Estimating Legislative Effectiveness in Nigeria

The study estimates the effectiveness of legislators in Nigeria using the Legislative Effectiveness Score (LES) approach proposed by Volden and Wiseman. The study deviates from the often controversial issue of astronomical remuneration of the legislators’- to assessment of the effectiveness and efficiency of the individual legislators. The findings show that on average, legislators with experience sponsored approximately 2.58 bills per head in the reviewed period, while those without legislative experience sponsored approximately 2.32 bills per head. This supports the views in the literature that longer serving members of the legislature tend to be more effective. Also, the LES ranking showed that out of the top 10 senators, eight were of the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) while two were of the now defunct All Nigeria’s Peoples Party. This also supports the unanimous findings in the literature that members of the dominant party tend to be more successful than members of the minority or opposition parties. With respect to individual senators effectiveness, Senator Victor Ndoma Egba, with legislative experience, and of the ruling PDP, was the most effective senator in the period reviewed. Keywords: Legislature, Legislative Effectiveness, Bill, Scor

Making Fiscal Space Happen! Managing Fiscal Policy in a World of Scaled-Up Aid

aid, fiscal policy, low income countries, macroeconomic policy, public financial management

Estimating Legislative Effectiveness in Nigeria

The study estimates the effectiveness of legislators in Nigeria using the Legislative Effectiveness Score (LES) approach proposed by Volden and Wiseman. The study deviates from the often controversial issue of astronomical remuneration of the legislators’- to assessment of the effectiveness and efficiency of the individual legislators. The findings show that on average, legislators with experience sponsored approximately 2.58 bills per head in the reviewed period, while those without legislative experience sponsored approximately 2.32 bills per head. This supports the views in the literature that longer serving members of the legislature tend to be more effective. Also, the LES ranking showed that out of the top 10 senators, eight were of the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) while two were of the now defunct All Nigeria’s Peoples Party. This also supports the unanimous findings in the literature that members of the dominant party tend to be more successful than members of the minority or opposition parties. With respect to individual senators effectiveness, Senator Victor Ndoma Egba, with legislative experience, and of the ruling PDP, was the most effective senator in the period reviewed

Genetic Basis of Inherited Retinal Disease in a Molecularly Characterized Cohort of More Than 3000 Families from the United Kingdom.

PURPOSE: In a large cohort of molecularly characterized inherited retinal disease (IRD) families, we investigated proportions with disease attributable to causative variants in each gene. DESIGN: Retrospective study of electronic patient records. PARTICIPANTS: Patients and relatives managed in the Genetics Service of Moorfields Eye Hospital in whom a molecular diagnosis had been identified. METHODS: Genetic screening used a combination of single-gene testing, gene panel testing, whole exome sequencing, and more recently, whole genome sequencing. For this study, genes listed in the Retinal Information Network online resource (https://sph.uth.edu/retnet/) were included. Transcript length was extracted for each gene (Ensembl, release 94). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We calculated proportions of families with IRD attributable to variants in each gene in the entire cohort, a cohort younger than 18 years, and a current cohort (at least 1 patient encounter between January 1, 2017, and August 2, 2019). Additionally, we explored correlation between numbers of families and gene transcript length. RESULTS: We identified 3195 families with a molecular diagnosis (variants in 135 genes), including 4236 affected individuals. The pediatric cohort comprised 452 individuals from 411 families (66 genes). The current cohort comprised 2614 families (131 genes; 3130 affected individuals). The 20 most frequently implicated genes overall (with prevalence rates per families) were as follows: ABCA4 (20.8%), USH2A (9.1%), RPGR (5.1%), PRPH2 (4.6%), BEST1 (3.9%), RS1 (3.5%), RP1 (3.3%), RHO (3.3%), CHM (2.7%), CRB1 (2.1%), PRPF31 (1.8%), MY07A (1.7%), OPA1 (1.6%), CNGB3 (1.4%), RPE65 (1.2%), EYS (1.2%), GUCY2D (1.2%), PROM1 (1.2%), CNGA3 (1.1%), and RDH12 (1.1%). These accounted for 71.8% of all molecularly diagnosed families. Spearman coefficients for correlation between numbers of families and transcript length were 0.20 (P = 0.025) overall and 0.27 (P = 0.017), -0.17 (P = 0.46), and 0.71 (P = 0.047) for genes in which variants exclusively cause recessive, dominant, or X-linked disease, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings help to quantify the burden of IRD attributable to each gene. More than 70% of families showed pathogenic variants in 1 of 20 genes. Transcript length (relevant to gene delivery strategies) correlated significantly with numbers of affected families (but not for dominant disease)

