GIRLS’ EDUCATION:

Every day, girls face barriers to education caused by poverty, cultural norms and practices, poor infrastructure, violence and fragility.

Girls’ education goes beyond getting girls into school. It is also about ensuring that girls learn and feel safe while in school; have the opportunity to complete all levels of education acquiring the knowledge and skills to compete in the labor market; learn the socio-emotional and life skills necessary to navigate and adapt to a changing world; make decisions about their own lives; and contribute to their communities and the world.

Girls’ education is a strategic development priority. Better educated women tend to be more informed about nutrition and healthcare, have fewer children, marry at a later age, and their children are usually healthier, should they choose to become mothers. They are more likely to participate in the formal labor market and earn higher incomes. All these factors combined can help lift households, communities, and countries out of poverty.

According to UNESCO estimates, around the world, 132 million girls are out of school, including 34.3 million of primary school age, 30 million of lower-secondary school age, and 67.4 million of upper-secondary school age. In countries affected by conflict, girls are more than twice as likely to be out of school than girls living in non-affected countries. And in many countries, among girls who do enter primary school, only a small portion will reach and far fewer will complete secondary school.

There are multiple barriers to girls’ access to and completion of education:

•Poverty is one of the most important factors for determining whether a girl can access and complete her education. Poor households lack resources to pay for schooling and associated costs (e.g., for textbooks, uniforms, school supplies, and transportation). Poor households with multiple children may choose to invest in boys’ education rather than that of girls while also relying on girls to help with household chores and care for younger siblings and other family members. Studies consistently show that girls who face multiple disadvantages — such as low family income, living in remote or underserved locations or who have a disability or belong to a minority ethno-linguistic group — are farthest behind in terms of access to and completion of education.

•Violence also prevents girls from accessing and completing education – often girls are forced to walk long distances to school placing them at an increased risk of gender-based violence (GBV) including sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment (SEA/SH) and many experience violence while at school. In addition to having serious consequences for their mental and physical health and overall well-being – this leads to lower attendance and higher dropout rates among them. Adolescent pregnancies can be a result of sexual violence or sexual exploitation. Girls who become pregnant often face significant stigma, and even discrimination, from their communities. The burden of stigma, compounded by unequal gender norms, can lead girls to drop out of school early and not return.

•Child marriage is also a critical challenge. Girls who marry young are much more likely to drop out of school, complete fewer years of education than their peers who marry later. They are also more likely to have children at a young age and are exposed to higher levels of violence perpetrated by their partner. In turn, this affects the education and health of their children, as well as their ability to earn a living. Indeed, girls with secondary schooling are up to six times less likely to marry as those children with little or no education. According to a 2017 report,[LSM1] more than 41,000 girls under the age of 18 marry every day.

•Lack of schools, inadequate infrastructure and unsafe environments: In addition to an insufficient number of schools to meet education demand (particularly in rural areas) – many schools lack water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities including separate toilets for boys and girls and a water source. Further, many schools lack basic features to promote a safe and inclusive environment – for example, they lack perimeter fences, well-lit pathways and do not use universal design. The lack of an adequate environment can act as an important barrier to girls’ regular attendance in school.

•Limitations in teacher training and teaching and learning materials which reinforce gender biases: In many settings, curricula and teaching pedagogy is not sensitive to the specific needs of girls. Further, teachers may not have had sufficient training or support in reducing gender biases in the classroom. They may not be trained or feel comfortable in responding to GBV and other issues girls may face in school. Additionally, teaching and learning materials and curricula may reinforce negative stereotypes about girls and women.

The avocado (or alligator pear) is a fruit with green flesh that gets softer as it ripens. It surrounds a large pit (the seed), which must be cut around and removed. The pebble-textured outer skin changes from a lighter yellow-green to dark green (almost black) as it ripens. This can vary by variety, however, so firmness rather than skin color is the best way to judge ripeness.

The avocado grows in tropical climates on tall trees. Most come from Mexico, California, Florida, and Hawaii, and the peak season is late winter into early spring. This is when you’ll find the cheapest and best ones of the year. At other times of the year and during shortages, a single avocado can be expensive. The avocado can also vary in size, ranging from the small, 1-ounce “avocadito” to the massive, 5-pound queen avocado. The majority, however, are palm-sized and, like the popular Hass variety, weigh about 6 ounces.

How to Cook With Avocado

Avocado can be eaten raw and scooped straight out of the skin with a spoon. The fresh fruit is often diced or sliced and included in salads, wraps, and as a sandwich topping. Avocado is also pureed for use in dips, smoothies, and soups, and it’s easy to mash by hand. Additionally, avocado can help transform favorite desserts like brownies into vegan-friendly treats.

