Study Protocol on Cognitive Performance in Bulgaria, Croatia, and the Netherlands: The Normacog Brief Battery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lea Jakob

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The Normacog Brief Battery (NBB provides a comprehensive overview of an individual’s cognitive functioning within a short amount of time. It was originally developed for the Spanish population in Spain. However, there is a considerable need for brief batteries in clinical neuropsychological assessment, especially in eastern European countries. Cultural background and other individual characteristics—such as age, level of education, and sex—are shown to influence both cognition and patients’ performance on neuropsychological tests. Therefore, it is important to develop understanding of how and why culture impacts on cognitive testing and determine which sociodemographic variables affect cognitive performance. The current study aims to translate, adapt, and standardize the NBB in Bulgaria, Croatia, and the Netherlands, and to analyze the effect of sex, age, and education level on cognitive performance between these three countries. This brief battery assesses eleven cognitive domains, including those most currently relevant in cognition such as premorbid intelligence, attention, executive function, processing speed, and memory. The translation and adaptation of the battery for different cultures will be done using the back-translation process. After exclusion criteria, the current study will include a total sample of three hundred participants (≥18 years old. The samples of 100 participants per country will be balanced through the consideration of their age and level of education. Effects of the sociodemographic variables (age, level of education, and sex on cognitive performance are expected. Furthermore, this relationship is expected to differ across countries. A multivariate hierarchical linear regression will be used and exploratory analysis will be carried out to investigate further effects. The results will be particularly valuable for future research and assessment in cognitive performance. The growing demand for accurate and fast

A Systematic Review of Brief Functional Analysis Methodology with Typically Developing Children

Science.gov (United States)

Gardner, Andrew W.; Spencer, Trina D.; Boelter, Eric W.; DuBard, Melanie; Jennett, Heather K.

2012-01-01

Brief functional analysis (BFA) is an abbreviated assessment methodology derived from traditional extended functional analysis methods. BFAs are often conducted when time constraints in clinics, schools or homes are of concern. While BFAs have been used extensively to identify the function of problem behavior for children with disabilities, their…

Renewable Energy Country Profiles. Latin America

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-06-15

The IRENA Renewable Energy Country Profiles combine elements of IRENA analysis with the latest information available from a vast array of sources in order to give a brief yet comprehensive and up-to-date picture of the situation of renewable energy that includes energy supply, electrical capacity, energy access, policies, targets, investment climate, projects and endowment in renewable energy resources. Because of the different timelines of these sources, data presented here refer to years between 2009 and 2012. Data availability also differs from country to country, which makes comparison with a wider regional group possible only for the year for which figures are available for all the members of the group; while this may not be the most recent year, the differences between countries, regions and the world remain striking. The current country profiles are just a starting point; they will be extended upon with new indicators to make them more informative, and maintained as a live product on the IRENA website as a key source of information on renewable energy.

Analysis of the implications of the USSR providing reprocessing and MOX fabrication services to other countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

This brief analysis, which is based on unclassified sources, seeks to identify what some of the implications would be if the Soviets started to move actively to try to provide reprocessing and MOX fabrication services to the US and other countries. While information on Soviet intentions is limited, it postulates that the Soviets would offer to reprocess spent LWR at competitive prices, fabricate the plutonium and reenrich the uranium, and sell these products back to the customer. Since it is not known whether they would insist on returning the waste from reprocessing or would be prepared to keep it, we comment briefly on what the implications of either of these actions might be

Verification of the profile of mood states-brief: cross-cultural analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Yeun, Eun Ja; Shin-Park, Kay KongBum

2006-09-01

This international study investigated whether the mood states of adults can be compared between different settings and cultures using the same instrument, namely, by comparing the psychometric properties of the Profile of Mood States-Brief (POMS-B) using data gathered in the United States and Korea. The Korean research instrument was a translation of the original POMS-B, and was evaluated psychometrically for each country separately as well as for the two countries combined, based on a convenience sample of 184 adults: The POMS-B was administered to 69 native English speakers and the Korean version (K-POMS-B) was administered to 115 native Korean speakers. The mean total mood disturbance (TMD) score was 23.59 (SD = 16.7): 26.11 (SD = 15.9) for the Americans and 21.06 (SD = 17.5) for the Koreans. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was high for both versions. The content validity index was 96% in the K-POMS-B. The Korean version of the POMS-B seems to be ready for use in research. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Empirical analysis of the environmental and energy policies in some developing countries using widely employed macroeconomic indicators: the cases of Brazil, China and India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Focacci, Antonio

2005-01-01

This paper proposes an empirical analysis concerning the environmental and energy policies of some important developing countries (Brazil, China and India) today present in the international scenario with very different features than in the past. The research is carried out using two of the most important macroeconomic indicators several times proposed in the field of policy analysis: emission-intensity ratio and energy-intensity ratio. Moreover, the emission-intensity ratio is used in order to verify the empirical existence of the so-called 'Environmental Kuznets Curve' for the three countries. For what concerns this last point, final results do not correspond closely to the theoretical strict formulations hypothesised in the classical Environmental Kuznets Curve model. This paper follows (completing and concluding) the previous one carried out by the same author for some industrialised countries. After a brief, but ineluctable, premise considering the theoretical basic assumptions to define the question and regarding general statements, the specific cases are analysed. Main findings show that resulting trends in these developing countries are different and, furthermore, they differ from those already observed in industrialised ones. (Author)

Empirical analysis of the environmental and energy policies in some developing countries using widely employed macroeconomic indicators: the cases of Brazil, China and India

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Focacci, Antonio [Bologna Univ., Business and Management Dept., Bologna (Italy)

2005-03-01

This paper proposes an empirical analysis concerning the environmental and energy policies of some important developing countries (Brazil, China and India) today present in the international scenario with very different features than in the past. The research is carried out using two of the most important macroeconomic indicators several times proposed in the field of policy analysis: emission-intensity ratio and energy-intensity ratio. Moreover, the emission-intensity ratio is used in order to verify the empirical existence of the so-called 'Environmental Kuznets Curve' for the three countries. For what concerns this last point, final results do not correspond closely to the theoretical strict formulations hypothesised in the classical Environmental Kuznets Curve model. This paper follows (completing and concluding) the previous one carried out by the same author for some industrialised countries. After a brief, but ineluctable, premise considering the theoretical basic assumptions to define the question and regarding general statements, the specific cases are analysed. Main findings show that resulting trends in these developing countries are different and, furthermore, they differ from those already observed in industrialised ones. (Author)

Economic Education in Malaysia: A Brief Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, C. A.

1978-01-01

This report provides a brief description of economic education in Malaysia and indicates interest, on the part of various Asian countries, i.e., Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines, in the establishment of economic education programs. (Editor/RK)

Attitudes Toward Same-Gender Adoption and Parenting: An Analysis of Surveys from 16 Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Darrel Montero

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Globally, little progress has been made toward the legalization of same-gender adoption. Of the nearly 200 United Nations members, only 15 countries with populations of 3 million or more have approved LGBT adoption without restrictions. The objectives of this paper are, first, to provide a brief background of the obstacles confronting same-gender adoption including the role of adoption agencies and parenting issues; second, to discuss the current legal status of the 15 countries which have approved same-gender adoption without restrictions; third, to report on recent public opinion regarding the legalization of same-gender adoption and parenting, drawing from previously published surveys conducted in 16 countries; and, fourth, to explore the implications for social work practice including social advocacy and social policy implementation.

A brief history of CERN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacob, M.

2004-01-01

This article draws a brief history of CERN that has just celebrated its jubilee. Today 20 member states contribute to its annual budget that reached 650 million euros in 2004. In 1954 CERN was created by 12 founder states for mainly 3 reasons: 1) to achieve a research facility dedicated to particle physics able to compete with its American counterparts and that no European country could afford alone, 2) to generate with scientific research an example and a promoter for future international collaborations, and 3) to make scientists from different countries that were at war a few years before, to work together. The creation of CERN has not led to a decline of national laboratories as it was feared in the fifties. On the contrary scientific and technical tasks have been dispatched: CERN provides member states with accelerator facilities while national laboratories and universities contribute to the design and fabrication of detectors and to the analysis of experimental data. The history of CERN is marked by 2 main scientific milestones, first the discovery of weak interaction through neutral currents in 1973 and secondly the discovery of W and Z bosons in 1983. (A.C.)

ANTI-CORRUPTION IN THE BRIСS COUNTRIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Kurakin

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Corruption is a global challenge which may impact negatively on economic growth and sustainable development of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. All of these five countries have been held back by corruption, in varying ways, but their rising importance to the global economic system ensures the spotlight now shines brighter than ever on them. Yet some of the BRICS countries have handled the issue better than others. According to Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (2017, in the BRICS bloc of major emerging economies, South Africa is ranked the best (71st, followed by China (77th and India (81st, with Brazil is 96th and Russia 135th out of 180 countries. These five nations support the strengthening of international cooperation against corruption, including through the BRICS Anti-Corruption Working Group, as well as on matters related to asset recovery and persons sought for corruption. This article provides a detailed analysis of anti-corruption legislation of four of the BRICS countries (Brazil, South Africa, China and India, as well as a brief overview of the efforts of these countries in the fight against corruption.

Renewable Energy Country Profiles. Pacific

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-09-15

The IRENA Renewable Energy Country Profiles take stock of the latest development of renewable energy in two regions where renewable energy can make a significant contribution to combat climate change and bring modern energy services to everyone: Africa and the Pacific. These two regions are presented separately in this volume and its sister publication. The country profiles combine elements of IRENA analysis with the latest information available from a vast array of sources in order to give a brief yet comprehensive and up-to-date picture of the situation of renewable energy that includes energy supply, electrical capacity, energy access, policies, targets, investment climate, projects and endowment in renewable energy resources. Because of the different timelines of these sources, data presented here refer to years between 2008 and 2012. Data availability also differs from country to country, which makes comparison with a wider regional group possible only for the year for which figures are available for all the members of the group; while this may not be the most recent year, the differences between countries, regions and the world remain striking. The current country profiles are just a starting point; they will be extended upon with new indicators to make them more informative, and maintained as a live product on the IRENA website as a key source of information on renewable energy.

Renewable Energy Country Profiles. Africa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-02-15

The IRENA Renewable Energy Country Profiles take stock of the latest development of renewable energy in two regions where renewable energy can make a significant contribution to combat climate change and bring modern energy services to everyone: Africa and the Pacific. These two regions are presented separately in this volume and its sister publication. The country profiles combine elements of IRENA analysis with the latest information available from a vast array of sources in order to give a brief yet comprehensive and up-to-date picture of the situation of renewable energy that includes energy supply, electrical capacity, energy access, policies, targets, investment climate, projects and endowment in renewable energy resources. Because of the different timelines of these sources, data presented here refer to years between 2008 and 2012. Data availability also differs from country to country, which makes comparison with a wider regional group possible only for the year for which figures are available for all the members of the group; while this may not be the most recent year, the differences between countries, regions and the world remain striking. The current country profiles are just a starting point; they will be extended upon with new indicators to make them more informative, and maintained as a live product on the IRENA website as a key source of information on renewable energy.

Network Analysis on Attitudes: A Brief Tutorial.

Science.gov (United States)

Dalege, Jonas; Borsboom, Denny; van Harreveld, Frenk; van der Maas, Han L J

2017-07-01

In this article, we provide a brief tutorial on the estimation, analysis, and simulation on attitude networks using the programming language R. We first discuss what a network is and subsequently show how one can estimate a regularized network on typical attitude data. For this, we use open-access data on the attitudes toward Barack Obama during the 2012 American presidential election. Second, we show how one can calculate standard network measures such as community structure, centrality, and connectivity on this estimated attitude network. Third, we show how one can simulate from an estimated attitude network to derive predictions from attitude networks. By this, we highlight that network theory provides a framework for both testing and developing formalized hypotheses on attitudes and related core social psychological constructs.

Macroeconomic Volatility and Welfare in Developing Countries

OpenAIRE

Loayza, Norman V.; Rancière, Romain; Servén, Luis; Ventura, Jaume

2007-01-01

Macroeconomic Volatility and Welfare in Developing Countries: An Introduction Norman V. Loayza, Romain Ranciere, Luis Serven, ` and Jaume Ventura Macroeconomic volatility, both a source and a reflection of underdevelopment, is a fundamental concern for developing countries. This article provides a brief overview of the recent literature on macroeconomic volatility in developing countries, highlighting its causes, consequences, and possible remedies. to reduce domestic policy-induced macroecon...

Energy policies of IEA countries: 2006 review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2006-07-01

This compilation contains a broad analysis of recent trends and an easily accessible overview of energy policy of the 26 member countries of the International Energy Agency and other key non-member countries such as China, India and Russia, during the last 12 months. The overview section examines trends in energy markets, including an analysis of energy demand and supply, energy prices and energy related CO{sub 2} emissions. It highlights key policy trends across member and non-member countries on energy security, energy market reform, climate change mitigation, energy efficiency, renewables and energy R&D. The book contains a special chapter on energy efficiency, which compares the most successful efficiency policies of member countries on the basis of In-Depth Review findings of the past three years. It also presents the major findings of the World Energy Outlook 2006, key statistical information and brief summaries of major IEA publications released during the past year. In past years summaries of In-Depth Reviews conducted in the cycle covered by this book, as well as Standard Reviews, were published as part of the book. From this year they will only be available from the IEA's website on www.iea.org. Chapter headings are: Executive summary; Energy efficiency; World energy outlook 2006; Energy security; Energy market reform; Climate change; Renewable energy; Technology, research and development; Energy policies in key non-member countries; and Energy balances and key statistical data of IEA countries. 25 figs., 11 tabs., 4 annexes.

Country programme review. Guatemala

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-09-01

This document reviews the current nuclear program in Guatemala, identifying the peaceful uses of nuclear technology in the country and possible future technical co-operation activities. Separate brief sections deal with food and agriculture; human health; radiation protection; industrial applications and hydrology; nuclear analytical techniques; nuclear instrumentation and nuclear information

Country programme review. Ethiopia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-01-01

This document reviews the current nuclear program in Ethiopia, identifying the peaceful uses of nuclear technology in the country and possible future technical cooperation activities. Separate brief sections deal with food and agriculture; human health; water and geothermal resources; industrial applications and instrumentation; radiation protection; higher education; programming, coordination and development

Strengthening rehabilitation services in Indonesia: A brief situation analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Nugraha, Boya; Setyono, Garry Rahardian; Defi, Irma Ruslina; Gutenbrunner, Christoph

2018-04-18

People with disability (PWD) in Indonesia are often neglected by society. Improving their life situation towards full participation in society is crucial. As a health strategy, rehabilitation can improve func-tioning, quality of life and participation in society. However, rehabilitation services in Indonesia need improvement. Making a situation analysis of rehabilitation services and their provision in the country is a pre-requisite to taking any action towards improvement. This paper compiles available data related to disability and rehabilitation services in Indonesia, using the Rehabilitation Services Assessment Tool (RSAT) as a framework. Gaps in provision were analysed, resulting in the compilation of a list of generic recommendations to improve rehabilitation services in the country. Indonesia faces many challenges in rehabilitation services, including the health workforce and the provision of services. This situation analysis and list of generic recommendations may be used in further discussions with relevant stakeholders in the country to develop a national strategy to strengthen rehabilitation services.

Country programme review. Mongolia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dolnicar, J.; Kamel, R.; Perera, O.; Tauchid, M.

1992-08-01

This document reviews the current nuclear program in Mongolia, identifying the peaceful uses of nuclear technology in the country and possible future technical co-operation activities. Separate brief sections deal with food and agriculture; mineral resources; nuclear chemistry, nuclear physics and instrumentation; human health; radiation protection; water resources and nuclear energy. 1 tab

Energy policies of IEA countries: 2006 review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2006-07-01

This compilation contains a broad analysis of recent trends and an easily accessible overview of energy policy of the 26 member countries of the International Energy Agency and other key non-member countries such as China, India and Russia, during the last 12 months. The overview section examines trends in energy markets, including an analysis of energy demand and supply, energy prices and energy related CO{sub 2} emissions. It highlights key policy trends across member and non-member countries on energy security, energy market reform, climate change mitigation, energy efficiency, renewables and energy R&D. The book contains a special chapter on energy efficiency, which compares the most successful efficiency policies of member countries on the basis of In-Depth Review findings of the past three years. It also presents the major findings of the World Energy Outlook 2006, key statistical information and brief summaries of major IEA publications released during the past year. In past years summaries of In-Depth Reviews conducted in the cycle covered by this book, as well as Standard Reviews, were published as part of the book. From this year they will only be available from the IEA's website on www.iea.org. Chapter headings are: Executive summary; Energy efficiency; World energy outlook 2006; Energy security; Energy market reform; Climate change; Renewable energy; Technology, research and development; Energy policies in key non-member countries; and Energy balances and key statistical data of IEA countries. 25 figs., 11 tabs., 4 annexes.

Characteristics of team briefings in gynecological surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Forsyth, Katherine L; Hildebrand, Emily A; Hallbeck, M Susan; Branaghan, Russell J; Blocker, Renaldo C

2018-02-24

Preoperative briefings have been proven beneficial for improving team performance in the operating room. However, there has been minimal research regarding team briefings in specific surgical domains. As part of a larger project to develop a briefing structure for gynecological surgery, the study aimed to better understand the current state of pre-operative team briefings in one department of an academic hospital. Twenty-four team briefings were observed and video recorded. Communication was analyzed and social network metrics were created based on the team member verbal interactions. Introductions occurred in only 25% of the briefings. Network analysis revealed that average team briefings exhibited a hierarchical structure of communication, with the surgeon speaking the most frequently. The average network for resident-led briefings displayed a non-hierarchical structure with all team members communicating with the resident. Briefings conducted without a standardized protocol can produce variable communication between the role leading and the team members present. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Brief Report: Rheumatoid Arthritis as the Underlying Cause of Death in Thirty-One Countries, 1987-2011: Trend Analysis of World Health Organization Mortality Database.

Science.gov (United States)

Kiadaliri, Aliasghar A; Felson, David T; Neogi, Tuhina; Englund, Martin

2017-08-01

To examine trends in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as an underlying cause of death (UCD) in 31 countries across the world from 1987 to 2011. Data on mortality and population were collected from the World Health Organization mortality database and from the United Nations Population Prospects database. Age-standardized mortality rates (ASMRs) were calculated by means of direct standardization. We applied joinpoint regression analysis to identify trends. Between-country disparities were examined using between-country variance and the Gini coefficient. Due to low numbers of deaths, we smoothed the ASMRs using a 3-year moving average. Changes in the number of RA deaths between 1987 and 2011 were decomposed using 2 counterfactual scenarios. The absolute number of deaths with RA registered as the UCD decreased from 9,281 (0.12% of all-cause deaths) in 1987 to 8,428 (0.09% of all-cause deaths) in 2011. The mean ASMR decreased from 7.1 million person-years in 1987-1989 to 3.7 million person-years in 2009-2011 (48.2% reduction). A reduction of ≥25% in the ASMR occurred in 21 countries, while a corresponding increase was observed in 3 countries. There was a persistent reduction in RA mortality, and on average, the ASMR declined by 3.0% per year. The absolute and relative between-country disparities decreased during the study period. The rates of mortality attributable to RA have declined globally. However, we observed substantial between-country disparities in RA mortality, although these disparities decreased over time. Population aging combined with a decline in RA mortality may lead to an increase in the economic burden of disease that should be taken into consideration in policy-making. © 2017, American College of Rheumatology.

A randomized controlled trial of a brief intervention for illicit drugs linked to the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) in clients recruited from primary health-care settings in four countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Humeniuk, Rachel; Ali, Robert; Babor, Thomas; Souza-Formigoni, Maria Lucia O; de Lacerda, Roseli Boerngen; Ling, Walter; McRee, Bonnie; Newcombe, David; Pal, Hemraj; Poznyak, Vladimir; Simon, Sara; Vendetti, Janice

2012-05-01

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a brief intervention (BI) for illicit drugs (cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine-type stimulants and opioids) linked to the World Health Organization (WHO) Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST). The ASSIST screens for problem or risky use of 10 psychoactive substances, producing a score for each substance that falls into either a low-, moderate- or high-risk category. Prospective, randomized controlled trial in which participants were either assigned to a 3-month waiting-list control condition or received brief motivational counselling lasting an average of 13.8 minutes for the drug receiving the highest ASSIST score. Primary health-care settings in four countries: Australia, Brazil, India and the United States. A total of 731 males and females scoring within the moderate-risk range of the ASSIST for cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine-type stimulants or opioids. ASSIST-specific substance involvement scores for cannabis, stimulants or opioids and ASSIST total illicit substance involvement score at baseline and 3 months post-randomization. Omnibus analyses indicated that those receiving the BI had significantly reduced scores for all measures, compared with control participants. Country-specific analyses showed that, with the exception of the site in the United States, BI participants had significantly lower ASSIST total illicit substance involvement scores at follow-up compared with the control participants. The sites in India and Brazil demonstrated a very strong brief intervention effect for cannabis scores (P Brazil (P illicit substance use and related risks is effective, at least in the short term, and the effect generalizes across countries. © 2011 The Authors, Addiction © 2011 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Genre Identification of Very Brief Musical Excerpts

Science.gov (United States)

Mace, Sandra T.; Wagoner, Cynthia L.; Teachout, David J.; Hodges, Donald A.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine how well individuals were able to identify different music genres from very brief excerpts and whether musical training, gender and preference played a role in genre identification. Listeners were asked to identify genre from classical, jazz, country, metal, and rap/hip hop excerpts that were 125, 250, 500,…

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.

Resilience Analysis of Countries under Disasters Based on Multisource Data.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Nan; Huang, Hong

2018-01-01

Disasters occur almost daily in the world. Because emergencies frequently have no precedent, are highly uncertain, and can be very destructive, improving a country's resilience is an efficient way to reduce risk. In this article, we collected more than 20,000 historical data points from disasters from 207 countries to enable us to calculate the severity of disasters and the danger they pose to countries. In addition, 6 primary indices (disaster, personal attribute, infrastructure, economics, education, and occupation) including 38 secondary influencing factors are considered in analyzing the resilience of countries. Using these data, we obtained the danger, expected number of deaths, and resilience of all 207 countries. We found that a country covering a large area is more likely to have a low resilience score. Through sensitivity analysis of all secondary indices, we found that population density, frequency of disasters, and GDP are the three most critical factors affecting resilience. Based on broad-spectrum resilience analysis of the different continents, Oceania and South America have the highest resilience, while Asia has the lowest. Over the past 50 years, the resilience of many countries has been improved sharply, especially in developing countries. Based on our results, we analyze the comprehensive resilience and provide some optimal suggestions to efficiently improve resilience. © 2017 Society for Risk Analysis.

Briefing and debriefing in the cardiac operating room. Analysis of impact on theatre team attitude and patient safety.

Science.gov (United States)

Papaspyros, Sotiris C; Javangula, Kalyana C; Adluri, Rajeshwara Krishna Prasad; O'Regan, David J

2010-01-01

Error in health services delivery has long been recognised as a significant cause of inpatient morbidity and mortality. Root-cause analyses have cited communication failure as one of the contributing factors in adverse events. The formalised fighter pilot mission brief and debrief formed the basis of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) crew resource management (CRM) concept produced in 1979. This is a qualitative analysis of our experience with the briefing-debriefing process applied to cardiac theatres. We instituted a policy of formal operating room (OR) briefing and debriefing in all cardiac theatre sessions. The first 118 cases were reviewed. A trouble-free operation was noted in only 28 (23.7%) cases. We experienced multiple problems in 38 (32.2%) cases. A gap was identified in the second order problem solving in relation to instrument repair and maintenance. Theatre team members were interviewed and their comments were subjected to qualitative analysis. The collaborative feeling is that communication has improved. The health industry may benefit from embracing the briefing-debriefing technique as an adjunct to continuous improvement through reflective learning, deliberate practice and immediate feedback. This may be the initial step toward a substantive and sustainable organizational transformation.

Information Security in the Countries of Central Asia: the Case of Kazakhstan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zarifa Allahveran Asadova

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The article discusses the history of the creation and development of the overall concept of information security, the current state of the information security, as well as the appropriate legal and regulatory framework in the countries of Central Asia on the example of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Introductory part of the article analyzes and provides a brief overview of the development of information and communication technologies. Particular attention is given to information security concepts in the framework of international valuation standards. The author investigates and lists the main sources of global information security threats, as well as explaining the history of the creation of a geopolitical term - Central Asia. In the main part of the article on the example of Kazakhstan one of the leading Central Asian countries, highlights issues of formation and development of the concept of information security, provides a brief overview of the history of development of information and communication technologies in the country. In this part the author conducts a detailed analysis of the legislation and the concept of the state with respect to the issue of information security, in the investigation highlights the major key issues of information security in the Republic of Kazakhstan. It also analyzes the development strategy of the Republic of Kazakhstan till 2030 (the "Kazakhstan-2030" Strategy, provides a brief overview of the state of laws and programs in the field of information security in the Republic of Kazakhstan. In conclusion, the author comes to the conclusion that today Kazakhstan is just beginning to form their own information security protection mechanisms and leads appropriate recommendations to achieve the objectives of the state.

Shifting the Climate Finance Paradigm: Nine Key Challenges for Developed Countries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Curtin, Joseph

2013-03-13

In 2009, developed countries committed to part-funding the cost of adapting to the impacts of climate change and of low carbon development in developing countries. From 2010 to 2012, fast start finance began to flow from developed country exchequers. However, the climate finance paradigm is now shifting. A transition from loans and grants provided from scarce exchequer resources to innovative instruments for leveraging private capital and mitigating investment risk is required in the coming period. But what are the implications for developed countries? This policy brief explores the policy context defining the current climate finance debate; examines the extent to which commitments have been met; and identifies nine key challenges for developed countries as they enter the new climate finance paradigm, drawing on the lessons of the fast start finance period. This is the second in a series of Environment Nexus policy briefs by leading experts in the fields of agriculture, energy, climate change and water.

International Briefing 34: Training and Development in Spain

Science.gov (United States)

Rigby, Mike; Ponce Sanz, Yolanda

2016-01-01

This article locates training and development in Spain within the country's socio-economic context. It maps the major changes which have been introduced into the training and development system since the briefing by Escardíbul and Llinas-Audet published in this journal in 2010. It relates those changes to the ongoing economic crisis which began in…

A Review and Meta-Analysis of Country-of-Origin Research

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verlegh, P.W.J.; Steenkamp, J.E.B.M.

1999-01-01

Despite a large body of research, country-of-origin effects are still poorly understood. Combining the strengths of a narrative review with those of a quantitative meta-analysis, our study seeks to establish a firm grounding for country-of-origin research. We review previous country-of-origin

Spectral Analysis Of Business Cycles In The Visegrad Group Countries

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Kijek Arkadiusz

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the business cycle properties of Visegrad group countries. The main objective is to identify business cycles in these countries and to study the relationships between them. The author applies a modification of the Fourier analysis to estimate cycle amplitudes and frequencies. This allows for a more precise estimation of cycle characteristics than the traditional approach. The cross-spectral analysis of GDP cyclical components for the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia makes it possible to assess the degree of business cycle synchronization between the countries.

Integrating Psychology and Philosophy: A Brief Analysis of "The Blessing of a Skinned Knee"

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Yali

2016-01-01

A brief analysis of "The Blessing of a Skinned Knee" gives a glimpse of beliefs and practices cherished by the family that attempts to employ Jewish teachings to raise children. The child nurturing and rearing practices are in a degree enlightening and supplementing the existing literature in education. Prevention with the inspiration…

Analysis of Public Sector Efficiency in Developed Countries

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Ivan Lovre

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The public sector in developed countries went through various forms of transformation in the twentieth century. The expansion of the public sector resulted in high levels of public spending in developed countries. The financial crisis of 2008 led to recessions in the economies of developed countries, the public debt growth, and actualized the issue of the public sector optimal size and efficiency. This study analysed the public sector efficiency in 19 developed countries. The analysis focuses on the relationship between the size of public expenditure and economic growth in the global financial crisis and the measures implemented. The aim of the research in this paper is a comparison of total and partial efficiency of the public sector in developed countries, in order to determine the characteristics of the public sector operations. The comparison covers the areas of the public sector operations in order to identify sources of inefficiency. Partial and overall efficiency of countries are analysed with different size and concept of the public sector, to determine the relationship between the public sector size, efficiency and welfare of citizens. The research results clearly indicate (unjustified state intervention in developed countries.

Fuel combustion, air pollution exposure, and health: The situation in developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, K.R.

1993-01-01

There are a number of recent studies of air pollution in developing-country cities, each of necessity relying heavily on the one available source of comparative international ambient monitoring data, Global Environment Monitoring System (GEMS). In this review, therefore, rather than simply reproduce the GEMS data. The author chose to examine developing-country air pollution from the standpoint of a useful analysis technique that has been under development in recent years: Basically the review is composed of four parts: (1) a brief description of the historical and current relationship between energy use and air pollution; (2) an explanation of the idea of exposure assessment and the power that it can bring to analyses of the health impacts of air pollution; (3) focusing on developing countries, a global exposure assessment, combining demographic data with GEMS outdoor data and less-developed country (LDC) indoor air-monitoring studies; (4) a review of the health effects literature relevant to the micro-environments found to harbor the largest human exposures. 104 refs

Achieving value for money in health: a comparative analysis of OECD countries and regional countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Çelik, Yusuf; Khan, Mahmud; Hikmet, Neşet

2017-10-01

To measure efficiency gains in health sector over the years 1995 to 2013 in OECD, EU, non-member European countries. An output-oriented DEA model with variable return to scale, and residuals estimated by regression equations were used to estimate efficiencies of health systems. Slacks for health care outputs and inputs were calculated by using DEA multistage method of estimating country efficiency scores. Better health outcomes of countries were related with higher efficiency. Japan, France, or Sweden were found to be peer-efficient countries when compared to other developed countries like Germany and United States. Increasing life expectancy beyond a certain high level becomes very difficult to achieve. Despite declining marginal productivity of inputs on health outcomes, some developed countries and developing countries were found to have lowered their inefficiencies in the use of health inputs. Although there was no systematic relationship between political system of countries and health system efficiency, the objectives of countries on social and health policy and the way of achieving these objectives might be a factor increasing the efficiency of health systems. Economic and political stability might be as important as health expenditure in improving health system goals. A better understanding of the value created by health expenditures, especially in developed countries, will require analysis of specific health interventions that can increase value for money in health. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT ANALYSIS IN THE EU COUNTRIES

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Antonina Verhun

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The concept of national and regional development strategies for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs are studied for a long time, as small and medium businesses are the foundation of the economy and the basis for effective country functioning. The business development program of the European Union countries is particularly interesting because there are several levels that correspond to each other and give full effect on the SMEs development. The EU standards are higher than in non-EU countries; therefore, it is worth considering legislative documents, as well as statistics showing the indicators of openness and access to the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs. The complexity and comparative novelty of studying such a problem in Ukraine led to the need to explore sources of information in the original language due to the lack of information in Ukrainian or Russian. All these suggest that the problem of creating strategies at the national and regional level is more relevant and important to study in the West that demonstrates the current state. The subject of the study is to analyse the effectiveness of implementing strategies for the development of small and medium-sized enterprises as well as the impact of national and regional policies on their functioning and development in the European Union countries. Methodology. The authors highlighted the peculiarities and main features of the development strategies implementation for small and medium-sized enterprises in the EU countries through a comparative analysis of the legislative framework, statistical and other data that help assess the performance and effectiveness of the implemented strategies. The content analysis helps to identify peculiarities of the implemented strategies in quantitative and qualitative forms. The thorough analysis using the above-mentioned methods allowed doing a qualitative study of national and regional strategies in the context of the

A brief introduction on the current situation of radiation protection in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo Qinju; Li Xutong

2005-01-01

China is a fast developing country now and is seeking for a way of sustainable development as other countries in the worlds. Its situations concerning radiation protection and policies on nuclear power development should be quite noticeable to all the scientists working in these fields within the country and abroad as well. A brief introduction of the legislation and organizational framework; researches or situations of environmental radiation, disposal and management on radiation wastes, occupational exposure of nuclear industry are described in this paper. (author)

Environmental Performance in Countries Worldwide: Determinant Factors and Multivariate Analysis

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Isabel Gallego-Alvarez

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to analyze the environmental performance of countries and the variables that can influence it. At the same time, we performed a multivariate analysis using the HJ-biplot, an exploratory method that looks for hidden patterns in the data, obtained from the usual singular value decomposition (SVD of the data matrix, to contextualize the countries grouped by geographical areas and the variables relating to environmental indicators included in the environmental performance index. The sample used comprises 149 countries of different geographic areas. The findings obtained from the empirical analysis emphasize that socioeconomic factors, such as economic wealth and education, as well as institutional factors represented by the style of public administration, in particular control of corruption, are determinant factors of environmental performance in the countries analyzed. In contrast, no effect on environmental performance was found for factors relating to the internal characteristics of a country or political factors.

The stoma appliances market in five European countries: a comparative analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Cornago, Dante; Garattini, Livio

2002-01-01

This comparative exercise analysed the domestic market for stoma appliances in five European countries--Denmark, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. National legislation, prescription procedures, delivery modalities and the market were investigated in each country. The analysis involved reviewing national and international literature on stoma appliances and interviewing a selected expert panel of market operators in each country comprising at least one health authority representative, one distributor of medical devices and one manufacturer. No specific relationship was found between the health care system framework and the stoma market, except for a greater inclination towards home care in national health services. All five countries reimburse stoma bags, but the distribution of these appliances varies widely, ranging from Denmark, where home delivery is mandatory, to Italy, where any channel can be used. The comparative analysis underlined two important features of the stoma bag market: the discretion of enterostomists in directing patients towards a specific brand of bags, and the patients' high brand loyalty. Despite that, the analysis did not identify any single country that could be considered a benchmark for stoma bag regulation. Each country deals with stoma appliances in different ways, making this a very fragmented market.

Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis and structural invariance with age of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF)--French version.

Science.gov (United States)

Fournet, Nathalie; Roulin, Jean-Luc; Monnier, Catherine; Atzeni, Thierry; Cosnefroy, Olivier; Le Gall, Didier; Roy, Arnaud

2015-01-01

The parent and teacher forms of the French version of the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) were used to evaluate executive function in everyday life in a large sample of healthy children (N = 951) aged between 5 and 18. Several psychometric methods were applied, with a view to providing clinicians with tools for score interpretation. The parent and teacher forms of the BRIEF were acceptably reliable. Demographic variables (such as age and gender) were found to influence the BRIEF scores. Confirmatory factor analysis was then used to test five competing models of the BRIEF's latent structure. Two of these models (a three-factor model and a two-factor model, both based on a nine-scale structure) had a good fit. However, structural invariance with age was only obtained with the two-factor model. The French version of the BRIEF provides a useful measure of everyday executive function and can be recommended for use in clinical research and practice.

The Problem with Briefs, in Brief

Science.gov (United States)

Conaway, Carrie L.

2013-01-01

Policy briefs written by academics--the kind typically published in "Education Finance and Policy"--should be a crucial source of information for policy makers. Yet too frequently these briefs fail to garner the consideration they deserve. Their authors are too focused on the potential objections of their fellow academics, who are…

EMERGING ECONOMIES: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF MIST AND IBSA COUNTRIES

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Gonca Oguz Gok

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Post Second World War liberal economic order and its institutions have been challenged with the rapidly growing powerful economies of some Asian and Latin American countries in the last decade. Yet, there is ambiguity in international political economy field with regard to conceptualizing and categorizing these emerging economies. This study mainly aims to ravel out this obstacle by offering a new quantitative benchmarking framework. In other words, this study proposes a new evaluation criteria set for assessing emerging economies with combining testable domestic and systematic factors. Accordingly, this study presents the cross-country comparison by using quantitative benchmarking analysis between IBSA -India, Brazil and South Africa- and MIST -Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea and Turkey- countries over the period 2008- 2012. We compare these countries based on the criteria of economic growth, human development index, foreign direct investment, and official development assistance. This study also aims to evaluate the group performance of these newly emerging economies- namely the rise of IBSA and MIST countries-in a comparative perspective. In conclusion, the performance of these countries -from both group-of-country and individual-country perspectives- are discussed in light of the results

A predictive model for e-commerce consumer expenditure in EC countries

OpenAIRE

Kovačić, Zlatko

2004-01-01

Describing and predicting consumer expenditure on a country or cross-national level has a long tradition in theoretical and applied economics and econometrics. This paper is a first attempt in describing aggregate eCommerce consumer expenditure among European Commission (EC) countries. After brief introduction of possible theoretical models which explain the variation in eCommerce consumer expenditure among observed countries, a list of important predictors has been discussed. The results gen...

Brief psychological therapies for anxiety and depression in primary care: meta-analysis and meta-regression

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Cape John

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Psychological therapies provided in primary care are usually briefer than in secondary care. There has been no recent comprehensive review comparing their effectiveness for common mental health problems. We aimed to compare the effectiveness of different types of brief psychological therapy administered within primary care across and between anxiety, depressive and mixed disorders. Methods Meta-analysis and meta-regression of randomized controlled trials of brief psychological therapies of adult patients with anxiety, depression or mixed common mental health problems treated in primary care compared to primary care treatment as usual. Results Thirty-four studies, involving 3962 patients, were included. Most were of brief cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT; n = 13, counselling (n = 8 or problem solving therapy (PST; n = 12. There was differential effectiveness between studies of CBT, with studies of CBT for anxiety disorders having a pooled effect size [d -1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI -1.31 to -0.80] greater than that of studies of CBT for depression (d -0.33, 95% CI -0.60 to -0.06 or studies of CBT for mixed anxiety and depression (d -0.26, 95% CI -0.44 to -0.08. Counselling for depression and mixed anxiety and depression (d -0.32, 95% CI -0.52 to -0.11 and problem solving therapy (PST for depression and mixed anxiety and depression (d -0.21, 95% CI -0.37 to -0.05 were also effective. Controlling for diagnosis, meta-regression found no difference between CBT, counselling and PST. Conclusions Brief CBT, counselling and PST are all effective treatments in primary care, but effect sizes are low compared to longer length treatments. The exception is brief CBT for anxiety, which has comparable effect sizes.

Developments in the use of economic instruments in OECD countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Opschoor, H.

1994-01-01

For the period 1987-1993, developments in the environmental policies of OECD countries with respect to the use of economic instruments are compared and the differences analyzed. The focus is on applications in the field of air pollution policies. The comparison is made on the basis of two surveys. To complete the descriptive part, a brief survey is also presented of currently discussed and recently introduced economic instruments. A description of economic instruments as such and a review of rationales for employing economic and financial incentives precede this analysis. The analysis shows that the use of economic instruments has indeed increased since 1987, but the development has not been spectacular. Possible explanations for this are presented. Also, some types of instrument have advanced more than others and the changes differ from one set of countries to another. Product charges (including air pollution-related ones) have become more widely used, especially in Scandinavian countries. Moreover, growing attention is being paid to the use of economic instruments at the international level. The incentive impacts of economic (and other) instruments appear to have received relatively little empirical attention, even though these are an important policy-relevant feature in instrument choice. 23 refs., 5 tabs

Life insurance density and penetration: panel data analysis across countries

OpenAIRE

Urbanavičiūtė, Greta

2016-01-01

Life Insurance Density and Penetration: Panel Data Analysis Across Countries This bachelor thesis examines two key indicators in the life insurance market: density and penetration. The main purpose is to analyse which factors have the biggest impact on these two indicators in 39 countries around the world. Panel data models, which represent the collected data best, were created. This paper examines the latest public data available in 39 countries, including the Baltic States, and new signific...

Development and evaluation of 'briefing notes' as a novel knowledge translation tool to aid the implementation of sex/gender analysis in systematic reviews: a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Doull, Marion; Welch, Vivian; Puil, Lorri; Runnels, Vivien; Coen, Stephanie E; Shea, Beverley; O'Neill, Jennifer; Borkhoff, Cornelia; Tudiver, Sari; Boscoe, Madeline

2014-01-01

There is increasing recognition of sex/gender differences in health and the importance of identifying differential effects of interventions for men and women. Yet, to whom the research evidence does or does not apply, with regard to sex/gender, is often insufficiently answered. This is also true for systematic reviews which synthesize results of primary studies. A lack of analysis and reporting of evidence on sex/gender raises concerns about the applicability of systematic reviews. To bridge this gap, this pilot study aimed to translate knowledge about sex/gender analysis (SGA) into a user-friendly 'briefing note' format and evaluate its potential in aiding the implementation of SGA in systematic reviews. Our Sex/Gender Methods Group used an interactive process to translate knowledge about sex/gender into briefing notes, a concise communication tool used by policy and decision makers. The briefing notes were developed in collaboration with three Cochrane Collaboration review groups (HIV/AIDS, Hypertension, and Musculoskeletal) who were also the target knowledge users of the briefing notes. Briefing note development was informed by existing systematic review checklists, literature on sex/gender, in-person and virtual meetings, and consultation with topic experts. Finally, we held a workshop for potential users to evaluate the notes. Each briefing note provides tailored guidance on considering sex/gender to reviewers who are planning or conducting systematic reviews and includes the rationale for considering sex/gender, with examples specific to each review group's focus. Review authors found that the briefing notes provided welcome guidance on implementing SGA that was clear and concise, but also identified conceptual and implementation challenges. Sex/gender briefing notes are a promising knowledge translation tool. By encouraging sex/gender analysis and equity considerations in systematic reviews, the briefing notes can assist systematic reviewers in ensuring the

White certificates: 14 concerned countries in Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Signoret, Stephane

2017-01-01

Under the constraint of the European directive on energy efficiency, several countries have created or strengthened their white-certificate-type (or certificate of energy saving) obligation system. This article proposes brief overviews of the situation and implemented systems in Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and United Kingdom

Urban bioclimatology in developing countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Jauregui, E

1993-11-15

A brief review of the literature on urban human bioclimatology in the tropics is undertaken. Attempts to chart human bioclimatic conditions on the regional/local scale have been made in several developing countries. The effective temperature scheme (with all its limitations) is the one that has been most frequently applied. The possibilities of application of bioclimatic models based on human heat balance for the tropical urban environment are discussed.

COMPETITIVE SOCIAL POSITION OF THE COUNTRY: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

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I. Chornodid

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The article reveals the essence of the country's competitive position, a comparative analysis according to international indexes and indicators is provided. Also the competitive social benefits of the country are described. The real situation of the competitive social benefits is considered on international standards and assessments. The estimation of the position of Ukraine is given in terms of freedom, network readiness index, the index of competitiveness of travel and tourism.

Greenhouse gas emissions trading among Pacific Rim countries: An analysis of policies to bring developing countries to the bargaining table

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rose, Adam; Wei Dan

2008-01-01

This paper examines the aggregate net costs and individual country cost savings of greenhouse gas emissions trading among Pacific Rim countries. We propose emission permit allocation rules designed to entice developing countries to participate. Absence of developing country involvement has served as an excuse for the lack by participation by the United States in the first compliance period of the Kyoto Protocol and may serve as a disincentive to even more countries in subsequent periods. Our analysis specifies permit allocation rules that could result in no net costs, and even cost-savings, to developing countries for their involvement in the emissions trading market, while at the same time providing extensive benefits to industrialized countries through access to lower-cost mitigation alternatives

Cost-Effectiveness and Value of Information Analysis of Brief Interventions to Promote Physical Activity in Primary Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Gc, Vijay Singh; Suhrcke, Marc; Hardeman, Wendy; Sutton, Stephen; Wilson, Edward C F

2018-01-01

Brief interventions (BIs) delivered in primary care have shown potential to increase physical activity levels and may be cost-effective, at least in the short-term, when compared with usual care. Nevertheless, there is limited evidence on their longer term costs and health benefits. To estimate the cost-effectiveness of BIs to promote physical activity in primary care and to guide future research priorities using value of information analysis. A decision model was used to compare the cost-effectiveness of three classes of BIs that have been used, or could be used, to promote physical activity in primary care: 1) pedometer interventions, 2) advice/counseling on physical activity, and (3) action planning interventions. Published risk equations and data from the available literature or routine data sources were used to inform model parameters. Uncertainty was investigated with probabilistic sensitivity analysis, and value of information analysis was conducted to estimate the value of undertaking further research. In the base-case, pedometer interventions yielded the highest expected net benefit at a willingness to pay of £20,000 per quality-adjusted life-year. There was, however, a great deal of decision uncertainty: the expected value of perfect information surrounding the decision problem for the National Health Service Health Check population was estimated at £1.85 billion. Our analysis suggests that the use of pedometer BIs is the most cost-effective strategy to promote physical activity in primary care, and that there is potential value in further research into the cost-effectiveness of brief (i.e., <30 minutes) and very brief (i.e., <5 minutes) pedometer interventions in this setting. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Implementing the illicit financial flows agenda: Perspectives from developing countries

OpenAIRE

Fontana, Alessandra; Hansen-Shino, Kjetil

2012-01-01

While once considered solely a concern of law enforcement agencies; money laundering, tax evasion and secrecy jurisdictions are now perceived as important obstacles to development. Dealing with illicit financial flows is an important aspect of the policy coherence agenda in international development, and developed country governments have made international commitments to tackle the problem Reforms and actions are necessary both in developed and developing countries, and this Brief looks at t...

Victim countries of transnational terrorism: an empirical characteristics analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Elbakidze, Levan; Jin, Yanhong

2012-12-01

This study empirically investigates the association between country-level socioeconomic characteristics and risk of being victimized in transnational terrorism events. We find that a country's annual financial contribution to the U.N. general operating budget has a positive association with the frequency of being victimized in transnational terrorism events. In addition, per capita GDP, political freedom, and openness to trade are nonlinearly related to the frequency of being victimized in transnational terrorism events. © 2012 Society for Risk Analysis.

The trajectories of EAEC countries development: Numerical analysis of competitive strategies in investments

Science.gov (United States)

Shelomentsev, A. G.; Medvedev, M. A.; Isaichik, K. F.; Dyomina, M. I.; Berg, I. A.; Kit, M.

2017-12-01

This paper discusses comparative analysis of trajectories in the development of participating countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEC) in a two-dimensional phase space. The coordinates in the space is represented by the value of a dynamic variable that is a key indicator of the country's development, and the rate of its relative growth. This allows for construction of a ternary classification diagram describing competitive behavior strategies of countries in question. The comparative analysis was run for two primary factors: the size of investment in the main capital and R&D spendings. The authors carried out analysis and identification of competitive strategies for the behavior of the EAEC countries, as well as he proposed conclusions and recommendations on improving the policy of economic development.

IT Implementation in a Developing Country Municipality: A SocioCognitive Analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sanford, Clive Carlton; Bhattacherjee, Anol

2007-01-01

This paper presents an interpretive analysis of the key problems and challenges to technology implementation in developing countries, based on a three-year case analysis of an IT project in a city government in Ukraine.  We employ the concept of technological frames of reference as an analytical...... implementation projects in developing countries that are often overlooked in the traditional academic and practitioner literatures based on experiences from developed countries....... tool for articulating the group-level structures related to the implementation context from the perspectives of key stakeholders and examine the degree of conflict between these frames using a Fishbone diagram.  We report that conflict between technological frames held by key stakeholders in large...

Multi-country comparisons of energy performance: The index decomposition analysis approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ang, B.W.; Xu, X.Y.; Su, Bin

2015-01-01

Index decomposition analysis (IDA) is a popular tool for studying changes in energy consumption over time in a country or region. This specific application of IDA, which may be called temporal decomposition analysis, has been extended by researchers and analysts to study variations in energy consumption or energy efficiency between countries or regions, i.e. spatial decomposition analysis. In spatial decomposition analysis, the main objective is often to understand the relative contributions of overall activity level, activity structure, and energy intensity in explaining differences in total energy consumption between two countries or regions. We review the literature of spatial decomposition analysis, investigate the methodological issues, and propose a spatial decomposition analysis framework for multi-region comparisons. A key feature of the proposed framework is that it passes the circularity test and provides consistent results for multi-region comparisons. A case study in which 30 regions in China are compared and ranked based on their performance in energy consumption is presented. - Highlights: • We conducted cross-regional comparisons of energy consumption using IDA. • We proposed two criteria for IDA method selection in spatial decomposition analysis. • We proposed a new model for regional comparison that passes the circularity test. • Features of the new model are illustrated using the data of 30 regions in China

Determinants of FDI in BRICS Countries: A panel analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vijayakumar, N.

2010-01-01

Full Text Available This study examines the factors determining FDI inflows of BRICS countries using annual dataset from the period 1975 to 2007 (for Russia required data set is available from 1990 onwards. The study employs Panel data analysis and finds that the selected variables Market size, Labour cost, Infrastructure, Currency value and Gross Capital formation as the potential determinants of FDI inflows of BRICS countries. The Economic Stability and Growth prospects (measured by inflation rate and Industrial production respectively, Trade openness (measured by the ratio of total trade to GDP are seems to be the insignificant determinant of FDI inflows of the BRICS countries. The empirical results are robust in general for alternative variables determining FDI flows.

Developed country trade barriers and the least developed countries: The economic results of freeing trade

OpenAIRE

Haveman, Jon D.; Shatz, Howard J.

2003-01-01

The Doha Ministerial Declaration emphasized that priority should be given to improving market access for products originating in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). In this paper, we analyze the importance of this proposition with respect to market access in the Triad economies. We first present a brief history of non-reciprocal preferences granted by the Triad. This covers Generalized System of Preference (GSP) programmes in each, and further preferences granted to African, Caribbean and P...

