Self-Serving Dictators and Economic Growth

A new line of theoretical and empirical literature emphasizes the pivotal role of fair institutions for growth. We present a model, a laboratory experiment, and a simple cross-country regression supporting this view. We model an economy with an unequal distribution of property rights, in which individuals can free-ride or cooperate. Experimentally we observe a dramatic drop in cooperation (and growth), when inequality is increased by a selfserving dictator. No such effect is observed when the inequality is increased by a fair procedure. Our regression analysis provides basic macroeconomic support for the adverse growth effect of the interaction between the degree and the genesis of inequality. We conclude that economies giving equal opportunities to all are not likely to suffer retarded growth due to inequality in the way economies with self-serving dictators will.inequality, corruption, weak institutions, growth, intentions, dynamic public goods

Play-Based Learning: Benefits and Challenges of its Implementation

This study explores how Eritrean pre-school educators viewed and conceptualized play-based learning (PBL), the benefits, and challenges of its implementation. A semi-structured interview was conducted with nine teachers, six principals, and two pre-primary education curriculum developers. Interviews were thematically analyzed. The study found discrepancies between participants’ views and their implementation. Our findings indicate that most of the participants viewed PBL as incorporating both free-play and guided play. However, the result of this study revealed that free play cannot effectively be used as an instrument to teach lessons that have specific academic objectives such as numeracy and literacy skills. Besides, the researchers sought to investigate the actual practices of PBL and the study found that majority of educators were placed at the Child Adult Involvement Continuum extremes, free-play, and direct instruction. Furthermore, the result revealed that various challenges were teachers face as they try to implement PBL, but the most common barrier discussed by interviewees was the lack of awareness of parents and principals towards PBL. Finally, the study concluded that the reason teachers lie at the two extremes of the Child Adults Involvement Continuum could be due to their views towards PBL, and its benefits and the challenges they face in implementing it

Climate Change Perception and Adaptation Practices of Gondar City Administration Office Workers, Ethiopia

Purpose- Cities and their residents are affected by climate change, the poor are more vulnerable to consequences of climate extremes and variability increases. Climate change mitigation and adaptation are challenges that face cities. City administration offices can contribute positively in mitigating climate change impact if workers have right perception.  This study focus on determining the perception of Gondar City administration workers on climate change impact, organizational adaptation capacity and adaptation works. Factors associated with adaptation practices of climate change impact were also determined. Design/methodology/approach- A cross sectional study design was implemented among Gondar city administration workers. Findings- Majority of workers in City of Gondar administration offices were aware of climate change and its impact. Adaptation capacity of the city administration was relatively low; which results unavailability of adaptation plans and minimal works done on climate change adaptation. The study also revealed that adaptation capacity of Gondar city administration offices was associated with the practicality of adaptation activities within the city. Originality/value- This paper will be of value to city management and policy developers looking in to mainstream climate change adaptation in Ethiopia at City level. Key words:Awareness, Perception, Climate change adaptation, Adaptation capacit

Self-serving dictators and economic growth

We study the effect of fair institutions on growth. In our model, individuals are endowed with unequal entitlements to the economy's output. They can free-ride or cooperate. Cooperation is individually costly, but increases aggregate output and growth. Experimentally, we observe significantly less cooperation, when dictators chose high instead of low inequality. This effect is not observed when the degree of inequality is chosen randomly. Simple cross-country regressions provide basic macroeconomic support for interaction effects between the degree and the genesis of inequality. We conclude that economies granting equal opportunities are less likely to suffer retarded growth due to free-riding than economies with self-serving dictators

