Inadequate efforts towards meeting the sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescents and young people, who disproportionately share the burden of unwanted pregnancies, poor maternal and child ...health outcomes, risks of RTI/STI and HIV/AIDS, increase the risk of losing much of the progress made towards the Millennium Development Goals over the last decade, particularly in the context of low-and-middle-income countries like India.
Using the nationally representative data on 160551 unmarried young women aged 15-24 years from the District Level Reproductive and Child Health Survey (DLHS: 2007-2008) in India, this research evaluated the demographic and socioeconomic differentials in the access to family life/sex education (FLE) among youth in India. Using the adjusted multiple logistic regression models, the association between access to family life/sex education and attitudes towards a range of sexual and reproductive health matters among young unmarried Indian women were investigated.
Less than half of the unmarried young women had received some form of FLE (48 percent) in India. However, there were substantial demographic and socioeconomic variations in their access to FLE, as relatively less educated women from the poorest wealth quintiles, religious and social minorities (Muslims, Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes) were significantly less likely to receive FLE as compared to other women. Importantly, the likelihood of holding favourable/positive attitudes towards reproductive processes, knowledge and discussion of contraceptive methods, precise awareness about the transmission pathways of RTIs/STIs and HIV/AIDS was significantly higher among those women in India who had access to FLE.
The present research underscores the protective role of family life education towards improving the sexual and reproductive life experiences of young people. It further underscores the vital need to implement a comprehensive and culturally appropriate programme of family life education in order to meet the sexual and reproductive health demands of the adolescents and young people in India.
•Polystyrene-graphene oxide (PS-GO) core-shell nanoparticles were synthesized by in situ emulsion polymerization of styrene in aqueous graphene oxide dispersion.•The hybrid core-shell nanoparticle ...dispersed more uniformly in epoxy resin as compared to graphene oxide sheets.•The fracture toughness, compressive strength and thermal properties of PS-GO/epoxy composites were better than both GO/epoxy composites and neat epoxy.•The predominant toughening mechanisms were crack deflection, filler debonding leading to void formation and improved filler-matrix interaction.
Epoxy is a high performance yet brittle thermosetting resin. To deem epoxy fit for aircraft applications, its mechanical properties, especially fracture toughness, must be improved. In this work, epoxy resin was reinforced with 0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 wt.% polystyrene-graphene oxide (PS-GO) core-shell nano-particles to enhance its fracture toughness. Styrene monomer (oil phase) was polymerized in situ using aqueous GO dispersion (water phase) to obtain PS-GO core-shell nano-particles, which appeared as wrinkled spheres under the electron microscope, confirming that the PS particles were wrapped by the GO sheets. The effect of PS-GO and GO on the curing of epoxy resin was studied and compared. The fracture tests of the cured composites revealed 28% and 26% improvements in the fracture toughness (KIC) and fracture energy (GIC) values for the 1.0 wt.% PS-GO epoxy composite, respectively. Toughening in the composites majorly occurred due to filler debonding accompanied by void formation, crack deflection and blunting and strong filler matrix interaction. The compressive strength and strain at failure improved by 25% and 52% for the 0.1 wt.% PS-GO epoxy composite, respectively. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) revealed that epoxy's stiffness improved slightly after PS-GO addition while the Tg remained almost constant. Finally, the FTIR analysis of cured epoxy composites in agreement with the curing studies ascertained that, irrespective of the filler loading, the amount of hardener used was adequate to achieve complete curing of the epoxy.
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People with disabilities are vulnerable because of the many challenges they face attitudinal, physical, and financial. The National Policy for Persons with Disabilities (2006) recognizes that Persons ...with Disabilities are valuable human resources for the country and seeks to create an environment that provides equal opportunities, and protection of their rights, and full. There are limited studies on health care burden due to disabilities of various types. The present study examines the socioeconomic and state-wise differences in the prevalence of disabilities and related household financial burden in India. Data for this study was obtained from the National Sample Survey (NSS), 76th round Persons with Disabilities in India Survey 2018. The survey covered a sample of 1,18,152 households, 5,76,569 individuals, of which 1,06,894 of had any disability. This study performed descriptive statistics, and bivariate estimates. The finding of the analysis showed that prevalence of disability of any kind was 22 persons per 1000. Around, one-fifth (20.32%) of the household's monthly consumption expenditure was spent on out-of-pocket expenditure for disability. More than half (57.1%) of the households were pushed to catastrophic health expenditure due to one of the members being disabled. Almost one-fifth (19.1%) of the households who were above the poverty line before one of members was treated for disability were pushed below the poverty line after the expenditure of the treatment and average percentage shortfall in income from the poverty line was 11.0 percent due to disability treatment care expenditure. The study provides an insight on the socioeconomic differentials in out-of-pocket expenditure, catastrophic expenditure for treatment of any kind of disability. To attain SDG goal 3 that advocates healthy life and promote well-being for all at all ages, there is a need to recognize the disadvantaged and due to disability.
