RURAL CREDIT RATIONING AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT BANKS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

A common problem in agricultural credit markets in developing countries is the coexistence of a competitive market equilibrium interest rate and credit rationing. The literature typically explains the existence of credit rationing in competitive credit markets using adverse selection and moral hazard. Unfortunately these analyses are not consistent with the empirical reality that developing countries deal with in terms of subsidized credit, especially in the agricultural sector. This paper presents an alternative explanation for credit rationing in the agricultural sector in developing countries based on the fact that the requested loans are usually for small amounts, with many farmers making applications. As a result, the costs of operation increase with the number of loans given, so that inefficiencies in credit allocation occur when national development banks are present. It is shown that credit rationing can be reduced if shutting-down the national development bank is a feasible policy. Two other cases show that a national development bank is welfare-improving if an incentive compatible contract is used.Financial Economics,

Space Storable Rocket Technology (SSRT) basic program

The Space Storable Rocket Technology Program (SSRT) was conducted to establish a technology for a new class of high performance and long life bipropellant engines using space storable propellants. The results are described. Task 1 evaluated several characteristics for a number of fuels to determine the best space storable fuel for use with LO2. The results indicated that LO2-N2H4 is the best propellant combination and provides the maximum mission/system capability maximum payload into GEO of satellites. Task 2 developed two models, performance and thermal. The performance model indicated the performance goal of specific impulse greater than or = 340 seconds (sigma = 204) could be achieved. The thermal model was developed and anchored to hot fire test data. Task 3 consisted of design, fabrication, and testing of a 200 lbf thrust test engine operating at a chamber pressure of 200 psia using LO2-N2H4. A total of 76 hot fire tests were conducted demonstrating performance greater than 340 (sigma = 204) which is a 25 second specific impulse improvement over the existing highest performance flight apogee type engines

Educational activities for students and citizens supporting the One-Health approach on antimicrobial resistance

Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security and development. Urgent action is needed at all levels of society to reduce the impact and spread of antibiotic resistance. For a more sustaining approach, education in children, college students, citizens and caregivers are essential. The One-Heath approach is a collaborative, multisectoral and transdisciplinary strategy in which, no single organizations or sector can address the issue of antimicrobial resistance at the human–environment interface alone. Within this strategy, education plays a central role. In this scoping review, we highlighted a range of learning activities on antibiotic resistance as part of the One-Health approach. In particular, those applications that can be introduced to a wide audience to help arrest the current crisis for the next generation. The review identifies a high number of teaching opportunities: board and role-play games, round tables, musicals, e-learning and environmental experiments to couple with more curricula and formal education to inform a diverse group of audiences

Educational activities for students and citizens supporting the one-health approach on antimicrobial resistance

Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security and development. Urgent action is needed at all levels of society to reduce the impact and spread of antibiotic resistance. For a more sustaining approach, education in children, college students, citizens and caregivers are essential. The One-Heath approach is a collaborative, multisectoral and transdisciplinary strategy in which, no single organizations or sector can address the issue of antimicrobial resistance at the human–environment interface alone. Within this strategy, education plays a central role. In this scoping review, we highlighted a range of learning activities on antibiotic resistance as part of the One-Health approach. In particular, those applications that can be introduced to a wide audience to help arrest the current crisis for the next generation. The review identifies a high number of teaching opportunities: board and role-play games, round tables, musicals, e-learning and environmental experiments to couple with more curricula and formal education to inform a diverse group of audiences

Cuantificación de elementos potencialmente tóxicos y otros analitos en suelos colindantes con fuentes geotérmicas en el bosque La Primavera

Se muestran los resultados obtenidos en el proyecto PAP: Cuantificación de elementos potencialmente tóxicos y otros analitos en suelos colindantes con fuentes geotérmicas en el Bosque la Primavera. Los resultados presentados se dividen en 3 partes principales, el cual consiste en resultados de propiedades físicas y fisicoquímicas de los suelos, en los cuales encontramos que las fuentes tienen temperaturas de alrededor de 60°C, lo que lo coloca como una fuente geotérmica de baja temperatura, también se pudo ver que los suelos son muy pobres en materia orgánica, menores a 1%, pero este número crece en los suelos aledaños de manera significativa. Se presentan también los resultados obtenidos con el análisis cualitativo, donde destacan la presencia de cobre y estaño en gran cantidad, así como la ausencia de boratos. Por último pero no menos importante están los análisis cuantitativos, donde destaca la ausencia de aluminio, el cual se creía que estaba presente en las muestras por falsos positivos obtenidos en trabajos anteriores, así pues se muestran las cantidades presentes fluoruros, los cuales son pequeñas, pero considerables en las extracciones acuosas, ya que son las que están en los límites permisibles ambientales, se muestran también los resultados para la cuantificación de cobre, el cual solo está presente en las fuentes geotérmicas, y que están dentro de los límites permisibles.ITESO, A.C

Cause of death estimation from verbal autopsies: is the open response redundant or synergistic?

