Determinants of nutritional behavior among women of reproductive age : a case of north central Nigeria

Sampson Eugene Chimdinma Graduate School of Government, Business, and Entre 2021 국내석사

특히 개발도상국에서는 영양과 식량 안보가 주요 관심사입니다. 영양소 결핍은 나이지리아의 공중 보건 문제입니다. 건강하지 않은 식습관 때문에 식품 안전을 달성하는 것은 주요 도전 과제입니다. 여성의 영양 상태와 여성의 지식은 여성 스스로의 영양보장과 가정식품보장의 강력한 지표입니다. 영양과 관련된 지식과 태도는 건강한 식생활 패턴으로 가는 식생활 변화를 위해 필요합니다. 이러한 이유로, 음식과 영양에 관련된 지식, 태도, 그리고 행동 (KAB)은 가정 음식과 영양상의 안정을 이루는 중요한 요소들 중 하나입니다. 이 연구의 중심 목적은 생식 연령의 여성들의 영양 행동의 결정 요인을 평가하는 것이었습니다. 여성들이 가정 내에서 돌봄과 가정식 만드는 데 핵심적인 역할을 하고 있다는 점을 고려하면, 그들의 영양학적 행동의 결정요인을 이해하는 것이 필요했습니다. 연구 샘플은 15세에서 49세 사이의 여성 300명으로 구성되었으며, 일차 데이터는 구조화된 설문지를 사용하여 2020년 9월에 수집되었습니다. 이변량 분석은 측정된 변수 간의 관계를 이해하기 위해 수행되었습니다. 그 후, 영양 관련 특성, 서비스 활용 및 사회 인구학적 특성이 영양 관련 행동에 어떤 영향을 미치는지 확인하기 위해 다변량 회귀 분석을 수행했습니다. 이변량 분석은 배우자(결혼한 상태), 고용, 지역, 소득 수준이 서비스 이용, 영양 관련 지식, 태도에 긍정적인 영향을 미치는 강한 관계를 가지고 있다고 보고했습니다. 행동도 이러한 관계는 통계적으로 유의한 것으로 확인되었습니다. 다중 회귀분석을 이용함으로써, 통계적으로 유의미한 요소들이 배우자, 소득수준, 그리고 영양관련 태도에서 발견되어 영양의 결정이 여성의 행동에 긍정적인 영향을 끼쳤다고 나타났습니다. 결론적으로, 그 결과는 영양 교육에 대한 공공 보건 종사자들의 역량 강화, 미디어의 역할 촉진, 가정 정원 가꾸기, 학교 정원 가꾸기, 여성의 소득 창출 능력 향상의 필요성을 암시했습니다. Nutrition and food security are major concern especially in developing countries. Nutrient deficiencies are a public health problem in Nigeria. Achieving food security is a major challenge due to unhealthy eating patterns. The nutritional status of a woman and her knowledge is a powerful indicator of the nutritional security of herself and household food security. Nutrition-related knowledge and attitude are necessary for dietary changes towards a healthier dietary pattern. For that reason, food and nutrition-related Knowledge, Attitude, and behavior (KAB) is one of the key factors to achieving household food and nutritional security. The central purpose of the study was to assess the determinants of nutritional behavior of women of reproductive age (15-49 years). Considering that women occupy a key role in the household as care givers and making homemade meals, it was needful to understand the determinants of their nutritional behaviour. The study sample comprised of 300 women aged between 15-49 years, primary data was collected in September 2020 using structured questionnaire. Bivariate analysis was conducted to understand the relationship between the measured variables. Thereafter, a multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify how nutrition-related characteristics, services utilization and socio-demographic characteristics influenced nutrition related behavior. The bivariate analysis reported that spouse (being married), employment, area and income level had a strong relationship in positively influencing service utilization, nutrition-related knowledge, attitude. and behavior. These relationships were found to be statistically significant. By using multiple regression analysis, statistically significant factors were found in spouse, income level and nutrition-related attitude in positively influencing the behavior of women in making nutrition decision. Conclusively, the results implied that there is need to enhance the capacity of public health workers on nutrition education, promote the role of the media, promote the establishment of home gardening, school gardening and improve the income generating capacity of women.