Evaluation of arterial anatomy in congenital clubfoot with color doppler ultrasound

OBJECTIVE: This investigation intended to evaluate anterior and posterior tibial arteries at the ankle joint level in congenital clubfoot, by using color Doppler ultrasound (CDU). MATERIAL AND METHOD: Twenty patients with idiopathic clubfoot were selected, from which 18 had unilateral involvement and two had bilateral involvement. Of the 18 patients with unilateral clubfoot, 16 went through surgical treatment and the other two were submitted to conservative treatment with serial casting. Of the bilateral cases, one patient was treated surgically and the other was treated with serial casting. All patients were clinically and radiographically assessed. We used the functional rating as described by Lehman. Then, CDU was applied bilaterally at the ankle joint level, trying to identify both posterior and anterior tibial arteries. RESULTS: In our present series of 20 cases with idiopathic clubfoot, in just one patient we could not identify the anterior tibial artery at the ankle joint level. In 12 patients who have had their arterial flow speeds and diameters measured by UDC, a positive correlation was found between functional level and anterior tibial artery diameter. No statistically significant differences were found between both flow speed and diameter of anterior tibial artery of the normal side, when compared to the affected side (in patients with unilateral disease). CONCLUSION: In our sample, we could not find any significant differences in arterial morphology and flow speed between the normal and the affected side. Furthermore, we noticed that the better the clinical result of clubfoot correction, the larger the diameter of anterior tibial artery in affected feet.OBJETIVO: Avaliação ultrassonográfica das artérias tibial anterior e posterior no pé torto congênito (PTC). MATERIAL E MÉTODO: Foram incluídos 20 pacientes portadores de PTC idiopático compreendendo 18 casos unilaterais e dois bilaterais, sendo que 17 pacientes foram submetidos a tratamento cirúrgico e três a tratamento conservador. Todos os pacientes apresentavam pés plantígrados e foram submetidos à avaliação clínica e radiográfica, seguido pelo exame de ultrassom Doppler colorido (UDC), visando a identificação das artérias tibiais anterior e posterior na altura do tornozelo. O nível funcional foi classificado pelos critérios de Lehman. RESULTADOS: Nesta série de 20 pacientes, somente em um não foi identificada a artéria tibial anterior. Nos 12 pacientes submetidos à mensuração de fluxo e calibre pelo UDC, foi encontrada uma correlação positiva entre o grau funcional do PTC e o calibre da artéria tibial anterior. Não houve redução estatisticamente significante entre o fluxo e calibre da artéria tibial anterior do lado normal em comparação com o lado alterado (nos casos de doença unilateral). CONCLUSÕES: Não houve alteração significativa da morfologia e fluxo arterial quando comparamos os lados afetado e normal. Além disso, quanto melhor o resultado clínico da correção do PTC, maior foi o calibre da artéria tibial anterior.UNIFESP Departamento de Ortopedia e TraumatologiaUNIFESP, Depto. de Ortopedia e TraumatologiaSciEL

La Zone franc aujourd’hui : défis à relever et mesures à prendre

The Franc Zone today : challenges and necessary measures In January 1994, the CFA Franc was devalued of 50 % against the other foreign currencies. This article deals with the economic changes of the Franc Zone during the last ten years, exposes the challenges the Franc Zone faces and necessary measures to take them up. JEL classification : E42, F32, F33, O55En janvier 1994, le franc CFA a été dévalué de 50 % par rapport aux monnaies étrangères, Ce document examine brièvement l'évolution économique de la Zone franc durant les 10 dernières années, identifie les défis auxquels la zone est confrontée aujourd'hui et propose une série de mesures pour y faire face. Classification JEL : E42, F32, F33, O55Katz Menachem, Weisfeld Hans. La Zone franc aujourd’hui : défis à relever et mesures à prendre. In: Revue d'économie financière, n°75, 2004. Les systèmes de changes fixes : la Zone franc. pp. 249-261

