1,297 research outputs found
The Impact of AIDS on Government Service Delivery: The Case of the Zambia Wildlife Authority
Background: The loss of working-aged adults to HIV/AIDS has been shown to increase the costs of labor to the private sector in Africa. There is little corresponding evidence for the public sector. This study evaluated the impact of AIDS on the capacity of a government agency, the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA), to patrol Zambiaâs national parks.
Methods: Data were collected from ZAWA on workforce characteristics, recent mortality, costs, and the number of days spent on patrol between 2003 and 2005 by a sample of 76 current patrol officers (reference subjects) and 11 patrol officers who died of AIDS or suspected AIDS (index subjects). An estimate was made of the impact of AIDS on service delivery capacity and labor costs and the potential net benefits of providing treatment.
Results: Reference subjects spent an average of 197.4 days on patrol per year. After adjusting for age, years of service, and worksite, index subjects spent 62.8 days on patrol in their last year of service (68% decrease, p<0.0001), 96.8 days on patrol in their second to last year of service (51% decrease, p<0.0001), and 123.7 days on patrol in their third to last year of service (37% decrease, p<0.0001). For each employee who died, ZAWA lost an additional 111 person-days for management, funeral attendance, vacancy, and recruitment and training of a replacement, resulting in a total productivity loss per death of 2.0 person-years. Each AIDS-related death also imposed budgetary costs for care, benefits, recruitment, and training equivalent to 3.3 yearsâ annual compensation. In 2005, AIDS reduced service delivery capacity by 6.2% and increased labor costs by 9.7%. If antiretroviral therapy could be provided for 285,000/year.
Conclusion: AIDS is constraining ZAWAâs ability to protect Zambiaâs wildlife and parks. Impacts on this government agency are substantially larger than have been observed in the private sector. Provision of ART would result in net budgetary savings to ZAWA and greatly increase its service delivery capacity
The impact of AIDS on government service delivery: the case of the Zambia Wildlife Authority
This repository item contains a single issue of
the Health and Development Discussion Papers, an informal working paper series that began publishing in 2002 by the Boston University Center for Global Health and Development. It is intended to help the Center and individual authors to disseminate work that is being prepared for journal publication or that is not appropriate for journal publication but might still have value to readers.BACKGROUND: The loss of working-aged adults
to HIV/AIDS has been shown to increase the costs of labor to the private sector in Africa. There
is little corresponding evidence for the public sector. This study evaluated the impact of AIDS
on the capacity of a government agency, the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA), to patrol Zambiaâs
national parks. METHODS: Data were collected from ZAWA on workforce characteristics, recent
mortality, costs, and the number of days spent on patrol between 2003 and 2005 by a sample of 76
current patrol officers (reference subjects) and 11 patrol officers who died of AIDS or
suspected AIDS (index subjects). An estimate was made of the impact of AIDS on service delivery
capacity and labor costs and the potential net benefits of providing treatment. RESULTS:
Reference subjects spent an average of 197.4 days on patrol per year. After adjusting for age,
years of service, and worksite, index subjects spent 62.8 days on patrol in their last year of
service (68% decrease, p<0.0001), 96.8 days on patrol in their second to last year of service
(51% decrease, p<0.0001), and 123.7 days on patrol in their third to last year of service (37% decrease, p<0.0001). For each employee who died, ZAWA lost an additional 111 person-days for
management, funeral attendance, vacancy, and recruitment and training of a replacement,
resulting in a total productivity loss per death of 2.0 person-years. Each AIDS-related death
also imposed budgetary costs for care, benefits, recruitment, and training equivalent to 3.3
yearsâ annual compensation. In 2005, AIDS reduced service delivery capacity by 6.2% and
increased labor costs by 9.7%. If antiretroviral therapy could be provided for
285,000/year. CONCLUSION: AIDS is
constraining ZAWAâs ability to protect Zambiaâs wildlife and parks. Impacts on this government
