221 research outputs found
The export performance of emerging economy firms: the influence of firm capabilities and institutional environments
We advance a two-stage theoretical model which contends that the export performance of emerging economy firms (EEFs) will depend both upon their firm-specific capabilities and their home institutional environments. Specifically, we argue that EEFs will be more likely to export when facing more uncertainty at home from greater political instability, substantial informal competition, and high corruption. Furthermore, we hypothesize that firmsâ export intensities will be contingent upon specialized internal capabilities such as a skilled workforce, top managerial experience, and access to external technologies. We test these hypotheses using a dataset of more than 16,000 firms from the four BRIC economies (i.e., Brazil, Russia, China and India). Our results confirm that political instability and informal competition have robust effects on the export propensity of EEFs, whilst export intensity is contingent upon the availability of skilled workers and access to external technologies via licensing
Application of GIS on Environmental Degradation Due to the Offshoots of Highway Development Projects: Central Ethiopian Highlands
Physical land degradation after road building has been observed in Central Ethiopian highlands through gully erosion. In this research work by using a number of methods such as Field observation, gully measurement, GIS technique, the 1997 and 2006 topomap and socio-economic questionnaires, the impacts of the road on land degradation has been studied. It investigates how highway construction in the Ethiopian Highlands affects the gully erosion risk by quantifying the catchment area before and after road construction, the number of gullies created, and its characteristics in two selected cases: Addis Ababa-Fiche and Addis Ababa-Ambo. Accordingly; since the building of the road, 17 new gullies were created immediately down slope of the studied road segments and 8 other gullies at a radical change in its dimensions. The average catchment area is now 58.28 hectares and 74.52 on the road segments of Fiche and Ambo respectively, which is significantly different (p<0.001) from the average pre-road catchment area of 8.45 and 14.52 hectares (paired average). The total surface area occupied by gullies in the side of Fiche road and in the side of Ambo road transects was about 63,892.6 m2 and 59,214.25 m2 respectively. The volume of soil loss was calculated between 12,530.38 m3 and 71,420 m3 from each road segments. The result of statistical analysis indicates that variation of the gully length contributed 95% of variation in the volume of soil loss. The Gully density (5.7m/ha to 14.06m/ha) implies that the sampled roadside areas were moderately to severely degraded. The damages and associated problems of the gullies, as explained by farmers, include loss of land, dissection of farms, and deposition of sediments on growing crops and in extreme cases putting agricultural fields out of production. Hence roads should be designed in a way that keeps runoff interception, concentration and deviation minimal. Techniques must be used to spread concentrated runoff in space and time and to increase its infiltration instead of directing it straight onto unprotected slopes.Key words: Gully erosion Risk, catchment area, Road design, Ecological destruction
Self-cleaning on a higher order mode in ytterbium-doped multimode fiber with parabolic profile
We experimentally demonstrate polarization-dependent Kerr spatial beam self-cleaning into the LP11 mode of an Ytterbium-doped multimode optical fiber with parabolic gain and refractive index profiles
Consequences of gender-based violence on female high school students in eastern Ethiopia
Gender-based violence (GBV) is a significant global public health problem and adversely impacts the physical and mental health of women. This study aimed to determine the consequences of GBV (including sexual, physical, emotional, and overall GBV) on female high school students in eastern Ethiopia. An institutional-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1,199 female high school students in eastern Ethiopia using a self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Chi-square tests were used to analyse the data. This study revealed that more than half (55%) of the study participants had experienced any type of GBV during their lifetime. There were statistically significant differences between the educational status and childhood residence of participants who experienced and participants who did not experience sexual violence, physical violence, emotional violence, and any type of GBV in their lifetime (p<0.001). Students who had experienced sexual violence during their lifetime reported consequences of physical health, including swelling around genitalia (33.7%), unusual vaginal discharge (30.7%), and injury around the genitalia (23.9%). Mental health consequences included self-blame (35.7%), and anxiety (23.3%). Educational consequences included poor school performance (36.1%), absenteeism (34.6%), and dropout (28.9%). Students who had experienced any type of GBV during their lifetime reported consequences of physical violence, including poor school performance (18.7%), and withdrawal from school (9.0%). The main perpetrators of any type of GBV were reported to be family members, students, or boyfriends/husbands. GBV is a severe public health problem among female high school students. Primary and secondary prevention is vital to curb the consequences of GBV.
