Price elasticity of petroleum products in selected African countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaul, S.

1995-01-01

In this paper, a fundamental understanding of the economic impact which is directly related to the price elasticity of petroleum products in six selected African countries is obtained by using the Jorgorson-Lian model for shares. Each kind of fuel price has a different impact on the share of oil products for the different countries. The price increase of one kind of fuel may increase or decrease the share of another fuel in the total oil products. In the oil importing African countries, the price of one product is relatively inelastic, whereas in the oil producing African countries, the price is elastic. (Author)

Climate Change Negotiations and the Achievements of Developing Countries with Reference from Bangladesh

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Taslim Hasan

2015-05-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the achievements of Bangladesh as a developing country from climate change negotiations. Climate change draws the highest attention in the past couple of decades as a result of the disruption in the environmental balance resulting from the negative consequences of the industrial revolution and man’s consumption of natural resources. The world now fears a devastating deterioration of the environmental condition. Amongst the most debated issues in this context is climate change and global warming, the concern of which is not limited to a single country, but rather encompasses the whole world since there is no region or state which is not affected by it. Climate change summit is a platform that helps the developing countries to bargain with the developed industrial community. Bangladesh as a delta, is highly prone to dangers of climate change. Neither the Cap and Trade system nor the global carbon market compensates the level of danger, the country already encountered. Moreover, it is not sufficient to have the mere climate fund every year after bargaining. This paper explains the issue in depth and finds no significant achievement for Bangladesh from climate change negotiations, other than insufficient climate funds.

HIV/AIDS Situation in Economic Cooperation Countries; Achievement and Gaps toward Millennium Development Goals

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Ghobad Moradi

2011-03-01

Conclusion: An efficient surveillance system in needed to illustrate an exact picture of HIV/AIDS in all countries. This study shows that though the epidemics has started lately in member countries compared with other parts of the world, no proper intervention has been adopted for controlling the epidemics yet. Moreover, in those countries which AIDS epidemics are concentrated among drug users, harm reduction activities are necessary to control the problem. Increasing the coverage of antiretroviral treatment and awareness of general and high risk population could help countries to achieve HIV/AIDS indicators.

A comparative study in disaster planning in selected countries

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Mahmode M

2007-11-01

Full Text Available Background: Assessment of different strategic in disaster planning in selected countries. According to the international report indicating that IRAN is among the seven countries most susceptible to disaster, experiencing 31 known disasters out of 40 in the world, occurrence of 1536 moderate to severe earthquake, during 1370-80 and 712 other disasters at the same period it seems necessary to design a disaster plan."nMethods: This research is a comparative-descriptive and case based study in which the researcher used random sampling process in selecting the statistical society from both developed and developing countries. In this goal oriented research the necessary information are extracted from valid global reports, articles and many questionnaires which were subjected to scientific analysis."nResults: Studying different countries (which includes: Canada, Japan, India, USA, Turkey, Pakistan and Iran shows that there is a direct relationship between the level of countries development and their success in disaster planning and management (including preventive measures and confrontation. In most of the studied countries, decentralized planning caused many professional planners participate in different levels of disaster management which ultimately led to development of efficient and realistic plans which in turn decreased the catastrophic effects of disasters dramatically. The results of the aforementioned countries showed that a balanced approach to disaster plan with investment in prophylactic area is very important."nConclusion: As our country uses a centralized strategy for disaster management which has proven its ineffectiveness, the researcher suggests that we should change our approach in disaster management and let our planners participate from all levels include: provincial, rural and etc. This will led to a reality based planning and using all potential capacities in disaster management. According to this study it will be possible to use

Selection or network effects? Migration flows into 27 OECD countries, 1990-2000

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Peder J.; Pytlikova, Mariola; Smith, Nina

Recent migration patterns show growing migration pressure and changing composition of immigrants in many Western countries. During the latest decade, an increasing proportion of the OECD immigrants have been from poor countries, where the educational level of the population is low. The migration ...... evidence that selection effects have had a major influence on the observed migration patterns until now. This may partly be explained by restrictive migration policies in many OECD countries which may have dampened the potential selection effects....

Selection or Network Effects? Migration Flows into 27 OECD Countries, 1990-2000

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, P.J.; Pytlikova, Mariola; Smith, Nina

Recent migration patterns show growing migration pressure and changing composition of immigrants in many Western countries. During the latest decade, an increasing proportion of the OECD immigrants have been from poor countries, where the educational level of the population is low. The migration ...... evidence that selection effects have had a major influence on the observed migration patterns until now. This may partly be explained by restrictive migration policies in many OECD countries which may have dampened the potential selection effects....

Comparison of Learning Strategies for Mathematics Achievement in Turkey with Eight Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Kilic, Serpil; Cene, Erhan; Demir, Ibrahim

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine learning strategies accounted for mathematics achievement across Turkey and neighboring countries. Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece, Azerbaijan, Russian Federation, Israel, Serbia, Romania and Jordan were involved in Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA 2009) study. Since other neighbors of Turkey…

Teacher Salary and National Achievement: A Cross-National Analysis of 30 Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Akiba, Motoko; Chiu, Yu-Lun; Shimizu, Kazuhiko; Liang, Guodong

2012-01-01

Using national teacher salary data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and student achievement data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), this study compared secondary school teacher salary in 30 countries and examined the relationship between average teacher salary and national…

Entrepreneurial Intentions in Selected Southeast European Countries

OpenAIRE

Rajh, Edo; Marjanova Jovanov, Tamara; Budak, Jelena; Davcev, Ljupco; Ateljevic, Jovo; Ognjenovic, Kosovka

2018-01-01

What (did we do)? A comparative study on the antecedents of EI among young people (students of economics and business) in four selected South East European countries (Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and BiH). Why? Entrepreneurship is positively associated with higher economic development. Analysis of the determinants of entrepreneurship is an obligation...(Grilo and Irigoyen, 2006), because: knowledge of the determinants is crucial for development of better education systems and se...

Prospects and opportunities for achieving the MDGs in post-conflict countries: a case study of Sierra Leone and Liberia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Humphreys, M.; Richards, P.

2005-01-01

In this paper we examine the strategies being employed by post-conflict countries in Africa to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. We argue that to attain these goals, these countries will need to alter the way they undertake development planning. Rather than design strategies to achieve best

Factors influencing selection of a HTR for a developing country

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karim, C.S.

1989-01-01

Consumption of commercial energy and electricity in Bangladesh has to grow rapidly in order to attain socio-economic development of the country. Nuclear power is considered to be an appropriate proposition due to the inadequacy of indigenous primary energy resources. A technical, economic and financial feasibility study of a 300-500 MWe nuclear power plant is underway now. Responses from different suppliers in SMPR range were enumerated jointly by the Consultants and BAEC under the feasibility study. Criteria for selection of technology and the factor influencing the selection of Modular HTR for Bangladesh are described in the paper. Some indicative results of cost economic calculations are included to help form an idea about various limiting conditions, under which a SMPR with the selected technology could become competitive with the other conventional alternatives. Problems in decision making associated with the uncertainties in estimating plant and fuel cycle costs are enumerated. The implications of not having a reference plant vis-a-vis the advantageous safety features are described to show how these aspects can influence the selection of a new technology like HTR for a developing country. Financing is identifiable as the major problem in implementing a nuclear power project in a developing country like Bangladesh. The entire scope of supplies and services may be broken down into components, so that the burden of financing could be shared by more than one exporting country. Some indicative ideas about the packaging of supplies and services are presented in the paper in order to identify different types of financing sources that could be explored for implementation of the project. Some salient features of the effect of joint-venture on the project financing and implementation are described in the paper. (author). 3 refs, 1 fig

Political Economy of Exchange Rate Regimes: A Panel Data Analysis of Selected European Countries

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Ahmet BEŞKAYA

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of economic and political factors on the choice of exchange rate regimes. In order to achieve this goal, we apply for Binary Choice Panel Probit Model to examine the relationships between exchange rate regimes and financial depth, real exchange rate, capital inflow and democracy. Our data covers the period of 1980-2013 for the selected EU countries, namely, Austria, Germany, Belgium, France, Denmark, England, Sweden and Italy. Estimation results demonstrates that the choice of fixed exchange rate regime become disadvantageous and flexible exchange rate turn out to be the right choice as financial depth, real exchange rate, capital inflow and democratization increases.

A VECM approach to detangling growth, exports, imports and FDI knot in selected CEE countries

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Saša Žiković

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The authors analyze the relationship between GDP, imports-coverage ratio (NEX, FDI and gross fixed capital formation (GFC in selected CEE countries by using an error correction model. The empirical results confirm a positive long-run influence of the imports coverage ratio, FDI and GFC on GDP growth for all of the countries, except Croatia. In the case of Croatia, there is a significant negative feedback between FDI and GDP growth in the long run and a positive one in the short run. By using B. Horvat’s research on this subject, a logical explanation of this sort of paradoxical behavior is suggested. The second uncommon result is the long-run positive relationship between GDP and the imports-coverage ratio. The obtained result speaks in favor of a conservative approach to running a national economy, where the current account and the imports-coverage ratio are taken into account and the economic growth is achieved through slower but stable, internally driven growth.

Science Self-Beliefs and Science Achievement of Adolescents in Gulf Cooperation Council Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Areepattamannil, Shaljan

2012-01-01

This study explored the predictive effects of science self-beliefs on science achievement for 24,680 13-year-old students from Gulf Cooperation Council member countries--Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates--who participated in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007. The…

Evaluating Forecasting Models for Unemployment Rates by Gender in Selected European Countries

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Ksenija Dumičić

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The unemployment can be considered as one of the main economic problems. The aim of this article is to examine the differences in male and female unemployment rates in selected European countries and to predict their future trends by using different statistical forecasting models. Furthermore, the impact of adding a new data point on the selection of the most appropriate statistical forecasting model and on the overall forecasting errors values is also evaluated. Male and female unemployment rates are observed for twelve European countries in the period from 1991 to 2014. Four statistical forecasting models have been selected and applied and the most appropriate model is considered to be the one with the lowest overall forecasting errors values. The analysis has shown that in the period from 1991 to 2014 the decreasing trend of unemployment rates in the short-run is forecasted for more Eastern Balkan than the EU-28 countries. An additional data point for male and female unemployment rates in 2014 led to somewhat smaller forecasting errors in more than half of the observed countries. However, the additional data point does not necessarily improve forecasting performances of the used statistical forecasting models.

THE IMPACT OF TRADE ON CHILD LABOR: EVIDENCE FROM SELECTED SAARC AND ASEAN COUNTRIES

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Rossazana Ab-Rahim

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Past studies have tended to investigate the relationship between trade and child labor under the traditional trade theories, while assuming that the trade in homogenous goods and the results show inconclusive evidence of a relationship. Hence, it would be interesting to investigate the trade effects of differentiated goods on child labor in the setting of the new trade theory. This study attempts to investigate the trade-induced child labor effects (selection, scale and technique effects in selected Asian countries over the period from 1999 to 2013. The countries consist of the major South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC countries, namely: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka and selected ASEAN countries, namely: Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand, where child labor is most common. The results of this study confirm that the total impact of trade on child labor also needs to account for the selection effect, in addition to the scale and technique effects. The findings imply trade liberalization hampers the child labor market in the context of the trade in differentiated goods.

Energy efficiency of selected OECD countries: A slacks based model with undesirable outputs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Apergis, Nicholas; Aye, Goodness C.; Barros, Carlos Pestana; Gupta, Rangan; Wanke, Peter

2015-01-01

This paper presents an efficiency assessment of selected OECD countries using a Slacks Based Model with undesirable or bad outputs (SBM-Undesirable). In this research, SBM-Undesirable is used first in a two-stage approach to assess the relative efficiency of OECD countries using the most frequent indicators adopted by the literature on energy efficiency. Besides, in the second stage, GLMM–MCMC methods are combined with SBM-Undesirable results as part of an attempt to produce a model for energy performance with effective predictive ability. The results reveal different impacts of contextual variables, such as economic blocks and capital–labor ratio, on energy efficiency levels. - Highlights: • We analyze the energy efficiency of selected OECD countries. • SBM-Undesirable and MCMC–GLMM are combined for this purpose. • Find that efficiency levels are high but declining over time. • Analysis with contextual variables shows varying efficiency levels across groups. • Capital-intensive countries are more energy efficient than labor-intensive countries.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine coverage achievements in low and middle-income countries 2007-2016.

Science.gov (United States)

Gallagher, Katherine E; Howard, Natasha; Kabakama, Severin; Mounier-Jack, Sandra; Burchett, Helen E D; LaMontagne, D Scott; Watson-Jones, Deborah

2017-12-01

Since 2007, HPV vaccine has been available to low and middle income countries (LAMIC) for small-scale 'demonstration projects', or national programmes. We analysed coverage achieved in HPV vaccine demonstration projects and national programmes that had completed at least 6 months of implementation between January 2007-2016. A mapping exercise identified 45 LAMICs with HPV vaccine delivery experience. Estimates of coverage and factors influencing coverage were obtained from 56 key informant interviews, a systematic published literature search of 5 databases that identified 61 relevant full texts and 188 solicited unpublished documents, including coverage surveys. Coverage achievements were analysed descriptively against country or project/programme characteristics. Heterogeneity in data, funder requirements, and project/programme design precluded multivariate analysis. Estimates of uptake, schedule completion rates and/or final dose coverage were available from 41 of 45 LAMICs included in the study. Only 17 estimates from 13 countries were from coverage surveys, most were administrative data. Final dose coverage estimates were all over 50% with most between 70% and 90%, and showed no trend over time. The majority of delivery strategies included schools as a vaccination venue. In countries with school enrolment rates below 90%, inclusion of strategies to reach out-of-school girls contributed to obtaining high coverage compared to school-only strategies. There was no correlation between final dose coverage and estimated recurrent financial costs of delivery from cost analyses. Coverage achieved during joint delivery of HPV vaccine combined with another intervention was variable with little/no evaluation of the correlates of success. This is the most comprehensive descriptive analysis of HPV vaccine coverage in LAMICs to date. It is possible to deliver HPV vaccine with excellent coverage in LAMICs. Further good quality data are needed from health facility based

Exploring the Relations of Inquiry-Based Teaching to Science Achievement and Dispositions in 54 Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Cairns, Dean; Areepattamannil, Shaljan

2017-06-01

This study, drawing on data from the third cycle of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and employing three-level hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) as an analytic strategy, examined the relations of inquiry-based science teaching to science achievement and dispositions toward science among 170,474 15-year-old students from 4780 schools in 54 countries across the globe. The results of the HLM analyses, after accounting for student-, school-, and country-level demographic characteristics and students' dispositions toward science, revealed that inquiry-based science teaching was significantly negatively related to science achievement. In contrast, inquiry-based science teaching was significantly positively associated with dispositions toward science, such as interest in and enjoyment of science learning, instrumental and future-oriented science motivation, and science self-concept and self-efficacy. Implications of the findings for policy and practice are discussed.

Are Diets Converging Globally? A Comparison of Trends Across Selected Countries

OpenAIRE

Regmi, Anita; Unnevehr, Laurian J.

2006-01-01

Converging food demand is tested in two ways. First, the convergence of food expenditures among 18 high-income countries is examined from 1990 to 2004. Convergence is apparent in total expenditures, cereals, and meats, but not in other categories. Second, specific food-retailing and product-introduction patterns are examined for selected countries. These indicate increasing shares for retail outlets selling standardized products and increased preference for convenience, upscale, and natural p...

Experience from a multi-country initiative to improve the monitoring of selected reproductive health indicators in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Barreix, Maria; Tunçalp, Özge; Mutombo, Namuunda; Adegboyega, Ayotunde A; Say, Lale

2017-05-01

Universal access to sexual and reproductive health remains part of the unfinished business of global development in Africa. To achieve it, health interventions should be monitored using programmatic indicators. WHO's Strengthening Measurement of Reproductive Health Indicators in Africa initiative, implemented in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, aimed to improve national information systems for routine monitoring of reproductive health indicators. Participating countries developed action plans employing a two-pronged strategy: (1) revising, standardizing, and harmonizing existing reproductive health indicators captured through routine information-systems; and (2) building data-collection capacity through training and supervision at select pilot sites. Country teams evaluated existing and new indicators, and outlined barriers to strengthening routine measurement. Activities included updating abortion-care guidelines (spontaneous and induced abortions), providing training on laws surrounding induced abortions, and improving feedback mechanisms. The country teams updated monitoring and evaluation frameworks, and attempted to build recording/reporting capacity in selected pilot areas. Barriers to implementing the initiative that were encountered included restrictive induced-abortion laws, staff turn-over, and administrative delays, including low capacity among healthcare staff and competing priorities for staff time. The areas identified for further improvement were up-scaling programs to a national level, creating scorecards to record data, increasing collaborations with the private sector, conducting related costing exercises, and performing ex-post evaluations. © 2017 World Health Organization; licensed by Wiley on behalf of International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.

The Barriers to Achieve Financial Protection in Iranian Health System: A Qualitative Study in a Developing Country.

Science.gov (United States)

Naghdi, Seyran; Moradi, Tayebeh; Tavangar, Fateh; Bahrami, Giti; Shahboulaghi, Mohammadi; Ghiasvand, Hesam

2017-09-01

The move to universal health coverage and consequently health promotion is influenced by political, socio-economic and other contextual factors in a country. Iran, as a developing country with an upper-middle national income, has developed policies to achieve universal health coverage through financial protection. This study aims to investigate barriers to develop financial protection as a requirement to achieve universal health coverage. This qualitative study was conducted using 20 in-depth interviews with experts in social welfare, health insurance and financing. The framework analysis method was used to analyze the data. The results have been categorized in three major themes that were extracted from ten sub-themes. The major themes included the political, social and economic context of the country, the context and structure of healthcare system and dimensions of UHC. Achieving financial protection as a long-term objective should be considered as a priority among Iranian policy makers that requires an inter-sectoral collaboration with a defined in-charge body. Health policy makers in Iran should develop a more comprehensive benefits package for diseases and health conditions with catastrophic consequences. They also should develop a plan to cover the poor people.

Gas Transit Tariffs in Selected ECT Countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

One of the strategic aims of the Energy Charter process is to promote and facilitate efficient and uninhibited transit of energy materials and products across the ECT constituency. The Energy Charter process has recently been focusing its attention on the issues related to the transit of natural gas due to the increasing reliance on gas imports into Europe and other regions from more distant sources and across more borders. The transit tariffs (including their levels, structures and associated conditions) are, in addition to the terms of access to the transit infrastructure, one of the key factors affecting the cross-border gas flows. The main objectives of this study are to: review transit tariff methodologies for existing and new gas transit pipeline systems across selected ECT countries; compare transit tariff regimes for gas with those for domestic gas transport in the same countries; and assess the overall consistency of these transit tariffs with main provisions of ECT and draft Transit Protocol. The scope of this study is limited to transit tariffs for natural gas. Furthermore the study does not address the issue of access to gas pipelines which sometimes is a more important hurdle for gas flows than the levels of transit tariffs. Geographically, the study covers the following key gas transit countries: EU-25 plus Switzerland, and Non-EU: Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, Morocco, Tunisia, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine. Chapter 3 describes the existing flows of gas trade and transit across the ECT countries and points out potential deviations between physical and contractual flows. Chapter 4 reviews the theoretical approaches used for setting transit tariffs, including: Typical costs for new gas pipelines: construction costs, financing, operation and maintenance costs, country/project risks and their impact on costs; Valuation approaches for existing pipelines; and Treatment of system expansion. Chapter 5 compares the theory and the practice by describing

Selection and network effects - Migration flows into OECD countries 1990-2000

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Peder J.; Pytlikova, Mariola; Smith, Nina

2008-01-01

This paper presents empirical evidence on immigration flows into the OECD countries during the period 1990-2000. Our results indicate that network effects are strong, but vary between different groups of welfare states and between countries according to the type of immigration policy being applie...... a major influence on the observed migration patterns until now. This may partly be explained by restrictive migration policies which may have dampened the potential selection effects....

Selecting Tools for Renewable Energy Analysis in Developing Countries: An Expanded Review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Irsyad, M. Indra al [School of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD (Australia); Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Jakarta (Indonesia); Halog, Anthony Basco, E-mail: a.halog@uq.edu.au [School of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD (Australia); Nepal, Rabindra [Massey Business School, Massey University, Palmerston North (New Zealand); Koesrindartoto, Deddy P. [School of Business and Management, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bandung (Indonesia)

2017-12-20

Renewable energy planners in developing countries should be cautious in using analytical tools formulated in developed countries. Traditional energy consumption, economic and demography transitions, high-income inequality, and informal economy are some characteristics of developing countries that may contradict the assumptions of mainstream, widely used analytical tools. In this study, we synthesize the debate in previous review studies on energy models for developing countries and then extend the scope of the previous studies by highlighting emerging methods of system thinking, life cycle thinking, and decision support analysis. We then discuss how these tools have been used for renewable energy analysis in developing countries and found out that not all studies are aware of the emerging critical issues in developing countries. We offer here a guidance to select the most appropriate analytical tool, mainly when dealing with energy modeling and analysis for developing countries. We also suggest potential future improvements to the analytical tool for renewable energy modeling and analysis in the developing countries.

Selecting Tools for Renewable Energy Analysis in Developing Countries: An Expanded Review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Irsyad, M. Indra al; Halog, Anthony Basco; Nepal, Rabindra; Koesrindartoto, Deddy P.

2017-01-01

Renewable energy planners in developing countries should be cautious in using analytical tools formulated in developed countries. Traditional energy consumption, economic and demography transitions, high-income inequality, and informal economy are some characteristics of developing countries that may contradict the assumptions of mainstream, widely used analytical tools. In this study, we synthesize the debate in previous review studies on energy models for developing countries and then extend the scope of the previous studies by highlighting emerging methods of system thinking, life cycle thinking, and decision support analysis. We then discuss how these tools have been used for renewable energy analysis in developing countries and found out that not all studies are aware of the emerging critical issues in developing countries. We offer here a guidance to select the most appropriate analytical tool, mainly when dealing with energy modeling and analysis for developing countries. We also suggest potential future improvements to the analytical tool for renewable energy modeling and analysis in the developing countries.

Levers for change: philanthropy in select South East Asian countries ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2016-04-29

Apr 29, 2016 ... Levers for change: philanthropy in select South East Asian countries ... the low donor awareness of societal needs and the lack of donor education and skills development. ... Tourism is an important driver of economic growth throughout Southeast Asia. ... Supporting sustainable economic growth in ASEAN.

The Healthy Immigrant Effect and Immigrant Selection: Evidence from Four Countries

OpenAIRE

Steven Kennedy; James Ted McDonald; Nicholas Biddle

2006-01-01

The existence of a healthy immigrant effect – where immigrants are on average healthier than the native-born – is now a well accepted phenomenon. There are many competing explanations for this phenomenon including health screening by recipient countries, healthy behaviour prior to migration followed by the steady adoption of new country (less) healthy behaviours, and immigrant self-selection where healthier and wealthier people tend to be migrants. We explore the last two of these explanation...

First selection, then influence : Developmental differences in friendship dynamics regarding academic achievement

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gremmen, Mariola Claudia; Dijkstra, Jan Kornelis; Steglich, Christian; Veenstra, René

This study concerns peer selection and influence dynamics in early adolescents' friendships regarding academic achievement. Using longitudinal social network analysis (RSiena), both selection and influence processes were investigated for students' average grades and their cluster-specific grades

An Analysis of Conditional Dependencies of Covariance Matrices for Economic Processes in Selected EU Countries

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Janiga-Ćmiel Anna

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The paper looks at the issues related to the research on and assessment of the contagion effect. Based on several examinations of two selected EU countries, Poland paired with one of the EU member states; it presents the interaction between their economic development. A DCC-GARCH model constructed for the purpose of the study was used to generate a covariance matrix Ht, which enabled the calculation of correlation matrices Rt. The resulting variance vectors were used to present a linear correlation model on which a further analysis of the contagion effect was based. The aim of the study was to test a contagion effect among selected EU countries in the years 2000–2014. The transmission channel under study was the GDP of a selected country. The empirical studies confirmed the existence of the contagion effect between the economic development of the Polish and selected EU economies.

A COMPARISON OF ICT USE (E-BUSINESS TOOLS IN COMPANIES OF SELECTED COUNTRIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan Petrtyl

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Information and communication technologies (ICT are definitely a phenomenon that has changed our world. According to the European Commission (2008, p.13: “ICT is an umbrella term that encompasses a wide array of systems, devices and services used for data processing (the information side of ICT as well as telecommunications equipment and services for data transmission and communication (the communication side”. Institutions such as for instance Eurostat deal with statistical monitoring and classification of ICT use at companies. The presented research is focused on the comparison of e-business in selected countries. For the purposes of the research study, the data available from the open electronic database of Eurostat (2013 for analyses of ICT use in a business sector were used. A composite indicator was established and the level of e-business (a notion introduced by the European Commission, 2010 in selected countries in categories: Business information systems, Purchase and sale, Cooperation within SCM, and Education, communication and remote access was monitored. The attention was paid to the differences in monitored categories for SMEs and large enterprises. The contribution of the presented study is to mediate a picture of the implementation of e-business tools in selected EU countries on the basis of the large database of Eurostat (2013. The comparison between the Czech Republic and Germany, but also between other relevant competitors from the Visegrad group shows the Czech level of e-business. The outputs also show that the level of e-business at SMEs is lower than at large enterprises, that is in all selected countries.

Comparison of low-level waste disposal programs of DOE and selected international countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meagher, B.G.; Cole, L.T.

1996-06-01

The purpose of this report is to examine and compare the approaches and practices of selected countries for disposal of low-level radioactive waste (LLW) with those of the US Department of Energy (DOE). The report addresses the programs for disposing of wastes into engineered LLW disposal facilities and is not intended to address in-situ options and practices associated with environmental restoration activities or the management of mill tailings and mixed LLW. The countries chosen for comparison are France, Sweden, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The countries were selected as typical examples of the LLW programs which have evolved under differing technical constraints, regulatory requirements, and political/social systems. France was the first country to demonstrate use of engineered structure-type disposal facilities. The UK has been actively disposing of LLW since 1959. Sweden has been disposing of LLW since 1983 in an intermediate-depth disposal facility rather than a near-surface disposal facility. To date, Canada has been storing its LLW but will soon begin operation of Canada's first demonstration LLW disposal facility

The influence of selected teacher inputs on students’ academic achievement in the junior secondary school certificate mathematics in Namibia

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Simon E. Akpo

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This study explored the link between teachers’ inputs and students’ academic achievement in the JSC Mathematics for the period 2006 to 2010. One hundred and fifty secondary schools selected from 573 secondary schools in the country constituted the target population. One hundred and sixty-four JSC mathematics teachers from the 150 secondary schools participated in the study, with the final JSC Mathematics results of the students serving as the dependent variable of the study. Mathematics teachers’ input data (academic qualifications, teaching experience and subject specialisation were collected from a questionnaire developed by the researchers. Standard multiple regression was used to analyse the link between teachers’ inputs and students’ academic achievement in JSC Mathematics at P < 0.05and P < 0.10 respectively. The study found that teachers’ academic qualifications and subject specialisation had a significant and positive relationship with students’ academic achievement in JSC Mathematics. Teachers’ gender, however, was not significantly related to students’ academic achievement in JSC Mathematics. This is the first time within the Namibian context that we have empirically demonstrated the link between teachers’ inputs and students’ academic achievement in JSC Mathematics. The study therefore provides support for the policy initiatives that seek to link teachers’ academic qualifications, subject specialisation and teaching experience to employment and classroom allocation.

The Diffusion of Academic Achievements: Social Selection and Influence in Student Networks

OpenAIRE

Sofia Dokuka; Diliara Valeeva; Maria Yudkevich

2015-01-01

Peer group effects show the influence of student social environments on their individual achievements. Traditionally, a social environment is considered by researchers of peer effects as exogenously given. However, significant peers that affect performance are often those that are deliberately chosen. Students might choose their friends among peers with similar academic achievements. A dynamic analysis of student social networks and academic achievements is needed to disentangle social select...

Family Inequality, School Inequalities, and Mathematics Achievement in 65 Countries: Microeconomic Mechanisms of Rent Seeking and Diminishing Marginal Returns

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, Ming Ming

2015-01-01

Background/Context: While many studies show that greater economic inequality widens the achievement gap between rich and poor students, recent studies indicate that countries with greater economic inequality have lower overall student achievement. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: This study explores whether family inequalities…

The Influence of Classroom Disciplinary Climate of Schools on Reading Achievement: A Cross-Country Comparative Study

Science.gov (United States)

Ning, Bo; Van Damme, Jan; Van Den Noortgate, Wim; Yang, Xiangdong; Gielen, Sarah

2015-01-01

Despite considerable interest in research and practice in the effect of classroom disciplinary climate of schools on academic achievement, little is known about the generalizability of this effect over countries. Using hierarchical linear analyses, the present study reveals that a better classroom disciplinary climate in a school is significantly…

Cross-country analysis of strategies for achieving progress towards global goals for women's and children's health.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Syed Masud; Rawal, Lal B; Chowdhury, Sadia A; Murray, John; Arscott-Mills, Sharon; Jack, Susan; Hinton, Rachael; Alam, Prima M; Kuruvilla, Shyama

2016-05-01

To identify how 10 low- and middle-income countries achieved accelerated progress, ahead of comparable countries, towards meeting millennium development goals 4 and 5A to reduce child and maternal mortality. We synthesized findings from multistakeholder dialogues and country policy reports conducted previously for the Success Factors studies in 10 countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Nepal, Peru, Rwanda and Viet Nam. A framework approach was used to analyse and synthesize the data from the country reports, resulting in descriptive or explanatory conclusions by theme. Successful policy and programme approaches were categorized in four strategic areas: leadership and multistakeholder partnerships; health sector; sectors outside health; and accountability for resources and results. Consistent and coordinated inputs across sectors, based on high-impact interventions, were assessed. Within the health sector, key policy and programme strategies included defining standards, collecting and using data, improving financial protection, and improving the availability and quality of services. Outside the health sector, strategies included investing in girls' education, water, sanitation and hygiene, poverty reduction, nutrition and food security, and infrastructure development. Countries improved accountability by strengthening and using data systems for planning and evaluating progress. Reducing maternal and child mortality in the 10 fast-track countries can be linked to consistent and coordinated policy and programme inputs across health and other sectors. The approaches used by successful countries have relevance to other countries looking to scale-up or accelerate progress towards the sustainable development goals.

Macroeconomic dataset for generating macroeconomic volatility among selected countries in the Asia Pacific region

OpenAIRE

Chow, Yee Peng; Muhammad, Junaina; Amin Noordin, Bany Ariffin; Cheng, Fan Fah

2017-01-01

This data article provides macroeconomic data that can be used to generate macroeconomic volatility. The data cover a sample of seven selected countries in the Asia Pacific region for the period 2004–2014, including both developing and developed countries. This dataset was generated to enhance our understanding of the sources of macroeconomic volatility affecting the countries in this region. Although the Asia Pacific region continues to remain as the most dynamic part of the world's economy,...

Relationships among Selected Practice Behaviours and Achievement in Jazz Improvisation

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, Kevin E.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the practice strategies that collegiate music majors chose to employ in preparing for a jazz improvisation performance, and the relationships among selected practice behaviours and achievement in instrumental jazz improvisation. Participants for the study (N = 62) were enrolled as music majors…

The role of health technology assessment on pharmaceutical reimbursement in selected middle-income countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Oortwijn, Wija; Mathijssen, Judith; Banta, David

2010-05-01

Middle-income countries are often referred to as developing or emerging economies and face multiple challenges of severe financial stresses in their health care sectors, and high disease burden. The objective of this study is to provide an overview of how health technology assessment (HTA) is used and organized in selected middle-income countries and its role in the process of pharmaceutical coverage. We selected middle-income countries where HTA activities are evident: Argentina, Brazil, China, Colombia, Israel, Mexico, Philippines, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Turkey. We collected and reviewed relevant information to describe the health care and reimbursement systems and how HTA relates to coverage decision-making of pharmaceuticals. This was supplemented by information from a structured survey among professionals working in public and private health insurance, industry, regulatory authorities, ministries of health, academic units or HTA. All countries require market authorization for pharmaceuticals to be sold and most countries have a national plan defining which pharmaceuticals can be reimbursed. However, the use of HTA in reimbursement decisions is still in its early stages with varying levels of HTA guidance implementation. The study provides evidence of the development of HTA in coverage decision-making in middle-income countries. Increased health care spending and the resulting access to modern technology give a strong impetus to HTA. However, HTA is developing with uneven speed in middle-income countries and many countries are building on the organisational and methodological experience from established HTA agencies. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Macroeconomic dataset for generating macroeconomic volatility among selected countries in the Asia Pacific region.

Science.gov (United States)

Chow, Yee Peng; Muhammad, Junaina; Amin Noordin, Bany Ariffin; Cheng, Fan Fah

2018-02-01

This data article provides macroeconomic data that can be used to generate macroeconomic volatility. The data cover a sample of seven selected countries in the Asia Pacific region for the period 2004-2014, including both developing and developed countries. This dataset was generated to enhance our understanding of the sources of macroeconomic volatility affecting the countries in this region. Although the Asia Pacific region continues to remain as the most dynamic part of the world's economy, it is not spared from various sources of macroeconomic volatility through the decades. The reported data cover 15 types of macroeconomic data series, representing three broad categories of indicators that can be used to proxy macroeconomic volatility. They are indicators that account for macroeconomic volatility (i.e. volatility as a macroeconomic outcome), domestic sources of macroeconomic volatility and external sources of macroeconomic volatility. In particular, the selected countries are Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines, which are regarded as developing countries, while Singapore, Japan and Australia are developed countries. Despite the differences in level of economic development, these countries were affected by similar sources of macroeconomic volatility such as the Asian Financial Crisis and the Global Financial Crisis. These countries were also affected by other similar external turbulence arising from factors such as the global economic slowdown, geopolitical risks in the Middle East and volatile commodity prices. Nonetheless, there were also sources of macroeconomic volatility which were peculiar to certain countries only. These were generally domestic sources of volatility such as political instability (for Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines), natural disasters and anomalous weather conditions (for Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Japan and Australia) and over-dependence on the electronic sector (for Singapore).

Analysis of the development and prediction of the rate of unemployment in selected countries with market and transitive economy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erich Maca

2004-01-01

Full Text Available The paper is aimed at the presentation of findings achieved in the study of the dynamics and trends of the rate of unemployment in selected countries with market and transitive economy in the reference period 1995–2001. In addition to the description of developmental trends of analysed time series by means of trend functions of linear, quadratic, exponential, logarithmic, power and inverse types their informative ability was verified as a starting base for the realization of point prediction of investigated events for 2005. With given 95% probability, minimum and maximum values are determined of the evaluated macroeconomic indicator for a defined time horizon.

Public sector achievement in 36 countries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Benedikt Goderis

2015-01-01

This report examines the inputs, outputs and outcomes of the public sector in 36 countries (including the EU-28) over the period 1995-2012. We study two sectors – education and health – in some detail, while taking a more general look at the sectors social safety, housing, social security and

The age structure of selected countries in the ESCAP region.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, S

1982-01-01

The study objective was to examine the age structure of selected countries in the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) region, using available data and frequently applied indices such as the population pyramid, aged-child ratio, and median age. Based on the overall picture of the age structure thus obtained, age trends and their implication for the near future were arrived at. Countries are grouped into 4 types based on the fertility and mortality levels. Except for Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, the age structure in the 18 ESCAP region countries changed comparatively little over the 1950-80 period. The largest structural change occurred in Singapore, where the proportion of children under age 15 in the population declined significantly from 41-27%, while that of persons 65 years and older more than doubled. This was due primarily to the marked decline in fertility from a total fertility rate (TFR) of 6.7-1.8 during the period. Hong Kong also had a similar major transformation during the same period: the proportion of the old age population increased 2 1/2 times, from 2.5-6.3%. The age structures of the 18 ESCAP countries varied greatly by country. 10 countries of the 2 high fertility and mortality types showed a similar young age structural pattern, i.e., they have higher dependency ratios, a higher proportion of children under 15 years, a lower proportion of population 65 years and older, lower aged-child ratios, and younger median ages than the average countries in the less developed regions of the world. With minimal changes over the 1950-80 period, the gap between these countries and the average of the less developed regions widened. Unlike these 10 (mostly South Asian) countries, moderately low fertility and mortality countries (China, Korea, and Sri Lanka) are located between the world average and the less developed region in most of the indices, particularly during the last decade. Although their rate of population aging is not

Marker-assisted selection as a potential tool for genetic improvement in developing countries: debating the issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robinson, J.; Ruane, J.

2007-01-01

Marker-assisted selection (MAS) is a complementary technology, for use in conjunction with more established conventional methods of genetic selection, for plant and animal improvement. It has generated a good deal of expectations, many of which have yet to be realized. Although documentation is limited, the current impact of MAS on products delivered to farmers seems small. While the future possibilities and potential impacts of MAS are considerable, there are also obstacles to its use, particularly in developing countries. Principal among these are issues relating to current high costs of the technology and its appropriateness, given that publicly funded agricultural research in many developing countries is suboptimal and development priorities do not necessarily include genetic improvement programmes. Other potential obstacles to the uptake of MAS in developing countries include limited infrastructure, the absence of conventional selection and breeding programmes, poor private sector involvement and lack of research on specific crops of importance in developing countries. Intellectual property rights may also be an important constraint to development and uptake of MAS in the developing world. It is hoped that through partnerships between developing and developed country institutions and individuals, including public-private sector collaboration, MAS costs can be reduced, resources pooled and shared and capacity developed. With the assistance of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and international organizations such as FAO, developing countries can benefit more from MAS. These were some of the outcomes of a moderated e-mail conference, entitled 'Molecular Marker- Assisted Selection as a Potential Tool for Genetic Improvement of Crops, Forest Trees, Livestock and Fish in Developing Countries', that FAO hosted at the end of 2003. During the four-week conference, 627 people subscribed and 85 messages were posted, about 60 percent

Productivity effects of higher education human capital in selected countries of Sub-Saharan Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Koye Gerry Bokana

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to analyse the productivity effects of higher education enrolment (HEE, higher education output (HEO and the associated productivity gap (GP on selected countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA over the period between 1981 and 2014. It was hypothesized in the study that HEE and HEO had statistically significant positive impact on productivity in the selected sub-Saharan Africa countries over the stated period. Fixed effect Least Square Dummy Variable (LSDV and a robust version of System Generalized Methods of Moment (SYSGMM were adopted as model estimating techniques. Results from the LSDV model indicated that HEE had no statistically significant positive impact on productivity growth in the twenty-one SSA countries. This non-significance was corrected in the dynamic model, but with negative effects on the growth rate of total factor productivity (TFP. The study further compared the worldwide technological frontier with those of the SSA countries under investigation and discovered that countries like Gabon, Mauritius and Swaziland ranked high, while Burundi needs to improve on its productivity determinants. The major conclusion of this study is therefore that higher education human capital should be supported with strong policy implementation, as this can have a positive impact on productivity growth.

Determinants of Individual Academic Achievement - Group Selectivity Effects Have Many Dimensions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zwick, Th.

2013-01-01

This paper measures determinants of individual academic achievements. In addition to an extensive list of individual characteristics, skills obtained during study and socio-economic background factors, many dimensions of selectivity into academic study subjects are shown to drive individual academic

A review of strategic environmental assessment in 12 selected countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaker, A.; El-Fadl, K.; Chamas, L.; Hatjian, B.

2006-01-01

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is acknowledged to be an important decision support tool. The increased application of its principles in countries worldwide, the introduction of SEA procedures in planning and decision-making processes of international aid and cooperation organisations, as well as the recent endorsement of two relevant legal documents in the international arena only serve to emphasise the acclaimed significance of the process. In light of the scarcity of literature exploring the practical implementation of SEA, this paper attempts to provide a comparative overview of SEA systems in 12 selected countries from their legal, institutional and procedural perspectives in order to unveil potential implementation pitfalls, obstacles and lessons learnt as well as uncertainties and lack of data for future research, replication and customisation elsewhere or refining of existing systems

Influences on Academic Achievement Across High and Low Income Countries: A Re-Analysis of IEA Data.

Science.gov (United States)

Heyneman, S.; Loxley, W.

Previous international studies of science achievement put the data through a process of winnowing to decide which variables to keep in the final regressions. Variables were allowed to enter the final regressions if they met a minimum beta coefficient criterion of 0.05 averaged across rich and poor countries alike. The criterion was an average…

Macroeconomic dataset for generating macroeconomic volatility among selected countries in the Asia Pacific region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yee Peng Chow

2018-02-01

Full Text Available This data article provides macroeconomic data that can be used to generate macroeconomic volatility. The data cover a sample of seven selected countries in the Asia Pacific region for the period 2004–2014, including both developing and developed countries. This dataset was generated to enhance our understanding of the sources of macroeconomic volatility affecting the countries in this region. Although the Asia Pacific region continues to remain as the most dynamic part of the world's economy, it is not spared from various sources of macroeconomic volatility through the decades. The reported data cover 15 types of macroeconomic data series, representing three broad categories of indicators that can be used to proxy macroeconomic volatility. They are indicators that account for macroeconomic volatility (i.e. volatility as a macroeconomic outcome, domestic sources of macroeconomic volatility and external sources of macroeconomic volatility. In particular, the selected countries are Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines, which are regarded as developing countries, while Singapore, Japan and Australia are developed countries. Despite the differences in level of economic development, these countries were affected by similar sources of macroeconomic volatility such as the Asian Financial Crisis and the Global Financial Crisis. These countries were also affected by other similar external turbulence arising from factors such as the global economic slowdown, geopolitical risks in the Middle East and volatile commodity prices. Nonetheless, there were also sources of macroeconomic volatility which were peculiar to certain countries only. These were generally domestic sources of volatility such as political instability (for Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines, natural disasters and anomalous weather conditions (for Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Japan and Australia and over-dependence on the electronic sector (for Singapore. Keywords

Selective reporting of antibiotic susceptibility test results in European countries: an ESCMID cross-sectional survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Pulcini, Céline; Tebano, Gianpiero; Mutters, Nico T; Tacconelli, Evelina; Cambau, Emmanuelle; Kahlmeter, Gunnar; Jarlier, Vincent

2017-02-01

Selective reporting of antibiotic susceptibility test (AST) results is one possible laboratory-based antibiotic stewardship intervention. The primary aim of this study was to identify where and how selective reporting of AST results is implemented in Europe both in inpatient and in outpatient settings. An ESCMID cross-sectional, self-administered, internet-based survey was conducted among all EUCIC (European Committee on Infection Control) or EUCAST (European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing) national representatives in Europe and Israel. Of 38 countries, 36 chose to participate in the survey. Selective reporting of AST results was implemented in 11/36 countries (31%), was partially implemented in 4/36 (11%) and was limited to local initiatives or was not adopted in 21/36 (58%). It was endorsed as standard of care by health authorities in only three countries. The organisation of selective reporting was everywhere discretionally managed by each laboratory, with a pronounced intra- and inter-country variability. The most frequent application was in uncomplicated community-acquired infections, particularly urinary tract and skin and soft-tissue infections. The list of reported antibiotics ranged from a few first-line options, to longer reports where only last-resort antibiotics were hidden. Several barriers to implementation were reported, mainly lack of guidelines, poor system support, insufficient resources, and lack of professionals' capability. In conclusion, selective reporting of AST results is poorly implemented in Europe and is applied with a huge heterogeneity of practices. Development of an international framework, based on existing initiatives and identified barriers, could favour its dissemination as one important element of antibiotic stewardship programmes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. and International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.

Factors affecting CO2 emission from the power sector of selected countries in Asia and the Pacific

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shrestha, Ram M.; Anandarajah, Gabrial; Liyanage, Migara H.

2009-01-01

This study analyzes the key factors behind the CO 2 emissions from the power sector in fifteen selected countries in Asia and the Pacific using the Log-Mean Divisia Index method of decomposition. The roles of changes in economic output, electricity intensity of the economy, fuel intensity of power generation and generation structure are examined in the evolution of CO 2 emission from the power sector of the selected countries during 1980-2004. The study shows that the economic growth was the dominant factor behind the increase in CO 2 emission in ten of the selected countries (i.e., Australia, China, India, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, while the increasing electricity intensity of the economy was the main factor in three countries (Bangladesh, Indonesia and Philippines). Structural changes in power generation were found to be the main contributor to changes in the CO 2 emission in the case of Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

Electronic health indicators in the selected countries: Are these indicators the best?

Science.gov (United States)

Afshari, Somaye; Khorasani, Elahe; Yarmohammadian, Mohammad Hossein; Atighechian, Golrokh; Darab, Mohsen Ghaffari

2013-01-01

Many changes have been made in different sciences by developing and advancing information and communication technology in last two decades. E-health is a very broad term that includes many different activities related to the use of electronic devices, software as well as hardware in health organizations. The aim of this study is comparing electronic health indicators in the selected countries and discussion on the best indicators. This study has chosen 12 countries randomly based on the regional division of the WHO. The relevant numbers of health indicators and general indicators and information technology indicators are extracted of these countries. We use data from the Bitarf's comparative study, which is conducted by the Iranian Supreme Council of Information Technology in 2007. By using Pearson correlation test, the relations between health general indicators and IT indicators are studied. Data was analyzed based on the research objectives using SPSS software and in accordance with research questions Pearson correlation test were used. The findings show that there is a positive relation between indicators related to IT and "Total per capita health, healthy life expectancy, percent literacy". Furthermore, there is a mutual relation between IT indicators and "mortality indicator". This study showed differences between selective indicators among different countries. The modern world, with its technological advances, is not powerless in the face of these geographic and health disparity challenges. Researchers must not rely on the available indicators. They must consider indicators like e-business companies, electronic data internet, medical supplies, health electronic record, health information system, etc., In future, continuous studies in this field, to provide the exact and regular reports of amount of using of these indicators through different countries must be necessary.

A Hybrid Multidimensional Approach to Select a Country for Global Cement Plant Location

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Khurram Ali

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The globalization and saturated domestic markets force international firms to gradually expand their businesses across the borders to capture potential emerging markets. The decision to select a country for a new cement plant location demands analysis of a large number of factors. It is a multifaceted problem which requires investigation and prioritization of factors in a hierarchical way.This paper uses an FAHP (Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process based procedure proposing a practical framework for solution of the GCPLP (Global Cement Plant Location Problem. It deals with real world ambiguities and handles a broader spectrum of influencing factors. The criteria for selection of a country for a new cement plant installation are prioritized from the FAHP based evaluation made by experts. Different global databases including the World Bank are used for the fuzzy ratings of the alternatives. It has been learnt in this particular problem that cement specific and cost related factors are the most sensitive while legal regulations and economic conditions are relatively less sensitive for the decision makers. Therefore, the countries having strong lime stone reserves, cheaper fuel costs and good internal marketing positions are higher in ranking. The paper concludes with different rankings of the four countries analyzed which assist the strategic managers in making decisions on the basis of mathematically computed results.

A hybrid multidimensional approach to select a country for global cement plant location

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, M.K.

2015-01-01

The globalization and saturated domestic markets force international firms to gradually expand their businesses across the borders to capture potential emerging markets. The decision to select a country for a new cement plant location demands analysis of a large number of factors. It is a multifaceted problem which requires investigation and prioritization of factors in a hierarchical way. This paper uses an FAHP (Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process) based procedure proposing a practical framework for solution of the GCPLP (Global Cement Plant Location Problem). It deals with real world ambiguities and handles a broader spectrum of influencing factors. The criteria for selection of a country for a new cement plant installation are prioritized from the FAHP based evaluation made by experts. Different global databases including the World Bank are used for the fuzzy ratings of the alternatives. It has been learnt in this particular problem that cement specific and cost related factors are the most sensitive while legal regulations and economic conditions are relatively less sensitive for the decision makers. Therefore, the countries having strong lime stone reserves, cheaper fuel costs and good internal marketing positions are higher in ranking. The paper concludes with different rankings of the four countries analyzed which assist the strategic managers in making decisions on the basis of mathematically computed results. (author)

Divergent Streams: Race-Gender Achievement Gaps at Selective Colleges and Universities.

Science.gov (United States)

Massey, Douglas S; Probasco, Lierin

2010-03-01

In this paper, we extend previous research on racial performance gaps at 28 selective US colleges and universities by examining differences in grade achievement and graduate rates across race-gender categories. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Freshmen, we show that black males, black females, and Hispanic males attain significantly lower grades than other race-gender groups, and that black males are 35% less likely to graduate on-time than other race-gender groups. Analyses consider an array of personal and institutional indicators of academic performance. Grades and graduation rates are improved by academic preparation (particularly high school GPA), scholarly effort, and, for graduation rates, membership in career-oriented or majority-white campus groups. Grade performance and graduation rates are undermined by a hostile racial climate on campus, family stress, and stereotype threat, all of which disproportionately affect minority students. We conclude with recommendations to college administrators for ways of selecting and supporting minority students to reduce differentials in academic achievement across race-gender groups.

Is skewed income distribution good for environmental quality? A comparative analysis among selected BRICS countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahalik, Mantu Kumar; Mallick, Hrushikesh; Padhan, Hemachandra; Sahoo, Bhagaban

2018-06-03

A large number of studies have examined the linkage between income inequality and environmental quality at the individual country levels. This study attempts to examine the linkage between the two factors for the individual BRICS economies from a comparative perspective, which is scarce in the literature. It examines the selected countries (Brazil, India, China and South Africa) by endogenising the patterns of primary energy consumption (coal use and petroleum use), total primary energy consumption, economic growth, and urbanisation as key determining factors in CO 2 emission function. The long-run results based on ARDL bounds testing revealed that income inequality leads to increase in CO 2 emissions for Brazil, India and China, while the same factor leads to reduction in CO 2 emissions for South Africa. However, it observes that while coal use increases CO 2 emissions for India, China and South Africa, it has no effect for Brazil. In contrast, the use of petroleum products contributes to CO 2 emissions in Brazil, while the use of the same surprisingly results in reduction of carbon emissions in South Africa, India and China. The findings suggest that given the significance of income inequality in environmental pollution, the policy makers in these emerging economies have to take into consideration the role of income inequality, while designing the energy policy to achieve environmental sustainability.