agency are substantially larger than have been observed in the private sector. Provision of ART
would result in net budgetary savings to ZAWA and greatly increase its service delivery
capacity
Delayed evaluation of combat-related penetrating neck trauma
ObjectiveThe approach to penetrating trauma of the head and neck has undergone significant evolution and offers unique challenges during wartime. Military munitions produce complex injury patterns that challenge conventional diagnosis and management. Mass casualties may not allow for routine exploration of all stable cervical blast injuries. The objective of this study was to review the delayed evaluation of combat-related penetrating neck trauma in patients after evacuation to the United States.MethodFrom February 2003 through April 2005, a series of patients with military-associated penetrating cervical trauma were evacuated to a single institution, prospectively entered into a database, and retrospectively reviewed.ResultsSuspected vascular injury from penetrating neck trauma occurred in 63 patients. Injuries were to zone II in 33%, zone III in 33%, and zone I in 11%. The remaining injuries involved multiple zones, including the lower face or posterior neck. Explosive devices wounded 50 patients (79%), 13 (21%) had high-velocity gunshot wounds, and 19 (30%) had associated intracranial or cervical spine injury. Of the 39 patients (62%) who underwent emergent neck exploration in Iraq or Afghanistan, 21 had 24 injuries requiring ligation (18), vein interposition or primary repair (4), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) graft interposition (1), or patch angioplasty (1). Injuries occurred to the carotid, vertebral, or innominate arteries, or the jugular vein. After evacuation to the United States, all patients underwent radiologic evaluation of the head and neck vasculature. Computed tomography angiography was performed in 45 patients (71%), including six zone II injuries without prior exploration. Forty (63%) underwent diagnostic arteriography that detected pseudoaneurysms (5) or occlusions (8) of the carotid and vertebral arteries. No occult venous injuries were noted. Delayed evaluation resulted in the detection of 12 additional occult injuries and one graft thrombosis in 11 patients. Management included observation (5), vein or PTFE graft repair (3), coil embolization (2), or ligation (1).ConclusionsPenetrating multiple fragment injury to the head and neck is common during wartime. Computed tomography angiography is useful in the delayed evaluation of stable patients, but retained fragments produce suboptimal imaging in the zone of injury. Arteriography remains the imaging study of choice to evaluate for cervical vascular trauma, and its use should be liberalized for combat injuries. Stable injuries may not require immediate neck exploration; however, the high prevalence of occult injuries discovered in this review underscores the need for a complete re-evaluation upon return to the United States
Caltech Core-Collapse Project (CCCP) observations of type IIn supernovae: typical properties and implications for their progenitor stars
Type IIn Supernovae (SNe IIn) are rare events, constituting only a few
percent of all core-collapse SNe, and the current sample of well observed SNe
IIn is small. Here, we study the four SNe IIn observed by the Caltech
Core-Collapse Project (CCCP). The CCCP SN sample is unbiased to the extent that
object selection was not influenced by target SN properties. Therefore, these
events are representative of the observed population of SNe IIn. We find that a
narrow P-Cygni profile in the hydrogen Balmer lines appears to be a ubiquitous
feature of SNe IIn. Our light curves show a relatively long rise time (>20
days) followed by a slow decline stage (0.01 to 0.15 mag/day), and a typical
V-band peak magnitude of M_V=-18.4 +/- 1.0 mag. We measure the progenitor star
wind velocities (600 - 1400 km/s) for the SNe in our sample and derive
pre-explosion mass loss rates (0.026 - 0.12 solar masses per year). We compile
similar data for SNe IIn from the literature, and discuss our results in the
context of this larger sample. Our results indicate that typical SNe IIn arise
from progenitor stars that undergo LBV-like mass-loss shortly before they
explode.Comment: ApJ, submitte
Prospectus, September 25,1984