La violence basĂ©e sur le genre (VBG) est un problĂšme de santĂ© publique mondial important et a un impact nĂ©gatif sur la santĂ© physique et mentale des femmes. Cette Ă©tude visait Ă dĂ©terminer les consĂ©quences de la VBG (y compris sexuelle, physique, Ă©motionnelle et globale) sur les lycĂ©ennes de l'est de l'Ăthiopie. Une enquĂȘte transversale en milieu institutionnel a Ă©tĂ© menĂ©e auprĂšs de 1 199 lycĂ©ennes dans l'est de l'Ăthiopie Ă l'aide d'un questionnaire auto-administrĂ©. Des statistiques descriptives ont Ă©tĂ© calculĂ©es. Des tests du chi carrĂ© ont Ă©tĂ© utilisĂ©s pour analyser les donnĂ©es. Cette Ă©tude a rĂ©vĂ©lĂ© que plus de la moitiĂ© (55 %) des participants Ă l'Ă©tude avaient subi tout type de VBG au cours de leur vie. Il y avait des diffĂ©rences statistiquement significatives entre le statut scolaire et la rĂ©sidence d'enfance des participants qui ont subi et des participants qui n'ont pas subi de violence sexuelle, de violence physique, de violence Ă©motionnelle et de tout type de VBG au cours de leur vie (p<0,001). Les Ă©lĂšves qui ont subi des violences sexuelles au cours de leur vie ont signalĂ© des consĂ©quences sur leur santĂ© physique, notamment un gonflement autour des organes gĂ©nitaux (33,7 %), des pertes vaginales inhabituelles (30,7%) et des blessures autour des organes gĂ©nitaux (23,9 %). Les consĂ©quences sur la santĂ© mentale comprenaient l'auto-accusation (35,7%) et l'anxiĂ©tĂ© (23,3 %). Les consĂ©quences sur l'Ă©ducation comprenaient de mauvais rĂ©sultats scolaires (36, %), l'absentĂ©isme (34,6 %) et le dĂ©crochage (28,9 %). Les Ă©lĂšves qui ont subi tout type de VBG au cours de leur vie ont signalĂ© les consĂ©quences de la violence physique, notamment de mauvais rĂ©sultats scolaires (18,7 %) et le retrait de l'Ă©cole (9,0 %). Les principaux auteurs de tout type de VBG seraient des membres de la famille, des Ă©tudiants ou des petits amis/maris. La VBG est un grave problĂšme de santĂ© publique chez les lycĂ©ennes. La prĂ©vention primaire et secondaire est vitale pour freiner les consĂ©quences de la VBG
Podoconiosis and soil-transmitted helminths (STHs): double burden of neglected tropical diseases in Wolaita zone, rural southern Ethiopia
Background
Both podoconiosis and soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections occur among barefoot people in areas of extreme poverty; however, their co-morbidity has not previously been investigated. We explored the overlap of STH infection and podoconiosis in Southern Ethiopia and quantified their separate and combined effects on prevalent anemia and hemoglobin levels in podoconiosis patients and health controls from the same area.
Methods and Principal Findings
A two-part comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in Wolaita zone, southern Ethiopia. Data were collected from adult patients presenting with clinically confirmed podoconiosis, and unmatched adult neighborhood controls living in the same administrative area. Information on demographic and selected lifestyle factors was collected using interviewer-administered questionnaires. Stool samples were collected and examined qualitatively using the modified formalin-ether sedimentation method. Hemoglobin level was determined using two different methods: hemoglobinometer and automated hematology analyzer. A total of 913 study subjects (677 podoconiosis patients and 236 controls) participated. The prevalence of any STH infection was 47.6% among patients and 33.1% among controls (p<0.001). The prevalence of both hookworm and Trichuris trichiura infections was significantly higher in podoconiosis patients than in controls (AOR 1.74, 95% CI 1.25 to2.42, AOR 6.53, 95% CI 2.34 to 18.22, respectively). Not wearing shoes and being a farmer remained significant independent predictors of infection with any STH. There was a significant interaction between STH infection and podoconiosis on reduction of hemoglobin level (interaction p value = 0.002).
