Development, implementation and evaluation of community-based surveillance system in rural Cambodia

A community-based surveillance system was developed and implemented in rural areas in Cambodia. The system aimed to provide timely and representative information on major health problems and life events that would permit rapid and effective control of outbreaks and communicable diseases in general in rural communities. In the system, lay people were trained as Village Health Volunteers to report suspected outbreaks, important infectious diseases, and vital events occurring in their communities to local health staff who analysed the data and gave feedback to the volunteers during their monthly meetings. An evaluation conducted one year after implementation of the community-based surveillance system began found that the system was able to detect outbreaks early, regularly monitor communicable disease trends, and to continuously provide updated information on pregnancies, births and deaths in the rural areas. The sensitivity and specificity of case reporting by Village Health Volunteers were found to be quite high. In addition, the community-based surveillance system triggered effective responses from both health staff and Village Health Volunteers in outbreak and disease control and prevention. The results suggest that a community-based surveillance system can successfully fill the gaps of the current health facility-based disease surveillance system in the rapid detection of outbreaks, in the effective monitoring of communicable diseases, and in the notification of vital events in rural Cambodia. Empowered local people and health staff can accurately report, analyse and act upon significant health problems in their community within a surveillance system they develop, own and operate. The community-based surveillance system could easily be integrated with the current disease surveillance system. Its replication or adaptation for use in other rural areas in Cambodia and in other developing countries would be likely feasible and beneficial, as well as cost-effective

On the Minimum Degree up to Local Complementation: Bounds and Complexity

The local minimum degree of a graph is the minimum degree reached by means of a series of local complementations. In this paper, we investigate on this quantity which plays an important role in quantum computation and quantum error correcting codes. First, we show that the local minimum degree of the Paley graph of order p is greater than sqrt{p} - 3/2, which is, up to our knowledge, the highest known bound on an explicit family of graphs. Probabilistic methods allows us to derive the existence of an infinite number of graphs whose local minimum degree is linear in their order with constant 0.189 for graphs in general and 0.110 for bipartite graphs. As regards the computational complexity of the decision problem associated with the local minimum degree, we show that it is NP-complete and that there exists no k-approximation algorithm for this problem for any constant k unless P = NP.Comment: 11 page

Servicification in global value chains: Comparative analysis of selected Asian countries with OECD

This paper investigates the trend of servicification in global value chains (GVCs). The degree of servicification is measured as the share of service value added in manufacturing exports. Service inputs are either from domestic market or from foreign countries, which are measured by the domestic servicification and the foreign servicification, respectively. Using the international input–output tables from 1995 to 2011, we estimate the degree of servicification across 61 countries with a focus on Asian nations which have been rarely studied in previous research. We observed an evident trend of servicification in manufacturing in the Asian countries, especially in the 16 countries associated with Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Asian countries tend to have a lower level of domestic servicification but a higher level of foreign servicification than OECD countries. We also identified five key factors in driving the trend of servicification. Countries with broader participation and lower positions in GVCs tend to have higher levels of foreign servicification in manufacturing. Improvements in information and communication technology (ICT) also raise the level of foreign servicification. However, countries with a larger supply of service workers, better regulation quality and less government governance have a higher level of domestic servicification in manufacturing.Shandre M. Thangavelu, Wenxiao Wang, Sothea Ou

Following an environmental carcinogen N2-dG adduct through replication: elucidating blockage and bypass in a high-fidelity DNA polymerase

