Reforming Power of Attorney Law to Protect Alaskan Elders from Financial Exploitation

This article discusses the issues arising under the current power of attorney law in Alaska and the impact the law has on Alaskan elders. The Author surveys and summarizes preventative measures set out in the 2006 Uniform Power of Attorney Act (UPOAA), in addition to non-UPOAA reforms adopted in other jurisdictions or suggested by scholars. The Author analyzes the relevance and practicality of the various provisions as applied to Alaska and highlights the major themes that should be considered when reforming the current statute

Inclusive Economics and Home Loan Policies for Informal Workers

The United States has been suffering from a housing crisis that existed long before the proliferation of sub-prime loans and the Great Recession of 2008-2009. For decades, millions of gainfully employed workers have been institutionally excluded from homeownership, simply because they work in the informal economy. Because of this, the economic growth of households in this demographic has been stymied by discriminatory banking policies that heavily prioritize short-term profit maximization over borrower reliability, or loan viability. Many of those affected are historically disenfranchised people, who systematically have been excluded from the American dream of “a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage,” simply for failing to belong to the narrow demographic for whom home loans were originally designed. Approximately 37% of working adults in the United States today undertake some type of informal work, and 16% of working adults are employed on a full-time basis in the informal sector. It is a segment of the working population that funds an imposing amount of sales tax revenue. These are not the people who lost their homes in The Great Recession of 2008. Indeed, approximately 70% of the subprime loans issued in 2006 were to upper and upper-middle income borrowers in wealthy neighborhoods, and not middle-class working households, or middle-class neighborhoods. It is still the case today that, for workers of the informal economy, homeownership is largely unavailable due to institutional barriers, no matter how modest the home or neighborhood, and no matter how reliable the loan applicant is. This article describes the lost macro-economic opportunity in failing to provide home loans to qualified households in the informal economy, then providing a survey of solutions with successful track records. These solutions fall with a framework I refer to as inclusive economics. My analysis focuses on one segment of informal economy: the cultural economy, which largely operates in cash and exemplifies how inclusive economics can create wealth in a sustainable way that includes historically dis-enfranchised households

Help Was Not on the Way: Intellectual Property Liability Relief in a Pandemic Era

On January 21, 2020, the United States recorded its first case of COVID-19. By April of that same year, numerous hospitals across the nation had exhausted entire reserves of personal protective equipment (PPE), with looming uncertainty as to when they would be replenished. As infection numbers increased exponentially, global demand for some types of PPE increased by 1000%. Volunteers across the nation assembled teams of makers—some professionals, but also scores of amateurs—to craft the critical equipment needed to slow down the onslaught of the pandemic. From creating cloth masks to ventilator pistons, nonprofits and everyday citizens were able to partially alleviate a need that neither the private sector nor the government could address adequately. Extensive potential intellectual property (IP) infringement liabilities exist for these well-meaning volunteers. For example, using open-source, freely-dispersed blueprints could in fact be an unwitting violation of an obscure, pre-existing invention whose patent is buried deep within the unwieldy database of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Moreover, the threat of liability extends beyond micromanufactuers to include also distributors, distribution facilitators, and those who circulate patented plans or copyrighted ideas. Currently, no defenses to such infringement exist, dissuading would-be heroes from assisting during a great time of need. As one recent commentary notes, “[t]he threat of infringement also dampens the ability to innovate under conditions of emergency, intensifying the tension between the protection of IP and the protection of human lives.” Defendants could, however, look to other legal doctrines. In analogizing intellectual property to the common law, one might argue for a Good Samaritan doctrine or to the necessity defense to trespass from tort law. As in landlord-tenant law, to the extent that rents for real property have been deferred during the time of the pandemic, perhaps certain instances of intangible property “rent seeking” by the owners of patents and copyrights might be justifiably put on hold as well. Defendants in IP lawsuits could also look to creative applications of existing exceptions in patent law such as march-in rights and the Defense Protection Act. Using this PPE and medical device production dilemma as a case study, this Article will consider the logistical and legal obstacles to accommodating public interest uses of intellectual property. My analysis will recommend a procedure that would limit or defer liability and provide appropriate remedies, and also would incentivize crucial and well-meaning acts in times of pandemic

Where\u27s the Beef? Meat Shortages, Farmer Needs, and Long-term Recovery Policies in a Pandemic Era