Development and evaluation of 'briefing notes' as a novel knowledge translation tool to aid the implementation of sex/gender analysis in systematic reviews: a pilot study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marion Doull

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: There is increasing recognition of sex/gender differences in health and the importance of identifying differential effects of interventions for men and women. Yet, to whom the research evidence does or does not apply, with regard to sex/gender, is often insufficiently answered. This is also true for systematic reviews which synthesize results of primary studies. A lack of analysis and reporting of evidence on sex/gender raises concerns about the applicability of systematic reviews. To bridge this gap, this pilot study aimed to translate knowledge about sex/gender analysis (SGA into a user-friendly 'briefing note' format and evaluate its potential in aiding the implementation of SGA in systematic reviews. METHODS: Our Sex/Gender Methods Group used an interactive process to translate knowledge about sex/gender into briefing notes, a concise communication tool used by policy and decision makers. The briefing notes were developed in collaboration with three Cochrane Collaboration review groups (HIV/AIDS, Hypertension, and Musculoskeletal who were also the target knowledge users of the briefing notes. Briefing note development was informed by existing systematic review checklists, literature on sex/gender, in-person and virtual meetings, and consultation with topic experts. Finally, we held a workshop for potential users to evaluate the notes. RESULTS: Each briefing note provides tailored guidance on considering sex/gender to reviewers who are planning or conducting systematic reviews and includes the rationale for considering sex/gender, with examples specific to each review group's focus. Review authors found that the briefing notes provided welcome guidance on implementing SGA that was clear and concise, but also identified conceptual and implementation challenges. CONCLUSIONS: Sex/gender briefing notes are a promising knowledge translation tool. By encouraging sex/gender analysis and equity considerations in systematic reviews, the

Report and policy brief from the 4th Africa Conference on Social ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

G Setswe, K Peltzer, M Banyini, D Skinner, J Seager, S Maile, S Sedumedi, D Gomis,. I van der Linde. ABSTRACT. About 520 delegates from all over Africa and 21 countries attended the conference.This report and policy brief summarises the key findings and suggested policy options that emerged from rapporteur reports ...

Hydrogen [Brief history of the discovery and use of hydrogen since the 16. century

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alleau, Thierry

2015-10-01

After a brief history of the discovery and use of hydrogen since the 16. century, the author notices that this gas is now mainly used for its chemical properties and energetic performance. He indicates and comments the main chemical, physical and energetic characteristics, and then presents the different production processes: from water (with different electrolytes: alkaline liquid electrolyte, per-fluorinated acid solid electrolyte, ceramic acid solid electrolyte) or from carbonated, fossil or biological fuels. He proposes an overview of issues like transport, storage and distribution, evokes the present cost (great variations between countries), and indicates how it is used in the chemical, petrochemical and energy industries. He briefly discusses other issues: risks, standards and regulation. He proposes a brief overview of international policies and programs, and indicates some research programs: Ene-Farm in Japan for co-generation (heat and electricity from fuel cell) and light vehicles in different countries

A review of obesity-themed policy briefs.

Science.gov (United States)

Dodson, Elizabeth A; Eyler, Amy A; Chalifour, Stephanie; Wintrode, Christopher G

2012-09-01

Policy approaches are one of the most promising population-based means of addressing the epidemic of obesity in the U.S., especially as they create supportive environments for healthy living. Policy briefs can be an effective means of disseminating research information to inform obesity prevention efforts; however, they are often ineffective because of length, density, and inaccessibility. The purposes of this project were to identify a collection of obesity-related policy briefs, analyze the content, and make recommendations for model policy briefs. In 2010, online searching strategies were developed with criteria that included a primary topical focus on obesity, written between 2000 and 2010, targeting any population age group, including a policy-change message, and being readily available online. The research team developed a coding tool and used it to analyze briefs. A subsample of the briefs was used for further analysis on dissemination. Analyses were conducted on 100 briefs. Most (72%) were developed between 2005 and 2010; the average length was five pages. The majority had no tables, few figures, and only 36% included photos. The average reading level was high. A lack of monitoring or evaluating dissemination efforts prevailed. Policy briefs represent an effective, often-preferred, potent tool for public health practitioners and researchers to communicate information to policymakers. Recommendations include presenting information clearly, using a concise format, including design elements, noting reference and contact information, employing active and targeted dissemination efforts, and conducting evaluation. Copyright © 2012 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Developing countries and incipient industrialization: a case study of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Botswana's small and large towns offer good examples of incipient industrialization and enterprise clustering in a developing economy. Using data from Lobatse, a small industrial centre in Botswana, this brief paper shows that clustering in developing countries does not necessarily induce high inter-firm relationships as is ...

Welfare state regimes, gender, and depression: a multilevel analysis of middle and high income countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Chung, Haejoo; Ng, Edwin; Ibrahim, Selahadin; Karlsson, Björn; Benach, Joan; Espelt, Albert; Muntaner, Carles

2013-03-28

Using the 2002 World Health Survey, we examine the association between welfare state regimes, gender and mental health among 26 countries classified into seven distinct regimes: Conservative, Southeast Asian, Eastern European, Latin American, Liberal, Southern/Ex-dictatorship, and Social Democratic. A two-level hierarchical model found that the odds of experiencing a brief depressive episode in the last 12 months was significantly higher for Southern/Ex- dictatorship countries than for Southeast Asian (odds ratio (OR) = 0.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.05-0.27) and Eastern European (OR = 0.36, 95% CI 0.22-0.58) regimes after controlling for gender, age, education, marital status, and economic development. In adjusted interaction models, compared to Southern/Ex-dictatorship males (reference category), the odds ratios of depression were significantly lower among Southeast Asian males (OR = 0.16, 95% CI 0.08-0.34) and females (OR = 0.23, 95% CI 0.10-0.53) and Eastern European males (OR = 0.41, 95% CI 0.26-0.63) and significantly higher among females in Liberal (OR = 2.00, 95% CI 1.14-3.49) and Southern (OR = 2.42, 95% CI 1.86-3.15) regimes. Our results highlight the importance of incorporating middle-income countries into comparative welfare regime research and testing for interactions between welfare regimes and gender on mental health.

Journal portfolio analysis for countries, cities, and organizations: Maps and comparisons

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leydesdorff, L.; Heimeriks, G.; Rotolo, D.

Using Web of Science data, portfolio analysis in terms of journal coverage can be projected onto a base map for units of analysis such as countries, cities, universities, and firms. The units of analysis under study can be compared statistically across the 10,000+ journals. The interdisciplinarity

Synchrotron light sources in developing countries

Science.gov (United States)

Mtingwa, Sekazi K.; Winick, Herman

2018-03-01

We discuss the role that synchrotron light sources, such as SESAME, could play in improving the socioeconomic conditions in developing countries. After providing a brief description of a synchrotron light source, we discuss the important role that they played in the development of several economically emerging countries. Then we describe the state of synchrotron science in South Africa and that country’s leadership role in founding the African Light Source initiative. Next, we highlight a new initiative called Lightsources for Africa, the Americas & Middle East Project, which is a global initiative led by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics and the International Union of Crystallography, with initial funding provided by the International Council for Science. Finally, we comment on a new technology called the multibend achromat that has launched a new paradigm for the design of synchrotron light sources that should be attractive for construction in developing countries.

[Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief - Likert format: Factor structure analysis in general population in France].

Science.gov (United States)

Ferchiou, A; Todorov, L; Lajnef, M; Baudin, G; Pignon, B; Richard, J-R; Leboyer, M; Szöke, A; Schürhoff, F

2017-12-01

The main objective of the study was to explore the factorial structure of the French version of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief (SPQ-B) in a Likert format, in a representative sample of the general population. In addition, differences in the dimensional scores of schizotypy according to gender and age were analyzed. As the study in the general population of schizotypal traits and its determinants has been recently proposed as a way toward the understanding of aetiology and pathophysiology of schizophrenia, consistent self-report tools are crucial to measure psychometric schizotypy. A shorter version of the widely used Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ-Brief) has been extensively investigated in different countries, particularly in samples of students or clinical adolescents, and more recently, a few studies used a Likert-type scale format which allows partial endorsement of items and reduces the risk of defensive answers. A sample of 233 subjects representative of the adult population from an urban area near Paris (Créteil) was recruited using the "itinerary method". They completed the French version of the SPQ-B with a 5-point Likert-type response format (1=completely disagree; 5=completely agree). We examined the dimensional structure of the French version of the SPQ-B with a Principal Components Analysis (PCA) followed by a promax rotation. Factor selection was based on Eigenvalues over 1.0 (Kaiser's criterion), Cattell's Scree-plot test, and interpretability of the factors. Items with loadings greater than 0.4 were retained for each dimension. The internal consistency estimate of the dimensions was calculated with Cronbach's α. In order to study the influence of age and gender, we carried out a simple linear regression with the subscales as dependent variables. Our sample was composed of 131 women (mean age=52.5±18.2 years) and 102 men (mean age=53±18.1 years). SPQ-B Likert total scores ranged from 22 to 84 points (mean=43.6�

Policy Brief - Precarious versus protected care work in the European Union: finding the right balance

OpenAIRE

Knijn Trudie; Oomkens Rosanne

2017-01-01

Drawing on research conducted during the project, this policy brief addresses care work for elderly people in European Union countries in the context ofthe right to free movement of labour. Despite a range of guidelines and directives in the past decades, the European Union still faces the intersectional problem of an ageing population, gender inequality, and lack of rights for caregivers, the latter being mainly women and – in some countries – increasingly migrant women. The risks of olde...

Trauma treatment across Europe: where do we stand now from a perspective of seven countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evaldas Kazlauskas

2016-03-01

Full Text Available There is a lack of knowledge about the state of affairs of the trauma treatments in Europe. To start to fill in this gap, key persons from seven European countries—Georgia, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, and Turkey—accepted the invitation to give their expert opinion on the state of affairs in their country at an invited panel discussion at the XIV 2015 ESTSS Conference in Vilnius, Lithuania. Brief reports from the seven countries reveal significant diversities among different European countries in terms of awareness of health problems related to trauma, the availability of trauma treatments, and treatment approaches. Political and economic differences across the European countries contribute to the diversities in the developments of trauma treatments. European national psychotrauma societies are active in establishing training curricula and dissemination of trauma-focused treatments. Despite the growing acknowledgment of trauma and dissemination of trauma-focused treatments, there is a lack of Europe-wide policies to ensure availability of trauma treatment in Europe for trauma survivors. The need for more detailed analysis of trauma treatment in all European countries and development of European-level trauma-informed health care policies is outlined.

Using Cluster Analysis to Group Countries for Cost-effectiveness Analysis: An Application to Sub-Saharan Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Russell, Louise B; Bhanot, Gyan; Kim, Sun-Young; Sinha, Anushua

2018-02-01

To explore the use of cluster analysis to define groups of similar countries for the purpose of evaluating the cost-effectiveness of a public health intervention-maternal immunization-within the constraints of a project budget originally meant for an overall regional analysis. We used the most common cluster analysis algorithm, K-means, and the most common measure of distance, Euclidean distance, to group 37 low-income, sub-Saharan African countries on the basis of 24 measures of economic development, general health resources, and past success in public health programs. The groups were tested for robustness and reviewed by regional disease experts. We explored 2-, 3- and 4-group clustering. Public health performance was consistently important in determining the groups. For the 2-group clustering, for example, infant mortality in Group 1 was 81 per 1,000 live births compared with 51 per 1,000 in Group 2, and 67% of children in Group 1 received DPT immunization compared with 87% in Group 2. The experts preferred four groups to fewer, on the ground that national decision makers would more readily recognize their country among four groups. Clusters defined by K-means clustering made sense to subject experts and allowed a more detailed evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of maternal immunization within the constraint of the project budget. The method may be useful for other evaluations that, without having the resources to conduct separate analyses for each unit, seek to inform decision makers in numerous countries or subdivisions within countries, such as states or counties.

Nuclear power and sustainable development: a vision from a developing country

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sbaffoni, Monica; Harriague, Santiago

2008-01-01

From the understanding of sustainable development as 'growing assets and opening options - not foreclosing them' (IAEA, 2006a), an analysis is made on sustainability conditions for nuclear power in a developing country, based on Argentinean experience. The necessity of developing an autonomous decision-making capability and a technological-industrial infrastructure is stressed. As an example, a brief history of nuclear power in Argentina is summarized, focusing in key elements that contributed to sustainability and also pointing out some draw-backs that may have affected it. Finally, some lessons learned are presented, with the aim of sharing the experience and offering a contribution to the present debate on nuclear energy deployment in the periphery. (authors)

Young People in an Economic Downturn. Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth. Briefing Paper 23

Science.gov (United States)

Anlezark, Alison

2011-01-01

Following the collapse of the US investment bank Lehmann Brothers in September 2008, the world economy began a downward spiral, with many countries falling into recession. Australia experienced significant stock market losses and unemployment rates began to climb. This briefing paper considers how young people fared in previous downturns and…

Information systems for mental health in six low and middle income countries: cross country situation analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Upadhaya, Nawaraj; Jordans, Mark J D; Abdulmalik, Jibril; Ahuja, Shalini; Alem, Atalay; Hanlon, Charlotte; Kigozi, Fred; Kizza, Dorothy; Lund, Crick; Semrau, Maya; Shidhaye, Rahul; Thornicroft, Graham; Komproe, Ivan H; Gureje, Oye

2016-01-01

Research on information systems for mental health in low and middle income countries (LMICs) is scarce. As a result, there is a lack of reliable information on mental health service needs, treatment coverage and the quality of services provided. With the aim of informing the development and implementation of a mental health information sub-system that includes reliable and measurable indicators on mental health within the Health Management Information Systems (HMIS), a cross-country situation analysis of HMIS was conducted in six LMICs (Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda), participating in the 'Emerging mental health systems in low and middle income countries' (Emerald) research programme. A situation analysis tool was developed to obtain and chart information from documents in the public domain. In circumstances when information was inadequate, key government officials were contacted to verify the data collected. In this paper we compare the baseline policy context, human resources situation as well as the processes and mechanisms of collecting, verifying, reporting and disseminating mental health related HMIS data. The findings suggest that countries face substantial policy, human resource and health governance challenges for mental health HMIS, many of which are common across sites. In particular, the specific policies and plans for the governance and implementation of mental health data collection, reporting and dissemination are absent. Across sites there is inadequate infrastructure, few HMIS experts, and inadequate technical support and supervision to junior staff, particularly in the area of mental health. Nonetheless there are also strengths in existing HMIS where a few mental health morbidity, mortality, and system level indicators are collected and reported. Our study indicates the need for greater technical and resources input to strengthen routine HMIS and develop standardized HMIS indicators for mental health, focusing in

The trend of 99mTc generator in FNCA countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Genka, Tsuguo; Machi, Sueo

2004-01-01

In the 2001 Workshop on Utilization of Research Reactors held in Beijing, eight delegates from the FNCA countries, namely China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, for the 99m Tc Generator Project, presented papers or orally pleaded the current status of utilization and production in terms of 99 Mo solution, 99 Mo/ 99m Tc generator or extracted 99m Tc solution in each country. This paper is a brief compilation of these topics and some additional information obtained afterward the workshop. (author)

Validity and reliability of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the BACS (Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Geovany Eliberto Araújo

2015-04-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To assess the validity and reliability of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia by examining its temporal stability, internal consistency, and discriminant and convergent validity. METHODS: The Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia was administered to 116 stable patients with schizophrenia and 58 matched control subjects. To assess concurrent validity, a subset of patients underwent a traditional neuropsychological assessment. RESULTS: The patients with schizophrenia performed significantly worse than the controls (p0.8. The internal consistency of the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia was high (Cronbach's α ϝ 0.874. CONCLUSION: The Brazilian Portuguese version of the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia exhibits good reliability and discriminant and concurrent validity and is a promising tool for easily assessing cognitive impairment in schizophrenia and for comparing the performance of Brazilian patients with that of patients from other countries.

Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS): international standards for validation.

Science.gov (United States)

Benedict, Ralph H B; Amato, Maria Pia; Boringa, Jan; Brochet, Bruno; Foley, Fred; Fredrikson, Stan; Hamalainen, Paivi; Hartung, Hans; Krupp, Lauren; Penner, Iris; Reder, Anthony T; Langdon, Dawn

2012-07-16

An international expert consensus committee recently recommended a brief battery of tests for cognitive evaluation in multiple sclerosis. The Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS) battery includes tests of mental processing speed and memory. Recognizing that resources for validation will vary internationally, the committee identified validation priorities, to facilitate international acceptance of BICAMS. Practical matters pertaining to implementation across different languages and countries were discussed. Five steps to achieve optimal psychometric validation were proposed. In Step 1, test stimuli should be standardized for the target culture or language under consideration. In Step 2, examiner instructions must be standardized and translated, including all information from manuals necessary for administration and interpretation. In Step 3, samples of at least 65 healthy persons should be studied for normalization, matched to patients on demographics such as age, gender and education. The objective of Step 4 is test-retest reliability, which can be investigated in a small sample of MS and/or healthy volunteers over 1-3 weeks. Finally, in Step 5, criterion validity should be established by comparing MS and healthy controls. At this time, preliminary studies are underway in a number of countries as we move forward with this international assessment tool for cognition in MS.

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.

Ex-Ante Impact Assessment & Value Network Analysis for SI: SIMPACT Policy Brief 1

OpenAIRE

Dhondt, S.; Ven, H. van de; Cressey, P.; Kaderabkova, A.; Luna, Á.; Moghadam Saman, S.; Castro Spila, J.; Terstriep, J.

2016-01-01

In this Policy Brief, a conceptual framework is presented to conduct an ex-ante impact assessment for social innovation. The building blocks for an ex-ante impact assessment are goal formulation; developing the relationships between inputs, outputs and outcomes; determining the role of stakeholders to achieve the objectives; calculating the impact; and deciding on the social innovation. These building blocks are sequentially interconnected to each other. In the brief, we present the experienc...

ANALYSIS OF BUDGET DEFICIT IN THE CANDIDATE COUNTRIES FOR EU MEMBERSHIP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danijela Despotović

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The problems of deficit and debt are the traditional drivers of the recession in the past. Due to the high impact of the budget deficit to increase in indebtedness and deterioration of a macroeconomic performance, the European Union in Maastricht Treaty and later in the Pact of Stability and Growth strictly defined fiscal criteria which the member states should adhere to. Fiscal criteria are particularly important when it comes to candidate countries for EU membership. The aim of this paper is that, through theoretical and empirical basis perform a comparative analysis of the budget deficit in EU countries and candidates for membership in the EU, to rank the 34 countries according to the criteria of public finances and to show the causality between the candidate countries for membership of the EU and EU member states.

National briefing summaries: Nuclear fuel cycle and waste management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schneider, K.J.; Bradley, D.J.; Fletcher, J.F.; Konzek, G.J.; Lakey, L.T.; Mitchell, S.J.; Molton, P.M.; Nightingale, R.E.

1991-04-01

Since 1976, the International Program Support Office (IPSO) at the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) has collected and compiled publicly available information concerning foreign and international radioactive waste management programs. This National Briefing Summaries is a printout of an electronic database that has been compiled and is maintained by the IPSO staff. The database contains current information concerning the radioactive waste management programs (with supporting information on nuclear power and the nuclear fuel cycle) of most of the nations (except eastern European countries) that now have or are contemplating nuclear power, and of the multinational agencies that are active in radioactive waste management. Information in this document is included for three additional countries (China, Mexico, and USSR) compared to the prior issue. The database and this document were developed in response to needs of the US Department of Energy.

National briefing summaries: Nuclear fuel cycle and waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schneider, K.J.; Bradley, D.J.; Fletcher, J.F.; Konzek, G.J.; Lakey, L.T.; Mitchell, S.J.; Molton, P.M.; Nightingale, R.E.

1991-04-01

Since 1976, the International Program Support Office (IPSO) at the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) has collected and compiled publicly available information concerning foreign and international radioactive waste management programs. This National Briefing Summaries is a printout of an electronic database that has been compiled and is maintained by the IPSO staff. The database contains current information concerning the radioactive waste management programs (with supporting information on nuclear power and the nuclear fuel cycle) of most of the nations (except eastern European countries) that now have or are contemplating nuclear power, and of the multinational agencies that are active in radioactive waste management. Information in this document is included for three additional countries (China, Mexico, and USSR) compared to the prior issue. The database and this document were developed in response to needs of the US Department of Energy

Brief encounters with qualitative methods in health research: conversation analysis

OpenAIRE

Miller, Paul K.

2016-01-01

This paper provides a brief introductory outline of the conversation analytic method, and some of its applications in health research. Drawing on extant literature and an illustrative original case study of suicide risk-assessment in primary care, the core tenets and techniques of the approach are described.

Agricultural Value Chains in Developing Countries; a Framework for Analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Trienekens, J.H.

2011-01-01

The paper presents a framework for developing country value chain analysis made up of three components. The first consists of identifying major constraints for value chain upgrading: market access restrictions, weak infrastructures, lacking resources and institutional voids. In the second component

Longitudinal Patent Analysis for Nanoscale Science and Engineering: Country, Institution and Technology Field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Zan; Chen Hsinchun; Yip, Alan; Ng, Gavin; Guo Fei; Chen Zhikai; Roco, Mihail C.

2003-01-01

Nanoscale science and engineering (NSE) and related areas have seen rapid growth in recent years. The speed and scope of development in the field have made it essential for researchers to be informed on the progress across different laboratories, companies, industries and countries. In this project, we experimented with several analysis and visualization techniques on NSE-related United States patent documents to support various knowledge tasks. This paper presents results on the basic analysis of nanotechnology patents between 1976 and 2002, content map analysis and citation network analysis. The data have been obtained on individual countries, institutions and technology fields. The top 10 countries with the largest number of nanotechnology patents are the United States, Japan, France, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Korea, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy and Australia. The fastest growth in the last 5 years has been in chemical and pharmaceutical fields, followed by semiconductor devices. The results demonstrate potential of information-based discovery and visualization technologies to capture knowledge regarding nanotechnology performance, transfer of knowledge and trends of development through analyzing the patent documents

Longitudinal Patent Analysis for Nanoscale Science and Engineering: Country, Institution and Technology Field

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Zan; Chen, Hsinchun; Yip, Alan; Ng, Gavin; Guo, Fei; Chen, Zhi-Kai; Roco, Mihail C.

2003-08-01

Nanoscale science and engineering (NSE) and related areas have seen rapid growth in recent years. The speed and scope of development in the field have made it essential for researchers to be informed on the progress across different laboratories, companies, industries and countries. In this project, we experimented with several analysis and visualization techniques on NSE-related United States patent documents to support various knowledge tasks. This paper presents results on the basic analysis of nanotechnology patents between 1976 and 2002, content map analysis and citation network analysis. The data have been obtained on individual countries, institutions and technology fields. The top 10 countries with the largest number of nanotechnology patents are the United States, Japan, France, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Korea, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy and Australia. The fastest growth in the last 5 years has been in chemical and pharmaceutical fields, followed by semiconductor devices. The results demonstrate potential of information-based discovery and visualization technologies to capture knowledge regarding nanotechnology performance, transfer of knowledge and trends of development through analyzing the patent documents.

The influence of client brief and change order in construction project

Science.gov (United States)

Mahat, N. A. A.; Adnan, H.

2018-02-01

Construction briefing is a statement of needs about intentions and projects objectives. Briefing process is the preliminary stage in the design process and successful briefing can achieve project delivery right on target time, cost and quality of project confidently. Although there are many efforts to approach client’s requirement and needs for a project, it is still not collected adequately to make proper solutions in design. Thus, these may lead the client to include change orders during the construction phase. This paper is concerned toward the influence of client’s briefing of a construction project that impact on the change order on the construction works. The research objective is to identify the influence of client’s brief on change orders, therefore, the aims of the research is to reduce change orders in project delivery. This research adopted both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods which are content analysis and semi structure interview. The findings highlight factors contributing to change orders and the essential attributes of clients during the briefing stage that may help minimise them.

Patient and practitioner characteristics predict brief alcohol intervention in primary care.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaner, E F; Heather, N; Brodie, J; Lock, C A; McAvoy, B R

2001-10-01

The effectiveness of an evidence-based health care intervention depends on it being delivered consistently to appropriate patients. Brief alcohol intervention is known to be effective at reducing excessive drinking and its concomitant health and social problems. However, a recent implementation trial reported partial delivery of brief alcohol intervention by general practitioners (GPs) which is likely to have reduced its impact. To investigate patient-practitioner characteristics influencing brief alcohol intervention in primary care. Cross-sectional analysis of 12,814 completed Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) screening questionnaires. Eighty-four GPs who had implemented a brief alcohol intervention programme in a previous trial based in the Northeast of England. GPs were requested to screen all adults (aged over 16 years) presenting to their surgery and follow a structured protocol to give a brief intervention (five minutes of advice plus an information booklet) to all 'risk' drinkers. Anonymized carbon copies of the screening questionnaire were collected from all practices after a three-month implementation period. Although AUDIT identified 4080 'risk' drinkers, only 2043 (50%) received brief intervention. Risk drinkers that were most likely to receive brief intervention were males (58%), unemployed (61%), and technically-trained patients (55%). Risk drinkers that were least likely to receive brief intervention were females (44%), students (38%), and university educated patients (46%). Logistic regression modelling showed that patients' risk status was the most influential predictor of brief intervention. Also, GPs' experience of relevant training and longer average practice consultations predicted brief intervention. However, personal characteristics relating to patients and GPs also predicted brief intervention in routine practice. Interpersonal factors relating to patients and practitioners contributed to the selective provision of brief

THE IX EUROPEAN FORUM ON ANTIPHOSPHOLIPID ANTIBODIES. A BRIEF REVIEW

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nataliya V Seredavkina

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The article presents a brief review of the proceedings of the IX European Forum on antiphospholipid antibodies held in May 2013 in Krakow (Poland. The aim of the Forum is to coordinate multicenter projects focused on antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL, both clinical and fundamental research, based on cooperation between the European countries. The main purpose is to stimulate research into all aspects of aPL, to facilitate the exchange of information between institutions, and to involve many centers in different countries into scientific research on this issue. The issues of standardization of the diagnostic criteria for antiphospholipid syndrome (APS, primarily serological markers (their specificity, sensitivity and correlation with clinical manifestations, as well as non-criterial manifestations of APS, were considered at the meeting. In addition, the therapy problems were discussed.

Feasibility and effectiveness of a brief, intensive phylogenetics workshop in a middle-income country

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Pollett

2016-01-01

Full Text Available There is an increasing role for bioinformatic and phylogenetic analysis in tropical medicine research. However, scientists working in low- and middle-income regions may lack access to training opportunities in these methods. To help address this gap, a 5-day intensive bioinformatics workshop was offered in Lima, Peru. The syllabus is presented here for others who want to develop similar programs. To assess knowledge gained, a 20-point knowledge questionnaire was administered to participants (21 participants before and after the workshop, covering topics on sequence quality control, alignment/formatting, database retrieval, models of evolution, sequence statistics, tree building, and results interpretation. Evolution/tree-building methods represented the lowest scoring domain at baseline and after the workshop. There was a considerable median gain in total knowledge scores (increase of 30%, p < 0.001 with gains as high as 55%. A 5-day workshop model was effective in improving the pathogen-applied bioinformatics knowledge of scientists working in a middle-income country setting.

Analysis of Lithuanian Direct Investment into European Union Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evelina Zigmantavičiūtė

2015-05-01

Full Text Available In this paper the valuation of macroeconomic factors influencing the Lithuanian direct investment into European Union was conducted. The problem of this paper is the different chosen macroeconomic factors influencing foreign direct investment. The object of this paper is Lithuanian direct investment. The methods of this paper include: comparative literature analysis, correlation regression analysis, paired regression analysis. After conducting a research of dependency of Lithuanian direct investment to EU countries from price changes, government sector income, gross domestic product, inflation, jobless rate results, it is found that gross domestic product and government sector income have the most influence on the changes of Lithuanian direct investment.

Brief Motivational Intervention in a Non-Treatment Seeking Population of Heavy Drinkers - a Randomized Controlled Trial

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Anders Blædel Gottlieb; Becker, Ulrik; Søgaard Nielsen, Anette

2010-01-01

of 12,364 adults led to inclusion of 772 heavy drinkers (defined as weekly alcohol consumption above the Danish safe drinking limits (168 grams of alcohol for women, 252 grams for men), who were randomized into a control (n=381) or an intervention (n=391) group. The intervention consisted of a brief......Background: Heavy alcohol drinking has a significant impact on public health in most Western countries. Brief interventions are effective in decreasing alcohol consumption. In a Danish context, the feasibility and effectiveness of screening and subsequent brief intervention has been questioned. Aim...... (approx. 10 minute) motivational intervention and two leaflets about alcohol. The control group received two leaflets about alcohol. Follow-up took place after 6/12 months on 670/612 persons. Outcome measure was self-reported reduction in alcohol consumption. Results : At 6 and 12 month follow...

Inclusive Briefing and User Involvement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Per Anker

2011-01-01

Briefing is not just about specifying needs as requirements but also about evaluating how well design proposals fulfil needs and aspirations. Furthermore, briefing is not only about building design. Briefing starts at the preproject stage to create a basis for the project decision and can include...... by top management. The article describes the briefing processes and the methods for user involvement, identifies problem areas and points out possible improvements. The author was actively involved in the project as deputy project director, with responsibility for the briefing process, and is now...... includes a literature study on briefing and user involvement in building projects, and presents a case study of a major building project of a new headquarters and media centre for the Danish Broadcasting Corporation in Copenhagen. The building project was actively used as part of a corporate change process...

Electricity consumption and economic growth in the GCC countries: Panel data analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osman, Mohamed; Gachino, Geoffrey; Hoque, Ariful

2016-01-01

Applying recent advances in panel data analysis, we investigate the relationship between electricity consumption and economic growth in the GCC countries using annual data from 1975 to 2012. Within a framework which takes into consideration dynamics, heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependence in the panel, we show that the results obtained from using the PMGE, demeaned PMG, AMG, MGE and DFE models indicate a long-run equilibrium relationship between electricity consumption and economic growth. In order to determine the appropriate model and decide the preferred estimator, the Hausman test was performed. The PMGE model emerged as the most efficient of the three estimators. Also, the results obtained revealed a bi-directional causality between economic growth and electricity consumption in these countries, which supports the feedback hypothesis. As a result, this implies that if these countries adopt or implement any energy or electricity conservation policies, this may have a negative impact on its economic growth. - Highlights: • The relationship between electricity consumption and GDP is explored. • Panel data econometric analysis is used to obtain the results. • Bidirectional causality between these variables is observed. • The results support the feedback hypothesis in the GCC countries.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the "World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire--Brief Version" for Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Susan M.; Chan, Fong; Ferrin, James M.; Lin, Chen-Ping; Chan, Jacob Y. C.

2008-01-01

This study examined the factorial structure of the "World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire--Brief Version" in a community sample of Canadians with spinal cord injuries. A confirmatory factor analysis provides evidence that the instrument is a multidimensional measure of quality of life. Additionally, the questionnaire is…

Development and psychometric analysis of the Brief DSM-5 Alcohol Use Disorder Diagnostic Assessment: Towards effective diagnosis in college students.

Science.gov (United States)

Hagman, Brett T

2017-11-01

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th edition) Alcohol Use Disorder (DSM-5 AUD) criteria have been modified to reflect a single, continuous disorder. It is critical that we develop brief assessment measures that can accurately assess for DSM-5 AUD criteria in college students to assist in screening, referral, and brief intervention services implemented on college campuses. The present study sought to develop and assess for the psychometric properties of a brief 13-item measure designed to capture the full spectrum of the DSM-5 AUD criteria in a sample of college students. Participants were past-year drinkers (N = 923) between the ages of 18 to 30 enrolled at 3 universities. Respondents completed a 30-min anonymous battery of questionnaires online. The Brief DSM-5 AUD Assessment consisted of 13 items designed to reflect the DSM-5 AUD criteria. Results indicated a high degree of internal consistency reliability with high item-to-scale correlations. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a dominant single factor emerged with good model fit. The Item Response Theory (IRT) analyses indicated that the difficulty parameters for each criterion were intermixed along the upper portion of the underlying AUD severity continuum, and the discrimination parameters were all high. Additional analysis indicated that those with a DSM-5 AUD had greater levels of alcohol and other drug use and problem severity in comparison to those without a DSM-5 AUD. Study findings provide empirical support for the reliability and validity of the Brief 13-item DSM-5 Assessment. It should be routinely included into research and clinical practice efforts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Climate Innovation Centres. A global instrument with local benefits. Policy brief

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Coninck, H.C.; Rivera Tinoco, R.A.

2010-09-01

A climate innovation centre is an institution aimed at enabling development through catalyzing climate technology research, development and market creation. What do technologies need to flourish and to contribute to sustainable economic development? Current research suggests that functioning markets, innovative capacities and the availability of appropriate technology in countries such as Ghana are key. In the climate negotiations, climate technology innovation centres, as well as an international network of them is in the process of agreement, providing opportunities for Ghana. This Policy Brief explains the considerations for a climate innovation centre in Ghana. It goes into the climate negotiations context, the practical choices for Ghana, gives examples of other countries, and outlines the next steps in the ECN Technical Assistance project.

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...

Gastronomy Tourism in Several Neighbor Countries of Indonesia: a Brief Review

OpenAIRE

Sukenti, Kurniasih

2014-01-01

Gastronomy tourism, also called culinary tourism or food tourism, is a kind of tourism that provide attractions based on the culinary aspect owned by a country, region, or area. It is not only offers food and beverages as the main objects in its attractions, but also everything related to food activities ranging from food ingredients, preparation, processing, serving, as well as the cultural and local values. A well-managed culinary tourism will be a supportive program in developing and enhan...

Country report - Turkey: Brief description of feasibility study results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-01-01

Nuclear power first appeared in Turkish development plans in 1968. Turkey’s first FS for nuclear power was launched in the early 1960s. Two suitable sites (Akkuyu and Sinop) were identified for building NPPs, and the Akkuyu site was licensed in 1976. Several more attempts were made to build a nuclear reactor at the Mediterranean site of Akkuyu Bay, but they did not get beyond the planning stage. The political commitment to having greater nuclear power in the energy mix was reiterated in an electricity energy market and supply security strategy document issued in May 2009 by the Prime Minister’s office, which set out a goal of 5% nuclear power generation by 2020. Hence, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (MENR) negotiated with some countries in order to construct a NPP. Nuclear efforts have proceeded in the form of an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) between the Turkish and Russian Federation governments. The IGA was signed in May 2010. Akkuyu Nuclear Generating Station Elektrik Üretim A.Ş (or Akkuyu Electricity Generation JSC) was incorporated in Turkey in December 2010

Economic Inequalities and the Level of Decentralization in European Countries: Cluster Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laboutková Šárka

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This submitted article identifies relations between the degree of decentralization and economic imbalances on the basis of a cluster (exploratory analysis. Two indicators have been chosen for measuring economic inequalities: an indicator of dispersion of regional GDP per capita as representative of the performance imbalances within countries (it measures the economic development gap among regions in European countries; and a multidimensional inequality-adjusted human development index as representative of inequalities in the distribution of wealth in the countries. Decentralization is measured by means of a decentralization index, which contains both quantitative and qualitative components. Although groups of countries characterised by a high degree of decentralization do not necessarily show the lowest degrees of economic imbalances, it is however possible to conclude that the countries in groups with a higher degree of decentralization are among those countries with more favourable values of the economic imbalances indicators monitored. As a part of the research, two clusters of countries were identified which are identical in their degree of decentralization, but differ in the results connected with economic imbalances. The differences are caused by different institutional qualities in the two groups.

National briefing summaries: Nuclear fuel cycle and waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

1988-12-01

The National Briefing Summaries is a compilation of publicly available information concerning the nuclear fuel cycle and radioactive waste management strategies and programs of 21 nations, including the United States and three international agencies that have publicized their activities in this field. It presents available highlight information with references that may be used by the reader for additional information. The information in this document is compiled primarily for use by the US Department of Energy and other US federal agencies and their contractors to provide summary information on radioactive waste management activities in other countries. This document provides an awareness to managers and technical staff of what is occurring in other countries with regard to strategies, activities, and facilities. The information may be useful in program planning to improve and benefit United States' programs through foreign information exchange. Benefits to foreign exchange may be derived through a number of exchange activities

The Impact of Tourism on Economic Growth in the Western Balkan Countries: An Empirical Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prof. Dr Nasir Selimi

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The purpose of this research paper is to empirically analyse the effects of tourism on economic growth in Western Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, FYROM, Montenegro and Serbia. Design/Methodology/Approach: The empirical analysis consists of 17-year panel data of 6 countries over the period 1998 to 2014. Several models are analysed using the panel regression econometric techniques. The study investigates the random and fixed effects, as well as individual heterogeneity across those countries. Also, the Hausman Taylor IV estimator is used as the most appropriate model for this analysis. The real income per capita of the sample countries is modelled as dependent on the lagged income per capita, tourist arrivals, tourism receipts, FDI stock, exports and government expenditures. Findings: The estimation results in all types of models, and indicate that tourism has a positive and significant impact on economic growth in the Western Balkan countries. The Hausman Taylor IV model suggests that for every 1% increase of tourist arrivals, the output will increase approximately by 0.08%. Research limitations/implications: Although the Hausman Taylor IV model performs well, the results should be interpreted with caution. The analysis has its limitations; firstly, the total number of observations is relatively small for a panel regression analysis; secondly, the problem of endogenity is not completely avoided. However, the study implies that these countries should enhance efforts for joint tourism sector policies to engender economic sustainability. Originality/Value: To our best knowledge, this is the first attempt of estimating the effects of tourism on economic growth in the Western Balkan countries using the Hausman Taylor IV model.

Developed-developing country partnerships: Benefits to developed countries?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Syed Shamsuzzoha B

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Developing countries can generate effective solutions for today’s global health challenges. This paper reviews relevant literature to construct the case for international cooperation, and in particular, developed-developing country partnerships. Standard database and web-based searches were conducted for publications in English between 1990 and 2010. Studies containing full or partial data relating to international cooperation between developed and developing countries were retained for further analysis. Of 227 articles retained through initial screening, 65 were included in the final analysis. The results were two-fold: some articles pointed to intangible benefits accrued by developed country partners, but the majority of information pointed to developing country innovations that can potentially inform health systems in developed countries. This information spanned all six WHO health system components. Ten key health areas where developed countries have the most to learn from the developing world were identified and include, rural health service delivery; skills substitution; decentralisation of management; creative problem-solving; education in communicable disease control; innovation in mobile phone use; low technology simulation training; local product manufacture; health financing; and social entrepreneurship. While there are no guarantees that innovations from developing country experiences can effectively transfer to developed countries, combined developed-developing country learning processes can potentially generate effective solutions for global health systems. However, the global pool of knowledge in this area is virgin and further work needs to be undertaken to advance understanding of health innovation diffusion. Even more urgently, a standardized method for reporting partnership benefits is needed—this is perhaps the single most immediate need in planning for, and realizing, the full potential of international

Developed-developing country partnerships: benefits to developed countries?

Science.gov (United States)

Syed, Shamsuzzoha B; Dadwal, Viva; Rutter, Paul; Storr, Julie; Hightower, Joyce D; Gooden, Rachel; Carlet, Jean; Bagheri Nejad, Sepideh; Kelley, Edward T; Donaldson, Liam; Pittet, Didier

2012-06-18

Developing countries can generate effective solutions for today's global health challenges. This paper reviews relevant literature to construct the case for international cooperation, and in particular, developed-developing country partnerships. Standard database and web-based searches were conducted for publications in English between 1990 and 2010. Studies containing full or partial data relating to international cooperation between developed and developing countries were retained for further analysis. Of 227 articles retained through initial screening, 65 were included in the final analysis. The results were two-fold: some articles pointed to intangible benefits accrued by developed country partners, but the majority of information pointed to developing country innovations that can potentially inform health systems in developed countries. This information spanned all six WHO health system components. Ten key health areas where developed countries have the most to learn from the developing world were identified and include, rural health service delivery; skills substitution; decentralisation of management; creative problem-solving; education in communicable disease control; innovation in mobile phone use; low technology simulation training; local product manufacture; health financing; and social entrepreneurship. While there are no guarantees that innovations from developing country experiences can effectively transfer to developed countries, combined developed-developing country learning processes can potentially generate effective solutions for global health systems. However, the global pool of knowledge in this area is virgin and further work needs to be undertaken to advance understanding of health innovation diffusion. Even more urgently, a standardized method for reporting partnership benefits is needed--this is perhaps the single most immediate need in planning for, and realizing, the full potential of international cooperation between developed and

The ACT and SAT: No Longer Just College Admission Tests. Policy Brief

Science.gov (United States)

Hite, Jenny; Lord, Joan

2014-01-01

This brief report offers analysis of ACT and SAT results from 2008 to 2013 in the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) region. The brief focuses on the increase in test participation rates and points to policies that SREB states initiated that affected these rates. Five SREB states currently require 100 percent student participation on the…

Food retailers' buying behaviour: An analysis in 16 European countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skytte, Hans; Blunch, Niels Johan

2001-01-01

This paper presents results from a study on food retailer buying behaviour, i.e., how the retailers judge product and vendor attributes when choosing a new supplier of a product category that is already well known to them. A conjoint analysis was conducted in 16 Western European countries...

Probabilistic risk analysis and its role in regulatory activity in a developing country

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arredondo-Sanchez, C.

1985-01-01

The author discusses the criterion adopted for regulatory activity in a developing country with a nuclear power plant. He describes the problems that have to be overcome as a result of changes in the regulations during construction of the plant. There is discussion of the action taken by the regulatory body when introducing the method of probabilistic risk analysis. The part played by this form of analysis in quantifying the safety objectives proposed in the USA together with its limitations and the problems involved in this methodology are examined. Lastly, the author gives an opinion on the use that probabilistic risk analysis should be put to in developing countries such as Mexico. (author)

Performance on International Assessments and Learning Time: A Snapshot of How the U.S. Compares to Other Education Systems on an International Scale. Informing Policy & Improving Practice. Policy Brief

Science.gov (United States)

Saxena, Pooja; Sell, LeeAnn

2016-01-01

Drawing from two international measures, Trends in International Mathematics and Science Studies (TIMSS) and Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), this brief provides a snapshot comparison of the United States to other education systems. Specifically, this brief addresses how the U.S. compares to other countries in overall…

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.

New technologies in Islamic countries. Power engineering, transport, oil industry, machinery construction, building construction and information technologies problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharipova, N.S.

1999-01-01

The published proceedings contain brief presentations concerning new technologies in power engineering, transport, oil industry, machinery construction, building construction and information technologies presented to the International scientific and technical conference: New technologies in Islamic countries, which was organized within frame work of 6 General Assembly of Federation of engineering Institutes of Islamic countries (FEIIC). (author)

The rising price of oil: a window of opportunity for some Central American and Caribbean countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lizardi, Carlos Guerrero de; Padilla-Perez, Ramon

2010-11-01

This research paper analyzes the direct impact of the rising price of oil on shipping costs of any product to any point in the United States from Central America, Mexico or the Dominican Republic (CAM-DR) versus products from Asia. First, the study provides a brief description of the commercial opening of the countries analyzed and the liberalization of their markets. Second, it analyzes the evolution of the competitiveness of selected countries in the U.S. import market. Third, the study presents an analysis for each product. The hypothesis of this study is that geographical distance will be increasingly key. It is recommended that enhance shipping procedures and time (transit and container stay) be enhanced by simplifying customs procedures and improving port infrastructure. By expanding and improving road and rail infrastructures, countries could reduce shipping costs within their own territories. Besides, to avoid significant gain or loss in market share, it is recommended that the current tariff gaps be maintained or better still, expanded. Furthermore, forming strategic alliances could help producers lower the prices of their exported manufactured products.

Usability Briefing for hospital design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fronczek-Munter, Aneta

This PhD thesis is a contribution to an ongoing debate in Denmark about improving the building design processes of complex buildings, especially in relation to the current hospital developments. It provides knowledge about capturing user needs and defines the process model for usability briefing...... and evaluations, can be fed into briefing and design processes. This PhD thesis proposes methods for usability briefing.Usability is a concept similar to functionality, but usability depends on: subjective view of users, context, culture, situation and experience. Understanding usability is achieved by involving...... users. This PhD thesis extends the research in usability of buildings to include all building design phases, therefore not only proposes usability evaluations, but also defines usability briefing. Briefing, also called architectural programming, is usually understood as one of the first phases...

No Place Like Home: Place and Community Identity among North Country Youth. New England Issue Brief No. 24

Science.gov (United States)

Cox, Genevieve R.; Tucker, Corinna Jenkins

2011-01-01

This brief explores the link between rural youths' identification with their community, their self-esteem, and their future plans. The panel study of New Hampshire's Coos County youth offers a snapshot into the dynamics of a population that is developing its identity in a region that is undergoing an identity transformation of its own. Place…

Feasibility and effectiveness of a brief, intensive phylogenetics workshop in a middle-income country.

Science.gov (United States)

Pollett, S; Leguia, M; Nelson, M I; Maljkovic Berry, I; Rutherford, G; Bausch, D G; Kasper, M; Jarman, R; Melendrez, M

2016-01-01

There is an increasing role for bioinformatic and phylogenetic analysis in tropical medicine research. However, scientists working in low- and middle-income regions may lack access to training opportunities in these methods. To help address this gap, a 5-day intensive bioinformatics workshop was offered in Lima, Peru. The syllabus is presented here for others who want to develop similar programs. To assess knowledge gained, a 20-point knowledge questionnaire was administered to participants (21 participants) before and after the workshop, covering topics on sequence quality control, alignment/formatting, database retrieval, models of evolution, sequence statistics, tree building, and results interpretation. Evolution/tree-building methods represented the lowest scoring domain at baseline and after the workshop. There was a considerable median gain in total knowledge scores (increase of 30%, p<0.001) with gains as high as 55%. A 5-day workshop model was effective in improving the pathogen-applied bioinformatics knowledge of scientists working in a middle-income country setting. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

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.

Regulations and practices for systematic radiological screening within countries of the European community

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lefaure, C.

1987-01-01

The presentation of the situation concerning the various types of mass radiological screening within the countries of the European community is a brief description of the following: - the status of public regulations, - recommendations issued by medical authorities in various countries, - the actual practices of the medical profession, whether governed or not by the aforementioned regulations and official recommendations. Regulations, recommendations and/or systematic mass radiological screening practices concern mainly three diseases: - tuberculosis, - cancer of the breast, - congenital dislocation of the hip

The analysis of the publications in the most active countries in nanotechnology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joksimović Dušan

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Nanotechnology publications as one of the parameters of a country's level of nanotechnology (nanotech innovation, while nanotechnology innovations are considered the source of its competitive advantage. The country's competitiveness in the level of nanotechnology activity determine the total number of nanotechnology publications and the mean number of citations. In this paper, we have analyzed the scientific nanotechnology activity of the most active countries in this field (countries whose number of nanotechnology publications exceeds 1,000 annually. We used data on nanotechnology publications collected from Web of Science - WoS database and published by Nano Statistics - Nano Science, Technology and Industry Scoreboard. We analyzed the trend of the total number of published nanotechnology publications, the mean number of citations trend, trend of the relations of published nanotechnology publications and gross domestic product, and the trend of relations of published nanotechnology publications and the number of residents in the surveyed countries. Based on the regression-correlation analysis, we predicted the expected value of the total number of nanotechnology publications published in 2015 for China and the United States, because these are the countries that dominate in the total number of published nanotechnology publications in the world.

The brief family relationship scale: a brief measure of the relationship dimension in family functioning.

Science.gov (United States)

Fok, Carlotta Ching Ting; Allen, James; Henry, David

2014-02-01

The Relationship dimension of the Family Environment Scale, which consists of the Cohesion, Expressiveness, and Conflict subscales, measures a person's perception of the quality of his or her family relationship functioning. This study investigates an adaptation of the Relationship dimension of the Family Environment Scale for Alaska Native youth. The authors tested the adapted measure, the Brief Family Relationship Scale, for psychometric properties and internal structure with 284 12- to 18-year-old predominately Yup'ik Eskimo Alaska Native adolescents from rural, remote communities. This non-Western cultural group is hypothesized to display higher levels of collectivism traditionally organized around an extended kinship family structure. Results demonstrate a subset of the adapted items function satisfactorily, a three-response alternative format provided meaningful information, and the subscale's underlying structure is best described through three distinct first-order factors, organized under one higher order factor. Convergent and discriminant validity of the Brief Family Relationship Scale was assessed through correlational analysis.

Download How to write a policy brief

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

Francine Bouchard

Do a SWOT analysis – what are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats surrounding the research issue. Executive Summary. A one or two sentence overview of the brief that entices readers to go further. Introduction. Answer the question why is the topic important, why should people care. Answer the question ...

National briefing summaries: Nuclear fuel cycle and waste management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

1988-12-01

The National Briefing Summaries is a compilation of publicly available information concerning the nuclear fuel cycle and radioactive waste management strategies and programs of 21 nations, including the United States and three international agencies that have publicized their activities in this field. It presents available highlight information with references that may be used by the reader for additional information. The information in this document is compiled primarily for use by the US Department of Energy and other US federal agencies and their contractors to provide summary information on radioactive waste management activities in other countries. This document provides an awareness to managers and technical staff of what is occurring in other countries with regard to strategies, activities, and facilities. The information may be useful in program planning to improve and benefit United States' programs through foreign information exchange. Benefits to foreign exchange may be derived through a number of exchange activities.

