Labor markets in an era of adjustment : an overview

The authors have written an overview of 19 papers in a symposium devoted to an examination of the interaction between labor markets and adjustment. The purpose of their commentary is to draw general conclusions and policy lessons and to identify areas for further research. The papers include 7 issue papers and 12 country studies (Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand). The country studies bring together a wealth of information that will be useful to researchers. The evidence on real wages casts considerable doubt on theoretical concerns about aggregate real wage rigidity and labor market inflexibility as a hinderance to adjustment. Declines in real wages have been dramatic and often far greater than the fall in GDP. For some countries, the declines in real wages may have been large enough to have aggregated demand effects that inhibit recovery. The studies also discuss the consequences of labor market adjustment on income distribution, gender, and human capital. The conclusions here are less clear-cut. The issue papers highlight complexities that point to country-specific answers. While real wage declines will worsen poverty, improvement in the rural-urban terms of trade during adjustment will have the opposite effect. Similarly, while employment shrinkages are likely to affect women adversely, a high female-labor intensity of tradables can serve as a countervailing force.Environmental Economics&Policies,Banks&Banking Reform,Health Economics&Finance,Labor Markets,Economic Theory&Research

The nutritional transition and diet-related chronic diseases in Asia

The nutritional transition currently occurring in Asia is one facet of a more general demographic/nutritional/epidemiological transition that accompanies development and urbanization, marked by a shift away from relatively monotonous diets of varying nutritional quality toward an industrialized diet that is usually more varied, includes more preprocessed food, more food of animal origin, more added sugar and fat, and often more alcohol. This is accompanied by shift in the structure of occupations and leisure toward reduced physical activity, and leads to a rapid increase in the numbers of overweight and obese. The accompanying epidemiological transition is marked by a shift away from endemic deficiency and infectious diseases toward chronic diseases such as obesity, adult-onset diabetes, hypertension, stroke, hyperlipidaemia, coronary heart disease, and cancer. Obesity is now a major public health problem in Asia. Obesity is a problem of the urban poor as well as the rich, and the urban poor have the added predisposing factors associated with low birthweight. Costs of chronic disease are estimated for China and Sri Lanka. Diet-related chronic disease is projected to increase and dietary factors (principally overweight) will account for an increased share of chronic disease, and childhood factors will decline in significance. Few program and policy options to address these issues have been undertaken in Asia. Agricultural policy is important, and the relatively cheap availability of vegetable oil may have had dramatic (adverse) dietary effects in Asia. Price policy has considerable potential, in particular the pricing of oils. Promoting a traditional diet has been quite helpful in holding down fat intake and obesity in Korea. Health promotion efforts in Mauritius succeeded in reversing several adverse trends contributing to coronary heart disease. Thailand has successfully used mass media for other health promotion efforts and is moving to pilot schemes in the area of chronic disease. And Singapore has been the leader in the region in exercise promotion and weight control in schools.Urbanization Asia ,Nutritionally induced diseases Asia. ,Diet Developing countries. ,Public health Developing countries ,

Influence of watershed and soil parameters on water quality in fifty western Washington lakes

The purpose of my study was to find reliable patterns in the data that linked watershed characteristics to water quality. The project area was regional in scope, spanning two very different ecoregions, involving 50 lakes many of which have been sampled for 7 years. I found highly significant correlations (Kendall\u27s tau \u3e 0.500, pvalue \u3c 0.001) between total phosphorus, chlorophyll α, total nitrogen, and turbidity. Total phosphorus, chlorophyll α, total nitrogen, and turbidity also strongly correlated with mean and maximum lake depths. I also found highly significant correlations between watershed area, fetch, road length, and population. Road length and population were the parameters that best described residential development in my study. By evaluating lake water quality with regard to total phosphorus, chlorophyll α, and using road length and population as indicators of development, I identified lakes that were at-risk due to development within the watersheds and the likelihood of nutrient resuspension. The most at-risk lake was Reed Lake. Currently Reed Lake is at the high end of the mesotrophic range, but it is at risk of becoming more permanently eutrophic due to the pressures of development on the water quality exacerbated by the likelihood of nutrient resuspension. Using clustering analysis based on principal components, the watersheds in my study formed three stable groups that were related to water quality and lake and watershed morphology. The extent to which soils affect water quality in these lakes was not fully revealed by the results of my work and is worthy of further investigation