Civil registration and vital statistics systems capture birth and death events to compile vital statistics and to provide legal rights to citizens. Vital statistics are a key factor in promoting public health policies and the health of the population. Medical certification of cause of death is the preferred source of cause of death information. However, two thirds of all deaths worldwide are not captured in routine mortality information systems and their cause of death is unknown. Verbal autopsy is an interim solution for estimating the cause of death distribution at the population level in the absence of medical certification. A Verbal Autopsy (VA) consists of an interview with the relative or the caregiver of the deceased. The VA includes both Closed Questions (CQs) with structured answer options, and an Open Response (OR) consisting of a free narrative of the events expressed in natural language and without any pre-determined structure. There are a number of automated systems to analyze the CQs to obtain cause specific mortality fractions with limited performance. We hypothesize that the incorporation of the text provided by the OR might convey relevant information to discern the CoD. The experimental layout compares existing Computer Coding Verbal Autopsy methods such as Tariff 2.0 with other approaches well suited to the processing of structured inputs as is the case of the CQs. Next, alternative approaches based on language models are employed to analyze the OR. Finally, we propose a new method with a bi-modal input that combines the CQs and the OR. Empirical results corroborated that the CoD prediction capability of the Tariff 2.0 algorithm is outperformed by our method taking into account the valuable information conveyed by the OR. As an added value, with this work we made available the software to enable the reproducibility of the results attained with a version implemented in R to make the comparison with Tariff 2.0 evident

Infant mental health home visiting therapists- fidelity to the Michigan IMH- HV model in community practice settings

Implementation research suggests that fidelity to a therapeutic model is important for enhancing outcomes, yet can be difficult to achieve in community practice settings. Furthermore, few published studies have reported on characteristics of treatment fidelity. The present study examined fidelity to the Infant Mental Health Home Visiting (IMH- HV) model among 51 therapists with a range of experience practicing in community settings across the state of Michigan. IMH therapists completed fidelity checklists after every session with participating families to track use of 15 treatment strategies central to the IMH- HV model across the 12- month study period. Results indicated that the most commonly endorsed components utilized in home visits were developmental guidance and infant- parent psychotherapy, followed by the provision of emotional support. Use of IMH- HV components did not vary over time for the entire sample; however, patterns of strategies used showed somewhat more variability among more experienced therapists and when serving higher risk families. Findings demonstrate that IMH- HV therapists report a range of adherence to the model in community settings, with greatest fidelity to several model core components. Ongoing training in the flexible use of all core strategies may further enhance fidelity and contribute to positive outcomes for caregivers and their children receiving IMH- HV services.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154900/1/imhj21839.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154900/2/imhj21839_am.pd

Pulmonary thromboembolism and alveolar hemorrhage as initial manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that affects multiple organs. SLE can affect the lung, the pulmonary vasculature, and the pleura. A 38-year-old female with limb pain and ecchymosis who later developed pulmonary thromboembolism and alveolar hemorrhage is presented here. Clinical, imaging, laboratory, and histopathological evidence is presented. The patient met the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for SLE. Furthermore, the patient had a Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) score of 35; thus, indicating severe disease. This case is an example of concomitant venous and arterial lung complications in an SLE patient

Extrafollicular Dermal Melanocyte Stem Cells and Melanoma

Recent studies suggest that extrafollicular dermal melanocyte stem cells (MSCs) persist after birth in the superficial nerve sheath of peripheral nerves and give rise to migratory melanocyte precursors when replacements for epidermal melanocytes are needed on the basal epidermal layer of the skin. If a damaged MSC or melanocyte precursor can be shown to be the primary origin of melanoma, targeted identification and eradication of it by antibody-based therapies will be the best method to treat melanoma and a very effective way to prevent its recurrence. Transcription factors and signaling pathways involved in MSC self-renewal, expansion and differentiation are reviewed. A model is presented to show how the detrimental effects of long-term UVA/UVB radiation on DNA and repair mechanisms in MSCs convert them to melanoma stem cells. Zebrafish have many advantages for investigating the role of MSCs in the development of melanoma. The signaling pathways regulating the development of MSCs in zebrafish are very similar to those found in humans and mice. The ability to easily manipulate the MSC population makes zebrafish an excellent model for studying how damage to MSCs may lead to melanoma

System of data recollection, analysis and transfer by NFC for transport systems

This paper shows the development and test of a prototype that collects and analyzes data of cycling trips, such as position, distance, speed, and travel time. This device was made to provide an extra security layer to the data transfer in embedded systems. The raw information that is produced by the project described in this paper is highly valued, so there is a need to record and transfer data in a secure way between electronic devices. The solution proposed in this project was based on the Near Field Communication (NFC) protocol to make the communication stage from an Electronic Control Unit to NFC tags, and then, the information stored in the tags can be read from smartphones that have an NFC module inside them. The data was generated from a Global Position System (GPS) module and antenna using the Haversine formula to calculate the distance between two geographical points, this considering the earth as a sphere to minimize the error produced taking the earth as a plane surface. A functional device that includes extra security of the data transfer in cycling trips, through NFC technology was successfully developed, however, future implementations can be extrapolated to other areas, such as the transportation sector