Trade Liberalization and Employment

This paper reviews both multi-country and country studies on the impact of trade liberalization on growth and employment in developing countries. These studies reveal sharply contrasting effects of trade liberalization on employment, suggesting that country-specific and contingent factors are important. In particular, differences in how trade liberalization is implemented are particularly important. In order to be successful, trade liberalization needs to be embedded within a coherent set of macroeconomic, structural and social policies.employment, wage differentials, trade liberalization, developing countries

The International Labour Organization and the Quest for Social Justice, 1919-2009

[Excerpt] This book explores some of the main ideas which the ILO has seized, developed and applied, examines their history and tells how they were pursued in different geographical and historical settings. And, since the ILO revolves around ideas, that helps us understand why the ILO has sometimes thrived, sometimes suffered, but always survived and persisted to pursue its goals through the political and economic upheavals of the last 90 years

The social impact of globalisation in the developing countries

In this paper an ex-post measurable definition of globalisation has been used, namely increasing trade openness and FDI. A general result is that the optimistic Heckscher-Ohlin/Stolper-Samuelson predictions do not apply, that is neither employment creation nor the decrease in within-country inequality are automatically assured by increasing trade and FDI. The other main findings of the paper are that: 1) The employment effect can be very diverse in different areas of the world, giving raise to concentration and marginalisation phenomena; 2) Increasing trade and FDI do not emerge as the main culprits of increasing within-country income innequality in DCs, although some evidence emerges that import of capital goods may imply an increase in innequality via skill-biased technological change; 3) Increasing trade seems to foster economic growth and absolute poverty alleviation, although some important counter-examples emerge

ICU-acquired weakness: what is preventing its rehabilitation in critically ill patients?

Intensive care unit-acquired weakness (ICUAW) has been recognized as an important and persistent complication in survivors of critical illness. The absence of a consistent nomenclature and diagnostic criteria for ICUAW has made research in this area challenging. Although many risk factors have been identified, the data supporting their direct association have been controversial. Presently, there is a growing body of literature supporting the utility and benefit of early mobility in reducing the morbidity from ICUAW, but few centers have adopted this into their ICU procedures. Ultimately, the implementation of such a strategy would require a shift in the knowledge and culture within the ICU, and may be facilitated by novel technology and patient care strategies. The purpose of this article is to briefly review the diagnosis, risk factors, and management of ICUAW, and to discuss some of the barriers and novel treatments to improve outcomes for our ICU survivors

Rotational fluid flow experiment: WPI/MITRE advanced space design GASCAN 2

The design and implementation is examined of an electro-mechanical system for studying vortex behavior in a microgravity environment. Most of the existing equipment was revised and redesigned as necessary. Emphasis was placed on the documentation and integration of the mechanical and electrical subsystems. Project results include the reconfiguration and thorough testing of all the hardware subsystems, the implementation of an infrared gas entrainment detector, new signal processing circuitry for the ultrasonic fluid circulation device, improved prototype interface circuits, and software for overall control of experiment design operation

Characterization of Chronic Glucocorticoid Exposure on Natural Killer Cell Function: A Model for Stress Induced Alterations on the Epigenetic Landscape

Psychological stress can impact immune function through altered glucocorticoid production. Natural killer (NK) cells and their effector functions are particularly susceptible to both psychological stress as well as exogenous glucocorticoids. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of chronic glucocorticoid (GC) exposure on NK cells to investigate the immune dysregulation associated with periods of psychological stress. Chronic in vitro treatment of the NK92 cell line produced a dichotomous NK phenotype with enhanced proinflammatory cytokine production yet reduced NK cell lytic activity (NKCA). This dichotomy was at the individual cell level where mRNA and protein levels for proinflammatory cytokines increased while mRNA and protein levels for lytic molecules decreased. For the lytic molecules, reduced transcription related to recruitment of histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) with concomitant reduction in H3K9-acetylation (Ac). In contrast, IL-6 and IFN-g were primed for increased transcription upon cellular activation demonstrating increased H4K8Ac, increased accessibility of the chromatin structure, and concomitant loss of HDAC1 and HDAC3 at regulatory loci. These results demonstrate chronic GC exposure to impact NK effector function through the modification of the epigenetic status of NK effector genes through HDAC redistribution and subsequent epigenetic changes in a promoter specific manner. These observations were used to investigate the alterations in immune function during periods of psychological distress, at or within 10 days of cancer diagnosis. The diagnosis of breast cancer is attributed with increased stress, depressive mood, anxiety, mood and sleep disturbance. The perceived stress of cancer diagnosis was associated with increased daily cortisol production. A similar dichotomous immune phenotype characterized by decreased NKCA and enhanced proinflammatory cytokine production was observed in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of stressed individuals and was related to the increased activation of the HPA axis. Epigenetic analysis of PBMC demonstrated enhanced production of proinflammatory cytokines related to H3K9-acetylation within critical regulatory regions. Statistical analysis demonstrated that increased proinflammatory cytokine production by stress is partially mediated by promoter specific acetylation patterns on H3K9. In conjunction with pathways elucidated in vitro we conclude that epigenetic mechanisms regulate immune function during periods of psychological stress

Feasibility of the Every Moment Counts Initiative at a Southern Nevada Elementary School

Over the past 20 years, multiple legislative acts have been passed mandating support and services for the mental health needs of children and youth in schools; however, Nevada continues to rank last for the provision of such services. Children and youth who are mentally healthy are more likely to be successful in their homes, schools, and communities (Arbesman et al., 2013). Those who have increased mental health needs are more at risk for developmental and long-term consequences that jeopardize overall health and wellness, not to mention the immense effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on children and youth. With limited existing resources to improve these rankings, therein lies a need for improved support.Occupational therapy is well suited to address mental health challenges across the lifespan through the therapeutic use of occupations and activities in group and individual interventions. Every Moment Counts, a multi-pronged mental health promotion initiative created by a team of school-based occupational therapists, provides structured programming based on the public health approach to mental health to address positive mental health in the school setting. This capstone project aims to determine the feasibility of the Every Moment Counts initiative at Somerset Academy of Las Vegas – Stephanie Campus through program implementation, assessment of the environment, and faculty, staff, and student perceptions. Pre- and post-surveys and anecdotal feedback were used to analyze the changes in the school environment as perceived by participants. At the time of writing, due to time, space, and resource constraints, implementation of the Every Moment Counts program at Somerset Academy of Las Vegas – Stephanie Campus is not feasible without changes to the structure of programming and school environments

HKU SPACE handbook on effective teaching

Includes bibliographical references (p. 81-85)published_or_final_versionIntroduction - what makes a good teacher? 12 Teaching adults - the do's and don't's 91 The major characteristics of adult learners 33 Teaching techniques I - lecturing skills 134 Teaching techniques II - interactive learning inside the classroom 215 Teaching techniques III - learning activities outside the classroom 296 Fundamentals of student assessment 377 Handling difficult participants 498 The effective use of teaching equipment/technology 539 A brief introduction to educational theories 67Further readings 81Closing remarks 7