Bridging the rural productivity gap in Nicaragua

By providing the option of working in town, bridges allow villagers to generate income even when times are bad, thereby freeing up resources to be spent on productive farm activities, write Wyatt Brooks (Arizona State University) and Kevin Donovan (Yale University). One of the fundamental features of lower-income countries is the low productivity of isolated, rural areas. In Nicaragua, as ... Continue

China’s industrial policy fosters collusion

China’s economic growth is often attributed to the rapid proliferation of special economic zones (SEZ). New research suggests that gains to firms arising from the preferential tax and regulatory incentives for locating inside an SEZ, may come at a cost to consumers. Clustering may equally promote competition and collusion among firms in SEZs; could benefits from collusion outweigh the costs

The Association Between Therapists' Attachment Security and Mentalizing Capacity

Aims: The review examines the evidence that parents’ mentalizing predicts infant attachment security. Method: Studies were included if they examined primary care-givers’ mentalizing, defined as the capacity to understand mental states underlying behaviour, and infants’ attachment status. Results: Nine studies met criteria for review. Mentalizing was conceptualised and measured in different ways, including: reflective function (n = 1), maternal reflective function (n = 2), mind-mindedness (n = 5) and insightfulness (n = 1). Conclusion: The studies suggest that care-givers’ attachment contributes to infants’ attachment security. The evidence is limited however by the small number of studies, small sample sizes and methodological and conceptual differences between studies. Moreover mentalizing alone appears unlikely to account fully for the intergenerational transmission of attachment

Cash Transfers as a Response to COVID-19: A Randomized Experiment in Kenya

We deliver an unconditional cash transfer equal to one month’s average profit to a randomly selected group of Kenyan female microenterprise owners in May 2020 at the outset of exponential growth in COVID-19 cases. Firm profit, inventory spending, and food expenditures increased relative to a control group. Entrepreneurs recovered about one third of the profit lost during the crisis. The transfers caused greater business activity by inducing previously closed businesses to re-open. PPE spending and precautionary management practices increase to mitigate this effect, but only among those who perceive major health risk from COVID-19. The results suggest cash transfers promoted economic stabilization during the crisis, but may work against the public health goal of reducing interpersonal interaction

Constraints on the ionizing flux emitted by T Tauri stars

We present the results of an analysis of ultraviolet observations of T Tauri Stars (TTS). By analysing emission measures taken from the literature we derive rates of ionizing photons from the chromospheres of 5 classical TTS in the range ~10^41-10^44 photons/s, although these values are subject to large uncertainties. We propose that the HeII/CIV line ratio can be used as a reddening-independent indicator of the hardness of the ultraviolet spectrum emitted by TTS. By studying this line ratio in a much larger sample of objects we find evidence for an ionizing flux which does not decrease, and may even increase, as TTS evolve. This implies that a significant fraction of the ionizing flux from TTS is not powered by the accretion of disc material onto the central object, and we discuss the significance of this result and its implications for models of disc evolution. The presence of a significant ionizing flux in the later stages of circumstellar disc evolution provides an important new constraint on disc photoevaporation models.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Foraminal Ligaments Tether Upper Cervical Nerve Roots: A Potential Cause of Postoperative C5 Palsy.

Background Nerve root tethering upon dorsal spinal cord (SC) migration has been proposed as a potential mechanism for postoperative C5 palsy (C5P). To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate this relationship by anatomically comparing C5-C6 nerve root translation before and after root untethering by cutting the cervical foraminal ligaments (FL). Objective The aim of this study is to determine if C5 root untethering through FL cutting results in increased root translation. Methods Six cadaveric dissections were performed. Nerve roots were exposed via C4-C6 corpectomies and supraclavicular brachial plexus exposure. Pins were inserted into the C5-C6 roots and adjacent foraminal tubercle. Translation was measured as the distance between pins after the SC was dorsally displaced 5 mm before and after FL cutting. Clinical feasibility of FL release was examined by comparing root translation between standard and extended (complete foraminal decompression) foraminotomies. Translation of root levels before and after FL cutting was compared by two-way repeated measures analysis of variance. Statistical significance was set at 0.05. Results Significantly more nerve root translation was observed if the FL was cut versus not-cut, p = 0.001; no difference was seen between levels, p = 0.33. Performing an extended cervical foraminotomy was technically feasible allowing complete FL release and root untethering, whereas a standard foraminotomy did not. Conclusion FL tether upper cervical nerve roots in their foramina; cutting these ligaments untethers the root and increases translation suggesting they could be harmful in the context of C5P. Further investigation is required examining the value of root untethering in the context of C5P

