Background: Globally, an estimated 80 million unintended pregnancies comprising both mistimed and unwanted pregnancies are recorded yearly. Yet only half of the women at risk of mistimed pregnancy use contraceptives. ...Background: Globally, an estimated 80 million unintended pregnancies comprising both mistimed and unwanted pregnancies are recorded yearly. Yet only half of the women at risk of mistimed pregnancy use contraceptives. In developing countries, over 100 million females have unmet need, and national surveys in Ghana indicate 23% unmet need rate. Methods: Using a cross-sectional community-based approach, a sample size of 300 women of reproductive age were selected using multi-step cluster sampling techniques. The study was quantitative, using structured interviewer-administered questionnaires. Results: Two-third (66%) of the women in reproductive age still had unmet need, 71% were currently pregnant, and more than a third (36%) confirmed ever having a mistimed pregnancy. Fifty-three percent (53%) of the women confirmed never communicating with their partners on family planning issues, a little below half (45%) took their own health care decisions. Seventy nine percent (79%) ever received family planning services from a health professional. Factors related to unmet needs included mistimed pregnancy, level of education, preferred birth/pregnancy interval, communication between partners and the autonomy to spend self-earnings. Conclusion: Considering that high rates of unmet need results in mistimed pregnancy, improved policies around the influence of unmet need on mistimed pregnancies are needed.展开更多
In the global south wide range of studies highlight the limitations of the single-modelled public urban water system to meeting the endogenous water preferences of the urban population. Studies also touched on the com...In the global south wide range of studies highlight the limitations of the single-modelled public urban water system to meeting the endogenous water preferences of the urban population. Studies also touched on the complementary roles of private water actors to the single-modelled public water supply system in the urban water supply network. Multiple of urban water supply systems （multi-model） co-exist in the urban landscape of global south. However, it is unclear and largely inconclusive on the suitable and satisfactory urban water supply model that meets the water consumption needs of informal settlement dwellers in the global south. This study draws the experiences of households in the informal settlements using a case-study with cross-sectional survey strategy to assess the suitability of the multi-model urban water supply system for sustainable urban water supply in the informal settlements. A total of 292 households were randomly sampled alongside 35 purposively sampled private water actors and public water departments. The data were collected through face to face interviews. Findings show that water supply services of the multi-model water supply system are inevitably suitable for the water consumption needs of informal settlements’s dwellers. The operation of the multi-model water supply system is flexible and able to accommodate the diverse water consumption preferences and choices of the different socio-economic groups in the informal settlements. We observed that multiplicity of urban water supply system increases households’ access to water but does not necessarily improve the quality of water serve in the informal settlements. The paper recommended for the formalisation and adoption of the multi-model urban water supply system to meet the growing demand for improved water supply and services in the informal settlements.展开更多
Surat city is continuously expanding with industrial development. Despite several flyovers, traffic congestion continues in the heart of city. Therefore, fresh transportation planning is at anvil. Simultaneously, furt...Surat city is continuously expanding with industrial development. Despite several flyovers, traffic congestion continues in the heart of city. Therefore, fresh transportation planning is at anvil. Simultaneously, further expansion plan is under consideration to create yet another, the 10th industrial zone. Purpose of this paper is to explore lean management based sustainable transport system for meeting the increasing needs of people and supply-chain. The research examines different mode of transportation like; vehicles on road, rail on the land, and steamers through the sea route to provide connectivity. This study may support the planners of the smart city. The study intends to find how lean management can be integrated to sustainable transport system meeting objectives of lean and sustainability both. Lean management system claims to be capable of eliminating all type of wastes including those associated with transport system. On the other hand, sustainable transport claims to meet the needs of people in personal economic lives, importantly respecting the need of future generations. Therefore, this applied research aims to find a lean and sustainable transport solution. This research work can be seen as descriptive type as it includes survey of location and fact finding enquiries.展开更多