Conclusions
Prevalence of any STH and hookworm infection was higher among podoconiosis patients than among controls. A significant reduction in hemoglobin level was observed among podoconiosis patients co-infected with hookworm and ânon-hookworm STHâ. Promotion of consistent shoe-wearing practices may have double advantages in controlling both podoconiosis and hookworm infection in the study area
Neck pain following laminoplasty
Cervical laminoplasty, a surgical technique pioneered in Japan, is used increasingly in the United States. Axial neck pain following laminoplasty has been previously reported.1â9 This concern over postoperative neck pain may deter som
The âBig Sixâ: Hidden Emerging Foodborne Bacterial Pathogens
Non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are emerging serogroups that often result in diseases ranging from diarrhea to severe hemorrhagic colitis in humans. The most common non-O157 STEC are O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145. These serogroups are known by the name âbig sixâ because they cause severe illness and death in humans and the United States Department of Agriculture declared these serogroups as food contaminants. The lack of fast and efficient diagnostic methods exacerbates the public impact of the disease caused by these serogroups. Numerous outbreaks have been reported globally and most of these outbreaks were caused by ingestion of contaminated food or water as well as direct contact with reservoirs. Livestock harbor a variety of non-O157 STEC serovars that can contaminate meat and dairy products, or water sources when used for irrigation. Hence, effective control and prevention approaches are required to safeguard the public from infections. This review addresses the disease characteristics, reservoirs, the source of infections, the transmission of the disease, and major outbreaks associated with the six serogroups (âbig sixâ) of non-O157 STEC encountered all over the glob
Enhanced real-time pose estimation for closed-loop robotic manipulation of magnetically actuated capsule endoscopes
Pose estimation methods for robotically guided magnetic actuation of capsule endoscopes have recently enabled trajectory following and automation of repetitive endoscopic maneuvers. However, these methods face significant challenges in their path to clinical adoption including the presence of regions of magnetic field singularity, where the accuracy of the system degrades, and the need for accurate initialization of the capsule's pose. In particular, the singularity problem exists for any pose estimation method that utilizes a single source of magnetic field if the method does not rely on the motion of the magnet to obtain multiple measurements from different vantage points. We analyze the workspace of such pose estimation methods with the use of the point-dipole magnetic field model and show that singular regions exist in areas where the capsule is nominally located during magnetic actuation. Since the dipole model can approximate most magnetic field sources, the problem discussed herein pertains to a wider set of pose estimation techniques. We then propose a novel hybrid approach employing static and time-varying magnetic field sources and show that this system has no regions of singularity. The proposed system was experimentally validated for accuracy, workspace size, update rate and performance in regions of magnetic singularity. The system performed as well or better than prior pose estimation methods without requiring accurate initialization and was robust to magnetic singularity. Experimental demonstration of closed-loop control of a tethered magnetic device utilizing the developed pose estimation technique is provided to ascertain its suitability for robotically guided capsule endoscopy. Hence, advances in closed-loop control and intelligent automation of magnetically actuated capsule endoscopes can be further pursued toward clinical realization by employing this pose estimation system
HIV prevalence and risk factors in infants born to HIV positive mothers, measured by dried blood spot real-time PCR assay in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia
Tigray Regional Health Bureau and Mekelle University funding for this research. The funding body did not have any role in study design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation of data or in writing the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Prevalence and risk factors of Hepatitis C among individuals presenting to HIV testing centers, Hawassa city, Southern Ethiopia
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hepatitis C virus (HCV), either alone or in combination with Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV), constitutes a major public health concern. This study was conducted to describe the prevalence and risk factors for HCV infection in people with and without HIV infection.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Blood samples and data on socio-demographic and risk factors for HCV infection were collected from consecutive 400 HIV- positive and 400 HIV- negative individuals attending HIV testing centers in Hawassa city, from October to December, 2008. All sera were tested for antibody to HCV infection (anti-HCV) using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Sera positive for anti-HCV were further tested for viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) levels using real-time polymerase chain reaction.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The rate of anti-HCV positivity was 10.5% in the HIV- infected individuals compared with 6% in the HIV negative group (p = 0.002). HCV-RNA was detected in 9.1% of anti-HCV positive samples and rates were comparable between HIV- infected and HIV<b>- </b>non<b>-</b>infected individuals. There was no significant difference in odds of HCV infection in participants with and without HCV risk factors in either HIV sero-group.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>HIV infected individuals had significantly higher rate of anti-HCV although most of them showed no evidence of viraemia. Hence, while priority should be given for HIV infected patients, testing those with anti-HCV for HCV-RNA remains important.</p
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