The condition of banks: what are examiners finding?

Bank supervision

Aviation security and terrorism: a review of the economic issues

Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the passage of the Aviation and Transportation Act mandated a substantial increase in resources devoted to aviation security. This paper summarizes the specific changes stemming from this legislation. In addition, the paper examines the economic issues underlying the regulation and provision of aviation security. The fact that security at one airport can affect the well being of those at other airports and elsewhere, an example of a network externality (spillover), provides an economic justification for governmental involvement in aviation security. A fundamental question is whether the federal role should be restricted to setting and monitoring security standards or whether the role should also include the financing and implementation of security. A controversial change is that the federal government has assumed responsibility from the airlines and airports for the actual provision of aviation security. Proponents of this change argue that, relative to private provision, public provision reduces the incentives to reduce quality through cost reductions. On the other hand, a public agency might not provide security services efficiently because it can operate in a more-or-less monopolistic way. Furthermore, a public agency might provide an excessive amount of security and incur unnecessary expenses because it is likely to be judged on its security record and not on all the attributes encompassed by air transportation services for consumers. Thus, economic theory does not provide a clear answer to what is likely to be a continuing source of controversy - the appropriate scope of governmental involvement in aviation security.Economic conditions ; War - Economic aspects

Aviation security and terrorism: a review of the economic issues

Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the passage of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act mandated a substantial increase in resources devoted to aviation security. This paper summarizes the specific changes stemming from this legislation. In addition, the paper examines the economic issues underlying the regulation and provision of aviation security. The fact that security at one airport can affect the well being of those at other airports and elsewhere, an example of a network externality (spillover), provides an economic justification for governmental involvement in aviation security. A fundamental question is whether the federal role should be restricted to setting and monitoring security standards or whether the role should also include the financing and implementation of security. A controversial change is that the federal government has assumed responsibility from the airlines and airports for the actual provision of aviation security. Proponents of this change argue that, relative to private provision, public provision reduces the incentives to reduce quality through cost reductions. On the other hand, a public agency might not provide security services efficiently because it can operate in a more-or-less monopolistic way. Furthermore, a public agency might provide an excessive amount of security and incur unnecessary expenses because it is likely to be judged on its security record and not on all the attributes encompassed by air transportation services for consumers. Thus, economic theory does not provide a clear answer to what is likely to be a continuing source of controversy - the appropriate scope of governmental involvement in aviation security.Economic conditions ; War - Economic aspects

Practical Applications of Complementary and Alternative Therapies in Adults and Youth with Anxiety Disorders

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies is becoming an increasingly popular treatment option for anxiety disorders in adults and youth. Parents often are reluctant to use antidepressants due to fear of potential side effects. Youth are often unwilling to participate in cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) or it is not readily available. Practitioners are not always knowledgeable or open to considering CAM therapies for their patients. This chapter will review the definition of CAM, prevalence of CAM use, its safety and effectiveness and finally its practical applications. Four case studies are discussed in which practitioners were open to the use of CAM and collaborated successfully with parents of youth with anxiety disorders. Literature review is presented for use of vitamin D, melatonin, acupuncture, acupressure and craniosacral therapy

Anxiety — Is There an App for That? Considering Technology, Psychiatry, and Internet-Assisted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Across Western countries, more than a third of people will have a mental health disorder over their lifetime; mood and anxiety disorders are the most common. The effectiveness of psychological interventions is well established. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), for example, is as effective for mild and moderate anxiety as medications; combined psychopharmacology and CBT is superior to either modality alone, suggesting a synergistic effect. However, CBT requires a major investment of time and resources. Thus, in public systems, CBT has limited availability and is subject to long waiting times; primary-care physicians and psychiatrists may not offer CBT

Stability, Coupling, and Cohesion of Object-oriented Software Systems

Computer Scienc

Gender Gaps in Child Nutritional Status in Punjab, Pakistan

Child nutritional status has improved over the period 2008 to 2014 in Punjab, Pakistan's largest province with a population of over 100 million, as rates of severe stunting have declined by 8.6 percentage points and average height-for-age (HFA) has increased by 0.19 standard deviations. However, the nutritional status of children in Punjab is still quite poor in comparison to many Sub-Saharan African countries. Recent research from India suggests eldest son preference and son-biased fertility stopping patterns negatively impacts the nutritional status of other children in the household, especially daughters. In order to test for latent gender discrimination in Punjab, Pakistan, a culturally similar neighbour, we apply a finite mixture model to a sample of couples with at least one child of each gender, though we do not find any. We do find, however, that when there is a larger share of children without an elder brother, that is, there is no son or a son is born after several daughters, that the incidence of stunting is higher and average HFA z-score of a couple’s children is lower, using an OLS analysis. This suggests that some families might be increasing their fertility beyond the number of children they can support in pursuit of sons. In this way, couples’ preferences regarding the gender composition of their children can have subsequent effects on the long- term nutritional status of their children. JEL Classification: I2, I14, I15 Keywords: Pakistan, Height-for-Age, Gender, Finite Mixture Mode

Role of Gum Chewing After Small Gut Anastomosis

This study was performed to access the effectiveness of gum chewing on gut motility in early postoperative period after small gut anastomosis in patients operated for reversal of ileostomy or ileocolostomy. Methods: This prospective, randomized trial was undertaken at Surgical Unit-I, Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi Medical University, Rawalpindi from March 2016 to March 2018. 90 patients were randomly divided into two equal groups. All patients underwent small gut anastomosis after reversal of ileostomy or ileocolostomy. In group A (gum chewing group), patients were advised to chew gum, whereas group B (control group) patients did not received any gum for chewing and continued standard post-operative care. Both groups were kept NPO till 2nd post-operative day. After surgery, all patients were observed for onset of bowel sounds, time after surgery when flatus and stool were passed, time required for return of appetite and discharge from hospital. Patient satisfaction with postoperative course, incidence of anastomotic leak, wound infection and mortality was also recorded in both groups. Results : Statistically, group A and group B were similar in age, gender and type of procedure. There was significant difference between both groups for onset of bowel sounds, passage of first flatus, complaints of nausea and vomiting, appetite, duration of hospital stay and patient’s satisfaction level (P < 0.05). In Group A, 35 patients were satisfied whereas in group B, only 5 patients were happy with their postoperative course (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between groups for incidence of anastomotic leak, wound infection and mortality. Conclusion: It is safe and cost effective to advise gum chewing in patients undergoing small gut anastomosis for reducing duration of postoperative ileus and improving level of patient satisfaction about their postoperative course. Keywords: Postoperative ileus, Ileostomy, Anastomotic leak, Surgical site infection &nbsp