Economic Development Strategies in the Dominican Republic

The paper documents the economic development strategies pursued by the Dominican Republic. The study argues that the country’s success results from the implementation of a three-pronged economic development strategy. The first prong relates to diversifying production and the second to developing special economic zones. These zones operate in parallel fashion to the rest of the economy but with protections from domestic impediments to growth and progress. The third item in the recipe involves maintaining ample economic and social engagement with the rest of the world. The paper also highlights challenges that the country faces going forward.economic development strategies, primary commodities, special economic zones, economic openness, Dominican Republic

ANALISIS KEMAMPUAN KONEKSI MATEMATIS SISWA SMP DI KOTA BANDUNG PADA MATERI SPLDV

This study aims to determine how the students mathematical connection skills in the school solve SPLDV questions related to daily life. The method used in this research is qualitative descriptive. The subject in this study is class VIII SMP. The number of students used in this study amounted to 26 students. The data collection was in the form of an essay test instrument consisting of 3 items. Research data processing is done by measuring the percentage of each indicator in connection capability. The results if this study indicate that grade VIII students at the school have good mathematical connection skills in completing questions in the SPLDV materia

The Role of Clinical Supervision: Teaching Basic Obstetric Ultrasound for Undergraduate Medical Students

This study aimed to find the impact of clinical supervision on the achievement of medical student competence in basic obstetric ultrasound examination skills by using DOPS as the assessment method. Students’ knowledge related to basic obstetric ultrasound examination in the beginning and in the end of their 10 weeks clinical rotation in Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology were assessed by using pre-test and post-test questionnaire. By employing mixed methods, one group pre and post-test design was positioned to assess student knowledge, one group post-test design to assess student’s skills achievement and qualitative study to explore student perception about the new learning method we offered. The collected data were analyzed with computer program; means and standard deviation were calculated as descriptive parameters. Parametric test were used to test the hypothesis. The pre-post results were compared by using Wilcoxon test. The results showed a significant difference in the score of pre-test and post-test. Qualitative data showed positive perception. Clinical supervision as teaching method together with learning media in the form of module and ultrasound video gave positive result to improve achievement of student’s competence in basic obstetric ultrasound examination skills

PROFIL LUARAN MATERNAL DAN NEONATAL SERTA IDENTIFIKASI EKSPRESI GEN SFLT-1 PADA PASIEN PREEKLAMPSIA DI KOTA JAMBI

Pendahuluan: Preeklampsia merupakan kondisi spesifik pada kehamilan yang ditandai dengan adanya disfungsi plasenta dan respon maternal terhadap adanya inflamasi sistemik dan kerusakan endotel. Diagnosis preeklampsia ditegakkan berdasarkan adanya hipertensi dan proteinuria pada usia kehamilan diatas 20 minggu. Patogenesis preeklampsia sangat kompleks, banyak gen yang ikut terlibat dalam patogenesis preeklampsia, diantaranya adalah SFlt-1 yang disekresikan plasenta dalam keadaan hipoksia. Faktor risiko lain yang juga berpengaruh pada kejadian preeklampsia adalah usia ibu dan status gravida. Kondisi preeklampsia akan berefek kepada kondisi perkembangan janin selama kehamilan, termasuk persalinan prematuritas. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui profil luaran maternal dan neonatal serta ekspresi gen SFlt-1 pada pasien preeklampsia di Kota Jambi.Metode: Penelitian ini adalah penelitian deskriptif observasional menggunakan metode crossectional, yang menjadi sampel pada penelitian ini adalah ibu hamil yang memenuhi kriteria dengan cara pengambilan sampel secara purposive sampling. Ekspresi mRNA yang akan dinilai diekstrak dari jaringan plasenta pasien preeklampsia pada saat terminasi kehamilan. ekspresi gen dinilai secara kuantitatif menggunakan realtime PCR.Hasil: Untuk profil usia ibu pada pasien preeklampsia didapatkan lebih banyak ibu dengan usia berisiko tinggi (52%) dan primigravida (56%) yang mengalami preeklampsia dan, luaran neonatal didapatkan bayi dengan BBLR (28%) serta ekspresi gen sFlt-1 didapatkan ΔΔcq -2.89 pada usia kelahiran, -3.27 pada usia ibu, 0.80 pada status gravida untuk pasien preeklampsia.Kesimpulan: profil usia ibu lebih banyak ibu dengan usia risiko tinggi, kelahiran preterm dan primigravida pada pasien preeklampsia. Pada preeklampsia didapatkan luaran neonatal yaitu BBLR. Ekspresi gen sFlt-1 meningkat pada pasien preeklampsia

The Development of the Basic Obstetric Ultrasound Learning Media for Undergraduate Medical Students

Current medical education curriculum refers to the Indonesian Medical Doctor’s Standard of Competence 2012. Competencies are detailed in seven general areas of competence to be achieved by medical students. This study focused on the development of learning media in the form of guide book and video related to the basic obstetric ultrasound examination and its influence in improving student’s knowledge of basic obstetric examination skills. A quantitative method used to see the effectiveness of the learning media that we developed. Twenty-one under graduate medical students who undertook clinical rotation in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology participated in this study through completing the pre-post student’s questionnaires to assess the students' knowledge before and after the delivery of learning media. The collected data were analyzed with a computer program; Means and Standard Deviation were calculated as descriptive parameters. Parametric tests were used to test the hypotheses. The pre-post results were compared using the Wilcoxon statistical test. The results showed a significant difference in the score of pretest and posttest. There was an increase in the average score of pretest and posttest for students after obtaining the teaching media and clinical supervision. The value of each individual was also increased. The analysis with the Wilcoxon statistical test showed significant differences which mean that there were improvements on student’s knowledge of basic obstetric examination skills after the delivery of guide book and video. The use of teaching media in the form of basic obstetric ultrasound module and video contributed to positive results to improve the student’s knowledge

