| 1. |
- Ahmed, Nur, et al.
(author)
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Impact of climate change on rice insect pests and their natural enemies
- 2013
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Rice is one of the important staple foods for half of the world population particularly Asian countries for their livelihood, socio-economic and nutrition. Global warming is predicted to increase frequency of precipitation/rainfall, intensity of drought and solar-radiation/UV-B radiation which might affect the intensity and severity of rice pests in one hand, but also change in other friendly arthropods on the other hand. The present studies discuss the influence of climatic factors (temperature and rainfall) on yellow stem borer (YSB), brown planthopper (BPH), green leafhopper (GLH) and their natural enemies (spider, lady bird beetle, green mirid bug). Light trap and sweep net catches of arthropods from different rice habitats were used in this study. For GLH there is a strong periodicity at 6 months and a somewhat weaker periodicity at 12 months followed by an even weaker periodicity at 3 months, especially valid for both methods of data collection (light trap and sweep-net data). Finally, for GMB there is a strong periodicity at 6 months and a somewhat weaker periodicity at 3 months followed by an even weaker periodicity at 4 months. There is a general increasing trend over the ten years seems to be present in the GLH. This corresponds to that the abundance in 2005 is generally 15 times larger than in January 1996. For LBB, there is an increasing trend of log abundance of LBB over time and shows a strong periodicity at 3 months and a somewhat weaker periodicity at 4 months followed by an even weaker periodicity at about 6 months. For Spider there is a strong periodicity at 2.4 months and a somewhat weaker periodicity at 4 months followed by an even weaker periodicities at about 3 months and 6 months. Results show an increase of maximum temperature of approximately 0.5 to 1°C over 10 years.
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| 2. |
- Borg, Johan, et al.
(author)
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Assistive technology use and human rights enjoyment: a cross-sectional study in Bangladesh
- 2012
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In: BMC International Health and Human Rights. - 1472-698X. ; 12:18
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: About half a billion people with disabilities in developing countries have limited access to assistive technology. The Convention on the Rights of persons with Disabilities requires governments to take measures to ensure provision of such technologies. To guide implementation of these measures there is a need for understanding health outcomes from a human rights perspective. The objective of this study was therefore to explore the relation between assistive technology use and enjoyment of human rights in a low-income country. Methods: Data was collected in eight districts of Bangladesh through interviews of people with hearing impairments using and not using hearings aids, and people with ambulatory impairments using and not using manual wheelchairs (N = 583). Using logistic regression, self-reported outcomes on standard of living, health, education, work, receiving information and movement were analyzed. Results: The adjusted likelihood of reporting greater enjoyment of human rights was significantly higher among people using hearing aids compared to non-users for all outcomes except working status. Compared to non-users, users of wheelchairs reported a significantly higher adjusted likelihood of good ambulatory performance and a significantly lower adjusted likelihood of reporting a positive working status. Further analyses indicated that physical accessibility to working places and duration of wheelchair use had a statistically significant impact on the likelihood of reporting positive work outcomes. Conclusions: The findings support the notion that assistive technology use increases the likelihood of human rights enjoyment, particularly hearing aid use. Physical accessibility should always be addressed in wheelchair provision.
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| 3. |
- Borg, Johan, et al.
(author)
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User involvement in service delivery predicts outcomes of assistive technology use: A cross-sectional study in Bangladesh
- 2012
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In: BMC Health Services Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1472-6963. ; 12:330
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Knowledge about the relation between user involvement in the provision of assistive technology and outcomes of assistive technology use is a prerequisite for the development of efficient service delivery strategies. However, current knowledge is limited, particularly from low-income countries where affordability is an issue. The objective was therefore to explore the relation between outcomes of assistive technology use and user involvement in the service delivery process in Bangladesh. Methods: Using structured interviews, data from 136 users of hearing aids and 149 users of manual wheelchairs were collected. Outcomes were measured using the International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA), which was adapted for wheelchair users. Predictors of user involvement included preference, measurement and training. Results: Users reported outcomes comparable to those found in other high- and low-income countries. User involvement increased the likelihood for reporting better outcomes except for measurement among hearing aid users. Conclusions: The findings support the provision of assistive technology as a strategy to improve the participation of people with disabilities in society. They also support current policies and guidelines for user-involvement in the service delivery process. Simplified strategies for provision of hearing aids may be explored.
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