Remittances and the Macroeconomy: The Case of Small Island Developing States

In this paper we examine how remittances relate to the exchange rate, natural disasters and foreign aid in developing economies. By using panel VAR methods we are able to compensate for both data limitations and endogeneity among variables. We find that while foreign aid tends to appreciate the real exchange rate, remittances do not have the same impact. We also detect an inverse relationship between the real exchange rate and remittance amounts, with real exchange rate depreciation increasing remittance inflows. Of particular interest is the observation that the small island developing states subsample of countries behave differently from the full sample of developing countries in a number of ways. Of note is the differing impact of disaster shocks on the real exchange rate and on the level of remittances across the two samples.remittances, natural disasters, small island developing states, migration

Contributions to the resilience of foster care graduates

This dissertation reports on a study undertaken to learn, from young adults doing well in the community after being graduate from lengthy periods of out-of-home-care, what these veterans named as contributions of the system to their resilience. In-depth interviews with nineteen successful long-term child welfare graduates have produced over five hundred pages of transcribed interview data, which has been coded, analyzed and the findings from which are presented in this report. The findings are necessarily based on a specific definition of “successful” employed in conceptualizing the project and gathering the sample which, although it attempts to minimize class bias nonetheless is necessarily reflected in the study’s findings. Findings of significance include the following: 1) participants exhibited high levels of social responsiveness and cooperation, 2) they reported strong feelings of being different from “normal” children raised in their biological families and they experienced stigmatization, 3) referrals came disproportionately from the PARC program (an independence preparation center) as compared with all other geographic functional areas of the two major child welfare agencies involved in the study, and 4) positive interventions in young graduates’ lives happened throughout childhood and early adulthood, suggesting that there is never a time to say “it’s too late” to make contact with the young adult client . Contributions to resilience named by participants fall into five general categories. They are: (1) pathfinders and role models, (2) experiences that raise and maintain self-esteem and self-efficacy, (3) exposure to opportunities, (4) patterns of protective thinking, and (5) community memberships. Implications derived from these findings include the need to systematically and planfully include these aids to resilience with all youngsters in out-of-home care. Practice with youngsters in care needs to be steadily and consistently informed by the experience of young adults who have graduated from care, as well as those still living in foster or group settings. Young people who do not have families to whom they will return are entitled to have continued parental support in the same way young adults living in their families receive some instrumental and affective support from their parents despite chronological age. It is suggested that stigmatization of youngsters who have lived in out-of-home care should be acknowledged and studied along with the meaning behind society’s social construction of the role of “foster child” and the reverence afforded the biological family

Adaptation to Cesarean Birth: Implementation of an International Multisite Study

The purpose of this column is to describe the implementation of an international multisite Roy adaptation model-based study of women’s perceptions of and responses to cesarean birth. The need for the study arose from the concern that women’s childbearing needs may not be met to their full satisfaction, especially if the infant is born by cesarean. Serendipity and networking played a part in the selection of four study sites in the United States (Boston, Milwaukee, Norfolk, Oklahoma City) and two in other countries (Finland, Australia). Data were collected by nursing students and staff nurses. Post-hoc consideration of the diversity of study sites revealed opportunities for examination of the influence of the contextual stimuli of culture and geographic region on the women’s adaptation to cesarean birth. Strategies used to foster integration of teaching, practice, and research are discussed

Individualized Treatment and Understanding the Non-Pharmacologic Components that are Part of Recovery

Learn about the non-pharmacologic components of recovery. When developing individualized treatment plans, what factors are considered? The Medical Director and the Director of Quality and Compliance for Washburn House, a new treatment facility in Worcester, Massachusetts, will share their stories of starting a new treatment facility, and the challenges of putting evidence-based practices into practical use. Learning Objectives: Individualized Treatment and Understanding the non-pharmacologic Components that are Part of Recovery Understand the rationale and treatment options for managed withdrawal of a patient with opioid use disorder Understand the rationale and treatment options for Medication Assisted Treatment in a patient with opioid use disorder Understand the non-pharmacologic components that are part of recover

Children Exposed to Violence (Focus)