Since the skin is generally bitter tasting, most of the time it is discarded, though it is edible. In order to get to the flesh inside, work the knife lengthwise all the way around the pit, cutting the fruit into two equal halves. With gentle pressure, twist the two halves in opposite directions to pull them apart. The pit should stay firmly in one side and can easily be removed with a spoon. Use the spoon to separate the avocado meat from the skin, then cut it up as needed.

What Does It Taste Like?

The taste of avocado will depend on its ripeness and variety. In general, avocado has a rich, buttery taste that is simultaneously mellow and uniquely avocado. It’s the creamy texture that makes it a favorite for many people.

Some facts about Avocado

• Avocados, native to Central and South America, have been cultivated in these regions since 8000 B.C.
• The major commercial producers of avocados are the United States, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Brazil and Colombia.
• California produces 95 percent of all avocados grown in the United States.
• The avocado is colloquially known as the alligator pear because of its shape and the leatherlike appearance of its skin.
• There are dozens of varieties of avocados, including the Hass, Fuerto, Zutano and Bacon varieties.
• The Hass variety is the most popular type of avocado in the United States. The average California Hass avocado weighs about 6 ounces (170 grams) and has a pebbled, dark green or black skin.
• The Fuerte avocado, usually available during winter months, has smoother, brighter green skin.
• The word “avocado” is derived from the Aztec word “ahuacatl,” meaning testicle.
• Avocados vary in weight from 8 ounces to 3 lbs. (226 grams to 1.3 kilograms), depending upon the variety.
• An avocado is ripe and ready to eat when it is slightly soft, but it should not have dark sunken spots or cracks. An avocado with a slight neck, rather than a rounded top, was probably tree-ripened and will have better flavor.

The autoanalyzer is an automated analyzer using a flow technique called continuous flow analysis, the first applications were for clinical analysis, but methods for industrial analysis soon followed. The design is based on separating a continuously flowing streaks with air bubbles.

An automated analyzer is a medical laboratory instrument designed to measure different chemicals and other characteristics in a number of biological samples quickly, with minimal human assistance.

These measured properties of blood and other fluids may be useful in the diagnosis of disease.

Photometry is the most common method for testing the amount of a specific analyte in a sample. In this technique, the sample undergoes a reaction to produce a color change.

Then, a photometer measures the absorbance of the sample to indirectly measure the concentration of analyte present in the sample. The use of an Ion selective electrode is another common analytical method that specifically measures ion concentrations.

This typically measures the concentration of sodium, calcium or potassium present in the sample. There are various methods of introducing samples into the analyzer.

Test tube of sample are often loaded into racks. These racks can be inserted directly into some analyzer or, in large labs, moved along an automated track. More manual methods include inserting tubes directly into circular carousels that rotate to make the sample available.

Some analyzer require samples to be transferred to sample cups. However, the need to protect the health and safety of laboratory staff has prompted many manufactures to develop analyzers that features closed tube sampling, preventing workers from direct exposure to samples.

Samples can be processed singly, in batches, or continuously. The automation of laboratory testing does not remove the need for need for human expertise results must still be evaluated by medical technologists and other qualified clinical laboratory professionals, but it does ease concerns about error reduction, staffing concerns, and safety.

Autoanalyzer uses air segmentation to separates flowing stream into numerous discrete segments to establish a long train of individual samples moving through a flow channel, FIA systems separate each sample from subsequent sample with a carrier reagent.

The heart is a muscular organ about the size of a fist, located just behind and slightly left of the breastbone. The heart pumps blood through the network of arteries and veins called the cardiovascular system.

The heart has four chambers:

• The right atrium receives blood from the veins and pumps it to the right ventricle.
• The right ventricle receives blood from the right atrium and pumps it to the lungs, where it is loaded with oxygen.
• The left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it to the left ventricle.
• The left ventricle (the strongest chamber) pumps oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body. The left ventricle’s vigorous contractions create our blood pressure.

Some Heart Conditions

• Coronary artery disease: Over the years, cholesterol plaques can narrow the arteries supplying blood to the heart. The narrowed arteries are at higher risk for  complete blockage from a sudden blood clot (this blockage is called a heart attack).
• Stable angina pectoris: Narrowed coronary arteries cause predictable chest pain or discomfort with exertion. The blockages prevent the heart from receiving the extra oxygen needed for strenuous activity. Symptoms typically get better with rest.
• Unstable angina pectoris: Chest pain or discomfort that is new, worsening, or occurs at rest. This is an emergency situation as it can precede a heart attack, serious abnormal heart rhythm, or cardiac arrest.
• Myocardial infarction (heart attack): A coronary artery is suddenly blocked. Starved of oxygen, part of the heart muscle dies.