An economic analysis of a major bio-fuel program undertaken by OECD countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

Biofuels such as ethanol and bio-diesel are creating a new demand for agricultural output and for agriculture land in Canada. However, the participation of other large countries with a large demand potential is necessary for bio-fuels to have a significant impact on the price of grains and oilseeds. This paper quantified the potential impact that a major bio-fuel program initiated by OECD countries has on grain and oilseed prices. The program was initiated for the period 1999 to 2006. There is considerable interest by Canadian producers to stimulate grain and oilseed prices by increasing demand of biofuels. This renewable energy source produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions than petroleum products. The analysis presented in this paper only considered ethanol from corn or wheat and bio-diesel from vegetable oils. It also focused only on the use of bio-fuels in the OECD transportation sector. The analysis was undertaken with AGLINK, a multi-commodity multi-country policy-specific dynamic model of the international agricultural markets built by the OECD with member countries. It was shown that the increase in world and domestic prices for grains and vegetable oils will remain strong, particularly toward 2006. It was also shown that a major bio-fuel program for all OECD countries would be beneficial to Canadian agriculture. It was concluded that ultimately, an increase in OECD bio-fuels usage has a direct impact on the demand for grains and oilseeds which are important feed-stocks in biofuel production. The analysis presumes an increase in renewable fuel use, but does not consider factors such as financial incentives and regulatory requirements that could bring about this increase. 7 refs., 6 tabs., 4 figs

Present status and perspective of radiochemical analysis of radionuclides in Nordic countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hou, Xiaolin; Olsson, Mattias; Togneri, Laura

2016-01-01

Radiochemical analysis plays a critical role in the determination of pure beta and alpha emitting radionuclides for environmental monitoring, radioecology, decommissioning, nuclear forensics and geological dating. A remarkable development on radiochemical analysis has been achieved in the past...... of radionuclides, especially in Nordic countries; some requirements from nuclear industries and research organizations, as well as perspectives on the development of radiochemical analysis are discussed....

Analysis of the frequency of interventional cardiology in various European countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faulkner, K.; Werduch, A.

2008-01-01

The contribution of interventional cardiology procedures to the population dose in Europe is poorly known. The estimation of the population dose from these procedures requires knowledge of both the typical dose received by patients and an estimate of the number of procedures undertaken annually. Data on the number of cardiology procedures in various European countries are available on the internet for a number of countries. However, this data set is incomplete or out of date. This paper describes the statistical analysis undertaken to estimate the number of interventional cardiology procedures in a number of European countries for 2007. Estimates of the number of procedures are given. On average, the number of cardiac catheterizations per million population is 5346, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty is 1599 and 1214 stent procedures. In addition, there are an estimated 973 pacemaker insertions per million population. (authors)

A Legal and Economic Analysis of Austria's Double Tax Treaty Network with Developing Countries

OpenAIRE

Braun, Julia; Fuentes Hernandez, Daniel

2014-01-01

To what degree developing countries gain from signing double tax treaties is being hotly debated. In this paper, we analyze the Austrian tax treaty policy. Combining legal and economic perspectives, we find that developing countries are likely to expect both positive and negative impacts from signing a double tax treaty (DTT) with Austria. On the one hand, the results of our econometric analysis suggest that middle-income countries that sign a DTT with Austria may expect an inc...

Volatility of Stock Markets (an Analysis of South Asian and G8 Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Mansoor Baig

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study is to make an analysis of volatility of stock markets between South Asian Stock Markets and Stock Markets of Group of Eight Countries. This study important for the investors whose want to invest in stock markets. This study helps investors to determine what stock market is more volatile. To make the analysis three South Asian stock markets and Group of Eight countries stock markets are selected. South Asian stock markets indexes include KSE 100 (Pakistan, SENSEX (India, ASPI (Sri Lanka, CAC 40 (France, DAX (Germany, S &P / TSX Composite (Canada, FTSE MIB (Italy, RTS (Russia, Nikkei 225 (Japan, S & P 500 (USA and FTSE 100 (UK. Data is collected from the period of January 1st 2005 to August 31st 2015. ARCH and GARCH model is used to analyze the volatility of South Asian Stock Markets and stock markets of Group of Eight Countries. The findings show that South Asian Stock Markets are less volatile while Stock Markets of Group of Eight Countries are high volatile. This study is useful for investment institutions and portfolio managers because it focuses on current issues and takes the current data.

Tuberculosis screening of travelers to higher-incidence countries: A cost-effectiveness analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Menzies Dick

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Travelers to countries with high tuberculosis incidence can acquire infection during travel. We sought to compare four screening interventions for travelers from low-incidence countries, who visit countries with varying tuberculosis incidence. Methods Decision analysis model: We considered hypothetical cohorts of 1,000 travelers, 21 years old, visiting Mexico, the Dominican Republic, or Haiti for three months. Travelers departed from and returned to the United States or Canada; they were born in the United States, Canada, or the destination countries. The time horizon was 20 years, with 3% annual discounting of future costs and outcomes. The analysis was conducted from the health care system perspective. Screening involved tuberculin skin testing (post-travel in three strategies, with baseline pre-travel tests in two, or chest radiography post-travel (one strategy. Returning travelers with tuberculin conversion (one strategy or other evidence of latent tuberculosis (three strategies were offered treatment. The main outcome was cost (in 2005 US dollars per tuberculosis case prevented. Results For all travelers, a single post-trip tuberculin test was most cost-effective. The associated cost estimate per case prevented ranged from $21,406 for Haitian-born travelers to Haiti, to $161,196 for US-born travelers to Mexico. In all sensitivity analyses, the single post-trip tuberculin test remained most cost-effective. For US-born travelers to Haiti, this strategy was associated with cost savings for trips over 22 months. Screening was more cost-effective with increasing trip duration and infection risk, and less so with poorer treatment adherence. Conclusion A single post-trip tuberculin skin test was the most cost-effective strategy considered, for travelers from the United States or Canada. The analysis did not evaluate the use of interferon-gamma release assays, which would be most relevant for travelers who received BCG

Early Childhood Education: Building a Strong Foundation for the Future. AFT Educational Issues Policy Brief Number 15

Science.gov (United States)

American Federation of Teachers, 2002

2002-01-01

This policy brief provides the context and the research supporting the American Federation of Teacher's call for universal early childhood education. It focuses on the current challenges the nation faces in achieving such a program; and it includes the signs of progress, a description of what other industrialized countries are doing, the features…

Confidence in Government and Attitudes toward Bribery: A Country-Cluster Analysis of Demographic and Religiosity Perspectives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Serkan Benk

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In this study, we try to classify the countries by the levels of confidence in government and attitudes toward accepting bribery by using the data of the sixth wave (2010–2014 of the World Values Survey (WVS. We are also interested in which demographic, attitudinal, and religiosity variables affect each class of countries. For these purposes cluster analysis, linear regression analysis, and ordered logistic regression analysis were used. The study found that countries could be grouped into two clusters which had varying levels of opposition to bribe taking and confidence in government. Another finding was that certain demographic, attitudinal, and religiosity variables that were significant in one cluster might not be significant in another cluster.

Executive Functioning in Children with ASD : An Analysis of the BRIEF

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blijd-Hoogewys, E. M. A.; Bezemer, M. L.; van Geert, P. L. C.

2014-01-01

The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functions (BRIEF) screens for executive function deficits in 5- to 18-year-olds. Data of three autism subgroups, according to DSM-IV-TR criteria (N = 35 Autistic Disorder, N = 27 Asperger's Disorder and N = 65 PDD-NOS), were analyzed. The total group has

Association between earthquake events and cholera outbreaks: a cross-country 15-year longitudinal analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Sumner, Steven A; Turner, Elizabeth L; Thielman, Nathan M

2013-12-01

Large earthquakes can cause population displacement, critical sanitation infrastructure damage, and increased threats to water resources, potentially predisposing populations to waterborne disease epidemics such as cholera. Problem The risk of cholera outbreaks after earthquake disasters remains uncertain. A cross-country analysis of World Health Organization (WHO) cholera data that would contribute to this discussion has yet to be published. A cross-country longitudinal analysis was conducted among 63 low- and middle-income countries from 1995-2009. The association between earthquake disasters of various effect sizes and a relative spike in cholera rates for a given country was assessed utilizing fixed-effects logistic regression and adjusting for gross domestic product per capita, water and sanitation level, flooding events, percent urbanization, and under-five child mortality. Also, the association between large earthquakes and cholera rate increases of various degrees was assessed. Forty-eight of the 63 countries had at least one year with reported cholera infections during the 15-year study period. Thirty-six of these 48 countries had at least one earthquake disaster. In adjusted analyses, country-years with ≥10,000 persons affected by an earthquake had 2.26 times increased odds (95 CI, 0.89-5.72, P = .08) of having a greater than average cholera rate that year compared to country-years having earthquake. The association between large earthquake disasters and cholera infections appeared to weaken as higher levels of cholera rate increases were tested. A trend of increased risk of greater than average cholera rates when more people were affected by an earthquake in a country-year was noted. However these findings did not reach statistical significance at traditional levels and may be due to chance. Frequent large-scale cholera outbreaks after earthquake disasters appeared to be relatively uncommon.

Response to: Brief Comments on “Siddhis and Psi Research: An Interdisciplinary Analysis”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SONALI BHATT MARWAHA

2017-06-01

Full Text Available In his brief comments on “Siddhis and Psi Research: An Interdisciplinary Analysis,” Ed Kelly expresses disappointment that the paper does not mirror his worldview, which includes questioning the reality of psi—especially precognition, accepting post-mortem survival and observational evidence for macro-PK including levitation. In this brief response to Kelly, I provide arguments in support of informational psi, particularly precognition, and in favor of a physicalist, signal-based approach to psi, with brief points against the validity of micro-PK (mind-over-matter and post-mortem survival.

Policy Brief: Shale Gas in India: Look Before You Leap

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-06-15

Natural gas forms 9 per cent of the total commercial energy mix in India, but demand far exceeds supply, as shown in Figure 1. Part of the demand in 2012–13 was made up by the import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the extent of 18 bcm. Several power plants, which were in operation, or ready for commissioning, or in an advanced state of construction, representing about 10,000 MW of generation capacity, were, however, idle for want of gas. The exploration and production of shale gas in the United States (US) has been a game changer, making the country self-sufficient in natural gas over the last few years. This has created considerable excitement globally, particularly in Europe. India is also looking at exploring shale gas domestically to fill in the supply–demand gap. But will what works for the US also work for Europe and India? This policy brief explores this question in the context of India. It explains the nature of shale gas, the technology for its extraction from underground sources, and its potential for India. It also highlights overseas acquisitions of this resource by Indian companies even before it is sourced domestically, and then examines the viability of the technology in India. One of the key determinants of the viability of this technology is the availability of large quantities of clean water. This policy brief raises a red flag on this complementary input for exploiting shale gas resources in India, given that India is a water stressed country, and is fast approaching water scarcity conditions.

Specialty substance use disorder services following brief alcohol intervention: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Science.gov (United States)

Glass, Joseph E; Hamilton, Ashley M; Powell, Byron J; Perron, Brian E; Brown, Randall T; Ilgen, Mark A

2015-09-01

Brief alcohol interventions in medical settings are efficacious in improving self-reported alcohol consumption among those with low-severity alcohol problems. Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment initiatives presume that brief interventions are efficacious in linking patients to higher levels of care, but pertinent evidence has not been evaluated. We estimated main and subgroup effects of brief alcohol interventions, regardless of their inclusion of a referral-specific component, in increasing the utilization of alcohol-related care. A systematic review of English language papers published in electronic databases to 2013. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of brief alcohol interventions in general health-care settings with adult and adolescent samples. We excluded studies that lacked alcohol services utilization data. Extractions of study characteristics and outcomes were standardized and conducted independently. The primary outcome was post-treatment alcohol services utilization assessed by self-report or administrative data, which we compared across intervention and control groups. Thirteen RCTs met inclusion criteria and nine were meta-analyzed (n = 993 and n = 937 intervention and control group participants, respectively). In our main analyses the pooled risk ratio (RR) was = 1.08, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.92-1.28. Five studies compared referral-specific interventions with a control condition without such interventions (pooled RR = 1.08, 95% CI = 0.81-1.43). Other subgroup analyses of studies with common characteristics (e.g. age, setting, severity, risk of bias) yielded non-statistically significant results. There is a lack of evidence that brief alcohol interventions have any efficacy for increasing the receipt of alcohol-related services. © 2015 Society for the Study of Addiction.

THE ANALYSIS OF THE RELATION COUNTRY RISK – MULTIPLE VALUE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Nicolescu

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Financial theory state that high expected growth, low risk in the company’s sector and low interest rates will push multiples higher. In this respect the goal of the empirical work is to examine country risk-multiple value relation, for the companies from emerging and frontier markets such as Central and East European ones. Specific control variables have been included in the model as proxy for growth opportunities, profitability, capital structure, and asset utilization. Using panel data analysis for period 2010-2015 as well as other financial variables for a sample of Central and East European countries during 2010-2015. The results partially support financial theories, mainly the significance of country risk and debt ratio and reject the growth opportunities hypothesis.

Analysis of oil export dependency of MENA countries: Drivers, trends and prospects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bhattacharyya, Subhes C.; Blake, Andon [CEPMLP, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 4HN, Scotland (United Kingdom)

2010-02-15

The purpose of this paper is to analyse how oil export dependencies of Middle East and North African (MENA) oil producers have evolved over the past two decades and to identify the main driving factors from an energy policy perspective. The paper expresses the oil export dependency of each economy in terms of a multiplicative identity that captures effective export price, export to primary oil supply ratio, oil dependency and oil export intensity of the country. Using the data for 1980-2006, the evolution in these factors is investigated for seven MENA countries and the influence of the above factors is decomposed using the Laspeyres index. The analysis shows that energy price and increasing energy intensity in the MENA countries have influenced the overall oil export dependency. Reducing the energy intensity can improve oil export revenue share to GDP by 5-10% in most of the countries while Iran can gain significantly by increasing its export volume. (author)

Analysis of oil export dependency of MENA countries: Drivers, trends and prospects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhattacharyya, Subhes C.; Blake, Andon

2010-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to analyse how oil export dependencies of Middle East and North African (MENA) oil producers have evolved over the past two decades and to identify the main driving factors from an energy policy perspective. The paper expresses the oil export dependency of each economy in terms of a multiplicative identity that captures effective export price, export to primary oil supply ratio, oil dependency and oil export intensity of the country. Using the data for 1980-2006, the evolution in these factors is investigated for seven MENA countries and the influence of the above factors is decomposed using the Laspeyres index. The analysis shows that energy price and increasing energy intensity in the MENA countries have influenced the overall oil export dependency. Reducing the energy intensity can improve oil export revenue share to GDP by 5-10% in most of the countries while Iran can gain significantly by increasing its export volume. (author)

Budget-in-brief, fiscal year 1998: Energy for today and tomorrow

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-09-01

This document provides a brief overview of how the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy programs plan to improve: environmental quality, energy security, public health, and economic productivity. Substantial opportunities remain to improve the nation`s energy future without incurring high costs or imposing overly restrictive regulations. Current restructuring of electricity markets and international agreements on global climate change are focusing attention on some of these opportunities. With energy demand in countries such as China and India projected to grow exponentially in coming decades, US exports of clean energy technologies will be important for mitigating world environmental degradation and climate change--and for fostering strong US industries in sustainable energy products and services. Enabling developing countries to grow without the negative consequences of pollution is one of the most valuable forms of leadership the US can exercise in world affairs in the years ahead.

A Corpus-Based Discourse Information Analysis of Chinese EFL Learners' Autonomy in Legal Case Brief Writing

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jinshi

2017-01-01

Legal case brief writing is pedagogically important yet insufficiently discussed for Chinese EFL learners majoring in law. Based on process genre approach and discourse information theory (DIT), the present study designs a corpus-based analytical model for Chinese EFL learners' autonomy in legal case brief writing and explores the process of case…

Decoupling Economic Growth and Energy Use. An Empirical Cross-Country Analysis for 10 Manufacturing Sectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mulder, P. [International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg (Austria); De Groot, H.L.F. [Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2004-07-01

This paper provides an empirical analysis of decoupling economic growth and energy use and its various determinants by exploring trends in energy- and labour productivity across 10 manufacturing sectors and 14 OECD countries for the period 1970-1997. We explicitly aim to trace back aggregate developments in the manufacturing sector to developments at the level of individual subsectors. A cross-country decomposition analysis reveals that in some countries structural changes contributed considerably to aggregate manufacturing energy-productivity growth and, hence, to decoupling, while in other countries they partly offset energy-efficiency improvements. In contrast, structural changes only play a minor role in explaining aggregate manufacturing labour-productivity developments. Furthermore, we find labour-productivity growth to be higher on average than energy-productivity growth. Over time, this bias towards labour-productivity growth is increasing in the aggregate manufacturing sector, while it is decreasing in most manufacturing subsectors.

Substance use disorders in Arab countries: research activity and bibliometric analysis

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background Substance use disorders, which include substance abuse and substance dependence, are present in all regions of the world including Middle Eastern Arab countries. Bibliometric analysis is an increasingly used tool for research assessment. The main objective of this study was to assess research productivity in the field of substance use disorders in Arab countries using bibliometric indicators. Methodology Original or review research articles authored or co-authored by investigators from Arab countries about substance use disorders during the period 1900 – 2013 were retrieved using the ISI Web of Science database. Research activity was assessed by analyzing the annual research productivity, contribution of each Arab country, names of journals, citations, and types of abused substances. Results Four hundred and thirteen documents in substance use disorders were retrieved. Annual research productivity was low but showed a significant increase in the last few years. In terms of quantity, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (83 documents) ranked first in research about substance use disorders while Lebanon (17.4 documents per million) ranked first in terms of number of documents published per million inhabitants. Retrieved documents were found in different journal titles and categories, mostly in Drug and Alcohol Dependence Journal. Authors from USA appeared in 117 documents published by investigators from Arab countries. Citation analysis of retrieved documents showed that the average citation per document was 10.76 and the h - index was 35. The majority of retrieved documents were about tobacco and smoking (175 documents) field while alcohol consumption and abuse research was the least with 69 documents. Conclusion The results obtained suggest that research in this field was largely neglected in the past. However, recent research interest was observed. Research output on tobacco and smoking was relatively high compared to other substances of abuse like illicit drugs

Performance-Based Funding Brief

Science.gov (United States)

Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board, 2011

2011-01-01

A number of states have made progress in implementing performance-based funding (PFB) and accountability. This policy brief summarizes main features of performance-based funding systems in three states: Tennessee, Ohio, and Indiana. The brief also identifies key issues that states considering performance-based funding must address, as well as…

Professional Development. Issue Brief

Science.gov (United States)

Keleher, Julia

2017-01-01

In this professional development research brief, the author sets forth the overarching considerations that should be kept in mind when conceptualizing professional development for educators working with neglected or delinquent youth (N or D). The brief begins by defining professional development and demonstrating why it is a critical support for…

Zipf rank approach and cross-country convergence of incomes

Science.gov (United States)

Shao, Jia; Ivanov, Plamen Ch.; Urošević, Branko; Stanley, H. Eugene; Podobnik, Boris

2011-05-01

We employ a concept popular in physics —the Zipf rank approach— in order to estimate the number of years that EU members would need in order to achieve "convergence" of their per capita incomes. Assuming that trends in the past twenty years continue to hold in the future, we find that after t≈30 years both developing and developed EU countries indexed by i will have comparable values of their per capita gross domestic product {\\cal G}_{i,t} . Besides the traditional Zipf rank approach we also propose a weighted Zipf rank method. In contrast to the EU block, on the world level the Zipf rank approach shows that, between 1960 and 2009, cross-country income differences increased over time. For a brief period during the 2007-2008 global economic crisis, at world level the {\\cal G}_{i,t} of richer countries declined more rapidly than the {\\cal G}_{i,t} of poorer countries, in contrast to EU where the {\\cal G}_{i,t} of developing EU countries declined faster than the {\\cal G}_{i,t} of developed EU countries, indicating that the recession interrupted the convergence between EU members. We propose a simple model of GDP evolution that accounts for the scaling we observe in the data.

A brief history of vaccines & vaccination in India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chandrakant Lahariya

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The challenges faced in delivering lifesaving vaccines to the targeted beneficiaries need to be addressed from the existing knowledge and learning from the past. This review documents the history of vaccines and vaccination in India with an objective to derive lessons for policy direction to expand the benefits of vaccination in the country. A brief historical perspective on smallpox disease and preventive efforts since antiquity is followed by an overview of 19 th century efforts to replace variolation by vaccination, setting up of a few vaccine institutes, cholera vaccine trial and the discovery of plague vaccine. The early twentieth century witnessed the challenges in expansion of smallpox vaccination, typhoid vaccine trial in Indian army personnel, and setting up of vaccine institutes in almost each of the then Indian States. In the post-independence period, the BCG vaccine laboratory and other national institutes were established; a number of private vaccine manufacturers came up, besides the continuation of smallpox eradication effort till the country became smallpox free in 1977. The Expanded Programme of Immunization (EPI (1978 and then Universal Immunization Programme (UIP (1985 were launched in India. The intervening events since UIP till India being declared non-endemic for poliomyelitis in 2012 have been described. Though the preventive efforts from diseases were practiced in India, the reluctance, opposition and a slow acceptance of vaccination have been the characteristic of vaccination history in the country. The operational challenges keep the coverage inequitable in the country. The lessons from the past events have been analysed and interpreted to guide immunization efforts.

A brief history of vaccines & vaccination in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Lahariya, Chandrakant

2014-04-01

The challenges faced in delivering lifesaving vaccines to the targeted beneficiaries need to be addressed from the existing knowledge and learning from the past. This review documents the history of vaccines and vaccination in India with an objective to derive lessons for policy direction to expand the benefits of vaccination in the country. A brief historical perspective on smallpox disease and preventive efforts since antiquity is followed by an overview of 19 th century efforts to replace variolation by vaccination, setting up of a few vaccine institutes, cholera vaccine trial and the discovery of plague vaccine. The early twentieth century witnessed the challenges in expansion of smallpox vaccination, typhoid vaccine trial in Indian army personnel, and setting up of vaccine institutes in almost each of the then Indian States. In the post-independence period, the BCG vaccine laboratory and other national institutes were established; a number of private vaccine manufacturers came up, besides the continuation of smallpox eradication effort till the country became smallpox free in 1977. The Expanded Programme of Immunization (EPI) (1978) and then Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) (1985) were launched in India. The intervening events since UIP till India being declared non-endemic for poliomyelitis in 2012 have been described. Though the preventive efforts from diseases were practiced in India, the reluctance, opposition and a slow acceptance of vaccination have been the characteristic of vaccination history in the country. The operational challenges keep the coverage inequitable in the country. The lessons from the past events have been analysed and interpreted to guide immunization efforts.

Brief biomechanical analysis on the walking of spinal cord injury patients with a lower limb exoskeleton robot.

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Jun-Young; Park, Hyunsub; Yang, Hyun-Dae; Chae, Mingi

2013-06-01

This paper presents a brief biomechanical analysis on the walking behavior of spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. It is known that SCI patients who have serious injuries to their spines cannot walk, and hence, several walking assistance lower limb exoskeleton robots have been proposed whose assistance abilities are shown to be well customized. However, these robots are not yet fully helpful to all SCI patients for several reasons. To overcome these problems, an exact analysis and evaluation of the restored walking function while the exoskeleton is worn is important. In this work, walking behavior of SCI patients wearing the rehabilitation of brain injuries (ROBIN) lower-limb walking assistant exoskeleton was analyzed in comparison to that of normal unassisted walking. The analysis method and results presented herein can be used by other researchers to improve their robots.

Local level epidemiological analysis of TB in people from a high incidence country of birth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Massey Peter D

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The setting for this analysis is the low tuberculosis (TB incidence state of New South Wales (NSW, Australia. Local level analysis of TB epidemiology in people from high incidence countries-of-birth (HIC in a low incidence setting has not been conducted in Australia and has not been widely reported. Local level analysis could inform measures such as active case finding and targeted earlier diagnosis. The aim of this study was to use a novel approach to identify local areas in an Australian state that have higher TB rates given the local areas’ country of birth profiles. Methods TB notification data for the three year period 2006–2008 were analysed by grouping the population into those from a high-incidence country-of-birth and the remainder. Results During the study period there were 1401 notified TB cases in the state of NSW. Of these TB cases 76.5% were born in a high-incidence country. The annualised TB notification rate for the high-incidence country-of-birth group was 61.2/100,000 population and for the remainder of the population was 1.8/100,000. Of the 152 Local Government Areas (LGA in NSW, nine had higher and four had lower TB notification rates in their high-incidence country-of-birth populations when compared with the high-incidence country-of-birth population for the rest of NSW. The nine areas had a higher proportion of the population with a country of birth where TB notification rates are >100/100,000. Those notified with TB in the nine areas also had a shorter length of stay in Australia than the rest of the state. The areas with higher TB notification rates were all in the capital city, Sydney. Among LGAs with higher TB notification rates, four had higher rates in both people with a high-incidence country of birth and people not born in a high-incidence country. The age distribution of the HIC population was similar across all areas, and the highest differential in TB rates across areas was in the 5–19

Local level epidemiological analysis of TB in people from a high incidence country of birth.

Science.gov (United States)

Massey, Peter D; Durrheim, David N; Stephens, Nicola; Christensen, Amanda

2013-01-22

The setting for this analysis is the low tuberculosis (TB) incidence state of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Local level analysis of TB epidemiology in people from high incidence countries-of-birth (HIC) in a low incidence setting has not been conducted in Australia and has not been widely reported. Local level analysis could inform measures such as active case finding and targeted earlier diagnosis. The aim of this study was to use a novel approach to identify local areas in an Australian state that have higher TB rates given the local areas' country of birth profiles. TB notification data for the three year period 2006-2008 were analysed by grouping the population into those from a high-incidence country-of-birth and the remainder. During the study period there were 1401 notified TB cases in the state of NSW. Of these TB cases 76.5% were born in a high-incidence country. The annualised TB notification rate for the high-incidence country-of-birth group was 61.2/100,000 population and for the remainder of the population was 1.8/100,000. Of the 152 Local Government Areas (LGA) in NSW, nine had higher and four had lower TB notification rates in their high-incidence country-of-birth populations when compared with the high-incidence country-of-birth population for the rest of NSW. The nine areas had a higher proportion of the population with a country of birth where TB notification rates are >100/100,000. Those notified with TB in the nine areas also had a shorter length of stay in Australia than the rest of the state. The areas with higher TB notification rates were all in the capital city, Sydney. Among LGAs with higher TB notification rates, four had higher rates in both people with a high-incidence country of birth and people not born in a high-incidence country. The age distribution of the HIC population was similar across all areas, and the highest differential in TB rates across areas was in the 5-19 years age group. Analysing local area TB rates and possible

The roles of countries in the international fossil fuel trade: An emergy and network analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhong, Weiqiong; An, Haizhong; Shen, Lei; Fang, Wei; Gao, Xiangyun; Dong, Di

2017-01-01

A better understanding of the roles of countries in the international fossil fuel trade is crucial for trade security and policy optimization. This study aims to provide a new way to quantitatively analyze the roles of countries in the international fossil fuel trade by complex network analysis and Emergy theory. We transform the trade quantity of coal, crude oil and natural gas into emergy and the sum of the three emergies is the emergy of fossil fuel. We build up network models of fossil fuel based on the value of fossil fuel emergy. Then, the top relationships, the central position, the intermediary ability of the countries, and the roles of countries in the trade groups were used to analyze the roles of countries in the international fossil fuel trade network. We choose four countries, the USA, China, Russia and Saudi Arabia, as examples to show the analysis of roles and policy implications. We suggest that the USA and Russia should try to improve their intermediary abilities by diversifying their trade orientations and pay more attention to building up relationships with countries in different communities. China should seek for more tight relationships with other countries to improve its central position, and more pipelines connecting China, Russia, and other Middle Asia countries are needed. As for Saudi Arabia, expanding its industrial chain of crude oil is a better way to deal with the more fierce competition in the market. - Highlights: • Trade amounts of coal, crude oil and natural gas are transformed into Emergy. • Integrated complex network model of international fossil fuel trade is constructed. • Geographical factor is reinforced due to the restriction of transportation cost. • The old pattern is breaking and the new pattern is forming. • Different countries play different roles in international fossil fuel trade network.

A multi-faceted approach to promote knowledge translation platforms in eastern Mediterranean countries: climate for evidence-informed policy.

Science.gov (United States)

El-Jardali, Fadi; Ataya, Nour; Jamal, Diana; Jaafar, Maha

2012-05-06

Limited work has been done to promote knowledge translation (KT) in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). The objectives of this study are to: 1.assess the climate for evidence use in policy; 2.explore views and practices about current processes and weaknesses of health policymaking; 3.identify priorities including short-term requirements for policy briefs; and 4.identify country-specific requirements for establishing KT platforms. Senior policymakers, stakeholders and researchers from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen participated in this study. Questionnaires were used to assess the climate for use of evidence and identify windows of opportunity and requirements for policy briefs and for establishing KT platforms. Current processes and weaknesses of policymaking were appraised using case study scenarios. Closed-ended questions were analyzed descriptively. Qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. KT activities were not frequently undertaken by policymakers and researchers in EMR countries, research evidence about high priority policy issues was rarely made available, and interaction between policymakers and researchers was limited, and policymakers rarely identified or created places for utilizing research evidence in decision-making processes. Findings emphasized the complexity of policymaking. Donors, political regimes, economic goals and outdated laws were identified as key drivers. Lack of policymakers' abilities to think strategically, constant need to make quick decisions, limited financial resources, and lack of competent and trained human resources were suggested as main weaknesses. Despite the complexity of policymaking processes in countries from this region, the absence of a structured process for decision making, and the limited engagement of policymakers and researchers in KT activities, there are windows of opportunity for moving towards more evidence informed policymaking.

Funding schemes in OECD countries for future decommissioning of nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stevens, G.H.; Yasui, M.

1993-01-01

This paper provides a brief overview of the funding schemes for decommissioning implemented in selected OECD countries. The scope of this paper includes only the schemes for future decommissioning costs of private company's nuclear power plants. Countries such as Finland, Spain and Sweden have an official funding scheme, in which the government fixes the amount of money to be put aside, specifies a funding scheme and control the fund. In Belgium and Usa, the government do the same but leaves the management of the fund to the facility owners or external organization. In Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands and UK, there is no official funding scheme

Clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness of brief guided parent-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy and solution-focused brief therapy for treatment of childhood anxiety disorders: a randomised controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Creswell, Cathy; Violato, Mara; Fairbanks, Hannah; White, Elizabeth; Parkinson, Monika; Abitabile, Gemma; Leidi, Alessandro; Cooper, Peter J

2017-07-01

Half of all lifetime anxiety disorders emerge before age 12 years; however, access to evidence-based psychological therapies for affected children is poor. We aimed to compare the clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness of two brief psychological treatments for children with anxiety referred to routine child mental health settings. We hypothesised that brief guided parent-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) would be associated with better clinical outcomes than solution-focused brief therapy and would be cost-effective. We did this randomised controlled trial at four National Health Service primary child and mental health services in Oxfordshire, UK. Children aged 5-12 years referred for anxiety difficulties were randomly allocated (1:1), via a secure online minimisation tool, to receive brief guided parent-delivered CBT or solution-focused brief therapy, with minimisation for age, sex, anxiety severity, and level of parental anxiety. The allocation sequence was not accessible to the researcher enrolling participants or to study assessors. Research staff who obtained outcome measurements were masked to group allocation and clinical staff who delivered the intervention did not measure outcomes. The primary outcome was recovery, on the basis of Clinical Global Impressions of Improvement (CGI-I). Parents recorded patient-level resource use. Quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) for use in cost-utility analysis were derived from the Child Health Utility 9D. Assessments were done at baseline (before randomisation), after treatment (primary endpoint), and 6 months after treatment completion. We did analysis by intention to treat. This trial is registered with the ISCRTN registry, number ISRCTN07627865. Between March 23, 2012, and March 31, 2014, we randomly assigned 136 patients to receive brief guided parent-delivered CBT (n=68) or solution-focused brief therapy (n=68). At the primary endpoint assessment (June, 2012, to September, 2014), 40 (59%) children in

Cybernetics of Brief Family Therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Keeney, Bradford P.; Ross, Jeffrey M.

1983-01-01

Presents a cybernetic view of brief family therapy. Includes a historical discussion of the key ideas underlying brief family therapy, a cybernetic model of therapeutic change, and a clinical case for exemplification. (Author/JAC)

Management briefs 2/92

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

Brief reports inform about research activities and meetings. The German industry's alarm at the introduction of a carbon dioxide tax is expressed in an article, and a short note refers to the disquiet on the part of the natural gas industry. A brief account is given of the continuation and expansion of nuclear power generation in Japan. (DG) [de

[Multidimensional assessment of coping: validation of the Brief COPE among French population].

Science.gov (United States)

Muller, L; Spitz, E

2003-01-01

This Article aims to introduce the translation and the validation of a multidimensional measure of coping strategies: the Brief COPE, in a French population. The coping concept comes from psychological studies that were conducted on stress. In the conceptual analysis of stress by Lazarus and Folkman, coping works with two cognitive appraisals performed by the person concerning the perception of a threatening situation and his or her available resources to deal with it. Coping is defined as "cognitive and behavioural efforts to master, reduce, or tolerate the internal and/or external demands that are created by the stressful transaction". The Brief COPE is the abridged version of the COPE inventory and presents fourteen scales all assessing different coping dimensions: 1) active coping, 2) planning, 3) using instrumental support, 4) using emotional support, 5) venting, 6) behavioural disengagement, 7) self-distraction, 8) self-blame, 9) positive reframing, 10) humor, 11) denial, 12) acceptance, 13) religion, and 14) substance use. Each scale contains two items (28 altogether). This inventory has the advantage of being built from acknowledged theoretical models (Lazarus' transactional model of stress, 1984; behavioral self-regulation model, Carver and Scheier, 1981, 1998). It can be used to assess trait coping (the usual way people cope with stress in everyday life) and state coping (the particular way people cope with a specific stressful situation). As is the COPE inventory, the Brief COPE is a measure used for many health-relevant studies: drugs addiction, ageing, breast cancer, depression, AIDS. Both measures are widely used in Anglophone countries and translated in many Languages. Today, the COPE inventory has been validated among Estonian, Croatian, Chinese, and Italian populations and the Brief COPE is also validated among Spanish people. Thus, the worldwide use of this coping inventory should allow a broad comparison of medical and psychological research for

Measurement Invariance of the Brief Multidimensional Student's Life Satisfaction Scale among Adolescents and Emerging Adults across 23 Cultural Contexts

Science.gov (United States)

Abubakar, Amina; van de Vijver, Fons; Alonso-Arbiol, Itziar; He, Jia; Adams, Byron; Aldhafri, Said; Aydinli-Karakulak, Arzu; Arasa, Josephine; Boer, Diana; Celenk, Ozgur; Dimitrova, Radosveta; Ferreira, Maria Cristina; Fischer, Ronald; Mbebeb, Fomba Emmanuel; Frías, María Teresa; Fresno, Andrés; Gillath, Omri; Harb, Charles; Handani, Penny; Hapunda, Given; Kamble, Shanmukh; Kosic, Marianna; Looh, Joseph Lah; Mazrui, Lubna; Mendia, Rafael Emilio; Murugami, Margaret; Mason-Li, Mei; Pandia, Weny Savitry; Perdomo, Cristina; Schachner, Maja; Sim, Samantha; Spencer, Rosario; Suryani, Angela; Tair, Ergyul

2016-01-01

There is hardly any cross-cultural research on the measurement invariance of the Brief Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scales (BMSLSS). The current article evaluates the measurement invariance of the BMSLSS across cultural contexts. This cross-sectional study sampled 7,739 adolescents and emerging adults in 23 countries. A multi-group…

Effect of a brief intervention for alcohol and illicit drug use on trauma recidivism in a cohort of trauma patients.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergio Cordovilla-Guardia

Full Text Available Estimate the effectiveness of brief interventions in reducing trauma recidivism in hospitalized trauma patients who screened positive for alcohol and/or illicit drug use.Dynamic cohort study based on registry data from 1818 patients included in a screening and brief intervention program for alcohol and illicit drug use for hospitalized trauma patients. Three subcohorts emerged from the data analysis: patients who screened negative, those who screened positive and were offered brief intervention, and those who screened positive and were not offered brief intervention. Follow-up lasted from 10 to 52 months. Trauma-free survival, adjusted hazard rate ratios (aHRR and adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRR were calculated, and complier average causal effect (CACE analysis was used.We found a higher cumulative risk of trauma recidivism in the subcohort who screened positive. In this subcohort, an aHRR of 0.63 (95% CI: 0.41-0.95 was obtained for the group offered brief intervention compared to the group not offered intervention. CACE analysis yielded an estimated 52% reduction in trauma recidivism associated with the brief intervention.The brief intervention offered during hospitalization in trauma patients positive for alcohol and/or illicit drug use can halve the incidence of trauma recidivism.

Effect of a brief intervention for alcohol and illicit drug use on trauma recidivism in a cohort of trauma patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Cordovilla-Guardia, Sergio; Fernández-Mondéjar, Enrique; Vilar-López, Raquel; Navas, Juan F; Portillo-Santamaría, Mónica; Rico-Martín, Sergio; Lardelli-Claret, Pablo

2017-01-01

Estimate the effectiveness of brief interventions in reducing trauma recidivism in hospitalized trauma patients who screened positive for alcohol and/or illicit drug use. Dynamic cohort study based on registry data from 1818 patients included in a screening and brief intervention program for alcohol and illicit drug use for hospitalized trauma patients. Three subcohorts emerged from the data analysis: patients who screened negative, those who screened positive and were offered brief intervention, and those who screened positive and were not offered brief intervention. Follow-up lasted from 10 to 52 months. Trauma-free survival, adjusted hazard rate ratios (aHRR) and adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRR) were calculated, and complier average causal effect (CACE) analysis was used. We found a higher cumulative risk of trauma recidivism in the subcohort who screened positive. In this subcohort, an aHRR of 0.63 (95% CI: 0.41-0.95) was obtained for the group offered brief intervention compared to the group not offered intervention. CACE analysis yielded an estimated 52% reduction in trauma recidivism associated with the brief intervention. The brief intervention offered during hospitalization in trauma patients positive for alcohol and/or illicit drug use can halve the incidence of trauma recidivism.

Effect of a brief intervention for alcohol and illicit drug use on trauma recidivism in a cohort of trauma patients

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández-Mondéjar, Enrique; Vilar-López, Raquel; Navas, Juan F.; Portillo-Santamaría, Mónica; Rico-Martín, Sergio; Lardelli-Claret, Pablo

2017-01-01

Objective Estimate the effectiveness of brief interventions in reducing trauma recidivism in hospitalized trauma patients who screened positive for alcohol and/or illicit drug use. Methods Dynamic cohort study based on registry data from 1818 patients included in a screening and brief intervention program for alcohol and illicit drug use for hospitalized trauma patients. Three subcohorts emerged from the data analysis: patients who screened negative, those who screened positive and were offered brief intervention, and those who screened positive and were not offered brief intervention. Follow-up lasted from 10 to 52 months. Trauma-free survival, adjusted hazard rate ratios (aHRR) and adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRR) were calculated, and complier average causal effect (CACE) analysis was used. Results We found a higher cumulative risk of trauma recidivism in the subcohort who screened positive. In this subcohort, an aHRR of 0.63 (95% CI: 0.41–0.95) was obtained for the group offered brief intervention compared to the group not offered intervention. CACE analysis yielded an estimated 52% reduction in trauma recidivism associated with the brief intervention. Conclusion The brief intervention offered during hospitalization in trauma patients positive for alcohol and/or illicit drug use can halve the incidence of trauma recidivism. PMID:28813444

Co-word analysis for the non-scientific information example of Reuters Business Briefings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B Delecroix

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Co-word analysis is based on a sociological theory developed by the CSI and the SERPIA (Callon, Courtial, Turner, 1991 in the mid eighties. This method, originally dedicated to scientific fields, measures the association strength between terms in documents to reveal and visualise the evolution of scientific fields through the construction of clusters and strategic diagram. This method has since been successfully applied to investigate the structure of many scientific areas. Nowadays it occurs in many software systems which are used by companies to improve their business, and define their strategy but its relevance to this kind of application has not been proved yet. Using the example of economic and marketing information on DSL technologies from Reuters Business Briefing, this presentation gives an interpretation of co-word analysis for this kind of information. After an overview of the software we used (Sampler and after an outline of the experimental protocol, we investigate and explain each step of the co-word analysis process: terminological extraction, computation of clusters and the strategic diagram. In particular, we explain the meaning of each parameter of the method: the choice of variables and similarity measures is discussed. Finally we try to give a global interpretation of the method in an economic context. Further studies will be added to this work in order to allow a generalisation of these results.

Ozone therapy in dentistry. A brief review for physicians.

Science.gov (United States)

Domb, William C

2014-10-31

The 21(st) century dental practice is quite dynamic. New treatment protocols and new materials are being developed at a rapid pace. Ozone dental therapy falls into the category of new treatment protocols in dentistry, yet ozone is not new at all. Ozone therapy is already a major treatment modality in Europe, South America and a number of other countries. What is provided here will not be an exhaustive scientific treatise so much as a brief general introduction into what dentists are now doing with ozone therapies and the numerous oral/systemic links that make this subject so important for physicians so that, ultimately, they may serve their patients more effectively and productively.

Analysis of Fertility in Ten Central And Eastern European Countries After 1989

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dănuţ-Vasile JEMNA

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The establishment of democracy in the communist countries, which generated profound social and economic transformation, was accompanied by a decline in fertility. We attempt to provide an overall survey on fertility since 1989 in ten Central and Eastern European Countries, members of the European Union, and to identify the variables which explain the fertility decline. We will use univariate and multivariate statistical analysis to identify disparities between the ten countries, and the variables which explain these differences. Also, we developed a panel econometric model to confirm the hypothesis of a similar pattern of evolution for fertility in these countries and that the decline in fertility can be explained both through demographic and economic variables. The decline in fertility can be explained by economic growth, marriage, divorce, abortion, and migration. The empirical evidence presented in this paper supports the view that the decline in fertility over the 1989s represents the continuation of a longstanding trend of the previous period, according to the demographic transition theory, but its speed and magnitude has been influenced by the new social and economic landscape. These results can be useful for public authorities of the CEE countries to rethinking demographic policies and to ensure the sustainability of demographic growth.

Introducing E-Government in Developing Countries Analysis of Egyptian e-Government Services

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Elaswad, Othoman; Jensen, Christian D.

2016-01-01

identification and remote authentication in developing countries, such as the North Africa Countries (NAC), where a relatively large proportion of citizens are illiterate. Therefore, the design of a national IDM system in a NAC must explicitly consider illiteracy to allow this group of citizens to benefit from...... services that guarantee equal access to online services and an inclusive society. The study identifies strengths and weaknesses of the Egyptian e-Government and IDM services, which we believe are common to most NAC, since the NAC are quite similar in terms of social culture, citizen's education level...... and skills, citizen's behaviours, digital infrastructure and legislation, but also common to many other developing countries. Our analysis of the Egyptian e-Government services indicates that the security requirements and principle of equal access are not fully met, which illustrates the difficulty...

Vaccine procurement and self-sufficiency in developing countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Woodle, D

2000-06-01

This paper discusses the movement toward self-sufficiency in vaccine supply in developing countries (and countries in transition to new economic and political systems) and explains special supply concerns about vaccine as a product class. It traces some history of donor support and programmes aimed at self-financing, then continues with a discussion about self-sufficiency in terms of institutional capacity building. A number of deficiencies commonly found in vaccine procurement and supply in low- and middle-income countries are characterized, and institutional strengthening with procurement technical assistance is described. The paper also provides information about a vaccine procurement manual being developed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Health Organization (WHO) for use in this environment. Two brief case studies are included to illustrate the spectrum of existing capabilities and different approaches to technical assistance aimed at developing or improving vaccine procurement capability. In conclusion, the paper discusses the special nature of vaccine and issues surrounding potential integration and decentralization of vaccine supply systems as part of health sector reform.

The Analysis of Income Per Capita Convergence on ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Countries

OpenAIRE

Fatiwetunusa, Any; Syamsurijal, Syamsurijal; Yuliana, Sa’adah

2017-01-01

The main objective of this study is to test the convergence of income per capita in APT countries through three models: absolute convergence, conditional convergence and sigma convergence. Regression analysis of panel data from 13 APT countries during the period of 2001-2014 is used to analysed to study problem. In absolute convergence model, the growth of real GDP per capita and initial real GDP are used as the variables, meanwhile, 8 variables such as the growth of real GPD per capita, init...

US Clean Development Mechanism: benefits of the CDM for developing countries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pearce, D.; Day, B.; Newcombe, J.; Brunello, T.; Bello, T.

1998-11-01

The Kyoto Protocol to the Framework Convention on Climate Change enables countries with mandatory greenhouse gas reduction commitments to offset some of their domestic emissions by reductions in emissions and enhancement of carbon sinks in other countries. One of three types of offsets in the Protocol is the Clean Development Mechanism, a form of joint implementation between Annex 1 and non-Annex 1 countries which stresses the development gains to developing countries (Article 12). This report focuses on the provision of Article 12 and aims to establish a framework for determining the net benefits of such offsets or trades to developing countries. It looks at some estimates of the likely size of the CDM market, addresses the issue of risks, and takes a brief look at the issue of sharing credits between hosts and investors. It addresses how CDM projects might be screened for their contribution to sustainable development in developing countries and introduces the framework for assessing that contribution and then applies that framework to evaluate different types of potential CDM projects (in the energy, transport, forests and agricultural sectors). 63 refs., 8 figs., 387 tabs., 7 apps.

Efficacy of a brief image-based multiple-behavior intervention for college students.

Science.gov (United States)

Werch, Chudley E; Moore, Michele J; Bian, Hui; DiClemente, Carlo C; Ames, Steven C; Weiler, Robert M; Thombs, Dennis; Pokorny, Steven B; Huang, I-Chan

2008-10-01

Epidemiologic data indicate most adolescents and adults experience multiple, simultaneous risk behaviors. The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of a brief image-based multiple-behavior intervention (MBI) for college students. A total of 303 college students were randomly assigned to: (1) a brief MBI or (2) a standard care control, with a 3-month postintervention follow-up. Omnibus treatment by time multivariate analysis of variance interactions were significant for three of six behavior groupings, with improvements for college students receiving the brief MBI on alcohol consumption behaviors, F(6, 261) = 2.73, p = 0.01, marijuana-use behaviors, F(4, 278) = 3.18, p = 0.01, and health-related quality of life, F(5, 277) = 2.80, p = 0.02, but not cigarette use, exercise, and nutrition behaviors. Participants receiving the brief MBI also got more sleep, F(1, 281) = 9.49, p = 0.00, than those in the standard care control. A brief image-based multiple-behavior intervention may be useful in influencing a number of critical health habits and health-related quality-of-life indicators of college students.

Brief comparative comments between the international and the Brazilian environmental legislation evolution of uranium mining

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barros, Daniel F. de; Bonotto, Daniel M.

2009-01-01

This paper aims to expose nuclear issues, focusing on uranium mining and the environment. The subjects were set in chronological order as well as the ease of access of information was being investigated and found. The most important aspects raised herein were mainly laws, decrees, regulations and agencies from countries which have been highlighted in the worldwide scenario of uranium production. Also all the regulations had direct connection with environment, however only being shown brief exposures of them. It is important to mention that this paper does not have the scope to go deeper in controversial matters as well as if the regulations have been really applied by the selected countries. (author)

Validation of the Marijuana Effect Expectancy Questionnaire-Brief

Science.gov (United States)

Torrealday, O.; Stein, L. A. R.; Barnett, N.; Golembeske, C.; Lebeau, R.; Colby, S. M.; Monti, P. M.

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a brief version of the Marijuana Effect Expectancy Questionnaire (MEEQ; Schafer & Brown, 1991). The original MEEQ was reduced to 6 items (MEEQ-B). Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed and two factors were identified (positive effects and negative effects) accounting for 52.3% of the variance.…

Efficiency of the Slovak forestry in comparison to other European countries: An application of Data Envelopment Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kovalčík Miroslav

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Efficiency improvement is important for increasing the competitiveness of any sector and the same is essential for the forestry sector. A non-parametric approach – Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA was used for the assessment of forestry efficiency. The paper presents the results of the efficiency evaluation of forestry in European countries using DEA. One basic and two modified models (labour and wood sale were proposed, based on available input and output data from Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounts for Forests and specific conditions of forestry also. The sample size was 22 countries and the data for 2005–2008 was processed. Obtained results show average efficiency in the range of 69 – 90% (depending on the model. Based on the results of the analysis following can be concluded: Slovak forestry achieved under average efficiency in comparison to other European countries, there were great differences in efficiency among individual countries; state of economy (advanced countries and countries with economy in transition and region did not influence the efficiency statistically significant.

