution on the Indian Peninsula and border regions; in Bangladesh it is restricted in distribution to the Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Meghna drainages. Reports of D. assamensis and D. malabaricus from Bangladesh are misidentifications. Perilampus ostreographus M’Clelland, 1839, is tentatively synonymized with D. aequipinnatus. Phylogenetic analysis of 14 species of striped devarios based on the COI gene results in a polytomy with four unresolved clades. Devario deruptotalea from the Chindwin basin is the sister group of D. aequipinnatus+D. coxi. Devario devario is the sistergroup of D. xyrops+D. anomalus. PMID:29166410

The concentrations of arsenic and other toxic elements in Bangladesh's drinking water.

PubMed

Frisbie, Seth H; Ortega, Richard; Maynard, Donald M; Sarkar, Bibudhendra

2002-11-01

For drinking water, the people of Bangladesh used to rely on surface water, which was often contaminated with bacteria causing diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, and other life-threatening diseases. To reduce the incidences of these diseases, millions of tubewells were installed in Bangladesh since independence in 1971. This recent transition from surface water to groundwater has significantly reduced deaths from waterborne pathogens; however, new evidence suggests disease and death from arsenic (As) and other toxic elements in groundwater are affecting large areas of Bangladesh. In this evaluation, the areal and vertical distribution of As and 29 other inorganic chemicals in groundwater were determined throughout Bangladesh. This study of 30 analytes per sample and 112 samples suggests that the most significant health risk from drinking Bangladesh's tubewell water is chronic As poisoning. The As concentration ranged from < 0.0007 to 0.64 mg/L, with 48% of samples above the 0.01 mg/L World Health Organization drinking water guideline. Furthermore, this study reveals unsafe levels of manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and chromium (Cr). Our survey also suggests that groundwater with unsafe levels of As, Mn, Pb, Ni, and Cr may extend beyond Bangladesh's border into the four adjacent and densely populated states in India. In addition to the health risks from individual toxins, possible multimetal synergistic and inhibitory effects are discussed. Antimony was detected in 98% of the samples from this study and magnifies the toxic effects of As. In contrast, Se and Zn were below our detection limits in large parts of Bangladesh and prevent the toxic effects of As.

Spatial and temporal analysis of a 17-year lightning climatology over Bangladesh with LIS data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewan, Ashraf; Ongee, Emmanuel T.; Rahman, Md. Masudur; Mahmood, Rezaul; Yamane, Yusuke

2017-10-01

Using NASA's TRMM Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) data from 1998 to 2014, this paper presents a 17-year lightning climatology of Bangladesh, at 0.5° × 0.5° spatial resolution. Diurnal, seasonal, monthly and annual variations in the occurrence of lightning flashes were explored. The diurnal regime of lightning is dominated by afternoon/evening events. Overall, peak lightning activity occurs in the early morning (0200 LST) and evening (1900 LST). The distribution of lightning flash counts by season over Bangladesh landmass is as follows: pre-monsoon (69.2%), monsoon (24.1%), post-monsoon (4.6%) and winter (2.1%). Flash rate density (FRD) hotspots were primarily located in the north and north-eastern parts of Bangladesh, with a maximum of 72 fl km-2 year-1. Spatially, the distribution of FRD increases from the Bay of Bengal in the south to relatively higher elevations (of the Himalayan foothills) in the north. A spatial shift in FRD hotspots occurs with change in season. For example, in monsoon season, hotspots of lightning activity move in a south-westerly direction from their pre-monsoon location (i.e. north-eastern Bangladesh) towards West Bengal in India. South and south-eastern parts of Bangladesh experience high lightning activity during post-monsoon season due to regional orographic lifting and low-pressure systems (i.e. cyclone) in the Bay of Bengal. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study focused on LIS-based lightning climatology over Bangladesh. This baseline study, therefore, is an essential first step towards effective management of lightning-related hazards in Bangladesh.

Regional variation in identified cancer care needs of early-career oncologists in China, India, and Pakistan.

PubMed

Lyerly, H Kim; Fawzy, Maria R; Aziz, Zeba; Nair, Reena; Pramesh, C S; Parmar, Vani; Parikh, Purvish M; Jamal, Rozmin; Irumnaz, Azizunissa; Ren, Jun; Stockler, Martin R; Abernethy, Amy P

2015-05-01

Cancer incidence and mortality is increasing in the developing world. Inequities between low-, middle-, and high-income countries affect disease burden and the infrastructure needs in response to cancer. We surveyed early-career oncologists attending workshops in clinical research in three countries with emerging economies about their perception of the evolving cancer burden. A cross-sectional survey questionnaire was distributed at clinical trial concept development workshops held in Beijing, Lahore, Karachi, and Mumbai at major hospitals to acquire information regarding home-country health conditions and needs. A total of 100 respondents participated in the workshops held at major hospitals in the region (India = 29, China = 25, Pakistan = 42, and other = 4). Expected consensus on many issues (e.g., emergence of cancer as a significant health issue) was balanced with significant variation in priorities, opportunities, and challenges. Chinese respondents prioritized improvements in cancer-specific care and palliative care, Indian respondents favored improved cancer detection and advancing research in cancer care, and Pakistani respondents prioritized awareness of cancer and improvements in disease detection and cancer care research. For all, the most frequently cited opportunity was help in improving professional cancer education and training. Predominantly early-career oncologists attending clinical research workshops (in China, India, and Pakistan) identified needs for increasing clinical cancer research, professional education, and public awareness of cancer. Decision makers supporting efforts to reduce the burden of cancer worldwide will need to factor the specific needs and aspirations of health care providers in their country in prioritizing health policies and budgets. ©AlphaMed Press.

Association between gap in spousal education and domestic violence in India and Bangladesh

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Domestic violence (DV) against women is a serious human rights abuse and well recognised global public health concern. The occurrence of DV is negatively associated with the educational level of spouses but studies dealing with educational discrepancies of spouses show contradicting results: Wives with higher education than their husbands were more likely to ever experience DV as compared to equally educated couples. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between spousal education gap (SEG) and the prevalence and severity of DV in India and Bangladesh. Methods Nationally representative data collected through the 2005/2006 Indian National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) and 2007 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) were used. In total, we analysed data of 69,805 women aged 15–49 years (Bangladesh: 4,195 women, India: 65,610 women). In addition to univariate and bivariable analyses, a multinomial logistic regression model was used to quantify the association between education gap and less severe as well as severe domestic violence. Adjustment was made for age, religion, and family structure. Results Wives with higher education than their husbands were less likely to experience less severe (OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.77–0.89) and severe (OR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.72–0.87) DV as compared to equally low-educated spouses (reference group). Equally high-educated couples revealed the lowest likelihood of experiencing DV (severe violence: OR 0.43, CI 0.39–0.48; less severe violence: OR 0.59, CI 0.55–0.63). The model’s goodness of fit was low (Nagelkerke’s R2 = 0.152). Conclusions Our analysis revealed no increased DV among wives with a higher educational level than their husbands. Moreover, the results point towards a decrease of severe violence with an increase in education levels among spouses. However, the model did not explain a satisfying amount of DV. Therefore, further research should be done to reveal unknown determinants so that suitable interventions to reduce DV can be developed. PMID:22720800

Molecular detection and genetic diversity of Babesia gibsoni in dogs in Bangladesh.

PubMed

Terao, Masashi; Akter, Shirin; Yasin, Md Golam; Nakao, Ryo; Kato, Hirotomo; Alam, Mohammad Zahangir; Katakura, Ken

2015-04-01

Babesia gibsoni is a tick-borne hemoprotozoan parasite of dogs that often causes fever and hemolytic illness. Detection of B. gibsoni has been predominantly reported in Asian countries, including Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Bangladesh and India. The present study shows the first molecular characterization of B. gibsoni detected from dogs in Bangladesh. Blood samples were collected on FTA® Elute cards from 50 stray dogs in Mymensingh District in Bangladesh. DNA eluted from the cards was subjected to nested PCR for the 18S rRNA gene of Babesia species. Approximately 800bp PCR products were detected in 15 of 50 dogs (30%). Based on restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and direct sequencing of the PCR products, all parasite isolates were identified as B. gibsoni. Furthermore, the BgTRAP (B. gibsoni thrombospondin-related adhesive protein) gene fragments were detected in 13 of 15 18S rRNA gene PCR positive blood samples. Phylogenetic analysis of the BgTRAP gene revealed that B. gibsoni parasites in Bangladesh formed a cluster, which was genetically different from other Asian B. gibsoni isolates. In addition, tandem repeat analysis of the BgTRAP gene clearly showed considerable genetic variation among Bangladeshi isolates. These results suggested that B. gibsoni parasites in a different genetic clade are endemic in dogs in Bangladesh. Further studies are required to elucidate the origin, distribution, vector and pathogenesis of B. gibsoni parasites circulating in dogs in Bangladesh. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Maternal and newborn outcomes in Pakistan compared to other low and middle income countries in the Global Network’s Maternal Newborn Health Registry: an active, community-based, pregnancy surveillance mechanism

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Background Despite global improvements in maternal and newborn health (MNH), maternal, fetal and newborn mortality rates in Pakistan remain stagnant. Using data from the Global Network’s Maternal Newborn Health Registry (MNHR) the objective of this study is to compare the rates of maternal mortality, stillbirth and newborn mortality and levels of putative risk factors between the Pakistani site and those in other countries. Methods Using data collected through a multi-site, prospective, ongoing, active surveillance system to track pregnancies and births in communities in discrete geographical areas in seven sites across six countries including Pakistan, India, Kenya, Zambia, Guatemala and Argentina from 2010 to 2013, the study compared MNH outcomes and risk factors. The MNHR captures more than 60,000 deliveries annually across all sites with over 10,000 of them in Thatta, Pakistan. Results The Pakistan site had a maternal mortality ratio almost three times that of the other sites (313/100,000 vs 116/100,000). Stillbirth (56.5 vs 22.9/1000 births), neonatal mortality (50.0 vs 20.7/1000 livebirths) and perinatal mortality rates (95.2/1000 vs 39.0/1000 births) in Thatta, Pakistan were more than twice those of the other sites. The Pakistani site is the only one in the Global Network where maternal mortality increased (from 231/100,000 to 353/100,000) over the study period and fetal and neonatal outcomes remained stagnant. The Pakistan site lags behind other sites in maternal education, high parity, and appropriate antenatal and postnatal care. However, facility delivery and skilled birth attendance rates were less prominently different between the Pakistani site and other sites, with the exception of India. The difference in the fetal and neonatal outcomes between the Pakistani site and the other sites was most pronounced amongst normal birth weight babies. Conclusions The increase in maternal mortality and the stagnation of fetal and neonatal outcomes from 2010 to 2013 indicates that current levels of antenatal and newborn care interventions in Thatta, Pakistan are insufficient to protect against poor maternal and neonatal outcomes. Delivery care in the Pakistani site, while appearing quantitatively equivalent to the care in sites in Africa, is less effective in saving the lives of women and their newborns. By the metrics available from this study, the quality of obstetric and neonatal care in the site in Pakistan is poor. Trial registration The study is registered at clinicaltrials.gov [NCT01073475]. PMID:26062610

Maternal and newborn outcomes in Pakistan compared to other low and middle income countries in the Global Network's Maternal Newborn Health Registry: an active, community-based, pregnancy surveillance mechanism.

PubMed

Pasha, Omrana; Saleem, Sarah; Ali, Sumera; Goudar, Shivaprasad S; Garces, Ana; Esamai, Fabian; Patel, Archana; Chomba, Elwyn; Althabe, Fernando; Moore, Janet L; Harrison, Margo; Berrueta, Mabel B; Hambidge, K; Krebs, Nancy F; Hibberd, Patricia L; Carlo, Waldemar A; Kodkany, Bhala; Derman, Richard J; Liechty, Edward A; Koso-Thomas, Marion; McClure, Elizabeth M; Goldenberg, Robert L

2015-01-01

Despite global improvements in maternal and newborn health (MNH), maternal, fetal and newborn mortality rates in Pakistan remain stagnant. Using data from the Global Network's Maternal Newborn Health Registry (MNHR) the objective of this study is to compare the rates of maternal mortality, stillbirth and newborn mortality and levels of putative risk factors between the Pakistani site and those in other countries. Using data collected through a multi-site, prospective, ongoing, active surveillance system to track pregnancies and births in communities in discrete geographical areas in seven sites across six countries including Pakistan, India, Kenya, Zambia, Guatemala and Argentina from 2010 to 2013, the study compared MNH outcomes and risk factors. The MNHR captures more than 60,000 deliveries annually across all sites with over 10,000 of them in Thatta, Pakistan. The Pakistan site had a maternal mortality ratio almost three times that of the other sites (313/100,000 vs 116/100,000). Stillbirth (56.5 vs 22.9/1000 births), neonatal mortality (50.0 vs 20.7/1000 livebirths) and perinatal mortality rates (95.2/1000 vs 39.0/1000 births) in Thatta, Pakistan were more than twice those of the other sites. The Pakistani site is the only one in the Global Network where maternal mortality increased (from 231/100,000 to 353/100,000) over the study period and fetal and neonatal outcomes remained stagnant. The Pakistan site lags behind other sites in maternal education, high parity, and appropriate antenatal and postnatal care. However, facility delivery and skilled birth attendance rates were less prominently different between the Pakistani site and other sites, with the exception of India. The difference in the fetal and neonatal outcomes between the Pakistani site and the other sites was most pronounced amongst normal birth weight babies. The increase in maternal mortality and the stagnation of fetal and neonatal outcomes from 2010 to 2013 indicates that current levels of antenatal and newborn care interventions in Thatta, Pakistan are insufficient to protect against poor maternal and neonatal outcomes. Delivery care in the Pakistani site, while appearing quantitatively equivalent to the care in sites in Africa, is less effective in saving the lives of women and their newborns. By the metrics available from this study, the quality of obstetric and neonatal care in the site in Pakistan is poor. The study is registered at clinicaltrials.gov [NCT01073475].

Australian Pine, Casuarina equisetifolia L. Management Plan for Florida

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Australian pine (Casuarina equisetifolia) is a fast growing tree native to Australia, Southeast Asia, India, Bangladesh and the Pacific Islands that has been introduced to tropical areas throughout the world as an ornamental; to stabilize sand dunes; to form windbreaks around canals, roads, houses, ...

ARSENIC SPECIES CAUSE RELEASE OF IRON FROM FERRITIN GENERATING REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES

EPA Science Inventory

ARSENIC SPECIES CAUSE RELEASE OF IRON FROM FERRITIN GENERATING REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES

Arsenic-associated cancer (lung, bladder, skin, liver, kidney) remains a significant world- wide public health problem (e.g., Taiwan, Chile, Bangladesh, India, China and Thailand). Rece...

ARSENIC SPECIES CAUSE RELEASE OF IRON FROM FERRITIN GENERATING REACTIVIE OXYGEN SPECIES

EPA Science Inventory

ARSENIC SPECIES. CAUSE RELEASE OF IRON , FROM FERRITIN GENERATING REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES

Arsenic-associated cancer (lung, bladder, skin, liver, kidney) remains a significant world- wide public health problem (e.g., Taiwan, Chile, Bangladesh, India, China and Thailand). R...

Population Education Country Programmes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Population Education in Asia and the Pacific Newsletter, 1983

1983-01-01

Describes population programs in Afghanistan (nonformal, population education literacy program), India (problems in planning/managing population education in higher education), Indonesia (training for secondary/out-of-school inspectors), and Pakistan (integration of population education into school curricula). Programs in China, Korea, Vietnam,…

Performance of a HRP-2/pLDH based rapid diagnostic test at the Bangladesh-India-Myanmar border areas for diagnosis of clinical malaria.

PubMed

Elahi, Rubayet; Mohon, Abu Naser; Khan, Wasif A; Haque, Rashidul; Alam, Mohammad Shafiul

2013-10-30

The rapid diagnostic test (RDT) has been adopted in contemporary malaria control and management programmes around the world as it represents a fast and apt alternative for malaria diagnosis in a resource-limited setting. This study assessed the performance of a HRP-2/pLDH based RDT (Parascreen® Pan/Pf) in a laboratory setting utilizing clinical samples obtained from the field. Whole blood samples were obtained from febrile patients referred for malaria diagnosis by clinicians from two different Upazila Health Complexes (UHCs) located near the Bangladesh-India and Bangladesh-Myanmar border where malaria is endemic. RDT was performed on archived samples and sensitivity and specificity evaluated with expert microscopy (EM) and quantitative PCR (qPCR). A total of 327 clinical samples were made available for the study, of which 153 were Plasmodium falciparum-positive and 54 were Plasmodium vivax-positive. In comparison with EM, for P. falciparum malaria, the RDT had sensitivity: 96.0% (95% CI, 91.2-98.3) and specificity: 98.2% (95% CI, 94.6-99.5) and for P. vivax, sensitivity: 90.7% (95% CI, 78.9-96.5) and specificity: 98.9% (95% CI, 96.5-99.7). Comparison with qPCR showed, for P. falciparum malaria, sensitivity: 95.4% (95% CI, 90.5-98.0) and specificity: 98.8% (95% CI, 95.4-99.7) and for P. vivax malaria, sensitivity: 89.0% (95% CI,77.0-95.4) and specificity: 98.8% (95% CI, 96.5-99.7). Sensitivity varied according to different parasitaemia for falciparum and vivax malaria diagnosis. Parascreen® Pan/Pf Rapid test for malaria showed acceptable sensitivity and specificity in border belt endemic areas of Bangladesh when compared with EM and qPCR.

Y-STR Haplogroup Diversity in the Jat Population Reveals Several Different Ancient Origins.

PubMed

Mahal, David G; Matsoukas, Ianis G

2017-01-01

The Jats represent a large ethnic community that has inhabited the northwest region of India and Pakistan for several thousand years. It is estimated the community has a population of over 123 million people. Many historians and academics have asserted that the Jats are descendants of Aryans, Scythians, or other ancient people that arrived and lived in northern India at one time. Essentially, the specific origin of these people has remained a matter of contention for a long time. This study demonstrated that the origins of Jats can be clarified by identifying their Y-chromosome haplogroups and tracing their genetic markers on the Y-DNA haplogroup tree. A sample of 302 Y-chromosome haplotypes of Jats in India and Pakistan was analyzed. The results showed that the sample population had several different lines of ancestry and emerged from at least nine different geographical regions of the world. It also became evident that the Jats did not have a unique set of genes, but shared an underlying genetic unity with several other ethnic communities in the Indian subcontinent. A startling new assessment of the genetic ancient origins of these people was revealed with DNA science.

Sanitation and Hygiene-Specific Risk Factors for Moderate-to-Severe Diarrhea in Young Children in the Global Enteric Multicenter Study, 2007-2011: Case-Control Study.

PubMed

Baker, Kelly K; O'Reilly, Ciara E; Levine, Myron M; Kotloff, Karen L; Nataro, James P; Ayers, Tracy L; Farag, Tamer H; Nasrin, Dilruba; Blackwelder, William C; Wu, Yukun; Alonso, Pedro L; Breiman, Robert F; Omore, Richard; Faruque, Abu S G; Das, Sumon Kumar; Ahmed, Shahnawaz; Saha, Debasish; Sow, Samba O; Sur, Dipika; Zaidi, Anita K M; Quadri, Fahreen; Mintz, Eric D

2016-05-01

Diarrheal disease is the second leading cause of disease in children less than 5 y of age. Poor water, sanitation, and hygiene conditions are the primary routes of exposure and infection. Sanitation and hygiene interventions are estimated to generate a 36% and 48% reduction in diarrheal risk in young children, respectively. Little is known about whether the number of households sharing a sanitation facility affects a child's risk of diarrhea. The objective of this study was to describe sanitation and hygiene access across the Global Enteric Multicenter Study (GEMS) sites in Africa and South Asia and to assess sanitation and hygiene exposures, including shared sanitation access, as risk factors for moderate-to-severe diarrhea (MSD) in children less than 5 y of age. The GEMS matched case-control study was conducted between December 1, 2007, and March 3, 2011, at seven sites in Basse, The Gambia; Nyanza Province, Kenya; Bamako, Mali; Manhiça, Mozambique; Mirzapur, Bangladesh; Kolkata, India; and Karachi, Pakistan. Data was collected for 8,592 case children aged <5 y old experiencing MSD and for 12,390 asymptomatic age, gender, and neighborhood-matched controls. An MSD case was defined as a child with a diarrheal illness <7 d duration comprising ≥3 loose stools in 24 h and ≥1 of the following: sunken eyes, skin tenting, dysentery, intravenous (IV) rehydration, or hospitalization. Site-specific conditional logistic regression models were used to explore the association between sanitation and hygiene exposures and MSD. Most households at six sites (>93%) had access to a sanitation facility, while 70% of households in rural Kenya had access to a facility. Practicing open defecation was a risk factor for MSD in children <5 y old in Kenya. Sharing sanitation facilities with 1-2 or ≥3 other households was a statistically significant risk factor for MSD in Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, and Pakistan. Among those with a designated handwashing area near the home, soap or ash were more frequently observed at control households and were significantly protective against MSD in Mozambique and India. This study suggests that sharing a sanitation facility with just one to two other households can increase the risk of MSD in young children, compared to using a private facility. Interventions aimed at increasing access to private household sanitation facilities may reduce the burden of MSD in children. These findings support the current World Health Organization/ United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) system that categorizes shared sanitation as unimproved.

Challenges Facing Early Childhood Programs Worldwide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neugebauer, Roger

2008-01-01

In this article, the author presents the challenges faced by early childhood education in 29 countries, according to the World Forum National Representatives and Global Leaders for Young Children. The countries represented in these responses include: Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Fiji, India, Iran, Iraq, Japan,…

Mile-A-Minute (Pest Alert)

Treesearch

Denise Binion; William Jackson

2009-01-01

Mile-a-minute weed (Persicaria perfoliata (L.) H. Gross, formerly Polygonum perfoliatum, L.) is an annual vine in the Polygonaceae or Buckwheat family. It is native to eastern Asia including India, Bhutan, Nepal, China, Burma, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Siberia, the Philippines, New Guinea, the Malay peninsula and the...

