Valuation of the Indiana Toll Road and Chicago Skyway privatizations

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2010.Page 5 missing. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 151-153).This thesis analyzes the economics and financing of the recent purchases of the Indiana Toll Road and Chicago Skyway. Similar privatizations have been occurring around the world, but the economic motive for such transactions has been unclear. The analysis attempts to isolate the costs and benefits of such transactions as the transfer of the asset from public to private owner takes place. I examine whether the privatization would have been financially beneficial for the State of Indiana or the City of Chicago if it did not face budget constraints or political constraints on raising tolls. There seems to be significant disadvantage of such deals absent these constraints. I show this by computing value under various scenarios. After analyzing the results, I conclude by highlighting the policy implications for such privatization deals in future.by Faiza Arshad.M.C.P

EFFECTS OF REMITTANCES ON POVERTY REDUCTION: THE CASE OF INDONESIA

Remittances have been reported as a tool for fighting poverty in some selected countries, such as Indonesia. An increase of income through remittances tends to improve the economic status of the migrant’s household. Once they get a high salary, they will remit money (a remittance) to their household in Indonesia via formal institutions, such as banks.  The migrant’s household can fulfil their basic needs and can use the remittance for educational investment and productive activities. The education investment aims to educate the children or grandchildren of migrants, which will be beneficial for the future generations of the family, allowing them the chance of a more prosperous life. The poverty rate would be reduced gradually, and economic welfare can be achieved. The main objectives of this paper are first to estimate the effects of remittances on poverty in Indonesia from 1983 to 2015 and second, to propose several strategic policies related to remittances and poverty reduction. Other variables considered include inflation, exchange rates, income, income inequality and the labor force participation rate. An Ordinary Least Square (OLS) method was used to explore the econometric and estimated results. The study found that an increase in remittances led to a reduction in poverty by 2.56%. Inflation and the exchange rate have positive and negative effects on poverty, respectively. The small effect of remittances on poverty’s reduction could possibly be explained by the low educational background of the migrants, low wage jobs, expensive remittance costs, and migrants not knowing how to remit money through formal financial institutions. Hence, to reduce the poverty level, the government needs to first facilitate skills training for the workers so that they could get a better job and earn more, second, lower the transaction costs of remittances, and lastly, provide agents at Indonesian banks overseas to provide better facilities to Indonesian workers to remit money back to their home country

Incomplete miscarriage during the first trimester: a comparison of indoor versus outdoor procedure

Introduction: Miscarriage is defined as the natural death of a fetus inside the uterus. To remove complete conception material after a miscarriage, vacuum aspiration or dilatation & curettage are methods to remove uterine contents. Controversies exist regarding both procedures. So we conducted this study to confirm the more successful method. Objective: To compare the effectiveness of manual vacuum aspiration versus traditional evacuation and curettage (E & C) among females presenting with incomplete miscarriage during the first trimester of pregnancy Materials and Methods: This randomized controlled trial was done at the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Shalamar Hospital, Lahore for 6 months. Then the selected females were divided randomly into 2 equal groups. In group A, females had manual vacuum procedure while in group B, females had evacuation & curettage under general anesthesia. After 12 hours of the procedure, ultrasonography was done to confirm complete evacuation. Results: The mean age of the patients was 29.87 ± 6.71 years, the mean gestational age was 8.06 ± 2.82 weeks. The effectiveness was noted in 248 (91.85%) patients. Statistically, manual vacuum showed significantly more effective as compared to evacuation & curettage procedure in the management of incomplete miscarriage i.e. p-value = 0.008. Conclusion: It has been proved that manual vacuum aspiration is more effective than traditional evacuation & curettage in the management of incomplete miscarriage