Recent developments: Industry briefs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1990-01-01

Recent nuclear industry briefs are presented. These briefs include: Swiss voters reject phaseout; EdF confirms order for Civaux 1; NDP surprise victor in Ontario; Czechoslovakia joins Foratom; Poland abandons Zarnowiec; Cogema's UP3 facility operationa; Wismut to clsoe mining operations; court rules in favor of US government in Yucca Mountain waste site; Italian government ratifies ENEL reactor shutdowns; and Seabrook enters commercial operation

Multivariate Analysis of Countries according to Subdimensions of Human Development and Gender Inequality Indices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Selay Giray

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Human Development Index (HDI is an index aiming to measure human development by taking into account a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living. The 2013 Human Development Report presents HDI values and ranks, the Inequality-adjusted HDI the Gender Inequality Index (GII and the Multidimensional Poverty Index. The aim of this study is to evaluate countries according to their similarities and differences using the indicators contained in the 2013 human development report. A figure created in two dimensional space was used by evaluation. Locations of Turkey, OECD and Eurasian countries are analyzed and interpreted elaborately. Multidimensional scaling is a statistical technique provides visual representation of the objects using proximity patterns. The most recent data of countries were analyzed by Multidimensional Scaling analysis (MDS. Stress value obtained from metric multidimensional scaling application was found in desired range. Also it was determined that we can trust the interpretations made of the map. To begin with, comparison by country groups was made, then remarkable points were interpreted on the basis of country. As examination of the map obtained from MDS application with HDI and GII indexes, it was remarked that OECD countries were grouped on the left hand side and Eurasian countries were grouped on the right hand side. Turkey, a member of OECD, located far away from other OECD countries and located closer to Eurasian countries. According to HDI and GII indexes Mexico is closest country to Turkey. Also Mexico is the country, which is perceived similar to Turkey.

Cross-National Analysis of Beliefs and Attitude Toward Mental Illness Among Medical Professionals From Five Countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Stefanovics, Elina; He, Hongbo; Ofori-Atta, Angela; Cavalcanti, Maria Tavares; Rocha Neto, Helio; Makanjuola, Victor; Ighodaro, Adesuwa; Leddy, Meaghan; Rosenheck, Robert

2016-03-01

This quantitative study sought to compare beliefs about the manifestation, causes and treatment of mental illness and attitudes toward people with mental illness among health professionals from five countries: the United States, Brazil, Ghana, Nigeria, and China. A total of 902 health professionals from the five countries were surveyed using a questionnaire addressing attitudes towards people with mental illness and beliefs about the causes of mental illness. Chi-square and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were used to compare age and gender of the samples. Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to confirm the structure and fit of the hypothesized model based on data from a previous study that identified four factors: socializing with people with mental illness (socializing), belief that people with mental illness should have normal roles in society (normalizing), non-belief in supernatural causes (witchcraft or curses), and belief in bio-psycho-social causes of mental illness (bio-psycho-social). Analysis of Covariance was used to compare four factor scores across countries adjusting for differences in age and gender. Scores on all four factors were highest among U.S. professionals. The Chinese sample showed lowest score on socializing and normalizing while the Nigerian and Ghanaian samples were lowest on non-belief in supernatural causes of mental illness. Responses from Brazil fell between those of the U.S. and the other countries. Although based on convenience samples of health professional robust differences in attitudes among health professionals between these five countries appear to reflect underlying socio-cultural differences affecting attitudes of professionals with the greater evidence of stigmatized attitudes in developing countries.

Decomposition analysis of CO2 emission intensity between oil-producing and non-oil-producing sub-Saharan African countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ebohon, Obas John; Ikeme, Anthony Jekwu

2006-01-01

The need to decompose CO 2 emission intensity is predicated upon the need for effective climate change mitigation and adaptation policies. Such analysis enables key variables that instigate CO 2 emission intensity to be identified while at the same time providing opportunities to verify the mitigation and adaptation capacities of countries. However, most CO 2 decomposition analysis has been conducted for the developed economies and little attention has been paid to sub-Saharan Africa. The need for such an analysis for SSA is overwhelming for several reasons. Firstly, the region is amongst the most vulnerable to climate change. Secondly, there are disparities in the amount and composition of energy consumption and the levels of economic growth and development in the region. Thus, a decomposition analysis of CO 2 emission intensity for SSA affords the opportunity to identify key influencing variables and to see how they compare among countries in the region. Also, attempts have been made to distinguish between oil and non-oil-producing SSA countries. To this effect a comparative static analysis of CO 2 emission intensity for oil-producing and non oil-producing SSA countries for the periods 1971-1998 has been undertaken, using the refined Laspeyres decomposition model. Our analysis confirms the findings for other regions that CO 2 emission intensity is attributable to energy consumption intensity, CO 2 emission coefficient of energy types and economic structure. Particularly, CO 2 emission coefficient of energy use was found to exercise the most influence on CO 2 emission intensity for both oil and non-oil-producing sub-Saharan African countries in the first sub-interval period of our investigation from 1971-1981. In the second subinterval of 1981-1991, energy intensity and structural effect were the two major influencing factors on emission intensity for the two groups of countries. However, energy intensity effect had the most pronounced impact on CO 2 emission

Depression comorbid with tuberculosis and its impact on health status: cross-sectional analysis of community-based data from 48 low- and middle-income countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Koyanagi, Ai; Vancampfort, Davy; Carvalho, André F; DeVylder, Jordan E; Haro, Josep Maria; Pizzol, Damiano; Veronese, Nicola; Stubbs, Brendon

2017-11-28

Depression in tuberculosis increases the risk for adverse health outcomes. However, little is known about comorbid depression and tuberculosis in the general population. Thus, we assessed the association between depression and tuberculosis, and the decrements in health status associated with this comorbidity in 48 low- and middle-income countries. Cross-sectional, community-based data from the World Health Survey on 242,952 individuals aged ≥ 18 years were analyzed. Based on the World Mental Health Survey version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview, past 12-month depression was categorized into depressive episode, brief depressive episode, subsyndromal depression, and no depression. Health status across six domains (cognition, interpersonal activities, sleep/energy, self-care, mobility, pain/discomfort) was assessed. Multivariable logistic and linear regression analyses were performed to assess the associations. The prevalence of depressive episode among those with and without tuberculosis was 23.7% and 6.8%, respectively (P Tuberculosis was associated with a 1.98 (95% CI 1.47-2.67), 1.75 (95% CI 1.26-2.42), and 3.68 (95% CI 3.01-4.50) times higher odds for subsyndromal depression, brief depressive episode, and depressive episode, respectively. Depressive episode co-occurring with tuberculosis was associated with significantly worse health status across all six domains compared to tuberculosis alone. Interaction analysis showed that depression significantly amplifies the association between TB and difficulties in self-care but not in other health domains. Depression is highly prevalent in adults with tuberculosis, and is associated with worse health status compared to tuberculosis without depression. Public health efforts directed to the recognition and management of depression in people with tuberculosis may lead to better outcomes.

A cross-country analysis of total factor productivity using micro-level data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Murat Şeker

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Total factor productivity (TFP is a crucial measure of efficiency and thus an important tool for policymakers. However, research on comparison of TFP performances using micro-level data across developing countries has been limited due to the unavailability of homogenous data sources. This study aims to fill this crucial gap by using a data set which has been collected through a large body of surveys conducted across 69 developing countries following the same methodology. The homogenous nature of the data and the diverse set of questions included in the surveys provide unique opportunity to compare average productivity performances of firms across a large set of characteristics and business environment factors. The analysis performed here provides the groundwork for testing various stylized facts about TFP and its related factors such as exporting, innovation, access to finance, foreign ownership, and regulations across developing countries.

“Lost in translation”. Soft skills development in European countries

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Maria Cinque

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The world of work is changing profoundly, at a time when the global economy is not creating a sufficient number of jobs. Many documents issued by the EU and various researches, carried out by companies and human resources experts, point out that the so-called “soft” skills are closely connected with employability, particularly for young people entering the labour market. At present, EU countries have different methodologies and approaches to the teaching and assessment of soft skills. Another obstacle is represented by the absence of a common language. There are different ways of naming ‘soft skills’, different definitions of them, different manners of classifying and clustering them. The article explores some classifications of soft skills and presents a collection of best practices and methods for teaching and learning them at University level, taking into account different perspectives and basing on the results of two European projects focused on this topic. The final goal is to provide an analysis aimed at the identification of the most important soft skills needed for a successful transition from University education to the labour market. The analysis includes a brief chronological excursus on relevant studies on the subject, a review of current literature on employability skills, quantitative (surveys and qualitative (focus groups researches from Europe and Third Countries, identifying the range of soft skills relevant for newly graduates. The aim of this overview is to enhance understanding of soft skills and to indicate key areas for soft skill development at University level.

Tolerance of Cheating: An Analysis Across Countries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Magnus, J.R.; Polterovich, Viktor; Danilov, Dmitri; Savvateev, Aleksei

2002-01-01

Cheating is a serious problem in many countries. The cheater gets higher marks than deserved, thus reducing the efficiency of a country's educational system. In this study, the authors did not ask if and how often the student had cheated, but rather what the student's opinion was about a cheating

Main features of licensing requirements for nuclear installations in several OECD member countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reyners, P.

1977-01-01

The present paper contains a brief description of the main features of the above-mentioned six countries' licensing systems, namely the legal regime applicable, the appropriate licensing bodies, the general frame and scope of the respective national regimes, the involvement of the public and technical safety bodies as well as the inspection procedures. This description is supplemented by some introductory remarks. (orig.) [de

Main features of licensing requirements for nuclear installations in several OECD member countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reyners, P.

1975-01-01

The present paper contains a brief description of the main features of the above-mentioned six countries' licensing systems, namely the legal regime applicable, the appropriate licensing bodies, the general frame and scope of the respective national regimes, the involvement of the public and technical safety bodies as well as the inspection procedures. This description is supplemented by some introductory remarks. (orig.) [de

A Step Toward High Reliability: Implementation of a Daily Safety Brief in a Children's Hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

Saysana, Michele; McCaskey, Marjorie; Cox, Elaine; Thompson, Rachel; Tuttle, Lora K; Haut, Paul R

2017-09-01

Health care is a high-risk industry. To improve communication about daily events and begin the journey toward a high reliability organization, the Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health implemented a daily safety brief. Various departments in our children's hospital were asked to participate in a daily safety brief, reporting daily events and unexpected outcomes within their scope of responsibility. Participants were surveyed before and after implementation of the safety brief about communication and awareness of events in the hospital. The length of the brief and percentage of departments reporting unexpected outcomes were measured. The analysis of the presurvey and the postsurvey showed a statistically significant improvement in the questions related to the awareness of daily events as well as communication and relationships between departments. The monthly mean length of time for the brief was 15 minutes or less. Unexpected outcomes were reported by 50% of the departments for 8 months. A daily safety brief can be successfully implemented in a children's hospital. Communication between departments and awareness of daily events were improved. Implementation of a daily safety brief is a step toward becoming a high reliability organization.

Economic openness and economic growth: A cointegration analysis for ASEAN-5 countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Klimis Vogiatzoglou

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The paper considers three channels of economic openness, namely FDI, imports, and exports, and examines their short-run and long-run effects on the economic growth in the five founding member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN over the period from 1980 to 2014. Besides the impact on the economic growth, the authors analyze all possible causal interrelationships to discern patterns and directions of causality among FDI, imports, exports, and GDP. The quantitative analysis, which is based on the vector error correction co-integration framework, is conducted separately for each country in order to assess their individual experiences and allow for a comparative view. Although the precise details differ across countries, the findings indicate that there is a long-run equilibrium relationship between economic openness and GDP in all ASEAN-5 economies. FDI, imports and exports have a significantly positive short-run and long-run impact on the economic growth. Our results also show that export-led growth is the most important economic growth factor in most countries, followed by FDI-led growth. Another crucial finding is the bi-directional causality between exports and FDI across the ASEAN-5 countries. This indicates the presence of direct and indirect effects on GDP and a self-reinforcing process of causality between those two variables, which strengthens their impact on the economic growth.

Analysis of consumed fish species by neutron activation analysis in six Asian countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moon, J.H.; Ni, B.F.; Theresia, R.M.; Salim, N.A.A.; Arporn, B.; Vu, C.D.

2015-01-01

Fish were selected as a common target sample for a collaborative study of FNCA (Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia)-NAA (neutron activation analysis) project in 2011. Six Asian countries took part in this work. Fish samples were purchased from commercial markets and prepared by following an agreed protocol. Toxic and essential elements in the prepared samples were determined by NAA. The concentration levels of As, Hg in many fish samples have higher values than the regulation ones. The fish contamination by heavy metals should be monitored continuously for human health. (author)

Exploring the existence of Kuznets curve in countries' environmental efficiency using DEA window analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halkos, George Emm.; Tzeremes, Nickolaos G.

2009-01-01

This paper, using data envelopment (DEA) window analysis and generalized method of moments (GMM) estimators, examines the existence of a Kuznets type relationship between countries' environmental efficiency and national income. Specifically, it measures the environmental efficiency of 17 OECD countries by constructing environmental efficiency ratios for the time period 1980-2002. The analysis with the application of dynamic panel data reveals that there isn't a Kuznets type relationship between environmental efficiency and income. Allowing for dynamic effects we find that the adjustment to the target ratio is instantaneous. We also find that increased economic activity does not always ensure environmental protection and thus the path of growth is important in addition to the growth itself. (author)

What does "brief" mean? A theoretical critique of the concept of brief therapy from a psychoanalytic viewpoint.

Science.gov (United States)

Migone, Paolo

2014-08-01

The concept of "brief therapy" contains internal contradictions. The techniques suggested by brief therapists are the same techniques that have been discussed historically in debates on theory of technique, both within and without psychoanalysis (e.g., the experiential factor at the center of the Freud-Ferenczi confrontation is also an important aspect of Gestalt therapy). A time limit is the only operational criterion that allows a rigorous definition of brief therapy; without this criterion it is impossible to discriminate between "brief" and simply "good" therapies (i.e., those in which patients are successfully treated in a short time). An important question is why, with a given patient, a therapist should decide, a priori, to terminate a treatment within a set time. Two clinical examples are presented, illustrating the usefulness of Eissler's concept of parameters as a heuristic framework to identify the potentially defensive nature of both "brief" and "long-term" therapy. © 2014 by the American Psychoanalytic Association.

Brief communication

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2011-03-14

Mar 14, 2011 ... 1Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, 2Department of Horticulture, University of Arkansas, ... controlled by the soybean heat-shock promoter is an effective tool for conditional removal ... Brief communication ...

The global wood furniture value chain: what prospects for upgrading by developing countries? The case of South Africa

OpenAIRE

Kaplinsky, Raphael; Memedovic, Olga; Morris, Mike; Readman, Jeff

2003-01-01

Because of its resource and labour intensity, the wood furniture sector presents an opportunity for developing countries and their firms to participate effectively in the global economy. This paper begins with a brief description of the global wood furniture industry and highlights the importance of exports wood furniture products for developing countries and emerging and transitional economies. The paper then maps the wood furniture value chain and opens-up the nature of the buying function,...

A multi-faceted approach to promote knowledge translation platforms in eastern Mediterranean countries: climate for evidence-informed policy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

El-Jardali Fadi

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Objectives Limited work has been done to promote knowledge translation (KT in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR. The objectives of this study are to: 1.assess the climate for evidence use in policy; 2.explore views and practices about current processes and weaknesses of health policymaking; 3.identify priorities including short-term requirements for policy briefs; and 4.identify country-specific requirements for establishing KT platforms. Methods Senior policymakers, stakeholders and researchers from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen participated in this study. Questionnaires were used to assess the climate for use of evidence and identify windows of opportunity and requirements for policy briefs and for establishing KT platforms. Current processes and weaknesses of policymaking were appraised using case study scenarios. Closed-ended questions were analyzed descriptively. Qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Results KT activities were not frequently undertaken by policymakers and researchers in EMR countries, research evidence about high priority policy issues was rarely made available, and interaction between policymakers and researchers was limited, and policymakers rarely identified or created places for utilizing research evidence in decision-making processes. Findings emphasized the complexity of policymaking. Donors, political regimes, economic goals and outdated laws were identified as key drivers. Lack of policymakers’ abilities to think strategically, constant need to make quick decisions, limited financial resources, and lack of competent and trained human resources were suggested as main weaknesses. Conclusion Despite the complexity of policymaking processes in countries from this region, the absence of a structured process for decision making, and the limited engagement of policymakers and researchers in KT activities, there are windows of

The Analysis of Income per Capita Convergence on ASEAN Plus Three (APT Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Any Fatiwetunusa

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The main objective of this study is to test the convergence of income per capita in APT countries through three models: absolute convergence, conditional convergence and sigma convergence. Regression analysis of panel data from 13 APT countries during the period of 2001-2014 is used to analysed to study problem. In absolute convergence model, the growth of real GDP per capita and initial real GDP are used as the variables, meanwhile, 8 variables such as the growth of real GPD per capita, initial real GDP per capita, labor force ratio, value added in agricultural sector, value added in industrial sector, terms of trade, foreign direct investment and internet users ratio are analyzed in conditional convergence model. According to the Solow model, the economies of the countries will converge in which the growth of income per capita of developing countries will be higher than those of developed countries. The economies will be convergent if the countries tend to move to a similar steady state resulting in smaller gap between the countries. Based on the results of absolute convergence and conditional convergence models, APT countries is converging with the rate of 2% and 2.2%. This is consistent with the results of sigma convergence model that shows a declining trend in the dispersion of real GDP per capita in APT regions. The growth of real GDP per capita is influenced by initial GDP per capita, labor force ratio, value added in agricultural sector, value added in industrial sector, terms of trade, foreign direct investment and internet users ratio. Developed countries such as Singapore, Brunei Darussalam and South Korea experience the impact of high real GDP per capita growth. On the contrary, Indonesia, Laos, Vietnam and The Phillipines undergo the impact of low GDP per capita growth.

A network analysis of countries' export flows: firm grounds for the building blocks of the economy.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guido Caldarelli

Full Text Available In this paper we analyze the bipartite network of countries and products from UN data on country production. We define the country-country and product-product projected networks and introduce a novel method of filtering information based on elements' similarity. As a result we find that country clustering reveals unexpected socio-geographic links among the most competing countries. On the same footings the products clustering can be efficiently used for a bottom-up classification of produced goods. Furthermore we mathematically reformulate the "reflections method" introduced by Hidalgo and Hausmann as a fixpoint problem; such formulation highlights some conceptual weaknesses of the approach. To overcome such an issue, we introduce an alternative methodology (based on biased Markov chains that allows to rank countries in a conceptually consistent way. Our analysis uncovers a strong non-linear interaction between the diversification of a country and the ubiquity of its products, thus suggesting the possible need of moving towards more efficient and direct non-linear fixpoint algorithms to rank countries and products in the global market.

Prevalence and correlates of adult overweight in the Muslim world: analysis of 46 countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Kahan, D

2015-04-01

The primary objectives of the study were to calculate overweight prevalence (body mass index ≥ 25.0) and simple correlations between 10 demographic, social welfare and behavioural variables and overweight prevalence for Muslim countries (populations >50% Muslim; N = 46). Overweight data for a country's total, male and female populations were extracted from the World Health Organization's (WHO) STEPwise country reports and relevant publications. Country-level data for potential correlates were extracted from multiple sources: Central Intelligence Agency (literacy), Gallup Poll (religiosity), United Nations (agricultural employment, food supply, gender inequality, human development), World Bank (automobile ownership, Internet, labour force) and WHO (physical inactivity). The overall, male and female overweight prevalence was 37.4, 33.0 and 42.1%, respectively. Prevalence estimates significantly differed by economic classification, gender and ethnicity. Middle- and upper income countries were 1.54-7.76 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.49-8.07) times more likely overweight than low-income countries, females were 1.48 (CI: 1.45-1.50) times more likely overweight than males and Arab countries were 2.92 (CI: 2.86-2.97) times more likely overweight than non-Arab countries. All 10 of the potential correlates were significantly associated with overweight for at least one permutation (total, economic classification, gender, ethnicity). The greater percentage of poorer countries among non-Arab Muslim countries, which compared with Arab countries have not as rapidly been transformed by globalization, nutrition transition and urbanization, may partially explain prevalence differences. Evaluation of correlational data generally followed associations seen in non-Muslim countries but more complex analysis of subnational data is needed. Arab women are a particularly vulnerable subgroup and governments should act within religious and cultural parameters to provide

Comparative analysis of countries in the peer-group based on economic potential and components of sustainable development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergii VOITKO

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The authors study levels of sustainable development potential and determine the positions of Ukraine and other countries in the peer-groups [4], based on individual macroeconomic indicators. The research includes a comparative analysis of absolute and relative terms of GDP, industrial production and the index of competitiveness for the countries included to the peer-groups. The authors analyse the position of countries based on the GDP per capita and components of sustainable development (Quality of Life Index and Security of Life Index. In the article, the authors suggest the methodical approach of performing the comparative analysis of peer-group countries based on their indicators values. This approach gives the possibility to investigate the country’s potential in the limits of the chosen peer-group and propose the recommendations for increase of economic potential in purpose of sustainable development achievement.

Host-Country Related Risk Factors in International Construction: Meta-Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Güzin AYDOGAN

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Internationalization has been on the agenda of construction firms as a strategic option in global competition. Due to globalization every sector including the construction industry has faced with high levels of competitiveness, uncertainty, and risk. International construction involves common risks to domestic construction, as well as risks that are related to the host country. These risks have serious effects on the performance of international projects. Since the sustainable competitiveness of international contractors depends largely on the effective management of these risks, their assessment becomes vital for the success of international contractors. The main aim of this study is to analyse the risks for international construction projects that are related to the host country. Meta-analysis technique is used in order to determine these risks. This paper, therefore, reviews the literature that has been published in four most respected construction and management journals, these being; Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, Journal of Management in Engineering, Construction Management and Economics, and International Journal of Project Management for the period of 2000-2010. International construction risk assessment models are also reviewed within the context of this study, since host country related risk factors were found to have serious effects on the profitability of international contractors due to literature review. As a result; political stability, law and regulations, exchange rate risk, cultural differences, inflation, expropriation, tax discrimination, language barrier, bribery and corruption, force majeure, and societal conflicts in the host country are found to be the most important risk factors in international construction. Findings of this study can be used in risk assessment models for international construction projects.

A network-based frequency analysis of Inclusive Wealth to track sustainable development in world countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Nasir; Derrible, Sybil; Managi, Shunsuke

2018-07-15

Using human (HC), natural (NC), and produced (PC) capital from Inclusive Wealth as representatives of the triple bottom line of sustainability and utilizing elements of network science, we introduce a Network-based Frequency Analysis (NFA) method to track sustainable development in world countries from 1990 to 2014. The method compares every country with every other and links them when values are close. The country with the most links becomes the main trend, and the performance of every other country is assessed based on its 'orbital' distance from the main trend. Orbital speeds are then calculated to evaluate country-specific dynamic trends. Overall, we find an optimistic trend for HC only, indicating positive impacts of global initiatives aiming towards socio-economic development in developing countries like the Millennium Development Goals and 'Agenda 21'. However, we also find that the relative performance of most countries has not changed significantly in this period, regardless of their gradual development. Specifically, we measure a decrease in produced and natural capital for most countries, despite an increase in GDP, suggesting unsustainable development. Furthermore, we develop a technique to cluster countries and project the results to 2050, and we find a significant decrease in NC for nearly all countries, suggesting an alarming depletion of natural resources worldwide. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Validity of a short questionnaire to assess physical activity in 10 European countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Peters, Tricia; Brage, Soren; Westgate, Kate; Franks, Paul W; Gradmark, Anna; Tormo Diaz, Maria Jose; Huerta, Jose Maria; Bendinelli, Benedetta; Vigl, Mattheaus; Boeing, Heiner; Wendel-Vos, Wanda; Spijkerman, Annemieke; Benjaminsen-Borch, Kristin; Valanou, Elisavet; de Lauzon Guillain, Blandine; Clavel-Chapelon, Françoise; Sharp, Stephen; Kerrison, Nicola; Langenberg, Claudia; Arriola, Larraitz; Barricarte, Aurelio; Gonzales, Carlos; Grioni, Sara; Kaaks, Rudolf; Key, Timothy; Khaw, Kay Tee; May, Anne; Nilsson, Peter; Norat, Teresa; Overvad, Kim; Palli, Domenico; Panico, Salvatore; Ramón Quirós, Jose; Ricceri, Fulvio; Sanchez, Maria-Jose; Slimani, Nadia; Tjonneland, Anne; Tumino, Rosario; Feskins, Edith; Riboli, Elio; Ekelund, Ulf; Wareham, Nick

2012-01-01

To accurately examine associations of physical activity (PA) with disease outcomes, a valid method of assessing free-living activity is required. We examined the validity of a brief PA questionnaire (PAQ) used in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). PA energy expenditure (PAEE) and time spent in moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was measured in 1,941 healthy individuals from 10 European countries using individually-calibrated combined heart-rate and movement sensing. Participants also completed the short EPIC-PAQ, which refers to past year's activity. Pearson (r) and Spearman (σ) correlation coefficients were calculated for each country, and random effects meta-analysis was used to calculate the combined correlation across countries to estimate the validity of two previously- and one newly-derived ordered, categorical PA indices ("Cambridge index", "total PA index", and "recreational index") that categorized individuals as inactive, moderately inactive, moderately active, or active. The strongest associations with PAEE and MVPA were observed for the Cambridge index (r = 0.33 and r = 0.25, respectively). No significant heterogeneity by country was observed for this index (I(2) = 36.3%, P = 0.12; I(2) = 0.0%, P = 0.85), whereas heterogeneity was suggested for other indices (I(2) > 48%, P  47%, P PAQ is suitable for categorizing European men and women into four distinct categories of overall physical activity. The difference in PAEE between categories may be useful when estimating effect sizes from observational research.

Better Policies Accelerate Clean Energy Transition. Policy brief - Focus on energy system flexibility

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Karimi, Farid; Lund, Peter; Skytte, Klaus

2018-01-01

The use of variable renewable energy sources will increase in the Nordic and Baltic countries in the future. This will call for increased flexibility in the electricity market to ensure both high energy security and efficient use of renewable power in all circumstances. The barriers and hence also...... policies to energy system flexibility are numerous. In this brief, we focus on policy recommendations for two important barriers to flexibility in the Nordic electricity market, namely insufficient market signals to some stakeholders, and uneven market frameworks for different renewable energy resources...

6 CFR 13.36 - Post-hearing briefs.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 6 Domestic Security 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Post-hearing briefs. 13.36 Section 13.36 Domestic Security DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY PROGRAM FRAUD CIVIL REMEDIES § 13.36 Post-hearing briefs. The ALJ may require the parties to file post-hearing briefs. In any event...

Nuclear energy consumption and economic growth in OECD countries: Cross-sectionally dependent heterogeneous panel causality analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nazlioglu, Saban; Lebe, Fuat; Kayhan, Selim

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine the direction causality between nuclear energy consumption and economic growth in OECD countries. The empirical model that includes capital and labor force as the control variables is estimated for the panel of fourteen OECD countries during the period 1980-2007. Apart from the previous studies in the nuclear energy consumption and economic growth relationship, this study utilizes the novel panel causality approach, which allows both cross-sectional dependency and heterogeneity across countries. The findings show that there is no causality between nuclear energy consumption and economic growth in eleven out of fourteen cases, supporting the neutrality hypothesis. As a sensitivity analysis, we also conduct Toda-Yamamoto time series causality method and find out that the results from the panel causality analysis are slightly different than those from the time-series causality analysis. Thereby, we can conclude that the choice of statistical tools in analyzing the nature of causality between nuclear energy consumption and economic growth may play a key role for policy implications. - Highlights: → Causality between nuclear energy consumption and economic growth is examined for OECD countries. → Panel causality method, which allows cross-sectional dependency and heterogeneity, is utilized. → The neutrality hypothesis is supported.

Where do poor women in developing countries give birth? A multi-country analysis of demographic and health survey data.

Science.gov (United States)

Montagu, Dominic; Yamey, Gavin; Visconti, Adam; Harding, April; Yoong, Joanne

2011-02-28

In 2008, over 300,000 women died during pregnancy or childbirth, mostly in poor countries. While there are proven interventions to make childbirth safer, there is uncertainty about the best way to deliver these at large scale. In particular, there is currently a debate about whether maternal deaths are more likely to be prevented by delivering effective interventions through scaled up facilities or via community-based services. To inform this debate, we examined delivery location and attendance and the reasons women report for giving birth at home. We conducted a secondary analysis of maternal delivery data from Demographic and Health Surveys in 48 developing countries from 2003 to the present. We stratified reported delivery locations by wealth quintile for each country and created weighted regional summaries. For sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where death rates are highest, we conducted a subsample analysis of motivations for giving birth at home. In SSA, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, more than 70% of all births in the lowest two wealth quintiles occurred at home. In SSA, 54.1% of the richest women reported using public facilities compared with only 17.7% of the poorest women. Among home births in SSA, 56% in the poorest quintile were unattended while 41% were attended by a traditional birth attendant (TBA); 40% in the wealthiest quintile were unattended, while 33% were attended by a TBA. Seven per cent of the poorest women reported cost as a reason for not delivering in a facility, while 27% reported lack of access as a reason. The most common reason given by both the poorest and richest women for not delivering in a facility was that it was deemed "not necessary" by a household decision maker. Among the poorest women, "not necessary" was given as a reason by 68% of women whose births were unattended and by 66% of women whose births were attended. In developing countries, most poor women deliver at home. This suggests that, at least in the near term, efforts to

Where do poor women in developing countries give birth? A multi-country analysis of demographic and health survey data.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dominic Montagu

2011-02-01

Full Text Available In 2008, over 300,000 women died during pregnancy or childbirth, mostly in poor countries. While there are proven interventions to make childbirth safer, there is uncertainty about the best way to deliver these at large scale. In particular, there is currently a debate about whether maternal deaths are more likely to be prevented by delivering effective interventions through scaled up facilities or via community-based services. To inform this debate, we examined delivery location and attendance and the reasons women report for giving birth at home.We conducted a secondary analysis of maternal delivery data from Demographic and Health Surveys in 48 developing countries from 2003 to the present. We stratified reported delivery locations by wealth quintile for each country and created weighted regional summaries. For sub-Saharan Africa (SSA, where death rates are highest, we conducted a subsample analysis of motivations for giving birth at home. In SSA, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, more than 70% of all births in the lowest two wealth quintiles occurred at home. In SSA, 54.1% of the richest women reported using public facilities compared with only 17.7% of the poorest women. Among home births in SSA, 56% in the poorest quintile were unattended while 41% were attended by a traditional birth attendant (TBA; 40% in the wealthiest quintile were unattended, while 33% were attended by a TBA. Seven per cent of the poorest women reported cost as a reason for not delivering in a facility, while 27% reported lack of access as a reason. The most common reason given by both the poorest and richest women for not delivering in a facility was that it was deemed "not necessary" by a household decision maker. Among the poorest women, "not necessary" was given as a reason by 68% of women whose births were unattended and by 66% of women whose births were attended.In developing countries, most poor women deliver at home. This suggests that, at least in the near term

Where Do Poor Women in Developing Countries Give Birth? A Multi-Country Analysis of Demographic and Health Survey Data

Science.gov (United States)

Montagu, Dominic; Yamey, Gavin; Visconti, Adam; Harding, April; Yoong, Joanne

2011-01-01

Background In 2008, over 300,000 women died during pregnancy or childbirth, mostly in poor countries. While there are proven interventions to make childbirth safer, there is uncertainty about the best way to deliver these at large scale. In particular, there is currently a debate about whether maternal deaths are more likely to be prevented by delivering effective interventions through scaled up facilities or via community-based services. To inform this debate, we examined delivery location and attendance and the reasons women report for giving birth at home. Methodology/Principal Findings We conducted a secondary analysis of maternal delivery data from Demographic and Health Surveys in 48 developing countries from 2003 to the present. We stratified reported delivery locations by wealth quintile for each country and created weighted regional summaries. For sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where death rates are highest, we conducted a subsample analysis of motivations for giving birth at home. In SSA, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, more than 70% of all births in the lowest two wealth quintiles occurred at home. In SSA, 54.1% of the richest women reported using public facilities compared with only 17.7% of the poorest women. Among home births in SSA, 56% in the poorest quintile were unattended while 41% were attended by a traditional birth attendant (TBA); 40% in the wealthiest quintile were unattended, while 33% were attended by a TBA. Seven per cent of the poorest women reported cost as a reason for not delivering in a facility, while 27% reported lack of access as a reason. The most common reason given by both the poorest and richest women for not delivering in a facility was that it was deemed “not necessary” by a household decision maker. Among the poorest women, “not necessary” was given as a reason by 68% of women whose births were unattended and by 66% of women whose births were attended. Conclusions In developing countries, most poor women deliver at home

Brief communication

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2013-11-05

Nov 5, 2013 ... Brief communication. Published ... showed longer FIDs in response to a human looking at them than to a human not looking at them (Burger et al. 1992). ..... Rivas JA and Burghardt GM 2001 Understanding sexual size dimor-.

Brazilian Validation of the Brief Scale for Spiritual/Religious Coping—SRCOPE-14

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mary Rute G. Esperandio

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The concept of spiritual-religious coping gained attention in Brazil with the adaptation and validation of the RCOPE Scale (Panzini 2004; long version: 87 items and brief version: 49 items. The Brief RCOPE still contains a large number of items, so attempts to further reduce the size of the measure are relevant. This study presents the validation process of the Brief SRCOPE scale (14 items for use in the Brazilian context. Data were collected from the general population (N = 525 and subjected to exploratory factor analysis (EFA; n = 249 and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA; n = 276. The EFA resulted in a two-factor solution: Positive Religious Coping (PRC and Negative Religious Coping (NRC. All 14 items of the original scale were retained and correlated with the same factor as the original scale (KMO = 0.852; 58.15% of total variance explained; PRC Cronbach’s alpha = 0.884 and NRC Cronbach’s alpha = 0.845. The model tested through CFA showed adequate adjustment indices (χ2 = 146.809, DF = 70, χ2/DF = 2.097, NFI = 0.93, CFI = 0.962, GFI = 0.930, AGFI = 0.895, RMSEA = 0.063, PCLOSE = 0.065 and SRMR = 0.0735. The Brief SRCOPE Scale-14 has shown reliability for the studied sample and might be applicable to other contexts. It may ultimately prove useful to professionals and researchers interested in better knowing how people make use of religious coping to face stress and suffering.

39 CFR 3001.34 - Briefs.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

..., due regard shall be given to the nature of the proceeding, the complexity and importance of the issues... brief at the same time. In cases where, because of the nature of the issues and the record or the... any other brief, pleading or document. (d) Excerpts from the record. Testimony and exhibits shall not...

Ex-Ante Impact Assessment & Value Network Analysis for SI: SIMPACT Policy Brief 1

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dhondt, S.; Ven, H. van de; Cressey, P.; Kaderabkova, A.; Luna, Á.; Moghadam Saman, S.; Castro Spila, J.; Terstriep, J.

2016-01-01

In this Policy Brief, a conceptual framework is presented to conduct an ex-ante impact assessment for social innovation. The building blocks for an ex-ante impact assessment are goal formulation; developing the relationships between inputs, outputs and outcomes; determining the role of stakeholders

Key trends of climate change in the ASEAN countries. The IPAT decomposition analysis 1980-2005

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vehmas, J.; Luukkanen, J.; Kaivo-oja, J.; Panula-Ontto, J.; Allievi, F.

2012-07-01

Decomposition analyses of energy consumption and CO{sub 2} emissions have mainly focused on effects of changes in economic activity, energy intensity and fuel mix, and structural changes in energy consumption in different countries or different sectors of the economy. This e-Book introduces a different perspective by identifying five globally relevant factors affecting CO{sub 2} emissions. Changes in carbon intensity of primary energy, efficiency of the energy system, energy intensity of the economy, level of economic development, and the amount of population have been identified by extending the well-known IPAT identity. Empirical part focuses on CO{sub 2} emissions from fuel combustion in the ASEAN countries between the years 1980 and 2005. CO{sub 2} emissions are considerable low in many ASEAN countries but have increased in recent years due to the rapid economic growth and increased reliance on fossil fuels. Emission and energy intensities have increased during the industrialization process, but with a shift towards a more service-oriented economy and the increase in GDP per capita, the intensities have started to decrease in some ASEAN countries. However, these changes have not been able to slow down the rapid increase in CO{sub 2} emissions due to the growth of both the economy and the population. With the rapid economic development of the member countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and nations such as China and India since the mid-1980s, the Asia-Pacific region has emerged as the growth centre of the global economy. However, many countries in the region have, instead of being successful, faced serious social and environmental problems, particularly with regard to deforestation, land degradation and the loss of biological diversity. Climate change has been regarded one of the major environmental threats to developing countries. The need to develop theoretical and empirical research in the field of climate and energy policy analysis

Industry-level total-factor energy efficiency in developed countries: A Japan-centered analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Honma, Satoshi; Hu, Jin-Li

2014-01-01

Highlights: • This study compares Japan with other developed countries for energy efficiency at the industry level. • We compute the total-factor energy efficiency (TFEE) for industries in 14 developed countries in 1995–2005. • Energy conservation can be further optimized in Japan’s industry sector. • Japan experienced a slight decrease in the weighted TFEE from 0.986 in 1995 to 0.927 in 2005. • Japan should adapt energy conservation technologies from the primary benchmark countries: Germany, UK, and USA. - Abstract: Japan’s energy security is more vulnerable today than it was before the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident in March 2011. To alleviate its energy vulnerability, Japan has no choice but to improve energy efficiency. To aid in this improvement, this study compares Japan’s energy efficiency at the industry level with that of other developed countries. We compute the total-factor energy efficiency (TFEE) of industries in 14 developed countries for 1995–2005 using data envelopment analysis. We use four inputs: labor, capital stock, energy, and non-energy intermediate inputs. Value added is the only relevant output. Results indicate that Japan can further optimize energy conservation because it experienced only a marginal decrease in the weighted TFEE, from 0.986 in 1995 to 0.927 in 2005. To improve inefficient industries, Japan should adapt energy conservation technologies from benchmark countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States

Benefits of global partnerships to facilitate access to medicines in developing countries: a multi-country analysis of patients and patient outcomes in GIPAP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vandoros Sotiris

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Access to medicines in developing countries continues to be a significant problem due to lack of insurance and lack of affordability. Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML, a rare disease, can be treated effectively, but the pharmaceutical treatment available (imatinib is costly and unaffordable by most patients. GIPAP, is a programme set up between a manufacturer and an NGO to provide free treatment to eligible CML patients in 80 countries worldwide. Objectives To discuss the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of patients participating in GIPAP; to research the impact GIPAP is having on health outcomes (survival of assistance-eligible CML patients; and to discuss the determinants of such outcomes and whether there are any variations according to socio-economic, demographic, or geographical criteria. Methods Data for 13,568 patients across 15 countries, available quarterly, were analysed over the 2005-2007 period. Ordered Probit panel data analysis was used to analyze the determinants of a patient's progress in terms of participation in the programme. Four waves of patients entering quarterly in 2005 were used to evaluate patient survival over the sample period. Results All patients in the sample are eligible to receive treatment provided they report to a facility quarterly. 62.3% of patients were male and 37.7% female. The majority (84.4% entered during the chronic phase of the disease and their average age was 38.4 years. Having controlled for age, location and occupation, the analysis showed that patients were significantly much more likely to move towards a better health state after receiving treatment irrespective of their disease stage at the point of entry to the program (OR = 30.5, α = 1%; and that the larger the gap between diagnosis and approval for participation in the program, the more likely it is that patients' condition deteriorates (OR = 0.995, α = 1%, due to absence of treatment. Regressions to account

Benefits of global partnerships to facilitate access to medicines in developing countries: a multi-country analysis of patients and patient outcomes in GIPAP.

Science.gov (United States)

Kanavos, Panos; Vandoros, Sotiris; Garcia-Gonzalez, Pat

2009-12-31

Access to medicines in developing countries continues to be a significant problem due to lack of insurance and lack of affordability. Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML), a rare disease, can be treated effectively, but the pharmaceutical treatment available (imatinib) is costly and unaffordable by most patients. GIPAP, is a programme set up between a manufacturer and an NGO to provide free treatment to eligible CML patients in 80 countries worldwide. To discuss the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of patients participating in GIPAP; to research the impact GIPAP is having on health outcomes (survival) of assistance-eligible CML patients; and to discuss the determinants of such outcomes and whether there are any variations according to socio-economic, demographic, or geographical criteria. Data for 13,568 patients across 15 countries, available quarterly, were analysed over the 2005-2007 period. Ordered Probit panel data analysis was used to analyze the determinants of a patient's progress in terms of participation in the programme. Four waves of patients entering quarterly in 2005 were used to evaluate patient survival over the sample period. All patients in the sample are eligible to receive treatment provided they report to a facility quarterly. 62.3% of patients were male and 37.7% female. The majority (84.4%) entered during the chronic phase of the disease and their average age was 38.4 years. Having controlled for age, location and occupation, the analysis showed that patients were significantly much more likely to move towards a better health state after receiving treatment irrespective of their disease stage at the point of entry to the program (OR = 30.5, alpha = 1%); and that the larger the gap between diagnosis and approval for participation in the program, the more likely it is that patients' condition deteriorates (OR = 0.995, alpha = 1%), due to absence of treatment. Regressions to account for the effect of large countries (India, China

Culture at the Country Level

OpenAIRE

Maseland, R.K.J.; Hoorn, A.A.J. van; Herk, H. van; Torelli, C.J.

2017-01-01

This chapter introduces and critically discusses the idea of measuring the culture of countries and cross-national differences therein. We start by elaborating the theoretical foundations for studying culture at the country level. We highlight the use of countries or nations as a unit of analysis and pay special attention to the way in which a group-level construct such as culture has implications at lower levels of analysis, affecting the values and beliefs of individuals. After briefly trac...

Comparison and cost analysis of drinking water quality monitoring requirements versus practice in seven developing countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Crocker, Jonny; Bartram, Jamie

2014-07-18

Drinking water quality monitoring programs aim to support provision of safe drinking water by informing water quality management. Little evidence or guidance exists on best monitoring practices for low resource settings. Lack of financial, human, and technological resources reduce a country's ability to monitor water supply. Monitoring activities were characterized in Cambodia, Colombia, India (three states), Jordan, Peru, South Africa, and Uganda according to water sector responsibilities, monitoring approaches, and marginal cost. The seven study countries were selected to represent a range of low resource settings. The focus was on monitoring of microbiological parameters, such as E. coli, coliforms, and H2S-producing microorganisms. Data collection involved qualitative and quantitative methods. Across seven study countries, few distinct approaches to monitoring were observed, and in all but one country all monitoring relied on fixed laboratories for sample analysis. Compliance with monitoring requirements was highest for operational monitoring of large water supplies in urban areas. Sample transport and labor for sample collection and analysis together constitute approximately 75% of marginal costs, which exclude capital costs. There is potential for substantive optimization of monitoring programs by considering field-based testing and by fundamentally reconsidering monitoring approaches for non-piped supplies. This is the first study to look quantitatively at water quality monitoring practices in multiple developing countries.

A survey of tobacco dependence treatment guidelines in 121 countries

Science.gov (United States)

Piné-Abata, Hembadoon; McNeill, Ann; Raw, Martin; Bitton, Asaf; Rigotti, Nancy; Murray, Rachael

2013-01-01

Aims To report progress among Parties to the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in developing national tobacco treatment guidelines in accordance with FCTC Article 14 guideline recommendations. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Electronic survey from December 2011 to August 2012; participants were asked to complete either an online or attached Microsoft Word questionnaire. Participants One hundred and sixty-three of the 173 Parties to the FCTC at the time of our survey. Measurements The 51-item questionnaire contained 30 items specifically on guidelines. Questions covered the areas of guidelines writing process, content, key recommendations and other characteristics. Findings One hundred and twenty-one countries (73%) responded. Fifty-three countries (44%) had guidelines, ranging from 75% among high-income countries to 11% among low-income countries. Nearly all guidelines recommended brief advice (93%), intensive specialist support (93%) and medications (96%), while 66% recommended quitlines. Fifty-seven percent had a dissemination strategy, 76% stated funding source and 68% had professional endorsement. Conclusion Fewer than half of the Parties to the WHO FCTC have developed national tobacco treatment guidelines, but, where guidelines exist, they broadly follow FCTC Article 14 guideline recommendations. PMID:23437892

Validation of a Brief PTSD Scale for Clients with Severe Mental Illnesses

Science.gov (United States)

O'Hare, Thomas; Shen, Ce; Sherrer, Margaret

2012-01-01

Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are more common in severe mental illnesses (SMI) clients than in the general population, yet brief screens for detecting probable PTSD in SMI clients are nonexistent. In a two-part study, the authors used correlation analysis and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis to develop and…

Islet neogenesis is stimulated by brief occlusion of the main ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Islet neogenesis is stimulated by brief occlusion of the main pancreatic duct. ... South African Medical Journal ... where the initial events that culminate in increased pancreatic endocrine mass caube studied. ... The animals were killed 56 days post .occlusion, and the pancreata excised and fiXed tor histological analysis.

Should developing countries take on binding commitments in a climate agreement? A cost-benefit analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kallbekken, Steffen; Westskog, Hege

2003-01-01

This paper explores the costs and benefits for all parties to a future climate agreement of developing countries taking on binding commitments. Such commitments would allow developing countries to participate in emissions trading, which has significantly lower transaction costs than the present Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). Thus we analyse whether the efficiency gains obtained by participating in emissions trading can offset the economic risk (due to the fact that future emissions cannot be known) incurred by taking on binding commitments. We use a dynamic computable general equilibrium model to carry out the analysis. We find that the efficiency gains that can be obtained by developing countries might not be very large compared to the risks they incur. Developing countries might therefore have good reasons not to embrace ''cap and trade'' emissions trading. (author)

Conflict or cooperation over global warming policy? An analysis based on the interaction of countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ihara, D.M.

1991-01-01

Response to climatic change due to global warming, rather than being the common response of humankind to a common problem, may well be the product of decisions made by countries with diverse and possibly divergent interests. This study analyzes the interactions of countries with diverse interests. The analysis begins with a one period, two-country case with a single fossil fuel and without binding agreements, without side payments between countries, and without prior history of fossil fuel use. The cases implied by relaxing restrictions are then analyzed. The study shows explicitly how countries' global warming policy decisions could define a prisoners dilemma game. It characterizes cooperative outcomes such as the Nash bargaining solution and Coasean bargaining. It compares non-side-payment outcomes with the side-payment outcomes implied by tradeable carbon-emission quotas. The small estimated elasticities suggest that economic growth may not be greatly reduced by restricting fossil fuel use and that economic growth may depend primarily on non-fossil fuel factors

Peer-reviewed public health journals from Arabic-speaking countries: An updated snapshot.

OpenAIRE

Aboul-Enein, BH; Bernstein, J; Bowser, JE

2017-01-01

There is a positive association between availability of regional peer-reviewed public health information systems and progressive change in community and population health. The objective of this brief report was to identify public health journals in Arabic-speaking countries actively publishing as of 2016. We conducted an electronic search in several electronic database records for public health journals using a combination of search terms. We excluded journals that focused on human medicine, ...

Life satisfaction in the new country: a multilevel longitudinal analysis of effects of culture and 5-HTT allele frequency distribution in country of origin.

Science.gov (United States)

Kashima, Emiko S; Kent, Stephen; Kashima, Yoshihisa

2015-01-01

Life satisfaction of migrants to Australia from 17 countries, assessed at 4-5 months, 16-17 months and 3½ years after arrival, was analyzed with a longitudinal, multilevel analysis. The results indicated that migrants were more satisfied, if the national average life satisfaction was higher in their country of origin, after adjustment for individual-level income, age, and sex and a linear temporal trend. Simultaneously, the migrants were also happier if people in their country of origin had a higher frequency of 5-HTT long allele, a genotype known to be associated with resilience under life stresses. These two relationships were independent, suggesting that both culture and gene matter in international transitions. © The Author (2014). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Inequalities in maternal health care utilization in sub-Saharan African countries: a multiyear and multi-country analysis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nazmul Alam

Full Text Available To assess social inequalities in the use of antenatal care (ANC, facility based delivery (FBD, and modern contraception (MC in two contrasting groups of countries in sub-Saharan Africa divided based on their progress towards maternal mortality reduction. Six countries were included in this study. Three countries (Ethiopia, Madagascar, and Uganda had 4.5% average annual reduction rate while another three (Cameroon, Zambia, and Zimbabwe had >550 MMR in 2010 with only <1.5% average annual reduction rate. All of these countries had at least three rounds of Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS before 2012. We measured rate ratios and differences, as well as relative and absolute concentration indices in order to examine within-country geographical and wealth-based inequalities in the utilization of ANC, FBD, and MC. In the countries which have made sufficient progress (i.e. Ethiopia, Madagascar, and Uganda, ANC use increased by 8.7, 9.3 and 5.7 percent, respectively, while the utilization of FBD increased by 4.7, 0.7 and 20.2 percent, respectively, over the last decade. By contrast, utilization of these services either plateaued or decreased in countries which did not make progress towards reducing maternal mortality, with the exception of Cameroon. Utilization of MC increased in all six countries but remained very low, with a high of 40.5% in Zimbabwe and low of 16.1% in Cameroon as of 2011. In general, relative measures of inequalities were found to have declined overtime in countries making progress towards reducing maternal mortality. In countries with insufficient progress towards maternal mortality reduction, these indicators remained stagnant or increased. Absolute measures for geographical and wealth-based inequalities remained high invariably in all six countries. The increasing trend in the utilization of maternal care services was found to concur with a steady decline in maternal mortality. Relative inequality declined overtime in countries

A Computer-Aided FPS-Oriented Approach for Construction Briefing

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Xiaochun Luo; Qiping Shen

2008-01-01

Function performance specification (FPS) is one of the value management (VM) techniques de- veloped for the explicit statement of optimum product definition. This technique is widely used in software engineering and manufacturing industry, and proved to be successful to perform product defining tasks. This paper describes an FPS-odented approach for construction briefing, which is critical to the successful deliv- ery of construction projects. Three techniques, i.e., function analysis system technique, shared space, and computer-aided toolkit, are incorporated into the proposed approach. A computer-aided toolkit is developed to facilitate the implementation of FPS in the briefing processes. This approach can facilitate systematic, ef- ficient identification, clarification, and representation of client requirements in trail running. The limitations of the approach and future research work are also discussed at the end of the paper.

