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Selected AbstractsThe Aid Paradigm for Poverty Reduction: Does It Make Sense?DEVELOPMENT POLICY REVIEW, Issue 4 2008John Weiss Thinking on economic policy for development has undergone many shifts in response to the perceived weak results of earlier adjustment reforms. A new donor consensus has emerged based around the central themes of economic growth, good governance and social development. This article examines the logic behind this new aid paradigm, revealing a nuanced story with country circumstances playing a critical role and particular interventions varying in impact. For example, growth does not always lead to gains for the poor that match the national average; public expenditure needs to be targeted to achieve social development, but effective targeting is difficult; governance reform may be critical but there is no simple governance blueprint, and the corruption-growth association need not always be negative. [source] The incidence of dyslexia among young offenders in KuwaitDYSLEXIA, Issue 2 2009Gad Elbeheri Abstract This paper investigates the incidence of dyslexia among young offenders in Kuwait. A total of 91 children/young adults from 8 juvenile delinquent welfare centres across Kuwait were interviewed and tested. A measure of non-verbal reasoning ability was used to exclude those with low general ability. The remaining 53 participants were tested on their ability to identify alliteration and rhyme, retain and manipulate sequences of digit and letter names, decode novel letter strings and identify words within letter chains. Participants' reading accuracy, rate of reading, reading comprehension and ability to spell correctly dictated text were also assessed. These measures were used to determine those with indicators of dyslexia. The results indicated that the percentage of individuals presenting evidence of dyslexia was much larger (greater than 20%) in this population of young offenders than would be expected based on the national average (around 6%) of dyslexics in Kuwait derived from a nationwide study (A survey study of dyslexia in Kuwait, Kuwait Dyslexia Association: Kuwait City; 2002). These findings replicate previous evidence for an increased frequency of dyslexia among young offenders. The implications of such findings are discussed in terms of dyslexia awareness, socio-cultural factors, education and intervention, particularly in Kuwait juvenile delinquent welfare centres. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Corn stover feedstock trials to support predictive modelingGCB BIOENERGY, Issue 5 2010DOUGLAS L. KARLEN Abstract To be sustainable, feedstock harvest must neither degrade soil, water, or air resources nor negatively impact productivity or subsequent crop yields. Simulation modeling will help guide the development of sustainable feedstock production practices, but not without field validation. This paper introduces field research being conducted in six states to support Sun Grant Regional Partnership modeling. Our objectives are to (1) provide a fundamental understanding of limiting factor(s) affecting corn (Zea mays L.) stover harvest, (2) develop tools (e.g., equations, models, etc.) that account for those factors, and (3) create a multivariant analysis framework to combine models for all limiting factors. Sun Grant modelers will use this information to improve regional estimates of feedstock availability. A minimum data set, including soil organic carbon (SOC), total N, pH, bulk density (BD), and soil-test phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) concentrations, is being collected. Stover yield for three treatments (0%, 50%, and 90% removal) and concentrations of N, P, and K in the harvested stover are being quantified to assess the impact of stover harvest on soil resources. Grain yield at a moisture content of 155 g kg,1 averaged 9.71 Mg ha,1, matching the 2008 national average. Stover dry matter harvest rates ranged from 0 to 7 Mg ha,1. Harvesting stover increased N,P,K removal by an average of 42, 5, and 45 kg ha,1 compared with harvesting only grain. Replacing those three nutrients would cost $53.68 ha,1 based on 2009 fertilizer prices. This first-year data and that collected in subsequent years is being used to develop a residue management tool that will ultimately link multiple feedstock supplies together in a landscape vision to help develop a comprehensive carbon management plan, quantify corn stover harvest effects on soil quality, and predict regional variability in feedstock supplies. [source] Change in the Concentration of Employment in Computer Services: Spatial Estimation at the U.S. Metro County LevelGROWTH AND CHANGE, Issue 1 2007DONALD GRIMES ABSTRACT This article models the concentration of computer services activity across the U.S. with factors that incorporate spatial relationships. Specifically, we enhance the standard home-area study with an analysis that allows conditions in neighboring counties to affect the concentration of employment in the home county. We use county-level data for metropolitan areas between 1990 and 1997. To measure change in employment concentration, we use the change in location quotients for SIC 737, which captures employment concentration changes caused by both the number of firms and the scale of their activity relative to the national average. After controlling for local demand for computer services, our results support the importance of the presence of a qualified labor supply, interindustry linkages, proximity to a major airport, and spatial processes in explaining changes in computer services employment concentration, finding little support for the influence of cost factors. Our enhanced model reveals interjurisdictional relationships among these metro counties that could