Determinants of Modern Contraceptive Uptake among the Youth in Akuse Township in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality, Ghana

Background: Access to safe and effective contraception is crucial for sexual and reproductive health to be at its best. This allows improved pregnancy results and the avoidance of unintended births. Teenagers’ views on using contraceptives are influenced by the information available at their disposal. The study assessed the influential factors affecting the utilization of modern contraceptives among the youth in Akuse in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Methods: The data for the study were gathered from 378 consented youth aged 15 - 24 years using a quantitative cross-sectional study design and a well-structured questionnaire. Person’s Chi-Square test was adopted to measure the association between the outcome variable and selected independent variables. Logistic regression models were utilized to measure the odds of the factors influencing modern contraceptive use among the respondents. Results: The results of the study suggested a high knowledge level of contraceptives;however, the prevalence of utilization was low. The level of education and age were factors found to influence the uptake of contraceptives. A bivariate analysis to examine the association between selected socio-demographic variables revealed that educational level (p = 0.044), religious affiliation (p = 0.002), and ethnicity (p = 0.016) were statistically associated with modern contraceptive use among the respondents. All other tested demographic variables including the age groups, gender, marital status, and residential status proved otherwise at the observed p-values greater than the 0.05 threshold. Respondents who indicated staying with partners were 6.79 times more likely to use contraceptives compared to their counterparts staying with a parent, after controlling for all other covariates. Conclusions: Based on the findings of this study, it was concluded that high contraceptive knowledge influences the choice of contraceptive preferred by the youth, and contraceptive use is also influenced by the advancement in age and educational level of the youth. It is however recommended that parents, guidance, and teachers be entreated to offer relevant and timely sexual information or education as these will most likely improve the uptake of modern contraceptives among the targeted population.

Exploring the Reasons for Selfie-Taking and Selfie-Posting on Social Media with Its Effect on Psychological and Social Lives:A Study among Indian Youths

‘Selfie’taking was introduced to the common people by smartphones and has become a common practice across the globe in no time.With technological advancement and the popularity of smartphones,selfie-taking has grown rapidly within a short time.In light of the new trend set by the generation,this study aimed to explore reasons for selfie-taking and selfie-posting on social media and their effects on the social and psychological lives of young adults.A purposive sampling method was adopted to select 20 Indian citizens,between 18 and 24 years.The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis.Selfie-taking and posting on social media give positive feelings,and it acts as a mood modifier dependent mostly on the favourability and feedback about the post which in turn affects emotions and self-satisfaction.

The Youth’s View of Marriage in Chinese Mainstream Media Discourse-A Corpus-assisted Three-dimensional Discourse Analysis

The rising of aging and the declining of birth rates have forced the public to focus on the youth’s view on marriage.Based on critical discourse analysis and combined with Fairclough’s three-dimensional discourse analysis model,this paper builds a“Chinese media News Report Corpus on the topic of‘marriage’”whose news are collected from China Daily.It is found that the discourses are neutral and objective with regard to the advantages and disadvantages of marriage,but in general,it is still a traditional view of marriage that is inevitable and closely related to fertility.Although this is controlled by the policies and the social reasons including declining fertility rate,it deviates from the current view of the youth towards marriage,resulting in many serious consequences such as young people’s rejection.In addition,this research found that male and female have great differences in their views on marriage,and men’s resistance to marriage is far greater than that of women,which is departure from the public’s cognition.The reasons behind this need to be explored in order to solve the marriage and love problems of young people in today’s era and realize the healthy development of young marriage.

Review of Arbitral Award of Network Loan and Analysis of Construction of Implementation Review Rules

The network arbitration cases arising from the network lending disputes are pouring into the courts in large numbers.It is reported that the network arbitration system of some arbitration institutions even“can accept more than 10,000 cases every day,”while online lending is booming,it has also caused a lot of contradictions and disputes,and traditional dispute resolution methods have failed to effectively respond to the need for efficient and convenient resolution of online lending disputes.This paper tries to study the arbitral award of online loans and proposes the construction of implementation review rules.

Cultivating Youth Interest in Badminton

Conducting an investigation and analysis using literature review methods,the current state of interest cultivation among young badminton players was examined.The findings indicate a less optimistic situation regarding interest development among these young athletes:the initial interest motivation of young badminton players is significantly influenced by parents,with parental focus more on sporting achievements than the child’s happiness,neglecting the emotional well-being of children;coaches prioritize fundamental technical skills over interest cultivation,and the methods used to stimulate interest still exhibit traditional tendencies,overlooking the application of game-based and competitive approaches;there is a lack of practical implementation in interest cultivation;the majority of coaches create an unfavorable classroom atmosphere,easily overlooking students’emotional experiences.Understanding the current development status and trends in interest cultivation for youth badminton,this study analyzed data on interest cultivation methods.It was found that the majority of badminton teaching tends to focus on scientific technical training and physical fitness for young players.While many coaches and parents express affirmation for interest cultivation methods,they are not widely applied in practice at present.Incorporating game-based teaching into badminton instruction has the potential to enhance students’interest in badminton learning,especially for novice young players,facilitating the early establishment of a love for badminton.

