Community Outreach Projects as a Sustainable Way of Introducing Information Technology in Developing Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zlotnikova, Irina; van der Weide, Theo

2015-01-01

The paper describes an approach to the sustainable introduction of IT in developing countries based on international collaboration between students taking the form of a knowledge bridge. The authors consider the challenges for introducing information technologies in developing countries; one of these is lack of reading materials ultimately leading…

Capacity building in anthelmintic drug discovery.

PubMed

Kron, Michael; Yousif, Fouad; Ramirez, Bernadette

2007-10-01

International collaboration in anthelmintic drug discovery holds special challenges compared with local or national discovery projects, and at the same time presents the opportunity to build capacity, forge long lasting inter-institutional relationships and strengthen infrastructure in multinational priority areas. This chapter discusses important issues that should be considered in the context of anthelmintic screening centre development and will give examples (Philippines and Egypt) of the productivity of developing country based screening centres. The positive outcomes of infrastructure building is realised in greater capacities for anthelmintic screening at institutions in the countries where the parasitic diseases are endemic and allows for optimum use of specialised resources for public health priority diseases that may be different from those in Western countries. Support for developing country based screening centres also can help countries optimise product development procedures and policies and can facilitate diffusion of desirable technology in corresponding global regions around the world.

The Development of Educational Technology Policies (1996-2012): Lessons from China and the USA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alamin, Alnuaman A.; Shaoqing, Guo; Le, Zhang

2015-01-01

This study reviews the development of educational technology macro policies in China and USA based on the historical juxtaposition approach. It shows that, despite the fact that two countries have major differences, with China officially being a socialist country, while the USA is a capitalist country; the development of educational technology…

The Full Costs of Ballistic Missile Defense

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-01-01

following words: “We assess that countries developing ballistic missiles would also develop various responses to US theater and national defenses. Russia...and China each have developed numerous countermeasures and probably are willing to sell the requisite technologies. • Many countries , such as North...penetration aids and countermeasures. • These countries could develop countermeasures based on these technologies by the time they flight test their missiles

Comparative Study: Impact of Family, School, and Students Factors on Students Achievements in Reading in Developed (Estonia) and Developing (Azerbaijan) Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shukakidze, Berika

2013-01-01

The work is based on PISA 2009 International Assessment Study. Two counties were selected: a developed country, Estonia and a developing country, Azerbaijan. The following Datum was used for statistical analysis: students average scores in reading (162 schools, 4 600 students from Azerbaijan; 17 schools, 4 923 students from Estonia). The work is…

Developed-developing country partnerships: benefits to developed countries?

PubMed

Syed, Shamsuzzoha B; Dadwal, Viva; Rutter, Paul; Storr, Julie; Hightower, Joyce D; Gooden, Rachel; Carlet, Jean; Bagheri Nejad, Sepideh; Kelley, Edward T; Donaldson, Liam; Pittet, Didier

2012-06-18

Developing countries can generate effective solutions for today's global health challenges. This paper reviews relevant literature to construct the case for international cooperation, and in particular, developed-developing country partnerships. Standard database and web-based searches were conducted for publications in English between 1990 and 2010. Studies containing full or partial data relating to international cooperation between developed and developing countries were retained for further analysis. Of 227 articles retained through initial screening, 65 were included in the final analysis. The results were two-fold: some articles pointed to intangible benefits accrued by developed country partners, but the majority of information pointed to developing country innovations that can potentially inform health systems in developed countries. This information spanned all six WHO health system components. Ten key health areas where developed countries have the most to learn from the developing world were identified and include, rural health service delivery; skills substitution; decentralisation of management; creative problem-solving; education in communicable disease control; innovation in mobile phone use; low technology simulation training; local product manufacture; health financing; and social entrepreneurship. While there are no guarantees that innovations from developing country experiences can effectively transfer to developed countries, combined developed-developing country learning processes can potentially generate effective solutions for global health systems. However, the global pool of knowledge in this area is virgin and further work needs to be undertaken to advance understanding of health innovation diffusion. Even more urgently, a standardized method for reporting partnership benefits is needed--this is perhaps the single most immediate need in planning for, and realizing, the full potential of international cooperation between developed and developing countries.

Comparing the Origins and Ideologies of the Independent Living Movement and Community Based Rehabilitation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lysack, Catherine; Kaufert, Joseph

1994-01-01

This paper explores the origins, differences, and similarities of community-based rehabilitation, which developed in southern countries, and independent living, which developed in northern countries, for persons with disabilities. Although both approaches share a broad definition of rehabilitation and values emphasizing community and consumer…

A global survey of changing patterns of food allergy burden in children

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

While food allergies and eczema are among the most common chronic non-communicable diseases in children in many countries worldwide, quality data on the burden of these diseases is lacking, particularly in developing countries. This 2012 survey was performed to collect information on existing data on the global patterns and prevalence of food allergy by surveying all the national member societies of the World Allergy Organization, and some of their neighbouring countries. Data were collected from 89 countries, including published data, and changes in the health care burden of food allergy. More than half of the countries surveyed (52/89) did not have any data on food allergy prevalence. Only 10% (9/89) of countries had accurate food allergy prevalence data, based on oral food challenges (OFC). The remaining countries (23/89) had data largely based on parent-reporting of a food allergy diagnosis or symptoms, which is recognised to overestimate the prevalence of food allergy. Based on more accurate measures, the prevalence of clinical (OFC proven) food allergy in preschool children in developed countries is now as high as 10%. In large and rapidly emerging societies of Asia, such as China, where there are documented increases in food allergy, the prevalence of OFC-proven food allergy is now around 7% in pre-schoolers, comparable to the reported prevalence in European regions. While food allergy appears to be increasing in both developed and developing countries in the last 10–15 years, there is a lack of quality comparative data. This survey also highlights inequities in paediatric allergy services, availability of adrenaline auto-injectors and standardised National Anaphylaxis Action plans. In conclusion, there remains a need to gather more accurate data on the prevalence of food allergy in many developed and developing countries to better anticipate and address the rising community and health service burden of food allergy. PMID:24304599

Public-Private Partnership in the Countries of the Eurasian Economic Union

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matayev, Talgat

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine a concept and content of a public-private partnership as a perspective tool for development of cooperation among the EEU countries. The standard and legal base and institutes of PPP development in the EEU countries are studied herein. Main problems of PPP development are determined on the basis of the…

An international analysis of cigarette affordability

PubMed Central

Blecher, E; van Walbeek, C P

2004-01-01

Objective: To investigate how affordable cigarettes are in developed and developing countries, and to calculate by how much the affordability of cigarettes has changed between 1990 and 2001; and secondly, to investigate the relation between cigarette affordability and consumption. Design: Affordability was defined as the cost of cigarettes relative to per capita income. Trends in cigarette affordability, and affordability elasticities of demand, were estimated using regression techniques. Subjects: Seventy countries were investigated, of which 28 are categorised as high income developed countries, while 42 are categorised as developing countries. Cigarette prices were obtained for the main city/cities in the countries. Results: Despite the fact that cigarettes are more expensive in developed countries, the high levels of income make cigarettes more affordable in these countries vis-à-vis developing countries. Of the 28 developed countries, cigarettes became more affordable in 11 and less affordable in 17 countries during the 1990s. Of the 42 developing countries, cigarettes became more affordable in 24 and less affordable in 18 countries. Based on a cross sectional analysis, a 1% increase in the relative income price (the inverse of cigarette affordability) is expected to decrease cigarette consumption by between 0.49–0.57%. Conclusions: Cigarette affordability, more than just the price, determines cigarette consumption. While cigarettes have become more affordable in many developing countries, some developing countries (for example, South Africa, Poland, and Thailand) have implemented strong and effective tobacco control policies, and have been able to decrease cigarette consumption as a result. PMID:15564616

"Health for all" in a least-developed country.

PubMed Central

Shonubi, Aderibigbe M. O.; Odusan, Olatunde; Oloruntoba, David O.; Agbahowe, Solomon A.; Siddique, M. A.

2005-01-01

The World Health Organization's (WHO) concept of primary healthcare as the basis for comprehensive healthcare delivery for developing countries has not been effectively applied in many of these countries. The Kingdom of Lesotho, one of the world's least-developed countries, has been able to provide a fairly comprehensive healthcare system for its citizenry based on prmary healthcare principles and a strong commitment on the part of the government despite severe limitations of finance and human resource capacity as well as difficult mountainous terrains. This paper presents the highlights of this system of healthcare delivery with the hope that other developing countries would draw some lessons from the model. PMID:16080673

Worldwide impact of economic cycles on suicide trends over 3 decades: differences according to level of development. A mixed effect model study

PubMed Central

Perez-Rodriguez, M Mercedes; Garcia-Nieto, Rebeca; Fernandez-Navarro, Pablo; Galfalvy, Hanga; de Leon, Jose; Baca-Garcia, Enrique

2012-01-01

Objectives To investigate the trends and correlations of gross domestic product (GDP) adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita on suicide rates in 10 WHO regions during the past 30 years. Design Analyses of databases of PPP-adjusted GDP per capita and suicide rates. Countries were grouped according to the Global Burden of Disease regional classification system. Data sources World Bank's official website and WHO's mortality database. Statistical analyses After graphically displaying PPP-adjusted GDP per capita and suicide rates, mixed effect models were used for representing and analysing clustered data. Results Three different groups of countries, based on the correlation between the PPP-adjusted GDP per capita and suicide rates, are reported: (1) positive correlation: developing (lower middle and upper middle income) Latin-American and Caribbean countries, developing countries in the South East Asian Region including India, some countries in the Western Pacific Region (such as China and South Korea) and high-income Asian countries, including Japan; (2) negative correlation: high-income and developing European countries, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and (3) no correlation was found in an African country. Conclusions PPP-adjusted GDP per capita may offer a simple measure for designing the type of preventive interventions aimed at lowering suicide rates that can be used across countries. Public health interventions might be more suitable for developing countries. In high-income countries, however, preventive measures based on the medical model might prove more useful. PMID:22586285

Developed-developing country partnerships: Benefits to developed countries?

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Developing countries can generate effective solutions for today’s global health challenges. This paper reviews relevant literature to construct the case for international cooperation, and in particular, developed-developing country partnerships. Standard database and web-based searches were conducted for publications in English between 1990 and 2010. Studies containing full or partial data relating to international cooperation between developed and developing countries were retained for further analysis. Of 227 articles retained through initial screening, 65 were included in the final analysis. The results were two-fold: some articles pointed to intangible benefits accrued by developed country partners, but the majority of information pointed to developing country innovations that can potentially inform health systems in developed countries. This information spanned all six WHO health system components. Ten key health areas where developed countries have the most to learn from the developing world were identified and include, rural health service delivery; skills substitution; decentralisation of management; creative problem-solving; education in communicable disease control; innovation in mobile phone use; low technology simulation training; local product manufacture; health financing; and social entrepreneurship. While there are no guarantees that innovations from developing country experiences can effectively transfer to developed countries, combined developed-developing country learning processes can potentially generate effective solutions for global health systems. However, the global pool of knowledge in this area is virgin and further work needs to be undertaken to advance understanding of health innovation diffusion. Even more urgently, a standardized method for reporting partnership benefits is needed—this is perhaps the single most immediate need in planning for, and realizing, the full potential of international cooperation between developed and developing countries. PMID:22709651

Gender Imbalance and Terrorism in Developing Countries.

PubMed

Younas, Javed; Sandler, Todd

2017-03-01

This article investigates whether gender imbalance may be conducive to domestic terrorism in developing countries. A female-dominated society may not provide sufficient administration, law, or order to limit domestic terrorism, especially since societies in developing countries primarily turn to males for administration, policing, and paramilitary forces. Other economic considerations support female imbalance resulting in grievance-generated terrorism. Because male dominance may also be linked to terrorism, empirical tests are ultimately needed to support our prediction. Based on panel data for 128 developing countries for 1975 to 2011, we find that female gender imbalance results in more total and domestic terrorist attacks. This female gender imbalance does not affect transnational terrorism in developing countries or domestic and transnational terrorism in developed countries. Further tests show that gender imbalance affects terrorism only when bureaucratic institutions are weak. Many robustness tests support our results.

Gender Imbalance and Terrorism in Developing Countries

PubMed Central

Younas, Javed

2016-01-01

This article investigates whether gender imbalance may be conducive to domestic terrorism in developing countries. A female-dominated society may not provide sufficient administration, law, or order to limit domestic terrorism, especially since societies in developing countries primarily turn to males for administration, policing, and paramilitary forces. Other economic considerations support female imbalance resulting in grievance-generated terrorism. Because male dominance may also be linked to terrorism, empirical tests are ultimately needed to support our prediction. Based on panel data for 128 developing countries for 1975 to 2011, we find that female gender imbalance results in more total and domestic terrorist attacks. This female gender imbalance does not affect transnational terrorism in developing countries or domestic and transnational terrorism in developed countries. Further tests show that gender imbalance affects terrorism only when bureaucratic institutions are weak. Many robustness tests support our results. PMID:28232755

Comparative Comparison of Implementing School-Based Management in Developed Countries in the Historical Context: From Theory to Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moradi, Saeid; Beidokhti, Aliakbar Amin; Fathi, Kourosh

2016-01-01

This paper aims to study the comparative comparison of implementing school-based management in developed countries in the historical context: from theory to practice. School-based management is not by itself and objective but a valuable tool in order to reach sagacity, capabilities and the enthusiasm from most people having shares in school.…

Teachers on the Move: International Migration of School Teachers from India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharma, Rashmi

2013-01-01

Emigration of qualified teachers from developing countries is a double loss for the source countries, not only leading to emigration of high-skill labour but also affecting their future developmental base when these countries are already struggling to meet the millennium development goals (MDGs) in education. This article discusses emigration of…

Waste biorefineries: Enabling circular economies in developing countries.

PubMed

Nizami, A S; Rehan, M; Waqas, M; Naqvi, M; Ouda, O K M; Shahzad, K; Miandad, R; Khan, M Z; Syamsiro, M; Ismail, I M I; Pant, Deepak

2017-10-01

This paper aims to examine the potential of waste biorefineries in developing countries as a solution to current waste disposal problems and as facilities to produce fuels, power, heat, and value-added products. The waste in developing countries represents a significant source of biomass, recycled materials, chemicals, energy, and revenue if wisely managed and used as a potential feedstock in various biorefinery technologies such as fermentation, anaerobic digestion (AD), pyrolysis, incineration, and gasification. However, the selection or integration of biorefinery technologies in any developing country should be based on its waste characterization. Waste biorefineries if developed in developing countries could provide energy generation, land savings, new businesses and consequent job creation, savings of landfills costs, GHG emissions reduction, and savings of natural resources of land, soil, and groundwater. The challenges in route to successful implementation of biorefinery concept in the developing countries are also presented using life cycle assessment (LCA) studies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Current Situation and Prospects of Emergency Medical Equipment in Our Country].

PubMed

Qi, Lijing; Cheng, Feng

2016-03-01

This article analyzes the new demand of emergency medical equipment in the current development trend based on the analysis of the development and current situation of emergency medicine in our country. At the same time it introduces the current industrial characteristics of our country. Finally it analyzes the development trend of this kind of equipment in the new emergency medicine field.

Global health and local poverty: rich countries' responses to vulnerable populations.

PubMed

Simms, Chris D; Persaud, D David

2009-01-01

Poverty is an important determinant of ill health, mortality and suffering across the globe. This commentary asks what we can learn about poverty by looking at the way rich countries respond to the needs of vulnerable populations both within their own societies and those of low-income countries. Taking advantage of recent efforts to redefine child poverty in a way that is consistent with the World Health Organization's Commission on Social Determinants of Health, three sets of data are reviewed: levels of child well-being within 23 Organization of Economic Community Development countries; the amount of official development assistance these countries disburse to poor countries; and, government social transfers targeted at families as a percentage of GDP. Analysis shows that countries in Northern Europe tend to have lower levels of child poverty, and are the most generous with social transfers and providing development assistance to poor countries; in contrast, the non-European countries like Australia, Canada, Japan, and the United States, and generally, the G7 countries, are the least generous towards the vulnerable at home and abroad and tend to have the highest levels of child poverty. The findings suggest that nations' responses tend to be ideologically based rather than evidence or needs based and that poverty is neither inevitable nor intractable.

Grand canonical validation of the bipartite international trade network.

PubMed

Straka, Mika J; Caldarelli, Guido; Saracco, Fabio

2017-08-01

Devising strategies for economic development in a globally competitive landscape requires a solid and unbiased understanding of countries' technological advancements and similarities among export products. Both can be addressed through the bipartite representation of the International Trade Network. In this paper, we apply the recently proposed grand canonical projection algorithm to uncover country and product communities. Contrary to past endeavors, our methodology, based on information theory, creates monopartite projections in an unbiased and analytically tractable way. Single links between countries or products represent statistically significant signals, which are not accounted for by null models such as the bipartite configuration model. We find stable country communities reflecting the socioeconomic distinction in developed, newly industrialized, and developing countries. Furthermore, we observe product clusters based on the aforementioned country groups. Our analysis reveals the existence of a complicated structure in the bipartite International Trade Network: apart from the diversification of export baskets from the most basic to the most exclusive products, we observe a statistically significant signal of an export specialization mechanism towards more sophisticated products.

Grand canonical validation of the bipartite international trade network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Straka, Mika J.; Caldarelli, Guido; Saracco, Fabio

2017-08-01

Devising strategies for economic development in a globally competitive landscape requires a solid and unbiased understanding of countries' technological advancements and similarities among export products. Both can be addressed through the bipartite representation of the International Trade Network. In this paper, we apply the recently proposed grand canonical projection algorithm to uncover country and product communities. Contrary to past endeavors, our methodology, based on information theory, creates monopartite projections in an unbiased and analytically tractable way. Single links between countries or products represent statistically significant signals, which are not accounted for by null models such as the bipartite configuration model. We find stable country communities reflecting the socioeconomic distinction in developed, newly industrialized, and developing countries. Furthermore, we observe product clusters based on the aforementioned country groups. Our analysis reveals the existence of a complicated structure in the bipartite International Trade Network: apart from the diversification of export baskets from the most basic to the most exclusive products, we observe a statistically significant signal of an export specialization mechanism towards more sophisticated products.

Obesity and poverty paradox in developed countries.

PubMed

Żukiewicz-Sobczak, Wioletta; Wróblewska, Paula; Zwoliński, Jacek; Chmielewska-Badora, Jolanta; Adamczuk, Piotr; Krasowska, Ewelina; Zagórski, Jerzy; Oniszczuk, Anna; Piątek, Jacek; Silny, Wojciech

2014-01-01

Obesity is a civilization disease and the proportion of people suffering from it continues to grow, especially in the developed countries. Number of obese people in Europe has increased threefold over the last 20 years. The paradox of obesity and poverty relationship is observed especially in the developed and developing countries. In developing countries, along with economic development and income growth, the number of people with overweight and obesity is increasing. This paradox has a relationship with both the easy availability and low cost of highly processed foods containing 'empty calories' and no nutritional value. To date, this paradox has been described in the United States and the United Kingdom, although many European countries are also experiencing high percentages of obese people. Among the reasons for the growing obesity in the population of poor people are: higher unemployment, lower education level, and irregular meals. Another cause of obesity is low physical activity, which among the poor is associated with a lack of money for sports equipment. Due to the large rate of deaths caused by diseases directly linked to obesity, the governments of many countries implement prevention programmes of overweight and obesity. These programmes are based primarily on educating the public about a healthy lifestyle based on healthy eating, daily physical activity and avoiding alcohol and cigarettes.

26 CFR 1.955-3 - Election as to date of determining qualified investments in less developed countries.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... the foreign base company income of the controlled foreign corporation for all prior taxable years... countries at the close of such taxable year exceed its qualified investments in less developed countries at the close of the taxable year immediately following such taxable year, and reducing such excess by (2...

A Multidimensional Model for Child Maltreatment Prevention Readiness in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mikton, Christopher; Mehra, Radhika; Butchart, Alexander; Addiss, David; Almuneef, Maha; Cardia, Nancy; Cheah, Irene; Chen, JingQi; Makoae, Mokhantso; Raleva, Marija

2011-01-01

The study's aim was to develop a multidimensional model for the assessment of child maltreatment prevention readiness in low- and middle-income countries. The model was developed based on a conceptual review of relevant existing models and approaches, an international expert consultation, and focus groups in six countries. The final model…

Academic Patents and Access to Medicines in Developing Countries

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

There is a widespread and growing concern that patents hinder access to life-saving drugs in developing countries. Recent student movements and legislative initiatives emphasize the potential role that research universities in developed countries could have in ameliorating this “access gap.” These efforts are based on the assumption that universities own patents on a substantial number of drugs and that patents on these drugs are currently filed in developing countries. I provide empirical evidence regarding these issues and explore the feasibility and desirability of proposals to change university patenting and licensing practices to promote access to medicines in the developing world. PMID:19008514

Educating Civil Engineers for Developing Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanley, D.

1974-01-01

Based on engineering teaching experience in Africa and Asia, ideas are presented on educating civil engineers for developing countries, especially those in Africa. Some of the problems facing educational planners, teachers, and students are addressed, including responsibilities of a newly graduated civil engineer, curriculum development, and…

Electric service reliability cost/worth assessment in a developing country

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandey, Mohan Kumar

Considerable work has been done in developed countries to optimize the reliability of electric power systems on the basis of reliability cost versus reliability worth. This has yet to be considered in most developing countries, where development plans are still based on traditional deterministic measures. The difficulty with these criteria is that they cannot be used to evaluate the economic impacts of changing reliability levels on the utility and the customers, and therefore cannot lead to an optimum expansion plan for the system. The critical issue today faced by most developing countries is that the demand for electric power is high and growth in supply is constrained by technical, environmental, and most importantly by financial impediments. Many power projects are being canceled or postponed due to a lack of resources. The investment burden associated with the electric power sector has already led some developing countries into serious debt problems. This thesis focuses on power sector issues facing by developing countries and illustrates how a basic reliability cost/worth approach can be used in a developing country to determine appropriate planning criteria and justify future power projects by application to the Nepal Integrated Electric Power System (NPS). A reliability cost/worth based system evaluation framework is proposed in this thesis. Customer surveys conducted throughout Nepal using in-person interviews with approximately 2000 sample customers are presented. The survey results indicate that the interruption cost is dependent on both customer and interruption characteristics, and it varies from one location or region to another. Assessments at both the generation and composite system levels have been performed using the customer cost data and the developed NPS reliability database. The results clearly indicate the implications of service reliability to the electricity consumers of Nepal, and show that the reliability cost/worth evaluation is both possible and practical in a developing country. The average customer interruption costs of Rs 35/kWh at Hierarchical Level I and Rs 26/kWh at Hierarchical Level II evaluated in this research work led to an optimum reserve margin of 7.5%, which is considerably lower than the traditional reserve margin of 15% used in the NPS. A similar conclusion may result in other developing countries facing difficulties in power system expansion planning using the traditional approach. A new framework for system planning is therefore recommended for developing countries which would permit an objective review of the traditional system planning approach, and the evaluation of future power projects using a new approach based on fundamental principles of power system reliability and economics.

Practising cloud-based telemedicine in developing countries.

PubMed

Puustjärvi, Juha; Puustjärvi, Leena

2013-01-01

In industrialised countries, telemedicine has proven to be a valuable tool for enabling access to knowledge and allowing information exchange, and showing that it is possible to provide good quality of healthcare to isolated communities. However, there are many barriers to the widespread implementation of telemedicine in rural areas of developing countries. These include deficient internet connectivity and sophisticated peripheral medical devices. Furthermore, developing countries have very high patients-per-doctor ratios. In this paper, we report our work on developing a cloud-based health information system, which promotes telemedicine and patient-centred healthcare by exploiting modern information and communication technologies such as OWL-ontologies and SQL-triggers. The reason for using cloud technology is twofold. First, cloud service models are easily adaptable for sharing patients health information, which is of prime importance in patient-centred healthcare as well as in telemedicine. Second, the cloud and the consulting physicians may locate anywhere in the internet.

Multi-Country, Cross-National Comparison of Youth Suicide Ideation: Findings from Global School-Based Health Surveys

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Page, Randy M.; Saumweber, Jacqueline; Hall, P. Cougar; Crookston, Benjamin T.; West, Joshua H.

2013-01-01

This study describes the prevalence of suicide ideation in 109 Global School-based Health Surveys (GSHS) conducted from 2003-2010 representing 49 different countries and 266,694 school-attending students aged 13-15 years primarily living in developing areas of the World. Prevalence of suicide ideation varied widely among and between countries,…

Relationship Between Climate Change Impact, Migration and Socioeconomic Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sann Oo, Kyaw

2016-06-01

Geospatial data are available in raster and vector formats and some of them are available in open data form. The technique and tools to handle those data are also available in open source. Though it is free of charge, the knowledge to utilize those data is limited to non-educated in the specific field. The data and technology should be promoted to those levels to utilize in required fields with priceless in developing countries. Before utilize open data, which are required to verify with local knowledge to become usable information for the local people as priceless data resources. Developing country, which economic is based in agriculture, required more information about precise weather data and weather variation by the climate change impact for their socioeconomic development. This study found that rural to urban migration occurs in the developing countries such agriculture based country likes Myanmar when the agriculture economic are affected by unpredictable impact by the climate change. The knowledge sharing using open data resources to non-educated local people is one of the curable solutions for the agriculture economy development in the country. Moreover, the study will find ways to reduce the rural to urban migration.

Meta-analysis of the relationship between TQM and Business Performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

F, Ahmad M.; N, Zakuan; A, Jusoh; Z, Tasir; J, Takala

2013-06-01

Meta-analysis has been conducted based on 20 previous works from 4,040 firms at 16 countries from Asia, Europe and America. Throughout this paper a meta-analysis, this paper reviews the relationships between TQM and business performance amongst the regions. Meta-analysis result concludes that the average of rc is 0.47; Asia (rc=0.54), America (rc=0.43) and Europe (rc=0.38). The analysis also shows that Asia developed countries have greatest impact of TQM (rc=0.56). However, the analysis of ANOVA and t-test show that there is no significant difference amongst type of country (developed and developing countries) and regions at p=0.05. In addition, the average result of rc2 is 0.24; Asia (rc2=0.33), America (rc2=0.22) and Europe (rc2=0.15). Meanwhile, rc2 in developing countries (rc2=0.28) are higher than developed countries (rc2=0.21).