COVID-19 not only affected every hospital bed in the nation--if not the world; it also affected nearly every dinner table in America and beyond. Supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic highlighted deep-seated problems with how we get our meat, and how difficult we make it for American farmers to sell to the family next door. Within a few months of the first reported case in the US, hundreds of workers from just two meat-processing plants on American shores became infected with COVID-19, and imports from around the world came to a standstill as factories and shipping companies were forced to shut down. Instantaneously, the US supply of meat seemed to contract, flying off supermarket shelves as Americans began to shelter in place. Meanwhile, nationwide closures of restaurants and school cafeterias posed serious problems for farmers who were forced to cull and dispose of their herds, unable to get them processed at commercial butchers that were either closed or backlogged. In a nation that raises more than 94 million heads of cattle alone, we somehow found ourselves in a meat shortage in 2020, with grocery store shelves looking as “patchy and unpredictable as those in the former Soviet bloc”. This article analyzes the state of American agriculture as it pertains to the meat industry, using the beef sector as a case study. This article also proposes potential solutions that should be considered in any stimulus package seeking to create long-term, impactful growth in rural America, where one in five Americans live

Healthcare use for diarrhoea and dysentery in actual and hypothetical cases, Nha Trang, Viet Nam.

To better understand healthcare use for diarrhoea and dysentery in Nha Trang, Viet Nam, qualitative interviews with community residents and dysentery case studies were conducted. Findings were supplemented by a quantitative survey which asked respondents which healthcare provider their household members would use for diarrhoea or dysentery. A clear pattern of healthcare-seeking behaviours among 433 respondents emerged. More than half of the respondents self-treated initially. Medication for initial treatment was purchased from a pharmacy or with medication stored at home. Traditional home treatments were also widely used. If no improvement occurred or the symptoms were perceived to be severe, individuals would visit a healthcare facility. Private medical practitioners are playing a steadily increasing role in the Vietnamese healthcare system. Less than a quarter of diarrhoea patients initially used government healthcare providers at commune health centres, polyclinics, and hospitals, which are the only sources of data for routine public-health statistics. Given these healthcare-use patterns, reported rates could significantly underestimate the real disease burden of dysentery and diarrhoea

Salmonella typhimurium Suppresses Tumor Growth via the Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Interleukin-1 beta

Although strains of attenuated Salmonella typhimurium and wild-type Escherichia coli show similar tumor-targeting capacities, only S. typhimurium significantly suppresses tumor growth in mice. The aim of the present study was to examine bacteria-mediated immune responses by conducting comparative analyses of the cytokine profiles and immune cell populations within tumor tissues colonized by E. coli or attenuated Salmonellae. CT26 tumor-bearing mice were treated with two different bacterial strains: S. typhimurium defective in ppGpp synthesis (Delta ppGpp Salmonellae) or wild-type E. coli MG1655. Cytokine profiles and immune cell populations in tumor tissue colonized by these two bacterial strains were examined at two time points based on the pattern of tumor growth after Delta ppGpp Salmonellae treatment: 1) when tumor growth was suppressed ('suppression stage') and 2) when they began to re-grow ('re-growing stage'). The levels of IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha were markedly increased in tumors colonized by Delta ppGpp Salmonellae. This increase was associated with tumor regression; the levels of both IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha returned to normal level when the tumors started to re-grow. To identify the immune cells primarily responsible for Salmonellae-mediated tumor suppression, we examined the major cell types that produce IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha. We found that macrophages and dendritic cells were the main producers of TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta. Inhibiting IL-1 beta production in Salmonellae-treated mice restored tumor growth, whereas tumor growth was suppressed for longer by local administration of recombinant IL-1 beta or TNF-alpha in conjunction with Salmonella therapy. These findings suggested that IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha play important roles in Salmonella-mediated cancer therapy. A better understanding of host immune responses in Salmonella therapy may increase the success of a given drug, particularly when various strategies are combined with bacteriotherapy.111715Ysciescopu

Application of ecological technology for removal of COD, nitrogen and phosphorus from piggery wastewater after biogas production technology