Challenges and Countermeasures of Youth Moral Education in the Era of Big Data

Youth moral education is an extremely important work,which is related to the inheritance of traditional virtues of the Chinese nation,the fundamental plan of“successor,”and the construction of modern Chinese spiritual civilization.In the era of big data,the moral education of youth is facing new challenges and opportunities.The wide application of big data technology has brought about an information explosion,exposing young people to more diverse and complex social information.It not only brings opportunities for positive moral education but also many challenges.The main problems of youth moral education in the era of big data are neglected youth subjectivity,insufficient youth moral practice,and utilitarian youth value orientation.We should develop personalized moral education programs,strengthen the integration of moral knowledge and action,and pay more attention to moral practice to improve the pertinence and effectiveness of moral education for young people in the era of big data.

A Knowledge-based System for the Analysis of the Ability of Paying back Loans

This paper describes the development of a knowledgebased system (KBS) for determining whether or not, and under what conditions, a bank Ioan officer should grant a business loan to a company. The prototype system developed focuses on what is bank loans risks management, how to prevent risk by the analysis of the ability of paying back loans. The paper makes the structural analysis involved in the system's decision situation, the structured situation diagram or model, dependency diagram and the document needed by the KBS prototype system thus are developed. Through testing the samples from loan business, the quality for the analysis of the ability of paying back loans can be effectively evaluated by the KBS prototype system.

Intelligent Decision Support System for Bank Loans Risk Classification

Intelligent Decision Support System (IISS) for Bank Loans Risk Classification (BLRC), based on the way of integration Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Expert System (ES), is proposed. According to the feature of BLRC, the key financial and non-financial factors are analyzed. Meanwhile, ES and Model Base (MB) which contain ANN are designed . The general framework,interaction and integration of the system are given. In addition, how the system realizes BLRC is elucidated in detail.

Designing of Commercial Bank Loans Risk Early Warning System Based on BP Neural Networks

According to the index early warning method, a commercial bank loans risk early warning system based on BP neural networks is proposed. The warning signal is mainly involved with the financial situation signal of loaning corporation. Except the structure description of the system structure the demonstration of attemptive designing is also elaborated.

Problems in Development of Micro-credit Loans to Farmers in China and Countermeasures

There are problems of inadequate natural endowment and weak stamina in the development of micro-credit loans to farmers in China. Specifically,existing problems include narrow profit space,serious non-agricultural trend of funds,high dependence on government support,short life cycle,and constantly increasing operating risks. These problems are related to endogenous drawback in design,defect in operating procedure,lagging in relevant policies and measures,and vacancy in risk compensation mechanism.

The moderating effect of physical activity on the relationship between bullying and mental health among sexual and gender minority youth

Background:Sexual and gender minority youth frequently experience bullying,which often contributes to higher depressive symptoms and lower self-esteem.Given that physical activity(PA)can mitigate depressive symptoms and improve self-esteem,we examined the moderating effect of PA on the relationship between bullying and mental health among sexual and gender minority youth.Methods:Data from the Lesbian,Gay,Bisexual,Transgender,and Queer National Teen Survey(n=9890)were analyzed.Hierarchical regression analyses examined the influence of history and frequency of being bullied,PA,and the interaction of these variables on depressive symptoms and self-esteem.Simple slopes analyses were used to probe significant interactions.Results:Results indicated the importance of accounting for bullying history when examining effects of PA on mental health.PA was negatively related to depression(t=-4.18,p<0.001)and positively related to self-esteem(t=12.11,p<0.001).Bullying frequency was positively related to depression(t=19.35,p<0.001)and negatively related to self-esteem(t=-12.46,p<0.001).There was a significant interaction between bullying frequency and PA for depression(t=4.45,p<0.001)and self-esteem(t=-4.69,p<0.001).Post hoc analyses suggested that the positive effects of PA on mental health may be limited to those not bullied because it had a negligible effect on those who were bullied.Conclusion:Results suggest that sexual and gender minority youth exercise interventions aiming to improve mental health should first address bullying history;otherwise,their effectiveness may be limited to those who have been bullied.

An Empirical Study of the Allocation Efficiency of Rural Financial Resources in Hubei Province from the Perspective of Agricultural Loans

The incompatibility of China's economy and finance has to some extent inhibited the development of rural economy. Taking Hubei Province for example,we measure the allocation efficiency of rural financial resources from the perspective of agricultural input and output,and use the modern rural financial development theory to set forth some policy recommendations on how to build a new rural financial resource allocation system. Studies have shown that the allocation efficiency of rural financial resources is low in China,and improving the allocation efficiency of rural financial resources is the key to perfecting rural financial environment while increasing financial support for agriculture.