Towards a Theory of Rural Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haque, Wahidul; And Others

Historical developments in rural India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and China are the empirical basis of this study which offers a theory of rural development for all Asia keyed to fundamental humanistic values rather than narrower techno-economic considerations. Previous efforts have often been "top-down" processes tending to serve…

Institutional delivery in public and private sectors in South Asia: a comparative analysis of prospective data from four demographic surveillance sites.

PubMed

Das, Sushmita; Alcock, Glyn; Azad, Kishwar; Kuddus, Abdul; Manandhar, Dharma S; Shrestha, Bhim Prasad; Nair, Nirmala; Rath, Shibanand; More, Neena Shah; Saville, Naomi; Houweling, Tanja A J; Osrin, David

2016-09-20

Maternity care in South Asia is available in both public and private sectors. Using data from demographic surveillance sites in Bangladesh, Nepal and rural and urban India, we aimed to compare institutional delivery rates and public-private share. We used records of maternity care collected in socio-economically disadvantaged communities between 2005 and 2011. Institutional delivery was summarized by four potential determinants: household asset index, maternal schooling, maternal age, and parity. We developed logistic regression models for private sector institutional delivery with these as independent covariates. The data described 52 750 deliveries. Institutional delivery proportion varied and there were differences in public-private split. In Bangladesh and urban India, the proportion of deliveries in the private sector increased with wealth, maternal education, and age. The opposite was observed in rural India and Nepal. The proportion of institutional delivery increased with economic status and education. The choice of sector is more complex and provision and perceived quality of public sector services is likely to play a role. Choices for safe maternity are influenced by accessibility, quantity and perceived quality of care. Along with data linkage between private and public sectors, increased regulation should be part of the development of the pluralistic healthcare systems that characterize south Asia.

Rainfall trends in the South Asian summer monsoon and its related large-scale dynamics with focus over Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Latif, M.; Syed, F. S.; Hannachi, A.

2017-06-01

The study of regional rainfall trends over South Asia is critically important for food security and economy, as both these factors largely depend on the availability of water. In this study, South Asian summer monsoon rainfall trends on seasonal and monthly (June-September) time scales have been investigated using three observational data sets. Our analysis identify a dipole-type structure in rainfall trends over the region north of the Indo-Pak subcontinent, with significant increasing trends over the core monsoon region of Pakistan and significant decreasing trends over the central-north India and adjacent areas. The dipole is also evident in monthly rainfall trend analyses, which is more prominent in July and August. We show, in particular, that the strengthening of northward moisture transport over the Arabian Sea is a likely reason for the significant positive trend of rainfall in the core monsoon region of Pakistan. In contrast, over the central-north India region, the rainfall trends are significantly decreasing due to the weakening of northward moisture transport over the Bay of Bengal. The leading empirical orthogonal functions clearly show the strengthening (weakening) patterns of vertically integrated moisture transport over the Arabian Sea (Bay of Bengal) in seasonal and monthly interannual time scales. The regression analysis between the principal components and rainfall confirm the dipole pattern over the region. Our results also suggest that the extra-tropical phenomena could influence the mean monsoon rainfall trends over Pakistan by enhancing the cross-equatorial flow of moisture into the Arabian Sea.

Genetic population structure of the malaria vector Anopheles baimaii in north-east India using mitochondrial DNA

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Anopheles baimaii is a primary vector of human malaria in the forest settings of Southeast Asia including the north-eastern region of India. Here, the genetic population structure and the basic population genetic parameters of An. baimaii in north-east India were estimated using DNA sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase sub unit II (COII) gene. Methods Anopheles baimaii were collected from 26 geo-referenced locations across the seven north-east Indian states and the COII gene was sequenced from 176 individuals across these sites. Fifty-seven COII sequences of An. baimaii from six locations in Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand from a previous study were added to this dataset. Altogether, 233 sequences were grouped into eight population groups, to facilitate analyses of genetic diversity, population structure and population history. Results A star-shaped median joining haplotype network, unimodal mismatch distribution and significantly negative neutrality tests indicated population expansion in An. baimaii with the start of expansion estimated to be ~0.243 million years before present (MYBP) in north-east India. The populations of An. baimaii from north-east India had the highest haplotype and nucleotide diversity with all other populations having a subset of this diversity, likely as the result of range expansion from north-east India. The north-east Indian populations were genetically distinct from those in Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand, indicating that mountains, such as the Arakan mountain range between north-east India and Myanmar, are a significant barrier to gene flow. Within north-east India, there was no genetic differentiation among populations with the exception of the Central 2 population in the Barail hills area that was significantly differentiated from other populations. Conclusions The high genetic distinctiveness of the Central 2 population in the Barail hills area of the north-east India should be confirmed and its epidemiological significance further investigated. The lack of genetic population structure in the other north-east Indian populations likely reflects large population sizes of An. baimaii that, historically, were able to disperse through continuous forest habitats in the north-east India. Additional markers and analytical approaches are required to determine if recent deforestation is now preventing ongoing gene flow. Until such information is acquired, An. baimaii in north-east India should be treated as a single unit for the implementation of vector control measures. PMID:22429500

Nipah virus: transmission of a zoonotic paramyxovirus.

PubMed

Clayton, Bronwyn Anne

2017-02-01

Nipah virus is a recently-recognised, zoonotic paramyxovirus that causes severe disease and high fatality rates in people. Outbreaks have occurred in Malaysia, Singapore, India and Bangladesh, and a putative Nipah virus was also recently associated with human disease in the Philippines. Worryingly, human-to-human transmission is common in Bangladesh, where outbreaks occur with near-annual frequency. Onward human transmission of Nipah virus in Bangladesh is associated with close contact with clinically-unwell patients or their infectious secretions. While Nipah virus isolates associated with outbreaks of human infection have not resulted in sustained transmission to date, specific exposures carry a high risk of person-to-person transmission, an observation which is supported by recent findings in animal models. Novel paramyxoviruses continue to emerge from wildlife hosts, and represent an ongoing threat to human health globally. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Factors Affecting Female Participation in Education in Seven Developing Countries. Second Edition. Education Research Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brock, Colin; Cammish, Nadine

Factors affecting female participation in education in seven developing countries were examined through field visits to the following countries: Bangladesh, Cameroon, India, Jamaica, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, and Vanuatu. In each country, researchers interviewed key personnel, consulted local documentation, and conducted two empirical surveys…

Preparing Multi-Media Teaching Materials. A Source Book.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Bangkok (Thailand). Regional Office for Education in Asia and the Pacific.

This sourcebook on educational technology materials was developed in conjunction with a regional workshop on "The Use of Educational Technology by Teachers," which was held in September 1985 and attended by participants and observers from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea,…

The Political Economy of English Education in Muslim Bengal: 1871-1912.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rahim, Aminur

1992-01-01

Examines explanations for lack of progress by Muslims in English education in East Bengal, colonial British India (now Bangladesh). Argues that urban-based, elitist English education failed to provide opportunities to rural Muslim farmers, and that, after the British formulated educational policies meeting Muslim needs, that community responded…

Development Dialogue. Towards a Theory of Rural Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haque, Wahidul; And Others

1977-01-01

The study attempts to redefine the objectives of Asian development in terms of rapid social change and the redistribution of political power to the rural masses via collectivism. Part I, "The Perspective", describes the largely "anti" rural development experiences of four Asian countries (India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, China) in…

New Strategies for Improving Rural Family Life.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coombs, Philip H.

Presented in capsule form for the convenience of busy policy makers, planners, and program managers, this booklet summarizes major findings of a three-year study on practical aspects of rural development, with particular emphasis on ways of alleviating extreme poverty among disadvantaged rural families. Using case studies from Bangladesh, India,…

HEAVY METAL CONTENT OF AYURVEDIC HERBAL MEDICINE PRODUCTS

EPA Science Inventory

Case reports of individuals taking Ayurvedic herbal medicine products (HMPs) suggest that they may contain lead, mercury, and/or arsenic. We analyzed the heavy metal content of Ayurvedic HMPs manufactured in India and Pakistan, available in South Asian grocery stores in the Bost...

Vamonos!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Love, Matt

2003-01-01

Cultural geographers have described the 2000-mile, sun-baked, history-rich, heavily patrolled U.S.-Mexico border as the world's most dynamic international frontier. Compared to current flashpoint border regions, such as India-Pakistan or Israel-Palestine, "la linea," as it is called in Spanish, is remarkably peaceful. But disparities…

12 CFR 1281.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Indian or Alaskan Native—a person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South... Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam; (3) Black or African American—a person having origins...

12 CFR 1281.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... categories: (1) American Indian or Alaskan Native—a person having origins in any of the original peoples of..., or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam; (3) Black or African American—a person having...

12 CFR 1281.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Indian or Alaskan Native—a person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South... Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam; (3) Black or African American—a person having origins...

The threat from sea and land. Regional report 2: the Bay of Bengal.

PubMed

1994-01-01

This article reports on the environmental threat caused by the Bay of Bengal on the economic situation in Bangladesh and India. More than four-fifths of Bangladesh amount to an extended delta at the confluence of one of the largest river systems in the world, comprising the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna. In the Brahmaputra watershed, the rate of deforestation caused soil erosion in the Himalayas is five times as much as in the geological past. This sediment loading is often considered to be a prime factor in downstream flooding. Because of this, Bangladesh agriculture products were damaged, which led to economic instability. Furthermore, as a result of the combined impacts of population growth, poverty, no land, and inadequate food supplies, many migrated into the neighboring Indian areas. Moreover, the susceptibility of the Bay of Bengal to cyclones has caused a great number of deaths leaving millions of people homeless. Cyclone episodes are expected to be more frequent as global warming continues. Furthermore, Bangladesh was estimated to be only 5 meters above sea level, which is considered vulnerable to sea level rise. On top of these problems, trouble from the other side of Bangladesh was also predicted with the combined outflow of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna leading to more national damage.

Cumulative Total India Freshwater Losses as Seen by NASA GRACE, 2002-15

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-12-08

Cumulative total freshwater losses in South Asia from 2002 to 2015 (in inches) observed by NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission. Total water refers to all of the snow, surface water, soil water and groundwater combined. Groundwater depletion in India and Bangladesh continue to dominate total water losses in the region. The persistent drought along the Malaysian Peninsula is also apparent. Regions of increasing total water experience strong interannual variations in the Asian monsoon. Image updated from Rodell et al., 2009. Citation of Record: Rodell, M., I. Velicogna and J. Famiglietti, Satellite-based estimates of groundwater depletion in India, Nature, doi:10.1038/nature08238. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20206

The safety, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of cytisine in achieving six-month continuous smoking abstinence in tuberculosis patients - protocol for a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomised trial.

PubMed

Dogar, Omara; Barua, Deepa; Boeckmann, Melanie; Elsey, Helen; Fatima, Razia; Gabe, Rhian; Huque, Rumana; Keding, Ada; Khan, Amina; Kotz, Daniel; Kralikova, Eva; Newell, James N; Nohavova, Iveta; Parrott, Steve; Readshaw, Anne; Renwick, Lottie; Sheikh, Aziz; Siddiqi, Kamran

2018-04-20

Tuberculosis (TB) patients who quit smoking have much better disease outcomes than those who continue to smoke. Behavioural support combined with pharmacotherapy is the most effective strategy in helping people to quit, in general populations. However, there is no evidence for the effectiveness of this strategy in TB patients who smoke. We will assess the safety, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of cytisine - a low-cost plant-derived nicotine substitute - for smoking cessation in TB patients compared with placebo, over and above brief behavioural support. Two-arm, parallel, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-centre (30 sites in Bangladesh and Pakistan), individually randomised trial. TB treatment centres integrated into public health care systems in Bangladesh and Pakistan. Newly diagnosed (in the last four weeks) adult pulmonary TB patients who are daily smokers (with or without dual smokeless tobacco use) and are interested in quitting (n= 2,388). The primary outcome measure is biochemically verified continuous abstinence from smoking at six months post-randomization, assessed using Russell Standard criteria. The secondary outcome measures include continuous abstinence at 12 months, lapses and relapses; clinical TB outcomes; nicotine dependency and withdrawal; and adverse events. This is the first smoking cessation trial of cytisine in low- and middle-income countries evaluating both cessation and tuberculosis (TB) outcomes. If found effective, cytisine could become the most affordable cessation intervention to help TB patients who smoke. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) oronasally inoculated with a Nipah virus isolate from Bangladesh or Malaysia develop similar respiratory tract lesions.

PubMed

Baseler, L; de Wit, E; Scott, D P; Munster, V J; Feldmann, H

2015-01-01

Nipah virus is a paramyxovirus in the genus Henipavirus, which has caused outbreaks in humans in Malaysia, India, Singapore, and Bangladesh. Whereas the human cases in Malaysia were characterized mainly by neurological symptoms and a case fatality rate of ∼40%, cases in Bangladesh also exhibited respiratory disease and had a case fatality rate of ∼70%. Here, we compared the histopathologic changes in the respiratory tract of Syrian hamsters, a well-established small animal disease model for Nipah virus, inoculated oronasally with Nipah virus isolates from human cases in Malaysia and Bangladesh. The Nipah virus isolate from Bangladesh caused slightly more severe rhinitis and bronchointerstitial pneumonia 2 days after inoculation in Syrian hamsters. By day 4, differences in lesion severity could no longer be detected. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated Nipah virus antigen in the nasal cavity and pulmonary lesions; the amount of Nipah virus antigen present correlated with lesion severity. Immunohistochemistry indicated that both Nipah virus isolates exhibited endotheliotropism in small- and medium-caliber arteries and arterioles, but not in veins, in the lung. This correlated with the location of ephrin B2, the main receptor for Nipah virus, in the vasculature. In conclusion, Nipah virus isolates from outbreaks in Malaysia and Bangladesh caused a similar type and severity of respiratory tract lesions in Syrian hamsters, suggesting that the differences in human disease reported in the outbreaks in Malaysia and Bangladesh are unlikely to have been caused by intrinsic differences in these 2 virus isolates. © The Author(s) 2014.

Sulfur dioxide emissions and sectorial contributions to sulfur deposition in Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arndt, Richard L.; Carmichael, Gregory R.; Streets, David G.; Bhatti, Neeloo

Anthropogenic and volcanic emissions of SO 2 in Asia for 1987-1988 are estimated on a 1° × 1° grid. Anthropogenic sources are estimated to be 31.6 Tg of SO 2 with the regions' volcanoes emitting an additional 3.8 Tg. For Southeast Asia and the Indian sub-continent, the emissions are further partitioned into biomass, industrial, utilities, and non-specific sources. In these regions emissions from biomass, utilities and industrial sources account for 16.7, 21.7, and 12.2%, respectively. In Bangladesh, ˜ 90% of the SO 2 emissions result from biomass burning and nearly 20% of India's 5 Tg of SO 2 emissions are due to biomass burning. Malaysia and Singapore's emissions are dominated by the utilities with 42 and 62% of their respective emissions coming from that sector. The spatial distribution of sulfur deposition resulting from these emissions is calculated using an atmospheric transport and deposition model. Sulfur deposition in excess of 2 g m -2 yr -1 is predicted in vast regions of east Asia, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Indonesia with deposition in excess of 5 g m -2 yr -1 predicted in southern China. For the Indian sub-continent and Southeast Asia the contribution of biomass burning, industrial activities, and utilities to total sulfur emissions and deposition patterns are evaluated. Biomass burning is found to be a major source of sulfur deposition throughout southeast Asia. Deposition in Bangladesh and northern India is dominated by this emissions sector. Deposition in Thailand, the Malay Peninsula and the island of Sumatra is heavily influenced by emissions from utilities. The ecological impact of the deposition, in 1988 and in the year 2020, is also estimated using critical loads data developed in the RAINS-ASIA projects. Much of eastern China, the Korean Peninsula, Japan, Thailand, and large regions of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and sections of Vietnam are at risk due to deposition in excess of their critical loads if emission trends continue at the current rate.

Common Interests of the United States and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Southwest Asia.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-09-01

Degree of Master of Science in Logistics Management Maqbool A. Ranjha Squadron Leader, PAF September 1986 Approved for public release; distribution...his further incursions. Later 7 V’ on, other Muslim invaders moved deep into India and estab- lished a strong empire in Dehli which was taken over by...most of India, with its capital in Dehli . As Dehli control waned, other contenders of power e- merged and clashed. New leaders from the Iran-Afghan

Re-integration of Former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Combatants into Civilian Society in Post-War Sri Lanka

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-01

University of Balochistan, Quetta, Pakistan , 2009 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN...Indira Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India . She did this because Sri Lanka adopted a U.S.-biased policy from 1977 onwards after opening its...economy under President J. R. Jayawardena, when the India was an ally of Soviet Union.4 Gradually, the LTTE was developed under the blessings of

HLA-C molecular characterization of a Lebanese population and genetic structure of 39 populations from Europe to India-Pakistan.

PubMed

Buhler, S; Megarbane, A; Lefranc, G; Tiercy, J-M; Sanchez-Mazas, A

2006-07-01

Lebanon is located at a continental crossroad between Europe, Africa, and Asia. This region has been the center of wide-scale movements of populations as well as the theater of genetic and cultural trade off among neighboring populations. In this study, HLA-C alleles were characterized by a PCR-SSOP (sequence-specific oligonucleotide probes) hybridization protocol in a sample of 97 Lebanese. A total of 23 alleles were identified with four predominant, Cw*0401, Cw*0602, Cw*0701/06, and Cw*1203, accounting for almost 60% of HLA-C allele frequencies. We included the Lebanese data into a broad analysis of the HLA-C genetic structure of a large set of populations located in Europe, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent. Our results indicate that Lebanese exhibit an intermediate genetic profile among the populations from the Middle East, which constitute a rather homogeneous genetic group. In Europe, a high correlation coefficient is found between genetic and geographic distances. In this continent, we also identified a significant genetic frontier following a north-east to south-west axis. This frontier cuts through the Alps and the Pyrenees, thus separating the north-western European populations from those located in the eastern and Mediterranean areas. Finally, the populations from India - Pakistan are very heterogeneous, particularly the Dravidians. Their differentiation has probably been caused by rapid genetic drift under complex influences of cultural, linguistic, and/or religious barriers. Overall, the results show that the HLA-C genetic patterns of these three geographic regions, i.e., the Middle East, Europe, and India-Pakistan, have been shaped by very different genetic histories.

The role of opacity and transparency in achieving strategic stability in South Asia.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rajain, Arpit; Ashraf, Tariq Mahmud

According to international relations theory, deterrence can be used as a tool to achieve stability between potentially hostile nations. India and Pakistan's long history of periodic crises raises the question of how they can achieve deterrence stability. 'Transparency' describes the flow of information between parties and plays a key role in establishing a deterrence relationship. This paper studies the balance needed between opacity and transparency in nuclear topics for the maintenance of deterrence stability between India and Pakistan. States with nuclear weapons are postulated to implement transparency in four categories: potential, capability, intent, and resolve. The study applies these categoriesmore » to the nuclear components of the ongoing India-Pakistan Composite Dialogue Working Group for Peace and Security including CBMs. To focus our efforts, we defined four scenarios to characterize representative strategic/military/political conditions. The scenarios are combinations of these two sets of opposite poles: competition - cooperation; extremism - moderation (to be understood primarily in a religious/nationalistic sense). We describe each scenario in terms of select focal areas (nuclear doctrine, nuclear command and control, nuclear stockpile, nuclear delivery/defensive systems, and conventional force posture). The scenarios help frame the realm of possibilities, and have been described in terms of expected conditions for the focal areas. We then use the conditions in each scenario to prescribe a range of information-sharing actions that the two countries could take to increase stability. We also highlight the information that should not be shared. These actions can be political (e.g., declarations), procedural (e.g., advance notice of certain military activities), or technologically based (e.g., seismic monitoring of the nuclear test moratorium).« less

Chapter 11: Disease resistance in chickpea

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Chickpea is a grain legume with valuable nutritional characteristics; it is a basic aliment in Asian countries such as India and Pakistan as well as a traditional ingredient in Mediterranean diet. Biotic stresses such as ascochyta blight and fusarium wilt together with other diseases such as botryti...

"On Making Man Modern"--A Review.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rivera, William M.

A. Inkeles' cross-cultural work is reviewed. Inkeles studied young factory workers in six developing countries (Argentina, Chile, India, Israel, Nigeria, and East Pakistan) to determine their "modernity" characteristics versus their "traditional" or rural orientations. The use of the "modern man" thesis in this study,…

Discovery and Characterization of Novel Signatures from the Ricinus communis L. (Castor Bean) Genome

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-11-01

mortar and pestle under liquid nitrogen, using Qiagen DNeasy Plant Maxi kits according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and quantified...Former Soviet Union India Iran Indonesia Israel Japan Jordan Malaya Pakistan Philippines Saudi Arabia Sri Lanka Syria Taiwan

Progress toward Global Interruption of Wild Poliovirus Transmission, 2010–2013 and Tackling the Challenges to Complete Eradication

PubMed Central

Wassilak, Steven G.F.; Oberste, M. Steven; Tangermann, Rudolph H.; Diop, Ousmane M.; Jafari, Hamid S.; Armstrong, Gregory L.

