An Empirical Study of Review Mechanisms in Environmental Regimes

This report is part of a large scale comparison of how implementation review mechanisms (IRMs) are used in international environmental agreements. Broadly, IRMs are the means by which data is exchanged and gathered, reviewed and assessed in the context of an international agreement, and by which problems of compliance and inadequate performance are managed. Here we describe the data protocol that is being used in assembling a database of review mechanisms and explain the rationale behind all the major questions in the protocol. The protocol consists of questions about the general features of agreements as well as more focussed questions concerning: how information relating to national performance and compliance is gathered and disseminated; how that information is assessed; and the means by which the parties and the agreement respond to potential problems of noncompliance and inadequate performance. The database is useful in part because it organizes information about different international environmental agreements into a comparable format and thus aids in the selection of appropriate cases and comparisons for further research. It is also useful because it can aid in the testing of hypotheses about which aspects of international agreements and review mechanisms lead agreements to be more effective. We are now using it for both purposes, in addition to extending the number of cases in the database. To date, over fifty cases have been coded using the protocol. Here we also report some observations and hypotheses derived from working with the data from those cases. These include: 1) a hypothesis that review mechanisms tend to grow as needed to fulfill demand for specific functions; 2) a hypothesis that review mechanisms might help the parties to an agreement address various forms of complexity that arise in negotiating and managing international agreements; 3) a questions as to whether and how often institutions that are formally outside a particular agreement but with competence or power in the issue-area de facto provide the review mechanisms for the agreement; 4) a question as to whether review mechanisms make their largest contribution to effectiveness when the obligations of an agreement are precise or vague; 5) a question as to whether in practice some of the functions of review mechanisms are performed by dispute resolution mechanisms, which tend to be formally created in most international agreements (but appear to be rarely used in environmental agreements)

Mathematical model for the control of measles

We proposed a mathematical model of measles disease dynamics with vaccination by considering the total number of recovered individuals either from natural recovery or recovery due to vaccination. We tested for the existence and uniqueness of solution for the model using the Lipchitz condition to ascertain the efficacy of the model andproceeded to determine both the disease free equilibrium (DFE) and the endemic equilibrium (EE) for the system of the equations and vaccination reproduction number are given. Numerical simulation of the model shows that vaccination is capable of reducing the number of exposed and infectious population.Keywords: Measles, Vaccination, Equilibrium States, Basic Reproduction Numbe

Sensitivity analysis of the parameters of a cholera model

In this paper, a deterministic mathematical model is formulated to analyse the degree of sensitivity of some factors that aid cholera transmission and management. We obtain the disease-free equilibrium point and conduct the local stability of the disease-free and endemic equilibria of the model. Reproduction number with interventions is stated and the method of normalised forward sensitivity index is employed to determine the numerical value of the key model parameters with respect to the effective reproduction number in order to determine their relative importance to cholera transmission and management. The results obtained show that the most important parameter to cholera transmission is the contact rate between susceptible and infectious individuals while the most crucial parameter to cholera management is the rate of cholera awareness.Keywords: Mathematical model, stability analysis, reproduction number, sensitivity inde

Solution of a deterministic mathematical model of typhoid fever by variational iteration method

The aim of this paper is to apply Variational Iteration Method (VIM) to solve typhoid fever model for a given constant population. This mathematical model is described by nonlinear first order ordinary differential equations. First, we find the solution of this model by using Variational Iteration Method (VIM). In order to show the efficiency of the method we compare the solutions obtained by VIM and RK4. The validity of the VIM in solving the model is established by using the computer in-built classical fourth-order Runge-Kutta method. We illustrated the profiles of the solutions of each of the compartments, from which we speculate that the VIM and RK4 solutions agreed well.Keywords: Typhoid Fever, Variational Iteration Method, Runge-Kutta Metho

Growth Strategy, Technological Innovation and Performance of Manufacturing Firms in Southwest Nigeria

Growth strategy is critical to the performance of small and medium enterprises (SME) in an economy. This study examined the moderating effect of technological innovation on growth strategy and performance of SMEs. It adopts quantitative approach, and used 361 copies of questionnaire were distributed among SME owners in Southwest Nigeria and analysed with Structural Equation Modelling (SMART PLS). Results shows significant relationships between growth strategy and SMEs performance and technological innovation reinforces the relationships. It indicates that product development has 78% predictability on performance of SME, also 58% of variance in performance of SME is explained by market penetration. Market development has 73% predicting effect on performance of SME, and also that 70% of variance in performance of small and medium enterprise is explained by product diversification. It is recommended that owners of SMEs should invest in quality and diversified products, and invest in research and development that encourages intrapreneurship

Isolation, Identification and Antibiotic Resistance Profile of Public Health Threat Enteric Bacteria from Milk and Dairy Products Retail in Abakaliki, South-East, Nigeria

Milk and foods made from milk is manufactured into more stable dairy products of worldwide value, such as butter, cheese, ice cream, and yoghurt. Consumption of contaminated milk or dairy products by pathogens causes human gastrointestinal infection, which leads to diarrheal disease in human and hospitalization or death in severe cases especially among elderly and children. An assessment of milk and dairy products was designed to determine the microbiological quality of milk and dairy products consumed in Abakaliki, Nigeria. Culture techniques were used for isolation of enteric bacteria from retail dairy products and disk diffusion method were used to determine the Antibiotic Resistance profile of isolates. Bacteria pathogens isolated were characterized and identified using morphological and biochemical techniques. SPSS and Chi-square test were used for the analysis of the study, P-value of 0.02 indicates a significant difference between the bacteria pathogens counts. A total of 161 pathogenic bacteria were isolated from 100 dairy products. Salmonella spp heard (26.1%), Escherichia coli (44.1%) and Shigella spp. (29.8%). All identified isolates were found to be 100% susceptible to ciprofloxacin and gentamycin, with 66.7% for ofloxacin. Augmentin, ampicillin, chloramphenicol and spectinomycin was 100% resistant. Data obtained confirm that milk and dairy products retailed in Abakaliki pose a serious public health threat to consumers due to the presence of pathogenic bacteria. Standard and good storage conditions, as well as environmental and personnel hygiene should be practiced to prevent contamination of milk and dairy products for the safety of consumers

Partitioning the Heritability of Tourette Syndrome and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Reveals Differences in Genetic Architecture

The direct estimation of heritability from genome-wide common variant data as implemented in the program Genome-wide Complex Trait Analysis (GCTA) has provided a means to quantify heritability attributable to all interrogated variants. We have quantified the variance in liability to disease explained

Growth Strategy, Technological Innovation and Performance of Manufacturing Firms in Southwest Nigeria

GroJIIth strategy is critical to the peiformance of small and medium enterprises (SME) in an economy. This stutjy examined the moderating effect of technological innovation on growth strategy and peiformance of SMEs. It adopts quantitative approach, and used 361 copies of questionnaire wen distributed among Si\tlE o1vners in So11thwest Nigeria and anajysed 1vith Stmctural E quation Modelling (51\IIART PLS). Results shows significant relationships between growth strategy and SME s peiformance and technological innovation reinforces the relationships. It indicates that product development has 18% predictability on peiformance of SME, also 58% of variance in peiformance of SME is explained f:y market penetration. Market development has 13% predicting effect on peiformance of SME, and also that 10% of variance in peiformance of small and medium enterprise is explained 0 product diversification. It is recommended that o1vners of SME s should invest in quality and diversified products, and invest in research and development that encourages intraprenetmhip