Can Criteria for Identifying Educational Influentials in Developed Countries Be Applied to Other Countries? A Study in Iran

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shokoohi, Mostafa; Nedjat, Saharnaz; Golestan, Banafsheh; Soltani, Akbar; Majdzadeh, Reza

2011-01-01

Introduction: There are published criteria for identifying educational influentials (EIs). These criteria are based on studies that have been performed in developed countries. This study was performed to identify criteria and characteristics of EIs in Iran. Methods: The study was conducted on residents, interns, and clerks at a major educational…

An issue of trust: state corruption, responsibility and greenhouse gas emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frame, David J.; Hepburn, Cameron

2010-01-01

Climate change is increasingly seen to raise difficult normative issues. To date, cumulative emissions have been disproportionately from the developed world, while the consequences of climate change are anticipated to hit poorer countries hardest. For this reason, amongst others, it is suggested that more economically developed countries with high greenhouse gas emissions ought to transfer resources to less economically developed, lower emissions countries. Some proponents would justify these resource transfers by ethical or justice-based arguments, often based on some function of the emissions per capita of each country, such that rights of some sort are created and those nations which are emitting more (per capita) than some amount are to compensate those who are emitting less. In this letter we show that national emissions per capita, scaled by economic output, show a systematic negative correlation with state corruption. We discuss this result in the context of justice-based arguments for per capita climate mitigation transfers, and suggest that it would be beneficial for the climate mitigation community to consider state corruption as a relevant factor in the development of mitigation policy.

Perinatal mortality--a suitable index of health worldwide?

PubMed

Savage, A

1986-11-22

As a result of cultural factors, perinatal mortality may not be the most appropriate measure of health. Comparisons of the health of different countries should not be based on only 1 criterion unless general attitudes are the same. In developed countries, where abortion is widely available, unwanted pregnancies are handled before delivery. In some developing countries in Africa, however, population control may take the form of allowing a newborn to die of starvation, for example. Given this cultural difference, Third World countries rank lowest in perinatal health. It is suggested that mortality and morbidity should be calculated decade by decade before an index is derived. A 20-year old from a developing country, where there is no drug problem and attempted suicide is rare, might receive a higher health rating than his counterpart in developed countries.

Management of adult and paediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in Asia: resource-stratified guidelines from the Asian Oncology Summit 2013

PubMed Central

Yeoh, Allen EJ; Tan, Daryl; Li, Chi-Kong; Hori, Hiroki; Tse, Eric; Pui, Ching-Hon

2014-01-01

The survival rates for both adult and children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia have improved substantially in recent years with wider use of improved risk-directed therapy and supportive care. In nearly all developed countries, clinical practice guidelines have been formulated by multidisciplinary panels of leukaemia experts, with the goal of providing recommendations on standard treatment approaches based on current evidence. However, those guidelines do not take into account resource limitations in low-income countries, including financial and technical challenges. In Asia, there are huge disparities in economy and infrastructure among the countries, and even among different regions in some large countries. This review summarizes the recommendations developed for Asian countries by a panel of adult and paediatric leukaemia therapists, based on the availability of financial, skill and logistical resources, at a consensus session held as part of the 2013 Asian Oncology Summit in Bangkok, Thailand. The management strategies described here are stratified by a four-tier system (basic, limited, enhanced and maximum) based on the resources available to a particular country or region. PMID:24176570

The Breast Health Global Initiative: clinical practice guidelines for management of breast cancer in low- and middle-income countries.

PubMed

Yip, Cheng Har; Anderson, Benjamin O

2007-08-01

Breast cancer is an increasingly urgent problem in low- and mid-level resource countries of the world. Despite knowing the optimal management strategy based on guidelines developed in wealthy countries, clinicians are forced to provide less-than-optimal care to patients when diagnostic and/or treatment resources are lacking. For this reason, it is important to identify which resources commonly applied in resource-abundant countries most effectively fill the healthcare needs in limited-resource regions, where patients commonly present with more advanced disease at diagnosis, and to provide guidance on how new resource allocations should be made in order to maximize improvement in outcome. Established in 2002, the Breast Health Global Initiative (BHGI) created an international health alliance to develop evidence-based guidelines for countries with limited resources (low- and middle-income countries) to improve breast health outcomes. The BHGI serves as a program for international guideline development and as a hub for linkage among clinicians, governmental health agencies and advocacy groups to translate guidelines into policy and practice. The BHGI collaborated with 12 national and international health organizations, cancer societies and nongovernmental organizations to host two BHGI international summits. The evidence-based BHGI Guidelines, developed at the 2002 Global Summit, were published in 2003 as a theoretical treatise on international breast healthcare. These guidelines were then updated and expanded at the 2005 Global Summit into a fully comprehensive and flexible framework to permit incremental improvements in healthcare delivery, based upon outcomes, cost, cost-effectiveness and use of healthcare services.

Gender Inequity Associated with Increased Child Physical Abuse and Neglect: a Cross-Country Analysis of Population-Based Surveys and Country-Level Statistics.

PubMed

Klevens, Joanne; Ports, Katie A

2017-11-01

Gender inequity is proposed as a societal-level risk factor for child maltreatment. However, most cross-national research examining this association is limited to developing countries and has used limited measures of gender inequity and child homicides as a proxy for child maltreatment. To examine the relationship between gender inequity and child maltreatment, we used caregivers' reported use of severe physical punishment (proxy for physical abuse) and children under 5 left alone or under the care of another child younger than 10 years of age (supervisory neglect) and three indices of gender inequity (the Social and Institutional Gender Index, the Gender Inequality Index, and the Gender Gap Index) from 57 countries, over half of which were developing countries. We found all three gender inequity indices to be significantly associated with physical abuse and two of the three to be significantly associated with neglect, after controlling for country-level development. Based on these findings, efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect might benefit from reducing gender inequity.

Global Population Distribution (1990),Terrestrial Area and Country Name Information on a One by One Degree Grid Cell Basis

DOE Data Explorer

Li, Yi-Fan [Canadian Global Emissions Inventory Centre, Downsview, Ontario (Canada); Brenkert, A. L. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

1996-01-01

This data base contains gridded (one degree by one degree) information on the world-wide distribution of the population for 1990 and country-specific information on the percentage of the country's population present in each grid cell (Li, 1996a). Secondly, the data base contains the percentage of a country's total area in a grid cell and the country's percentage of the grid cell that is terrestrial (Li, 1996b). Li (1996b) also developed an indicator signifying how many countries are represented in a grid cell and if a grid cell is part of the sea; this indicator is only relevant for the land, countries, and sea-partitioning information of the grid cell. Thirdly, the data base includes the latitude and longitude coordinates of each grid cell; a grid code number, which is a translation of the latitude/longitude value and is used in the Global Emission Inventory Activity (GEIA) data bases; the country or region's name; and the United Nations three-digit country code that represents that name.

Does financial development reduce environmental degradation? Evidence from a panel study of 129 countries.

PubMed

Al-Mulali, Usama; Tang, Chor Foon; Ozturk, Ilhan

2015-10-01

The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of financial development on CO2 emission in 129 countries classified by the income level. A panel CO2 emission model using urbanisation, GDP growth, trade openness, petroleum consumption and financial development variables that are major determinants of CO2 emission was constructed for the 1980-2011 period. The results revealed that the variables are cointegrated based on the Pedroni cointegration test. The dynamic ordinary least squares (OLS) and the Granger causality test results also show that financial development can improve environmental quality in the short run and long run due to its negative effect on CO2 emission. The rest of the determinants, especially petroleum consumption, are determined to be the major source of environmental damage in most of the income group countries. Based on the results obtained, the investigated countries should provide banking loans to projects and investments that can promote energy savings, energy efficiency and renewable energy to help these countries reduce environmental damage in both the short and long run.

What Is Known about School-Based Interventions for Health Promotion and Their Impact in Developing Countries? A Scoping Review of the Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mukamana, O.; Johri, M.

2016-01-01

Schools can play an important role in health promotion mainly by improving students' health literacy, behaviors and academic achievements. School-based health promotion can be particularly valuable in developing countries facing the challenges of low health literacy and high burden of disease. We conducted a scoping review of the published…

Organization and startup of The Gambia's new community-based medical programme.

PubMed

Chávez, José A; Suárez, Lázaro V; Del Rosario, Odalis; Hechavarría, Suiberto; Quiñones, Judith

2012-01-01

The shortage of health professionals in developing countries and especially in their poorest regions imperils the vision of health for all. New training policies and strategies are needed urgently to address these shortages. The Gambia's new Community-Based Medical Programme is one such strategy. KEYWORDS Medical education, access to health care, healthcare disparities, health manpower, rural health, developing countries, The Gambia.

Early Childhood Benefits at Low Cost--Evidence from a Randomized Trail in Mexico

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cárdenas, Sergio; Evans, David K.; Holland, Peter

2015-01-01

The evidence that investments in early child development can pay high, long-term dividends, is mounting, both in developed and developing countries. However, recent meta-analysis identified very few studies in developing countries. The authors report on the evaluation impact of a low-cost, community-based parent training program for early child…

NREL Supports Effort to Take Distributed Photovoltaics to Developing

Science.gov Websites

Photovoltaics to Developing Countries NREL Supports Effort to Take Distributed Photovoltaics to Developing project based not only on its demand for renewable energy but also on its need. Pilot projects are adding renewable energy to the grid. Also many developing countries have signed on to the Paris climate

Why health advocates must get involved in development economics: the case of the International Monetary Fund.

PubMed

Rowden, Rick

2010-01-01

International health advocates have traditionally focused on calling for external strategies for achieving health goals in developing countries, such as more foreign aid, foreign direct investment, loans, and debt cancellation, as opposed to internal approaches, such as building domestic productive capacity and accumulating capital. They have largely neglected questions of development economics, particularly the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of the currently dominant neoliberal development model promoted by the rich countries and aid agencies for poor countries. While critics have been correct to blame the International Monetary Fund for its policies curtailing public health spending in developing countries, their analysis generally neglects the underlying issue of why developing countries are seemingly unable to build their domestic tax base on which health budgets depend. International health advocates should engage with such macroeconomic questions and challenge the failures of the dominant neoliberal economic model that blocks countries from industrializing and building their own productive capacities with which to generate their own resources for financing their health budgets over time.

Radiologist income, receipts, and academic performance: an analysis of many nations.

PubMed

Semelka, Richard C; Busireddy, K K; Burke, Lauren Mb; Ramalho, Miguel; Martí-Bonmatí, Luis; Morana, Giovanni; AlObaidy, Mamdoh; Elias, Jorge

2016-12-01

Background Considerable interest exists in comparison between healthcare systems across multiple countries, especially where cost enters the discussion. Purpose To evaluate the relationship between radiologists' income, receipts for studies, and academic performance across multiple countries. Material and Methods The annual income of radiologists and receipts for computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were obtained based on a survey sent to expert radiologists practicing in 23 countries of varying developmental status. Articles published in generalist radiology journals determined the academic performance of each country. Results Among the developed countries, Canada has the highest estimated annual income for both private ($700,000/year) and university radiologists ($600,000/year) while Spain has the lowest income for private practice ($68,000/year) and Portugal has the lowest income for university practice ($57,300/year). Among the developing countries, Saudi Arabia has the highest incomes for both private ($210,000/year) and university ($140,000/year) radiologists and Vietnam has the lowest incomes for both private ($30,000/year) and university ($6,000/year) radiologists. Total receipts for CT and MRI studies ranged from $80/study (Portugal) to $1000/study (USA) in developed countries, and ranged from $30/study (Egypt) to $700/study (Saudi Arabia) in developing countries. A moderate correlation ( r = 0.482) was seen between radiologist's income and the receipts for combined practice in all countries. The radiology journal academic quotient was highest in The Netherlands among developed countries, and Turkey among developing countries. Conclusion A relatively broad range of radiologists' income is observed among developed and developing countries, which shows correlation with the receipts for advanced imaging studies. Countries with an acceptable compromise between income, receipts, and academic performance, may be the best models for other countries to emulate.

Space-based communications infrastructure for developing countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barker, Keith; Barnes, Carl; Price, K. M.

1995-08-01

This study examines the potential use of satellites to augment the telecommunications infrastructure of developing countries with advanced satellites. The study investigated the potential market for using satellites in developing countries, the role of satellites in national information infrastructures (NII), the technical feasibility of augmenting NIIs with satellites, and a nation's financial conditions necessary for procuring satellite systems. In addition, the study examined several technical areas including onboard processing, intersatellite links, frequency of operation, multibeam and active antennas, and advanced satellite technologies. The marketing portion of this study focused on three case studies: China, Brazil, and Mexico. These cases represent countries in various stages of telecommunication infrastructure development. The study concludes by defining the needs of developing countries for satellites, and recommends steps that both industry and NASA can take to improve the competitiveness of U.S. satellite manufacturing.

Space-based Communications Infrastructure for Developing Countries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barker, Keith; Barnes, Carl; Price, K. M.

1995-01-01

This study examines the potential use of satellites to augment the telecommunications infrastructure of developing countries with advanced satellites. The study investigated the potential market for using satellites in developing countries, the role of satellites in national information infractructures (NII), the technical feasibility of augmenting NIIs with satellites, and a nation's financial conditions necessary for procuring satellite systems. In addition, the study examined several technical areas including onboard processing, intersatellite links, frequency of operation, multibeam and active antennas, and advanced satellite technologies. The marketing portion of this study focused on three case studies: China, Brazil, and Mexico. These cases represent countries in various stages of telecommunication infrastructure development. The study concludes by defining the needs of developing countries for satellites, and recommends steps that both industry and NASA can take to improve the competitiveness of U.S. satellite manufacturing.

Challenging the Western Approach to Cultural Comparisons: Young Pupils' Affective Structures Regarding Mathematics in Finland and Chile

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tuohilampi, Laura; Hannula, Markku S.; Varas, Leonor; Giaconi, Valentina; Laine, Anu; Näveri, Liisa; i Nevado, Laia Saló

2015-01-01

Large-scale studies measure mathematics-related affect using questionnaires developed by researchers in primarily English-based countries and according to Western-based theories. Influential comparative conclusions about different cultures and countries are drawn based on such measurements. However, there are certain premises involved in these…

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Price, L.K.; Phylipsen, G.J.M.; Worrell, E.

Iron and steel production consumes enormous quantities of energy, especially in developing countries where outdated, inefficient technologies are still used to produce iron and steel. Carbon dioxide emissions from steel production, which range between 5 and 15% of total country emissions in key developing countries (Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and South Africa), will continue to grow as these countries develop and as demand for steel products such as materials, automobiles, and appliances increases. In this report, we describe the key steel processes, discuss typical energy-intensity values for these processes, review historical trends in iron and steel production by process inmore » five key developing countries, describe the steel industry in each of the five key developing countries, present international comparisons of energy use and carbon dioxide emissions among these countries, and provide our assessment of the technical potential to reduce these emissions based on best-practice benchmarking. Using a best practice benchmark, we find that significant savings, in the range of 33% to 49% of total primary energy used to produce steel, are technically possible in these countries. Similarly, we find that the technical potential for reducing intensities of carbon dioxide emissions ranges between 26% and 49% of total carbon dioxide emissions from steel production in these countries.« less

Tobacco and the developing world.

PubMed

Mackay, J; Crofton, J

1996-01-01

Tobacco consumption is increasing in developing countries, which will bear the brunt of the tobacco epidemic in the 21st century. If current smoking patterns continue, 7 of the world's 10 million annual deaths from tobacco in 2025 will occur in developing countries. Compared with developed countries, more men and fewer women currently smoke in developing countries, but smoking among girls and women is increasing. While indigenous tobacco production and consumption remain a major problem, of particular concern is the penetration by the transnational tobacco companies, bringing with them denial of the health evidence, sophisticated advertising and promotion, threats of trade sanctions based on tobacco trade, and opposition to tobacco control measures, in particular promotional bans and tobacco tax policy. Developing countries must urgently devise and implement national tobacco control policies, but many governments have little experience in the new noncommunicable disease epidemic or in countering the transnational tobacco companies.

Ethical concerns in nurse migration.

PubMed

McElmurry, Beverly J; Solheim, Karen; Kishi, Rieko; Coffia, Marcia A; Woith, Wendy; Janepanish, Poolsuk

2006-01-01

International nurse migration is natural and to be expected. Recently, however, those who have fostered nurse migration believe that it will solve nursing shortages in developed countries and offer nurse migrants better working conditions and an improved quality of life. Whether natural or manipulated, migration flow patterns largely occur from developing to developed countries. In this article, nurse migration is examined using primary health care (PHC) as an ethical framework. The unmanaged flow of nurse migrants from developing to developed countries is inconsistent with "health for all" principles. Removing key health personnel from countries experiencing resource shortages is contrary to PHC equity. Often, nurse migrants are placed in vulnerable, inequitable work roles, and employing nurse migrants fails to address basic causes of nurse shortages in developed countries, such as dissatisfaction with work conditions and decreased funding for academic settings. Nurse migration policies and procedures can be developed to satisfy PHC ethics criteria if they (1) leave developing countries enhanced rather than depleted, (2) contribute to country health outcomes consistent with essential care for all people, (3) are based on community participation, (4) address common nursing labor issues, and (5) involve equitable and clear financial arrangements.

Socioeconomic status is associated with global diabetes prevalence

PubMed Central

Xu, Zhiye; Yu, Dan; Yin, Xueyao; Zheng, Fenping; Li, Hong

2017-01-01

The incidence of diabetes is increasing globally. We investigated the relationship between diabetes prevalence and patient socioeconomic status across multiple countries. We searched PubMed to identify population-based surveys reporting diabetes prevalence between 1990 and May 2016. Search results were filtered, and Human Development Index (HDI) values from the United Nations Development Programme were used to assess socioeconomic status for a given nation. Our analysis included 45 national surveys from 32 countries. Diabetes prevalence was positively correlated with national HDI (r = 0.421 P = 0.041) in developing countries, and negatively correlated with HDI (r = −0.442 P = 0.045) in developed countries. Diabetes prevalence trends were the same in women and men, although men were associated with increased diabetes risk in developed countries (r = 0.459 P = 0.048). Thus, diabetes prevalence rises with increasing HDI in developing countries, and this is reversed in developed countries. Ours is the first study to investigate the relationship between diabetes and socioeconomic status at global level using HDI values. These results will aid in evaluating global diabetes prevalence and risk with respect to patient socioeconomic status, and will be useful in the development of policies that help reduce disease incidence. PMID:28574844

Socioeconomic status is associated with global diabetes prevalence.

PubMed

Xu, Zhiye; Yu, Dan; Yin, Xueyao; Zheng, Fenping; Li, Hong

2017-07-04

The incidence of diabetes is increasing globally. We investigated the relationship between diabetes prevalence and patient socioeconomic status across multiple countries. We searched PubMed to identify population-based surveys reporting diabetes prevalence between 1990 and May 2016. Search results were filtered, and Human Development Index (HDI) values from the United Nations Development Programme were used to assess socioeconomic status for a given nation. Our analysis included 45 national surveys from 32 countries. Diabetes prevalence was positively correlated with national HDI (r = 0.421 P = 0.041) in developing countries, and negatively correlated with HDI (r = -0.442 P = 0.045) in developed countries. Diabetes prevalence trends were the same in women and men, although men were associated with increased diabetes risk in developed countries (r = 0.459 P = 0.048). Thus, diabetes prevalence rises with increasing HDI in developing countries, and this is reversed in developed countries. Ours is the first study to investigate the relationship between diabetes and socioeconomic status at global level using HDI values. These results will aid in evaluating global diabetes prevalence and risk with respect to patient socioeconomic status, and will be useful in the development of policies that help reduce disease incidence.

Agricultural biotechnology and smallholder farmers in developing countries.

PubMed

Anthony, Vivienne M; Ferroni, Marco

2012-04-01

Agricultural biotechnology holds much potential to contribute towards crop productivity gains and crop improvement for smallholder farmers in developing countries. Over 14 million smallholder farmers are already benefiting from biotech crops such as cotton and maize in China, India and other Asian, African and Central/South American countries. Molecular breeding can accelerate crop improvement timescales and enable greater use of diversity of gene sources. Little impact has been realized to date with fruits and vegetables because of development timescales for molecular breeding and development and regulatory costs and political considerations facing biotech crops in many countries. Constraints to the development and adoption of technology-based solutions to reduce yield gaps need to be overcome. Full integration with broader commercial considerations such as farmer access to seed distribution systems that facilitate dissemination of improved varieties and functioning markets for produce are critical for the benefits of agricultural biotechnology to be fully realized by smallholders. Public-private partnerships offer opportunities to catalyze new approaches and investment while accelerating integrated research and development and commercial supply chain-based solutions. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Justice-based social assistance

PubMed Central

Barrientos, Armando

2016-01-01

What are the main objectives of social protection institutions in developing countries? What should be their scope and reach? What is the source of their legitimacy? Finding appropriate answers to these questions is essential to understanding, and shaping, the emergence of welfare institutions in low- and middle-income countries. Most available answers rely on instrumental arguments. Few make reference to normative principles. This article draws on three concepts from Rawls – social justice as regulating cooperation, the social minimum, and the need for a freestanding political notion of social justice – to develop a coherent argument for grounding social assistance on social justice. In line with this argument, it identifies some parameters for a justice-based social assistance. This article then discusses, with examples, the tensions existing between a social justice-based social minimum and ‘real’ social assistance institutions emerging in developing countries. PMID:27708544

Production-based emissions, consumption-based emissions and consumption-based health impacts of PM2.5 carbonaceous aerosols in Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, Kei; Nansai, Keisuke; Tohno, Susumu; Nishizawa, Masato; Kurokawa, Jun-ichi; Ohara, Toshimasa

2014-11-01

This study determined the production-based emissions, the consumption-based emissions, and the consumption-based health impact of primary carbonaceous aerosols (black carbon: BC, organic carbon: OC) in nine countries and regions in Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, China, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan) in 2008. For the production-based emissions, sectoral emissions inventory of BC and OC for the year of 2008 based on the Asian international input-output tables (AIIOT) was compiled including direct emissions from households. Then, a multiregional environmental input-output analysis with the 2008 AIIOT which was originally developed by updating the table of 2000 was applied for calculating the consumption-based emissions for each country and region. For the production-based emissions, China had the highest BC and OC emissions of 4520 Gg-C in total, which accounted for 75% of the total emissions in the nine countries and regions. For consumption-based emissions, China was estimated to have had a total of 4849 Gg-C of BC and OC emissions, which accounted for 77% of the total emissions in the Asia studied. We also quantified how much countries and regions induced emissions in other countries and regions. Furthermore, taking account of the source-receptor relationships of BC and OC among the countries and regions, we converted their consumption-based emissions into the consumption-based health impact of each country and region. China showed the highest consumption-based health impact of BC and OC totaling 111 × 103 premature deaths, followed by Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and South Korea. China accounted for 87% of the sum total of the consumption-based health impacts of the countries/regions, indicating that China's contribution to consumption-based health impact in Asia was greater than its consumption-based emissions. By elucidating the health impacts that each country and region had on other countries and from which country the impacts were received, we demonstrated that the characteristics of the consumption-based health impact varied significantly by country and region. We also determined the difference in the health impacts to other countries and regions due to the domestic final demand of each country and region, and the health impact due to the domestic final demand of that country or region.

Telemedicine for Developing Countries. A Survey and Some Design Issues.

PubMed

Combi, Carlo; Pozzani, Gabriele; Pozzi, Giuseppe

2016-11-02

Developing countries need telemedicine applications that help in many situations, when physicians are a small number with respect to the population, when specialized physicians are not available, when patients and physicians in rural villages need assistance in the delivery of health care. Moreover, the requirements of telemedicine applications for developing countries are somewhat more demanding than for developed countries. Indeed, further social, organizational, and technical aspects need to be considered for successful telemedicine applications in developing countries. We consider all the major projects in telemedicine, devoted to developing countries, as described by the proper scientific literature. On the basis of such literature, we want to define a specific taxonomy that allows a proper classification and a fast overview of telemedicine projects in developing countries. Moreover, by considering both the literature and some recent direct experiences, we want to complete such overview by discussing some design issues to be taken into consideration when developing telemedicine software systems. We considered and reviewed the major conferences and journals in depth, and looked for reports on the telemedicine projects. We provide the reader with a survey of the main projects and systems, from which we derived a taxonomy of features of telemedicine systems for developing countries. We also propose and discuss some classification criteria for design issues, based on the lessons learned in this research area. We highlight some challenges and recommendations to be considered when designing a telemedicine system for developing countries.

Telemedicine for Developing Countries

PubMed Central

Combi, Carlo; Pozzani, Gabriele

2016-01-01

Summary Background Developing countries need telemedicine applications that help in many situations, when physicians are a small number with respect to the population, when specialized physicians are not available, when patients and physicians in rural villages need assistance in the delivery of health care. Moreover, the requirements of telemedicine applications for developing countries are somewhat more demanding than for developed countries. Indeed, further social, organizational, and technical aspects need to be considered for successful telemedicine applications in developing countries. Objective We consider all the major projects in telemedicine, devoted to developing countries, as described by the proper scientific literature. On the basis of such literature, we want to define a specific taxonomy that allows a proper classification and a fast overview of telemedicine projects in developing countries. Moreover, by considering both the literature and some recent direct experiences, we want to complete such overview by discussing some design issues to be taken into consideration when developing telemedicine software systems. Methods We considered and reviewed the major conferences and journals in depth, and looked for reports on the telemedicine projects. Results We provide the reader with a survey of the main projects and systems, from which we derived a taxonomy of features of telemedicine systems for developing countries. We also propose and discuss some classification criteria for design issues, based on the lessons learned in this research area. Conclusions We highlight some challenges and recommendations to be considered when designing a telemedicine system for developing countries. PMID:27803948

Trade Policies toward Developing Countries: The Multilateral Trade Negotiations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perez, Lorenzo L., Ed.; Benedick, Gerald R., Ed.

Proceedings are presented of a 1977 conference about aspects of international trade negotiations of importance to developing countries. Participants included staff from Washington-based international organizations, various United States departments, Congressional staff, and students of the Foreign Service Institute. Transcripts of three addresses…

How Can We Assess and Evaluate the Competitive Advantage of a Country's Human Resource Development System?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oh, Hunseok; Ryu, Hyue-Hyun; Choi, Myungweon

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop an index to assess and evaluate the competitive advantage of a country's human resource development system. Based on an extensive literature review, a theoretical model of a human resource development system at the national level (named National Human Resource Development: NHRD) was constructed. The…

Development and Validation of Web-Based Question Bank and Evaluation of Its Utility among Students and Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parthasarathy, M.; Ananthasayanam, R.

2016-01-01

Rushing efforts are taken by developing and under-developed countries to match educational standards of developed countries. Education is a life-long activity and continuing process for which necessary steps are initiated to offer and gain with minimum cost of resources. Creating Open Educational Resources (OER) is the preferably right choice in…

Locally Based Educational Research and Curriculum Development in Developing Countries - the Teacher's Role. IIEP Occasional Papers No. 40.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawes, H. W. R.