2015-01-01

Despite substantial progress, global polio eradication has remained elusive. Indigenous wild poliovirus (WPV) transmission in four endemic countries (Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan) persisted into 2010 and outbreaks from imported WPV continued. By 2013, most outbreaks in the interim were promptly controlled. The number of polio-affected districts globally has declined by74% (from 481 in 2009 to 126 in 2013), including a 79% decrease in the number of affected districts in endemic countries (from 304 to 63). India is now polio-free. The challenges to success in the remaining polio-endemic countries include 1) threats to the security of vaccinators in each country and a ban on polio vaccination in areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan; 2) a risk of decreased government commitment; and 3) remaining surveillance gaps. Coordinated efforts under the International Health Regulations and efforts to mitigate the challenges provide a clear opportunity to soon secure global eradication. PMID:25316873

Developing information-space Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) between India and Pakistan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yamin, Tughral

The Internet has changed the world in ways hitherto unknown. The international financial system, air, land and maritime transport systems are all digitally linked. Similarly most militaries are fully or partially networked. This has not only sped up the decision making processes at all levels, it has also rendered these systems vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Cyber-warfare is now recognized as the most potent form of non-kinetic war fighting. In order to prevent large scale network-attacks, cyber-powers are simultaneously spending a lot of time, money and effort to erect redundant cyber-defenses and enhancing their offensive cyber capabilities. Difficulties in creating a stablemore » environment in information-space stem from differing national perceptions regarding the freedom of the Internet, application of international law and problems associated with attribution. This paper discusses a range of Confidence Building Measures that can be created between India and Pakistan in information-space to control malicious cyber behavior and avert an inadvertent war.« less

India-Pakistan Border at Night

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

An astronaut aboard the International Space Station took this nighttime panorama while looking north across Pakistan’s Indus River valley. The port city of Karachi is the bright cluster of lights facing the Arabian Sea, which appears completely black. City lights and the dark color of dense agriculture closely track with the great curves of the Indus valley. For scale, the distance from Karachi to the foothills of the Himalaya Mountains is 1,160 kilometers (720 miles). This photograph shows one of the few places on Earth where an international boundary can be seen at night. The winding border between Pakistan and India is lit by security lights that have a distinct orange tone. Astronaut photograph ISS045-E-27869 was acquired on September 23, 2015, with a Nikon D4 digital camera using a 28 millimeter lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space Center. via NASA Earth Observatory Read more: earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=86725&eocn...

Cooperative Monitoring Center Occasional Paper/4: Missile Control in South Asia and the Role of Cooperative Monitoring Technology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kamal, N.; Sawhney, P.

1998-10-01

The succession of nuclear tests by India and Pakistan in May 1998 has changed the nature of their missile rivalry, which is only one of numerous manifestations of their relationship as hardened adversaries, deeply sensitive to each other's existing and evolving defense capabilities. The political context surrounding this costly rivalry remains unmediated by arms control measures or by any nascent prospect of detente. As a parallel development, sensible voices in both countries will continue to talk of building mutual confidence through openness to avert accidents, misjudgments, and misinterpretations. To facilitate a future peace process, this paper offers possible suggestions formore » stabilization that could be applied to India's and Pakistan's missile situation. Appendices include descriptions of existing missile agreements that have contributed to better relations for other countries as well as a list of the cooperative monitoring technologies available to provide information useful in implementing subcontinent missile regimes.« less

Spatiotemporal patterns of correlation between atmospheric nitrogen dioxide and aerosols over South Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

ul-Haq, Zia; Tariq, Salman; Ali, Muhammad

2017-10-01

An accurate knowledge is needed on the complex relation between atmospheric trace gasses and aerosol variability and their sources to explain trace gases-aerosols-climate interaction and next-generation modeling of climate change and air quality. In this regard, we have used tropospheric Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) and Angstrom Exponent (AE) obtained from satellite-based Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI)/Aura and Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)/Aqua over South Asia. NO2-AOD correlation with coefficient r = 0.49 is determined over the landmass of South Asia during 2005-2015. Yearly mean NO2-AOD correlation over South Asia shows large variations ranging from r = 0.32 to 0.86 in 2008 and 2009, respectively. The highest correlation ( r = 0.66) is seen over eastern regions of Bangladesh and India, as well as adjoining areas of western Myanmar mostly linked to anthropogenic activities. A significant correlation ( r = 0.59) associated with natural causes is found over some parts of Sistan region, located at the borders of Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and adjoining territory. We find significant positive correlations for monsoon and post-monsoon seasons with r = 0.50 and r = 0.61, respectively. A linear regression on the annual correlation coefficients data suggests that NO2-AOD correlation is strengthening with an increase of 12.9% over South Asia during the study period. The spatial distribution of data slopes reveals positive trends in NO2-AOD correlation over megacities Lahore, Dhaka, Mumbai and Kolkata linked to growing anthropogenic activities. Singrauli city (India) has the highest correlation ( r = 0.62) and 35% increase in correlation coefficient value per year. A negative correlation is observed for megacity Karachi ( r = -0.37) suggesting the non-commonality of NO2 and aerosols emission sources. AE has also been used to discuss its correlation with NO2 over the areas with dominance of fine-mode aerosols.

Update on the prevalence of malnutrition among children in Asia.

PubMed

Khor, Geok Lin

2003-12-01

Approximately 70.0% of the world's malnourished children live in Asia, resulting in the region having the highest concentration of childhood malnutrition. About half of the preschool children are malnourished ranging from 16.0% in the People's Republic of China to 64.0% in Bangladesh. Prevalence of stunting and underweight are high especially in South Asia where one in every two preschool children is stunted. Besides protein-energy malnutrition, Asian children also suffer from micronutrient deficiency. Iron deficiency anaemia affects 40.0-50.0% of preschool and primary school children. Nearly half of all vitamin A deficiency and xeropthalmia in the world occurs in South and Southeast Asia, with large numbers of cases in India (35.3 million), Indonesia (12.6 million) and China (11.4 million). Another major micronutrient problem in the region is iodine deficiency disorders, which result in high goiter rates as manifested in India, Pakistan and parts of Indonesia. While under-nutrition problem persists, overweight problem in children has emerged in Asia, including Taiwan, Singapore and urban China and Malaysia. The etiology of childhood malnutrition is complex involving interactions of multiple determinants that include biological, cultural and socio-economic influences. Protein-energy malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency leading to early growth failure often can be traced to poor maternal nutritional and health care before and during pregnancy, resulting in intrauterine growth retardation and children born with low birth weight. While significant progress has been achieved over the past 30 years in reducing the proportion of malnourished children in developing countries, nonetheless, malnutrition persists affecting large numbers of children. The socio-economic cost of the malnutrition burden to the individual, family and country is high resulting in lower cognitive outcomes in children and lower adult productivity. Interventions that are cost-effective and culturally appropriate for the elimination of childhood malnutrition deserve the support of all.

"Clutching a knifeblade": human rights and development from Asian women's perspective.

PubMed

Sancho-liao, N

1993-06-01

A brief, vivid portrait of the human rights conditions for women in Asia was presented: "kapit sa patalim" or utter despair, urban migration, export processing zones, tourism and prostitution, political repression, and military sexual slavery. Advocates of women's human rights for Asian women must contend with patriarchal and male-dominated systems that oppress and exploit women to a much greater extent than men. Liberation from these systems and the domination and exploitation by wealthier nations must be a goal of a new economic world order. Unjust and repressive structures must be destroyed, and equitable distribution of wealth and democracy and popular initiatives promoted. The status of women must be raised to coequal status with men. The most important objective of human rights advocates should be the empowerment of women at the individual, community, national, regional, and international level. The Asian Women's Human Rights Council was established as an addition to 3 already operating regional commissions of women's organizations. The aim was not just to describe women as victims, but to pressure development activity to account for women's human rights. Sex tribunals have been scheduled between 1993 and 1994 to address the following issues: 1) sex trafficking (Japan, May 1993); 2) violence against women (Pakistan, December 1993); 3) militarism, environment, and violence against women (Korea, March 1994); 4) crimes of development against women in Asia (India); 5) religion and violence against women (Malaysia, 1994); and 6) indigenous women (December 1994). Women were victims when Filipino domestic workers were stranded and raped in Iraq during the chaos of war, when girls from landless peasant families migrated near Clark Air Force Base to earn a living as prostitutes for US servicemen, when women were forced to work 36-hour shifts in foreign-owned garment factories in Bataan, when women migrated for work, and when women were abused and battered in Bangladesh and India. Many other examples of abuse were indicated in the discussion.

Facilitators and barriers for retention in HIV care between testing and treatment in Asia-A study in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Lao, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines and Vietnam.

PubMed

Koirala, Sushil; Deuba, Keshab; Nampaisan, Oranuch; Marrone, Gaetano; Ekström, Anna Mia

2017-01-01

The need for efficient retention in HIV care is more evident than ever because of the expansion of earlier ART initiation and the shift towards 'Test and Treat'. This study assesses factors affecting participation in the HIV care cascade among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the Asia-Pacific Region. A total of 7843 PLHIV aged 18-50 years were recruited using targeted and venue-based sampling between October 1, 2012, and May 31, 2013, across 59 sites in 7 countries (Bangladesh, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines and Vietnam). Statistically significant associations between demographic and health system determinants, and various steps in the HIV care cascade were computed using a generalized structural equation model. A high proportion of PLHIV (40-51%) presented late for HIV care and delayed linkage to care in all seven countries. However, once PLHIV enrolled in care, retention in the various steps of the care cascade including adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART) was satisfactory. The proportion still engaged in HIV care at 36 months post HIV diagnosis, varied from 78% in Nepal to >90% in Lao PDR. Similarly, the proportion of ART initiation who also were adherent to ART ranged from 91% in Bangladesh to >95% in Philippines/ Vietnam and from 70% in Lao PDR to 89% in the Philippines respectively. The following factors enhanced the likelihood of ART initiation and high adherence to HIV care and ART: good client-provider communication, high HIV treatment literacy, a referral from a health worker and TB/HIV co-infection. The following barriers were identified: young age, sex work, imprisonment, transgender identity, illiteracy, rural residence, alcohol/ injecting drug use, perceived poor health status, lack of health insurance, fear of confidentiality breach, self-referral for HIV testing, and public hospital as the place of HIV diagnosis. HIV programme planners should ensure easy access to HIV testing and earlier linkage to HIV care among PLHIV. In addition, multiple socio-economic and health systems barriers need to be addressed along the HIV care cascade to reach the UNAIDS 90-90-90 target in the Asia-Pacific region.

Mitochondrial Genetic Diversity and Phylogeography of Mus musculus castaneus in Northern Punjab, Pakistan.

PubMed

Bibi, Shahnaz; Nadeem, Muhammad Sajid; Wiewel, Andrew Stephen; Beg, Mirza Azhar; Hameed, Khalid; Jabeen, Musarrat; Raja, Ghazala Kaukab

2017-12-01

Regions of Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and northwestern India have been proposed as the place of origin of Mus musculus castaneus. But despite the fact that Pakistan encompasses an important part of its range, M. m. castaneus populations in Pakistan have not been the subject of intensive genetic and biogeographic studies, except for a very small number of samples included in past studies. We studied genetic variation in M. m. castaneus (CAS) from northern Punjab Province, Pakistan, by using cytochrome b (Cytb) analysis in a sample of 98 individuals. Median-joining network revealed four well differentiated CAS sub-lineages coexisting within a small geographical region; these had previously been thought to have largely non-overlapping geographic distributions. Moreover, haplotypes from Pakistan occupied a central position in the network and all identified global haplotypes were also present in Pakistan. All identified CAS sub-lineages proved to be highly diverse on the basis of haplotype and nucleotide diversity indices. Tajima's D test and Fu's Fs tests of neutrality suggest recent population expansions in all sub-lineages. Expansion times were estimated as 21,760-134,930, 10,800-64,400 and 4950-30,665 ybp using substitution rates of 2.5%, 5% and 11%, respectively. Our results support the hypothesis that northern Punjab Province in Pakistan is the most likely source area for M. m. castaneus, and that the CAS sub-lineages in this region have undergone rapid population expansion events at different time periods, which appear to have benefitted from human-mediated transport, although one of them clearly predates the establishment of human settlements in this region.

Anatomy of success in oil and gas exploration in Pakistan, 1915--94

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Quadri, V.N.; Quadri, S.M.G.J.

1996-05-13

Pakistan, flanked by Iran, Afghanistan, China, and India, is the size of Texas and Louisiana combined. The Indus and Baluchistan basins cover 80% of Pakistan`s total area. The country also has 230,000 sq km of marine Exclusive Economic Zone. The law regarding E and P activity was promulgated in 1986, replacing the previous Petroleum (Production) Rules of 1949. As a result of the new Petroleum Policy implemented in March 1994 and streamlining of the bid review and award process, acreage leased including reconnaissance during 1994 was 355,541 sq km onshore and 120,640 sq km offshore, with the number of operatingmore » groups also a record high of 46. Although complex and disturbed as a result of collision tectonics, Pakistan`s geology is as fascinating as the surface geomorphology, from the complex compressional thrusted to the relatively simple extensional rifted, salt related to transform fault associated, the reefs, too, all impressive traps for petroleum, at times almost textbook examples. However, domestic oil production at yearend 1994 was about 53,251 b/d of oil and 1.7 bcfd of gas. Oil and gas have been found in the Potwar/Upper Indus basin and Lower Indus basin, and mainly gas with one gas/condensate discovery in the Sulaiman/Middle Indus basin. This article attempts to present brief case history outlines of typical, significant oil and gas discoveries of Pakistan 1915--94 with respect to the two main productive basins, their source and reservoir sequences, in order to determine the anatomy of success in exploration in Pakistan.« less

Self-Help and Community Education. Courier No. 28.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ASPBAE Courier, 1983

1983-01-01

This journal consists of eight articles dealing with self-help and community education. Included in the volume are the following articles: "An Uphill Struggle--Self-Help in Bangladesh," by S. Harrison and Judy Saul; "How Not to Help a Local Community: A Case from South India," by Nora Sammut and Maria Theresa; "The High…

Can Information and Communications Technology Application Contribute to Poverty Reduction? Lessons from Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toluyemi, Samuel Taiwo; Mejabi, Omenogo Veronica

2011-01-01

There is a growing optimism among international organizations such as United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can transform developing countries such as Nigeria to developed ones in a relatively short time. Experiences from Asian and European countries such as India, Bangladesh, Malaysia,…

India’s Decisive Intervention: Effectiveness of Its Assistance during the Liberation War of Bangladesh-1971

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-12

not have to lose. Since civilian populations not threatened with annihilation tend to not support a stalemated war indefinitely, this calculus of...growing resistance and anger among people. In the Chittagong area, there were two units–one Bangladeshi regular unit, the 8th East Bengal Regiment...

Education for Humanistic, Ethical/Moral and Cultural Values: Final Report of a Regional Meeting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Inst. for Educational Research, Tokyo (Japan).

This report stems from a meeting of representatives of countries in the Asia Pacific region concerned with the development of strategies for strengthening content relating to humanistic, ethical, and cultural values in formal and non-formal education. The following countries were represented: Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,…

A Study of Social Identity in Two Ethnic Groups in India and Bangladesh.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ghosh, E. S. K.; Huq, M. M.

1985-01-01

Reports two studies which examined the social identity of Hindu and Muslim subjects under three frames of reference: self, own group, and outgroup evaluations cross-nationally. Findings are examined in relation to the interplay of specific socio-contextual experiences in the differential pattern of social identity processes. (SED)

Controls on groundwater flow in the Bengal Basin of India and Bangladesh: Regional modeling analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Michael, H.A.; Voss, C.I.

2009-01-01

Groundwater for domestic and irrigation purposes is produced primarily from shallow parts of the Bengal Basin aquifer system (India and Bangladesh), which contains high concentrations of dissolved arsenic (exceeding worldwide drinking water standards), though deeper groundwater is generally low in arsenic. An essential first step for determining sustainable management of the deep groundwater resource is identification of hydrogeologic controls on flow and quantification of basin-scale groundwater flow patterns. Results from groundwater modeling, in which the Bengal Basin aquifer system is represented as a single aquifer with higher horizontal than vertical hydraulic conductivity, indicate that this anisotropy is the primary hydrogeologic control on the natural flowpath lengths. Despite extremely low hydraulic gradients due to minimal topographic relief, anisotropy implies large-scale (tens to hundreds of kilometers) flow at depth. Other hydrogeologic factors, including lateral and vertical changes in hydraulic conductivity, have minor effects on overall flow patterns. However, because natural hydraulic gradients are low, the impact of pumping on groundwater flow is overwhelming; modeling indicates that pumping has substantially changed the shallow groundwater budget and flowpaths from predevelopment conditions. ?? Springer-Verlag 2009.

Controls on groundwater flow in the Bengal Basin of India and Bangladesh: regional modeling analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michael, Holly A.; Voss, Clifford I.

2009-11-01

Groundwater for domestic and irrigation purposes is produced primarily from shallow parts of the Bengal Basin aquifer system (India and Bangladesh), which contains high concentrations of dissolved arsenic (exceeding worldwide drinking water standards), though deeper groundwater is generally low in arsenic. An essential first step for determining sustainable management of the deep groundwater resource is identification of hydrogeologic controls on flow and quantification of basin-scale groundwater flow patterns. Results from groundwater modeling, in which the Bengal Basin aquifer system is represented as a single aquifer with higher horizontal than vertical hydraulic conductivity, indicate that this anisotropy is the primary hydrogeologic control on the natural flowpath lengths. Despite extremely low hydraulic gradients due to minimal topographic relief, anisotropy implies large-scale (tens to hundreds of kilometers) flow at depth. Other hydrogeologic factors, including lateral and vertical changes in hydraulic conductivity, have minor effects on overall flow patterns. However, because natural hydraulic gradients are low, the impact of pumping on groundwater flow is overwhelming; modeling indicates that pumping has substantially changed the shallow groundwater budget and flowpaths from predevelopment conditions.

Stem cell research in pakistan; past, present and future.

PubMed

Zahra, Sayeda Anum; Muzavir, Sayed Raheel; Ashraf, Sadia; Ahmad, Aftab

2015-05-01

Stem cells have proved to have great therapeutic potential as stem cell treatment is replacing traditional ways of treatment in different disorders like cancer, aplastic anemia, stroke, heart disorders. The developed and developing countries are investing differently in this area of research so research output and clinical translation of research greatly vary among developed and developing countries. Present study was done to investigate the current status of stem cells research in Pakistan and ways to improve it. Many advanced countries (USA, UK and Canada etc.) are investing heavily in stem cell research and treatment. Different developing countries like Iran, Turkey and India are also following the developed countries and investing a lot in stem cells research. Pakistan is also making efforts in establishing this field to get desired benefits but unfortunately the progress is at very low pace. If Government plays an active role along with private sector, stem cell research in Pakistan can be boosted up. The numbers of publications from Pakistan are very less compared to developed and neighboring countries and Pakistan also has very less number of institutes working in this area of research. Stem cells research is at its initial stages in Pakistan and there is great need to bring Government, academia and industry together so they could make serious efforts to promote research in this very important field. This will help millions of patients suffering from incurable disorders and will also reduce economic loss.

Regression Analysis to Identify Factors Associated with Household Salt Iodine Content at the Sub-National Level in Bangladesh, India, Ghana and Senegal

PubMed Central

Knowles, Jacky; Kupka, Roland; Dumble, Sam; Garrett, Greg S.; Pandav, Chandrakant S.; Yadav, Kapil; Nahar, Baitun; Touré, Ndeye Khady; Amoaful, Esi Foriwa; Gorstein, Jonathan

2018-01-01

Regression analyses of data from stratified, cluster sample, household iodine surveys in Bangladesh, India, Ghana and Senegal were conducted to identify factors associated with household access to adequately iodised salt. For all countries, in single variable analyses, household salt iodine was significantly different (p < 0.05) between strata (geographic areas with representative data, defined by survey design), and significantly higher (p < 0.05) among households: with better living standard scores, where the respondent knew about iodised salt and/or looked for iodised salt at purchase, using salt bought in a sealed package, or using refined grain salt. Other country-level associations were also found. Multiple variable analyses showed a significant association between salt iodine and strata (p < 0.001) in India, Ghana and Senegal and that salt grain type was significantly associated with estimated iodine content in all countries (p < 0.001). Salt iodine relative to the reference (coarse salt) ranged from 1.3 (95% CI 1.2, 1.5) times higher for fine salt in Senegal to 3.6 (95% CI 2.6, 4.9) times higher for washed and 6.5 (95% CI 4.9, 8.8) times higher for refined salt in India. Sub-national data are required to monitor equity of access to adequately iodised salt. Improving household access to refined iodised salt in sealed packaging, would improve iodine intake from household salt in all four countries in this analysis, particularly in areas where there is significant small-scale salt production. PMID:29671774

Preliminary observations from the 3 January 2017, MW 5.6 Manu, Tripura (India) earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Debbarma, Jimmi; Martin, Stacey S.; Suresh, G.; Ahsan, Aktarul; Gahalaut, Vineet K.

2017-10-01

On 3 January 2017, a MW 5.6 earthquake occurred in Dhalai district in Tripura (India), at 14:39:03 IST (09:09:03 UTC) with an epicentre at 24.018°N ± 4.9 km and 91.964°E ± 4.4 km, and a focal depth of 31 ± 6.0 km. The focal mechanism solution determined after evaluating data from seismological observatories in India indicated a predominantly strike-slip motion on a steeply dipping plane. The estimated focal depth and focal mechanism solution places this earthquake in the Indian plate that lies beneath the overlying Indo-Burmese wedge. As in the 2016 Manipur earthquake, a strong motion record from Shillong, India, appears to suggest site amplification possibly due to topographic effects. In the epicentral region in Tripura, damage assessed from a field survey and from media reports indicated that the macroseismic intensity approached 6-7 EMS with damage also reported in adjacent parts of Bangladesh. A striking feature of this earthquake were the numerous reports of liquefaction that were forthcoming from fluvial locales in the epicentral region in Tripura, and at anomalous distances farther north in Bangladesh. The occurrence of the 2017 Manu earthquake emphasises the hazard posed by intraplate earthquakes in Tripura and in the neighbouring Bengal basin region where records of past earthquakes are scanty or vague, and where the presence of unconsolidated deltaic sediments and poor implementation of building codes pose a significant societal and economic threat during larger earthquakes in the future.