CHALLENGES OF SME FINANCING IN GHANA : A CASE OF THE GPSDF

ABANKWA, SAMPSON 아주대학교 Graduate School of International Studies Ajo 2017 국내석사

ABSTRACT This study examined the challenges Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises face in accessing funds from financing schemes initiated by the government of Ghana. The study adopted quantitative research approach. The study used questionnaires to collect data from 50 SMEs which participated in the Ghana Private Sector Development Faculty through the Ministry of trade and Industry. Descriptive statistics such as pie chart, bar chart, frequency tables and percentages where used to present the results of the data. The size of establishment affected the SMEs access to fund. Small firms with average low turnover could not receive funding from the scheme because of their inability to meet funding requirements. Locating the office of the GPSDF project was also difficult and time consuming for SMEs which were located outside Accra. It was noted that the banks also shy away from SMEs involved in Agro businesses. Therefore, streamlining these limitations will be integral to the development of the sector. For example, the government of Ghana can offer training and education in SMEs development to both administrators of credit facilities and SMEs operators. Specific financing tools such as venture capital, leasing and factoring can be useful in facilitating greater access to finance. The government can use these schemes to address the precise financing needs and expectations of SMEs which the traditional banks ignore.

THE GENEALOGY OF MINIMALISM : CARL ANDRE, DAN FLAVIN, DONALD JUDD, SOL LEWITT AND ROBERT MORRIS

MEYER, JAMES SAMPSON 1995 국내박사

SANTINI-AICHEL'S DESIGN FOR THE CONVENT OF THE CISTERCIAN MONASTERY AT PLASY IN WESTERN BOHEMIA (SANTINI AICHEL JOHANN, ITALIAN BAROQUE)

YOUNG, MICHAEL SAMPSON Columbia University 1990 국내박사

Essays on International Trade and Labor

Sampson, Thomas Andrew Harvard University 2011 해외박사(DDOD)

This dissertation comprises three essays examining the impact of globalization on the labor market and the effect of financial education on demand for financial services. The first essay analyzes the interaction between trade liberalization and the allocation of skill across industries. It develops an assignment model of the labor market in which high skill workers are matched with high non-labor input productivity industries. The essay argues that cross-country differences in productivity rankings cause assignment reversals, meaning that the ranking of industries by skill intensity varies across countries. When assignment reversals occur trade integration increases wage inequality regardless of a country's skill endowment. Evidence from industry wage data is used to demonstrate the existence of assignment reversals and to support the labor allocation mechanism proposed by the model. The second essay is concerned with cross-country technology diffusion. The essay develops a model of technology transfer when technology is embodied in human capital and learning requires on-the-job communication between managers and workers. Patterns of knowledge diffusion depend on where high knowledge managers work and how much time they allocate to training workers. In the open economy managers face a cross-country trade-off between labor costs and the value of knowledge transfer. Complementarity between a country's Hicks-neutral efficiency and a manager's technological knowledge makes knowledge more valuable in the North meaning that high knowledge managers choose to work in the North and globalization precipitates a brain drain of high knowledge Southern agents to the North. Consequently, knowledge transfer serves to magnify, not diminish, pre-existing productivity differences between countries. The third essay combines survey evidence from Indonesia and India with a field experiment in Indonesia to test alternative explanations of low demand for financial services in emerging markets. The survey data shows a strong correlation between financial literacy and behavior. However, in the field experiment a financial education program has limited effects, increasing demand for bank accounts only for those with low education or financial literacy. In contrast, small subsidies greatly increase demand.

An investigation of item fit and functioning of an algebra assessment for English language learners

Sampson, Shannon Oldham University of Kentucky 2005 해외박사(DDOD)

Important decisions are often made based on assessment results, but there are questions about whether they really assess what is intended for all students, including English Language Learning (ELL) students. This study asks the following questions: (1) Do the data from a multiple choice assessment designed to measure the algebra ability of a group of high school students fit the requirements of the Rasch model for both ELL and English-proficient students? (2) How do the item difficulties compare for ELL and English-proficient students? (3) If certain data fit the model poorly and/or have divergent difficulty measures for the ELL students and their English-proficient classmates, can these idiosyncrasies be attributed to the linguistic complexity of the items?. The Rasch model was selected because deviations from the expectations of the model may indicate problematic features that can be controlled for or explained, especially when they are related to a demographic subgroup such as ELL students. Furthermore, it supports the relatively small sample of ELL students included in the study. Through the application of the Rasch model, along with a systematic method of selecting an item set varying in linguistic complexity and mathematical content difficulty, this study provides a look at the role linguistic complexity plays in determining item difficulty for ELL students on a mathematics assessment. Empirical evidence revealed that proportionately more ELL students misfit than English-proficient students. Surprisingly, poor fit resulted from many ELL students answering certain difficult items correctly, and all but one of these items required students to translate a verbal expression into a mathematical one. The five differentially difficult items for the ELL students contained a key word or phrase important to understanding the item, and contained material that students new to the United States may not have had the opportunity to learn. The findings challenge current notions about linguistic complexity confounding content assessment, although further studies should be conducted before definitively countering others' work. This study offers new ideas to consider, and a methodology for conducting the future studies to further explore these ideas.