Caspian clouds(CCs)are formed between the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and the Alborz Mountains.The purpose of this study is to identify characteristics of CCs using aerosol,cloud,and meteorological data from Mod...Caspian clouds(CCs)are formed between the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and the Alborz Mountains.The purpose of this study is to identify characteristics of CCs using aerosol,cloud,and meteorological data from ModernEra Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications version 2(MERRA-2),Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS),and ECMWF Reanalysis version 5(ERA5)during 2000–2020.During this period,we identified and investigated 636 days with CCs.The results indicated that the frequency(%)of these clouds was higher in the summer than in other seasons because synoptic system activity varies between hot and cold periods.The hot season with the beginning of high-pressure subtropical Azores activity and the formation of a stable atmosphere in northern Iran leads to more frequent occurrence of CCs.These clouds are mainly the low-and middle-level clouds in the region,e.g.,stratus and altocumulus.CCs resulted in 13.9%of annual rainfall,and 55.9%and 18.7%of the summer and autumn rainfall,respectively,relative to total rainfall from all cloud types in the study region.In the multivariate regression analysis,CC precipitation exhibited a strong positive relationship with the cloud water path(CWP),cloud optical thickness(COT),and cloud effective radius(CER).A comparison of the mean and standard deviation of aerosol optical thickness(AOT)and aerosol index(AI)for CC and non-CC days did not show a significant difference.Examination of the synoptic patterns showed that the main factors in the formation of CCs are the specific environmental conditions of the region and the orographic lift of stable air masses.The Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory(HYSPLIT)model indicated that the source of moisture for the formation of CCs was largely the Caspian Sea.展开更多
Tibetan architecture is largely associated with the impressive monastic buildings scattered over the Tibetan Plateau and the adjoining mountain ranges.While these buildings have long attracted the interest from travel...Tibetan architecture is largely associated with the impressive monastic buildings scattered over the Tibetan Plateau and the adjoining mountain ranges.While these buildings have long attracted the interest from travellers and researches,the rural vernacular architecture has been grossly neglected.Accounting for more than 90 percent of the cultural heritage vernacular farmhouses incorporate an immeasurable wealth of traditional knowledge and local craftsmanship that is increasingly threatened by the impacts of modernisation.The article draws on a research project on vernacular architecture in the Tibetan cultural region and presents four examples of rural houses in former Kham,that is nowadays spread across Sichuan,Qinghai,Yunnan provinces and the Xizang(Tibet)Autonomous Region.The examples show a surprising diversity in terms of style,size,layout,building materials and structural systems that are perfectly adapted to local climatic and topographic conditions as well as the resources available in a particular environment.As examples for this diversity the article presents a rammed earth building in Chatreng,a house in stone masonry from Dabpa,a house in Pome built with timber log walls,and a house from Gyalrong with a mixed stone/timber construction.The richness of vernacular farmhouse architecture in Kham deserves special recognition and support on various levels.展开更多
文摘Background: Globally, an estimated 80 million unintended pregnancies comprising both mistimed and unwanted pregnancies are recorded yearly. Yet only half of the women at risk of mistimed pregnancy use contraceptives. In developing countries, over 100 million females have unmet need, and national surveys in Ghana indicate 23% unmet need rate. Methods: Using a cross-sectional community-based approach, a sample size of 300 women of reproductive age were selected using multi-step cluster sampling techniques. The study was quantitative, using structured interviewer-administered questionnaires. Results: Two-third (66%) of the women in reproductive age still had unmet need, 71% were currently pregnant, and more than a third (36%) confirmed ever having a mistimed pregnancy. Fifty-three percent (53%) of the women confirmed never communicating with their partners on family planning issues, a little below half (45%) took their own health care decisions. Seventy nine percent (79%) ever received family planning services from a health professional. Factors related to unmet needs included mistimed pregnancy, level of education, preferred birth/pregnancy interval, communication between partners and the autonomy to spend self-earnings. Conclusion: Considering that high rates of unmet need results in mistimed pregnancy, improved policies around the influence of unmet need on mistimed pregnancies are needed.
