Strategic approaches to science and technology in development

Watson, Crawford, and Farley examine the ways in which science and technology (S&T) support poverty alleviation and economic development and how these themes have been given emphasis or short shrift in various areas of the World Bank's work. Central to their thesis is the now well-established argument that development will increasingly depend on a country's ability to understand, interpret, select, adapt, use, transmit, diffuse, produce, and commercialize scientific and technological knowledge in ways appropriate to its culture, aspirations, and level of development. The authors go beyond this tenet, analyzing the importance of S&T for development within specific sectors. They present policy options for enhancing the effectiveness of S&T systems in developing countries, review previous experience of the World Bank and other donors in supporting S&T, and suggest changes that the World Bank and its partners can adopt to increase the impact of the work currently undertaken in S&T. The authors'main messages are: 1) S&T has always been important for development, but the unprecedented pace of advancement of scientific knowledge is rapidly creating new opportunities for and threats to development. 2) Most developing countries are largely unprepared to deal with the changes that S&T advancement will bring. 3) The World Bank's numerous actions in various domains of S&T could be more effective in producing the needed capacity improvements in client countries. 4) The World Bank could have a greater impact if it paid increased attention to S&T in education, health, rural development, private sector development, and the environment. The strategy emphasizes four S&T policy areas: education and human resources development, the private sector, the public sector, and information communications technologies.Public Health Promotion,Environmental Economics&Policies,ICT Policy and Strategies,Decentralization,Health Economics&Finance,Environmental Economics&Policies,ICT Policy and Strategies,Health Economics&Finance,Poverty Assessment,Agricultural Research

In the Fabric of Research: Racial and Gender Stereotypes in Survey Items Assessing Attitudes about Abortion

We investigated the content of survey items to assess whether and how racist and sexist stereotypes are woven into the fabric of research on attitudes about abortion in the United States. We collected and analyzed a comprehensive set of survey items (456 items from 80 studies) used in peer‐reviewed research published from 2008 to 2018 in representative and nonrepresentative studies of U.S. respondents. Our analysis was guided by historical narratives that have been influential in shaping representations of women and reproduction in the United States (e.g., the Moynihan Report). With this background, we developed three themes pertaining to how individuals’ attitudes about abortion are measured: we found that items rely on (1) moral, (2) sexual, and (3) financial evaluations of women seeking abortion care. These themes highlighted implicit and explicit judgments of women, including representations of them as unwilling to partner with men and as fiscally and sexually irresponsible. We argue that survey items meant to objectively assess abortion attitudes draw on negative racial and gender stereotypes and that these stereotypes then travel widely under the veneer of scientific objectivity. Critical methods, such as the item bank analysis described in this study, are crucial to discern how inequality, prejudice, and discrimination can be reproduced in the fabric of research methods. In our discussion, we offer suggestions for researchers to reduce these and related forms of bias in survey‐based abortion research.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/155945/1/josi12367_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/155945/2/josi12367.pd

Relationship of Shoe Wetness to Mechanical Performance

The purpose of this study was to mechanically impact test shoes that underwent both saturation and repetitive loading protocols to determine if these interventions affected the impact absorption and energy return properties of a shoe. Six pairs of the same make and model of shoe were divided into Control and Experimental Groups and tested on an impact machine before and after undergoing a protocol. The repetitive load protocol involved subjecting the shoes to impacts commensurate with a 5 km race. The water saturation protocol involved soaking the shoes until reaching their maximum saturation. The Control shoes underwent initial testing and post-repetitive load testing. The Experimental shoes underwent initial testing, post-water saturation testing, and post-repetitive load testing while water saturated. Dependent Variables (peak force, peak acceleration, maximum displacement, dwell time, energy absorption, hysteresis energy ratio) were compared using a two-way mixed Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for the Independent Variables of shoe group (two levels – control and experimental) and repetitive loading (two levels – initial and post repetitive loading). The same Dependent Variables were compared using a one-way repeated measures ANOVA for the Independent Variable of time (initial, post-saturation, post-repetitive loading) in the Experimental Group. It was determined that energy return (energy absorption, hysteresis energy ratio) was influenced by water saturation (p \u3c 0.05) but not by repetitive loading (p \u3e 0.05) or the interaction of water saturation and repetitive loading (p \u3e 0.05). Impact protection was not influenced by any of the conditions. Runners should be aware that wet shoes may be harder to run in and make efforts to avoid saturation

Identifying features associated with higher-quality hospital care and shorter length of admission for people with dementia : a mixed-methods study

