Browsing by Author "Vance, Eric A."
Now showing 1 - 20 of 30
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Climate Change is Likely to Worsen the Public Health Threat of Diarrheal Disease in BotswanaAlexander, Kathleen A.; Carzolio, Marcos; Goodin, Douglas; Vance, Eric A. (MDPI, 2013-03-26)Diarrheal disease is an important health challenge, accounting for the majority of childhood deaths globally. Climate change is expected to increase the global burden of diarrheal disease but little is known regarding climate drivers, particularly in Africa. Using health data from Botswana spanning a 30-year period (1974–2003), we evaluated monthly reports of diarrheal disease among patients presenting to Botswana health facilities and compared this to climatic variables. Diarrheal case incidence presents with a bimodal cyclical pattern with peaks in March (ANOVA p < 0.001) and October (ANOVA p < 0.001) in the wet and dry season, respectively. There is a strong positive autocorrelation (p < 0.001) in the number of reported diarrhea cases at the one-month lag level. Climatic variables (rainfall, minimum temperature, and vapor pressure) predicted seasonal diarrheal with a one-month lag in variables (p < 0.001). Diarrheal case incidence was highest in the dry season after accounting for other variables, exhibiting on average a 20% increase over the yearly mean (p < 0.001). Our analysis suggests that forecasted climate change increases in temperature and decreases in precipitation may increase dry season diarrheal disease incidence with hot, dry conditions starting earlier and lasting longer. Diarrheal disease incidence in the wet season is likely to decline. Our results identify significant health-climate interactions, highlighting the need for an escalated public health focus on controlling diarrheal disease in Botswana. Study findings have application to other arid countries in Africa where diarrheal disease is a persistent public health problem.
- FAEIS News, 2010(Virginia Tech. Food and Agricultural Education Information System, 2010-10)A monthly insight into the USDA’s Food and Agricultural Education Information System. In this issue: Call for Nominations.
- FAEIS NEWS, April 2012(Virginia Tech. Food and Agricultural Education Information System, 2012-04)This monthly newsletter from FAEIS provides announcements, reminders, and a brief overview of higher education data in the food and agricultural sciences. In this edition: gender trends in animal science fields.
- FAEIS News, April 2013(Virginia Tech, 2013-04)This monthly newsletter from FAEIS contains announcements, reminders, and a brief overview of higher education data in the food and agricultural sciences. In this edition: Forecasting the supply of graduates in the educational pipeline.
- FAEIS News, August 2012(Virginia Tech, 2012-08)This monthly newsletter from FAEIS contains announcements, reminders, and a brief overview of higher education data in the food and agricultural sciences. In this edition: Gender breakdown for undergraduates in colleges and departments affiliated with NAUFRP.
- FAEIS News, December 2011(Virginia Tech. Food and Agricultural Education Information System, 2011-12)This monthly newsletter from FAEIS provides announcements, reminders, and a brief overview of higher education data in the food and agricultural sciences. In this edition: childhood obesity prevention.
- FAEIS News, December 2012(Virginia Tech, 2012-12)This monthly newsletter from FAEIS contains announcements, reminders, and a brief overview of higher education data in the food and agricultural sciences. In this edition: Exploring baccalaureate degrees awarded at Land-grant institutions by program area and U.S. region.
- FAEIS News, February 2013(Virginia Tech, 2013-02)This monthly newsletter from FAEIS contains announcements, reminders, and a brief overview of higher education data in the food and agricultural sciences. In this edition: Trends in graduate enrollment.
- FAEIS News, June 2013(Virginia Tech, 2013-06)This monthly newsletter from FAEIS contains announcements, reminders, and a brief overview of higher education data in the food and agricultural sciences. In this edition: Baccalaureate enrollment for minorities in Natural Resources and Conservation disciplines.
- FAEIS News, May 2014(Virginia Tech, 2014-05)This monthly newsletter from FAEIS contains announcements, reminders, and a brief overview of higher education data in the food and agricultural sciences. In this edition: Minority undergraduate enrollment is growing within Agriculture.
- FAEIS News, November 2013(Virginia Tech, 2013-11)This monthly newsletter from FAEIS contains announcements, reminders, and a brief overview of higher education data in the food and agricultural sciences. In this edition: FAEIS Enrollment Update 2005-2012.
