A Study of Perceived Barriers of Minnesota Family Investment Program Participants in Moving from Welfare to Work: An Analysis of Three Perspectives

The past decade of welfare reform emphasized moving welfare recipients from public assistance towards economic self-sufficiency through employment. This exploratory quantitative study compared perceived barriers,welfare recipients face when seeking employment through the perspectives of the welfare participants (n=265), county financial supervisors (n=74), and employment service supervisors (n=56). The study used secondary data from three rural studies conducted by the Minnesota Department of Human Services. A comparative analysis was completed using a triangulation method of the most perceived barriers to employment. A theoretical analysis which utilized the general systems theory and eco-systems perspective was also completed. The findings revealed that the most perceived barrier to employment indicated by welfare participants was local wages, while county financial supervisors indicated lack of motivation. Employment service supervisors cited inadequate transportation as the most significant barrier to employment. The findings revealed many interesting similarities in the perceptions of county financial workers and employment service supervisors compared to welfare participants. The implications of these findings support the complexity involved with designing and implementing effective welfare-to-work (workfare) programs

A critical survey of approaches to the role of credit in smallholder development

Recent literature on farm credit in the context of rural development displays an exciting variety of conflicting opinions. The argument that farm credit is essential to smallholder development is often couched in terms of the "need" for credit, a concept which is frequently undefined and essentially undefinable. The complexity of the subject is often lost sight of behind such semantic and conceptual shortcuts, and the discussion of farm credit's role and potential role in rural development is too often carried on without very much examination of the validity of implicit underlying assumptions, These errors may result in an inefficient use of resources in the agricultural, financial and public sectors, compromising the welfare of borrowers and of the community as a whole. Examples relating to Kenya and nearby countries are incorporated into this critique

Microenterprise Credit Programs: Déjà Vu

Many recent microenterprise credit programs in low income countries resemble earlier small farmer credit efforts that failed. Authors argue that lessons learned from these small farmer credit programs may provide insights on how to avoid problems in programs that extend loans to operators of small businesses

Ischemia and reperfusion injury in kidney transplantation : relevant mechanisms in injury and repair

Ischemia and reperfusion injury (IRI) is a complex pathophysiological phenomenon, inevitable in kidney transplantation and one of the most important mechanisms for non- or delayed function immediately after transplantation. Long term, it is associated with acute rejection and chronic graft dysfunction due to interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy. Recently, more insight has been gained in the underlying molecular pathways and signalling cascades involved, which opens the door to new therapeutic opportunities aiming to reduce IRI and improve graft survival. This review systemically discusses the specific molecular pathways involved in the pathophysiology of IRI and highlights new therapeutic strategies targeting these pathways

The political economy of farm credit in Kenya

Introduction available : p.1-1

Anti-HEV seroprevalence and rate of viremia in a German cohort of dogs, cats, and horses

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotype 3 infections in Germany are mainly transmitted zoonotically through the consumption of swine meat. Furthermore, there is evidence that pets might come into contact with HEV, but the relevance of companion animals as possible sources of HEV transmission in Germany still needs to be defined. A monitoring study was therefore carried out on dogs, cats, and horses from Germany. In total 365 serum samples from pets (124 dogs, 119 cats, and 122 horses) were tested for HEV by PCR and for anti-HEV antibodies by a commercial ELISA. The HEV seroprevalence determined by the sero-assay varied significantly between dogs (10%), cats (6%), and horses (2%). Liver injury-related enzymes, alanine transaminase (ALT), and aspartate transaminase (AST) showed no differences between HEV-positive or negative animals. None of the pet serum samples tested positive for PCR. This serological study suggests that dogs and cats are significantly exposed to HEV in Germany, while horses are of minor relevance