Background: Concerns have repeatedly been expressed about the quality of inpatient care that people with dementia receive. Policies and practices have been introduced that aim to improve this, but their impact is unclear. Aims: To identify which aspects of the organisation and delivery of acute inpatient services for people with dementia are associated with higher-quality care and shorter length of stay. Design: Mixed-methods study combining a secondary analysis of data from the third National Audit of Dementia (2016/17) and a nested qualitative exploration of the context, mechanism and outcomes of acute care for people with dementia. Setting: Quantitative data from 200 general hospitals in England and Wales and qualitative data from six general hospitals in England that were purposively selected based on their performance in the audit. Participants: Quantitative data from clinical records of 10,106 people with dementia who had an admission to hospital lasting ≥ 72 hours and 4688 carers who took part in a cross-sectional survey of carer experience. Qualitative data from interviews with 56 hospital staff and seven carers of people with dementia. Main outcome measures: Length of stay, quality of assessment and carer-rated experience. Results: People with dementia spent less time in hospital when discharge planning was initiated within 24 hours of admission. This is a challenging task when patients have complex needs, and requires named staff to take responsibility for co-ordinating the discharge and effective systems for escalating concerns when obstacles arise. When trust boards review delayed discharges, they can identify recurring problems and work with local stakeholders to try to resolve them. Carers of people with dementia play an important role in helping to ensure that hospital staff are aware of patient needs. When carers are present on the ward, they can reassure patients and help make sure that they eat and drink well, and adhere to treatment and care plans. Clear communication between staff and family carers can help ensure that they have realistic expectations about what the hospital staff can and cannot provide. Dementia-specific training can promote the delivery of person-centred care when it is made available to a wide range of staff and accompanied by ‘hands-on’ support from senior staff. Limitations: The quantitative component of this research relied on audit data of variable quality. We relied on carers of people with dementia to explore aspects of service quality, rather than directly interviewing people with dementia. Conclusions: If effective support is provided by senior managers, appropriately trained staff can work with carers of people with dementia to help ensure that patients receive timely and person-centred treatment, and that the amount of time they spend in hospital is minimised. Future work: Future research could examine new ways to work with carers to co-produce aspects of inpatient care, and to explore the relationship between ethnicity and quality of care in patients with dementia. Funding: This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Services and Delivery Research programme and will be published in full in Health Services and Delivery Research; Vol. 8, No. 22. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information

Association of Perfluoroalkyl Substance with Lung Function in the US Population

Background/Aim: Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are chemical compounds used in consumer products and are linked with increases in cholesterol, thyroid disease, and pregnancy-induced hypertension. However, their association with lung function is not completely understood.Methods: Cross-sectional 2011-2012 US population data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were analyzed (n = 1450, aged 12 to 79 years, 50.5% females). Serum concentrations of 4 PFASs, perfluoronon-anoic acid (PFNA), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), were assessed using mass spectrometry and categorized into quartiles. Lung function was measured by spirome-try as forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), and the ratio of FEV1/FVC (%). Survey weighted sex stratified adjusted linear regression analysis was used to predict lung function with PFASs quartiles.Results: In males, compared to females, all 4 PFASs serum concentrations and lung function indices were higher, except FEV1/FVC (%) which was lower than females. No association of any PFAS with decrease in lung function was seen in multivariable-adjusted models in both males and females.Conclusion: In this exploratory analysis, PFAS exposure was not associated with lung function. PFAS contamina-tion has been ongoing for many years across the US and Ohio, and cleanup efforts are now underway. The association between PFAS exposure and lung function needs further exploration in longitudinal studies

Use of cigarettes with flavor-changing capsules among smokers in the United Kingdom: An online survey

Introduction Cigarettes with flavour-changing capsules in the filter have experienced phenomenal global growth in the last decade. We explore socio-demographic and smoking-related factors associated with using capsule cigarettes, how frequently users burst the capsule, and reasons for using them. Methods An online survey was conducted in the United Kingdom between April-May 2016 with 6234 factory-made and/or hand-rolled cigarette smokers. This analysis focuses on 3620 factory-made cigarette smokers, aged 18 years and over, who had smoked in the past month. Results Thirteen percent smoked capsule cigarettes, with younger smokers more likely than older smokers to do so. Capsule use was significantly more common among white non-British than white British, and among those planning to quit in the next six months than those not planning to quit. Most capsule users who crushed the capsule did so always (51%) or most of the time (18%), with more frequent crushing of capsules more common among females, younger and middle-aged participants, white-British and those with a lower score on the Heaviness of Smoking Index. The most common reasons for using capsule cigarettes were that they taste better (52%), are smoother (41%), provide a choice of flavours (32%) and the enjoyment of clicking the capsule (25%). Capsule and non-capsule smokers did not differ significantly in their perceptions of the harmfulness of their brand relative to other brands. Conclusions Our study provides an insight into how and why smokers of capsule cigarettes use these products, with the key drivers of use being taste, flavour choice and interactivity

Concert recording 2018-02-18

[Track 1]. Cavatina Largo al factotum / Gioachino Rossini -- [Track 2]. Duettino / Eugene Bozza -- [Track 3]. Romance de barrio / Anibal Troilo arranged by Gonzalo Brusco -- [Track 4]. Danny boy / Traditional arranged by Ian McCubbin -- [Track 5]. Malevos / Noelia Escalzo -- [Track 6]. Muppets theme / Jim Henson Sam Pottle

Staining characteristics of selected synthetic fabrics for "minimum care" garments

Wash and Wear is defined as: "A term used to describe garments—also fabrics from which they are made—that will satisfactorily retain their original neat appearance after repeated wear and laundering with occasional or no ironing." In 1957, in well over three-fourths of the households in the nation one or more members owned 2 wash and wear garments. Good fabric performance depends on two things—the inherent characteristics of the fiber and the characteristics imparted by chemical and mechanical finishing of the fabric. The hydrophobic characteristic of the synthetic fibers, as opposed to the hydrophilic characteristic of the natural fibers, has caused the synthetic fibers to be used extensively in minimum care fabrics and garments. Most textile technologists agree that the hydrophilic or hydrophobic nature of the fiber is the outstanding characteristic of a textile fiber.