Allocating and Funding Universal Service Obligations in a Competitive Network Market

We examine, in a network market open to competition, various mechanisms of allocating and funding ''universal service obligations'' among agents (rival operators and consumers). The obligations we consider are geographic ubiquity and non discrimination. We analyze, from both the efficiency and equity point of views, the respective advantages of a ''restricted-entry'' system (where the entrant is not allowed to serve high cost consumers) and the ''pay or play'' system at work for instance in Australia. We show that the pay or play regulation always dominates the restricted-entry regulation under ubiquity constraint alone. This result no longer holds when the regulator imposes also the non discrimination constraint.

Female labor supply and child care

We use household income tax data to estimate a structural model of female labor supply and utilization of paid child care outside the home. We find that child care costs have little impact on the participation decision of mothers of young children. However, they influence hours of work, as well as the decision to utilize paid child care. We use our results to simulate various policy reforms. Suppressing the APE (Parental Education Aid) would cause the participation rate in our sample to rise by 4 points and the proportion of mothers using outside paid care to rise by 2 points. Examining the effects on aggregate female labor supply of other policies that affect child care costs, we generally find that intensive effects caused by changes in working time are of the same order of magnitude as extensive effects due to changes in female participation.Child Care, female labor supply, fiscal policies

Révolution numérique dans le bâtiment: : analyse des gains escomptés par la diffusion des outils numériques (BIM et maquette numérique) dans le secteur du bâtiment.

Afin de répondre aux grands enjeux du secteur du bâtiment (qualité, productivité, performance énergétique), les acteurs de cette filière misent aujourd’hui sur les technologies de l’information et de la communication. Le BIM («Building Information Modeling»), déjà adopté dans de nombreux pays étrangers, semble un outil très prometteur. Face à cette compétitivité internationale, le gouvernement français s'est emparé du sujet BIM, en créant fin 2014 le Plan de Transition du Numérique dans le Bâtiment (PTNB). Aussi se posent diverses questions afin de permettre le déploiement du BIM à l'échelle nationale. Comment diffuser le BIM en France? Quels sont les gains et freins escomptés par sa diffusion? Quel est le rôle des pouvoirs publics

Structural basis for different substrate profiles of two closely related class D β-lactamases and their inhibition by halogens

OXA-163 and OXA-48 are closely related class D β-lactamases that exhibit different substrate profiles. OXA-163 hydrolyzes oxyimino-cephalosporins, particularly ceftazidime, while OXA-48 prefers carbapenem substrates. OXA-163 differs from OXA-48 by one substitution (S212D) in the active-site β5 strand and a four-amino acid deletion (214-RIEP-217) in the loop connecting the β5 and β6 strands. Although the structure of OXA-48 has been determined, the structure of OXA-163 is unknown. To further understand the basis for their different substrate specificities, we performed enzyme kinetic analysis, inhibition assays, X-ray crystallography, and molecular modeling. The results confirm the carbapenemase nature of OXA-48 and the ability of OXA-163 to hydrolyze the oxyimino-cephalosporin ceftazidime. The crystal structure of OXA-163 determined at 1.72 Å resolution reveals an expanded active site compared to that of OXA-48, which allows the bulky substrate ceftazidime to be accommodated. The structural differences with OXA-48, which cannot hydrolyze ceftazidime, provide a rationale for the change in substrate specificity between the enzymes. OXA-163 also crystallized under another condition that included iodide. The crystal structure determined at 2.87 Å resolution revealed iodide in the active site accompanied by several significant conformational changes, including a distortion of the β5 strand, decarboxylation of Lys73, and distortion of the substrate-binding site. Further studies showed that both OXA-163 and OXA-48 are inhibited in the presence of iodide. In addition, OXA-10, which is not a member of the OXA-48-like family, is also inhibited by iodide. These findings provide a molecular basis for the hydrolysis of ceftazidime by OXA-163 and, more broadly, show how minor sequence changes can profoundly alter the active-site configuration and thereby affect the substrate profile of an enzyme

Midday measurements of leaf water potential and stomatal conductance are highly correlated with daily water use of Thompson Seedless grapevines

A study was conducted to determine the relationship between midday measurements of vine water status and daily water use of grapevines measured with a weighing lysimeter. Water applications to the vines were terminated on August 24th for 9 days and again on September 14th for 22 days. Daily water use of the vines in the lysimeter (ETLYS) was approximately 40 L vine−1 (5.3 mm) prior to turning the pump off, and it decreased to 22.3 L vine−1 by September 2nd. Pre-dawn leaf water potential (ΨPD) and midday Ψl on August 24th were −0.075 and −0.76 MPa, respectively, with midday Ψl decreasing to −1.28 MPa on September 2nd. Leaf g s decreased from ~500 to ~200 mmol m−2 s−1 during the two dry-down periods. Midday measurements of g s and Ψl were significantly correlated with one another (r = 0.96) and both with ETLYS/ETo (r = ~0.9). The decreases in Ψl, g s, and ETLYS/ETo in this study were also a linear function of the decrease in volumetric soil water content. The results indicate that even modest water stress can greatly reduce grapevine water use and that short-term measures of vine water status taken at midday are a reflection of daily grapevine water us