Methodological Issues in Multistage Genome-Wide Association Studies

Because of the high cost of commercial genotyping chip technologies, many investigations have used a two-stage design for genome-wide association studies, using part of the sample for an initial discovery of ``promising'' SNPs at a less stringent significance level and the remainder in a joint analysis of just these SNPs using custom genotyping. Typical cost savings of about 50% are possible with this design to obtain comparable levels of overall type I error and power by using about half the sample for stage I and carrying about 0.1% of SNPs forward to the second stage, the optimal design depending primarily upon the ratio of costs per genotype for stages I and II. However, with the rapidly declining costs of the commercial panels, the generally low observed ORs of current studies, and many studies aiming to test multiple hypotheses and multiple endpoints, many investigators are abandoning the two-stage design in favor of simply genotyping all available subjects using a standard high-density panel. Concern is sometimes raised about the absence of a ``replication'' panel in this approach, as required by some high-profile journals, but it must be appreciated that the two-stage design is not a discovery/replication design but simply a more efficient design for discovery using a joint analysis of the data from both stages. Once a subset of highly-significant associations has been discovered, a truly independent ``exact replication'' study is needed in a similar population of the same promising SNPs using similar methods.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/09-STS288 the Statistical Science (http://www.imstat.org/sts/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

Prevalence and antibiogram of Escherichia coli O157 isolated from bovine in Jimma, Ethiopia: abattoirbased survey

E. coli O157 is an important serotype that caused many food borne outbreaks worldwide in the past decades. This study was carried out to estimate the prevalence and determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of E. coli O157 isolated from bovine carcasses and cecal contents at one abattoir in Jimma. A total of 300 samples from bovine carcass swabs(n=150) and cecal contents(n=150) were examined to identify E. coli O157 by ISO 17604:2005 method and by using Dry spot E. coli O157 latex test kit. Susceptibility to panels of 9 antimicrobial agents for all 25 E. coli O157 isolates was examined The overall prevalence of E. coli O157 from bovine carcass swabs and cecal contents were 9.3% and 7.3%, respectively. All E. coli O157 isolates were susceptible to chloramphenicol, ceftriaxone, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, tetracycline and 96% of the isolates were susceptible to amoxacillin-clavulanic acid. Twenty-eight, 24% and 20% of the isolates were resistant to amikacin, streptomycin and cephalothin respectively. In conclusion, considerable proportions of bovine carcasses and cecal contents in the current study harbored drug resistant E. coli O157 and pose a significant public health risk. Attention must be given during post mortem examination and evisceration to avoid contamination of carcasses.Keywords: Abattoir; Antimicrobial susceptibility; Carcass; Cecal content; E. coli O157; Jimma; Prevalenc

Hospital Waste Handler’s Knowledge of Health care Waste Management at Gondar University Hospital: An institutional-based cross-sectional study

AbstractBackground: Improper management of infectious waste is associated with various occupational infections and injuries. Among healthcare workers, waste handlers have the highest incidence of exposure to biomedical waste. Limited knowledge toward handling healthcare waste is a major cause for improper handling of healthcare waste. The objective of this study was to measure the level of hospital waste handlers’ knowledge of healthcare waste management and identify factors associated with their level of knowledgeMethods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among waste handlers at Gondar University Hospital, Ethiopia from May to June 2017. A stratified sampling technique was used to select 152 study participants. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using structured questionnaires to collect data from respondents. The data was analyzed using logistic regression model to identify influencing factors on the level of knowledge of waste handlers on healthcare waste management.Results: A total of 152hospital waste handlers participated in this study. The proportion of waste handlers who had a good knowledge of healthcare waste management at Gondar University Hospital was48%.The findings of the study indicated educational level, working department and work experience as factors that were significantly associated with hospital waste handlers’ level of knowledge about healthcare waste management in the hospital.Conclusion: Waste handlers working at Gondar University Hospital exhibit low levels of knowledge about health care waste management compared to other developing countries. Educational level, working department and work experience were influencing factors on hospital waste handlers’ level of knowledge about health care waste management. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2018;32(4):243-248]Keywords: Hospital waste handlers, biomedical waste, healthcare waste management, Gondar University Hospital, Ethiopi

Level of faecal coliform contamination of drinking water sources and its associated risk factors in rural settings of north Gondar Zone, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional community based study