This report examines the ability of teachers in developing countries to study their educational systems and to develop curriculum materials appropriate to local schools and local conditions, in the face of attitudes and policies frequently inconducive to innovative effort. Part one examines the need for involving teachers in research and survey…

Knowledge and Use of Contraception in Twenty Developing Countries. Reports on the World Fertility Survey 3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mamlouk, Maria

This report, third in a series based on data resulting from the World Fertility Survey (WFS), examines the extent of knowledge and use of contraception in 20 developing countries. The data analyzed in this report indicate that in 19 of the 20 countries (the exception being Nepal), three-quarters or more of the women who are or have been married…

Developing a climate-based risk map of fascioliasis outbreaks in Iran.

PubMed

Halimi, Mansour; Farajzadeh, Manuchehr; Delavari, Mahdi; Arbabi, Mohsen

2015-01-01

The strong relationship between climate and fascioliasis outbreaks enables the development of climate-based models to estimate the potential risk of fascioliasis outbreaks. This work aims to develop a climate-based risk map of fascioliasis outbreaks in Iran using Ollerenshaw's fascioliasis risk index incorporating geographical information system (GIS). Using this index, a risk map of fascioliasis outbreaks for the entire country was developed. We determined that the country can be divided into 4 fascioliasis outbreak risk categories. Class 1, in which the Mt value is less than 100, includes more than 0.91 of the country's area. The climate in this class is not conducive to fascioliasis outbreaks in any month. Dryness and low temperature in the wet season (December to April) are the key barriers against fascioliasis outbreaks in this class. The risk map developed based on climatic factors indicated that only 0.03 of the country's area, including Gilan province in the northern region of Iran, is highly suitable to fascioliasis outbreaks during September to January. The Mt value is greater than 500 in this class. Heavy rainfall in the summer and fall, especially in Rasht, Astara and Bandar Anzaly (≥ 1000 mm/year), creates more suitable breeding places for snail intermediate hosts. Copyright © 2015 King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of a South African integrated syndromic respiratory disease guideline for primary care.

PubMed

English, René G; Bateman, Eric D; Zwarenstein, Merrick F; Fairall, Lara R; Bheekie, Angeni; Bachmann, Max O; Majara, Bosielo; Ottmani, Salah-Eddine; Scherpbier, Robert W

2008-09-01

The Practical Approach to Lung Health in South Africa (PALSA) initiative aimed to develop an integrated symptom- and sign-based (syndromic) respiratory disease guideline for nurse care practitioners working in primary care in a developing country. A multidisciplinary team developed the guideline after reviewing local barriers to respiratory health care provision, relevant health care policies, existing respiratory guidelines, and literature. Guideline drafts were evaluated by means of focus group discussions. Existing evidence-based guideline development methodologies were tailored for development of the guideline. A locally-applicable guideline based on syndromic diagnostic algorithms was developed for the management of patients 15 years and older who presented to primary care facilities with cough or difficulty breathing. PALSA has developed a guideline that integrates and presents diagnostic and management recommendations for priority respiratory diseases in adults using a symptom- and sign-based algorithmic guideline for nurses in developing countries.

Strengthening capacity building in space science research: A developing country perspective on IHY activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munyeme, G.

The economic and social impact of science based technologies has become increasingly dominant in modern world The benefits are a result of combined leading-edge science and technology skills which offers opportunities for new innovations Knowledge in basic sciences has become the cornerstone of sustainable economic growth and national prosperity Unfortunately in many developing countries research and education in basic sciences are inadequate to enable science play its full role in national development For this reason most developing countries have not fully benefited from the opportunities provided by modern technologies The lack of human and financial resources is the main reason for slow transfer of scientific knowledge and technologies to developing countries Developing countries therefore need to develop viable research capabilities and knowledge in basic sciences The advert of the International Heliophysical Year IHY may provide opportunities for strengthening capacity in basic science research in developing countries Among the science goals of the IHY is the fostering of international scientific cooperation in the study of heliophysical phenomena This paper will address and provide an in depth discussion on how basic science research can be enhanced in a developing country using the framework of science goals and objectives of IHY It will further highlight the hurdles and experiences of creating in-country training capacity and research capabilities in space science It will be shown that some of these hurdles can be

Critical issues in medical education and the implications for telemedicine technology.

PubMed

Mahapatra, Ashok Kumar; Mishra, Saroj Kanta; Kapoor, Lily; Singh, Indra Pratap

2009-01-01

Ensuring quality medical education in all the medical colleges across India based on uniform curriculum prescribed by a regulatory body and maintaining a uniform standard are dependent on availability of an excellent infrastructure. Such infrastructure includes qualified teachers, knowledge resources, learning materials, and advanced education technology, which is a challenge in developing countries due to financial and logistic constraints. Advancement in telecommunication, information science, and technology provides an opportunity to exchange knowledge and skill across geographically dispersed organizations by networking academic medical centers of excellence with medical colleges and institutes to practice distance learning using information and communication technology (ICT)-based tools. These may be as basic as commonly used Web-based tools or may be as advanced as virtual reality, simulation, and telepresence-based collaborative learning environment. The scenario in India is no different from any developing country, but there is considerable progress due to technical advancement in these sectors. Telemedicine and tele-education in health science, is gradually getting adopted into the Indian Health System after decade-long pilot studies across the country. A recent recommendation of the National Knowledge Commission, once implemented, would ensure a gigabyte network across all the educational institutions of the country including medical colleges. Availability of indigenous satellite communication technology and the government policy of free bandwidth provision for societal development sector have added strength to set up infrastructure to pilot several telemedicine educational projects across the country.

Towards a sustainable framework for computer based health information systems (CHIS) for least developed countries (LDCs).

PubMed

Gordon, Abekah Nkrumah; Hinson, Robert Ebo

2007-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to argue for a theoretical framework by which development of computer based health information systems (CHIS) can be made sustainable. Health Management and promotion thrive on well-articulated CHIS. There are high levels of risk associated with the development of CHIS in the context of least developed countries (LDC), thereby making them unsustainable. This paper is based largely on literature survey on health promotion and information systems. The main factors accounting for the sustainability problem in less developed countries include poor infrastructure, inappropriate donor policies and strategies, poor infrastructure and inadequate human resource capacity. To counter these challenges and to ensure that CHIS deployment in LDCs is sustainable, it is proposed that the activities involved in the implementation of these systems be incorporated into organizational routines. This will ensure and secure the needed resources as well as the relevant support from all stakeholders of the system; on a continuous basis. This paper sets out to look at the issue of CHIS sustainability in LDCs, theoretically explains the factors that account for the sustainability problem and develops a conceptual model based on theoretical literature and existing empirical findings.

Social Rights and Economics: Claims to Health Care and Education in Developing Countries. Policy Research Working Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gauri, Varun

This paper analyzes contemporary rights-based and economic approaches to health care and education in developing countries. The paper assesses the foundations and uses of social rights in development; outlines an economic approach to improving health and education service provision; and highlights differences, similarities, and the hard questions…

Design and Implementation Issues in Surveying the Views of Young Children in Ethnolinguistically Diverse Developing Country Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Hilary A.; Haslett, Stephen J.

2016-01-01

This paper discusses issues in the development of a methodology appropriate for eliciting sound quantitative data from primary school children in the complex contexts of ethnolinguistically diverse developing countries. Although these issues often occur in field-based surveys, the large extent and compound effects of their occurrence in…

Impact of human development on safety consciousness in construction.

PubMed

Baradan, Selim; Dikmen, Seyyit Umit; Akboga Kale, Ozge

2018-05-03

The International Labour Organization (ILO) reports that the risk of fatal occupational injuries in developing countries is almost twice as high as in developed countries, indicating a potential relationship between the fatality rates and the development level. The human development index (HDI), based on life expectancy, knowledge level and purchasing power parity, endorsed by the United Nations Development Programme, is a widely accepted measure of the development level. This study investigates the relationship between the HDI and the fatality rates reported by the ILO. A 23-country data set is used to demonstrate the general trend of the relationship followed by country-specific analyses for Australia, Spain, Hungary and Turkey. The study conducted is limited to fatal occupational injuries in construction, where the accidents are notoriously high. The results demonstrate a statistically significant inverse relationship between the fatality rates and the HDI.

22 CFR 228.01 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... categorized by the World Bank as upper middle income countries according to their gross national income per... advanced developing countries primarily based on the most recent World Bank determinations, and will make...: export packing, local drayage in the source country (including waiting time at the dock), ocean and other...

22 CFR 228.01 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... categorized by the World Bank as upper middle income countries according to their gross national income per... advanced developing countries primarily based on the most recent World Bank determinations, and will make...: export packing, local drayage in the source country (including waiting time at the dock), ocean and other...

Flood damage curves for consistent global risk assessments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Moel, Hans; Huizinga, Jan; Szewczyk, Wojtek

2016-04-01

Assessing potential damage of flood events is an important component in flood risk management. Determining direct flood damage is commonly done using depth-damage curves, which denote the flood damage that would occur at specific water depths per asset or land-use class. Many countries around the world have developed flood damage models using such curves which are based on analysis of past flood events and/or on expert judgement. However, such damage curves are not available for all regions, which hampers damage assessments in those regions. Moreover, due to different methodologies employed for various damage models in different countries, damage assessments cannot be directly compared with each other, obstructing also supra-national flood damage assessments. To address these problems, a globally consistent dataset of depth-damage curves has been developed. This dataset contains damage curves depicting percent of damage as a function of water depth as well as maximum damage values for a variety of assets and land use classes (i.e. residential, commercial, agriculture). Based on an extensive literature survey concave damage curves have been developed for each continent, while differentiation in flood damage between countries is established by determining maximum damage values at the country scale. These maximum damage values are based on construction cost surveys from multinational construction companies, which provide a coherent set of detailed building cost data across dozens of countries. A consistent set of maximum flood damage values for all countries was computed using statistical regressions with socio-economic World Development Indicators from the World Bank. Further, based on insights from the literature survey, guidance is also given on how the damage curves and maximum damage values can be adjusted for specific local circumstances, such as urban vs. rural locations, use of specific building material, etc. This dataset can be used for consistent supra-national scale flood damage assessments, and guide assessment in countries where no damage model is currently available.

A roadmap for development of sustainable E-waste management system in India.

PubMed

Wath, Sushant B; Vaidya, Atul N; Dutt, P S; Chakrabarti, Tapan

2010-12-01

The problem of E-waste has forced Environmental agencies of many countries to innovate, develop and adopt environmentally sound options and strategies for E-waste management, with a view to mitigate and control the ever growing threat of E-waste to the environment and human health. E-waste management is given the top priority in many developed countries, but in rapid developing countries like India, it is difficult to completely adopt or replicate the E-waste management system in developed countries due to many country specific issues viz. socio-economic conditions, lack of infrastructure, absence of appropriate legislations for E-waste, approach and commitments of the concerned, etc. This paper presents a review and assessment of the E-waste management system of developed as well as developing countries with a special emphasis on Switzerland, which is the first country in the world to have established and implemented a formal E-waste management system and has recycled 11kg/capita of WEEE against the target of 4kg/capita set by EU. And based on the discussions of various approaches, laws, legislations, practices of different countries, a road map for the development of sustainable and effective E-waste management system in India for ensuring environment, as well as, occupational safety and health, is proposed. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

North-South Partnership in Training and Education in Space Research and Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balogun, E.

Partnership between developed and developing countries in matters of space research and application must perforce be lopsided at the outset for a variety of reasons. In such developing countries, universities are weak, there are few centers of applied sciences, communities of scientists are sub-critical and isolated, institutional framework is inadequate, and because of shifting political climate, societies are not as well-ordered as in developed countries. Initially therefore, flow of ideas and facilities, both tangible and intangible, will be unidirectional. For this initial stage to be as short as possible, new approaches to hasten the process have to be developed. Classical approaches to collaborative effort by developed countries to assist these developing countries to the level at which meaningful partnership can evolve has to be reassessed. A few decades ago, one could speak of developing countries as a coherent whole, but now, the situation has changed. The collaborative effort between such countries as India, Korea, etc. and the developed world, which enabled those countries to take off technologically, cannot be adequately applied to the developing countries in Africa. New approaches have to be devised. New recipes have to be concocted. Even with countries in Africa, different approaches have to be taken. Each country in Africa faces unique circumstances, situations, and problems. While a country like Nigeria has a large trainable labour force and an enormous human capital which gives the country a comparative advantage, many countries have less than 10% of the young people between the ages of 1 11 years; 12-19 years; 20-24 years in- educational institutions. In establishing partnership between African countries and the developed countries, specific approaches need to be taken. For example, problems such as cultivating the right attitude in young people to the learning of science are common to both developed and developing countries. The problem could be tackled by capturing the interest of young people in science, by appealing to space science. This is an area of cooperation in which complementarities of experience, stemming from different cultural origins can yield positive results. Researches into the utilization of space-based observation to monitor and control environmental resources (forests, oceans, atmosphere etc.) and climate change, are other examples of areas in which North-South Space Research and Application partnership can be established and sustained. Another area of partnership is in the development of space-based experiments, especially in the area of Communication Satellites, Earth threatening Asteroids and Comets, Global Navigation Satellites Systems, and the promotion of public awareness in space science and technology applications. Such activities will encourage mutual exchange of ideas and intellectual input by both partners in the progress, as opposed to a unilateral transfer of ideas from one partner to the other. Collaborative projects between partners from the North and South should involve university systems, the polytechnics, elementary and secondary school systems, colleges of education, research centers and organizations, corporate enterprise training, the Internet, and all those institutions whose responsibilities are to manage education and training in the developing world. Partnership in space science and technology, if nurtured in these institutions, can in the long run become one of mutual interaction, and can be sustained for a very long time.

North-South Partnership in Training and Education in Space Research and Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balogun, E.

Partnership between developed and developing countries in matters of space research and application must perforce be lopsided at the outset for a variety of reasons. In such developing countries, universities are weak, there are few centers of applied sciences, communities of scientists are sub-critical and isolated, institutional framework is inadequate, and because of shifting political climate, societies are not as well-ordered as in developed countries. Initially therefore, flow of ideas and facilities, both tangible and intangible, will be unidirectional. For this initial stage to be as short as possible, new approaches to hasten the process have to be developed. Classical approaches to collaborative effort by developed countries to assist these developing countries to the level at which meaningful partnership can evolve has to be reassessed. A few decades ago, one could speak of developing countries as a coherent whole, but now, the situation has changed. The collaborative effort between such countries as India, Korea, etc. and the developed world, which enabled those countries to take off technologically, cannot be adequately applied to the developing countries in Africa. New approaches have to be devised. New recipes have to be concocted. Even with countries in Africa, different approaches have to be taken. Each country in Africa faces unique circumstances, situations, and problems. While a country like Nigeria has a large trainable labour force and an enormous human capital which gives the country a comparative advantage, many countries have less than 10% of the young people between the ages of 1 11 years; 12-19 years; 20-24 years in educational- institutions. In establishing partnership between African countries and the developed countries, specific approaches need to be taken. For example, problems such as cultivating the right attitude in young people to the learning of science are common to both developed and developing countries. The problem could be tackled by capturing the interest of young people in science, by appealing to space science. This is an area of cooperation in which complementarities of experience, stemming from different cultural origins can yield positive results. Researches into the utilization of space-based observation to monitor and control environmental resources (forests, oceans, atmosphere etc.) and climate change, are other examples of areas in which North-South Space Research and Application partnership can be established and sustained. Another area of partnership is in the development of space-based experiments, especially in the area of Communication Satellites, Earth threatening Asteroids and Co mets, Global Navigation Satellites Systems, and the promotion of public awareness in space science and technology applications. Such activities will encourage mutual exchange of ideas and intellectual input by both partners in the progress, as opposed to a unilateral transfer of ideas from one partner to the other. Collaborative projects between partners from the North and South should involve university systems, the polytechnics, elementary and secondary school systems, colleges of education, research centers and organizations, corporate enterprise training, the Internet, and all those institutions whose responsibilities are to manage education and training in the developing world. Partnership in space science and technology, if nurtured in these institutions, can in the long run become one of mutual interaction, and can be sustained for a very long time.

Development of an open-source web-based intervention for Brazilian smokers - Viva sem Tabaco.

PubMed

Gomide, H P; Bernardino, H S; Richter, K; Martins, L F; Ronzani, T M

2016-08-02

Web-based interventions for smoking cessation available in Portuguese do not adhere to evidence-based treatment guidelines. Besides, all existing web-based interventions are built on proprietary platforms that developing countries often cannot afford. We aimed to describe the development of "Viva sem Tabaco", an open-source web-based intervention. The development of the intervention included the selection of content from evidence-based guidelines for smoking cessation, the design of the first layout, conduction of 2 focus groups to identify potential features, refinement of the layout based on focus groups and correction of content based on feedback provided by specialists on smoking cessation. At the end, we released the source-code and intervention on the Internet and translated it into Spanish and English. The intervention developed fills gaps in the information available in Portuguese and the lack of open-source interventions for smoking cessation. The open-source licensing format and its translation system may help researchers from different countries deploying evidence-based interventions for smoking cessation.

Funding of pilot projects in Latin America: a tool for capacity building in occupational health research.

PubMed

Felknor, Sarah A; Delclos, George L; Gimeno, David; Wesseling, Ineke; Monge, Patricia; Chavez, Jorge; Quintana, Leonardo; Schulze, Lawrence J H

2006-01-01

There is a global need for trained researchers who can address the increasing burden of illness and injury and prepare future generations of researchers. Developing countries have a special need for practical, action-oriented interventions to address workplace problems, based on identification of needs and priorities, development of locally available solutions, and consideration of the sociopolitical context of work and how best to translate research findings into policies. Effective translation and application of research products from industrialized nations to developing countries is essential, but differences in the contexts and local realities of other nations limit extrapolating such research. Funding pilot research projects in developing countries is an effective, practical, and useful tool for training new investigators in research techniques and developing collaborative relationships among countries.

Measuring Youth Development: A Nonparametric Cross-Country "Youth Welfare Index"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chaaban, Jad M.

2009-01-01

This paper develops an empirical methodology for the construction of a synthetic multi-dimensional cross-country comparison of the performance of governments around the world in improving the livelihood of their younger population. The devised "Youth Welfare Index" is based on the nonparametric Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methodology and…

Curriculum Change in the Developing Country: The Case of Saudi Arabia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaker, Paul

Based on current thought in multicultural education, this paper discusses the need for Americans to help Saudi Arabia integrate western technology into education without subjecting the country to cultural imperialism. The paper is purported to rest on the "reconceptualist" theories of curriculum development. The author cites four…

Participatory Model of Mental Health Programming: Lessons Learned from Work in a Developing Country.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nastasi, Bonnie K.; Varjas, Kristen; Sarkar, Sreeroopa; Jayasena, Asoka

1998-01-01

Describes application of participatory model for creating school-based mental health services in a developing country. Describes process of identifying individual and cultural factors relevant to mental health. Discusses importance of formative research and collaboration with stakeholders to ensure cultural specificity of interventions, and the…

Country clustering applied to the water & sanitation sector: a new tool with potential applications in research & policy

PubMed Central

Onda, Kyle; Crocker, Jonny; Kayser, Georgia Lyn; Bartram, Jamie

2013-01-01

The fields of global health and international development commonly cluster countries by geography and income to target resources and describe progress. For any given sector of interest, a range of relevant indicators can serve as a more appropriate basis for classification. We create a new typology of country clusters specific to the water and sanitation (WatSan) sector based on similarities across multiple WatSan-related indicators. After a literature review and consultation with experts in the WatSan sector, nine indicators were selected. Indicator selection was based on relevance to and suggested influence on national water and sanitation service delivery, and to maximize data availability across as many countries as possible. A hierarchical clustering method and a gap statistic analysis were used to group countries into a natural number of relevant clusters. Two stages of clustering resulted in five clusters, representing 156 countries or 6.75 billion people. The five clusters were not well explained by income or geography, and were unique from existing country clusters used in international development. Analysis of these five clusters revealed that they were more compact and well separated than United Nations and World Bank country clusters. This analysis and resulting country typology suggest that previous geography- or income-based country groupings can be improved upon for applications in the WatSan sector by utilizing globally available WatSan-related indicators. Potential applications include guiding and discussing research, informing policy, improving resource targeting, describing sector progress, and identifying critical knowledge gaps in the WatSan sector. PMID:24054545

How have the Eastern European countries of the former Warsaw Pact developed since 1990? A bibliometric study.

PubMed

Kozak, Marcin; Bornmann, Lutz; Leydesdorff, Loet

Did the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991 influence the scientific performance of the researchers in Eastern European countries? Did this historical event affect international collaboration by researchers from the Eastern European countries with those of Western countries? Did it also change international collaboration among researchers from the Eastern European countries? Trying to answer these questions, this study aims to shed light on international collaboration by researchers from the Eastern European countries (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia). The number of publications and normalized citation impact values are compared for these countries based on InCites (Thomson Reuters), from 1981 up to 2011. The international collaboration by researchers affiliated to institutions in Eastern European countries at the time points of 1990, 2000 and 2011 was studied with the help of Pajek and VOSviewer software, based on data from the Science Citation Index (Thomson Reuters). Our results show that the breakdown of the communist regime did not lead, on average, to a huge improvement in the publication performance of the Eastern European countries and that the increase in international co-authorship relations by the researchers affiliated to institutions in these countries was smaller than expected. Most of the Eastern European countries are still subject to changes and are still awaiting their boost in scientific development.

Setting development goals using stochastic dynamical system models

PubMed Central

Nicolis, Stamatios C.; Bali Swain, Ranjula; Sumpter, David J. T.

2017-01-01

The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) programme was an ambitious attempt to encourage a globalised solution to important but often-overlooked development problems. The programme led to wide-ranging development but it has also been criticised for unrealistic and arbitrary targets. In this paper, we show how country-specific development targets can be set using stochastic, dynamical system models built from historical data. In particular, we show that the MDG target of two-thirds reduction of child mortality from 1990 levels was infeasible for most countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, the MDG targets were not ambitious enough for fast-developing countries such as Brazil and China. We suggest that model-based setting of country-specific targets is essential for the success of global development programmes such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). This approach should provide clear, quantifiable targets for policymakers. PMID:28241057

Setting development goals using stochastic dynamical system models.

PubMed

Ranganathan, Shyam; Nicolis, Stamatios C; Bali Swain, Ranjula; Sumpter, David J T

2017-01-01

The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) programme was an ambitious attempt to encourage a globalised solution to important but often-overlooked development problems. The programme led to wide-ranging development but it has also been criticised for unrealistic and arbitrary targets. In this paper, we show how country-specific development targets can be set using stochastic, dynamical system models built from historical data. In particular, we show that the MDG target of two-thirds reduction of child mortality from 1990 levels was infeasible for most countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, the MDG targets were not ambitious enough for fast-developing countries such as Brazil and China. We suggest that model-based setting of country-specific targets is essential for the success of global development programmes such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). This approach should provide clear, quantifiable targets for policymakers.

A multi-scalar investigation of development and health in Ethiopia: household electrification in a agriculturally dependent and climate sensitive country

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grace, K.; Brown, M. E.; Bakhtsiyarava, M.

2017-12-01

In poor countries, household electricity status is often used as a measure of household resources. Often, the primary use of the variable is to sort the poorest households - those without electricity - from the better-off households - those with electricity. Expanding electrification is also part of a suite of goals developed by health and development and reflected in the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and now the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Therefore, this measure is also used in a macro-level description of a country to describe a country's process of urbanization or development. As countries, electrify and expand access to electrification to the poorest households and communities, understanding the role and impact of electrification on the health and development of these communities is necessary. In other words, moving beyond the binomial categorization of a household as electrified or not electrified and instead investigating the ways that electrification impacts communities, households and individuals is a necessary component of understanding contemporary patterns of health and development in the world's poorest countries. The goal of this research is to examine the linkages between health and development using multi-scalar, remotely-sensed measures of electrification in Ethiopia, one of the poorest countries in the world. For this study we use spatially referenced Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data for Ethiopia from 2000 and 2005. In addition to measures of electrification gathered from the DHS, we also use time-varying satellite based measure of electrification collected by the US Department of Defense. Also, because many rural Ethiopians are dependent on small-scale, rainfed agriculture and therefore highly vulnerable to climate shocks and food insecurity, any investigation of health and development must also consider the local food production context. To support the analysis and provide information on broader measures of food insecurity and wellbeing, we also use livelihood zone data from the Famine Early Warning Systems (FEWS NET), as well as remotely sensed based estimates of rainfall and temperature.

[New electronic data carriers in Bosnia-Herzegovina].

PubMed

Masić, I; Pandza, H; Knezević, Z; Toromanović, S

1999-01-01

Bosnia and Herzegovina has been developing new Health Care System based on Electronic Registration Card. Developing countries proceeded from the manual and semiautomatic method of medical data processing to the new method of entering, storage, transfer, searching and protection of data using electronic equipment. Currently, many European countries have developed a Medical Card Based Electronic Information System. Both technologies offer the advantages and disadvantages. Three types of electronic card are currently in use: Hybrid Card, Smart Card and Laser Card. Hybrid Card offers characteristics of both Smart Card and Laser Card. The differences among these cards, such as a capacity, total price, price per byte, security system are discussed here. The dilemma is, which card should be used as a data carrier. The Electronic Family Registration Card is a question of strategic interest for B&H, but also a big investment. We should avoid the errors of other countries that have been developing card-based system. In this article we present all mentioned cards and compare advantages and disadvantages of different technologies.

Growth in emission transfers via international trade from 1990 to 2008.