Evidence from a number of countries in Europe and North America point towards the secular declining trend in menarcheal age with considerable spatial variations over the past two centuries. Similar ...trends were reported in several developing countries from Asia, Africa and Latin America. However, data corroborating any secular trend in the menarcheal age of the Indian population remained sparse and inadequately verified.
We examined secular trends, regional heterogeneity and association of socioeconomic, anthropometric and contextual factors with menarcheal age among ever-married women (15-49 years) in India. Using the pseudo cohort data approach, we fit multiple linear regression models to estimate secular trends in menarcheal age of 91394 ever-married women using the Indian Human Development Survey.
The mean age at menarche among Indian women was 13.76 years (95 % CI: 13.75, 13.77) in 2005. It declined by three months from 13.83 years (95% CI: 13.81, 13.85) among women born prior to 1955-1964, to nearly 13.62 years (95% CI: 13.58, 13.67) among women born during late 1985-1989. However, these aggregate national figures mask extensive spatial heterogeneity as mean age at menarche varied from 15.0 years in Himachal Pradesh during 1955-1964 (95% CI: 14.89-15.11) to about 12.1 years in Assam (95% CI: 11.63-12.56) during 1985-1989.
The regression analysis established a reduction of nearly one month per decade, suggesting a secular decline in age at menarche among Indian women. Notably, the menarcheal age was significantly associated with the area of residence, geographic region, linguistic groups, educational attainment, wealth status, caste and religious affiliations among Indian women.
Sex education/family life education (FLE) has been one of the highly controversial issues in Indian society. Due to increasing incidences of HIV/AIDS, RTIs/STIs and teenage pregnancies, there is a ...rising need to impart sex education. However, introducing sex education at school level always received mixed response from various segments of Indian society.
We attempt to understand the expectations and experiences of youth regarding family life education in India by analysing the data from District Level Household and Facility Survey (DLHS-3: 2007-08) and Youth Study in India (2006-07). We used descriptive methods to analyse the extent of access to FLE and socio demographic patterning among Indian youth.
We found substantial gap between the proportion of youth who perceived sex education to be important and those who actually received it, revealing considerable unmet need for FLE. Youth who received FLE were relatively more aware about reproductive health issues than their counterparts. Majority among Indian youth, irrespective of their age and sex, favoured introduction of FLE at school level, preferably from standard 8(th) onwards. The challenge now is to develop a culturally-sensitive FLE curriculum acceptable to all sections of society.
Recent evidence suggests nonconstant nature of dispersion in adult women's body mass index (BMI) across sociodemographic groups. The overall variances in BMI and height are also shown to have ...substantially changed over time. We modeled complex variation in adults' anthropometry-BMI and height-by wealth and education, and assessed their differences over time in India.
Data from a total of 768,130 women and 180,691 men from the Indian National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2006 and 2016 were used for the analysis. The average association between wealth and education with anthropometry was assessed from linear regression models assuming constant variance. Individual heterogeneity was modeled to obtain separate variances in anthropometry for each wealth quintile and education level. All analyses were stratified by survey year and sex.
On average, the positive socioeconomic gradient in adult's BMI and height persisted over time with slight attenuation. The residual variance in BMI ranged from 10.1 to 14.9 (7.2-11.3) by education level and 6.1 to 17.4 (5.0-13.0) by household wealth for women (men) in 2006, and they increased over time for the lower socioeconomic groups but remained the same or decreased for the higher socioeconomic groups. No significant pattern was observed for variation in height for both genders.
We found potential reversal in the socioeconomic patterning in BMI variability in India as suggested by the increasing dispersion among the least educated and poorest populations. For a comprehensive understanding of nutrition transition in developing countries, it is necessary to assess the changes in means and variances of anthropometry in tandem.