Non-Formal Education in International Comparison: Patterns of Participation and Investment in Selected European Countries

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Katrin Kaufmann

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This investigation focuses on participation and related investment patterns in job related non-formal education (NFE in selected European countries. Broadening previous research formats of NFE are distinguished by investment including financial and time investments by employers, employees and public authorities. By this, company-sponsored and individual-financed NFE are distinguished sharply and cases with shared investment between employers and employees (co-financed NFE and between employers, employees and public funding (co-financed pooled NFE are accounted for, additionally. For explaining participation in NFE supply and demand models are referred to. Hypotheses on cross-country differences for investment in NFE refer to the Varieties-of-Capitalism approach and countries are selected representing different varieties of capitalism (Norway, Sweden, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Spain, France, UK. Analyses are based on data of the Adult Education Survey (AES 2011/12.

Trade Performance of Fruit and Vegetable Industry in Selected ASEAN Countries

OpenAIRE

Emmy, F.A.; Mohd Mansor, Ismail

2009-01-01

This paper examines the trade performance for thirteen commodities in the fruit and vegetable industry in relation to that of selected ASEAN countries (Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand), based on Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) indicator. The analysis shows that Singapore has comparative advantage in 5 commodities (ground-nuts, hazelnuts, plums, apricots and walnuts), Philippines has comparative advantage in 3 commodities (tomatoes nes prepared or preserved, tomatoes whole ...

Selected medical students achieve better than lottery-admitted students during clerkships.

Science.gov (United States)

Urlings-Strop, Louise C; Themmen, Axel P N; Stijnen, Theo; Splinter, Ted A W

2011-10-01

A recent controlled study by our group showed that the dropout rate in the first 2 years of study of medical students selected for entry by the assessment of a combination of non-cognitive and cognitive abilities was 2.6 times lower than that of a control group of students admitted by lottery. The aim of the present study was to compare the performance of these two groups in the clinical phase. A prospective cohort study was performed to compare the performance of 389 medical students admitted by selection with that of 938 students admitted by weighted lottery between 2001 and 2004. Follow-up of these cohorts lasted 5.5-8.5 years. The main outcome measures were the mean grade obtained on the first five discipline-specific clerkships by all cohorts and the mean grade achieved on all 10 clerkships by the cohorts of 2001 and 2002. Selected students obtained a significantly higher mean grade during their first five clerkships than lottery-admitted students (mean ± standard error [SE] 7.95 ± 0.03, 95% confidence interval [CI] 7.90-8.00 versus mean ± SE 7.84 ± 0.02, 95% CI 7.81-7.87; p students achieved a grade of ≥ 8.0 1.5 times more often than lottery-admitted students. An analysis of all mean grades awarded on 10 clerkships revealed the same results. Moreover, the longer follow-up period over the clerkships showed that the relative risk for dropout was twice as low in the selected student group as in the lottery-admitted student group. The selected group received significantly higher mean grades on their first five clerkships, which could not be attributed to factors other than the selection procedure. Although the risk for dropout before the clinical phase increased somewhat in both groups, the actual dropout rate proved to be twice as low in the selected group. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2011.

Survey of siting practices for selected management projects in seven countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hardin, E.; Aahagen, H.

1992-06-01

This paper surveys siting practices for deep geologic disposal in seven countries, and attempts to formulate generalizations which could be useful for the upcoming review of the Swedish plan for siting the SFL repository (R and D 92). Comparison of projects in different countries is done with full appreciation of the technical, legal, and cultural differences. The seven countries were selected for experience with siting in crystalline rock, similarity of siting practices to Sweden, and the availability of published information. Local governments have demonstrated effective veto power in each of the seven countries surveyed, although this power is exercised in different ways. This paper shows how the siting strategy itself affects the ability and the inclination of localities to block the project. It shows by example that public involvement, parallel vs. sequential characterization, schedule for siting activities, and the existence of interim waste storage capability have an impact on the success of siting. The focus of this paper is deep geologic disposal. Shallow land disposal and non-radioactive wastes are not discussed in detail, with three exceptions: LLW disposal siting in the U.S. and Canada, and the SAKAB incinerator projects in Sweden. These provide insight into siting approaches and demonstrate that conclusions regarding deep geologic disposal are supported by other experience. (114 refs.) (au)

Country and Gender-Specific Achievement of Healthy Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines: Latent Class Analysis of 6266 University Students in Egypt, Libya, and Palestine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Walid El Ansari

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Research on healthy behaviour such as physical activity and healthy nutrition and their combination is lacking among university students in Arab countries. The current survey assessed healthy nutrition, and moderate/vigorous physical activity (PA of 6266 students in Egypt, Libya, and Palestine. We computed a nutrition guideline achievement index using WHO recommendation, as well as the achievement of PA recommendations using guidelines for adults of the American Heart Association guidelines. Latent class regression analysis identified homogenous groups of male and female students, based on their achievements of both guidelines. We examined associations between group membership and achievement of guidelines. A three-class solution model best fitted the data, generating three student Groups: “Healthy Eaters” (7.7% of females, 10.8% of males, “Physically Active” (21.7% of females, 25.8% of males, and “Low Healthy Behaviour” (70.6% of females, 63.4% of males. We did not observe a latent class that exhibited combined healthy behaviours (physically active and healthy eaters, and there were no major differences between countries. We observed a very low rate of healthy nutrition (≈10% of students achieved greater than four of the eight nutrition guidelines, with little gender differences across the countries. About 18–47% of students achieved the PA guidelines, depending on country and gender, more often among males. Few females achieved the PA guidelines, particularly in Libya and Palestine. Culturally adapted multi-behavioural interventions need to encourage healthy lifestyles, nutrition and PA behaviours. National policies need to promote active living while addressing cultural, geographic, and other barriers to young adults’ engagement in PA.

Tax Performance Assessment in Scandinavian Countries

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Bunescu Liliana

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to evaluate fiscal policy performance level in Nordic countries of Europe by quantifying the gap between their performance and an optimum benchmark value. In this study it was selected Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway. These countries occupy the first places in the ranking of countries with the highest rate of tax burden in Europe. The first part of paper contains general aspects of fiscal performance in international research and an overview of the Nordic tax systems model. The second part of paper focuses on evaluation of tax policy performance in these countries by using OptimTax scoring analysis. The research is based on a multivariate analysis instrument that uses quantitative data on various aspects of tax policy. OptimTax achieves a score for assessing the degree of optimization of fiscal policy. The results reveal high levels of tax performance in Scandinavian countries and a trend that seems to be more constant than ascending, except Norway.

A pilot study on acoustic regulations for schools – Comparison between selected countries in Europe

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Birgit; Guigou-Carter, Catherine

2016-01-01

of descriptors and limit values for acoustic requirements. The paper includes examples of acoustic regulations for schools, including specific sound insulation requirements on airborne and impact sound insulation, limit values for noise from traffic and from service equipment and in addition on reverberation......Acoustic regulations for schools exist in most countries in Europe, the main reasons being improving learning conditions for pupils and work conditions for teachers. As a pilot study, comparison between requirements in selected countries in Europe has been carried out. The findings show a diversity...... time for class rooms. Furthermore, the discrepancies between countries are being discussed and some priorities for adjusting acoustic regulations in some countries indicated....

Maternal and congenital syphilis in selected Latin America and Caribbean countries: a multi-country analysis using data from the Perinatal Information System.

Science.gov (United States)

Serruya, Suzanne J; Duran, Pablo; Martinez, Gerardo; Romero, Mario; Caffe, Sonja; Alonso, Monica; Silveira, Mariangela F

2015-04-01

Background Maternal syphilis has an important impact on reproductive health. In 2010, World Health Organization (WHO)/Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) member countries approved the Strategy and Plan of Action for Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV and Congenital Syphilis in the Americas by 2015. This paper aims to describe epidemiological and programmatic characteristics related to maternal and congenital syphilis in selected countries of Latin America and Caribbean for the period 2010-12. The report is based on a multi-country, quantitative and qualitative analysis from data collected from several sources, representing a compilation of country reports from nine countries as part of the 2012 mid-term evaluation of the Strategy. Data was collected based on standardised procedures at country level. Results are variable among countries. All countries have a strategic national plan to eliminate congenital syphilis, with some distinct characteristics for each country. Protocols and guidelines for the management and treatment of maternal and congenital syphilis in all countries were updated between 2011 and 2013. A high rate of missing information for all countries for some indicators was noticed. The main limitation of the analyses is the huge amount of missing data. Countries must continue to be supported to build capacity for collecting high-quality data on intervention coverage and inequities, and to use it as a basis for decisions about how best to reach women and children with interventions. A high level political commitment is necessary to put into practice the Regional Initiative to Eliminate Congenital Syphilis, with the support of Health Ministries.

A PANEL REGRESSION ANALYSIS OF HUMAN CAPITAL RELEVANCE IN SELECTED SCANDINAVIAN AND SE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

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Filip Kokotovic

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The study of human capital relevance to economic growth is becoming increasingly important taking into account its relevance in many of the Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the UN. This paper conducted a panel regression analysis of selected SE European countries and Scandinavian countries using the Granger causality test and pooled panel regression. In order to test the relevance of human capital on economic growth, several human capital proxy variables were identified. Aside from the human capital proxy variables, other explanatory variables were selected using stepwise regression while the dependant variable was GDP. This paper concludes that there are significant structural differences in the economies of the two observed panels. Of the human capital proxy variables observed, for the panel of SE European countries only life expectancy was statistically significant and it had a negative impact on economic growth, while in the panel of Scandinavian countries total public expenditure on education had a statistically significant positive effect on economic growth. Based upon these results and existing studies, this paper concludes that human capital has a far more significant impact on economic growth in more developed economies.

Effect of Ease of Doing Business to Economic Growth among Selected Countries in Asia

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Teodorica G. Ani

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Economic activity requires a streamlined regulatory environment and effectual policies that are transparent and accessible to all. The study aimed to explain the effect of ease of doing business to economic growth among selected economies in Asia for the year 2014. The study covered 29 economies in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. Ease of doing business is determined by the ten Doing Business indicators (DBI of the World Bank. In the study, Gross Domestic Product (GDP was used as the proxy variable for economic growth. Descriptive research was the research design used. Multiple regression determined the effect of doing business to economic growth. Compared to other economies, Singapore has the best regulatory performance. It achieved the easiest to do business to five indicators, namely, Starting Business, Registering Property, Protecting Investors, Trading Across Borders, and Enforcing Contracts. In addition, China showed the highest economic growth. The study found out that the variations in ease of doing business was explained by dealing with construction permits, getting credit, registering property and trading across borders. Dealing with construction permits and getting credit have negative effect to Gross Domestic Product while registering property and trading across borders have positive effect. Trading across borders greatly affect gross domestic product among selected countries in Asia. The research proposed inputs to policy which may increase the awareness of local government units of different economies on the simplification of the policies of the different components used in measuring doing business.

Regulatory monitoring systems of fortified salt and wheat flour in selected ASEAN countries.

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van den Wijngaart, Annoek; Bégin, France; Codling, Karen; Randall, Philip; Johnson, Quentin W

2013-06-01

Considerable efforts have been made over the past decade to address vitamin and mineral deficiencies. An increasing number of countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are adopting mandatory food fortification as one of the primary strategies to overcome these deficiencies. Experience shows that fortified foods can reach large parts of the population, including the poor, if the fortification is done on a mandatory rather than a voluntary basis and if the food vehicle is widely consumed. To review the importance of regulatory monitoring as an essential component of food fortification efforts in selected ASEAN countries, with special focus on the available information on regulatory monitoring systems for iodized salt and fortified wheat flour. The role of regulatory monitoring in strengthening food fortification programs was discussed during a joint regional meeting of the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the Flour Fortification Initiative, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, the Micronutrient Initiative, and the World Bank on regulatory monitoring of salt and wheat flour fortification programs in Asia, which took place in Manila, Philippines, on 27-29 September 2011. This paper reviews the regulatory monitoring systems of selected ASEAN countries that participated in this meeting. Problems and challenges in regulatory monitoring systems for iodized salt and fortified wheat flour in selected ASEAN countries are identified, and a description of the role of regulatory monitoring in strengthening food fortification initiatives, particularly of salt and flour, and highlights of areas for improvement are presented. Regulatory monitoring consists of monitoring activities conducted at the production level, at customs warehouses, and at retail stores by concerned regulatory authorities, and at the production level by producers themselves, as part of quality control and assurance efforts. Unless there are appropriate enforcement and quality

The Reality of Economic Growth towards Green Environment: A Study of Selected OECD Countries 1990-2010

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Shilpi Gupta

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Economic growth and green environment has a direct relation with health, habitat and well being of our society which depends largely on the natural environment. But on the other side the society is neglecting and often ignoring the benefits that nature provides for economic prosperity. This paper studies the role of environment in economic growth, the role of environmental policy in achieving improved environmental results, closely examine the evidence of decoupling production from environmental damages and discuss decoupling in the context of global economy. In order to study these aspects, we explored our comparative research with special reference to selected eight OECD nations namely-France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Portugal, Turkey, UK and USA with coverage period of 1990-2010. The selection of the countries is based on their prominence in industrialised world and their close economic bounding with each other over a considerable period. The coverage period in the study is 20 years because some of the emission data are available till 2013 and some only up to 2010. In order to do a comparative research on various dimensions we take in to our study period between1990-2010. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ije.v3i3.11065 International Journal of Environment Vol.3(3 2014: 78-88

Association between obesity and selected morbidities: a study of BRICS countries.

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Ankita Shukla

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Over the past few decades, obesity has reached epidemic proportions, and is a major contributor to the global burden of chronic diseases and disability. There is little evidence on obesity related co-morbidities in BRICS countries. The first objective is to examine the factors associated with overweight and obesity in four of the five BRICS countries (China, India, Russia and South Africa. The second is to examine the linkage of obesity with selected morbidities. METHODS: We used data from the Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE survey conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO in China, India, Russia and South Africa during 2007-10. The morbidities included in the analysis are Hypertension, Diabetes, Angina, Stroke, Arthritis and Depression. FINDINGS: The prevalence of obesity was highest in South Africa (35% followed by Russia (22%, China (5% and India (3%. The prevalence of obesity was significantly higher in females as compared to males in all the countries. While the wealth quintile was associated with overweight in India and China, engaging in work requiring physical activity was associated with obesity in China and South Africa. Overweight/obesity was positively associated with Hypertension and Diabetes in all the four countries. Obesity was also positively associated with Arthritis and Angina in China, Russia and South Africa. In comparison, overweight/obesity was not associated with Stroke and Depression in any of the four countries. CONCLUSION: Obesity was statistically associated with Hypertension, Angina, Diabetes and Arthritis in China, Russia and South Africa. In India, obesity was associated only with Hypertension and Diabetes.

Association between obesity and selected morbidities: a study of BRICS countries.

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Shukla, Ankita; Kumar, Kaushalendra; Singh, Abhishek

2014-01-01

Over the past few decades, obesity has reached epidemic proportions, and is a major contributor to the global burden of chronic diseases and disability. There is little evidence on obesity related co-morbidities in BRICS countries. The first objective is to examine the factors associated with overweight and obesity in four of the five BRICS countries (China, India, Russia and South Africa). The second is to examine the linkage of obesity with selected morbidities. We used data from the Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE) survey conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in China, India, Russia and South Africa during 2007-10. The morbidities included in the analysis are Hypertension, Diabetes, Angina, Stroke, Arthritis and Depression. The prevalence of obesity was highest in South Africa (35%) followed by Russia (22%), China (5%) and India (3%). The prevalence of obesity was significantly higher in females as compared to males in all the countries. While the wealth quintile was associated with overweight in India and China, engaging in work requiring physical activity was associated with obesity in China and South Africa. Overweight/obesity was positively associated with Hypertension and Diabetes in all the four countries. Obesity was also positively associated with Arthritis and Angina in China, Russia and South Africa. In comparison, overweight/obesity was not associated with Stroke and Depression in any of the four countries. Obesity was statistically associated with Hypertension, Angina, Diabetes and Arthritis in China, Russia and South Africa. In India, obesity was associated only with Hypertension and Diabetes.

Financial Development and Poverty Reduction Nexus: A Co-Integration and Causality Analysis in Selected Arabic Countries

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Ayad Hicham

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This paper attempts the dynamic causal relationship between poverty reduction measured as consumption per capita and financial development measured as Kaopen and Milesi-Ferreti proxies, trade openness measured measured by the sum of total exports and total imports as a percentage of GDP at 2005 constant prices and economic growth as measured by GDP per capita for 14 selected Arabic countries within the panel co-integration techniques and TYDL Granger causality approach (1996, the results show that the poor people in Arabic countries (the selected countries did not benefit from liberalization systems and economic growth for the period because both of finance-led poverty and trade-led poverty seem to be rejected. The study, therefore, recommends that policy makers should stop the financial braking and adopt new financial policies that allow reducing poverty rates.

Entrepreneurship Education: Experiences in Selected Countries

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Bakar, Rosni; Islam, Md Aminul; Lee, Jocelyne

2015-01-01

Entrepreneurship and education play a role in enhancing the country's economic state. Entrepreneurship helps the economy by providing job opportunities. The lack of job opportunities has caused unemployment rates to increase tremendously throughout the years making the development rate of a country slow down. One way for the economy to improve is…

Development and human resources in the Islamic world: a study of selected countries.

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Duza, M B

1987-01-01

"The present paper attempts to provide an analytical profile of development and human resources in [12] selected [Islamic] countries." The countries--Bangladesh, Somalia, Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt, Turkey, Malaysia, Algeria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and United Arab Emirates--vary in income levels from low to high and in population size from 1 million to 159 million. Using data from the World Bank and the Population Council, comparisons are made on the basis of mortality and fertility levels, family size, income, urbanization, labor force size and growth, education, nutrition, and health. Governmental policy changes and future directions are discussed. excerpt

Patterns of Parental Involvement in Selected OECD Countries: Cross-National Analyses of PISA

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Hartas, Dimitra

2015-01-01

Using data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), patterns of parental involvement were examined in selected OECD countries. The findings showed that, irrespective of educational qualifications, parents were frequently involved in their children's learning at the start of primary school and at age 15. Cross-national…

The Composition Effect of Macroeconomic Factors on Foreign Direct Investment in Selected SAARC Countries

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Mehwish MALIK

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The objective of the study is to investigate the most promising economic variables i.e., foreign direct investment (FDI, exports and financial development on economic growth in selected South Asian Association of Regional Co-corporation (SAARC countries. In addition, this study argued that whether FDI, Exports and financial development fosters or hinder economic growth in SAARC countries, for this purpose, panel data set of selected five SAARC countries namely, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Srilanka considered for empirical consideration over a period of 1975 to 2011. By using two-stage least square (2SLSL technique, empirical evidence on the effects of FDI, exports and financial development on economic growth is mix in terms of apriori expectations. In case of Bangladesh, exports and broad money supply (M2 is the positive and significant contributor to increase economic growth, whereas, M2 increases India’s GDP. FDI is the only significant contributor to increase Pakistan’s economic growth. In case of Nepal and Srilanka, broad money supply increases economic growth, whereas, due to high dependency on imports, exports could not considerably increases economic growth in those regions.

An Analysis of Determinants of Under-5 Mortality across Countries: Defining Priorities to Achieve Targets in Sustainable Developmental Goals.

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Acheampong, Michael; Ejiofor, Chukwudi; Salinas-Miranda, Abraham

2017-06-01

Objectives The end of the era of millennium development goals (MDGs) ushered in the sustainable development goals (SDGs) with a new target for the reduction of under-five mortality rates (U5MR). Although U5MR decreased globally, the reduction was insufficient to meet MDGs targets because significant socioeconomic inequities remain unaddressed across and within countries. Thus, further progress in achieving the new SDGs target will be hindered if there is no adequate prioritization of important socioeconomic, healthcare, and environmental factors. The objective of this study was to assess factors that account most for the differences in U5MR between countries around the globe. Methods We conducted an ordinary least squares (OLS) regression-based prioritization analysis of socioeconomic, healthcare, and environmental variables from 109 countries to understand which factors explain the differences in U5MR best. Results All indicators examined individually affected differences in U5MR between countries. However, the results of multivariate OLS regression showed that the most important factors that accounted for the differences were, in order: fertility rate, total health expenditure per capita, access to improved water and sanitation, and female employment rate. Conclusions To achieve the new global target for U5MR, policymakers must focus on certain priority areas, such as interventions that address access to affordable maternal healthcare services, educational programs for mothers, especially those who are adolescents, and safe drinking water and sanitation.

Cross-country analysis of strategies for achieving progress towards global goals for women’s and children’s health

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Ahmed, Syed Masud; Rawal, Lal B; Chowdhury, Sadia A; Murray, John; Arscott-Mills, Sharon; Jack, Susan; Hinton, Rachael; Alam, Prima M

2016-01-01

Abstract Objective To identify how 10 low- and middle-income countries achieved accelerated progress, ahead of comparable countries, towards meeting millennium development goals 4 and 5A to reduce child and maternal mortality. Methods We synthesized findings from multistakeholder dialogues and country policy reports conducted previously for the Success Factors studies in 10 countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Nepal, Peru, Rwanda and Viet Nam. A framework approach was used to analyse and synthesize the data from the country reports, resulting in descriptive or explanatory conclusions by theme. Findings Successful policy and programme approaches were categorized in four strategic areas: leadership and multistakeholder partnerships; health sector; sectors outside health; and accountability for resources and results. Consistent and coordinated inputs across sectors, based on high-impact interventions, were assessed. Within the health sector, key policy and programme strategies included defining standards, collecting and using data, improving financial protection, and improving the availability and quality of services. Outside the health sector, strategies included investing in girls’ education, water, sanitation and hygiene, poverty reduction, nutrition and food security, and infrastructure development. Countries improved accountability by strengthening and using data systems for planning and evaluating progress. Conclusion Reducing maternal and child mortality in the 10 fast-track countries can be linked to consistent and coordinated policy and programme inputs across health and other sectors. The approaches used by successful countries have relevance to other countries looking to scale-up or accelerate progress towards the sustainable development goals. PMID:27147765

What drives energy consumption in developing countries? The experience of selected African countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keho, Yaya

2016-01-01

This study investigates the drivers of energy consumption in Sub-Saharan African countries. It applies the bounds testing approach to cointegration to time series data at individual country levels over the period from 1970 to 2011. The study finds that energy consumption is cointegrated with real GDP per capita, industrial output, imports, foreign direct investment, credit to private sector, urbanization and population. Furthermore, the sign and magnitude of long-run estimates vary significantly for a single country and across countries depending on the energy consumption variable used. Overall, the findings confirm the leading role of economic growth, industrial output, population and urbanization. Economic growth, industrial output and population have positive effects on energy consumption in the majority of countries. Given the urgent need to address climate change, African countries should adopt policies to improve energy efficiency and accelerate transition toward renewable energy. The African Renewable Energy Initiative launched at the 21st session of the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP21) is an opportunity for African countries to provide and maintain widespread access to reliable and affordable environmentally cleaner energy to meet the requirements of rapid economic growth and improved living standards. - Highlights: •Key drivers of energy use in 12 African countries are examined. •Economic growth, industrial GDP, population and urbanization play a leading role in explaining energy use. •Urbanization has a positive effect on energy use in six countries and a negative effect in four countries. •The results obtained have useful policy implications.

Broad and Narrow Personality Traits Predicting Academic Achievement over Compulsory Schooling: A Cross-Sectional Study in Two Countries

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Zupancic, Maja; Kavcic, Tina; Slobodskaya, Helena R.; Akhmetova, Olga A.

2016-01-01

Incremental predictive value of 5 broad and 13 narrow personality traits for academic achievement over and beyond age, gender, parental education, and country was examined in Russian and Slovene 8- to 15-year-olds. Personality data were collected from mothers (Russia: N = 994, Slovenia: N = 624) and adolescents (Russia: N = 481, Slovenia: N = 310)…

Trends and implications for achieving VISION 2020 human resources for eye health targets in 16 countries of sub-Saharan Africa by the year 2020.

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Palmer, Jennifer J; Chinanayi, Farai; Gilbert, Alice; Pillay, Devan; Fox, Samantha; Jaggernath, Jyoti; Naidoo, Kovin; Graham, Ronnie; Patel, Daksha; Blanchet, Karl

2014-08-15

Development of human resources for eye health (HReH) is a major global eye health strategy to reduce the prevalence of avoidable visual impairment by the year 2020. Building on our previous analysis of current progress towards key HReH indicators and cataract surgery rates (CSRs), we predicted future indicator achievement among 16 countries of sub-Saharan Africa by 2020. Surgical and HReH data were collected from national eye care programme coordinators on six practitioner cadres: ophthalmologists, cataract surgeons, ophthalmic clinical officers, ophthalmic nurses, optometrists and 'mid-level refractionists' and combined them with publicly available population data to calculate practitioner-to-population ratios and CSRs. Data on workforce entry and exit (2008 to 2010) was used to project practitioner population and CSR growth between 2011 and 2020 in relation to projected growth in the general population. Associations between indicator progress and the presence of a non-physician cataract surgeon cadre were also explored using Wilcoxon rank sum tests and Spearman rank correlations. In our 16-country sample, practitioner per million population ratios are predicted to increase slightly for surgeons (ophthalmologists/cataract surgeons, from 3.1 in 2011 to 3.4 in 2020) and ophthalmic nurses/clinical officers (5.8 to 6.8) but remain low for refractionists (including optometrists, at 3.6 in 2011 and 2020). Among countries that have not already achieved target indicators, however, practitioner growth will be insufficient for any additional countries to reach the surgeon and refractionist targets by year 2020. Without further strategy change and investment, even after 2020, surgeon growth is only expected to sufficiently outpace general population growth to reach the target in one country. For nurses, two additional countries will achieve the target while one will fall below it. In 2011, high surgeon practitioner ratios were associated with high CSR, regardless of the type

Survey of social health insurance structure in selected countries; providing framework for basic health insurance in Iran.

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Mohammadi, Effat; Raissi, Ahmad Reza; Barooni, Mohsen; Ferdoosi, Massoud; Nuhi, Mojtaba

2014-01-01

Health system reforms are the most strategic issue that has been seriously considered in healthcare systems in order to reduce costs and increase efficiency and effectiveness. The costs of health system finance in our country, lack of universal coverage in health insurance, and related issues necessitate reforms in our health system financing. The aim of this research was to prepare a structure of framework for social health insurance in Iran and conducting a comparative study in selected countries with social health insurance. This comparative descriptive study was conducted in three phases. The first phase of the study examined the structure of health social insurance in four countries - Germany, South Korea, Egypt, and Australia. The second phase was to develop an initial model, which was designed to determine the shared and distinguishing points of the investigated structures, for health insurance in Iran. The third phase was to validate the final research model. The developed model by the Delphi method was given to 20 professionals in financing of the health system, health economics and management of healthcare services. Their comments were collected in two stages and its validity was confirmed. The study of the structure of health insurance in the selected countries shows that health social insurance in different countries have different structures. Based on the findings of the present study, the current situation of the health system, and the conducted surveys, the following framework is suitable for the health social insurance system in Iran. The Health Social Insurance Organization has a unique service by having five funds of governmental employees, companies and NGOs, self-insured, villagers, and others, which serves as a nongovernmental organization under the supervision of public law and by decision- and policy-making of the Health Insurance Supreme Council. Membership in this organization is based on the nationality or residence, which the insured by

Interest rate transmission mechanism of monetary policy in the selected EMU candidate countries

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Mirdala Rajmund

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The stable macroeconomic environment, as one of the primary objectives of the Visegrad countries in the 1990s, was partially supported by the exchange rate policy. Fixed exchange rate systems within gradually widen bands (Czech Republic, Slovak Republic and crawling peg system (Hungary, Poland were replaced by the managed floating in the Czech Republic (May 1997, Poland (April 2000, Slovak Republic (October 1998 and fixed exchange rate to euro in Hungary (January 2000 with broad band (October 2001. Higher macroeconomic and banking sector stability allowed countries from the Visegrad group to implement the monetary policy strategy based on the interest rate transmission mechanism. Continuous harmonization of the monetary policy framework (with the monetary policy of the ECB and the increasing sensitivity of the economy agents to the interest rates changes allowed the central banks from the Visegrad countries to implement monetary policy strategy based on the key interest rates determination. In the paper we analyze the impact of the central banks' monetary policy in the Visegrad countries on the selected macroeconomic variables in the period 1999-2008 implementing SVAR (structural vector autoregression approach. We expect that higher sensitivity of domestic variables to interest rates shocks can be interpreted as a convergence of monetary policies in candidate countries towards the ECB's monetary policy.

Correlates of healthy life expectancy in low- and lower-middle-income countries.

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Islam, Md Shariful; Mondal, Md Nazrul Islam; Tareque, Md Ismail; Rahman, Md Aminur; Hoque, Md Nazrul; Ahmed, Md Munsur; Khan, Hafiz T A

2018-04-11

Healthy life expectancy (HALE) at birth is an important indicator of health status and quality of life of a country's population. However, little is known about the determinants of HALE as yet globally or even country-specific level. Thus, we examined the factors that are associated with HALE at birth in low- and lower-middle-income countries. In accordance with the World Bank (WB) classification seventy-nine low- and lower-middle-income countries were selected for the study. Data on HALE, demographic, socioeconomic, social structural, health, and environmental factors from several reliable sources, such as the World Health Organization, the United Nations Development Program, Population Reference Bureau, WB, Heritage Foundation, Transparency International, Freedom House, and International Center for Prison Studies were obtained as selected countries. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression analysis were performed to reach the research objectives. The lowest and highest HALE were observed in Sierra Leone (44.40 years) and in Sri Lanka (67.00 years), respectively. The mean years of schooling, total fertility rate (TFR), physician density, gross national income per capita, health expenditure, economic freedom, carbon dioxide emission rate, freedom of the press, corruption perceptions index, prison population rate, and achieving a level of health-related millennium development goals (MDGs) were revealed as the correlates of HALE. Among all the correlates, the mean years of schooling, TFR, freedom of the press, and achieving a level of health-related MDGs were found to be the most influential factors. To increase the HALE in low- and lower-middle-income countries, we suggest that TFR is to be reduced as well as to increase the mean years of schooling, freedom of the press, and the achievement of a level of health-related MDGs.

Effects of gender and role selection in cooperative learning groups on science inquiry achievement

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Affhalter, Maria Geralyn

An action research project using science inquiry labs and cooperative learning groups examined the effects of same-gender and co-educational classrooms on science achievement and teacher-assigned or self-selected group roles on students' role preferences. Fifty-nine seventh grade students from a small rural school district participated in two inquiry labs in co-educational classrooms or in an all-female classroom, as determined by parents at the beginning of the academic year. Students were assigned to the same cooperative groups for the duration of the study. Pretests and posttests were administered for each inquiry-based science lab. Posttest assessments included questions for student reflection on role assignment and role preference. Instruction did not vary and a female science teacher taught all class sections. The same-gender classroom and co-ed classrooms produced similar science achievement scores on posttests. Students' cooperative group roles, whether teacher-assigned or self-selected, produced similar science achievement scores on posttests. Male and female students shared equally in favorable and unfavorable reactions to their group roles during the science inquiry labs. Reflections on the selection of the leader role revealed a need for females in co-ed groups to be "in charge". When reflecting on her favorite role of leader, one female student in a co-ed group stated, "I like to have people actually listen to me".

Marker-assisted selection: Policy considerations and options for developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dargie, J.D.

2007-01-01

Policy options for research, development and diffusion of the products of marker-assisted selection (MAS) depend on the development objectives and priorities of the agricultural sector, its various subsectors and cross-cutting activities dealing with science and technology (S and T), including biotechnology and the management of genetic resources. The policy agenda in each of these areas has shifted from the traditional focus of 'raising productivity' to a broader agenda of improving rural livelihoods in both economic and non-economic terms in support of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Securing financial commitments from national governments and donors to invest in MAS and related molecular approaches requires more active engagement by national agricultural research and extension systems (NARES) in the processes of revising poverty reduction strategy papers (PRSPs), and in developing policies and strategies for agricultural development, S and T and genetic resources. Agriculture and agricultural S and T are undergoing rapid change but few developing countries have either agricultural S and T or biotechnology policies. They need to develop these to build coherence across the agricultural sector including delineating the roles of public and private sector entities, and as a means to strengthen accountability with respect to priority setting, monitoring and evaluating the outcomes and impacts of both research and practical applications of MAS. Options are provided for developing and implementing MAS programmes and projects, for setting priorities and evaluating outcomes and impacts. Given the uncertain nature of technical change and the long time frames that often characterize translation of the research and extension services provided by NARES into sustainable improvements in productivity and livelihoods through genetic enhancement, it is concluded that greater emphasis needs to be placed on research to analyse systematically the critical paths involved in

Metropolitan migration and population growth in selected developing countries.

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1983-01-01

The purpose of this article is to estimate the components of metropolitan population growth in selected developing countries during 1960-1970 period. The study examines population growth in 26 cities: 5 are in Africa, 8 in Asia, and 13 in Latin America, using data from national census publications. These cities in general are the political capitals of their countries, but some additional large cities were selected in Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa. All cities, at the beginning of the 1960-1970 decade had over 500,000 population; Accra, the only exception, reached this population level during the 1960s. Some cities had over 4 million residents in 1970. Net migration contributed about 37% to total metropolitan population growth; the remainder of the growth is attributable to natural increase. Migration has a much stronger impact on metropolitan growth than suggested by the above figure: 1) Several metropolitan areas, for various reasons, are unlikely to receive many migrants; without those cities, the share of metropolitan growth from net migration is 44%. 2) Estimates of the natural increase of migrants after their arrival in the metropolitan areas, when added to migration itself, changes the total contribution of migration to 49% in some metropolitan areas. 3) Even where net migration contributes a smaller proportion to metropolitan growth than natural increase, the rates of net migration are generally high and should be viewed in the context of rapid metropolitan population growth from natural increase alone. Finally, the paper also compares the components of metropolitan growth with the components of growth in the remaining urban areas. The results show that the metropolitan areas, in general, grow faster than the remaining urban areas, and that this more rapid growth is mostly due to a higher rate of net migration. Given the significance of migration for metropolitan growth, further investigations of the effects of these migration streams, particularly with

Comparison of curricula in radiation technology in the field of radiotherapy in selected European Union countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Janaszczyk, A.; Bogusz-Czerniewicz, M.

2011-01-01

Background: Radiation technology is a discipline of medical science which deals with diagnostics, imaging and radiotherapy, that is treatment by ionizing radiation. Aim: To present and compare the existing curricula of radiation technology in selected EU countries. Materials and methods: The research work done for the purpose of the comparative analysis was based on the methods of diagnostic test and document analysis. Results: The comparison of curricula in selected countries, namely Austria, France, the Netherlands and Poland, showed that admission criteria to radiation technology courses are varied and depend on regulations of respective Ministries of Health. The most restrictive conditions, including written tests in biology, chemistry and physics, and psychometric test, are those in France. Contents of basic and specialist subject groups are very similar in all the countries. The difference is in the number of ECT points assigned to particular subjects and the number of course hours offered. The longest practical training is provided in the Netherlands and the shortest one in Poland. The duration of studies in the Netherlands is 4 years, while in Poland it is 3 years. Austria is the only country to offer extra practical training in quality management. Conclusion: Graduates in the compared EU countries have similar level of qualifications in the fields of operation of radiological equipment, radiotherapy, nuclear medicine, foreign language and specialist terminology in the field of medical and physical sciences, general knowledge of medical and physical sciences, and detailed knowledge of radiation technology. (authors)

Proceedings of the International conference: Nuclear option in countries with small and medium electricity grids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-07-01

In order to achieve best safety and operational standards countries with limited human and material resources must put greater emphasis on their rational and efficient use. Consequently the worldwide developments on innovative reactors' systems and improved concepts for fuel utilisation and waste disposal are of substantial interest. Appropriate selections of reactor technology, fuel cycle and decommission strategies are of paramount importance. There are very successful examples of achieving safety and good operational records, so the exchange of experience and co-operation amongst that group of countries is of great interest. As in the future use of nuclear energy there will be many more countries with small or medium nuclear systems, exchanging specific experience and co-operation between the like countries will be an additional value to the now prevailing equipment supplier - national utility relationships.

Proceedings of the International conference: Nuclear option in countries with small and medium electricity grids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-01-01

In order to achieve best safety and operational standards countries with limited human and material resources must put greater emphasis on their rational and efficient use. Consequently the worldwide developments on innovative reactors' systems and improved concepts for fuel utilisation and waste disposal are of substantial interest. Appropriate selections of reactor technology, fuel cycle and decommission strategies are of paramount importance. There are very successful examples of achieving safety and good operational records, so the exchange of experience and co-operation amongst that group of countries is of great interest. As in the future use of nuclear energy there will be many more countries with small or medium nuclear systems, exchanging specific experience and co-operation between the like countries will be an additional value to the now prevailing equipment supplier - national utility relationships

Rural/Urban Disparities in Science Achievement In Post-Socialist Countries: The Evolving Influence of Socioeconomic Status

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Erica L. Kryst

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Disparities in educational outcomes exist between students in rural areas as compared to students in urban settings. While there is some evidence that these rural disparities are present in eastern Europe, little is known about young peoples’ lives in the rural areas of this region. This paper presents an analysis of science achievement by location (rural v. urban using all available waves of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS. We examined the eighth grade data from five countries: Lithuania, Romania, the Russian Federation, Hungary, and Slovenia. Findings demonstrated that students attending rural schools had significantly lower science scores and that the rural disadvantage grew between 1995 and 2011 in some countries, but became non-significant in others. Overall, family socioeconomic status played an important role in determining the educational outcomes of rural students. The implications of these findings are explored in relation to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO 2015 Education for All goals.

The analysis of the regional self-governing units forests in selected European countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barbora Lišková

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The article focuses on identification, analysis, description and comparison of the regional self-governing units (RSGU forests in selected European countries. The analysis deals not only with forests in the ownership of basic regional self-governing units such as villages but also with forests of higher regional self-governing unit such as regions or federated states. The identification and description of this type of ownership is not overly published in the Czech Republic. The published foreign overall studies and summaries state mainly the division into forests in public and private ownership. This article is created on the basis of the selection of relevant information sources according to corresponding key words. The methods of analysis of available literary sources, conspectus, comparison and interpretation were used to deal with the topic. The quantity of information is higher and more available within basic regional self-governing units than with higher regional self-governing units. On the basis of obtained information it can be stated that the share of forest ownership in the observed countries varies ranging from zero share in the ownership to fifty per cent share in Germany.

Divergent Streams: Race-Gender Achievement Gaps at Selective Colleges and Universities

OpenAIRE

Massey, Douglas S.; Probasco, LiErin

2010-01-01

In this paper, we extend previous research on racial performance gaps at 28 selective US colleges and universities by examining differences in grade achievement and graduate rates across race-gender categories. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Freshmen, we show that black males, black females, and Hispanic males attain significantly lower grades than other race-gender groups, and that black males are 35% less likely to graduate on-time than other race-gender groups. Analyse...

Role of income in intergenerational co-residence: Evidence from selected African and Asian countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Aziz, Nusrate; Hossain, Belayet; Emran, Masum

2018-06-01

The study investigates the macroeconomic determinants of co-residing arrangement between generations in selected developing countries with a focus on examining the effect of changing income level of the working generation. A reduced form model is specified for co-residence between the older generation and altruistic working generation. The fixed- and random-effects models are applied in two waves of data for 22 countries. Estimated results indicate that the income of the altruistic working generation has a negative effect on co-residence, suggesting that if the income of the working generation increases, co-residence decreases. This decrease is greater for older men compared with their female counterparts. Life expectancy, literacy and culture also have significant influences on co-residence. Co-residence is expected to fall in developing countries with economic growth over time. Consequently, a higher proportion of older citizens will be vulnerable in the future. Hence, governments of developing countries will face increasing pressure from their older people to provide appropriate planning and strategy to face this challenge. © 2018 AJA Inc.

The CHOICE study: effect of counselling on the selection of combined hormonal contraceptive methods in 11 countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Bitzer, Johannes; Gemzell-Danielsson, Kristina; Roumen, Frans; Marintcheva-Petrova, Maya; van Bakel, Bas; Oddens, Björn J

2012-02-01

To encourage healthcare professionals to counsel women seeking combined hormonal contraceptives (CHCs) about alternative CHCs and to study the influence of counselling on women's selection of CHCs. Women (15-40 years old) in 11 countries who consulted HCPs about CHCs were counselled about the pill, transdermal patch, and vaginal ring. Both the HCPs and the women completed questionnaires. Of women who were counselled (n = 18,787), 47% selected another CHC method than originally planned. One in four who intended to use the pill chose another method (16% chose the patch; 65% chose the ring). In total, patch use increased from 5% -8% (difference = 3.7% [97.5% CI: 3.3-4.2]; p use nearly quadrupled from 8% -30% (difference = 21.7% [97.5% CI: 21.0-22.5]; p women who were undecided prior to counselling selected a method after counselling. Selection of the pill increased most in Russia (+ 11%) and Sweden (+ 5%); patch selection was greatest in Russia (+ 7%) and Israel (+ 6%); ring use increased most in Ukraine and in the Czech Republic and Slovakia (+ 36%). Counselling increases use of alternative CHCs, such as the patch and the ring. Considerable differences between countries were noted.

Towards Integrated Health Technology Assessment for Improving Decision Making in Selected Countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Oortwijn, Wija; Determann, Domino; Schiffers, Krijn; Tan, Siok Swan; van der Tuin, Jeroen

2017-09-01

To assess the level of comprehensiveness of health technology assessment (HTA) practices around the globe and to formulate recommendations for enhancing legitimacy and fairness of related decision-making processes. To identify best practices, we developed an evaluation framework consisting of 13 criteria on the basis of the INTEGRATE-HTA model (integrative perspective on assessing health technologies) and the Accountability for Reasonableness framework (deliberative appraisal process). We examined different HTA systems in middle-income countries (Argentina, Brazil, and Thailand) and high-income countries (Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Scotland, and South Korea). For this purpose, desk research and structured interviews with relevant key stakeholders (N = 32) in the selected countries were conducted. HTA systems in Canada, England, and Scotland appear relatively well aligned with our framework, followed by Australia, Germany, and France. Argentina and South Korea are at an early stage, whereas Brazil and Thailand are at an intermediate level. Both desk research and interviews revealed that scoping is often not part of the HTA process. In contrast, providing evidence reports for assessment is well established. Indirect and unintended outcomes are increasingly considered, but there is room for improvement. Monitoring and evaluation of the HTA process is not well established across countries. Finally, adopting transparent and robust processes, including stakeholder consultation, takes time. This study presents a framework for assessing the level of comprehensiveness of the HTA process in a country. On the basis of applying the framework, we formulate recommendations on how the HTA community can move toward a more integrated decision-making process using HTA. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Geriatric dentistry education and context in a selection of countries in 5 continents.

Science.gov (United States)

Marchini, Leonardo; Ettinger, Ronald; Chen, Xi; Kossioni, Anastassia; Tan, Haiping; Tada, Sayaka; Ikebe, Kazunori; Dosumu, Elizabeth Bosede; Oginni, Fadekemi O; Akeredolu, Patricia Adetokunbo; Butali, Azeez; Donnelly, Leeann; Brondani, Mario; Fritzsch, Bernd; Adeola, Henry A

2018-05-01

To summarize and discuss how geriatric dentistry has been addressed in dental schools of different countries regarding to (1) teaching students at the predoctoral level; (2) advanced training, and (3) research. A convenience sample of faculty members from a selection of high, upper-middle and lower-middle income countries were recruited to complete the survey. The survey had 5 open-ended main topics, and asked about (1) the size of their elderly population, (2) general information about dental education; (3) the number of dental schools teaching geriatric dentistry, and their teaching methods; (4) advanced training in geriatric dentistry; (5) scholarship/research in geriatric dentistry. (1) There is great variation in the size of elderly population; (2) duration of training and content of dental education curriculum varies; (3) geriatric dentistry has not been established as a standalone course in dental schools in the majority of the countries, (4) most countries, with the exception of Japan, lack adequate number of dentists trained in geriatric dentistry as well as training programs, and (5) geriatric dentistry-related research has increased in recent years in scope and content, although the majority of these papers are not in English. © 2018 Special Care Dentistry Association and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Switching from originator brand medicines to generic equivalents in selected developing countries: how much could be saved?

Science.gov (United States)

Cameron, Alexandra; Mantel-Teeuwisse, Aukje K; Leufkens, Hubert G M; Laing, Richard Ogilvie

2012-01-01

In low- and middle-income countries, patients and reimbursement agencies that purchase medicines in the private sector pay more for originator brands when generic equivalents exist. We estimated the savings that could be obtained from a hypothetical switch in medicine consumption from originator brands to lowest-priced generic equivalents for a selection of medicines in 17 countries. In this cost minimization analysis, the prices of originator brands and their lowest-priced generic equivalents were obtained from facility-based surveys conducted by using a standard methodology. Fourteen medicines most commonly included in the surveys, plus three statins, were included in the analysis. For each medicine, the volume of private sector consumption of the originator brand product was obtained from IMS Health, Inc. Volumes were applied to the median unit prices for both originator brands and their lowest-priced generics to estimate cost savings. Prices were adjusted to 2008 by using consumer price index data and were adjusted for purchasing power parity. For the medicines studied, an average of 9% to 89% could be saved by an individual country from a switch in private sector purchases from originator brands to lowest-priced generics. In public hospitals in China, US $ 370 million could be saved from switching only four medicines, saving an average of 65%. Across individual medicines, average potential savings ranged from 11% for beclometasone inhaler to 73% for ceftriaxone injection. Substantial savings could be achieved by switching private sector purchases from originator brand medicines to lowest-priced generic equivalents. Strategies to promote generic uptake, such as generic substitution by pharmacists and increasing confidence in generics by professionals and the public, should be included in national medicines policies. Copyright © 2012 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Selective Teacher Attention in Lower-Income Countries: A Phenomenon Linked to Dropout and Illiteracy?

Science.gov (United States)

Abadzi, Helen; Llambiri, Stavri

2011-01-01

In lower-income countries students face an important challenge that has not been well documented: selective teacher attention. In classes with many low-income students, teachers may concentrate on those few who can perform and neglect those who require more help. The latter may fail to learn, attend school less often, and eventually drop out.…

Non-Formal Education in International Comparison: Patterns of Participation and Investment in Selected European Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Kaufmann, Katrin

2015-01-01

This investigation focuses on participation and related investment patterns in job related non-formal education (NFE) in selected European countries. Broadening previous research formats of NFE are distinguished by investment including financial and time investments by employers, employees and public authorities. By this, company-sponsored and…

Proceedings of the International conference: Nuclear option in countries with small and medium electricity grid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

The conference of Croatian Nuclear Society 'Nuclear option in countries with small and medium electricity grid' was organized with intention to focus on and discuss the specific needs and interests of the countries with small or medium nuclear systems. In order to achieve best safety and operational standards these countries with limited human and material resources must put greater emphasis on their rational and efficient use. For these countries the world wide developments on innovative reactors' systems and improved concepts for fuel utilisation and waste disposal are substantial interest. Appropriate selections of reactor technology, fuel cycle and decommission strategies are of paramount importance. There are very successful examples of achieving safety and good operational records, so the exchange of experience and cooperation amongst that group of countries would be of great value. As in the future of nuclear energy there will be many more countries with only small or medium nuclear systems, collecting specific experience and cooperation between the like countries will be an additional value to the now prevailing equipment supplier - national utility relationships

Proceedings of the International conference: Nuclear option in countries with small and medium electricity grid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-12-31

The conference of Croatian Nuclear Society `Nuclear option in countries with small and medium electricity grid` was organized with intention to focus on and discuss the specific needs and interests of the countries with small or medium nuclear systems. In order to achieve best safety and operational standards these countries with limited human and material resources must put greater emphasis on their rational and efficient use. For these countries the world wide developments on innovative reactors` systems and improved concepts for fuel utilisation and waste disposal are substantial interest. Appropriate selections of reactor technology, fuel cycle and decommission strategies are of paramount importance. There are very successful examples of achieving safety and good operational records, so the exchange of experience and cooperation amongst that group of countries would be of great value. As in the future of nuclear energy there will be many more countries with only small or medium nuclear systems, collecting specific experience and cooperation between the like countries will be an additional value to the now prevailing equipment supplier - national utility relationships.

Health expenditure and economic growth - a review of the literature and an analysis between the economic community for central African states (CEMAC) and selected African countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Piabuo, Serge Mandiefe; Tieguhong, Julius Chupezi

2017-12-01

African leaders accepted in the year 2001 through the Abuja Declaration to allocate 15% of their government expenditure on health but by 2013 only five (5) African countries achieved this target. In this paper, a comparative analysis on the impact of health expenditure between countries in the CEMAC sub-region and five other African countries that achieved the Abuja declaration is provided. Data for this study was extracted from the World Development Indicators (2016) database, panel ordinary least square (OLS), fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS) and dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS) were used as econometric technic of analysis. Results showed that health expenditure has a positive and significant effect on economic growth in both samples. A unit change in health expenditure can potentially increase GDP per capita by 0.38 and 0.3 units for the five other African countries that achieve the Abuja target and for CEMAC countries respectively, a significant difference of 0.08 units among the two samples. In addition, a long-run relationship also exist between health expenditure and economic growth for both groups of countries. Thus African Economies are strongly advised to achieve the Abuja target especially when other socio-economic and political factors are efficient.

MULTIPLE SELECTIONS OF ALTERNATIVES UNDER CONSTRAINTS: CASE STUDY OF EUROPEAN COUNTRIES IN AREA OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

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Andrea Furková

2015-04-01

Full Text Available This paper is given over to a multicriteria evaluation approach to the issue of international comparison of research and development indicators. The policy activities in R&D (Research & Development area are significant parts of many national programs of many EU member states. There are several reasons for governments to take active role in stimulation investment in R&D. R&D are generally considered to be the main engine of long-run economic growth. Also The European Commission pays more attention to R&D activities and provides more and more resources to these activities through Community Framework Programs. We decided to exploit multi-attribute decision-making to evaluate R&D indicators of European countries. As multi-attribute decision-making method Topsis method was applied. Topis method has provided us complete ranking of the countries taking into account indicators such as patent applications, total intramural R&D expenditure, human resources in science and technology, employment in knowledge-intensive activities and business enterprise R&D expenditure. Having these results in a hand; we proceed to making multiple selections of countries under constraints. Our main goal was to suggest an optimization model for resources distribution - subsides for R&D encouragement, i.e. to find an optimal selection of several alternatives given a set of constraints. To make a decision concerning proper countries selection we employed optimization model inspired by Promethee V, which enables us to take into account the results of previous empirical part and, at the same time, to take into account defined constraints. Formulated binary linear programming model could be useful support decision making tool in the process of resources distribution - subsides for R&D encouragement.