We have investigated how a benzo[a]pyrene-derived N2-dG adduct, 10S(+)-trans-anti-[BP]-N2-dG ([BP]G*), is processed in a well-characterized Pol I family model replicative DNA polymerase, Bacillus fragment (BF). Experimental results are presented that reveal relatively facile nucleotide incorporation opposite the lesion, but very inefficient further extension. Computational studies follow the possible bypass of [BP]G* through the pre-insertion, insertion and post-insertion sites as BF alternates between open and closed conformations. With dG* in the normal B-DNA anti conformation, BP seriously disturbs the polymerase structure, positioning itself either deeply in the pre-insertion site or on the crowded evolving minor groove side of the modified template, consistent with a polymerase-blocking conformation. With dG* in the less prevalent syn conformation, BP causes less distortion: it is either out of the pre-insertion site or in the major groove open pocket of the polymerase. Thus, the syn conformation can account for the observed relatively easy incorporation of nucleotides, with mutagenic purines favored, opposite the [BP]G* adduct. However, with the lesion in the BF post-insertion site, more serious distortions caused by the adduct even in the syn conformation explain the very inefficient extension observed experimentally. In vivo, a switch to a potentially error-prone bypass polymerase likely dominates translesion bypass

Between Treewidth and Clique-width

Many hard graph problems can be solved efficiently when restricted to graphs of bounded treewidth, and more generally to graphs of bounded clique-width. But there is a price to be paid for this generality, exemplified by the four problems MaxCut, Graph Coloring, Hamiltonian Cycle and Edge Dominating Set that are all FPT parameterized by treewidth but none of which can be FPT parameterized by clique-width unless FPT = W[1], as shown by Fomin et al [7, 8]. We therefore seek a structural graph parameter that shares some of the generality of clique-width without paying this price. Based on splits, branch decompositions and the work of Vatshelle [18] on Maximum Matching-width, we consider the graph parameter sm-width which lies between treewidth and clique-width. Some graph classes of unbounded treewidth, like distance-hereditary graphs, have bounded sm-width. We show that MaxCut, Graph Coloring, Hamiltonian Cycle and Edge Dominating Set are all FPT parameterized by sm-width

Minimum Degree up to Local Complementation: Bounds, Parameterized Complexity, and Exact Algorithms

The local minimum degree of a graph is the minimum degree that can be reached by means of local complementation. For any n, there exist graphs of order n which have a local minimum degree at least 0.189n, or at least 0.110n when restricted to bipartite graphs. Regarding the upper bound, we show that for any graph of order n, its local minimum degree is at most 3n/8+o(n) and n/4+o(n) for bipartite graphs, improving the known n/2 upper bound. We also prove that the local minimum degree is smaller than half of the vertex cover number (up to a logarithmic term). The local minimum degree problem is NP-Complete and hard to approximate. We show that this problem, even when restricted to bipartite graphs, is in W[2] and FPT-equivalent to the EvenSet problem, which W[1]-hardness is a long standing open question. Finally, we show that the local minimum degree is computed by a O*(1.938^n)-algorithm, and a O*(1.466^n)-algorithm for the bipartite graphs

SME Participation in ASEAN and East Asian Integration: The Case of Cambodia

Covering 201 firms, this study employs a questionnaire survey to explore the impact of trade policy on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Cambodia. The results show that more than half of the surveyed firms were aware of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and larger firms tend to use FTAs more frequently than SMEs. The key reasons for not using FTAs were a lack of knowledge and not knowing how to use the forms. The strong import linkages with ASEAN and East Asia (as compared to export linkages) suggest that Cambodian firms take advantage of sourcing cheaper intermediate inputs from ASEAN and East Asian economies and then export the final products to the U.S. and EU markets through generalized system of preferences (GSP) and Everything But Arms (EBA) arrangements. The surveyed firms hold the perception that the AEC has or would decrease their domestic and export sales as well as their profitability, and face more competition in local and foreign markets. On the other hand, they think the AEC has or would decrease import costs and enhance accessibility to intermediate inputs. The impacts are believed to occur through the reduction of import and export tariffs/ duties, increase in custom procedures, standards and regulations, recognition of professional qualifications, improved investment processes, and better connectivity. The empirical results indicate that compared to non-users, the active FTA users appear to be larger, have higher labour productivity, and have experience with multiple export markets. They are also members of business associations, and have higher skill intensity and technological capability. Firm size, higher labour productivity, access to business networks, active use of information and communications technology (ICT), having more experiences with multiple export markets, skilled human capital and technological capability are important factors for firms to use multiple FTAs and participate in regional integration.Shandre M. Thangavelu, Sothea Oum and Samsen Nea