Soluble transferrin receptor, Ferritin index in Pakistani population

Inflammation affects the reliability of ferritin. The serum level of transferrin receptor protein (sTfR) represents true demand of iron in the body. This study attempts to identify levels of sTfR and correlate the trends of sTfR/ferritin index with BMI in the population of Karachi. 132 gender matched volunteers between the ages of 20-60 years were recruited for this cross-sectional study. BMI was calculated using the formula: (weight in kg / height in m2). Following groups were made according to South Asian criteria of BMI; Group A: normal weight (18.0-22.9 kg/m2), Group B: overweight (23.0-24.9 kg/m2), Group C: obese ( \u3e 25.0 kg/m2). Serum ferritin, sTfR and CRP levels were determined using ELISA kits. Statistical comparisons were performed using Mann Whitney U and Spearman\u27s rank correlation, where p \u3c 0.05 was considered significant. The results identified increased in TIBC, sTfR, ferritin and CRP in obese as compared to normal weight individuals (p \u3c 0.001). sTfR/ferritin ratio was 0.822 which signifies increased risk of acute myocardial infarction in group C. Serum iron (r=-0.359,p=0.004) showed negative correlation with BMI while serum ferritin (r=0.237,p \u3c 0.001) and sTfR (r=0.263,p= 0.036) levels were positively associated to BMI. This study highlights a novel finding that sTfR is most likely a better clinical measure of iron status in inflammatory conditions as its expression is effected by erythropoiesis and not by inflammation. Risk of Acute myocardial infarction can also be predicted by increased sTfR/ferritin ratio

Comparison of neonatal respiratory morbidity in neonates delivered at term by elective caesarean section with and without antenatal Corticosteroid

Introduction:Performing elective caesarean section prior to 39 completed weeks,it can lead to breathing problems in neonates as compare to those, who are born through caesarean section without antenatal Corticosteroid. WHO recommends the administration of intramuscular corticosteroids either dexamethasone or betamethason (total 24mg in divided doses) in the antenatal period, when there is a risk of preterm birth. The advantages and disadvantages of a similar regimen given after 37 weeksof pregnancy prior to elective caesarean section (LSCS) to prevent respiratory morbidity in a newborn is yet a topic of discussion.In Pakistan still,many clinicians are doing caesarean section at 37 or 38 weeks without antenatal Corticosteroids. The rationale is to emphasize the use of steroidsbefore caesareanat 39 weeks. Objective:To compare neonatal respiratory distress in neonates delivered between 37 --38+6 weeks of gestation by elective caesarean section with and without antenatal Corticosteroid. Study design:Randomized controlled trial. Setting:Department of Gynae & Obstetrics, unit 2, Shalamar Hospital, Lahore. Duration:Six months from 12th September 2018 to 12th March 2019. Materials and Methods:The study included women who were, planned for elective LSCS at 37-38+6 weeks, divided into two groups .The sample size was 140 (70 in each group),recruited by non-probability consécutive sampling. Inclusion criteria were singleton pregnancy, at 37 to 38+6 weeks for elective LSCS due to indications like primi breech, previous caesarian scar/scars, and maternal wish. All eligible participants were allocated to one of the following groups. Group (A) received an injection of dexamethasone 48 to 72 hours before elective LSCS. Group (B), did not receive an injection of dexamethasone. The outcome to be measuredinthis study were the Apgar score at 1& 5 minutes, the incidence of transient tachpnea of the neonate (TTN) and respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in newborns,and the need for mechanical ventilation among neonates from two different groups. The data was collected and analyzed by SPSS version 20.Descriptive statistic were applied to calculate the mean and SD for age, gestation age & BMI. Student T-test was used to compare the continuous outcome measures. Neonatal respiratory morbidity was compared in two groups by using the chi-square test at the level of significance of 0.05.Results:Mean age in Group-A was 28.12± 5.6 and in Group-B was 28.97± 6.3 years. There was no statistically significant difference in these groups in termsof Body mass index, gestational age at the time of delivery, age of mother, birth weight, Apgar score at 1 and 5 min,and indications for cesarean section. Neonatal respiratory morbidity was higher in Group-B as compared to Group-A (30% vs.12.9%)p-value-0.013. Conclusion:Antenatal dexamethasone administration significantly reduces the respiratory morbidity among neonates delivered at 37 to 38+6by elective cesarean section. But further studies are required to assess the beneficial role of dexamethasone in the reduction of neonatal respiratory morbidity with a large sample size.Keywords:Neonatal respiratory morbidity, transient tachypnea of newborn, elective caesarean section, antenatal corticosteroids