Fossil-fuel dependence and vulnerability of electricity generation: Case of selected European countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhattacharyya, Subhes C.

2009-01-01

This paper analyses the diversity of fuel mix for electricity generation in selected European countries and investigates how the fuel bill has changed as a share of GDP between 1995 and 2005. The drivers of fuel-dependence-related vulnerability are determined using Laspeyres index decomposition. A 'what-if' analysis is carried out to analyse the changes in the vulnerability index due to changes in the drivers and a scenario analysis is finally used to investigate the future vulnerability in the medium term. The paper finds that the British and the Dutch electricity systems are less diversified compared to three other countries analysed. The gas dependence of the Dutch and Italian systems made them vulnerable but the vulnerability increased in all countries in recent years. Gas price and the level of dependence on gas for power generation mainly influenced the gas vulnerability. The United Kingdom saw a substantial decline in its coal vulnerability due to a fall in coal price and coal dependence in electricity generation. The scenario analysis indicates that UK is likely to face greater gas vulnerability in the future due to increased gas dependence in electricity generation and higher import dependence.

Unemployment and health selection in diverging economic conditions: Compositional changes? Evidence from 28 European countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Heggebø, Kristian; Dahl, Espen

2015-11-04

Unemployment and health selection in diverging economic conditions: Compositional changes? Evidence from 28 european countries. People with ill health tend to be overrepresented among the unemployment population. The relationship between health and unemployment might, however, be sensitive to the overall economic condition. Specifically, the health composition of the unemployment population could change dramatically when the economy takes a turn for the worse. Using EU-SILC cross sectional data from 2007 (pre-crisis) and 2011 (during crisis) and linear regression models, this paper investigates the relationship between health and unemployment probabilities under differing economic conditions in 28 European countries. The countries are classified according to (i) the level of and (ii) increase in unemployment rate (i.e. >10 percent and doubling of unemployment rate = crisis country). Firstly, the unemployment likelihood for people with ill health is remarkably stable over time in Europe: the coefficients are very similar in pre-crisis and crisis years. Secondly, people with ill health have experienced unemployment to a lesser extent than those with good health status in the crisis year (when we pool the data and compare 2007 and 2011), but only in the countries with a high and rising unemployment rate. The health composition of the unemployment population changes significantly for the better, but only in those European countries that have been severely hit by the current economic crisis.

Does planning of births affect childhood undernutrition? Evidence from demographic and health surveys of selected South Asian countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Rana, Md Juel; Goli, Srinivas

2018-03-01

The prevalence of child undernutrition in South Asia is high, as is also the unmet need for family planning. In previous literature, the biodemographic relationship of family planning, particularly birth order and birth spacing, and nutritional status of children have been assessed separately. The aim of this study was to work on the hypothesis that the planning of births comprising timing, spacing, and number of births improves child undernutrition, especially in the areas with high prevalence of stunting and underweight. We used recent Demographic and Health Survey data from four selected South Asian countries. Binary logistic regression models were applied to estimate the adjusted percentage of stunting and underweight by identified independent factors. Findings suggested that after controlling for other socioeconomic factors, children in the first birth order with >24 mo of interval between marriage and first birth have a lower risk for stunting (20%; p planning of births. The probability of child undernutrition is lower among children born with >24 mo of birth spacing than its counterpart in all birth orders, but the significance of birth spacing reduces with increasing birth orders. Appropriate planning of births using family planning methods in countries with high birth rates has the potential to reduce childhood undernutrition. Thus, the planning of births emerges as an important biodemographic approach to eradicate childhood undernutrition especially in developing regions like South Asia and thereby to achieve sustainable development goals by 2030. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Implementation of preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation (Promethee) on selection system of student’s achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Karlitasari, L.; Suhartini, D.; Nurrosikawati, L.

2018-03-01

Selection of Student Achievement is conducted every year, starting from the level of Study Program, Faculty, to University, which then rank one will be sent to Kopertis level. The criteria made for the selection are Academic and Rich Scientific, Organizational, Personality, and English. In order for the selection of Student Achievement is Objective, then in addition to the presence of the jury is expected to use methods that support the decision to be more optimal in determining the Student Achievement. One method used is the Promethee Method. Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation (Promethee) is a method of ranking in Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM). PROMETHEE has the advantage that there is a preference type against the criteria that can take into account alternatives with other alternatives on the same criteria. The conjecture of alternate dominance over a criterion used in PROMETHEE is the use of values in the relationships between alternative ranking values. Based on the calculation result, from 7 applicants between Manual and Promethee Matrices, rank 1, 2, and 3, did not change, only 4 to 7 positions were changed. However, after the sensitivity test, almost all criteria experience a high level of sensitivity. Although it does not affect the students who will be sent to the next level, but can bring psychological impact on prospective student’s achievement

Book of Abstracts of 4th International Conference: Nuclear Option in Countries with Small and Medium Electricity Grids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

In order to achieve best safety and operational standards these countries with limited human and material resources must put added emphasis on their rational and efficient use. Consequently, the worldwide developments on innovative reactors' systems and improved concepts for fuel utilisation and waste disposal are of substantial interest. Appropriate selections of reactor technology, fuel cycle and decommission strategies are of paramount importance. There are very successful examples of achieving safety and good operational records, so the exchange of experience and co-operation amongst that group of countries is of great interest. Exchanging specific experience and co-operation between the like countries will be additional value relative to the still prevailing equipment supplier-national utility relationships

Selectively Fortifying Reconfigurable Computing Device to Achieve Higher Error Resilience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mingjie Lin

2012-01-01

Full Text Available With the advent of 10 nm CMOS devices and “exotic” nanodevices, the location and occurrence time of hardware defects and design faults become increasingly unpredictable, therefore posing severe challenges to existing techniques for error-resilient computing because most of them statically assign hardware redundancy and do not account for the error tolerance inherently existing in many mission-critical applications. This work proposes a novel approach to selectively fortifying a target reconfigurable computing device in order to achieve hardware-efficient error resilience for a specific target application. We intend to demonstrate that such error resilience can be significantly improved with effective hardware support. The major contributions of this work include (1 the development of a complete methodology to perform sensitivity and criticality analysis of hardware redundancy, (2 a novel problem formulation and an efficient heuristic methodology to selectively allocate hardware redundancy among a target design’s key components in order to maximize its overall error resilience, and (3 an academic prototype of SFC computing device that illustrates a 4 times improvement of error resilience for a H.264 encoder implemented with an FPGA device.

Development of women's human capital and its impact on economic growth and total factor productivity: A case study of selected OECD countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hajar Mostafaee

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Experiences of developed countries and various studies in the context of economic growth of developing countries have shown that economic growth is not only explained by physical capital and labor force but also, and more importantly, by human capital. The later variable should be entered, as a major determinant, in the endogenous growth model. With the concern of important role of human capital in this research, the primary objective of this paper is to explore the effect of gender discrimination of human capital on economic growth and factor productivity in Iran and the selected OECD countries. More specifically, to indicate the economic capability of educated females, we use data of the considered countries over the period 1974-2008, to estimate the relevant models of growth and productivity. The implication is to compare the empirical results obtained for Iran and the selected developed countries.

Foreign Direct Investments and Tax Correlation: Some of EU Countries and Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali YAVUZ

2010-06-01

Full Text Available In the globalizing world; individuals, markets and capital are more mobile than the past for that reason countries are in cutthroat competition for attract the direct and indirect investments. Especially, developing countries overview their own tax policy and perform incentive measures including tax incentives to attract the direct investments which have a positive effect of production and employment level. In this process, some countries achieve their goals and some are not. The purpose of this study evaluate the difference of tax policies in Turkey which in EU candidacy process and some old central, east Europe countries which are in EU and the main rival of Turkey to attracting direct investments. In this evaluation process, changing income tax, corporate tax, value added tax and performance of attracking the direct investments which was performed in selected countries, were evaluated by comparative

The review of the organization of library services for the blind and partially sighted in the selected countries

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Damjana Vovk

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Models of organization of library services for the blind and partially sighted from the view of special and public librarianship in selected countries were examined.In addition, theoretical and legislative frameworks, professional guidelines and trends are explored. Some terminological inconsistencies and obstacles in performing the services are also presented.Methodology/approach: The explorative-comparative study carried in the years 2008-2010 includes the comparative analysis of data acquired by the survey and literature desktop research. The research sample included 14 countries - eleven European countries, USA,Australia, and Canada.Results: The findings show great varieties among the selected countries, however,there is the trend of moving the organization of services based on a private charitable association to the formalized state supported system. The majority of countries have applied the centralized model with one specialized (national library. There is rarely a case of formal inclusion of public libraries in the organization of services. Recent major professional interests in the field of providing library services to visually impaired are broadening the copyright exceptions and user groups, and the implementation of information technology for bigger production of alternative formats and availability of library materials.Research limitation: The low rate of survey response and the differences in the organization of library services influenced on the lack of data and low level of data comparability.Originality/practical implications: The results are useful for designing a model of library services in Slovenia.

Measuring Development of Selected Poverty Risk Indicators in V4 Countries with Specific Focus on Slovak Republic and its Regions

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Beňuš Ondrej

2016-05-01

Full Text Available This article is devoted to analysis of selected poverty indicators as measured by EU-Statistics on income and living conditions. Our orientation on these indicators underlines our focus on quantitative measurement. Spatial orientation was selected as the area of the Visegrad group countries serving as a research base for our investigation of poverty differences in the Central Europe. Further research is dedicated to Slovakia and its regions. In this article we aim to identify those quantitative poverty indicators that are responsible for poverty status of the most affected social group of people in the country.

What factors help or hinder the achievement of low SES students? An international comparison using TIMSS 2011 8th grade science data

Science.gov (United States)

Bruner, Justin L.

Focusing on science from a cross-country perspective, this study explores the relationship between 8th grade science achievement and student, teacher, and school characteristics. More specifically, this study will pay special attention to low socio-economic status (SES) students and seek to understand why some disadvantaged students are able to have higher than expected achievement in science given their SES while other disadvantaged students are not able to achieve beyond what would be expected given their background. This study will explore the multi-level relationship between the characteristics of students, their teachers, their schools, and student achievement in science. While looking at students in classrooms and in schools, this work will create as precise as possible a measure of student SES by drawing on recommendations of an expert panel commissioned by the National Association of Educational Progress (NAEP) study. The study uses the most recent cycle (2011) of the Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS), to strategically select a six-country sample from the 45 participating countries. This six-country sample was selected by using the country level achievement and the standard deviation of that achievement. This will create a sample that has a range of equality in achievement and strength in achievement. This allows for making comparisons both across and within countries to better understand variations in the factors of student performance, especially for disadvantaged students. This paper builds on the existing research around socio-economic status (SES) and achievement by exploring in more detail the conditions in schools and classrooms around the world that might magnify or reduce the effect of SES on student achievement. The analysis looks at these questions: "What conditions help low SES students achieve higher than what would be expected given their SES?" and "What conditions hinder low SES students to achieve at or below what would

A Double Selection Approach to Achieve Specific Expression of Toxin Genes for Ovarian Cancer Gene Therapy

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Curiel, David T; Siegal, Gene; Wang, Minghui

2007-01-01

...) to achieve efficient and selective gene transfer to target tumor cells. Proposed herein is a strategy to modify one candidate vector, recombinant adenovirus, such that it embodies the requisite properties of efficacy and specificity...

Cointegration analysis on trading behavior in four SELECTED asean countries BEFORE MONETARY CRISIS

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R. Budi Prawoto

2007-06-01

Full Text Available This paper aims to analyze Indonesian position among the trading behavior in four selected ASEAN countries (according to their import-and-export products using cointegration analysis. The demands for export and import are estimated before the monetary crisis erupted (1963 – 1995 using the dynamic OLS (DOLS method. The Johansen Maximum Likelihood (JML approach is also employed to compare the results obtained. The results show that foreign income has a significant impact on export demand, suggesting that foreign disturbance in the form of economic activities is likely to be transmitted to these countries. The Marshall Lerner conditions are easily met for the cases of Malaysia and Thailand (DOLS and JML. For Indonesia and the Philippines, the sum of the price elasticities of export and import demand are less than unity. This can be explained by the J-curve, in which the currency depreciations will first worsen the trade balance before it improves, and it takes a long time to affect the trade balance.

Mathematics Achievement by Immigrant Children

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Gary G. Huang

2000-05-01

Full Text Available In this study, I examined academic achievement of immigrant children in the United States, Canada, England, Australia, and New Zealand. Analyzing data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS, I gauged the performance gaps relating to the generation of immigration and the home language background. I found immigrant children's math and science achievement to be lower than the others only in England, the U.S., and Canada. Non-English language background was found in each country to relate to poor math and science learning and this disadvantage was stronger among native-born children—presumably children of indigenous groups—than among immigrant children. I also examined the school variation in math performance gaps, using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM to each country's data. The patterns in which language- and generation-related math achievement gaps varied between schools are different in the five countries.

STAKEHOLDER OPINION-BASED COMPARISON OF LIFE CYCLE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF ELECTRICITY GENERATION IN TURKEY WITH SELECTED EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

OpenAIRE

Gorkem Uctug

2017-01-01

The life cycle environmental impacts of electricity generation in Turkey were compared to those of Denmark, France, and Poland. The reason for selecting these particular countries for benchmarking was the fact that electricity generation in these countries is dominated mostly by a single source, that is wind, nuclear, and coal, respectively. OpenLCA software and European Life Cycle Database database were used, CML2001 method was employed. The life cycle analysis approach was from cradle to gr...

Selective Laser Melting Produced Ti-6Al-4V: Post-Process Heat Treatments to Achieve Superior Tensile Properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Ter Haar, Gerrit M; Becker, Thorsten H

2018-01-17

Current post-process heat treatments applied to selective laser melting produced Ti-6Al-4V do not achieve the same microstructure and therefore superior tensile behaviour of thermomechanical processed wrought Ti-6Al-4V. Due to the growing demand for selective laser melting produced parts in industry, research and development towards improved mechanical properties is ongoing. This study is aimed at developing post-process annealing strategies to improve tensile behaviour of selective laser melting produced Ti-6Al-4V parts. Optical and electron microscopy was used to study α grain morphology as a function of annealing temperature, hold time and cooling rate. Quasi-static uniaxial tensile tests were used to measure tensile behaviour of different annealed parts. It was found that elongated α'/α grains can be fragmented into equiaxial grains through applying a high temperature annealing strategy. It is shown that bi-modal microstructures achieve a superior tensile ductility to current heat treated selective laser melting produced Ti-6Al-4V samples.

HOUSING MARKETS IN SELECTED EUROPEAN COUNTRIES AND THE USA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Magdalena Gostkowska-Drzewicka

2012-04-01

Full Text Available The aim of this article is to present the changes taking place in housing markets in selected European countries and in the USA. The basic research period covers the years 1998-2009. However, wherever availability of data allowed so, we covered with our research also the years 1963-2010. The development of domestic housing markets is determined both by specific features of local markets and by macroeconomic factors influencing the economic situation. The availability of capital to finance investment is of primary importance for the changes taking place in housing markets. This factor can be expressed by the volume of mortgage debt related to GDP and inflation and the level of interest rates on mortgage loans. The evaluation of the changes occurring in domestic housing markets was based on the identification of such structural characteristics as: the volume of the housing stock, the number of ready-to-use flats, the number of issued building permits, the indices of housing prices, and the number of transactions concerning purchase of flats or houses.

Selection of efficient options for processing and storage of radioactive waste in countries with small amounts of waste generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-09-01

The report is intended to assist decision makers in countries using nuclear energy for non-power applications to organize their waste management practices. It describes methodologies, criteria and options for the selection of appropriate technologies for processing and storage of low and intermediate level radioactive waste from different nuclear applications. The report reviews both technical and non-technical factors important for decision making and planning, and for implementation of waste management activities at the country and facility levels. It makes practical recommendations for the selection of particular technologies for different scales of waste generation. These wastes may arise from production of radionuclides and their application in industry, agriculture, medicine, education and research. The report also considers waste generated at research reactors, research centers and research laboratories using radioisotopes, as well as waste from decommissioning of research reactors and small nuclear facilities such as hot cells, laboratories and irradiation facilities. Management of uranium mining and milling waste and management of spent fuel from research reactors are not considered in this report. Discussed in detail are: the basic legal, regulatory, administrative and technical requirements set up in a national waste management system and review of the factors and components affecting the selection of an appropriate national waste management system. the origins and characteristics of radioactive waste from different nuclear applications. the technical factors that might affect the selection of waste processing and storage technologies, the main waste management steps, information on available technologies, the basis for planning of waste processing and storage and the selection of a particular option for radioactive waste processing and storage in countries with a different scale of nuclear applications

Selection of efficient options for processing and storage of radioactive waste in countries with small amounts of waste generation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2003-09-01

The report is intended to assist decision makers in countries using nuclear energy for non-power applications to organize their waste management practices. It describes methodologies, criteria and options for the selection of appropriate technologies for processing and storage of low and intermediate level radioactive waste from different nuclear applications. The report reviews both technical and non-technical factors important for decision making and planning, and for implementation of waste management activities at the country and facility levels. It makes practical recommendations for the selection of particular technologies for different scales of waste generation. These wastes may arise from production of radionuclides and their application in industry, agriculture, medicine, education and research. The report also considers waste generated at research reactors, research centers and research laboratories using radioisotopes, as well as waste from decommissioning of research reactors and small nuclear facilities such as hot cells, laboratories and irradiation facilities. Management of uranium mining and milling waste and management of spent fuel from research reactors are not considered in this report. Discussed in detail are: the basic legal, regulatory, administrative and technical requirements set up in a national waste management system and review of the factors and components affecting the selection of an appropriate national waste management system. the origins and characteristics of radioactive waste from different nuclear applications. the technical factors that might affect the selection of waste processing and storage technologies, the main waste management steps, information on available technologies, the basis for planning of waste processing and storage and the selection of a particular option for radioactive waste processing and storage in countries with a different scale of nuclear applications.

Venture capital and private equity investment preferences in selected countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krzysztof Dziekoński

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Sources of capital to finance companies in the SME sector is one of the basic conditions for the functioning and development of enterprises, especially in the early phase of their development. Increasingly popular is the use of capital market instruments, Private Equity, Venture Capital, Business Angels or Mezzanine. Funding of this kind can finance risky investments in return for a higher expected rate of return on capital. Access to financial resources and the conditions under which entrepreneurs can use them can determine the introduction of new technology, new products and services, expand distribution channels, implement changes that may lead to the growth in competitiveness and above all, innovation, thus the growth of the company. The paper presents results of statistical analysis of the venture capital and private equity funds investment strategies in selected countries. As a result investment profiles are created.

The Double Burden of Undernutrition and Overnutrition in Developing Countries: an Update.

Science.gov (United States)

Abdullah, Asnawi

2015-09-01

Many developing countries have achieved a remarkable improvement in nutrition status in the past decades. However, the prevalence of undernutrition remains a serious problem. At the same time, the prevalence of obesity is increasing substantially, and in some countries, it has approached that of developed countries. This article provides an update on this double burden of malnutrition (DBMN) in developing nations. One hundred countries (lower, middle-lower, and upper-middle income countries) were selected and analysed, and to support the analysis, a systematic review of current published studies was performed. The results show that DBMN already exists in almost all developing countries and that the DBMN ratio (i.e., overweight/underweight) has increased as income per capita has increased. DBMN may manifest within the community, household, or individual. In addition to common factors, poor nutrition in early childhood is suggested as another important driving factor behind the rising obesity rate in most developing countries. A life-course approach has been proposed to prevent undernutrition and overnutrition and should be integrated into the development of health systems to control double burden in developing countries.

Social Perceptions of Achieving Students and Achievement Goals of Students in Malaysia and the Philippines

Science.gov (United States)

Bernardo, Allan B. I.; Ismail, Rosnah

2010-01-01

The study investigates the hypothesis that country differences in achievement goals of students are associated with differences in how students with different achievement goals are perceived by students in different cultures. University students from Malaysia and the Philippine were asked to complete questionnaires on their achievement goals and…

Recent Development of Municipal Finance in Selected European Countries

OpenAIRE

Friedrich, Peter; Kaltschütz, Anita; Nam, Chang Woon

2004-01-01

The idea of fiscal decentralisation has become increasingly fashionable world-wide. In some developed countries the systems of intergovernmental finance have evolved gradually and each country has unique features. Transition countries on different continents have had differing reasons and motivations for such reforms. More recently, the acknowledgement of subsidiarity as the basic principle for the European Un-ion, the introduction of the West German federal system in the eastern part of the ...

Interrelationships among Growth, Confidence and Governance in the Globalized World-An experiment of some selected countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ramesh Chandra Das

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The countries in the world in the globalized era have faced heterogeneity in challenges in managing their growth factors as well as the stake holders of such growth profiles. The political and economic turmoil of the last two decades around the world have opened the eyes of the consumers, business houses and the governments of different countries to read and follow the economic events. The paper has tried to study the causal relation and interrelationships among different growth factors like the confidence levels of the consumers and business houses, inflation, unemployment like economic factors and governance like non-economic factors over a selection of 17 countries across all continents for the period 1996-2010. Because of limited sources of data we have applied the pooled regression technique to justify our study. Confidence levels of both the consumers and business houses cause the growth rates whereas governance causes growth only under pooled data. But for individual country data we observe that in majority of the countries there are absences of causalities between the variables. It has been observed that pooled annual growth rates of GDP of the countries are significantly related to the business and consumer confidence indexes, unemployment rate, debt ratio and overall governance indicators that shows improvement over the individual country analysis where in majority of the cases there is no significant factor for growth and confidence. By segregating the entire data the study find a few countries where a few variables like BCI, stock prices and governance make significant impact upon growth rates. In majority of the countries BCI is explained by CCI, Stock prices and governance while CCI is explained by stock prices, governance and debt ratio.

Renewable energy sources for electricity generation in selected developed countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-05-01

The objectives of this report are to analyze the present status and to assess the future of selected renewable energy sources (RE) other than hydropower, i.e. wind, solar, biomass, tidal and geothermal, already in use or expected to be used for electricity generation. The report focuses on grid connected technologies leaving stand-alone power plants unconsidered. This report provides recent information on environmental impacts, costs and technical potentials related to the implementation of electricity technologies using these energy sources. The study is limited to six OECD countries, i.e. Australia, the Federal Republic of Germany, Japan, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. The situation in other OECD countries is addressed where appropriate, but no comprehensive information is provided. Nevertheless, efforts are made to determine the technical potential of the renewable energy sources for ''Rest of OECD''. The time horizons in this report are 2010 and 2030. While detailed information is provided for the period until 2010, the technical potential for 2030 is discussed only qualitatively. Scenario analysis and the design of national energy and electric systems assuming different sets of objectives and boundary conditions are outside the scope of this study. Nevertheless, the information given in this report should provide input data for such a systems analysis. All the information given in this report is based on literature surveys. Any figure given is contingent on the fact that it has appeared in a paper or a publicly available technical report. 251 refs, figs and tabs

76 FR 61386 - Report on the Criteria and Methodology for Determining the Eligibility of Candidate Countries for...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-04

.... The indicators were selected based on their (i) relationship to economic growth and poverty reduction... achieving lasting economic growth and poverty reduction. The Act requires the Millennium Challenge... opportunity to reduce poverty and generate economic growth in the country. These steps include the submission...

Evaluating the costs of pneumococcal disease in selected Latin American countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Constenla, Dagna

2007-10-01

To estimate the costs of pneumococcal disease in Brazil, Chile and Uruguay, to describe how these costs vary between different patient groups, and to discuss factors that affect these cost variations. The cost of pneumococcal disease was estimated from the health care perspective. For each country, baseline cost estimates were primarily developed using health resources information from patient-level data and facility-specific cost data. A regression model was constructed separately for four types of pneumococcal diseases. The skewness-kurtosis test and the Cook-Weisberg test were performed to test the normality of the residuals and the heteroscedasticity, respectively. The treatment of pneumococcal meningitis generated up to US$ 5 435 per child. The treatment costs of pneumococcal pneumonia were lower, ranging from US$ 372 per child to US$ 3 483 per child. Treatment of acute otitis media cost between US$ 20 per child and US$ 217 per child. The main source of treatment costs variations was level of service provided and country in which costs were incurred. However, the tendency of costs to change with these variables was not statistically significant at the 5% level for most pneumococcal disease models. Pneumococcal disease resulted in significant economic burden to selected health care systems in Latin America. The patterns of treatment cost of pneumococcal disease showed a great deal of variation.

The Interaction of Selective Attention and Cognitive Development on Achievement in Nigerian Secondary School Genetics

Science.gov (United States)

Okoye, Namdi N. S.

2009-01-01

The study tried to examine the interaction between two independent variables of selective attention and cognitive development on Achievement in Genetics at the Secondary School level. In looking at the problem of this study three null hypotheses were generated for testing at 0.05 level of significance. Factorial Analysis of Variance design with…

Standardization in library and information science in selected European countries

Science.gov (United States)

Matysek, Anna

2015-02-01

Standardization plays an important role in library and information science (LIS), because it gives rules to identify, classify, access, select, exploit, communicate, exchange and preserve information. Standards are developed by national, European and international organizations. The objective of the study is to present the situation of standardization in library and information science in the countries that joined the European Union in 2004. The research covered Technical Committees that take the problems of LIS, their cooperation with European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The second part of the study is an analysis of LIS standards published in the last 10 years. Data on published documents were gathered from online standards directories. The documents were searched using International Classification for Standards. Retrieved standards were analyzed for their origin and status. The research illustrates the changes in the national standardization, most popular topics and the growing importance of international cooperation in standardization.

Selective Laser Melting Produced Ti-6Al-4V: Post-Process Heat Treatments to Achieve Superior Tensile Properties

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Gerrit M. Ter Haar

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Current post-process heat treatments applied to selective laser melting produced Ti-6Al-4V do not achieve the same microstructure and therefore superior tensile behaviour of thermomechanical processed wrought Ti-6Al-4V. Due to the growing demand for selective laser melting produced parts in industry, research and development towards improved mechanical properties is ongoing. This study is aimed at developing post-process annealing strategies to improve tensile behaviour of selective laser melting produced Ti-6Al-4V parts. Optical and electron microscopy was used to study α grain morphology as a function of annealing temperature, hold time and cooling rate. Quasi-static uniaxial tensile tests were used to measure tensile behaviour of different annealed parts. It was found that elongated α’/α grains can be fragmented into equiaxial grains through applying a high temperature annealing strategy. It is shown that bi-modal microstructures achieve a superior tensile ductility to current heat treated selective laser melting produced Ti-6Al-4V samples.

Biofuel Feedstock Assessment for Selected Countries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kline, K.L.; Oladosu, G.A.; Wolfe, A.K.; Perlack, R.D.; Dale, V.H.

2008-02-18

Findings from biofuel feedstock production assessments and projections of future supply are presented and discussed. The report aims to improve capabilities to assess the degree to which imported biofuel could contribute to meeting future U.S. targets to reduce dependence on imported oil. The study scope was focused to meet time and resource requirements. A screening process identified Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, India, Mexico, and the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) region for initial analysis, given their likely role in future feedstock supply relevant to U.S. markets. Supply curves for selected feedstocks in these countries are projected for 2012, 2017 and 2027. The supply functions, along with calculations to reflect estimated supplies available for export and/or biofuel production, were provided to DOE for use in a broader energy market allocation study. Potential cellulosic supplies from crop and forestry residues and perennials were also estimated for 2017 and 2027. The analysis identified capacity to potentially double or triple feedstock production by 2017 in some cases. A majority of supply growth is derived from increasing the area cultivated (especially sugarcane in Brazil). This is supplemented by improving yields and farming practices. Most future supplies of corn and wheat are projected to be allocated to food and feed. Larger shares of future supplies of sugarcane, soybean and palm oil production will be available for export or biofuel. National policies are catalyzing investments in biofuel industries to meet targets for fuel blending that generally fall in the 5-10% range. Social and environmental concerns associated with rapid expansion of feedstock production are considered. If the 2017 projected feedstock supply calculated as ‘available’ for export or biofuel were converted to fuel, it would represent the equivalent of about 38 billion gallons of gasoline. Sugarcane and bagasse dominate the available supply, representing 64

Biofuel Feedstock Assessment For Selected Countries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kline, Keith L [ORNL; Oladosu, Gbadebo A [ORNL; Wolfe, Amy K [ORNL; Perlack, Robert D [ORNL; Dale, Virginia H [ORNL

2008-02-01

Findings from biofuel feedstock production assessments and projections of future supply are presented and discussed. The report aims to improve capabilities to assess the degree to which imported biofuel could contribute to meeting future U.S. targets to reduce dependence on imported oil. The study scope was focused to meet time and resource requirements. A screening process identified Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, India, Mexico, and the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) region for initial analysis, given their likely role in future feedstock supply relevant to U.S. markets. Supply curves for selected feedstocks in these countries are projected for 2012, 2017 and 2027. The supply functions, along with calculations to reflect estimated supplies available for export and/or biofuel production, were provided to DOE for use in a broader energy market allocation study. Potential cellulosic supplies from crop and forestry residues and perennials were also estimated for 2017 and 2027. The analysis identified capacity to potentially double or triple feedstock production by 2017 in some cases. A majority of supply growth is derived from increasing the area cultivated (especially sugarcane in Brazil). This is supplemented by improving yields and farming practices. Most future supplies of corn and wheat are projected to be allocated to food and feed. Larger shares of future supplies of sugarcane, soybean and palm oil production will be available for export or biofuel. National policies are catalyzing investments in biofuel industries to meet targets for fuel blending that generally fall in the 5-10% range. Social and environmental concerns associated with rapid expansion of feedstock production are considered. If the 2017 projected feedstock supply calculated as 'available' for export or biofuel were converted to fuel, it would represent the equivalent of about 38 billion gallons of gasoline. Sugarcane and bagasse dominate the available supply

Achieving high permeability and enhanced selectivity for Angstrom-scale separations using artificial water channel membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Yue-Xiao; Song, Woochul C; Barden, D Ryan; Ren, Tingwei; Lang, Chao; Feroz, Hasin; Henderson, Codey B; Saboe, Patrick O; Tsai, Daniel; Yan, Hengjing; Butler, Peter J; Bazan, Guillermo C; Phillip, William A; Hickey, Robert J; Cremer, Paul S; Vashisth, Harish; Kumar, Manish

2018-06-12

Synthetic polymer membranes, critical to diverse energy-efficient separations, are subject to permeability-selectivity trade-offs that decrease their overall efficacy. These trade-offs are due to structural variations (e.g., broad pore size distributions) in both nonporous membranes used for Angstrom-scale separations and porous membranes used for nano to micron-scale separations. Biological membranes utilize well-defined Angstrom-scale pores to provide exceptional transport properties and can be used as inspiration to overcome this trade-off. Here, we present a comprehensive demonstration of such a bioinspired approach based on pillar[5]arene artificial water channels, resulting in artificial water channel-based block copolymer membranes. These membranes have a sharp selectivity profile with a molecular weight cutoff of ~ 500 Da, a size range challenging to achieve with current membranes, while achieving a large improvement in permeability (~65 L m -2  h -1  bar -1  compared with 4-7 L m -2  h -1  bar -1 ) over similarly rated commercial membranes.

EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT ACROSS COUNTRIES AND TIMES - MEASUREMENT INVARIANCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dana Mesner Andolšek

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Employee organisational commitment has been long and extensively studied until now (Meyer & Allen, 1997; Jaussi, 2007.An emphasis of current analysis was to verify its measurement characteristics, for the purpose of comparisons of levels of commitment across time and countries. A limited set of countries was chosen among those available in a sample from the data on Work Orientations II, ISSP 1997, purpose fully selected to reflect cultural and structural differences that was expected to affect change in levels of organisational commitment. With the use of structural equations models we first confirmed that a model for configural invariance for two factors measuring conceptually distinct components of Affective commitment (AC and Continuance commitment (CC respectively has better support than of one factor model. Metric and error term invariance was subsequently confirmed. Scalar equivalence, needed for valid comparison of mean levels of both components of commitment, was confirmed as well, with the exception of two country specific Tau coefficient. Finally, a model thus established was applied additionally on data from2005 ISSP. Acceptable fit was achieved for a common model containing both points in time and all countries, which allowed making more firm conclusions about the changes in AC and CC in different countries.

Eggs and Poultry Purchase, Storage, and Preparation Practices of Consumers in Selected Asian Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kadri Koppel

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to begin characterizing purchase, storage, handling, and preparation of poultry products and eggs by selected consumers in three Asian countries: India, Korea, and Thailand. Approximately 100 consumers in each location were recruited to participate in this study. The consumers were surveyed about eggs and poultry purchase behavior characteristics, such as temperatures and locations, storage behavior, such as storage locations in the refrigerator or freezer, preparation behavior, such as washing eggs and poultry before cooking, and handling behavior, such as using cutting boards during cooking. The results indicated differences in purchase and storage practices of raw eggs. Most Korean consumers purchased refrigerated eggs and stored the eggs in the refrigerator, while Indian and Thai consumers bought eggs that were stored at room temperature, but would refrigerate the eggs at home. Approximately half of the consumers in each country froze raw meat, poultry, or seafood. Food preparation practices showed potential for cross-contamination during cooking, such as using the same cutting board for different kinds of foods or not washing hands with soap and water. The results presented in this pilot study may lead to development of educational messages and raising consumer awareness of food safety practices in Asian countries.

Eggs and Poultry Purchase, Storage, and Preparation Practices of Consumers in Selected Asian Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Koppel, Kadri; Suwonsichon, Suntaree; Chitra, Uma; Lee, Jeehyun; Chambers, Edgar

2014-01-01

The objective of this study was to begin characterizing purchase, storage, handling, and preparation of poultry products and eggs by selected consumers in three Asian countries: India, Korea, and Thailand. Approximately 100 consumers in each location were recruited to participate in this study. The consumers were surveyed about eggs and poultry purchase behavior characteristics, such as temperatures and locations, storage behavior, such as storage locations in the refrigerator or freezer, preparation behavior, such as washing eggs and poultry before cooking, and handling behavior, such as using cutting boards during cooking. The results indicated differences in purchase and storage practices of raw eggs. Most Korean consumers purchased refrigerated eggs and stored the eggs in the refrigerator, while Indian and Thai consumers bought eggs that were stored at room temperature, but would refrigerate the eggs at home. Approximately half of the consumers in each country froze raw meat, poultry, or seafood. Food preparation practices showed potential for cross-contamination during cooking, such as using the same cutting board for different kinds of foods or not washing hands with soap and water. The results presented in this pilot study may lead to development of educational messages and raising consumer awareness of food safety practices in Asian countries. PMID:28234307

Selected personality traits and achievement motivation in university students of physical culture, education and natural sciences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Sigmund

2013-09-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Understanding personality variables and other important psychological traits in the university population appears topical particularly with respect to personality, motivation, health as well as overall academic achievement. A significant role is played by correlations of the monitored variables in relation to selected study specialization. OBJECTIVE: The main objective of the present study is to extend the knowledge on selected personality traits and the level of achievement motivation in a specific group of university students with respect to the diversity of their study specialization. METHODS: The study included a total of 522 students from Palacký University. These were students from the Faculty of Physical Culture (n = 118, Faculty of Education (n = 218 and Faculty of Science (n = 186. In terms of age, the study focused on young adults aged 19 to 26. In the research, psychodiagnostic methods were used to perform diagnostics and to fulfil the overall research plan. All diagnostic methods used are fully standardized and contain domestic normative values. We monitored variables such as personality, achievement motivation and achievement anxiety. Statistical result processing was conducted using the Statgraphics programme v. 9.0. Result processing was made using parametric as well as non-parametric statistical methods (Shapiro-Wilk, Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, Spearman’s correlation. RESULTS: University students specialized in physical culture showed the highest values of extraversion and psychoticism, and clearly the lowest values of neuroticism compared to the students of education and natural sciences. The highest values of openness were observed in the students specialized in sports. In terms of the overall achievement motivation related to study specialization, almost identical values were observed. However, the students of physical culture showed significantly lower values of achievement debilitating anxiety

Genomic selection to improve livestock production in developing countries with a focus on India

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kadarmideen, Haja; Do, Duy Ngoc

2015-01-01

growth will increase the demand for food as well as animal products, particularly in emerging economic giants like India. Moreover, the urbanization has considerable impact on patterns of food consumption in general and on demand for livestock products, in particular and the increased income growth led......Global livestock production has increased substantially during the last decades, in both number of animals and productivity. Meanwhile, the human population is projected to reach 9.6 billions by 2050 and most of the increase in the projection takes place in developing countries. Rapid population...... production (OPU-IVP) of embryos will have a considerable impact in the future. This paper attempts to provide basic concepts of using genomic tools for livestock production with the focus on genomic prediction and selection methods and discuss about the potential application of genomic selection to increase...

An Appraisal Model Based on a Synthetic Feature Selection Approach for Students’ Academic Achievement

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Ching-Hsue Cheng

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Obtaining necessary information (and even extracting hidden messages from existing big data, and then transforming them into knowledge, is an important skill. Data mining technology has received increased attention in various fields in recent years because it can be used to find historical patterns and employ machine learning to aid in decision-making. When we find unexpected rules or patterns from the data, they are likely to be of high value. This paper proposes a synthetic feature selection approach (SFSA, which is combined with a support vector machine (SVM to extract patterns and find the key features that influence students’ academic achievement. For verifying the proposed model, two databases, namely, “Student Profile” and “Tutorship Record”, were collected from an elementary school in Taiwan, and were concatenated into an integrated dataset based on students’ names as a research dataset. The results indicate the following: (1 the accuracy of the proposed feature selection approach is better than that of the Minimum-Redundancy-Maximum-Relevance (mRMR approach; (2 the proposed model is better than the listing methods when the six least influential features have been deleted; and (3 the proposed model can enhance the accuracy and facilitate the interpretation of the pattern from a hybrid-type dataset of students’ academic achievement.

Strategies, limitations and opportunities for marker-assisted selection in livestock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dekkers, J.C.M.; Werf, H.J. van der

2007-01-01

This chapter reviews the principles, opportunities and limitations for detection of quantitative trait loci (QTL) in livestock and for their use in genetic improvement programmes. Alternate strategies for QTL detection are discussed, as are methods for inclusion of marker and QTL information in genetic evaluation. Practical issues regarding implementation of marker-assisted selection (MAS) for selection in breed crosses and for selection within breeds are described, along with likely routes towards achieving that goal. Opportunities and challenges are also discussed for the use of molecular information for genetic improvement of livestock in developing countries. (author)

Comparison of Macroeconomic Performance of Selected Asian Countries. An Econometric Analysis of China Economic Growth and Policy Implications

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Hasret Benar Balcioglu

2009-09-01

Full Text Available This paper compares the key macroeconomics indicators for the selected countries: China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea, Rep. and India and also makes an econometric analysis for China for the period 1961-2007. These countries are chosen on the basis of comparability of data and time without measurement errors. This study also investigates six hypotheses considering the impact of several key macroeconomic variables such as domestic saving rate, domestic investment rate, and volatility of savings, volatility of inflation, growth rate of exports and growth rate of real GNP. By using suitable statistical and econometric tests, this paper finds that prevailing performance of China depends on its superior rates of domestic saving and exports. Policies are also suggested from the differentials between the economic performances of China and other chosen Asian countries.

Financial Inequity in Basic Education in Selected OECD Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yu; Mizunoya, Suguru; You, You; Tsang, Mun

2011-01-01

This is a study of financial disparities in primary and secondary education in OECD countries that have a relatively large population and a school finance system with decentralized features. These countries include the United States, Britain, Australia, Spain, Canada, and Japan. There are two major research questions: What are the trends in…

Emerging trends in informal sector recycling in developing and transition countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ezeah, Chukwunonye; Fazakerley, Jak A.; Roberts, Clive L.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Reviewed emerging trends in Informal Sector Recycling (ISR) in developing countries. • In some countries we found that ISR is the key factor in the recycling of waste materials. • Overall impact of ISR upon the urban economy and environment is positive. • In some instances ISR subsidises large areas of the formal sector. • Ignoring the informal sector could result in unsustainable interventions. - Abstract: Optimistic estimates suggest that only 30–70% of waste generated in cities of developing countries is collected for disposal. As a result, uncollected waste is often disposed of into open dumps, along the streets or into water bodies. Quite often, this practice induces environmental degradation and public health risks. Notwithstanding, such practices also make waste materials readily available for itinerant waste pickers. These ‘scavengers’ as they are called, therefore perceive waste as a resource, for income generation. Literature suggests that Informal Sector Recycling (ISR) activity can bring other benefits such as, economic growth, litter control and resources conservation. This paper critically reviews trends in ISR activities in selected developing and transition countries. ISR often survives in very hostile social and physical environments largely because of negative Government and public attitude. Rather than being stigmatised, the sector should be recognised as an important element for achievement of sustainable waste management in developing countries. One solution to this problem could be the integration of ISR into the formal waste management system. To achieve ISR integration, this paper highlights six crucial aspects from literature: social acceptance, political will, mobilisation of cooperatives, partnerships with private enterprises, management and technical skills, as well as legal protection measures. It is important to note that not every country will have the wherewithal to achieve social inclusion and so the

Emerging trends in informal sector recycling in developing and transition countries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ezeah, Chukwunonye, E-mail: C.Ezeah2@wlv.ac.uk; Fazakerley, Jak A.; Roberts, Clive L.

2013-11-15

Highlights: • Reviewed emerging trends in Informal Sector Recycling (ISR) in developing countries. • In some countries we found that ISR is the key factor in the recycling of waste materials. • Overall impact of ISR upon the urban economy and environment is positive. • In some instances ISR subsidises large areas of the formal sector. • Ignoring the informal sector could result in unsustainable interventions. - Abstract: Optimistic estimates suggest that only 30–70% of waste generated in cities of developing countries is collected for disposal. As a result, uncollected waste is often disposed of into open dumps, along the streets or into water bodies. Quite often, this practice induces environmental degradation and public health risks. Notwithstanding, such practices also make waste materials readily available for itinerant waste pickers. These ‘scavengers’ as they are called, therefore perceive waste as a resource, for income generation. Literature suggests that Informal Sector Recycling (ISR) activity can bring other benefits such as, economic growth, litter control and resources conservation. This paper critically reviews trends in ISR activities in selected developing and transition countries. ISR often survives in very hostile social and physical environments largely because of negative Government and public attitude. Rather than being stigmatised, the sector should be recognised as an important element for achievement of sustainable waste management in developing countries. One solution to this problem could be the integration of ISR into the formal waste management system. To achieve ISR integration, this paper highlights six crucial aspects from literature: social acceptance, political will, mobilisation of cooperatives, partnerships with private enterprises, management and technical skills, as well as legal protection measures. It is important to note that not every country will have the wherewithal to achieve social inclusion and so the

Neural Networks-Based Forecasting Regarding the Convergence Process of CEE Countries to the Eurozone

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Magdalena RĂDULESCU

2014-06-01

Full Text Available In the crisis frame, many forecasts failed to provide well determined ratios. What we tried to explain in this paper is how some selected Central and Eastern European countries will perform in the near future: Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Czech Republic, using neural networks- based forecasting model which we created for the nominal and real convergence ratios. As a methodology, we propose the forecasting based on artificial neural network (ANN, using the well-known software tool GMDH Shell. For each output variable, we obtain a forecast model, according to previous values and other input related variables, and we applied the model to all countries. Our forecasts are much closer to the partial results of 2013 in the analyzed countries than the European Commission’s or other international organizations’ forecasts. The results of the forecast are important both for governments to design their financial strategies and for the investors in these selected countries. According to our results, the Czech Republic seems to be closer to achieve its nominal convergence in the next two years, but it faces great difficulties in the real convergence area, because it did not overpass the recession.

The Quest for Comparability: Studying the Invariance of the Teachers’ Sense of Self-Efficacy (TSES) Measure across Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Scherer, Ronny; Jansen, Malte; Nilsen, Trude; Areepattamannil, Shaljan; Marsh, Herbert W.

2016-01-01

Teachers’ self-efficacy is an important motivational construct that is positively related to a variety of outcomes for both the teachers and their students. This study addresses challenges associated with the commonly used ‘Teachers’ Sense of Self-Efficacy (TSES)’ measure across countries and provides a synergism between substantive research on teachers’ self-efficacy and the novel methodological approach of exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM). These challenges include adequately representing the conceptual overlap between the facets of self-efficacy in a measurement model (cross-loadings) and comparing means and factor structures across countries (measurement invariance). On the basis of the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2013 data set comprising 32 countries (N = 164,687), we investigate the effects of cross-loadings in the TSES measurement model on the results of measurement invariance testing and the estimation of relations to external constructs (i.e., working experience, job satisfaction). To further test the robustness of our results, we replicate the 32-countries analyses for three selected sub-groups of countries (i.e., Nordic, East and South-East Asian, and Anglo-Saxon country clusters). For each of the TALIS 2013 participating countries, we found that the factor structure of the self-efficacy measure is better represented by ESEM than by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) models that do not allow for cross-loadings. For both ESEM and CFA, only metric invariance could be achieved. Nevertheless, invariance levels beyond metric invariance are better achieved with ESEM within selected country clusters. Moreover, the existence of cross-loadings did not affect the relations between the dimensions of teachers’ self-efficacy and external constructs. Overall, this study shows that a conceptual overlap between the facets of self-efficacy exists and can be well-represented by ESEM. We further argue for the cross

The Quest for Comparability: Studying the Invariance of the Teachers' Sense of Self-Efficacy (TSES) Measure across Countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Scherer, Ronny; Jansen, Malte; Nilsen, Trude; Areepattamannil, Shaljan; Marsh, Herbert W

2016-01-01

Teachers' self-efficacy is an important motivational construct that is positively related to a variety of outcomes for both the teachers and their students. This study addresses challenges associated with the commonly used 'Teachers' Sense of Self-Efficacy (TSES)' measure across countries and provides a synergism between substantive research on teachers' self-efficacy and the novel methodological approach of exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM). These challenges include adequately representing the conceptual overlap between the facets of self-efficacy in a measurement model (cross-loadings) and comparing means and factor structures across countries (measurement invariance). On the basis of the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2013 data set comprising 32 countries (N = 164,687), we investigate the effects of cross-loadings in the TSES measurement model on the results of measurement invariance testing and the estimation of relations to external constructs (i.e., working experience, job satisfaction). To further test the robustness of our results, we replicate the 32-countries analyses for three selected sub-groups of countries (i.e., Nordic, East and South-East Asian, and Anglo-Saxon country clusters). For each of the TALIS 2013 participating countries, we found that the factor structure of the self-efficacy measure is better represented by ESEM than by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) models that do not allow for cross-loadings. For both ESEM and CFA, only metric invariance could be achieved. Nevertheless, invariance levels beyond metric invariance are better achieved with ESEM within selected country clusters. Moreover, the existence of cross-loadings did not affect the relations between the dimensions of teachers' self-efficacy and external constructs. Overall, this study shows that a conceptual overlap between the facets of self-efficacy exists and can be well-represented by ESEM. We further argue for the cross

Aptitude Tests Versus School Exams as Selection Tools for Higher Education and the Case for Assessing Educational Achievement in Context

Science.gov (United States)

Stringer, Neil

2008-01-01

Advocates of using a US-style SAT for university selection claim that it is fairer to applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds than achievement tests because it assesses potential, not achievement, and that it allows finer discrimination between top applicants than GCEs. The pros and cons of aptitude tests in principle are discussed, focusing on…

Challenges of Learning English in Australia towards Students Coming from Selected Southeast Asian Countries: Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Cao Thanh

2011-01-01

The paper will explore the challenges students from selected South East Asian countries (Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia) face while studying English in Australia before entering into Australian University courses. These students must contend not only with different styles of teaching and learning, but also with the challenge of adapting to a new…

Financing of health systems to achieve the health Millennium Development Goals in low-income countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Fryatt, Robert; Mills, Anne; Nordstrom, Anders

2010-01-30

Concern that underfunded and weak health systems are impeding the achievement of the health Millennium Development Goals in low-income countries led to the creation of a High Level Taskforce on Innovative International Financing for Health Systems in September, 2008. This report summarises the key challenges faced by the Taskforce and its Working Groups. Working Group 1 examined the constraints to scaling up and costs. Challenges included: difficulty in generalisation because of scarce and context-specific health-systems knowledge; no consensus for optimum service-delivery approaches, leading to wide cost differences; no consensus for health benefits; difficulty in quantification of likely efficiency gains; and challenges in quantification of the financing gap owing to uncertainties about financial commitments for health. Working Group 2 reviewed the different innovative mechanisms for raising and channelling funds. Challenges included: variable definitions of innovative finance; small evidence base for many innovative finance mechanisms; insufficient experience in harmonisation of global health initiatives; and inadequate experience in use of international investments to improve maternal, newborn, and child health. The various mechanisms reviewed and finally recommended all had different characteristics, some focusing on specific problems and some on raising resources generally. Contentious issues included the potential role of the private sector, the rights-based approach to health, and the move to results-based aid. The challenges and disagreements that arose during the work of the Taskforce draw attention to the many issues facing decision makers in low-income countries. International donors and recipient governments should work together to improve the evidence base for strengthening health systems, increase long-term commitments, and improve accountability through transparent and inclusive national approaches. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DECOMPOSING THE SOCIOECONOMIC INEQUALITY IN UTILIZATION OF MATERNAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES IN SELECTED COUNTRIES OF SOUTH ASIA AND SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA.

Science.gov (United States)

Goli, Srinivas; Nawal, Dipty; Rammohan, Anu; Sekher, T V; Singh, Deepshikha

2017-10-30

The gap in access to maternal health care services is a challenge of an unequal world. In 2015, each day about 830 women died due to complications of pregnancy and childbirth. Almost all of these deaths occurred in low-resource settings, and most could have been prevented. This study quantified the contributions of the socioeconomic determinants of inequality to the utilization of maternal health care services in four countries in diverse geographical and cultural settings: Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Nepal and Zimbabwe. Data from the 2010-11 Demographic and Health Surveys of the four countries were used, and methods developed by Wagstaff and colleagues for decomposing socioeconomic inequalities in health were applied. The results showed that although the Concentration Index (CI) was negative for the selected indicators, meaning maternal health care was poorer among lower socioeconomic status groups, the level of CI varied across the different countries for the same outcome indicator: CI of -0.1147, -0.1146, -0.2859 and -0.0638 for inequalities in maternal health care varied across the selected countries. The findings are significant for a global understanding of the various determinants of maternal health care use in high-maternal-mortality settings in different geographical and socio-cultural contexts.