Fatores que influenciam o diagnóstico tardio em pacientes com VIH atendidos no Centro de Saúde de Ndlavela, Maputo - Moçambique

Introdução: Mundialmente, há francos progressos na luta contra a infeção por VIH. No entanto, alguns desafios permanecem incluindo a alta prevalência do diagnóstico tardio, mesmo após a disponibilização generalizada dos testes de diagnóstico. As desvantagens do diagnóstico tardio são inúmeras, desde a redução da sobrevida da pessoa infetada, aumento da suscetibilidade às infeções oportunistas e maior risco de transmissão da infeção. Assim, o diagnóstico tardio constitui um dos grandes desafios para o controle da pandemia do VIH. Objetivo: Analisar os fatores que influenciam o diagnóstico tardio da infeção por VIH em pacientes atendidos no Centro de Saúde de Ndlavela, Moçambique. Metodologia: Trata-se de um estudo transversal retrospetivo, realizado no Centro de Saúde de Ndlavela que incluiu pacientes diagnosticados com VIH diagnosticados entre 2015 e 2020. Para este estudo usou-se a definição da European Late Presenter Consensus working group, que considera diagnóstico tardio de VIH, o indivíduo que no momento do diagnóstico tiver uma contagem de linfócitos TCD4+ inferiores a 350 céls/μL ou, independentemente da contagem dos linfócitos, apresentar alguma doença definidora da SIDA. A amostra foi selecionada através da abordagem por conveniência. A regressão logística bivariada e multivariada foi utilizada para identificação dos fatores associados ao diagnóstico tardio, pelo cálculo do Odds Ratio Bruto (OR) e Odds Ratio Ajustado (ORa), respetivamente. Resultados: Um total de 519 participantes foram incluídos na pesquisa, sendo que cerca de 47% foram classificados como diagnóstico tardio da infeção por VIH. O sexo masculino [ORa=2,41 95% IC (1,85-4,35)], a faixa etária dos 35-49 anos [ORa=1,49 95% IC (1,05– 2,97)], diagnóstico feito aquando do início dos sintomas [ORa=4,03 95% IC (2,60-6,15)], teste iniciado pelo provedor de saúde [ORa 2,19 95% IC (1,87 – 3,04)] e medo de estigma [ORa=2,80 95% IC (1,47-3,36)] foram os principais fatores de risco para o diagnóstico tardio da infeção. Conclusão: Neste estudo foram identificados fatores sociodemográficos, comportamentais e psicossociais potencialmente determinantes para o diagnóstico tardio da infeção por VIH. São necessárias ações que promovam a redução do diagnóstico tardio, centrando-se nos fatores de risco e grupos populacionais com maior probabilidade para o diagnóstico tardio.Introduction: There are progresses in the fight against HIV worldwide, however, challenges persist in the control of this infection. Including the high prevalence of late diagnosis, even after the widespread of diagnostic tests. The disadvantages of late diagnosis are tremendous, from reduced survival of the infected person, increased susceptibility to opportunistic infections and the risk of transmitting the infection. Therefore, late diagnosis is one of the major challenges for controlling the HIV pandemic. Objective: Analyze the factors that influence the late diagnosis of HIV infection in patients seen at the Ndlavela Health Center, Mozambique. Methodology: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study, carried out at the Ndlavela Health Center include patients diagnosed with HIV between 2015-2020. For this study, the European Late Presenter Consensus working group definition was used, which considers late HIV diagnosis, the individual who at the time of diagnosis has a TCD4 + lymphocyte count below 350 cells / μL or, regardless of the lymphocyte count, has an AIDS-defining illness. The sample was selected using the convenience approach. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with late diagnosis Odds Ratio (OR) and Adjusted Odds Ratio (ORa) respectively. Results: A total of 519 participants were included in the survey, nearly 47% of participants were classified as late diagnosed. The male gender [ORa=2.41 95% CI (1.85-4.35)], the age group of 35-49 years old [ORa=1.49 95% CI (1.05-2.95)], diagnosis done when symptoms started [ORa=4.03 95% CI (2.60-6.15)], test initiated by the health professional [ORa=2.19 95% CI (1.87-3.04)] and fear of stigma [ORa=2.80 95% CI (1.47 - 3.36)] were the main risk factors for the late diagnosis of the infection. Conclusion: In this study, socio-demographic and psychosocial behavioral factors that were potentially determinant for the late diagnosis of HIV infection were identified. Actions are needed to promote the reduction of late diagnosis, focusing on risk factors and population groups most likely to delay diagnosis

