MENVSC (Geography) / Department of Geography and Geo-Information Science / Climate change has brought about a number of global environmental challenges and the worst, climatic disasters such as floods and droughts. In Zimbabwe, particularly in the semi-arid Chivi District, droughts have become more frequent. At the household level, there are a multiplicity of vulnerability and coping mechanisms to this scourge, which have gender dimensions. This study analysed the vulnerability of the Chivi South community to drought and its adaptation with specific consideration to the gender dynamics. The specific objectives for this dissertation were to establish the characteristics and extent of drought occurrences in Chivi District in the last 30 years, assess Chivi South‟s vulnerability to drought, evaluate levels of gender vulnerability to drought, and analyse gendered adaptation to drought. Subsequently, a strategy for drought adaptation in the rural areas of Zimbabwe was drawn. The research was based on the mixed methods approach, as it employed both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Data collection methods included a review of official documents, key informant interviews with community leaders, Non-Governmental Organisations and government officials working in the area, household questionnaires and focus group discussions. The Standardized Precipitation Index was used to determine drought severity. Data was analysed using the SPSS 22.0 software. Capabilities such as Chi-square and cross tabulation were used to effectively analyse data. The Household Vulnerability Index was employed to infer vulnerability and adaptation of the community to drought. Research findings were illustrated using charts, graphs, tables and photographs. The study established the occurrence of droughts in Chivi, with a high prevalence of low magnitude droughts. A decrease in crop food production closely related to drought patterns was noted. Drought vulnerability cuts across the whole gender spectrum, with a sizable number of female headed households being severely exposed. However females adapt better to the effects of drought than males. A holistic approach which seeks to integrate both men and women in decision-making and to improve the community‟s adaptation to drought and other disasters was proposed

For this project, a historical statistical analysis of the Amplitude of Mass Fluctuations ($\sigma_8$) and Hubble's Constant ($H_0$) parameters in the Standard Cosmological Model was carried out to determine whether or not the given error bars truly represent the dispersion of values. It was found through analysis of the Chi-Squared ($\chi^2$) values of the data that for $\sigma_8$ (60 data points and $\chi^2$ between 183.167 and 189.037) that the associated probability Q is extremely low, with $Q = 1.5597*10^{-15}$ for the weighted average and $Q = 1.2107*10^{-14}$ for the best fit of the data. This was also the case for the $\chi^2$ values (163 data points and $\chi^2$ between 484.3977 and 575.655) of $H_0$, where $Q = 4.2176*10^{-34}$ for the linear fit of the data and $Q = 1.0342*10^{-47}$ for the weighted average of the data. Through further analysis, it is shown in question, a linear fit is a better estimate of the data than the weighted average. The general conclusion is that the statistical error bars have been underestimated (in around 20\% of the measurements), or the systematic errors were not properly taken into account.

In 2021 Sweden got its first female prime minister, 102 years after women first were given the right to vote. Given the big focus on equality that has been a political trademark for the country for years, this milestone seems to have been passed quite late, which poses the question of how Sweden is doing in regard to equality. This paper investigates the possibility for women to be elected to municipality council in 2018, with focus on the importance of incumbency. Based on the power shield-hypothesis saying that incumbency increases the chances for a woman to be elected more than it does for a man, the effect of gender and incumbency on the probability of being elected to municipal council for 20 Swedish municipalities is investigated. Using a logistic model, the joint effect of being a woman and incumbent cannot be found on the probability of being elected to municipal council in the 2018 election. Tests of the importance of incumbency for women and men show that incumbency is very important for both genders, and no extreme effect can be found for either gender. The paper rejects the power shield-hypothesis for the Swedish municipality council-election of 2018.