The Relationship Between Selected Subtests of the Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude and Second Grade Reading Achievement.

Science.gov (United States)

Sherwood, Charles; Chambless, Martha

Relationships between reading achievement and perceptual skills as measured by selected subtests of the Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude were investigated in a sample of 73 second graders. Verbal opposites, visual memory for designs, and visual attention span for letters were significantly correlated with both word meaning and vocabulary…

Employment in the research and development sector in selected countries of the European Union and the world

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Turczak

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The aim of this article is to determine how particular factors affect the diversity of countries in terms of the number of employees in the research and development (R&D sector compared with the number of their overall populations. Two factors are analysed in the study: the proportion of employment in the R&D sector to the total number of people employed (i.e. the factor showing the importance given to R&D in the country concerned and the proportion of the total number of people employed to the number of inhabitants aged 15 and more (i.e. the employment rate. The logarithmic method has been used to assess the impact of deviations of these factors on the deviation of employment in the R&D sector in relation to the number of inhabitants. The causal analysis has allowed for answering the question of how each factor affects the variable in the selected twenty-six countries of the European Union and the world, i.e. what are the direction and strength of the influence. The results obtained for Poland are compared with those received for other countries covered by the analysis and the final conclusions are drawn on this basis.

Disparity in dental attendance among older adult populations: a comparative analysis across selected European countries and the USA.

Science.gov (United States)

Manski, Richard; Moeller, John; Chen, Haiyan; Widström, Eeva; Listl, Stefan

2016-02-01

The current study addresses the extent to which diversity in dental attendance across population subgroups exists within and between the USA and selected European countries. The analyses relied on 2006/2007 data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and 2004-2006 data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) in the USA for respondents≥51 years of age. Logistic regression models were estimated to identify impacts of dental-care coverage, and of oral and general health status, on dental-care use. We were unable to discern significant differences in dental attendance across population subgroups in countries with and without social health insurance, between the USA and European countries, and between European countries classified according to social welfare regime. Patterns of diverse dental use were found, but they did not appear predominately in countries classified according to welfare state regime or according to the presence or absence of social health insurance. The findings of this study suggest that income and education have a stronger, and more persistent, correlation with dental use than the correlation between dental insurance and dental use across European countries. We conclude that: (i) higher overall rates of coverage in most European countries, compared with relatively lower rates in the USA, contribute to this finding; and that (ii) policies targeted to improving the income of older persons and their awareness of the importance of oral health care in both Europe and the USA can contribute to improving the use of dental services. © 2015 FDI World Dental Federation.

Coping with Capital Inflows; Experiences of Selected European Countries

OpenAIRE

David Vávra; Inci Ötker; Barry Topf; Zbigniew Polanski

2007-01-01

This paper reviews the experiences of a number of European countries in coping with capital inflows. It describes the nature of the inflows, their implications for macroeconomic and financial stability, and the policy responses used to cope with them. The experiences suggest that as countries become more integrated with international financial markets, there is little room to regulate capital flows effectively. The most effective ways to deal with capital inflows would be to deepen the financ...

Stillbirths : recall to action in high-income countries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Flenady, Vicki; Wojcieszek, Aleena M.; Middleton, Philippa; Ellwood, David; Erwich, Jan Jaap; Coory, Michael; Khong, T. Yee; Silver, Robert M.; Smith, Gordon C. S.; Boyle, Frances M.; Lawn, Joy E.; Blencowe, Hannah; Leisher, Susannah Hopkins; Gross, Mechthild M.; Horey, Dell; Farrales, Lynn; Bloomfield, Frank; McCowan, Lesley; Brown, Stephanie J.; Joseph, K. S.; Zeitlin, Jennifer; Reinebrant, Hanna E.; Ravaldi, Claudia; Vannacci, Alfredo; Cassidy, Jillian; Cassidy, Paul; Farquhar, Cindy; Wallace, Euan; Siassakos, Dimitrios; Heazell, Alexander E. P.; Storey, Claire; Sadler, Lynn; Petersen, Scott; Froen, J. Frederik; Goldenberg, Robert L.

2016-01-01

Variation in stillbirth rates across high-income countries and large equity gaps within high-income countries persist. If all high-income countries achieved stillbirth rates equal to the best performing countries, 19 439 late gestation ( 28 weeks or more) stillbirths could have been avoided in 2015.

Effects of distraction and pictorial illustration on memory for countries in older adults with probable Alzheimer's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Boudreaux, Emily O; Cherry, Katie E; Elliott, Emily M; Hicks, Jason L

2011-05-01

Eight participants with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) were trained to recall names of countries using the spaced-retrieval memory intervention. Six training sessions were administered on alternate days over a 2-week period. Half of the participants studied a target country alone and the other half studied a target country along with eight distractor countries. Training stimuli appeared in text-only format in half of the sessions and text with a color photograph of the country in the other sessions. On each trial, participants selected the target at increasingly longer retention intervals, contingent upon successful recall. Results indicated that the mean proportion of correct trials and longest duration achieved increased across training sessions, confirming the success of the spaced-retrieval intervention. Pictorial illustrations enhanced explicit memory for target country names. Implications of these data for current views on memory remediation in cognitively impaired older adults are discussed.

Similarity of TIMSS Math and Science Achievement of Nations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Algirdas Zabulionis

2001-09-01

Full Text Available In 1991-97, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA undertook a Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS in which data about the mathematics and science achievement of the thirteen year-old students in more than 40 countries were collected. These data provided the opportunity to search for patterns of students' answers to the test items: which group of items was relatively more difficult (or more easy for the students from a particular country (or group of countries. Using this massive data set an attempt was made to measure the similarities among country profiles of how students responded to the test items.

Guidance levels, achievable doses and expectation levels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Lianbo; Meng, Bing

2002-01-01

The National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Commission of the European Communities (CEC) published their guidance levels and reference doses for typical X-ray examination and nuclear medicine in their documents in 1993, 1994 and 1996 respectively. From then on, the concept of guidance levels or reference doses have been applied to different examinations in the field of radiology and proved to be effective for reduction of patient doses. But the guidance levels or reference doses are likely to have some shortcomings and can do little to make further reduction of patient dose in the radiology departments where patient dose are already below them. For this reason, the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) proposed a concept named achievable doses which are based on the mean dose observed for a selected sample of radiology departments. This paper will review and discuss the concept of guidance levels and achievable doses, and propose a new concept referred to as Expectation Levels that will encourage the radiology departments where patient dose are already below the guidance levels to keep patient dose as low as reasonably achievable. Some examples of the expectation levels based on the data published by a few countries are also illustrated in this paper

Pregnancy planning and risk behaviours – a survey of women’s experiences in selected European countries

OpenAIRE

Małgorzata Lesińska-Sawicka; Małgorzata Nagórska

2018-01-01

Pregnancy, a special period in a woman’s life, should be preceded by proper preparation: a positive attitude to procreation, selection of optimum time for becoming pregnant, starting prevention of neural tube defects, restriction of the use of drugs, smoking, etc. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of pregnancy planning and antenatal classes on the use of stimulants during pregnancy. The study group included 877 women living in 7 European countries, and their experiences of pla...

Criteria for the Selection of Tourism Destinations by Students from Different Countries

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Dębski Maciej

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to identify selected aspects of the management of information about prospective tourist destinations by young people (students from Canada, Poland, and Trinidad and Tobago. On the basis of a questionnaire study, the ranking of preferences of respondents (i.e., the main criteria of destination choice has been presented. Students were selected as respondents - as a “convenient sample” - in this privately funded study. A variety of aspects related to comfort (and convenience and attractiveness have been identified as most important to the choice of destination. These are also leading motives that may form a platform for advertising campaigns and suggestions for regional development. This examination has been done mainly with the use of analysis of averages, Spearman correlation coefficients, and various approaches to factor analysis. It turns out that despite very different characteristics of respondents from the three countries, both their preferences and motives for promotion of the destination are very similar. Conclusions can be helpful for travel agencies and those responsible for the development of tourism infrastructure, as well as for the organization of further studies on the subject. The combination of various statistical tools used when examining the subject and the finding - that is, the similarity of preferences between travelers - can be regarded as new value when examining the subject.

Proceedings of the International Conference: Nuclear option in countries with small and medium electricity grid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-12-31

The conference of Croatian Nuclear Society ``Nuclear option in countries with small and medium electricity grid`` is based on experience from last conference of Croatian Nuclear Society in Opatija and on the same philosophy of serving the needs of small or medium present or future user countries. Session topics reflect some current emphasis, such as accommodation of Kyoto restriction on CO{sub 2} emission, or liability and insurance for nuclear damage. In order to achieve best safety and operational standards these countries with limited human and material resources must put greater emphasis on their rational and efficient use. Consequently the world wide developments on innovative reactors` systems and improved concepts for fuel utilisation and waste disposal are substantial interest. Appropriate selections of reactor technology, fuel cycle and decommission strategies are of paramount importance. There are very successful examples of achieving safety and good operational records, so the exchange of experience and cooperation amongst that group of countries would be of great value. As in the future of nuclear energy there will be many more countries with only small or medium nuclear systems, collecting specific experience and cooperation between the like countries will be an additional value to the now prevailing equipment supplier - national utility relationships. Here is presented nine sessions: 1. Energy Options in Countries with Small and Medium Grids 2. Reactors for Small and Medium Electricity Grids 3. Operation and Maintenance Experience 4. Deterministic Safety Analysis 5. Probabilistic Safety Analysis 6. Radioactive Waste Management and Decommissioning 7. Public Relations 8. Emergency Preparedness 9. Liability and Insurance for Nuclear Damage

Proceedings of the International Conference: Nuclear option in countries with small and medium electricity grid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

The conference of Croatian Nuclear Society ''Nuclear option in countries with small and medium electricity grid'' is based on experience from last conference of Croatian Nuclear Society in Opatija and on the same philosophy of serving the needs of small or medium present or future user countries. Session topics reflect some current emphasis, such as accommodation of Kyoto restriction on CO 2 emission, or liability and insurance for nuclear damage. In order to achieve best safety and operational standards these countries with limited human and material resources must put greater emphasis on their rational and efficient use. Consequently the world wide developments on innovative reactors' systems and improved concepts for fuel utilisation and waste disposal are substantial interest. Appropriate selections of reactor technology, fuel cycle and decommission strategies are of paramount importance. There are very successful examples of achieving safety and good operational records, so the exchange of experience and cooperation amongst that group of countries would be of great value. As in the future of nuclear energy there will be many more countries with only small or medium nuclear systems, collecting specific experience and cooperation between the like countries will be an additional value to the now prevailing equipment supplier - national utility relationships. Here is presented nine sessions: 1. Energy Options in Countries with Small and Medium Grids 2. Reactors for Small and Medium Electricity Grids 3. Operation and Maintenance Experience 4. Deterministic Safety Analysis 5. Probabilistic Safety Analysis 6. Radioactive Waste Management and Decommissioning 7. Public Relations 8. Emergency Preparedness 9. Liability and Insurance for Nuclear Damage

5 CFR 317.501 - Recruitment and selection for initial SES career appointment be achieved from the brightest and...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

.... OPM may review proposed career appointments to ensure that they comply with all merit staffing... career appointment be achieved from the brightest and most diverse pool possible. 317.501 Section 317.501... EXECUTIVE SERVICE Career Appointments § 317.501 Recruitment and selection for initial SES career appointment...

Benchmarking health IT among OECD countries: better data for better policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Adler-Milstein, Julia; Ronchi, Elettra; Cohen, Genna R; Winn, Laura A Pannella; Jha, Ashish K

2014-01-01

To develop benchmark measures of health information and communication technology (ICT) use to facilitate cross-country comparisons and learning. The effort is led by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Approaches to definition and measurement within four ICT domains were compared across seven OECD countries in order to identify functionalities in each domain. These informed a set of functionality-based benchmark measures, which were refined in collaboration with representatives from more than 20 OECD and non-OECD countries. We report on progress to date and remaining work to enable countries to begin to collect benchmark data. The four benchmarking domains include provider-centric electronic record, patient-centric electronic record, health information exchange, and tele-health. There was broad agreement on functionalities in the provider-centric electronic record domain (eg, entry of core patient data, decision support), and less agreement in the other three domains in which country representatives worked to select benchmark functionalities. Many countries are working to implement ICTs to improve healthcare system performance. Although many countries are looking to others as potential models, the lack of consistent terminology and approach has made cross-national comparisons and learning difficult. As countries develop and implement strategies to increase the use of ICTs to promote health goals, there is a historic opportunity to enable cross-country learning. To facilitate this learning and reduce the chances that individual countries flounder, a common understanding of health ICT adoption and use is needed. The OECD-led benchmarking process is a crucial step towards achieving this.

Immigrant Students’ Achievements in Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia in Context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nika Šušterič

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Achievement gaps between immigrant and native students indicate failure to assure educational equity in the majority of countries assessed by the Programme for International Student Assessment in 2009 (PISA, 2009. The present article explains disparate achievement results in Europe, first testing the hypothesis of old and new democracies. In further contextualisation of the achievement results, the analysis seeks explanations beyond the common education system explanatory model. Specifically, the article considers results from Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia, highlighting the significance of language distance between native and immigrant students as well as migration regimes as important factors in creating or reducing the achievement gap between native and immigrant students. Evidence has been found that immigrant students score worse in countries with guest labour immigration regimes than in the countries with large scale forced immigration of people of the same ethnic (linguistic origin.

Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis: perspectives on patient selection in low- to middle-income countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wearne N

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Nicola Wearne,1 Kajiru Kilonzo,2 Emmanuel Effa,3 Bianca Davidson,1 Peter Nourse,4 Udeme Ekrikpo,1,5 Ikechi G Okpechi1 1Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; 2Department of Medicine, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical College, Moshi, Tanzania; 3Department of Medicine, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria; 4Division of Paediatric Nephrology, Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa; 5Department of Internal Medicine, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria Abstract: Chronic kidney disease is a major public health problem that continues to show an unrelenting global increase in prevalence. The prevalence of chronic kidney disease has been predicted to grow the fastest in low- to middle-income countries (LMICs. There is evidence that people living in LMICs have the highest need for renal replacement therapy (RRT despite the lowest access to various modalities of treatment. As continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD does not require advanced technologies, much infrastructure, or need for dialysis staff support, it should be an ideal form of RRT in LMICs, particularly for those living in remote areas. However, CAPD is scarcely available in many LMICs, and even where available, there are several hurdles to be confronted regarding patient selection for this modality. High cost of CAPD due to unavailability of fluids, low patient education and motivation, low remuneration for nephrologists, lack of expertise/experience for catheter insertion and management of complications, presence of associated comorbid diseases, and various socio-demographic factors contribute significantly toward reduced patient selection for CAPD. Cost of CAPD fluids seems to be a major constraint given that many countries do not have the capacity to manufacture fluids but instead rely heavily on fluids imported from developed countries. There is need to invest in fluid manufacturing (either nationally or

The Aspects of Managing Risks in Connection with the Internationalization of Smes from Selected Central European Countries

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Martina Toulová

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Insufficient domestic demand and increasing competition force small and medium‑sized enterprises (SMEs to engage in internationalization process and enter to foreign markets. This process, however, carries risks that should be appropriate managed. In order to identify similarities and differences in the approach of SMEs from selected Central European countries towards managing these risks and find out whether perception of risks differ based on domestic country of the SMEs, questionnaire survey among Czech, Slovak, German, Austrian and Poland SMEs was performed in 2014. It was found that more Austrian and German SMEs, compared to Czech, Slovak and Polish SMEs, do not apply any method of risk analysis but are more focused on some form of protection in international operations. As the most common form was identified payment in advance. It was also found that Austrian and German SMEs prefer to use bank products rather that conclude long‑term contracts or verify the credibility of their foreign business partners used by Czech, Slovak and Poland SMEs. Based on statistical testing, significant differences appeared in risk perception of SMEs from different countries. Especially perception of market risks, transportation risks and risk of natural disasters.

Disparity in Dental Attendance Among Older Adult Populations: A Comparative Analysis Across Selected European Countries and the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Manski, Richard; Moeller, John; Chen, Haiyan; Widström, Eeva; Listl, Stefan

2015-01-01

Background The current study addresses the extent to which diversity in dental attendance across population subgroups exists within and between the United States and selected European countries. Method The analyses relied on 2006/2007 data from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and 2004–2006 data from of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) in the United States for respondents aged 51 years and older. Logistic regression models were estimated to identify impacts of dental care coverage and oral as well as general health status on dental care use. Results We were unable to discern significant differences in dental attendance across population subgroups in countries with and without social health insurance, between the USA and European countries, and between European countries classified by social welfare regime. Patterns of diverse dental use were found, but they did not appear predominately in countries classified by welfare state regime or by presence or absence of social health insurance. Conclusions Findings of this study suggest that income and education have stronger and more persistent correlation with dental use than the correlation between dental insurance and dental use across European countries. We conclude that (1) higher overall rates of coverage in most European countries, compared to relatively lower rates in the USA, contribute to this finding and that (2) policies targeted to improving the income of older persons and their awareness of the importance of oral health care in both Europe and the USA can contribute to improving the use of dental services. PMID:26465093

Breast cancer policy in Latin America: account of achievements and challenges in five countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Nigenda, Gustavo; Gonzalez-Robledo, Maria Cecilia; Gonzalez-Robledo, Luz Maria; Bejarano-Arias, Rosa Maria

2016-07-12

The recent increase of breast cancer mortality has put on alert to most countries in the region. However it has taken some time before breast cancer could be considered as a relevant problem. Only in recent years breast cancer has been considered a priority in some Latin American countries and resources have been mobilized to confront the problem at the institutional level. The article analyzes the efforts made in five Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela) in the last 15 years to design and implement policies to address the growing incidence of breast cancer. Data was collected between July and December 2010 from both primary and secondary sources. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants from governmental and non-governmental organizations. Secondary data was obtained from publications in journals, government reports and official statistics in each country. Analysis combines information from both types of sources. Countries have followed different paths and are in different stages of policy implementation. In all cases early detection is a key strategy. Through the design of programs and guidelines, the allocation of financial resources to treat patients, as well as a formally structured information system, Brazil and Mexico have been able to set up comprehensive national policies. Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela have made important advancements but not yet capable of coordinating comprehensive national policies. Breast cancer is being considered a priority in all five countries but there are different stages in the rolling out of comprehensive national policies due to differences in their capacity to allocate resources, implement operational strategies and encourage the participation of relevant stakeholders.

Technology foresight and industrial strategy in developing countries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pietrobelli, C.; Puppato, F.

2015-01-01

When Technology Foresight (TF) began to be adopted in industrial countries, it tended to be still somewhat a marginal activity in developing countries. It was then believed that TF and its prediction of the future was a matter that only highly industrialised countries could endeavour to achieve,

The selection of quality assurance regulations by a developing country

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perrin, R.

1982-01-01

The negotiations of Framatome in recent years with potential customers (both advanced and developing countries) have led to the following conclusions. A developing country which orders a nuclear power plant may adopt one of several attitudes to quality assurance: (1) it may show no interest at all, though this category of customer is on the wane; (2) it may establish its own regulations, but this course poses problems of both cost and competence; (3) it may use American standards, which are also indirectly applied to French PWR plants since the reference power plants used are American. Up to 1979, Framatome advocated the last approach in its negotations. The American nuclear quality assurance standards are the oldest in existence and reflect the experience gained from the longest period of application. In addition, the application of those standards is monitored in the USA by the organizations which issue or adopt them. (4) The country may adopt other equivalent regulations available on the market. Although not American, these provide the same guarantees and benefit from the experience on which the deserved popularity of the American standards is based. Since 1979, Framatome has considered that the IAEA Code of Practice meets these specifications and will from now on suggest in its export bids that this Code be applied. The Code is an international guide, published in four languages, and advocates the same guarantees as American texts. In addition, since EDF and Framatome have decided to apply the IAEA Code to French PWR plants as of 1980, experience gained through applying the Code and the resultant legal knowledge will quickly build up. The adoption of the Code of Practice by purchasing countries should further their relations with suppliers, facilitate the technical assistance provided by the latter, and enable the purchaser to find in most supplier countries the same code as that which he applies himself and to employ a variety of suppliers, if need be, without

Outside school time: an examination of science achievement and non-cognitive characteristics of 15-year olds in several countries

Science.gov (United States)

Suter, Larry E.

2016-03-01

Elementary and secondary students spend more hours outside of class than in formal school and thus have more time for interaction with everyday science. However, evidence from a large international survey, Program of International Student Assessment (PISA) (OECD 2012), found a negative relationship between number of hours attending after-school science and science assessment scores in many countries, raising questions about why. The secondary analysis of the 2006, 2009, and 2012 PISA surveys found that in most Western countries the longer students attended after-school science programs (in a typical week), the lower their PISA standardized science test score, but the higher their positive attitudes toward future science careers, interest in science, and self-confidence in science. Several potential hypotheses for this relationship are examined and rejected. Further analysis of a causal relationship between frequent attendance in after-school programs and student achievement and attitudes should clearly identify the content of the program so that the analysis could distinguish experiences closely related to regular school curricula from the informal science activities that are not. A new analysis also should include carefully designed longitudinal surveys to test the effectiveness of informal experiences on later life choices in career and study. Revision of a Paper prepared for AERA meetings in Chicago, 19 April 2015.

Millennium development goals: Examining Kenya constraints in achieving the eight goals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wambua Leonard Munyao

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This paper examines Kenya’s performance in achieving the famous millennium development goals. The paper provides the government and other stakeholders with proper understanding of the constraints of achieving the millennium development goals as well as reflecting the phase and the passion of the country in achieving this important development goal. The paper further seeks to stress the importance of this goal in reducing poverty in the country. The paper has cited some key factors undermining achieving of the millennium development goals in Kenya. Major recommendations that can contribute towards achieving of the millennium development goals have also been made.

The effects of globalization on firm’s stock in the selected Asian countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sepideh Haghi

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This study aims to survey the effects of economic globalization on the firm’s stock that is measured by the index of the stock market by using panel data in selected countries in Asia (Iran, Saudi Arabia, India, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, Russia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka during 1997- 2013. Unit root tests indicate that the variables are stationary on the level. The results of F-test, Breusch-Pagan and Hausman tests show that the unilateral fixed effects must be applied. The results show that the economic globalization significantly improves stock market index. Moreover the positive and significant effect on the firm’s stock depend on political globalization and dummy variable, however the negative and significant effect is related to the growth rate of government expenditure, the exchange rate and the interaction effects of economy.

Expert meeting on Child Growth and Micronutrient Deficiencies--New Initiatives for Developing Countries to Achieve Millennium Development Goals: executive summary report.

Science.gov (United States)

Usfar, Avita A; Achadi, Endang L; Martorell, Reynaldo; Hadi, Hamam; Thaha, Razak; Jus'at, Idrus; Atmarita; Martianto, Drajat; Ridwan, Hardinsyah; Soekirman

2009-01-01

Undernutrition in early childhood has long-term physical and intellectual consequences. Improving child growth should start before the age of two years and be an integrated effort between all sectors, covering all aspects such as diet and nutrient intake, disease reduction, optimum child care, and improved environmental sanitation. To discuss these issues, the Indonesian Danone Institute Foundation organized an expert meeting on Child Growth and Micronutrient Deficiencies: New Initiatives for Developing Countries to Achieve Millennium Development Goals. The objective of the meeting was to have a retrospective view on child growth: lessons learned from programs to overcome under-nutrition in the developed countries and to relate the situation to the Indonesian context, as well as to discuss implications for future programs. Recommendations derived from the meeting include focus intervention on the window of opportunity group, re-activation of the Integrated Health Post at the village level, improvement of infant and young child feeding, expand food fortification intervention programs, strengthen supplementation programs with multi-micronutrient, and strengthening public and private partnership on food related programs.

Southeast Asia: A Selected Functional and Country Bibliography.

Science.gov (United States)

Foreign Service (Dept. of State), Washington, DC. Foreign Service Inst.

This bibliography, which contains approximately 500 citations dated between 1952 and 1972, is one of a series on various areas of the world. Countries included in this bibliography on Southeast Asia are: Australia, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia and Singapore, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand, Viet-Nam, Western Samoa and the…

Growth trajectories from conception through middle childhood and cognitive achievement at age 8 years: Evidence from four low- and middle-income countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andreas Georgiadis

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Child chronic malnutrition is endemic in low- and middle-income countries and deleterious for child development. Studies investigating the relationship between nutrition at different periods of childhood, as measured by growth in these periods (growth trajectories, and cognitive development have produced mixed evidence. Although an explanation of this has been that different studies use different approaches to model growth trajectories, the differences across approaches are not well understood. Furthermore, little is known about the pathways linking growth trajectories and cognitive achievement. In this paper, we develop and estimate a general path model of the relationship between growth trajectories and cognitive achievement using data on four cohorts from Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam. The model is used to: (a compare two of the most common approaches to modelling growth trajectories in the literature, namely the lifecourse plot and the conditional body size model, and (b investigate the potential channels via which the association between growth in each period and cognitive achievement manifests. We show that the two approaches are expected to produce systematically different results that have distinct interpretations. Results suggest that growth from conception through age 1 year, between age 1 and 5 years, and between 5 and 8 years, are each positively and significantly associated with cognitive achievement at age 8 years and that this may be partly explained by the fact that faster-growing children start school earlier. We also find that a significant share of the association between early growth and later cognitive achievement is mediated through growth in interim periods. Keywords: Nutrition, Cognitive achievement, Path analysis, Cohort study, Ethiopia, India, Peru, Vietnam

Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Indices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-02-01

Since 2003 Ernst and Young team has been releasing quarterly data that ranks national renewable energy markets, and their suitability for individual technologies. The Country Attractiveness Indices now track the relative attractiveness of 30 countries' renewable energy markets across a selection of technologies each quarter. The Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Indices publication scores and comments on various technologies, including: on-shore wind, off-shore wind, solar PV, solar CSP, biomass, and geothermal.

Policy Instruments for Eco-Innovation in Asian Countries

OpenAIRE

Jang, Eun; Park, Mi; Roh, Tae; Han, Ki

2015-01-01

Eco-innovation globally emerged as an effort to implement sustainable development. States and firms established and implemented policies and strategies for eco-innovation as one route to achieving sustainable development. Eco-innovation has been facilitated in developed countries, specifically OECD members and European countries, through action plans. Recently, eco-innovation policies have emerged in developing countries. Thus, this study analyzes eco-innovation policies in Asian countries. ...

Optimizing antiretroviral product selection: a sample approach to improving patient outcomes, saving money, and scaling-up health services in developing countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Amole, Carolyn D; Brisebois, Catherine; Essajee, Shaffiq; Koehler, Erin; Levin, Andrew D; Moore, Meredith C; Brown Ripin, David H; Sickler, Joanna J; Singh, Inder R

2011-08-01

Over the last decade, increased funding to support HIV treatment programs has enabled millions of new patients in developing countries to access the medications they need. Today, although demand for antiretrovirals continues to grow, the financial crisis has severely constrained funding leaving countries with difficult choices on program prioritization. Product optimization is one solution countries can pursue to continue to improve patient care while also uncovering savings that can be used for further scale up or other health system needs. Program managers can make procurement decisions that actually reduce program costs by considering additional factors beyond World Health Organization guidelines when making procurement decisions. These include in-country product availability, convenience, price, and logistics such as supply chain implications and laboratory testing requirements. Three immediate product selection opportunities in the HIV space include using boosted atazanavir in place of lopinovir for second-line therapy, lamivudine instead of emtricitabine in both first-line and second-line therapy, and tenofovir + lamivudine over abacavir + didanosine in second-line therapy. If these 3 opportunities were broadly implemented in sub-Saharan Africa and India today, approximately $300 million of savings would be realized over the next 5 years, enabling hundreds of thousands of additional patients to be treated. Although the discussion herein is specific to antriretrovirals, the principles of product selection are generalizable to diseases with multiple treatment options and fungible commodity procurement. Identifying and implementing approaches to overcome health system inefficiencies will help sustain and may expand quality care in resource-limited settings.

Selected psychiatric problems among college students in two Arab countries: comparison with the USA.

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Kronfol, Ziad; Khalifa, Batoul; Khoury, Brigitte; Omar, Omar; Daouk, Sariah; deWitt, J P; ElAzab, Nourehan; Eisenberg, Daniel

2018-05-24

Psychiatric problems among college students on USA campuses are common. Little is known about similar problems in developing countries, particularly the Arab region. The goal of this study was to assess the frequency of selected psychiatric problems among college students in two Arab countries: Qatar and Lebanon, and to compare them to the USA. The Healthy Minds Study, an online confidential survey of common psychiatric symptoms designed for college campuses was used. We used the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) to screen for major depression, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) to screen for generalized anxiety and the SCOFF questionnaire to screen for eating disorders. Comparisons were made using ANOVA, Chi-Square tests and logistic regressions. A total of 1841 students participated in the study. The rates of depression (PHQ-9 ≥ 12), generalized anxiety (GAD-7 ≥ 10) and eating disorders (SCOFF≥3) at the combined Arab universities were 34.6, 36.1 and 20.4% respectively. The corresponding rates in the USA were: 12.8, 15.9 and 6.8% (p problems on functioning in general and academic performance in particular was more severe in the Arab countries compared to the USA (p problems in general included location, female gender, financial difficulties and poor grades. Being religious had a protective association with mental health. The rates of depression, anxiety and eating disorders were significantly higher among college students in Qatar and Lebanon compared to the USA. Additional research is needed to determine whether these results reflect methodological limitations or true differences in psychopathology across these populations. If replicated, the results indicate that the psychiatric problems on college campuses in the USA are a microcosm of a global problem that needs global solutions.

Women's Education and Health Inequalities in Under-Five Mortality in Selected Sub-Saharan African Countries, 1990–2015

Science.gov (United States)

Bado, Aristide Romaric; Sathiya Susuman, A.

2016-01-01

Background The aim of the study was to analyse trends in the relationship between mother’s educational level and mortality of children under the year of five in Sub-Saharan Africa, from 1990 to 2015. Data and Methods Data used in this study came from different waves of Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) of Sub-Saharan countries. Logistic regression and Buis’s decomposition method were used to explore the effect of mother’s educational level on the mortality of children under five years. Results Although the results of our study in the selected countries show that under-five mortality rates of children born to mothers without formal education are higher than the mortality rates of children of educated mothers, it appears that differences in mortality were reduced over the past two decades. In selected countries for our study, we noticed a significant decline in mortality among children of non-educated mothers compared to the decrease in mortality rates among children of educated mothers during the period of 1990–2010. The results show that the decline in mortality of children under five years was much higher among the children born to mothers who have never received formal education—112 points drop in Malawi, over 80 in Zambia and Zimbabwe, 65 points in Burkina Faso, 56 in Congo, 43 in Namibia, 27 in Guinea, Cameroon, and 22 to 15 in Niger. However, we noted a variation in results among the countries selected for the study—in Burkina Faso (OR = 0.7), in Cameroon (OR = 0.8), in Guinea (OR = 0.8) and Niger (OR = 0.8). It is normally observed that children of mothers with 0–6 years of education are about 20% more likely to survive until their fifth year compared to children of mothers who have not been to school. Conversely, the results did not reveal significant differences between the under-five deaths of children born to non-educated mothers and children of low-level educated mothers in Congo, Malawi and Namibia. Conclusion The decline in under

A comparative examination of tuberculosis immigration medical screening programs from selected countries with high immigration and low tuberculosis incidence rates

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Background Tuberculosis (TB) in migrants is an ongoing challenge in several low TB incidence countries since a large proportion of TB in these countries occurs in migrants from high incidence countries. To meet these challenges, several countries utilize TB screening programs. The programs attempt to identify and treat those with active and/or infectious stages of the disease. In addition, screening is used to identify and manage those with latent or inactive disease after arrival. Between nations, considerable variation exists in the methods used in migration-associated TB screening. The present study aimed to compare the TB immigration medical examination requirements in selected countries of high immigration and low TB incidence rates. Methods Descriptive study of immigration TB screening programs Results 16 out of 18 eligible countries responded to the written standardized survey and phone interview. Comparisons in specific areas of TB immigration screening programs included authorities responsible for TB screening, the primary objectives of the TB screening program, the yield of detection of active TB disease, screening details and aspects of follow up for inactive pulmonary TB. No two countries had the same approach to TB screening among migrants. Important differences, common practices, common problems, evidence or lack of evidence for program specifics were noted. Conclusions In spite of common goals, there is great diversity in the processes and practices designed to mitigate the impact of migration-associated TB among nations that screen migrants for the disease. The long-term goal in decreasing migration-related introduction of TB from high to low incidence countries remains diminishing the prevalence of the disease in those high incidence locations. In the meantime, existing or planned migration screening programs for TB can be made more efficient and evidenced based. Cooperation among countries doing research in the areas outlined in this study should

STAKEHOLDER OPINION-BASED COMPARISON OF LIFE CYCLE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF ELECTRICITY GENERATION IN TURKEY WITH SELECTED EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

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Gorkem Uctug

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The life cycle environmental impacts of electricity generation in Turkey were compared to those of Denmark, France, and Poland. The reason for selecting these particular countries for benchmarking was the fact that electricity generation in these countries is dominated mostly by a single source, that is wind, nuclear, and coal, respectively. OpenLCA software and European Life Cycle Database database were used, CML2001 method was employed. The life cycle analysis approach was from cradle to grave. The environmental impact criteria which were studied were acidification, global warming potential, depletion of abiotic resources – elements, depletion of abiotic resources - fossil fuels, eutrophication, freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity, human toxicity, marine aquatic ecotoxicity, ozone layer depletion, photochemical oxidation, and terrestrial ecotoxicity. In addition to comparing the four countries in terms of these individual impacts, the overall environmental impact scores for all countries were calculated, once with equal weights for all impacts and once with weights which were determined by acquiring the stakeholder opinions via an online questionnaire. In both cases, Poland turned out to have the highest environmental impact due to the high share coal in the electricity mix, and Turkey came second after Poland. Equal-weight-analysis returned Denmark as the country with the cleanest electricity generation infrastructure whereas stakeholder-weight-analysis results showed that it was France who had the lowest environmental impact. This result was attributed to the high weight of global warming potential and France’s nuclear-energy-based electricity generation system has a very low global warming potential when compared to other three countries. It was concluded that the prospective addition of nuclear energy, solar energy, and clean coal technologies into Turkey’s electricity mix shall reduce the overall environmental impact of electricity

Growth trajectories from conception through middle childhood and cognitive achievement at age 8 years: Evidence from four low- and middle-income countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Georgiadis, Andreas; Benny, Liza; Crookston, Benjamin T; Duc, Le Thuc; Hermida, Priscila; Mani, Subha; Woldehanna, Tassew; Stein, Aryeh D; Behrman, Jere R

2016-12-01

Child chronic malnutrition is endemic in low- and middle-income countries and deleterious for child development. Studies investigating the relationship between nutrition at different periods of childhood, as measured by growth in these periods (growth trajectories), and cognitive development have produced mixed evidence. Although an explanation of this has been that different studies use different approaches to model growth trajectories, the differences across approaches are not well understood. Furthermore, little is known about the pathways linking growth trajectories and cognitive achievement. In this paper, we develop and estimate a general path model of the relationship between growth trajectories and cognitive achievement using data on four cohorts from Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam. The model is used to: a) compare two of the most common approaches of modelling growth trajectories in the literature, namely the lifecourse plot and the conditional body size model, and b) investigate the potential channels via which the association between growth in each period and cognitive achievement manifests. We show that the two approaches are expected to produce systematically different results that have distinct interpretations. Results suggest that growth from conception through age 1 year, between age 1 and 5 years, and between 5 and 8 years are each positively and significantly associated with cognitive achievement at age 8 years and that this may be partly explained by the fact that faster-growing children start school earlier. We also find that a significant share of the association between early growth and later cognitive achievement is mediated through growth in interim periods.

Cross-Country Evidence on Teacher Performance Pay

Science.gov (United States)

Woessmann, Ludger

2011-01-01

The general-equilibrium effects of performance-related teacher pay include long-term incentive and teacher-sorting mechanisms that usually elude experimental studies but are captured in cross-country comparisons. Combining country-level performance-pay measures with rich PISA-2003 international achievement micro data, this paper estimates…

Acute otitis media guidelines in selected developed and developing countries: uniformity and diversity.

Science.gov (United States)

Ovnat Tamir, Sharon; Shemesh, Shay; Oron, Yahav; Marom, Tal

2017-05-01

Acute otitis media (AOM) is a common childhood disease, with an enormous economic and healthcare-related burden. Guidelines and consensus papers for AOM diagnosis and management were published in many countries. Our objective was to study the differences and similarities between these protocols in developing and developed countries. The keywords: 'acute otitis media' AND 'children' AND ['treatment' or 'management'] AND ['guideline' or 'consensus'] were used in various electronic databases between 1 January 1989 through 31 December 2015. Overall, 99 sources from 62 countries were retrieved: 53 from 22 developed countries, and 46 from 40 developing countries. Representative guidelines from America (the USA, Argentina), Europe (Italy, Moldova), Africa (South Africa, Tanzania, Ethiopia), Asia (Japan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka),and Oceania (South Australia, Fiji) were compared. Paediatric societies publish guidelines in most developed countries; in developing countries, the Ministry of Health usually initiates guideline formulation. Most guidelines use the same diagnostic criteria and offer watchful waiting in mild-moderate scenarios. Amoxicillin is the suggested first-line antibiotic, whereas options for second-line and third-line therapies vary. Duration of therapy varies and is usually age dependent: 5-7 days for children 2 years in developed countries, while duration and age groups vary greatly in developing countries. Reduction of AOM risk factors is encouraged in developed countries, but rarely in developing countries. Guidelines for AOM from developing and developed countries are similar in many aspects, with variation in specific recommendations, due to local epidemiology and healthcare accessibility. Formulation of regional guidelines may help reduce AOM burden. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Aligning Science Achievement and STEM Expectations for College Success: A Comparative Study of Curricular Standardization

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Siqi Han

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Lack of preparation in science leads to high rates of attrition among science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM majors, even among students who are highly oriented toward STEM. Using data for twenty-seven countries from the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment, we compare the United States with other industrialized countries in terms of fifteen-year-olds’ science achievement and their expectations to focus on STEM in the future. The United States trails most countries in the mean science achievement of the general student population and among students expecting to pursue STEM majors or careers. Lack of curricular standardization in the United States is related to this lower science achievement. Countries with higher curricular standardization exhibit higher average science achievement scores; science achievement and students’ future orientation toward science are also better aligned in these countries. We discuss the implications of these findings for American colleges and universities as they seek to reduce student attrition in STEM fields.

A Comparative Study of the Situation of Bereavement Care for Children with Cancer in Iran with Selected Countries

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Maryam Pakseresht

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Background Death of a child with cancer is one of the most painful events that results in traumatic reactions of bereavement. Care should be taken into account during the bereavement period. The present study aimed to develop bereavement care in Iran and comparing it with Jordan, England, Australia and Canada, which have achieved the desired situation in the above area. Materials and Methods In this comparative study, the necessary data was made to databases of reputable and sovereign centers of the countries and palliative care programs. After accessing the pioneering patterns of world-wide palliative care, Iran's palliative care program, which came from children's service centers and access to the databases of those centers, was also examined. Results In the developed countries of Canada, England and Australia, a wide range of bereavement care is provided in care facilities. for example following the death of a child, in Canada family members are covered by all the bereavement care, in Australia formal caregivers increase their relationship with parents and are available to listen to feelings and in England all family members are supported. Jordan provides significant services in this regard such as visits at the bereavement ceremony, however, it is provided limitedly only in one center in Iran. Conclusion In the developed countries, pediatric palliative care is well developed. But in some developing countries, including Iran, there are only a few of these services for dying children and their families. As a result, the traumatic results emerge in social and family life activities.

Cross border reproductive care in six European countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

de Mouzon, J; Pennings, G; Ferraretti, A P

2010-01-01

The quantity and the reasons for seeking cross border reproductive care are unknown. The present article provides a picture of this activity in six selected European countries receiving patients.......The quantity and the reasons for seeking cross border reproductive care are unknown. The present article provides a picture of this activity in six selected European countries receiving patients....

Meeting demand for family planning within a generation: prospects and implications at country level

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Yoonjoung Choi

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Background: In order to track progress towards the target of universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services of the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, a measure (demand for family planning satisfied with modern contraceptive methods and a benchmark (at least 75% by 2030 in all countries have been recommended. Objectives: The goal of this study was to assess the prospects of reaching the benchmark at the country level. Such information can facilitate strategic planning, including resource allocation at global and country levels. Design: We selected 63 countries based on their status as least developed according to the United Nations or as a priority country in global family planning initiatives. Using United Nations estimates and projections of family planning indicators between 1970 and 2030, we calculated percent demand for family planning satisfied with modern contraceptive methods for each year and country. We then calculated the annual percentage point changes between 2014 and 2030 required to meet the benchmark. The required rates of change were compared to current projections as well as estimates between 1970 and 2010. Results: To reach the benchmark on average across the 63 countries, demand satisfied with modern methods must increase by 2.2 percentage points per year between 2014 and 2030 – more than double current projections. Between 1970 and 2010, such rapid progress was observed in 24 study countries but typically spanning 5–10 years. At currently projected rates, only 9 of the 63 study countries will reach the benchmark. Meanwhile, the gap between projected and required changes is largest in the Central and West African regions, 0.9 and 3.0 percentage points per year, respectively. If the benchmark is achieved, 334 million women across the study countries will use a modern contraceptive method in 2030, compared to 226 million women in 2014. Conclusions: In order to achieve the component of the SDGs

Meeting demand for family planning within a generation: prospects and implications at country level.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Yoonjoung; Fabic, Madeleine Short; Hounton, Sennen; Koroma, Desmond

2015-01-01

In order to track progress towards the target of universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services of the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a measure (demand for family planning satisfied with modern contraceptive methods) and a benchmark (at least 75% by 2030 in all countries) have been recommended. The goal of this study was to assess the prospects of reaching the benchmark at the country level. Such information can facilitate strategic planning, including resource allocation at global and country levels. We selected 63 countries based on their status as least developed according to the United Nations or as a priority country in global family planning initiatives. Using United Nations estimates and projections of family planning indicators between 1970 and 2030, we calculated percent demand for family planning satisfied with modern contraceptive methods for each year and country. We then calculated the annual percentage point changes between 2014 and 2030 required to meet the benchmark. The required rates of change were compared to current projections as well as estimates between 1970 and 2010. To reach the benchmark on average across the 63 countries, demand satisfied with modern methods must increase by 2.2 percentage points per year between 2014 and 2030 - more than double current projections. Between 1970 and 2010, such rapid progress was observed in 24 study countries but typically spanning 5-10 years. At currently projected rates, only 9 of the 63 study countries will reach the benchmark. Meanwhile, the gap between projected and required changes is largest in the Central and West African regions, 0.9 and 3.0 percentage points per year, respectively. If the benchmark is achieved, 334 million women across the study countries will use a modern contraceptive method in 2030, compared to 226 million women in 2014. In order to achieve the component of the SDGs calling for universal access to sexual and reproductive health services

The relationship between air pollution, fossil fuel energy consumption, and water resources in the panel of selected Asia-Pacific countries.

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Rafindadi, Abdulkadir Abdulrashid; Yusof, Zarinah; Zaman, Khalid; Kyophilavong, Phouphet; Akhmat, Ghulam

2014-10-01

The objective of the study is to examine the relationship between air pollution, fossil fuel energy consumption, water resources, and natural resource rents in the panel of selected Asia-Pacific countries, over a period of 1975-2012. The study includes number of variables in the model for robust analysis. The results of cross-sectional analysis show that there is a significant relationship between air pollution, energy consumption, and water productivity in the individual countries of Asia-Pacific. However, the results of each country vary according to the time invariant shocks. For this purpose, the study employed the panel least square technique which includes the panel least square regression, panel fixed effect regression, and panel two-stage least square regression. In general, all the panel tests indicate that there is a significant and positive relationship between air pollution, energy consumption, and water resources in the region. The fossil fuel energy consumption has a major dominating impact on the changes in the air pollution in the region.

A review of mining taxation in selected SADC countries and Chile ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Although most SADC countries have or were in the process of liberalizing their legislation and fiscal regimes some member states seemed to levy exorbitant tax rates. SADC member states need to note that in designing the optimum tax regime for their respective countries a balance will have to be struck between all the ...

Challenges and potential solutions for big data implementations in developing countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Luna, D; Mayan, J C; García, M J; Almerares, A A; Househ, M

2014-08-15

The volume of data, the velocity with which they are generated, and their variety and lack of structure hinder their use. This creates the need to change the way information is captured, stored, processed, and analyzed, leading to the paradigm shift called Big Data. To describe the challenges and possible solutions for developing countries when implementing Big Data projects in the health sector. A non-systematic review of the literature was performed in PubMed and Google Scholar. The following keywords were used: "big data", "developing countries", "data mining", "health information systems", and "computing methodologies". A thematic review of selected articles was performed. There are challenges when implementing any Big Data program including exponential growth of data, special infrastructure needs, need for a trained workforce, need to agree on interoperability standards, privacy and security issues, and the need to include people, processes, and policies to ensure their adoption. Developing countries have particular characteristics that hinder further development of these projects. The advent of Big Data promises great opportunities for the healthcare field. In this article, we attempt to describe the challenges developing countries would face and enumerate the options to be used to achieve successful implementations of Big Data programs.

Business ethics in developing countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G.J. Rossouw

1992-03-01

Full Text Available Underlying this paper is the conviction that it is of the utmost importance that business ethics should indeed become an integral part of business culture in all, and therefore also in developing countries. It is not to be denied that business ethics has to a much larger extent become pari of the business culture' in developed countries than in developing countries. The primary aim of this paper is to provide an explanation for the fact that business ethics is fighting an uphill battle in becoming pari of the business culture in developing countries. Secondly, a thumbnail sketch is given of the preconditions that have to be fulfilled in order to stimulate the development of a moral business culture in developing countries. In order to achieve these goals I will focus mainly on Africa, and more specifically on South Africa.

Considerations for the selection of an applicable energy efficiency test procedure for electric motors in Malaysia: Lessons for other developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanti, P.A.A.; Mahlia, T.M.I.

2009-01-01

Electric motors are a major energy-consuming appliance in the industrial sector. According to a survey, electric motors account for more than 70% of the total growth from 1991 to 2004 in electricity consumption in this sector in Malaysia. To reduce electricity consumption, Malaysia should consider resetting the minimum energy efficiency standards for electric motors sometime in the coming year. The first step towards adopting energy efficiency standards is the creation of a procedure for testing and rating equipment. An energy test procedure is the technical foundation for all energy efficiency standards, energy labels and other related programs. The test conditions in the test procedure must represent the conditions of the country. This paper presents the process for the selection of an energy test procedure for electric motors in Malaysia based on the country's conditions and requirements. The adoption of test procedures for electric motors internationally by several countries is also discussed in this paper. Even though the paper only discusses the test procedure for electric motors in Malaysia, the methods can be directly applied in other countries without major modifications.

TIMSS 2003: Relating dimensions of mathematics attitude to mathematics achievement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kadijević Đorđe

2008-01-01

Full Text Available This study, which used a sample of 137,346 students from thirty three countries that participated in the TIMSS 2003 project in the eighth grade, examined the features of the individual and collective relations of three dimensions of mathematics attitude to mathematics achievement (MA, searching for the dimension mostly related to that achievement. The three dimensions of mathematics attitude were self-confidence in learning mathematics (SCLM, liking mathematics (LM and usefulness of mathematics (UM. By utilizing psychometrically valid and reliable measures of the three dimensions, it was found that: (1 each dimension of mathematics attitude alone was positively related to MA for almost all thirty three countries; (2 SCLM was primarily related to MA for thirty one countries; (3 when the two other dimensions were held constant, SCLM was positively related to MA for thirty three countries, LM was negatively related to MA for thirty countries, whereas UM was not related to MA for twenty one countries; (4 positive collective relationships of SCLM, LM and UM to MA considerably varied from country to country. Implications for research and practice are included.

Creativity and sensory gating indexed by the P50: selective versus leaky sensory gating in divergent thinkers and creative achievers.

Science.gov (United States)

Zabelina, Darya L; O'Leary, Daniel; Pornpattananangkul, Narun; Nusslock, Robin; Beeman, Mark

2015-03-01

Creativity has previously been linked with atypical attention, but it is not clear what aspects of attention, or what types of creativity are associated. Here we investigated specific neural markers of a very early form of attention, namely sensory gating, indexed by the P50 ERP, and how it relates to two measures of creativity: divergent thinking and real-world creative achievement. Data from 84 participants revealed that divergent thinking (assessed with the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking) was associated with selective sensory gating, whereas real-world creative achievement was associated with "leaky" sensory gating, both in zero-order correlations and when controlling for academic test scores in a regression. Thus both creativity measures related to sensory gating, but in opposite directions. Additionally, divergent thinking and real-world creative achievement did not interact in predicting P50 sensory gating, suggesting that these two creativity measures orthogonally relate to P50 sensory gating. Finally, the ERP effect was specific to the P50 - neither divergent thinking nor creative achievement were related to later components, such as the N100 and P200. Overall results suggest that leaky sensory gating may help people integrate ideas that are outside of focus of attention, leading to creativity in the real world; whereas divergent thinking, measured by divergent thinking tests which emphasize numerous responses within a limited time, may require selective sensory processing more than previously thought. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Instructional Methods and Students' End of Term Achievement in Biology in Selected Secondary Schools in Sokoto Metropolis, Sokoto State Nigeria

Science.gov (United States)

Shamsuddeen, Abdulrahman; Amina, Hassan

2016-01-01

This study investigated the Correlation between instructional methods and students end of term achievement in Biology in selected secondary schools in Sokoto Metropolis, Sokoto State Nigeria. The study addressed three Specific objectives. To examine the relationship between; Cooperative learning methods, guided discovery, Simulation Method and…

Energy profiles of selected Latin American and Caribbean countries. Report series No. 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, K.