Development and human resources in the Islamic world: a study of selected countries.

PubMed

Duza, M B

1987-01-01

"The present paper attempts to provide an analytical profile of development and human resources in [12] selected [Islamic] countries." The countries--Bangladesh, Somalia, Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt, Turkey, Malaysia, Algeria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and United Arab Emirates--vary in income levels from low to high and in population size from 1 million to 159 million. Using data from the World Bank and the Population Council, comparisons are made on the basis of mortality and fertility levels, family size, income, urbanization, labor force size and growth, education, nutrition, and health. Governmental policy changes and future directions are discussed. excerpt

Experimental magnetism research in Dhaka, Hanoi and Uppsala

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nordblad, Per

2015-04-01

Promoting basic science in developing countries is the aim of the International Science Program at Uppsala University, Sweden. This program, that some years ago celebrated its 50th anniversary, has been the main supporting agency of my more than 30 years of collaboration with research groups in Dhaka at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and the Atomic Energy Commission, and research groups in Hanoi at the Vietnamese Academy of Science. Our common research on magnetism and magnetic materials has been built upon: (i) Longer visits (about half of their total PhD studies) by PhD students from Hanoi and Dhaka at Uppsala University that ends by PhD exams from their home Universities; (ii) short time visits (up to 2 months) by senior scientists to Uppsala for discussions and measurements; (iii) short visits by me and colleagues from Uppsala in Hanoi and Dhaka for discussions, workshops and conferences; (iv) mutual visits of scientists from Bangladesh and Vietnam to each other and neighboring countries (mostly India) for specific experiments and learning new methods and (v) some support for purchase of research equipment. The work with Dhaka and Hanoi and other countries has resulted in: development of internationally competitive research groups in Hanoi and Dhaka that independently publish in international journals, several PhDs that continue their work at the home institutes, numerous common publications in international scientific journals and not the least lasting professional and personal connections between scientists in Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, Eritrea, India and Sweden.

Information, Learning, and Wage Rates in Low-Income Rural Areas.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foster, Andrew D.; Rosenzweig, Mark R.

1993-01-01

Survey data from the Philippines, India, and Pakistan show that imperfect information about worker productivity affects wage distribution across workers and over time; employers discriminate statistically regarding productivity and wages; calorie consumption affects productivity but is not rewarded; and (4) imperfect information can lead to…

U.S. Foreign Aid to East and South Asia: Selected Recipients

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-10-08

assistance from U.S. State Department programs funded outside the foreign operations budget, such as educational and cultural exchange programs, and...28 India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Nepal ...Table 15. U.S. Assistance to Nepal , 2005-2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Table 16. U.S. Assistance to Pakistan, 2005-2009

Progress towards the eradication of poliomyelitis globally and in Africa, January 2000.

PubMed

Tangermann, R H; Aylward, B R; Hull, H F; Nkowane, B; Everts, H; Olive, J M

1999-01-01

Led by an international partnership including Rotary International, the WHO, UNICEF and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA, the global initiative to eradicate poliomyelitis has made remarkable progress since its beginning in 1988. The number of polio cases has decreased from an estimated 350,000 cases in 1988 to just over 5,000 reported cases in 1999. Following successful eradication from the WHO Region of the America's, certified as polio-free in 1994, wild poliovirus was last reported from the Western Pacific Region (including China) in 1997, and from the European Region (including all countries of the former Soviet Union) in November 1998. Large parts of Southern and Northern Africa and the Middle East are also polio-free. This success is related to the implementation of annual nationwide supplemental oral poliovaccine (OPV) campaigns in all recently or currently polio-endemic countries, targeting all children under 5 years with two doses of OPV. Progress of the initiative is monitored by special surveillance systems for all cases of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) in children under 15 years, including virological testing to rule out wild poliovirus infection. The initiative currently focuses on a limited number of remaining endemic countries in South Asia and Africa, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nigeria. The initiative is also beginning to be successful in several countries affected by conflict situations, such as Afghanistan, Sudan (South), Somalia, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola.

Nurturing girls: a key to promoting maternal health.

PubMed

1991-01-01

Mothers should invest in women's health and in the health of the next generation by taking good care of their daughters beginning at birth. Indeed girls who develop healthily, confidently, and is strong are more apt to have a safe motherhood and nurture their own children so they can reach their full potential. Nevertheless many obstacles to this occurring exist. Even though both girls and boys live in poverty, girls encounter the additional obstacle of sexual discrimination. For example, female infants have an elevated natural immunity level to fight off diseases than do male infants, female infant mortality exceeds male infant mortality in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. In addition, excessive death rates among small girls occur in some countries of Africa, the Middle East, Asia and South America. Reduced breast feeding, amount of food, immunization coverage, health care, and school enrollment for females contribute to these excessive death rates among females. In fact, if these deprivations do not result in death, they do cause poor health throughout life and greater risk during pregnancy and childbirth. Motherhood drains the already stunted and anemic bodies. For example, malnourished pregnant women, as evidenced by stunting, often have too small or deformed pelvises making it difficult to delivery a child normally. Anemic mothers cannot easily endure hemorrhaging loss during childbirth and abortion. Finally, deprivation influences a girl's mental ability to manage motherhood. Moreover, it reduces self esteem which in turn renders them reluctant to demand improvements in maternal care which would reduce maternal mortality.

Assessment and monitoring of deforestation and forest fragmentation in South Asia since the 1930s

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sudhakar Reddy, C.; Saranya, K. R. L.; Vazeed Pasha, S.; Satish, K. V.; Jha, C. S.; Diwakar, P. G.; Dadhwal, V. K.; Rao, P. V. N.; Krishna Murthy, Y. V. N.

2018-02-01

The present study, first of its kind, has analyzed the land cover and investigated the spatial patterns of deforestation and forest fragmentation in South Asian region since the 1930's. This region comprises of eight countries: India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Maldives. In South Asia, agricultural land is predominant constituting 43% of the total geographical area followed by barren land (19.99%) and forests (14.72%). The long-term change analysis using the classified maps of 1930 and 2014 indicated a loss of 29.62% of the forest cover. Higher annual net deforestation rates were observed in the period from 1930-1975 (0.68%) followed by 1975-1985 (0.23%), 1985-1995 (0.12%), 1995-2005 (0.06%) and 2005-2014 (0.04%) for the region. Forest fragmentation had significant spatio-temporal variation across the South Asian countries. In 1930, 88.91% of the South Asian forest was classified as large core forest, 8.18% as edge forest and 1.18% as perforated forest. The large core forest category has decreased significantly in area over last eight decades. The results of the present study are expected to serve as a reference for the evaluation of globally agreed Aichi biodiversity target 5 for South Asian countries. This study will be a valuable basis for developing management strategies and restoration programs as it tracks the spatial changes in deforestation and forest fragmentation.

Fertility targets and policy options in Asia.

PubMed

Bulatao, R A

1984-11-01

The 3rd Asian and Pacific Population Conference in Colombo in 1982 recommended that countries review and modify existing demographic targets and goals for reducing birth and death rates in order to attain low levels as early as possible and to attain replacement level by the year 2000. The demographic goals of selected Asian countries (Bangladesh, Indonesia, Korea, Thailand, India, Pakistan, and the Philippines are assessed and compared to World Bank population projections. It also discusses the underlying rationale for setting fertility targets, and considers what government actions could make them more achievable. 6 stages for controlling population are distinguished: 1) collection and publication of reliable demographic data; 2) enunciation of an official policy to reduce population growth; 3) development of appropriate institutions to integrate demographic projections into economic plans; 4) promotion of family planning; 5) provision of incentives and disincentives, including elimination of all implicit and explicit subsidies for child bearing; and 6) restitution of birth quotas requiring permission for each child born. Principles to maintain and accelerate fertility declines to meet demographic targets include creating appropriate and equitable development policies, increasing the standard of family planning programs, confronting organizational problems, providing easier and more equal access to contraceptive methods, exploring innovative approaches to encourage smaller families and making a firm political commitment to population control. Rapid fertility decline will also require financial commitment. Willingness to spend the necessary amounts, and the capacity to spend them as well, will determine whether the countries of Asia enter the next century in control of their population.

Smokeless tobacco control policies in South Asia: a gap analysis and recommendations.

PubMed

Khan, Amina; Huque, Rumana; Shah, Sarwat K; Kaur, Jagdish; Baral, Sushil; Gupta, Prakash C; Cherukupalli, Rajeev; Sheikh, Aziz; Selvaraj, Sakthivel; Nargis, Nigar; Cameron, Ian; Siddiqi, Kamran

2014-06-01

Almost a fifth of the world's tobacco is consumed in smokeless form. Its consumption is particularly common in South Asia, where an increasing array of smokeless tobacco (SLT) products is widely available. Mindful of the growing public health threat from SLT, a group of international academics and policy makers recently gathered to identify policy and knowledge gaps and proposed strategies to address these. We reviewed key policy documents and interviewed policy makers and representatives of civil society organizations in 4 South Asian countries: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. We explored if SLT features in existing tobacco control policies and, if so, the extent to which these are implemented and enforced. We also investigated barriers to effective policy formulation and implementation. The findings were presented at an international meeting of experts and were refined in the light of the ensuing discussion in order to inform policy and research recommendations. We found that the existing SLT control policies in these 4 South Asian countries were either inadequate or poorly implemented. Taxes were low and easily evaded; regulatory mechanisms, such as licensing and trading standards, either did not exist or were inadequately enforced to regulate the composition and sales of such products; and there was little or no cessation support for those who wanted to quit. Limited progress has been made so far to address the emerging public health threat posed by SLT consumption in South Asia. International and regional cooperation is required to advocate for effective policy and to address knowledge gaps.

Coeliac disease in Asians in a single centre in southern Derbyshire

PubMed Central

Holmes, Geoffrey KT; Moor, Fiona

2012-01-01

Background Coeliac disease affects adult Asians from north India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in the UK but how commonly this occurs is unknown. An audit of coeliac disease was therefore conducted in a well-defined area in southern Derbyshire. Methods All white and Asian patients with biopsy-confirmed coeliac disease diagnosed between 1958 and 2008 were identified. Population data from the Office of National Statistics allowed the calculation of prevalence. Presenting symptoms, adherence to a gluten-free diet and follow-up record were determined for Asians and compared with matched white patients. Results Among 1305 coeliac patients diagnosed between 1958 and 2008, 82 were Asian. Coeliac disease occurred significantly more frequently in Asian than white individuals and this could be attributed to the significantly higher prevalence in women 16 years and older and under 60 years of age. No Asian man over the age of 65 years was diagnosed with coeliac disease. Asians are more likely to present with anaemia and less likely to present with diarrhoea than white individuals. Asians are less likely to adhere to a strict gluten-free diet than white patients. Conclusions This baseline audit indicates that increased efforts should be directed towards diagnosing coeliac disease in Asian men over the age of 65 years, in whom at present it is unrepresented. Strategies also need to be developed to help more Asian patients adhere strictly to the gluten-free diet. PMID:28839681

South Asia Water Resources Workshop: An effort to promote water quality data sharing in South Asia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

RAJEN,GAURAV; BIRINGER,KENT L.; BETSILL,J. DAVID

2000-04-01

To promote cooperation in South Asia on environmental research, an international working group comprised of participants from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the US convened at the Soaltee Hotel in Kathmandu, Nepal, September 12 to 14, 1999. The workshop was sponsored in part by the Cooperative Monitoring Center (CMC) at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, through funding provided by the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nonproliferation and National Security. The CMC promotes collaborations among scientists and researchers in regions throughout the world as a means of achieving common regional security objectives. In the long term,more » the workshop organizers and participants are interested in the significance of regional information sharing as a means to build confidence and reduce conflict. The intermediate interests of the group focus on activities that might eventually foster regional management of some aspects of water resources utilization. The immediate purpose of the workshop was to begin the implementation phase of a project to collect and share water quality information at a number of river and coastal estuary locations throughout the region. The workshop participants achieved four objectives: (1) gaining a better understanding of the partner organizations involved; (2) garnering the support of existing regional organizations promoting environmental cooperation in South Asia; (3) identifying sites within the region at which data is to be collected; and (4) instituting a data and information collection and sharing process.« less

Reducing abortion-related mortality in South Asia: a review of constraints and a road map for change.

PubMed

Ganatra, Bela; Johnston, Heidi Bart

2002-01-01

South Asia (Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) is home to 28% of the world's people and accounts for about a third (30%) of the world's maternal deaths. Thirteen percent of all maternal deaths in South Asia are attributed to complications of unsafe abortion and are almost entirely preventable. This article reviews the legal, health system, and sociocultural barriers to safe abortion and suggests strategies to reduce abortion-related morbidity and mortality. Restrictive laws hamper safe abortion in most of the region, but even where laws are more liberal, limited awareness of the law has been a barrier to access. Such health system barriers as an insufficient number of trained providers, inequitable distribution of services, and excessive costs have contributed to death from unsafe abortion. Sociocultural attitudes, including the right of male relatives to make reproductive decisions, the emphasis on male heirs, and the strong social stigma against extramarital pregnancy also put women at risk. Government and other institutions must strive to prevent abortion-related death and disability by making safe abortion services accessible to the fullest extent of the law. Health systems need to provide emergency care for complications and postabortion contraceptive counseling, use appropriate technology, and allow nonphysician providers to deliver care. Safe abortion care programs need to address the needs of the local community, particularly the needs of socially and economically vulnerable subgroups, such as the unmarried and adolescents.

Is essential newborn care provided by institutions and after home births? Analysis of prospective data from community trials in rural South Asia

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Provision of essential newborn care (ENC) can save many newborn lives in poor resource settings but coverage is far from universal and varies by country and place of delivery. Understanding gaps in current coverage and where coverage is good, in different contexts and places of delivery, could make a valuable contribution to the future design of interventions to reduce neonatal mortality. We sought to describe the coverage of essential newborn care practices for births in institutions, at home with a skilled birth attendant, and at home without a skilled birth attendant (SBA) in rural areas of Bangladesh, Nepal, and India. Methods We used data from the control arms of four cluster randomised controlled trials in Bangladesh, Eastern India and from Makwanpur and Dhanusha districts in Nepal, covering periods from 2001 to 2011. We used these data to identify essential newborn care practices as defined by the World Health Organization. Each birth was allocated to one of three delivery types: home birth without an SBA, home birth with an SBA, or institutional delivery. For each study, we calculated the observed proportion of births that received each care practice by delivery type with 95% confidence intervals, adjusted for clustering and, where appropriate, stratification. Results After exclusions, we analysed data for 8939 births from Eastern India, 27 553 births from Bangladesh, 6765 births from Makwanpur and 15 344 births from Dhanusha. Across all study areas, coverage of essential newborn care practices was highest in institutional deliveries, and lowest in home non-SBA deliveries. However, institutional deliveries did not provide universal coverage of the recommended practices, with relatively low coverage (20%-70%) across all study areas for immediate breastfeeding and thermal care. Institutions in Bangladesh had the highest coverage for almost all care practices except thermal care. Across all areas, fewer than 20% of home non-SBA deliveries used a clean delivery kit, the use of plastic gloves was very low and coverage of recommended thermal care was relatively poor. There were large differences between study areas in handwashing, immediate breastfeeding and delayed bathing. Conclusions There remains substantial scope for health facilities to improve thermal care for the newborn and to encourage immediate and exclusive breastfeeding. For unattended home deliveries, increased handwashing, use of clean delivery kits and basic thermal care offer great scope for improvement. PMID:24606612

Polyester projects for India, Pakistan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Siddiqi, R.

1993-02-10

India's Indo Rama Synthetics (Bombay) is planning a $186-million integrated polyester fiber and filament complex at Nagpur, Maharashtra. The complex will have annual capacities for 38,000 m.t. of polyester chips by polycondensation, 25,000 m.t. of polyester staple fiber, and 12,000 m.t. of polyester blended yarn. The company is negotiating with the main world suppliers of polycondensation technology. The first stage of the project is slated to begin production by the end of this year and be fully completed by 1994. In Pakistan, National Fibers Ltd. (PNF; Karachi) has signed a deal with Zimmer (Frankfurt) for technology, procurement, construction, and supportmore » work to expand polyester staple fiber capacity from 14,000 m.t./year to 52,000 m.t./year. The technology involves a continuous polymerization process. The project also calls for improvements to PNF's existing batch plant. It is scheduled for completion by the end of 1994. Total cost of the project is estimated at Rs1.745 billion ($70 million), out of which the foreign exchange component is Rs1.05 billion. The Islamic Development Bank (Jeddah; Saudi Arabia) has already approved a $27-million slice of the financing, while the balance of the foreign exchange loan is being arranged through suppliers credit. Local currency loans will be provided by other financial institutions in Pakistan.« less

Geographical variation in total and inorganic arsenic content of polished (white) rice.

PubMed

Meharg, Andrew A; Williams, Paul N; Adomako, Eureka; Lawgali, Youssef Y; Deacon, Claire; Villada, Antia; Cambell, Robert C J; Sun, Guoxin; Zhu, Yong-Guan; Feldmann, Joerg; Raab, Andrea; Zhao, Fang-Jie; Islam, Rafiqul; Hossain, Shahid; Yanai, Junta

2009-03-01

An extensive data set of total arsenic analysis for 901 polished (white) grain samples, originating from 10 countries from 4 continents, was compiled. The samples represented the baseline (i.e., notspecifically collected from arsenic contaminated areas), and all were for market sale in major conurbations. Median total arsenic contents of rice varied 7-fold, with Egypt (0.04 mg/kg) and India (0.07 mg/kg) having the lowest arsenic content while the U.S. (0.25 mg/kg) and France (0.28 mg/kg) had the highest content. Global distribution of total arsenic in rice was modeled by weighting each country's arsenic distribution by that country's contribution to global production. A subset of 63 samples from Bangladesh, China, India, Italy, and the U.S. was analyzed for arsenic species. The relationship between inorganic arsenic contentversus total arsenic contentsignificantly differed among countries, with Bangladesh and India having the steepest slope in linear regression, and the U.S. having the shallowest slope. Using country-specific rice consumption data, daily intake of inorganic arsenic was estimated and the associated internal cancer risk was calculated using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cancer slope. Median excess internal cancer risks posed by inorganic arsenic ranged 30-fold for the 5 countries examined, being 0.7 per 10,000 for Italians to 22 per 10,000 for Bangladeshis, when a 60 kg person was considered.

Expanding poliomyelitis and measles surveillance networks to establish surveillance for acute meningitis and encephalitis syndromes--Bangladesh, China, and India, 2006-2008.

PubMed

2012-12-14

Quality surveillance is critical to the control and elimination of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). A key strategy for enhancing VPD surveillance, outlined in the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Framework for Immunization Monitoring and Surveillance (GFIMS), is to expand and link existing VPD surveillance systems (particularly those developed for polio eradication and measles elimination) to include other priority VPDs. Since the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, the incidence of polio has decrease by 99% worldwide. A cornerstone of this success is a sensitive surveillance system based on the rapid and timely reporting of all acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) cases in children aged <15 years, with confirmatory diagnostic testing performed by laboratories that are part of a global network. As countries achieve polio-free status, many have expanded syndromic surveillance to include persons with rash and fever, and have built measles diagnostic capacity in existing polio reference laboratories. Acute meningitis/encephalitis syndrome (AMES) and acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) are candidates for expanded surveillance because they are most often caused by VPDs of public health importance for which confirmatory laboratory tests exist. Vaccine-preventable cases of encephalitis include approximately 68,000 Japanese encephalitis (JE) cases, resulting in 13,000-20,000 deaths each year in Asia. Moreover, although bacterial meningitis incidence in Asia is not as well-documented, pneumococcal and meningococcal meningitis outbreaks have been reported in Bangladesh and China, and the incidence of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) meningitis in children aged <5 years in India has been estimated to be 7.1 per 100,000 population, similar to that in European countries before the introduction of vaccine. This report describes a prototype for expanding existing polio and measles surveillance networks in Bangladesh, China, and India to include surveillance for viral and bacterial vaccine-preventable causes of AMES and AES and presents data from 2006-2008.

Serious fungal infections in Pakistan.

PubMed

Jabeen, K; Farooqi, J; Mirza, S; Denning, D; Zafar, A

2017-06-01

The true burden of fungal infection in Pakistan is unknown. High-risk populations for fungal infections [tuberculosis (TB), diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, asthma, cancer, transplant and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection] are numerous. Here, we estimate the burden of fungal infections to highlight their public health significance. Whole and at-risk population estimates were obtained from the WHO (TB), BREATHE study (COPD), UNAIDS (HIV), GLOBOCAN (cancer) and Heartfile (diabetes). Published data from Pakistan reporting fungal infections rates in general and specific populations were reviewed and used when applicable. Estimates were made for the whole population or specific populations at risk, as previously described in the LIFE methodology. Of the 184,500,000 people in Pakistan, an estimated 3,280,549 (1.78%) are affected by a serious fungal infection, omitting all cutaneous infection, oral candidiasis and allergic fungal sinusitis, which we could not estimate. Compared with other countries, the rates of candidaemia (21/100,000) and mucormycosis (14/100,000) are estimated to be very high, and are based on data from India. Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis rates are estimated to be high (39/100,000) because of the high TB burden. Invasive aspergillosis was estimated to be around 5.9/100,000. Fungal keratitis is also problematic in Pakistan, with an estimated rate of 44/100,000. Pakistan probably has a high rate of certain life- or sight-threatening fungal infections.

Assessment of Arsenic Contamination of Groundwater and Health Problems in Bangladesh

PubMed Central

Khalequzzaman, Md.; Faruque, Fazlay S.; Mitra, Amal K.