not be captured with standard estimates by state, metropolitan statistical area (MSA), or county. Using counties within MSAs, therefore, provides more general results than case studies but still allows measurement of local interactions. [source] Pneumonia and Influenza Hospitalizations in Elderly People with DementiaJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 12 2009Elena N. Naumova PhD OBJECTIVES: To compare the demographic and geographic patterns of pneumonia and influenza (P&I) hospitalizations in older adults with dementia with those of the U.S. population and to examine the relationship between healthcare accessibility and P&I. DESIGN: Observational study using historical medical claims from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and CMS records supplemented with information derived from other large national sources. SETTING: Retrospective analysis of medical records uniformly collected over a 5-year period with comprehensive national coverage. PARTICIPANTS: A study population representative of more than 95% of all people aged 65 and older residing in the continental United States. MEASUREMENTS: Six million two hundred seventy-seven thousand six hundred eighty-four records of P&I between 1998 and 2002 were abstracted, and county-specific outcomes for hospitalization rates of P&I, mean length of hospital stay, and percentage of deaths occurring in a hospital setting were estimated. Associations with county-specific elderly population density, percentage of nursing home residents, median household income per capita, and rurality index were assessed. RESULTS: Rural and poor counties had the highest rate of P&I and percentage of influenza. Patients with dementia had a lower frequency of influenza diagnosis, a shorter length of hospital stay, and 1.5 times as high a rate of death as the national average. CONCLUSION: The results suggest strong disparities in healthcare practices in rural locations and vulnerable populations; infrastructure, proximity, and access to healthcare are significant predictors of influenza morbidity and mortality. These findings have important implications for influenza vaccination, testing, and treatment policies and practices targeting the growing fraction of patients with cognitive impairment. [source] Job Satisfaction and Subjective Well-Being in a Sample of NursesJOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2005Stephen A. Sparks It is surprising that there are no published studies exploring job satisfaction and subjective well-being (SWB) in nurses given the current shortage (Clark & Clark, 2002). For the present study, 152 nurses completed measures of job satisfaction, SWB, and social desirability. The Dimensions of Satisfaction scale was designed for this study and demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity. Results indicated that the most important aspect to nurses' job satisfaction is pay, followed by staffing and benefits. When entering the field, nurses most valued pay, followed by personal fulfillment and respect. A majority of the sample (59%) indicated satisfaction with their job, but this is well below the national average for American workers (85%; National Opinion Research Center, 2000). Nurses indicated higher SWB than the general population (Myers & Diener, 1996). However, the correlation between job satisfaction and SWB was lower than that of the general population (Tail, Padgett, & Baldwin, 1989). [source] Tobacco smoke exposure in hospitalised Aboriginal children in Central AustraliaJOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH, Issue 4 2009Lee Hudson Aim: Child exposure to tobacco smoke is detrimental to health. Australian Aboriginal people have a higher rate of cigarette smoking compared with the national average. Thus, we aim to measure the proportion of children admitted to Alice Springs Hospital who are exposed to tobacco smoke at home, to correlate this with prevalence of regular cough and gauge smokers' interest in quitting. Method: A questionnaire was administered verbally to carers of children admitted to Alice Springs Hospital, November 2006 to January 2007. Main outcome measures were presence of a smoker at home and presence of a regular cough. We measured the interest of carers and speculated interest of other smokers in quitting. Eighty-two questionnaires were completed (60% of children admitted during the study period). Eighty-nine per cent of children were Aboriginal. Results: As so few non-Aboriginal children were included in the study, their results were not included in analysis. Sixty-four per cent of children lived with at least one smoker. Seventy per cent of children exposed to smoke at home lived with more than one smoker. Point prevalence of reported regular cough was 33%. Forty-three per cent of children who lived with at least one smoker had regular cough compared with 13% in those who did not (P= 0.035). The rate ratio for regular cough when living with a smoker versus when not living with a smoker was 2.77 (95% confidence interval: 1.06,7.23). Forty-two per cent of the smokers expressed interest in quitting. Conclusion: It is concerning that the majority of hospitalised children were exposed to tobacco smoke at home, while fewer than half of smokers were interested in quitting. [source] Effects of Land-Use and Land-Cover Change on Evapotranspiration and Water Yield in China During 1900-2000,JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION, Issue 5 2008Mingliang Liu Abstract:, China has experienced a rapid land-use/cover change (LUCC) during the 20th Century, and this process is expected to continue in the future. How LUCC has affected water resources across China, however, remains uncertain due to the complexity of LUCC-water interactions. In this study, we used an integrated Dynamic Land Ecosystem