Exploring the existence of Kuznets curve in countries' environmental efficiency using DEA window analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Halkos, George Emm.; Tzeremes, Nickolaos G. [Department of Economics, University of Thessaly, Korai 43, 38333, Volos (Greece)

2009-05-15

This paper, using data envelopment (DEA) window analysis and generalized method of moments (GMM) estimators, examines the existence of a Kuznets type relationship between countries' environmental efficiency and national income. Specifically, it measures the environmental efficiency of 17 OECD countries by constructing environmental efficiency ratios for the time period 1980-2002. The analysis with the application of dynamic panel data reveals that there isn't a Kuznets type relationship between environmental efficiency and income. Allowing for dynamic effects we find that the adjustment to the target ratio is instantaneous. We also find that increased economic activity does not always ensure environmental protection and thus the path of growth is important in addition to the growth itself. (author)

Emergency preparedness for nuclear electric generating facilities in foreign countries: A brief survey of practices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schuller, C R [Battelle Human Affairs Research Centers, Seattle, WA (United States); Marcus, A A; Hanhardt, Jr, A M; Selvin, M; Huelshoff, M [Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Richland, WA (United States)

1980-12-01

This report summarizes the emergency plans for accidents at nuclear power plants in Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Canada, and France. Soviet Union documents were examined, but no published information was found on the subject. The study of foreign plans was to determine what U.S. planners might learn that could be useful to them. Plans of the foreign countries were published before the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island and reflected a generally accepted premise that a serious nuclear emergency would never occur. Therefore, there are few ideas of immediate use to U.S. planners. Most countries have since begun to re-examine their emergency planning. The study also discusses the emergency action levels, warning systems, evacuation management and procedures, and public information and education for people living near nuclear power plants and defines roles of nuclear facility operators and roles of the government. (author)

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.

Recent developments: Industry briefs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

The January 1992 Industry Briefs includes brief articles on: (1) the startup of Chinese and Indian nuclear units, (2) agreements between China and Pakistan for the construction of a nuclear unit, (3) international safeguards agreements, (4) restart of a nuclear unit in Armenia, (5) closure of a German nuclear waste site, (6) restructuring of the Hungarian state-owned utility MVMT, (7) requests for bids for Wolsong Units 3 and 4, (8) signing of the European Energy charter, (9) continued operation of the MAGNOX reactors, and (10) changing Canadian requirements on uranium

Our Ocean Wealth - Background Briefing Documents: Part II: Sectoral Briefs

OpenAIRE

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

2012-01-01

This briefing document provides a profile our marine sectors including an overview of current Government plans and policies in place (seafood, seaweed, shipping and maritime transport, renewable and non-renewable energy, marine ICT and biotechnology).

Food retailers' buying behaviour: An analysis in 16 European countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skytte, Hans; Blunch, Niels Johan

2001-01-01

This paper presents results from a study on food retailer buying behaviour, i.e., how the retailers judge product and vendor attributes when choosing a new supplier of a product category that is already well known to them. A conjoint analysis was conducted in 16 Western European countries....... The study encompassed the retailers' buying behaviour for fish and cheese products. The results demonstrate that the traditional four P's are losing ground to some previously neglected attributes, which now demand consideration by retail suppliers of products and services and by researchers....

A brief assessment of physical functioning for prostate cancer patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jin-Shei Lai

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Jin-Shei Lai1, Rita Bode2, Hwee-Lin Wee3, David Eton4, David Cella11Department of Medical Social Sciences, 2Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, IL USA; 3Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore, Singapore; 4Division of Health Care Policy and Research, Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USAAbstract: We aimed to validate a more rapid, yet reliable means of assessing physical function (PF for patients with prostate cancer. The sample included 128 prostate cancer patients recruited from urology and general oncology clinics at two Chicago-area hospitals. The main outcome measures were: A 36-item PF item bank that included a 5-item short form (BriefPF and the 10-item PF subscale (PF-10 from the Medical Outcomes Study SF-36. Validity, information function, and relative precision (calculated using Rasch analysis and raw scores of the BriefPF were compared to the PF-10 and the full PF item bank. We found that the BriefPF and PF-10 were strongly correlated (r = 0.85 with the PF bank, and all three scales differentiated patients according to performance status (FPF bank(2,124 = 32.51 P < 0.001, FPF-10(2,121 = 27.35 P < 0.001, FBriefPF (2,123 = 38.40 P < 0.001. BriefPF has excellent precision relative to the PF-10 in measuring patients with different performance status levels. The Rasch-based information function indicated that the BriefPF was more informative than PF-10 in measuring moderate to higher functioning patients. Hence, the BriefPF offers a parsimonious and precise measure of PF for use among men with prostate cancer, and may aid in the timely inclusion of patient-reported outcomes in treatment decision-making.Keywords: quality-of-life, item bank, short-form, Medical Outcomes Study

Carbon dioxide emissions from the electricity sector in major countries: a decomposition analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xiangzheng; Liao, Hua; Du, Yun-Fei; Wang, Ce; Wang, Jin-Wei; Liu, Yanan

2018-03-01

The electric power sector is one of the primary sources of CO 2 emissions. Analyzing the influential factors that result in CO 2 emissions from the power sector would provide valuable information to reduce the world's CO 2 emissions. Herein, we applied the Divisia decomposition method to analyze the influential factors for CO 2 emissions from the power sector from 11 countries, which account for 67% of the world's emissions from 1990 to 2013. We decompose the influential factors for CO 2 emissions into seven areas: the emission coefficient, energy intensity, the share of electricity generation, the share of thermal power generation, electricity intensity, economic activity, and population. The decomposition analysis results show that economic activity, population, and the emission coefficient have positive roles in increasing CO 2 emissions, and their contribution rates are 119, 23.9, and 0.5%, respectively. Energy intensity, electricity intensity, the share of electricity generation, and the share of thermal power generation curb CO 2 emissions and their contribution rates are 17.2, 15.7, 7.7, and 2.8%, respectively. Through decomposition analysis for each country, economic activity and population are the major factors responsible for increasing CO 2 emissions from the power sector. However, the other factors from developed countries can offset the growth in CO 2 emissions due to economic activities.

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.

Developing and Implementing the Qatar Student Assessment System. Research Brief

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzalez, Gabriella; Le, Vi-Nhuan; Broer, Markus; Mariano, Louis T.; Froemel, J. Enrique; Goldman, Charles A.; DaVanzo, Julie

2009-01-01

This research brief summarizes the development of a standards-based student assessment system in Qatar, lessons for policymakers in Qatar and elsewhere, and challenges in aligning the assessment with future changes in the curriculum standards. Analysis of Qatar's standards-based student assessment system, the first in the region, offers several…

Country risk analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

David, A.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that the oil industry has been an internationally based industry that has been heavily dependent on outside financing sources. Historically, financing came from investment houses that, in most cases, participated in the projects as equity investors. However, investment companies can no longer satisfy the capital requirements of the current high level of exploration and development activities. The current trend is to involve commercial banks on a purely lending basis. Commercial banks, by their nature, are risk averse. In the case of oil and gas exploration and production they are asked to take not only technical risk and price risk but geopolitical risk as well. Methods have been developed by commercial banks to reduce technical and price risks to point which enables them to be comfortable with a loan. However, geopolitical risks are more difficult to assess. The risk associated with many countries are the nationalization of the investment, new tax restrictions, restriction of currency movements, and/or revisions to the production sharing agreements

Psychological treatments for depression and anxiety disorders in Low- and middle- income countries: a meta-analysis.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van t Hof, E.; Cuijpers, P.; Waheed, W.; Stein, D.J.

2011-01-01

Objective: The objective of this meta-analysis was to determine the efficacy of psychological treatments for depression and anxiety disorders in low- and middle- income countries (LAMIC). Method: Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on psychological treatment of depression and anxiety

45 CFR 99.31 - Posthearing briefs.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Posthearing briefs. 99.31 Section 99.31 Public Welfare DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL ADMINISTRATION PROCEDURE FOR HEARINGS FOR THE CHILD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT FUND Posthearing Procedures, Decisions § 99.31 Posthearing briefs. The...

A Pathway to National Guidelines for Laboratory Diagnostics of Chronic Kidney Disease – Examples from Diverse European Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Aakre, Kristin Moberg; Yucel, Dogan; Bargnoux, Anne-Sophie; Cristol, Jean-Paul; Piéroni, Laurence

2017-01-01

The principal benefit of guidelines is to improve the quality of care received by patients. In the 2012 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of Chronic Kidney Disease (KDIGO) was released and it is designed to provide information and assist decision making. This review gives a brief overview of a various national CKD guidelines that rely on the newly released KDIGO guidelines. All of the included countries (France, Turkey, Norway and Croatia) are non-English speaking countries and they differ in population and socio economic aspects. Examples shown in this review may provide valuable experience for countries that are in process of creating their national CKD guidelines. PMID:29333148

History of orthopaedics in China: a brief review.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jia; Zhang, Yingze

2018-03-01

Chinese orthopaedic surgeons have made a substantial contribution to the development of orthopaedics worldwide, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in orthopaedics has a very long history in China. We make a brief review of the development of orthopaedics in China, intending to pave the way for further understanding of Chinese orthopaedics for scholars all over the world. The description of fractures firstly appeared in 3600 years ago in China, and the theories, experience, and treatment strategies of TCM still play important roles in clinical diagnosis and treatment of orthopaedic disorders in our country. Western orthopaedics was first introduced into China in the early twentieth century. After decades of development, Chinese scholars have made some gratifying achievements in orthopaedics. Orthopaedics is constantly evolving, and we need to strengthen the ability of independent innovation to achieve orthopaedic surgeons' Chinese dream, and better serve our patients.

Electricity consumption and economic growth: A cross-country analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoo, Seung-Hoon; Lee, Joo-Suk

2010-01-01

Electricity has been the foundation of economic growth, and constitutes one of the vital infra-structural inputs in socio-economic development. The world faces a surge in demand for electricity that is driven by such powerful forces as population growth, extensive urbanization, industrialization, and the rise in the standard of living. This paper attempts to ascertain whether there is a systematic relationship between electricity consumption and economic growth. To this end, we use a large set of data that spans 88 countries during the period, 1975-2004. A statistically significant inverted-U-shaped relationship between per-capita consumption of electricity and per-capita income is detected. Nevertheless, by using a purchasing power parity that is much higher than the per-capita income of all the countries in the world, the level of per-capita income is estimated at the peak point of per-capita electricity consumption to be $61,379 in 2000 constant international dollars. Moreover, we segment the sample into Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries and non-OECD countries, and separately analyze the developed and developing countries. The separate estimation shows that even though the peak income is higher than the average per-capita income, a statistically significant inverted-U-shaped relationship is found in OECD and developed countries but not in non-OECD and developing countries.

Electricity consumption and economic growth: A cross-country analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoo, Seung-Hoon, E-mail: shyoo@hoseo.ed [Department of International Area Studies, Hoseo University, 268 Anseo-Dong, Cheonan, Chungnam 330-713 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Joo-Suk, E-mail: leejoosuk@hoseo.ed [Department of International Area Studies, Hoseo University, 268 Anseo-Dong, Cheonan, Chungnam 330-713 (Korea, Republic of)

2010-01-15

Electricity has been the foundation of economic growth, and constitutes one of the vital infra-structural inputs in socio-economic development. The world faces a surge in demand for electricity that is driven by such powerful forces as population growth, extensive urbanization, industrialization, and the rise in the standard of living. This paper attempts to ascertain whether there is a systematic relationship between electricity consumption and economic growth. To this end, we use a large set of data that spans 88 countries during the period, 1975-2004. A statistically significant inverted-U-shaped relationship between per-capita consumption of electricity and per-capita income is detected. Nevertheless, by using a purchasing power parity that is much higher than the per-capita income of all the countries in the world, the level of per-capita income is estimated at the peak point of per-capita electricity consumption to be $61,379 in 2000 constant international dollars. Moreover, we segment the sample into Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries and non-OECD countries, and separately analyze the developed and developing countries. The separate estimation shows that even though the peak income is higher than the average per-capita income, a statistically significant inverted-U-shaped relationship is found in OECD and developed countries but not in non-OECD and developing countries.

Electricity consumption and economic growth. A cross-country analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoo, Seung-Hoon; Lee, Joo-Suk [Department of International Area Studies, Hoseo University, 268 Anseo-Dong, Cheonan, Chungnam 330-713 (Korea)

2010-01-15

Electricity has been the foundation of economic growth, and constitutes one of the vital infra-structural inputs in socio-economic development. The world faces a surge in demand for electricity that is driven by such powerful forces as population growth, extensive urbanization, industrialization, and the rise in the standard of living. This paper attempts to ascertain whether there is a systematic relationship between electricity consumption and economic growth. To this end, we use a large set of data that spans 88 countries during the period, 1975-2004. A statistically significant inverted-U-shaped relationship between per-capita consumption of electricity and per-capita income is detected. Nevertheless, by using a purchasing power parity that is much higher than the per-capita income of all the countries in the world, the level of per-capita income is estimated at the peak point of per-capita electricity consumption to be $61,379 in 2000 constant international dollars. Moreover, we segment the sample into Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries and non-OECD countries, and separately analyze the developed and developing countries. The separate estimation shows that even though the peak income is higher than the average per-capita income, a statistically significant inverted-U-shaped relationship is found in OECD and developed countries but not in non-OECD and developing countries. (author)

Solar energy activities in the Arab countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sayigh, A.A.M.

1991-01-01

The Arab countries, 22 in total, are divided into three groups. Group one consists of all countries of the Middle East. The second group is the Arabian Peninsula, and the third group consists of all Arab countries in Africa. The paper outlines the solar density and sunshine hours, as well as wind data in the region and compares them with some industrialized countries. Brief surveys of various solar energy projects are tabulated: that is solar, wind and biomass. Several specific major projects in various parts of the Arab World will be discussed. More specifically, the cooling of the solar energy research building in Baghdad (120 tons of solar absorption chillers, 80 tons of heat pumps), the heating of King Abdu-Asis Airborne and Physical Training School near Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, the 350 kW PV. field of the solar energy village near Riyadh and the 100 kW solar thermal plant in Kuwait are discussed. It is worth noting that the present photovoltaic capacity in the Arab world is more than 3.0 MW and the yearly installation potential per year is 2.0 MW. There are at least five photovoltaic production facilities in the Arab countries. Two of them in Saudi Arabia with capacity of 400 kW, one in Iraq with a capacity of 200 kW, one in Tunisia with a capacity of 100 kW and on in Algeria with capacity of 100 kW. The Arab countries can absorb 5MW per year and more countries like Egypt, Sudan, Morocco, Jordan and Libya are thinking of having their own production capabilities. Five desalination plants are also mentioned, plus the Yanbu plant of 240m/day, which is one of the largest in the world. The potential of wind energy utilisation is considered. Obstacles hindering the process of solar energy in the region are also outlined. (author). 11 refs, 1 fig., 4 tabs

The Fantasy of Oil in War-torn Countries: A Geopolitical Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perouse de Montclos, Marc-Antoine

2014-01-01

A highly symbolic resource, oil is often seen as a curse and a source of armed conflicts. It is of course a reason for competition and a strategic asset to conduct a war. But its role should not obscure other factors of armed conflicts. From various examples in Africa, Asia and Latin America, this article thus shows how the fantasy of oil can stimulate the imagination and confuse the geopolitical analysis of war, especially in countries without oil

Market Brief : Turkey oil and gas pipelines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-08-01

This report presented some quick facts about oil and gas pipelines in Turkey and presented opportunities for trade. The key players and customers in the oil and gas sector were described along with an export check list. Turkey is looking into becoming an energy bridge between oil and gas producing countries in the Middle East, Central Asia and Europe. The oil and gas sectors are dominated by the Turkish Petroleum Corporation, a public enterprise dealing with exploration and production, and the State Pipeline Corporation which deals with energy transmission. They are also the key buyers of oil and gas equipment in Turkey. There are several pipelines connecting countries bordering the Caspian Sea. Opportunities exist in the areas of engineering consulting as well as contracting services for oil and gas pipeline transmission and distribution. Other opportunities lie in the area of pipeline construction, rehabilitation, materials, equipment, installation, and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems. Currently, the major players are suppliers from Italy, Germany, France, United States and Japan. Turkey has no trade barriers and imported equipment and materials are not subjected to any restriction. The oil and gas market in Turkey expected in increase by an average annual growth rate of 15 per cent from 2001 to 2003. A brief description of pipeline projects in Turkey was presented in this report along with a list of key contacts and support services. 25 refs., 1 append

Non-performing loans and systemic risk: comparative analysis of Serbia and countries in transition CESEE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vlastimir Vukovic

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the results of the research on the impact of non-performing loans to the systemic risk in the domestic banking system and a comparison with other countries in transition, as well as on certain EU countries. It is important to metion that the extreme bank-centricity caused the extension of the analysis to the entire financial sector of Serbia. Therefore, macroeconomic and macro-financial component of systemic risk were separated. In order to more precisely determine the main effects of non-performing loans in the propagation of systemic risk, the authors have created and used two new synthetic indicators in the research. The first is the macroeconomic contagion with non-performing loans (problematic loans expressed as a percentage of GDP, and the second is the infection of financial sector with non-performing loans (the proportional share of these loans in the assets of the financial sector. Analysis of the period just before and during the current financial crisis and the recession (2007-2012 showed that the NPLs (non-performing loans are the main generator of systemic risk in the financial and real sectors of Serbia. In addition, the survey results show that the applied synthetic indicators measure total system risk and its basic components more accurately then the analytical, which have only been in use until now. Comparative analysis showed similar results, not only in the countries in transition, but also in developed ones. The results of this study provide guidance and represent an important input for economic policymakers, because the systemic risk is the greatest immediate threat to economic prosperity and financial stability of each country

Economic growth and decline in mortality in developing countries: an analysis of the World Bank development datasets.

Science.gov (United States)

Renton, A; Wall, M; Lintott, J

2012-07-01

The 1999 World Bank report claimed that growth in gross domestic product (GDP) between 1960 and 1990 only accounted for 15% of concomitant growth in life expectancy in developing countries. These findings were used repeatedly by the World Health Organization (WHO) to support a policy shift away from promoting social and economic development, towards vertical technology-driven programmes. This paper updates the 1999 World Bank report using the World Bank's 2005 dataset, providing a new assessment of the relative contribution of economic growth. Time-series analysis. Cross-sectional time-series regression analysis using a random effect model of associations between GDP, education and technical progress and improved health outcomes. The proportion of improvement in health indicators between 1970 and 2000 associated with changes in GDP, education and technical progress was estimated. In 1970, a 1% difference in GDP between countries was associated with 6% difference in female (LEBF) and 5% male (LEBM) life expectancy at birth. By 2000, these values had increased to 14% and 12%, explaining most of the observed health gain. Excluding Europe and Central Asia, the proportion of the increase in LEBF and LEBM attributable to increased GDP was 31% and 33% in the present analysis, vs. 17% and 14%, respectively, estimated by the World Bank. In the poorest countries, higher GDPs were required in 2000 than in 1970 to achieve the same health outcomes. In the poorest countries, socio-economic change is likely to be a more important source of health improvement than technical progress. Technical progress, operating by increasing the size of the effect of a unit of GDP on health, is likely to benefit richer countries more than poorer countries, thereby increasing global health inequalities. Copyright © 2012 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Effects of Globalization on Working Conditions in Developing Countries : An Analysis Framework and Country Study Results

OpenAIRE

Ruwan Jayasuriya

2008-01-01

Globalization defined as falling barriers to, and the increase in, trade, migration, and investment across borders directly affects workers in both developed and developing countries. While most global trade and investment is between the developed countries, globalization has increased dramatically in a number of developing countries. Understanding the effects of globalization is critical ...

Focus Studies of Geographically Connected Countries: Analysis of Regionally Oriented Studies in Political Science Publications 1996-2012

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andreja Petković

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This article studies the focus studies of geographically connected and geographically not connected countries, i.e. regional and comparative regional studies. In the first part of the article, a description of the role and development of this type of studies as a subdiscipline of comparative politics is provided. In the second part, I present the results of quantitative analysis of the content of articles published in the academic journals published or co-published by the Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb. The objects of analysis are regional studies of South-East Europe published in the journals. The main goal of this article is to determine which countries in their regional surroundings are researched the most by Croatian political scientists (and other authors who publish such articles in Croatian or English language in those journals, and which countries Croatia is most often compared to. This research has shown that, with regard to studies of the region, Croatian political scientists mostly focus on the countries of the former Yugoslavia.

Implementation of brief alcohol interventions by nurses in primary care: do non-clinical factors influence practice?

Science.gov (United States)

Lock, Catherine A; Kaner, Eileen F S

2004-06-01

In the UK, GPs and practice nurses selectively provide brief alcohol interventions to risk drinkers. GPs' provision of a brief alcohol intervention can be predicted by patient characteristics, practitioner characteristics and structural factors such as the features of the practice and how it is organized. However, much less is known about possible modifiers of nurse practice. Our aim was to investigate if patient characteristics, nurse characteristics and practice factors influence provision of a brief alcohol intervention by practice nurses in primary health care. One hundred and twenty-eight practice nurses who had implemented a brief alcohol intervention programme in a previous trial based in the North of England were requested to screen adults presenting to their surgery and follow a structured protocol to give a brief intervention (5 min of advice plus an information booklet) to all 'risk' drinkers. Anonymized carbon copies of 5541 completed Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) screening questionnaires were collected after a 3-month implementation period and analysed by logistic regression analysis. Although AUDIT identified 1500 'risk' drinkers, only 926 (62%) received a brief intervention. Logistic regression modelling showed that patients' risk status as measured by AUDIT score was the most influential predictor of a brief intervention by practice nurses. However, risk drinkers who were most likely to receive a brief intervention were male. Patients' age or social class did not independently predict a brief intervention. The multilevel model was unable to identify any independent nurse characteristics that could predict a brief intervention, but indicated significant variation between nurses in their tendency to offer the intervention to patients. No structural factors were found to be positively associated with selective provision. Patient and nurse factors contributed to the selective provision of a brief intervention in primary care. If

Are there any top FDI performers among EU-15 and CEE countries? A comparative panel data analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miroslav Mateev

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the major determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI inflows in 26 European Union (EU countries using panel data. Our empirical study takes a different approach by separating European countries into two groups: Western (EU-15 countries and Central and Eastern European (CEE countries. The results from the panel data analysis of FDI inflows to 26 EU countries for the period 1994-2012 show that: (1 traditional location variables such as market size, trade openness, unemployment, infrastructure, tax rate and unit labour costs are able, to a large extent, to explain FDI flows to both groups of countries; (2 there are country-specific factors such as economic growth, unit labour costs and credit risk that contribute to the differences in FDI patterns across EU-15 and CEECs; and (3 policy and institutional quality factors are found to play an important role for both groups of countries. When analyzing host countries based on their relative level of performance, we find that the top ten FDI performers are able to attract a significant amount of FDI because of their macroeconomic stability and high level of institutional development, while for EU countries with low FDI dominance, policy and institutional risk factors play a more important role.

37 CFR 2.128 - Briefs at final hearing.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... brief, and the rebuttal brief by the parties. (3) When a party in the position of plaintiff fails to.... If plaintiff fails to file a response to the order, or files a response indicating that he has lost... index of cited cases. Without prior leave of the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, a main brief on the...

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in the Nordic countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Obel, Carsten; Heiervang, Einar; Rodriguez, Alina; Heyerdahl, Sonja; Smedje, Hans; Sourander, André; Guethmundsson, Olafur O; Clench-Aas, Jocelyne; Christensen, Else; Heian, Frode; Mathiesen, Kristin S; Magnússon, Páll; Njarethvík, Urethur; Koskelainen, Merja; Rønning, John A; Stormark, Kjell Morten; Olsen, Jørn

2004-01-01

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) has been translated into the different Nordic languages between 1996 and 2003. During the past few years, SDQs have been completed for nearly 100,000 children and adolescents in population-based studies as well as in clinical samples. The largest studies have been performed in Norway and Denmark, and in these countries the diagnostic interview DAWBA has also been used in conjunction with the SDQ. In addition to a brief overview of past and ongoing SDQ work in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland, we present scale means and standard deviations from selected community studies with comparable age groups, including parental reports for 7, 9 and 11 year-old children and self-reports of 13 and 15 year-olds. The descriptive statistics suggest that the distributions of SDQ scores are very similar across the Nordic countries. Further collaborative efforts in establishing norms and evaluating the validity of the SDQ as a screening instrument are encouraged.

Analysis and co-ordination of the activities concerning gasification of biomass. Summary country report, Denmark and Norway

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stoholm, P.; Olsen, A.

1996-11-01

The analysis summarises the coordination of activities concerning the gasification of biomass in Denmark and Norway. The total quantity of available biomass for energy production in Denmark corresponds to ca. 115 PJ of which ca. 40% is utilized - and this constitutes ca. 6% of the country's total energy consumption. The resulting energy from biomass is currently mostly used for heating purposes utilizing small wood/straw household or farm stoves in addition to ca. 100 district heating systems. There is a tendency to use biomass fuels for electric power production as in the case of all major waste incineration plants and about 10 fully or partly wood/straw-fired cogeneration plants which are found within the range of 2 -20 MWe. A table shows details of all Danish biomass gasification plants and information is given on the types of biomass, under the titles of residue products and energy crops, most relevant to energy production in Denmark. Data is presented on the consumption of renewable energy in Denmark, recalculated in fuel equivalents, and Danish national energy policy and related legislation are described. Information on Norway's use of biomass as fuel is given under the headings of primary consumption, biomass sources and use, legislation, and brief evaluations of commercial gasification plants, pilot and demonstration plants, and laboratory plants and studies. It has recently been decided to speed up the development of small-scale gasification plants for combined heat and electricity production using biomass as fuel in Denmark. Total Norwegian energy consumption is 25% higher than Denmark's, and biomass fuels cover only 3.6% of this. (ARW) 32 refs

Continuous Briefing and User Participation in Building Projects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Per Anker

2006-01-01

and the methods for user participation, identifies problem areas and point out possible improvements. The author has been actively involved in the project as deputy project director with re-sponsibility for the briefing process until spring 2005 and is now a researcher.......Briefing is not just about specifying needs as requirements but also about evaluating how well design pro-posals fulfill the needs and aspirations. Furthermore, briefing is not only about building design. Briefing starts at the pre-project stage to create a basis for the project decision...... into the building is required. A building project is often part of a change process of the organisation that is going to occupy the building, and this change process should be management carefully to reach a successful result. An important aspect of briefing is to manage the par-ticipation of the coming users...

Dental caries in Arab League countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Soban Qadir

2014-08-01

The aim of this review was to determine prevalence of dental caries in primary and permanent teeth in the 2-20-year-old population of the Arab league. A literature search was performed on Pubmed, Summon and Google Scholar using the key words 'Dental caries', 'dmft' and 'DMFT'. A total of 293 articles were found, of which 35 passed our inclusion criteria and were included in analysis. Tables were made separately for primary and permanent teeth; the age group for primary teeth was 2-12 years and for permanent teeth 6-20 years. A meta-analysis was run by using data extracted from the studies included. Heterogeneity was tested by forest plot and chi-square test, and considerable heterogeneity was found. Mean decayed, missing and filled teeth (dmft) was 4.341 (95% CI 3.714, 4.969) and in permanent teeth (DMFT) was 2.469 (95% CI 2.019, 2.919) from a random effect model. Publication bias diagnostics suggested missing of four studies of primary teeth caries data and eight studies of permanent teeth caries data to obtain symmetry in the funnel plot. The incidence of caries in primary teeth was found to be high compared with caries in permanent teeth in the Arab League. This study does not provide a comprehensive picture of caries prevalence in the Arab League because in many of these countries only a few studies were performed. Therefore, these data cannot provide a complete picture of the prevalence of caries in those countries. Additional studies are needed to better evaluate the prevalence of caries in children and young adults in Arab League countries. © 2014 FDI World Dental Federation.

A brief introduction to probability.

Science.gov (United States)

Di Paola, Gioacchino; Bertani, Alessandro; De Monte, Lavinia; Tuzzolino, Fabio

2018-02-01

The theory of probability has been debated for centuries: back in 1600, French mathematics used the rules of probability to place and win bets. Subsequently, the knowledge of probability has significantly evolved and is now an essential tool for statistics. In this paper, the basic theoretical principles of probability will be reviewed, with the aim of facilitating the comprehension of statistical inference. After a brief general introduction on probability, we will review the concept of the "probability distribution" that is a function providing the probabilities of occurrence of different possible outcomes of a categorical or continuous variable. Specific attention will be focused on normal distribution that is the most relevant distribution applied to statistical analysis.

Nepal - Country Environmental Analysis : Strengthening Institutions and Management Systems for Enhanced Environmental Governance

OpenAIRE

World Bank

2007-01-01

The main objective of the Country Environmental Analysis (CEA) in Nepal is to identify opportunities for enhancing the overall performance of select environmental management systems through improvements in the effectiveness of institutions, policies, and processes. CEA has been built upon the following three primary study components: (a) an examination of the environmental issues associate...

Unravelling networks in local public health policymaking in three European countries - a systems analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Spitters, Hilde P E M; Lau, Cathrine J; Sandu, Petru; Quanjel, Marcel; Dulf, Diana; Glümer, Charlotte; van Oers, Hans A M; van de Goor, Ien A M

2017-02-03

Facilitating and enhancing interaction between stakeholders involved in the policymaking process to stimulate collaboration and use of evidence, is important to foster the development of effective Health Enhancing Physical Activity (HEPA) policies. Performing an analysis of real-world policymaking processes will help reveal the complexity of a network of stakeholders. Therefore, the main objectives were to unravel the stakeholder network in the policy process by conducting three systems analyses, and to increase insight into the similarities and differences in the policy processes of these European country cases. A systems analysis of the local HEPA policymaking process was performed in three European countries involved in the 'REsearch into POlicy to enhance Physical Activity' (REPOPA) project, resulting in three schematic models showing the main stakeholders and their relationships. The models were used to compare the systems, focusing on implications with respect to collaboration and use of evidence in local HEPA policymaking. Policy documents and relevant webpages were examined and main stakeholders were interviewed. The systems analysis in each country identified the main stakeholders involved and their position and relations in the policymaking process. The Netherlands and Denmark were the most similar and both differed most from Romania, especially at the level of accountability of the local public authorities for local HEPA policymaking. The categories of driving forces underlying the relations between stakeholders were formal relations, informal interaction and knowledge exchange. A systems analysis providing detailed descriptions of positions and relations in the stakeholder network in local level HEPA policymaking is rather unique in this area. The analyses are useful when a need arises for increased interaction, collaboration and use of knowledge between stakeholders in the local HEPA network, as they provide an overview of the stakeholders involved and

Excused and Unexcused--The Value of Labeling an Absence. Chronic Absenteeism in Oregon Elementary Schools. Part 4 of 4. September 2016. Research Brief Series

Science.gov (United States)

Oregon Department of Education, 2016

2016-01-01

This four part series of research briefs summarized detailed analysis of attendance and chronic absenteeism in Oregon. Brief 1 highlighted the importance of tracking chronic absenteeism rather than average daily attendance. The second brief in this series focused on student outcomes and attendance. Research suggests, and Oregon Department of…

Changes in the age pattern of childbearing in Serbia and EU countries - comparative analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Magdalenić Ivana

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Most European countries nowadays are characterized by a fertility level, which by earlier theoretical considerations was not even assumed as the lower limit for childbearing. The focus of this paper are the changes in reproductive behavior of women during the second half of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century as well as the changes in the age model of childbearing which resulted from that. The comparative analysis between Serbia and 28 EU member countries covers the period 1960-2012. The distribution of live births according to mother's age was analyzed, as well as the phenomena of postponing births and increasing the average age of mothers at childbirth, changes in the structure of female population according to the number of live births, and the decrease of higher birth orders. Demographic potentials of fertility through age structures of the fertile cohort were also pointed out. The similarities and differences in the fertility patterns in the Republic of Serbia and the EU countries were considered in order to determine the specificities of the reproductive model of women in Serbia and the widespread phenomena of postponing births. The fertility transition in Serbia in the second half of the 20th century had the same trend as in the EU countries evolving in the direction of constant lowering of the childbirth levels. Nevertheless, in relation to the sixties of the 20th century, Serbia shifted towards the lower part of the scale at which the EU countries are ranked according to total fertility rate. Almost all EU member countries (except for Luxembourg, Malta, Cyprus and Portugal marked an increase in fertility in the 2000-2011 period, while the fertility level in Serbia, with some oscillations, continued to decrease. The turnabout in total fertility rate registered in most European countries is attributed to the effect of postponed childbirths, while it is assumed that its impact will be marked in Serbia during the next decade. Changes

Policy Brief: Engagement with Sustainability Concerns in Public Procurement in India: Why and How

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goswami, Anandajit; Diljun, Gaurang Meher; Scrivastava, Nidhi

2013-08-15

A major part of the Indian GDP is spent on public procurement. Owing to large spending on procurement, Indian public sector can push towards a process of sustainable production and consumption through sustainable public procurement. Once such a process is implemented with specific contexts, it can create social, economic and environmental benefits. With this background, the policy brief explores why there is a need to promote sustainable public procurement within India. Further, it highlights how such a procurement process can be implemented within India by drawing from international experiences. This policy brief charts out an action plan to implement the procurement process with an analysis of roles and responsibilities of different agencies involved in the implementation. While laying down this action plan, the brief also indicates about the existing status of sustainable public procurement in India. Therefore, this policy brief creates a way forward for public sector agencies, policy and decision makers to implement sustainable public procurement within India by understanding the current context of the issue within the nation and abroad.

The Clean Development Mechanism: benefits of the CDM for developing countries. Executive summary

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pearce, D.; Day, B.; Newcombe, J.; Brunello, T.; Bello, T.

1998-11-01

This report is a summarized version of a 169 page report under the same title and authorship. The Kyoto Protocol to the Framework Convention on Climate Change enables countries with mandatory greenhouse gas reduction commitments to offset some of their domestic emissions by reductions in emissions and enhancement of carbon sinks in other countries. One of three types of offsets in the Protocol is the Clean Development Mechanism, a form of joint implementation between Annex 1 and non-Annex 1 countries which stresses the development gains to developing countries (Article 12). This report focuses on the provision of Article 12 and aims to establish a framework for determining the net benefits of such offsets or trades to developing countries. It looks at some estimates of the likely size of the CDM market, addresses the issue of risks, and takes a brief look at the issue of sharing credits between hosts and investors. It addresses how CDM projects might be screened for their contribution to sustainable development in developing countries and introduces the framework for assessing that contribution and then applies that framework to evaluate different types of potential CDM projects (in the energy, transport, forests and agricultural sectors). 10 tabs.

Structural dynamics in LMFBR containment analysis. A brief survey of computational methods and codes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Y.W.

1977-01-01

This paper gives a brief survey of the computational methods and codes available for LMFBR containment analysis. The various numerical methods commonly used in the computer codes are compared. It provides the reactor engineers to up-to-date information on the development of structural dynamics in LMFBR containment analysis. It can also be used as a basis for the selection of the numerical method in the future code development. First, the commonly used finite-difference expressions in the Lagrangian codes will be compared. Sample calculations will be used as a basis for discussing and comparing the accuracy of the various finite-difference representations. The distortion of the meshes will also be compared; the techniques used for eliminating the numerical instabilities will be discussed and compared using examples. Next, the numerical methods used in the Eulerian formulation will be compared, first among themselves and then with the Lagrangian formulations. Special emphasis is placed on the effect of mass diffusion of the Eulerian calculation on the propagation of discontinuities. Implicit and explicit numerical integrations will be discussed and results obtained from these two techniques will be compared. Then, the finite-element methods are compared with the finite-difference methods. The advantages and disadvantages of the two methods will be discussed in detail, together with the versatility and ease of application of the method to containment analysis having complex geometries. It will also be shown that the finite-element equations for a constant-pressure fluid element is identical to the finite-difference equations using contour integrations. Finally, conclusions based on this study will be given

Design and development of computerized local and overall country's environmental data analysis network system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Chang Gyu; Kang, Jong Gyu; Han, H.; Han, J. S.; Lee, Y. D.; Lee, S. R.; Kang, D. J.; Cho, Y. G.; Yun, S. H.

2001-03-01

In this development, we designed a integrated database for efficient data processing of radiation-environment data and developed the CLEAN (Computerized Local and overall country's Environmental data Analysis Network) system. The CLEAN system consists of local radiation-environment network, data analysis system, data open system. We developed the CLEAN system focused on building an integrated database, a data mart, and a CLEAN web site. It is expected that the developed system, which organizes the information related to environmental radiation data systematically, can be utilize for the accurate interpretation, analysis and evaluation

The effects of brief individual cognitive behavioural therapy for depression and homesickness among international students in Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Saravanan, Coumaravelou; Alias, Alizi; Mohamad, Mardiana

2017-10-01

Students who go to other countries for higher education face various psychological problems, particularly homesickness and depression. The objectives of this study were to: (a) identify differences between students who did and did not receive brief individual cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for depression to reduce homesickness; (b) identify whether brief individual CBT for depression reduces the level of homesickness in students between pre-, post- and follow-up assessment; and (c) compare the scores of students experiencing only homesickness and those experiencing both homesickness and depression. The sample consisted of 520 first-year undergraduate international students. The experimental group contained students who were diagnosed with depression and homesickness and received seven sessions of brief individual CBT for depression to reduce homesickness. The control group contained students who were diagnosed with depression and homesickness and received one session of advice and suggestions. The comparison group contained students who experienced only homesickness and did not receive any interventions. The study used the comparison group to determine if an interaction effect existed between students experiencing only homesickness and students experiencing both homesickness and depression. Students who received brief individual CBT displayed a significant reduction in their homesickness and depression scores compared to the scores of students in the control group. Students who experienced only homesickness exhibited a significant reduction in the scores on homesickness in the post-assessment compared to the control group's post-assessment homesickness scores. The results of this study cannot be generalized as data were collected from three universities in Malaysia. The follow-up assessment was conducted six months after the post-assessment, which also limits generalizability beyond six months. Overall, homesickness is considered a normal reaction. Brief

Export Credit Insurances in Developing Countries: The Case of Turkey and IMT Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cihat Koksal

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Export credit insurance is one of the substantial tools to promote export in a country. This paper endeavours to find out the effect of Export Credit Insurance covered by Export Credit Agencies on the developing countries’ export figures and GDP. The countries subject to the analysis are Turkey and Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand also known as IMT Countries. The relationship between export value, economic growth and export credit insurances will be analyzed using Vector Autoregression (VAR Model.

Network Resilience Analysis: Review Of Concepts And A Country-Level. Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariusz Kamola

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the rationale behind performing an analysis of Internet resilience in the sense of maintaining a connection of autonomous systems in the presence of failures or attacks — on a level of a single country. Next, the graph of a network is constructed that represents interconnections between autonomous systems. The connectivity of the graph is examined for cases of link or node failure. Resilience metrics are proposed, focusing on a single autonomous system or on overall network reliability. The process of geographic location of networking infrastructure is presented, leading to an analysis of network resilience in the case of a joint failure of neighboring autonomous systems.

Networks of reader and country status: an analysis of Mendeley reader statistics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robin Haunschild

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The number of papers published in journals indexed by the Web of Science core collection is steadily increasing. In recent years, nearly two million new papers were published each year; somewhat more than one million papers when primary research papers are considered only (articles and reviews are the document types where primary research is usually reported or reviewed. However, who reads these papers? More precisely, which groups of researchers from which (self-assigned scientific disciplines and countries are reading these papers? Is it possible to visualize readership patterns for certain countries, scientific disciplines, or academic status groups? One popular method to answer these questions is a network analysis. In this study, we analyze Mendeley readership data of a set of 1,133,224 articles and 64,960 reviews with publication year 2012 to generate three different networks: (1 The network based on disciplinary affiliations of Mendeley readers contains four groups: (i biology, (ii social sciences and humanities (including relevant computer sciences, (iii bio-medical sciences, and (iv natural sciences and engineering. In all four groups, the category with the addition “miscellaneous” prevails. (2 The network of co-readers in terms of professional status shows that a common interest in papers is mainly shared among PhD students, Master’s students, and postdocs. (3 The country network focusses on global readership patterns: a group of 53 nations is identified as core to the scientific enterprise, including Russia and China as well as two thirds of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.

Unemployment, public-sector health care expenditure and HIV mortality: An analysis of 74 countries, 1981-2009.

Science.gov (United States)

Maruthappu, Mahiben; Da Zhou, Charlie; Williams, Callum; Zeltner, Thomas; Atun, Rifat

2015-06-01

The global economic downturn has been associated with increased unemployment and reduced public-sector expenditure on health care (PSEH). We determined the association between unemployment, PSEH and HIV mortality. Data were obtained from the World Bank and the World Health Organisation (1981-2009). Multivariate regression analysis was implemented, controlling for country-specific demographics and infrastructure. Time-lag analyses and robustness-checks were performed. Data were available for 74 countries (unemployment analysis) and 75 countries (PSEH analysis), equating to 2.19 billion and 2.22 billion people, respectively, as of 2009. A 1% increase in unemployment was associated with a significant increase in HIV mortality (men: 0.1861, 95% CI: 0.0977 to 0.2744, P = 0.0000, women: 0.0383, 95% CI: 0.0108 to 0.0657, P = 0.0064). A 1% increase in PSEH was associated with a significant decrease in HIV mortality (men: -0.5015, 95% CI: -0.7432 to -0.2598, P = 0.0001; women: -0.1562, 95% CI: -0.2404 to -0.0720, P = 0.0003). Time-lag analysis showed that significant changes in HIV mortality continued for up to 5 years following variations in both unemployment and PSEH. Unemployment increases were associated with significant HIV mortality increases. PSEH increases were associated with reduced HIV mortality. The facilitation of access-to-care for the unemployed and policy interventions which aim to protect PSEH could contribute to improved HIV outcomes.

Cambodia: Country Poverty Analysis 2014

OpenAIRE

Asian Development Bank (ADB); Asian Development Bank (ADB); Asian Development Bank (ADB); Asian Development Bank (ADB)

2014-01-01

Cambodia’s new national poverty lines show higher historical poverty rates and a dramatic decline in poverty during the 2007–2009 global financial crisis. With 18.9% of the population being poor in 2012, Cambodia now counts among the countries with the most rapid poverty reduction in the world. However, many people moved only slightly above the poverty line—remaining highly vulnerable—and poverty is increasing both in urban areas and according to the international poverty line of $2 per day. ...

A brief introduction to marginal analysis for the micro-economics principles course

OpenAIRE

Burkey, Mark L.

2008-01-01

This brief note provides a simple, yet powerful example of how the marginal cost/marginal benefit principle can be used in everyday life. Using the decision of the optimal choice of speed on the highway, this note was developed for use as one of the first readings in an introductory microeconomics course. It is clear in this demonstration that marginal cost is increasing, while marginal benefit is decreasing, and how the intersection of these two curves shows the optimal choice. In addition, ...

Use of a brief version of the self-compassion inventory with an international sample of people with HIV/AIDS

OpenAIRE

Kemppainen, Jeanne K.; Brion, John M.; Leary, Mark; Wantland, Dean; Sullivan, K.; Nokes, Kathleen; Bain, Catherine A; Chaiphibalsarisdi, Puangtip; Chen, Wei-ti; Holzemer, William L.; Eller, Lucille Sanzero; Iipinge, Scholastika; Johnson, Mallory O.; Portillo, Carmen; Voss, Joachim

2013-01-01

The objective of this study was to extend the psychometric evaluation of a brief version of the Self Compassion Scale (SCS). A secondary analysis of data from an international sample of 1,967 English-speaking persons living with HIV disease was used to examine the factor structure, and reliability of the 12-item Brief Version Self Compassion Inventory (BVSCI). A Maximum Likelihood factor analysis and Oblimin with Kaiser Normalization confirmed a two-factor solution, accounting for 42.58% of t...

ANALYSIS OF TENDENCIES IN AGRIBUSINESS NETWORKING COOPETITION IN POLAND AND IN THE PARTNER COUNTRIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Waldemar BOJAR

2009-03-01

Full Text Available In the paper following the case of Spain, Greece, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Lithuania and Poland development tendencies of SME agri-food networking organizations in the light of coopetition were presented. Supporting development of those organizations using the EU funds is to ensure sustainable development of rural areas and it is attempted to defy domination of huge food processing and distributing corporations through integration and strengthening market power of agricultural producers. It results from the analysis that important role in new the EU member countries are played by endogenous factors as institutional undergrowth and low social capital level, what deteriorates the development of SME networks in those countries. Experience of Andalusia region in Spain benchmarked to organizations in new the EU member countries can give desired effects in the scope of improvement of co-operation with public sector, product marketing and promotion and also in facing expectations of consumers for safe and healthy food in international markets.

Identifying Social Trust in Cross-Country Analysis: Do We Really Measure the Same?

Science.gov (United States)

Torpe, Lars; Lolle, Henrik

2011-01-01

Many see trust as an important social resource for the welfare of individuals as well as nations. It is therefore important to be able to identify trust and explain its sources. Cross-country survey analysis has been an important tool in this respect, and often one single variable is used to identify social trust understood as trust in strangers,…

Fuel safety criteria in NEA member countries - Compilation of responses received from member countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-03-01

In 2001 the Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) issued a report on Fuel Safety Criteria Technical Review. The objective was to review the present fuel safety criteria and judge to which extent they are affected by the 'new' design elements, such as different cladding materials, higher burnup, the use of MOX fuels, etc. The report stated that the current framework of fuel safety criteria remains generally applicable, being largely unaffected by the 'new' or modern design elements. The levels (numbers) in the individual safety criteria may, however, change in accordance with the particular fuel and core design features. Some of these levels have already been - or are continuously being - adjusted. The level adjustments of several other criteria (RIA, LOCA) also appears to be needed, on the basis of experimental data and the analysis thereof. As a follow-up, among its first tasks, the CSNI Special Expert Group on Fuel Safety Margins (SEG FSM) initiated the collection of information on the present fuel safety criteria used in NEA member states with the objective to solicit national practices in the use of fuel safety criteria, in particular to get information on their specific national levels/values, including their recent adjustments, and to identify the differences and commonalties between the different countries. Two sources of information were used to produce this report: a compilation of responses to a questionnaire prepared for the June 2000 CNRA meeting, and individual responses from the SEGFSM members to the new revised questionnaire issued by the task Force preparing this report. In accordance with the latter, the fuel safety criteria discussed in this report were divided into three categories: (A) safety criteria - criteria imposed by the regulator; (B) operational criteria - specific to the fuel design and provided by the fuel vendor as part of the licensing basis; (C) design criteria - limits employed by vendors and/or utilities for fuel

Brief review of the state of art in futsal.

Science.gov (United States)

Beato, Marco; Coratella, Giuseppe; Schena, Federico

2016-04-01

Futsal (the official name of "five side indoor football") has become very popular in recent years, and it counts more than 12 million players in over 100 countries. Futsal is played on a field of 40 x 20 m between 2 teams of 5 players, (four outfield players and the goalkeeper). Despite its rise of popularity, the number of scientific studies related to training modalities as the demands of the match or factors linked to the performance, are quite limited. This brief review aims to explore the few papers published on futsal, taking in consideration some conclusions that can be drawn from previous studies related only to futsal and indoor football players. Future studies should examine the physical demands during the matches, the variation of physical performances during the season and compare different classic training modalities to sport specific exercises, aiming to improve the current knowledge for coaching.

Comparison and Cost Analysis of Drinking Water Quality Monitoring Requirements versus Practice in Seven Developing Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonny Crocker

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Drinking water quality monitoring programs aim to support provision of safe drinking water by informing water quality management. Little evidence or guidance exists on best monitoring practices for low resource settings. Lack of financial, human, and technological resources reduce a country’s ability to monitor water supply. Monitoring activities were characterized in Cambodia, Colombia, India (three states, Jordan, Peru, South Africa, and Uganda according to water sector responsibilities, monitoring approaches, and marginal cost. The seven study countries were selected to represent a range of low resource settings. The focus was on monitoring of microbiological parameters, such as E. coli, coliforms, and H2S-producing microorganisms. Data collection involved qualitative and quantitative methods. Across seven study countries, few distinct approaches to monitoring were observed, and in all but one country all monitoring relied on fixed laboratories for sample analysis. Compliance with monitoring requirements was highest for operational monitoring of large water supplies in urban areas. Sample transport and labor for sample collection and analysis together constitute approximately 75% of marginal costs, which exclude capital costs. There is potential for substantive optimization of monitoring programs by considering field-based testing and by fundamentally reconsidering monitoring approaches for non-piped supplies. This is the first study to look quantitatively at water quality monitoring practices in multiple developing countries.