2005-01-01

Excessive amounts of arsenic (As) in the groundwater in Bangladesh and neighboring states in India are a major public health problem. About 30% of the private wells in Bangladesh exhibit high concentrations of arsenic. Over half the country, 269 out of 464 administrative units, is affected. Similar problems exist in many other parts of the world, including the Unites States. This paper presents an assessment of the health hazards caused by arsenic contamination in the drinking water in Bangladesh. Four competing hypotheses, each addressing the sources, reaction mechanisms, pathways, and sinks of arsenic in groundwater, were analyzed in the context of the geologic history and land-use practices in the Bengal Basin. None of the hypotheses alone can explain the observed variability in arsenic concentration in time and space; each appears to have some validity on a local scale. Thus, it is likely that several bio-geochemical processes are active among the region’s various geologic environments, and that each contributes to the mobilization and release of arsenic. Additional research efforts will be needed to understand the relationships between underlying biogeochemical factors and the mechanisms for arsenic release in various geologic settings. PMID:16705819

A Preliminary Assessment of Social Vulnerability in Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hazra, Sugata; Islam, Nabiul

2017-04-01

The Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) Delta has a high population density and is exposed to rapid environmental changes making it one of the most stressed deltas in the world. The low-lying coastal areas of the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) Delta comprise 19 coastal districts of Bangladesh and two districts in India with significant land areas within 5 meters of sea level has a population of more than 50 million people at an average population density of 1100 people/km2. This population is exposed to a range of hazards such as severe cyclones, coastal erosion, and salinization, exacerbated by climate change and subsidence which imply severe stress on the resource dependent community of this region. This situation is further complicated by poverty and limited social well-being such as poor access to education/ health/ drinking water/ sanitation facilities, and lack of food and energy security. Thus assessing social vulnerability can help to understand which communities are susceptible to environmental change and guide adaptation actions to address these threats. This preliminary study aims to construct a socio-economic index by assessing the social vulnerability of coastal communities of GBM Delta taking consistent and common secondary data from the Census of India and the Bangladesh Bureau of Statisticsand applyinga Principle Component Analysis(PCA) methodology. Several statistical tests like Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) have also been used to assess the appropriateness of using PCA. Among the selected common indicators, five major components are found to explain majority of the total variation of social vulnerability across the delta: (1) poverty, (2) dependency ratio, (3) agriculture dependency, (4) lack of sanitation and (5) existence of mud houses. The most important observation is the existence of a social vulnerability gradient across the coast. In other words, socially marginalised and vulnerable communities are found on the Delta margin in both India and Bangladesh. Several coastal sub-districts(Blocks in India, Upazila in Bangladesh) like Manpura, Basanti, Koyra, Teknaf, Sandeshkhali-II have maximum social vulnerability and have the potential to be adversely affected by environmental change, whereas several more inland sub-districts like Barrackpur-I, II, Panchlaish, Kotwali, Double Mooring have a comparatively low social vulnerability.This preliminary analysis of spatial variation of social vulnerability in the GBM delta suggests that a more intensive study of vulnerability and risk is required under a range of scenarios of climatic and socio-economic changes. The present study is a part of joint GBM delta study taken up by DECCMA (Deltas, Vulnerability & Climate Change: Migration & Adaptation) project as part of the Collaborative ADAPTATION Research Initiative in Africa and Asia (CARIAA), with financial support from the UK Government's Department for International Development (DFID) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada.

Community Based Rehabilitation: Information Accumulation & Exchange. South Asian Research Notes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miles, M.

This paper reviews research and evaluates information gathered on disabilities and service development in South Asia, especially India and Pakistan. The concept of "community-based rehabilitation" (CBR), which stresses the need for rehabilitation efforts rooted in the context of local cultural concepts, is discussed. The paper emphasizes…

Populations of Bactrocera oleae (Diptera: Tephritidae) and Its Parasitoids in Himalayan Asia

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

For a biological control program against olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae Rossi, olives were collected in the Himalayan foothills (China, Nepal, India, and Pakistan) to discover new natural enemies. Wild olives, Olea europaea ssp. cuspidata (Wall ex. G. Don), were sparsely distributed and fly-infes...

Populations of Bactrocera oleae (Diptera: Tephritidae) and Its Parasitoids in Himalayan Asia

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

For a biological control program against olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae Rossi, olives were collected in the Himalayan foothills (China, Nepal, India, and Pakistan) to discover new natural enemies. Wild olives, Olea europaea ssp. cuspidata (Wall ex. G. Don), were sparsely distributed and fly-infe...

Learning Profiles: The Learning Crisis Is Not (Mostly) about Enrollment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandefur, Justin; Pritchett, Lant; Beatty, Amanda

2016-01-01

The differential patterns of grade progression have direct implications for the calculation of learning profiles. Researchers measure learning in primary school using survey data on reading and math skills of a nationally representative, population-based sample of children in India, Pakistan, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Research demonstrates that…

Computer Needs and Computer Problems in Developing Countries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huskey, Harry D.

A survey of the computer environment in a developing country is provided. Levels of development are considered and the educational requirements of countries at various levels are discussed. Computer activities in India, Burma, Pakistan, Brazil and a United Nations sponsored educational center in Hungary are all described. (SK/Author)

Plurilingual Ethos: A Peep into the Sociology of Language.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khubchandani, Lachman M.

1998-01-01

Issues in the study of bilingualism and multilingualism in India and Pakistan are examined, including the delineation of linguistic boundaries, defining a society that is multicultural and yet has developed a "communication ethos" based on a core of common experience, the difficulty in interpreting language role and defining language…

CNN Newsroom Classroom Guides, January 2002.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cable News Network, Atlanta, GA.

These classroom guides, designed to accompany the daily CNN (Cable News Network) Newsroom broadcasts for the month of January 2002, provide program rundowns, suggestions for class activities and discussion, student handouts, and a list of related news terms. Top stories include: tensions escalate between Pakistan and India, (January 3-4); the…

Population Education in Asia and the Pacific Newsletter, Number 23.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Bangkok (Thailand). Regional Office for Education in Asia and the Pacific.

This UNESCO newsletter contains six sections concerned with various aspects of population education. Section 1 deals with workshops for monitoring and evaluating population education programs. Section 2 evaluates the programs of six Asia-Pacific countries (China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, India, Pakistan, Philippines, and Thailand).…

The Asian Newspaper's Reluctant Revolution.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lent, John A., Ed.

This book is composed of 19 articles written by both Asian and American scholars on the history and present conditions of newspapers in 15 Asian nations: China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Australia, Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, South Vietnam, Ceylon, India, and Pakistan. Two overviews of the Asian…

Language Choice on soc.culture.punjab.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paolillo, John C.

1996-01-01

Examines factors influencing language choice on the newsgroup soc.culture.punjab, a forum discussing the culture of the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. Finds that Punjabi is used only with interlocutors who are Punjabi community members. Accounts for limited usage in terms of intergenerational language shift, cultural ambivalence among…

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boyce, Tucker

International trade and related economic activities in Central and South Asia are increasing as developing economies, particularly India and Pakistan, grow. China continues to emerge as a major regional and global power and has embarked upon numerous regional economic and political initiatives . A major development is the China - Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a host of infrastructure and trade projects worth over 40 billion American dollars . This report analyzes CPEC a nd its potential regional effects, including the trade security implications of the port and land infrastructure developments . As trade increase s in the reg ion andmore » the major CPEC infrastructure projects are completed, there will be numerous implications on trade security and geopolitics within South Asia. CPEC projects uniquely intersect numerous regional situations, including territorial disputes in Kashmir, the Afghanistan/Pakistan border, and Chinese foreign policy a mbitions. A nuanced understanding of these effects can influence future policy adjustments in this region . The views expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sandia National Laboratories or the author's current and past institutions.« less

Effects of education on reproductive behavior: lessons from Pakistan.

PubMed

Greenspan, A

1992-12-01

Evidence from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 1990/91 (PDHS) and a 1987 study by Zeba A. Sathar and Karen Oppenheim on women's fertility in Karachi and the impact of educational status, corroborates the correlation between improved education for women and fertility decline. PDHS revealed that current fertility is 5.4 children/ever married woman by the end of the reproductive period. 12% currently use a contraceptive method compared to 49% in India, 40% in Bangladesh, and 62% in Sri Lanka. The social environment of high illiteracy, low educational attainment, poverty, high infant and child and maternal mortality, son preference, and low status of women leads to high fertility. Fertility rates vary by educational status; i.e., women with no formal education have 2 more children than women with at least some secondary education. Education also affects infant and child mortality and morbidity. Literacy is 31% for women and 43% for men. 30% of all males and 20% of all females have attended primary school. Although most women know at least 1 contraceptive method, it is the urban educated woman who is twice as likely to know a source of supply and 5 times more likely to be a user. The Karachi study found that lower fertility among better educated urban women is an unintended consequence of women's schooling and deliberate effort to limit the number of children they have. Education-related fertility differentials could not be explained by the length of time women are at risk of becoming pregnant (late marriage age). Fertility limitation may be motivated by the predominant involvement in the formal work force and higher income. The policy implications are the increasing female schooling is a good investment in lowering fertility; broader improvements also need to be made in economic opportunities for women, particularly in the formal sector. Other needs are for increasing availability and accessibility of contraceptive and family planning services and increasing availability and accessibility of contraceptive and family planning services and increasing knowledge of contraception. The investment will impact development and demography and is an adjunct to child health an survival.

Russia’s Revival: Ambitions, Limitations, and Opportunities for the United States (INSS Strategic Perspectives, Number 3, January 2011)

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

world after the United States, China, India , and Japan. Russia’s gross domes- tic product (GDP) would expand an average 6.5 percent per year. Its share of...together, the U.S. Census Bureau has projected a lower life expectancy in 2025 than in Bolivia, East Timor, and even Pakistan .40 11 Russia’s...from Italy, and even digital receivers for its Global Navigation Satellite Systems from India .83 According to some Russian forecasts, Rus- sia may

Sowing the Seeds of Soft Power: The United States and India in the Next Great Game

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

Pakistan and their relations to the great powers of the day. In this work, we see the divide between India and the United States start after the United...quickly taking shape. If the United States wishes to be a key player in the game, it must start now to use every means at its disposal to shape the...States and the Soviet Union quickly tore the alliance apart. From the start , President Roosevelt disliked the authoritarian Soviet regime and did

Alert status of nuclear weapons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kristensen, Hans M.

2017-11-01

Nuclear Alert Forces. Four nuclear-armed states deploy nuclear warheads on alert, ready to be used on relatively short notice: United States, Russia, France and Britain. Combined, the four countries deploy an estimated 1,869 nuclear alert warheads. Russia and the United States deploy 1,749 alert warheads combined, or 94% of all alert warheads. Despite some debate about possible need to increase readiness of nuclear forces (China, Pakistan), the five other nuclear-armed states (China, Pakistan, India, Israel and North Korea) are thought to store their warheads separate from launchers under normal circumstances. The overall number of alert warheads has remained relatively stable during the past five years.

Effects of Female Education on Economic Growth: A Cross Country Empirical Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oztunc, Hakan; Oo, Zar Chi; Serin, Zehra Vildan

2015-01-01

This study examines the extent to which women's education affects long-term economic growth in the Asia Pacific region. It focuses on the time period between 1990 and 2010, using data collected in randomly selected Asia Pacific countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.…

By the Sweat & Toil of Children. Volume V: Efforts To Eliminate Child Labor.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jaffe, Maureen; Eugenio, Marcia M.; Hillmeyer, Jack; Hurlburt, Teresa; Ledan, Marie E.; Singh, Simrin; Willcutts, Keven; Woodson, Antonio

This report reviews the child labor situation in 16 countries where child labor has been identified as a problem, and the level and types of action being undertaken to reduce child exploitation. The information is based on material gathered during field visits to Bangladesh, Brazil, Egypt, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal, Nicaragua,…

Without Women No Development: Selected Case Studies from Asia of Non-Formal Education for Women.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shah, Madhuri, Ed.

This handbook presents 15 case studies on the non-formal education of women from four Asian countries: India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia. The goal of this publication is to provide information about education-related issues concerning women and girls and development. This information is intended for those people, in governmental and…

A Comparative Study on Seismic Analysis of Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) with Other Building Codes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bari, Md. S.; Das, T.

2013-09-01

Tectonic framework of Bangladesh and adjoining areas indicate that Bangladesh lies well within an active seismic zone. The after effect of earthquake is more severe in an underdeveloped and a densely populated country like ours than any other developed countries. Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) was first established in 1993 to provide guidelines for design and construction of new structure subject to earthquake ground motions in order to minimize the risk to life for all structures. A revision of BNBC 1993 is undergoing to make this up to date with other international building codes. This paper aims at the comparison of various provisions of seismic analysis as given in building codes of different countries. This comparison will give an idea regarding where our country stands when it comes to safety against earth quake. Primarily, various seismic parameters in BNBC 2010 (draft) have been studied and compared with that of BNBC 1993. Later, both 1993 and 2010 edition of BNBC codes have been compared graphically with building codes of other countries such as National Building Code of India 2005 (NBC-India 2005), American Society of Civil Engineering 7-05 (ASCE 7-05). The base shear/weight ratios have been plotted against the height of the building. The investigation in this paper reveals that BNBC 1993 has the least base shear among all the codes. Factored Base shear values of BNBC 2010 are found to have increased significantly than that of BNBC 1993 for low rise buildings (≤20 m) around the country than its predecessor. Despite revision of the code, BNBC 2010 (draft) still suggests less base shear values when compared to the Indian and American code. Therefore, this increase in factor of safety against the earthquake imposed by the proposed BNBC 2010 code by suggesting higher values of base shear is appreciable.

Performance of a HRP-2/pLDH based rapid diagnostic test at the Bangladesh-India-Myanmar border areas for diagnosis of clinical malaria

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The rapid diagnostic test (RDT) has been adopted in contemporary malaria control and management programmes around the world as it represents a fast and apt alternative for malaria diagnosis in a resource-limited setting. This study assessed the performance of a HRP-2/pLDH based RDT (Parascreen® Pan/Pf) in a laboratory setting utilizing clinical samples obtained from the field. Methods Whole blood samples were obtained from febrile patients referred for malaria diagnosis by clinicians from two different Upazila Health Complexes (UHCs) located near the Bangladesh-India and Bangladesh-Myanmar border where malaria is endemic. RDT was performed on archived samples and sensitivity and specificity evaluated with expert microscopy (EM) and quantitative PCR (qPCR). Results A total of 327 clinical samples were made available for the study, of which 153 were Plasmodium falciparum-positive and 54 were Plasmodium vivax-positive. In comparison with EM, for P. falciparum malaria, the RDT had sensitivity: 96.0% (95% CI, 91.2-98.3) and specificity: 98.2% (95% CI, 94.6-99.5) and for P. vivax, sensitivity: 90.7% (95% CI, 78.9-96.5) and specificity: 98.9% (95% CI, 96.5-99.7). Comparison with qPCR showed, for P. falciparum malaria, sensitivity: 95.4% (95% CI, 90.5-98.0) and specificity: 98.8% (95% CI, 95.4-99.7) and for P. vivax malaria, sensitivity: 89.0% (95% CI,77.0-95.4) and specificity: 98.8% (95% CI, 96.5-99.7). Sensitivity varied according to different parasitaemia for falciparum and vivax malaria diagnosis. Conclusion Parascreen® Pan/Pf Rapid test for malaria showed acceptable sensitivity and specificity in border belt endemic areas of Bangladesh when compared with EM and qPCR. PMID:24172045

Household Coverage with Adequately Iodized Salt Varies Greatly between Countries and by Residence Type and Socioeconomic Status within Countries: Results from 10 National Coverage Surveys123

PubMed Central

Knowles, Jacky M; Garrett, Greg S; Gorstein, Jonathan; Kupka, Roland; Situma, Ruth; Yadav, Kapil; Yusufali, Rizwan; Pandav, Chandrakant; Aaron, Grant J

2017-01-01

Background: Household coverage with iodized salt was assessed in 10 countries that implemented Universal Salt Iodization (USI). Objective: The objective of this paper was to summarize household coverage data for iodized salt, including the relation between coverage and residence type and socioeconomic status (SES). Methods: A review was conducted of results from cross-sectional multistage household cluster surveys with the use of stratified probability proportional to size design in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Niger, the Philippines, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda. Salt iodine content was assessed with quantitative methods in all cases. The primary indicator of coverage was percentage of households that used adequately iodized salt, with an additional indicator for salt with some added iodine. Indicators of risk were SES and residence type. We used 95% CIs to determine significant differences in coverage. Results: National household coverage of adequately iodized salt varied from 6.2% in Niger to 97.0% in Uganda. For salt with some added iodine, coverage varied from 52.4% in the Philippines to 99.5% in Uganda. Coverage with adequately iodized salt was significantly higher in urban than in rural households in Bangladesh (68.9% compared with 44.3%, respectively), India (86.4% compared with 69.8%, respectively), Indonesia (59.3% compared with 51.4%, respectively), the Philippines (31.5% compared with 20.2%, respectively), Senegal (53.3% compared with 19.0%, respectively), and Tanzania (89.2% compared with 57.6%, respectively). In 7 of 8 countries with data, household coverage of adequately iodized salt was significantly higher in high- than in low-SES households in Bangladesh (58.8% compared with 39.7%, respectively), Ghana (36.2% compared with 21.5%, respectively), India (80.6% compared with 70.5%, respectively), Indonesia (59.9% compared with 45.6%, respectively), the Philippines (39.4% compared with 17.3%, respectively), Senegal (50.7% compared with 27.6%, respectively) and Tanzania (80.9% compared with 51.3%, respectively). Conclusions: Uganda has achieved USI. In other countries, access to iodized salt is inequitable. Quality control and regulatory enforcement of salt iodization remain challenging. Notable progress toward USI has been made in Ethiopia and India. Assessing progress toward USI only through household salt does not account for potentially iodized salt consumed through processed foods. PMID:28404840

Household Coverage with Adequately Iodized Salt Varies Greatly between Countries and by Residence Type and Socioeconomic Status within Countries: Results from 10 National Coverage Surveys.

PubMed

Knowles, Jacky M; Garrett, Greg S; Gorstein, Jonathan; Kupka, Roland; Situma, Ruth; Yadav, Kapil; Yusufali, Rizwan; Pandav, Chandrakant; Aaron, Grant J

2017-05-01

Background: Household coverage with iodized salt was assessed in 10 countries that implemented Universal Salt Iodization (USI). Objective: The objective of this paper was to summarize household coverage data for iodized salt, including the relation between coverage and residence type and socioeconomic status (SES). Methods: A review was conducted of results from cross-sectional multistage household cluster surveys with the use of stratified probability proportional to size design in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Niger, the Philippines, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda. Salt iodine content was assessed with quantitative methods in all cases. The primary indicator of coverage was percentage of households that used adequately iodized salt, with an additional indicator for salt with some added iodine. Indicators of risk were SES and residence type. We used 95% CIs to determine significant differences in coverage. Results: National household coverage of adequately iodized salt varied from 6.2% in Niger to 97.0% in Uganda. For salt with some added iodine, coverage varied from 52.4% in the Philippines to 99.5% in Uganda. Coverage with adequately iodized salt was significantly higher in urban than in rural households in Bangladesh (68.9% compared with 44.3%, respectively), India (86.4% compared with 69.8%, respectively), Indonesia (59.3% compared with 51.4%, respectively), the Philippines (31.5% compared with 20.2%, respectively), Senegal (53.3% compared with 19.0%, respectively), and Tanzania (89.2% compared with 57.6%, respectively). In 7 of 8 countries with data, household coverage of adequately iodized salt was significantly higher in high- than in low-SES households in Bangladesh (58.8% compared with 39.7%, respectively), Ghana (36.2% compared with 21.5%, respectively), India (80.6% compared with 70.5%, respectively), Indonesia (59.9% compared with 45.6%, respectively), the Philippines (39.4% compared with 17.3%, respectively), Senegal (50.7% compared with 27.6%, respectively) and Tanzania (80.9% compared with 51.3%, respectively). Conclusions: Uganda has achieved USI. In other countries, access to iodized salt is inequitable. Quality control and regulatory enforcement of salt iodization remain challenging. Notable progress toward USI has been made in Ethiopia and India. Assessing progress toward USI only through household salt does not account for potentially iodized salt consumed through processed foods.

Update on reactors and reactor instruments in Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, K. R.

1991-10-01

The 1980s have seen the commissioning of several medium flux (∼10 14 neutrons/cm 2s) research reactors in Asia. The reactors are based on indigenous design and development in India and China. At Dhruva reactor (India), a variety of neutron spectrometers have been established that have provided useful data related to the structure of high- Tc materials, phonon density of states, magnetic moment distributions and micellar aggregation during the last couple of years. Polarised neutron analysis, neutron interferometry and neutron spin echo methods are some of the new techniques under development. The spectrometers and associated automaton, detectors and neutron guides have all been indigenously developed. This paper summarises the developments and on-going activities in Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand.

Skin score correlates with global DNA methylation and GSTO1 A140D polymorphism in arsenic-affected population of Eastern India.

PubMed

Majumder, Moumita; Dasgupta, Uma B; Guha Mazumder, D N; Das, Nilansu

2017-07-01

Arsenic is a potent environmental toxicant causing serious public health concerns in India, Bangladesh and other parts of the world. Gene- and promoter-specific hypermethylation has been reported in different arsenic-exposed cell lines, whereas whole genome DNA methylation study suggested genomic hypo- and hypermethylation after arsenic exposure in in vitro and in vivo studies. Along with other characteristic biomarkers, arsenic toxicity leads to typical skin lesions. The present study demonstrates significant correlation between severities of skin manifestations with their whole genome DNA methylation status as well as with a particular polymorphism (Ala 140 Asp) status in arsenic metabolizing enzyme Glutathione S-transferase Omega-1 (GSTO1) in arsenic-exposed population of the district of Nadia, West Bengal, India.

