Evaluation of the Population and Poverty Research Initiative (PopPov)

Since 2005, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, with collaboration and co-funding from research councils in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, and Norway and from the World Bank, has invested in a portfolio of social science research on the relationship between population dynamics and micro- and macroeconomic outcomes. It is known as the Population and Poverty Research Initiative (PopPov), and its geographic focus is on subSaharan Africa (SSA). The starting premises that led to the development of PopPov were that evidence showing that population dynamics could affect economic outcomes might increase the interest of ministers of finance in funding population policies and that they might be most convinced by rigorous research done by respected economists. The core aim of the program has been to build (or, in some cases, rebuild) and advance the field of economic demography, orienting the work toward research that would be relevant for policy and would increase recognition by economic policymakers of the value of lowering the rate of population growth and investing in family planning (FP). The program also aimed to strengthen the capacity of researchers in SSA. The PopPov initiative tried to achieve these aims through four main components: (1) grants to support research on PopPov core topics of interest, (2) fellowships to support graduate students preparing their doctoral dissertations, (3) conferences and workshops to support the development of networking opportunities, and (4) other dissemination activities. PopPov has funded 56 doctoral fellows and, together with its partners, has supported 61 research projects. Seven international conferences and additional workshops have been held, and there have been several other dissemination activities. The Population Reference Bureau (PRB) and the Center for Global Development (CGD) have been the secretariats for PopPov. Since 2008, the Institute of International Education (IIE) has administered the fellowship program.In November 2012, to help guide its decisions about both the substance and means of future investments, the foundation issued a request for proposals (RFP) for an evaluation of PopPov. The RAND Corporation was selected to conduct the evaluation

Repeat Migration in the United States: Who Moves Back and Who Moves on?

Migration often occurs more than once in an individual's lifetime. Many people may move back to the location where they were born after a stay in another area, or they may move on to yet another new location. In this paper the migrant's location-specific capital and information costs are examined, and empirical findings for the United States are presented and discussed

Acequia: Culture of Water between Irrigation and Community photographs by Donatella Davanzo, Herzstein Latin American Reading Room Gallery, September 15 - October 27, 2011

Exhibit Poster - Acequia: Culture of Water between Irrigation and Community photographs by Donatella Davanzo, Herzstein Latin American Reading Room Gallery, September 15 - October 27, 2011https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/ias_exhibits/1005/thumbnail.jp

The Role of Consumer Knowledge of Insurance Benefits in the Demand for Preventative Health

In 1992, the United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced new insurance coverage for two preventive services influenza vaccinations and mammograms. Economists typically assume transactions occur with perfect information and foresight. As a test of the value of information, we estimate the effect of consumer knowledge of these benefits on their demand. Treating knowledge as endogenous in a two-part model of demand, we find that consumer knowledge has a substantial positive effect on the use of preventive services. Our findings suggest that strategies to educate the insured Medicare population about coverage of preventive services may have substantial social value.

Oh! why does he not look at me? why cannot I speak to him? : Indirectness in Three Novels by Jane Austen

In this thesis, I focus on several encounters from Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Persuasion. Each encounter is characterized by patterns of specific behaviors on the part of each text’s heroine. I examine these patterns of behavior and argue that they function as filters for allowing the heroines to resist directness. The filters are particularly valuable because, as sociologist Erving Goffman shows, directness amplifies threats of social and emotional vulnerabilities. In Chapter I, “Evasions of Emotion in Sense and Sensibility,” I argue that Elinor’s encounters are typified by patterns of behavior designed to avoid, suppress, and deny emotion. I analyze the filter of evasion with respect to Goffman’s concepts of face-work and the avoidance process. In Chapter II, “Meta-Conversations in Pride and Prejudice,” I show that Elizabeth’s encounters are characterized by defensive behaviors and strategies that create shifts in Elizabeth’s conversations from discussing her social and emotional statuses to debating the structures and strengths of logic and argument. I consider the filter of the meta-conversation in conjunction with Goffman’s concepts of face-work, the avoidance process, and the corrective process. In Chapter III, “Interpretations of Hints in Persuasion,” I claim that Anne’s encounters are driven by verbal and non-verbal forms of indirect communication as well as the use of hint, which Goffman explicates and analyzes in his research. In each chapter, I examine the behaviors that characterize these heroines’ encounters as mechanisms that protect the characters from attacks to their faces and, consequently, to their emotions. The analyses of the encounters in this thesis show the various means by which Austen’s heroines recognize and protect their own emotional vulnerability

The Effects of Desoxycorticosterone Trimethylacetate, Desoxycorticosterone Acetate, Cortisone Acetate, and Adrenalectomy on the Liver Succinoxidase and Glutamic Dehydrogenase Activity of Rats Fed 3\u27-Methyl-4-Dimethylaminoazobenzene (3\u27-Me-DAB)

