Personal savings in Africa: strengthening the institutional framework (commercial banks, post office savings banks, thrift and credit co-operatives, and savings banks proper)

The United Nations is expressing increasing concern about personal savings mobilisation in underdeveloped countries. Currently attention is focussed on Africa. The purpose of this paper is to try to analyse this concern and to place the question of personal savings mobilisation in a broader economic perspective. Four types of savings institution are discussed in some detail: commercial banks, Post Office Savings Banks, thrift and credit cooperative societies and savings banks proper. The author takes issue with the more common criticisms of commercial banks and Post Office Savings Banks as mobilisers of personal savings in Africa. She also argues that the potential importance of cooperative societies has been exaggerated

Total synthesis of Galbulimima alkaloids. Resin-bound glycosyl phosphates as glycosyl donors.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Chemistry, 2006.Vita.Includes bibliographical references.I. Total Synthesis of Galbulimima Alkaloids. The total synthesis of enantiomerically enriched (+)- and (-)-galbulimima alkaloid 13 is outlined. Sequential use of catalytic cross-coupling and cross-metathesis reactions followed by an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction provided the required trans-decalin AB ring system and masked the C16-carbonyl as an N-vinyl carbamate for late stage oxidative unveiling as the corresponding C16-enone. Completely diastereoselective introduction of the C-ring via radical cyclization chemistry followed by an enamine-ketone addition for construction of the CDE-ring system allowed rapid entry to the pentacyclic core of these alkaloids. The absolute stereochemistry of natural (-)-galbulimima alkaloid 13 is now unambiguously revised to 2S.(cont.) II. Resin-bound Glycosyl Phosphates As Glycosyl Donors. Resin-bound glycosyl phosphates were readily accessed on solid support via a three step procedure from support-bound glycals. These resin-bound glycosyl phosphates were successfully used as glycosylating agents for coupling with a series of solution based nucleophiles. The stereochemical outcome of disaccharide formation was dependent on the nature of the linker connecting the saccharide to the polymer. Interestingly, other glycosyl donors such as thioglycosides and trichloroacetimidates did not exhibit this dependence, indicating a different reaction mechanism for glycosylation. III. A Modular Synthesis of FGF-2 Binding Heparin Pentasaccharide. A modular synthesis of FGF-2 binding heparin pentasaccharide is outlined. The synthetic strategy utilizes a disaccharide trichloroacetimidate donor and a uronic acid acceptor as building blocks designed for later application to a fully automated synthesis.by Diana Katharine Hunt.Ph.D

Self-paced heart rate control during treadmill exercise for persons with gait impairment: a case study

Introduction: A self-paced (SP) heart rate (HR) control system proposed in a previous study was found to be feasible for healthy participants. The aims of this work were to investigate whether the SP HR control system is feasible to achieve accurate HR control in a participant with gait impairments, and to assess its interaction with an existing motor-driven body weight support (BWS) system. Methods: One participant with cerebral palsy was recruited in this case study. Three preliminary tests were completed to determine the appropriate mean value and amplitude of the target heart rate curve, and to identify a customised heart rate response model. Two series of formal self-paced heart rate control tests were then conducted to investigate the influence of different heart rate compensators and the presence of the BWS system. Results: The customised heart rate controller achieved improved accuracy in heart rate control and reduced oscillation in the treadmill target speed: the rootmean- square heart rate tracking error (RMSE) was 2.38 beats per minute (bpm) vs. 3.91 bpm (customised controller vs. nominal controller), and the average power of changes in the treadmill target speed was 0.4 × 10^−4 m2/s2 vs. 8.4 × 10^−4 m2/s2. The BWS system resulted in improved HR tracking accuracy: RMSE on heart rate tracking was 3.02 bpm vs. 3.50 bpm (with BWS vs. without BWS). The BWS system had no influence on the automatic position control accuracy: RMSE on distance tracking was 0.0159 m vs. 0.0164 m. Conclusion: After customising the heart rate compensator, the self-paced heart rate control system is feasible to achieve accurate heart rate control in an individual with gait impairments, and it can correctly interact with the BWS system

Comparação de indicadores de desempenho de produtores de leite localizados dentro e fora de assentamentos de reforma agrária no Triângulo Mineiro