Comparison of neonatal respiratory morbidity in neonates delivered at term by elective caesarean section with and without antenatal Corticosteroid

Introduction:Performing elective caesarean section prior to 39 completed weeks,it can lead to breathing problems in neonates as compare to those, who are born through caesarean section without antenatal Corticosteroid. WHO recommends the administration of intramuscular corticosteroids either dexamethasone or betamethason (total 24mg in divided doses) in the antenatal period, when there is a risk of preterm birth. The advantages and disadvantages of a similar regimen given after 37 weeksof pregnancy prior to elective caesarean section (LSCS) to prevent respiratory morbidity in a newborn is yet a topic of discussion.In Pakistan still,many clinicians are doing caesarean section at 37 or 38 weeks without antenatal Corticosteroids. The rationale is to emphasize the use of steroidsbefore caesareanat 39 weeks. Objective:To compare neonatal respiratory distress in neonates delivered between 37 --38+6 weeks of gestation by elective caesarean section with and without antenatal Corticosteroid. Study design:Randomized controlled trial. Setting:Department of Gynae & Obstetrics, unit 2, Shalamar Hospital, Lahore. Duration:Six months from 12th September 2018 to 12th March 2019. Materials and Methods:The study included women who were, planned for elective LSCS at 37-38+6 weeks, divided into two groups .The sample size was 140 (70 in each group),recruited by non-probability consécutive sampling. Inclusion criteria were singleton pregnancy, at 37 to 38+6 weeks for elective LSCS due to indications like primi breech, previous caesarian scar/scars, and maternal wish. All eligible participants were allocated to one of the following groups. Group (A) received an injection of dexamethasone 48 to 72 hours before elective LSCS. Group (B), did not receive an injection of dexamethasone. The outcome to be measuredinthis study were the Apgar score at 1& 5 minutes, the incidence of transient tachpnea of the neonate (TTN) and respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in newborns,and the need for mechanical ventilation among neonates from two different groups. The data was collected and analyzed by SPSS version 20.Descriptive statistic were applied to calculate the mean and SD for age, gestation age & BMI. Student T-test was used to compare the continuous outcome measures. Neonatal respiratory morbidity was compared in two groups by using the chi-square test at the level of significance of 0.05.Results:Mean age in Group-A was 28.12± 5.6 and in Group-B was 28.97± 6.3 years. There was no statistically significant difference in these groups in termsof Body mass index, gestational age at the time of delivery, age of mother, birth weight, Apgar score at 1 and 5 min,and indications for cesarean section. Neonatal respiratory morbidity was higher in Group-B as compared to Group-A (30% vs.12.9%)p-value-0.013. Conclusion:Antenatal dexamethasone administration significantly reduces the respiratory morbidity among neonates delivered at 37 to 38+6by elective cesarean section. But further studies are required to assess the beneficial role of dexamethasone in the reduction of neonatal respiratory morbidity with a large sample size.Keywords:Neonatal respiratory morbidity, transient tachypnea of newborn, elective caesarean section, antenatal corticosteroids

Relationship and Difference of Levels Between Schadenfreude, Social Media Addiction and Social Comparison Among Adults and Adolescents

This study aims to explore the relationship and difference in levels of Social Media Addiction, Social Comparison and Schadenfreude among adults and adolescents. The study followed a quantitative, correlational survey design. The research was conducted with a sample size of 500 participants (Males n= 252 & Females n=248) aged between 13 to 25 years (M= 17.54, SD= 3.32). A purposive convenient sampling technique was used. Findings from statistical analysis revealed that social media addiction and Social Comparison have positive moderate correlation. This study also found that there is no significant difference between adolescents and adults in Social Media Addiction and Social Comparison, but the difference is manifested in Schadenfreude between adolescents and adults. This study highlighted the importance of identity exploration, virtue education, empathy as well as raising awareness regarding behavioral addiction that can reduce the later on negative consequences