The nutritional transition and diet-related chronic diseases in Asia

The nutritional transition currently occurring in Asia is one facet of a more general demographic/nutritional/epidemiological transition that accompanies development and urbanization, marked by a shift away from relatively monotonous diets of varying nutritional quality toward an industrialized diet that is usually more varied, includes more preprocessed food, more food of animal origin, more added sugar and fat, and often more alcohol. This is accompanied by shift in the structure of occupations and leisure toward reduced physical activity, and leads to a rapid increase in the numbers of overweight and obese. The accompanying epidemiological transition is marked by a shift away from endemic deficiency and infectious diseases toward chronic diseases such as obesity, adult-onset diabetes, hypertension, stroke, hyperlipidaemia, coronary heart disease, and cancer. Obesity is now a major public health problem in Asia. Obesity is a problem of the urban poor as well as the rich, and the urban poor have the added predisposing factors associated with low birthweight. Costs of chronic disease are estimated for China and Sri Lanka. Diet-related chronic disease is projected to increase and dietary factors (principally overweight) will account for an increased share of chronic disease, and childhood factors will decline in significance. Few program and policy options to address these issues have been undertaken in Asia. Agricultural policy is important, and the relatively cheap availability of vegetable oil may have had dramatic (adverse) dietary effects in Asia. Price policy has considerable potential, in particular the pricing of oils. Promoting a traditional diet has been quite helpful in holding down fat intake and obesity in Korea. Health promotion efforts in Mauritius succeeded in reversing several adverse trends contributing to coronary heart disease. Thailand has successfully used mass media for other health promotion efforts and is moving to pilot schemes in the area of chronic disease. And Singapore has been the leader in the region in exercise promotion and weight control in schools.Urbanization Asia ,Nutritionally induced diseases Asia. ,Diet Developing countries. ,Public health Developing countries ,

Practice-based Qualitative Research: Participant Experiences of Walk-in Counselling and Traditional Counselling

Walk-in single session counselling is becoming a more widely used model for delivering mental health services across Ontario. This paper reports findings from the qualitative phase of a mixed method study, exploring the experiences of those attending walk-in counselling (WIC) model compared to the traditional service delivery model employing a wait list. We used a comparative case study design for the qualitative phase. Findings reveal that participant outcomes of the walk-in counselling model is influenced by accessibility, how a participant makes sense of the service, and the degree to which a participant is motivated and able to engage in counselling. WIC supports the mental health system by reducing wait lists associated with traditional service delivery models, and meeting the needs many people identify for immediate consultation. Other participants still perceive themselves as requiring ongoing counselling over time and involving in-depth exploration. This research supports health systems providing access to both models

The Walk-in Counselling Model of Service Delivery: Who Benefits Most?

The walk-in counselling (WIC) model of service delivery has been found to reduce psychological distress more quickly than a traditional model of service delivery involving a wait list. A question remains, however, as to the relative benefit of the WIC model for different client groups. The present study uses graphical inspection and multilevel modeling to conduct moderator analyses comparing two agencies, one with a WIC clinic and the other with a traditional wait list approach, and their relative impact on psychological distress. Key findings regarding the differential benefits for different types of presenting problems as well as clients at different stages of change are discussed. La recherche montre qu\u27un service de consultation sans rendez-vous réduit la détresse psychologique plus rapidement qu\u27un modèle traditionnel fonctionnant avec liste d\u27attente. Les bénéfices relatifs du modèle de consultation sans rendez-vous pour différentes clientèles demeurent cependant méconnus. Cette étude utilise l\u27inspection de graphiques et la modélisation multiniveau afin de mener une analyse de modération qui compare deux cliniques: sans rendez-vous ou suivant le modèle traditionnel avec liste d\u27attente. L\u27étude examine les impacts relatifs de ces modèles sur la détresse psychologique. Les principaux résultats portent sur les bénéfices différentiels selon les problématiques de santé mentale présentées et selon les stades de changement des usagers

COKAMO: A Model for Fast, Inexpensive Interstate Delivery

Shipping materials via a library courier service is much cheaper than shipping via the U.S. Postal Service. Most library delivery services are regional or state-based. This article illustrates how two separate services combined to develop the multi-state courier system COKAMO. COKAMO is moving tens of thousands of items between three states at a fraction of U.S. Postal Service rates. Within one year of implementing the system, over 57,000 items have been shipped, creating savings of over $215,000 for participating libraries. Significant changes in the behavior of interlibrary loan staff throughout the region are evidenced in statistics which show an increase in borrowing between participating states and a decline in interlibrary loan to adjacent states not in COKAMO

A qualitative study exploring healthcare students’ understanding of their moral compass and its influence on practice.