Dialogue across Cultures: Teachers' Perceptions about Communication with Diverse Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joshi, Arti; Eberly, Jody; Konzal, Jean

2005-01-01

New Jersey, like many other states, is experiencing a significant influx of new immigrants--from countries such as India, Pakistan, China, Russia, Poland, Nigeria, Liberia, Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Haiti. In addition, New Jersey remains one of the most segregated states in the country, educating the majority of its African-American families…

Morphological and reproductive characterization of guar genetic resources regenerated in Georgia, USA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Guar, Cyamopsis tetragonoloba is used worldwide in food, laxatives, paper, oil well drilling, and in the mining industry. The USDA, ARS, PGRCU conserves 1,298 accessions originating from Pakistan and India. Guar accessions were directly planted to the field in Griffin, GA between early May and the s...

Acceptability of locally produced ready-to-use therapeutic foods in Ethiopia, Ghana, Pakistan and India

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Successful treatment of severe acute malnutrition has been achieved with ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), but only 15% of children with severe acute malnutrition receive RUTF. The objective of this study was to determine whether new formulations of RUTF produced using locally available ingredie...

Spirituality of South Asian Women: Implications for Adult Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshall, Jody L.

The implications of the spirituality of South Asian women for adult learning were examined through semistructured interviews of five South Asian women who resided in Canada. The women, who included students, working professionals, mothers, and single women, originated from Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka and were from Hindu, Moslem, and…

Iron Deprivation Treatment of Breast Cancer: Preclinical Studies

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-02-01

Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico , New Zealand, Pakistan, PR China, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, U.S.A...8217-cttactatacgccacataaccrccaggatt (EX6:N). 3 min. The PCRs were carried out using either a Hybaid t g g g 6EXU: Omnigene or Perkin Elmer 9600 thermal cycler. The 5

46 CFR 42.30-20 - Seasonal Tropical Areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... BY SEA Zones, Areas, and Seasonal Periods § 42.30-20 Seasonal Tropical Areas. The following are... continent; on the south and east by the northern boundary of the Tropical Zone. (1) Seasonal periods... coasts of Pakistan and India; on the south by the northern boundary of the Tropical Zone. (1) Seasonal...

46 CFR 42.30-20 - Seasonal Tropical Areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... BY SEA Zones, Areas, and Seasonal Periods § 42.30-20 Seasonal Tropical Areas. The following are... continent; on the south and east by the northern boundary of the Tropical Zone. (1) Seasonal periods... coasts of Pakistan and India; on the south by the northern boundary of the Tropical Zone. (1) Seasonal...

46 CFR 42.30-20 - Seasonal Tropical Areas.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... BY SEA Zones, Areas, and Seasonal Periods § 42.30-20 Seasonal Tropical Areas. The following are... continent; on the south and east by the northern boundary of the Tropical Zone. (1) Seasonal periods... coasts of Pakistan and India; on the south by the northern boundary of the Tropical Zone. (1) Seasonal...

Spatial distribution of nilgai antelope latrines: Implications for control of cattle fever ticks.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Nilgai antelope (Boselaphus tragocamelus), are an exotic species of ungulate in Texas. Native to India, Nepal, and Pakistan, nilgai have expanded into northeast Mexico and much of coastal southern Texas since their introduction in 1924–1949. The presence of nilgai in Mexico and South Texas has compl...

Content of General Education in Relation to Occupational Training. Country Experiences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Bangkok (Thailand). Principal Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

Studies were conducted in 10 countries of Asia and the Pacific (Australia, China, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, Thailand, and Turkey) to determine whether general education school leavers are able to meet the requirements of various occupational training programs. Each country…

The PANdora Model of Collaborative Distance Education Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Distance Education, 2007

2007-01-01

From 2005 to 2008, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is funding a series of distance education (DE) studies in its Pan Asia Networking (PAN) region. Eight collaborative projects are under way in Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Mongolia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The…

Workshop of the Experimental Project on Programmed Instruction in Asia. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Paris (France).

The present situation and future trends of programed learning in Ceylon, Republic of China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Republic of Viet-Nam are described by the Workshop participants. Some of the unique features of programed learning are examined with respect to the…

Cooperative Mmonitoring Center Occasional Paper/5: Propspects of Conventional Arms Control in South Asia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gupta, Amit; Kamal, Nazir

1998-11-01

The intensely adversarial relationship between India and Pakistan is marked by military rivalry, mutual distrust, and suspicion. The most dividing disagreement has been over the Kashmir region. An inability to discuss the Kashmir issue has prevented discussion on other important issues. Since there is little prospect of detente, at least in the near-term, the question is whether this rivalry can be contained by other means, such as arms control approaches. Conventional arms control has been applied flexibly and successfully in some regions to reduce threat-perceptions and achieve reassuring military stability. Some lessons from other international models might be applied tomore » the India/Pakistan context. This paper discusses the status of conventional arms control in South Asia, the dominant Indian and Pakistani perceptions about arms control, the benefits that could be derived from arms control, as well as the problems and prospects of arms control. It also discusses existing conventional arms control agreements at the regional and global levels as well as the potential role of cooperative monitoring technology.« less

Elimination of Kala-Azar from the Southeast Asia Region.

PubMed

Bhattacharya, Sujit K; Dash, Aditya Prasad

2017-04-01

AbstractVisceral leishmaniasis (VL), popularly known as kala-azar, is essentially a disease of poverty. Kala-azar is caused by a parasite, Leishmania donovani . Recent review indicates that worldwide 98 countries are endemic for kala-azar. Approximately 0.2-0.4 million new VL cases occur each year worldwide. More than 90% of global VL cases occur in Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, India, South Sudan, and Sudan. This trend is slowly changing due to the progress in kala-azar elimination in southeast Asia, where Bangladesh has reported an average of some 600 new cases in 2014-2015. With the advancement in our knowledge about the disease and development of tools to diagnose and treat VL, it was considered that elimination of kala-azar was possible from India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. The three countries signed a memorandum of understanding in 2005 for collaboration. Miltefosine is the first ever oral drug developed to treat VL, which was later replaced by lipid amphotericin B. The main components of the strategy are early diagnosis using rK39 strip test and complete treatment utilizing miltefosine for 28 days. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane or pyrethroids were deployed for vector control. There was much to be desired for better performance of the vector control activity. Pharmacovigilance and monitoring of drug resistance were the weakest part of the program. In the post-elimination phase, surveillance reinforced by active case finding will of a crucial factor for sustainability of the elimination. A strong political will is required to ensure elimination of kala-azar from the Indian subcontinent and its sustainability in the post-elimination phase.

Population and development in Asia and the Pacific: a demographic analysis.

PubMed

Debavalya, N

1982-06-01

Close examinations of population trends shows that the new trends reflect demographic changes that have occurred in many developing countries in Asia and the Pacific. In East Asia the population growth rate has declined rather rapidly from 1.94% in 1960-65 to 1.38% in 1975-80 and 1.24% in 1980-85. Since nearly 85% of this region's population is accounted for by China, demographic trends there virtually dictate the trends for the region as a whole. The available data suggest that the growth rate in China declined from 2.02% in 1970-75 to 1.4% in 1975-80 and is expected to reach 1.27% during 1980-85. The sharp decline in China's population growth rate is expected to continue. It is anticipated that the population of East Asia will increase to 1.4 billion by the year 2000. In addition, the growth rate has declined significantly in Japan and the Republic of Korea. The growth rate is declining in Eastern South and Middle South Asia as well. Longterm declines have brought growth rates down in Sri Lanka and Singapore. More recently, the rate of growth also has begun to fall in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand, while it remains generally at high levels in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan. In the Oceania region, 79% of which is made up of Australia and New Zealand, the growth rate is also steadily decreasing. Despite the decrease in the growth rate of Asia and the Pacific, especially during 1980-2000, in absolute terms its growth will be the largest in the world during these 29 years; 908 million out of 1687 million of the total growth. Asia and the Pacific will contribute more than 45 million people a year during the final 20 years of this century. For the world as a whole, the new estimates and projections indicate a slow but steady decline of the crude birthrate from 36.3/1000 in 1950-55 to 28.5 in 1975-80, then to 23.9 in 1995-2000, and finally to 17.9 in 2020-2025. China had a birthrate estimated at about 21 in 1975-80; and India and Indonesia had estimated rates in the range of 33-35. Japan, Australia, and New Zealand had estimated birthrates in the range of 15-18 in 1975-80. As was the case with fertility, the largest gains in mortality reduction have accrued among the less developed regions. In Asia mortality declines have slowed during recent years. Some substantial shifts in patterns of international migration have occurred in the flow of workers into the oil rich countries of Middle and Western South Asia. Migrants come closely from countries within the region, and there are growing numbers from India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, and elsewhere. The number of people living in urban centers in Asia is increasing very rapidly. Meeting basic needs requires a dual target for each less developed country--an increase in gross national product per capita and a redistribution of income.

Flash flood characterisation of the Haor area of Bangladesh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharya, B.; Suman, A.

2012-04-01

Haors are large bowl-shaped flood plain depressions located mostly in north-eastern part of Bangladesh covering about 25% of the entire region. During dry season haors are used for agriculture and during rainy season it is used as fisheries. Haors have profound ecological importance. About 8000 migratory wild birds visit the area annually. Some of the haors are declared at Ramsar sites. Haors are frequently affected by the flash floods due to hilly topography and steep slope of the rivers draining the area. These flash floods spill onto low-lying flood plain lands in the region, inundating crops, damaging infrastructure by erosion and often causing loss of lives and properties. Climate change is exacerbating the situation. For appropriate risk mitigation mechanism it is necessary to explore flood characteristics of that region. The area is not at all studied well. Under a current project a numerical 1D2D model based on MIKE Flood is developed to study the flooding characteristics and estimate the climate change impacts on the haor region. Under this study the progression of flood levels at some key haors in relation to the water level data at specified gauges in the region is analysed. As the region is at the border with India so comparing with the gauges at the border with India is carried out. The flooding in the Haor area is associated with the rainfall in the upstream catchment in India (Meghalaya, Barak and Tripura basins in India). The flood propagation in some of the identified haors in relation to meteorological forcing in the three basins in India is analysed as well. Subsequently, a ranking of haors is done based on individual risks. Based on the IPCC recommendation the precipitation scenario in the upstream catchments under climate change is considered. The study provides the fundamental inputs for preparing a flood risk management plan of the region.

A primer on the occurrence of coalbed methane in low-rank coals, with special reference to its potential occurrence in Pakistan

USGS Publications Warehouse

SanFilipo, John R.

2000-01-01

Introduction: This report compiles and updates a series of correspondence that took place between 1998 and early 2000 among the author and representatives of various consulting groups operating in the coal sector of Pakistan. The purpose of the original correspondence was to introduce basic concepts of coalbed methane (CBM) in low-rank coals to planners and other parties interested in the development of Pakistan's coal, particularly the large deposits of the Thar desert area of Sindh Province that were recently discovered (SanFilipo and Khan, 1994) by the Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The author tested two shallow boreholes in Sindh Province for CBM in 1992, including one in Thar, with very marginal results. Additional targets with better CBM prospects were recommended shortly thereafter (SanFilipo and others, 1994), but these were not followed up during subsequent drilling, nor were any other sites tested. Recent events, notably the rapid pace of CBM development in low-rank coals of the Powder River Basin of the U.S., and a show of CBM in commercial quantities in the Cambay Basin of India - both of which are similar in age and rank to most of Pakistan's coal - have indicated a need for reevaluating the initial CBM investigations made in Pakistan in 1992 and for a reassessment of the CBM prospects for the country at large.

Progress toward poliomyelitis eradication - Afghanistan and Pakistan, 2009.

PubMed

2010-03-12

Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Nigeria are the four remaining countries where indigenous wild poliovirus (WPV) transmission has never been interrupted. This report updates previous reports and describes polio eradication activities in Afghanistan and Pakistan during January-December 2009 and proposed activities in 2010 to address challenges. During 2009, both countries continued to conduct coordinated supplemental immunization activities (SIAs) and used multiple strategies to reach previously unreached children. These strategies included 1) use of short interval additional dose (SIAD) SIAs to administer a dose of oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) within 1-2 weeks after a prior dose during negotiated periods of security; 2) systematic engagement of local leaders; 3) negotiations with conflict parties; and 4) increased engagement of nongovernmental organizations delivering basic health services. However, security problems continued to limit access by vaccination teams to large numbers of children. In Afghanistan, poliovirus transmission during 2009 predominantly occurred in 12 high-risk districts in the conflict-affected South Region; 38 WPV cases were confirmed in 2009, compared with 31 in 2008. In Pakistan, 89 WPV cases were confirmed in 2009, compared with 118 in 2008, but transmission persisted both in security-compromised areas and in accessible areas, where managerial and operational problems continued to affect immunization coverage. Continued efforts to enhance safe access of vaccination teams in insecure areas will be required for further progress toward interruption of WPV transmission in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In addition, substantial improvements in subnational accountability and oversight are needed to improve immunization activities in Pakistan.

Progress toward interruption of wild poliovirus transmission - worldwide, 2009.

PubMed

2010-05-14

In 1988, an estimated 350,000 cases of poliomyelitis were occurring annually worldwide. By 2005, because of global vaccination efforts, indigenous transmission of wild poliovirus (WPV) types 1 and 3 (WPV1 and WPV3) had been eliminated from all but four countries (Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan). No cases of WPV type 2 have been reported since 1999. This report describes progress toward global WPV eradication during 2009 and updates previous reports. During 2009 a total of 1,606 cases of WPV infection were reported, compared with 1,651 in 2008. WPV3 incidence increased 67%, to 1,124 cases, compared with 675 in 2008. However, WPV1 incidence decreased 51%, to 482 cases in 2009, compared with 976 cases in 2008. In India, nearly all polio cases in 2009 were reported in high-risk districts in western Uttar Pradesh and central Bihar. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, WPV circulation in high-risk districts continued because of difficulties vaccinating children in conflict-affected areas and operational limitations in parts of Pakistan. In Nigeria, cases decreased by 51%, to 388 cases in 2009, compared with 798 in 2008. During 2009, outbreaks from importation of WPV affected 19 previously polio-free African countries. Two key steps are needed to make further progress in polio eradication: 1) addressing local barriers to interrupting transmission, and 2) using bivalent oral poliovirus vaccine (bOPV) broadly for WPV 1 and 3 in supplemental immunization activities (SIAs).

Curriculum for Development: Analysis and Review of Processes, Products and Outcomes. Final Report: Sub-Regional Curriculum Workshop (Colombo, Sri Lanka, October 1-30, 1976).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Bangkok (Thailand). Regional Office for Education in Asia and Oceania.

Presenting proceedings and materials covered at an Asian curriculum workshop involving 15 participants from 7 countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka), this document includes: a discussion of criteria for curriculum analysis re: health education and nutrition instruction for grades 6-10; a…

Education in Asia: A Comparative Study of Cost and Financing. World Bank Regional and Sectoral Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Jee-Peng; Mingat, Alain

Data analyzed in this study are drawn from varied sources including documents provided by governments in the context of the World Bank's operational activity. The data on a basic set of indicators were assembled for a core of 11 Asian countries (Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Sri…

Continuing Education for Early Primary School Leavers. Report of a Technical Working Group Meeting (Chiang Mai, Thailand, October 4-11, 1988).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Bangkok (Thailand). Principal Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

This report summarizes discussions of a working group meeting on the continuing education needs of early primary school leavers in Asia and the Pacific. An introduction summarizes the welcoming addresses. Chapter 1 presents highlights of experiences of these countries in providing continuing education to school leavers: Bangladesh, China, India,…

CORRUPTION IN MEDICAL PRACTICE: WHERE DO WE STAND?

PubMed

Yousafzai, Abdul Wahab

2015-01-01

Corruption in health care sector affects all countries, including the United States, China and India. Pakistan is no exception. It is preventing people from having access to the quality medical care. Corruption in medical practice include ordering unnecessary investigations, and procedures for kickbacks and commissions; significant absenteeism, which adversely affects patient care; and the conflict of interest within the physician-pharmaceutical nexus, which exploits patients. To overcome corruption there is need to establish a framework for accountability, eliminating the physician-pharmaceutical nexus; and emphasizing medical ethics at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It is also important to open a dialogue amongst health care professionals and encourage the establishment of an ethical health care system in Pakistan.

Summary of the stratigraphy and structural elements related to plate convergence of the Quetta-Muslim Bagh-Sibi region, Balochistan, west-central Pakistan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Maldonado, Florian; Mengal, Jan M.; Khan, Shahid H.; Warwick, Peter D.

2011-01-01

The four major faults that bound the structural terrane are the Frontal (F), Ghazaband-Zhob (GZ), Gwal-Bagh (GB), and Chaman (C) faults. Four major periods of deformation are recognized: (1) emplacement of ophiolitic rocks onto the continental margin of the India plate; (2) convergence of the India-Eurasia plates; (3) deposition of Tertiary-Quaternary molasse units followed by major folding and thrusting, and formation of strike-slip faults; and (4) deposition of Pleistocene molasse units with subsequent folding, thrusting, and strike-slip motion that continues to the present.

Mutations in Plasmodium falciparum K13 propeller gene from Bangladesh (2009-2013).

PubMed

Mohon, Abu Naser; Alam, Mohammad Shafiul; Bayih, Abebe Genetu; Folefoc, Asongna; Shahinas, Dea; Haque, Rashidul; Pillai, Dylan R

2014-11-18

Bangladesh is a malaria hypo-endemic country sharing borders with India and Myanmar. Artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) remains successful in Bangladesh. An increase of artemisinin-resistant malaria parasites on the Thai-Cambodia and Thai-Myanmar borders is worrisome. K13 propeller gene (PF3D7_1343700 or PF13_0238) mutations have been linked to both in vitro artemisinin resistance and in vivo slow parasite clearance rates. This group undertook to evaluate if mutations seen in Cambodia have emerged in Bangladesh where ACT use is now standard for a decade. Samples were obtained from Plasmodium falciparum-infected malaria patients from Upazila health complexes (UHC) between 2009 and 2013 in seven endemic districts of Bangladesh. These districts included Khagrachari (Matiranga UHC), Rangamati (Rajasthali UHC), Cox's Bazar (Ramu and Ukhia UHC), Bandarban (Lama UHC), Mymensingh (Haluaghat UHC), Netrokona (Durgapur and Kalmakanda UHC), and Moulvibazar (Sreemangal and Kamalganj UHC). Out of 296 microscopically positive P. falciparum samples, 271 (91.6%) were confirmed as mono-infections by both real-time PCR and nested PCR. The K13 propeller gene from 253 (93.4%) samples was sequenced bi-directionally. One non-synonymous mutation (A578S) was found in Bangladeshi clinical isolates. The A578S mutation was confirmed and lies adjacent to the C580Y mutation, the major mutation causing delayed parasite clearance in Cambodia. Based on computational modeling A578S should have a significant effect on tertiary structure of the protein. The data suggest that P. falciparum in Bangladesh remains free of the C580Y mutation linked to delayed parasite clearance. However, the mutation A578S is present and based on structural analysis could affect K13 gene function. Further in vivo clinical studies are required to validate the effect of this mutation.

Socioeconomic Inequalities in Secondhand Smoke Exposure at Home and at Work in 15 Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

PubMed

Nazar, Gaurang P; Lee, John Tayu; Arora, Monika; Millett, Christopher

2016-05-01

In high-income countries, secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure is higher among disadvantaged groups. We examine socioeconomic inequalities in SHS exposure at home and at workplace in 15 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Secondary analyses of cross-sectional data from 15 LMICs participating in Global Adult Tobacco Survey (participants ≥ 15 years; 2008-2011) were used. Country-specific analyses using regression-based methods were used to estimate the magnitude of socioeconomic inequalities in SHS exposure: (1) Relative Index of Inequality and (2) Slope Index of Inequality. SHS exposure at home ranged from 17.4% in Mexico to 73.1% in Vietnam; exposure at workplace ranged from 16.9% in Uruguay to 65.8% in Bangladesh. In India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Uruguay, Poland, Turkey, Ukraine, and Egypt, SHS exposure at home reduced with increasing wealth (Relative Index of Inequality range: 1.13 [95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-1.22] in Turkey to 3.31 [95% CI 2.91-3.77] in Thailand; Slope Index of Inequality range: 0.06 [95% CI 0.02-0.11] in Turkey to 0.43 [95% CI 0.38-0.48] in Philippines). In these 11 countries, and in China, SHS exposure at home reduced with increasing education. In India, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Philippines, SHS exposure at workplace reduced with increasing wealth. In India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Poland, Russian Federation, Turkey, Ukraine, and Egypt, SHS exposure at workplace reduced with increasing education. SHS exposure at homes is higher among the socioeconomically disadvantaged in the majority of LMICs studied; at workplaces, exposure is higher among the less educated. Pro-equity tobacco control interventions alongside targeted efforts in these groups are recommended to reduce inequalities in SHS exposure. SHS exposure is higher among the socioeconomically disadvantaged groups in high-income countries. Comprehensive smoke-free policies are pro-equity for certain health outcomes that are strongly influenced by SHS exposure. Using nationally representative Global Adult Tobacco Survey (2008-2011) data from 15 LMICs, we studied socioeconomic inequalities in SHS exposure at homes and at workplaces. The study showed that in most LMICs, SHS exposure at homes is higher among the poor and the less educated. At workplaces, SHS exposure is higher among the less educated groups. Accelerating implementation of pro-equity tobacco control interventions and strengthening of efforts targeted at the socioeconomically disadvantaged groups are needed to reduce inequalities in SHS exposure in LMICs. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco.