Background: Today, close to a billion people mostl living in the developing world do not have access to safe and adequate water. Several studies in Ethiopia indicate that the majority of the drinking water sources had coliform count beyond the WHO standard. Therefore, Regular quality control mechanisms need to be in place. The objective of this study is therefore to determine the level of faecal coliform contamination of drinking water and its associated factors in North Gondar Zone, Ethiopia.Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in rural parts of North Gondar Zone from April to July, 2016. Water samples were taken from water sources using standardized water sampling techniques. Face-to-face interview with structured questionnaires were used to collect socio-economic and behavioral data. Univariate and multivariate analyses were done using logistic regression models.Results: A total of 736 households participated in the study. The prevalence of positive faecal coliform at water sources in North Gondar Zone was found to be 56.5% (n=416) with [95% CI (53-60)]. In multivariate analysis, educational status [(AOR): 0.28, 95% CI (0.1-0.8], sanitary risk of contamination [AOR): 513,95%CI (51-511)] and water shortage experience [AOR: 0.25, 95% CI (0.12-0.5)] are variables identified as predictors for faecal coliform contamination of water in the source.Conclusion: In this study, the prevalence of positive faecal coliform at water source was high. Educational status, sanitary Risk of contamination at the water source, water shortage experience had significant associations with the presence of faecal coliform in drinking water sources.Keywords: Water quality, Risk factors, Colifor

Work-related Stress and Associated Factors among Academic Staffs at the University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia: An Institutionbased Cross-sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Work-related stress is described as a physiological and psychological reaction to the harmful aspects of workplace content. Current evidence indicates that the world of education is a highly stressful occupation. However, in academicians in sub-Saharan African countries, such as Ethiopia,the prevalence and contributing factors are not well studied. This study was, therefore, aimed at filling this gap.METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April 2018. Stratified sampling technique was used to select 535 study participants. To measure work-related stress, we used the pre-tested and structured self-administered University and College Union stress questionnaire. Finally, a significant association was established at p< 0.05 and adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) in the multivariable model.RESULTS: The overall prevalence of work-related stress in 12 months was 60.4% [95% CI (57.4, 63.5%)].The multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that smoking cigarette (AOR:2.84, 95% CI (1.25, 6.50), high job demand (AOR: 3.27, 95% CI(2.05, 5.21), low job control (AOR:2.25, 95% CI (1.21, 4.20) and age < 28 (AOR:0.25, 95% CI (0.10, 0.63) were the factors associated with work-related stress.CONCLUSION: The prevalence of work-related stress was high. Furthermore, higher emphasis required on job demand, job control, and cigarette smoking to ease the burden of work-related stress factors. This research, therefore, recommended that other causes of WRS, such as working conditions and further large-scale study, be considered for future research

REAL-TIME SENSOR DATA ANALYTICS AND VISUALIZATION IN CLOUD-BASED SYSTEMS FOR FOREST ENVIRONMENT MONITORING

Forest environment monitoring is essential for natural resource management. The development of sensors using across forests enables for the collection massive volumes of data due to technological improvements in the sensor network. Raspberry Pi, a flexible and inexpensive single-board computer, is at the main of the system, connecting and interfacing with the many sensors spread throughout the system. Sensors such as this can collect crucial information about the forest's environment, such as the weather, humidity, and temperature. Data from various sensors can be acquired and processed in real-time due to Raspberry Pi's role as a data collection device. The system uses cloud-based services to overcome the limitations of on-premises data processing and storage. A fusion technique on the cloud platform combines and analyzes data from various sensors after receiving transmissions from Raspberry Pi. The cloud service provides a location for live monitoring and other visualization which greatly help data in real-time. These visuals can be accessed remotely, allowing users to access the forest from any location. Improved comprehension and control of forest environments are possible because of the combination of various technologies for collecting, analyzing, and evaluating sensor data