Model (DLEM) in conjunction with spatial data of LUCC to estimate the LUCC effects on the magnitude, spatial and temporal variations of evapotranspiration (ET), runoff, and water yield across China. Through comparisons of DLEM results with other model simulations, field observations, and river discharge data, we found that DLEM model can adequately catch the spatial and seasonal patterns of hydrological processes. Our simulation results demonstrate that LUCC led to substantial changes in ET, runoff, and water yield in most of the China's river basins during the 20th Century. The temporal and spatial patterns varied significantly across China. The largest change occurred during the second half century when almost all of the river basins had a decreasing trend in ET and an increasing trend in water yield and runoff, in contrast to the inclinations of ET and declinations of water yield in major river basins, such as Pearl river basin, Yangtze river basin, and Yellow river basin during the first half century. The increased water yield and runoff indicated alleviated water deficiency in China in the late 20th Century, but the increased peak flow might make the runoff difficult to be held by reservoirs. The continuously increasing ET and decreasing water yield in Continental river basin, Southwest river basin, and Songhua and Liaohe river basin implied regional water deficiency. Our study in China indicates that deforestation averagely increased ET by 138 mm/year but decreased water yield by the same amount and that reforestation averagely decreased ET by 422 mm/year since most of deforested land was converted to paddy land or irrigated cropland. In China, cropland-related land transformation is the dominant anthropogenic force affecting water resources during the 20th Century. On national average, cropland expansion was estimated to increase ET by 182 mm/year while cropland abandonment decreased ET by 379 mm/year. Our simulation results indicate that urban sprawl generally decreased ET and increased water yield. Cropland managements (fertilization and irrigation) significantly increased ET by 98 mm/year. To better understand LUCC effects on China's water resources, it is needed to take into account the interactions of LUCC with other environmental changes such as climate and atmospheric composition. [source] Occupational fatalities, injuries, illnesses, and related economic loss in the wholesale and retail trade sectorAMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 7 2010Vern Putz Anderson PhD Abstract Background The wholesale and retail trade (WRT) sector employs over 21 million workers, or nearly 19% of the annual average employment in private industry. The perception is that workers in this sector are generally at low risk of occupational injury and death. These workers, however, are engaged in a wide range of demanding job activities and are exposed to a variety of hazards. Prior to this report, a comprehensive appraisal of the occupational fatal and nonfatal burdens affecting the retail and wholesale sectors was lacking. The focus of this review is to assess the overall occupational safety and health burden in WRT and to identify various subsectors that have high rates of burden from occupational causes. Ultimately, these findings should be useful for targeted intervention efforts. Methods We reviewed Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 2006 fatality, injury, and illness data for the WRT sector and provide comparisons between the WRT sector, its' subsectors, and private industry, which serves as a baseline. The BLS data provide both counts and standardized incidence rates for various exposures, events, and injury types for fatalities, injuries, and illnesses. In an effort to estimate the economic burden of these fatalities, injuries, and illnesses, a focused review of the literature was conducted. Results and Conclusion In 2006, WRT workers experienced 820,500 injuries/illnesses and 581 fatalities. The total case injury/illness rate for the retail sector was 4.9/100 FTE and for the wholesale sector 4.1/100 FTE. The WRT sector represents 15.5% of the private sector work population in 2006, yet accounts for 20.1% of nonfatal injuries and illnesses of the private sector. In 2003, the disparity was only 2% but increased to 3% in 2004 and 2005. Three WRT subsectors had injury/illness rates well above the national average: beer/wine/liquor (8.4/100); building materials/supplies (7.6/100); and grocery-related products (7.0/100). Occupational deaths with the highest rates were found in gasoline stations (9.8/100,000), convenience stores (6.1/100,000), and used car dealers (5.5/100,000). In terms of actual numbers, the category of food and beverage stores had 82 fatalities in 2006. Based on 1993 data, costs, both direct and indirect, in the WRT sector for fatal injuries were estimated to exceed $8.6 billion. The full economic loss to society and the family has not been adequately measured. Overexertion and contact with objects/equipment represent the top two events or exposures leading to injury or illness. Together they account for 57% of the events or exposures for nonfatal WRT injuries and illnesses. This sector is important because it is large and pervasive as a result, even a relatively small increase in injury rates and accompanying days away from work will have significant impact on working families and society. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:673,685, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Impact of publicly sponsored interventions on musculoskeletal injury claims in nursing homes,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 9 2009Robert M. Park MS Abstract Background The rate of lost-time sprains and strains in private nursing homes is over three times the national average, and for back injuries, almost four times the national average. The Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) has sponsored interventions that were preferentially promoted to nursing homes in 2000,2001, including training, consultation, and grants up to $40,000 for equipment purchases. Methods This study evaluated the impact of BWC interventions on back injury claim rates using BWC data on claims, interventions, and employer payroll for all Ohio nursing homes during 1995,2004 using Poisson regression. A subset of nursing homes was analyzed with more detailed data that allowed estimation of the impact of staffing levels and resident acuity on claim rates. Costs of interventions were compared to the associated savings in claim costs. Results A $500 equipment purchase per nursing home worker was associated with a 21% reduction in back injury rate. Assuming an equipment life of 10 years, this translates to an estimated $768 reduction in claim costs per worker, a present value of $495 with a 5% discount rate applied. Results for training courses were equivocal. Only those receiving below-median hours had a significant 19% reduction in claim rates. Injury rates did not generally decline with consultation independent of equipment purchases, although possible confounding, misclassification, and bias due to non-random management participation clouds interpretation. In nursing homes with available data, resident acuity was modestly associated with back injury risk, and the injury rate increased with resident-to-staff ratio (acting through three terms: RR,=,1.50 for each additional resident per staff member; for the ratio alone, RR,=,1.32, 95% CI,=,1.18,1.48). In these NHs, an expenditure of $908 per resident care worker (equivalent to $500 per employee in the other model) was also associated with a 21% reduction in injury rate. However, with a resident-to-staff ratio greater than 2.0, the same expenditure was associated with a $1,643 reduction in back claim costs over 10 years per employee, a present value of $1,062 with 5% discount rate. Conclusions Expenditures for ergonomic equipment in nursing homes by the Ohio BWC were associated with fewer worker injuries and reductions in claim costs that were similar in magnitude to expenditures. Un-estimated benefits and costs also need to be considered in assessing full health and financial impacts. Am. J. Ind. Med. 52:683,697, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Free Speech and Multiculturalism In and Out of the AcademyPOLITICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2006Dennis Chong The debate over hate speech in the United States and the accompanying changes in the political culture of the university provides an opportune case to explore the impact of changing norms of free speech on political tolerance toward unpopular groups. I offer a theory of opinion change that identifies the population groups that should be most susceptible to the new norms against hate speech that originated on college campuses around the country in the 1980s. The predictions from this theory are tested using a battery of tolerance items asked repeatedly in General Social Surveys gathered between 1976 and 2000. The analysis shows that the intellectual campaign against hate speech has significantly reduced support for the free speech rights of racists. This retreat in levels of tolerance is most evident among college students who were educated since the mid-1980s, when debates over multiculturalism and political correctness reached their peak. At the same time, levels of tolerance for nonconformist ideas and lifestyles have remained generally high among today's college students and are almost always significantly higher than the national average. The general stability in aggregate levels of tolerance both in the general population and in various demographic groups only serves to highlight the few dramatic changes that have taken place. [source] Reclassification of unexplained stillbirths using clinical practice guidelinesAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 3 2009Elizabeth HEADLEY Background: Twenty-eight per cent of stillbirths in Australia remain unexplained. A clinical practice guideline (CPG) produced by the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand (PSANZ) Perinatal Mortality Special Interest Group is in use to assist clinicians in the investigation and audit of perinatal deaths. Aims: To describe in a tertiary hospital using the PSANZ stillbirth investigation guidelines: (i) the distribution and classification of stillbirths, and (ii) the compliance with suggested stillbirth core investigations. Methods: Retrospective cohort of all stillbirths delivered between November 2005 and March 2008. Stillbirths were defined as no sign of life on delivery at , 20 weeks gestation or 400 g birthweight if gestation is unknown. Data were collected via the hospital Perinatal Mortality Audit Committee (PMAC). Cause of death was classified by the PSANZ Perinatal Death Classification. Results: There were 86 stillbirths (rate 7.2 per 1000 births). The percentage of unexplained stillbirths was 34% and 13% before and after CPG investigations, respectively. Unexplained stillbirths had the highest compliance with the recommended investigations. The initial cause of death documented on the death certificate was changed by the PMAC in 19 cases. The investigations most likely to prompt a change in the cause of death classification were autopsy and placental pathology. Conclusions: The percentage of unexplained stillbirths is lower than the national average in a hospital using the Perinatal Mortality Audit Guidelines. However, overall compliance is low, suggesting a targeted approach to investigation is used by clinicians despite a policy that aims to be non-selective. Autopsy and