Health is an inseparable part of life and central to all life supporting systems. The reproductive and child health shares a major portion of public health cases that is crucial for socio-economic ...development. Studies on reproductive and child health have traditionally been focused on demographic aspects using socio-economic parameters. Given the emphasis of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-3 on health and well-being, it is imperative to understand the geo-spatial dimension with the visible transition of key health indicators of fertility, maternal and infant/child health in the high burdened districts within these high focus Empowered Action Group (EAG) states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar that make up nearly 40% of India's population with relatively laggard health status. This paper aims to understand the status and trend of key reproductive and child health indicators and vital statistics based on the recent representative demographic surveys. We intend to undertake a district level spatio-temporal analysis by developing District Composite Health Profile (DCHP) using Composite Index Method on selected 13 equally weighted key reproductive and child health indicators. The study has been carried out using data from National Family Health Survey-4 (2015-16) and National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-21) survey rounds. We employed geo-spatial techniques i.e. Moran's-I, and univariate LISA to comprehend the geographical clustering of high and low health burden districts and their heterogeneities at the district level. The study highlights emerging inter-districts, and inter-state disparities over survey periods. With consistent improvement in the selected EAG states over time, the overall reproductive and child health status through DCHP along with each indicator was relatively better in the states of Rajasthan and worse in Bihar. Districts along the Terai belt in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar consistently performed sluggish during survey rounds. The geo-spatial clustering follows the political boundary of states, albeit with intra-state variations. Monitoring of key health indicators using composite index method provides a useful leverage for identifying priority districts/regions for universal health access that should also consider geographical space as an important policy dimension.
In recent years, climate change has been an alarming issue and there is a pressing need for a greener, cost-effective, durable high-density energy storage system. This thesis investigates an ...electrostatic energy storage method using flexible roll-to-roll capacitors at very high voltages (5 kV – 10 kV) and investigates PVDF as a potential dielectric material for the capacitors. PVDF is chosen as a material due to its high dielectric constant, high dielectric breakdown strength, and low flexural modulus (high flexibility). Short-time stepped voltage ramp dielectric breakdown and the time-dependent dielectric breakdown for 75 µm PVDF films have been studied to understand the DC dielectric breakdown strength for the application of PVDF dielectrics under high voltage stress for long periods of time. It has been shown that PVDF can withstand up to 10 kV and does not break down instantaneously. The failure rate dependence on electric field and temperature has been shown along with the prediction of the lifetime of PVDF dielectrics for a period of 10 years (100000 hours). It was found that a capacitor voltage range of 4000 V - 9200 V for a 100 µm PVDF dielectric film would lead to a time to failure of 10 years. The acceleration parameters and activation energy of PVDF films have also been shown to demonstrate the temperature dependence on TDDB of PVDF films. This thesis attempts an in-depth understanding of dielectric breakdown mechanisms, proposes, and investigates PVDF as a potential dielectric candidate, and analyzes the TDDB of polymer films using the thermochemical model (E model).
Biomorphic C-ZnO/ZnS ceramics were developed using eggshell membrane as the bio-template through a facile solution soakage and infiltration method. The calcination temperature was varied from 650 to ...850 °C, and the phase evolutions were studied. ZnS is formed in situ from ZnO and eggshell membrane proteins acted as the intrinsic source for sulfur. Morphological features of the developed biomorphic ceramics were characterized using electron microscopes, and structural investigations were carried out using X-ray diffractometer and FT-IR spectroscopy. The calcined products replicated the fibrous network of the eggshell membrane through an assembly of nanocrystallites. The surface and pore features of the developed ceramics were studied using the Brunauer-Emmet-Teller N2 adsorption-desorption technique, and the sample calcined at 850 °C exhibited a larger surface area compared to other samples. The results of UV–vis diffuse reflectance and photoluminescence spectroscopy indicate that the biomorphic ceramics developed containing carbon might exhibit an enhanced photocatalytic activity.
There is a paucity of scientific analysis that has examined spatial heterogeneities in the socioeconomic vulnerabilities related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) risk and potential mitigation ...strategies at the sub-national level in India. The present study examined the demographic, socioeconomic, and health system-related vulnerabilities shaping COVID-19 risk across 36 states and union territories in India.
Using secondary data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India; Census of India, 2011; National Family Health Survey, 2015-16; and various rounds of the National Sample Survey, we examined socioeconomic vulnerabilities associated with COVID-19 risk at the sub-national level in India from March 16, 2020, to May 3, 2020. Descriptive statistics, principal component analysis, and the negative binomial regression model were used to examine the predictors of COVID-19 risk in India.
There persist substantial heterogeneities in the COVID-19 risk across states and union territories in India. The underlying demographic, socioeconomic, and health infrastructure characteristics drive the vulnerabilities related to COVID-19 in India.
This study emphasizes that concerted socially inclusive policy action and sustained livelihood/economic support for the most vulnerable population groups is critical to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
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