1994-07-01

Countries in this report include Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. These ten countries are the most important oil and gas producers in the Latin American and the Caribbean region. In the following sections, the primary energy supply (oil, gas, coal, hydroelectricity, and nuclear power whenever they are applicable), primary energy consumption, downstream oil sector development, gas utilization are discussed for each of the ten countries. The report also presents our latest forecasts of petroleum product consumption in each country toward 2000, which form the basis of the outlook for regional energy production and consumption outlined in Report No 1. Since the bulk of primary energy supply and demand is hydrocarbons for many countries, brief descriptions of the important hydrocarbons policy issues are provided at the end of the each country sections.

Assuming measurement invariance of background indicators in international comparative educational achievement studies: a challenge for the interpretation of achievement differences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heike Wendt

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Large-scale cross-national studies designed to measure student achievement use different social, cultural, economic and other background variables to explain observed differences in that achievement. Prior to their inclusion into a prediction model, these variables are commonly scaled into latent background indices. To allow cross-national comparisons of the latent indices, measurement invariance is assumed. However, it is unclear whether the assumption of measurement invariance has some influence on the results of the prediction model, thus challenging the reliability and validity of cross-national comparisons of predicted results. Methods To establish the effect size attributed to different degrees of measurement invariance, we rescaled the ‘home resource for learning index’ (HRL for the 37 countries ( $$n=166,709$$ n = 166 , 709 students that participated in the IEA’s combined ‘Progress in International Reading Literacy Study’ (PIRLS and ‘Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study’ (TIMSS assessments of 2011. We used (a two different measurement models [one-parameter model (1PL and two-parameter model (2PL] with (b two different degrees of measurement invariance, resulting in four different models. We introduced the different HRL indices as predictors in a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM with mathematics achievement as the dependent variable. We then compared three outcomes across countries and by scaling model: (1 the differing fit-values of the measurement models, (2 the estimated discrimination parameters, and (3 the estimated regression coefficients. Results The least restrictive measurement model fitted the data best, and the degree of assumed measurement invariance of the HRL indices influenced the random effects of the GLMM in all but one country. For one-third of the countries, the fixed effects of the GLMM also related to the degree of assumed measurement invariance. Conclusion The

Country Branding and Country Image: Insights, Challenges and Prospects. The Case of Estonia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Same Siiri

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Gaining understanding about customers ’mindset and information on their experiences is a precondition for the formulation of an effective country branding strategy. What potential tourists might learn and how they can be made to feel about a place can help small and not very well-known countries compete with bigger and more popular tourist destinations. The article focuses on the effectiveness of Brand Estonia and claims that it is still a challenge, despite the existence of an ongoing strategy. It also favors the revision of the brand identity selection and the promotion of Estonian brand, and supports a customer-based approach for their assessment. Documentary and empirical evidence show that the image of Estonia among its most important target audiences in the field of tourism does not match the Estonian brand identity. The gap in-between was evidenced by the results and content analysis of 24 in-depth interviews made with a selected group of people well acquainted with the country as well as some branding experts. This article contributes to the existing case study literature with findings that also manifest opportunities to strengthen the country brand, if its formulation develops a realistic brand identity and its promotion is based on accurate, unique and appealing ideas. It proposes academic support to innovative or alternative concepts for the country branding, and comments on applications of this study to more specific fields and further research.

Proceedings of the 5th International Conference: Nuclear Option in Countries with Small and Medium Electricity Grids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pevec, D.; Debrecin, N.

2004-01-01

The Fifth International Conference 'Nuclear Option in Countries with Small and Medium Electricity Grids' is the fifth in a series of meetings on the same topics organized biannually by the Croatian Nuclear Society. This topical conference was initiated in 1996 to be devoted to the needs and interests of countries with small or medium nuclear systems and electricity grids. The first conference took place in Opatija, and the three following in Dubrovnik. Encouraged by the successes of previous conferences in Dubrovnik we decided to organise it once more in Dubrovnik. The conference is organized with intention to focus on specific aspects of introduction and usage of nuclear energy by countries with small and medium electricity grids. Session topics reflect some current emphasis, such as development of small and medium reactors, accommodation of Kyoto restriction on CO 2 emission, nuclear terrorism risk coverage, or cooperation in nuclear fuel cycle. In order to achieve best safety and operational standards these countries with limited human and material resources must put added emphasis on their rational and efficient use. Consequently, the worldwide developments on innovative reactors' systems and improved concepts for fuel utilisation and waste disposal are of substantial interest. Appropriate selections of reactor technology, fuel cycle and decommission strategies are of paramount importance. There are very successful examples of achieving safety and good operational records, so the exchange of experience and co-operation amongst that group of countries is of great interest. Exchanging specific experience and co-operation between the like countries will be additional value relative to the still prevailing equipment supplier-national utility relationships

Context factors and student achievement in the IEA studies: evidence from TIMSS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elisa Caponera

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The present study investigates what factors related to the school context influence student achievement on TIMSS mathematics tests across countries. A systematic review of the literature on PIRLS, TIMSS, and ICCS was conducted upstream to identify those school, teacher, and classroom factors shown to be useful predictors of student performance in previous IEA studies. Data of student samples representative of grade 8 students from 28 countries who participated in TIMSS 2011 were analysed. The main aim of the present study is to verify what school and teacher characteristics are positively associated with students’ mathematics achievement, mainly focusing on disadvantaged schools. Furthermore, it aims at identifying how school context variables contribute to explaining the performance of students in disadvantaged schools in comparison with more advantaged schools. Methods A separate analysis was carried out for each considered country, and the same multilevel regression model was used on the sampled schools as a whole and treating schools with high (highest tertile and low (lowest tertile socio-economic backgrounds as distinct groups. Results The results confirmed that a high socio-economic status has a significant and positive effect on student achievement: compared with students from socio-economic disadvantaged schools, students from advantaged schools performed better in mathematics achievement. This difference is more evident in countries where the gap between rich and poor people as measured by the Gini coefficient, which measures how much an economy deviates from perfect equality, is wider. However, this difference is restricted in countries with a smaller gap between rich and poor people. Conclusions According to the literature in the field, the results show significant differences across countries in relation to the school and teacher characteristics that have an impact on mathematics achievement of students from

Medicines registration in Portuguese-speaking African countries, focusing in the following countries: Angola, Cap Verde and Mozambique

OpenAIRE

Figueiredo, Alina Maria Moreira de

2015-01-01

This work aims to present the regulation perspective on the medicines registration in PALOPs – Países Africanos de Língua Oficial Portuguesa (Portuguese‐speaking African countries), their regulatory requirements, constraints and opportunities, focusing on the following countries: Angola, Cape Verde and Mozambique. This thesis has as purpose to deepen and systematize knowledge with regard to the registration procedure of medicines in the selected countries. Regulatory pers...

[Costly drugs: analysis and proposals for the Mercosur countries].

Science.gov (United States)

Marín, Gustavo H; Polach, María Andrea

2011-08-01

Determine how the Mercosur countries access, regulate, and finance costly drugs and propose joint selection and financing strategies at the subregional level. Qualitative design, using content analyses of primary and secondary sources, document reviews, interviews, focus groups, and case studies. The variables selected included: selection criteria, access, financing, and regulations in the various countries. Costly drugs were divided into those that do not alter the natural course of the disease and those with demonstrated efficacy, using the defined daily dose to compare the costs of classical treatments and those involving costly drugs. The Mercosur countries generally lack formal strategies for dealing with the demand for costly drugs, and governments and insurers wind up financing them by court order. The case studies show that there are costly drugs whose efficacy has not been established but that nonetheless generate demand. The fragmentation of procurement, international commitments with regard to intellectual property, and low negotiating power exponentially increase the price of costly drugs, putting health system finances in jeopardy. Costly drugs must be regulated and rationally selected so that only those that substantively benefit people are accepted. To finance the drugs so selected, common country strategies are needed that include such options as flexible in trade agreements, the creation of national resource funds, or joint procurement by countries to enhance their negotiating power.

Nuclear proliferation in developing countries: A comparative study for selected countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chun Woong.

1991-01-01

This study explores major conditions conducive to nuclear proliferation to project possible proliferation trends in the future and, hopefully, to suggest some effective strategies to address the problem of nuclear proliferation. It attempts to provide a qualitative analysis of the causes and trends of nuclear proliferation by presenting generalizations of the causes of proliferation. While a variety of factors can be considered as causes of proliferation, three primary factors appear to influence the prospects for proliferation: (1) the technical capabilities and constraints; (2) motivation: incentives and disincentives; and (3) particular domestic and international situations. It is generally hypothesized that in order for a country to go nuclear, two basic conditions - some minimum level of indigenous national capability and strong motivations - must be simultaneously satisfied. It is concluded that while technology is, of course, one element necessary for the nuclear-proliferation process, the fundamental conditions of nuclear proliferation appear to be motivational factors

Does Cyberbullying Prevalence Among Adolescents Relate With Country Socioeconomic and Development Indicators? An Ecological Study of 31 Countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Soares, Sara; Brochado, Sandra; Barros, Henrique; Fraga, Sílvia

2017-10-01

In addition to individual characteristics, it is also important to evaluate how the environment may influence the dynamics of cyberbullying. We aim to study the correlation between cyberbullying prevalence among adolescents and selected country-level indicators. We used two different data sources: data from a previously published literature review, to identify information on cyberbullying prevalence across countries, and data from the World Bank databases, to extract information on country-level indicators. A correlation matrix was used to present the association between the selected country-level indicators and the prevalence of cyberbullying. We observed a statistically significant negative correlation between cyberbullying victimization (cybervictims and cyberbully-victims, respectively) and gross domestic product (r = -.474 and -.842), gross national income (r = -.485 and -.758), enrollment in secondary (r = -.446 and -.898) and tertiary education (r = -.222 and -.881), the number of secure Internet servers (r = -.118 and -.794), and the number of Internet users (r = -.190 and -.818). A country's educational level seems to be an important contributor to the occurrence of cyberbullying.

[Selection of medical graduates for residency posts. A comparative study of the methodologies used in different countries].

Science.gov (United States)

Lobato, Ramiro D; Lagares, Alfonso; Villena, Victoria; García Seoane, Jorge; Jiménez-Roldán, Luis; Munarriz, Pablo M; Castaño-Leon, Ana M; Alén, José F

2015-01-01

The design of an appropriate method for the selection of medical graduates for residency posts is extremely important, not only for the efficiency of the method itself (accurate identification of most competent candidates), but also for its influence on the study and teaching methodologies operating in medical schools. Currently, there is a great variation in the criteria used in different countries and there is no definitively appropriate method. The use of isolated or combined criteria, such as the marks obtained by students in medical schools, their performance in tests of theoretical knowledge and evaluations of clinical competence, or personal interviews, have a limited value for identifying those candidates who will perform better during the residency and later on during independent practice. To analyse the variability in the methodologies used for the selection of residents employed in different countries, in particular those used in the United Kingdom and USA, where external agencies and medical schools make systematic analyses of curriculum development. The advantages and disadvantages of national or transnational licensing examinations on the process of convergence and harmonization of medical degrees and residency programmes through Europe are discussed. The present analysis is used to design a new and more efficient multi-criteria methodology for resident selection in Spain, which will be published in the next issue of this journal. Since the multi-criteria methods used in UK and USA appear to be most consistent, these have been employed for designing the new methodology that could be applied in Spain. Although many experts in medical education reject national examinations for awarding medical degrees or ranking candidates for residency posts, it seems that, when appropriately designed, they can be used to verify the level of competence of graduating students without necessarily distorting curriculum implementation or improvement. Copyright © 2014

'And they kill me, only because I am a girl'...a review of sex-selective abortions in South Asia.

Science.gov (United States)

Abrejo, Farina Gul; Shaikh, Babar Tasneem; Rizvi, Narjis

2009-02-01

The low social status of women and the preference for sons determine a high rate of sex-selective abortion or, more specifically, female feticide, in South Asian countries. Although each of them, irrespective of its abortion policy, strictly condemns sex-selective abortion, data suggest high rates of such procedures in India, Nepal, China and Bangladesh. This paper reviews the current situation of sex-selective abortion, the laws related to it and the factors contributing to its occurrence within these countries. Based on this review, it is concluded that sex selective abortion is a public health issue as it contributes to high maternal mortality. Abortion policies of South Asian countries vary greatly and this influences the frequency of reporting of cases. Several socio-economic factors are responsible for sex-selective abortion including gender discriminating cultural practices, irrational national population policies and unethical use of technology. Wide social change promoting women's status in society should be instituted whereby women are offered more opportunities for better health, education and economic participation through gender sensitive policies and programmes. A self-regulation of the practices in the medical profession and among communities must be achieved through behavioural change campaigns.

Strategic siting and regional grid interconnections key to low-carbon futures in African countries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Grace C. [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Energy and Resources Group; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). International Energy Studies Group; Deshmukh, Ranjit [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Energy and Resources Group; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). International Energy Studies Group; Ndhlukula, Kudakwashe [Namibia Univ. of Science and Technology, Windhoek, (Namibia). Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency; Radojicic, Tijana [International Renewable Energy Agency, Masdar City, Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates); Reilly-Moman, Jessica [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Energy and Resources Group; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). International Energy Studies Group; Phadke, Amol [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). International Energy Studies Group; Kammen, Daniel M. [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Energy and Resources Group; Callaway, Duncan S. [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Energy and Resources Group

2017-03-27

Recent forecasts suggest that African countries must triple their current electricity generation by 2030. Our multicriteria assessment of wind and solar potential for large regions of Africa shows how economically competitive and low-environmental– impact renewable resources can significantly contribute to meeting this demand. We created the Multicriteria Analysis for Planning Renewable Energy (MapRE) framework to map and characterize solar and wind energy zones in 21 countries in the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) and the Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP) and find that potential is several times greater than demand in many countries. Significant fractions of demand can be quickly served with “no-regrets” options—or zones that are low-cost, low-environmental impact, and highly accessible. Because no-regrets options are spatially heterogeneous, international interconnections are necessary to help achieve low-carbon development for the region as a whole, and interconnections that support the best renewable options may differ from those planned for hydropower expansion. Additionally, interconnections and selecting wind sites to match demand reduce the need for SAPP-wide conventional generation capacity by 9.5% in a high-wind scenario, resulting in a 6–20% cost savings, depending on the avoided conventional technology. Strategic selection of low-impact and accessible zones is more cost effective with interconnections compared with solutions without interconnections. In conclusion, the overall results are robust to multiple load growth scenarios. Together, results show that multicriteria site selection and deliberate planning of interconnections may significantly increase the economic and environmental competitiveness of renewable alternatives relative to conventional generation.

Strategic siting and regional grid interconnections key to low-carbon futures in African countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Grace C; Deshmukh, Ranjit; Ndhlukula, Kudakwashe; Radojicic, Tijana; Reilly-Moman, Jessica; Phadke, Amol; Kammen, Daniel M; Callaway, Duncan S

2017-04-11

Recent forecasts suggest that African countries must triple their current electricity generation by 2030. Our multicriteria assessment of wind and solar potential for large regions of Africa shows how economically competitive and low-environmental-impact renewable resources can significantly contribute to meeting this demand. We created the Multicriteria Analysis for Planning Renewable Energy (MapRE) framework to map and characterize solar and wind energy zones in 21 countries in the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) and the Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP) and find that potential is several times greater than demand in many countries. Significant fractions of demand can be quickly served with "no-regrets" options-or zones that are low-cost, low-environmental impact, and highly accessible. Because no-regrets options are spatially heterogeneous, international interconnections are necessary to help achieve low-carbon development for the region as a whole, and interconnections that support the best renewable options may differ from those planned for hydropower expansion. Additionally, interconnections and selecting wind sites to match demand reduce the need for SAPP-wide conventional generation capacity by 9.5% in a high-wind scenario, resulting in a 6-20% cost savings, depending on the avoided conventional technology. Strategic selection of low-impact and accessible zones is more cost effective with interconnections compared with solutions without interconnections. Overall results are robust to multiple load growth scenarios. Together, results show that multicriteria site selection and deliberate planning of interconnections may significantly increase the economic and environmental competitiveness of renewable alternatives relative to conventional generation.

Natural gas market - Market opening in Switzerland and a selection of European Union countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wild, J.; Vaterlaus, S.; Worm, H.; Spielmann, Ch.; Finger, M.

2007-02-01

This comprehensive report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) takes a look at the situation in Switzerland and Europe as far as the liberalisation of the natural gas market is concerned. Comparisons are made between the situation for natural gas and electricity markets. The report discusses the economical and technical characteristics of the gas business such as gas sources, transport, storage and trading as well as the associated investment risks. The gas and electricity supply systems are compared from the supply and demand viewpoints and as far as trading and the increasing of efficiency are concerned. The Swiss gas market is compared with those of selected European countries. Market structures and regulatory aspects are examined and the resulting effects on the market and gas prices are reviewed. The effects of market opening are discussed from both the supplier and consumer points of view

POLICIES OF RETAIL SECTOR OF INDIA AND OTHER SELECTED COUNTRIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mukherjee Subhadip

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The retail sector is one of the fastest growing sectors in India. Before 1991, the retail sector was mainly unorganized and fragmented. The rapid growth of the organized retail sector has resulted in the decreasing sales of unorganized retail outlets. Along with that, the traditional unorganized retailers were lagging behind in the context of promotional strategies. This study intends to examine the government policies of different countries including India regarding the unorganized and organized retail sector. The present study examines whether the government provides a tight legal framework along with economic support to the small and unorganized retailers to sustain in this big fight. The study concludes that in the environment of intense competition, governments of different countries (including India had helped small as well as big domestic retail chains through formulating appropriate policies over time. The governments had helped domestic retail chains by providing capital support and/or formulating strict legislations to restrict entry of foreign retailers in their respective countries. In India, all the regulations regarding retail sector is still in state level and is being influenced by the existing political parties of different states. Thus, it varies across states and their impacts are also heterogeneous.

Assisted reproductive techniques for cattle breeding in developing countries: a critical appraisal of their value and limitations.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez-Martinez, H

2012-01-01

Commercialization of animal biotechnologies, including those related to reproduction [also known as assisted reproductive techniques (ARTS)], is an increasing reality in developing countries, following the enormous flow of information around us and the increasing global commercial interests in areas where cattle production has its major assets. The present review discusses the achievements of various biotechnological tools for reproduction in cattle including semen handling for artificial insemination (AI), superovulation and embryo transfer (MOET), in vitro handling of oocytes and production of embryos, reproductive cloning and emerging technologies (sex selection, gene targeting and nuclear transfer for livestock transgenesis, genomics for marker-assisted selection, etc.). The application of these technologies for cattle breeding is critically discussed in relation to their impact in the improvement of the efficiency of dairy and beef production in developed and - particularly - in developing countries, which ultimately rule the possibilities of a competitive and sound production of food for human consumption. Despite the remarkable progress made and the punctual importance of some of the above-mentioned technologies, AI remains the most important assisted reproductive technology (ART) in developing countries. Any attempt to gain widespread of any other ART under the predominant economical conditions in developing countries ought to match the simplicity and the success of AI as a breeding tool. © 2012 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Systematic documentation of new vaccine introduction in selected countries of the Latin American Region.

Science.gov (United States)

de Oliveira, Lúcia H; Toscano, Cristiana M; Sanwogou, N Jennifer; Ruiz-Matus, Cuauhtémoc; Tambini, Gina; Roses-Periago, Mirta; Andrus, Jon K

2013-07-02

Countries in Latin America were among the first developing countries to introduce new vaccines, particularly rotavirus (RV) and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs), into their national immunization schedules. Experiences and lessons learned from these countries are valuable to donors, immunization partners, and policy makers in other countries wishing to make informed decisions on vaccine introduction. In order to enhance knowledge and promote understanding of the process of new vaccine introduction in the Latin American Region, with particular focus on RV and PCV, we conducted a systematic qualitative assessment. We evaluated the decision-making process, documented the structure in place, and reviewed key factors pertaining to new vaccine introduction. These include country morbidity and mortality data available prior to vaccine introduction, funding sources and mechanisms for vaccine introduction, challenges of implementation, and assessment of vaccine impact. From March 2010 to April 2011, we evaluated a subset of countries that had introduced RV and/or PCV in the past five years through interviews with key informants at the country level and through a systematic review of published data, gray literature, official technical documents, and country-specific health indicators. Countries evaluated were Bolivia, Brazil, Nicaragua, Peru, and Venezuela. In all countries, the potential of new vaccines to reduce mortality, as established by Millennium Development Goal 4, was an important consideration leading to vaccine introduction. Several factors-the availability of funds, the existence of sufficient evidence for vaccine introduction, and the feasibility of sustainable financing-were identified as crucial components of the decision-making process in the countries evaluated. The decision making process regarding new vaccine introduction in the countries evaluated does not follow a systematic approach. Nonetheless, existing evidence on efficacy, potential impact, and

Knowledge economy readiness, innovativeness and competitiveness of the Western Balkan countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cvetanović Slobodan

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The Western Balkan countries have set themselves the goal to join the European Union as soon as possible. Accordingly, they must adjust the key components of their development policies to the Europe 2020 strategy, focusing on key priorities such as smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. This paper explores the relationship among knowledge economy readiness, innovativeness, and competitiveness of six Western Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, and Montenegro and the group of six selected neighboring EU countries (Austria, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Romania, and Slovenia. The paper relies on the data obtained from the Knowledge Economy Index of the World Bank Institute, INSEAD's Global Innovation Index and the Global Competitiveness Index of the World Economic Forum for 2013. Obtained data from all three sources indicated significantly lower readiness for the development of economy based on knowledge, innovation and competitiveness in the Western Balkans countries in comparison to the selected EU countries. The analysis of the interdependence of the aforementioned variables points to: a statistically significant correlation between the indicator knowledge economy index and the global innovation index for both groups of countries; b statistically significant linear correlation between innovativeness and innovation efficiency ratio for the Western Balkan countries. Conversely, no respective correlation has been registered for the group of selected EU countries; c no statistically significant correlation between the global innovation index and the global competitiveness index in the Western Balkan countries, while in respect of the group of selected EU countries, the existence of significant linear correlation between these variables has been revealed.

E-commerce Analysis in selected European Union Countries: Position of Croatia

OpenAIRE

Kurnoga, Nataša; Slišković, Ana

2017-01-01

Computer and mobile technology, Internet use and e-commerce have grown enormously in recent years. The main aim of this paper was to analyse the e-commerce of Croatia, the European Union (EU) countries and the post-transition EU countries. Due to technological progress, the paper among other things, analyses the trend of online purchase at the Croatian and the EU level. The analysis revealed the presence of a linear trend. Furthermore, hierarchical and non-hierarchical cluster analyses were u...

Officer Selection (la Selection des officiers)

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2000-01-01

.... The theme of this workshop, officer selection, is an issue of central importance to the military forces of all countries, since it determines which individuals, with what characteristics, will...

Reading Achievement and In-Grade Retention Rate Differentials for Mexican-American and Black Students in Selected States of the Southwest.

Science.gov (United States)

Casavantes, Edward Joseph

Two sets of data from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights' Mexican American Education Study were selected for analysis in the areas of (1) comparative reading achievement rates of Mexican Americans and black students; and (2) differential in-grade retention rates of Anglo, Mexican American, and black students. Two separate issues were examined.…

Proceedings of the 5th International Conference: Nuclear Option in Countries with Small and Medium Electricity Grids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pevec, D; Debrecin, N [eds.

2004-07-01

The Fifth International Conference 'Nuclear Option in Countries with Small and Medium Electricity Grids' is the fifth in a series of meetings on the same topics organized biannually by the Croatian Nuclear Society. This topical conference was initiated in 1996 to be devoted to the needs and interests of countries with small or medium nuclear systems and electricity grids. The first conference took place in Opatija, and the three following in Dubrovnik. Encouraged by the successes of previous conferences in Dubrovnik we decided to organise it once more in Dubrovnik. The conference is organized with intention to focus on specific aspects of introduction and usage of nuclear energy by countries with small and medium electricity grids. Session topics reflect some current emphasis, such as development of small and medium reactors, accommodation of Kyoto restriction on CO{sub 2} emission, nuclear terrorism risk coverage, or cooperation in nuclear fuel cycle. In order to achieve best safety and operational standards these countries with limited human and material resources must put added emphasis on their rational and efficient use. Consequently, the worldwide developments on innovative reactors' systems and improved concepts for fuel utilisation and waste disposal are of substantial interest. Appropriate selections of reactor technology, fuel cycle and decommission strategies are of paramount importance. There are very successful examples of achieving safety and good operational records, so the exchange of experience and co-operation amongst that group of countries is of great interest. Exchanging specific experience and co-operation between the like countries will be additional value relative to the still prevailing equipment supplier-national utility relationships.

A Comparative Study of Students' Achievement in Botany and Zoology

Science.gov (United States)

Tamir, P.

1974-01-01

A comparative study of student achievement in botany and zoology based on data of 10 studies conducted in 20 countries. Up to age 14, students achieve better in zoology; after age 14, students achieve better in botany. Based on the findings, recommendations are suggested regarding curriculum planning, laboratory work and the need for specific…

Management of waste electrical and electronic equipment in two EU countries: A comparison

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torretta, Vincenzo; Ragazzi, Marco; Istrate, Irina Aura; Rada, Elena Cristina

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Review on data regarding WEEE management in Italy and in Romania. ► Problems that countries that will enter in the EU will have to solve facing with the WEEE management. ► Pilot experiences useful for the awareness campaign of the population. - Abstract: The paper presents some data regarding waste electrical and electronic (WEEE) management in one of the founding countries of the EU, Italy, and in a recent entry into the EU, Romania. The aim of this research was to analyze some problems that countries entering the EU will have to solve with respect to WEEE management. The experiences of Italy and Romania could provide an interesting reference point. The strengths and weaknesses that the two EU countries have encountered can be used in order to give a more rational plan for other countries. In Italy the increase of WEEE collection was achieved in parallel with the increase of the efficiency of selective Municipal Solid Waste collection. In Romania, pilot experiences were useful to increase the awareness of the population. The different interests of the two populations towards recyclable waste led to a different scenario: in Romania all types of WEEE have been collected since its entrance into the EU; in Italy the “interest” in recycling is typically related to large household appliances, with a secondary role of lighting equipment.

Socioeconomic inequalities in skilled birth attendance and child stunting in selected low and middle income countries: Wealth quintiles or deciles?

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Kerry L M; Restrepo-Méndez, María Clara; Barros, Aluísio J D; Victora, Cesar G

2017-01-01

Wealth quintiles derived from household asset indices are routinely used for measuring socioeconomic inequalities in the health of women and children in low and middle-income countries. We explore whether the use of wealth deciles rather than quintiles may be advantageous. We selected 46 countries with available national surveys carried out between 2003 and 2013 and with a sample size of at least 3000 children. The outcomes were prevalence of under-five stunting and delivery by a skilled birth attendant (SBA). Differences and ratios between extreme groups for deciles (D1 and D10) and quintiles (Q1 and Q5) were calculated, as well as two summary measures: the slope index of inequality (SII) and concentration index (CIX). In virtually all countries, stunting prevalence was highest among the poor, and there were larger differences between D1 and D10 than between Q1 and Q5. SBA coverage showed pro-rich patterns in all countries; in four countries the gap was greater than 80 pct points. With one exception, differences between extreme deciles were larger than between quintiles. Similar patterns emerged when using ratios instead of differences. The two summary measures provide very similar results for quintiles and deciles. Patterns of top or bottom inequality varied with national coverage levels. Researchers and policymakers should consider breakdowns by wealth deciles, when sample sizes allow. Use of deciles may contribute to advocacy efforts, monitoring inequalities over time, and targeting health interventions. Summary indices of inequalities were unaffected by the use of quintiles or deciles in their calculation.

Socioeconomic inequalities in skilled birth attendance and child stunting in selected low and middle income countries: Wealth quintiles or deciles?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kerry L M Wong

Full Text Available Wealth quintiles derived from household asset indices are routinely used for measuring socioeconomic inequalities in the health of women and children in low and middle-income countries. We explore whether the use of wealth deciles rather than quintiles may be advantageous.We selected 46 countries with available national surveys carried out between 2003 and 2013 and with a sample size of at least 3000 children. The outcomes were prevalence of under-five stunting and delivery by a skilled birth attendant (SBA. Differences and ratios between extreme groups for deciles (D1 and D10 and quintiles (Q1 and Q5 were calculated, as well as two summary measures: the slope index of inequality (SII and concentration index (CIX.In virtually all countries, stunting prevalence was highest among the poor, and there were larger differences between D1 and D10 than between Q1 and Q5. SBA coverage showed pro-rich patterns in all countries; in four countries the gap was greater than 80 pct points. With one exception, differences between extreme deciles were larger than between quintiles. Similar patterns emerged when using ratios instead of differences. The two summary measures provide very similar results for quintiles and deciles. Patterns of top or bottom inequality varied with national coverage levels.Researchers and policymakers should consider breakdowns by wealth deciles, when sample sizes allow. Use of deciles may contribute to advocacy efforts, monitoring inequalities over time, and targeting health interventions. Summary indices of inequalities were unaffected by the use of quintiles or deciles in their calculation.

Corporate strategic branding: How country and corporate brands come together

OpenAIRE

Đorđević Bojan

2008-01-01

The concept of countries as brands has been increasingly recognized in the post-modern global world. A strong country brand can provide corporate brands with a unique set of values, which supports their positioning on the international market. Simultaneously, once corporate brands achieve worldwide success, they contribute actively to developing new features of the country brand. Consumers pay more and more attention to products' country of origin. When the name of a country is mentioned, the...

Mortality and economic instability: detailed analyses for Britain and comparative analyses for selected industrialized countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Brenner, M H

1983-01-01

This paper discusses a first-stage analysis of the link of unemployment rates, as well as other economic, social and environmental health risk factors, to mortality rates in postwar Britain. The results presented represent part of an international study of the impact of economic change on mortality patterns in industrialized countries. The mortality patterns examined include total and infant mortality and (by cause) cardiovascular (total), cerebrovascular and heart disease, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide, homicide and motor vehicle accidents. Among the most prominent factors that beneficially influence postwar mortality patterns in England/Wales and Scotland are economic growth and stability and health service availability. A principal detrimental factor to health is a high rate of unemployment. Additional factors that have an adverse influence on mortality rates are cigarette consumption and heavy alcohol use and unusually cold winter temperatures (especially in Scotland). The model of mortality that includes both economic changes and behavioral and environmental risk factors was successfully applied to infant mortality rates in the interwar period. In addition, the "simple" economic change model of mortality (using only economic indicators) was applied to other industrialized countries. In Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Sweden, the simple version of the economic change model could be successfully applied only if the analysis was begun before World War II; for analysis beginning in the postwar era, the more sophisticated economic change model, including behavioral and environmental risk factors, was required. In France, West Germany, Italy, and Spain, by contrast, some success was achieved using the simple economic change model.

Obligations of low income countries in ensuring equity in global health financing.

Science.gov (United States)

Barugahare, John; Lie, Reidar K

2015-09-08

Despite common recognition of joint responsibility for global health by all countries particularly to ensure justice in global health, current discussions of countries' obligations for global health largely ignore obligations of developing countries. This is especially the case with regards to obligations relating to health financing. Bearing in mind that it is not possible to achieve justice in global health without achieving equity in health financing at both domestic and global levels, our aim is to show how fulfilling the obligation we propose will make it easy to achieve equity in health financing at both domestic and international levels. Achieving equity in global health financing is a crucial step towards achieving justice in global health. Our general view is that current discussions on global health equity largely ignore obligations of Low Income Country (LIC) governments and we recommend that these obligations should be mainstreamed in current discussions. While we recognise that various obligations need to be fulfilled in order to ultimately achieve justice in global health, for lack of space we prioritise obligations for health financing. Basing on the evidence that in most LICs health is not given priority in annual budget allocations, we propose that LIC governments should bear an obligation to allocate a certain minimum percent of their annual domestic budget resources to health, while they await external resources to supplement domestic ones. We recommend and demonstrate a mechanism for coordinating this obligation so that if the resulting obligations are fulfilled by both LIC and HIC governments it will be easy to achieve equity in global health financing. Although achieving justice in global health will depend on fulfillment of different categories of obligations, ensuring inter- and intra-country equity in health financing is pivotal. This can be achieved by requiring all LIC governments to allocate a certain optimal per cent of their domestic

DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. TRANSITION ECONOMIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dumitru FILIPEANU

2016-05-01

Full Text Available According to the modern theories of economic development – the take-off, backwardness, convergence and balanced growth hypothesis - the new industrialized states from Asia seem to have noticed the advantages of backwardness from which low income countries benefited, namely the possibility to take advantage of the latest technological discoveries of advanced countries, thus achieving a faster growth than the latter which operated closer to the technological border. The assimilation of appropriate technologies, however, required the efficient mobilization and allocation of resources and the improvement of human and physical capital. While the Western countries were confronted with crises generated by inflationary shocks and movements of speculative capital, the relative isolation of countries whose economy was planned by the world economy sheltered them until 1990, unemployment being practically non-existent. Asia's exceptional economic success is not only due to borrowing Western practices, but also to the fact that Asian societies maintained certain traditional features of their own culture - such as a strong work ethic - and integrated them in the modern business environment.

Measuring Nominal and Real Convergence of Selected CEE Countries by the Taylor Rule

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Böing Tobias

2016-12-01

Full Text Available We propose using a simple Taylor rule to evaluate business cycle convergence of the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland with the Eurozone. Our findings indicate an ongoing convergence of those CEE countries to the Eurozone, but with instabilities and heterogeneity between the countries. Especially Poland has shown a high degree of convergence in recent years. But there are still relevant differences in Taylor rates of each country to the Eurozone of about two percentage points.

Achievements and Challenges 20 Years after Beijing: A View from Switzerland

OpenAIRE

Derungs, Flurina Andrea; Keller, Ursula

2015-01-01

Despite being one of the world’s wealthiest countries and most modern economies, in Switzerland gender equality remains an elusive challenge. Paid maternity leave, legal abortion and an increase in women’s educational attainment are some of the milestones achieved since 1995, when the country was one of 189 states to adopt the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action at the Fourth World Conference on Women. But while legal gender equality may be nearly achieved, much remains to be done to ...

Country-level predictors of vaccination coverage and inequalities in Gavi-supported countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Arsenault, Catherine; Johri, Mira; Nandi, Arijit; Mendoza Rodríguez, José M; Hansen, Peter M; Harper, Sam

2017-04-25

Important inequalities in childhood vaccination coverage persist between countries and population groups. Understanding why some countries achieve higher and more equitable levels of coverage is crucial to redress these inequalities. In this study, we explored the country-level determinants of (1) coverage of the third dose of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis- (DTP3) containing vaccine and (2) within-country inequalities in DTP3 coverage in 45 countries supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. We used data from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted between 2005 and 2014. We measured national DTP3 coverage and the slope index of inequality in DTP3 coverage with respect to household wealth, maternal education, and multidimensional poverty. We collated data on country health systems, health financing, governance and geographic and sociocultural contexts from published sources. We used meta-regressions to assess the relationship between these country-level factors and variations in DTP3 coverage and inequalities. To validate our findings, we repeated these analyses for coverage with measles-containing vaccine (MCV). We found considerable heterogeneity in DTP3 coverage and in the magnitude of inequalities across countries. Results for MCV were consistent with those from DTP3. Political stability, gender equality and smaller land surface were important predictors of higher and more equitable levels of DTP3 coverage. Inequalities in DTP3 coverage were also lower in countries receiving more external resources for health, with lower rates of out-of-pocket spending and with higher national coverage. Greater government spending on heath and lower linguistic fractionalization were also consistent with better vaccination outcomes. Improving vaccination coverage and reducing inequalities requires that policies and programs address critical social determinants of health including geographic and social exclusion, gender inequality and the availability of

Implementing US GDP in Chained Prices for Cross-country GDP Growth and Sectoral Comparisons: Application to Selected ASEAN Countries

OpenAIRE

Dumagan, Jesus C.

2008-01-01

GDP in constant prices of ASEAN countries suffers from substitution bias by ignoring relative price changes and makes GDP growth and shares dependent on the base year. These analytical deficiencies led the US since the mid-1990s to convert GDP from constant to chained prices. Thus, cross-country comparisons in constant prices are analytically shaky even with the same base year. Therefore, this paper implements US GDP in chained prices in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand to allev...

Parents' Attitudes Towards Science and their Children's Science Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Perera, Liyanage Devangi H.

2014-12-01

Although countries worldwide are emphasizing the importance of science education for technological development and global economic competition, comparative findings from standardized international student assessments reveal a huge gap in science scores between developed and developing countries. Certain developed economies too have made little progress in raising science achievement over the past decade. Despite school improvement being placed high on the policy agenda, the results of such actions have been poor. Therefore, there is a need to explore additional ways in which science achievement can be enhanced. This study focuses on the family and examines whether parents' attitudes towards science (how much they value science and the importance they place on it) can influence their children's science achievement. Individual- and school-level data are obtained from the Program for International Student Assessment 2006 survey for 15 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and non-OECD countries. Hierarchical linear modelling is employed to estimate the equations. The findings indicate that parents' attitudes towards science have a positive and statistically significant effect on science achievement, after controlling for other important student- and school-level variables. Moreover, students from poor backgrounds appear to benefit from more positive parental science attitudes as much as students from high socioeconomic status, such that equality of student achievement is not affected. This study recommends that schools and teachers encourage parents to play a more pro-active role in their children's science education, as well as educate parents about the importance of science and strategies that can be adopted to support their children's science learning.

Factors Attributing to Outwards Direct Investments from Developing Countries to Developed Countries: Evidence from China and India

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Diyah Ayu Amalia Avina

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to explore the growing trend of outward foreign direct investments (OFDIs from developing countries to developed countries. Market-seeking and strategic asset explorations are the main motivations for conducting OFDIs in developed countries. Meanwhile, cross-border greenfield investments and cross-border mergers and acquisitions are the main entry strategies used by developing countries when penetrating the developed markets. Finally, this paper reveals mixed results about the explaining ability of John Dunning’s International Development Path (IDP theory on the patterns of selected developing markets' OFDIs to developed countries. On the one hand, China’s OFDIs follow the paths in the IDP theory. On the other hand, those of India do not confirm so.

Study on personality dimension negative emotionality affecting academic achievement among Malaysian medical students studying in Malaysia and overseas

Science.gov (United States)

Bhagat, Vidya; Haque, Mainul; Simbak, Nordin Bin; Jaalam, Kamarudin

2016-01-01

Personality dimension negative emotionality is known to be associated with academic achievement. The present study focuses on the influence of negative emotionality (neuroticism) on the medical students’ academic achievements. The main objective of this study was to ascertain the negative emotionality scores among the first year Malaysian medical students studying in Malaysia and India, further to find out the association between negative emotionality and their academic achievements. The current study sample includes 60 first year Malaysian medical students from Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Malaysia, and USM-KLE IMP, Belgaum, India. They were selected by convenient sampling technique. The Medico-Psychological questionnaire was used to find out the negative emotionality scores among the students and these scores were compared with academic scores. The data were analyzed using SPSS- 20. Thus, the study result goes with the prediction that there is a significant correlation between academic achievement and negative emotionality. We concluded that negative emotionality has a negative impact on medical student’s academic achievement regardless of the fact whether they study in their own country or overseas. PMID:27354836

1996 hazardous waste management survey in selected Asian countries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nelson, D.; Christie, K.; Tao, Hong-lei [EnviroSearch International, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)

1996-12-31

This report documents the results of a 42-question survey submitted to countries in Asia concerning their hazardous waste management programs and other issues. The same survey questions were distributed in 1992. This report compares the 1992 and 1996 responses. The respondents were Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Philippines, Hong Kong, People`s Republic of China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia. 7 figs.

Disciplinary climate and student achievement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sortkær, Bent; Reimer, David

Disciplinary climate has emerged as one of the single most important factors related to student achievement. Using data from the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2003 for Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Latvia and Norway we find a significant and nontrivial association...... between the perceived disciplinary climate in the classroom and students’ mathematics performance in Canada, Denmark and Norway. Furthermore we exploit country specific class-size rules in order to single out a subsample with classroom-level data (PISA is sampled by age and not by classes) and find...... that the estimates based on school-level data might underestimate the relationship between disciplinary climate and student achievement. Finally we find evidence for gender differences in the association between disciplinary climate and student achievement that can partly be explained by gender-specific perceptions...

ethiopian students' achievement challenges in science education

African Journals Online (AJOL)

IICBA01

Oli Negassa. Adama Science and Technology University, Ethiopia ... achievement in science education across selected preparatory schools of Ethiopia. The .... To what extent do students' achievements vary across grade levels, regions,.

ICT Use and Achievement in Three European Countries: What Does PISA Tell Us?

Science.gov (United States)

Steffens, Karl

2014-01-01

During the last decade, in many European countries large investments were made to foster the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in education with the expectation that ICT would make teaching and learning more effective. This would, for example, become evident in scores obtained by students in the Programme for International…

Reviewing nuclear power station achievement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Howles, L.R.

1976-01-01

For measurement of nuclear power station achievement against original purchase the usual gross output figures are of little value since the term loosely covers many different definitions. An authentically designed output figure has been established which relates to net design output plus house load at full load. Based on these figures both cumulative and moving annual load factors are measured, the latter measuring the achievement over the last year, thus showing trends with time. Calculations have been carried out for all nuclear stations in the Western World with 150 MW(e) gross design output and above. From these are shown: moving annual load factor indicating relative station achievements for all the plants; cumulative load factors from which return of investment can be calculated; average moving annual load factors for the four types of system Magnox, PWR, HWR, and BWR; and a relative comparison of achievement by country in a few cases. (U.K.)

Expressing International Educational Achievement in Terms of U.S. Performance Standards: Linking NAEP Achievement Levels to TIMSS

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Gary W.

2007-01-01

Educators, researchers, and policymakers have considerable interest in how the American educational system compares to those in other countries. One major index for comparison is student academic achievement. This paper links the scale of the "National Assessment of Educational Progress" ("NAEP") to the scale of the "Third International…

EU CONTRIBUTION TO SUPPORT DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

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Diana Popa

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with the EU aid concerning to improved the economic situation from developing countries. Therefore, the aim of this research is to identify how EU states contribute to helping poor countries, members of the World Trade Organization. For the beginning, we define the EU’position before, during and after the Doha Round – a round of WTO multilateral trade negotiations. Moreover, we analyse the development dimension, focusing on countries „marginalized” until early of XXI century in terms of international trade, because this represents the idea-axis of the Doha Round. In this context, the EU – one of the leading global commercial players and a key member of the institution mentioned above – has set several objectives to achieve the basic goal of negotiations and several ways to support developing countries. To conclude, we propose to define the key points of the European aid for least developed and developing countries.

The Implementation of Analytical Hierarchy Process Method for Outstanding Achievement Scholarship Reception Selection at Universal University of Batam

Science.gov (United States)

Marfuah; Widiantoro, Suryo

2017-12-01

Universal University of Batam offers outstanding achievement scholarship to the current students to be each year of new academic year, seeing the large number of new Students who are interested to get it then the selection team should be able to filter and choose the eligible ones. The selection process starting with evaluation and judgement made by the experts. There were five criteria as the basic of selection and each had three alternatives that must be considered. Based on the policy of University the maximum number of recipients are five for each of six study programs. Those programs are art of music, dance, industrial engineering, environmental engineering, telecommunication engineering, and software engineering. The expert choice was subjective that AHP method was used to help in making decision consistently by doing pairwise comparison matrix process between criteria based on selected alternatives, by determining the priority order of criteria and alternatives used. The results of these calculations were used as supporting decision-making to determine the eligible students receiving scholarships based on alternatives of selected criteria determined by the final results of AHP method calculation with the priority criterion A (0.37%), C (0.23%), E (0.21%), D (0.14%) and B (0.06%), value of consistency ratio 0.05. Then the alternative priorities 1 (0.63), 2 (0.26) and 3 (0.11) the consistency ratio values 0.03, where each CR ≤ 0.1 or consistent weighting preference.

Progress in the developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simnad, M.

1981-01-01

Nuclear programmes in selective developing countries are briefly discussed. The oil rich countries of Iraq, Libya and Iran all have reactors on order. Turkey has decided to purchase a PWR from the USSR and Egypt's programme anticipates a capacity of 6600 MWe by 2000. The current projections for India are 6000 MWe by 1990 and 20,000 MWe by 2000. The progress of Pakistan, South Korea and other Asian countries are discussed. The predicted growth in reactors and population in Latin America is considered - 17 reactors presently planned for a population of 340 million and 18-57 possible additions in 2000 for an estimated population of 600 million. The role of the IAEA and experience of some Western countries in technology transfer is discussed with the ambitious Spanish nuclear power programme and the experience of Argentina in purchasing Candu reactors. (author)

Immigrant Students' Achievements in Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia in Context

Science.gov (United States)

Šori, Iztok; Šušteric, Nika; Gaber, Slavko

2011-01-01

Achievement gaps between immigrant and native students indicate failure to assure educational equity in the majority of countries assessed by the Programme for International Student Assessment in 2009 (PISA, 2009). The present article explains disparate achievement results in Europe, first testing the hypothesis of old and new democracies. In…

Modelling energy systems for developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Urban, F.; Benders, R.M.J.; Moll, H.C.

2007-01-01

Developing countries' energy use is rapidly increasing, which affects global climate change and global and regional energy settings. Energy models are helpful for exploring the future of developing and industrialised countries. However, energy systems of developing countries differ from those of industrialised countries, which has consequences for energy modelling. New requirements need to be met by present-day energy models to adequately explore the future of developing countries' energy systems. This paper aims to assess if the main characteristics of developing countries are adequately incorporated in present-day energy models. We first discuss these main characteristics, focusing particularly on developing Asia, and then present a model comparison of 12 selected energy models to test their suitability for developing countries. We conclude that many models are biased towards industrialised countries, neglecting main characteristics of developing countries, e.g. the informal economy, supply shortages, poor performance of the power sector, structural economic change, electrification, traditional bio-fuels, urban-rural divide. To more adequately address the energy systems of developing countries, energy models have to be adjusted and new models have to be built. We therefore indicate how to improve energy models for increasing their suitability for developing countries and give advice on modelling techniques and data requirements

Effectiveness of Powerpoint Presentation On Students’ Cognitive Achievement in Technical Drawing

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Amosa Isiaka Gambari

2015-10-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses importance of technology education and evidence of declining performance of junior secondary school students in basic technology subject. Benefits of PowerPoint presentation in classroom instruction as a means to improve classroom teaching in the developing countries are also discussed. The effectiveness of PowerPoint Presentation (PPT for teaching Technical Drawing concepts in Basic Technology was determined using a pretest-posttest, non-equivalent, non-randomized experimental group design. A 2x2x3 factorial design was employed. One hundred JSS 1 students (53 male and 47 female categorized into 29 high, 54 medium and 17 low achievers from two secondary schools in Abuja Metropolis formed the sample. The schools were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group was taught some selected concepts from Technical Drawing using PowerPoint Presentation (PPT while Chalkboard method (CB was used for the control group. A validated Technical Drawing Achievement Test (TDAT comprising a 25-item multiple-choice test was employed for data collection. The reliability coefficient of TDAT was .88 using Kuder-Richardson (KR-20. The hypotheses were tested using ANCOVA and Sidak post-hoc analysis. Results revealed that the students taught with PPT performed better than their counterparts taught with CB. Also, high achievers performed better than medium and low achievers respectfully. The PPT was found also to be gender friendly. Based on the findings, it was recommended that the use of PPT should be encouraged in Nigerian schools.

Pediatric tuberculosis immigration screening in high-immigration, low-incidence countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Alvarez, G G; Clark, M; Altpeter, E; Douglas, P; Jones, J; Paty, M-C; Posey, D L; Chemtob, D

2010-12-01

Tuberculosis (TB) screening in migrant children, including immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers, is an ongoing challenge in low TB incidence countries. Many children from high TB incidence countries harbor latent TB infection (LTBI), and some have active TB disease at the point of immigration into host nations. Young children who harbor LTBI have a high risk of progression to TB disease and are at a higher risk than adults of developing disseminated severe forms of TB with significant morbidity and mortality. Many countries have developed immigration TB screening programs to suit the needs of adults, but have not focused much attention on migrant children. To compare the TB immigration medical examination requirements in children in selected countries with high immigration and low TB incidence rates. Descriptive study of TB immigration screening programs for systematically selected countries. Of 18 eligible countries, 16 responded to the written survey and telephone interview. No two countries had the same approach to TB screening among migrant children. The optimal evidenced-based manner in which to screen migrant children requires further research.

World Inequality: Social and Economic Data for Selected Developing Countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Social Education, 1998

1998-01-01

Presents a chart of socioeconomic data for 38 developing countries and the United States. Includes statistics on GNP per capita, percent of people living on less than one dollar a day, under-age-5 mortality rate, percent of population without access to safe water, and total adult-literacy rate. (DSK)

Effects of Gender, Mathematics Anxiety and Achievement Motivation on College Students’ Achievement in Mathematics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ajogbeje Oke James

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The urge to excel or perform maximally in mathematics varies from individual to individual because achievement motivation is often developed or learnt during socialization and learning experiences. The study examined the relationship between College of Education students’ achievement motivation and mathematics achievement, correlation coefficient between mathematics anxiety and college students’ achievement motivation as well as mathematics anxiety and mathematics achievement. The sample, 268 College of Education students offering mathematics as one of their subject combination, was selected using purposive sampling techniques. Three research instruments namely: Mathematics Anxiety Scale (MAS, Achievement Motivation Scale (AMS and Mathematics Achievement Test (MAT were used to collect data for the study. Data collected for the study were analyzed using correlational analysis and ANOVA. The results showed that a significantly low negative correlation coefficient existed between mathematics anxiety and mathematics achievement. There is a negative and significant correlation coefficient between mathematics anxiety and achievement motivation. Similarly, a positive and significant correlation coefficient also exists between achievement motivation and mathematics achievement. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that mathematics teachers should adopt activity based strategies and conducive learning environment in order to reduce college students’ anxieties in mathematics learning.

Criteria for selecting organ donors and recipients.

