Infectious Disease Control by Vaccines Giving Full or Partial Immunity

We use a simple Lotka-Volterra model of the disease transmission process to analyse the dynamic population structure in two scenarios. Firstly a vaccine is available\ on the market at a constant price through time. Secondly, the vaccine is publicly provided. The vaccine works either by giving partial or full immunity to the disease. We analyse market provision for vaccines providing partial immunity and public provision of both types of vaccine. In the case of market provision we find that there may be multiple stationary states and instability. This is in contrast with earlier results under full immunity. In the publicly provided scenario we find that in the partial immunity case a procyclical policy is desirable but for the full immunity case a countercyclical policy is preferable. This is robust to alternative specifications of the basic Lotka-Volterra system.

Positive and Normative Issues of Economic Growth with Infectious Disease

This paper uses a variant of the Lotka-Volterra system explaining the dynamic interaction between populations of infected and healthy individuals in which the demographic and epidemiological parameters (the net healthy birth rate, the death rate of the infected and the infection rate) are functions of economic variables and some simple economic growth models to examine deterministic growth paths of the system with an exogenous savings rate. Demographic-epidemiological parameters depend on productive capital which combined with healthy workers produces output. We find that there are generally multiple steady states. The system usually converges to a steady state in which the economy moderates the disease. If capital accumulation is set optimally to maximise welfare then there may be multiple steady states and optimal growth paths generally display four dimensional saddle point properties. Extensions of the framework to allow for density dependent infection, recovery from the disease and alternative social welfare functions are analysed.economic growth; infectious disease; dynamic optimal control.

Economic-epidemiological analysis of tuberculosis : modelling the demographic-epidemiological implications of economic growth and public health investment.

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Infectious Disease Control by Vaccines Giving Full or Partial Immunity

We use a simple Lotka-Volterra model of the disease transmission process to analyse the dynamic population structure when a vaccine is available at a constant price through time which gives partial immunity to the disease. In contrast to earlier results for the full immunity case, we find that there may be multiple stationary states and instability. In contrast to earlier work which has only considered policies in steady states, we consider the dynamic effects of different dynamic vaccination policies on any solution path for the case of publicly subsidised vaccines. We find that in the partial immunity case a procyclical policy is desirable but for the full immunity case a countercyclical policy is desirable.

Infectious disease and economic growth: the case of tuberculosis

We consider the links between the health structure of the population and The productive system of an economy which is subject to infectious disease, in particular tuberculosis. Reviewing the models of tuberculosis suggests that a Lotka-Volterra system can capture the dynamics of epidemics. We combine this with a Solow-Swan growth model: output is produced from capital and healthy labour; the demographic parameters of the Lotka-Volterra system are functions of the capital labour ratio. We find three stationary states, two of which are extensions of population equilibria and the third of which has a positive capital labour ratio. there is also a partial balanced growth path in which there is no disease and the healthy population and capital stock grow at a common rate. We find conditions for stability of this path. We analyse the local dynamics and, in the context of global analysis of two examples, find that the economic-epidemiological stationary state is locally stable and an attractor for a wide range of initial conditions. The way in which the net birth rate of susceptibles responds to prosperity determines the level of the stationary state prevalence of the disease. The interaction between the disease and the economy can also decrease the amplitude of epidemic cycles.

Effects of air pollution and meteorological parameters on human health in the city of Athens, Greece

The impact of air pollution (CO, NO, NO2, SO2, O3) and meteorological parameters (air temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure) on three indicators of human morbidity (circulatory, respiratory and skin diseases) is quantified, while the sensitivity of the results to different model specifications is tested. Findings indicate that higher SO2 and CO levels significantly increase circulatory and skin diseases, respectively, while higher NO and O3 concentrations increase respiratory diseases. Air temperature is significantly associated with all human health indicators. This work highlights the need for lower air pollution standards for the city of Athens and a wider climate change policy

Sex differences in self-construal and in depressive symptoms: predictors of cross-national variation

Sex differences in aspects of independent versus interdependent self-construal and depressive symptoms were surveyed among 5,320 students from 24 nations. Men were found to perceive themselves as more self-contained whereas women perceived themselves as more connected to others. No significant sex differences were found on two further dimensions of self-construal, or on a measure of depressive symptoms. Multilevel modeling was used to test the ability of a series of predictors derived from a social identity perspective and from evolutionary theory to moderate sex differences. Contrary to most prior studies of personality, sex differences in self-construal were larger in samples from nations scoring lower on the Gender Gap Index, and the Human Development Index. Sex differences were also greater in nations with higher pathogen prevalence, higher self-reported religiosity, and in nations with high reported avoidance of settings with strong norms. The findings are discussed in terms of the interrelatedness of self-construals and the cultural contexts in which they are elicited and the distinctiveness of student samples

Is an emphasis on dignity, honor and face more an attribute of individuals or of cultural groups?

This study compares the individual-level and sample-level predictive utility of a measure of the cultural logics of dignity, honor, and face. University students in 29 samples from 24 nations used a simple measure to rate their perceptions of the interpersonal cultural logic characterizing their local culture. The nomological net of these measures was then explored. Key dependent measures included three different facets of independent versus interdependent self-construal, relevant attitudes and values, reported handling of actual interpersonal conflicts, and responses to normative settings. Multilevel analyses revealed both individual- and sample-level effects but the dignity measure showed more individual-level effects, whereas sample-level effects were relatively more important with the face measure. The implications of this contrast are discussed

Need for approval from others and face concerns as predictors of interpersonal conflict outcome in 29 cultural groups

The extent to which culture moderates the effects of need for approval from others on a person's handling of interpersonal conflict was investigated. Students from 24 nations rated how they handled a recent interpersonal conflict, using measures derived from face-negotiation theory. Samples varied in the extent to which they were perceived as characterised by the cultural logics of dignity, honour, or face. It was hypothesised that the emphasis on harmony within face cultures would reduce the relevance of need for approval from others to face-negotiation concerns. Respondents rated their need for approval from others and how much they sought to preserve their own face and the face of the other party during the conflict. Need for approval was associated with concerns for both self-face and other-face. However, as predicted, the association between need for approval from others and concern for self-face was weaker where face logic was prevalent. Favourable conflict outcome was positively related to other-face and negatively related to self-face and to need for approval from others, but there were no significant interactions related to prevailing cultural logics. The results illustrate how particular face-threatening factors can moderate the distinctive face-concerns earlier found to characterise individualistic and collectivistic cultural groups