Methods of acicular ferrite forming in the weld bead metal (Brief analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Володимир Олександрович Лебедєв

2016-11-01

Full Text Available A brief analysis of the methods of acicular ferrite formation as the most preferable structural component in the weld metal has been presented. The term «acicular ferrite» is meant as a structure that forms during pearlite and martensite transformation and austenite decomposition. Acicular ferrite is a packet structure consisting of battens of bainitic ferrite, there being no cementite particles inside these battens at all. The chemical elements most effectively influencing on the formation of acicular ferrite have been considered and their combined effect as well. It has been shown in particular, that the most effective chemical element in terms of impact toughness and cost relation is manganese. Besides, the results of multipass surfacing with impulse and constant feed of low-alloy steel wire electrode have been considered. According to these results acicular ferrite forms in both cases. However, at impulse feed of the electrode wire high mechanical properties of surfacing layer were got in the first passes, the form of the acicular ferrite crystallite has been improved and volume shares of polygonal and lamellar ferrite have been reduced. An assumption has been made, according to which acicular ferrite in the surfacing layer may be obtained through superposition of mechanical low-frequency oscillation on the welding torch or on the welding pool instead of periodic thermal effect due to electrode wire periodic feed

Local level epidemiological analysis of TB in people from a high incidence country of birth

OpenAIRE

Massey Peter D; Durrheim David N; Stephens Nicola; Christensen Amanda

2013-01-01

Abstract Background The setting for this analysis is the low tuberculosis (TB) incidence state of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Local level analysis of TB epidemiology in people from high incidence countries-of-birth (HIC) in a low incidence setting has not been conducted in Australia and has not been widely reported. Local level analysis could inform measures such as active case finding and targeted earlier diagnosis. The aim of this study was to use a novel approach to identify local ar...

International analysis of the countries where Brazilian franchise chains operate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedro Lucas de Resende Melo

2015-03-01

Full Text Available This paper aims to demonstrate which external environment factors are involved in the international commitment of Brazilian franchise chains. Our objectives herein are to understand which external country characteristics lead to international franchising operations and to ascertain the influence of such characteristics in the commitment of franchise chains in each country they operate in. The database has 54 Brazilian franchise chains with international operations in 26 countries, which implies in 157 franchises operating abroad. Regarding external environment factors, the independent variables form a group divided into market opportunity and business efficiency – trust and ease to doing business. The result of the three distinct clusters show how the market opportunity and the business efficiency (trust and ease in doing business work as drivers to the international operation of Brazilian franchises. The paper shows that the franchise chains operating in the USA (cluster 3 have an inferior international commitment in comparison with the franchises which operate in developed countries and in small Latin American countries (cluster 2. It is also possible to notice a large number of franchises that operate in underdeveloped countries from Latin America and Africa (cluster 1 with worse business efficiency due to the advantage of learning how to operate in a country that could have some similarities with Brazil

Textbooks in transitional countries: Towards a methodology for comparative analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miha Kovač

2004-01-01

Full Text Available In its first part, the paper analyses the ambiguous nature of the book as a medium: its physical production and its distribution to the end user takes place on a market basis; on the other hand, its content is predominantly consumed in a sector that was at least in the continental Europe traditionally considered as public and non-profit making. This ambiguous nature of the book and with it the impact of the market on the organization of knowledge in book format remains a dark spot in contemporary book research. On the other hand, textbooks are considered as ephemera both in contemporary education and book studies. Therefore, research on textbooks publishing models could be considered as a blind-spot of contemporary social studies. As a consequence, in the majority of European countries, textbook publishing and the organization of the textbook market are considered as self-evident. Throughout a comparative analysis of textbook publishing models in small transitional and developed countries, the paper points out that this self-evident organization of the textbook market is always culturally determined. In its final part, the paper compares different models of textbook publishing and outlines the scenarios for the development of the Slovene textbook market.

Electronic medical records: a developing and developed country analysis

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Sikhondze, NC

2016-05-01

Full Text Available of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) systems in developed and developing countries. There is a direct relationship between the income of the country and the use of electronic information and communication systems as part of healthcare systems hence the division...

A cluster randomized controlled trial of a brief tobacco cessation intervention for low-income communities in India: study protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

Sarkar, Bidyut K; Shahab, Lion; Arora, Monika; Lorencatto, Fabiana; Reddy, K Srinath; West, Robert

2014-03-01

India has 275 million adult tobacco users and tobacco use is estimated to contribute to more than a million deaths in the country each year. There is an urgent need to develop and evaluate affordable, practicable and scalable interventions to promote cessation of tobacco use. Because tobacco use is so harmful, an increase of as little as 1 percentage point in long-term quit success rates can have an important public health impact. This protocol paper describes the rationale and methods of a large randomized controlled trial which aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief scalable smoking cessation intervention delivered by trained health professionals as an outreach programme in poor urban communities in India. This is a pragmatic, two-arm, community-based cluster randomized controlled trial focused on tobacco users in low-income communities. The treatment arm is a brief intervention comprising brief advice including training in craving control using simple yogic breathing exercises (BA-YBA) and the control arm is very brief advice (VBA). Of a total of 32 clusters, 16 will be allocated to the intervention arm and 16 to the control arm. Each cluster will have 31 participants, making a total of 992 participants. The primary outcome measure will follow the Russell Standard: self-report of sustained abstinence for at least 6 months following the intervention confirmed at the final follow-up by salivary cotinine. This trial will inform national and international policy on delivery of scalable and affordable brief outreach interventions to promote tobacco use cessation in low resource settings where tobacco users have limited access to physicians and medications. © 2014 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Musculoskeletal disorders as underlying cause of death in 58 countries, 1986-2011: trend analysis of WHO mortality database.

Science.gov (United States)

Kiadaliri, Aliasghar A; Woolf, Anthony D; Englund, Martin

2017-02-02

Due to low mortality rate of musculoskeletal disorders (MSK) less attention has been paid to MSK as underlying cause of death in the general population. The aim was to examine trend in MSK as underlying cause of death in 58 countries across globe during 1986-2011. Data on mortality were collected from the WHO mortality database and population data were obtained from the United Nations. Annual sex-specific age-standardized mortality rates (ASMR) were calculated by means of direct standardization using the WHO world standard population. We applied joinpoint regression analysis for trend analysis. Between-country disparities were examined using between-country variance and Gini coefficient. The changes in number of MSK deaths between 1986 and 2011 were decomposed using two counterfactual scenarios. The number of MSK deaths increased by 67% between 1986 and 2011 mainly due to population aging. The mean ASMR changed from 17.2 and 26.6 per million in 1986 to 18.1 and 25.1 in 2011 among men and women, respectively (median: 7.3% increase in men and 9.0% reduction in women). Declines in ASMR of 25% or more were observed for men (women) in 13 (19) countries, while corresponding increases were seen for men (women) in 25 (14) countries. In both sexes, ASMR declined during 1986-1997, then increased during 1997-2001 and again declined over 2001-2011. Despite decline over time, there were substantial between-country disparities in MSK mortality and its temporal trend. We found substantial variations in MSK mortality and its trends between countries, regions and also between sex and age groups. Promoted awareness and better management of MSK might partly explain reduction in MSK mortality, but variations across countries warrant further investigations.

Bio-medicolegal scientific research in Europe. A country-based analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Viel, Guido; Boscolo-Berto, Rafael; Cecchi, Rossana; Bajanowski, Thomas; Vieira, Nuno Duarte; Ferrara, Santo Davide

2011-09-01

The European mosaic of socio-cultural, economic and legal realities is reflected in forensic and legal medicine, in which a great variety of operational modes of forensic medical services, organisational systems, structures, functional competences and scientific research strategies can be observed. The present work analyses the European bio-medicolegal scientific output of the last 5.5 years (exact time window, January 1, 2005-June 1, 2010), categorising papers by nationality of the corresponding author and forensic sub-discipline in question, in order to identify the peculiarities of national sub-specialised competences and to build up international research projects. This country-based bibliometric analysis, based on the number of articles and the impact factor produced by each European country, also considering its economic profile (gross domestic product and per capita gross domestic product), highlights the prevailing productive role of Western and Southern Europe (Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Switzerland, Spain and France). Categorising scientific output by forensic sub-discipline and branch, significant in terms of impact factor are contributions from Germany (coming first in Pathology, Toxicology, Genetics, Anthropology and Biological Criminalistics), Great Britain (first in Clinical Forensic Medicine, Malpractice and Invalidity-Social Insurance), Switzerland (first in Criminology), Italy (second in Toxicology, Anthropology and Invalidity-Social Insurance), The Netherlands (third in Clinical Forensic Medicine and Medical Law and Ethics), Spain (third in Genetics, Criminalistics and Invalidity-Social Insurance) and France (third in Toxicology and Malpractice). Interestingly, several countries with low gross domestic product, such as Poland, Turkey and other Eastern European nations, show notable scientific production in specific sub-disciplines such as Pathology, Toxicology and Forensic Genetics, suggesting that fruitful international cooperation could be

Microfinance Performance and Informal Institutions : A Cross-country Analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hermes, Cornelis; Postelnicu, Luminita

2015-01-01

This paper investigates the relationship between the extent to which informal institutions are developed at the country-level and the financial and social performance of MFIs, using data from institutions active in 100 countries. Based on the theoretical literature discussing the economic role of

Citizens Science for Sustainability (SuScit) Project Briefing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eames, Malcolm; Mortensen, Jonas Egmose; Adebowale, Maria

This project briefing gives a short overview of the Citizens Science for Sustainability (SuScit) Project.......This project briefing gives a short overview of the Citizens Science for Sustainability (SuScit) Project....

Government, politics and health policy: A quantitative analysis of 30 European countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Mackenbach, Johan P; McKee, Martin

2015-10-01

Public health policies are often dependent on political decision-making, but little is known of the impact of different forms of government on countries' health policies. In this exploratory study we studied the association between a wide range of process and outcome indicators of health policy and four groups of political factors (levels of democracy, e.g. voice and accountability; political representation, e.g. voter turnout; distribution of power, e.g. constraints on the executive; and quality of government, e.g. absence of corruption) in contemporary Europe. Data on 15 aspects of government and 18 indicators of health policy as well as on potential confounders were extracted from harmonized international data sources, covering 30 European countries and the years 1990-2010. In a first step, multivariate regression analysis was used to relate cumulative measures of government to indicators of health policy, and in a second step panel regression with country fixed effects was used to relate changes in selected measures of government to changes in indicators of health policy. In multivariate regression analyses, measures of quality of democracy and quality of government had many positive associations with process and outcome indicators of health policy, while measures of distribution of power and political representation had few and inconsistent associations. Associations for quality of democracy were robust against more extensive control for confounding variables, including tests in panel regressions with country fixed effects, but associations for quality of government were not. In this period in Europe, the predominant political influence on health policy has been the rise of levels of democracy in countries in the Central & Eastern part of the region. In contrast to other areas of public policy, health policy does not appear to be strongly influenced by institutional features of democracy determining the distribution of power, nor by aspects of political

Gender Equality Matters: Empowering Women through Literacy Programmes. UIL Policy Brief 3

Science.gov (United States)

UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, 2014

2014-01-01

The third in UIL's current series of policy briefs, titled "Gender equality matters: Empowering women through literacy programmes," offers research-informed analysis and action-oriented recommendations for local and national governments, providers of literacy programmes and educators on how to reduce the gender gap in adult literacy.…

Extra-Curricular Inequality. Research Brief. Edition 1

Science.gov (United States)

Sutton Trust, 2014

2014-01-01

This Research Briefing analyses Office for National Statistics data and finds children from the most advantaged households benefit from significantly more spending on extra-curricular activities and private tutoring than their poorer peers. The brief also includes the Trust's annual polling on private tuition and new polling on parents and…

"Real-World" use of cinacalcet for managing SHPT in different European countries: analysis of data from the ECHO observational study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vervloet, M; Bencova, V; Malberti, F

2010-01-01

The pan-European ECHO observational study evaluated cinacalcet in adult dialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) in "real-world" clinical practice. A sub-analysis compared data for 7 European countries/country clusters: Austria, CEE (Czech Republic and Slovakia), France, Italy,...

My brief history

CERN Document Server

Hawking, Stephen

2013-01-01

My Brief History recounts Stephen Hawking’s improbable journey, from his postwar London boyhood to his years of international acclaim and celebrity. Lavishly illustrated with rarely seen photographs, this concise, witty, and candid account introduces readers to a Hawking rarely glimpsed in previous books: the inquisitive schoolboy whose classmates nicknamed him Einstein; the jokester who once placed a bet with a colleague over the existence of a particular black hole; and the young husband and father struggling to gain a foothold in the world of physics and cosmology. Writing with characteristic humility and humor, Hawking opens up about the challenges that confronted him following his diagnosis of ALS at age twenty-one. Tracing his development as a thinker, he explains how the prospect of an early death urged him onward through numerous intellectual breakthroughs, and talks about the genesis of his masterpiece A Brief History of Time—one of the iconic books of the twentieth century.

Epidemiological and Economic Impact of Monovalent and Pentavalent Rotavirus Vaccines in Low and Middle Income Countries: A Cost-effectiveness Modeling Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Paternina-Caicedo, Angel; De la Hoz-Restrepo, Fernando; Alvis-Guzmán, Nelson

2015-07-01

The competing choices of vaccination with either RV1 or RV5, the potential budget impact of vaccines on the EPI with different prices and new evidence make important an updated analysis for health decision makers in each country. The objective of this study is to assess cost-effectiveness of the monovalent and pentavalent rotavirus vaccines and impact on children deaths, inpatient and outpatient visits in 116 low and middle income countries that represent approximately 99% of rotavirus mortality. A decision tree model followed hypothetical cohorts of children from birth up to 5 years of age for each country in 2010. Inputs were gathered from international databases and previous research on incidence and effectiveness of monovalent and pentavalent vaccines. Costs were expressed in 2010 international dollars. Outcomes were reported in terms of cost per disability-adjusted life-year averted, comparing no vaccination with either monovalent or pentavalent mass introduction. Vaccine price was assumed fixed for all world low-income and middle-income countries. Around 292,000 deaths, 3.34 million inpatient cases and 23.09 million outpatient cases would occur with no vaccination. In the base-case scenario, monovalent vaccination would prevent 54.7% of inpatient cases and 45.4% of deaths. Pentavalent vaccination would prevent 51.4% of inpatient cases and 41.1% of deaths. The vaccine was cost-effective in all world countries in the base-case scenario for both vaccines. Cost per disability-adjusted life-year averted in all selected countries was I$372 for monovalent, and I$453 for pentavalent vaccination. Rotavirus vaccine is cost-effective in most analyzed countries. Despite cost-effectiveness analysis is a useful tool for decision making in middle-income countries, for low-income countries health decision makers should also assess the impact of introducing either vaccine on local resources and budget impact analysis of vaccination.

Pre-surgery briefings and safety climate in the operating theatre.

Science.gov (United States)

Allard, Jon; Bleakley, Alan; Hobbs, Adrian; Coombes, Lee

2011-08-01

In 2008, the WHO produced a surgical safety checklist against a background of a poor patient safety record in operating theatres. Formal team briefings are now standard practice in high-risk settings such as the aviation industry and improve safety, but are resisted in surgery. Research evidence is needed to persuade the surgical workforce to adopt safety procedures such as briefings. To investigate whether exposure to pre-surgery briefings is related to perception of safety climate. Three Safety Attitude Questionnaires, completed by operating theatre staff in 2003, 2004 and 2006, were used to evaluate the effects of an educational intervention introducing pre-surgery briefings. Individual practitioners who agree with the statement 'briefings are common in the operating theatre' also report a better 'safety climate' in operating theatres. The study reports a powerful link between briefing practices and attitudes towards safety. Findings build on previous work by reporting on the relationship between briefings and safety climate within a 4-year period. Briefings, however, remain difficult to establish in local contexts without appropriate team-based patient safety education. Success in establishing a safety culture, with associated practices, may depend on first establishing unidirectional, positive change in attitudes to create a safety climate.

Long-Term Effects of Brief Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Psychosis

Science.gov (United States)

Bach, Patricia; Hayes, Steven C.; Gallop, Robert

2012-01-01

A previous report explored the impact of a brief (four session) acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) intervention as compared with treatment as usual (TAU) on rehospitalization over 4 months in a sample of 80 inpatients with psychosis. The present study extended the follow-up period to 1 year and used a more sophisticated survival analysis to…

ISAF Overview Brief

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Eager Afghans NEW PA STUDENTS NATO / ISAF UNCLASSIFIED NATO / ISAF UNCLASSIFIED ISAF Overview Brief, MHS Conference 2011 – Attrition, Leader deficit...doctors (male/fem), 2 nurses, 2 midwives. 100k-300k XRAY, surgery, OB, physiotherapy , pediatrician, pharmacist, dentist. 10k-15k An extension of the BHC

[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.

iPad-based patient briefing for radiological examinations-a clinical trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Schlechtweg, Philipp M; Hammon, Matthias; Giese, David; Heberlein, Christian; Uder, Michael; Schwab, Siegfried A

2014-08-01

To analyze if an iPad-based patient briefing can serve as a digital alternative to conventional documentations prior to radiological examinations. One hundred one patients referred for routine MRI were randomized into two groups, who underwent iPad-based and classic written briefing in opposite order. For each briefing completion time, completeness and correctness were noted. Patient's knowledge about the content of either briefing modality was subsequently tested. The influence of patient-related factors on the performance of the electronic briefing (EB) was analyzed. Finally, the patient's subjective impression of the EB was assessed. The mean durations were 4.4 ± 2.2 min for EB and 1.7 ± 1.3 min for the classic briefing (p iPad briefings were returned entirely filled out, whereas 11 % of the classic forms were returned with missing data. No significant differences in memorization of the briefing's information were objectified. There was a positive correlation between the duration of EB and age (r = 0.53; p iPads transfers the information for the patients equally well compared to the classic written approach. Although iPad briefing took patients longer to perform, the majority would prefer it to written consent briefings in the future. Nevertheless, measures have to be undertaken to improve the overall acceptance and performance.

PLGA-Chitosan nanoparticle-mediated gene delivery for oral cancer treatment: A brief review

Science.gov (United States)

Bakar, L. M.; Abdullah, M. Z.; Doolaanea, A. A.; Ichwan, S. J. A.

2017-08-01

Cancer becomes a serious issue on society with increasing of their growth and proliferation, either in well economic developed countries or not. Recent years, oral cancer is one of the most threatening diseases impairing the quality of life of the patient. Scientists have emphasised on application of gene therapy for oral cancer by using nanoparticle as transportation vectors as a new alternative platform in order to overcome the limitations of conventional approaches. In modern medicine, nanotechnologies’ application, such as nanoparticles-mediated gene delivery, is one of promising tool for therapeutic devices. The objective of this article is to present a brief review summarizes on the current progress of nanotechnology-based gene delivery treatment system targeted for oral cancer.

Within country inequalities in caesarean section rates: observational study of 72 low and middle income countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Boatin, Adeline Adwoa; Schlotheuber, Anne; Betran, Ana Pilar; Moller, Ann-Beth; Barros, Aluisio J D; Boerma, Ties; Torloni, Maria Regina; Victora, Cesar G; Hosseinpoor, Ahmad Reza

2018-01-24

To provide an update on economic related inequalities in caesarean section rates within countries. Secondary analysis of demographic and health surveys and multiple indicator cluster surveys. 72 low and middle income countries with a survey conducted between 2010 and 2014 for analysis of the latest situation of inequality, and 28 countries with a survey also conducted between 2000 and 2004 for analysis of the change in inequality over time. Women aged 15-49 years with a live birth during the two or three years preceding the survey. Data on caesarean section were disaggregated by asset based household wealth status and presented separately for five subgroups, ranging from the poorest to the richest fifth. Absolute and relative inequalities were measured using difference and ratio measures. The pace of change in the poorest and richest fifths was compared using a measure of excess change. National caesarean section rates ranged from 0.6% in South Sudan to 58.9% in the Dominican Republic. Within countries, caesarean section rates were lowest in the poorest fifth (median 3.7%) and highest in the richest fifth (median 18.4%). 18 out of 72 study countries reported a difference of 20 percentage points or higher between the richest and poorest fifth. The highest caesarean section rates and greatest levels of absolute inequality were observed in countries from the region of the Americas, whereas countries from the African region had low levels of caesarean use and comparatively lower levels of absolute inequality, although relative inequality was quite high in some countries. 26 out of 28 countries reported increases in caesarean section rates over time. Rates tended to increase faster in the richest fifth (median 0.9 percentage points per year) compared with the poorest fifth (median 0.2 percentage points per year), indicating an increase in inequality over time in most of these countries. Substantial within country economic inequalities in caesarean deliveries remain

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

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.

Should Iceland engage in policy dialogue with developing countries?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hilmar Þór Hilmarsson

2007-12-01

Full Text Available This article provides a brief overview of the current status of Icelandic development cooperation, bilaterally and multilaterally, and argues that it is time for Iceland to become more engaged in policy dialogue with developing countries on issues related to public sector reform and economic policy. Iceland should also in the authors view take more advantages of the extensive knowledge that Icelandic experts possess, and the experience they have gained, both in Iceland and internationally. Iceland should be more active in offering exerts in the public service, in the academia, as well as in the private sector to provide policy advise and technical assistance to developing countries that are implementing complex economic and public sector reforms. A number of those exerts have also gained considerable international experience in implementing policy reform programs. The article then discusses two cases: (i the case of Latvia where Iceland rushed to recognize its independence, but did little to assist the country in the post independence period, and (ii, the case of Vietnam where a country like Iceland could provide valuable assistance to a country that is achieving remarkable progress in poverty reduction, implementing important public sector reforms and creating a better business environment for foreign investors. This article is based on the authors experience as chairman of the Board of the Icelandic International Development Agency (ICEIDA and as Special Advisor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs in Iceland from 1995 to 1999, and as World Bank specialist at the Bank’s Head Quarters in Washington DC from 1990 to 1995, in Latvia from 1999 to 2003 and in Vietnam from 2003 to 2006.

Tax Performance Assessment in Scandinavian Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

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.

Serbia : Systematic Country Diagnostic

OpenAIRE

World Bank Group

2015-01-01

This Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD) aims to identify the major constraints on and opportunities for sustaining poverty reduction and shared prosperity in Serbia. The SCD serves as the analytic foundation on which the World Bank Group and the Government of Serbia will define a new Country Partnership Framework for FY2016 to FY2020. It is based on the best possible analysis, drawing on ...

Contribution of Arab countries to breast cancer research: comparison with non-Arab Middle Eastern countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Sweileh, Waleed M; Zyoud, Sa'ed H; Al-Jabi, Samah W; Sawalha, Ansam F

2015-01-01

Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancers affecting women worldwide. The main objective of this study was to assess and compare research activity in breast cancer in Arab countries with non-Arab Middle Eastern countries. Publications about "breast cancer" as a research topic were retrieved using the ISI Web of Science database. Analysis was confined to original research and review articles. Research productivity was assessed by assessing number of publications and time trend of these publications, names of journals, citation analysis, top 10 active institutions as well as country contribution to breast cancer research. The quantity and quality of publications from Arab countries in addition to 3 other Middle East countries (Turkey, Iran and Israel) were assessed and compared using the h-index tool. A total of 1658 original research and review articles about "breast cancer" were published from Arab countries. Annual research productivity from Arab countries in the field of "breast cancer" was negligible but showed a significant increase in the last decade. Retrieved documents had relatively high citation parameters as measured by h-index of 61 and average citations of 17.46 per document. The highest research productivity was from Egypt with a total publication of 582 (35.10%). Cairo University with a total of 149 (8.99%) publications had the highest research productivity among institutions in Arab world. Forty four documents (2.65%) of breast cancer documents were published in Saudi Medical Journal. Arab researchers collaborated mostly with researchers from the United States of America (305; 18.40%) in breast cancer research. Compared with other non-Arab Middle Eastern countries, Arab countries had higher research productivity than some countries and lower than others, particularly Israel. The present data reveals a good contribution of some Arab countries to the field of "breast cancer" research. There is a gap between Arab countries and Israel in

Therapeutic hypothermia for neonatal encephalopathy in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shreela S Pauliah

Full Text Available Although selective or whole body cooling combined with optimal intensive care improves outcomes following neonatal encephalopathy in high-income countries, the safety and efficacy of cooling in low-and middle-income countries is not known.We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of all published randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials of cooling therapy for neonatal encephalopathy in low-and middle-income countries.Seven trials, comprising a total of 567 infants were included in the meta-analysis. Most study infants had mild (15% or moderate encephalopathy (48% and did not receive invasive ventilation (88%. Cooling devices included water-circulating cooling caps, frozen gel packs, ice, water bottles, and phase-changing material. No statistically significant reduction in neonatal mortality was seen with cooling (risk ratio: 0.74, 95% confidence intervals: 0.44 to 1.25. Data on other neonatal morbidities and long-term neurological outcomes were insufficient.Cooling therapy was not associated with a statistically significant reduction in neonatal mortality in low-and middle-income countries although the confidence intervals were wide and not incompatible with results seen in high-income countries. The apparent lack of treatment effect may be due to the heterogeneity and poor quality of the included studies, inefficiency of the low technology cooling devices, lack of optimal neonatal intensive care, sedation and ventilatory support, overuse of oxygen, or may be due to the intrinsic difference in the population, for example higher rates of perinatal infection, obstructed labor, intrauterine growth retardation and maternal malnutrition. Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of cooling in adequately powered randomised controlled trials is required before cooling is offered in routine clinical practice in low-and middle-income countries.

A Brief History.

Science.gov (United States)

Yalouris, Nicolaos

1996-01-01

Provides a brief but concise overview of the historical development of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece. Originally conceived as a one day, single-race event, the Games grew to the point where they represented an apotheosis of Greek culture. Discusses the role played by conflict within the city-states. (MJP)

PubMed-based quantitative analysis of biomedical publications in the SAARC countries: 1985-2009.

Science.gov (United States)

Azim Majumder, Md Anwarul; Shaban, Sami F; Rahman, Sayeeda; Rahman, Nuzhat; Ahmed, Moslehuddin; Bin Abdulrahman, Khalid A; Islam, Ziauddin

2012-09-01

To conduct a geographical analysis of biomedical publications from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries over the past 25 years (1985-2009) using the PubMed database. A qualitative study. Web-based search during September 2010. A data extraction program, developed by one of the authors (SFS), was used to extract the raw publication counts from the downloaded PubMed data. A search of PubMed was performed for all journals indexed by selecting the advanced search option and entering the country name in the 'affiliation' field. The publications were normalized by total population, adult illiteracy rate, gross domestic product (GDP), secondary school enrollment ratio and Internet usage rate. The number of PubMed-listed papers published by the SAARC countries over the last 25 years totalled 141,783, which is 1.1% of the total papers indexed by PubMed in the same period. India alone produced 90.5% of total publications generated by SAARC countries. The average number of papers published per year from 1985 to 2009 was 5671 and number of publication increased approximately 242-fold. Normalizing by the population (per million) and GDP (per billion), India (133, 27.6%) and Nepal (323, 37.3%) had the highest publications respectively. There was a marked imbalance among the SAARC countries in terms of biomedical research and publication. Because of huge population and the high disease burden, biomedical research and publication output should receive special attention to formulate health policies, re-orient medical education curricula, and alleviate diseases and poverty.

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

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.

Value of a statistical life in road safety: a benefit-transfer function with risk-analysis guidance based on developing country data.

Science.gov (United States)

Milligan, Craig; Kopp, Andreas; Dahdah, Said; Montufar, Jeannette

2014-10-01

We model a value of statistical life (VSL) transfer function for application to road-safety engineering in developing countries through an income-disaggregated meta-analysis of scope-sensitive stated preference VSL data. The income-disaggregated meta-analysis treats developing country and high-income country data separately. Previous transfer functions are based on aggregated datasets that are composed largely of data from high-income countries. Recent evidence, particularly with respect to the income elasticity of VSL, suggests that the aggregate approach is deficient because it does not account for a possible change in income elasticity across income levels. Our dataset (a minor update of the OECD database published in 2012) includes 123 scope-sensitive VSL estimates from developing countries and 185 scope-sensitive estimates from high-income countries. The transfer function for developing countries gives VSL=1.3732E-4×(GDP per capita)(∧)2.478, with VSL and GDP per capita expressed in 2005 international dollars (an international dollar being a notional currency with the same purchasing power as the U.S. dollar). The function can be applied for low- and middle-income countries with GDPs per capita above $1268 (with a data gap for very low-income countries), whereas it is not useful above a GDP per capita of about $20,000. The corresponding function built using high-income country data is VSL=8.2474E+3×(GDP per capita)(∧).6932; it is valid for high-income countries but over-estimates VSL for low- and middle-income countries. The research finds two principal significant differences between the transfer functions modeled using developing-country and high-income-country data, supporting the disaggregated approach. The first of these differences relates to between-country VSL income elasticity, which is 2.478 for the developing country function and .693 for the high-income function; the difference is significant at peconomic performance measures for road

Peer-Reviewed Veterinary Journals From Arabic-Speaking Countries: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Robertson, Kristen M; Bowser, Jacquelyn E; Bernstein, Joshua; Aboul-Enein, Basil H

The prevalence of diseases of foodborne and zoonotic origin in Arabic-speaking countries highlights the importance of collaboration between human and animal health professionals. However, accessibility of research and evidence-based practices in these countries is not well characterized. This brief report determines the availability of professional veterinary journals within the Arabic-speaking region. An electronic search using 6 databases assessed for publication period, activity status, and available languages incorporated all aspects of veterinary medicine and specialties. Among 29 veterinary journals identified, the oldest current publication originated 63 years ago, with 10 journals currently interrupted or ceased. All 19 currently active journals are available electronically as open access, with 8 also offered in paper format. Veterinary journals published within Arabic-speaking countries are predominantly produced in Egypt, Iraq, and Sudan. Electronic access is lacking compared with English-speaking countries, and there is a lack of journals with an Arabic-language option. The reasons associated with language options in veterinary publications are not immediately apparent, yet may highlight differences among public health, health education, and zoonotic professionals and the populations they serve. Veterinary journals in Arabic-speaking countries do not adequately represent the overall region and are limited in access. Further evaluation of regional culture and publisher preferences is indicated to identify new collaboration opportunities among health professionals and local stakeholders. Copyright © 2017 Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

'n Brief van strooi?: Die Evangelie in Jakobus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. P. A. Kotz�

1985-08-01

Full Text Available Jakobus is 'n juweel. Dit is so jammer dat Luther die brief 'n slegte naam gegee het deur dit "eyn rechte stroern Epistel..." te noem, omdat dit, volgens hom, geen evangeliese inslag het nie ("den sie doch keyn Euangelisch art an yhr hat. So is dit as't ware 'ge�tiketteer' en die naam het bly kleef. Die meeste ondersoeke van die brief begin met die vermelding van Luther se uitspraak en probeer vanaf hierdie punt om die vaandel vir die brief te swaai, hetsy op Protestantse hetsy op Rooms - Katolieke wyse.

Country Rankings of the Status of Women: Poor, Powerless, and Pregnant. Population Briefing Paper No. 20.

Science.gov (United States)

Population Crisis Committee, Washington, DC.

In this study of 99 countries, representing 2.3 billion women (92 percent of the world's female population), 20 indicators measure women's well-being in the following sectors: (1) health; (2) marriage and children; (3) education; (4) employment; and (5) social equality. Original data for each of the 20 indicators were converted mathematically to 5…

Labor Productivity Growth, Education, Health and Technological Progress: A Cross-Country Analysis

OpenAIRE

Supachet Chansarn

2010-01-01

This study aims to calculate the growth rates of labor productivity of 30 countries categorized into four groups, including G7 countries, western developed countries, eastern developed countries and eastern developing countries, during 1981 – 2005 and examine the influences of education, health and technological progress on the growth rate of labor productivity. The findings reveal that the growth rates of labor productivity of every country, except the Philippines, were greater than four per...

The Norwegian Educational System, the Linguistic Diversity in the Country and the Education of Different Minority Groups

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kamil ÖZERK

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Linguistic diversity has always been and still is one of the current issues in the Norwegian educational system. Norwegian is the official language of the country, but, there have been several distinct dialects and two official written Norwegian languages in the country since 1885. One of them is Bokmål and the other is Nynorsk. There has also been an indigenous Sami people with three different Sami languages in the country: Northern Sami, Lulesami and Southern Sami in the country. At the same time there are two national minority groups, Kvens and the Roma people, who have their own languages. In addition about 200 languages are represented among linguistic minority children with immigrant parents/grandparents. This linguistic diversity means that almost 15% of Norway’s population of 5 million has another first language than Norwegian. This paper gives a brief account of policies and challenges related to multilingualism and multilingual education in the Norwegian educational system.

The Norwegian educational system, the linguistic diversity in the country and the education of different minority groups

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kamil ÖZERK

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Linguistic diversity has always been and still is one of the current issues in the Norwegian educational system. Norwegian is the official language of the country, but, there have been several distinct dialects and two official written Norwegian languages in the country since 1885. One of them is Bokmål and the other is Nynorsk. There has also been an indigenous Sami people with three different Sami languages in the country: Northern Sami, Lulesami and Southern Sami in the country. At the same time there are two national minority groups, Kvens and the Roma people, who have their own languages. In addition about 200 languages are represented among linguistic minority children with immigrant parents/grandparents. This linguistic diversity means that almost 15% of Norway’s population of 5 million has another first language than Norwegian. This paper gives a brief account of policies and challenges related to multilingualism and multilingual education in the Norwegian educational system.

Are country reputations for good and bad leadership on AIDS deserved? An exploratory quantitative analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Nattrass, Nicoli

2008-12-01

Some countries (e.g. Brazil) have good reputations on AIDS policy, whereas others, (notably South Africa) have been criticized for inadequate leadership. Cross-country regression analysis reveals that these 'poster children' for AIDS leadership have indeed performed better or worse than expected given their economic and institutional constraints and the demographic and health challenges facing them. Regressions were run on HAART coverage (number on highly active antiretroviral therapy as percentage of total need) and MTCTP coverage (pregnant HIV+ women accessing mother-to-child-transmission prevention services as percentage of total need). Brazil, Cambodia, Thailand and Uganda (all of whom have established reputations for good leadership on AIDS performed consistently better than expected-as did Burkina-Faso, Suriname, Paraguay Costa Rica, Mali and Namibia. South Africa, which has the worst reputation for AIDS leadership, performed significantly below expectations-as did Uruguay and Trinidad and Tobago. The paper thus confirms much of the conventional wisdom on AIDS leadership at country level and suggests new areas for research.

Biomechanical analysis of double poling in elite cross-country skiers.

Science.gov (United States)

Holmberg, Hans-Christer; Lindinger, Stefan; Stöggl, Thomas; Eitzlmair, Erich; Müller, Erich

2005-05-01

To further the understanding of double poling (DP) through biomechanical analysis of upper and lower body movements during DP in cross-country (XC) skiing at racing speed. Eleven elite XC skiers performed DP at 85% of their maximal DP velocity (V85%) during roller skiing at 1 degrees inclination on a treadmill. Pole and plantar ground reaction forces, joint angles (elbow, hip, knee, and ankle), cycle characteristics, and electromyography (EMG) of upper and lower body muscles were analyzed. 1) Pole force pattern with initial impact force peak and the following active force peak (PPF) correlated to V85%, (r = 0.66, P biomechanical aspects. Future research should further investigate the relationship between biomechanical and physiological variables and elaborate training models to improve DP performance.

A CROSS-COUNTRY ANALYSIS OF THE BANKS’ FINANCIAL SOUNDNESS: THE CASE OF THE CEE-3 COUNTRIES

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Sargu Alina Camelia

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The European integration process has a direct impact on all the components of the macroeconomic environment. The existence of a well functioning and sound banking sector becomes of great importance for the integration process as the European Union economy is financed especially through this channel. The banking sectors of the new EU member countries have undergone through tremendous changes in the last decade, both from an ownership and also from a business strategy point of view, these changes having a direct impact on their financial soundness. Thus, the aim of our research is to empirically examine the financial soundness of the banks operating in Bulgaria, Czech Republic and Romania, three EU members countries from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE-3. In order to achieve this we have employed a combine quantitative analysis based on the CAMELS framework (namely Capital Adequacy, Asset quality, Management soundness, Earnings, Liquidity, Sensitivity to market risk and the Z-score, thus being able to underline simultaneously the financial soundness and the possibility of default for the banks from our sample. The analysed period is 2004-2011 providing us with an evaluation of the impact that the EU ascension and also the global financial crisis had on the financial soundness of the analysed banks. Our sample is composed from 40 commercial banks that operate in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Romania, that overall own over 75% of the total banking assets, making this study one of the most comprehensive undertaken to this date. The data that we have employed in our research is obtained from the Bureau Van Dijk Bankscope database and the annual financial statements of the banks from our sample. The paper through its original dual approach contributes to the academic debate by providing not only insight into the financial soundness of the banks operating in the CEE-3 countries but also underling their financial strength through the usage of the Z

Socioeconomic inequality in neonatal mortality in countries of low and middle income: a multicountry analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

McKinnon, Britt; Harper, Sam; Kaufman, Jay S; Bergevin, Yves

2014-03-01

Neonatal mortality rates (NMRs) in countries of low and middle income have been only slowly decreasing; coverage of essential maternal and newborn health services needs to increase, particularly for disadvantaged populations. Our aim was to produce comparable estimates of changes in socioeconomic inequalities in NMR in the past two decades across these countries. We used data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) for countries in which a survey was done in 2008 or later and one about 10 years previously. We measured absolute inequalities with the slope index of inequality and relative inequalities with the relative index of inequality. We used an asset-based wealth index and maternal education as measures of socioeconomic position and summarised inequality estimates for all included countries with random-effects meta-analysis. 24 low-income and middle-income countries were eligible for inclusion. In most countries, absolute and relative wealth-related and educational inequalities in NMR decreased between survey 1 and survey 2. In five countries (Cameroon, Nigeria, Malawi, Mozambique, and Uganda), the difference in NMR between the top and bottom of the wealth distribution was reduced by more than two neonatal deaths per 1000 livebirths per year. By contrast, wealth-related inequality increased by more than 1·5 neonatal deaths per 1000 livebirths per year in Ethiopia and Cambodia. Patterns of change in absolute and relative educational inequalities in NMR were similar to those of wealth-related NMR inequalities, although the size of educational inequalities tended to be slightly larger. Socioeconomic inequality in NMR seems to have decreased in the past two decades in most countries of low and middle income. However, a substantial survival advantage remains for babies born into wealthier households with a high educational level, which should be considered in global efforts to further reduce NMR. Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Copyright © 2014 Mc

Economic regulation of TSOs in the Nordic countries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Syvertsen, S. C.; Steinnes, S. H. [Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate, Oslo (Norway); Robles, H. B.; Ek, G. [Energy Markets Inspectorate, Eskilstuna (Sweden); Ilonen, M; Nurmi, S. [Energy Market Authority, Helsinki (Finland); Thomsen, H. [Sekretariatet for Energitilsynet, Valby (Denmark)

2012-12-15

The main topic of this report is the economic regulation of the transmission system operators (To) in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden). The purpose of this report is to give an overview of the design of the economic regulation and compare the main elements of the regulation between the countries. There is one To in each country. For all countries, the revenues of the Tos are regulated by yearly decisions. In Finland, Norway and Sweden the regulators set an annual revenue cap. In Denmark, the To sets the tariffs according to budget, while the regulator approves the annual report and thereby also approves the tariffs ex post. The economic regulation of TSOs includes both regulation of system operations and the regulation of network operations. Chapter 3 describes in brief the main responsibilities of the system operator in each country and how the costs related to these tasks are regulated. Norway regulates the system operation costs, where 60 percent of the costs are based on a cost-norm which is evaluated periodically. In Finland and Sweden these costs are considered as non-controllable and are passed through directly in the revenue cap. In Denmark only costs considered as necessary at efficient operation shall be included in the tariffs, and the regulators have the opportunity to exclude costs based on this. There are no benchmark or efficiency requirements in the Danish regulation. In chapter 4 the main elements of the economic regulation of network operations are described and compared in tables. All countries regulate the network operations of the TSO. In Denmark there are no explicit efficiency requirements, and the regulation is based on a non-profit principle. The TSO only gets a return based on a price adjustment on its capital base as of 2005. In Finland, Norway and Sweden the regulation include efficiency requirements or benchmarking of costs. In Norway this regards 60 percent of total costs related to the network operations

Analysis of Medicine Prices in New Zealand and 16 European Countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Vogler, Sabine; Kilpatrick, Kate; Babar, Zaheer-Ud-Din

2015-06-01

To compare prices of medicines, both originators and generics, in New Zealand and 16 European countries. Ex-factory price data as of December 2012 from New Zealand and 16 European countries were compared for a basket of 14 medicines, most of which were at least partially funded by the state in the 17 countries. Five medicines had, at least in some countries, generic versions on the market whose prices were also analyzed. Medicine price data for the 16 European countries were provided by the Pharma Price Information service. New Zealand medicine prices were retrieved from the New Zealand Pharmaceutical Schedule. Unit prices converted into euro were compared at the ex-factory price level. For the 14 medicines surveyed, considerable price differences at the ex-factory price level were identified. Within the European countries, prices in Greece, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and Spain ranked at the lower end, whereas prices in Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden were at the upper end. The results for New Zealand compared with Europe were variable. New Zealand prices were found in the lowest quartile for five medicines and in the highest quartile for seven other products. Price differences between the originator products and generic versions ranged from 0% to 90% depending on the medicine and the country. Medicine prices varied considerably between European countries and New Zealand as well as among the European countries. These differences are likely to result from national pricing and reimbursement policies. Copyright © 2015 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prices, Costs, and Affordability of New Medicines for Hepatitis C in 30 Countries: An Economic Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Iyengar, Swathi; Tay-Teo, Kiu; Vogler, Sabine; Beyer, Peter; Wiktor, Stefan; de Joncheere, Kees; Hill, Suzanne

2016-05-01

New hepatitis C virus (HCV) medicines have markedly improved treatment efficacy and regimen tolerability. However, their high prices have limited access, prompting wide debate about fair and affordable prices. This study systematically compared the price and affordability of sofosbuvir and ledipasvir/sofosbuvir across 30 countries to assess affordability to health systems and patients. Published 2015 ex-factory prices for a 12-wk course of treatment were provided by the Pharma Price Information (PPI) service of the Austrian public health institute Gesundheit Österreich GmbH or were obtained from national government or drug reimbursement authorities and recent press releases, where necessary. Prices in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries and select low- and middle-income countries were converted to US dollars using period average exchange rates and were adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP). We analysed prices compared to national economic performance and estimated market size and the cost of these drugs in terms of countries' annual total pharmaceutical expenditure (TPE) and in terms of the duration of time an individual would need to work to pay for treatment out of pocket. Patient affordability was calculated using 2014 OECD average annual wages, supplemented with International Labour Organization median wage data where necessary. All data were compiled between 17 July 2015 and 25 January 2016. For the base case analysis, we assumed a 23% rebate/discount on the published price in all countries, except for countries with special pricing arrangements or generic licensing agreements. The median nominal ex-factory price of a 12-wk course of sofosbuvir across 26 OECD countries was US$42,017, ranging from US$37,729 in Japan to US$64,680 in the US. Central and Eastern European countries had higher PPP-adjusted prices than other countries: prices of sofosbuvir in Poland and Turkey (PPP$101,063 and PPP$70,331) and of

Prices, Costs, and Affordability of New Medicines for Hepatitis C in 30 Countries: An Economic Analysis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Swathi Iyengar

2016-05-01

Full Text Available New hepatitis C virus (HCV medicines have markedly improved treatment efficacy and regimen tolerability. However, their high prices have limited access, prompting wide debate about fair and affordable prices. This study systematically compared the price and affordability of sofosbuvir and ledipasvir/sofosbuvir across 30 countries to assess affordability to health systems and patients.Published 2015 ex-factory prices for a 12-wk course of treatment were provided by the Pharma Price Information (PPI service of the Austrian public health institute Gesundheit Österreich GmbH or were obtained from national government or drug reimbursement authorities and recent press releases, where necessary. Prices in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD member countries and select low- and middle-income countries were converted to US dollars using period average exchange rates and were adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP. We analysed prices compared to national economic performance and estimated market size and the cost of these drugs in terms of countries' annual total pharmaceutical expenditure (TPE and in terms of the duration of time an individual would need to work to pay for treatment out of pocket. Patient affordability was calculated using 2014 OECD average annual wages, supplemented with International Labour Organization median wage data where necessary. All data were compiled between 17 July 2015 and 25 January 2016. For the base case analysis, we assumed a 23% rebate/discount on the published price in all countries, except for countries with special pricing arrangements or generic licensing agreements. The median nominal ex-factory price of a 12-wk course of sofosbuvir across 26 OECD countries was US$42,017, ranging from US$37,729 in Japan to US$64,680 in the US. Central and Eastern European countries had higher PPP-adjusted prices than other countries: prices of sofosbuvir in Poland and Turkey (PPP$101,063 and PPP$70

76 FR 50715 - Briefing on Partner Vetting System Pilot Program

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-16

... Development Briefing on Partner Vetting System Pilot Program AGENCY: U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency... briefing on the Partner Vetting System (PVS) pilot program. The objective of the briefing is to provide information about the PVS pilot program. Members of the public may attend in person or join via teleconference...

Multi-parameter analysis for the technical and economic assessment of photovoltaic systems in the main European Union countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bortolini, Marco; Gamberi, Mauro; Graziani, Alessandro; Mora, Cristina; Regattieri, Alberto

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Performance cost model assesses the feasibility and profitability of PV systems. • Multi-country and multi-parameter analysis of PV systems in the European Union area. • The impact of key technical, environmental, economic and financial data is assessed. • Germany, Italy and Spain present the most effective PV sector support strategies. • The rated power and energy self-consumption ratio affect PV plant profitability. - Abstract: In the last decades, the attention to solar energy as a renewable and nonpolluting energy source increased a lot through scientists, private and public institutions. Several efforts are made to increase the diffusion of such a source and to create the conditions making it competitive for the energy market. Particularly, for the photovoltaic (PV) sector, the module efficiency increase, manufacturing cost reduction and a strong public support, through favorable incentive schemes, generates a significant rise in the installed power, exceeding 40 GWp in 2010. Although the global trend of the PV sector is positive, differences among countries arise out of local peculiarities and evolutions in the national support policies. This paper investigates such issues focusing on the feasibility analysis of PV solar systems for eight relevant countries in the European Union area, i.e. France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, Turkey and United Kingdom. A multi-country and multi-parameter comparative analysis, based on the net present value and payback capital budget indices, allows to highlight the conditions most affecting the economic feasibility of PV systems. The national support strategies, along with the most relevant technical, environmental, economic and financial parameters, are the key features included and compared in the analysis. The major results deal with the conditions which make PV systems potentially profitable for each country and installation feature. The national support strategies to the PV

Efficacy of a brief nurse-led pilot psychosocial intervention for newly diagnosed Asian cancer patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahendran, Rathi; Lim, Haikel A; Tan, Joyce Y S; Chua, Joanne; Lim, Siew Eng; Ang, Emily N K; Kua, Ee Heok

2015-08-01

Cancer patients experience distress and high levels of psychosocial concerns. However, in Asian countries like Singapore, patients are often unwilling to seek support and help from mental healthcare professionals, but, instead, are more willing to confide in nurses. This quasi-experimental study developed and tested the efficacy of a brief nurse-led psychosocial intervention to alleviate these patients' distress, minor psychiatric morbidity, and psychosocial concerns. The semi-structured intervention comprised 20- to 30-minute face-to-face sessions with trained oncology nurses, monthly for 2 months and then bimonthly for 4 months. Patients received psycho-education on symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression and counseling and were taught behavioral techniques such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and positive self-talk. The results of this study found that patients who received the intervention had reduced distress, depression, and anxiety levels and improved quality of life (QOL) at 6 months. Although further research is necessary to explore the efficacy and viability of this intervention, findings support brief nurse-led psycho-educational interventions in Asian settings especially for cancer patients reluctant to seek help from mental health professionals.

Host-country policy – commitment or no-commitment: a theoretical analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mukherjee, A.

2000-01-01

This paper develops a model of foreign entry strategy and examines welfare of the host-country under two situations - (i) where host-country government commits to the tax policy, (ii) where host-country government does not commit to the tax policy. It turns out that under the non-committed

Globalization, female employment, and regional differences in OECD countries

OpenAIRE

Fischer, Justina A.V.

2013-01-01

Accounting for within-country spatial differences is a much neglected issue in many cross-country comparisons. This paper highlights this importance in this empirical analysis of the impact of a country’s degree of social and economic globalization on female employment in 33 OECD countries, using a pseudo micro panel on 110’000 persons from the World Values Survey, 1981 to 2008. A traditional cross-country analysis suggests that only the social dimension of globalization, the worldwide inform...

Briefing book on the energy situation in New England

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brainard, J P; Munson, J S; Palmedo, P F

1976-10-01

This briefing book is designed to give a concise overview of the facts of the energy situation in New England and of attitudes within the region towards current energy issues. Many of the central problems of U.S. energy policy are manifested in the region in a magnified form. The region entered the period of energy shortages and increasing prices in an economically declining condition. Energy prices were already high in 1970, 30% higher than the rest of the country; the difference increased to 38% by 1974. With essentially no indigenous energy resources, New England is an energy-importing region. For various reasons it is also more dependent on petroleum than other regions of the country and, at the same time, distant from domestic petroleum-producing regions. The result is that over 60% of the fuels it consumes is imported from abroad. Although the future supply of energy to the region is critically dependent on energy-resource policies, policies related for example to coal and oil shale development, the region's concerns cluster around policies and technologies that are perceived to have a more direct impact on its energy welfare. Thus, energy conservation, solar energy, nuclear power, offshore oil development and, in general, the price of energy to the region are paramount issues of concern and debate. Following the Introductory chapter, these issues are discussed in four additional chapters: The Energy Situation in New England; Regional Energy Issues; Energy-Related Institutions; and State Legislation.