Socioeconomic Inequalities in Secondhand Smoke Exposure at Home and at Work in 15 Low- and Middle-Income Countries

PubMed Central

Lee, John Tayu; Arora, Monika; Millett, Christopher

2016-01-01

Introduction: In high-income countries, secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure is higher among disadvantaged groups. We examine socioeconomic inequalities in SHS exposure at home and at workplace in 15 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods: Secondary analyses of cross-sectional data from 15 LMICs participating in Global Adult Tobacco Survey (participants ≥ 15 years; 2008–2011) were used. Country-specific analyses using regression-based methods were used to estimate the magnitude of socioeconomic inequalities in SHS exposure: (1) Relative Index of Inequality and (2) Slope Index of Inequality. Results: SHS exposure at home ranged from 17.4% in Mexico to 73.1% in Vietnam; exposure at workplace ranged from 16.9% in Uruguay to 65.8% in Bangladesh. In India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Uruguay, Poland, Turkey, Ukraine, and Egypt, SHS exposure at home reduced with increasing wealth (Relative Index of Inequality range: 1.13 [95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04–1.22] in Turkey to 3.31 [95% CI 2.91–3.77] in Thailand; Slope Index of Inequality range: 0.06 [95% CI 0.02–0.11] in Turkey to 0.43 [95% CI 0.38–0.48] in Philippines). In these 11 countries, and in China, SHS exposure at home reduced with increasing education. In India, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Philippines, SHS exposure at workplace reduced with increasing wealth. In India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Poland, Russian Federation, Turkey, Ukraine, and Egypt, SHS exposure at workplace reduced with increasing education. Conclusion: SHS exposure at homes is higher among the socioeconomically disadvantaged in the majority of LMICs studied; at workplaces, exposure is higher among the less educated. Pro-equity tobacco control interventions alongside targeted efforts in these groups are recommended to reduce inequalities in SHS exposure. Implications: SHS exposure is higher among the socioeconomically disadvantaged groups in high-income countries. Comprehensive smoke-free policies are pro-equity for certain health outcomes that are strongly influenced by SHS exposure. Using nationally representative Global Adult Tobacco Survey (2008–2011) data from 15 LMICs, we studied socioeconomic inequalities in SHS exposure at homes and at workplaces. The study showed that in most LMICs, SHS exposure at homes is higher among the poor and the less educated. At workplaces, SHS exposure is higher among the less educated groups. Accelerating implementation of pro-equity tobacco control interventions and strengthening of efforts targeted at the socioeconomically disadvantaged groups are needed to reduce inequalities in SHS exposure in LMICs. PMID:26610936

A proteomic analysis of Pakistan Daboia russelii russelii venom and assessment of potency of Indian polyvalent and monovalent antivenom.

PubMed

Mukherjee, Ashis K; Kalita, Bhargab; Mackessy, Stephen P

2016-07-20

To address the dearth of knowledge on the biochemical composition of Pakistan Russell's Viper (Daboia russelii russelii) venom (RVV), the venom proteome has been analyzed and several biochemical and pharmacological properties of the venom were investigated. SDS-PAGE (reduced) analysis indicated that proteins/peptides in the molecular mass range of ~56.0-105.0kDa, 31.6-51.0kDa, 15.6-30.0kDa, 9.0-14.2kDa and 5.6-7.2kDa contribute approximately 9.8%, 12.1%, 13.4%, 34.1% and 30.5%, respectively of Pakistan RVV. Proteomics analysis of gel-filtration peaks of RVV resulted in identification of 75 proteins/peptides which belong to 14 distinct snake venom protein families. Phospholipases A2 (32.8%), Kunitz type serine protease inhibitors (28.4%), and snake venom metalloproteases (21.8%) comprised the majority of Pakistan RVV proteins, while 11 additional families accounted for 6.5-0.2%. Occurrence of aminotransferase, endo-β-glycosidase, and disintegrins is reported for the first time in RVV. Several of RVV proteins/peptides share significant sequence homology across Viperidae subfamilies. Pakistan RVV was well recognized by both the polyvalent (PAV) and monovalent (MAV) antivenom manufactured in India; nonetheless, immunological cross-reactivity determined by ELISA and neutralization of pro-coagulant/anticoagulant activity of RVV and its fractions by MAV surpassed that of PAV. The study establishes the proteome profile of the Pakistan RVV, thereby indicating the presence of diverse proteins and peptides that play a significant role in the pathophysiology of RVV bite. Further, the proteomic findings will contribute to understand the variation in venom composition owing to different geographical location and identification of pharmacologically important proteins in Pakistan RVV. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Development of agriculture biotechnology in Pakistan.

PubMed

Zafar, Yusuf

2007-01-01

Agriculture plays an important role in the national economy of Pakistan, where most of the rapidly increasing population resides in rural areas and depends on agriculture for subsistence. Biotechnology has considerable potential for promoting the efficiency of crop improvement, food production, and poverty reduction. Use of modern biotechnology started in Pakistan since 1985. Currently, there are 29 biotech centers/institutes in the country. However, few centers have appropriate physical facilities and trained manpower to develop genetically modified (GM) crops. Most of the activities have been on rice and cotton, which are among the top 5 crops of Pakistan. Biotic (virus/bacterial/insect) and abiotic (salt) resistant and quality (male sterility) genes have already been incorporated in some crop plants. Despite acquiring capacity to produce transgenic plants, no GM crops, either produced locally or imported, have been released in the country. Pakistan is signatory to the World Trade Organization, Convention on Biological Diversity, and Cartagena protocols. Several legislations under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights have been promulgated in the country. National Biosafety Guidelines have been promulgated in April 2005. The Plant Breeders Rights Act, Amendment in Seed Act-1976, and Geographical Indication for Goods are still passing through discussion, evaluation, and analysis phases. Meanwhile, an illegal GM crop (cotton) has already sneaked into farmer's field. Concerted and coordinated efforts are needed among various ministries for implementation of regulation and capacity building for import/export and local handling of GM crops. Pakistan could easily benefit from the experience of Asian countries, especially China and India, where conditions are similar and the agriculture sector is almost like that of Pakistan. Thus, the exchange of information and experiences is important among these nations.

Application of current and future satellite missions to hydrologic prediction in transboundary rivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biancamaria, S.; Clark, E.; Lettenmaier, D. P.

2010-12-01

More than 256 major global river basins, which cover about 45% of the continental land surface, are shared among two or more countries. The flow of such a large part of the global runoff across international boundaries has led to tension in many cases between upstream and downstream riparian countries. Among many examples, this is the case of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra Rivers, which cross the boundary between India and Bangladesh. Hydrological data (river discharge, reservoir storage) are viewed as sensitive by India (the upstream country) and are therefore not shared with Bangladesh, which can only monitor river discharge and water depth at the international border crossing. These measurements only allow forecasting of floods in the interior and southern portions of the country two to three days in advance. These forecasts are not long enough either for agricultural water management purposes (for which knowledge of upstream reservoir storage is essential) or for disaster preparedness purposes. Satellite observations of river spatial extent, surface slope, reservoir area and surface elevation have the potential to make tremendous changes in management of water within the basins. In this study, we examine the use of currently available satellite measurements (in India) and in-situ measurements in Bangladesh to increase forecast lead time in the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers. Using nadir altimeters, we find that it is possible to forecast the discharge of the Ganges River at the Bangladesh border with lead time 3 days and mean absolute error of around 25%. On the Ganges River, 2-day forecasts are possible with a mean absolute error of around 20%. When combined with optical/infra-red MODIS images, it is possible to map water elevations along the river and its floodplain upstream of the boundary, and to compute water storage. However, the high frequency of clouds in this region results in relatively large errors in the water mask. Due to the nadir altimeter temporal repeat (10 days for current satellites) and to gaps in the water mask, water volume estimates are meaningful only at the monthly scale. Furthermore, this information is limited to channels with wider than 250-500 m. The future Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission, which is intended to be launched in 2020, will provide global maps of water elevations, with a spatial resolution of 100 m and errors on the water elevation equal to or below 10 cm. The SWOT Ka band interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), will not be affected by cloud cover (aside from infrequent heavy rain); therefore, estimation of the water volume change on the Ganges and on the Brahmaputra upstream to the Bangladesh provided by SWOT should be much more accurate in space and time than can currently be achieved. We discuss the implications of future SWOT observations in the context of our preliminary work on the Ganges-Brahmaputra Rivers using current generation satellite data.

Facilitators and barriers for retention in HIV care between testing and treatment in Asia—A study in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Lao, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines and Vietnam

PubMed Central

Nampaisan, Oranuch; Marrone, Gaetano

2017-01-01

Introduction The need for efficient retention in HIV care is more evident than ever because of the expansion of earlier ART initiation and the shift towards ‘Test and Treat’. This study assesses factors affecting participation in the HIV care cascade among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the Asia-Pacific Region. Methods A total of 7843 PLHIV aged 18–50 years were recruited using targeted and venue-based sampling between October 1, 2012, and May 31, 2013, across 59 sites in 7 countries (Bangladesh, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines and Vietnam). Statistically significant associations between demographic and health system determinants, and various steps in the HIV care cascade were computed using a generalized structural equation model. Results A high proportion of PLHIV (40–51%) presented late for HIV care and delayed linkage to care in all seven countries. However, once PLHIV enrolled in care, retention in the various steps of the care cascade including adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART) was satisfactory. The proportion still engaged in HIV care at 36 months post HIV diagnosis, varied from 78% in Nepal to >90% in Lao PDR. Similarly, the proportion of ART initiation who also were adherent to ART ranged from 91% in Bangladesh to >95% in Philippines/ Vietnam and from 70% in Lao PDR to 89% in the Philippines respectively. The following factors enhanced the likelihood of ART initiation and high adherence to HIV care and ART: good client-provider communication, high HIV treatment literacy, a referral from a health worker and TB/HIV co-infection. The following barriers were identified: young age, sex work, imprisonment, transgender identity, illiteracy, rural residence, alcohol/ injecting drug use, perceived poor health status, lack of health insurance, fear of confidentiality breach, self-referral for HIV testing, and public hospital as the place of HIV diagnosis. Conclusions HIV programme planners should ensure easy access to HIV testing and earlier linkage to HIV care among PLHIV. In addition, multiple socio-economic and health systems barriers need to be addressed along the HIV care cascade to reach the UNAIDS 90-90-90 target in the Asia-Pacific region. PMID:28459881

Chronic arsenic toxicity in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India--a review and commentary.

PubMed

Rahman, M M; Chowdhury, U K; Mukherjee, S C; Mondal, B K; Paul, K; Lodh, D; Biswas, B K; Chanda, C R; Basu, G K; Saha, K C; Roy, S; Das, R; Palit, S K; Quamruzzaman, Q; Chakraborti, D

2001-01-01

Fifty districts of Bangladesh and 9 districts in West Bengal, India have arsenic levels in groundwater above the World Health Organization's maximum permissible limit of 50 microg/L. The area and population of 50 districts of Bangladesh and 9 districts in West Bengal are 118,849 km2 and 104.9 million and 38,865 km2 and 42.7 million, respectively. Our current data show arsenic levels above 50 microg/ L in 2000 villages, 178 police stations of 50 affected districts in Bangladesh and 2600 villages, 74 police stations/blocks of 9 affected districts in West Bengal. We have so far analyzed 34,000 and 101,934 hand tube-well water samples from Bangladesh and West Bengal respectively by FI-HG-AAS of which 56% and 52%, respectively, contained arsenic above 10 microg/L and 37% and 25% arsenic above 50 microg/L. In our preliminary study 18,000 persons in Bangladesh and 86,000 persons in West Bengal were clinically examined in arsenic-affected districts. Of them, 3695 (20.6% including 6.11% children) in Bangladesh and 8500 (9.8% including 1.7% children) in West Bengal had arsenical dermatological features. Symptoms of chronic arsenic toxicity developed insidiously after 6 months to 2 years or more of exposure. The time of onset depends on the concentration of arsenic in the drinking water, volume of intake, and the health and nutritional status of individuals. Major dermatological signs are diffuse or spotted melanosis, leucomelanosis, and keratosis. Chronic arsenicosis is a multisystem disorder. Apart from generalized weakness, appetite and weight loss, and anemia, our patients had symptoms relating to involvement of the lungs, gastrointestinal system, liver, spleen, genitourinary system, hemopoietic system, eyes, nervous system, and cardiovascular system. We found evidence of arsenic neuropathy in 37.3% (154 of 413 cases) in one group and 86.8% (33 of 38 cases) in another. Most of these cases had mild and predominantly sensory neuropathy. Central nervous system involvement was evident with and without neuropathy. Electrodiagnostic studies proved helpful for the diagnosis of neurological involvement. Advanced neglected cases with many years of exposure presented with cancer of skin and of the lung, liver, kidney, and bladder. The diagnosis of subclinical arsenicosis was made in 83%, 93%, and 95% of hair, nail and urine samples, respectively, in Bangladesh; and 57%, 83%, and 89% of hair, nail, and urine samples, respectively in West Bengal. Approximately 90% of children below 11 years of age living in the affected areas show hair and nail arsenic above the normal level. Children appear to have a higher body burden than adults despite fewer dermatological manifestations. Limited trials of 4 arsenic chelators in the treatment of chronic arsenic toxicity in West Bengal over the last 2 decades do not provide any clinical, biochemical, or histopathological benefit except for the accompanying preliminary report of clinical benefit with dimercaptopropanesulfonate therapy. Extensive efforts are needed in both countries to combat the arsenic crisis including control of tube-wells, watershed management with effective use of the prodigious supplies of surface water, traditional water management, public awareness programs, and education concerning the apparent benefits of optimal nutrition.

Identification and characterization of Citrus yellow vein clearing virus, a putative new member of the genus Mandarivirus infecting Citrus spp.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Yellow vein clearing virus, an uncharacterized filamentous virus, was first observed in Pakistan in 1988 and later in India in 1997 in Etrog citron (Citrus medica). Based on electron microscopic evidence of filamentous particles, the virus, provisionally named Citrus yellow vein clearing virus (CYVC...

The Military and Security Dimensions of Soviet-Indian Relations.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-06-25

New Delhi), June 26, 1978. 7. See Vijay Sen Budhraj, "The Evolution of Russia’s Pakistan Policy." Australian Journal of Politics and History, Vol. XVI...Yearbook 1975, p. 230; Ibid., 1976, p. 264. 27. For data on India’s expenditure on military R&D, see Lieutenant Colonel Gautam Sharma (Ret.). "Defence

Future Opportunities for Bioengagement in the MENA Region

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-10-01

sub-optimal investments in building scientific capacity while minimizing biological risks in food , human health, and research. • Biological risks...advantage for the August 2013 National Academies Education Institute in Malaysia that brought together scientists from Pakistan, India, and Malaysia . It...Service for National Agricultural Research, International Food Policy Research Institute, World Animal Health Organization, Regional Commission for

Education and Attitudes in Pakistan: Understanding Perceptions of Terrorism. Special Report 367

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Afzal, Madiha

2015-01-01

This report aims to understand the roots of an array of intolerant, biased, and--in some cases--radical attitudes in the Pakistani populace, including anti-Americanism, hatred of India and Hindus, intolerance of minorities, and some sympathy for militant groups. Underlying such attitudes are intolerance, prejudice, hate, and bigotry, along with a…

Using Mobile Phones to Improve Vaccination Uptake in 21 Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Brown, Elizabeth; Devereux, Sara; Fairhead, Cassandra; Holeman, Isaac

2017-01-01

Background The benefits of vaccination have been comprehensively proven; however, disparities in coverage persist because of poor health system management, limited resources, and parental knowledge and attitudes. Evidence suggests that health interventions that engage local parties in communication strategies improve vaccination uptake. As mobile technology is widely used to improve health communication, mobile health (mHealth) interventions might be used to increase coverage. Objective The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the available literature on the use of mHealth to improve vaccination in low- and middle-income countries with large numbers of unvaccinated children. Methods In February 2017, MEDLINE (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online), Scopus, and Web of Science, as well as three health organization websites—Communication Initiative Network, TechNet-21, and PATH—were searched to identify mHealth intervention studies on vaccination uptake in 21 countries. Results Ten peer-reviewed studies and 11 studies from white or gray literature were included. Nine took place in India, three in Pakistan, two each in Malawi and Nigeria, and one each in Bangladesh, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Kenya. Ten peer-reviewed studies and 7 white or gray studies demonstrated improved vaccination uptake after interventions, including appointment reminders, mobile phone apps, and prerecorded messages. Conclusions Although the potential for mHealth interventions to improve vaccination coverage seems clear, the evidence for such interventions is not. The dearth of studies in countries facing the greatest barriers to immunization impedes the prospects for evidence-based policy and practice in these settings. PMID:28978495

Association between child marriage and reproductive health outcomes and service utilization: a multi-country study from South Asia.

PubMed

Godha, Deepali; Hotchkiss, David R; Gage, Anastasia J

2013-05-01

Despite the pervasiveness of child marriage and its potentially adverse consequences on reproductive health outcomes, there is relatively little empirical evidence available on this issue, which has hindered efforts to improve the targeting of adolescent health programs. The purpose of this study was to assess the association of child marriage with fertility, fertility control, and maternal health care use outcomes in four South Asian countries: India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan. Data for the study come from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in the study countries; we used a subsample of women aged 20-24 years. Child marriage, defined as first marriage before 18 years of age, is categorized into two groups: first married at ages 15-17 years and first married at age ≤14 years. We used multivariate logistic regression models. The results of the study suggest that child marriage is significantly associated with a history of rapid repeat childbirth, current modern contraceptive use, female sterilization, not using contraception before first childbirth, pregnancy termination, unintended pregnancy, and inadequate use of maternal health services, although the associations are not always consistent across countries. Furthermore, women who married in early adolescence or childhood show a higher propensity toward most of the negative outcomes, compared with women who married in middle adolescence. Child marriage adds a layer of vulnerability to women that leads to poor fertility control and fertility-related outcomes, and low maternal health care use. Copyright © 2013 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Results of a Study Demonstrating Automated Techniques for Waveform Correlation Applied to Regional Monitoring of Eastern Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sundermier, A.; Slinkard, M.; Perry, J.; Schaff, D. P.; Young, C. J.; Richards, P. G.

2016-12-01

Waveform correlation techniques have proven effectiveness detecting repeated events from large aftershock sequences; however, application for monitoring a large region over a long time period has yet to be adequately explored. We applied waveform correlation to six years of continuous waveform data at eleven stations spread through Eastern Asia, using automatically generated templates from historical archives going back to the time of station installation, in some cases as far back as 1986. Our study region includes the countries of China, North Korea, South Korea, Mongolia, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and parts of Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. We used nine China Digital Network (CD/IC) and two other available stations which had continuous coverage from 2006-2012; this yielded 11 stations which spanned 40 degrees in latitude and 70 degrees in longitude with an average nearest-neighbor distance between stations of 842 km. To declare a detected event, we require coincident correlations at 2 or more stations, so station spacing has a strong effect on our detection threshold. We compare our detection results to the ISC catalog to analyze the effectiveness and challenges associated with applying waveform correlation on a broad regional and multi-year scale. Our best results were obtained in the vicinity of the 2008 Wenchuan aftershock sequence where each station had two other stations within a 1000 km radius. We include analysis of the impact of network geometry, historical template library span and size, and template phase to provide direction for future regional studies using waveform correlation.

Malnutrition in South Asia-A Critical Reappraisal.

PubMed

Akhtar, Saeed

2016-10-25

Malnutrition continues to be a major public health challenge especially in South Asian developing countries. The aim of the present review is to spotlight the magnitude of the prevalence of malnutrition and its dynamics in South Asian region and to suggest potential approaches for the prevention and control of this issue of public health significance. An extensive review of literature, covering malnutrition and its determinants, health and economic consequences and pragmatic preventive strategies was performed on computer based bibliographic databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Medline and Sciencedirect.com ) to retrieve abstracts and full texts for India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. All relevant titles and abstracts were examined and evaluated for malnutrition and its prevalence in South Asia. The results revealed malnutrition to be a major public health problem and a potential cause of high disease burden and mortality in South Asia. Compelling evidence suggests malnutrition to be the leading cause of stunting, wasting and underweight with drastic economic consequences among vulnerable populations. Reduced cognitive performance and low productivity have also been associated with micronutrients malnutrition. Suboptimal breastfeeding, inadequate food supply, micronutrient deficiencies, low household income, poor health care system, increased healthcare costs, illiteracy, unhygienic and substandard living, inappropriate child's care and the caregiver, food insecurity and on top of that vicious cycle of poverty, have been recognized as principal indicators for growing malnutrition prevalence in South Asia. Global organizations, local governments, program managers, NGOs, academia, industry in particular and the society at large need to take up the challenge to completely confiscate malnutrition from the region for economic prosperity and a healthier future.

Attributable risk and potential impact of interventions to reduce household air pollution associated with under-five mortality in South Asia.

PubMed

Naz, Sabrina; Page, Andrew; Agho, Kingsley Emwinyore

2018-01-01

Solid fuel use is the major source of household air pollution (HAP) and accounts for a substantial burden of morbidity and mortality in low and middle income countries. To evaluate and compare childhood mortality attributable to HAP in four South Asian countries. A series of Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) datasets for Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan were used for analysis. Estimates of relative risk and exposure prevalence relating to use of cooking fuel and under-five mortality were used to calculate population attributable fractions (PAFs) for each country. Potential impact fractions (PIFs) were also calculated assessing theoretical scenarios based on published interventions aiming to reduce exposure prevalence. There are an increased risk of under-five mortality in those exposed to cooking fuel compared to those not exposed in the four South Asian countries (OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.07-1.57, P  = 0.007). Combined PAF estimates for South Asia found that 66% (95% CI: 43.1-81.5%) of the 13,290 estimated cases of under-five mortality was attributable to HAP. Joint PIF estimates (assuming achievable reductions in HAP reported in intervention studies conducted in South Asia) indicates 47% of neonatal and 43% of under-five mortality cases associated with HAP could be avoidable in the four South Asian countries studied. Elimination of exposure to use of cooking fuel in the household targeting valuable intervention strategies (such as cooking in separate kitchen, improved cook stoves) could reduce substantially under-five mortality in South Asian countries.