The Impact of Bank-Specific and Macroeconomic Factors on Non-performing Loans in Sri Lankan Commercial Banks

The main purpose of this study is to ascertain the effect of bank-specific and macroeconomic factors on non-performing loans in systemically and non-systemically important commercial banks in Sri Lanka over 10 year’s period from 2004 to 2013.Also,the study examines the impact of civil war that prevailed in the country for 30 years on the ex-post credit risk of the banking sector.The study employed panel data methodology to investigate the effect of bank-specific and macroeconomic factors on non-performing loans.Panel unit root test has been undertaken in order to test the stationary of the variables.Hausman test and Wald coefficient restriction test were used to select the appropriate model out of pooled,random,and fixed effect.A dummy variable panel regression model adopted to study the war effect,considering 2009 as the structural year.Findings revealed that return on assets as a proxy for bank efficiency has a significant negative influence,while non-interest income as a proxy for income diversity is positively correlated with non-performing loans of systemically important banks.Both real gross domestic products and lending rates were highly significant in both bank types.On contrary with literature,growth in bank branches is negatively correlated.Public banks do not account for higher level of non-performing loans compared to their private counterpart.Finally,it was identified that civil war had an effect on the level of non-performing loans in commercial banks.The research would have benefited if the analysis is carried out among classified types of loans offered by commercial banks.Future researchers should involve in identifying the most significant contributing loan type to the non-performing loans and its determinants.This study is one of the few studies which have investigated the causes of non-performing loans in the commercial banking industry in Sri Lanka.The analysis of civil war and its impact on non-performing loans is the first study of that nature to be conducted in the context.

Loans to Foreign-Funded Enterprises

With the implementation of the opening policy, the Bank of China(BOC) started lending to foreignfunded enterprises early in the 1980s. At the end of 1993, 50 percent of foreignfunded enterprise had opened accounts with the BOC. BOC has made US dollar loans worth $16.8 billion, and RMB ioans of ￥ 135.55 billion to

World Bank loans help ease Central China's power Supply Shortage

Central China’s power sup-ply will get a major boostfrom the expansion of Henan Province’sYanshi Thermal Power Plant --a project involving $180 million worth of WorldBank loans. Yanshi Plant is situated on thesouth bank of Yellow River, about 30 kmeast of Luoyang Municipality. Once com-pleted at the end of 1995, the plant willboast an installed capacity of 1000 MW,

Predictive Modeling and Expectable Loss Analysis for Borrower Defaults of Mortgage Loans

Home mortgage loan lending firms are exposed to many business risks.This paper focuses on the mortgage loan borrower risks and proposes a prospective loss analysis approach in regard to loan repayment defaults of borrowers.For this purpose,a predictive modeling is presented in three stages.In the first stage,occurrence of borrower defaults in a mortgage loans portfolio is modeled through the generalized linear models(GLMs)type regressions for which we specify a logistic distribution for default events.The second stage of modeling develops a survival analysis in order to estimate survival probability and hazard rate functions for individual loans.Ultimately,an expectable loss amount model is presented in the third stage as a function of conditional survival probabilities and corresponding hazard rates at loan levels.Throughout all modeling stages,a large and real data set is used as an empirical analysis case by which detailed interpretations and practical implications of the obtained results are stated.

SCO Forum on Youth Development Kicks Off in Qingdao

Sponsored by All-China Youth Federation and coorganised by China International Youth Exchange Centre,Shandong Youth Federation,Qingdao Youth Federation,the Management Committee of China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Zone and People's Government of Jiaozhou City,the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO)Forum for Youth Development was held in Qingdao,Shandong Province on September 11th.Nearly 100 young delegates from 11 member states and observer states of scO participated in the forum.Participants from various youth organisations and agencies in countries such as China,India,Iran,Kazakhstan.

Guidelines Procurement under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits

I. INTRODUCTIONPurpose1.1 The purpose of these Guidelines is to informthose carrying out a project that is financed in wholeor in part by a loan from the International Bank forReconstruction and Development (IBRD) or a creditfrom the International Development Association(IDA), of the arrangements to be made for procur-ing the goods and works (including relatedservices) required for the project. The Loan Agree-ment governs the legal relationships between the Bor-rower and the Bank, and the Guidelines are made ap-plicable to procurement of goods and works for theproject, as provided in the agreement. The rightsand obligations of the Borrower and the providers ofgoods and works for the project are governed by thebidding documents, and by the contracts signed bythe Borrower with the providers of goods and works,and not by these Guidelines or the Loan Agreements.No party other than the parties to the Loan Agree-ment shall derive any rights therefrom or have anyclaim to loan proceeds.