- FAEIS News, November/December 2010(Virginia Tech. Food and Agricultural Education Information System, 2010)This monthly newsletter from FAEIS provides announcements, reminders, and a brief overview of higher education data in the food and agricultural sciences. In this edition: Update from FAEIS Peer Panel Meeting at APLU Conference.
- FAEIS News, October 2011(Virginia Tech. Food and Agricultural Education Information System, 2011-10)This monthly newsletter from FAEIS provides announcements, reminders, and a brief overview of higher education data in the food and agricultural sciences. In this edition: climate change.
- FAEIS News, October 2012(Virginia Tech, 2012-10)This monthly newsletter from FAEIS contains announcements, reminders, and a brief overview of higher education data in the food and agricultural sciences. In this edition: Minority undergraduates in colleges and departments of human sciences & family and consumer sciences.
- FAEIS News, October 2013(Virginia Tech, 2013-10)This monthly newsletter from FAEIS contains announcements, reminders, and a brief overview of higher education data in the food and agricultural sciences. In this edition: Associate Degrees in Agriculture.
- FAEIS News, September 2012(Virginia Tech, 2012-09)This monthly newsletter from FAEIS contains announcements, reminders, and a brief overview of higher education data in the food and agricultural sciences. In this edition: Minority trends for undergraduates in colleges and departments of agriculture and natural resources.
- Impact Evaluation of the Mozambique Rural Water Supply ActivityHall, Ralph P.; Davis, Jenna; Van Houweling, Emily; Vance, Eric A.; Carzolio, Marcos; Seiss, Mark Thomas; Russel, Kory (Virginia Tech. School of Public and International Affairs, 2014-08)In 2007, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) signed a $506.9 million compact designed to reduce poverty in Mozambique by promoting sustainable economic growth. Among the planned investments was the installation of 600 improved water points in rural communities across the provinces of Nampula and Cabo Delgado. In addition to the installation of the water points, the Rural Water Points Installation Program (RWPIP) also mobilized water committees to maintain the infrastructure and provided trainings to water committees and community members. Most of the water points are boreholes equipped with Afridev handpumps, but in Cabo Delgado ten small-scale solar systems (SSSS) were installed where there was sufficient water supply and unmet demand. The Rural Water Supply Activity (RWSA) of the Mozambique Compact is intended to increase sustainable access to improved water supply in some of the country’s poorest districts. This report provides the results from an impact evaluation of the Millennium Challenge Account’s (MCA’s) Rural Water Point Implementation Program (RWPIP) in Nampula. Datasets that accompany this report can be accessed at the following URL: https://data.lib.vt.edu/collections/wd375w28x
- Improving Survey Methodology Through Matrix Sampling Design, Integrating Statistical Review Into Data Collection, and Synthetic Estimation EvaluationSeiss, Mark Thomas (Virginia Tech, 2014-05-13)The research presented in this dissertation touches on all aspects of survey methodology, from questionnaire design to final estimation. We first approach the questionnaire development stage by proposing a method of developing matrix sampling designs, a design where a subset of questions are administered to a respondent in such a way that the administered questions are predictive of the omitted questions. The proposed methodology compares favorably to previous methods when applied to data collected from a household survey conducted in the Nampula province of Mozambique. We approach the data collection stage by proposing a structured procedure of implementing small-scale surveys in such a way that non-sampling error attributed to data collection is minimized. This proposed methodology requires the inclusion of the statistician in the data editing process during data collection. We implemented the structured procedure during the collection of household survey data in the city of Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. We found indications that the data resulting from the structured procedure is of higher quality than the data with no editing. Finally, we approach the estimation phase of sample surveys by proposing a model-based approach to the estimation of the mean squared error associated with synthetic (indirect) estimates. Previous methodology aggregates estimates for stability, while our proposed methodology allows area-specific estimates. We applied the proposed mean squared error estimation methodology and methods found during literature review to simulated data and estimates from 2010 Census Coverage Measurement (CCM). We found that our proposed mean squared error estimation methodology compares favorably to the previous methods, while allowing for area-specific estimates.
- LISA Annual Report 2010-2011Vance, Eric A. (2012-10-01)This report documents LISA's activities for the 2010-2011 academic year.
- LISA: Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Statistical Analysis Annual Report 2008-2009Vance, Eric A. (2009-10-06)This report documents LISA's activities for the 2008-2009 academic year.