PubMed

Peters, Glen P; Minx, Jan C; Weber, Christopher L; Edenhofer, Ottmar

2011-05-24

Despite the emergence of regional climate policies, growth in global CO(2) emissions has remained strong. From 1990 to 2008 CO(2) emissions in developed countries (defined as countries with emission-reduction commitments in the Kyoto Protocol, Annex B) have stabilized, but emissions in developing countries (non-Annex B) have doubled. Some studies suggest that the stabilization of emissions in developed countries was partially because of growing imports from developing countries. To quantify the growth in emission transfers via international trade, we developed a trade-linked global database for CO(2) emissions covering 113 countries and 57 economic sectors from 1990 to 2008. We find that the emissions from the production of traded goods and services have increased from 4.3 Gt CO(2) in 1990 (20% of global emissions) to 7.8 Gt CO(2) in 2008 (26%). Most developed countries have increased their consumption-based emissions faster than their territorial emissions, and non-energy-intensive manufacturing had a key role in the emission transfers. The net emission transfers via international trade from developing to developed countries increased from 0.4 Gt CO(2) in 1990 to 1.6 Gt CO(2) in 2008, which exceeds the Kyoto Protocol emission reductions. Our results indicate that international trade is a significant factor in explaining the change in emissions in many countries, from both a production and consumption perspective. We suggest that countries monitor emission transfers via international trade, in addition to territorial emissions, to ensure progress toward stabilization of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Growth in emission transfers via international trade from 1990 to 2008

PubMed Central

Peters, Glen P.; Minx, Jan C.; Weber, Christopher L.; Edenhofer, Ottmar

2011-01-01

Despite the emergence of regional climate policies, growth in global CO2 emissions has remained strong. From 1990 to 2008 CO2 emissions in developed countries (defined as countries with emission-reduction commitments in the Kyoto Protocol, Annex B) have stabilized, but emissions in developing countries (non-Annex B) have doubled. Some studies suggest that the stabilization of emissions in developed countries was partially because of growing imports from developing countries. To quantify the growth in emission transfers via international trade, we developed a trade-linked global database for CO2 emissions covering 113 countries and 57 economic sectors from 1990 to 2008. We find that the emissions from the production of traded goods and services have increased from 4.3 Gt CO2 in 1990 (20% of global emissions) to 7.8 Gt CO2 in 2008 (26%). Most developed countries have increased their consumption-based emissions faster than their territorial emissions, and non–energy-intensive manufacturing had a key role in the emission transfers. The net emission transfers via international trade from developing to developed countries increased from 0.4 Gt CO2 in 1990 to 1.6 Gt CO2 in 2008, which exceeds the Kyoto Protocol emission reductions. Our results indicate that international trade is a significant factor in explaining the change in emissions in many countries, from both a production and consumption perspective. We suggest that countries monitor emission transfers via international trade, in addition to territorial emissions, to ensure progress toward stabilization of global greenhouse gas emissions. PMID:21518879

Obstacles to integrated pest management adoption in developing countries

PubMed Central

Parsa, Soroush; Morse, Stephen; Bonifacio, Alejandro; Chancellor, Timothy C. B.; Condori, Bruno; Crespo-Pérez, Verónica; Hobbs, Shaun L. A.; Kroschel, Jürgen; Ba, Malick N.; Rebaudo, François; Sherwood, Stephen G.; Vanek, Steven J.; Faye, Emile; Herrera, Mario A.; Dangles, Olivier

2014-01-01

Despite its theoretical prominence and sound principles, integrated pest management (IPM) continues to suffer from anemic adoption rates in developing countries. To shed light on the reasons, we surveyed the opinions of a large and diverse pool of IPM professionals and practitioners from 96 countries by using structured concept mapping. The first phase of this method elicited 413 open-ended responses on perceived obstacles to IPM. Analysis of responses revealed 51 unique statements on obstacles, the most frequent of which was “insufficient training and technical support to farmers.” Cluster analyses, based on participant opinions, grouped these unique statements into six themes: research weaknesses, outreach weaknesses, IPM weaknesses, farmer weaknesses, pesticide industry interference, and weak adoption incentives. Subsequently, 163 participants rated the obstacles expressed in the 51 unique statements according to importance and remediation difficulty. Respondents from developing countries and high-income countries rated the obstacles differently. As a group, developing-country respondents rated “IPM requires collective action within a farming community” as their top obstacle to IPM adoption. Respondents from high-income countries prioritized instead the “shortage of well-qualified IPM experts and extensionists.” Differential prioritization was also evident among developing-country regions, and when obstacle statements were grouped into themes. Results highlighted the need to improve the participation of stakeholders from developing countries in the IPM adoption debate, and also to situate the debate within specific regional contexts. PMID:24567400

Building a widespread public health education system for developing countries in Africa.

PubMed

Wiesner, Martin; Pfeifer, Daniel

2013-01-01

Many developing countries struggle to move their health care system into the information age. Millions of people in Africa do not have any access to online resources to satisfy their need for adequate individual health information. Access to high quality content available in public spots could have an immense impact on people's daily life. Our browser-based health education application might help to provide a better understanding of diseases for people in developing countries. We encourage other researchers to adopt our vision for a widespread public health education system in Africa.

International Data Base for the U.S. Renewable Energy Industry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

none

1986-05-01

The International Data Base for the US Renewable Energy Industry was developed to provide the US renewable energy industry with background data for identifying and analyzing promising foreign market opportunities for their products and services. Specifically, the data base provides the following information for 161 developed and developing countries: (1) General Country Data--consisting of general energy indicators; (2) Energy Demand Data--covering commercial primary energy consumption; (3) Energy Resource Data--identifying annual average insolation, wind power, and river flow data; (4) Power System Data--indicating a wide range of electrical parameters; and (5) Business Data--including currency and credit worthiness data.

Worldwide analysis of factors associated with medicines compendia publishing.

PubMed

Arguello, Blanca; Fernandez-Llimos, Fernando

2013-06-01

Medicines compendia, also called formularies, are the most commonly used drug information source among health care professionals. The aim was to identify the countries publishing medicines compendia and the socio-demographic factors associated to this fact. Additionally, we sought to determine the use of foreign compendia in countries lacking their own. Global web-based survey. Healthcare practitioners and researchers from 193 countries worldwide were invited to complete a web-based survey. The questionnaire investigated the existence of a national compendium, or the use of foreign compendia in the absence of one. Demographic and socioeconomic variables were used to predict compendia publishing through a multivariate analysis. Existence of national medicines compendia and foreign compendia used. Professionals from 132 countries completed the survey (response rate at a country level 68.4%, comprising 90.9% global population). Eighty-four countries (63.6%) reported publishing a medicines compendium. In the multivariate analysis, only two covariates had significant association with compendia publishing. Being a member of the Organisation for the Economic Cooperation and Development was the only variable positively associated with compendia publishing (OR = 37.5; 95% CI = 2.3:599.8). In contrast, the countries that listed French as an official language were less likely to publish a compendium (OR = 0.07; 95% CI = 0.007:0.585). Countries without national compendia reported using the British National Formulary most commonly, followed by the Dictionnaire Vidal. Publication of medicines compendia is associated with socio-economic development. Countries lacking a national compendium, use foreign compendia from higher-income countries. Creating an international medicines compendium under the leadership of the World Health Organisation, rather than merely a 'model', would reduce the risks of using information sources not-adapted to the necessities of developing countries.

ERP and Four Dimensions of Absorptive Capacity: Lessons from a Developing Country

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gil, María José Álvarez; Aksoy, Dilan; Kulcsar, Borbala

Enterprise resource planning systems can grant crucial strategic, operational and information-based benefits to adopting firms when implemented successfully. However, a failed implementation can often result in financial losses rather than profits. Until now, the research on the failures and successes were focused on implementations in large manufacturing and service organizations firms located in western countries, particularly in USA. Nevertheless, IT has gained intense diffusion to developing countries through declining hardware costs and increasing benefits that merits attention as much as developed countries. The aim of this study is to examine the implications of knowledge transfer in a developing country, Turkey, as a paradigm in the knowledge society with a focus on the implementation activities that foster successful installations. We suggest that absorptive capacity is an important characteristic of a firm that explains the success level of such a knowledge transfer.

Enhancing emergency care in low-income countries using mobile technology-based training tools

PubMed Central

Edgcombe, Hilary; Paton, Chris; English, Mike

2016-01-01

In this paper, we discuss the role of mobile technology in developing training tools for health workers, with particular reference to low-income countries (LICs). The global and technological context is outlined, followed by a summary of approaches to using and evaluating mobile technology for learning in healthcare. Finally, recommendations are made for those developing and using such tools, based on current literature and the authors' involvement in the field. PMID:27658948

Need for closer interaction between Space Science Education and Exploration programs in Developing Countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, R. N.

Space science has become a subject of prime interest. Important issue is the involvement of major expenditures. For overcoming this problem a global co-operation has developed and is proving to be successful. Space programs in developing countries have not yet started in the true sense. India is very well known as one of the pioneering countries for its contribution to upper atmospheric research that was initiated and grew on University campuses. With the advent of space research, the rocket launching facilities were developed and it was used by various scientists groups from many countries. India has developed capability of rocket and satellite launching. With development of space commission, the ground-based study programs spread all over India have decayed slowly. The space research programs are run by governmental agencies only. Universities that initiated space research programs using ground-based radio waves are out of business. Space research has not yet entered the teaching curricula in Indian Universities. It is high time that the teaching and laboratory work in space research be initiated in Indian universities. Development of such a system is emphasized. Its development would enable university's scientists to participate in Indian space research programs on equal footing as commonly seen in American, European, Russian and Japanese programs.

Caregiver Behavior Change for Child Survival and Development in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: An Examination of the Evidence

PubMed Central

Elder, John P.; Pequegnat, Willo; Ahmed, Saifuddin; Bachman, Gretchen; Bullock, Merry; Carlo, Waldemar A.; Chandra-Mouli, Venkatraman; Fox, Nathan A.; Harkness, Sara; Huebner, Gillian; Lombardi, Joan; Murry, Velma McBride; Moran, Allisyn; Norton, Maureen; Mulik, Jennifer; Parks, Will; Raikes, Helen H.; Smyser, Joseph; Sugg, Caroline; Sweat, Michael

2014-01-01

In June of 2012, representatives from more than 80 countries promulgated a Child Survival Call to Action, which called for reducing child mortality to 20 or fewer child deaths per 1,000 live births in every country by 2035. To address the problem of ending preventable child deaths, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the United Nations Children's Fund convened, on June 3–4, 2013, an Evidence Summit on Enhancing Child Survival and Development in Lower- and Middle-Income Countries by Achieving Population-Level Behavior Change. Six evidence review teams were established on different topics related to child survival and healthy development to identify the relevant evidence-based interventions and to prepare reports. This article was developed by the evidence review team responsible for identifying the research literature on caregiver change for child survival and development. This article is organized into childhood developmental periods and cross-cutting issues that affect child survival and healthy early development across all these periods. On the basis of this review, the authors present evidence-based recommendations for programs focused on caregivers to increase child survival and promote healthy development. Last, promising directions for future research to change caregivers' behaviors are given. PMID:25315597

International Collaboration and Its Contributions: Disseminating Knowledge and Supporting Evidence-Based Practices across Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, Belva C.; Tekin-Iftar, Elif; Olcay-Gul, Seray

2017-01-01

This article explores how international collaboration among researchers can contribute to developing evidence-based practices and disseminating knowledge in the field of special education. A review of a sample of special education journals published in English to identify articles written in collaboration by researchers from different countries is…

Web-Based Quality Assurance Process Drives Improvements in Obstetric Ultrasound in 5 Low- and Middle-Income Countries

PubMed Central

Swanson, Jonathan O; Plotner, David; Franklin, Holly L; Swanson, David L; Lokomba Bolamba, Victor; Lokangaka, Adrien; Sayury Pineda, Irma; Figueroa, Lester; Garces, Ana; Muyodi, David; Esamai, Fabian; Kanaiza, Nancy; Mirza, Waseem; Naqvi, Farnaz; Saleem, Sarah; Mwenechanya, Musaku; Chiwila, Melody; Hamsumonde, Dorothy; McClure, Elizabeth M; Goldenberg, Robert L; Nathan, Robert O

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT High quality is important in medical imaging, yet in many geographic areas, highly skilled sonographers are in short supply. Advances in Internet capacity along with the development of reliable portable ultrasounds have created an opportunity to provide centralized remote quality assurance (QA) for ultrasound exams performed at rural sites worldwide. We sought to harness these advances by developing a web-based tool to facilitate QA activities for newly trained sonographers who were taking part in a cluster randomized trial investigating the role of limited obstetric ultrasound to improve pregnancy outcomes in 5 low- and middle-income countries. We were challenged by connectivity issues, by country-specific needs for website usability, and by the overall need for a high-throughput system. After systematically addressing these needs, the resulting QA website helped drive ultrasound quality improvement across all 5 countries. It now offers the potential for adoption by future ultrasound- or imaging-based global health initiatives. PMID:28031304

Bioethics and its gatekeepers: does institutional racism exist in leading bioethics journals?

PubMed

Chattopadhyay, Subrata; Myser, Catherine; De Vries, Raymond

2013-03-01

Who are the gatekeepers in bioethics? Does editorial bias or institutional racism exist in leading bioethics journals? We analyzed the composition of the editorial boards of 14 leading bioethics journals by country. Categorizing these countries according to their Human Development Index (HDI), we discovered that approximately 95 percent of editorial board members are based in (very) high-HDI countries, less than 4 percent are from medium-HDI countries, and fewer than 1.5 percent are from low-HDI countries. Eight out of 14 leading bioethics journals have no editorial board members from a medium- or low-HDI country. Eleven bioethics journals have no board members from low-HDI countries. This severe underrepresentation of bioethics scholars from developing countries on editorial boards suggests that bioethics may be affected by institutional racism, raising significant questions about the ethics of bioethics in a global context.

Improving nutrition surveillance and public health research in Central and Eastern Europe/Balkan Countries using the Balkan Food Platform and dietary tools.

PubMed

Gurinović, Mirjana; Milešević, Jelena; Novaković, Romana; Kadvan, Agnes; Djekić-Ivanković, Marija; Šatalić, Zvonimir; Korošec, Mojca; Spiroski, Igor; Ranić, Marija; Dupouy, Eleonora; Oshaug, Arne; Finglas, Paul; Glibetić, Maria

2016-02-15

The objective of this paper is to share experience and provide updated information on Capacity Development in the Central and Eastern Europe/Balkan Countries (CEE/BC) region relevant to public health nutrition, particularly in creation of food composition databases (FCDBs), applying dietary intake assessment and monitoring tools, and harmonizing methodology for nutrition surveillance. Balkan Food Platform was established by a Memorandum of Understanding among EuroFIR AISBL, Institute for Medical Research, Belgrade, Capacity Development Network in Nutrition in CEE - CAPNUTRA and institutions from nine countries in the region. Inventory on FCDB status identified lack of harmonized and standardized research tools. To strengthen harmonization in CEE/BC in line with European research trends, the Network members collaborated in development of a Regional FCDB, using web-based food composition data base management software following EuroFIR standards. Comprehensive nutrition assessment and planning tool - DIET ASSESS & PLAN could enable synchronization of nutrition surveillance across countries. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

78 countries: immunization financing in developing and transitional countries.

PubMed

Deroeck, D; Levin, A

1999-01-01

The Special Initiative on Immunization Financing is a project that reviews available information on immunization costs and financing in developing countries in order to inform planned field-based activities to increase sustainability of immunization programs. While routine immunization costs just pennies a dose, newer vaccines such as hepatitis B vaccine cost much more; the full cost of making them routine are not yet known. However, a growing number of governments are paying for these vaccines. Three-quarters of the countries responding to the survey have immunization and vaccination programs in their national budgets. Moreover, international organizations have set up fund and procurement mechanisms to aid countries purchase low-cost, high-quality vaccines.

Implementing Ethics Policies in Developing Countries: Ploughing on Parched Ground?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mazonde, Isaac N.; Jackson-Malete, Jose; Sugarman, Jeremy

2007-01-01

It is globally expected that universities will ensure that policies guiding researchers' conduct are in place and adhered to. This expectation is not waived in developing countries. Successful implementation of an ethics policy is facilitated by an appropriate national regulatory framework on which to base the argument for compliance. However, it…

Assessing E-Learning System in Higher Education Institutes: Evidence from Structural Equation Modelling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ali, Muhammad; Raza, Syed Ali; Qazi, Wasim; Puah, Chin-Hong

2018-01-01

Purpose: This study aims to examine university students' acceptance of e-learning systems in Pakistan. A Web-based learning system is a new form of utilizing technological features. Although, developed countries have initiated and established the concept for e-learning, developing countries require empirical support to implement e-learning.…

Developing Critical Education Thought in Community Development: The Freirean Approach in Japan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miyazaki, Takashi

2017-01-01

If we use words from Freirean thought, we can find "indigenous Freirean thought" in each country. This paper discussed critical education theory's maturing process during Japan's modernization process and analyzed the conditions for creating an alternative community, based on an emancipatory learning practice. In East Asian countries,…

Essays on the Economics of Education in Developing Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharma, Uttam

2012-01-01

This dissertation focuses on a key challenge facing developing countries intent on enhancing their human capital base--namely, the issue of quality. One of the chapters evaluates the effectiveness of the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) initiative in Nepal's primary and lower-secondary schools. Although the OLPC program is being heavily promoted in…

A Tanzanian Perspective of the Technical Aspects of IT Service Management Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kemppainen, Jyri; Tedre, Matti; Sutinen, Erkki

2012-01-01

Information technology (IT) professionals face markedly different kinds of challenges in developing countries from the ones in developed countries. Based on the research literature and our fourteen years of fieldwork in Iringa, Tanzania, we have identified eight groups of technical characteristics of IT work that significantly affect the work of…

Improving Learning in Primary Schools of Developing Countries: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Experiments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McEwan, Patrick J.

2015-01-01

I gathered 77 randomized experiments (with 111 treatment arms) that evaluated the effects of school-based interventions on learning in developing-country primary schools. On average, monetary grants and deworming treatments had mean effect sizes that were close to zero and not statistically significant. Nutritional treatments, treatments that…

The JICA training course, community-based cancer prevention for the Asian Pacific countries, fiscal years 2004 and 2005 (epidemiological approach).

PubMed

Wakai, Kenji

2006-01-01

Communicable diseases are still major causes of deaths in developing countries. Cancer incidence, however, increased 19% between 1990 and 2000, mainly in this same developing world (Stewart and Kleihaus, 2003), and malignant neoplasms are now the second leading cause of mortality in these countries (WHO, 2003). Limitations of medical facilities and equipment mean that prevention is indispensable for cancer control (Mikheev et al., 1994). However, human resources concerning cancer prevention are limited, and encouragement of their development should be taken as a first priority. To assist in this aim, the present training course was designed by the Division of Epidemiology and Prevention, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Japan, and has been annually conducted since 1999, supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) (Takezaki, 2001; 2002; 2003; Wakai, 2004). The course targets doctors and public health workers who are responsible for community-based cancer prevention in developing countries to promote the introduction of comprehensive procedures, focusing mainly on primary prevention but also including screening for secondary prevention of cancer.

The JICA training course, community-based cancer prevention for the Asian and Pan-Pacific countries, fiscal year 2006 (epidemiological approach).

PubMed

Wakai, Kenji; Matsuo, Keitaro

2007-01-01

Communicable diseases are still major causes of deaths in developing countries. Cancer incidence, however, increased 19% between 1990 and 2000, mainly in this same developing world (Stewart and Kleihaus, 2003), and malignant neoplasms are now the second leading cause of mortality in these countries (WHO, 2003). Limitations of medical facilities and equipment mean that prevention is indispensable for cancer control (Mikheev et al., 1994). However, human resources concerning cancer prevention are also limited, and encouragement of their development should be taken as a first priority. To assist in this aim, the present training course was designed by the Division of Epidemiology and Prevention, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Japan, and has been annually conducted since 1999, supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) (Takezaki, 2001; 2002; 2003; Wakai, 2004; 2006). The course targets doctors and public health workers who are responsible for community-based cancer prevention in developing countries to promote the introduction of comprehensive procedures, focusing mainly on primary prevention but also including screening for secondary prevention of cancer.

The Internet as a research site: establishment of a web-based longitudinal study of the nursing and midwifery workforce in three countries.

PubMed

Huntington, Annette; Gilmour, Jean; Schluter, Philip; Tuckett, Anthony; Bogossian, Fiona; Turner, Catherine

2009-06-01

The aim of this paper is to describe the development of a web-based longitudinal research project, The Nurses and Midwives e-cohort Study. The Internet has only recently been used for health research. However, web-based methodologies are increasingly discussed as significant and inevitable developments in research as Internet access and use rapidly increases worldwide. In 2006, a longitudinal web-based study of nurses and midwives workforce participation patterns, health and wellbeing, and lifestyle choices was established. Participating countries are Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Data collection is handled through a dedicated website using a range of standardized tools combined into one comprehensive questionnaire. Internet-specific data collection and a range of recruitment and retention strategies have been developed for this study. Internet-based technology can support the maintenance of cohorts across multiple countries and jurisdictions to explore factors influencing workforce participation. However, barriers to widespread adoption of web-based approaches include website development costs, the need for fast broadband connection for large data collection instruments, and varying degrees of Internet and computer literacy in the nursing and midwifery workforce. Many of the issues reported in this paper are transitional in nature at a time of rapid technological development. The development of on-line methods and tools is a major and exciting development in the world of research. Research via the world-wide web can support international collaborations across borders and cultures.

Strategic environmental assessment can help solve environmental impact assessment failures in developing countries

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alshuwaikhat, Habib M.

2005-05-15

The current trend of industrialization and urbanization in developing nations has a huge impact on anthropogenic and natural ecosystems. Pollution sources increase with the expansion of cities and cause contamination of water, air and soil. The absence of urban environmental planning and management strategies has resulted in greater concern for future urban development. This paper advocates the adoption of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) as a means to achieve sustainable development in developing countries. It investigates project-level environmental impact assessment (EIA) and its limitations. The exploration of SEA and its features are addressed. The effective implementation of SEA can create amore » roadmap for sustainable development. In many developing countries, the lack of transparency and accountability and ineffective public participation in the development of the policy, plan and program (PPP) would be mitigated by the SEA process. Moreover, the proactive and broadly based characteristics of SEA would benefit the institutional development of the PPP process, which is rarely experienced in many developing countries. The paper also explores the prospects for SEA and its guiding principles in developing countries. Finally, the paper calls for a coordinated effort between all government, nongovernment and international organizations involved with PPPs to enable developing countries to pursue a path of sustainable development through the development and application of strategic environmental assessment.« less

Geographical aspects of geo-arbitrage: work in Canada and live in countries with low cost of living

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penney, J.; Dramowicz, K.

2016-04-01

The term geo-arbitrage means taking advantage of the difference in living costs between different geographic locations. This paper focuses on geographical aspects of international geo-arbitrage based on differences in the cost of living from one country to another. More precisely, the paper shows the perspective for a Canadian (student, volunteer, entrepreneur, IT person, or retiree) with some sort of mobile income or savings can take advantage of price differences by traveling to other countries. The paper is based on world development indicators, which cover a wide range of criteria when moving to another country. The data were collected for approximately 200 countries and represent the following categories of criteria: cost of living (economic factors), standard of living (such as safety, health care, environmental issues), and personal preferences (such as distance to home, Internet access or popularity of English language). The user input is required to rank or weight the importance of each of the criteria when moving to another country. One model was developed to emphasize the cost of living by controlling the weights ‘behind-the-scenes’. The results produce a list of the top suitable countries to practice geo-arbitrage. Another model allows the user to input weights for each criteria instead of ranks. The results from both models are mapped based on resulting suitability values. The top selected suitable countries are mapped, and the more specific information on each selected country is presented to the user, including the detailed cost of living, and current travel warning.

Perceived value of applying Information Communication Technology to implement guidelines in developing countries; an online questionnaire study among public health workers.

PubMed

Machingura, Pasipanodya Ian; Adekola, Olawumi; Mueni, Eunice; Oaiya, Omo; Gustafsson, Lars L; Heller, Richard F

2014-01-01

Practice guidelines can be used to support healthcare decision making. We sought to identify the use, and barriers to the implementation, of electronic based guidelines to support decision-making in maternal and child healthcare (MCH) and the rational use of medicines, in developing countries. Graduates who had gained the Master of Public Health degree through the Peoples-uni (postgraduate public health education in developing countries) were sent an online survey questionnaire which had been piloted. Two reminders were sent to non-respondents at intervals of 10 days. Results were explored using descriptive analyses. 44 of the potential 48 graduates from 16 countries responded - most were from Africa. 82% and 89% of respondents were aware of guidelines on MCH and the rational use of medicines respectively. Electronic guidelines were more available in university hospitals than in provincial hospitals or rural care. All respondents thought that guidelines could improve the delivery of quality care, and 42 (95%) and 41 (93%) respectively thought that computers and mobile or smartphones could increase the use of guidelines in service delivery. Lack of access to computers, need to buy phone credit, need for training in the use of either computerized or phone based guidelines and fear of increased workload were potential barriers to use. There is support for the use of electronic guidelines despite limited availability and barriers to use in developing countries. These findings, and other literature, provide a guide as to how the further development of ICT based guidelines may be implemented to improve health care decision making.

Technologies for utilizing natural resources create new job opportunities in the geosciences in developing countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aswathanarayana, U.

Water, soils, minerals, and biota constitute a community's most significant natural resources. Innovations in technology are generating new jobs in converting into a resource what was yesterday a non-resource; in developing process and control technologies to minimize wastes; and in waste recycling.“Resources are not, they become,” in the words of Zimmerman. In the case of the developing countries, the technologies of choice have not only to be ecologically sustainable and economically viable, but more importantly, employment generating. The new kinds of jobs—for example, in poverty alleviation projects via micro-enterprises based on value-added processing of natural resources—have a strong environmental relevance and tend to lie at the interface of several traditional scientific disciplines. Geoscience graduates in the developing countries are best placed to take advantage of these new job opportunities involving Earth materials, but only if they are exposed to broad-based geoscience instruction.

[An overview of telehealth initiatives in Latin America].

PubMed

dos Santos, Alaneir de Fátima; D'Agostino, Marcelo; Bouskela, Maurício Simon; Fernandéz, Andrés; Messina, Luiz Ary; Alves, Humberto José

2014-01-01

This article aimed to systematize the views on telehealth in Latin America and to present the experience of building an instrument for monitoring the development of telehealth initiatives based on the reality of this region. A group was structured to coordinate telehealth efforts in Latin America, with members appointed by the ministries of health of 16 countries. Five thematic groups were also set up. Based on international experiences and focusing on the reality of telehealth in the continent, an instrument was created to monitor the development of telehealth in Latin America. Several countries have national telehealth projects: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama. Others are in the process of development and early deployment: Bolivia, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Peru, Venezuela. The instrument described in the article, which is still being tested, proposes a characterization of countries according to their telehealth development stage: nonexistent, nascent, intermediate, advanced, and exemplary. Currently, important telehealth initiatives are already underway in Latin America.

Abortion and maternal mortality in the developing world.

PubMed

Okonofua, Friday

2006-11-01

Unsafe abortion is an important public health problem, accounting for 13% of maternal mortality in developing countries. Of an estimated annual 70,000 deaths from unsafe abortion worldwide, over 99% occur in the developing countries of sub-Saharan Africa, Central and Southeast Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Factors associated with increased maternal mortality from unsafe abortion in developing countries include inadequate delivery systems for contraception needed to prevent unwanted pregnancies, restrictive abortion laws, pervading negative cultural and religious attitudes towards induced abortion, and poor health infrastructures for the management of abortion complications. The application of a public health approach based on primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention can reduce morbidity and mortality associated with unsafe abortion in developing countries. Primary prevention includes the promotion of increased use of contraception by women (and by men) at risk for unwanted pregnancy; secondary prevention involves the liberalization of abortion laws and the development of programs to increase access to safe abortion care in developing countries. In contrast, tertiary prevention includes the integration and institutionalization of post-abortion care for incomplete abortion and the early and appropriate treatment of more severe complications of abortion. Efforts to address these problems will contribute both to reducing maternal mortality associated with induced abortion and to achieving the Millennium Development Goals in developing countries.