Complementary and alternative medicine utilisation for the management of acute respiratory tract infection in children: A systematic review.

PubMed

Lucas, S; Leach, M; Kumar, S

2018-04-01

As many as one in two children across the globe use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to manage a health condition. Despite the high prevalence of use, there is still limited information on the types of CAM used in children, particularly for the management of one of the most common childhood health complaints - acute respiratory tract infection (ARTI). This systematic review was undertaken to address this knowledge gap. Eligible studies reporting the use of CAM in children with ARTI were identified using a targeted search of seven electronic databases and the grey literature. Data were extracted using a customised data extraction form and appraised using the McMaster critical review forms for quantitative and qualitative studies. Findings were synthesised in narrative form. The search identified 2261 papers, of which 22 studies were eligible for inclusion. The 22 studies reported the use of 118 distinct CAM interventions for the management of ARTI in children. Most (53%, n = 63) of these interventions represented biologically-based therapies, followed by whole medical systems/alternative medical systems (46%, n = 55). No studies reported the use of energy therapies, or manipulative and body-based methods, or mind-body therapies. A diverse range of CAM interventions are used in the management of ARTI in children. These interventions largely represent CAM use in the southern region of Asia - India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Further research is needed to better understand the types of CAM used among children with ARTI in western countries. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Opportunities for strengthening infant and young child feeding policies in South Asia: Insights from the SAIFRN policy analysis project.

PubMed

Thow, Anne Marie; Karn, Sumit; Devkota, Madhu Dixit; Rasheed, Sabrina; Roy, S K; Suleman, Yasmeen; Hazir, Tabish; Patel, Archana; Gaidhane, Abhay; Puri, Seema; Godakandage, Sanjeeva; Senarath, Upul; Dibley, Michael J

2017-06-13

South Asian countries experience some of the highest levels of child undernutrition in the world, strongly linked to poor infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices. Strong and responsive policy support is essential for effective interventions to improve IYCF. This study aimed to identify opportunities for strengthening the policy environment in the region to better support appropriate infant and young child feeding. We mapped policies relevant to infant and young child feeding in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, based on a common matrix. The matrix described potentially relevant policies ranging from high-level strategic policy documents to implementation-level guidelines. We analyzed the data based on themes focused on caregiver interactions with IYCF interventions: provision of correct information to mothers, training of frontline workers, enabling mothers to engage with service providers and strategic support for IYCF. Policy support for IYCF was present in relation to each of the themes assessed. In all countries, there was support for nutrition in National Development Plans, and all countries had some level of maternity protection and restrictions on marketing of breast milk substitutes. Sectoral and implementation-level policy documents contained provisions for system strengthening for IYCF and for training of frontline workers. The key opportunities for strengthening IYCF policy support were in relation to translating strategic directives into implementation level documents; improving multi-sectoral support and coordination; and increased clarity regarding roles and responsibilities of frontline workers interacting with mothers. These findings can support efforts to strengthen IYCF policy at the national and regional level.

Antimicrobial Drug Resistance of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhi in Asia and Molecular Mechanism of Reduced Susceptibility to the Fluoroquinolones▿

PubMed Central

Chau, Tran Thuy; Campbell, James Ian; Galindo, Claudia M.; Van Minh Hoang, Nguyen; Diep, To Song; Nga, Tran Thu Thi; Van Vinh Chau, Nguyen; Tuan, Phung Quoc; Page, Anne Laure; Ochiai, R. Leon; Schultsz, Constance; Wain, John; Bhutta, Zulfiqar A.; Parry, Christopher M.; Bhattacharya, Sujit K.; Dutta, Shanta; Agtini, Magdarina; Dong, Baiqing; Honghui, Yang; Anh, Dang Duc; Canh, Do Gia; Naheed, Aliya; Albert, M. John; Phetsouvanh, Rattanaphone; Newton, Paul N.; Basnyat, Buddha; Arjyal, Amit; La, Tran Thi Phi; Rang, Nguyen Ngoc; Phuong, Le Thi; Van Be Bay, Phan; von Seidlein, Lorenz; Dougan, Gordon; Clemens, John D.; Vinh, Ha; Hien, Tran Tinh; Chinh, Nguyen Tran; Acosta, Camilo J.; Farrar, Jeremy; Dolecek, Christiane

2007-01-01

This study describes the pattern and extent of drug resistance in 1,774 strains of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi isolated across Asia between 1993 and 2005 and characterizes the molecular mechanisms underlying the reduced susceptibilities to fluoroquinolones of these strains. For 1,393 serovar Typhi strains collected in southern Vietnam, the proportion of multidrug resistance has remained high since 1993 (50% in 2004) and there was a dramatic increase in nalidixic acid resistance between 1993 (4%) and 2005 (97%). In a cross-sectional sample of 381 serovar Typhi strains from 8 Asian countries, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, Pakistan, and central Vietnam, collected in 2002 to 2004, various rates of multidrug resistance (16 to 37%) and nalidixic acid resistance (5 to 51%) were found. The eight Asian countries involved in this study are home to approximately 80% of the world's typhoid fever cases. These results document the scale of drug resistance across Asia. The Ser83→Phe substitution in GyrA was the predominant alteration in serovar Typhi strains from Vietnam (117/127 isolates; 92.1%). No mutations in gyrB, parC, or parE were detected in 55 of these strains. In vitro time-kill experiments showed a reduction in the efficacy of ofloxacin against strains harboring a single-amino-acid substitution at codon 83 or 87 of GyrA; this effect was more marked against a strain with a double substitution. The 8-methoxy fluoroquinolone gatifloxacin showed rapid killing of serovar Typhi harboring both the single- and double-amino-acid substitutions. PMID:17908946

Gujarat, Western India

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

Extremely high sediment loads are delivered to the Arabian Sea along the coast of Pakistan (upper left) and western India. In the case of the Indus River (far upper left) this sedimentation, containing large quantities of desert sand, combines with wave action to create a large sand-bar like delta. In the arid environment, the delta lacks much vegetation, but contains numerous mangrove-lined channels. This true-color image from May 2001 shows the transition from India's arid northwest to the wetter regions farther south along the coast. The increase in vegetation along the coast is brought about by the moisture trapping effect of the Western Ghats Mountain Range that runs north-south along the coast. Heavy sediment is visible in the Gulf of Kachchh (north) and the Gulf of Khambhat(south), which surround the Gujarat Peninsula.

Towards Developing New Teacher Competencies in Response to Mega-Trends in Curriculum Reforms. Report of a Regional Study Group Meeting (Chiang Rai, Thailand, June 25-July 6, 1990).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Bangkok (Thailand). Principal Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

The meeting reported in this document focused on the relevance of education to societal requirements, training of educational personnel, distance education, and ways for teacher education to serve the needs of disadvantaged population groups. Countries represented included: Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic),…

Ganges River Delta, Bangladesh, India

NASA Image and Video Library

1994-11-14

The Ganges River Delta is the largest inter-tidal delta in the world. With its extensive mangrove mud flats, swamp vegetation and sand dunes, it is characteristic of many tropical and subtropical coasts. As seen in this photograph, the tributaries and distributaries of the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers deposit huge amounts of silt and clay that create a shifting maze of waterways and islands in the Bay of Bengal.

Teachers and Their Use of Educational Technology. Report of a Regional Training Workshop (Seoul, South Korea, September 16-27, 1985).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Bangkok (Thailand). Regional Office for Education in Asia and the Pacific.

The workshop described in this report focused on uses of educational technology in the training and upgrading of teachers and on promoting the use of appropriate educational technology techniques by teachers. Experiences in the use of educational technology are described for each of the participating nations, i.e., Bangladesh, India, Indonesia,…

Human Dimensions of Asian Security,

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-03-01

begun to decline. The child depen- dency ratio is high. Public expenditures on education are increasing rapidly. The Philippines has high growth rates...Population growth and pressures 13 Impacts of changing demographic profiles 21 Overall dependency ratios and child dependency 21 The "youth bulge...Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines , and Vietnam in Southeast Asia; and Bangladesh and India in Indian Ocean/South Asia. The top demographic success

Associations between active travel and adiposity in rural India and Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

McKay, Ailsa J; Laverty, Anthony A; Shridhar, Krithiga; Alam, Dewan; Dias, Amit; Williams, Joseph; Millett, Christopher; Ebrahim, Shah; Dhillon, Preet K

2015-10-24

Data on use and health benefits of active travel in rural low- and middle- income country settings are sparse. We aimed to examine correlates of active travel, and its association with adiposity, in rural India and Bangladesh. Cross sectional study of 2,122 adults (≥18 years) sampled in 2011-13 from two rural sites in India (Goa and Chennai) and one in Bangladesh (Matlab). Logistic regression was used to examine whether ≥150 min/week of active travel was associated with socio-demographic indices, smoking, oil/butter consumption, and additional physical activity. Adjusting for these same factors, associations between active travel and BMI, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio were examined using linear and logistic regression. Forty-six percent of the sample achieved recommended levels of physical activity (≥150 min/week) through active travel alone (range: 33.1 % in Matlab to 54.8 % in Goa). This was more frequent among smokers (adjusted odds ratio 1.36, 95 % confidence interval 1.07-1.72; p = 0.011) and those that spent ≥150 min/week in work-based physical activity (OR 1.71, 1.35-2.16; p < 0.001), but less frequent among females than males (OR 0.25, 0.20-0.31; p < 0.001). In fully adjusted analyses, ≥150 min/week of active travel was associated with lower BMI (adjusted coefficient -0.39 kg/m(2), -0.77 to -0.02; p = 0.037) and a lower likelihood of high waist circumference (OR 0.77, 0.63-0.96; p = 0.018) and high waist-to-hip ratio (OR 0.72, 0.58-0.89; p = 0.002). Use of active travel for ≥150 min/week was associated with being male, smoking, and higher levels of work-based physical activity. It was associated with lower BMI, and lower risk of a high waist circumference or high waist-to-hip ratio. Promotion of active travel is an important component of strategies to address the growing prevalence of overweight in rural low- and middle- income country settings.

Impact of a Participatory Intervention with Women’s Groups on Psychological Distress among Mothers in Rural Bangladesh: Secondary Analysis of a Cluster-Randomised Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Clarke, Kelly; Azad, Kishwar; Kuddus, Abdul; Shaha, Sanjit; Nahar, Tasmin; Aumon, Bedowra Haq; Hossen, Mohammed Munir; Beard, James; Costello, Anthony; Houweling, Tanja A. J.; Prost, Audrey; Fottrell, Edward

2014-01-01

Background Perinatal common mental disorders (PCMDs) are a major cause of disability among women and disproportionately affect lower income countries. Interventions to address PCMDs are urgently needed in these settings, and group-based and peer-led approaches are potential strategies to increase access to mental health interventions. Participatory women’s health groups led by local women previously reduced postpartum psychological distress in eastern India. We assessed the effect of a similar intervention on postpartum psychological distress in rural Bangladesh. Method We conducted a secondary analysis of data from a cluster-randomised controlled trial with 18 clusters and an estimated population of 532,996. Nine clusters received an intervention comprising monthly meetings during which women’s groups worked through a participatory learning and action cycle to develop strategies for improving women’s and children’s health. There was one group for every 309 individuals in the population, 810 groups in total. Mothers in nine control clusters had access to usual perinatal care. Postpartum psychological distress was measured with the 20-item Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) between six and 52 weeks after delivery, during the months of January to April, in 2010 and 2011. Results We analysed outcomes for 6275 mothers. Although the cluster mean SRQ-20 score was lower in the intervention arm (mean 5.2, standard deviation 1.8) compared to control (5.3, 1.2), the difference was not significant (β 1.44, 95% CI 0.28, 3.08). Conclusions Despite promising results in India, participatory women’s groups focused on women’s and children’s health had no significant effect on postpartum psychological distress in rural Bangladesh. PMID:25329470

Japan's anti-nuclear weapons policy misses its target, even in the war on terrorism.

PubMed

DiFilippo, Anthony

2003-01-01

While actively working to promote the abolition of all nuclear weapons from the world since the end of the cold war, Japan's disarmament policies are not without problems. Promoting the elimination of nuclear weapons as Japan remains under the US nuclear umbrella creates a major credibility problem for Tokyo, since this decision maintains a Japanese deterrence policy at the same time that officials push for disarmament. Tokyo also advocates a gradual approach to the abolition of nuclear weapons, a decision that has had no effect on those countries that have been conducting sub-critical nuclear testing, nor stopped India and Pakistan from carrying out nuclear tests. Consistent with Article 9 of the Constitution, the Japanese war-renouncing constitutional clause, Tokyo toughened Japan's sizeable Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme in the early 1990s. Because of the anti-military guidelines included in Japan's ODA programme, Tokyo stopped new grant and loan aid to India and Pakistan in 1998 after these countries conducted nuclear tests. However, because of the criticism Japan faced from its failure to participate in the 1991 Gulf War, Tokyo has been seeking a new Japanese role in international security during the post-cold war period. Deepening its commitment to the security alliance with the US, Tokyo has become increasingly influenced by Washington's global polices, including the American war on terrorism. After Washington decided that Pakistan would be a key player in the US war on terrorism, Tokyo restored grant and loan aid to both Islamabad and New Delhi, despite the unequivocal restrictions of Japan's ODA programme.

Guar Near and Far: How One Crop Could Profit Lakota Country

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singh, Subodh K.

2014-01-01

A Sinte Gleska University professor is exploring the feasibility of cultivating guar, one of the most expensive crops in the world, as a means to bring economic development to the Rosebud reservation and beyond. Guar is a drought-resistant industrial crop mainly grown in the Thar Desert of India and Pakistan. Since guar belongs to the legume…

Final Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Housing Privatization Environmental Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-10-01

Natural Resources NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NLR Noise Level Reduction OSBM Office of State Budget and Management OSHA Occupational...Occupational Safety and Health Administration ( OSHA ) and similar state requirements. Earth Resources—Most of the activities associated with...including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia , Pakistan, or the Philippine Islands; and • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific

General Secondary School Curriculum in the Asian Region. Bulletin of the UNESCO Regional Office for Education in Asia, Volume III, Number 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Bangkok (Thailand).

The UNESCO Regional Office for Education in Asia conducted a survey to determine the trends in secondary school curriculum in Asia, including Afghanistan, Burma, Cambodia, Ceylon, China (Twaiwan), India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet-Nam. The information…

"Why Did We Have the Partition?" The Making of a Research Interest

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saberwal, Satish

2005-01-01

This "case study" examines the shaping of a research interest. It turns on the Partition of the South Asian subcontinent in 1947, leading to the Independence and establishment of the sovereign states of Pakistan and India. The Partition was a climax within a pattern of recurrent violence in the name of Hindus and Muslims for several…

Hepatitis B and the Case of the Missing Women

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oster, Emily

2005-01-01

In many Asian countries the ratio of male to female population is higher than in the West: as high as 1.07 in China and India, and even higher in Pakistan. A number of authors (most notably Amartya Sen) have suggested that this imbalance reflects excess female mortality and have argued that as many as 100 million women are "missing."…

First Level of Education in the Asian Region. Bulletin of the UNESCO Regional Office for Education in Asia: June 1973.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Bangkok (Thailand). Regional Office for Education in Asia and Oceania.

Information on Asian primary education is presented for enrollment, teaching staff, and financial factors for Asia in general and for the following countries in particular: Afghanistan, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Khmer Republic, Laos, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Primary education reform in the Union…

What can dissaving tell us about catastrophic costs? Linear and logistic regression analysis of the relationship between patient costs and financial coping strategies adopted by tuberculosis patients in Bangladesh, Tanzania and Bangalore, India.

PubMed

Madan, Jason; Lönnroth, Knut; Laokri, Samia; Squire, Stephen Bertel

2015-10-22

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major global public health problem which affects poorest individuals the worst. A high proportion of patients incur 'catastrophic costs' which have been shown to result in severe financial hardship and adverse health outcomes. Data on catastrophic cost incidence is not routinely collected, and current definitions of this indicator involve several practical and conceptual barriers to doing so. We analysed data from TB programmes in India (Bangalore), Bangladesh and Tanzania to determine whether dissaving (the sale of assets or uptake of loans) is a useful indicator of financial hardship. Data were obtained from prior studies of TB patient costs in Bangladesh (N = 96), Tanzania (N = 94) and Bangalore (N = 891). These data were analysed using logistic and linear multivariate regression to determine the association between costs (absolute and relative to income) and both the presence of dissaving and the amounts dissaved. After adjusting for covariates such as age, sex and rural/urban location, we found a significant positive association between the occurrence of dissaving and total costs incurred in Tanzania and Bangalore. We further found that, for patients in Bangalore an increase in dissaving of $10 USD was associated with an increase in the cost-income ratio of 0.10 (p < 0.001). For low-income patients in Bangladesh, an increase in dissaving of $10 USD was associated with an increase in total costs of $7 USD (p <0.001). Dissaving is potentially a convenient proxy for catastrophic costs that does not require usage of complex patient cost questionnaires. It also offers an informative indicator of financial hardship in its own right, and could therefore play an important role as an indicator to monitor and evaluate the impact of financial protection and service delivery interventions in reducing hardship and facilitating universal health coverage. Further research is required to understand the patterns and types of dissaving that have the strongest relationship with financial hardship and clinical outcomes in order to move toward evidence-based policy making.

Cost-effectiveness of interventions to control cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus in South Asia: a systematic review

PubMed Central

Singh, Kavita; Chandrasekaran, Ambalam M; Bhaumik, Soumyadeep; Chattopadhyay, Kaushik; Gamage, Anuji Upekshika; Silva, Padmal De; Roy, Ambuj; Prabhakaran, Dorairaj; Tandon, Nikhil

2018-01-01

Objectives More than 80% of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and diabetes mellitus (DM) burden now lies in low and middle-income countries. Hence, there is an urgent need to identify and implement the most cost-effective interventions, particularly in the resource-constraint South Asian settings. Thus, we aimed to systematically review the cost-effectiveness of individual-level, group-level and population-level interventions to control CVD and DM in South Asia. Methods We searched 14 electronic databases up to August 2016. The search strategy consisted of terms related to ‘economic evaluation’, ‘CVD’, ‘DM’ and ‘South Asia’. Per protocol two reviewers assessed the eligibility and methodological quality of studies using standard checklists, and extracted incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of interventions. Results Of the 2949 identified studies, 42 met full inclusion criteria. Critical appraisal of studies revealed 15 excellent, 18 good and 9 poor quality studies. Most studies were from India (n=37), followed by Bangladesh (n=3), Pakistan (n=2) and Bhutan (n=1). The economic evaluations were based on observational studies (n=9), randomised trials (n=12) and decision models (n=21). Together, these studies evaluated 301 policy or clinical interventions or combination of both. We found a large number of interventions were cost-effective aimed at primordial prevention (tobacco taxation, salt reduction legislation, food labelling and food advertising regulation), and primary and secondary prevention (multidrug therapy for CVD in high-risk group, lifestyle modification and metformin treatment for diabetes prevention, and screening for diabetes complications every 2–5 years). Significant heterogeneity in analytical framework and outcome measures used in these studies restricted meta-analysis and direct ranking of the interventions by their degree of cost-effectiveness. Conclusions The cost-effectiveness evidence for CVD and DM interventions in South Asia is growing, but most evidence is from India and limited to decision modelled outcomes. There is an urgent need for formal health technology assessment and policy evaluations in South Asia using local research data. PROSPERO registration number CRD42013006479. PMID:29615442

Tagging and mapping of SSR marker for rust resistance gene in lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus subsp. culinaris).

PubMed

Dikshit, H K; Singh, Akanksha; Singh, D; Aski, M; Jain, Neelu; Hegde, V S; Basandrai, A K; Basandrai, D; Sharma, T R

2016-06-01

Lentil, as an economical source of protein, minerals and vitamins, plays important role in nutritional security of the common man. Grown mainly in West Asia, North Africa (WANA) region and South Asia, it suffers from several biotic stresses such as wilt, rust, blight and broomrape. Lentil rust caused by autoecious fungus Uromyces viciae fabae (Pers.) Schroet is a serious lentil disease in Algeria, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Italy, Morocco, Pakistan and Nepal. The disease symptoms are observed during flowering and early podding stages. Rust causes severe yield losses in lentil. It can only be effectively controlled by identifying the resistant source, understanding its inheritance and breeding for host resistance. The obligate parasitic nature of pathogen makes it difficult to maintain the pathogen in culture and to apply it to screen segregating progenies under controlled growth conditions. Hence, the use of molecular markers will compliment in identification of resistant types in different breeding programs. Here, we studied the inheritance of resistance to rust in lentil using F₁, F₂ and F₂:₃ from cross PL 8 (susceptible) x L 4149 (resistant) varieties. The phenotyping of lentil population was carried out at Sirmour, India. The result of genetic analysis revealed that a single dominant gene controls rust resistance in lentil genotype L 4149. The F2 population from this cross was used to tag and map the rust resistance gene using SSR and SRAP markers. Markers such as 270 SRAP and 162 SSR were studied for polymorphism and 101 SRAP and 33 SSRs were found to be polymorphic between the parents. Two SRAP and two SSR markers differentiated the resistant and susceptible bulks. SSR marker Gllc 527 was estimated to be linked to rust resistant locus at a distance of 5.9 cM. The Gllc 527 marker can be used for marker assisted selection for rust resistance; however, additional markers closer to rust resistant locus are required. The markers linked to the rust resistance gene can serve as starting points for map-based cloning of the rust resistance gene.