A review of the types of violence to which children are exposed, the effects of that violence on their development, and promising approaches for improving outcome

Synthesis and cellular penetration properties of new phosphonium based cationic amphiphilic peptides

A new category of phosphonium based cationic amphiphilic peptides has been developed and evaluated as potential antimicrobial peptides and cell penetrating peptides. The required building blocks were conveniently accessible from cysteine and could be applied in a solid phase peptide synthesis protocol for incorporation into peptide sequences. Evaluation of the antimicrobial properties and cellular toxicity of these phosphonium based peptides showed that these “soft” cationic side-chain containing peptides have poor antimicrobial properties and most of them were virtually non toxic (on HEK cells tested at 256 and 512 μM) and non-haemolytic (on horse erythrocytes tested at 512 μM), hinting at an interesting potential application as cell penetrating peptides. This possibility was evaluated using fluorescent peptide derivatives and showed that these phosphonium based peptide derivatives were capable of entering HEK cells and depending on the sequence confined to specific cellular areas

PRELIMINARY STUDY OF THE EXTRACT OF THE BARKS OF Licania macrophylla BENTH: PHYTOCHEMICALS AND TOXICOLOGICAL ASPECTS

O objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar o perfil fitoquímico, físico-químico da espécie vegetal e determinar a toxicidade do extrato bruto etanólico de L. macrophylla Benth frente às larvas de Artemia salina L. A análise fitoquímica foi realizado por meio do extrato bruto etanólico das cascas do caule e a determinação físico-química foi realizada de acordo com a Farmacopeia Brasileira. As análises fitoquímicas detectaram a presença de saponinas, ácidos orgânicos, açúcares redutores, taninos, antraquinonas, depsídios e depsidonas. Em relação aos parâmetros físico-químicos a planta apresentou pH=4,64, pela ocorrência de saponinas, ácidos orgânicos e taninos; Lipídeos= 0,55% indica que o material vegetal apresenta poucos lipídios de baixo peso molecular; Umidade= 12,09%±0,12, o que relaciona a pouca quantidade de água, fator indispensável para a não ocorrência de desenvolvimento de microrganismo ou degradação enzimática. Os resíduos por incineração (cinzas) da espécie se encontra dentro dos padrões farmacognósticos de 8,30%±0,54. O extrato bruto segundo o teste de toxicidade é atóxico com CL50=1253µg/mL, isto é, confirma-se a relação estabelecida entre a taxa de mortalidade e CL50 deve ser superior a 1000µg/mL para serem considerados atóxicos. As análises fitoquímicas confirmaram em parte a utilização da espécie para fins fitoterápicos, porém a forma de tratamento e acondicionamento pode influenciar na determinação de metabólitos secundários. Os parâmetros físico-químicos adotados mostraram que espécie encontra-se livre de agentes decompositores.Palavras-chave: Fitoquímica, L. macrophilla Benth, Toxicidade, Físico-Química.The objective of this research was to evaluate the phytochemical, physicochemical and toxicity profile of ethanol crude extract of L. macrophyllain relation to Artemiasalina L. The Phytochemical analysis of the ethanol crude extract of the barks and stem and physicochemical calculation were performed by methods found in the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia. Phytochemical analysis detected saponins, organic acids, reducing sugars, tannins, anthraquinones, and depsidedepsidone. In relation to the physicochemical parameters, it showed pH = 4.64, due to the occurrence of saponins, organic acids and tannins; lipid = 0.55% indicates that the material presents few lipids of low molecular weight; humidity = 12.09% ± 0.12, relates to a small amount of water, indispensable for non occurrence of development of microorganisms or enzymatic degradation. Waste by incineration is within the pharmacognostic standards of 8.30% ± 0.54. The crude extract is practically nontoxic with LC50 = 1253μg/mL, since the mortality rate and LC50 should be higher than 1000μg/mL to be considered nontoxic. Phytochemical analysis have confirmed, in part, the use of species for phytotherapic purposes, however, the type of treatment and packaging can influence the determination of secondary metabolites. The adopted physicochemical parameters have shown that the species is free of decomposersagents.Keywords: Herbal medicine; L. macrophilla Benth; Toxicity; Physicochemical