Hospital payment systems based on diagnosis-related groups: experiences in low- and middle-income countries

PubMed Central

Wittenbecher, Friedrich

2013-01-01

Abstract Objective This paper provides a comprehensive overview of hospital payment systems based on diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) in low- and middle-income countries. It also explores design and implementation issues and the related challenges countries face. Methods A literature research for papers on DRG-based payment systems in low- and middle-income countries was conducted in English, French and Spanish through Pubmed, the Pan American Health Organization’s Regional Library of Medicine and Google. Findings Twelve low- and middle-income countries have DRG-based payment systems and another 17 are in the piloting or exploratory stage. Countries have chosen from a wide range of imported and self-developed DRG models and most have adapted such models to their specific contexts. All countries have set expenditure ceilings. In general, systems were piloted before being implemented. The need to meet certain requirements in terms of coding standardization, data availability and information technology made implementation difficult. Private sector providers have not been fully integrated, but most countries have managed to delink hospital financing from public finance budgeting. Conclusion Although more evidence on the impact of DRG-based payment systems is needed, our findings suggest that (i) the greater portion of health-care financing should be public rather than private; (ii) it is advisable to pilot systems first and to establish expenditure ceilings; (iii) countries that import an existing variant of a DRG-based system should be mindful of the need for adaptation; and (iv) countries should promote the cooperation of providers for appropriate data generation and claims management. PMID:24115798

Towards mutual trust, transparency and equity in virus sharing mechanism: the avian influenza case of Indonesia.

PubMed

Sedyaningsih, Endang R; Isfandari, Siti; Soendoro, Triono; Supari, Siti Fadilah

2008-06-01

As the country hardest hit by avian influenza, both in poultry and in human, Indonesia's decision to withhold samples of avian influenza virus A (H5N1) has fired up a global controversy. The objective of this paper is to describe the position taken by Indonesia in the events leading to the decision and in those conducted to resolve the situation. The sources for this paper are the Indonesian human influenza A(H5N1) case reports and study results, summaries, minutes and reports of national and international meetings of virus sharing, and other related Indonesian and WHO documents. The International Health Regulations 2005 have been applied in different ways based on different interpretations. While one party insists on the importance of free, non-conditional, virus sharing for risk assessment and risk response, Indonesia--as supported by most of the developing countries--stresses on the more basic principles such as sovereignty of a country over its biological materials, transparency of the global system, and equity between developed and developing nations. This event demonstrates the unresolved imbalance between the affluent high-tech countries and the poor agriculture-based countries. Regional, global and in-country meetings must continue to be conducted to find solutions acceptable to all.

Dependent convergence: the importation of technological hazards by semiperipheral countries.

PubMed

Siqueira, C E; Levenstein, C

2000-01-01

This article complements the substantial body of literature produced over the last three decades on the export of hazards from developed countries to developing countries. After reviewing the central arguments proposed by this literature, the authors add to the debate by focusing on the role of national actors in the importation of these hazards, based on the experience of late 1970s' developments in the petrochemical industry in Brazil. The Brazilian case indicates that social struggles and/or interactions among actors in developing and developed nations determine to what extent hazardous technologies are imported without environmental controls and to what extent their hazardous effects are controlled by these nations. This study suggests that the future development of a more inclusive theory of export-import of hazardous technologies and products should take into account the dialectical relationship established between social actors internal to the exporting and importing countries.

Communication in health care delivery in developing countries: which way out?

PubMed

Olutimayin, Jide

2002-09-01

Most governments in developing countries have adopted frameworks for health development which stressed community based initiatives and intervention at all levels of the health pyramid (WHO, 1992). But even today, most of the rural communities in these countries are still not developed in terms of available health facilities. What then is/are responsible for these failures? Various authors have come up with various reasons, principal amongst which are inadequate resources, lack of planning, insincerity/non-commitment of the governments, lack of modern information technology, etc. This paper examines some of these factors in relation to how they accentuate or hamper healthcare delivery in developing countries, using African rural communities as a study field. The resultant suggestions are a consortium of varying factors, some of which are economic in nature, policy changes, human resources development, and re-orientation of social and government attitudes towards achieving meaningful results in healthcare delivery, particularly in the rural communities.

Breast health in developing countries.

PubMed

Yip, C H; Taib, N A

2014-12-01

Breast cancer is one of the leading cancers world-wide. While the incidence in developing countries is lower than in developed countries, the mortality is much higher. Of the estimated 1 600 000 new cases of breast cancer globally in 2012, 794 000 were in the more developed world compared to 883 000 in the less developed world; however, there were 198 000 deaths in the more developed world compared to 324 000 in the less developed world (data from Globocan 2012, IARC). Survival from breast cancer depends on two main factors--early detection and optimal treatment. In developing countries, women present with late stages of disease. The barriers to early detection are physical, such as geographical isolation, financial as well as psychosocial, including lack of education, belief in traditional medicine and lack of autonomous decision-making in the male-dominated societies that prevail in the developing world. There are virtually no population-based breast cancer screening programs in developing countries. However, before any screening program can be implemented, there must be facilities to treat the cancers that are detected. Inadequate access to optimal treatment of breast cancer remains a problem. Lack of specialist manpower, facilities and anticancer drugs contribute to the suboptimal care that a woman with breast cancer in a low-income country receives. International groups such as the Breast Health Global Initiative were set up to develop economically feasible, clinical practice guidelines for breast cancer management to improve breast health outcomes in countries with limited resources.

Interprofessional Education for Whom? — Challenges and Lessons Learned from Its Implementation in Developed Countries and Their Application to Developing Countries: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Sunguya, Bruno F.; Hinthong, Woranich; Jimba, Masamine; Yasuoka, Junko

2014-01-01

Background Evidence is available on the potential efficacy of interprofessional education (IPE) to foster interprofessional cooperation, improve professional satisfaction, and improve patient care. While the intention of the World Health Organization (WHO) is to implement IPE in all countries, evidence comes from developed countries about its efficiency, challenges, and barriers to planning and implementing IPE. We therefore conducted this review to examine challenges of implementing IPE to suggest possible pathways to overcome the anticipated challenges in developing countries. Methods We searched for literatures on IPE in PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and ERIC databases. We examined challenges or barriers and initiatives to overcome them so as to suggest methods to solve the anticipated challenges in developing countries. We could not conduct a meta-analysis because of the qualitative nature of the research question and the data; instead we conducted a meta-narrative of evidence. Results A total of 40 out of 2,146 articles were eligible for analyses in the current review. Only two articles were available from developing countries. Despite the known benefits of IPE, a total of ten challenges or barriers were common based on the retrieved evidence. They included curriculum, leadership, resources, stereotypes and attitudes, variety of students, IPE concept, teaching, enthusiasm, professional jargons, and accreditation. Out of ten, three had already been reported in developing countries: IPE curriculum, resource limitations, and stereotypes. Conclusion This study found ten important challenges on implementing IPE. They are curriculum, leadership, resources, stereotypes, students' diversity, IPE concept, teaching, enthusiasm, professional jargons, and accreditation. Although only three of them are already experienced in developing countries, the remaining seven are potentially important for developing countries, too. By knowing these challenges and barriers in advance, those who implement IPE programs in developing countries will be much more prepared, and can enhance the program's potential success. PMID:24809509

Interprofessional education for whom? --challenges and lessons learned from its implementation in developed countries and their application to developing countries: a systematic review.

PubMed

Sunguya, Bruno F; Hinthong, Woranich; Jimba, Masamine; Yasuoka, Junko

2014-01-01

Evidence is available on the potential efficacy of interprofessional education (IPE) to foster interprofessional cooperation, improve professional satisfaction, and improve patient care. While the intention of the World Health Organization (WHO) is to implement IPE in all countries, evidence comes from developed countries about its efficiency, challenges, and barriers to planning and implementing IPE. We therefore conducted this review to examine challenges of implementing IPE to suggest possible pathways to overcome the anticipated challenges in developing countries. We searched for literatures on IPE in PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and ERIC databases. We examined challenges or barriers and initiatives to overcome them so as to suggest methods to solve the anticipated challenges in developing countries. We could not conduct a meta-analysis because of the qualitative nature of the research question and the data; instead we conducted a meta-narrative of evidence. A total of 40 out of 2,146 articles were eligible for analyses in the current review. Only two articles were available from developing countries. Despite the known benefits of IPE, a total of ten challenges or barriers were common based on the retrieved evidence. They included curriculum, leadership, resources, stereotypes and attitudes, variety of students, IPE concept, teaching, enthusiasm, professional jargons, and accreditation. Out of ten, three had already been reported in developing countries: IPE curriculum, resource limitations, and stereotypes. This study found ten important challenges on implementing IPE. They are curriculum, leadership, resources, stereotypes, students' diversity, IPE concept, teaching, enthusiasm, professional jargons, and accreditation. Although only three of them are already experienced in developing countries, the remaining seven are potentially important for developing countries, too. By knowing these challenges and barriers in advance, those who implement IPE programs in developing countries will be much more prepared, and can enhance the program's potential success.

Country clustering applied to the water and sanitation sector: a new tool with potential applications in research and policy.

PubMed

Onda, Kyle; Crocker, Jonny; Kayser, Georgia Lyn; Bartram, Jamie

2014-03-01

The fields of global health and international development commonly cluster countries by geography and income to target resources and describe progress. For any given sector of interest, a range of relevant indicators can serve as a more appropriate basis for classification. We create a new typology of country clusters specific to the water and sanitation (WatSan) sector based on similarities across multiple WatSan-related indicators. After a literature review and consultation with experts in the WatSan sector, nine indicators were selected. Indicator selection was based on relevance to and suggested influence on national water and sanitation service delivery, and to maximize data availability across as many countries as possible. A hierarchical clustering method and a gap statistic analysis were used to group countries into a natural number of relevant clusters. Two stages of clustering resulted in five clusters, representing 156 countries or 6.75 billion people. The five clusters were not well explained by income or geography, and were distinct from existing country clusters used in international development. Analysis of these five clusters revealed that they were more compact and well separated than United Nations and World Bank country clusters. This analysis and resulting country typology suggest that previous geography- or income-based country groupings can be improved upon for applications in the WatSan sector by utilizing globally available WatSan-related indicators. Potential applications include guiding and discussing research, informing policy, improving resource targeting, describing sector progress, and identifying critical knowledge gaps in the WatSan sector. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Lessons for health care reform from the less developed world: the case of the Philippines.

PubMed

Obermann, Konrad; Jowett, Matthew R; Taleon, Juanito D; Mercado, Melinda C

2008-11-01

International technical and financial cooperation for health-sector reform is usually a one-way street: concepts, tools and experiences are transferred from more to less developed countries. Seldom, if ever, are experiences from less developed countries used to inform discussions on reforms in the developed world. There is, however, a case to be made for considering experiences in less developed countries. We report from the Philippines, a country with high population growth, slow economic development, a still immature democracy and alleged large-scale corruption, which has embarked on a long-term path of health care and health financing reforms. Based on qualitative health-related action research between 2002 and 2005, we have identified three crucial factors for achieving progress on reforms in a challenging political environment: (1) strive for local solutions, (2) make use of available technology and (3) work on the margins towards pragmatic solutions whilst having your ethical goals in mind. Some reflection on these factors might stimulate and inform the debate on how health care reforms could be pursued in developed countries.

Long-term abatement potential and current policy trajectories in Latin American countries

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Clarke, Leon; McFarland, James; Octaviano, Claudia

2016-05-01

This paper provides perspectives on the role of Latin American and Latin American countries in meeting global abatement goals, based on the scenarios developed through the CLIMACAP-LAMP modeling study.

The Pacific Community Concept. Proposals for Further Development and Co-Operation between Countries of the Pacific Basin and Reaction to Such Proposals by Pacific Basin Countries. A Select Bibliography. Development of Resource Sharing Networks. Networks Study No. 14.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Library of Australia, Canberra.

As part of its statutory duty to foster international cooperation, the National Library of Australia has produced this annotated bibliography based on a review of material published since 1968 on the Pacific Community Concept or cooperation between countries in the Pacific Basin area of Asia and Oceania. The 159 items listed cover the following…

Remote Sensing Education and Development Countries: Multilateral Efforts through the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Charles, Leslie Bermann

1998-01-01

The Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) is an international organization which coordinates space-based Earth observations world wide. Created in 1984, CEOS now comprises 38 national space agencies, regional organizations and international space-related and research groups. The aim of CEOS is to achieve international coordination in the planning of satellite missions for Earth observation and to maximize the utilization of data from these missions world-wide. With regard to developing countries, the fundamental aim of CEOS is to encourage the creation and maintenance of indigenous capability that is integrated into the local decision-making process, thereby enabling developing countries to obtain the maximum benefit from Earth observation. Obtaining adequate access to remote sensing information is difficult for developing countries and students and teachers alike. High unit data prices, the specialized nature of the technology , difficulty in locating specific data, complexities of copyright provisions, the emphasis on "leading edge" technology and research, and the lack of training materials relating to readily understood application are frequently noted obstacles. CEOS has developed an education CD-ROM which is aimed at increasing the integration of space-based data into school curricula, meeting the heretofore unsatisfied needs of developing countries for information about Earth observation application, data sources and future plans; and raising awareness around the world of the value of Earth observation data from space. The CD-ROM is designed to be used with an Internet web browser, increasing the information available to the user, but it can also be used on a stand-alone machine. It contains suggested lesson plans and additional resources for educators and users in developing countries.

Evidence-based medicine training in a resource-poor country, the importance of leveraging personal and institutional relationships

PubMed Central

Tomatis, Cristina; Taramona, Claudia; Rizo-Patrón, Emiliana; Hernández, Fiorela; Rodríguez, Patricia; Piscoya, Alejandro; Gonzales, Elsa; Gotuzzo, Eduardo; Heudebert, Gustavo; Centor, Robert M.; Estrada, Carlos A.

2011-01-01

Rationale, aims and objectives Efforts to implement evidence-based medicine (EBM) training in developing countries are limited. We describe the results of an international effort to improve research capacity in a developing country; we conducted a course aimed at improving basic EBM attitudes and identified challenges. Method Between 2005 and 2009, we conducted an annual 3-day course in Perú consisting of interactive lectures and case-based workshops. We assessed self-reported competence and importance in EBM using a Likert scale (1 = low, 5 = high). Results Totally 220 clinicians participated. For phase I (2005–2007), self-reported EBM competence increased from a median of 2 to 3 (P < 0.001) and the perceived importance of EBM did not change (median = 5). For phase II (2008–2009), before the course, 8–72% graded their competence very low (score of 1–2). After the course, 67–92% of subjects graded their increase in knowledge very high (score of 4–5). The challenges included limited availability of studies relevant to the local reality written in Spanish, participants’ limited time and lack of long-term follow-up on practice change. Informal discussion and written evaluation from participants were universally in agreement that more training in EBM is needed. Conclusions In an EBM course in a resource-poor country, the baseline self-reported competence and experience on EBM were low, and the course had measurable improvements of self-reported competence, perceived utility and readiness to incorporate EBM into their practices. Similar to developed countries, translational research and building the research capacity in developing countries is critical for translating best available evidence into practice. PMID:21276140

Physics Education: A Significant Backbone of Sustainable Development in Developing Countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akintola, R. A.

2006-08-01

In the quest for technological self-reliance, many policies, programs and projects have been proposed and implemented in order to procure solutions to the problems of technological inadequacies of developing countries. It has been observed that all these failed. This research identifies the problems and proposes lasting solutions to emancipate physics education in developing nations and highlight possible future gains. The statistical analysis employed was based on questionnaires, interviews and data analysis.

[Development and perspective of bio-based chemical fiber industry].

PubMed

Li, Zengjun

2016-06-25

Bio-based fiber is environment friendly, reproducible, easily biodegradable. Therefore, rapid development of bio-based fiber industry is an obvious in progress to replace petrochemical resources, develop sustainable economy, build resource saving and environment friendly society. This article describes the current development of bio-based fiber industry, analyzes existing problems, indicates the trends and objectives of bio-based fiber materials technology innovation and recommends developing bio-based fibers industry of our country.

Development of voluntary private health insurance in Nordic countries - An exploratory study on country-specific contextual factors.

PubMed

Tynkkynen, Liina-Kaisa; Alexandersen, Nina; Kaarbøe, Oddvar; Anell, Anders; Lehto, Juhani; Vrangbӕk, Karsten

2018-03-16

The Nordic countries are healthcare systems with tax-based financing and ambitions for universal access to comprehensive services. This implies that distribution of healthcare resources should be based on individual needs, not on the ability to pay. Despite this ideological orientation, significant expansion in voluntary private health insurance (VPHI) contracts has occurred in recent decades. The development and role of VPHIs are different across the Nordic countries. Complementary VPHI plays a significant role in Denmark and in Finland. Supplementary VPHI is prominent in Norway and Sweden. The aim of this paper is to explore drivers behind the developments of the VPHI markets in the Nordic countries. We analyze the developments in terms of the following aspects: the performance of the statutory system (real or perceived), lack of coverage in certain areas of healthcare, governmental interventions or inability to reform the system, policy trends and the general socio-cultural environment, and policy responses to voting behavior or lobbying by certain interest groups. It seems that the early developments in VPHI markets have been an answer to the gaps in the national health systems created by institutional contexts, political decisions, and cultural interpretations on the functioning of the system. However, once the market is created it introduces new dynamics that have less to do with gaps and inflexibilities and more with cultural factors. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Water and wastewater in developing countries: present reality and strategy for the future.

PubMed

Ujang, Z; Buckley, C

2002-01-01

This paper summarises the paper presentation sessions at the Conference, as well giving insights on the issues related to developing countries. It also discusses the present status of practice and research on water and wastewater management, and projected future scenario based not only on the papers presented in the Conference, but also on other sources. The strategy is presented to overcome many problems in developing countries such as rapid urbanization, industrialization, population growth, financial and institutional problems and, depleting water resources. The strategy consists of Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM), cleaner industrial production, waste minimisation and financial arrangements.

Knowledge Impact of a US-Based Tobacco Prevention Curriculum among Tanzanian Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

St. Germain, Paige; Lucas, Frances L.; Williams Wilson, Miriam J.; Maegga, Bertha Tsingay A.; Miesfeldt, Susan

2017-01-01

Purpose: Tobacco use is a major public health issue in developing countries, with substantial initial exposure in childhood. School-based educational resources promise to reduce tobacco initiation and experimentation among children from low-income countries. Research in this area is scant. The study goal was to test the impact of an evidence-based…

Global income-related inequalities in HIV testing.

PubMed

Larose, Auburn; Moore, Spencer; Harper, Sam; Lynch, John

2011-09-01

Voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) is an important prevention initiative in reducing HIV/AIDS transmission. Despite current global prevention efforts, many low- and middle-income countries continue reporting low VCT levels. Little is known about the association of within- and between-country socioeconomic inequalities and VCT. Based on the 'inverse equity hypothesis,' this study examines the degree to which low socioeconomic groups in developing countries are disadvantaged in VCT. Using recently released data from the 2002 to 2003 World Health Survey (WHS) for 106 705 individuals in 49 countries, this study used multilevel logistic regression to examine the association of individual- and national-level factors with VCT, and whether national economic development moderated the association between individual income and VCT. Individual income was based on country-specific income quintiles. National economic development was based on national gross domestic product per capita (GDP/c). Effect modification was evaluated with the likelihood ratio test (G(2)). Individuals eligible for the VCT question of the WHS were adults between the ages of 18-49 years; women who had given birth in the last 2 years were excluded from this question. VCT was more likely among higher income quintiles and in countries with higher GDP/c. GDP/c moderated the association between individual income and VCT whereby relative income differences in VCT were greater in countries with lower GDP/c (G(2)= 9.21; P= 0.002). Individual socio-demographic characteristics were also associated with the likelihood of a person having VCT. Relative socioeconomic inequalities in VCT coverage appear to decline when higher SES groups reach a certain level of coverage. These findings suggest that changes to international VCT programs may be necessary to moderate the relative VCT differences between high- and low-income individuals in lower GDP/c nations.

Policy without politics: the limits of social engineering.

PubMed

Navarro, Vicente

2003-01-01

The extent of coverage provided by a country's health services is directly related to the level of development of that country's democratic process (and its power relations). The United States is the only developed country whose government does not guarantee access to health care for its citizens. It is also the developed country with the least representative and most insufficient democratic institutions, owing to the constitutional framework of the political system, the privatization of the electoral process, and the enormous power of corporate interests in both the media and the political process. As international experience shows, without a strong labor-based movement willing to be radical in its protests, a universal health care program will never be accepted by the US establishment.

Health Care Expenditure and GDP in Oil Exporting Countries: Evidence From OPEC Data, 1995-2012.

PubMed

Fazaeli, Ali Akbar; Ghaderi, Hossein; Salehi, Masoud; Fazaeli, Ali Reza

2015-06-11

There is a large body of literature examining income in relation to health expenditures. The share of expenditures in health sector from GDP in developed countries is often larger than in non-developed countries, suggesting that as the level of economic growth increases, health spending increase, too. This paper estimates long-run relationships between health expenditures and GDP based on panel data of a sample of 12 countries of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), using data for the period 1995-2012. We use panel data unit root tests, cointegration analysis and ECM model to find long-run and short-run relation. This study examines whether health is a luxury or a necessity for OPEC countries within a unit root and cointegration framework. Panel data analysis indicates that health expenditures and GDP are co-integrated and have Engle and Granger causality. In addition, in oil countries that have oil export income, the share of government expenditures in the health sector is often greater than in private health expenditures similar developed countries. The findings verify that health care is not a luxury good and income has a robust relationship to health expenditures in OPEC countries.

Key Features of Research Portal for Stimulating Research in Institutions of Higher Technical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agarwal, Parul Dharmani; Kiran, Ravi; Verma, Anil Kumar

2012-01-01

Problem Statement: The current higher learning institutions in developed countries have adapted to their changing role in a knowledge-based society It is time for developing countries like India to focus on Knowledge Management thus, the current study presents research undertaken in understanding the implication of Knowledge Management in the…

Competency Based Instruction for Teacher Preparation in Developing Countries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andersen, Hans O.

The need to modernize teacher education procedures is a universal problem. This need is particularly evident in developing countries where adherence to the old syllabi and the "tried and true" methods of instruction is strong and where highly trained personnel capable of leading a reform are in short supply. This model for a competency approach to…

Understanding the Exit of Teachers from South Africa: Determinants of Transnational Teacher Migration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manik, Sadhana

2009-01-01

Globalisation has allowed people with scarce skills to cross national borders with ease. Given their specific skills base professionals are prone to trans-national migration. The trend is for professionals from developing countries, such as South Africa, to fill gaps in the labour market in developed countries such as the United Kingdom. The…

Eliminating Capability Gaps In Wide Area Workflow (WAWF) During Contingency Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-01

CONTRACTING.........27 A. INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................27 B. PLANNING ...245) Because of the expansion of information communication technology (ICT) around the world, many countries plan to develop state of the art ITC...and housing. More developed countries provide Web-based services like driver’s license renewal and tax filing. One of the most advanced achievements

Prevalence of pain reporting and associated health outcomes across emerging markets and developed countries.

PubMed

Goren, Amir; Mould-Quevedo, Joaquín; daCosta DiBonaventura, Marco

2014-11-01

The current study represents the first broad, multi-country, population-based survey of pain, assessing the association between pain and health outcomes, plus comparing the burden of pain across emerging and developed countries. Data from the 2011/2012 National Health and Wellness Surveys were used. Respondents reporting pain (neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, back pain, surgery pain, and/or arthritis pain) vs no pain in emerging (Brazil, China, Russia) vs developed (European Union, Japan, United States) countries were compared on sociodemographic characteristics and measures of quality of life (SF-12v2 and SF-36v2), work productivity and activity impairment, and health care resource use. Respondents included 128,821 without pain and 29,848 with pain in developed countries, and 37,244 without pain and 4,789 with pain in emerging countries. Pain reporting and treatment rates were lower in China (6.2% and 28.3%, respectively) and Japan (4.4% and 26.3%, respectively) than in other countries (≥ 14.3% and 35.8%, respectively). Significant impairments in quality of life, productivity, and resource use were associated with pain across all health outcomes in both developed and emerging countries, with some productivity and physical health status impairments greater with pain in developed countries, whereas mental health status impairment and resource use were greater with pain in emerging countries. Pain was associated with burden across all study outcomes in all regions. Yet, differences emerged in the degree of impairment, pain reporting, diagnosis, treatment rates, and characteristics of patients between emerging and developed nations, thus helping guide a broader understanding of this highly prevalent condition globally. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Strategies and challenges for safe injection practice in developing countries.

PubMed

Gyawali, Sudesh; Rathore, Devendra Singh; Shankar, P Ravi; Kumar, Kc Vikash

2013-01-01

Injection is one of the important health care procedures used globally to administer drugs. Its unsafe use can transmit various blood borne pathogens. This article aims to review the history and status of injection practices, its importance, interventions and the challenges for safe injection practice in developing countries. The history of injections started with the discovery of syringe in the early nineteenth century. Safe injection practice in developed countries was initiated in the early twentieth century but has not received adequate attention in developing countries. The establishment of "Safe Injection Global Network (SIGN)" was an milestone towards safe injection practice globally. In developing countries, people perceive injection as a powerful healing tool and do not hesitate to pay more for injections. Unsafe disposal and reuse of contaminated syringe is common. Ensuring safe injection practice is one of the greatest challenges for healthcare system in developing countries. To address the problem, interventions with active involvement of a number of stakeholders is essential. A combination of educational, managerial and regulatory strategies is found to be effective and economically viable. Rational and safe use of injections can save many lives but unsafe practice threatens life. Safe injection practice is crucial in developing countries. Evidence based interventions, with honest commitment and participation from the service provider, recipient and community with aid of policy makers are required to ensure safe injection practice.

Strategies and challenges for safe injection practice in developing countries

PubMed Central

Gyawali, Sudesh; Rathore, Devendra Singh; Shankar, P Ravi; Kumar, KC Vikash

2013-01-01

Injection is one of the important health care procedures used globally to administer drugs. Its unsafe use can transmit various blood borne pathogens. This article aims to review the history and status of injection practices, its importance, interventions and the challenges for safe injection practice in developing countries. The history of injections started with the discovery of syringe in the early nineteenth century. Safe injection practice in developed countries was initiated in the early twentieth century but has not received adequate attention in developing countries. The establishment of “Safe Injection Global Network (SIGN)” was an milestone towards safe injection practice globally. In developing countries, people perceive injection as a powerful healing tool and do not hesitate to pay more for injections. Unsafe disposal and reuse of contaminated syringe is common. Ensuring safe injection practice is one of the greatest challenges for healthcare system in developing countries. To address the problem, interventions with active involvement of a number of stakeholders is essential. A combination of educational, managerial and regulatory strategies is found to be effective and economically viable. Rational and safe use of injections can save many lives but unsafe practice threatens life. Safe injection practice is crucial in developing countries. Evidence based interventions, with honest commitment and participation from the service provider, recipient and community with aid of policy makers are required to ensure safe injection practice. PMID:23662018

The role of Ethiopia's public universities in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Keeffe, Paul

2016-12-01

In recent years, the Ethiopian government has embarked on an ambitious agriculture development strategy aimed at raising Ethiopia to the status of a middle-income-level country by 2025. Encouraged by the international development push behind the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the rapid expansion of public universities has taken centre stage in facilitating the country's aim of equipping a new generation with the expertise needed to fuel the country's economic development. While impressive strides have been made over the last two decades, various development challenges threaten to derail this promising progress. This article examines three of the main challenges - urbanisation, climate change and food security - and the potential for universities to address them. Based on a study using key informant analysis research with 50 experts in Ethiopian education and development, the author concludes that the developing public university system offers promising capabilities to assist the country on its developmental path despite many inherent problems.