HIV/AIDS National Strategic Plans of Sub-Saharan African countries: an analysis for gender equality and sex-disaggregated HIV targets.

Science.gov (United States)

Sherwood, Jennifer; Sharp, Alana; Cooper, Bergen; Roose-Snyder, Beirne; Blumenthal, Susan

2017-12-01

National Strategic Plans (NSPs) for HIV/AIDS are country planning documents that set priorities for programmes and services, including a set of targets to quantify progress toward national and international goals. The inclusion of sex-disaggregated targets and targets to combat gender inequality is important given the high disease burden among young women and adolescent girls in Sub-Saharan Africa, yet no comprehensive gender-focused analysis of NSP targets has been performed. This analysis quantitatively evaluates national HIV targets, included in NSPs from eighteen Sub-Saharan African countries, for sex-disaggregation. Additionally, NSP targets aimed at reducing gender-based inequality in health outcomes are compiled and inductively coded to report common themes. On average, in the eighteen countries included in this analysis, 31% of NSP targets include sex-disaggregation (range 0-92%). Three countries disaggregated a majority (>50%) of their targets by sex. Sex-disaggregation in data reporting was more common for targets related to the early phases of the HIV care continuum: 83% of countries included any sex-disaggregated targets for HIV prevention, 56% for testing and linkage to care, 22% for improving antiretroviral treatment coverage, and 11% for retention in treatment. The most common target to reduce gender inequality was to prevent gender-based violence (present in 50% of countries). Other commonly incorporated target areas related to improving women's access to family planning, human and legal rights, and decision-making power. The inclusion of sex-disaggregated targets in national planning is vital to ensure that programmes make progress for all population groups. Improving the availability and quality of indicators to measure gender inequality, as well as evaluating programme outcomes by sex, is critical to tracking this progress. This analysis reveals an urgent need to set specific and separate targets for men and women in order to achieve an equitable

HIV/AIDS National Strategic Plans of Sub-Saharan African countries: an analysis for gender equality and sex-disaggregated HIV targets

Science.gov (United States)

Sherwood, Jennifer; Sharp, Alana; Cooper, Bergen; Roose-Snyder, Beirne; Blumenthal, Susan

2017-01-01

Abstract National Strategic Plans (NSPs) for HIV/AIDS are country planning documents that set priorities for programmes and services, including a set of targets to quantify progress toward national and international goals. The inclusion of sex-disaggregated targets and targets to combat gender inequality is important given the high disease burden among young women and adolescent girls in Sub-Saharan Africa, yet no comprehensive gender-focused analysis of NSP targets has been performed. This analysis quantitatively evaluates national HIV targets, included in NSPs from eighteen Sub-Saharan African countries, for sex-disaggregation. Additionally, NSP targets aimed at reducing gender-based inequality in health outcomes are compiled and inductively coded to report common themes. On average, in the eighteen countries included in this analysis, 31% of NSP targets include sex-disaggregation (range 0–92%). Three countries disaggregated a majority (>50%) of their targets by sex. Sex-disaggregation in data reporting was more common for targets related to the early phases of the HIV care continuum: 83% of countries included any sex-disaggregated targets for HIV prevention, 56% for testing and linkage to care, 22% for improving antiretroviral treatment coverage, and 11% for retention in treatment. The most common target to reduce gender inequality was to prevent gender-based violence (present in 50% of countries). Other commonly incorporated target areas related to improving women’s access to family planning, human and legal rights, and decision-making power. The inclusion of sex-disaggregated targets in national planning is vital to ensure that programmes make progress for all population groups. Improving the availability and quality of indicators to measure gender inequality, as well as evaluating programme outcomes by sex, is critical to tracking this progress. This analysis reveals an urgent need to set specific and separate targets for men and women in order to achieve

Prevalence of foodborne pathogens in food from selected African countries - A meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Paudyal, Narayan; Anihouvi, Victor; Hounhouigan, Joseph; Matsheka, Maitshwarelo Ignatius; Sekwati-Monang, Bonno; Amoa-Awua, Wisdom; Atter, Amy; Ackah, Nina Bernice; Mbugua, Samuel; Asagbra, Agnes; Abdelgadir, Warda; Nakavuma, Jesca; Jakobsen, Mogens; Fang, Weihuan

2017-05-16

Food safety information in the African region is insufficient and fragmented due to lack of surveillance, documentation and reporting, thereby resulting in inefficient utilization of resources, duplication of activities, and lack of synergy among the countries of the region. This paper reviews the prevalence of foodborne pathogens in seven African countries (Benin, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Sudan and Uganda) from papers in regional or international journals published between January 2000 and December 2015. One hundred and sixteen publications that dealt with food microbiology were reviewed for general analysis, while 66 papers on contamination of pathogenic bacteria were used for meta-analysis of prevalence. The food items were split into two categories: raw foods and ready-to-eat (RTE) foods (including street food and beverages) for meta-analysis. Majority of the reviewed studies (67.2%, 78/116) dealt with food of animal origin: 38.8% for meat and eggs, 17.2% for dairy products and 11.2% for aquatic products. Only 8.6% examined foods of plant origin (fruits and vegetables). The remaining 24.1% was the composite RTE food and beverages. Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes were the most frequently reported organisms in those studies. Although the data were highly heterogeneous, a striking feature is high prevalence of the major pathogens in RTE foods, almost as high as in raw foods. E. coli averaged at 37.6% in raw foods and 31.6% in RTE foods. The corresponding prevalence for Salmonella was 19.9% vs 21.7%; S. aureus, 27.8% vs 25.1% and L. monocytogenes, 19.5% vs 6.7%. The average prevalence of foodborne pathogens in these countries was 34.2% (29.0-39.3%). Differences in food types as well as non-uniform protocols for sampling and identification might have contributed to high heterogeneity (I 2 >97%) although some high prevalence data could be factual with extensive varieties of raw and RTE foods

A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of sustainable household water treatment interventions in developing countries

Science.gov (United States)

Sihombing, Daniel; Pande, Saket; Rietveld, Luuk

2017-04-01

One of the sub-goals of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 is to achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030. Household water treatment (HWT; such as boiling, chlorination, solar or UV disinfection with lamps, etc.) is one of the technologies that can be used to reach this target. However, there is a big challenge to scale up the widespread implementation of this technology. Even though there are many HWT products on the market, sustainable uptake of this method (compliance) is unsatisfying. Researchers have shown that its compliance rate has often declined over time. Since there are many factors that influence the compliance rate, it is desirable to know the best combination of causal factors (pathway) that give the highest compliance based on the success stories reported in the literature. The motivation of this research is to find the pathways characteristic of local people that influence the compliance rate of HWT, using QCA (Qualitative Comparative Analysis). The comparative analysis is essentially a meta-analysis of HWT interventions and factors, possibly, behind successful or unsuccessful HWT uptake reported in literature. This thus helps to identify the characteristics of target communities that are willing to adopt HWT intervention, irrespective of the type of HWT. Out of 102 case studies reported in literature, 36 are selected from developing countries where an HWT intervention lasted for at least 12 months were selected and analyzed. Factors such as education level, perception about water quality, local beliefs, sanitation coverage, existing water treatment, type of water source, ability to pay, willingness to pay, existing local supply chain, and accessibility to water treatment were examined. Preliminary results show that 1) a combination of no prior HWT intervention in the community with a general perception of water quality being poor often leads to uptake of HWT technology, 2) education

Minimum Wage and Overweight and Obesity in Adult Women: A Multilevel Analysis of Low and Middle Income Countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Conklin, Annalijn I; Ponce, Ninez A; Frank, John; Nandi, Arijit; Heymann, Jody

2016-01-01

To describe the relationship between minimum wage and overweight and obesity across countries at different levels of development. A cross-sectional analysis of 27 countries with data on the legislated minimum wage level linked to socio-demographic and anthropometry data of non-pregnant 190,892 adult women (24-49 y) from the Demographic and Health Survey. We used multilevel logistic regression models to condition on country- and individual-level potential confounders, and post-estimation of average marginal effects to calculate the adjusted prevalence difference. We found the association between minimum wage and overweight/obesity was independent of individual-level SES and confounders, and showed a reversed pattern by country development stage. The adjusted overweight/obesity prevalence difference in low-income countries was an average increase of about 0.1 percentage points (PD 0.075 [0.065, 0.084]), and an average decrease of 0.01 percentage points in middle-income countries (PD -0.014 [-0.019, -0.009]). The adjusted obesity prevalence difference in low-income countries was an average increase of 0.03 percentage points (PD 0.032 [0.021, 0.042]) and an average decrease of 0.03 percentage points in middle-income countries (PD -0.032 [-0.036, -0.027]). This is among the first studies to examine the potential impact of improved wages on an important precursor of non-communicable diseases globally. Among countries with a modest level of economic development, higher minimum wage was associated with lower levels of obesity.

Regional Variations of Credits Obtained by LEED 2009 Certified Green Buildings—A Country Level Analysis

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Peng Wu

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED is one of the most widely recognized green building rating systems. With more than 20% of the projects certified in non-United States (US countries, LEED’s global impact has been increasing and it is critically important for developers and regulatory authorities to understand LEED’s performance at the country level to facilitate global implementation. This study therefore aims to investigate the credit achievement pattern of LEED 2009, which is one of the well-developed versions of LEED, by using 4021 certified projects in the US, China, Turkey, and Brazil. The results show that significant differences can be identified on most rating categories, including sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, indoor environmental quality, and innovation in design. Using a post hoc analysis, country-specific credit allocation patterns are also identified to help developers to understand existing country-specific green building practices. In addition, it is also found that there is unbalanced achievement of regional priority credits. The study offers a useful reference and benchmark for international developers and contractors to understand the regional variations of LEED 2009 and for regulatory authorities, such as the U.S. Green Building Council, to improve the rating system, especially on designing regional priority credits.

Restrictions of comparative analysis of investing in scientific research and scientific outcomes of the countries in nanotechnology

OpenAIRE

Milanović, Vesna; Bučalina-Matić, Andrea; Golubović, Marina

2016-01-01

The aim of this paper is to provide an insight into restrictions of comparative analysis of investing in scientific research and scientific outcomes of the countries in nanotechnology, having in mind that it is a developing technology which is expected to give significant contribution to science, economy and society in the future. Using the methods of content analysis, comparative methods and relevant literature, certain restrictions of this comparative analysis have been established. They ar...

The Finance Growth Link: Comparative Analysis of Two Eastern African Countries

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Fanta Ashenafi Beyene

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the finance growth link of two low-income Sub-Saharan African economies – Ethiopia and Kenya – which have different financial systems but are located in the same region. Unlike previous studies, we account for the role of non-bank financial intermediaries and formally model the effect of structural breaks caused by policy and market-induced economic events. We used the Vector Autoregressive model (VAR, conducted impulse response analysis and examined variance decomposition. We find that neither the level of financial intermediary development nor the level of stock market development explains economic growth in Kenya. For Ethiopia, which has no stock market, intermediary development is found to be driven by economic growth. Three important inferences can be made from these findings. First, the often reported positive link between finance and growth might be caused by the aggregation of countries at different stages of economic growth and financial development. Second, country-specific economic situations and episodes are important in studying the relationship between financial development and economic growth. Third, there is the possibility that the econometric model employed to test the finance growth link plays a role in the empirical result, as we note that prior studies did not introduce control variables.

Psychometric Properties of the Brief Version of the Social Skills Inventory for Adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Romera Leme, Vanessa Barbosa; Valentini, Felipe; Campos, Josiane Rosa; Del Prette, Almir; Del Prette, Zilda A P

2017-07-31

The present study aimed to evaluate the evidence of internal structure and scores reliability of the Social Skills Inventory for adolescents - brief version (IHSA-Del-Prette). The following analyses were performed: (1) Exploratory Factor Analysis - EFA; (2) Confirmatory Factor Analysis - CFA; (3) Reliability; (4) Multigroup Analysis (invariance). The participants were 2,291 students of the Middle and High Schools, both sexes aged 12 to 17 years old divided into two sample groups: 1,172 participants in sample group 1 (collected 2006-2007) and 1,119 in sample group 2 (collected 2011-2012). The results of the EFA (group 1) support the four subscales structure (Self-control, Affective Approach, Empathy and Assertiveness) for 16 items (loadings > .30). The structure was confirmed by the CFA performed on the second group (CFI = .96, TLI = .95, RMSEA = .05, 90% CI [.04, .05], loadings > .50); and showed scalar invariance (samples 1 and 2) due to group and age, as well as partial scalar invariance due to gender (ΔCFI < .01; ΔNCI < .02). It was concluded the brief version of IHSA-Del-Prette presents psychometric properties for use in the Brazilian context.

From Oil Crisis to Climate Change. Understanding CO2 Emission Trends in IEA Countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Unander, F.

2003-11-01

OECD CO2 emissions from fuel combustion increased 13% between 1990 and 2001. This signals an important shift since, over the 1973 to 1990 period, emissions only increased by 3.4%. As a result, CO2 emissions from energy use (fuel combustion) contributed 81.1% of total OECD greenhouse gas emissions in 2001 compared to 77.7% in 1990. As these figures make clear, reducing CO2 emissions from fuel combustion constitutes a key challenge to combat climate change. Developing and successfully implementing the most efficient policies for reducing CO2 emissions requires a good understanding of how factors such as income, prices, demography, economic structure, lifestyle, climate, energy efficiency and fuel mix affect energy use and resulting CO2 emissions. This paper presents selected results from the analysis of CO2 developments included in the IEA publication 'From Oil Crisis to Climate Challenge: 30 Years of Energy Use in IEA Countries'. The paper gives a brief overview of aggregate CO2 emission trends and of how recent developments in selected IEA countries compare to emissions levels implied by the Kyoto targets. A deeper understanding of the aggregate trends is provided by showing results from a decomposition analysis and by discussing developments in key end-use sectors. The full publication presents a more detailed analysis of how various factors have shaped energy use patterns and CO2 emissions since 1973. The analysis draws on a newly developed database with detailed information on energy use in the manufacturing, household, service and transport sectors. The database represents the most disaggregated information available on a consistent basis across countries and sectors. The study uses quantitative measures to illustrate the forces that drive or restrain energy use. These measures - or indicators - include: activities such as manufacturing output or heated-floor-area of homes; structural developments such as changes in manufacturing output mix or changes in the

Competitiveness of Dairy Farms In Northern Europe: A Cross-Country analysis

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Csaba Jansik

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The milk sector has received much attention in Europe due to the abolition of milk quotas in 2015 and its potential effect on the geographical distribution of milk production across countries. As a way of assessing the competitive advantage of Nordic EU countries, we investigated the productivity level and productivity growth of milk farms across eight countries of the Baltic Sea region from 1995 to 2010. We found considerable discrepancy in the productivity performance of dairy farms across countries. TFP growth rates indicate that, at farm level, the competitive positions of the older EU members are stable, and that there is no catching up from the newer EU entrants. We offer explanations for this evolution based on the different patterns of structural change followed by the studied countries.

Prices, Costs, and Affordability of New Medicines for Hepatitis C in 30 Countries: An Economic Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Tay-Teo, Kiu; Vogler, Sabine; Beyer, Peter; Wiktor, Stefan; de Joncheere, Kees; Hill, Suzanne

2016-01-01

Introduction New hepatitis C virus (HCV) medicines have markedly improved treatment efficacy and regimen tolerability. However, their high prices have limited access, prompting wide debate about fair and affordable prices. This study systematically compared the price and affordability of sofosbuvir and ledipasvir/sofosbuvir across 30 countries to assess affordability to health systems and patients. Methods and Findings Published 2015 ex-factory prices for a 12-wk course of treatment were provided by the Pharma Price Information (PPI) service of the Austrian public health institute Gesundheit Österreich GmbH or were obtained from national government or drug reimbursement authorities and recent press releases, where necessary. Prices in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries and select low- and middle-income countries were converted to US dollars using period average exchange rates and were adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP). We analysed prices compared to national economic performance and estimated market size and the cost of these drugs in terms of countries’ annual total pharmaceutical expenditure (TPE) and in terms of the duration of time an individual would need to work to pay for treatment out of pocket. Patient affordability was calculated using 2014 OECD average annual wages, supplemented with International Labour Organization median wage data where necessary. All data were compiled between 17 July 2015 and 25 January 2016. For the base case analysis, we assumed a 23% rebate/discount on the published price in all countries, except for countries with special pricing arrangements or generic licensing agreements. The median nominal ex-factory price of a 12-wk course of sofosbuvir across 26 OECD countries was US$42,017, ranging from US$37,729 in Japan to US$64,680 in the US. Central and Eastern European countries had higher PPP-adjusted prices than other countries: prices of sofosbuvir in Poland and Turkey (PPP

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.

Total-factor energy efficiency in developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Xingping; Cheng Xiaomei; Yuan Jiahai; Gao Xiaojun

2011-01-01

This paper uses a total-factor framework to investigate energy efficiency in 23 developing countries during the period of 1980-2005. We explore the total-factor energy efficiency and change trends by applying data envelopment analysis (DEA) window, which is capable of measuring efficiency in cross-sectional and time-varying data. The empirical results indicate that Botswana, Mexico and Panama perform the best in terms of energy efficiency, whereas Kenya, Sri Lanka, Syria and the Philippines perform the worst during the entire research period. Seven countries show little change in energy efficiency over time. Eleven countries experienced continuous decreases in energy efficiency. Among five countries witnessing continuous increase in total-factor energy efficiency, China experienced the most rapid rise. Practice in China indicates that effective energy policies play a crucial role in improving energy efficiency. Tobit regression analysis indicates that a U-shaped relationship exists between total-factor energy efficiency and income per capita. - Research Highlights: → To measure the total-factor energy efficiency using DEA window analysis. → Focus on an application area of developing countries in the period of 1980-2005. → A U-shaped relationship was found between total-factor energy efficiency and income.

Case Briefs in Legal English Classes

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Bilová Stĕpánka

2016-06-01

Full Text Available A case brief can be described as a succinct summary of a case which specifies the facts, procedural history, legal issue(s, court decision and legal reasoning supporting the judgment, even though exact formats may vary. Case briefing is a demanding activity which is required from students during their law studies. The goal is to teach students to focus on the essential parts of the case and to obtain a thorough understanding of the case and the reasoning, which means the students need to employ their analytical and critical thinking skills.

International Migration and Human Development in Destination Countries: A Cross-National Analysis of Less-Developed Countries, 1970-2005

Science.gov (United States)

Sanderson, Matthew

2010-01-01

Contemporary levels of international migration in less-developed countries are raising new and important questions regarding the consequences of immigration for human welfare and well-being. However, there is little systematic cross-national evidence of how international migration affects human development levels in migrant-receiving countries in…

The impact of eliminating within-country inequality in health coverage on maternal and child mortality: a Lives Saved Tool analysis

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Adrienne Clermont

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Inequality in healthcare across population groups in low-income countries is a growing topic of interest in global health. The Lives Saved Tool (LiST, which uses health intervention coverage to model maternal, neonatal, and child health outcomes such as mortality rates, can be used to analyze the impact of within-country inequality. Methods Data from nationally representative household surveys (98 surveys conducted between 1998 and 2014, disaggregated by wealth quintile, were used to create a LiST analysis that models the impact of scaling up health intervention coverage for the entire country from the national average to the rate of the top wealth quintile (richest 20% of the population. Interventions for which household survey data are available were used as proxies for other interventions that are not measured in surveys, based on co-delivery of intervention packages. Results For the 98 countries included in the analysis, 24–32% of child deaths (including 34–47% of neonatal deaths and 16–19% of post-neonatal deaths could be prevented by scaling up national coverage of key health interventions to the level of the top wealth quintile. On average, the interventions with most unequal coverage rates across wealth quintiles were those related to childbirth in health facilities and to water and sanitation infrastructure; the most equally distributed were those delivered through community-based mass campaigns, such as vaccines, vitamin A supplementation, and bednet distribution. Conclusions LiST is a powerful tool for exploring the policy and programmatic implications of within-country inequality in low-income, high-mortality-burden countries. An “Equity Tool” app has been developed within the software to make this type of analysis easily accessible to users.

The Analysis of the Real Convergence of the Countries from Central and Eastern Europe

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Roxana Badircea

2016-11-01

Full Text Available This thesis treats extremely present aspects regarding the evolutions of the emerging economies within the new member states of the European Union insisting on the analysis of the convergence process from a real perspective. Beside the achievement of a monetary union, one of the fundamental objectives of the European Union is represented by the reducing of the disparities regarding the level of development among the member states. One of the ways of appreciating the reduction of the disparities between the economies involve a reduction of the gap as far as the GDP level/inhabitant is concerned or in other words, a real convergence. A series of statistic data are analysed in order to point out the extent to which the central ad East-European states have managed to reduce the gap in report to the developed member states of the EMU, using indicators for the appreciation of the real convergence: the GDP per inhabitant, the monthly average salary, the poverty rate, the contribution of the main sectors of the economy in the formation of the GDP and the unemployment rate. From the analysis of the statistic data one can observe that the highest degree of real convergence is held by Slovenia, which distanced a lot from the other EEC states, followed by the Czech Republic. Regarding from the point of view of the evolution of the EEC countries during the entire analysed period, based on the dynamics of the indicators and of the speed of catching up the gaps we can also notice the performance of the Baltic countries. Unfortunately, Romania and Bulgaria are way behind the other EEC countries.

Statistical properties of country risk ratings under oil price volatility: Evidence from selected oil-exporting countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Chang; Sun, Xiaolei; Chen, Jianming; Li, Jianping

2016-01-01

This paper focuses on the application of panel models for identification and analysis of influence of oil price volatility on statistical properties of country risk ratings which stem from uncertainty of macroeconomic fluctuations. Firstly, two statistical properties of country risk ratings, volatility clustering and asymmetrical revision were identified in a theoretical framework based on Cruces (2006). Secondly, considering the oil price volatility, numerical experiments were conducted based on extended models to test and verify specific properties of country risk ratings in selected oil-exporting countries. Empirical results suggest that properties of country risk remain comparatively steady despite oil price volatility. It is also found that the oil price volatility can obviously exaggerate the country risk volatility, as it happened during 2007–2009. Country clustering based on the properties of country risk ratings shows that the selected countries maintain a significant clustering tendency. These features are of great importance for estimating risk exposure of international trade and investments in oil export during extreme situations. - Highlights: •Relationship between oil price volatility and country risk is the focus. •An extended model based on Cruces (2006) is proposed. •Volatility clustering and asymmetrical revision of country risk ratings is explored. •Oil price volatility can obviously exaggerate properties of country risk volatility.

Transversal analysis of public policies on user fees exemptions in six West African countries

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Ridde Valéry

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background While more and more West African countries are implementing public user fees exemption policies, there is still little knowledge available on this topic. The long time required for scientific production, combined with the needs of decision-makers, led to the creation in 2010 of a project to support implementers in aggregating knowledge on their experiences. This article presents a transversal analysis of user fees exemption policies implemented in Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Togo and Senegal. Methods This was a multiple case study with several embedded levels of analysis. The cases were public user fees exemption policies selected by the participants because of their instructive value. The data used in the countries were taken from documentary analysis, interviews and questionnaires. The transversal analysis was based on a framework for studying five implementation components and five actors’ attitudes usually encountered in these policies. Results The analysis of the implementation components revealed: a majority of State financing; maintenance of centrally organized financing; a multiplicity of reimbursement methods; reimbursement delays and/or stock shortages; almost no implementation guides; a lack of support measures; communication plans that were rarely carried out, funded or renewed; health workers who were given general information but not details; poorly informed populations; almost no evaluation systems; ineffective and poorly funded coordination systems; low levels of community involvement; and incomplete referral-evacuation systems. With regard to actors’ attitudes, the analysis revealed: objectives that were appreciated by everyone; dissatisfaction with the implementation; specific tensions between healthcare providers and patients; overall satisfaction among patients, but still some problems; the perception that while the financial barrier has been removed, other barriers persist; occasionally a

Transversal analysis of public policies on user fees exemptions in six West African countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Ridde, Valéry; Queuille, Ludovic; Kafando, Yamba; Robert, Emilie

2012-11-20

While more and more West African countries are implementing public user fees exemption policies, there is still little knowledge available on this topic. The long time required for scientific production, combined with the needs of decision-makers, led to the creation in 2010 of a project to support implementers in aggregating knowledge on their experiences. This article presents a transversal analysis of user fees exemption policies implemented in Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Togo and Senegal. This was a multiple case study with several embedded levels of analysis. The cases were public user fees exemption policies selected by the participants because of their instructive value. The data used in the countries were taken from documentary analysis, interviews and questionnaires. The transversal analysis was based on a framework for studying five implementation components and five actors' attitudes usually encountered in these policies. The analysis of the implementation components revealed: a majority of State financing; maintenance of centrally organized financing; a multiplicity of reimbursement methods; reimbursement delays and/or stock shortages; almost no implementation guides; a lack of support measures; communication plans that were rarely carried out, funded or renewed; health workers who were given general information but not details; poorly informed populations; almost no evaluation systems; ineffective and poorly funded coordination systems; low levels of community involvement; and incomplete referral-evacuation systems. With regard to actors' attitudes, the analysis revealed: objectives that were appreciated by everyone; dissatisfaction with the implementation; specific tensions between healthcare providers and patients; overall satisfaction among patients, but still some problems; the perception that while the financial barrier has been removed, other barriers persist; occasionally a reorganization of practices, service rationing due to lack of

Natural Resources and FDI in GCC Countries

OpenAIRE

Mohamed Mahjoub Elheddad

2016-01-01

Natural resources are a blessing for some countries to attract FDI but cursed for others. Existing literature argues the suggestion that resource-rich countries attract less FDI because of resource (oil) price volatility. This study examines that natural resources discourage FDI in GCC countries (the FDI-Natural resources curse hypothesis), using panel data analysis for six oil dependent countries during 1980-2013 and applying several econometrics techniques. The main findings of this paper i...

Design and development of computerized local and overall country's environmental data analysis network system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Chang Gyu; Kang, Jong Gyu; Han, H.; Han, J. S.; Lee, Y. D.; Lee, S. R.; Kang, D. J.; Cho, Y. G.; Yun, S. H. [Daedeok College, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

2001-03-15

In this development, we designed a integrated database for efficient data processing of radiation-environment data and developed the CLEAN (Computerized Local and overall country's Environmental data Analysis Network) system. The CLEAN system consists of local radiation-environment network, data analysis system, data open system. We developed the CLEAN system focused on building an integrated database, a data mart, and a CLEAN web site. It is expected that the developed system, which organizes the information related to environmental radiation data systematically, can be utilize for the accurate interpretation, analysis and evaluation.

Energy policies of IEA countries: 1994 review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

This 1994 edition contributes to the IEA's on-going analysis of countries'energy policies and market developments. it reviews recent trends and developments in energy demand and supply, efficiency, technology and environment. This year's Energy Policies includes: - critical reviews of all 23 IEA Member countries, including in-depth reviews of Finland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg and Switzerland; - a synthesis report highlighting major energy policy developments and market trends in IEA Member countries and an overview of significant energy developments elsewhere in the world; -an analysis of trends in key energy indicators over a twenty year period. (authors)

The Relationship between Youth Unemployment and Economic Growth in Central and Eastern European Countries: An Empirical Analysis

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Leman ERDAL

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The study has analyzed the relationship between youth unemployment and economic growth, in the context of Okun law, by using new generation panel data analysis and cointegration tests. In this study, 18 Central and Eastern European country have been selected as subject matter whose youth unemployment rate is above the EU-28 average (25 % for the period 2006-2012. The results show that, if youth unemployment is quite severe; even an exclusive economic growth will not be enough to reduce the youth unemployment rate in the country. It is recommended that the global and country-specific policies which are effective, result-driven on youth (Un employment and labour market issues, should be developed. This study is expected to make a significant contribution to the literature on unemployment and social conflict.

ETV Tech Brief: Rapid Fungi and Bacteria Detection Technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Technical brief that summarizes the results for Mycometer, Inc. Mycometer®-test and Bactiquant®-test, which are rapid detection technologies for fungi and bacteria. The brief summarizes the results of the verification report and statement.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Brief Versus Ultrabrief Right Unilateral Electroconvulsive Therapy for Depression.

Science.gov (United States)

Tor, Phern-Chern; Bautovich, Alison; Wang, Min-Jung; Martin, Donel; Harvey, Samuel B; Loo, Colleen

2015-09-01

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective depression treatment, but it has potential cognitive side effects. Ultrabrief pulse (UBP) right unilateral (RUL) ECT is an increasingly used treatment option that can potentially combine efficacy with lesser cognitive side effects. However, current trials are underpowered or have conflicting results. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the relative efficacy and cognitive effects of brief pulse (BP) and UBP RUL ECT. MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CENTRAL, DARE, and the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform were searched with the search terms ECT, electroconvulsive therapy, electroconvulsive shock, electroconvulsive shock therapy, electrical stimulation, electroconvulsive combined with brief, ultra*, pulse, and trial in English, all fields including title, abstract, subject heading, and full text up to June 20, 2013, for studies comparing BP and UBP RUL ECT in depressed patients that reported formalized mood ratings for depression. Six studies met the inclusion criteria, comprising a total of 689 patients. Efficacy, cognitive, response, and remission outcomes were extracted from each publication or obtained directly from authors. BP RUL ECT was significantly more efficacious in treating depression than UBP RUL ECT (standardized mean difference = 0.25; 95% CI, 0.08–0.41; P = .004) but showed significantly more cognitive side effects in all cognitive domains examined (global cognition, anterograde learning and recall, retrograde memory) (P < .01). The mean number of treatment sessions given was 8.7 for BP ECT and 9.6 for UBP ECT (P < .001). UBP had a lower remission rate (OR = 0.71; 95% CI, 0.51–0.99; P = .045), with a number needed to treat of 12.1. BP compared with UBP RUL ECT was slightly more efficacious in treating depression and required fewer treatment sessions, but led to greater cognitive side effects. The decision of whether to use BP or UBP RUL ECT should be made on an

46 CFR 502.221 - Briefs; requests for findings.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... presiding officer shall fix the time and manner of filing briefs and any enlargement of time. The period of... subject index or table of contents with page references and a list of authorities cited. (f) All briefs... pages containing the table of contents, table of authorities, and certificate of service, unless the...

Lessons from a comparative (cross-country) study using conjoint analysis: Why not use all the information?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Blunch, Niels Johan

Re-examination of data from two comparative (cross-country) studies using conjoint analysis shows that significant improvement can be achieved by using two often neglected kinds of a priori information: Knowledge of the expected order of preferences for the various levels of one or more attributes...

Genital Chlamydia Prevalence in Europe and Non-European High Income Countries: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Redmond, S; Woodhall, S; van den Broek, I

2015-01-01

/EEA) Member States and non-European high income countries from January 1990 to August 2012. We examined results in forest plots, explored heterogeneity using the I2 statistic, and conducted random effects meta-analysis if appropriate. Meta-regression was used to examine the relationship between study...

DEVELOPING MARKETING STRATEGY OF POULTRY MEAT SUPPLY IN EU- 28 COUNTRIES: MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS APPROACH

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Miro Simonič

2016-03-01

Full Text Available To create a concept of the marketing strategy, it is necessary to analyse the factors affecting the purchasing decisions of consumers. For the variables: production, import, export, and manufacturer's price we examine their impact on the marketing of poultry meat in the EU-28 in 2009 and 2011. Countries are grouped into clusters, their properties are analysed in relation to the mentioned variables. With multiple regression analysis, we find that there is a statistical correlation between high production and de-pending on the variable, and between the imports and exports as the independent vari-ables. Based on the analysed data in the researched countries, we conclude that the qualitative development of the production of poultry meat required implementing sophis-ticated agricultural policy with low inputs prices and exploit all available spare re-sources.

An analysis of scientific poverty line of Iranian researchers and compared with top scientists of Islamic countries

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Faramarz Soheili

2014-02-01

Full Text Available To study the scholarly production of Iran in the basic sciences and identify the place of the country among Islamic countries and the world, and also comparing the different disciplines in this field of knowledge, help to plan properly to provide necessary facilities for the advancement in these areas. The purpose of this study is the analysis of scientific poverty line of Iranian scientists and comparing them to the scientists of the superior Islamic countries. This is an applied research. Data were gathered and analyzed with the descriptive approach. In this study data collected from ISI during 1990 to 2011. Five disciplines of basic sciences, including mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and earth science were studied. Yi and Xi and Sx scientometrics indicators were used. Based on the findings of this research, Iran with 35542 documents, academic ability 0.509 % and the relative performance of 0.468% is in the first place among the Islamic countries. Iran also is in the first place in physics, chemistry, earth science and mathematics and in second place in biology among the Islamic countries. Despite Iran's ranking first among Muslim countries, it is below the scientific poverty line in terms of Xi and Sx indicators. So it seems necessary to pay more attention to production and distribution of basic science especially in biology. The weaknesses and barriers also should be recognized.

The cost of entry: An analysis of pharmaceutical registration fees in low-, middle-, and high-income countries.

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Steven G Morgan

Full Text Available Advances in pharmaceuticals offer improved health outcomes for a wide range of illnesses, yet medicines are often inaccessible for many patients worldwide. One potential barrier to making medicines available to all is the cost of product registration, the fees for regulatory review and licensing for the sale of medicines beyond the cost of clinical trials, if needed.We performed a cross-sectional analysis of pharmaceutical registration fees in low-, middle-, and high-income countries. We collected data on market authorization fees for new chemical entities and for generic drugs in 95 countries. We calculated measures of registration fee size relative to population, gross domestic product (GDP, and total health spending in each country. Each of the 95 countries had a fee for registering new chemical entities. On average, the ratio of registration fees to GDP was highest in Europe and North America and lowest in South and Central America. Across individual countries, the level of registration fees was positively correlated with GDP and total health spending, with relatively few outliers.We find that, generally speaking, the regulatory fees charged by medicines regulatory authorities are roughly proportional to the market size in their jurisdictions. The data therefore do not support the hypothesis that regulatory fees are a barrier to market entry in most countries.

Contribution of Arab countries to pharmaceutical wastewater literature: a bibliometric and comparative analysis of research output.

Science.gov (United States)

Zyoud, Sa'ed H; Zyoud, Shaher H; Al-Jabi, Samah W; Sweileh, Waleed M; Awang, Rahmat

2016-01-01

Recently, the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry has been growing rapidly in many countries in the world, including in Arab countries. Pharmaceuticals reach aquatic environments and are prevalent at small concentrations in wastewater from the drug manufacturing industry and hospitals. Such presence also occurs in domestic wastewater and results from the disposal of unused and expired medicines. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze and compare the quantity and quality of publications made by researchers in Arab countries on pharmaceutical wastewater. To retrieve documents related to pharmaceutical wastewater, we used the Scopus database on November 21, 2015. All documents with terms related to pharmaceutical wastewater in the title or abstract were analysed. Results obtained from Arab countries were compared with those obtained from Turkey, Iran and Israel. Globally, a total of 6360 publications were retrieved while those from Arab countries, Iran, Turkey and Israel, were 179, 113, 96 and 54 publications respectively. The highest share of publications belonged to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) with a total of 47 (26.2 %) publications, followed by Egypt (38; 21.2 %), Tunisia (17; 9.5 %) and Morocco (16; 8.9 %). The total number of citations was 1635, with a mean of 9.13 and a median (inter quartile range) of 3 (1.0-10.0). The study identified 87 (48.6 %) documents with 32 countries of international collaboration with Arab countries. It was noted that Arab researchers collaborated mainly with authors in Western Europe (54; 30.2 %), followed by authors from the Asiatic region (29; 16.2 %) and Northern America (15; 8.4 %). The most productive institution was King Saud University, KSA (13; 7.3 %), followed by the National Research Centre, Egypt (10; 7.3 %). This study showed that KSA has the largest share of productivity on pharmaceutical wastewater research. Bibliometric analysis demonstrated that research productivity, mainly from Arab

Global Green New Deal. Policy Brief

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-03-01

The 'Global Green New Deal' (GGND) presented here has three broad objectives. It should make a major contribution to reviving the world economy, saving and creating jobs, and protecting vulnerable groups. It should promote sustainable and inclusive growth and the achievement of the MDGs, especially ending extreme poverty by 2015. Also, it must reduce carbon dependency and ecosystem degradation. These are key risks along a path to a sustainable world economy. Our consultations and our commissioned research, summarized here in this Policy Brief, make a strong case for the active 'greening' of proposed fiscal stimulus packages. However, this must also be backed by necessary changes in international and domestic policy architectures, as the current framework is biased in favour of resurrecting an unsustainable 'brown economy'. Our proposals are therefore grouped under three categories - targeted stimulus spending in 2009-10, changes in domestic policies, and changes in international policy architecture. Furthermore, we recognize that many less developed countries do not have the resources of their own and will have to rely on foreign aid and support, both financial and non-financial. We propose that the fiscal stimulus (to be applied over 2009 and 2010) should prioritize energy efficient buildings and investments in sustainable transport and renewable energy. Developing countries should prioritize investment in agricultural productivity measures, freshwater management, and sanitation, as these have demonstrable and exceptional social returns. Domestic policy reforms are recommended to substantially reduce perverse subsidies (eg: fossil fuels) and instead to create positive incentives and appropriate taxes which will encourage a greener economy. Domestic reforms should also address some common issues in land use and urban policy. Integrated management of freshwater would also require some domestic policy changes, and this should be prioritized by developing countries

Situation Analysis of Alcohol Control Policy in Five African Countries ...

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

Alcohol use is a major risk factor for premature deaths and disabilities in low and middle-income countries. This research will evaluate alcohol control policy and legislation in five African countries to provide evidence-based research to policymakers, researchers, and lobby groups working to reduce alcohol use.

Characteristics of the large corporation-based, bureaucratic model among oecd countries - an foi model analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bartha Zoltán

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Deciding on the development path of the economy has been a delicate question in economic policy, not least because of the trade-off effects which immediately worsen certain economic indicators as steps are taken to improve others. The aim of the paper is to present a framework that helps decide on such policy dilemmas. This framework is based on an analysis conducted among OECD countries with the FOI model (focusing on future, outside and inside potentials. Several development models can be deduced by this method, out of which only the large corporation-based, bureaucratic model is discussed in detail. The large corporation-based, bureaucratic model implies a development strategy focused on the creation of domestic safe havens. Based on country studies, it is concluded that well-performing safe havens require the active participation of the state. We find that, in countries adhering to this model, business competitiveness is sustained through intensive public support, and an active role taken by the government in education, research and development, in detecting and exploiting special market niches, and in encouraging sectorial cooperation.

Size of government and entrepreneurship. Analysis of three groups of countries with different economic development

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Juan Carlos Díaz Casero

2015-07-01

Full Text Available This study analyzes the impact of the "size of government" in entrepreneurial activity for countries with different levels of economical development. It has been used the variables "size of government" of the economic freedom indices released by the Economic Freedom Network (2000-2009 and by The Heritage Foundation (2000-2011, and the variables of "entrepreneurship" released by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. Furthermore, the same analysis has been carried out grouping the countries by development level, following the classification elaborated by the World Economic Forum. Statistical analyses of correlations have shown that the “size of government” is related to entrepreneurship. The variables "Size of Government: Expenditures, Taxes and Enterprises" and " Government Size” have revealed a positive correlation with the total, opportunity and necessity entrepreneurial activity indices for the economies based on efficiency and innovation, thus less taxes on income and lower government spending, increase the entrepreneurship of the country. In “factor driven economies”, there is no relationship between the size of government and entrepreneurship

Similar Students and Different Countries? An Analysis of the Barriers and Drivers for Erasmus Participation in Seven Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Beerkens, Maarja; Souto-Otero, Manuel; de Wit, Hans; Huisman, Jeroen

2016-01-01

Increasing participation in the Erasmus study abroad program in Europe is a clear policy goal, and student-reported barriers and drivers are regularly monitored. This article uses student survey data from seven countries to examine the extent to which student-level barriers can explain the considerable cross-country variation in Erasmus…

Minimum Wage and Overweight and Obesity in Adult Women: A Multilevel Analysis of Low and Middle Income Countries.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Annalijn I Conklin

Full Text Available To describe the relationship between minimum wage and overweight and obesity across countries at different levels of development.A cross-sectional analysis of 27 countries with data on the legislated minimum wage level linked to socio-demographic and anthropometry data of non-pregnant 190,892 adult women (24-49 y from the Demographic and Health Survey. We used multilevel logistic regression models to condition on country- and individual-level potential confounders, and post-estimation of average marginal effects to calculate the adjusted prevalence difference.We found the association between minimum wage and overweight/obesity was independent of individual-level SES and confounders, and showed a reversed pattern by country development stage. The adjusted overweight/obesity prevalence difference in low-income countries was an average increase of about 0.1 percentage points (PD 0.075 [0.065, 0.084], and an average decrease of 0.01 percentage points in middle-income countries (PD -0.014 [-0.019, -0.009]. The adjusted obesity prevalence difference in low-income countries was an average increase of 0.03 percentage points (PD 0.032 [0.021, 0.042] and an average decrease of 0.03 percentage points in middle-income countries (PD -0.032 [-0.036, -0.027].This is among the first studies to examine the potential impact of improved wages on an important precursor of non-communicable diseases globally. Among countries with a modest level of economic development, higher minimum wage was associated with lower levels of obesity.

Risk of Death in Infants Who Have Experienced a Brief Resolved Unexplained Event: A Meta-Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Brand, Donald A; Fazzari, Melissa J

2018-06-01

To estimate an upper bound on the risk of death after a brief resolved unexplained event (BRUE), a sudden alteration in an infant's breathing, color, tone, or responsiveness, previously labeled "apparent life-threatening event" (ALTE). The meta-analysis incorporated observational studies of patients with ALTE that included data on in-hospital and post-discharge deaths with at least 1 week of follow-up after hospital discharge. Pertinent studies were identified from a published review of the literature from 1970 through 2014 and a supplementary PubMed query through February 2017. The 12 included studies (n = 3005) reported 12 deaths, of which 8 occurred within 4 months of the event. Applying a Poisson-normal random effects model to the 8 proximate deaths using a 4-month time horizon yielded a post-ALTE mortality rate of about 1 in 800, which constitutes an upper bound on the risk of death after a BRUE. This risk is about the same as the baseline risk of death during the first year of life. The meta-analysis therefore supports the return-home approach advocated in a recently published clinical practice guideline-not routine hospitalization-for BRUE patients who have been evaluated in the emergency department and determined to be at lower risk. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Innovation Trends in NAFTA Countries: An Econometric Analysis of Patent Applications

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José Carlos Rodríguez

2011-09-01

Full Text Available This paper analyzes innovation trends in North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA countries by means of the number of patent applications during the period 1965 to 2008. Making use of patent data released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO and the Network for Science and Technology Indicators (Red Iberoamericana de Ciencia y Tecnología, RICYT, we search for presence of multiple structural changes in the patent applications series in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Such changes may suggest that firms’ innovative activity has been modified in these countries (Mansfield, 1986. Accordingly, it would be expected that the new regulations implemented in these countries in the 1980s and 1990s have influenced their intellectual property regimes through the NAFTA and the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS agreement. Consequently, the question conducting this research is how the new dispositions affecting intellectual regimes in NAFTA countries have affected innovation activities in these countries. The results achieved in this research confirm the existence of multiple structural changes in the series of patent applications resulting from the new legislation implemented in these countries.

Causality between income and emission. A country group-specific econometric analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coondoo, Dipankor; Dinda, Soumyananda

2002-01-01

Empirical studies of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) examine the presence or otherwise of an inverted U-shaped relationship between the level of pollution and the level of income. Customarily, in the diagram of EKC the level of income is shown on the horizontal axis and that of pollution on the vertical axis. Thus, it is presumed that the relationship between income and pollution is one of unidirectional causality with income causing environmental changes and not vice versa. The validity of this presumption is now being questioned. It is being asserted that the nature and direction of causality may vary from one country to the other. In this paper, we present the results of a study of income-CO 2 emission causality based on a Granger causality test to cross-country panel data on per capita income and the corresponding per capita CO 2 emission data. Briefly, our results indicate three different types of causality relationship holding for different country groups. For the developed country groups of North America and Western Europe (and also for Eastern Europe) the causality is found to run from emission to income. For the country groups of Central and South America, Oceania and Japan causality from income to emission is obtained. Finally, for the country groups of Asia and Africa the causality is found to be bi-directional. The regression equations estimated as part of the Granger causality test further suggest that for the country groups of North America and Western Europe the growth rate of emission has become stationary around a zero mean, and a shock in the growth rate of emission tends to generate a corresponding shock in the growth rate of income. In contrast, for the country groups of Central and South America, Oceania and Japan a shock in the income growth rate is likely to result in a corresponding shock in the growth rate of emission. Finally, causality being bi-directional for the country groups of Asia and Africa, the income and the emission growth

Causality between income and emission. A country group-specific econometric analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Coondoo, Dipankor [Economic Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, 203 B.T. Road, 35 Kolkata (India); Dinda, Soumyananda [S.R. Fatepuria College, Beldanga, West Bengal, Murshidabad (India)

2002-03-01

Empirical studies of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) examine the presence or otherwise of an inverted U-shaped relationship between the level of pollution and the level of income. Customarily, in the diagram of EKC the level of income is shown on the horizontal axis and that of pollution on the vertical axis. Thus, it is presumed that the relationship between income and pollution is one of unidirectional causality with income causing environmental changes and not vice versa. The validity of this presumption is now being questioned. It is being asserted that the nature and direction of causality may vary from one country to the other. In this paper, we present the results of a study of income-CO{sub 2} emission causality based on a Granger causality test to cross-country panel data on per capita income and the corresponding per capita CO{sub 2} emission data. Briefly, our results indicate three different types of causality relationship holding for different country groups. For the developed country groups of North America and Western Europe (and also for Eastern Europe) the causality is found to run from emission to income. For the country groups of Central and South America, Oceania and Japan causality from income to emission is obtained. Finally, for the country groups of Asia and Africa the causality is found to be bi-directional. The regression equations estimated as part of the Granger causality test further suggest that for the country groups of North America and Western Europe the growth rate of emission has become stationary around a zero mean, and a shock in the growth rate of emission tends to generate a corresponding shock in the growth rate of income. In contrast, for the country groups of Central and South America, Oceania and Japan a shock in the income growth rate is likely to result in a corresponding shock in the growth rate of emission. Finally, causality being bi-directional for the country groups of Asia and Africa, the income and the

Nuclear power reactors worldwide: Technology developments, diffusion patterns, and country-by-country analysis of implementation (1951-2017)

OpenAIRE

Wealer, Ben; Bauer, Simon; Landry, Nicolas; Seiß, Hannah; von Hirschhausen, Christian R.

2018-01-01

Nuclear energy is among the most important innovations of the twentieth century, and it continues to play an important role in twenty-first century discussions. In particular, there is a debate about the potential contribution of nuclear power to policies of climate change mitigation and energy security in both, industrialized and emerging countries. In this context, many existing nuclear countries, and others considering entering the sector, are facing questions of how to structure organizat...

Alternatives for the treatment and disposal of healthcare wastes in developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diaz, L.F.; Savage, G.M.; Eggerth, L.L.

2005-01-01

Waste production in healthcare facilities in developing countries has brought about a variety of concerns due to the use of inappropriate methods of managing the wastes. Inappropriate treatment and final disposal of the wastes can lead to adverse impacts to public health, to occupational health and safety, and to the environment. Unfortunately, most economically developing countries suffer a variety of constraints to adequately managing these wastes. Generally in developing countries, few individuals in the staff of the healthcare facility are familiar with the procedures required for a proper waste management program. Furthermore, the management of wastes usually is delegated to poorly educated laborers who perform most activities without proper guidance and insufficient protection. This paper presents some of the most common treatment and disposal methods utilized in the management of infectious healthcare wastes in developing countries. The methods discussed include: autoclave; microwave; chemical disinfection; combustion (low-, medium-, and high-technology); and disposal on the ground (dump site, controlled landfill, pits, and sanitary landfill). Each alternative for treatment and disposal is explained, including a description of the types of wastes that can and cannot be treated. Background information on the technologies also is included in order to provide information to those who may not be familiar with the details of each alternative. In addition, a brief presentation of some of the emissions from each of the treatment and disposal alternatives is presented

Functioning and disability in people living with spinal cord injury in high- and low-resourced countries: a comparative analysis of 14 countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Reinhardt, Jan D; Mansmann, Ulrich; Fellinghauer, Bernd A G; Strobl, Ralf; Grill, Eva; von Elm, Erik; Stucki, Gerold

2011-06-01

We examined whether persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) from countries with differential resources and resource distribution differ in the level and structure of functioning and disability. We analysed cross-sectional data of 1,048 persons with SCI from 14 countries based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). We used penalized logistic regression to identify ICF categories distinguishing lower- and higher-resourced countries. Hierarchical linear models were employed to predict the number of problems in functioning. The association structure of ICF categories was compared between higher- and lower-resourced countries using graphical models. A total of 96 ICF categories separated lower- and higher-resourced countries. Differences were not univocal. Lower resources and unequal distribution were predictive of more functional problems in persons with higher age or tetraplegia. In the graphical models, few associations between ICF categories persisted across countries. Higher-resourced countries do not score higher in all ICF categories. Countries' economic resources and their distribution are significant predictors of disability in vulnerable groups such as tetraplegics and the elderly. Functioning is multi-dimensional and structures of association suggest that country-specific pathways towards disability exist.