Bakgrund: Parkinsons sjukdom (PS) är en kronisk sjukdom med progressivt förlopp där nedsatt balans och ökad fallrisk tidigt blir ett problem. På senare tid har alternativa träningsformer som bland annat innefattar stegstrategier anpassats till personer med PS, dock är det vetenskapliga underlaget rörande dess effektivitet oklart. Syfte: Att granska kunskapsläget avseende alternativa träningsformer såsom tai chi, dans och boxning som behandling för att motverka nedsatt balans hos personer med PS. Resultatet presenterar relevanta studiers effekt på balans, samt gradering av evidensens kvalitet. Metod: Litteraturstudie valdes som design. Datainsamling gjordes genom sökning i databaserna PubMed och PEDro. Författarna  kvalitetsgranskade inkluderade studierna med granskningsmallen TESTEX, därefter  granskades studiernas resultat och slutligen sammanvägd tillförlitlighet med GRADEstud.  Resultat: Nio studier med totalt 608 deltagare inkluderades i studien. Studiernas kvalitet varierade mellan 8-12 poäng vid kvalitetsgranskning med TESTEX. Fyra studier fann signifikant förbättring i balans jämfört med kontroll. En inkluderad studie undersökte boxning, utan att skillnad mellan grupperna identifierades. Det samlade evidensläget för tai chi respektive dans som behandling vid nedsatt balans vid PS bedöms vara lågt, detta främst på grund av heterogenitet i studierna. Boxning bedöms ha otillräckligt underlag för sammanvägning av resultat. Konklusion: Med den granskade evidensen kan vi i dagsläget inte säga om träningsmodaliteterna är effektiva för att förbättra balans vid PS, men det fanns indikation på att samtliga interventioner har en positiv inverkan på balans. Mer forskning med hög metodologisk kvalitet och större urvalsgrupper behövs. / Background: Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a chronic disease with a progressive course, where impaired balance and increased risk of falls becomes a problem. In recent times alternative forms of training, which include compensatory stepping responses among other things, have been adopted for people with PD. However, the scientific evidence about its efficacy is unclear. Purpose: To systematically review the evidence surrounding alternative training methods such as tai chi, dance and boxing as a treatment for imparied balance in people with Parkinson's disease. The result presents relevant effects on balance, as well as a grading of the quality of the evidence. Method: The search for literature was carried out on the databases PubMed and PEDro. The authors reviewed the quality of the included studies with the assessment tool TESTEX. After that the results of the studies were reviewed, and lastly the reliability was assessed with GRADEstud. Results: Nine studies with a total of 608 participants were included in the study. Studies ranged from 8-12 points in the quality assessment. Four studies found significant improvement in balance in comparison to control. One of the included studies examined boxing, the study found no difference between groups. The reliability of evidence for tai chi and dance as treatment for impaired balance was assessed to be low, mainly because of heterogeneity in the studies. Boxing did not meet the requirements for an assessment of the reliability. Conclusion: The result does not provide us with enough knowledge to determine whether these training methods are effective for improving balance in PS, but there were indications of a positive impact on balance caused by the interventions. More research with high methodological quality and larger sample groups is needed.

In order for governments and demographers to, among other things, design policies and pensionplans, as well as for insurance companies to offer policies that serve general public, having reliable mortality data plays a crucial role. The academic world works actively in developing tools (models and methods) that can, based on collected mortality data, forecast future death rates in the observed population. Obviously, to be able to rely on the predicated data one needs a reliable source of existing mortality data. In the light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, reliability of certain death-case reporting has been questioned. In this thesis, the Benford’s Law is used to evaluate how well countries with authoritarian regimes (Azerbaijan, Belarus),and with democratic regimes (Greece, Serbia, Sweden), report their COVID-19 cases to theworldwide public. Statistical tests such as the Chi-squared test, mean absolute deviation, and the distribution distance were used to obtain the results needed to form our conclusions. During our testing, we found that countries with democratic regimes do conform better to the Benford’s law than the authoritarian ones.