"The family is the clinic, the community is the hospital": community mental health in Timor-Leste.

PubMed

Hawkins, Zoe; Tilman, Teofilo

2011-07-01

This paper describes the history and recent development of mental health services in Timor-Leste, a small developing country recovering from conflict. Challenges to effective service delivery are discussed as well as plans for future development. Timor-Leste's mental health service began just over a decade ago. Unlike many other low and middle income countries where hospital-based services predominate, the mental health model in Timor-Leste is entirely community based. However, challenges to effective mental health care delivery are similar to most developing countries and include a lack of sufficient financial resources, human resources, and mental health infrastructure. Addressing these issues successfully requires political will, a greater prioritization of mental health services, close coordination between stakeholders, as well as developments in the area of education, training and infrastructure. Greater understanding and education about the links between mental and physical health would benefit the overall health of the population, and integration of these respective policies may prove a successful method of more equitably redistributing finances and resources.

A New Metrics for Countries' Fitness and Products' Complexity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tacchella, Andrea; Cristelli, Matthieu; Caldarelli, Guido; Gabrielli, Andrea; Pietronero, Luciano

2012-10-01

Classical economic theories prescribe specialization of countries industrial production. Inspection of the country databases of exported products shows that this is not the case: successful countries are extremely diversified, in analogy with biosystems evolving in a competitive dynamical environment. The challenge is assessing quantitatively the non-monetary competitive advantage of diversification which represents the hidden potential for development and growth. Here we develop a new statistical approach based on coupled non-linear maps, whose fixed point defines a new metrics for the country Fitness and product Complexity. We show that a non-linear iteration is necessary to bound the complexity of products by the fitness of the less competitive countries exporting them. We show that, given the paradigm of economic complexity, the correct and simplest approach to measure the competitiveness of countries is the one presented in this work. Furthermore our metrics appears to be economically well-grounded.

Family Registration Card as electronic medical carrier in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

PubMed

Novo, Ahmed; Masic, Izet; Toromanovic, Selim; Loncarevic, Nedim; Junuzovic, Dzelaludin; Dizdarevic, Jadranka

2004-01-01

Medical documentation is a very important part of the medical documentalistics and is occupies a large part of daily work of medical staff working in Primary Health Care. Paper documentation is going to be replaced by electronic cards in Bosnia and Herzegovina and a new Health Care System is under development, based on an Electronic Family Registration Card. Developed countries proceeded from the manual and semiautomatic method of medical data processing to the new method of entering, storage, transferring, searching and protecting data, using electronic equipment. Currently, many European countries have developed a Medical Card Based Electronic Information System. Three types of electronic card are currently in use: a Hybrid Card, a Smart Card and a Laser Card. The dilemma is which card should be used as a data carrier. The Electronic Family Registration Cared is a question of strategic interest for B&H, but also a great investment. We should avoid the errors of other countries that have been developing card-based system. In this article we present all mentioned cards and compare advantages and disadvantages of different technologies.

Convergence and determinants of health expenditures in OECD countries.

PubMed

Nghiem, Son Hong; Connelly, Luke Brian

2017-08-17

This study examines the trend and determinants of health expenditures in OECD countries over the 1975-2004 period. Based on recent developments in the economic growth literature we propose and test the hypothesis that health care expenditures in countries of similar economic development level may converge. We hypothesise that the main drivers for growth in health care costs include: aging population, technological progress and health insurance. The results reveal no evidence that health expenditures among OECD countries converge. Nevertheless, there is evidence of convergence among three sub-groups of countries. We found that the main driver of health expenditure is technological progress. Our results also suggest that health care is a (national) necessity, not a luxury good as some other studies in this field have found.

How can psychological theory help to promote condom use in sub-Saharan African developing countries?

PubMed

Campbell, T

1997-06-01

Condom use for HIV prevention has been very inconsistent in most sub-Saharan African countries. Studies from around the continent report that knowledge about HIV transmission is variable and seems to be related to gender, socioeconomic and educational status. There is a large body of psychological knowledge about HIV prevention which has been applied to condom promotion campaigns in developed countries. These approaches to condom promotion, based on formal theory, have not been used on a wide scale in African countries and this paper explores ways in which psychological theory might be appropriately applied in a situation of high HIV prevalence.

Agricultural trade networks and patterns of economic development.

PubMed

Shutters, Shade T; Muneepeerakul, Rachata

2012-01-01

International trade networks are manifestations of a complex combination of diverse underlying factors, both natural and social. Here we apply social network analytics to the international trade network of agricultural products to better understand the nature of this network and its relation to patterns of international development. Using a network tool known as triadic analysis we develop triad significance profiles for a series of agricultural commodities traded among countries. Results reveal a novel network "superfamily" combining properties of biological information processing networks and human social networks. To better understand this unique network signature, we examine in more detail the degree and triadic distributions within the trade network by country and commodity. Our results show that countries fall into two very distinct classes based on their triadic frequencies. Roughly 165 countries fall into one class while 18, all highly isolated with respect to international agricultural trade, fall into the other. Only Vietnam stands out as a unique case. Finally, we show that as a country becomes less isolated with respect to number of trading partners, the country's triadic signature follows a predictable trajectory that may correspond to a trajectory of development.

A comparative study of interprofessional education in global health care

PubMed Central

Herath, Chulani; Zhou, Yangfeng; Gan, Yong; Nakandawire, Naomie; Gong, Yanghong; Lu, Zuxun

2017-01-01

Abstract Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners identify interprofessional (IP) collaboration in education and practice as an innovative strategy that plays an important role in mitigating the global health workforce crisis. Evidence on the practice of global health level in interprofessional education (IPE) is scarce and hampered due to the absence of aggregate information. Therefore, this systematic review was conducted to examine the incidences of IPE and summarize the main features about the IPE programs in undergraduate and postgraduate education in developed and developing countries. Methods: The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched from their inception to January 31, 2016 for relevant studies regarding the development of IPE worldwide, IPE undergraduate and postgraduate programs, IP interaction in health education, IPE content, clinical placements, and teaching methods. Countries in which a study was conducted were classified as developed and developing countries according to the definition by the United Nations (UN) in 2014. Results: A total of 65 studies from 41 countries met our inclusion criteria, including 45 studies from 25 developed countries and 20 studies from 16 developing countries. Compared with developing countries, developed countries had more IPE initiatives. IPE programs were mostly at the undergraduate level. Overall, the university was the most common academic institution that provided IPE programs. The contents of the curricula were mainly designed to provide IP knowledge, skills, and values that aimed at developing IP competencies. IPE clinical placements were typically based in hospitals, community settings, or both. The didactic and interactive teaching methods varied significantly within and across universities where they conducted IPE programs. Among all health care disciplines, nursing was the discipline that conducted most of the IPE programs. Conclusion: This systematic review illustrated that the IPE programs vary substantially across countries. Many countries, especially the academic institutions are benefiting from the implementation of IPE programs. There is a need to strengthen health education policies at global level aiming at initiating IPE programs in relevant institutions. PMID:28930816

The effectiveness of family-planning programmes.

PubMed

Mauldin, W P

1989-01-01

By the mid-1960s, countries that accounted for 66% of the population of developing countries had adopted policies designed to reduce their rates of population growth; by 1986, the corresponding figure had reached 78%. In the developing regions as a whole, fertility has fallen by more than 30% since 1950. Contraceptive use has risen sharply, and there has been more than 10-fold increase in the number of couples in developing countries who use contraceptives. There is a very strong association between use of contraception and fertility in developing countries. Social and economic modernization is also taking place, although quite unevenly in the developing regions, so that the relationship of modernization is fertility is not very easy to demonstrate. In general, the experience of the developing countries suggest that a strong family- planning program effort can, and does, lead to a more rapid fertility decline than would be likely based only on socioeconomic variables. The effectiveness of family-planning programs can be enhanced by increasing the range of choice of contraceptive methods offered. However, it is difficult to disentangle the various factors that contribute to the effectiveness of family-planning programs. The public sector is the main supplier of family-planning services in most developing countries, and there is no clear trend towards the reliance on the private sector.

Assistive technology in developing countries: a review from the perspective of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

PubMed

Borg, Johan; Lindström, Anna; Larsson, Stig

2011-03-01

The 'Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities' (CRPD) requires governments to meet the assistive technology needs of citizens. However, the access to assistive technology in developing countries is severely limited, which is aggravated by a lack of related services. To summarize current knowledge on assistive technology for low- and lower-middle-income countries published in 1995 or later, and to provide recommendations that facilitate implementation of the CRPD. Literature review. Literature was searched in web-based databases and reference lists. Studies carried out in low- and lower-middle-income countries, or addressing assistive technology for such countries, were included. The 52 included articles are dominated by product oriented research on leg prostheses and manual wheelchairs. Less has been published on hearing aids and virtually nothing on the broad range of other types of assistive technology. To support effective implementation of the CRPD in these countries, there is a need for actions and research related particularly to policies, service delivery, outcomes and international cooperation, but also to product development and production. The article has a potential to contribute to CRPD compliant developments in the provision of assistive technology in developing countries by providing practitioners with an overview of published knowledge and researchers with identified research needs.

[The current situation of acupuncture definition in international organizations and legislation of some countries].

PubMed

Sun, Yujie; Liu, Baoyan; He, Liyun; Wu, Xiaodong; Liu, Jia

2017-12-12

Acupuncture is developing rapidly in the world, and more attention is paid on acupuncture in various countries. Because of the cultural differences, there are different views on acupuncture between China and the west, which has brought influence and challenge to the development of acupuncture in the world. Acupuncture-related research is becoming increasingly extensive and complex, but the definition of acupuncture is lack of unified standards. The definition of acupuncture is in urgent need. Based on the analysis of acupuncture definition in the 201 international organizations of 48 countries on five continents and legislation of representative countries, this paper summarized the development status of acupuncture in foreign countries, and put forward that the definition of acupuncture should adopt the model of small connotation and large extension, integrate discipline superiority, expand the scope of acupuncture, and focus on the overall situation.

From Smart-Eco Building to High-Performance Architecture: Optimization of Energy Consumption in Architecture of Developing Countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahdavinejad, M.; Bitaab, N.

2017-08-01

Search for high-performance architecture and dreams of future architecture resulted in attempts towards meeting energy efficient architecture and planning in different aspects. Recent trends as a mean to meet future legacy in architecture are based on the idea of innovative technologies for resource efficient buildings, performative design, bio-inspired technologies etc. while there are meaningful differences between architecture of developed and developing countries. Significance of issue might be understood when the emerging cities are found interested in Dubaization and other related booming development doctrines. This paper is to analyze the level of developing countries’ success to achieve smart-eco buildings’ goals and objectives. Emerging cities of West of Asia are selected as case studies of the paper. The results of the paper show that the concept of high-performance architecture and smart-eco buildings are different in developing countries in comparison with developed countries. The paper is to mention five essential issues in order to improve future architecture of developing countries: 1- Integrated Strategies for Energy Efficiency, 2- Contextual Solutions, 3- Embedded and Initial Energy Assessment, 4- Staff and Occupancy Wellbeing, 5- Life-Cycle Monitoring.

Assessment of Internet-based tele-medicine in Africa (the RAFT project).

PubMed

Bagayoko, Cheick Oumar; Müller, Henning; Geissbuhler, Antoine

2006-01-01

The objectives of this paper on the Réseau Afrique Francophone de Télémédecine (RAFT) project are the evaluation of feasibility, potential, problems and risks of an Internet-based tele-medicine network in developing countries of Africa. The RAFT project was started in Western African countries 5 years ago and has now extended to other regions of Africa as well (i.e. Madagascar, Rwanda). A project for the development of a national tele-medicine network in Mali was initiated in 2001, extended to Mauritania in 2002 and to Morocco in 2003. By 2006, a total of nine countries are connected. The entire technical infrastructure is based on Internet technologies for medical distance learning and tele-consultations. The results are a tele-medicine network that has been in productive use for over 5 years and has enabled various collaboration channels, including North-to-South (from Europe to Africa), South-to-South (within Africa), and South-to-North (from Africa to Europe) distance learning and tele-consultations, plus many personal exchanges between the participating hospitals and Universities. It has also unveiled a set of potential problems: (a) the limited importance of North-to-South collaborations when there are major differences in the available resources or the socio-cultural contexts between the collaborating parties; (b) the risk of an induced digital divide if the periphery of the health system in developing countries is not involved in the development of the network; and (c) the need for the development of local medical content management skills. Particularly point (c) is improved through the collaboration between the various countries as professionals from the medical and the computer science field are sharing courses and resources. Personal exchanges between partners in the project are frequent, and several persons received an education at one of the partner Universities. As conclusion, we can say that the identified risks have to be taken into account when designing large-scale tele-medicine projects in developing countries. These problems can be mitigated by fostering South-South collaboration channels, by the use of satellite-based Internet connectivity in remote areas, the appreciation of local knowledge and its publication on-line. The availability of such an infrastructure also facilitates the development of other projects, courses, and local content creation.

Lessons learned from health sector reform: a four-country comparison.

PubMed

Talukder, Md Noorunnabi; Rob, Ubaidur; Mahabub-Ul-Anwar, Md

Various reforms have been undertaken to improve the functioning of health systems in developing countries, but there is limited comparative analysis of reform initiatives. This article discusses health sector reform experiences of four developing countries and identifies the lessons learned. The article is based on the review of background papers on Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Tanzania prepared as part of a multi-country study on health sector reform. Findings suggest that decentralization works effectively while implementing primary and secondary health programs. Decentralization of power and authority to local authorities requires strengthening and supporting these units. Along with the public sector, the private sector plays an effective role in institutional and human resources development as well as in improving service delivery. Community participation facilitates recruitment and development of field workers, facility improvement, and service delivery. For providing financial protection to the poor, there is a need to review user fees and develop affordable health insurance with an exemption mechanism. There is no uniform health sector reform approach; therefore, the experiences of other countries will help countries undertake appropriate reforms. Here, it is important to examine the context and determine the reform measures that constitute the best means in terms of equity, efficiency, and sustainability.

Policy and public health recommendations to promote the initiation and duration of breast-feeding in developed country settings.

PubMed

Dyson, Lisa; Renfrew, Mary J; McFadden, Alison; McCormick, Felicia; Herbert, Gill; Thomas, James

2010-01-01

To develop policy and public health recommendations for implementation at all levels by individuals and organisations working in, or related to, the field of breast-feeding promotion in developed country settings, where breast-feeding rates remain low. Two research phases, comprising (i) an assessment of the formal evidence base in developed country settings and (ii) a consultation with UK-based practitioners, service managers and commissioners, and representatives of service users. The evidence base included three systematic reviews and an Evidence Briefing. One hundred and ten studies evaluating an intervention in developed country settings were assessed for quality and awarded an overall quality rating. Studies with a poor quality rating were excluded. The resulting seventy studies examined twenty-five types of intervention for breast-feeding promotion. These formed the basis of the second consultation phase to develop the evidence-based interventions into recommendations for practice, which comprised (i) pilot consultation, (ii) electronic consultation, (iii) fieldwork meetings and (iv) workshops. Draft findings were synthesised for two rounds of stakeholder review conducted by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Twenty-five recommendations emerged within three complementary and necessary categories, i.e. public health policy, mainstream clinical practice and local interventions. The need for national policy directives was clearly identified as a priority to address many of the barriers experienced by practitioners when trying to work across sectors, organisations and professional groups. Routine implementation of the WHO/UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative across hospital and community services was recommended as core to breast-feeding promotion in the UK. A local mix of complementary interventions is also required.

Modeling and assessing international climate financing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Jing; Tang, Lichun; Mohamed, Rayman; Zhu, Qianting; Wang, Zheng

2016-06-01

Climate financing is a key issue in current negotiations on climate protection. This study establishes a climate financing model based on a mechanism in which donor countries set up funds for climate financing and recipient countries use the funds exclusively for carbon emission reduction. The burden-sharing principles are based on GDP, historical emissions, and consumptionbased emissions. Using this model, we develop and analyze a series of scenario simulations, including a financing program negotiated at the Cancun Climate Change Conference (2010) and several subsequent programs. Results show that sustained climate financing can help to combat global climate change. However, the Cancun Agreements are projected to result in a reduction of only 0.01°C in global warming by 2100 compared to the scenario without climate financing. Longer-term climate financing programs should be established to achieve more significant benefits. Our model and simulations also show that climate financing has economic benefits for developing countries. Developed countries will suffer a slight GDP loss in the early stages of climate financing, but the longterm economic growth and the eventual benefits of climate mitigation will compensate for this slight loss. Different burden-sharing principles have very similar effects on global temperature change and economic growth of recipient countries, but they do result in differences in GDP changes for Japan and the FSU. The GDP-based principle results in a larger share of financial burden for Japan, while the historical emissions-based principle results in a larger share of financial burden for the FSU. A larger burden share leads to a greater GDP loss.

Rural Panel Surveys in Developing Countries: A Selective Review

PubMed Central

Hao, Lingxin; Wang, Weidong; Xie, Guihua

2017-01-01

Rural panel surveys are the most appropriate means to provide data for studying the unprecedented rapid migration and urbanization currently taking place in China and other developing countries. To maximize heterogeneity in urbanization and development over the last three decades, we selected rural panel surveys from five Asian countries, including India, Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand, and China. This paper provides a selective review, focusing on their panel survey methodology, which is organized based on our proposed four basics of panel surveys – representativeness, retrospect-prospect, multilevel tracking, and temporality. We analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of the selected panel surveys to provide directions for designing future rural panel studies in China and elsewhere in the developing world. PMID:29201494

Localization of determinants of fertility through measurement adaptations in developing-country settings: The case of Iran: Comment on "Analysis of economic determinants of fertility in Iran: a multilevel approach".

PubMed

Erfani, Amir

2014-12-01

Studies investigating fertility decline in developing countries often adopt measures of determinants of fertility behavior developed based on observations from developed countries, without adapting them to the realities of the study setting. As a result, their findings are usually invalid, anomalous or statistically non-significant. This commentary draws on the research article by Moeeni and colleagues, as an exemplary work which has not adapted measures of two key economic determinants of fertility behavior, namely gender inequality and opportunity costs of childbearing, to the realities of Iran's economy. Measurement adaptations that can improve the study are discussed.

Global epidemiological trends and variations in the burden of gallbladder cancer.

PubMed

Are, Chandrakanth; Ahmad, Humera; Ravipati, Advaitaa; Croo, Darren; Clarey, Dillon; Smith, Lynette; Price, Ray R; Butte, Jean M; Gupta, Sameer; Chaturvedi, Arun; Chowdhury, Sanjib

2017-04-01

The aim of this study is to describe the trends and variations in the global burden of gallbladder cancer (GBC) with an emphasis on geographic variations and female gender. Data (2012-2030) relating to GBC was extracted from GLOBOCAN 2012 database and analyzed. The results of our study document a rising global burden of GBC with geographic and gender variations. The highest burden was noted in the WPRO region (based on WHO regions), Asia (based on continents) and India, Chile, and China (based on countries). The less developed regions of the world account for the majority of the global burden of GBC. The geographic variations are also present within individual countries such as in India and Chile. Females are afflicted at a much higher rate with GBC and this predilection is exaggerated in countries with higher incidence such as India and Chile. In females, people of certain ethnic groups and lower socio-economic standing are at a higher risk. Our study demonstrates a rising global burden of GBC with some specific data on geographic and gender-based variations which can be used to develop strategies at the global as well as the high-risk individual country level. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Role of Satellite Data for the National Forest Monitoring Systems in the Context of REDD+

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonckheere, Inge

2012-04-01

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) is an effort to create a financial value for the carbon stored in forests, offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development. “REDD+” goes beyond deforestation and forest degradation, and includes the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. In the framework of getting countries ready for REDD+, the UN-REDD Programme assists developing countries to prepare and implement national REDD+ strategies. For the monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV), FAO supports the countries to develop national forest monitoring systems (NFMS) based on satellite data that allow for credible MRV of REDD+ activities through time. The UN-REDD Programme through a joint effort of FAO and Brazil's National Space Agency, INPE, is supporting countries to develop cost- effective, robust and compatible national monitoring and MRV systems, providing tools, methodologies, training and knowledge sharing that help countries to strengthen their technical and institutional capacity for effective MRV systems. The Brazilian forest monitoring system, TerraAmazon, which is used as a multi-user basis, allows countries to adapt it to country needs. With the technical assistance of FAO, INPE and other stakeholders, the countries will set up an autonomous operational satellite forest monitoring systems. A beta version and the methodologies of the system for DRC and PNG are launched in Durban (SA) during COP 17, while Paraguay, Zambia and Viet Nam are in development in 2012.

Gastroenterology in developing countries: Issues and advances

PubMed Central

Mandeville, Kate L; Krabshuis, Justus; Ladep, Nimzing Gwamzhi; Mulder, Chris JJ; Quigley, Eamonn MM; Khan, Shahid A

2009-01-01

Developing countries shoulder a considerable burden of gastroenterological disease. Infectious diseases in particular cause enormous morbidity and mortality. Diseases which afflict both western and developing countries are often seen in more florid forms in poorer countries. Innovative techniques continuously improve and update gastroenterological practice. However, advances in diagnosis and treatment which are commonplace in the West, have yet to reach many developing countries. Clinical guidelines, based on these advances and collated in resource-rich environments, lose their relevance outside these settings. In this two-part review, we first highlight the global burden of gastroenterological disease in three major areas: diarrhoeal diseases, hepatitis B, and Helicobacter pylori. Recent progress in their management is explored, with consideration of future solutions. The second part of the review focuses on the delivery of clinical services in developing countries. Inadequate numbers of healthcare workers hamper efforts to combat gastroenterological disease. Reasons for this shortage are examined, along with possibilities for increased specialist training. Endoscopy services, the mainstay of gastroenterology in the West, are in their infancy in many developing countries. The challenges faced by those setting up a service are illustrated by the example of a Nigerian endoscopy unit. Finally, we highlight the limited scope of many clinical guidelines produced in western countries. Guidelines which take account of resource limitations in the form of “cascades” are advocated in order to make these guidelines truly global. Recognition of the different working conditions facing practitioners worldwide is an important step towards narrowing the gap between gastroenterology in rich and poor countries. PMID:19533805

Guide Book for Curriculum Development and Adaptation. Draft.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Bangkok (Thailand). Principal Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

This guide was developed as a cooperative initiative by UNESCO member countries to provide information about the process of development and adaptation of a flexible, competency-based curriculum, especially in vocational education. The guidebook outlines an exemplar process of education organized in 11 stages of design and development based on…

Sharing experiences: towards an evidence based model of dengue surveillance and outbreak response in Latin America and Asia

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The increasing frequency and intensity of dengue outbreaks in endemic and non-endemic countries requires a rational, evidence based response. To this end, we aimed to collate the experiences of a number of affected countries, identify strengths and limitations in dengue surveillance, outbreak preparedness, detection and response and contribute towards the development of a model contingency plan adaptable to country needs. Methods The study was undertaken in five Latin American (Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru) and five in Asian countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Vietnam). A mixed-methods approach was used which included document analysis, key informant interviews, focus-group discussions, secondary data analysis and consensus building by an international dengue expert meeting organised by the World Health Organization, Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (WHO-TDR). Results Country information on dengue is based on compulsory notification and reporting (“passive surveillance”), with laboratory confirmation (in all participating Latin American countries and some Asian countries) or by using a clinical syndromic definition. Seven countries additionally had sentinel sites with active dengue reporting, some also had virological surveillance. Six had agreed a formal definition of a dengue outbreak separate to seasonal variation in case numbers. Countries collected data on a range of warning signs that may identify outbreaks early, but none had developed a systematic approach to identifying and responding to the early stages of an outbreak. Outbreak response plans varied in quality, particularly regarding the early response. The surge capacity of hospitals with recent dengue outbreaks varied; those that could mobilise additional staff, beds, laboratory support and resources coped best in comparison to those improvising a coping strategy during the outbreak. Hospital outbreak management plans were present in 9/22 participating hospitals in Latin-America and 8/20 participating hospitals in Asia. Conclusions Considerable variation between countries was observed with regard to surveillance, outbreak detection, and response. Through discussion at the expert meeting, suggestions were made for the development of a more standardised approach in the form of a model contingency plan, with agreed outbreak definitions and country-specific risk assessment schemes to initiate early response activities according to the outbreak phase. This would also allow greater cross-country sharing of ideas. PMID:23800243

Sharing experiences: towards an evidence based model of dengue surveillance and outbreak response in Latin America and Asia.

PubMed

Badurdeen, Shiraz; Valladares, David Benitez; Farrar, Jeremy; Gozzer, Ernesto; Kroeger, Axel; Kuswara, Novia; Ranzinger, Silvia Runge; Tinh, Hien Tran; Leite, Priscila; Mahendradhata, Yodi; Skewes, Ronald; Verrall, Ayesha

2013-06-24

The increasing frequency and intensity of dengue outbreaks in endemic and non-endemic countries requires a rational, evidence based response. To this end, we aimed to collate the experiences of a number of affected countries, identify strengths and limitations in dengue surveillance, outbreak preparedness, detection and response and contribute towards the development of a model contingency plan adaptable to country needs. The study was undertaken in five Latin American (Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru) and five in Asian countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Vietnam). A mixed-methods approach was used which included document analysis, key informant interviews, focus-group discussions, secondary data analysis and consensus building by an international dengue expert meeting organised by the World Health Organization, Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (WHO-TDR). Country information on dengue is based on compulsory notification and reporting ("passive surveillance"), with laboratory confirmation (in all participating Latin American countries and some Asian countries) or by using a clinical syndromic definition. Seven countries additionally had sentinel sites with active dengue reporting, some also had virological surveillance. Six had agreed a formal definition of a dengue outbreak separate to seasonal variation in case numbers. Countries collected data on a range of warning signs that may identify outbreaks early, but none had developed a systematic approach to identifying and responding to the early stages of an outbreak. Outbreak response plans varied in quality, particularly regarding the early response. The surge capacity of hospitals with recent dengue outbreaks varied; those that could mobilise additional staff, beds, laboratory support and resources coped best in comparison to those improvising a coping strategy during the outbreak. Hospital outbreak management plans were present in 9/22 participating hospitals in Latin-America and 8/20 participating hospitals in Asia. Considerable variation between countries was observed with regard to surveillance, outbreak detection, and response. Through discussion at the expert meeting, suggestions were made for the development of a more standardised approach in the form of a model contingency plan, with agreed outbreak definitions and country-specific risk assessment schemes to initiate early response activities according to the outbreak phase. This would also allow greater cross-country sharing of ideas.