Online OBE-CQI tool for engineering programmes / Mohaiyedin Idris, Mohd Affandi Shafie and Liaw Shun Chone

In Malaysia, the Engineering Accreditation Council (EAC) has directed all engineering programmes especially at tertiary institutions to apply and implement outcome based education (OBE) in their teaching and learning system. One of the elements in the implementation of OBE is monitoring of the continuous quality improvement (CQI) of the courses every semester. Presently, the delivery format of the CQI reporting in most universities mainly uses close-loop method which is very much paper-based. The effect of using paper-based task in the process of gathering and filling information for CQI reporting purpose is a long and tedious one. This long process would incur time wastage, disorganisation and confusion in the data collection, sharing process and security of the documents. Based on these issues, an online OBE-CQI tool has been designed whereby the usage of client (instructor)-server method is to enable the instructor to transfer the details of CQI content into the server via network. Besides the interaction between server and instructor, the graphical user interface (GUI) is designed as a component to control all activities of filing the details of the CQI report such as CQI-Authorised, CQI-Possible Issue, CQI-Possible Solution, COs and POs overall marks score. From the results obtained by implementing the system (tools), all the CQI information stored in digital format becomes more systematic and easily accessible anytime in the network

Enhancing learning of foreign languages through film subtitling / Liaw Shun Chone … [et al.]

The learning of foreign languages has always been a daunting task for both learners and educators. The existing learning tools do not cater for effective foreign language learning. FoLLetS courseware attempts to address this problem by incorporating audio, visual and text (via subtitles). In using FoLLetS, learners have autonomy in the learning process. In this study, 30 elementary learners of French, Mandarin and Japanese evaluated the courseware and the majority found it useful in enhancing their learning of foreign languages through film subtitling. They also provided comments on the strengths and weaknesses of the courseware

Gendered-Linked Differences in Speech Styles: Analysing Linguistic and Gender in the Malaysian Context

This study aims to look at the differences in speech styles of Malaysian men and women. The assertion that women and men typically employ different linguistic style is pursued in a wide range of studies. There is significant interest in the sociolinguistic variation associated with the speaker’s gender. Over the last few years there has been an explosion of research in this field. Research conducted to date in anthropology and education clearly states that gender-specific patterns of behavior remain relevant factors and important social variables to be analyzed through the most common cultural codes of society, which is its language. Turning to linguistic differences between women and men, there do seem to be linguistic features that are stereotypically associated with men and women, and there is a large measure of agreement about the association of such features with one of the other gender. Gender is the term used to describe socially constructed categories based on sex. Most societies operate in terms of two genders, masculine and feminine, and it is tempting to treat the category of gender as a simple binary opposition. This paper limits itself to describe language use, in particular the different usage of women and men as speakers. Particular attention is given to the usage of five linguistic features; questions, hedges, adjectives, verbosity and politeness. Subsequent discussion of language of women and men will be presented in sociolinguistic terms.Key words: speech styles, linguistic, gender, hedges, sociolinguisticsRésumé: Cette étude vise à examiner les différences dans les styles de discours des hommes et des femmes malaisiens. L'affirmation que les femmes et les hommes emploient généralement des styles linguistiques différents est poursuivie dans un large éventail d'études. Il y a un intérêt significatif dans la variation sociolinguistique associée au sexe du locuteur. Au cours des dernières années, il y a eu une explosion des recherches dans ce domaine. Les recherches menées à ce jour dans l'anthropologie et l'éducation montre clairement que des modèles spécifiques de comportement des sexes restent des facteurs pertinents et des variables sociales importantes à être analysées à travers les codes culturels les plus courants de la société, c’est-à-dire la langue. Quant aux différences linguistiques entre les femmes et les hommes, il semble qu’il y a des éléments linguistiques stéréotypiquement associés aux hommes et aux femmes, et qu’il y a un vaste accord sur l'association de ces caractéristiques avec l'un de l'autre sexe. Le genre est le terme utilisé pour décrire les catégories socialement construites fondées sur le sexe. La plupart des sociétés marchent en fonction de deux genres, masculin et féminin, et il est tentant de traiter la catégorie des sexes comme une opposition binaire simple. Le présent article se limite à décrire l'usage des langues, notamment l'usage différent des femmes et des hommes en tant que locuteurs. Une attention particulière est accordée à l'utilisation de cinq caractéristiques linguistiques, c’est-à-dire les questions, les haies, les adjectifs, la verbosité et la politesse. Les discussions subséquentes de la langue des femmes et des hommes sera présentées en termes sociolinguistiques.Mots-Clés: style de discours, linguistique, sexe, refuge, sociolinguistiqu