Na discussão sobre uma reforma agrária no Brasil, um ponto central é a competitividade dos assentamentos. Por isso, este estudo comparativo entre produtores leiteiros localizados dentro e fora dos assentamentos de reforma agrária busca ampliar a compreensão do potencial econômico e técnico dos assentados. A pesquisa perfaz 81 entrevistas: com 39 produtores de leite do assentamento "Rio das Pedras", no Triângulo Mineiro, com 42 produtores de leite fora do assentamento - nos municípios limítrofes de Uberlândia e Monte Alegre (MG). A pesquisa de campo foi feita entre abril e o início de junho de 2006, mas os dados se referem à produção, aos custos e à renda obtida no mês de março do mesmo ano. Foi recorrido a vários indicadores de desempenho econômico e técnico na produção de leite, como a margem bruta que corresponde à diferença entre receita e custo operacional. Os dados revelaram que a diferença entre as margens brutas médias por litro de leite dos produtores fora e dentro do assentamento é significativa, e a margem bruta média por litro de leite é maior para os produtores de fora do assentamento. A diferença nas margens brutas médias por litro de leite entre os produtores fora e dentro do assentamento resulta do preço por litro leite mais elevado obtido pelos grandes produtores de fora do assentamento. As maiores margens brutas totais foram encontradas entre produtores que produziram de 500 a 999 litros. As maiores margens brutas por litro de leite foram obtidas por médios ou pequenos produtores, inclusive assentados. Em ambos os grupos pesquisados, houve uma grande variação no desempenho. O conjunto dos indicadores de desempenho utilizados não aponta uma superioridade absoluta dos produtores de leite do entorno sobre os assentados. Produtores com desempenho fraco foram encontrados entre grandes e pequenos, independentemente de localização. Com esses resultados, recomenda-se a identificação e a implementação de ações para elevar o preço do litro de leite para os pequenos produtores da região. Este estudo revelou, também, a necessidade de reavaliar a intensidade ótima no uso de insumos adquiridos e de difundir as melhores práticas de produção entre produtores com dotações de recursos similares.In the discussion of agrarian reform in Brazil, a central concern is the competitiveness of farms on land settlements. This comparative study between milk producers on land settlement schemes and outside aims to enhance understanding of the settlers' technical and economical potential. The analysis is based on data collected from 39 milk producers from the Rio das Pedras settlement and 42 milk producers located in the bordering municipalities of Uberlândia and Monte Alegre, State of Minas Gerais. The field research took place on April and June but the farm data refer to production, costs, and income occurred in March 2006. We use various technical and economic measures to assess farm performance, though focused on the gross margin per liter and per hectare. The survey results reveal that the average gross margin per liter of milk obtained by producers from outside the settlement was higher than for the settlers. However, the difference in the two averages can be explained by the higher average price per liter obtained by producers from outside the settlement. The larger total gross margin were found among producers ranging from 600 to 1400 liters. Both outside and on the settlement there was wide variation in farm performance. The highest gross margins per liter were obtained on some of the small and medium-size farms, including a few settler farms. The full range of performance indicators which we used did not demonstrate an absolute superiority of non-settler producers over the settlers: producers with poor performance were found among small and large farms, regardless their location. These results lead us to recommend the identification and implementation of actions designed to raise the price of the liter of milk for small scale producers. The study also revealed a need to reassess the optimum intensity of use of purchased feed-stuffs and for the transfer of best practice between farms with similar resource endowments

Comparação de indicadores de desempenho de produtores de leite localizados dentro e fora de assentamentos de reforma agrária no Triângulo Mineiro

In the discussion of agrarian reform in Brazil, a central concern is the competitiveness of farms on land settlements. This comparative study between milk producers on land settlement schemes and outside aims to enhance understanding of the settlers’ technical and economical potential. The analysis is based on data collected from 39 milk producers from the Rio das Pedras settlement and 42 milk producers located in the bordering municipalities of Uberlândia and Monte Alegre, State of Minas Gerais. The field research took place on April and June but the farm data refer to production, costs, and income occurred in March 2006. We use various technical and economic measures to assess farm performance, though focused on the gross margin per liter and per hectare. The survey results reveal that the average gross margin per liter of milk obtained by producers from outside the settlement was higher than for the settlers. However, the difference in the two averages can be explained by the higher average price per liter obtained by producers from outside the settlement. The larger total gross margin were found among producers ranging from 600 to 1400 liters. Both outside and on the settlement there was wide variation in farm performance. The highest gross margins per liter were obtained on some of the small and medium-size farms, including a few settler farms. The full range of performance indicators which we used did not demonstrate an absolute superiority of non-settler producers over the settlers: producers with poor performance were found among small and large farms, regardless their location. These results lead us to recommend the identification and implementation of actions designed to raise the price of the liter of milk for small scale producers. The study also revealed a need to reassess the optimum intensity of use of purchased feed-stuffs and for the transfer of best practice between farms with similar resource endowments.agrarian reform, competitiveness, efficiency, milk production, Triângulo Mineiro., Agribusiness, Q 15,