Social capital and child nutrition in India: The moderating role of development.

PubMed

Vikram, Kriti

2018-03-01

Empirical studies of social capital rarely take into account the socioeconomic context of the region in which it operates, indeed as most of this research has been located in high income countries. It is imperative to investigate how development may influence the impact of social capital, especially in developing countries. This paper examines the relationship between social capital and child nutrition using the India Human Development Survey, 2005-2006. Using a multilevel framework and a sample of 6770 rural children under the age of five, it finds that household based bridging social capital, expressed as connections with development based organizations, is positively associated with child nutrition. Bonding social capital, expressed as ties with caste and religious based organizations, has the opposite impact. At the village level, contextual measures of social capital are associated with nutritional status of children, but their influence is conditional on local development. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contract-based electricity markets in developing countries: Overcoming inefficiency constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perera, M. N. Susantha

The electric utility sector throughout the world has been undergoing significant changes. It is changing from its traditional, central-station generation model managed under a vertically integrated monopoly to a more market-dependent business. In the rich industrialized countries, this change has progressed rapidly with the emergence of competitive markets---not only in the area of electricity generation, but also in the extension of such markets down to the level of retail domestic consumer. Developing countries, on the other hand, are trying to attract much-needed investment capital for their power sector expansion activities, particularly for the expansion of generating capacity, through the involvement of the private sector. Unlike their industrialized counterparts, they are facing many limitations in transforming the mostly government-owned monopolies into market-driven businesses, thereby creating an environment that is conducive to private sector participation. Amongst these limitations are the lack of a well-developed, local private sector or domestic financial market that can handle the sophisticated power sector financing; inadequate legal and regulatory frameworks that can address the many complexities of private power development; and numerous risk factors including political risks. This dissertation research addresses an important inefficiency faced by developing countries in the new contract-based market structure that has emerged within these countries. It examines the inefficiencies brought on by restrictions in the contracts, specifically those arising from the guaranteed purchase conditions that are typically included in contracts between the purchasing utility and independent power producers in this new market. The research attempts to provide a solution for this problem and proposes a methodology that enables the parties to conduct their businesses in a cost-efficient manner within a cooperative environment. The situation described above is modeled as a cooperative game based on the relationships that typically exist in power pools. This model draws its mathematical basis from game theory. This research demonstrates that the proposed model has a theoretical solution that yields an efficient allocation of resources. Furthermore, this solution has a significant practical validity as a tool that can be employed by developing country governments faced with similar market situations. In the case study presented here, the model is tested using data from a small developing country.

Impact of stillbirths on international comparisons of preterm birth rates: a secondary analysis of the WHO multi-country survey of Maternal and Newborn Health.

PubMed

Morisaki, N; Ganchimeg, T; Vogel, J P; Zeitlin, J; Cecatti, J G; Souza, J P; Pileggi Castro, C; Torloni, M R; Ota, E; Mori, R; Dolan, S M; Tough, S; Mittal, S; Bataglia, V; Yadamsuren, B; Kramer, M S

2017-08-01

To evaluate the extent to which stillbirths affect international comparisons of preterm birth rates in low- and middle-income countries. Secondary analysis of a multi-country cross-sectional study. 29 countries participating in the World Health Organization Multicountry Survey on Maternal and Newborn Health. 258 215 singleton deliveries in 286 hospitals. We describe how inclusion or exclusion of stillbirth affect rates of preterm births in 29 countries. Preterm delivery. In all countries, preterm birth rates were substantially lower when based on live births only, than when based on total births. However, the increase in preterm birth rates with inclusion of stillbirths was substantially higher in low Human Development Index (HDI) countries [median 18.2%, interquartile range (17.2-34.6%)] compared with medium (4.3%, 3.0-6.7%), and high-HDI countries (4.8%, 4.4-5.5%). Inclusion of stillbirths leads to higher estimates of preterm birth rate in all countries, with a disproportionately large effect in low-HDI countries. Preterm birth rates based on live births alone do not accurately reflect international disparities in perinatal health; thus improved registration and reporting of stillbirths are necessary. Inclusion of stillbirths increases preterm birth rates estimates, especially in low-HDI countries. © 2017 World Health Organization, licensed by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Quality and Quality Assurance in Vocational Education and Training in the Mediterranean Countries: Lessons from the European Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Masson, Jean-Raymond; Baati, Mounir; Seyfried, Erwin

2010-01-01

This article reflects on the development of the European approach towards quality and quality assurance in vocational education and training (VET) and its relevance for VET reforms in the European Training Foundation (ETF) partner countries. The analysis is based on an ETF project conducted in 2007-2008 in the Mediterranean partner countries to…

Using New Interactive Media to Enhance the Teaching of Psychology (and Other Disciplines) in Developing Countries.

PubMed

Myers, David G

2009-01-01

My idea for improving psychology responds to the challenge of teaching psychology in lower income, developing countries. With new Web-based e-books on the horizon, I suggest harnessing the Internet to deliver state-of-the-art, interactive, low-cost, locally adapted content to students who cannot afford books. © 2009 Association for Psychological Science.

Poverty and Children: Lessons of the 90s for Least Developed Countries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Children's Fund, New York, NY.

Based on the view that strategies to eradicate poverty must be centered on the realization of children's rights, this report describes the experiences of the 48 least developed countries (LDCs) during the 1990s. The report defines LDCs and provides a rationale for using progress in ensuring children's rights as a yardstick for measuring poverty.…

The population, environment, and health nexus: an Arab world perspective.

PubMed

Kulczycki, A; Saxena, P C

1998-01-01

This report describes models of the links between population growth, environmental degradation, and health in Arab countries and in the world; management of the commons; urbanization and water as critical issues; and challenges in Lebanon. It is concluded that the complexity of interrelationships is difficult to untangle. Researchers frequently neglect health issues in modeling the relationships. The lack of attention to the health, development, and environment nexus has serious implications in the Middle East and North Africa. In Lebanon, national strategies do not include a national waste management strategy based on reduction, reuse, and recycling. Most Arab countries face the major issue of the lack of adequate planning in many economic sectors, which results in imbalances in supply and demand. Most Arab countries do not have adequate statistical databases upon which to base development, planning, and policy-making. The last census in Lebanon was in 1932. Information is missing on health. Health economics are ignored. It is not possible to estimate the health costs due to deficiencies in sanitation, hygiene, water, and air quality. Capacity building for environmental management and intersectoral collaboration is hampered. Arab countries with large oil reserves have ignored the population and environment links. Poorer countries will suffer the most from limited renewable water resources and their decline due to population growth. The political agenda in Arab countries should give priority to health, environment, development, and population issues.

Country ownership and capacity building: the next buzzwords in health systems strengthening or a truly new approach to development?

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background During the last decade, donor governments and international agencies have increasingly emphasized the importance of building the capacity of indigenous health care organizations as part of strengthening health systems and ensuring sustainability. In 2009, the U.S. Global Health Initiative made country ownership and capacity building keystones of U.S. health development assistance, and yet there is still a lack of consensus on how to define either of these terms, or how to implement “country owned capacity building”. Discussion Concepts around capacity building have been well developed in the for-profit business sector, but remain less well defined in the non-profit and social sectors in low and middle-income countries. Historically, capacity building in developing countries has been externally driven, related to project implementation, and often resulted in disempowerment of local organizations rather than local ownership. Despite the expenditure of millions of dollars, there is no consensus on how to conduct capacity building, nor have there been rigorous evaluations of capacity building efforts. To shift to a new paradigm of country owned capacity building, donor assistance needs to be inclusive in the planning process and create true partnerships to conduct organizational assessments, analyze challenges to organizational success, prioritize addressing challenges, and implement appropriate activities to build new capacity in overcoming challenges. Before further investments are made, a solid evidence base should be established concerning what works and what doesn’t work to build capacity. Summary Country-owned capacity building is a relatively new concept that requires further theoretical exploration. Documents such as The Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness detail the principles of country ownership to which partner and donor countries should commit, but do not identify the specific mechanisms to carry out these principles. More evidence as to how country-owned capacity building plays out in practice is needed to guide future interventions. The Global Health Initiative funding that is currently underway is an opportunity to collect evaluative data and establish a centralized and comprehensive evidence base that could be made available to guide future country-owned capacity building efforts. PMID:22818046

Country ownership and capacity building: the next buzzwords in health systems strengthening or a truly new approach to development?

PubMed

Goldberg, Jessica; Bryant, Malcolm

2012-07-20

During the last decade, donor governments and international agencies have increasingly emphasized the importance of building the capacity of indigenous health care organizations as part of strengthening health systems and ensuring sustainability. In 2009, the U.S. Global Health Initiative made country ownership and capacity building keystones of U.S. health development assistance, and yet there is still a lack of consensus on how to define either of these terms, or how to implement "country owned capacity building". Concepts around capacity building have been well developed in the for-profit business sector, but remain less well defined in the non-profit and social sectors in low and middle-income countries. Historically, capacity building in developing countries has been externally driven, related to project implementation, and often resulted in disempowerment of local organizations rather than local ownership. Despite the expenditure of millions of dollars, there is no consensus on how to conduct capacity building, nor have there been rigorous evaluations of capacity building efforts. To shift to a new paradigm of country owned capacity building, donor assistance needs to be inclusive in the planning process and create true partnerships to conduct organizational assessments, analyze challenges to organizational success, prioritize addressing challenges, and implement appropriate activities to build new capacity in overcoming challenges. Before further investments are made, a solid evidence base should be established concerning what works and what doesn't work to build capacity. Country-owned capacity building is a relatively new concept that requires further theoretical exploration. Documents such as The Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness detail the principles of country ownership to which partner and donor countries should commit, but do not identify the specific mechanisms to carry out these principles. More evidence as to how country-owned capacity building plays out in practice is needed to guide future interventions. The Global Health Initiative funding that is currently underway is an opportunity to collect evaluative data and establish a centralized and comprehensive evidence base that could be made available to guide future country-owned capacity building efforts.

A nonlinear optimal control approach to stabilization of a macroeconomic development model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rigatos, G.; Siano, P.; Ghosh, T.; Sarno, D.

2017-11-01

A nonlinear optimal (H-infinity) control approach is proposed for the problem of stabilization of the dynamics of a macroeconomic development model that is known as the Grossman-Helpman model of endogenous product cycles. The dynamics of the macroeconomic development model is divided in two parts. The first one describes economic activities in a developed country and the second part describes variation of economic activities in a country under development which tries to modify its production so as to serve the needs of the developed country. The article shows that through control of the macroeconomic model of the developed country, one can finally control the dynamics of the economy in the country under development. The control method through which this is achieved is the nonlinear H-infinity control. The macroeconomic model for the country under development undergoes approximate linearization round a temporary operating point. This is defined at each time instant by the present value of the system's state vector and the last value of the control input vector that was exerted on it. The linearization is based on Taylor series expansion and the computation of the associated Jacobian matrices. For the linearized model an H-infinity feedback controller is computed. The controller's gain is calculated by solving an algebraic Riccati equation at each iteration of the control method. The asymptotic stability of the control approach is proven through Lyapunov analysis. This assures that the state variables of the macroeconomic model of the country under development will finally converge to the designated reference values.

Development of a telemedicine model for emerging countries: a case study on pediatric oncology in Brazil.

PubMed

Hira, A Y; Nebel de Mello, A; Faria, R A; Odone Filho, V; Lopes, R D; Zuffo, M K

2006-01-01

This article discusses a telemedicine model for emerging countries, through the description of ONCONET, a telemedicine initiative applied to pediatric oncology in Brazil. The ONCONET core technology is a Web-based system that offers health information and other services specialized in childhood cancer such as electronic medical records and cooperative protocols for complex treatments. All Web-based services are supported by the use of high performance computing infrastructure based on clusters of commodity computers. The system was fully implemented on an open-source and free-software approach. Aspects of modeling, implementation and integration are covered. A model, both technologically and economically viable, was created through the research and development of in-house solutions adapted to the emerging countries reality and with focus on scalability both in the total number of patients and in the national infrastructure.

The Impact of Services on Economic Complexity: Service Sophistication as Route for Economic Growth.

PubMed

Stojkoski, Viktor; Utkovski, Zoran; Kocarev, Ljupco

2016-01-01

Economic complexity reflects the amount of knowledge that is embedded in the productive structure of an economy. By combining tools from network science and econometrics, a robust and stable relationship between a country's productive structure and its economic growth has been established. Here we report that not only goods but also services are important for predicting the rate at which countries will grow. By adopting a terminology which classifies manufactured goods and delivered services as products, we investigate the influence of services on the country's productive structure. In particular, we provide evidence that complexity indices for services are in general higher than those for goods, which is reflected in a general tendency to rank countries with developed service sector higher than countries with economy centred on manufacturing of goods. By focusing on country dynamics based on experimental data, we investigate the impact of services on the economic complexity of countries measured in the product space (consisting of both goods and services). Importantly, we show that diversification of service exports and its sophistication can provide an additional route for economic growth in both developing and developed countries.

Global estimates of country health indicators: useful, unnecessary, inevitable?

PubMed Central

AbouZahr, Carla; Boerma, Ties; Hogan, Daniel

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Background: The MDG era relied on global health estimates to fill data gaps and ensure temporal and cross-country comparability in reporting progress. Monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals will present new challenges, requiring enhanced capacities to generate, analyse, interpret and use country produced data. Objective: To summarize the development of global health estimates and discuss their utility and limitations from global and country perspectives. Design: Descriptive paper based on findings of intercountry workshops, reviews of literatureon and synthesis of experiences. Results: Producers of global health estimates focus on the technical soundness of estimation methods and comparability of the results across countries and over time. By contrast, country users are more concerned about the extent of their involvement in the estimation process and hesitate to buy into estimates derived using methods their technical staff cannot explain and that differ from national data sources. Quantitative summaries of uncertainty may be of limited practical use in policy discussions where decisions need to be made about what to do next. Conclusions: Greater transparency and involvement of country partners in the development of global estimates will help improve ownership, strengthen country capacities for data production and use, and reduce reliance on externally produced estimates. PMID:28532307

Outsourcing CO2 Emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, S. J.; Caldeira, K. G.

2009-12-01

CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels are the primary cause of global warming. Much attention has been focused on the CO2 directly emitted by each country, but relatively little attention has been paid to the amount of emissions associated with consumption of goods and services in each country. This consumption-based emissions inventory differs from the production-based inventory because of imports and exports of goods and services that, either directly or indirectly, involved CO2 emissions. Using the latest available data and reasonable assumptions regarding trans-shipment of embodied carbon through third-party countries, we developed a global consumption-based CO2 emissions inventory and have calculated associated consumption-based energy and carbon intensities. We find that, in 2004, 24% of CO2 emissions are effectively outsourced to other countries, with much of the developed world outsourcing CO2 emissions to emerging markets, principally China. Some wealthy countries, including Switzerland and Sweden, outsource over half of their consumption-based emissions, with many northern Europeans outsourcing more than three tons of emissions per person per year. The United States is both a big importer and exporter of emissions embodied in trade, outsourcing >2.6 tons of CO2 per person and at the same time as >2.0 tons of CO2 per person are outsourced to the United States. These large flows indicate that CO2 emissions embodied in trade must be taken into consideration when considering responsibility for increasing atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations.

Global cancer statistics, 2012.

PubMed

Torre, Lindsey A; Bray, Freddie; Siegel, Rebecca L; Ferlay, Jacques; Lortet-Tieulent, Joannie; Jemal, Ahmedin

2015-03-01

Cancer constitutes an enormous burden on society in more and less economically developed countries alike. The occurrence of cancer is increasing because of the growth and aging of the population, as well as an increasing prevalence of established risk factors such as smoking, overweight, physical inactivity, and changing reproductive patterns associated with urbanization and economic development. Based on GLOBOCAN estimates, about 14.1 million new cancer cases and 8.2 million deaths occurred in 2012 worldwide. Over the years, the burden has shifted to less developed countries, which currently account for about 57% of cases and 65% of cancer deaths worldwide. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among males in both more and less developed countries, and has surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer death among females in more developed countries; breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death among females in less developed countries. Other leading causes of cancer death in more developed countries include colorectal cancer among males and females and prostate cancer among males. In less developed countries, liver and stomach cancer among males and cervical cancer among females are also leading causes of cancer death. Although incidence rates for all cancers combined are nearly twice as high in more developed than in less developed countries in both males and females, mortality rates are only 8% to 15% higher in more developed countries. This disparity reflects regional differences in the mix of cancers, which is affected by risk factors and detection practices, and/or the availability of treatment. Risk factors associated with the leading causes of cancer death include tobacco use (lung, colorectal, stomach, and liver cancer), overweight/obesity and physical inactivity (breast and colorectal cancer), and infection (liver, stomach, and cervical cancer). A substantial portion of cancer cases and deaths could be prevented by broadly applying effective prevention measures, such as tobacco control, vaccination, and the use of early detection tests. © 2015 American Cancer Society.

Community-based approaches to address childhood undernutrition and obesity in developing countries.

PubMed

Shetty, Prakash

2009-01-01

Community-based approaches have been the mainstay of interventions to address the problem of child malnutrition in developing societies. Many programs have been in operation in several countries for decades and originated largely as social welfare, food security and poverty eradication programs. Increasingly conceptual frameworks to guide this activity have been developed as our understanding of the complex nature of the determinants of undernutrition improves. Alongside this evolution, is the accumulation of evidence on the types of interventions in the community that are effective, practical and sustainable. The changing environment is probably determining the altering scenario of child nutrition in developing societies, with rapid developmental transition and urbanization being responsible for the emerging problems of obesity and other metabolic disorders that are largely the result of the now well-recognized linkages between child undernutrition and early onset adult chronic diseases. This dramatic change is contributing to the double burden of malnutrition in developing countries. Community interventions hence need to be integrated and joined up to reduce both aspects of malnutrition in societies. The evidence that community-based nutrition interventions can have a positive impact on pregnancy outcomes and child undernutrition needs to be evaluated to enable programs to prioritize and incorporate the interventions that work in the community. Programs that are operational and successful also need to be evaluated and disseminated in order to enable countries to generate their own programs tailored to tackling the changing nutritional problems of the children in their society. Copyright (c) 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Management of healthcare waste: developments in Southeast Asia in the twenty-first century.

PubMed

Kühling, Jan-Gerd; Pieper, Ute

2012-09-01

In many Southeast Asian countries, significant challenges persist with regard to the proper management and disposal of healthcare waste. The amount of healthcare waste in these countries is continuously increasing as a result of the expansion of healthcare systems and services. In the past, healthcare waste, if it was treated at all, was mainly incinerated. In the last decade more comprehensive waste management systems were developed for Southeast Asian countries and implementation started. This also included the establishment of alternative healthcare waste treatment systems. The developments in the lower-middle-income countries are of special interest, as major investments are planned. Based upon sample projects, a short overview of the current development trends in the healthcare waste sector in Laos, Indonesia and Vietnam is provided. The projects presented include: (i) Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (development of the national environmental health training system to support the introduction of environmental health standards and improvement of healthcare waste treatment in seven main hospitals by introducing steam-based treatment technologies); (ii) Indonesia (development of a provincial-level healthcare waste-management strategy for Province Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) and introduction of an advanced waste treatment system in a tertiary level hospital in Makassar); and (iii) Vietnam (development of a healthcare waste strategy for five provinces in Vietnam and a World Bank-financed project on healthcare waste in Vietnam).

The ISTSS/Rand guidelines on mental health training of primary healthcare providers for trauma-exposed populations in conflict-affected countries.

PubMed

Eisenman, David; Weine, Stevan; Green, Bonnie; de Jong, Joop; Rayburn, Nadine; Ventevogel, Peter; Keller, Allen; Agani, Ferid

2006-02-01

Mental health care for trauma-exposed populations in conflict-affected developing countries often is provided by primary healthcare providers (PHPs), including doctors, nurses, and lay health workers. The Task Force on International Trauma Training, through an initiative sponsored by the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and the RAND Corporation, has developed evidence- and consensus-based guidelines for the mental health training of PHPs in conflict-affected developing countries. This article presents the Guidelines, which provide a conceptual framework and specific principles for improving the quality of mental health training for PHPs working with trauma-exposed populations.

Hypertension in Developing Countries: A Major Challenge for the Future.

PubMed

Mohsen Ibrahim, M

2018-05-01

Outline recent epidemiologic data regarding hypertension in developing countries, distinguish differences from developed countries, and identify challenges in management and future perspectives. Increased sugar intake, air and noise pollution, and low birth weight are emerging hypertension risk factors. The major challenges in management are difficulties in accurate diagnosis of hypertension and adequate blood pressure control. In contrast to developed countries, hypertension prevalence rates are on the rise in developing countries with no improvement in awareness or control rates. The increasing burden of hypertension is largely attributable to behavioral factors, urbanization, unhealthy diet, obesity, social stress, and inactivity. Health authorities, medical societies, and drug industry can collaborate to improve hypertension control through education programs, public awareness campaigns, legislation to limit salt intake, encourage generic drugs, development and dissemination of national guidelines, and involving nurses and pharmacists in hypertension management. More epidemiologic data are needed in the future to identify reasons behind increased prevalence and poor blood pressure control and examine trends in prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control. National programs for better hypertension control based on local culture, economic characteristics, and available resources in the population are needed. The role of new tools for hypertension management should be tested in developing world.

DRG-based hospital payment systems and technological innovation in 12 European countries.

PubMed

Scheller-Kreinsen, David; Quentin, Wilm; Busse, Reinhard

2011-12-01

To assess how diagnosis-related group-based (DRG-based) hospital payment systems in 12 European countries participating in the EuroDRG project pay and incorporate technological innovation. A standardized questionnaire was used to guide comprehensive DRG system descriptions. Researchers from each country reviewed relevant materials to complete the questionnaire and drafted standardized country reports. Two characteristics of DRG-based hospital payment systems were identified as particularly important: the existence of short-term payment instruments encouraging technological innovation in different countries, and the characteristics of long-term updating mechanisms that assure technological innovation is ultimately incorporated into DRG-based hospital payment systems. Short-term payment instruments and long-term updating mechanisms differ greatly among the 12 European countries included in this study. Some countries operate generous short-term payment instruments that provide additional payments to hospitals for making use of technological innovation (e.g., France). Other countries update their DRG-based hospital payment systems very frequently and use more recent data for updates. Generous short-term payment instruments to promote technological innovation should be applied carefully as they may imply rapidly increasing health-care expenditures. In general, they should be granted only if rigorous analyses have demonstrated their benefits. If the evidence remains uncertain, coverage with evidence development frameworks or frequent updates of the DRG-based hospital systems may provide policy alternatives. Once the data and evidence base is substantially improved, future research should empirically investigate how different policy arrangements affect the adoption and use of technological innovation and health-care expenditures. Copyright © 2011 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Methods for estimating comparable prevalence rates of food insecurity experienced by adults in 147 countries and areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nord, Mark; Cafiero, Carlo; Viviani, Sara

2016-11-01

Statistical methods based on item response theory are applied to experiential food insecurity survey data from 147 countries, areas, and territories to assess data quality and develop methods to estimate national prevalence rates of moderate and severe food insecurity at equal levels of severity across countries. Data were collected from nationally representative samples of 1,000 adults in each country. A Rasch-model-based scale was estimated for each country, and data were assessed for consistency with model assumptions. A global reference scale was calculated based on item parameters from all countries. Each country's scale was adjusted to the global standard, allowing for up to 3 of the 8 scale items to be considered unique in that country if their deviance from the global standard exceeded a set tolerance. With very few exceptions, data from all countries were sufficiently consistent with model assumptions to constitute reasonably reliable measures of food insecurity and were adjustable to the global standard with fair confidence. National prevalence rates of moderate-or-severe food insecurity assessed over a 12-month recall period ranged from 3 percent to 92 percent. The correlations of national prevalence rates with national income, health, and well-being indicators provide external validation of the food security measure.

Resilience Analysis of Countries under Disasters Based on Multisource Data.

PubMed

Zhang, Nan; Huang, Hong

2018-01-01

Disasters occur almost daily in the world. Because emergencies frequently have no precedent, are highly uncertain, and can be very destructive, improving a country's resilience is an efficient way to reduce risk. In this article, we collected more than 20,000 historical data points from disasters from 207 countries to enable us to calculate the severity of disasters and the danger they pose to countries. In addition, 6 primary indices (disaster, personal attribute, infrastructure, economics, education, and occupation) including 38 secondary influencing factors are considered in analyzing the resilience of countries. Using these data, we obtained the danger, expected number of deaths, and resilience of all 207 countries. We found that a country covering a large area is more likely to have a low resilience score. Through sensitivity analysis of all secondary indices, we found that population density, frequency of disasters, and GDP are the three most critical factors affecting resilience. Based on broad-spectrum resilience analysis of the different continents, Oceania and South America have the highest resilience, while Asia has the lowest. Over the past 50 years, the resilience of many countries has been improved sharply, especially in developing countries. Based on our results, we analyze the comprehensive resilience and provide some optimal suggestions to efficiently improve resilience. © 2017 Society for Risk Analysis.

Evolution and patterns of global health financing 1995-2014: development assistance for health, and government, prepaid private, and out-of-pocket health spending in 184 countries.

PubMed

2017-05-20

An adequate amount of prepaid resources for health is important to ensure access to health services and for the pursuit of universal health coverage. Previous studies on global health financing have described the relationship between economic development and health financing. In this study, we further explore global health financing trends and examine how the sources of funds used, types of services purchased, and development assistance for health disbursed change with economic development. We also identify countries that deviate from the trends. We estimated national health spending by type of care and by source, including development assistance for health, based on a diverse set of data including programme reports, budget data, national estimates, and 964 National Health Accounts. These data represent health spending for 184 countries from 1995 through 2014. We converted these data into a common inflation-adjusted and purchasing power-adjusted currency, and used non-linear regression methods to model the relationship between health financing, time, and economic development. Between 1995 and 2014, economic development was positively associated with total health spending and a shift away from a reliance on development assistance and out-of-pocket (OOP) towards government spending. The largest absolute increase in spending was in high-income countries, which increased to purchasing power-adjusted $5221 per capita based on an annual growth rate of 3·0%. The largest health spending growth rates were in upper-middle-income (5·9) and lower-middle-income groups (5·0), which both increased spending at more than 5% per year, and spent $914 and $267 per capita in 2014, respectively. Spending in low-income countries grew nearly as fast, at 4·6%, and health spending increased from $51 to $120 per capita. In 2014, 59·2% of all health spending was financed by the government, although in low-income and lower-middle-income countries, 29·1% and 58·0% of spending was OOP spending and 35·7% and 3·0% of spending was development assistance. Recent growth in development assistance for health has been tepid; between 2010 and 2016, it grew annually at 1·8%, and reached US$37·6 billion in 2016. Nonetheless, there is a great deal of variation revolving around these averages. 29 countries spend at least 50% more than expected per capita, based on their level of economic development alone, whereas 11 countries spend less than 50% their expected amount. Health spending remains disparate, with low-income and lower-middle-income countries increasing spending in absolute terms the least, and relying heavily on OOP spending and development assistance. Moreover, tremendous variation shows that neither time nor economic development guarantee adequate prepaid health resources, which are vital for the pursuit of universal health coverage. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of community pharmacy-based services for type-2 diabetes in an Indonesian setting: pharmacist survey.