Experimental production of liver cancer by means of azo dyes is a standardized and convenient method for study of the cancer problem. The rat is the animal of choice for this type of experimentation because this animal is readily susceptible to liver carcinogenesis upon being fed azo dyes. Mice are only partially susceptible and rabbits and guinea pigs will not develop cancer of the liver by ingestion of the azo dyes (E. C. Miller and J. A. Miller, 1947, p.473). The liver, likewise, is an appropriate organ for study. Enzymologists and cytologists today regard the liver cell as the best known somatic cell. The structure and function of the liver are well understood and amendable to experimentation. Its response to dietary changes, to endocrine changes, and to toxic agents has been thoroughly investigated. Indeed, endeavor from these and various other fields are beginning to become co-ordinated and to fit into a logical pattern that helps explain the enigma of the carcinogenic process

Practical Paradise: Ethics for a Modern Age

This play demonstrates an interpretation of Nietzsche\u27s philosophy in practice. The main character experiences loss and confusion, however, through this struggle arrives at a discovery of profound truth. If you\u27ve ever wondered how to live your life in the best way possible, the main character believes he\u27s found the answer

Surveillance of paediatric exposures to liquid laundry detergent pods in Italy

Objective To analyse paediatric exposures to pod and traditional laundry detergents in Italy and changes in exposure trends. Methods Analyses of a series of patients aged <5 years and exposed to laundry detergents between September 2010 and June 2015, identified by the National Poison Control in Milan. Results In comparison with patients exposed to traditional laundry detergents (n=1150), a higher proportion of those exposed to pods (n=1649) were managed in hospital (68% vs 42%), had clinical effects (75% vs 22%) and moderate/high severity outcomes (13% vs <1%). Exposure rates were stable over time for traditional detergents (average 0.65 cases/day), but an abrupt decline in major company pods was seen in December 2012, 4 months after the introduction of opaque outer packaging (from 1.03 to 0.36 cases/day and from 1.88 to 0.86 cases/million units sold). The odds of clinical effects was higher for exposure to pods than for traditional detergents (OR=10.8; 95% CI 9.0 to 12.9). Among patients exposed to pods, the odds of moderate/high severity outcomes was four times higher for children aged <1 years than for the other age groups (OR=3.9; 95% CI 2.2 to 7.0). Ten children exposed to laundry detergent pods had high severity outcomes while no children exposed to traditional laundry detergents developed high severity effects. Conclusions The study confirms that exposure to laundry detergent pods is more dangerous than exposure to traditional detergents. In Italy, 4 months after the introduction of opaque outer packaging by a major company, product-specific exposure rates decreased sharply, suggesting that reducing visibility of laundry detergent pods may be an effective preventive measure. Further efforts are needed to improve safety

Digitization of industrial quality control procedures applied to visual and geometrical inspections

Mestrado de dupla diplomação com a UTFPR - Universidade Tecnológica Federal do ParanáIndustries quality control procedures are usually dependent on gauge inspection tools, and these tools are used to inspect visual and geometrical tolerance conformity. Operators are guided during an inspection by using paper tutorials that assist them in performing their tasks and registering the result of the performed analysis. This traditional method of registering information may be misleading, lowering the effectiveness of the quality control by providing inaccurate and error-prone inspection results. This work implements a system that uses emergent technologies (e.g., Human-Machine Interfaces, Virtual Reality, Distributed Systems, Cloud Computing, and Internet of Things (IoT)) to propose a costeffective solution that supports operators and quality control managers in the realization and data collection of gauge inspection control procedures. The final system was deployed in an industrial production plant, with the delivered results showing its efficiency, robustness, and highly positive feedback from the operators and managers. The software may offer a quicker and efficient execution of analysis tasks, significantly decreasing the setup time required to change the inspected product reference

Controversies in Breastfeeding

When addressing the compatibility of breastfeeding with certain maternal conditions, we need to differentiate between “contraindication” and “obstacle.” Failure to distinguish between the two confuses new mothers and their families, and engenders misconceptions about breastfeeding advice by health professionals. Health conditions that may simply impede the initiation and duration of breastfeeding are often wrongly referred to as true contraindications to breastfeed, under the assumption that they might harm the health of the mother and/or that of the nursing infant. Here, we discuss several topics, including breast surgery, prolactinoma, concurrent new pregnancy, hormonal contraception, and use of medications and contrast agents, that continue to raise controversy. While most conditions appear to be compatible with breastfeeding, the major determinants of a woman's final choice of whether to nurse her infant or not are the attitude of health professionals and the state of mind of being an informed mother