State autonomy and revolution in Greece

Sampson, Theodosios D University of Denver 2005 해외박사(DDOD)

By using the single case study of Greece, and through historical and discourse/content analyses, I examine the reasons why groups advocating armed struggle as a means to structural social and economic transformation come to exist, especially at a time and a setting when conventional thinking would expect otherwise. Ultimately, this dissertation is an attempt to establish a nexus between the concept of state autonomy and revolution. As such, this dissertation demonstrates the importance of structural factors in our efforts to understand and explain the phenomenon of revolution. Although heuristic, actor-oriented theories regarding revolutionaries too often fall short in providing us with a more thorough and historically accurate account of revolutionary activity. The thesis of this project is that Greek politics was characterized by the persecution of a large segment of the population and its exclusion from political participation for most of the 20th century. Internal state autonomy was limited at best, with the state apparatuses enacting and executing policies that converged with, or were an expression of, the dominant class. Furthermore, state autonomy was also limited by the penetration of foreign interests into Greek politics both as a result of coercion and the harmonious relationship that formed between the Greek elite and their foreign counterparts. During WWII and its aftermath, international imperatives foresaw the demise of a social revolution that would upset internal and external political, economic and social structures. US foreign policy towards Greece exacerbated a situation where political development and modernization were severely restrained, culminating in the military dictatorship of 1967--74. During this period, a few groups formed in Greece and abroad that advocated the institutionalization of multiparty politics and the toppling of the military regime. Framing their struggle in terms of national liberation within a capitalist structure of economic and political dependence, these groups chose to play an extra-parliamentary role and use armed struggle as a means of realizing their goal of social revolution.

Quantification of action potential duration (APD) dispersion in intact myocardium and consequences for conduction block

Sampson, Kevin J Duke University 2004 해외박사(DDOD)

Action potential duration (APD) dispersion is present throughout the heart and has been shown in pathological conditions to produce functional conduction block leading to arrhythmia. A quantitative understanding of the link between cellular heterogeneity, functional dispersion, and functional conduction block, however, is lacking. This thesis presents the results from computer simulations in one, two, and three dimensions and theoretical analysis to investigate the links between intrinsic cellular heterogeneity, structural complexities, functional APD gradients, and ultimately the success or failure of wavefront propagation in intact myocardium. One-dimensional cable models are used to investigate the role of a dynamically changing transmembrane resistance (Rm) on the formation of functional APD gradients in the presence of intrinsic cellular heterogeneity. Using a realistic three dimensional model of the mouse ventricles, APD dispersion was found to depend on the topology of cellular heterogeneity and the heart size. The results showed that significant APD heterogeneity could not be achieved in the normal mouse heart without substantial electrical uncoupling. In spatially extended tissue, APD gradients can be large enough to produce conduction disturbance. A series of simulations studies and theoretical arguments are presented that show that conduction block in tissue with functional APD gradients is accomplished when APD dispersion exceeds the capacity of conduction velocity (CV) restitution. These results suggest that the likelihood of block can be predicted from the recovery time of the previous beat and the conduction velocity restitution of the underlying tissue. Simulations are used to show how the combination of structural and ionic heterogeneities produce APD gradients in directions that can be perpendicular to that formed by the intrinsic APD differences. Scenarios are presented in which large gradients are created that lead to reentrant propagation following two identical point stimuli. Finally, simulations are used to explore how the measurement of functional APD in tissue is impacted by the presence of functional conduction block and how APD at a single point depends on direction of propagation in heterogeneous tissue. The results show that APD and its restitution can vary significantly in space during complex wavefront interactions even in the absence of memory effects.