Tai Chi Chuan is a safe alternative for those who wish to improve balance and physical wellbeing. It is a popular form of exercise that is supported by a growing body of research aimed towards improving the health of a sedentary elderly population. The purpose of this study was to examine the biomechanical features of the lower extremity during performance of two Tai Chi movements, the “Repulse Monkey (RM)” and “Wave-hands in clouds (WHIC).” The study’s parameters included quantitative measures of the temporospatial, kinematic, and kinetic characteristics of the lower extremities. A group of experienced male Tai Chi practitioners (n = 15) between the ages of 65 to 75, performed “Repulse Monkey (RM)”, “Wave-hand in Cloud (WHIC)”, and forward walking. Three-dimensional (3-D) kinematic and kinetic data was collected using VICON motion analysis system with 10 infrared cameras and 4 force plates. The following variables were examined: stride width, step length, step width, single- and double-support times, centre of mass (COM) displacement, peak joint angles, range of motion, peak joint moments, time to peak moment, and ground reaction force (GRF). The differences in the measurements of the two Tai Chi movements were compared with walking using two-way ANOVA. The study’s results showed that the two Tai Chi movements elicit gentle and fluid changes to position of the upper body mass and the joints in the lower extremity. In terms of joint kinematics, the knee remained flexed throughout RM and WHIC. Unlike walking, RM had larger abduction and adduction angles at the knee joints and large plantar- and dorsiflexion ROM at the ankle. Reduced posterior, mediolateral, and vertical GRF were seen; the loading joints at the ankle and hip were gentle and smaller than walking. Varus/valgus moments were notably larger at the knee joint during RM and eversion moment was larger at the ankle joint during WHIC movement. A large, but slow loading rate at the knee joint has implication towards the viscoelastic properties of the knee. A better understanding of RM and WHIC would facilitate the improvement of balance, physical capacity, and joint flexibility for the elders.

The thesis "Taoism in European terms at the beginning of 21st century. Presentation of this phenomenon in Christian perspective." Taoism as the original Chinese philosophical and religious system, which deeply influenced Chinese Buddhism and Confucianism, is presented in this thesis. The main principles of Taoism and Taoist writings are introduced. Taoism penetrates into different areas of contemporary European culture; its influence is evident in science, literature and the contemporary lifestyle. Special emphasis is placed on traditional Chinese medicine and Taoist exercises that are significantly beneficial to Westerners. In contrast, the risk is found in uncritical accepting and simplifying of selected aspects without a deeper understanding of the principles of Taoism and its tradition. These benefits and risks are documented by publications of Christian theologians. The difference in Eastern and Western thinking is the cause of the difficulty of mutual understanding of both cultures. Keywords Taoism, Chinese philosophy, Chinese traditional medicine, healing, Tai Chi, Christianity

Subroutines are written to generate random numbers on the computer. Depending on the subroutine used, the generated random numbers follow the uniform, binomial, normal, chi-square, t, F, or gamma distribution. Each subroutine is tested using the chi-square goodness of fit test to verify that the random numbers generated by each subroutine follow the statistical distribution for which it is written. The interpretation of the test results indicates that each subroutine generates random numbers which closely approximates the theoretical distribution for which it is designed. The approach used in the subroutine which generates gamma distributed random numbers involves the use of numerical integration, whereas simpler techniques are used in all the other subroutines. Each subroutine is documented with a description of how to use it and an explanation of the methods used to obtain the random numbers which it is designed to generate. (77 pages)

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Tai Chi exercise on motor skills in older adults residing in independent living. Twenty-eight self-ambulatory older adults (age: 77 8.92; male: N = 1, female: N = 27) with no serious or restrictive health conditions, MMSE score 21, or recent surgery, completed this study. Participants engaged in one-hour biweekly Tai Chi exercise or BINGO sessions for eight weeks. Fine and gross motor skills were tested at four time-points throughout the study. Repeated measures 2x4 [2(Tai Chi exercise x BINGO) x 4(Baseline x Intraintervention x Post x Retention)] RM ANOVA was used with alpha of 0.05. Significant differences noted in fine motor function tasks (nondominant > dominant hand), and for the 6MWT, suggesting that Tai Chi exercise or BINGO may help older adults to perform activities of daily living, maintain independency, and gain a better quality of life.