Science.gov (United States)

Michielsen, P

1990-11-01

As there is a world-wide shortage of organs for transplantation, the selection of the patients is more defined by the availability of transplantable organs than by the medical condition of the potential recipient. This shortage of cadaveric organs is mainly responsible for the use of living donors. With HLA identical sibling donors the results are better than with cadaveric organs, but the ethical problems are usually underestimated. For the parent-to-child donation, the HLA compatibility is less than what could be achieved with well-matched cadaveric donors. The use of genetically unrelated donors is unacceptable from the ethical as well as from the medical point of view. The short- and long-term risk of donation has been insufficiently documented. The experience with the introduction of an opting-out legislation in Belgium in 1987 demonstrates that the shortage of cadaveric organs can be overcome. Harmonization of the legislation is, however, necessary so as to achieve comparable organ retrieval rates between countries participating in organ-exchange organisations.

MODIFIED APPROACH FOR SITE SELECTION OF UNWANTED RADIOACTIVE SEALED SOURCES DISPOSAL IN ARID COUNTRIES (CASE STUDY - EGYPT)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ABDEL AZIZ, M.A.H.; COCHRAN, J.R.

2008-01-01

The aim of this study is to present a systematic methodology for siting of radioactive sealed sources disposal in arid countries and demonstrate the use of this methodology in Egypt. Availing from the experience gained from the greater confinement disposal (GCD) boreholes in Nevada, USA, the IAEA's approach for siting of near disposal was modified to fit the siting of the borehole disposal which suits the unwanted radioactive sealed sources. The modifications are represented by dividing the surveyed area into three phases; the exclusion phase in which the areas that meet exclusion criteria should be excluded, the site selection phase in which some potential sites that meet the primary criteria should be candidate and the preference stage in which the preference between the potential candidate sites should be carried out based on secondary criteria to select one or two sites at most. In Egypt, a considerable amount of unwanted radioactive sealed sources wastes have accumulated due to the peaceful uses of radio-isotopes.Taking into account the regional aspects and combining of the proposed developed methodology with geographic information system (GIS), the Nile Delta and its valley, the Sinai Peninsula and areas of historical heritage value are excluded from our concern as potential areas for radioactive waste disposal. Using the primary search criteria, some potential sites south Kharga, the Great Sand Sea, Gilf El-Kebear and the central part of the eastern desert have been identified as candidate areas meeting the primary criteria of site selection. More detailed studies should be conducted taking into account the secondary criteria to prefer among the above sites and select one or two sites at most

The adoption of ‘International Accounting Standard (IAS) 12 Income Taxes’: Convergence or divergence with local accounting standards in selected ASEAN countries?

OpenAIRE

Prem W.S. Yapa; Diane Kraal; Mahesh Joshi

2015-01-01

This article concerns inter-disciplinary research on questions about the socio-economic impact of the adoption and convergence of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) with local standards in selected countries. The article approaches the research in two stages. The first stage concerns the findings and analysis relating to the general impact of the IFRS standards on Singapore and Malaysia. Findings reveal that respondents expressed reservations about cited IFRS adoption benefits...

A comprehensive review of the literature on epilepsy in selected countries in emerging markets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Angalakuditi M

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Mallik Angalakuditi1, Nupur Angalakuditi21Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA; 2New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USAAims: To perform a systematic literature review of studies in peer reviewed journals on the epidemiology, economics, and treatment patterns of epilepsy in selected countries in emerging markets.Methods: A literature search was performed using relevant search terms to identify articles published from 1999 to 2000 on the epidemiology, economics, and treatment patterns of epilepsy. Studies were identified through electronic Embase®, Cochrane©, MEDLINE®, and PubMed® databases. Manual review of bibliographies allowed for the detection of additional articles.Results: Our search yielded 65 articles. These articles contained information relevant to epidemiology (n = 16, treatment guidelines (n = 4, treatment patterns (n = 33, unmet needs (n = 4, and economics (n = 8. From a patient perspective, patients with less than or equal to two adverse events (AEs while taking anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs had significantly lower annual costs than those having greater than or equal to three AEs, as did patients with fewer seizures. The overall mean annual cost for epilepsy per patient ranged from US$773 in China to US$2646 in Mexico. Prevalence data varied widely and were found for countries including Arab League Members, China, India, and Taiwan. In Turkey, active prevalence rates ranged from 0.08/1000 to 8.5/1000, and in Arab countries, active prevalence ranged from 0.9/1000 in Sudan to 6.5/1000 in Saudi Arabia. Seventeen different AEDs were used in the identified studies. The most common AEDs utilized were phenobarbital (21.7%, valproate (17.5%, and tiagabine (16.4%. In all studies, the use of AEDs resulted in an increase of patients who became seizure free and a reduction in seizure frequency and severity.Conclusion: Few studies have examined the prevalence and incidence of epilepsy in emerging markets and study limitations tend to

Towards universal health coverage: the role of within-country wealth-related inequality in 28 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Hosseinpoor, Ahmad Reza; Victora, Cesar G; Bergen, Nicole; Barros, Aluisio J D; Boerma, Ties

2011-12-01

To measure within-country wealth-related inequality in the health service coverage gap of maternal and child health indicators in sub-Saharan Africa and quantify its contribution to the national health service coverage gap. Coverage data for child and maternal health services in 28 sub-Saharan African countries were obtained from the 2000-2008 Demographic Health Survey. For each country, the national coverage gap was determined for an overall health service coverage index and select individual health service indicators. The data were then additively broken down into the coverage gap in the wealthiest quintile (i.e. the proportion of the quintile lacking a required health service) and the population attributable risk (an absolute measure of within-country wealth-related inequality). In 26 countries, within-country wealth-related inequality accounted for more than one quarter of the national overall coverage gap. Reducing such inequality could lower this gap by 16% to 56%, depending on the country. Regarding select individual health service indicators, wealth-related inequality was more common in services such as skilled birth attendance and antenatal care, and less so in family planning, measles immunization, receipt of a third dose of vaccine against diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus and treatment of acute respiratory infections in children under 5 years of age. The contribution of wealth-related inequality to the child and maternal health service coverage gap differs by country and type of health service, warranting case-specific interventions. Targeted policies are most appropriate where high within-country wealth-related inequality exists, and whole-population approaches, where the health-service coverage gap is high in all quintiles.

Health system factors influencing management of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in four European Union countries - learning from country experiences

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Gerard de Vries

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In the European Union and European Economic Area only 38% of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients notified in 2011 completed treatment successfully at 24 months’ evaluation. Socio-economic factors and patient factors such as demographic characteristics, behaviour and attitudes are associated with treatment outcomes. Characteristics of healthcare systems also affect health outcomes. This study was conducted to identify and better understand the contribution of health system components to successful treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Methods We selected four European Union countries to provide for a broad range of geographical locations and levels of treatment success rates of the multidrug-resistant tuberculosis cohort in 2009. We conducted semi-structured interviews following a conceptual framework with representatives from policy and planning authorities, healthcare providers and civil society organisations. Responses were organised according to the six building blocks of the World Health Organization health systems framework. Results In the four included countries, Austria, Bulgaria, Spain, and the United Kingdom, the following healthcare system factors were perceived as key to achieving good treatment results for patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: timely diagnosis of drug-resistant tuberculosis; financial systems that ensure access to a full course of treatment and support for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients; patient-centred approaches with strong intersectoral collaboration that address patients’ emotional and social needs; motivated and dedicated healthcare workers with sufficient mandate and means to support patients; and cross-border management of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis to secure continuum of care between countries. Conclusion We suggest that the following actions may improve the success of treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients: deployment of

Sustainability of road roughness measurements in countries with ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A research project was carried out to establish a sustainable procedure for road roughness measurement applicable in developing countries. Out of many devices in use today, a vehicle mounted bump integrator (VMBI) was selected for the reasons that: a) the equipment is available in most developing countries and it has ...

The Influence of Self-Esteem and Selected Demographic Characteristics on First Semester Academic Achievement of Students Enrolled in a College of Agriculture

Science.gov (United States)

Gaspard, Mae B.; Burnett, Michael F.; Gaspard, Camile P.

2011-01-01

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the influence of self-esteem and selected demographic characteristics on academic achievement among students at the freshman level in the College of Agriculture at Louisiana State University. The sample of the study was all students at Louisiana State University enrolled in the Introduction to…

Implications of using clean technologies to power selected ASEAN countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, Anjana; Ahlgren, Erik O.

2010-01-01

This paper focuses on energy system development of the three largest Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries: Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam. The energy infrastructures in these counties are in the process of rapid development and, therefore, technology choices are critical. Applying the energy system model MARKAL and scenario analysis, this paper examines and quantifies the role of clean and advanced energy technologies for efficient local resource exploitation and improving energy security and environmental conditions. The main focus is on the power sector and the paper also addresses the potential ASEAN markets for European energy technologies. The paper concludes that there is a large potential market for clean and advanced energy technologies in the studied countries. If adopted, these technologies will bring several benefits like reduction in primary energy requirement, reduced investments requirement in the power sector and other parts of the energy infrastructure, reduced import of primary energy, reduced CO 2 emissions and local pollution, reduced energy system costs and marginal cost of electricity supply. Finally, barriers for transfer and diffusion of advanced energy technologies are discussed.

Is computer availability at home causally related to reading achievement in grade 4? A longitudinal difference in differences approach to IEA data from 1991 to 2006

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Monica Rosén

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Research on effects of home computer use on children’s development of cognitive abilities and skills has yielded conflicting results, with some studies showing positive effects, others no effects, and yet others negative effects. These studies have typically used non-experimental designs and one of the main reasons for the conflicting results is that studies differ with respect to how well they control for selection bias in comparisons of children with different amounts of computer use. The current study takes advantage of data from international comparative studies of educational achievement and uses the trend design of these studies to conduct longitudinal analyses at the country level. This allows for a difference in differences approach which effectively controls for within-country selection bias, time-invariant country-level omitted variables, and random errors of measurement in the independent and dependent variables. The empirical investigations are based on data from the IEA 10-Year Trend Study and the PIRLS 2001 and 2006 studies. For these studies, information about frequency of home computer use is available in the student questionnaire. The main analytical approach employed in the paper is regression estimation based on micro-data, with fixed country effects and cluster-robust standard-errors. This approach allows estimation of main effects of home computer use and interaction effects with student characteristics (gender and socio-economic status. For both data sets negative effects of home computer use on achievement are found. Results are discussed in substantive and methodological terms, focusing particularly on possible threats to valid causal inference, such as omitted variables that are not time invariant.

From Smart-Eco Building to High-Performance Architecture: Optimization of Energy Consumption in Architecture of Developing Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Mahdavinejad, M.; Bitaab, N.

2017-08-01

Search for high-performance architecture and dreams of future architecture resulted in attempts towards meeting energy efficient architecture and planning in different aspects. Recent trends as a mean to meet future legacy in architecture are based on the idea of innovative technologies for resource efficient buildings, performative design, bio-inspired technologies etc. while there are meaningful differences between architecture of developed and developing countries. Significance of issue might be understood when the emerging cities are found interested in Dubaization and other related booming development doctrines. This paper is to analyze the level of developing countries’ success to achieve smart-eco buildings’ goals and objectives. Emerging cities of West of Asia are selected as case studies of the paper. The results of the paper show that the concept of high-performance architecture and smart-eco buildings are different in developing countries in comparison with developed countries. The paper is to mention five essential issues in order to improve future architecture of developing countries: 1- Integrated Strategies for Energy Efficiency, 2- Contextual Solutions, 3- Embedded and Initial Energy Assessment, 4- Staff and Occupancy Wellbeing, 5- Life-Cycle Monitoring.

Impacts of intellectual property rights on marker-assisted selection research and application for agriculture in developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henson-Apollonio, V.

2007-01-01

Although the impact of marker-assisted selection (MAS) in commercial and public sector breeding programmes in developing countries is to date limited to a few crops and traits, the potential benefits of using markers linked to genes of interest in breeding programmes for improving the productivity of crops, livestock, forest trees and farmed fish is substantial. While more recent methods associated with the use of MAS are technically demanding and often expensive, most applications of basic MAS were initially described in the literature, and thus will likely have very few intellectual property (IP) restrictions associated with their use, irrespective of the agricultural sector involved. For example, isolating DNA, amplifying specific gene sequences from that DNA (with most available primers), separating fragments using gel/polyacrylamide electrophoresis and imaging of fragments with standard techniques are likely to be available without restriction to scientists and breeders in the developing world, even as part of a commercial service. Problems arise when there is a need to use or develop high-throughput modes, which require more sophisticated technologies. For high-throughput use, a breeder will want to use the most efficient techniques that are currently available. This means that the more advanced processes/methods, reagents, software applications/simulations and equipment, which provide the most effective means to exploit MAS fully, are most likely covered by intellectual property rights (IPRs) such as patent rights, confidential information (trade secrets) and copyrights, both in industrialized countries and also in many developing countries such as Brazil, China and India. In situations where breeders wish to use cutting edge technologies and the most efficient markers, care must be taken to avoid activities that may infringe IPRs when using MAS methodologies. (author)

NUMBER OF SUCCESSIVE CYCLES NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE STABILITY OF SELECTED GROUND REACTION FORCE VARIABLES DURING CONTINUOUS JUMPING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jasmes M.W. Brownjohn

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Because of inherent variability in all human cyclical movements, such as walking, running and jumping, data collected across a single cycle might be atypical and potentially unable to represent an individual's generalized performance. The study described here was designed to determine the number of successive cycles due to continuous, repetitive countermovement jumping which a test subject should perform in a single experimental session to achieve stability of the mean of the corresponding continuously measured ground reaction force (GRF variables. Seven vertical GRF variables (period of jumping cycle, duration of contact phase, peak force amplitude and its timing, average rate of force development, average rate of force relaxation and impulse were extracted on the cycle-by-cycle basis from vertical jumping force time histories generated by twelve participants who were jumping in response to regular electronic metronome beats in the range 2-2.8 Hz. Stability of the selected GRF variables across successive jumping cycles was examined for three jumping rates (2, 2.4 and 2.8 Hz using two statistical methods: intra-class correlation (ICC analysis and segmental averaging technique (SAT. Results of the ICC analysis indicated that an average of four successive cycles (mean 4.5 ± 2.7 for 2 Hz; 3.9 ± 2.6 for 2.4 Hz; 3.3 ± 2.7 for 2.8 Hz were necessary to achieve maximum ICC values. Except for jumping period, maximum ICC values took values from 0.592 to 0.991 and all were significantly (p < 0.05 different from zero. Results of the SAT revealed that an average of ten successive cycles (mean 10.5 ± 3.5 for 2 Hz; 9.2 ± 3.8 for 2.4 Hz; 9.0 ± 3.9 for 2.8 Hz were necessary to achieve stability of the selected parameters using criteria previously reported in the literature. Using 10 reference trials, the SAT required standard deviation criterion values of 0.49, 0.41 and 0.55 for 2 Hz, 2.4 Hz and 2.8 Hz jumping rates, respectively, in order to approximate

Hepatoblastoma in the nordic countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

de Fine Licht, S; Schmidt, L S; Rod, Naja Hulvej

2011-01-01

Little is known about the aetiology of hepatoblastoma. Because of the young age at diagnosis, several studies have looked at various birth characteristics. The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence of hepatoblastoma in the Nordic countries and the association between selected bir...

Better Measurement for Performance Improvement in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: The Primary Health Care Performance Initiative (PHCPI) Experience of Conceptual Framework Development and Indicator Selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Veillard, Jeremy; Cowling, Krycia; Bitton, Asaf; Ratcliffe, Hannah; Kimball, Meredith; Barkley, Shannon; Mercereau, Laure; Wong, Ethan; Taylor, Chelsea; Hirschhorn, Lisa R; Wang, Hong

2017-12-01

Policy Points: Strengthening accountability through better measurement and reporting is vital to ensure progress in improving quality primary health care (PHC) systems and achieving universal health coverage (UHC). The Primary Health Care Performance Initiative (PHCPI) provides national decision makers and global stakeholders with opportunities to benchmark and accelerate performance improvement through better performance measurement. Results from the initial PHC performance assessments in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are helping guide PHC reforms and investments and improve the PHCPI's instruments and indicators. Findings from future assessment activities will further amplify cross-country comparisons and peer learning to improve PHC. New indicators and sources of data are needed to better understand PHC system performance in LMICs. The Primary Health Care Performance Initiative (PHCPI), a collaboration between the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The World Bank, and the World Health Organization, in partnership with Ariadne Labs and Results for Development, was launched in 2015 with the aim of catalyzing improvements in primary health care (PHC) systems in 135 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), in order to accelerate progress toward universal health coverage. Through more comprehensive and actionable measurement of quality PHC, the PHCPI stimulates peer learning among LMICs and informs decision makers to guide PHC investments and reforms. Instruments for performance assessment and improvement are in development; to date, a conceptual framework and 2 sets of performance indicators have been released. The PHCPI team developed the conceptual framework through literature reviews and consultations with an advisory committee of international experts. We generated 2 sets of performance indicators selected from a literature review of relevant indicators, cross-referenced against indicators available from international sources, and evaluated through

Current R and D Status on High-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal in Selected Countries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Youn Myoung; Hwang, Yong Soo

2008-11-15

Current R and D status of such countries moving forward as the United States, Sweden, France, Japan and a few other countries for high-level radioactive waste (HLW) disposal in deep geological formation has been reviewed. Even though no HLW repositories have not practically constructed nor operated yet, lots of related R and D are being proceeded in many countries as well as in Korea. Through this brief review further progress is anticipated in this related R and D area in Korea.

Girls' perceptions of challenging work and the factors that motivate them to engage with challenging work within the selective independent sector

OpenAIRE

Hannan, G. V.

2016-01-01

This study focuses on the perceptions of challenging work amongst girls in Years 9, 10 and 11 in single-sex schools in the selective independent sector, and of the factors that they perceive motivate them to engage with challenging work. Although many girls in English selective independent schools achieve amongst the highest GCSE and A Level results in the country, some teachers at these schools are concerned that the girls can be uncomfortable when they are encouraged to think for themselves...

Mainstreaming biodiversity and wildlife management into climate change policy frameworks in selected east and southern African countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olga L. Kupika

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The Rio+20 outcomes document, the Future We Want, enshrines green economy as one of the platforms to attain sustainable development and calls for measures that seek to address climate change and biodiversity management. This paper audits climate change policies from selected east and southern African countries to determine the extent to which climate change legislation mainstreams biodiversity and wildlife management. A scan of international, continental, regional and national climate change policies was conducted to assess whether they include biodiversity and/or wildlife management issues. The key finding is that many climate change policy–related documents, particularly the National Adaptation Programme of Actions (NAPAs, address threats to biodiversity and wildlife resources. However, international policies like the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and Kyoto Protocol do not address the matter under deliberation. Regional climate change policies such as the East African Community, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa and African Union address biodiversity and/or wildlife issues whilst the Southern African Development Community region does not have a stand-alone policy for climate change. Progressive countries like Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia have recently put in place detailed NAPAs which are mainstream responsive strategies intended to address climate change adaptation in the wildlife sector. Keywords: mainstreaming, biodiversity, wildlife, climate change policy, east and southern Africa

The economic impact of assisted reproductive technology: a review of selected developed countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Chambers, Georgina M; Sullivan, Elizabeth A; Ishihara, Osamu; Chapman, Michael G; Adamson, G David

2009-06-01

To compare regulatory and economic aspects of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in developed countries. Comparative policy and economic analysis. Couples undergoing ART treatment in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Japan, and Australia. Description of regulatory and financing arrangements, cycle costs, cost-effectiveness ratios, total expenditure, utilization, and price elasticity. Regulation and financing of ART share few general characteristics in developed countries. The cost of treatment reflects the costliness of the underlying healthcare system rather than the regulatory or funding environment. The cost (in 2006 United States dollars) of a standard IVF cycle ranged from $12,513 in the United States to $3,956 in Japan. The cost per live birth was highest in the United States and United Kingdom ($41,132 and $40,364, respectively) and lowest in Scandinavia and Japan ($24,485 and $24,329, respectively). The cost of an IVF cycle after government subsidization ranged from 50% of annual disposable income in the United States to 6% in Australia. The cost of ART treatment did not exceed 0.25% of total healthcare expenditure in any country. Australia and Scandinavia were the only country/region to reach levels of utilization approximating demand, with North America meeting only 24% of estimated demand. Demand displayed variable price elasticity. Assisted reproductive technology is expensive from a patient perspective but not from a societal perspective. Only countries with funding arrangements that minimize out-of-pocket expenses met expected demand. Funding mechanisms should maximize efficiency and equity of access while minimizing the potential harm from multiple births.

[Genomic selection of milk cattle. The practical application over five years].

Science.gov (United States)

Smaragdov, M G

2013-11-01

Genomic selection is a method based on the use of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as markers for detecting animal or plant genotype values. The review describes the genomic selection of milk cattle 5 years after the design of dense SNP chips. References to the application of genomic selection to other animal and plant species are given. The main principles of constructing linear and nonlinear mathematical models that allow one to determine genomic estimates in animals are briefly described. Particular attention is focused on the accuracy and the phenomenon of the additivity ofgenomic estimates, as well as to the prospective use of various genomic selection schemes that consider it over dozens of generations. Information including international organizations that provide the consolidation of genomic information from different countries aimed at designing global reference populations of milk cattle is reported. The results of the practical application of genomic selection to detecting of the breeding value of milk cattle over 5 years are demonstrated in the table, which makes it possible to visually assess the achievements of this highly technological field of cattle breeding.

Measuring performance on the Healthcare Access and Quality Index for 195 countries and territories and selected subnational locations : a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fullman, Nancy; Yearwood, Jamal; Abay, Solomon M.; Abbafati, Cristiana; Abd-Allah, Foad; Abdela, Jemal; Abdelalim, Ahmed; Abebe, Zegeye; Abebo, Teshome Abuka; Aboyans, Victor; Abraha, Haftom Niguse; Abreu, Daisy M.X.; Abu-Raddad, Laith J.; Adane, Akilew Awoke; Adedoyin, Rufus Adesoji; Adetokunboh, Olatunji; Adhikari, Tara Ballav; Afarideh, Mohsen; Afshin, Ashkan; Agarwal, Gina; Agius, Dominic; Agrawal, Anurag; Agrawal, Sutapa; Ahmad Kiadaliri, Aliasghar; Aichour, Miloud Taki Eddine; Akibu, Mohammed; Akinyemi, Rufus Olusola; Akinyemiju, Tomi F.; Akseer, Nadia; Al Lami, Faris Hasan; Alahdab, Fares; Al-Aly, Ziyad; Alam, Khurshid; Alam, Tahiya; Alasfoor, Deena; Albittar, Mohammed I.; Alene, Kefyalew Addis; Al-Eyadhy, Ayman; Ali, Syed Danish; Alijanzadeh, Mehran; Aljunid, Syed M.; Alkerwi, Ala'a; Alla, François; Amare, Azmeraw T.; Berhe, Derbew Fikadu; Hoek, Hans W.; Khan, Muhammad Ali; Leigh, James; Postma, Maarten J.; van Boven, Job F.M.

2018-01-01

Background: A key component of achieving universal health coverage is ensuring that all populations have access to quality health care. Examining where gains have occurred or progress has faltered across and within countries is crucial to guiding decisions and strategies for future improvement. We

Effect on School Language in Assessment of Achievement

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Eric Wilmot

hundred randomly selected Senior Secondary School II (SSS II) Agricultural Science ... interaction effect of treatment and gender on students' achievement in an ...... Self-concept and science achievement in co-educational and single-sex.

Monetary Policy Objectives During the Crisis: An Overview of Selected Southeast European Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krstevska Aneta

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The recent global crisis brought many challenges to the central bankers worldwide, including the issue of monetary policy objectives. In this view, besides price stability maintenance, a special attention by central bankers during the crisis was given to the output stabilization. This paper explores this issue on the case of a group of countries from Southeast Europe (SEE. For this purpose, rather simple analysis of the policy rate and output gap as well as output gap variability by countries have been provided, aimed at giving some initial insights of the monetary policy and output stabilization during the crisis. Our findings pointed that the central banks in the analysed SEE countries paid attention to the output stabilization, specifically during the crisis period and that was presumably enabled by controllable inflation developments.

Ghana's achievement in mathematics in TIMSS 2007 | Mereku ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

performance on the international benchmarks also improved significantly. The mathematics score, 309, placed Ghana at the 47th position on the overall mathematics achievement results table when the 48 participating countries, which met the TIMSS sampling requirements, were ranked by their mean performances.

Factors of site selection for nuclear power plants in selected industrial states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoffmann, L.; Obermair, G.; Ringler, W.; Romahn, B.; Sanders, H.

1978-01-01

The range of the tasks within the project consists of working out an optimal catalogue of criteria for the site selection for nuclear power plants; establishing a structured documentation system for the criteria and licensing procedures used by selected industrial countries when selecting sites for nuclear power plants; analyzing and evaluating the documented material with the aim of supplying the basis for decisions concerning land use. The tasks are being realized within a technological ring of data (for the period until 1990, reactor types, cooling, power-heat coupling, special sites, block sizes, local concentration) and a set politico-economical ring of data for the following countries: F.R. Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Great Britain, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, France, Netherlands, USA, Japan, Yougoslavia. (HP) [de

World market survey: Emerging industrial countries provide the sales opportunities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeffs, E.; Greenhalgh, G.

1981-01-01

The prospects for nuclear power around the world are reviewed. The sharp contrast in attitudes between the Western industrialised countries and developing countries is highlighted. In the West, political uncertainty and economic conditions have retarded implementation of nuclear programmes. The underdeveloped countries, with a desperate need to cut oil consumption and stimulate economic and social development, are persuing nuclear power energetically. Nuclear power programmes from selected countries are described to illustrate these themes. (U.K.)

Effects of Tax Depreciation Rules on Firms' Investment Decisions in an Inflationary Phase: Comparison of Net Present Values in Selected OECD Countries

OpenAIRE

Chang Woon Nam

2001-01-01

This study compares incentive effects of various tax depreciation methods which are currently employed in selected OECD countries. Their generosity is determined on the basis of Samuelson’s true economic depreciation. For this purpose, the present value model is applied. The central issue is that the so-called historical cost accounting method, which is adopted in practice when calculating the corporate tax base, causes fictitious profits in inflationary phases that should also be taxed. Th...

Gender Equality in Educational Achievement An East-West Comparison

OpenAIRE

Schnepf, Sylke Viola

2004-01-01

Data on educational access show gender parity of pupils attending primary and secondary schools in transition countries. The first aim of this analysis is to examine whether the gender balance in educational access translates also into gender equality in educational achievement. There are several and very recent international surveys available measuring pupils learning achievement and functional literacy in schools. These surveys are typically analysed in isolation from each other even though...

An Investigation of International Science Achievement Using the OECD's PISA 2006 Data Set

Science.gov (United States)

Milford, Todd

School Effectiveness Research (SER) is concerned with efforts to better understand the effectiveness enhancing relationship between student and school variables and how these variables primarily influence academic achievement (Scheerens, 2004). However, one identified methodological shortcoming in SER is the absence of cross-cultural perspectives (Kyriakides, 2006). This is a concern as what may prove effective in one nation does not necessarily mean that it can be easily and seamlessly imported into another with the same results. This study looked at the relationships between science self-beliefs and academic achievement in science across all nations who participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2006. It further explored the variance accounted for by cultural, social and economic capital (the elements of the PISA socioeconomic status variable) for each country in PISA 2006 when predicting scientific literacy. Lastly, it used hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to analyze data from PISA 2006 for nations experiencing high rates of immigration (i.e., Germany, Spain, Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand). The outcome measures used for these countries were achievement scores in science, mathematics and reading. The variables examined at the student level were science self-efficacy, science self-concept, immigrant status and socioeconomic status. The variables examined at the school level were student level aggregates of school proportion of immigrants and school socioeconomic status. In the correlation analysis between science literacy and either science self-concept of science self-efficacy, findings suggest that at the student level, students with both higher science self-concept and higher science self-efficacy tend to achieve higher academically. However, at the country level the relationship was negative between self-concept and academic achievement in science (i.e., countries with higher science self-concept tend

Food Leftover Practices among Consumers in Selected Countries in Europe, South and North America.

Science.gov (United States)

Koppel, Kadri; Higa, Federica; Godwin, Sandria; Gutierrez, Nelson; Shalimov, Roman; Cardinal, Paula; Di Donfrancesco, Brizio; Sosa, Miriam; Carbonell-Barrachina, Angel A; Timberg, Loreida; Chambers, Edgar

2016-09-21

Foodborne illnesses may be related to many food production factors with home practices of consumers playing an important role in food safety. Consumer behavior for handling food leftovers has been studied, however little work on comparisons among countries has been published. The objective of this study was to investigate home food leftover practices of people from North American, South American, and European countries. Surveys were conducted with approximately 100 or more consumers in Argentina, Colombia, the United States, Estonia, Italy, Russia, and Spain. The participants responded to questions related to the length of time different types of food leftovers; such as meat, fresh salads, or restaurant dishes would be kept refrigerated or would be left at room temperature before refrigeration. Researchers also investigated how consumers would determine if the food was still safe for consumption. Potentially risky behaviors were observed in all seven countries. For instance, 55.8% of Estonians, 25% of Russians and 25.8% of Argentinean participants left food out at room temperature for several hours before storing in the refrigerator. Furthermore, 25%-29% of Colombian, Estonian, and Spanish consumers would look, smell, and taste leftovers to determine its probable safety. Correct handling of leftovers is an important aspect of consumer food safety. Although the surveys cannot be representative of all consumers in each country, they do provide an initial overview of comparative practices for handling leftovers among different countries. This provides government and educators with information on potential universal and unique consumer food safety issues related to handling leftover foods among various countries.

76 FR 2423 - Report on the Selection of Eligible Countries for Fiscal Year 2011

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-13

..., based on their demonstrated commitment to just and democratic governance, economic freedom, and...))). This is the third of the above-described reports by MCC for FY11. It identifies countries determined by... country's commitment to fighting corruption and promoting democratic governance, and its effective...

A density gradient of VAPG peptides on a cell-resisting surface achieves selective adhesion and directional migration of smooth muscle cells over fibroblasts.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Shan; Zuo, Xingang; Shen, Tao; Duan, Yiyuan; Mao, Zhengwei; Gao, Changyou

2018-05-01

Selective adhesion and migration of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) over fibroblasts (FIBs) is required to prevent adventitia fibrosis in vascular regeneration. In this study, a uniform cell-resisting layer of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) with a density gradient of azide groups was generated on a substrate by immobilizing two kinds of PEG molecules in a gradient manner. A density gradient of alkynyl-functionalized Val-Ala-Pro-Gly (VAPG) peptides was then prepared on the PEG layer via click chemistry. The VAPG density gradient was characterized by fluorescence imaging, revealing the gradual enhancement of the fluorescent intensity along the substrate direction. The adhesion and mobility of SMCs were selectively enhanced on the VAPG density gradient, leading to directional migration toward the higher peptide density (up to 84%). In contrast, the adhesion and mobility of FIBs were significantly weakened. The net displacement of SMCs also significantly increased compared with that on tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) and that of FIBs on the gradient. The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways related to cell migration were studied, showing higher expressions of functional proteins from SMCs on the VAPG-modified surface in a density-dependent manner. For the first time the selective adhesion and directional migration of SMCs over FIBs was achieved by an elaborative design of a gradient surface, leading to a new insight in design of novel vascular regenerative materials. Selective cell adhesion and migration guided by regenerative biomaterials are extremely important for the regeneration of targeted tissues, which can avoid the drawbacks of incorrect and uncontrolled responses of tissue cells to implants. For example, selectivity of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) over fibroblasts (FIBs) is required to prevent adventitia fibrosis in vascular regeneration. Herein we prepare a uniform cell-repelling layer, on which SMCs-selective Val-Ala-Pro-Gly (VAPG) peptides

Optimising the introduction of multiple childhood vaccines in Japan: A model proposing the introduction sequence achieving the highest health gains.

Science.gov (United States)

Standaert, Baudouin; Schecroun, Nadia; Ethgen, Olivier; Topachevskyi, Oleksandr; Morioka, Yoriko; Van Vlaenderen, Ilse

2017-12-01

Many countries struggle with the prioritisation of introducing new vaccines because of budget limitations and lack of focus on public health goals. A model has been developed that defines how specific health goals can be optimised through immunisation within vaccination budget constraints. Japan, as a country example, could introduce 4 new pediatric vaccines targeting influenza, rotavirus, pneumococcal disease and mumps with known burden of disease, vaccine efficacies and maximum achievable coverages. Operating under budget constraints, the Portfolio-model for the Management of Vaccines (PMV) identifies the optimal vaccine ranking and combination for achieving the maximum QALY gain over a period of 10 calendar years in children optimal sequence of vaccine introduction (mumps [1st], followed by influenza [2nd], rotavirus [3rd], and pneumococcal [4th]). With exactly the same budget but without vaccine ranking, the total QALY gain can be 20% lower. The PMV model could be a helpful tool for decision makers in those environments with limited budget where vaccines have to be selected for trying to optimise specific health goals. Copyright © 2017 GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals SA. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The status of IT service management in health care - ITIL® in selected European countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoerbst, Alexander; Hackl, Werner O; Blomer, Roland; Ammenwerth, Elske

2011-12-21

Due to the strained financial situation in the healthcare sector, hospitals and other healthcare providers are facing an increasing pressure to improve their efficiency and to reduce costs. These trends challenge health care organizations to introduce innovative information technology (IT) based supportive processes. To guarantee that IT supports the clinical processes perfectly, IT must be managed proactively. However, until now, there is only very few research on IT service management especially on ITIL® implementations in the health care context. The current study aims at exploring knowledge about and acceptance of IT service management (especially ITIL®) in hospitals in Austria and its neighboring regions Bavaria (Germany), Slovakia, South Tyrol (Italy) and Switzerland. Therefore highly standardized interviews with the respective head of information technology (CIO, IT manager) were conducted for selected hospitals from the different regions. In total 75 hospitals were interviewed. Data gathered was analyzed using descriptive statistics and where necessary methods of qualitative content analysis. In most regions, two-thirds or more of the participating IT managers claim to be familiar with the concepts of IT service management and of ITIL®. IT managers expect from ITIL® mostly better IT services, followed by an increased productivity and a reduction of IT cost. But only five hospitals said to have implemented at least parts of ITIL®, and eight hospitals stated to be planning to do this in the next two years. When it comes to ITIL®, Switzerland and Bavaria seem to be ahead of the other countries. There, the highest levels of knowledge, the highest number of implementations or plans of an implementation as well as the highest number of ITIL® certified staff members were observed. The results collected through this study indicate that the idea of IT services and IT service management is still not widely recognized in hospitals in the countries and regions

The Performance of Dow Jones Country Islamic Indexes Against Dow Jones Country Conventional Indexes in Asia and the Middle East : An Empirical Study of the Last Decade

OpenAIRE

Suharwardy, Zain

2013-01-01

This paper attempts to examine the performance of six countries spanning from Asia and the Middle East. Countries are selected from the Dow Jones Islamic Market Index and the focus is kept to only choose countries that have an active Dow Jones Islamic Market Country Index along with a parallel Dow Jones Conventional Country Index. Further break down is made by comparing the country performances to their respective Dow Jones regional index’s (Dow Jones Asia Index and the Dow Jones MENA) in ord...

A current view of copybooks (the font in the Czech Republic and in selected countries of Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bartošová Iva Košek

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the present research of mixed design, i.e. qualitative and quantitative nature is to draw a comparison of the most widely used copybooks – textbooks in the Czech Republic based on adapted evaluation criteria originally presented by [1] - content, graphic design, format and adequacy of writing tasks and range etc. and subsequently focus the research on an analysis of similar workbooks – copybooks (including the used font in selected European countries. The proposed research project is a follow-up of a research project realized in 2014 and designed to identify the publishing houses having the greatest numbers of sales of textbooks for 1st -3rd grades of primary schools as well as the reasons for which teachers choose the materials from a particular publishing house in the Czech Republic.

Measuring performance on the Healthcare Access and Quality Index for 195 countries and territories and selected subnational locations: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Moesgaard Iburg, Kim

2018-01-01

used the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) to assess personal health-care access and quality with the Healthcare Access and Quality (HAQ) Index for 195 countries and territories, as well as subnational locations in seven countries, from 1990 to 2016. Methods...... and quality from underlying risk factor patterns, we risk-standardised cause-specific deaths due to non-cancers by location-year, replacing the local joint exposure of environmental and behavioural risks with the global level of exposure. Supported by the expansion of cancer registry data in GBD 2016, we used......·0 (14·3–23·7) in Somalia, and 23·4 (20·2–26·8) in Guinea-Bissau. The pace of progress achieved between 1990 and 2016 varied, with markedly faster improvements occurring between 2000 and 2016 for many countries in sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia, whereas several countries in Latin America...

A checkerboard selective absorber with excellent spectral selectivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Liu, E-mail: optyang@zju.edu.cn [Centre for Optical and Electromagnetic Research, State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058 (China); School of Electrical, Computer, and Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287 (United States); Mo, Lei; Chen, Tuo [Centre for Optical and Electromagnetic Research, State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058 (China); Department of Physics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Forsberg, Erik [Centre for Optical and Electromagnetic Research, State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058 (China); He, Sailing [Centre for Optical and Electromagnetic Research, State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058 (China); Department of Electromagnetic Engineering, JORCEP, Roy Institute of Technology (KTH), S-100 44 Stockholm (Sweden)

2015-11-14

A selective absorber with excellent spectral selectivity is proposed and analyzed. The absorber is based on a germanium (Ge) checkerboard on top of a tantalum (Ta) substrate. At wavelengths shorter than the 1.2 μm cutoff, a very high absorption is achieved due to strong cavity resonances in the Ge nanosquares, and their interactions with adjacent nanocavities and the bottom Ta substrate. At longer wavelengths, absorption is greatly suppressed due to destructive interference between the transparent checkerboard layer and the highly reflective Ta substrate. To better describe the superior selectivity of our configuration, a new figure of merit (FOM) is introduced. We observe a FOM value of 0.88 compared to 0.69 for its planar counterpart. We also conduct a thermal analysis to verify the excellent selectivity of our absorber. A high temperature can be achieved and maintained, promising good potential for applications in solar thermophotovoltaic systems.

Immigration And Self-Selection

OpenAIRE

George J. Borjas

1988-01-01

Self-selection plays a dominant role in determining the size and composition of immigrant flows. The United States competes with other potential host countries in the "immigration market". Host countries vary in their "offers" of economic opportunities and also differ in the way they ration entry through their immigration policies. Potential immigrants compare the various opportunities and are non-randomly sorted by the immigration market among the various host countries. This paper presents ...

Barriers to oral health across selected European countries and the USA.

Science.gov (United States)

Manski, Richard; Moeller, John

2017-06-01

In this review we consider oral-health access among older adults within and between the USA and various European countries with regard to possible primary financial and modifiable secondary non-financial factors. For older adults, the likelihood of using dental services has been associated, in the health literature, with a multiplicity of factors. These factors are traditionally classified into predisposing, enabling and need categories, and can be further classified into modifiable and non-modifiable subcategories. This raises the question of which single factor or group of factors has the most influence in keeping older adults from seeking care, and how these influences might differ between the USA and various other (European) countries. As it turns out, there is variation in the magnitude of effects across certain measurable potential barriers, but generally it takes a combination of characteristics associated with non-use to have a substantial impact. © 2017 FDI World Dental Federation.

A review of odour impact criteria in selected countries around the world.

Science.gov (United States)

Brancher, Marlon; Griffiths, K David; Franco, Davide; de Melo Lisboa, Henrique

2017-02-01

Exposure to environmental odour can result in annoyance, health effects and depreciation of property values. Therefore, many jurisdictions classify odour as an atmospheric pollutant and regulate emissions and/or impacts from odour generating activities at a national, state or municipal level. In this work, a critical review of odour regulations in selected jurisdictions of 28 countries is presented. Individual approaches were identified as: comparing ambient air odour concentration and individual chemicals statistics against impact criteria (maximum impact standard); using fixed and variable separation distances (separation distance standard); maximum emission rate for mixtures of odorants and individual chemical species (maximum emission standard); number of complaints received or annoyance level determined via community surveys (maximum annoyance standard); and requiring use of best available technologies (BAT) to minimize odour emissions (technology standard). The comparison of model-predicted odour concentration statistics against odour impact criteria (OIC) is identified as one of the most common tools used by regulators to evaluate the risk of odour impacts in planning stage assessments and is also used to inform assessment of odour impacts of existing facilities. Special emphasis is given to summarizing OIC (concentration percentile and threshold) and the manner in which they are applied. The way short term odour peak to model time-step mean (peak-to-mean) effects is also captured. Furthermore, the fundamentals of odorant properties, dimensions of nuisance odour, odour sampling and analysis methods and dispersion modelling guidance are provided. Common elements of mature and effective odour regulation frameworks are identified and an integrated multi-tool strategy is recommended. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sustainable development and climate change: Lessons from country studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Halsnæs, Kirsten; Shukla, P.; Garg, A.

2008-01-01

Sustainable development has been suggested as a framework for integrating development and climate change policies in developing countries. Mainstreaming climate change into sustainable development policies would allow these countries to achieve their development goals while addressing climate...... change. A number of research programmes have investigated how potential synergies could be achieved at national level and what kind of trade-offs between the various aspects of sustainable development have to be faced. An overview of these studies is provided, focusing on national case studies....... The energy and transportation sectors are covered in many studies, but some attention is also given to the infrastructure sector and water supply. Most existing development policies will not lead to a sustainable development pattern, since they insufficiently address climate change. However, good...

The Determinants Factors of the Capital Cost � Evidence from 5 EU Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Georgiana Sterea

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The aim of the paper is to highlight the importance and complexity of the company�s capital and its components and the extent to which its cost is influenced by several factors. In order to achieve this goal we have made a study on a sample of 15 companies from Romania and other 4 EU countries: Italy, Spain, France and Finland. All are SME�s and micro-enterprises that acting in the sector of "Growing of spices, aromatic, drug and pharmaceutical crops". For the study of capital cost determinants were selected five variables: return on equity, return on assets, general indebtedness, taxation and firm�s size in order to determine their influence on the cost of capital.

Costs of eliminating malaria and the impact of the global fund in 34 countries.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brittany Zelman

Full Text Available International financing for malaria increased more than 18-fold between 2000 and 2011; the largest source came from The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund. Countries have made substantial progress, but achieving elimination requires sustained finances to interrupt transmission and prevent reintroduction. Since 2011, global financing for malaria has declined, fueling concerns that further progress will be impeded, especially for current malaria-eliminating countries that may face resurgent malaria if programs are disrupted.This study aims to 1 assess past total and Global Fund funding to the 34 current malaria-eliminating countries, and 2 estimate their future funding needs to achieve malaria elimination and prevent reintroduction through 2030.Historical funding is assessed against trends in country-level malaria annual parasite incidences (APIs and income per capita. Following Kizewski et al. (2007, program costs to eliminate malaria and prevent reintroduction through 2030 are estimated using a deterministic model. The cost parameters are tailored to a package of interventions aimed at malaria elimination and prevention of reintroduction.The majority of Global Fund-supported countries experiencing increases in total funding from 2005 to 2010 coincided with reductions in malaria APIs and also overall GNI per capita average annual growth. The total amount of projected funding needed for the current malaria-eliminating countries to achieve elimination and prevent reintroduction through 2030 is approximately US$8.5 billion, or about $1.84 per person at risk per year (PPY (ranging from $2.51 PPY in 2014 to $1.43 PPY in 2030.Although external donor funding, particularly from the Global Fund, has been key for many malaria-eliminating countries, sustained and sufficient financing is critical for furthering global malaria elimination. Projected cost estimates for elimination provide policymakers with an indication of the

Social and clinical determinants of preferences and their achievement at the end of life: prospective cohort study of older adults receiving palliative care in three countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irene J. Higginson

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Achieving choice is proposed as a quality marker. But little is known about what influences preferences especially among older adults. We aimed to determine and compare, across three countries, factors associated with preferences for place of death and treatment, and actual site of death. Methods We recruited adults aged ≥65-years from hospital-based multiprofessional palliative care services in London, Dublin, New York, and followed them for >17 months. All services offered consultation on hospital wards, support for existing clinical teams, outpatient services and received funding from their National Health Service and/or relevant Insurance reimbursements. The New York service additionally had 10 inpatient beds. All worked with and referred patients to local hospices. Face-to-face interviews recorded most and least preferred place of death, treatment goal priorities, demographic and clinical information using validated questionnaires. Multivariable and multilevel analyses assessed associated factors. Results One hundred and thirty eight older adults (64 London, 59 Dublin, 15 New York were recruited, 110 died during follow-up. Home was the most preferred place of death (77/138, 56% followed by inpatient palliative care/hospice units (22%. Hospital was least preferred (35/138, 25%, followed by nursing home (20% and home (16%; hospice/palliative care unit was rarely least preferred (4%. Most respondents prioritised improving quality of life, either alone (54%, or equal with life extension (39%; few (3% chose only life extension. There were no significant differences between countries. Main associates with home preference were: cancer diagnosis (OR 3.72, 95% CI 1.40–9.90 and living with someone (OR 2.19, 1.33–3.62. Adults with non-cancer diagnoses were more likely to prefer palliative care units (OR 2.39, 1.14–5.03. Conversely, functional independence (OR 1.05, 1.04–1.06 and valuing quality of life (OR 3.11, 2.89–3

The Market Positioning and the Selection of Destination Countries for Music Students from Taiwan

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Li-Ping; Ho, Hsuan-fu

2014-01-01

Students now-a-days have to develop international skills to be successful in this global environment, and choosing a sound destination country is a crucial issue to the success of their overseas study. On the other hand, since international students may contribute a great deal to the host country's educational quality and its economy, countries…

Objective Academic Achievement and Subjective Personal Well-Being

Science.gov (United States)

McDonald, Betty

2012-01-01

This paper examines the relationship between objective academic achievement (OAA) and subjective well-being (SWB). Using a sample of 515 adolescents from ten different high schools across a small country, semi-structured interviews, academic records and observations provided relevant data for the study. OAA was measured from examination results…

Quantitative Guidance for Stove Usage and Performance to Achieve Health and Environmental Targets.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Michael A; Chiang, Ranyee A

2015-08-01

Displacing the use of polluting and inefficient cookstoves in developing countries is necessary to achieve the potential health and environmental benefits sought through clean cooking solutions. Yet little quantitative context has been provided on how much displacement of traditional technologies is needed to achieve targets for household air pollutant concentrations or fuel savings. This paper provides instructive guidance on the usage of cooking technologies required to achieve health and environmental improvements. We evaluated different scenarios of displacement of traditional stoves with use of higher performing technologies. The air quality and fuel consumption impacts were estimated for these scenarios using a single-zone box model of indoor air quality and ratios of thermal efficiency. Stove performance and usage should be considered together, as lower performing stoves can result in similar or greater benefits than a higher performing stove if the lower performing stove has considerably higher displacement of the baseline stove. Based on the indoor air quality model, there are multiple performance-usage scenarios for achieving modest indoor air quality improvements. To meet World Health Organization guidance levels, however, three-stone fire and basic charcoal stove usage must be nearly eliminated to achieve the particulate matter target (< 1-3 hr/week), and substantially limited to meet the carbon monoxide guideline (< 7-9 hr/week). Moderate health gains may be achieved with various performance-usage scenarios. The greatest benefits are estimated to be achieved by near-complete displacement of traditional stoves with clean technologies, emphasizing the need to shift in the long term to near exclusive use of clean fuels and stoves. The performance-usage scenarios are also provided as a tool to guide technology selection and prioritize behavior change opportunities to maximize impact.

The impact of the financial crisis on human resources for health policies in three southern-Europe countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Correia, Tiago; Dussault, Gilles; Pontes, Carla

2015-12-01

The public health sector has been the target of austerity measures since the global financial crisis started in 2008, while health workforce costs have been a source of rapid savings in most European Union countries. This article aims to explore how health workforce policies have evolved in three southern European countries under external constraints imposed by emergency financial programmes agreed with the International Monetary Fund, Central European Bank and European Commission. The selected countries, Greece, Portugal and Cyprus, show similarities with regard to corporatist systems of social protection and comprehensive welfare mechanisms only recently institutionalized. Based on document analysis of the Memoranda of Understanding agreed with the Troika, our results reveal broadly similar policy responses to the crisis but also important differences. In Cyprus, General Practitioners have a key position in reducing public expenditure through gatekeeping and control of users' access, while Portugal and Greece seeks to achieve cost containment by constraining the decision-making powers of professionals. All three countries lack innovation as well as monitoring and assessment of the effects of the financial crisis in relation to the health workforce. Consequently, there is a need for health policy development to use human resources more efficiently in healthcare. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Private power in developing countries: Exporting the American experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rogers, W.L.; Bourgeacq, J.P.

1990-01-01

This paper discusses using American marketing and financing expertise and technology to meet the need for increased power production and efficiency in developing countries. The topics of the paper include the opportunity for independent power production, dangers in international development, foreign country market evaluation, the criteria for selection, and taking advantage of the opportunities

Family Status and Students' Academic Achievement in Agricultural ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Annals of Modern Education ... This study investigated the relationship between family status and students' academic achievements in agricultural science subject. To achieve this goal, students from Katsina State Science and Technical Education Board (STEB) were purposively selected for the study.Random sampling ...

Formidable achievement through determination and pragmatism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1979-01-01

Anglo American Corporation's former chief consulting metallurgist Ewen Pinkney has a remarkable record of achievement in mining metallurgy and chemical engineering at mines all over Southern Africa despite the fact that he could not afford a university education. Just one feature of his career was the leading role he played in the establishment of the country's first big uranium plants. This as well as other features of his career are discussed

Streaming, Tracking and Reading Achievement: A Multilevel Analysis of Students in 40 Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, Ming Ming; Chow, Bonnie Wing-Yin; Joh, Sung Wook

2017-01-01

Grouping similar students together within schools ("streaming") or classrooms ("tracking") based on past literacy skills (reported by parents), family socioeconomic status (SES) or reading attitudes might affect their reading achievement. Our multilevel analysis of the reading tests of 208,057 fourth-grade students across 40…

Preferences of people with disabilities on wheelchairs in relation to forest trails for recreational in selected European countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janeczko Emilia

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The article presents the results of the survey on the preferences of disabled people in wheelchairs for selected features recreational trails in the woods. The study was conducted in 2015, including a sample of 130 people older than 18 years, in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia (52 interviews in Poland, 21 in the Czech Republic and 57 in Slovakia. Respondents were interviewed both at the premises of the organisation as well as by email. The questions in the survey were designed to determine the preferences of the respondents in terms of recreational trails in the forests concerned: the optimal length of the route, recreational and educational points along the distribution routes of and usability of different types of forest roads. The results show that there is quite a lot of differences between the preferences of respondents from each of the analysed countries. Respondents from the Poland and Slovakia prefer shorter routes for recreation in forests, with a greater incidence of recreational and educational points along the route, whilst respondents in the Czech Republic prefer far longer routes, with a relatively larger distance between recreational points. In all the analysed countries, people with disabilities attributed highest usefulness to asphalt surfaces, concrete surfaces or surfaces made of cobblestones. The surface evaluated lowest for usability was made of wood.