"Go make your face known": collaborative working through the lens of personal relationships

Background: Collaborative working between professionals is a key component of integrated care. The academic literature on it largely focuses either on integration between health and social care or on the dynamics of power and identity between doctors and nurses. With the proliferation and extension of nursing roles, there is a need to examine collaborative working amongst different types of nurses. Method: This study explored experiences of collaborative working amongst generalist and specialist nurses, in community and acute settings. We carried out semi-structured interviews, incorporating the Pictor technique, with 45 nurses, plus 33 other key stakeholders. Transcripts were analysed using Template Analysis. This article focuses on one major thematic area that emerged from the analysis: the significance of interpersonal relationships amongst nurses, and between them and other professionals, patients and carers. Results: Relationship issues were ubiquitous in participants’ accounts of collaborative working. Good personal relationships facilitated collaboration; face-to-face interaction was especially valued. Relationships were recognized as requiring effort, especially in new roles. Organisational changes could disrupt productive personal networks. Conclusion: Relationship issues are integral to successful collaborative working. Policy and practice leaders must take this into account in future service developments. Further research into collaborative relationships in different settings is needed

Interpreting the public interest : A survey of professional accountants

The accounting profession, like all professions, has a commitment to advance the interests of the general community, as well as those they are contractually bound to serve. Providing services altruistically, at times without compensation, is a salient feature of the public interest ideal. A review of the literature indicates that the profession has abandoned its public interest role so that serving self-interest now appears to have primacy ( Bédard 2001 ; Canning and O\u27Dwyer 2001 ; Parker 1994 ; Saravanamuthu 2004 ). The aim of this paper is to examine members\u27 interpretation of the public interest ideal and to elicit their perceptions on issues arising from the literature. The results of a survey to members of CPA Australia indicate that members can iterate the formal definition of the public interest, but their application of the public interest in conflict of interest situations is inconsistent with this definition

Macaque models of human infectious disease.

Macaques have served as models for more than 70 human infectious diseases of diverse etiologies, including a multitude of agents-bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, prions. The remarkable diversity of human infectious diseases that have been modeled in the macaque includes global, childhood, and tropical diseases as well as newly emergent, sexually transmitted, oncogenic, degenerative neurologic, potential bioterrorism, and miscellaneous other diseases. Historically, macaques played a major role in establishing the etiology of yellow fever, polio, and prion diseases. With rare exceptions (Chagas disease, bartonellosis), all of the infectious diseases in this review are of Old World origin. Perhaps most surprising is the large number of tropical (16), newly emergent (7), and bioterrorism diseases (9) that have been modeled in macaques. Many of these human diseases (e.g., AIDS, hepatitis E, bartonellosis) are a consequence of zoonotic infection. However, infectious agents of certain diseases, including measles and tuberculosis, can sometimes go both ways, and thus several human pathogens are threats to nonhuman primates including macaques. Through experimental studies in macaques, researchers have gained insight into pathogenic mechanisms and novel treatment and vaccine approaches for many human infectious diseases, most notably acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which is caused by infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Other infectious agents for which macaques have been a uniquely valuable resource for biomedical research, and particularly vaccinology, include influenza virus, paramyxoviruses, flaviviruses, arenaviruses, hepatitis E virus, papillomavirus, smallpox virus, Mycobacteria, Bacillus anthracis, Helicobacter pylori, Yersinia pestis, and Plasmodium species. This review summarizes the extensive past and present research on macaque models of human infectious disease