Aims: To explore healthcare students’ understanding of their moral compass. Background: Francis (2010; 2013) highlighted failings within health and social care delivery, identifying themes of poor care, compassion, dignity and respect as issues. Stimulated by these reports a critical literature review revealed spirituality to be important in developing good healthcare practice. A proof of concept (pilot study) sought to understand healthcare students’ understanding of religion/spirituality. The moral compass emerged as an important theme that required deeper understanding. Methodology: I took a critical, social constructionist perspective incorporating a theological axiology, as I sought to understand healthcare students’ moral compass. The research was exploratory and descriptive using qualitative and inductive approaches. Methods: Sampling and recruitment was purposive (N=12), using students within a higher education institution in Lothian. Three data collection methods were used (interpretation of picture cards, identification on journey lines key points where healthcare students felt their moral compass was developed or challenged, and one-one, face-face semi-structured audio-taped interviews) and data was triangulated to increase rigour and trustworthiness within the study. Analysis: Data analysis used an iterative process of thematic analysis, with a critical exegetical/hermeneutical interpretation. I used the theological/anthropological lens of St Augustine’s Two Cities, ‘The City of God’ (spiritual) and the ‘City of Man’ (secular) as a reference to interpretation. Interpretation: Early religious education appeared to influence how an individual’s moral compass developed. Having a faith, seemed to guide an individual in the choices they made, developed self-esteem and the way they interacted with others. Elements such as forgiveness and trust were important in relationships. Feelings of guilt and shame were evident with wrong-doing but the level of wrong-doing appeared to be calibrated depending on the situation. Conclusion: It would appear that what a person does in this life can influence how they will enter the next-life. A great deal of information was generated concerning forgiveness, trust, guilt and shame which need to be addressed for proper moral development. Participants calibrated these factors depending on their situation and it is proposed that the moral compass can be fluid

Effects of Middle-Ear Disorders on Power Reflectance Measured in Cadaveric Ear Canals

Objective: Reflectance measured in the ear canal offers a noninvasive method to monitor the acoustic properties of the middle ear, and few systematic measurements exist on the effects of various middleear disorders on the reflectance. This work uses a human cadaver-ear preparation and a mathematical middle-ear model to both measure and predict how power reflectance R is affected by the middle-ear disorders of static middle-ear pressures, middle-ear fluid, fixed stapes, disarticulated incudostapedial joint, and tympanic-membrane perforations. Design: R was calculated from ear-canal pressure measurements made on human-cadaver ears in the normal condition and five states: (1) positive and negative pressure in the middle-ear cavity, (2) fluidfilled middle ear, (3) stapes fixed with dental cement, (4) incudostapedial joint disarticulated, and (5) tympanic-membrane perforations. The middle-ear model of Kringlebotn (1988) was modified to represent the middle-ear disorders. Model predictions are compared with measurements. Results: For a given disorder, the general trends of the measurements and model were similar. The changes from normal in R, induced by the simulated disorder, generally depend on frequency and the extent of the disorder (except for the disarticulation). Systematic changes in middle-ear static pressure (up to ±300 daPa) resulted in systematic increases in R. These affects were most pronounced for frequencies up to 1000 to 2000 Hz. Above about 2000 Hz there were some asymmetries in behavior between negative and positive pressures. Results with fluid in the middle-ear air space were highly dependent on the percentage of the air space that was filled. Changes in R were minimal when a smaller fraction of the air space was filled with fluid, and as the air space was filled with more saline, R increased at most frequencies. Fixation of the stapes generally resulted in a relatively small low-frequency increase in R. Disarticulation of the incus with the stapes led to a consistent lowfrequency decrease in R with a distinctive minimum below 1000 Hz. Perforations of the tympanic membrane resulted in a decrease in R for frequencies up to about 2000 Hz; at these lower frequencies, smaller perforations led to larger changes from normal when compared with larger perforations. Conclusions: These preliminary measurements help assess the utility of power reflectance as a diagnostic tool for middle-ear disorders. In particular, the measurements document (1) the frequency ranges for which the changes are largest and (2) the extent of the changes from normal for a spectrum of middle-ear disorders