The role of the Jotello F. Soga Library in the digital preservation of South African veterinary history

The history of veterinary science in South Africa can only be appreciated, studied, researched and passed on to coming generations if historical sources are readily available. In most countries, material and sources with historical value are often difficult to locate, dispersed over a large area and not part of the conventional book and journal literature. The Faculty of Veterinary Science of the University of Pretoria and its library has access to a large collection of historical sources. The collection consists of photographs, photographic slides, documents, proceedings, posters, audio-visual material, postcards and other memorabilia. Other institutions in the country are also approached if relevant sources are identified in their collections. The University of Pretoria’s institutional repository, UPSpace, was launched in 2006. This provided the Jotello F. Soga Library with the opportunity to fill the repository with relevant digitised collections of diverse heritage and learning resources that can contribute to the long-term preservation and accessibility of historical veterinary sources. These collections are available for use not only by historians and researchers in South Africa but also elsewhere in Africa and the rest of the world. Important historical collections such as the Arnold Theiler collection, the Jotello F. Soga collection and collections of the Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research and the Journal of the South African Veterinary Association are highlighted. The benefits of an open access digital repository, the importance of collaboration across the veterinary community and other prerequisites for the sustainability of a digitisation project and the importance of metadata to enhance accessibility are covered.http://www.jsava.co.zacp201

The value of art therapy in antenatal and postnatal care: A brief literature review with recommendations for future research

There is a very small body of literature addressing the use of the arts or art therapy in antenatal and post-natal care, and much of it is qualitative, including some rich and complex data which is worthy of discussion and consideration. Overall, it points to a promising use of supportive and therapeutic arts in this area. This article presents some background on the use of the arts specifically focusing on post-natal depression and birth trauma. It then moves on to present a brief survey of literature in the field, followed by some further reflections and discussion about further research needed to establish clinical utility and economic viability.N/

The role of the Jotello F. Soga Library in the digital preservation of South African veterinary history

The history of veterinary science in South Africa can only be appreciated, studied, researched and passed on to coming generations if historical sources are readily available. In most countries, material and sources with historical value are often difficult to locate, dispersed over a large area and not part of the conventional book and journal literature. The Faculty of Veterinary Science of the University of Pretoria and its library has access to a large collection of historical sources. The collection consists of photographs, photographic slides, documents, proceedings, posters, audio-visual material, postcards and other memorabilia. Other institutions in the country are also approached if relevant sources are identified in their collections. The University of Pretoria’s institutional repository, UPSpace, was launched in 2006. This provided the Jotello F. Soga Library with the opportunity to fill the repository with relevant digitised collections of diverse heritage and learning resources that can contribute to the long-term preservation and accessibility of historical veterinary sources. These collections are available for use not only by historians and researchers in South Africa but also elsewhere in Africa and the rest of the world. Important historical collections such as the Arnold Theiler collection, the Jotello F. Soga collection and collections of the Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research and the Journal of the South African Veterinary Association are highlighted. The benefits of an open access digital repository, the importance of collaboration across the veterinary community and other prerequisites for the sustainability of a digitisation project and the importance of metadata to enhance accessibility are covered.http://www.jsava.co.zacp201

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Teenage Pregnancy: Perspectives from Teens and Community Members in Connecticut

BACKGROUND: Teenage pregnancy has negative consequences for mother and baby, for example, high school drop out and low birth weight, respectively. Overall, Connecticut (CT) has one of the lowest teen pregnancy rates in the United States. However, a great disparity exists between whites and other ethnicities. Black teens are 4 – 5 times as likely to give birth than their white counterparts and Latino teens are 8 times as likely to give birth as white teens. Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE) has identified this disparity and seeks the assistance of our research team in developing targets and programming to prevent teen pregnancies. METHODS: Teen focus groups and key informant interviews were used to examine barriers to teen birth reduction among ethnic minorities in three cities (Hartford, New London, and New Haven, CT). We develop ed an action plan for PPSNE that identifies potential barriers to preventing teenage pregnancy, identifies potential community partnerships , and includes population attributable risk estimation s to demonstrate potential decreases in teen pregnancy by race/ethnicity. RESULTS: Three focus group sessions were completed with a total of 22 adolescent participants (14 females and 8 males) between the ages of 15 and 21. Focus group respondents attributed teen pregnancy to desire for pregnancy, perceived invincibility, lack of knowledge/sexual education and family precedent. The teens indicated that a more substantial presence from peer educators and improved sex education in schools could have an impact on reducing teen pregnancy in minorities. Two key informant interviews with community organization staff members revealed overlapping themes of inadequate education, inadequate support to stay in school, and lack of support for pregnancy prevention programs. Overall, respondents had positive perceptions of Planned Parenthood. IMPLICATIONS: Results from this research will provide information to PPSNE regarding the necessary steps to design programs aimed at reducing disparities in teen birth rates in Connecticut. By focusing on Black and Latino teens, we hope to facilitate the development of culturally competent initiatives that result in the elimination of disparities surrounding teen births. Partnership development between PPSNE and community organizations can foster successful and sustainable programs in our populations of interest.https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/ysph_pbchrr/1038/thumbnail.jp