文摘In the global south wide range of studies highlight the limitations of the single-modelled public urban water system to meeting the endogenous water preferences of the urban population. Studies also touched on the complementary roles of private water actors to the single-modelled public water supply system in the urban water supply network. Multiple of urban water supply systems （multi-model） co-exist in the urban landscape of global south. However, it is unclear and largely inconclusive on the suitable and satisfactory urban water supply model that meets the water consumption needs of informal settlement dwellers in the global south. This study draws the experiences of households in the informal settlements using a case-study with cross-sectional survey strategy to assess the suitability of the multi-model urban water supply system for sustainable urban water supply in the informal settlements. A total of 292 households were randomly sampled alongside 35 purposively sampled private water actors and public water departments. The data were collected through face to face interviews. Findings show that water supply services of the multi-model water supply system are inevitably suitable for the water consumption needs of informal settlements’s dwellers. The operation of the multi-model water supply system is flexible and able to accommodate the diverse water consumption preferences and choices of the different socio-economic groups in the informal settlements. We observed that multiplicity of urban water supply system increases households’ access to water but does not necessarily improve the quality of water serve in the informal settlements. The paper recommended for the formalisation and adoption of the multi-model urban water supply system to meet the growing demand for improved water supply and services in the informal settlements.
文摘Surat city is continuously expanding with industrial development. Despite several flyovers, traffic congestion continues in the heart of city. Therefore, fresh transportation planning is at anvil. Simultaneously, further expansion plan is under consideration to create yet another, the 10th industrial zone. Purpose of this paper is to explore lean management based sustainable transport system for meeting the increasing needs of people and supply-chain. The research examines different mode of transportation like; vehicles on road, rail on the land, and steamers through the sea route to provide connectivity. This study may support the planners of the smart city. The study intends to find how lean management can be integrated to sustainable transport system meeting objectives of lean and sustainability both. Lean management system claims to be capable of eliminating all type of wastes including those associated with transport system. On the other hand, sustainable transport claims to meet the needs of people in personal economic lives, importantly respecting the need of future generations. Therefore, this applied research aims to find a lean and sustainable transport solution. This research work can be seen as descriptive type as it includes survey of location and fact finding enquiries.
基金This work was supported by the Department of Climatology at the University of Tabriz.
文摘Caspian clouds(CCs)are formed between the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and the Alborz Mountains.The purpose of this study is to identify characteristics of CCs using aerosol,cloud,and meteorological data from ModernEra Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications version 2(MERRA-2),Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS),and ECMWF Reanalysis version 5(ERA5)during 2000–2020.During this period,we identified and investigated 636 days with CCs.The results indicated that the frequency(%)of these clouds was higher in the summer than in other seasons because synoptic system activity varies between hot and cold periods.The hot season with the beginning of high-pressure subtropical Azores activity and the formation of a stable atmosphere in northern Iran leads to more frequent occurrence of CCs.These clouds are mainly the low-and middle-level clouds in the region,e.g.,stratus and altocumulus.CCs resulted in 13.9%of annual rainfall,and 55.9%and 18.7%of the summer and autumn rainfall,respectively,relative to total rainfall from all cloud types in the study region.In the multivariate regression analysis,CC precipitation exhibited a strong positive relationship with the cloud water path(CWP),cloud optical thickness(COT),and cloud effective radius(CER).A comparison of the mean and standard deviation of aerosol optical thickness(AOT)and aerosol index(AI)for CC and non-CC days did not show a significant difference.Examination of the synoptic patterns showed that the main factors in the formation of CCs are the specific environmental conditions of the region and the orographic lift of stable air masses.The Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory(HYSPLIT)model indicated that the source of moisture for the formation of CCs was largely the Caspian Sea.
文摘Tibetan architecture is largely associated with the impressive monastic buildings scattered over the Tibetan Plateau and the adjoining mountain ranges.While these buildings have long attracted the interest from travellers and researches,the rural vernacular architecture has been grossly neglected.Accounting for more than 90 percent of the cultural heritage vernacular farmhouses incorporate an immeasurable wealth of traditional knowledge and local craftsmanship that is increasingly threatened by the impacts of modernisation.The article draws on a research project on vernacular architecture in the Tibetan cultural region and presents four examples of rural houses in former Kham,that is nowadays spread across Sichuan,Qinghai,Yunnan provinces and the Xizang(Tibet)Autonomous Region.The examples show a surprising diversity in terms of style,size,layout,building materials and structural systems that are perfectly adapted to local climatic and topographic conditions as well as the resources available in a particular environment.As examples for this diversity the article presents a rammed earth building in Chatreng,a house in stone masonry from Dabpa,a house in Pome built with timber log walls,and a house from Gyalrong with a mixed stone/timber construction.The richness of vernacular farmhouse architecture in Kham deserves special recognition and support on various levels.