placental examination are the most useful investigations in assisting formal classification of cause of death. [source] Maternal mortality in Yunnan, China: recent trends and associated factorsBJOG : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 7 2007J Li Objective, Yunnan Province, located in southwest China, is one of the poorest province in China. The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is about twice the national average (56.2/100 000 live births), and in remote mountainous regions, the rate is five times higher. This study aimed to examine the progress in reduction of maternal mortality in the 1990s and early 2000s and the factors associated with this reduction in Yunnan. Design, A population-based, longitudinal, ecological correlation study. Setting, A remote province of China with a proportionately large indigenous population. Population, Populations at county, prefecture and provincial level. Methods, Using maternal mortality data collected at the province, prefecture/region and county levels, trend and time series analyses and multivariate linear regression analyses were performed using SPSS (Version 13). Main outcome measure, MMR and its change over time. Results, MMR declined substantially in the 1990s at a rate of 3.0% per year. Utilisation of prenatal and obstetric care increased and was significantly correlated with the declining trend in MMR. Hospital delivery was a strong predictor of MMR, independent of social and economic development. Both low income and illiteracy were significantly associated with increased MMR. Conclusions, Declines in maternal mortality in Yunnan over the past 14 years appear to reflect health, social and economic interventions implemented in the 1990s. The association of hospital delivery with maternal mortality may be due to the effective management of severe pregnancy and birth complications. Low income and illiteracy were associated with MMR but primarily through their impact on the use of prenatal and obstetric care. [source] Causes of deafness in British Bangladeshi children: a prevalence twice that of the UK population cannot be accounted for by consanguinity aloneCLINICAL OTOLARYNGOLOGY, Issue 2 2009Y. Bajaj Objective:, To study the causes and prevalence of sensorineural deafness in Bangladeshi children resident in East London. Methods:, This was a cross sectional survey of children of Bangladeshi origin living in East London with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss of 40 db HL or more. In this study, 134 patients were included. The study looked primarily at the causes of sensorineural hearing loss in this population. Results:, The prevalence of deafness in Bangladeshi children in East London is approximately 3.86 per 1000 [95% confidence intervals (CI) 3.20, 4.65] which is significantly greater than the average UK prevalence of 1.65 per 1000. The prevalence of deafness in these Bangladeshi children belonging to non-consanguineous families only, the prevalence falls to 2.73 per 1000 (95% CI 2.19, 3.41). In 60% cases the cause of deafness was genetic. The single most common cause of sensorineural hearing loss in this population was mutations in the GJB2 gene (Connexin 26) in 20 of these patients (17%). Parents were consanguineous in 33% of the families. Conclusion:, This study concludes that prevalence of sensorineural deafness in Bangladeshi children is at least 2.3 times the national average. This study also concludes that genetic causes are the common cause of deafness in this ethnic group, with nearly 30% of children with non-syndromic deafness having mutations in GJB2. Although parental consanguinity was very high in this population it did not account for the whole increase in prevalence. [source] Improving general practitioner records in France by a two-round medical auditJOURNAL OF EVALUATION IN CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 2 2002Jean Brami MD Abstract Rationale, aims and objectives,The effectiveness of clinical audits in changing the practice of health care professionals is a moot point. Methods of implementation impinge directly upon outcomes. We investigated whether a network of local opinion leaders could contribute towards a successful audit. Our objectives were to: (i) bring about an improvement in record keeping in general practice; and (ii) increase GPs' awareness of medical evaluation. Methods,The GPs were recruited by local opinion leaders who had been briefed by the French National Agency for Accreditation and Evaluation in Health Care (ANAES, formerly ANDEM). On a given day (first round of the audit) they were invited to examine whether the medical records of their 10 first patients met 13 set criteria. Overall results were analysed by ANAES. Each GP was informed of how well they had fared compared with the regional and national averages and was provided with a standard set of recommendations. Anonymity was ensured by the local leaders. A second round was conducted 6 months later. Results,A total of 244 GPs took part in both rounds of the audit; 32 dropped out after the first round. Their results were of a significantly lower standard. A significant improvement in results (P < 0.025) was recorded between the two rounds for all 13 criteria of the questionnaire. Overall scores improved between the two rounds for 69% of the GPs and improved above average for 49%. The greatest scatter in results was noted for items relating to medical history rather than to personal identity (administrative data). Conclusions,Self-assessment can help improve general standards of medical record keeping. A network of local opinion leaders, briefed by a national agency whose mission is to promote quality improvement in health care, seems to be an effective means of inducing participation in self-assessment. [source] | ||||||||||||||||