Can the documented patient briefing be carried out with an iPad app?

Science.gov (United States)

Schlechtweg, Philipp Martin; Hammon, Matthias; Heberlein, Christian; Giese, David; Uder, Michael; Schwab, Siegfried Alexander

2013-06-01

To evaluate the feasibility of an iPad-based documented patient briefing for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) examinations. A standard briefing sheet and questionnaire for a MRI scan was converted from paper form into an iPad application. Twenty patients, who had been referred for an MRI scan, were briefed about the examination in paper form as well as via the iPad application before performing the MRI scan. Time each patient needed for the briefing and the number of questions that came up were documented. Patients' acceptance of the electronic briefing was assessed using a questionnaire. The mean processing time was 2.36 min (range 0.58 to 09.35 min., standard deviation ±2.05 min) for the paper-based briefing and 4.15 min (range 1.56 to 13.48 min, SD ± 2.36 min) for the app-based briefing. Concerning technical aspects, patients asked two questions during the app-based briefing; no questions arose during the paper-based briefing. Six patients preferred electronic briefing and four patients, the paper-based form. No patient preferred the electronic form with additional multimedial information. Eight participants did not mind which briefing version was used; two participants did not express their preference at all. Our experiences showed that electronic briefing using an iPad is feasible and has the potential to become a user-friendly alternative to the conventional paper-based approach. Owing to the broad range of the results, a follow-up study will seek to determine the influencing factors on processing time and other potential questions.

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY ASSESSMENT IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

OpenAIRE

Serrao, Amilcar

2001-01-01

This research work examines levels and trends in global agricultural productivity in fifteen European Union countries and four Eastern European countries that have already applied for European Union membership. The study makes use of data collected from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and covers the period 1980-1998. An approach based on Data Envelopment Analysis is used to provide information on the peers of the (inefficient) i-th country and to derive the Malmqui...

An empirical analysis of gasoline price convergence for 20 OECD countries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bentzen, J.

2003-07-01

Two decades have passed now since the oil price shocks of the 1970s and since then energy prices have - apart from short periods of price instability - evolved relatively smoothly in the industrialized countries. Energy taxes in many countries differ markedly thereby causing differences in final energy prices, but as similar tax levels are becoming more common, e.g. in the European Union, convergence concerning energy prices might be expected to appear. In the present paper national gasoline price data covering the time period since the 1970s for a sample of OECD countries are used in order to test for this often addressed topic of convergence. The empirical part of the paper applies different time series based tests of convergence, where gasoline prices exhibit convergence for most OECD-Europe countries in the case where US$ is used for measurement of the energy prices indicating a convergence or tax harmonization process is taking place for these countries. (au)

Democracy and self-rated health across 67 countries: A multilevel analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Krueger, Patrick M; Dovel, Kathryn; Denney, Justin T

2015-10-01

Existing research has found a positive association between countries' level of democratic governance and the health of their populations, although that research is limited by the use of data from small numbers of high-income countries or aggregate data that do not assess individual-level health outcomes. We extend prior research by using multilevel World Health Survey (2002-2004) data on 313,554 individuals in 67 countries, and find that the positive association between democratic governance and self-rated health persists after adjusting for both individual- and country-level confounders. However, the mechanisms linking democracy and self-rated health remain unclear. Individual-level measures of socioeconomic status, and country-level measures of economic inequality and investments in public health and education, do not significantly mediate the association between democratic governance and self-rated health. The persistent association between democratic governance and health suggests that the political organization of societies may be an important upstream determinant of population health. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An empirical analysis of gasoline price convergence for 20 OECD countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bentzen, J.

2003-01-01

Two decades have passed now since the oil price shocks of the 1970s and since then energy prices have - apart from short periods of price instability - evolved relatively smoothly in the industrialized countries. Energy taxes in many countries differ markedly thereby causing differences in final energy prices, but as similar tax levels are becoming more common, e.g. in the European Union, convergence concerning energy prices might be expected to appear. In the present paper national gasoline price data covering the time period since the 1970s for a sample of OECD countries are used in order to test for this often addressed topic of convergence. The empirical part of the paper applies different time series based tests of convergence, where gasoline prices exhibit convergence for most OECD-Europe countries in the case where US$ is used for measurement of the energy prices indicating a convergence or tax harmonization process is taking place for these countries. (au)

Weight of nations: a socioeconomic analysis of women in low- to middle-income countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Subramanian, S V; Perkins, Jessica M; Özaltin, Emre; Davey Smith, George

2011-02-01

The increasing trend in body mass index (BMI) and overweight in rapidly developing economies is well recognized. We assessed the association between socioeconomic status and BMI and overweight in low- to middle-income countries. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of nationally representative samples of 538,140 women aged 15-49 y drawn from 54 Demographic and Health Surveys conducted between 1994 and 2008. BMI, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height squared in meters, was specified as the outcome, and a BMI (in kg/m(2)) of ≥25 was additionally specified to model the likelihood of being overweight. Household wealth and education were included as markers of individual socioeconomic status, and per capita Gross Domestic Product (pcGDP) was included as a marker of country-level economic development. Globally, a one-quartile increase in wealth was associated with a 0.54 increase in BMI (95% CI: 0.50, 0.64) and a 33% increase in overweight (95% CI: 26%, 41%) in adjusted models. Although the strength of this association varied across countries, the association between wealth and BMI and overweight was positive in 96% (52 of 54) of the countries. Similar patterns were observed in urban and rural areas, although SES gradients tended to be greater in urban areas. There was a positive association between pcGDP and BMI or overweight, with only weak evidence of an interaction between pcGDP and wealth. Higher BMI and overweight remain concentrated in higher socioeconomic groups, even though increasing BMI and overweight prevalence are important global public concerns.

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Middle-East countries: Meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Ansarimoghaddam, Alireza; Adineh, Hosein Ali; Zareban, Iraj; Iranpour, Sohrab; HosseinZadeh, Ali; Kh, Framanfarma

Metabolic syndrome is an important metabolic disorder which impose noticeable burden on health system. We aimed to review and imply the prevalence of it in Middle-East countries. present study was a systematic review to present overview about metabolic disorder in Middle East. Electronic literature search of Medline database and Google scholar were done for English-language articles without time filtering, as well as for population-based or national studies of the prevalence of metabolic syndrome. The fallowing search terms were used simultaneously: prevalence of " metabolic syndrome" and "national study", "prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Middle East", "prevalence of metabolic syndrome" and "name of country", "metabolic syndrome &name of country". Additionally, relevant articles in bibliography were searched. Analysis of data was carried out in STATA version 11.0. out of 456 studies in first-step searching (selecting by title) 59 studies were recruited and reviewed. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome fluctuated by country and time of study. This amount was 2.2-44% in Turkish, 16-41% in Saudi-Arabia, 14-63 in Pakistan, 26-33 in Qatar, 9-36 in Kuwait, 22-50 in Emirate, 6-42 in Iran, and up to 23 in Yemen. Pooled estimate was 25%. Attributable risk for cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, and stroke was 15.87, 11.7, and 16.23, respectively. The prevalence rate of metabolic syndrome is high and it is noticeable cause for stroke, coronary heart disease, and cardiovascular disease. Copyright © 2017 Diabetes India. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Environmental actual situation in Guatemala. Executive brief

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-01-01

In this brief prepared by the Consejo Permanente de Cambio y Variabilidad Climatica the climate in Guatemala is described including the current situation on variation of rainy season, air humidity, influence of the Nino current. This brief was prepared in order to plan a strategy to be adopted by all the institutions that are involved in environmental issues and in this way to deal with the climate change and the impact of the different energy sources in the environment

Cointegration and Error Correction Modelling in Time-Series Analysis: A Brief Introduction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helmut Thome

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Criminological research is often based on time-series data showing some type of trend movement. Trending time-series may correlate strongly even in cases where no causal relationship exists (spurious causality. To avoid this problem researchers often apply some technique of detrending their data, such as by differencing the series. This approach, however, may bring up another problem: that of spurious non-causality. Both problems can, in principle, be avoided if the series under investigation are “difference-stationary” (if the trend movements are stochastic and “cointegrated” (if the stochastically changing trendmovements in different variables correspond to each other. The article gives a brief introduction to key instruments and interpretative tools applied in cointegration modelling.

Using Structured Observation and Content Analysis to Explore the Presence of Older People in Public Fora in Developing Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Geraldine Nosowska

2014-01-01

Full Text Available There is a lack of research on the everyday lives of older people in developing countries. This exploratory study used structured observation and content analysis to examine the presence of older people in public fora and considered the methods’ potential for understanding older people’s social integration and inclusion. Structured observation occurred of public social spaces in six cities each located in a different developing country and in one city in the United Kingdom, together with content analysis of the presence of people in newspaper pictures and on television in the selected countries. Results indicated that across all fieldwork sites and data sources, there was a low presence of older people, with women considerably less present than men in developing countries. There was variation across fieldwork sites in older people’s presence by place and time of day and in their accompanied status. The presence of older people in images drawn from newspapers was associated with the news/non-news nature of the source. The utility of the study’s methodological approach is considered, as is the degree to which the presence of older people in public fora might relate to social integration and inclusion in different cultural contexts.

Tourism demand in Asean-5 countries: Evidence from panel data analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nur Fadzlunnisaa Wakimin

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Tourism has emerged as a major industry worldwide and a sector in many countries. This sector has experienced a rapid growth and has become a key driver for sustainable socioeconomic developments globally. However, tourism is also a vector of environmental degradation through the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the main factors that are affecting the tourism demand in ASEAN-5 countries. Using a panel of five ASEAN countries over a 44-year period and applying the Pooled Mean Group (PMG approach, the empirical results have shown that the major determinants of tourism demand in these countries are income, trade, tourism price, and carbon dioxide emission. The results have also shown that the PMG performed better than the Mean Group (MG estimator. This paper refers to the PMG estimator because it constrains the long run coefficients to be identical, but allows the short run coefficients and error variances to differ across groups. Income and trade appeared to exert significant positive impacts on tourism demand, whereas tourism price and carbon dioxide emissions have negative impacts on tourism demand in these ASEAN-5 countries. The results would be a good reference for policy makers in these specific countries.

Evaluation of a Brief Homework Assignment Designed to Reduce Citation Problems

Science.gov (United States)

Schuetze, Pamela

2004-01-01

I evaluated a brief homework assignment designed to reduce citation problems in research-based term papers. Students in 2 developmental psychology classes received a brief presentation and handout defining plagiarism with tips on how to cite sources to avoid plagiarizing. In addition, students in 1 class completed 2 brief homework assignments in…

Educational Impacts and Cost-Effectiveness of Conditional Cash Transfer Programs in Developing Countries: A Meta-Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

García, Sandra; Saavedra, Juan E.

2017-01-01

We meta-analyze for impact and cost-effectiveness 94 studies from 47 conditional cash transfer programs in low- and middle-income countries worldwide, focusing on educational outcomes that include enrollment, attendance, dropout, and school completion. To conceptually guide and interpret the empirical findings of our meta-analysis, we present a…

How do country risk and national cultural differences between partners affect the survival of international alliances in emerging countries? Longitudinal analysis of 165 international joint ventures in Brazil 1974 to 2005

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pierre-Xavier Meschi

2007-06-01

Full Text Available This article aims at identifying the individual and joint impact of two « country-level variables », namely national distance and country risk, on the survival of international joint ventures in emerging countries. Research hypotheses predicting the negative impact of national distance and country risk on survival are formulated in this article. These research hypotheses are tested in a sample of 165 international joint ventures that were formed in Brazil between 1974 and 2003. These joint ventures were subjected to an event history analysis over a period of time ranging from 1974 to 2005. The empirical results show that the intercultural dynamics increases the instability of international joint ventures whereas the survival of these alliances does not seem to be affected by the economic and political uncertainty of Brazil. Furthermore, the national distance between local and foreign partners has effects on survival that are variable according to the life cycle of international joint ventures.

The moral legitimacy of entrepreneurs: An analysis of early-stage entrepreneurship across 26 countries.

OpenAIRE

Kibler, Ewald; Kautonen, Teemu

2014-01-01

This article will develop our socio-cultural understanding of entrepreneurship by examining the influence of the moral legitimacy of entrepreneurs in society on an individual’s engagement in early-stage entrepreneurship. A multilevel analysis conducted across 26 countries shows that the higher the perceived degree of moral legitimacy, the more likely an individual is to think about starting a business compared to not thinking about it; to start preparing a business as against just considering...

The cost determinants of routine infant immunization services: a meta-regression analysis of six country studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Menzies, Nicolas A; Suharlim, Christian; Geng, Fangli; Ward, Zachary J; Brenzel, Logan; Resch, Stephen C

2017-10-06

Evidence on immunization costs is a critical input for cost-effectiveness analysis and budgeting, and can describe variation in site-level efficiency. The Expanded Program on Immunization Costing and Financing (EPIC) Project represents the largest investigation of immunization delivery costs, collecting empirical data on routine infant immunization in Benin, Ghana, Honduras, Moldova, Uganda, and Zambia. We developed a pooled dataset from individual EPIC country studies (316 sites). We regressed log total costs against explanatory variables describing service volume, quality, access, other site characteristics, and income level. We used Bayesian hierarchical regression models to combine data from different countries and account for the multi-stage sample design. We calculated output elasticity as the percentage increase in outputs (service volume) for a 1% increase in inputs (total costs), averaged across the sample in each country, and reported first differences to describe the impact of other predictors. We estimated average and total cost curves for each country as a function of service volume. Across countries, average costs per dose ranged from $2.75 to $13.63. Average costs per child receiving diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis ranged from $27 to $139. Within countries costs per dose varied widely-on average, sites in the highest quintile were 440% more expensive than those in the lowest quintile. In each country, higher service volume was strongly associated with lower average costs. A doubling of service volume was associated with a 19% (95% interval, 4.0-32) reduction in costs per dose delivered, (range 13% to 32% across countries), and the largest 20% of sites in each country realized costs per dose that were on average 61% lower than those for the smallest 20% of sites, controlling for other factors. Other factors associated with higher costs included hospital status, provision of outreach services, share of effort to management, level of staff training

Country-of-origin effects on consumer product evaluations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verlegh, Peeter W J

2001-01-01

This thesis aims to gain a better understanding of the influence of the country-of-origin of products on consumers' product evaluation. A literature study and meta-analysis reveal a multitude of ways in which country-of-origin can influence product evaluations. The country-of-origin has a

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

OpenAIRE

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 al...

ANALYSIS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN ROMANIA COMPARATIVE WITH THE EU COUNTRIES -27

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Tudor Pendiuc

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Entrepreneurship is a socio-economic phenomenon of great complexity, defining the market economy system. As the business environment becomes more complex and competitive, the entrepreneurs must become more creative and receptive to what is new and innovative. For Romania the promotion and development of entrepreneurship were a central objective in the last decade for job creation, competitiveness growth and sustainable economic development. Regardless of the method chosen to develop a business, the entrepreneur must operate with criteria of rationality in terms of choices, decisions and performance evaluation. This work aims a comparative analysis of the main issues concerning the development of entrepreneurship in Romania compared to other EU countries. It emphasizes the following aspects: a option on the status of employee/contractor; b the important factors in the decision on starting/taking over a business; c difficulties to start/taking over a business. Based on the analysis were resulted conclusions on the main economic and social features of entrepreneurship in Romania compared to other European Union member states. It was stressed the importance of entrepreneurship development on the Romanian economy, by analyzing the factors that encourage or discourage the entrepreneurship. The research was conducted using a variety of bibliographic sources such as statistics, analysis, reports, professional articles.

Impulse-response analysis of monetary policy – Visegád group countries case

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Kateřina Myšková

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we focus on comparability of monetary policies of Visegrád group countries (V4. Main objective of central banks function in V4 countries lies in maintaining price stability. For this purpose, inflation targeting regime is realized in a medium-term focus in V4, which means that there is a certain lag between monetary policy operation and its influence on an inflation target. Central bank does not have a direct impact on its ultimate goals. Therefore, any monetary policy analysis and assumption of its effectiveness comes out from an essential existence of a working transmission mechanism. Thus, changes in settings of monetary policy instruments have to be able to inflict causal changes on intermediary markets and via these markets on target markets. This situation can be modeled by the vector autoregressive (VAR model with suitable variables. Our main task is to compare a relationship between VAR model responses to predefined impulses for all V4 pairs. We use calibration technique for this purpose. Specifically, we will utilize one-dimensional calibration model with a linear calibration function for deriving unknown parameters. Moreover, we will test a significance of estimated parameters. We distinguish between model parameters for before-crisis- and during-crisis- data, because we suppose that financial crisis affects VAR model parameters significantly. Different responses in each country can mean the inability of the common monetary policy for V4 at present.

A Meta-Analysis of Risky Sexual Behaviour among Male Youth in Developing Countries

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Yifru Berhan

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this meta-analysis was to assess the association between risky sexual behaviour and level of education and economic status in male youth. Previous tests of the association of risky sexual behaviour with levels of education and economic status have yielded inconsistent results. Using data from 26 countries, from both within and outside Africa, we performed a meta-analysis with a specific focus on male youths’ risky sexual behaviour. We applied a random effects analytic model and calculated a pooled odds ratio. Out of 19,148 males aged 15–24 years who reported having sexual intercourse in the 12 months preceding the survey, 75% engaged in higher-risk sex. The proportion of higher-risk sex among male youth aged 15–19 years was nearly 90% in 21 of the 26 countries. The pooled odds ratio showed a statistically significant association of higher-risk sex with male youth younger than 20 years, living in urban centers, well educated, and of a high economic status. The overall proportion of condom use during youths’ most recent higher-risk sexual encounter was 40% and 51% among 15–19-year-olds and 20–24-year-olds, respectively. Our findings suggest that male youth’s socioeconomic status is directly related to the likelihood that they practice higher-risk sex. The relationship between income and sexual behaviour should be explored further.

ICRP-26; cost-benefit analysis and nuclear energy in developing countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, V.K.

1978-01-01

Cost of an operation and benefits accruing to the society are the basic parameters involved in cost-benefit analysis by using optimisation methodology. Relative importance of the costs imposed on human health by radiation exposure and other economic and social factors are to be considered. Formula to obtain the parameter in monetory terms with respect to the detriment represented by collective dose (Rs/man-rem or $/man-rem) is explained. The collective doses in the public domain and for the occupational workers are mentioned. Estimated monetory values assigned to detriment in different countries are discussed. In absence of accurately known parameters, in particular the economic parameter which is always subject to change, the cost benefit and optimisation exercises would give variable results. (B.G.W.)

Renewable energy in the Baltic countries: the case of hydropower

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Punys, P.; Dumbrauskas, A.; Rimkus, Z.; Streimikiene, D.

2006-01-01

This paper analyses the use of renewable energy sources (RES) dedicated mainly for electricity generation in the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania). Hydropower sector including both large (medium) and small power plants is particularly considered. The region has very limited energy resources of its own and is heavily dependent on the import of the primary energy sources (in some way except Estonia). The main objective of energy policy of the Baltic countries is to reduce such a total dependence by favouring the use of RES. A brief description of energy sector is given, focusing on electricity generation. RES potential currently in use and to be exploited in the future, buy- back rates of the key sources are presented. The countries' target broken down according to the individual RES to meet the EU 'green' electricity directive (2001/77/CE) are presented. Small and large hydropower potential is analyzed, a general overview of hydro-plants in operation and planned schemes is provided. A particular attention is devoted to environmental and social aspects of hydropower development. The requirements of the protected areas in relation to dam construction are analyzed, an estimation of resistance to small hydropower development is shown. The environmental legislation including forbidden rivers for damming actually in force in the Baltic countries is considered; hydropower image perceptible by general public, NGOs and official environmental bodies are discussed. The causes and legal basis of the promulgation of the list of forbidden rivers are revealed. A conclusion is drawn that the contradiction between two EU legal frameworks - environmental protection and promotion of renewables, in the case of hydropower, exists. The evaluation of the quantitative impact of the forbidden rivers on small hydropower resources in Lithuania proves. the environmental legislation is one of the strictest in the European countries. (authors)

Fiscal Consolidation Start and its Determinants Analysis Within European Member Countries

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Lucia Mihóková

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The purpose of the research from the theoretical point of view is to define the "start of fiscal consolidation" and to clarify the effects of selected determinants on its initiation. The purpose of the paper, in an empirical context, is to empirically assess the impact of selected determinants on the start of consolidation in the EU member states in 1995-2015 using quantitative economics. The paper was developed within the project VEGA 1/0967/15. Methodology: The empirical assessment of the research objective is divided into four phases: (1 creation of research review using EBHC methodology, (2 identification of “start” of fiscal consolidation within selected period, (3 panel econometric analysis: model specification, quantification of model’s parameters and model verification and (4 research assessment and discussion. Within the analysis, the traditional, specific and general methods were used (systemic review according to EBHC methodology, content analysis, panel regression analysis, synthesis. Approach: Approach identifies “start” of consolidation episodes using selected identification rules. Using the panel regression analysis (OLS, FEM and REM models approach the statistically significant macroeconomic, fiscal, political and other determinants and quantification of the polarity of their impact on the fiscal consolidation start were analysed. Findings: Based on the performed econometric analysis can be stated that the start of consolidation is significantly determined by initial macroeconomic and fiscal situation in the country which are captured by the size of output gap and GDP growth as well as the size of CAPB, budget expenditure and the revenue side. Political and other determinants (such as crisis can also influence the start of consolidation episodes..

Human rights protections and HIV prevalence among MSM who sell sex: Cross-country comparisons from a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Oldenburg, Catherine E; Perez-Brumer, Amaya G; Reisner, Sari L; Mayer, Kenneth H; Mimiaga, Matthew J; Hatzenbuehler, Mark L; Bärnighausen, Till

2018-04-01

Laws and policies can affect the HIV risk of key populations through a number of direct and indirect pathways. We investigated the association between HIV prevalence among men who engage in transactional sex and language in the penal code protecting sexual minorities, including men who have sex with men (MSM), and sex workers. HIV prevalence among men who engage in transactional sex was assessed through meta-analysis of published literature and country surveillance reports. Meta-regression was used to determine the association between HIV prevalence and protective laws for sexual minorities and sex workers. Sixty-six reports representing 28 countries and 31,924 individuals were included in the meta-analysis. Controlling for multiple study- and country-level variables, legal protection for sexual minorities was associated with a 10.9% (95% CI: 3.8-18.0%) and sex workers associated with a 7.0% (95% CI: 1.3-12.8%) decrease in country-level HIV prevalence among men who engage in transactional sex. Laws that seek to actively protect sex workers and MSM may be necessary to decrease HIV risk for this key population.

Country of residence, gender equality and victim blaming attitudes about partner violence: a multilevel analysis in EU.

Science.gov (United States)

Ivert, Anna-Karin; Merlo, Juan; Gracia, Enrique

2017-09-27

Intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) is a global and preventable public health problem. Public attitudes, such as victim-blaming, are important for our understanding of differences in the occurrence of IPVAW, as they contribute to its justification. In this paper, we focus on victim-blaming attitudes regarding IPVAW within the EU and we apply multilevel analyses to identify contextual determinants of victim-blaming attitudes. We investigate both the general contextual effect of the country and the specific association between country level of gender equality and individual victim-blaming attitudes, as well as to what extend a possible general contextual effect was explained by county level gender equality. We analyzed data from 26 800 respondents from 27 member states of the European Union who responded to a survey on public perceptions of domestic violence. We applied multilevel logistic regression analysis and measures of variance (intra-class correlation (ICC)) were calculated, as well as the discriminatory accuracy by calculating the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve. Over and above individual characteristics, about 15% of the individual variance in the propensity for having victim-blaming attitudes was found at the country level, and country level of gender equality did not affect the general contextual effect (i.e. ICC) of the country on individual victim-blaming attitudes. The present study shows that there are important between-country differences in victim-blaming attitudes that cannot be explained by differences in individual-level demographics or in gender equality at the country level. More research on attitudes towards IPVAW is needed. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

Potential of geographical variation analysis for realigning providers to value-based care. ECHO case study on lower-value indications of C-section in five European countries.

Science.gov (United States)

García-Armesto, Sandra; Angulo-Pueyo, Ester; Martínez-Lizaga, Natalia; Mateus, Céu; Joaquim, Inês; Bernal-Delgado, Enrique

2015-02-01

Although C-section is a highly effective procedure, literature abounds with evidence of overuse and particularly misuse, in lower-value indications such as low-risk deliveries. This study aims to quantify utilization of C-section in low-risk cases, mapping out areas showing excess-usage in each country and to estimate excess-expenditure as a proxy of the opportunity cost borne by healthcare systems. Observational, ecologic study on deliveries in 913 sub-national administrative areas of five European countries (Denmark, England, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain) from 2002 to 2009. The study includes a cross-section analysis with 2009 data and a time-trend analysis for the whole period. Main endpoints: age-standardized utilization rates of C-section in low-risk pregnancies and deliveries per 100 deliveries. Secondary endpoints: Estimated excess-cases per geographical unit of analysis in two scenarios of minimized utilization. C-section is widely used in all examined countries (ranging from 19% of Slovenian deliveries to 33% of deliveries in Portugal). With the exception of Portugal, there are no systematic variations in intensity of use across areas in the same country. Cross-country comparison of lower-value C-section leaves Denmark with 10% and Portugal with 2%, the highest and lowest. Such behaviour was stable over the period of analysis. Within each country, the scattered geographical patterns of use intensity speak for local drivers playing a major role within the national trend. The analysis conducted suggests plenty of room for enhancing value in obstetric care and equity in women's access to such within the countries studied. The analysis of geographical variations in lower-value care can constitute a powerful screening tool. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

Effects of perioperative briefing and debriefing on patient safety: a prospective intervention study.

Science.gov (United States)

Leong, Katharina Brigitte Margarethe Siew Lan; Hanskamp-Sebregts, Mirelle; van der Wal, Raymond A; Wolff, Andre P

2017-12-14

This study was carried out to improve patient safety in the operating theatre by the introduction of perioperative briefing and debriefing, which focused on an optimal collaboration between surgical team members. A prospective intervention study with one pretest and two post-test measurements: 1 month before and 4 months and 2.5 years after the implementation of perioperative briefing and debriefing, respectively. Operating theatres of a tertiary care hospital with 875 beds in the Netherlands. All members of five surgical teams participated in the perioperative briefing and debriefing. The implementation of perioperative briefing and debriefing from July 2012 to January 2014. The primary outcome was changes in the team climate, measured by the Team Climate Inventory. Secondary outcomes were the experiences of surgical teams with perioperative briefing and debriefing, measured with a structured questionnaire, and the duration of the briefings, measured by an independent observer. Two and a half years after the introduction of perioperative briefing and debriefing, the team climate increased statistically significant (p≤0.05). Members of the five surgical teams strongly agreed with the positive influence of perioperative briefing and debriefing on clear agreements and reminding one another of the agreements of the day. They perceived a higher efficiency of the surgical programme with more operations starting on time and less unexpectedly long operation time. The perioperative briefing took less than 4 min to conduct. Perioperative briefing and debriefing improved the team climate of surgical teams and the efficiency of their work within the operating theatre with acceptable duration per briefing. Surgical teams with alternating team compositions have the most benefit of briefing and debriefing. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise

Differences in economic development in rural regions of advanced countries: an overview and critical analysis of theories

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Terluin, I.J.

2003-01-01

This article provides an overview and critical analysis of theories on economic development in rural regions in advanced countries. For this purpose, we have consulted literature in regional economics and the multidisciplinary field of rural studies. In order to analyse to which extent these

Bibliometric Analysis of Orthopedic Literature on Total Knee Arthroplasty in Asian Countries: A 10-year Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Eom, Sang Hwa; Bamne, Ankur B; Chowdhry, Madhav; Chae, Ihn Seok; Kim, Tae Kyun

2015-09-01

We aimed to determine the quantity and quality of research output of selected Asian countries in the field of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in the last 10 years. Top 15 Asian countries were selected according to their gross domestic product. The Science Citation Index Expanded database was used to search for the literature published between 2004 and 2013 using "Total Knee Arthroplasty". The numbers of articles, journals and citations and the contribution of each country were analyzed. The articles were classified according to the type of study and the relative proportion of each type was analyzed. Asian surgeons have increasingly contributed to orthopedic literature on TKA for the past 10 years, but the dominant contribution came from only a few countries. The total number of articles published by Asian countries increased by 261%, with Japan producing most of the studies and China showing the maximum growth rate. The majority of studies were published in low impact factor journals. Korea published the highest proportion of articles in high impact factor journals. Clinical papers were most frequent. Our identification of research productivity pertaining to TKA among Asian countries gives a unique insight into the level of academic research in the field of TKA in these countries. There is a need to improve the quality of research to enhance the publishing power in high impact journals as well as the need for more basic research and epidemiological studies considering the unique differences among Asian patients undergoing TKA.

A Comparative Analysis of the Price Index in Transition Countries in the Time of Globalisation

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Pejović Igor

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Globalisation with all its features can be divided in two segments - good and bad. When we look at the good side of globalisation, it is obvious that it has erased boundaries between countries in terms of trade, education, knowledge sharing, and other new technologies, while on the other hand, the bad side is that it has created a considerable gap between developed and developing countries, then different types of commercial, political and other conditioning, and dependence on strong, developed states. A great contribution to the negative part of globalisation was of economic instability that occurred at the beginning of this century and which consequences are still present in the world. In this article, we presented the impact of economic instability on the price index trough a comparative analysis of transition countries such as Montenegro, Serbia and Croatia over a period of five years (Croatia has just recently become a member of the European Union and due to that fact it was included in this study. The survey covered price indices relating to the prices of industrial products for the domestic markets, consumer price indices, indices of the hospitality services and the prices of the agricultural products.

Evolution of Rural Livelihood Strategies in a Remote Sino-Mongolian Border Area: A Cross-Country Analysis

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Munkhnasan Tsvegemed

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Ecologically sound natural resources management is still the backbone of rural livelihoods in many regions of the world. The Altai-Dzungarian region between China and Mongolia constitutes an ideal site to study how political, economic, infrastructural, and cultural differences affect rural livelihoods. Structured semi-quantitative interviews were conducted with 483 households on both sides to characterise their current livelihood strategies and assess the importance of the various activities for the households’ current socio-economic situation by means of the categorical principal component and two-step cluster analysis. In total, four livelihood clusters were identified across both regions, whereby one cluster was only present in Mongolia. In general, all clusters mirrored the transition from almost pure pastoralist to agro-pastoralist livelihood strategies. While animal husbandry was more common in Mongolia and crop farming more common in China, most households in both countries pursued a rather mixed approach. The composition of the herds, as well as the richness and diversity of the livestock species, differed significantly between the countries and was generally higher in Mongolia. Supplementary feedstuff and pesticide and fertiliser use were higher in China, along with diversification of produces. Our analysis indicates that until very recently the livelihood strategies on both sides of the border were the same, manifesting in the fact that we can define three identical clusters across countries (environment factor even though there are slight differences in land, livestock and asset endowment.

Current situation with the centralized storage facilities for non-power radioactive wastes in Latin American countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benitez, Juan C.; Salgado, Mercedes; Idoyaga Navarro, Maria L.; Escobar, Carolina; Mallaupoma, Mario; Sbriz, Luciano; Moreno, Sandra; Gozalez, Olga; Gomez, Patricia; Mora, Patricia; Miranda, Alberto; Aguilar, Lola; Zarate, Norma; Rodriguez, Carmen

2008-01-01

Full text: Several Latin American (LA) countries have been firmly committed to the peaceful applications of ionizing radiations in medicine, industry, agriculture and research in order to achieve socioeconomic development in diverse sectors. Consequently the use of radioactive materials and radiation sources as well as the production of radioisotopes and labeled compounds may always produce radioactive wastes which require adequate management and, in the end, disposal. However, there are countries in the Latin American region whose radioactive waste volumes do not easily justify a national repository. Moreover, such facilities are extremely expensive to develop. It is unlikely that such an option will become available in the foreseeable future for most of these countries, which do not have nuclear industries. Storage has long been incorporated as a step in the management of radioactive wastes. In the recent years, there have been developments that have led some countries to consider whether the roles of storage might be expanded to provide longer-term care of long-live radioactive wastes The aim of this paper is to discuss the current situation with the storage facilities/conditions for the radioactive wastes and disused sealed radioactive sources in Latin-American countries. In some cases a brief description of the existing facilities for certain countries are provided. In other cases, when no centralized facility exists, general information on the radioactive inventories and disused sealed sources is given. (author)

The Social Support Inventory (SSI) : A brief scale to assess perceived adequacy of social support

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Timmerman, IGH; Emanuels-Zuurveen, ES; Emmelkamp, PMG

The development of a brief measure to assess satisfaction with obtained social support using Simultaneous Components Analysis (SCA) is described. In the first study the component structure of the Social Support Questionnaire (Van Sonderen, 1991) was determined in a sample of men (n = 401) and women

Brief Antecedent Assessment and Treatment of Tics in the General Education Classroom: A Preliminary Investigation

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, T.; Dufrene, Brad; Weaver, Adam; Butler, Tonya; Meeks, Caroline

2005-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine if specific classroom antecedents were associated with motor and vocal tics in two males diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome. A functional assessment consisting of teacher and student interviews, direct observations, brief functional analysis, and confirmatory naturalistic observations indicated that…

The early history of ideas on brief interventions for alcohol.

Science.gov (United States)

McCambridge, Jim; Cunningham, John A

2014-04-01

This study explores the early development of brief interventions for alcohol using a history of ideas approach with a particular focus on intervention content. The source publications of the key primary studies published from approximately 1962 to 1992 were examined, followed by a brief review of the earliest reviews in this field. These studies were placed in the context of developments in alcohol research and in public health. After early pioneering work on brief interventions, further advances were not made until thinking about alcohol problems and their treatment, most notably on controlled drinking, along with wider changes in public health, created new conditions for progress. There was then a golden era of rapid advance in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when preventing the development of problem drinking became important for public health reasons, in addition to helping already problematic drinkers. Many research challenges identified at that time remain to be met. The content of brief interventions changed over the period of study, although not in ways well informed by research advances, and there were also obvious continuities, with a renewed emphasis on the facilitation of self-change being one important consequence of the development of internet applications. Ideas about brief interventions have changed in important ways. Brief interventions have been studied with different populations of drinkers, with aims embracing both individual and population-level perspectives, and without well-specified contents. The brief intervention field is an appropriate target for further historical investigations, which may help thinking about addressing alcohol and other problems. © 2013 The Authors. Addiction published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society for the Study of Addiction.

Economic downturns, universal health coverage, and cancer mortality in high-income and middle-income countries, 1990-2010: a longitudinal analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Maruthappu, Mahiben; Watkins, Johnathan; Noor, Aisyah Mohd; Williams, Callum; Ali, Raghib; Sullivan, Richard; Zeltner, Thomas; Atun, Rifat

2016-08-13

The global economic crisis has been associated with increased unemployment and reduced public-sector expenditure on health care (PEH). We estimated the effects of changes in unemployment and PEH on cancer mortality, and identified how universal health coverage (UHC) affected these relationships. For this longitudinal analysis, we obtained data from the World Bank and WHO (1990-2010). We aggregated mortality data for breast cancer in women, prostate cancer in men, and colorectal cancers in men and women, which are associated with survival rates that exceed 50%, into a treatable cancer class. We likewise aggregated data for lung and pancreatic cancers, which have 5 year survival rates of less than 10%, into an untreatable cancer class. We used multivariable regression analysis, controlling for country-specific demographics and infrastructure, with time-lag analyses and robustness checks to investigate the relationship between unemployment, PEH, and cancer mortality, with and without UHC. We used trend analysis to project mortality rates, on the basis of trends before the sharp unemployment rise that occurred in many countries from 2008 to 2010, and compared them with observed rates. Data were available for 75 countries, representing 2.106 billion people, for the unemployment analysis and for 79 countries, representing 2.156 billion people, for the PEH analysis. Unemployment rises were significantly associated with an increase in all-cancer mortality and all specific cancers except lung cancer in women. By contrast, untreatable cancer mortality was not significantly linked with changes in unemployment. Lag analyses showed significant associations remained 5 years after unemployment increases for the treatable cancer class. Rerunning analyses, while accounting for UHC status, removed the significant associations. All-cancer, treatable cancer, and specific cancer mortalities significantly decreased as PEH increased. Time-series analysis provided an estimate of more than

Briefing Products - Tools for Communicating Technical Issues to a Non-Technical Audience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, Harvey; Foster, Kevin T.

2011-01-01

Briefing Products are a new NARAC/IMAAC product line designed to communicate the consequences of a radiological, nuclear, chemical or biological agent incident to non-technical decision makers and key leaders. Each Briefing Product addresses a single decision or issue focused on potential actions that should be considered when responding to a hazard, while avoiding the use of technical or regulatory jargon. Briefing Products do not make protective action recommendations, although they do concretely assist decision-makers with development of their own protective actions by quoting or paraphrasing the published guidance relevant to the decision at hand. Briefing Products are produced in sets tailored to specific types of incident which together depict the key decisions and characteristics of the incident. Each Briefing Product in the set consists of three elements: (1) Primary Effects, (2) Key Points and (3) Presenter Notes. Both the Primary Effects and Key Points are ready for direct presentation, while the Presenter Notes are designed to provide background information to the presenter and are not for direct presentation to the audience. The Briefing Products themselves are alternative presentations of results from the customary standard NARAC/IMAAC technical products. Currently, Briefing Products are available for detonation of both RDDs (Radiological Dispersal Devices) and INDs (Improvised Nuclear Devices). A new set of products tailored to nuclear power plant (NPP) accidents is currently under development. This paper describes the scope, structure and content of the Briefing Product sets. Examples from the two sets of Briefing Products now available are presented.

Screening and brief interventions for hazardous and harmful alcohol use in probation services: a cluster randomised controlled trial protocol

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Myles Judy

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background A large number of randomised controlled trials in health settings have consistently reported positive effects of brief intervention in terms of reductions in alcohol use. However, although alcohol misuse is common amongst offenders, there is limited evidence of alcohol brief interventions in the criminal justice field. This factorial pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial with Offender Managers (OMs as the unit of randomisation will evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of different models of screening to identify hazardous and harmful drinkers in probation and different intensities of brief intervention to reduce excessive drinking in probation clients. Methods and design Ninety-six OMs from 9 probation areas across 3 English regions (the North East Region (n = 4 and London and the South East Regions (n = 5 will be recruited. OMs will be randomly allocated to one of three intervention conditions: a client information leaflet control condition (n = 32 OMs; 5-minute simple structured advice (n = 32 OMs and 20-minute brief lifestyle counselling delivered by an Alcohol Health Worker (n = 32 OMs. Randomisation will be stratified by probation area. To test the relative effectiveness of different screening methods all OMs will be randomised to either the Modified Single Item Screening Questionnaire (M-SASQ or the Fast Alcohol Screening Test (FAST. There will be a minimum of 480 clients recruited into the trial. There will be an intention to treat analysis of study outcomes at 6 and 12 months post intervention. Analysis will include client measures (screening result, weekly alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems, re-offending, public service use and quality of life and implementation measures from OMs (the extent of screening and brief intervention beyond the minimum recruitment threshold will provide data on acceptability and feasibility of different models of brief intervention. We will also examine the

Screening and brief interventions for hazardous and harmful alcohol use in probation services: a cluster randomised controlled trial protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

Newbury-Birch, Dorothy; Bland, Martin; Cassidy, Paul; Coulton, Simon; Deluca, Paolo; Drummond, Colin; Gilvarry, Eilish; Godfrey, Christine; Heather, Nick; Kaner, Eileen; Myles, Judy; Oyefeso, Adenekan; Parrott, Steve; Perryman, Katherine; Phillips, Tom; Shenker, Don; Shepherd, Jonathan

2009-11-18

A large number of randomised controlled trials in health settings have consistently reported positive effects of brief intervention in terms of reductions in alcohol use. However, although alcohol misuse is common amongst offenders, there is limited evidence of alcohol brief interventions in the criminal justice field. This factorial pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial with Offender Managers (OMs) as the unit of randomisation will evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of different models of screening to identify hazardous and harmful drinkers in probation and different intensities of brief intervention to reduce excessive drinking in probation clients. Ninety-six OMs from 9 probation areas across 3 English regions (the North East Region (n = 4) and London and the South East Regions (n = 5)) will be recruited. OMs will be randomly allocated to one of three intervention conditions: a client information leaflet control condition (n = 32 OMs); 5-minute simple structured advice (n = 32 OMs) and 20-minute brief lifestyle counselling delivered by an Alcohol Health Worker (n = 32 OMs). Randomisation will be stratified by probation area. To test the relative effectiveness of different screening methods all OMs will be randomised to either the Modified Single Item Screening Questionnaire (M-SASQ) or the Fast Alcohol Screening Test (FAST). There will be a minimum of 480 clients recruited into the trial. There will be an intention to treat analysis of study outcomes at 6 and 12 months post intervention. Analysis will include client measures (screening result, weekly alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems, re-offending, public service use and quality of life) and implementation measures from OMs (the extent of screening and brief intervention beyond the minimum recruitment threshold will provide data on acceptability and feasibility of different models of brief intervention). We will also examine the practitioner and organisational factors

Increasing transparency in the European Union: developments of Country-by-Country Reporting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alicja Brodzka

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Increasing transparency in the European Union: developments of Country-by-Country Reporting The aim of the paper is to bring closer Country-by-Country Reporting and outline possible future amendments of the introduced anti-tax avoidance measures. The article presents the motives of implementing the international CbC initiative, aimed at increasing transparency of the biggest multinational enterprises, with particular emphasis on the specificity of the European Union. Part 2 of the paper analyses the Euro-pean legal bases for companies’ financial reporting. It also gives an overview of the main findings of Directive 2016/881, which implements Country-by-Country Reporting and allows for the exchange of information between tax authorities. Part 3 deals with the national perspective, presenting the CbC solu-tions implemented to the Polish legal system; the paper also attempts to assess the potential impact of tax information disclosures, both from the perspective of taxpayers and the tax administration. The final part presents conclusions and tries to draft future developments of the Country-by-Country Reporting system. In the paper, the following research methods have been used: critical analysis and deduction, with partic-ular reference to the source materials and legal acts, as well as the reports of the European Commission, consulting companies, and NGOs. Although the article deals with tax matters, CbC Reporting is an im-portant and relevant issue from the point of view of researchers and accounting specialists. Reporting this phenomenon is part of the accounting science as a universal tool for recording economic phenomena. The author examined all relevant sources and took into account all important factors in order to obtain a com-prehensive picture of CbC Reporting and to prepare a paper that may serve as a reference for future research.

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.

Deep Learning for Computer Vision: A Brief Review

Science.gov (United States)

Doulamis, Nikolaos; Doulamis, Anastasios; Protopapadakis, Eftychios

2018-01-01

Over the last years deep learning methods have been shown to outperform previous state-of-the-art machine learning techniques in several fields, with computer vision being one of the most prominent cases. This review paper provides a brief overview of some of the most significant deep learning schemes used in computer vision problems, that is, Convolutional Neural Networks, Deep Boltzmann Machines and Deep Belief Networks, and Stacked Denoising Autoencoders. A brief account of their history, structure, advantages, and limitations is given, followed by a description of their applications in various computer vision tasks, such as object detection, face recognition, action and activity recognition, and human pose estimation. Finally, a brief overview is given of future directions in designing deep learning schemes for computer vision problems and the challenges involved therein. PMID:29487619

Deep Learning for Computer Vision: A Brief Review

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Athanasios Voulodimos

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Over the last years deep learning methods have been shown to outperform previous state-of-the-art machine learning techniques in several fields, with computer vision being one of the most prominent cases. This review paper provides a brief overview of some of the most significant deep learning schemes used in computer vision problems, that is, Convolutional Neural Networks, Deep Boltzmann Machines and Deep Belief Networks, and Stacked Denoising Autoencoders. A brief account of their history, structure, advantages, and limitations is given, followed by a description of their applications in various computer vision tasks, such as object detection, face recognition, action and activity recognition, and human pose estimation. Finally, a brief overview is given of future directions in designing deep learning schemes for computer vision problems and the challenges involved therein.

Deep Learning for Computer Vision: A Brief Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Voulodimos, Athanasios; Doulamis, Nikolaos; Doulamis, Anastasios; Protopapadakis, Eftychios

2018-01-01

Over the last years deep learning methods have been shown to outperform previous state-of-the-art machine learning techniques in several fields, with computer vision being one of the most prominent cases. This review paper provides a brief overview of some of the most significant deep learning schemes used in computer vision problems, that is, Convolutional Neural Networks, Deep Boltzmann Machines and Deep Belief Networks, and Stacked Denoising Autoencoders. A brief account of their history, structure, advantages, and limitations is given, followed by a description of their applications in various computer vision tasks, such as object detection, face recognition, action and activity recognition, and human pose estimation. Finally, a brief overview is given of future directions in designing deep learning schemes for computer vision problems and the challenges involved therein.

Alaska State Briefing Book for low-level radioactive waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-08-01

The Alaska State Briefing Book is one of a series of state briefing books on low-level radioactive waste management practices. It has been prepared to assist state and federal agency officials in planning for safe low-level radioactive waste generators in Alaska. The profile is the result of a survey of NRC licensees in Alaska. The briefing book also contains a comprehensive assessment of low-level radioactive waste management issues and concerns as defined by all major interested parties including industry, government, the media, and interest groups. The assessment was developed through personal communications with representatives of interested parties, and through a review of media sources. Lastly, the briefing book provides demographic and socioeconomic data and a discussion of relevant government agencies and activities, all of which may impact waste management practices in Alaska

Prevalence of foodborne pathogens in food from selected African countries – a meta-analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Paudyal, Narayan; Anihouvi, Victor; Hounhouigan, Joseph

2017-01-01

for general analysis, while 66 papers on contamination of pathogenic bacteria were used for meta-analysis of prevalence. The food items were split into two categories: raw foods and ready-to-eat (RTE) foods (including street food and beverages) for meta-analysis. Majority of the reviewed studies (67.2%, 78....../116) dealt with food of animal origin: 38.8% for meat and eggs, 17.2% for dairy products and 11.2% for aquatic products. Only 8.6% examined foods of plant origin (fruits and vegetables). The remaining 24.1% was the composite RTE food and beverages. Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli, Salmonella......Food safety information in the African region is insufficient and fragmented due to lack of surveillance, documentation and reporting, thereby resulting in inefficient utilization of resources, duplication of activities, and lack of synergy among the countries of the region. This paper reviews...

Mental Illness Related Internalized Stigma: Psychometric Properties of the Brief ISMI Scale in Greece.

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Paraskevoulakou, Alexia; Vrettou, Kassiani; Pikouli, Katerina; Triantafillou, Evgenia; Lykou, Anastasia; Economou, Marina

2017-09-01

Since evaluation regarding the impact of mental illness related internalized stigma is scarce, there is a great need for psychometric instruments which could contribute to understanding its adverse effects among Greek patients with severe mental illness. The Brief Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI) scale is one of the most widely used measures designed to assess the subjective experience of stigma related to mental illness. The present study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Greek version of the Brief ISMI scale. In addition to presenting psychometric findings, we explored the relationship of the Greek version of the Brief ISMI subscales with indicators of self-esteem and quality of life. 272 outpatients (108 males, 164 females) meeting the DSM-IV TR criteria for severe mental disorder (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression) completed the Brief ISMI, the RSES and the WHOQOL-BREF scales. Patients reported age and educational level. A retest was conducted with 124 patients. The Chronbach's alpha coefficient was 0 0.83. The test-retest reliability coefficients varied from 0.81 to 0.91, indicating substantial agreement. The ICC was for the total score 0.83 and for the two factors, 0.69 and 0.77 respectively. Factor analysis provided strong evidence for a two factor model. Factors 1 and 2 were named respectively "how others view me" and "how I view myself". They were negatively correlated with both RSES and WHOQOL-BREF scales, as well as with educational level. Factor 2 was significantly associated with the type of diagnosis. The Greek version of the Brief ISMI scale can be used as a reliable and valid tool for assessing mental illness related internalized stigma among Greek patients with severe mental illness.

Women's Status and Fertility in Developing Countries: Son Preference and Economic Security. World Bank Staff Working Papers No. 682 and Population and Development Series No. 7.

Science.gov (United States)

Cain, Mead

The relationship between women's status--defined in terms of the degree to which they are economically dependent on men--and fertility in developing nations is examined. After a brief introduction, part 2 discusses a particular theoretical perspective regarding fertility determinants in developing countries and explores the implications of women's…

22 CFR 401.25 - Government brief regarding navigable waters.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Government brief regarding navigable waters. 401... PROCEDURE Applications § 401.25 Government brief regarding navigable waters. When in the opinion of the Commission it is desirable that a decision should be rendered which affects navigable waters in a manner or...

Financial analysis of foreign direct investment on economic growth of developing countries

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Raičević Božidar

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The object of the research paper is to perform an empirical analysis of foreign direct investment (FDI influence on economic growth with the aim of establishing factors that will contribute to overcoming the problem. The research results imply that realistic exchange rate, export and import as well as state expenditures are statistically significant for predicting economic growth movement and they have a positive influence on FDI movement. Empirical analysis, contrary to expectations, has shown that FDI, public debt and openness have a negative impact on economic growth in the case of Republic of Serbia. In the following period Serbia has to decrease the share of budget deficit in GDP and control public debt. Serbia has to pay special attention to improving investment environment and encourage export oriented production, whereas finance management and continuation of reform processes are the basis for establishing sustainable development of country, with sustainable use of available resources.