Exploring the relationship between a small rural school in northeast Georgia and its community: An image-based study using participant-produced photographs

Sampson-Cordle, Alice Vera University of Georgia 2001 해외박사(DDOD)

Close to half of the schools in the United States are located in rural areas and small towns. Economies-of-scale, via school consolidation, continues to be the dominant reform effort particular to rural education. The assumption is often made that through the centralization of resources, large rural schools are more efficient than smaller schools. But, some rural scholars now challenge the notion of just what constitutes “efficiency.” In addition, small rural schools not facing immediate consolidation are often held to standards and uniform practices that may not make sense in light of its lack of resources, isolation, and organization: this “one best fit” reform ignores the unique attributes, concerns, and community attached to rural schools. The purpose of this study was to examine the influences, identifications, and interactions between a small rural school and its surrounding community. Through the employment of image-based research and the examination of local demographics and historical and local documents, I have attempted to describe the relationship between a small rural K–12 unit school and its community so that stakeholders and policymakers may better understand the impact extrinsic and sweeping reform policies may have on small rural schools and their communities. Data include photographs, photofeedback, and photointerviewing responses. Through the exploration of the connections between a small, rural school and its community, I present a descriptive picture of rural education in a particular setting. Three sets of findings are presented for this study. First is a story of Woody Gap School. Next is the participants' photoessays created from a within-case analysis of participant data, organized as themes. The last set is the themes created from a cross-case analysis of these photoessays, presented in two sections: common themes and individual responses. Some themes that emerged from this data are Kinship Connections, Kinship-Like Connections, Outsiders and Rules for Conduct, Exclusivity, Involvement in the Community, The Chair Brigade, Expectations of Community, Self-sufficiency and Tenacity, Old Habits, Community Support of School, Activities and Traditions, and Mutual Reliance. A discussion of the findings considers themes within the context of Tönnies's <italic>Gemeinschaft</italic> and society <italic>Gesellschaft </italic> continuum and Coleman's discussion of intergenerational closure.

Principled Variance Reduction Techniques for Real Time Patient-Specific Monte Carlo Applications within Brachytherapy and Cone-Beam Computed Tomography

Sampson, Andrew Joseph Virginia Commonwealth University 2013 해외박사(DDOD)

This dissertation describes the application of two principled variance reduction strategies to increase the efficiency for two applications within medical physics. The first, called correlated Monte Carlo (CMC) applies to patient-specific, permanent-seed brachytherapy (PSB) dose calculations. The second, called adjoint-biased forward Monte Carlo (ABFMC), is used to compute cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scatter projections. CMC was applied for two PSB cases: a clinical post-implant prostate, and a breast with a simulated lumpectomy cavity. CMC computes the dose difference, <italic>ΔD,</italic> between the highly correlated dose computing homogeneous and heterogeneous geometries. The particle transport in the heterogeneous geometry assumed a purely homogeneous environment, and altered particle weights accounted for bias. Average gains of 37 to 60 are reported from using CMC, relative to un-correlated Monte Carlo (UMC) calculations, for the prostate and breast CTV's, respectively. To further increase the efficiency up to 1500 fold above UMC, an approximation called interpolated correlated Monte Carlo (ICMC) was applied. ICMC computes <italic> ΔD</italic> using CMC on a low-resolution (LR) spatial grid followed by interpolation to a high-resolution (HR) voxel grid followed. The interpolated, HR <italic>ΔD</italic> is then summed with a HR, pre-computed, homogeneous dose map. ICMC computes an approximate, but accurate, HR heterogeneous dose distribution from LR MC calculations achieving an average 2% standard deviation within the prostate and breast CTV's in 1.1 sec and 0.39 sec, respectively. Accuracy for 80% of the voxels using ICMC is within 3% for anatomically realistic geometries. Second, for CBCT scatter projections, ABFMC was implemented via weight windowing using a solution to the adjoint Boltzmann transport equation computed either via the discrete ordinates method (DOM), or a MC implemented forward-adjoint importance generator (FAIG). ABFMC, implemented via DOM or FAIG, was tested for a single elliptical water cylinder using a primary point source (PPS) and a phase-space source (PSS). The best gains were found by using the PSS yielding average efficiency gains of 250 relative to non-weight windowed MC utilizing the PPS. Furthermore, computing 360 projections on a pixel grid requires only 48 min on a single CPU core allowing clinical use via parallel processing techniques.