Health Care for the poor—An Exploration of Primary-Care Physicians’ Perceptions of Poor Patients and of their Helping Behaviors." Social science & medicine 64.7

Abstract This paper explores the ways in which primary-care physicians in Israel perceive and help poor patients. Our findings are based on a qualitative study that utilized a focus group and in-depth interviews with 16 primary-care physicians who qualified both in Israel and in the former Soviet Union, and who work in community clinics one Health Maintenance Organization serving poor populations of diverse cultural, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds (immigrants from the former Soviet Union and from Ethiopia, Bedouin, ultra-orthodox Jews, the chronic poor, and the 'new' poor). It was found that the physicians presume causality between poverty and health, identify and distinguish between different types of poverty, and make associations based on the type of poverty and type of patient problem. Their thinking on poverty is patient-oriented rather than socially oriented. An analysis of these findings resulted in a conceptualization of five types of physician helping behavior: emotional and personal instrumental, reinforcing socially desirable behavior, preferential help and bending the rules, rights realization and working the system, and minimal community involvement. The components of this conceptual model depict and chart issues affecting the helping behavior of the primary-care physician, i.e., type of poverty, type of problem, administrative context and, particularly, physician attributes, such as gender and country where notable. Our findings reveal little social consciousness on the part of the physicians, and we conclude with remarks on the potential for change in this area.

Glia Modulate a Neuronal Circuit for Locomotion Suppression during Sleep in C. elegans

International audienceGlia have been suggested to regulate sleep-like states in vertebrates and invertebrates alike. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, sleep is associated with molting between larval stages. To understand if glia modulate neural circuits driving sleep in C. elegans larvae, we ablated the astrocyte-like CEPsh glia. We found that glia-ablated animals exhibit episodes of immobility preceding sleep, prolonged sleep, molting-independent short-duration locomotory pausing, and delayed development. CEPsh glia ensheath synapses between the sleep-associated ALA neuron and its postsynaptic partner AVE, a major locomotion interneuron. While AVE calcium transients normally correlate with head retraction, glia ablation results in prolonged calcium transients that are uncoupled from movement. Strikingly, all these glia ablation defects are suppressed by the ablation of ALA. Our results suggest that glia attenuate sleep-promoting inhibitory connections between ALA and AVE, uncovering specific roles for glia in sleep behavior. We propose that similar mechanisms may underlie glial roles in sleep in other animals

Health care for the poor--An exploration of primary-care physicians' perceptions of poor patients and of their helping behaviors

This paper explores the ways in which primary-care physicians in Israel perceive and help poor patients. Our findings are based on a qualitative study that utilized a focus group and in-depth interviews with 16 primary-care physicians who qualified both in Israel and in the former Soviet Union, and who work in community clinics one Health Maintenance Organization serving poor populations of diverse cultural, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds (immigrants from the former Soviet Union and from Ethiopia, Bedouin, ultra-orthodox Jews, the chronic poor, and the 'new' poor). It was found that the physicians presume causality between poverty and health, identify and distinguish between different types of poverty, and make associations based on the type of poverty and type of patient problem. Their thinking on poverty is patient-oriented rather than socially oriented. An analysis of these findings resulted in a conceptualization of five types of physician helping behavior: emotional and personal instrumental, reinforcing socially desirable behavior, preferential help and bending the rules, rights realization and working the system, and minimal community involvement. The components of this conceptual model depict and chart issues affecting the helping behavior of the primary-care physician, i.e., type of poverty, type of problem, administrative context and, particularly, physician attributes, such as gender and country where notable. Our findings reveal little social consciousness on the part of the physicians, and we conclude with remarks on the potential for change in this area.Israel Primary-care physicians Poverty Doctor-patient communication/interaction Health-education