Despite a positive contribution to economic – social development, the growth of piggeries has caused heavily environmental pollution. Currently, treated wastewater of pig farms unfortunately does not meet the national discharge standards yet. This paper presents some research results on the removing COD, nitrogen and phosphorus in piggery wastewater after anaerobic (biogas) process at pilot scale by the combined system using Phragmites australis, Cyperus alternifolius, Vetiveria zizanioides and Eichhornia crassipes. The experimental results showed that the wastewater loading rate of 47.35 l/m2.day with initial concentrations of 203.24 mg COD/l, 111.94 mgTN/l and 13.61 mgTP/l gave removal efficiency of 71.66 %, 79.26 % and 69.65 %, respectively. Thus, the removed quantity of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) was of 4201.35 mg TN/m2.day và 448.76mg TP/m2.day. The obtained results indicated that the flow wetland system, using Phragmites australis, Cyperus alternifolius, Vetiveria zizanioides and Eichhornia crassipes has a rather high COD, TN and TP removal efficiency with simple operation so that it could be feasible if applied for treating pig wastewater. However, the system should be functioned longer for taking data and for evaluating its stability. Mặc dù có những đóng góp tích cực cho sự phát triển kinh tế - xã hội, việc phát triển chăn nuôi lợn đã gây ô nhiễm môi trường nghiêm trọng. Hiện nay, nước thải chăn nuôi lợn từ các cơ sở chăn nuôi sau xử lý vẫn chưa đáp ứng được các tiêu chuẩn thải của quốc gia và tiêu chuẩn ngành. Bài báo này trình bày kết quả nghiên cứu về khả năng loại bỏ COD, nitơ (N) và phôtpho (P) trong nước thải chăn nuôi lợn đã qua xử lý bằng hầm biogas của hệ thống phối hợp cây Sậy, Thủy Trúc, cỏ Vetiver và Bèo Tây ở qui mô pilot. Kết quả thực nghiệm ở tải lượng 47,35 l/m2.ngày, với COD, tổng nitơ (TN) và tổng phôtpho (TP) đầu vào trung bình là 203,24 mg/l, 111,94 mg/l và 13,61 mg/l, tương ứng, thì hiệu suất xử lý lần lượt là 71,66 %; 79,26 % và 69,65 %. Như vậy lượng TN và TP loại bỏ là 4201,35 mgN/m2.ngày và 448,76 mgP/m2.ngày. Kết quả nhận được cho thấy hệ thống sử dụng cây Sậy, Thủy Trúc, cỏ Vetiver và Bèo Tây có hiệu quả loại bỏ COD, TN và TP khá cao trong khi vận hành đơn giản nên có triển vọng áp dụng trong điều kiện thực tế để xử lý nước thải chăn nuôi lợn. Tuy nhiên để đánh giá tính ổn định, hệ thống cần được hoạt động với thời gian lâu dài hơn

Early indication for a reduced burden of radiologically confirmed pneumonia in children following the introduction of routine vaccination against Haemophilus influenzae type b in Nha Trang, Vietnam.

INTRODUCTION: Despite the global success of Hib vaccination in reducing disease and mortality, uncertainty about the disease burden and the potential impact of Hib vaccination in Southeast Asia has delayed the introduction of vaccination in some countries in the region. Hib vaccination was introduced throughout Vietnam in July 2010 without catch-up. In an observational, population based surveillance study we estimated the impact of routine Hib vaccination on all cause radiologically confirmed childhood pneumonia in Nha Trang, Vietnam. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 2007 active hospital based surveillance was established in Khanh Hoa General Hospital, the only hospital in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa province. Nasopharyngeal samples and chest radiographs are taken routinely from all children diagnosed with acute respiratory illness on admission. For admissions between 02/2007 and 03/2012 chest radiographs were interpreted for the presence of WHO primary endpoint pneumonia and nasopharyngeal swabs were analysed by PCR for the presence of Influenza A or B, RSV and rhinovirus. We employed Poisson regression to estimate the impact of Hib vaccination on radiologically confirmed pneumonia (RCP) while statistically accounting for potential differences in viral circulation in the post vaccination era which could have biased the estimate. RESULTS: Of 3151 cases admitted during the study period, 166 had RCP and major viruses were detected in 1601. The adjusted annual incidence of RCP in children younger than 5 years declined by 39% (12-58%) after introduction of Hib vaccination. This decline was most pronounced in children less than 2 years old, adjusted IRR: 0.52 (0.33-0.81), and no significant impact was observed in the 2-4 years old who were not eligible for vaccination, adjusted IRR: 0.96 (0.52-1.72). DISCUSSION: We present early evidence that the burden of Hib associated RCP in Nha Trang before vaccination was substantial and that shortly after introduction to the routine childhood immunisation scheme vaccination has substantially reduced that burden

Better Bank Management for Sustainability - Empirical Risk Evidence from Vietnam

Vietnam has reached a low inflation rate of 06% in year 2015, so it is good to see what happen in bank management during the post- low (L) inflation time 2015-2020, in order to propose plans to maintain banking business management sustainability. Within volatility of multi macro factors, this paper will estimate bank risks with Beta CAPM measurement in the nation in the above selected period. Next step, we aims to measure and evaluate how much macro factors effects in the market risk of 7 big listed banks with semiannual data. We use synthesis statistics methods, and dialectical materialism method, combined with econometric model with 9 macro variables, and figure out that lending rate and risk free rate have inverse effects on market risk. It implies that increase in lending rate will cause market risk declines whereas increase in Rf will cause beta increases. Then, we will suggest recommendations for improving bank management capabilities for sustainable bank management and governance. We recognize that modern advanced bank management solutions are needed for incoming periods. JEL classification numbers: M21, G12, G30, E58, E6