Water footprint as an indicator of agricultural productivity in African countries

Science.gov (United States)

Chico Zamanillo, Daniel; Zhang, Guoping; Mathews, Ruth

2017-04-01

Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the regions with the largest scope for improved agricultural development that would contribute to global food security while respecting environmental boundaries. More importantly, undernourishment is a challenge for many African countries and needs to be addressed to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This study was conducted to support the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affair's Inclusive Green Growth aim of increasing water use efficiency by 25% in Dutch financed projects. A water footprint profile was developed for 7 Sub-Saharan countries; Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique and Rwanda. The profiles provide an overview of water use from the perspective of the goods produced within the country, the consumption of goods, in particular agricultural crops, whether these goods are produced domestically or imported from other countries and the level of blue water scarcity experienced in the country. Across all countries, key food crops such as maize, and sorghum have low water productivity relative to the global water footprint benchmark. Export crops such as tea in Kenya or cocoa in Ghana show a good performance over global production. Furthermore, the water footprint of crops over the period 2006-2013 was compared to data from the period 1996-2005. Changes in yield and the resulting changes in the water footprint were assessed for both food and export crops. Yields in food crops improved in some countries, and in some years, but not consistently across all countries and years. The greatest gains in water productivity were in key export crops. The results provide insights into whether improvements have been made in water productivity in recent years and through comparison with the global water footprint benchmark, remaining opportunities for further gains in water productivity were identified. Going forward, policies that will enhance further improvement in water productivity and support greater food and

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus Continuum of Care in European Union Countries in 2013

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gourlay, Annabelle; Noori, Teymur; Pharris, Anastasia

2017-01-01

Background.: The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has set a "90-90-90" target to curb the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic by 2020, but methods used to assess whether countries have reached this target are not standardized, hindering comparisons. Methods.: Through......% virally suppressed (60% of people living with HIV). Two countries achieved ≥90% for all stages, and more than half had reached ≥90% for at least 1 stage. Conclusions.: European Union countries are nearing the 90-90-90 target. Reducing the proportion undiagnosed remains the greatest barrier to achieving...... this target, suggesting that further efforts are needed to improve HIV testing rates. Standardizing methods to derive comparable continuums of care remains a challenge....

Sex selection: treating different cases differently.

Science.gov (United States)

Dickens, B M; Serour, G I; Cook, R J; Qiu, R-Z

2005-08-01

This paper contrasts ethical approaches to sex selection in countries where discrimination against women is pervasive, resulting in selection against girl children, and in countries where there is less general discrimination and couples do not prefer children of either sex. National sex ratio imbalances where discrimination against women is common have resulted in laws and policies, such as in India and China, to deter and prevent sex selection. Birth ratios of children can be affected by techniques of prenatal sex determination and abortion, preconception sex selection and discarding disfavored embryos, and prefertilization sperm sorting, when disfavored sperm remain unused. Incentives for son preference are reviewed, and laws and policies to prevent sex selection are explained. The elimination of social, economic and other discrimination against women is urged to redress sex selection against girl children. Where there is no general selection against girl children, sex selection can be allowed to assist families that want children of both sexes.

Review of Research into Enterprise Bankruptcy Prediction in Selected Central and Eastern European Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Błażej Prusak

2018-06-01

Full Text Available In developed countries, the first studies on forecasting bankruptcy date to the early 20th century. In Central and Eastern Europe, due to, among other factors, the geopolitical situation and the introduced economic system, this issue became the subject of researcher interest only in the 1990s. Therefore, it is worthwhile to analyze whether these countries conduct bankruptcy risk assessments and what their level of advancement is. The main objective of the article is the review and assessment of the level of advancement of bankruptcy prediction research in countries of the former Eastern Bloc, in comparison to the latest global research trends in this area. For this purpose, the method of analyzing scientific literature was applied. The publications chosen as the basis for the research were mainly based on information from the Google Scholar and ResearchGate databases during the period Q4 2016–Q3 2017. According to the author’s knowledge, this is the first such large-scale study involving the countries of the former Eastern Bloc—which includes the following states: Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, Hungary, Russia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, and Belarus. The results show that the most advanced research in this area is conducted in the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Estonia, Russia, and Hungary. Belarus Bulgaria and Latvia are on the other end. In the remaining countries, traditional approaches to predicting business insolvency are generally used.

Is Africa’s current growth reducing inequality? Evidence from some selected african countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alege P.O.

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Is Africa’s current growth reducing inequality? What are the implications of growth on output performances in Africa? Does the effect of Africa’s growth on sectorial output have any implication for inequality in Africa? The study investigates the effect of shocks on a set of macroeconomic variables on inequality (measured by life expectancy and the implication of this on sectors that are perceived to provide economic empowerment in form of employment for people living in the African countries in our sample. Studies already find that growth in many African countries has not been accompanied with significant improvement in employment. Therefore inequality is subject to a counter cyclical trend in production levels when export destination countries experience a recession. The study also provides insight on the effect of growth on sectorial output for three major sectors in the African economy with the intent of analyzing the impact of growth on sectorial development. The method used in this study is Panel Vector Autoregressive (PVAR estimation and the obvious advantage of this method lies in the fact that it allows us to capture both static and dynamic interdependencies and to treat the links across units in an unrestricted fashion. Data is obtained from World Bank (WDI Statistics for the period 1985 to 2012 (28 years for 10 African Countries. Our main findings confirm strong negative relationship between GDP growth and life expectancy and also for GDP and the services and manufacturing sector considering the full sample.

Mathematics in middle schools in Western European countries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pelgrum, W.J.

1988-01-01

The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement has conducted a number of cross-national studies in which Western European countries participated. Results from the Second International Mathematics Study regarding the content and outcomes of this study in some Western

A Comparative Study of the Structure of Supervising the Financial Markets in Iran and the Selected Countries

OpenAIRE

Elham Abasgholi beik; Zahra Zadehnasir

2014-01-01

Financial markets are the most important sectors of each country?s economy. Having the desired economic growth rate will be impossible without an efficient institution. The most basic interaction efficiency and proper functioning of a country?s financial regulatory system is a complete and powerful supervision authority and agencies. The results indicate that the majority of countries in addition by having separate supervisory institutions for banking, insurance and stock market, due to be a ...

Pregnancy planning and risk behaviours - a survey of women's experiences in selected European countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Lesińska-Sawicka, Małgorzata; Nagórska, Małgorzata

2018-03-14

Pregnancy, a special period in a woman's life, should be preceded by proper preparation: a positive attitude to procreation, selection of optimum time for becoming pregnant, starting prevention of neural tube defects, restriction of the use of drugs, smoking, etc. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of pregnancy planning and antenatal classes on the use of stimulants during pregnancy. The study group included 877 women living in 7 European countries, and their experiences of planning pregnancy and substance abuse during pregnancy were investigated. In about a half (50.3%) of respondents the pregnancy was planned. The highest percentage of mothers who planned pregnancy was recorded in Poland and Bulgaria (about 76%). By contrast, in Germany the proportion of mothers who planned pregnancy was the lowest (46.2%). Surprisingly, they became pregnant despite very frequent use of birth control (96.7%). On average, 17.3% of respondents disclosed that they drank alcohol or coffee, smoked cigarettes or used psychoactive drugs during pregnancy. Among women who did not plan to be pregnant, the use of stimulants was recorded more often. However, pregnancy planning only slightly inclined women to stop the consumption of stimulants. Attendance at antenatal classes did not have any significant effect on the use of stimulants.

Corporate strategic branding: How country and corporate brands come together

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Đorđević Bojan

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The concept of countries as brands has been increasingly recognized in the post-modern global world. A strong country brand can provide corporate brands with a unique set of values, which supports their positioning on the international market. Simultaneously, once corporate brands achieve worldwide success, they contribute actively to developing new features of the country brand. Consumers pay more and more attention to products' country of origin. When the name of a country is mentioned, they can have positive associations (high quality, modern design, product innovation, which means that the country itself has a powerful brand. However, there are opposite cases where we talk about the weak branding of a particular country. It is necessary to mobilize all the available forces of politicians, business people, artists, sportsmen and scientists to create a strategy for enhancing the image and reputation of a country on the international markets, i.e. for creating the national branding strategy.

The Relationship between Multiple Substance Use, Perceived Academic Achievements, and Selected Socio-Demographic Factors in a Polish Adolescent Sample

Science.gov (United States)

Mazur, Joanna; Tabak, Izabela; Dzielska, Anna; Wąż, Krzysztof; Oblacińska, Anna

2016-01-01

Predictors of high-risk patterns of substance use are often analysed in relation to demographic and school-related factors. The interaction between these factors and the additional impact of family wealth are still new areas of research. The aim of this study was to find determinants of the most common patterns of psychoactive substance use in mid-adolescence, compared to non-users. A sample of 1202 Polish students (46.1% boys, mean age of 15.6 years) was surveyed in 2013/2014. Four patterns of psychoactive substance use were defined using cluster analysis: non-users—71.9%, mainly tobacco and alcohol users—13.7%, high alcohol and cannabis users—7.2%, poly-users—7.2%. The final model contained the main effects of gender and age, and one three-way (perceived academic achievement × gender × family affluence) interaction. Girls with poor perception of school performance (as compared to girls with better achievements) were at significantly higher risk of being poly-users, in both less and more affluent families (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 5.55 and OR = 3.60, respectively). The impact of family affluence was revealed only in interaction with other factors. Patterns of substance use in mid-adolescence are strongly related to perceived academic achievements, and these interact with selected socio-demographic factors. PMID:28009806

The Relationship between Multiple Substance Use, Perceived Academic Achievements, and Selected Socio-Demographic Factors in a Polish Adolescent Sample

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joanna Mazur

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Predictors of high-risk patterns of substance use are often analysed in relation to demographic and school-related factors. The interaction between these factors and the additional impact of family wealth are still new areas of research. The aim of this study was to find determinants of the most common patterns of psychoactive substance use in mid-adolescence, compared to non-users. A sample of 1202 Polish students (46.1% boys, mean age of 15.6 years was surveyed in 2013/2014. Four patterns of psychoactive substance use were defined using cluster analysis: non-users—71.9%, mainly tobacco and alcohol users—13.7%, high alcohol and cannabis users—7.2%, poly-users—7.2%. The final model contained the main effects of gender and age, and one three-way (perceived academic achievement × gender × family affluence interaction. Girls with poor perception of school performance (as compared to girls with better achievements were at significantly higher risk of being poly-users, in both less and more affluent families (adjusted odds ratio (OR = 5.55 and OR = 3.60, respectively. The impact of family affluence was revealed only in interaction with other factors. Patterns of substance use in mid-adolescence are strongly related to perceived academic achievements, and these interact with selected socio-demographic factors.

Kick, Glide, Pole! Cross-Country Skiing Fun (Part II)

Science.gov (United States)

Duoos, Bridget A.

2012-01-01

Part I of Kick, Glide, Pole! Cross-Country Skiing Fun, which was published in last issue, discussed how to select cross-country ski equipment, dress for the activity and the biomechanics of the diagonal stride. Part II focuses on teaching the diagonal stride technique and begins with a progression of indoor activities. Incorporating this fun,…

Atom for peace in the socialist countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panasenkov, A.F.

1979-01-01

In general terms presented are the achievements of the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) countries in the sphere of nuclear science and technology. The activities of the Joint Institute of Nuclear Research in Dubna and the CMEA Commission on peaceful Use of Nuclear power are described. Works on the development and construction of plants with the WWER-1000 reactor are under completion, the BN-1600 fast reactor technical project is under way. The CMEA countries energy program and their cooperation in this field are presented in short. The directions of studies on the radioactive waste reprocessing and desposal are described. The work of International Economic Union (the ''Interinstrument''), created with the aim of specialization and cooperation on the CMEA countries in the field of nuclear instrument-industry is presented

Setting Ambitious yet Achievable Targets Using Probabilistic Projections: Meeting Demand for Family Planning.

Science.gov (United States)

Kantorová, Vladimíra; New, Jin Rou; Biddlecom, Ann; Alkema, Leontine

2017-09-01

In 2015, governments adopted 17 internationally agreed goals to ensure progress and well-being in the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. These new goals present a challenge for countries to set empirical targets that are ambitious yet achievable and that can account for different starting points and rates of progress. We used probabilistic projections of family planning indicators, based on a global data set and Bayesian hierarchical modeling, to generate illustrative targets at the country level. Targets were defined as the percentage of demand for family planning satisfied with modern contraceptive methods where a country has at least a 10 percent chance of reaching the target by 2030. National targets for 2030 ranged from below 50 percent of demand satisfied with modern contraceptives (for three countries in Africa) to above 90 percent (for 41 countries from all major areas of the world). The probabilistic approach also identified countries for which a global fixed target value of 75 percent demand satisfied was either unambitious or has little chance of achievement. We present the web-based Family Planning Estimation Tool (FPET) enabling national decision makers to compute and assess targets for meeting family planning demand. © 2017 The Population Council, Inc.

The Effect of Schooling on Basic Cognition in Selected Nordic Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bert Jonsson

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The present study investigated schooling effects on cognition. Cognitive data were collected as part of a research project (ProMeal that investigated school meals and measured the intake of school lunch in relation to children’s health, cognitive function, and classroom learning in four Nordic countries, among children between 10–11 years of age. It was found that Finnish pupils attending 4th grade were not, on any measure, outperformed by Norwegian and Icelandic pupils attending 5th and Swedish pupils attending 4th grade on a task measuring working memory capacity, processing speed, inhibition, and in a subsample on response- and attention control. Moreover, boys were found to perform superior to girls on tasks measuring processing speed. However, girls were found to perform better on tasks related to attention and self-control. The results are discussed in relation to the reciprocal association between cognition and schooling and whether these results reflect quality differences between schools in the four Nordic countries; most notably in comparison to Finland.

Eosinophilic Esophagitis in a Developing Country: Is It Different from Developed Countries?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdulrahman Al-Hussaini

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background and Objective. Despite the extensive reporting of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE from industrialized developed countries, reports from developing countries are rare. The aim of our study was to determine the epidemiological, clinical, and endoscopic features of EoE and response to therapy in children and adults from a developing country, Saudi Arabia. Methods. We identified patients diagnosed with EoE in our center from 2004 to 2011. EoE was defined as esophageal mucosal infiltration with a peak eosinophil count ≥15 eosinophils/high-powered field. Results. Forty-five patients were diagnosed with EoE (37 children and 8 adults; 36 males; median age 10.5 years, range from 1–37 years. Feeding difficulty, vomiting/regurgitation, and failure to thrive predominated in young children, whereas dysphagia and food impactions predominated in older children and adults. Allergy testing revealed food sensitization in 12 of 15 patients (80%; 3 responded to elemental formula, while 8 failed to respond to dietary manipulation after the allergy testing. Thirty-nine patients achieved remission by swallowed inhaled fluticasone. The majority of patients experienced a recurrence of symptoms upon the discontinuation of fluticasone. Conclusion. Our data indicate that EoE is increasingly recognized in Saudi Arabia and show many similarities to data from North America and Europe.

Identifying Country-Specific Cultures of Physics Education: A differential item functioning approach

Science.gov (United States)

Mesic, Vanes

2012-11-01

In international large-scale assessments of educational outcomes, student achievement is often represented by unidimensional constructs. This approach allows for drawing general conclusions about country rankings with respect to the given achievement measure, but it typically does not provide specific diagnostic information which is necessary for systematic comparisons and improvements of educational systems. Useful information could be obtained by exploring the differences in national profiles of student achievement between low-achieving and high-achieving countries. In this study, we aimed to identify the relative weaknesses and strengths of eighth graders' physics achievement in Bosnia and Herzegovina in comparison to the achievement of their peers from Slovenia. For this purpose, we ran a secondary analysis of Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007 data. The student sample consisted of 4,220 students from Bosnia and Herzegovina and 4,043 students from Slovenia. After analysing the cognitive demands of TIMSS 2007 physics items, the correspondent differential item functioning (DIF)/differential group functioning contrasts were estimated. Approximately 40% of items exhibited large DIF contrasts, indicating significant differences between cultures of physics education in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia. The relative strength of students from Bosnia and Herzegovina showed to be mainly associated with the topic area 'Electricity and magnetism'. Classes of items which required the knowledge of experimental method, counterintuitive thinking, proportional reasoning and/or the use of complex knowledge structures proved to be differentially easier for students from Slovenia. In the light of the presented results, the common practice of ranking countries with respect to universally established cognitive categories seems to be potentially misleading.

Environmental logistics performance indicators affecting per capita income and sectoral growth: evidence from a panel of selected global ranked logistics countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Syed Abdul Rehman; Qianli, Dong; SongBo, Wei; Zaman, Khalid; Zhang, Yu

2017-01-01

The objective of the study is to examine the long-run and causal relationship between environmental logistics performance indicators (ELPI) and growth-specific factors in a panel of 15 selected global ranked logistics countries over a period of 2007-2015. This study is exclusive as we utilized a number of LPI factors including logistics performance, logistics competence, and logistics infrastructure with mediation of sustainable factors, i.e., carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), fossil fuel, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in a region. The results show that the per capita income, industry, manufacturing, and service share to GDP is affected by CO 2 emissions and GHG emissions. Logistics competence and infrastructure promote economic growth and sectoral value added, while energy demand and FDI inflows both are prerequisite for sustainable agriculture in a region. The causal relationships confirm that more energy demand results in an increase in economic growth, industry value added, and the service sector (i.e., feedback hypothesis), while the sustainable supply chain system improves energy demand, FDI inflows, economic growth, and sectoral growth (i.e., conservation hypothesis) in a panel of countries.

Factors Influencing Cloud-Computing Technology Adoption in Developing Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Hailu, Alemayehu

2012-01-01

Adoption of new technology has complicating components both from the selection, as well as decision-making criteria and process. Although new technology such as cloud computing provides great benefits especially to the developing countries, it has challenges that may complicate the selection decision and subsequent adoption process. This study…

The Impact of the Applied Exchange Rate Regimes on the Internal Balance of Transition Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vujanić Vlado

2017-12-01

Full Text Available One of the key goals of the economic policy makers of every country is to achieve internal and external balance. An unavoidable segment of the analysis concerning the achievement of internal and external balance is certainly the influence of the exchange rate regime applied in a country. European transition countries, despite their similar initial problems and final objectives, applied different exchange rate regimes adapted to the economic circumstances and needs of the country. The paper aims to examine and demonstrate the impact of the applied exchange rate regime on the internal balance of the transition countries. The research encompasses 10 representative transition countries, in the period from 2000-2014. The results of the research, from the aspect of internal balance, confirmed the justification of the application of the floating exchange rate regime in more developed, but not in less-developed, European transition countries. The application of floating exchange rate regimes in less-developed transition countries is associated with a considerably higher average inflation rate, which may be explained by the higher import dependence of lessdeveloped countries and by the consequent transfer of depreciation to price growth.

Euthanasia and assisted suicide in selected European countries and US states: systematic literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Steck, Nicole; Egger, Matthias; Maessen, Maud; Reisch, Thomas; Zwahlen, Marcel

2013-10-01

Legal in some European countries and US states, physician-assisted suicide and voluntary active euthanasia remain under debate in these and other countries. The aim of the study was to examine numbers, characteristics, and trends over time for assisted dying in regions where these practices are legal: Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Oregon, Washington, and Montana. This was a systematic review of journal articles and official reports. Medline and Embase databases were searched for relevant studies, from inception to end of 2012. We searched the websites of the health authorities of all eligible countries and states for reports on physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia and included publications that reported on cases of physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia. We extracted information on the total number of assisted deaths, its proportion in relation to all deaths, and socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of individuals assisted to die. A total of 1043 publications were identified; 25 articles and reports were retained, including series of reported cases, physician surveys, and reviews of death certificates. The percentage of physician-assisted deaths among all deaths ranged from 0.1%-0.2% in the US states and Luxembourg to 1.8%-2.9% in the Netherlands. Percentages of cases reported to the authorities increased in most countries over time. The typical person who died with assistance was a well-educated male cancer patient, aged 60-85 years. Despite some common characteristics between countries, we found wide variation in the extent and specific characteristics of those who died an assisted death.

Environmental and resource economics in South Africa: status quo and lessons for developing countries

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Nahman, Anton

2009-09-01

Full Text Available The paper reviews the potential contributions of environmental and resource economics (ERE) to the achievement of sustainable development in developing countries and highlights the limitations associated with applying ERE within a developing country...

Pharmacovigilance activities in ASEAN countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Suwankesawong, Wimon; Dhippayom, Teerapon; Tan-Koi, Wei-Chuen; Kongkaew, Chuenjid

2016-09-01

This study aimed to explore the current landscape and identify challenges of pharmacovigilance (PV) among Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. This cross-sectional survey collected data from May 2014 to December 2015. Questionnaires seeking to collect information on resources, processes, roles and responsibility, and functions of PV systems were sent to relevant persons in the ASEAN countries. Functions of PV centers were measured using the minimum World Health Organization requirements for a functional national PV system. Performances of PV centers were measured by the following: (1) the indicators related to the average number of individual case safety reports (ICSR); (2) presence of signal detection activities and subsequent action; and (3) contribution to the global vigilance database. Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam completed the survey. PV systems in four surveyed countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand) achieved all aspects of the World Health Organization minimum requirement for a functional national PV system; the remaining countries were deemed to have unclear communication strategies and/or no official advisory committee. Average numbers of recent ICSR national returns ranged from 7 to 3817 reports/year/million population; three countries (Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand) demonstrated good performance in reporting system and reported signal detection activities and subsequent actions. All participating countries had submitted ICSRs to the Uppsala Monitoring Center during the survey period (2013-2015). Four participating countries had functional PV systems. PV capacity, functionality, and legislative framework varied depending on local healthcare ecosystem networks. Implementing effective communication strategies and/or technical assistance from the advisory committee are needed to strengthen PV in ASEAN. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright �

Use of country of birth as an indicator of refugee background in health datasets

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background Routine public health databases contain a wealth of data useful for research among vulnerable or isolated groups, who may be under-represented in traditional medical research. Identifying specific vulnerable populations, such as resettled refugees, can be particularly challenging; often country of birth is the sole indicator of whether an individual has a refugee background. The objective of this article was to review strengths and weaknesses of different methodological approaches to identifying resettled refugees and comparison groups from routine health datasets and to propose the application of additional methodological rigour in future research. Discussion Methodological approaches to selecting refugee and comparison groups from existing routine health datasets vary widely and are often explained in insufficient detail. Linked data systems or datasets from specialized refugee health services can accurately select resettled refugee and asylum seeker groups but have limited availability and can be selective. In contrast, country of birth is commonly collected in routine health datasets but a robust method for selecting humanitarian source countries based solely on this information is required. The authors recommend use of national immigration data to objectively identify countries of birth with high proportions of humanitarian entrants, matched by time period to the study dataset. When available, additional migration indicators may help to better understand migration as a health determinant. Methodologically, if multiple countries of birth are combined, the proportion of the sample represented by each country of birth should be included, with sub-analysis of individual countries of birth potentially providing further insights, if population size allows. United Nations-defined world regions provide an objective framework for combining countries of birth when necessary. A comparison group of economic migrants from the same world region may be appropriate

Analyzing Turkey's data from TIMSS 2007 to investigate regional disparities in eighth grade science achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Erberber, Ebru

Turkey is expected to be a full member of the European Union (EU) by 2013. In the course of its integration into the EU, Turkey has been simultaneously facing access, quality, and equity issues in education. Over the past decade, substantial progress has been made on increasing the access. However, improving the country's low level of education quality and achieving equity in quality education across the regions continue to be a monumental challenge in Turkey. Most recently, results from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007 indicated that Turkey's educational achievement at the eighth grade, the end of compulsory primary education in Turkey, was far below that of other countries in the EU. Considering Turkey's long standing socioeconomic disparities between the western and eastern parts of the country, the challenges of improving overall education quality are coupled with the challenges of achieving equity in learning outcomes for students across the regions. This dissertation used data from TIMSS 2007 to document the extent of Turkey's regional differences in science achievement at the eighth grade and to investigate factors associated with these differences. Findings from a series of analyses using hierarchical linear models suggested that attempts to increase Turkish students' achievement and close the achievement gaps between regions should target the students in the undeveloped regions, particularly in Southeastern Anatolia and Eastern Anatolia. Designing interventions to improve competency in Turkish and to compensate for the shortcomings of insufficient parental education, limited home educational resources, poor school climate for academic achievement, and inadequate instructional equipment and facilities might be expected to close the regional achievement gaps as well as raise the overall achievement level in Turkey.

Drinking water and sanitation: progress in 73 countries in relation to socioeconomic indicators.

Science.gov (United States)

Luh, Jeanne; Bartram, Jamie

2016-02-01

To assess progress in the provision of drinking water and sanitation in relation to national socioeconomic indicators. We used household survey data for 73 countries - collected between 2000 and 2012 - to calculate linear rates of change in population access to improved drinking water (n = 67) and/or sanitation (n = 61). To enable comparison of progress between countries with different initial levels of access, the calculated rates of change were normalized to fall between -1 and 1. In regression analyses, we investigated associations between the normalized rates of change in population access and national socioeconomic indicators: gross national income per capita, government effectiveness, official development assistance, freshwater resources, education, poverty, Gini coefficient, child mortality and the human development index. The normalized rates of change indicated that most of the investigated countries were making progress towards achieving universal access to improved drinking water and sanitation. However, only about a third showed a level of progress that was at least half the maximum achievable level. The normalized rates of change did not appear to be correlated with any of the national indicators that we investigated. In many countries, the progress being made towards universal access to improved drinking water and sanitation is falling well short of the maximum achievable level. Progress does not appear to be correlated with a country's social and economic characteristics. The between-country variations observed in such progress may be linked to variations in government policies and in the institutional commitment and capacity needed to execute such policies effectively.

Food composition database development for between country comparisons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Merchant Anwar T

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Nutritional assessment by diet analysis is a two-stepped process consisting of evaluation of food consumption, and conversion of food into nutrient intake by using a food composition database, which lists the mean nutritional values for a given food portion. Most reports in the literature focus on minimizing errors in estimation of food consumption but the selection of a specific food composition table used in nutrient estimation is also a source of errors. We are conducting a large prospective study internationally and need to compare diet, assessed by food frequency questionnaires, in a comparable manner between different countries. We have prepared a multi-country food composition database for nutrient estimation in all the countries participating in our study. The nutrient database is primarily based on the USDA food composition database, modified appropriately with reference to local food composition tables, and supplemented with recipes of locally eaten mixed dishes. By doing so we have ensured that the units of measurement, method of selection of foods for testing, and assays used for nutrient estimation are consistent and as current as possible, and yet have taken into account some local variations. Using this common metric for nutrient assessment will reduce differential errors in nutrient estimation and improve the validity of between-country comparisons.

Food composition database development for between country comparisons.

Science.gov (United States)

Merchant, Anwar T; Dehghan, Mahshid

2006-01-19

Nutritional assessment by diet analysis is a two-stepped process consisting of evaluation of food consumption, and conversion of food into nutrient intake by using a food composition database, which lists the mean nutritional values for a given food portion. Most reports in the literature focus on minimizing errors in estimation of food consumption but the selection of a specific food composition table used in nutrient estimation is also a source of errors. We are conducting a large prospective study internationally and need to compare diet, assessed by food frequency questionnaires, in a comparable manner between different countries. We have prepared a multi-country food composition database for nutrient estimation in all the countries participating in our study. The nutrient database is primarily based on the USDA food composition database, modified appropriately with reference to local food composition tables, and supplemented with recipes of locally eaten mixed dishes. By doing so we have ensured that the units of measurement, method of selection of foods for testing, and assays used for nutrient estimation are consistent and as current as possible, and yet have taken into account some local variations. Using this common metric for nutrient assessment will reduce differential errors in nutrient estimation and improve the validity of between-country comparisons.

Foreign Direct Investments and Tax Correlation: Some of EU Countries and Turkey

OpenAIRE

Ali YAVUZ; Serdar ÇİÇEK

2010-01-01

In the globalizing world; individuals, markets and capital are more mobile than the past for that reason countries are in cutthroat competition for attract the direct and indirect investments. Especially, developing countries overview their own tax policy and perform incentive measures including tax incentives to attract the direct investments which have a positive effect of production and employment level. In this process, some countries achieve their goals and some are not. The purpose of t...

Selection of Technology in Global Manufacturing Industries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bruun, Peter

1997-01-01

not work well. The host country's business and cultural environment must be taken into account in designing a production system which requires attention to the management elements of technology transfer. This paper presents a model for transfer of manufacturing technology to a foreign site based......Transferring a manufacturing system to another country has proven to be problematic for most multinational firms. Selection of the appropriate production process and technology is a critical decision as transplantation of an existing system from another country without adaptation usually does...... on a sociotechnical system approach. It views the decisions for selecting and implementing a production system as a five stage process. The first step is determining the strategic goals of the foreign plant followed by selection of the production process and manufacturing system types. The last stages involve...

The Bidirectional Causality between Country-Level Governance, Economic Growth and Sustainable Development: A Cross-Country Data Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Boţa-Avram

2018-02-01

Full Text Available In the context of contemporary society, characterized by the information users’ growing and differentiated needs, the way country-level governance and social responsibility contribute to the ensuring of sustainable economic development is a concern for all the actors of the economic sphere. The aim of this paper is to test the causal linkages between the quality of country-level governance, economic growth and a well-known indicator of economic sustainable development, for a large panel of world-wide countries for a period of 10 years (2006–2015. While there are some prior studies that have argued the bidirectional causality between good public governance and economic development, this study intends to provide a new focus on the relationship between country-level governance and economic growth, on one hand, and between country-level governance and adjusted net savings, as a selected indicator of economic sustainable development, on the other hand. Four hypotheses on the causal relationship between good governance, economic growth and sustainable development were tested by using Granger non-causality tests. Our findings resulting from Granger non-causality tests provide reasonable evidence of Granger causality from country-level governance to economic growth, but from economic growth to country-level governance, the causality is not confirmed. In what regards the relationship between country-level governance and adjusted net savings, the bidirectional Granger causality is not confirmed. The main implication of our study is that improving economic growth and sustainable development is a very challenging issue, and the impact of macro-level factors such as country-level governance should not be neglected.

Quantifying Projected Heat Mortality Impacts under 21st-Century Warming Conditions for Selected European Countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Kendrovski, Vladimir; Baccini, Michela; Martinez, Gerardo Sanchez; Wolf, Tanja; Paunovic, Elizabet; Menne, Bettina

2017-07-05

Under future warming conditions, high ambient temperatures will have a significant impact on population health in Europe. The aim of this paper is to quantify the possible future impact of heat on population mortality in European countries, under different climate change scenarios. We combined the heat-mortality function estimated from historical data with meteorological projections for the future time laps 2035-2064 and 2071-2099, developed under the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5. We calculated attributable deaths (AD) at the country level. Overall, the expected impacts will be much larger than the impacts we would observe if apparent temperatures would remain in the future at the observed historical levels. During the period 2071-2099, an overall excess of 46,690 and 117,333 AD per year is expected under the RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios respectively, in addition to the 16,303 AD estimated under the historical scenario. Mediterranean and Eastern European countries will be the most affected by heat, but a non-negligible impact will be still registered in North-continental countries. Policies and plans for heat mitigation and adaptation are needed and urgent in European countries in order to prevent the expected increase of heat-related deaths in the coming decades.

Web of science coverage and scientific performance of Central and Eastern European countries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ploszaj, A.; Olechnicka, A.

2016-07-01

The paper put forward the hypothesis that changes in the list of journals, particularly in the number of periodicals published in specific Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, have a significant impact on bibliometric indicators and, consequently, on the convergence levels they are used to measure. The analyses presented in the article support the argument that countries from Central and Eastern Europe, despite showing fairly consistent convergence trends, achieve noticeably weaker results than Western Europe regarding research and development and scientific activity. The evident impact made by the inclusion of numerous CEE journals in WoS on the values of the indicator analysed, directly supports the hypothesis put forward in this article. The results of the study are important because data on the number of publications and citations in the Web of Science are increasingly used as development indicators of national R&D sectors. By showing how modifications in these databases influence the results obtained, we can better understand and thus make better use of data from these sources. The article concludes with listing the possibilities for furthering and deepening selected themes pointed out in the paper. (Author)

To Achieve or Not To Achieve: A Self-Regulation Perspective on Adolescents' Academic Decision Making.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, David C.; Byrnes, James P.

2001-01-01

This study investigated the utility of the self-regulation model of decision making for explaining and predicting adolescents' academic decision making. Measures included an assessment of decision-making skill; academic goals; select scales of Learning and Study Strategies Inventory; and teacher ratings of achievement behavior. Adolescents'…

The diversity of postharvest losses in cassava value chains in selected developing countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diego Naziri

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The extent of physical and economic postharvest losses at different stages of cassava value chains has been estimated in four countries that differ considerably in the way cassava is cultivated, processed and consumed and in the relationships and linkages among the value chain actors. Ghana incurs by far the highest losses because a high proportion of roots reach the consumers in the fresh form. Most losses occur at the last stage of the value chain. In Nigeria and Vietnam processors incur most of the losses while in Thailand most losses occur during harvesting. Poorer countries incur higher losses despite their capacity to absorb sub-standard products (therefore transforming part of the physical losses into economic losses and less strict buyer standards. In monetary terms the impact of losses is particularly severe in Ghana and estimated at about half a billion US dollar per annum while in the other countries it is at the most about USD 50 million. This comparison shows that there are no “one-size-fits-all" solutions for addressing postharvest losses but rather these must be tailor-made to the specific characteristics of the different value chains.

Colombian public policies contributing to the achievement of Millennium Development Goals in the health sector, 2006

OpenAIRE

Lina M. Grisales; Libardo A. Giraldo

2008-01-01

During the General Assembly of the United Nations, in September 2000,189 countries (including Colombia) committed to eight objectives leading to a more human and fairer world. Such objectives are called the Millennium Development Goals (mdg) and to achieve them it is crucial to incorporate them in the action agendas of each country. The purpose of this monograph is to recognize current public policies in Colombia and Antioquia leading the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, speci...

The cross-country implications of alternative climate policies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Aijun; Du, Nan; Wei, Qian

2014-01-01

Because of worldwide growing concerns about global climate change, great interest has been expressed in the potential of alternative climate policies to reduce global carbon emissions. In this paper, we compare cross-country implications of alternative climate policies, including unilateral and multilateral climate policies. Our main findings are as follows. Firstly, there are large differences in cross-country effects of alternative unilateral climate policies, when the same given carbon emission reductions are achieved in each abating country respectively. Meanwhile, cross-border externalities undermine efficiency of unilateral climate policies. Secondly, there are significant differences in cross-country implications of alternative multilateral climate policies, when the same global emission reductions are allocated in several different ways among abating countries. Thirdly, it is difficult to reach a stable global climate treaty, since any abating country has the incentive to argue for small carbon emission reductions. Finally, multilateral climate policies can reduce the negative impacts of cross-border externalities, but cannot cure all cross-border externalities. Looking ahead, it will be a great policy challenge for the world to reduce carbon emissions in a cost-effective way. - highlights: • We compare impacts of unilateral climate policies across countries. • We compare effects of alternative multilateral climate policies. • We explore whether cross-border externalities disappear under multilateral climate policies

OpportunitiesandPerceptionofSpaceProgramsintheDevelopingCountries

Science.gov (United States)

Abubakar, B.

2007-05-01

Although the space program as a whole is a true reflection of the level of achievement in human history in the field of Science and Technology, but it is also important to note that there are numbers of communities and societies on this earth that are ignorant about this great achievement, hence leading to the continuous diverting of Potential Astronomers, Aerospace Engineers and Astrologist to other disciplines, thereby undermining the development of the space program over time. It was in view of the above that this research was conducted and came up with the under listed Suggestions/Recommendations:- (1) The European Space Agency (ESA), National Aeronautic Space Agency (NASA) and the Russian Space Agency, should be organising and sponsoring public enlightenment conferences, seminars and workshops towards creating awareness and attracting Potential Astronomers and other Space Scientist mostly in the developing countries into the space program. (2) Esteemed organisations in space programs like NASA, ESA and others should be awarding scholarships to potential space scientist that lacks the financial capability to pursue studies in the field of space science from the developing countries. (3) The European Space Agency, National Aeronautic Space Agency and the Russian Space Agency, should open their offices for the development of the space program in the third world countries. I believe that if the above suggestions/recommendations are adopted and implemented it will lead to the development of the space program in general, otherwise the rate at which potential Astronomers, Aerospace Engineers and Astrologists will be diverting into other disciplines will ever remain on the increase. Thanks for listening.

Marker-assisted selection as a tool for genetic improvement of crops, livestock, forestry and fish in developing countries: an overview of the issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruane, R.; Sonnino, A.

2007-01-01

This chapter provides an overview of the techniques, current status and issues involved in using marker-assisted selection (MAS) for genetic improvement in developing countries. Molecular marker maps, the necessary framework for any MAS programme, have been constructed for the majority of agriculturally important species, although the density of the maps varies considerably among species. Despite the considerable resources that have been invested in this field and despite the enormous potential it still represents, with few exceptions, MAS has not yet delivered its expected benefits in commercial breeding programmes for crops, livestock, forest trees or farmed fish in the developed world. When evaluating the potential merits of applying MAS as a tool for genetic improvement in developing countries, some of the issues that should be considered are its economic costs and benefits, its potential benefits compared with conventional breeding or with application of other biotechnologies, and the potential impact of intellectual property rights (IPRs) on the development and application of MAS. (author)

Electric power prices: variable tendency depending on the country

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1999-01-01

The deregulation of the electric power sector is very much in the news in most countries and at different stages. A study carried out by the national utility service (NUS) in 17 countries worldwide takes stock of the influence of deregulation on electric power prices. According to this study, the most important price increases are found in 4 non-European countries (Norway, South Africa, USA, New Zealand) while the most important decreases are found within Europe (Sweden 20%, Denmark 15.6%, Italy 12% and Germany 8%). In France the decrease of tariffs reaches only 3%. This short paper analyzes the evolution of prices in the different countries selected in the study, but no real tendency is outlined as the stage of competition is different in each country. (J.S.)

The Moderating Role of Popular Peers’ Achievement Goals in 5th- and 6th- graders Achievement-related Friendships : A Social Network Analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wijnen, A.M.; Ryan, Allison; Harakeh, Z.; Shin, Huiyoung; Vollebergh, W.A.M.

This research investigated whether classroom-based peer norms for achievement goals moderate friendship selection, maintenance and influence processes related to academic achievement in 46 5th and 6th grade classrooms (N = 901, 58.7% 5th grade students, 48.5% boys). A distinction was made between

Comparison of Iranian National Medical Library with digital libraries of selected countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Zare-Farashbandi, Firoozeh; Najafi, Nayere Sadat Soleimanzade; Atashpour, Bahare

2014-01-01

The important role of information and communication technologies and their influence on methods of storing, retrieving information in digital libraries, has not only changed the meanings behind classic library activates but has also created great changes in their services. However, it seems that not all digital libraries provide their users with similar services and only some of them are successful in fulfilling their role in digital environment. The Iranian National Medical library is among those that appear to come short compared to other digital libraries around the world. By knowing the different services provided by digital libraries worldwide, one can evaluate the services provided by Iranian National Medical library. The goal of this study is a comparison between Iranian National Medical library and digital libraries of selected countries. This is an applied study and uses descriptive - survey method. The statistical population is the digital libraries around the world which were actively providing library services between October and December 2011 and were selected by using the key word "Digital Library" in Google search engine. The data-gathering tool was direct access to the websites of these digital libraries. The statistical study is descriptive and Excel software was used for data analysis and plotting of the charts. The findings showed that among the 33 digital libraries investigated worldwide, most of them provided Browse (87.87%), Search (84.84%), and Electronic information retrieval (57.57%) services. The "Help" in public services (48/48%) and "Interlibrary Loan" in traditional services (27/27%) had the highest frequency. The Iranian National Medical library provides more digital services compared to other libraries but has less classic and public services and has less than half of possible public services. Other than Iranian National Medical library, among the 33 libraries investigated, the leaders in providing different services are Library of

What factors determine academic achievement in high achieving undergraduate medical students? A qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Abdulghani, Hamza M; Al-Drees, Abdulmajeed A; Khalil, Mahmood S; Ahmad, Farah; Ponnamperuma, Gominda G; Amin, Zubair

2014-04-01

Medical students' academic achievement is affected by many factors such as motivational beliefs and emotions. Although students with high intellectual capacity are selected to study medicine, their academic performance varies widely. The aim of this study is to explore the high achieving students' perceptions of factors contributing to academic achievement. Focus group discussions (FGD) were carried out with 10 male and 9 female high achieving (scores more than 85% in all tests) students, from the second, third, fourth and fifth academic years. During the FGDs, the students were encouraged to reflect on their learning strategies and activities. The discussion was audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed qualitatively. Factors influencing high academic achievement include: attendance to lectures, early revision, prioritization of learning needs, deep learning, learning in small groups, mind mapping, learning in skills lab, learning with patients, learning from mistakes, time management, and family support. Internal motivation and expected examination results are important drivers of high academic performance. Management of non-academic issues like sleep deprivation, homesickness, language barriers, and stress is also important for academic success. Addressing these factors, which might be unique for a given student community, in a systematic manner would be helpful to improve students' performance.

Measuring green productivity of country: A generlized metafrontier Malmquist productivity index approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu-Ying Lin, Eugene; Chen, Ping-Yu; Chen, Chi-Chung

2013-01-01

This paper measures environmental productivity in 70 countries over the period 1981–2007. Differences in green (environmental) productivity growth across countries under distinct country specific production frontier are measured using directional distance function model, which incorporates desirable output (GDP) and undesirable output (CO 2 emissions). The metafrontier which envelops the two country groups, developed countries and developing countries, are estimated using balanced panel data for the sample countries over the study period. A parametric method is used to compute technical efficiency change, technical change, and scale efficiency change, which aggregate to the generalized metafrontier Malmquist productivity index. The overall results indicated the two country groups operated under distinct stochastic production frontiers and therefore used different production technologies. It is found that developing countries achieved higher growth in their average environmental productivity relative to the metafrontier. Thus the results coincide with the convergence growth theory

An Empirical Study on Capital Structure Determinants of Selected ASEAN Countries

OpenAIRE

Ngo, Hoang Anh

2013-01-01

Capital structure has been a controversial topic for decades. Conflicting arguments in theories and mixed findings in empirical work require further studies on this subject. More importantly, most previous studies have focused on developed countries and little attention is paid to emerging economies, especially ASEAN. Therefore, this study attempts to fill the gap by examining effects of capital structure's determinants on different measures of leverage of listed manufacturing companies in se...

Family Policies and Academic Achievement by Young Children in Single-Parent Families: An International Comparison. Population Research Institute Working Paper.

Science.gov (United States)

Pong, Suet-ling; Dronkers, Jaap; Hampden-Thompson, Gillian

This study investigates the differences in the degree of low academic achievement of third and fourth graders living with single-parent families from 11 industrialized countries. The United States ranks first among the countries compared in terms of the achievement gap for children in single- and two-parent families. After controlling for…

Implications of Public External Debt for Social Spending: A Case Study of Selected Asian Developing Countries

OpenAIRE

Sadia Shabbir; Hafiz M. Yasin

2015-01-01

For developing countries with budgetary and balance-of-payments gaps to meet, maintaining large stakes of external debt is not free of cost. Highly indebted countries have to set aside a sizeable fraction of their scarce resources to service their debt, which naturally affects their development spending in general and allocations for the social sector in particular. This study examines the behavior of seven developing Asian countries and analyzes the impact of public external debt on social s...

The Gender Confidence Gap in Fractions Knowledge: Gender Differences in Student Belief-Achievement Relationships

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, John A.; Scott, Garth; Bruce, Catherine D.

2012-01-01

Recent research demonstrates that in many countries gender differences in mathematics achievement have virtually disappeared. Expectancy-value theory and social cognition theory both predict that if gender differences in achievement have declined there should be a similar decline in gender differences in self-beliefs. Extant literature is…

FEATURES OF THE PUBLIC SPENDING BY FUNCTION IN CEE COUNTRIES -

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

RĂDULESCU MAGDALENA

2015-10-01

Full Text Available In this paper we analyzed the development of the public expenses by functions in the last decade in some selected Central and Eastern European (CEE countries: Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Romania. Based on this statistical analysis we can emphasize the main features of the budgetary policy in these countries during the crisis. We can underline the best measures of the budgetary policy adopted in these countries to fight the crisis effects. These countries haven’t adopted euro yet. After adopting euro, these countries won’t have an autonomous monetary policy and should base solely on their fiscal and budgetary policy when they will have to face some economic external shocks, just like they did during the current crisis. The fiscal and budgetary policy is facing political pressures in all countries

Study on personality dimension negative emotionality affecting academic achievement among Malaysian medical students studying in Malaysia and overseas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bhagat V

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Vidya Bhagat,1 Mainul Haque,2 Nordin Bin Simbak,1 Kamarudin Jaalam3 1Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Jalan Sultan Mahmud, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia; 2Faculty of Medicine and Defense Health, National Defence University of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 3USM-KLE International Medical Program, Belgaum, Karnataka, India Abstract: Personality dimension negative emotionality is known to be associated with academic achievement. The present study focuses on the influence of negative emotionality (neuroticism on the medical students’ academic achievements. The main objective of this study was to ascertain the negative emotionality scores among the first year Malaysian medical students studying in Malaysia and India, further to find out the association between negative emotionality and their academic achievements. The current study sample includes 60 first year Malaysian medical students from Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Malaysia, and USM-KLE IMP, Belgaum, India. They were selected by convenient sampling technique. The Medico-Psychological questionnaire was used to find out the negative emotionality scores among the students and these scores were compared with academic scores. The data were analyzed using SPSS- 20. Thus, the study result goes with the prediction that there is a significant correlation between academic achievement and negative emotionality. We concluded that negative emotionality has a negative impact on medical student’s academic achievement regardless of the fact whether they study in their own country or overseas. Keywords: academic achievement, negative emotionality, Malay, medical students, Malaysia

Waste biorefineries: Enabling circular economies in developing countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Nizami, A S; Rehan, M; Waqas, M; Naqvi, M; Ouda, O K M; Shahzad, K; Miandad, R; Khan, M Z; Syamsiro, M; Ismail, I M I; Pant, Deepak

2017-10-01

This paper aims to examine the potential of waste biorefineries in developing countries as a solution to current waste disposal problems and as facilities to produce fuels, power, heat, and value-added products. The waste in developing countries represents a significant source of biomass, recycled materials, chemicals, energy, and revenue if wisely managed and used as a potential feedstock in various biorefinery technologies such as fermentation, anaerobic digestion (AD), pyrolysis, incineration, and gasification. However, the selection or integration of biorefinery technologies in any developing country should be based on its waste characterization. Waste biorefineries if developed in developing countries could provide energy generation, land savings, new businesses and consequent job creation, savings of landfills costs, GHG emissions reduction, and savings of natural resources of land, soil, and groundwater. The challenges in route to successful implementation of biorefinery concept in the developing countries are also presented using life cycle assessment (LCA) studies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

EU enlargement and new member countries' involvement in the exchange rates system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vlatka Bilas

2005-08-01

Full Text Available For each country, joining the union is a unique process, considering advantages and disadvantages which a country can thus obtain. In order to fulfill conditions for the EU accession, transition countries must achieve different convergence criteria. Expansion of the EU brings along many challenges including coordination of policies and conducting a common monetary policy. After joining the EU new members are expected to have a minimum of two years of participation in the Exchange Rate Mechanism 2 before accepting euro. ERM2 can be a flexible and efficient framework for the determination of a appropriate level of irrevocable exchange rate fixing according to euro, as well as for achieving macroeconomic stability. Even though, considering demands for complete abolition of capital controls and high capital mobility, fixed exchange rate with fluctuation margins of ±15% is to become sensitive to the capital movements and speculative attacks.

Implementation of sustainable energy programs in developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spitalnik, J.

2001-01-01

Energy, a major contributor to development, is an essential element for increasing quality of life. During the next decades, the developing world will experience an explosive increase of energy demand, requiring enormous efforts and ingenuity to be fully satisfied. Delays may create public frustration for not achieving paradigm levels of quality of life, giving eventually rise to serious pressures on governments. The concept of sustainable energy options for development cannot be analyzed under the same prism in developed and developing countries. The relative degree of a country development should be introduced when setting up the path to sustainable development. (author)

An analysis of public debt levels in both developed and developing countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arsić Sonja

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The main objective of this paper is pointing out the importance of high public debt problem as well as the underlying causes that have led to rise in public debt in selected countries. The following methods were used in this research: historical method, deduction, generalization methods and statistical methods. By observing data on ten year trend of public debt in selected countries, we have concluded that there is a trend of increase in public debt, as a percentage of the gross domestic product of a country. Each of the analyzed countries (Canada, United Kingdom, Greece, Argentina and Serbia has specific causes that have led to rise in public debt, but the main cause that is common to all countries is the excessive consumption of state organs and reduction of tax revenues that has arisen as a result of reduced economic activity due to the global economic crisis in recent years. By analyzing the data on the trend of public debt in the observed countries in the period from 2003. to 2014., we have concluded that the problem can be solved by increasing gross domestic product, or reducing government spending.

Cross-National Estimates of the Effects of Family Background on Student Achievement: A Sensitivity Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Nonoyama-Tarumi, Yuko

2008-01-01

This article uses the data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2000 to examine whether the influence of family background on educational achievement is sensitive to different measures of the family's socio-economic status (SES). The study finds that, when a multidimensional measure of SES is used, the family background has a stronger influence on achievement across countries than if the simpler measure of SES is used. The new measure, which incorporated aspects of parental occupation, education and cultural resources, was not biased towards more wealthy nations, Western nations, or urban population. However, when a proxy of wealth was included in the measure of SES, this reduced the other measured effects of family background on achievement in many countries.

PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY TROUGH EQUAL LIFE STANDARD IN EU COUNTRIES

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Aleksandar Dashtevski

2018-06-01

Full Text Available After the World War II, especially in the early fifties there is an expansion of gender rights. Women are massively employed all over the world in all sectors of social life, contributing to an increase in both their own standard of living and the standard in their own countries. As the importance and role of women grows, this is achieved with increasing respect for its rights. Gender means elimination of inequality and promote equality between women and men in all areas of social life. If we want to achieve gender equality as a whole, it is inevitable to achieve an economic consolidation of the two sexes. Economic strengthening is possible trough equal pay. Experience shows that payments are not equal when it comes to wages for men and women. Therefore, the EU is constantly working to regulate this area, with special regulations, which are mandatory for the member states, but should also be respected by countries that would like to join the union. This led to the promotion of gender equality through an equal life.

Initiating a Human Variome Project Country Node.

Science.gov (United States)

AlAama, Jumana; Smith, Timothy D; Lo, Alan; Howard, Heather; Kline, Alexandria A; Lange, Matthew; Kaput, Jim; Cotton, Richard G H

2011-05-01

Genetic diseases are a pressing global health problem that requires comprehensive access to basic clinical and genetic data to counter. The creation of regional and international databases that can be easily accessed by clinicians and diagnostic labs will greatly improve our ability to accurately diagnose and treat patients with genetic disorders. The Human Variome Project is currently working in conjunction with human genetics societies to achieve this by establishing systems to collect every mutation reported by a diagnostic laboratory, clinic, or research laboratory in a country and store these within a national repository, or HVP Country Node. Nodes have already been initiated in Australia, Belgium, China, Egypt, Malaysia, and Kuwait. Each is examining how to systematically collect and share genetic, clinical, and biochemical information in a country-specific manner that is sensitive to local ethical and cultural issues. This article gathers cases of genetic data collection within countries and takes recommendations from the global community to develop a procedure for countries wishing to establish their own collection system as part of the Human Variome Project. We hope this may lead to standard practices to facilitate global collection of data and allow efficient use in clinical practice, research and therapy. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Workplace heat stress, health and productivity - an increasing challenge for low and middle-income countries during climate change.

Science.gov (United States)

Kjellstrom, Tord; Holmer, Ingvar; Lemke, Bruno

2009-11-11

Global climate change is already increasing the average temperature and direct heat exposure in many places around the world. To assess the potential impact on occupational health and work capacity for people exposed at work to increasing heat due to climate change. A brief review of basic thermal physiology mechanisms, occupational heat exposure guidelines and heat exposure changes in selected cities. In countries with very hot seasons, workers are already affected by working environments hotter than that with which human physiological mechanisms can cope. To protect workers from excessive heat, a number of heat exposure indices have been developed. One that is commonly used in occupational health is the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT). We use WBGT to illustrate assessing the proportion of a working hour during which a worker can sustain work and the proportion of that same working hour that (s)he needs to rest to cool the body down and maintain core body temperature below 38 degrees C. Using this proportion a 'work capacity' estimate was calculated for selected heat exposure levels and work intensity levels. The work capacity rapidly reduces as the WBGT exceeds 26-30 degrees C and this can be used to estimate the impact of increasing heat exposure as a result of climate change in tropical countries. One result of climate change is a reduced work capacity in heat-exposed jobs and greater difficulty in achieving economic and social development in the countries affected by this somewhat neglected impact of climate change.

Survey of waste package designs for disposal of high-level waste/spent fuel in selected foreign countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schneider, K.J.; Lakey, L.T.; Silviera, D.J.

1989-09-01

This report presents the results of a survey of the waste package strategies for seven western countries with active nuclear power programs that are pursuing disposal of spent nuclear fuel or high-level wastes in deep geologic rock formations. Information, current as of January 1989, is given on the leading waste package concepts for Belgium, Canada, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. All but two of the countries surveyed (France and the UK) have developed design concepts for their repositories, but none of the countries has developed its final waste repository or package concept. Waste package concepts are under study in all the countries surveyed, except the UK. Most of the countries have not yet developed a reference concept and are considering several concepts. Most of the information presented in this report is for the current reference or leading concepts. All canisters for the wastes are cylindrical, and are made of metal (stainless steel, mild steel, titanium, or copper). The canister concepts have relatively thin walls, except those for spent fuel in Sweden and Germany. Diagrams are presented for the reference or leading concepts for canisters for the countries surveyed. The expected lifetimes of the conceptual canisters in their respective disposal environment are typically 500 to 1,000 years, with Sweden's copper canister expected to last as long as one million years. Overpack containers that would contain the canisters are being considered in some of the countries. All of the countries surveyed, except one (Germany) are currently planning to utilize a buffer material (typically bentonite) surrounding the disposal package in the repository. Most of the countries surveyed plan to limit the maximum temperature in the buffer material to about 100 degree C. 52 refs., 9 figs

Economic Development of the Black Sea Riparian Countries during 2004-2012

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Romeo Bosneagu

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The Black Sea is politically divided between the European Union, countries aspiring to join the EU and the Russian Federation. From an economic perspective, the area has a huge potential for development and is “claimed” by the same political actors. In 1992, BSEC (Black Sea Economic Cooperation was formed and it includes, along with the six riparian countries, eight countries in order to meet their economic power in order to achieve regional development. In the period 2004-2012 the economy Black Sea countries experienced strongly fluctuated, which was strongly connected to the global economy, the inflow of capital in the region and the influence of the global economic crisis.

Development of Reference Training Courses for the Countries Introducing Nuclear Power

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Eui-Jin; Han, Kyong-Won; Min, Byung-Joo; Nam, Young-Mi [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2008-10-15

Human resources development is an important issue for the countries introducing their first nuclear power plant. Countries, which are considering introducing the nuclear power programs, will have to establish their infrastructure required for such programs. Since Korea has successfully achieved her self-reliance in nuclear power technology over the last 3 decades with a rapid expansion of nuclear power program, most of the countries have been interested in the Korean experience on human resources development and also hoped to share the experiences on nuclear training and education. The purpose of this paper is to present reference training courses developed at KAERI which can be shared with countries that need an infrastructure development for nuclear power.

Econometric estimation of country-specific hospital costs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Murray Christopher JL

2003-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Information on the unit cost of inpatient and outpatient care is an essential element for costing, budgeting and economic-evaluation exercises. Many countries lack reliable estimates, however. WHO has recently undertaken an extensive effort to collect and collate data on the unit cost of hospitals and health centres from as many countries as possible; so far, data have been assembled from 49 countries, for various years during the period 1973–2000. The database covers a total of 2173 country-years of observations. Large gaps remain, however, particularly for developing countries. Although the long-term solution is that all countries perform their own costing studies, the question arises whether it is possible to predict unit costs for different countries in a standardized way for short-term use. The purpose of the work described in this paper, a modelling exercise, was to use the data collected across countries to predict unit costs in countries for which data are not yet available, with the appropriate uncertainty intervals. The model presented here forms part of a series of models used to estimate unit costs for the WHO-CHOICE project. The methods and the results of the model, however, may be used to predict a number of different types of country-specific unit costs, depending on the purpose of the exercise. They may be used, for instance, to estimate the costs per bed-day at different capacity levels; the "hotel" component of cost per bed-day; or unit costs net of particular components such as drugs. In addition to reporting estimates for selected countries, the paper shows that unit costs of hospitals vary within countries, sometimes by an order of magnitude. Basing cost-effectiveness studies or budgeting exercises on the results of a study of a single facility, or even a small group of facilities, is likely to be misleading.

Fertility trends and prospects in East and South-East Asian countries and implications for policies and programmes.

Science.gov (United States)

Leete, R

1991-01-01

Fertility trends and prospects for east and southeast Asian countries including cities in China, Taiwan, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar, and Viet Nam are described. Additional discussion focuses on family planning methods, marriage patterns, fertility prospects, theories of fertility change, and policy implications for the labor supply, labor migrants, increased female participation in the labor force (LFP), human resource development, and social policy measures. Figures provide graphic descriptions of total fertility rates (TFRS) for 12 countries/areas for selected years between 1960-90, TFR for selected Chinese cities between 1955-90, the % of currently married women 15-44 years using contraception by main method for selected years and for 10 countries, actual and projected TFR and annual growth rates between 1990-2020 for Korea and Indonesia. It is noted that the 1st southeast Asian country to experience a revolution in reproductive behavior was Japan with below replacement level fertility by 1960. This was accomplished by massive postponement in age at marriage and rapid reduction in marital fertility. Fertility was controlled primarily through abortion. Thereafter every southeast Asian country experienced fertility declines. Hong Kong, Penang, Shanghai, Singapore, and Taipei and declining fertility before the major thrust of family planning (FP). Chinese fertility declines were reflected in the 1970s to the early 1980s and paralleled the longer, later, fewer campaign and policy which set ambitious targets which were strictly enforced at all levels of administration. Korea and Taiwan's declines were a result of individual decision making to restrict fertility which was encouraged by private and government programs to provide FP information and subsidized services. The context was social and economic change. Indonesia's almost replacement level fertility was achieved dramatically through the 1970s and 1980s by

Opportunity structures for selective exposure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skovsgaard, Morten; Shehata, Adam; Strömbäck, Jesper

2016-01-01

Abstract The transition from low-choice to high-choice media environments has raised new concerns about selective exposure. In this context, two types of selective media exposure are relevant. One is selectivity based on political ideological preferences, the other selectivity based on political...... interest. Evidence for both has been found primarily in an American context, while there is less research on European countries. This is problematic, as the opportunity structures for different forms of selectivity vary across media environments. Against this background, the purpose of this study...

Cross-country differences in productivity: the role of allocation and selection

OpenAIRE

Bartelsman, Eric J.; Haltiwanger, John; Scarpetta, Stefano

2009-01-01

This paper combines different strands of the productivity literature to investigate the effect of idiosyncratic (firm-level) policy distortions on aggregate outcomes. On the one hand, a growing body of empirical research has been relating cross-country differences in key economic outcomes, such as productivity or output per capita, to differences in policies and institutions that shape the business environment. On the other hand, a branch of empirical research has attempted to shed light on t...

Following international trends while subject to past traditions: neuropsychological test use in the Nordic countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Egeland, Jens; Løvstad, Marianne; Norup, Anne; Nybo, Taina; Persson, Bengt A; Rivera, Diego Fernando; Schanke, Anne-Kristine; Sigurdardottir, Solrun; Arango-Lasprilla, Juan Carlos

2016-01-01

Historically, the neuropsychological test traditions of the four Nordic countries have spanned from the flexible and qualitative tradition of Luria-Christensen to the quantitative large battery approach of Halstead and Kløve-Matthews. This study reports current test use and discusses whether these traditions still influence attitudes toward test use and choice of tests. The study is based on survey data from 702 Nordic neuropsychologists. The average participant used 9 tests in a standard assessment, and 25 tests overall in their practice. Test use was moderated by nationality, competence level, practice profile, and by attitude toward test selection. Participants who chose their tests flexibly used fewer tests than those adhering to the flexible battery approach, but had fewer tests from which to choose. Testing patients with psychiatric disorders was associated with using more tests. IQ, memory, attention, and executive function were the domains with the largest utilization rate, while tests of motor, visual/spatial, and language were used by few. There is a lack of academic achievement tests. Screening tests played a minor role in specialized assessments, and symptom validity tests were seldom applied on a standard basis. Most tests were of Anglo-American origin. New test methods are implemented rapidly in the Nordic countries, but test selection is also characterized by the dominating position of established and much researched tests. The Halstead-Reitan and Luria traditions are currently weak, but national differences in size of test batteries seem to be influenced by these longstanding traditions.

Leadership and management principles in libraries in developing countries

CERN Document Server

Wei, Wei

2014-01-01

Learn leadership skills from achievements at special libraries in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Central America! Leadership and Management Principles in Libraries in Developing Countries is a compilation of success stories epitomizing management and leadership strategies from developing nations around the globe. This book focuses on library administrators from Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Central America who have significantly transformed their library services in spite of limited funds and a lack of resources. You'll learn about their achievements, their techniques, and t

Innovative Public Procurement Methods: Examples Of Selected Country And Lessons For Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elif Ayşe ŞAHİN İPEK

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Innovative public procurement considered as demand-side policies aimed at economic competitiveness, growth and development through the development of private sector innovation supply. In this study it is examined the methods of innovative procurement policy and country examples. It is exerted obstacles and solutions from the results of this examination.

Cooperation Mechanisms To Achieve Eu Renewable Targets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Klinge Jacobsen, Henrik; Pade, Lise-Lotte; Schröder, Sascha Thorsten

2014-01-01

targets. Furthermore, countries might find themselves competing for investment in a market with limited capital available. In both cases, the cost-efficiency of the renewable support policies is reduced compared to a coordinated solution. Barriers for joint support such as network regulation regarding......There are considerable benefits from cooperating among member states on meeting the 2020 renewable energy sources (RES) targets. Today countries are supporting investments in renewable energy by many different types of support schemes and with different levels of support. The EU has opened...... for cooperation mechanisms such as joint support schemes for promoting renewable energy to meet the 2020 targets. The potential coordination benefits, with more efficient localisation and composition of renewable investment, can be achieved by creating new areas/sub-segments of renewable technologies where...

OECD migration, welfare and skill selectivity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Peder; Pytlikova, Mariola; Smith, Nina

into 27 OECD countries over the period of 12 years, 1989-2000. Using a fixed effects panel data model, we analyze the determinants of the migration flows during the latest decade. We study whether there are significant selectivity effects in international migration flows, i.e. whether the countries...

Stimulating Creativity Methods And Innovative Performance In European Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Şipoş Gabriela Lucia

2015-06-01

Full Text Available A widely debated topic during the last decades focuses on the companies’ opportunities to acquire corporate competitiveness due to research, innovation and development. Thus, in the context of increased competition and current global challenges, fostering creativity and innovation is a way to boost economic growth and welfare of European countries. New and original ideas, skills, competencies and innovations they all could enable to achieve competitive advantages. Creative ideas and innovative solutions are crucial for the European countries in order to overcome the current economic crisis.

Inclusivity in the Classroom and International Achievement in Mathematics and Science: An Exploratory Study

Science.gov (United States)

Barnard-Brak, Lucy; Wei, Tianlan; Schmidt, Marcelo; Sheffield, Rebecca

2014-01-01

Purpose: Few studies have examined the role of inclusivity in international assessments of student achievement, such as the TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study). The current study examined how the inclusivity of students with disabilities at the classroom level across countries may be associated with achievement scores,…

Wealth and cardiovascular health: a cross-sectional study of wealth-related inequalities in the awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in high-, middle- and low-income countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Palafox, Benjamin; McKee, Martin; Balabanova, Dina; AlHabib, Khalid F; Avezum, Alvaro Jr; Bahonar, Ahmad; Ismail, Noorhassim; Chifamba, Jephat; Chow, Clara K; Corsi, Daniel J; Dagenais, Gilles R; Diaz, Rafael; Gupta, Rajeev; Iqbal, Romaina; Kaur, Manmeet; Khatib, Rasha; Kruger, Annamarie; Kruger, Iolanthe Marike; Lanas, Fernando; Lopez-Jaramillo, Patricio; Minfan, Fu; Mohan, Viswanathan; Mony, Prem K; Oguz, Aytekin; Palileo-Villanueva, Lia M; Perel, Pablo; Poirier, Paul; Rangarajan, Sumathy; Rensheng, Lei; Rosengren, Annika; Soman, Biju; Stuckler, David; Subramanian, S V; Teo, Koon; Tsolekile, Lungiswa P; Wielgosz, Andreas; Yaguang, Peng; Yeates, Karen; Yongzhen, Mo; Yusoff, Khalid; Yusuf, Rita; Yusufali, Afzalhussein; Zatońska, Katarzyna; Yusuf, Salim

2016-12-08

Effective policies to control hypertension require an understanding of its distribution in the population and the barriers people face along the pathway from detection through to treatment and control. One key factor is household wealth, which may enable or limit a household's ability to access health care services and adequately control such a chronic condition. This study aims to describe the scale and patterns of wealth-related inequalities in the awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in 21 countries using baseline data from the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology study. A cross-section of 163,397 adults aged 35 to 70 years were recruited from 661 urban and rural communities in selected low-, middle- and high-income countries (complete data for this analysis from 151,619 participants). Using blood pressure measurements, self-reported health and household data, concentration indices adjusted for age, sex and urban-rural location, we estimate the magnitude of wealth-related inequalities in the levels of hypertension awareness, treatment, and control in each of the 21 country samples. Overall, the magnitude of wealth-related inequalities in hypertension awareness, treatment, and control was observed to be higher in poorer than in richer countries. In poorer countries, levels of hypertension awareness and treatment tended to be higher among wealthier households; while a similar pro-rich distribution was observed for hypertension control in countries at all levels of economic development. In some countries, hypertension awareness was greater among the poor (Sweden, Argentina, Poland), as was treatment (Sweden, Poland) and control (Sweden). Inequality in hypertension management outcomes decreased as countries became richer, but the considerable variation in patterns of wealth-related inequality - even among countries at similar levels of economic development - underscores the importance of health systems in improving hypertension management for all

OPTIMIZATION OF DIRECT COMPRESSION TABLET FORMULATIONS FOR USE IN TROPICAL COUNTRIES

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bos, C. E.; BOLHUIS, G. K.; LERK, C. F.; de Boer, J. H.; DUINEVELD, C. A. A.; Smilde, A. K.; Doornbos, D. A.

1991-01-01

With the aid of a combined mixture- and factorial- design, 2 standard tablet formulations were selected suitable for use in tropical countries. The formulations were based on native ingredients or ingredients that are available worldwide. The selection of the standard formulations was based on both

Women's empowerment and choice of contraceptive methods in selected African countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Do, Mai; Kurimoto, Nami

2012-03-01

It is generally believed that women's lack of decision-making power may restrict their use of modern contraceptives. However, few studies have examined the different dimensions of women's empowerment and contraceptive use in African countries. Data came from the latest round of Demographic and Health Surveys conducted between 2006 and 2008 in Namibia, Zambia, Ghana and Uganda. Responses from married or cohabiting women aged 15-49 were analyzed for six dimensions of empowerment and the current use of female-only methods or couple methods. Bivariate and multivariate multinomial regressions were used to identify associations between the empowerment dimensions and method use. Positive associations were found between the overall empowerment score and method use in all countries (relative risk ratios, 1.1-1.3). In multivariate analysis, household economic decision making was associated with the use of either female-only or couple methods (1.1 for all), as was agreement on fertility preferences (1.3-1.6) and the ability to negotiate sexual activity (1.1-1.2). In Namibia, women's negative attitudes toward domestic violence were correlated with the use of couple methods (1.1). Intervention programs aimed at increasing contraceptive use may need to involve different approaches, including promoting couples' discussion of fertility preferences and family planning, improving women's self-efficacy in negotiating sexual activity and increasing their economic independence.

Energy Security and Renewable Energy in Least Developed Countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wohlgemuth, N.

2006-01-01

The Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries (UN, 2001) states: The levels of production and consumption of energy in the majority of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are inadequate and unstable. This clearly indicates a situation of energy insecurity. Starting from an encompassing definition of energy security (a country's ability to expand and optimise its energy resource portfolio and achieve a level of services that will sustain economic growth and poverty reduction), it becomes quickly clear that energy security in LDCs is a complex topic with numerous interlinkages to other sustainable development objectives. This paper attempts to give an overview of issues related to energy security in LDCs by focusing on the role renewable energy can play in that context.(author)

Recent achievements of SIRGAS

Science.gov (United States)

Brunini, C.; Sánchez, L.

2008-05-01

SIRGAS is the geocentric reference system for the Americas. Its definition corresponds to the IERS International Terrestrial Reference System (ITRS) and it is realized by a regional densification of the IERS International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF). The SIRGAS activities are coordinated by three working groups: SIRGAS-WGI (Reference System) is committed to establish and maintain a continental-wide geocentric reference frame within the ITRF. This objective was initially accomplished through two continental GPS campaigns in 1995 and 2000, including 58 and 184 stations, respectively. Today, it is realized by around 130 continuously operating GNSS sites, which are processed weekly by the IGS Regional Network Associate Analysis Centre for SIRGAS (IGS- RNAAC-SIR). SIRGAS-WGII (Geocentric Datum) is primarily in charged of defining the SIRGAS geodetic datum in the individual countries, which is given by the origin, orientation and scale of the SIRGAS system, and the parameters of the GRS80 ellipsoid. It is concentrating on promoting and supporting the adoption of SIRGAS in the Latin American and Caribbean countries through national densifications of the continental network. SIRGAS- WGIII (Vertical Datum) is dedicated to the definition and realization of a unified vertical reference system within a global frame. Its central purpose is to refer the geopotential numbers (or physical heights) in all countries to one and the same equipotential surface (W0), which must be globally defined. This includes also the transformation of the existing height datums into the new system. This study shows the SIRGAS achievements of the last two years.

eHealth and Global Health: Investments Opportunities and Challenges for Industry in Developing Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Iluyemi, Adesina; Briggs, Jim

eHealth investments from developed countries to developing countries are expected to follow the emerging trend of eHealth for meeting global health problems. However, eHealth industry from developed countries will need to learn to make this impending venture a ‘win-win’ situation with profitable return on investments. This short paper highlights some of these challenges that must be overcome in order to achieve these objectives.

Energy efficiency and capital-energy substitutability: Evidence from four OPEC countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adetutu, Morakinyo O.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • The analysis examines energy efficiency gains in selected OPEC countries during 1972–2010. • Capital-energy substitutability is also explored to analyze the impact of policy measures to reduce energy use. • The magnitudes of energy efficiency gains are somewhat small or modest. • Energy and capital are substitutes in some countries, but complements in others. • Climate change policies need to internalize the environmental cost of energy consumption in end-use prices. - Abstract: Rapid economic growth and development in several oil-exporting developing countries have led to increasing energy consumption and the accompanying greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Consequently, a good understanding of the nature and structure of energy use in developing economies is required for future energy and climate change policies. To this end, a modified translog cost function is employed in this paper to estimate energy efficiency for selected members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) over the period 1972–2010. This also allows for the estimation of energy-capital substitutability, which arguably reflects the likely ease/disruption to long-term growth arising from policy measures aimed at reducing energy consumption and GHG emissions. The estimated results show that energy efficiency gains range from −14% to 13% for sampled countries. Furthermore, factor substitution elasticities suggest that energy and capital are substitutes in Algeria and Saudi Arabia, but are found to be complements in Iran and Venezuela. The insight generated by this study is that, over the last four decades, energy efficiency improvements in selected OPEC countries are modest, possibly reflecting a “subsidy effect” arising from artificially low energy prices. Thus, policy makers should take note that measures aimed at conserving energy need to internalize the environmental cost arising from energy consumption using pricing and fiscal instruments

Spectroelectrochemical Sensing Based on Multimode Selectivity simultaneously Achievable in a Single Device. 11. Design and Evaluation of a Small Portable Sensor for the Determination of Ferrocyanide in Hanford Waste Samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stegemiller, Michael L.; Heineman, William R.; Seliskar, Carl J.; Ridgway, Thomas H.; Bryan, Samuel A.; Hubler, Timothy L.; Sell, Richard L.

2003-01-01

Spectroelectrochemical sensing based on multimode selectivity simultaneously achievable in a single device. 11. Design and evaluation of a small portable sensor for the determination of ferrocyanide in Hanford waste samples

The use of computers in education worldwide : results from a comparative survey in 18 countries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pelgrum, W.J.; Plomp, T.

1991-01-01

In 1989, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Computers in Education study collected data on computer use in elementary, and lower- and upper-secondary education in 22 countries. Although all data sets from the participating countries had not been

Bank Loan Classification and Provisioning Practices in Selected Developed and Emerging Countries

OpenAIRE

Laurin, Alain; Majnoni, Giovanni

2003-01-01

This report reviews loan classification and provisioning practices in a broad sample of countries that differ in size, location and level of financial development. The survey conducted for the report compares the regulatory approaches adopted by industrial and emerging economies, and is intended to complement other sources of information that focus exclusively on either industrial or devel...

An international validation study of two achievement goal measures in a pharmacy education context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alrakaf S

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Saleh Alrakaf,1 Ahmed Abdelmageed,2 Mary Kiersma,2 Sion A Coulman,3 Dai N John,3 June Tordoff,4 Claire Anderson,5 Ayman Noreddin,6 Erica Sainsbury,1 Grenville Rose,7 Lorraine Smith11Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; 2Faculty of Pharmacy, Manchester University, Fort Wayne, IN, USA; 3School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; 4School of Pharmacy, University of Otago, Dunedin, NZ; 5School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; 6School of Pharmacy, Hampton University, Hampton, VA, USA; 7Aftercare, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaBackground: Achievement goal theory helps us understand what motivates students to participate in educational activities. However, measuring achievement goals in a precise manner is problematic. Elliot and McGregor's Achievement Goal Questionnaire (AGQ and Elliot and Murayama's revised Achievement Goal Questionnaire (AGQ-R are widely used to assess students' achievement goals. Both instruments were developed and validated using undergraduate psychology students in the USA.Methods: In this study, our aims were to first of all, assess the construct validity of both questionnaires using a cohort of Australian pharmacy students and, subsequently, to test the generalizability and replicability of these tools more widely in schools of pharmacy in other English-speaking countries. The AGQ and the AGQ-R were administered during tutorial class time. Confirmatory factor analysis procedures, using AMOS 19 software, were performed to determine model fit.Results: In contrast to the scale developers' findings, confirmatory factor analysis supported a superior model fit for the AGQ compared with the AGQ-R, in all countries under study.Conclusion: Validating measures of achievement goal motivation for use in pharmacy education is necessary and has implications for future research. Based on these results, the AGQ will be used to conduct future cross-sectional and

Recent achievements in regulating nuclear power activities in taiwan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ouyang, M.S.

2006-01-01

Full text: The energy resources in Taiwan are very scarce with more than 98% of the fuel sources imported from foreign countries. The nuclear power became essential because of its stability and economy in price. There are six operating nuclear power units in Taiwan, and two more advanced boiling water reactor units under construction. As the country's nuclear power still plays an important role, the Atomic Energy Council (AEC) devotes its great efforts working on reactor safety regulation, radiation protection, nuclear security, nuclear emergency preparedness, nuclear waste management and environmental monitoring. Recent achievements of AEC on the above mentioned topics will be covered in this presentation

Outstanding engineering achievement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1984-01-01

The annual award of the South African Institution of Civil Engineers for 'The Most Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement of 1982' was made to Escom for the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station. In the site selection a compromise had to be made between an area remote from habitation, and an area relatively close to the need for power, sources of construction materials, transportation, operational staff and large quantities of cooling water. In the construction of Koeberg the safety of the workers and the public was regarded with the utmost concern

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN EMOTIONAL VARIABLES AND SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christoph Randler

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Recent psychological studies highlight emotional aspects, and they show an important role within individual learning processes. Hereby, positive emotions were supposed to positively influence learning and achievement processes and negative ones do the contrary. In this study, an educational unit “ecosystem lake” was used during which achievement (three tests and emotional variables (interest, well-being, anxiety and boredom; measured at the end of three pre-selected lessons were monitored. The research question was to explore correlations between emotional variables and the learning outcome of the teaching unit. Prior knowledge was regressed against the subsequent tests to account for its confounding effect. Regressions showed a highly significant influence of prior knowledge on the subsequent measurements of achievement. However, after accounting for prior knowledge, a positive correlation between interest/well-being and achievement and a negative correlation between anxiety/boredom and achievement was found. Further research and interventions should try to enhance positive emotions in biology lessons to positively influence achievement.

Assessment of provider competence and quality of maternal/newborn care in selected Latin American and Caribbean countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joyce E Thompson

2015-05-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To obtain a snapshot of the maternal and newborn care provided by different types of maternal and child health providers in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC to 1 better inform advocacy and programmatic strategies and interventions to improve the quality of those services in the region, and 2 determine the need for more rigorous study of the issues. METHODS: A rapid assessment of 83 health workers providing antepartum, intrapartum, and immediate postpartum and newborn care (within two hours of birth in eight LAC countries was conducted in November and December of 2011. Health workers were observed by two-person expert maternal/newborn clinician teams using pretested forms based on international quality-of-care standards. A total of 105 care encounters were observed, primarily in urban, public, referral-level settings. Providers of care included obstetricians, midwives, generalist physicians, medical residents, registered nurses, auxiliary nurses, and students of medicine, midwifery, and nursing. RESULTS: Hand washing, as an indicator of quality of antepartum care, was observed in only 41% of the observed encounters. Labor management often lacked certain elements of respectful maternity care across all provider groups. Several clinical tasks of high importance in the identification and prevention of common complications of antepartum, intrapartum, and immediate postpartum/newborn care were not documented as performed during the observation periods. Providers self-reported limited competence (ability to perform to a defined level of proficiency in manual removal of the placenta, bimanual compression of the uterus, and newborn resuscitation. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that 1 the quality of maternal and newborn care and 2 the competence of maternal and child health providers in the diverse selection of LAC countries that were studied require substantial attention.

The academic effects of after-school paid and unpaid work among 14-year-old students in TIMSS countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Post, David; Pong, Suet-Ling

2009-01-01

What it means to be a 'student' varies within and between countries. Apart from the wide variety of school types and school quality that is experienced by young people, there also is, accompanying increased rates of school participation, a growing population of students who work part-time. The theoretical and actual consequences of student work have long been in dispute. This article reformulates the dispute as an empirical question that can be addressed using cross-national testing data and student background information from the Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS). Drawing information from 20 countries with distinctive proportions of students who reported paid and unpaid work, this study first compares their academic achievement in each country. Next, regression analysis is used to control for students' home resources, and estimates are made of the effects of work and the differences in these effects cross-nationally. Finally, hierarchical linear models are estimated in each country so as to control for school effects, and to take into account the fact that working students may be clustered in lower-achieving schools. The results show that work after school, whether paid or unpaid, never positively affects academic achievement. However, after controlling for home resources and school effects, work negatively affects achievement only in certain countries. The article concludes with a discussion of the ways to interpret international differences in the effect of students' work.

Broadband adoption, digital divide, and the global economic competitiveness of Western Balkan countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mitrović Đorđe

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The existing variation in economic performance between countries is significantly affected by the level, diffusion, and use of different types of information and communication technology. In the last several years economic competitiveness increasingly depends on broadband availability and the adoption, use, and speed of this technology. Broadband access to the internet fosters economic growth and development and increases a country’s global competitiveness. This technology could have a big impact on the competitive advantage of Western Balkan countries because they currently experience a large digital divide, both within countries (between regions, urban and rural areas, different vulnerable groups, etc. and with EU countries. The purpose of the paper is to analyse the current level and dynamics of the digital divide in Western Balkan countries using the Broadband Achievement Index (BAI, the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA-based model, the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI, the Corruption Perception Index (CPI, and cross-country methodology. This paper measures and compares Western Balkan countries’ current level of broadband adoption and their position on the evolutionary path towards closing the existing economic and digital gap with EU countries. Comparative analysis of calculated BAI data values, GCI, and CPI shows that Western Balkan countries belong to the ‘laggard’ group regarding their broadband achievement and global economic competitiveness. The values of the calculated BAI sub-indexes in this paper indicate the strong and weak sides of the corresponding aspects of broadband technology implementation and give directions for setting further priorities for political intervention, not only in the building of information society but also in the improvement of the economic competitiveness of Western Balkan countries.

Country branding: an imperative for developing countries | Akotia ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Clarifying what a country brand and country branding encompasses, this paper examines the competitive advantage a country brand engenders for developing countries. Furthermore, emphasising country branding as a social construction, this paper argues that for developing countries entrenched in the poverty cycle there ...

The implications of IFRS adoption on foreign direct investment in poor countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Catalina Florentina PRICOPE

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Globalisation has contributed to the acceleration of international capital transactions and has increased investors’ need to access homogeneous, reliable and comparable financial reports. The objective of the study is to investigate the impact of International Financial Reporting Standards adoption on foreign direct investment flows in poor countries. In order to achieve this objective, the propensity score matching method was applied on a sample of 38 poor countries between 2008 and 2014. Results indicate that International Financial Reporting Standards adoption has a positive impact on foreign direct investment flows in poor countries.

Workplace heat stress, health and productivity – an increasing challenge for low and middle-income countries during climate change

Science.gov (United States)

Kjellstrom, Tord; Holmer, Ingvar; Lemke, Bruno

2009-01-01

Background Global climate change is already increasing the average temperature and direct heat exposure in many places around the world. Objectives To assess the potential impact on occupational health and work capacity for people exposed at work to increasing heat due to climate change. Design A brief review of basic thermal physiology mechanisms, occupational heat exposure guidelines and heat exposure changes in selected cities. Results In countries with very hot seasons, workers are already affected by working environments hotter than that with which human physiological mechanisms can cope. To protect workers from excessive heat, a number of heat exposure indices have been developed. One that is commonly used in occupational health is the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT). We use WBGT to illustrate assessing the proportion of a working hour during which a worker can sustain work and the proportion of that same working hour that (s)he needs to rest to cool the body down and maintain core body temperature below 38°C. Using this proportion a ‘work capacity’ estimate was calculated for selected heat exposure levels and work intensity levels. The work capacity rapidly reduces as the WBGT exceeds 26–30°C and this can be used to estimate the impact of increasing heat exposure as a result of climate change in tropical countries. Conclusions One result of climate change is a reduced work capacity in heat-exposed jobs and greater difficulty in achieving economic and social development in the countries affected by this somewhat neglected impact of climate change. PMID:20052422

Economic Selection Theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knudsen, Thorbjørn

2003-01-01

principles of variation, continuity and selection, it is argued that economic selection theory should mimic the causal structure of neo-Darwinian theory. Two of the most influential explanations of economic evolution, Alchian's and Nelson and Winter's, are used to illustrate how this could be achieved.......The present article provides a minimal description of the causal structure of economic selection theory and outlines how the internal selection dynamics of business organisations can be reconciled with selection in competitive markets. In addition to generic similarity in terms of the Darwinian...

Promoting energy efficiency in developing countries: The role of NGOs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wojtaszek, E.I.

1993-06-01

Developing countries need energy growth to spur economic growth. Yet energy activities contribute significantly to local water pollution and global greenhouse gas emissions. Energy efficiency offers the means to achieve the twin goals of sustainable economic/social development and environmental protection. Energy efficiency increases industrial competitiveness and frees up capital so it can be applied to other uses, such as health and education. The key to improving energy efficiency in developing countries will be acquiring and applying Western technologies, practices, and policies and building national institutions for promoting energy efficiency. Relevant energy-efficient technologies include the use of better electric motors, adjustable speed controls, combined cycle power cogeneration, improved lighting, better refrigeration technologies, and improved electric power transmission and distribution systems. Western countries can best help developing countries by providing guidance and resources to support nongovernmental organizations (NGOS) staffed by local experts; these institutions can capture the energy efficiency potential and ensure environmental protection in developing countries

Destigmatizing day-to-day practices: what developed countries can learn from developing countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosen, Alan

2006-02-01

The nature of and threshold for stigma associated with mental disorders appears to be different between developed and developing countries. Decreasing stigma can be achieved through a combination of the best Western educational and media strategies and the systematization of some important lessons from developing countries. At the macro-level, this involves: societal changes leading to being more inclusive and re-integrating people with mental illness into our communities; finding socially useful and culturally valued work roles for such marginalized people; re-extending our kinship networks, and re-valuing contact with people with mental illness and learning from their experiences. At the micro-level, this involves developing more destigmatizing day-to-day clinical practices, including: more holistic appraisal of disorder, abilities and needs; therapeutic optimism; a strengths orientation; engaging family and redeveloping an extended support network; celebration of age appropriate rites of passage; invoking the language of recovery; valuing veterans of mental illness as "spirit guides"; promoting consumers' community living as full citizens; engaging and involving the local community in taking responsibility for their own mental health.

School achievement of immigrant children : The decreasing influence of Ethnic concentration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gijsberts, Mérove; van der Ploeg, Rozemarijn

There is an ongoing debate in many countries about the assumed negative influence of ethnically concentrated schools on pupils’ cognitive development. This paper addresses the influence of concentrations of ethnic minority children in schools on the school achievement of their pupils. The analysis

Indonesia. Adolescent reproductive health forms part of 5th country programme cycle.

Science.gov (United States)

1995-01-01

Indonesia is now entering the Fifth Country Program Cycle of Population. The reproductive health and family well-being of the youth forms part of the country program. In order to translate this component into concrete action program, a project document in its first draft was developed for UNFPA (UN Population Fund) funding by the government and with the assistance of UNFPA CST, Bangkok and UNFPA Field Office in Jakarta. The project aims to raise the level of commitment and degree of participation of families, particularly parents, for developing among their pre-adolescent and adolescent children a better understanding of the concepts/process of adolescent reproductive health and desirable attitudes and values dealing with family well-being. This is to be achieved through family-centered learning approaches that will contribute to the adoption of the small, happy, and prosperous family norm. To achieve this goal, the project will develop national capacity by creating management teams, developing sets of training and counseling materials, delivering key messages through the media, upgrading skills in adolescent counseling and developing better understanding of adolescent reproductive health and family well-being issues among the facilitators. The strategy to be used is to set up small groups of 20-30 families which will regularly meet to discuss adolescent problems and issues with the help of cadres. They will be supported by provincial reproductive health and family well-being counseling centers which will also be set up to handle serious cases difficult for parents to handle. These centers, to be run by NGOs, will provide counseling services to parents and youth, evolve innovative and culturally acceptable counseling techniques, and at the same time serve as material and information collection, development and dissemination centers. The project will be launched in collaboration with seven NGOs in seven selected provinces. It is currently under review by UNFPA and

Trends in photovoltaic applications. Survey report of selected IEA countries between 1992 and 1999

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-09-15

As part of the Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme, annual surveys of PV power applications and markets in the 20 participating countries are carried out. The objective of the survey reports is to present and interpret trends in both PV systems and components being used in the PV power systems market, as well as changing applications within that market, in the context of business situations, policies and relevant non-technical factors in the reporting countries. The survey report is not intended to serve as an introduction to PV, nor as a policy document. It is prepared to assist those responsible for developing the business strategies of PV companies and to aid the development of medium term plans for electricity utilities and other providers of energy services. It also provides guidance to government officials responsible for setting energy policy and preparing national energy plans. This report presents the results of the fifth International Survey. It provides an overview of PV power systems applications and markets in the reporting countries at the end of 1999 and analyses trends in the implementation of PV power systems between 1992 and 1999. (author)

Trends in photovoltaic applications. Survey report of selected IEA countries between 1992 and 2000

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-09-15

As part of the PVPS programme, annual surveys of photovoltaics (PV) power applications and markets in the 20 participating countries are carried out. The objective of the survey reports is to present and interpret trends in both PV systems and components being used in the PV power systems market, and changing applications for these products within that market. These trends are analyzed in the context of the business, policy and non-technical environment in the reporting countries. The survey report is not intended to serve as an introduction to PV, nor as a policy document. It is prepared to assist those responsible for developing the business strategies of PV companies and to aid the development of medium term plans for electricity utilities and other providers of energy services. It also provides guidance to government officials responsible for setting energy policy and preparing national energy plans. This report presents the results of the sixth international survey. It provides an overview of PV power systems applications and markets in the reporting countries at the end of 2000 and analyses trends in the implementation of PV power systems between 1992 and 2000. (author)

Trends in photovoltaic applications. Survey report of selected IEA countries between 1992 and 1999

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-09-01

As part of the Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme, annual surveys of PV power applications and markets in the 20 participating countries are carried out. The objective of the survey reports is to present and interpret trends in both PV systems and components being used in the PV power systems market, as well as changing applications within that market, in the context of business situations, policies and relevant non-technical factors in the reporting countries. The survey report is not intended to serve as an introduction to PV, nor as a policy document. It is prepared to assist those responsible for developing the business strategies of PV companies and to aid the development of medium term plans for electricity utilities and other providers of energy services. It also provides guidance to government officials responsible for setting energy policy and preparing national energy plans. This report presents the results of the fifth International Survey. It provides an overview of PV power systems applications and markets in the reporting countries at the end of 1999 and analyses trends in the implementation of PV power systems between 1992 and 1999. (author)

Trends in photovoltaic applications. Survey report of selected IEA countries between 1992 and 2000

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-09-01

As part of the PVPS programme, annual surveys of photovoltaics (PV) power applications and markets in the 20 participating countries are carried out. The objective of the survey reports is to present and interpret trends in both PV systems and components being used in the PV power systems market, and changing applications for these products within that market. These trends are analyzed in the context of the business, policy and non-technical environment in the reporting countries. The survey report is not intended to serve as an introduction to PV, nor as a policy document. It is prepared to assist those responsible for developing the business strategies of PV companies and to aid the development of medium term plans for electricity utilities and other providers of energy services. It also provides guidance to government officials responsible for setting energy policy and preparing national energy plans. This report presents the results of the sixth international survey. It provides an overview of PV power systems applications and markets in the reporting countries at the end of 2000 and analyses trends in the implementation of PV power systems between 1992 and 2000. (author)

Racial Preferences in Online Dating across European Countries

OpenAIRE

Potârcă, Gina; Mills, Melinda

2017-01-01

Knowledge about how race governs partner selection has been predominantly studied in the United States, yet it is unclear whether these results can be generalized to nations with different racial and immigration patterns. Using a large-scale sample of online daters in nine European countries, we engage in the first cross-national analysis of race-related partner preferences and examine the link between contextual factors and ethnic selectivity. We provide a unique test of contact, conflict, a...

Trends in photovoltaic applications. Survey report of selected IEA countries between 1992 and 1998

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-10-15

This report presents a description of the status of photovoltaic (PV) power systems in the 20 participating countries of the IEA Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme. A survey of the status of PV power systems applications and markets in each country has been conducted every two years for the past six years and biennial reports published. The decision has now been taken to move to shorter annual reports and this is the first such report. This report presents an overview of PV power systems applications and markets at the end of 1998 and analyses the trends in PV power systems implemented between 1992 and 1998. (author)

Trends in photovoltaic applications. Survey report of selected IEA countries between 1992 and 1998

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-10-01

This report presents a description of the status of photovoltaic (PV) power systems in the 20 participating countries of the IEA Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme. A survey of the status of PV power systems applications and markets in each country has been conducted every two years for the past six years and biennial reports published. The decision has now been taken to move to shorter annual reports and this is the first such report. This report presents an overview of PV power systems applications and markets at the end of 1998 and analyses the trends in PV power systems implemented between 1992 and 1998. (author)

Unforgiving Confucian Culture: A Breeding Ground for High Academic Achievement, Test Anxiety and Self-Doubt?

Science.gov (United States)

Stankov, Lazar

2010-01-01

This paper reviews findings from several studies that contribute to our understanding of cross-cultural differences in academic achievement, anxiety and self-doubt. The focus is on comparisons between Confucian Asian and European regions. Recent studies indicate that high academic achievement of students from Confucian Asian countries is…

Personality Type and Academic Achievement of Secondary School Students

Science.gov (United States)

Lawrence, Arul A. S.; Lawrence, John A.

2014-01-01

Personality is the man. The successful living of an individual, as a man, depends to a large extent on the academic achievement of that individual, as a student. This article attempts to find out personality type, academic achievement of secondary school students and relationship between them by selecting a sample of 300 secondary school students…

Cognition, academic achievement, and epilepsy in school-age children: a case-control study in a developing country.

Science.gov (United States)

Melbourne Chambers, R; Morrison-Levy, N; Chang, S; Tapper, J; Walker, S; Tulloch-Reid, M

2014-04-01

We conducted a case-control study of 33 Jamaican children 7 to 12years old with uncomplicated epilepsy and 33 of their classroom peers matched for age and gender to determine whether epilepsy resulted in differences in cognitive ability and school achievement and if socioeconomic status or the environment had a moderating effect on any differences. Intelligence, language, memory, attention, executive function, and mathematics ability were assessed using selected tests from NEPSY, WISCR, TeaCh, WRAT3 - expanded, and Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices. The child's environment at home was measured using the Middle Childhood HOME inventory. Socioeconomic status was determined from a combination of household, crowding, possessions, and sanitation. We compared the characteristics of the cases and controls and used random effects regression models (using the matched pair as the cluster) to examine the relationship between cognition and epilepsy. We found that there was no significant difference in IQ, but children with epilepsy had lower scores on tests of memory (pmathematics ability (coefficient=-0.01, CI: -0.02, -0.00). Adjustment for the home environment and socioeconomic status and inclusion of interaction terms for these variables did not alter these effects. In conclusion, we found that epilepsy status in Jamaican children has a significant effect on performance on tests of memory, language, and mathematics and that this effect is not modified or explained by socioeconomic status or the child's home environment. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cancer control in developing countries: using health data and health services research to measure and improve access, quality and efficiency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kangolle Alfred CT

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Cancer is a rapidly increasing problem in developing countries. Access, quality and efficiency of cancer services in developing countries must be understood to advance effective cancer control programs. Health services research can provide insights into these areas. Discussion This article provides an overview of oncology health services in developing countries. We use selected examples from peer-reviewed literature in health services research and relevant publicly available documents. In spite of significant limitations in the available data, it is clear there are substantial barriers to access to cancer control in developing countries. This includes prevention, early detection, diagnosis/treatment and palliation. There are also substantial limitations in the quality of cancer control and a great need to improve economic efficiency. We describe how the application of health data may assist in optimizing (1 Structure: strengthening planning, collaboration, transparency, research development, education and capacity building. (2 Process: enabling follow-up, knowledge translation, patient safety and quality assurance. (3 Outcome: facilitating evaluation, monitoring and improvement of national cancer control efforts. There is currently limited data and capacity to use this data in developing countries for these purposes. Summary There is an urgent need to improve health services for cancer control in developing countries. Current resources and much-needed investments must be optimally managed. To achieve this, we would recommend investment in four key priorities: (1 Capacity building in oncology health services research, policy and planning relevant to developing countries. (2 Development of high-quality health data sources. (3 More oncology-related economic evaluations in developing countries. (4 Exploration of high-quality models of cancer control in developing countries. Meeting these needs will require national, regional and

Cancer control in developing countries: using health data and health services research to measure and improve access, quality and efficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanna, Timothy P; Kangolle, Alfred C T

2010-10-13

Cancer is a rapidly increasing problem in developing countries. Access, quality and efficiency of cancer services in developing countries must be understood to advance effective cancer control programs. Health services research can provide insights into these areas. This article provides an overview of oncology health services in developing countries. We use selected examples from peer-reviewed literature in health services research and relevant publicly available documents. In spite of significant limitations in the available data, it is clear there are substantial barriers to access to cancer control in developing countries. This includes prevention, early detection, diagnosis/treatment and palliation. There are also substantial limitations in the quality of cancer control and a great need to improve economic efficiency. We describe how the application of health data may assist in optimizing (1) Structure: strengthening planning, collaboration, transparency, research development, education and capacity building. (2) PROCESS: enabling follow-up, knowledge translation, patient safety and quality assurance. (3) OUTCOME: facilitating evaluation, monitoring and improvement of national cancer control efforts. There is currently limited data and capacity to use this data in developing countries for these purposes. There is an urgent need to improve health services for cancer control in developing countries. Current resources and much-needed investments must be optimally managed. To achieve this, we would recommend investment in four key priorities: (1) Capacity building in oncology health services research, policy and planning relevant to developing countries. (2) Development of high-quality health data sources. (3) More oncology-related economic evaluations in developing countries. (4) Exploration of high-quality models of cancer control in developing countries. Meeting these needs will require national, regional and international collaboration as well as political

Country programme frameworks. A special evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-05-01

As a result of the recommendations of the TC Policy Review Seminar held in 1994 the Department of Technical Co-operation initiated Country Programme Framework (CPF) related activities in early 1995. Draft Guidelines for carrying out the CPF process were issued in February 1995. An agenda was propose for carrying gout the CPF process, which also included field missions to those countries where the information on national programmes and priorities available at the Agency was believed to be insufficient. In December 1995 the Evaluation Section was requested by the TC management to evaluate the approach and the progress achieved to date. The findings and conclusions of this evaluation have been formulated after extensive discussions with both in-house staff and external evaluation consultants. They thus represent a distillation of the views expressed by all. 2 figs, 1 tab

A global survey on occupational health services in selected international commission on occupational health (ICOH) member countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Rantanen, Jorma; Lehtinen, Suvi; Valenti, Antonio; Iavicoli, Sergio

2017-10-05

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH), and the European Union (EU) have encouraged countries to organize occupational health services (OHS) for all working people irrespective of the sector of economy, size of enterprise or mode of employment of the worker. The objective of this study was to survey the status of OHS in a sample of countries from all continents. A questionnaire focusing on the main aspects of OHS was developed on the basis of ILO Convention No. 161 and several other questionnaire surveys used in various target groups of OHS. The questionnaire was sent to 58 key informants: ICOH National Secretaries. A total of 49 National Secretaries responded (response rate 84.5%), from countries that employ 70% of the total world labour force. The majority of the respondent countries, 67%, had drawn up an OHS policy and implement it with the help of national occupational safety and health (OSH) authorities, institutes of occupational health or respective bodies, universities, and professional associations. Multidisciplinary expert OHS resources were available in the majority (82%) of countries, but varied widely in quantitative terms. The average OHS coverage of workers was 24.8%, with wide variation between countries. In over two thirds (69%) of the countries, the content of services was mixed, consisting of preventive and curative services, and in 29% preventive only. OHS financing was organized according to a mixed model among 63% and by employers only among 33% of the respondents. The majority of countries have drawn up policies, strategies and programmes for OHS. The infrastructures and institutional and human resources for the implementation of strategies, however, remain insufficient in the majority of countries (implementation gap). Qualitatively, the content and multidisciplinary nature of OHS corresponds to

Antimicrobial resistance among enterococci from pigs in three European countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aarestrup, Frank Møller; Hasman, Henrik; Jensen, Lars Bogø

2002-01-01

to the amounts of antimicrobial agents used in food animal production in those countries. Similar genes were found to encode resistance in the different countries, but the tet(L) and let(S) genes were more frequently found among isolates from Spain. A recently identified transferable copper resistance gene......Enterococci from pigs in Denmark, Spain, and Sweden were examined for susceptibility to antimicrobial agents and copper and the presence of selected resistance genes. The greatest levels of resistance were found among isolates from Spain and Denmark compared to those from Sweden, which corresponds...... was found in all copper-resistant isolates from the different countries....