ARE WE MISSING OUT BY WAITING?; \u27Fan Fare\u27 gives various aspects of the arts and entertainment; PC Digest; Board adopts $16,761,087 budget; Staff profiles-Mark Matthews-Shirley Hubbard-Autobiographical; Interest in communications started early; Snowball keeps getting bigger and bigger; PC Happenings; Dental Clinic accepts new patients; Health series listed; EMT workshop planned; Messiah auditions will be held Sept. 29; Osteoporosis is seminar topic; The Writing Clinic is free for everyone; Ceramic artist at Parkland; Organizations Parkland Cobra may get \u27face lift\u27; Parkland Theatre season opens; Secretarial Review offered at Parkland in October; IOC has good attendence; Did you know...; Record enrollment in Chanute classes; Be a Parkland tour guide; Celebrate the Arts Week; Classifieds; Creative Corner...Especially for you!!; \u27Knik-knak\u27-It almost almost seemed feminine or was it his imaginiation?; Anniversary of Life Changes; \u27Doom Story\u27-What horrors await this faithful crew?; The Penny; The Sidewalk; War is Hell; Alcoholism and Drug Abuse-why do so many turn to an artificial stimulant for happiness?; Alcoholics Anonymous; New system more efficient; What is ABBA\u27s game plan? Will they go \u27On & On & On\u27; Jennings\u27 latest luke warm; Bid for treasures during auction for WILL; Music warms the heart; GiGi romances again; Chick offers diverse music; U of I Symphony begins season; Parkland presents \u27Wager\u27; Fast Freddy Contest; Pumphrey spikes boost Cobras over intimidated Moraine Valley; IM football begins; Golfers tie for 12th; Cobras win 4th Wesleyan wins in Decaturhttps://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_1984/1011/thumbnail.jp
An HST Study of the Supernovae Accompanying GRB 040924 and GRB 041006
We present the results from a {\it Hubble Space Telescope/ACS} study of the
supernovae associated with gamma-ray bursts 040924 () and 041006
(). We find evidence that both GRBs were associated with a SN
1998bw-like supernova dimmed by and magnitudes,
respectively, making GRB 040924 the faintest GRB-associated SN ever detected.
We study the luminosity dispersion in GRB/XRF-associated SNe and compare to
local Type Ibc supernovae from the literature. We find significant overlap
between the two samples, suggesting that GRB/XRF-associated SNe are not
necessarily more luminous nor produce more Ni than local SNe. Based on
the current (limited) datasets, we find that the two samples may share a
similar Ni production mechanism.Comment: ApJ accepted (in press). Revised version. High-resolution figures
available at http://www.astro.caltech.edu/~ams/GRB-SNe.htm
The afterglow of GRB050709 and the nature of the short-hard gamma-ray bursts
The final chapter in the long-standing mystery of the gamma-ray bursts (GRBs)
centres on the origin of the short-hard class, suspected on theoretical grounds
to result from the coalescence of neutron star or black hole binary systems.
Numerous searches for the afterglows of short-hard bursts have been made,
galvanized by the revolution in our understanding of long-duration GRBs that
followed the discovery in 1997 of their broadband (X-ray, optical, and radio)
afterglow emission. Here we present the discovery of the X-ray afterglow of a
short-hard burst whose accurate position allows us to unambiguously associate
it with a star-forming galaxy at redshift z=0.160, and whose optical lightcurve
definitively excludes a supernova association. Together with results from three
other recent short-hard bursts, this suggests that short-hard bursts release
much less energy than the long-duration GRBs. Models requiring young stellar
populations, such as magnetars and collapsars, are ruled out, while coalescing
degenerate binaries remain the most promising progenitor candidates.Comment: Nature in press (Oct 6 issue). 23 pages, 4 figure
Validation of the Spanish version of Soane's ISA Engagement Scale
The interest in the study of engagement in the academic field can be seen through the increasing number of results in Google Scholar and in Scopus, going from barely 20 results between 2000 and 2005 to more than 500 in Scopus and more than 1100 in Google Scholar between 2011 and 2015. Soane et al. (2012) propose a unified theoretical framework as the basis of the psychological mechanism of engagement, grounded on the approach of Kahn (1990). The aim of this paper is to analyze the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the ISA engagement scale in a sample of 477 employees of the administration and services sector in a Spanish public university. Keeping the original design of the English version of the scale, the proposed factorial structure is validated with the good fit of the data according to the revised goodness of fit indices; reliability and the results of the analysis of construct validity
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