PubMed

Wibowo, Yosi; Parsons, Richard; Sunderland, Bruce; Hughes, Jeffery

2015-10-01

Diabetes is an emerging chronic disease in developing countries. Currently the management of diabetes in developing countries is mainly hospital or clinic based. With burgeoning numbers of patients with diabetes, other models need to be evaluated for service delivery in developing countries. Community pharmacists are an important option for provision of diabetes care. Currently, data regarding practices of community pharmacists in diabetes care have been limited to developed countries. To evaluate current community pharmacy-based services and perceived roles of pharmacists in type 2 diabetes care, and characteristics (pharmacist and pharmacy) associated with current practice. Community pharmacies in a developing country setting (Surabaya, Indonesia). A questionnaire was administered to pharmacists managing a random sample of 400 community pharmacies in Surabaya, Indonesia. Current practice and pharmacists' perceived roles were rated using Likert scales, whilst an open-ended question was used to identify priority roles. Logistic regression models determined characteristics associated with current practice. A response rate of 60% was achieved. Dispensing (100%) and education on how to use medications (72.6%) were common current pharmacy practices. More than 50% of pharmacists were supportive towards providing additional services beyond dispensing. The highest priorities for services beyond dispensing were education on medications [i.e. directions for use (58.6%) and common/important adverse effects (25.7%)], education on exercise (36.5%), education on diet (47.7%), and monitoring medication compliance (27.9%). Facilitators identified were: being perceived as part of a pharmacist's role (for all priority services), pharmacies with more than 50 diabetes customers per month (for diet education), and pharmacists' involvement in diabetes training (for compliance monitoring). The key barrier identified was lower pharmacist availability (for diet education as well as compliance monitoring). Most community pharmacies in Surabaya, Indonesia have only provided a basic service of dispensing for type 2 diabetes patients. Many pharmacists believed that they should extend their roles particularly regarding patient education and monitoring. The development of pharmacist professional roles would assist in managing the burgeoning burden of diabetes. The identified facilitators/barriers provide baseline data to support the development of community pharmacy-based diabetes services.

Population causes and consequences of leading chronic diseases: a comparative analysis of prevailing explanations.

PubMed

Stuckler, David

2008-06-01

The mortality numbers and rates of chronic disease are rising faster in developing than in developed countries. This article compares prevailing explanations of population chronic disease trends with theoretical and empirical models of population chronic disease epidemiology and assesses some economic consequences of the growth of chronic diseases in developing countries based on the experiences of developed countries. Four decades of male mortality rates of cardiovascular and chronic noncommunicable diseases were regressed on changes in and levels of country income per capita, market integration, foreign direct investment, urbanization rates, and population aging in fifty-six countries for which comparative data were available. Neoclassical economic growth models were used to estimate the effect of the mortality rates of chronic noncommunicable diseases on economic growth in high-income OECD countries. Processes of economic growth, market integration, foreign direct investment, and urbanization were significant determinants of long-term changes in mortality rates of heart disease and chronic noncommunicable disease, and the observed relationships with these social and economic factors were roughly three times stronger than the relationships with the population's aging. In low-income countries, higher levels of country income per capita, population urbanization, foreign direct investment, and market integration were associated with greater mortality rates of heart disease and chronic noncommunicable disease, less increased or sometimes reduced rates in middle-income countries, and decreased rates in high-income countries. Each 10 percent increase in the working-age mortality rates of chronic noncommunicable disease decreased economic growth rates by close to a half percent. Macrosocial and macroeconomic forces are major determinants of population rises in chronic disease mortality, and some prevailing demographic explanations, such as population aging, are incomplete on methodological, empirical, and policy grounds. Rising chronic disease mortality rates will significantly reduce economic growth in developing countries and further widen the health and economic gap between the developed and developing world.

Population Causes and Consequences of Leading Chronic Diseases: A Comparative Analysis of Prevailing Explanations

PubMed Central

Stuckler, David

2008-01-01

Context The mortality numbers and rates of chronic disease are rising faster in developing than in developed countries. This article compares prevailing explanations of population chronic disease trends with theoretical and empirical models of population chronic disease epidemiology and assesses some economic consequences of the growth of chronic diseases in developing countries based on the experiences of developed countries. Methods Four decades of male mortality rates of cardiovascular and chronic noncommunicable diseases were regressed on changes in and levels of country income per capita, market integration, foreign direct investment, urbanization rates, and population aging in fifty-six countries for which comparative data were available. Neoclassical economic growth models were used to estimate the effect of the mortality rates of chronic noncommunicable diseases on economic growth in high-income OECD countries. Findings Processes of economic growth, market integration, foreign direct investment, and urbanization were significant determinants of long-term changes in mortality rates of heart disease and chronic noncommunicable disease, and the observed relationships with these social and economic factors were roughly three times stronger than the relationships with the population's aging. In low-income countries, higher levels of country income per capita, population urbanization, foreign direct investment, and market integration were associated with greater mortality rates of heart disease and chronic noncommunicable disease, less increased or sometimes reduced rates in middle-income countries, and decreased rates in high-income countries. Each 10 percent increase in the working-age mortality rates of chronic noncommunicable disease decreased economic growth rates by close to a half percent. Conclusions Macrosocial and macroeconomic forces are major determinants of population rises in chronic disease mortality, and some prevailing demographic explanations, such as population aging, are incomplete on methodological, empirical, and policy grounds. Rising chronic disease mortality rates will significantly reduce economic growth in developing countries and further widen the health and economic gap between the developed and developing world. PMID:18522614

The Global Fund: managing great expectations.

PubMed

Brugha, Ruairí; Donoghue, Martine; Starling, Mary; Ndubani, Phillimon; Ssengooba, Freddie; Fernandes, Benedita; Walt, Gill

The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria was created to increase funds to combat these three devastating diseases. We report interim findings, based on interviews with 137 national-level respondents that track early implementation processes in four African countries. Country coordinating mechanisms (CCMs) are country-level partnerships, which were formed quickly to develop and submit grant proposals to the Global Fund. CCM members were often ineffective at representing their constituencies and encountered obstacles in participating in CCM processes. Delay in dissemination of guidelines from the Global Fund led to uncertainty among members about the function of these new partnerships. Respondents expressed most concern about the limited capacity of fund recipients--government and non-government--to meet Global Fund conditions for performance-based disbursement. Delays in payment of funds to implementing agencies have frustrated rapid financing of disease control interventions. The Global Fund is one of several new global initiatives superimposed on existing country systems to finance the control of HIV/AIDS. New and existing donors need to coordinate assistance to developing countries by bringing together funding, planning, management, and reporting systems if global goals for disease control are to be achieved.

Lessons learned during the development and transfer of technology related to a new Hib conjugate vaccine to emerging vaccine manufacturers.

PubMed

Hamidi, A; Boog, C; Jadhav, S; Kreeftenberg, H

2014-07-16

The incidence of Haemophilus Influenzae type b (Hib) disease in developed countries has decreased since the introduction of Hib conjugate vaccines in their National Immunization Programs (NIP). In countries where Hib vaccination is not applied routinely, due to limited availability and high cost of the vaccines, invasive Hib disease is still a cause of mortality. Through the development of a production process for a Hib conjugate vaccine and related quality control tests and the transfer of this technology to emerging vaccine manufacturers in developing countries, a substantial contribution was made to the availability and affordability of Hib conjugate vaccines in these countries. Technology transfer is considered to be one of the fastest ways to get access to the technology needed for the production of vaccines. The first Hib conjugate vaccine based on the transferred technology was licensed in 2007, since then more Hib vaccines based on this technology were licensed. This paper describes the successful development and transfer of Hib conjugate vaccine technology to vaccine manufacturers in India, China and Indonesia. By describing the lessons learned in this process, it is hoped that other technology transfer projects can benefit from the knowledge and experience gained. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nagler, R.G.

This report, based solely on information available from unclassified sources, provides a coherent picture of the scope and trends of ballistic missile proliferation. The focus is on countries developing, producing, or owning ballistic missiles capable of threatening the military forces, assets, or populations of neighboring or geographically remote countries. The report also identifies other countries expected to obtain operational ballistic missile capabilities, discusses expected growth in performance, and examines the projected availability of warheads of mass destruction. The emphasis is on ballistic missiles of ranges greater than approximately 300 km, though shorter range battlefield weapons are discussed as forerunners. Themore » assessment excludes principal U.S. allies and countries formerly in the Warsaw Pact, except where these countries have sold missiles, technology; or personnel services to developing nations in support of their missile programs.« less

Equity in access to maternal and child health services in five developing countries: what works.

PubMed

Talukder, M D Noorunnabi; Rob, Ubaidur

2010-01-01

People living in rural areas are yet to have equitable access to maternal and child health services in many developing countries. This article examines selected health service delivery models that improved access to services in five developing countries. The article is based on the review of background papers on Bangladesh, Pakistan, Cambodia, Ghana, and Tanzania, prepared as part of a multi-country study on health systems and maternal and child health. Findings suggest that equity in access to health services largely depends on a system that ensures a combination of facility-based service delivery and outreach services with a functioning referral network. A key factor is the availability of health workforce at the community level. Community-based deployment of service providers or recruitment and training of community health workers is critical in enhancing service coverage and linking local populations to a health facility. Incentive is necessary to keep community health workers' interest in providing services. However, health workforce alone cannot ensure good health outcomes. They must be embedded in a functioning service delivery network to transform structural inputs into outcomes. Moreover, local-level health systems should have the ability to allocate resources in strategic ways addressing the pressing health needs of the people.

Forecasting imbalances in the global health labor market and devising policy responses.

PubMed

Scheffler, Richard M; Campbell, James; Cometto, Giorgio; Maeda, Akiko; Liu, Jenny; Bruckner, Tim A; Arnold, Daniel R; Evans, Tim

2018-01-11

The High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth released its report to the United Nations Secretary-General in September 2016. It makes important recommendations that are based on estimates of over 40 million new health sector jobs by 2030 in mostly high- and middle-income countries and a needs-based shortage of 18 million, mostly in low- and middle-income countries. This paper shows how these key findings were developed, the global policy dilemmas they raise, and relevant policy solutions. Regression analysis is used to produce estimates of health worker need, demand, and supply. Projections of health worker need, demand, and supply in 2030 are made under the assumption that historical trends continue into the future. To deliver essential health services required for the universal health coverage target of the Sustainable Development Goal 3, there will be a need for almost 45 million health workers in 2013 which is projected to reach almost 53 million in 2030 (across 165 countries). This results in a needs-based shortage of almost 17 million in 2013. The demand-based results suggest a projected demand of 80 million health workers by 2030. Demand-based analysis shows that high- and middle-income countries will have the economic capacity to employ tens of millions additional health workers, but they could face shortages due to supply not keeping up with demand. By contrast, low-income countries will face both low demand for and supply of health workers. This means that even if countries are able to produce additional workers to meet the need threshold, they may not be able to employ and retain these workers without considerably higher economic growth, especially in the health sector.

A simple and low-cost Internet-based teleconsultation system that could effectively solve the health care access problems in underserved areas of developing countries.

PubMed

Kuntalp, Mehmet; Akar, Orkun

2004-08-01

In many developing countries including Turkey, telemedicine systems are not in wide use due to the high cost and complexity of the required technology. Lack of these systems however has serious implications on patients who live in rural areas. The objective of this paper is to present a simple and economically affordable alternative to the current systems that would allow experts to easily access the medical data of their remote patients over the Internet. The system is developed in client-server architecture with a user-friendly graphical interface and various services are implemented as dynamic web pages based on PHP. The other key features of the system are its powerful security features and platform independency. An academic prototype is implemented and presented to the evaluation of a group of physicians. The results reveal that the system could find acceptance from the medical community and it could be an effective means of providing quality health care in developing countries.

The age structure of selected countries in the ESCAP region.

PubMed

Hong, S

1982-01-01

The study objective was to examine the age structure of selected countries in the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) region, using available data and frequently applied indices such as the population pyramid, aged-child ratio, and median age. Based on the overall picture of the age structure thus obtained, age trends and their implication for the near future were arrived at. Countries are grouped into 4 types based on the fertility and mortality levels. Except for Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, the age structure in the 18 ESCAP region countries changed comparatively little over the 1950-80 period. The largest structural change occurred in Singapore, where the proportion of children under age 15 in the population declined significantly from 41-27%, while that of persons 65 years and older more than doubled. This was due primarily to the marked decline in fertility from a total fertility rate (TFR) of 6.7-1.8 during the period. Hong Kong also had a similar major transformation during the same period: the proportion of the old age population increased 2 1/2 times, from 2.5-6.3%. The age structures of the 18 ESCAP countries varied greatly by country. 10 countries of the 2 high fertility and mortality types showed a similar young age structural pattern, i.e., they have higher dependency ratios, a higher proportion of children under 15 years, a lower proportion of population 65 years and older, lower aged-child ratios, and younger median ages than the average countries in the less developed regions of the world. With minimal changes over the 1950-80 period, the gap between these countries and the average of the less developed regions widened. Unlike these 10 (mostly South Asian) countries, moderately low fertility and mortality countries (China, Korea, and Sri Lanka) are located between the world average and the less developed region in most of the indices, particularly during the last decade. Although their rate of population aging is not rapid, they are moving toward it. 5 countries of the low fertility and mortality group basically showed an age structure in between the world average and that of the more developed region. Notable exceptions were Singapore and Hong Kong, which showed younger age structures than the less developed regions in terms of dependency ratios during 1950-60. On an average, the majority of ESCAP countries still have a young population.

The Great East Japan Earthquake: a need to plan for post-disaster surveillance in developed countries

PubMed Central

Matsui, Tamano; Partridge, Jeffrey; Kasai, Takeshi

2011-01-01

After a devastating earthquake and tsunami struck north-eastern Japan in March 2011, the public health system, including the infectious disease surveillance system, was severely compromised. While models for post-disaster surveillance exist, they focus predominantly on developing countries during the early recovery phase. Such models do not necessarily apply to developed countries, which differ considerably in their baseline surveillance systems. Furthermore, there is a need to consider the process by which a surveillance system recovers post-disaster. The event in Japan has highlighted a need to address these concerns surrounding post-disaster surveillance in developed countries. In May 2011, the World Health Organization convened a meeting where post-disaster surveillance was discussed by experts and public health practitioners. In this paper, we describe a post-disaster surveillance approach that was discussed at the meeting, based on what had actually occurred and what may have been, or would be, ideal. Briefly, we describe the evolution of a surveillance system as it returns to the pre-existing system, starting from an event-based approach during the emergency relief phase, a syndromic approach during the early recovery phase, an enhanced sentinel approach during the late recovery phase and a return to baseline during the development phase. Our aim is not to recommend a specific model but to encourage other developed countries to initiate their own discussions on post-disaster surveillance and develop plans according to their needs and capacities. As natural disasters will continue to occur, we hope that developing such plans during the “inter-disaster” period will help mitigate the surveillance challenges that will arise post-disaster. PMID:23908893

Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR): Problems and Possibilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Toole, Brian

1987-01-01

The institution-based model for providing services to individuals with disabilities has limitations in both developing and developed countries. The community-based rehabilitation model was positively evaluated by the World Health Organization as an alternative approach, but the evaluation is questioned on methodological and philosophical grounds.…

Postmarketing surveillance in developing countries.

PubMed

Meirik, O

1988-01-01

Authorities in developing countries need to monitor the possible adverse consequences of the increasing use of drugs in their countries. Definite differences exist in the risk-benefit ratios for developed and developing countries, particularly with fertility-regulating drugs. Some physicians believe that the increased risk of thrombosis associated with oral contraceptives (OCs) should not be considered as important in developing countries due to the fact that the background level of venous thrombosis is so low in developing countries that even a 50- or 100-fold increase in relative risk would neither be detectable nor important compared to the risk of unwanted pregnancy. In addition, evidence exists of geographically linked factors in the etiology of some adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Authorities in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Venezuela have established voluntary ADR reporting systems. Several developing countries also actively follow the World Health Organization's International Drug Monitoring Program and have access to its data base. A number of other methodological approaches to postmarketing surveillance are in use in addition to voluntary ADR reporting systems. These include cross-sectional surveys, studies of temporal and geographic correlations of diseases and drug use, and case-control and cohort studies. Each of these approaches offers specific advantages. Postmarketing surveillance should begin at the time new drugs, including contraceptive methods are introduced. Surveillance needs to be an integral part of plans for the introduction of new contraceptive methods in settings where the infrastructure to carry out such surveillance is in place. 3 major public sector agencies, Family Health International, the Population Council, and the World Health Organization, developed a plan to obtain funding for the postmarketing surveillance of a contraceptive implant, Norplant-R. A controlled cohort study will be conducted in 6-10 developing countries. The pilot phase of the surveillance began in 1987. The project objective is to detect possible adverse effects of Norplant-R as well as any health benefits of the method. It also will assess the feasibility of the cohort methodology for postmarketing surveillance in developing countries.

Current trends of sugar consumption in developing societies.

PubMed

Ismail, A I; Tanzer, J M; Dingle, J L

1997-12-01

This paper reviews recent data on sugar consumption in developing countries that may lead to a potential increase in caries prevalence. A search of the business, dental and nutritional literature was conducted through May 1995. There is evidence that sugar (sucrose) use was increasing in China, India, and Southeast Asia. In South and Central America (except Haiti) sugar use was either equivalent to or higher than that in most developed societies. In the Middle East, average sugar use was higher than that of other developing areas. However, it was either lower than or equivalent to the levels reported by other developed countries. Many central African countries consumed less than 15 kg of sugar/ person/year. Of particular concern is a rise in the consumption of sugar-containing carbonated beverages in a number of developing societies: China, India, Vietnam, Thailand, and other Southeast Asian countries are currently major growth markets for the soft drink industry. Consumption of high-sugar desserts and snacks may also be increasing in urban centers in some developing countries. To counteract the potential increase in the prevalence of dental caries in some developing countries, preventive and oral health promotion programs should be planned and implemented. We contend that taxation of sugar-containing products as well as efforts to reduce the level of sugar consumption to "safe" levels may be impractical, and in most countries, cannot be supported for political, economic, or health reasons. Instead, we recommend that collaboration be established between public health authorities and manufacturers/distributors of soft drinks and sweets in developing countries to establish a dental health fund that could be used to support caries preventive programs. The fund could be supported through donations from manufacturers based on the principle of the "milli-cent" (1 cent for every 1000 cents of sales). This minimal contribution would provide enough financial support for planning and implementing dental preventive and restorative programs in developing countries.

Mumps and mumps vaccine: a global review.

PubMed

Galazka, A M; Robertson, S E; Kraigher, A

1999-01-01

Mumps is an acute infectious disease caused by a paramyxovirus. Although the disease is usually mild, up to 10% of patients can develop aseptic meningitis; a less common but more serious complication is encephalitis, which can result in death or disability. Permanent deafness, orchitis, and pancreatitis are other untoward effects of mumps. Based on data reported to WHO up to April 1998, mumps vaccine is routinely used by national immunization programmes in 82 countries/areas: 23 (92%) of 25 developed countries, 19 (86%) of 22 countries with economies in transition (mainly the Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union), and 40 (24%) of 168 developing countries. Countries that have achieved high coverage have shown a rapid decline in mumps morbidity. Furthermore, in many of these countries, mumps-associated encephalitis and deafness have nearly vanished. This review considers the disease burden due to mumps; summarizes studies on the immunogenicity, efficacy, and safety of different strains of mumps vaccine; and highlights lessons learned about implementing mumps immunization in different countries. Countries already using mumps vaccine should monitor immunization coverage and establish routine mumps surveillance with investigation of outbreaks. Where mumps is targeted for elimination, countries need to add a second dose of mumps vaccine for children, keeping in mind that the disease may still occur in susceptible adults.

Health Care Expenditure and GDP in Oil Exporting Countries: Evidence from OPEC Data, 1995-2012

PubMed Central

Fazaeli, Ali Akbar; Ghaderi, Hossein; Salehi, Masoud; Fazaeli, Ali Reza

2016-01-01

Background: There is a large body of literature examining income in relation to health expenditures. The share of expenditures in health sector from GDP in developed countries is often larger than in non-developed countries, suggesting that as the level of economic growth increases, health spending increase, too. Objectives: This paper estimates long-run relationships between health expenditures and GDP based on panel data of a sample of 12 countries of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), using data for the period 1995-2012. Patients & Methods: We use panel data unit root tests, cointegration analysis and ECM model to find long-run and short-run relation. This study examines whether health is a luxury or a necessity for OPEC countries within a unit root and cointegration framework. Results: Panel data analysis indicates that health expenditures and GDP are co-integrated and have Engle and Granger causality. In addition, in oil countries that have oil export income, the share of government expenditures in the health sector is often greater than in private health expenditures similar developed countries. Conclusions: The findings verify that health care is not a luxury good and income has a robust relationship to health expenditures in OPEC countries. PMID:26383195

Mumps and mumps vaccine: a global review.

PubMed Central

Galazka, A. M.; Robertson, S. E.; Kraigher, A.

1999-01-01

Mumps is an acute infectious disease caused by a paramyxovirus. Although the disease is usually mild, up to 10% of patients can develop aseptic meningitis; a less common but more serious complication is encephalitis, which can result in death or disability. Permanent deafness, orchitis, and pancreatitis are other untoward effects of mumps. Based on data reported to WHO up to April 1998, mumps vaccine is routinely used by national immunization programmes in 82 countries/areas: 23 (92%) of 25 developed countries, 19 (86%) of 22 countries with economies in transition (mainly the Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union), and 40 (24%) of 168 developing countries. Countries that have achieved high coverage have shown a rapid decline in mumps morbidity. Furthermore, in many of these countries, mumps-associated encephalitis and deafness have nearly vanished. This review considers the disease burden due to mumps; summarizes studies on the immunogenicity, efficacy, and safety of different strains of mumps vaccine; and highlights lessons learned about implementing mumps immunization in different countries. Countries already using mumps vaccine should monitor immunization coverage and establish routine mumps surveillance with investigation of outbreaks. Where mumps is targeted for elimination, countries need to add a second dose of mumps vaccine for children, keeping in mind that the disease may still occur in susceptible adults. PMID:10063655

[Brucellosis: a zoonosis of importance in Mexico].

PubMed

Guzmán-Hernández, Rosa Lilia; Contreras-Rodríguez, Araceli; Ávila-Calderón, Eric Daniel; Morales-García, M Rosario

2016-12-01

Brucellosis is one of the most frequent zoonosis in most parts of the world. This zoonosis remains a great problem to public health in developing countries, although developed countries have successfully controlled it. Mexico still shows a high annual brucellosis incidence in humans; thus, the country is considered around the world as an endemic brucellosis country. To describe the connection/association between this zoonosis and the current epidemiological situation in the Mexican population. Perusal of research reports, epidemiological studies and veterinarian reviews performed in Mexico, using data bases such as PubMed, Thompson Reuters, Mesh research. The risk of infection by Brucella in Mexico is associated with the consumption of unpasteurized dairy products, mainly fresh cheeses.

Genomic Medicine Without Borders: Which Strategies Should Developing Countries Employ to Invest in Precision Medicine? A New "Fast-Second Winner" Strategy.

PubMed

Mitropoulos, Konstantinos; Cooper, David N; Mitropoulou, Christina; Agathos, Spiros; Reichardt, Jürgen K V; Al-Maskari, Fatima; Chantratita, Wasun; Wonkam, Ambroise; Dandara, Collet; Katsila, Theodora; Lopez-Correa, Catalina; Ali, Bassam R; Patrinos, George P

2017-11-01

Genomic medicine has greatly matured in terms of its technical capabilities, but the diffusion of genomic innovations worldwide faces significant barriers beyond mere access to technology. New global development strategies are sorely needed for biotechnologies such as genomics and their applications toward precision medicine without borders. Moreover, diffusion of genomic medicine globally cannot adhere to a "one-size-fits-all-countries" development strategy, in the same way that drug treatments should be customized. This begs a timely, difficult but crucial question: How should developing countries, and the resource-limited regions of developed countries, invest in genomic medicine? Although a full-scale investment in infrastructure from discovery to the translational implementation of genomic science is ideal, this may not always be feasible in all countries at all times. A simple "transplantation of genomics" from developed to developing countries is unlikely to be feasible. Nor should developing countries be seen as simple recipients and beneficiaries of genomic medicine developed elsewhere because important advances in genomic medicine have materialized in developing countries as well. There are several noteworthy examples of genomic medicine success stories involving resource-limited settings that are contextualized and described in this global genomic medicine innovation analysis. In addition, we outline here a new long-term development strategy for global genomic medicine in a way that recognizes the individual country's pressing public health priorities and disease burdens. We term this approach the "Fast-Second Winner" model of innovation that supports innovation commencing not only "upstream" of discovery science but also "mid-stream," building on emerging highly promising biomarker and diagnostic candidates from the global science discovery pipeline, based on the unique needs of each country. A mid-stream entry into innovation can enhance collective learning from other innovators' mistakes upstream in discovery science and boost the probability of success for translation and implementation when resources are limited. This à la carte model of global innovation and development strategy offers multiple entry points into the global genomics innovation ecosystem for developing countries, whether or not extensive and expensive discovery infrastructures are already in place. Ultimately, broadening our thinking beyond the linear model of innovation will help us to enable the vision and practice of genomics without borders in both developed and resource-limited settings.

Strengthening care for injured persons in less developed countries: a case study of Ghana and Mexico.

PubMed

Mock, Charles; Arreola-Risa, Carlos; Quansah, Robert

2003-01-01

In all countries, the priority for reducing road traffic injuries should be prevention. Nonetheless, there are low-cost ways to strengthen the care of injured persons, that will help to lower the toll from road traffic. The purpose of this review was to elucidate ways to accomplish this goal in the context of less developed countries. Studies selected for this review were obtained by Medline review, selecting on key words such as trauma, injury, trauma care, essential health services, and developing country. Articles pertaining to any country and all available years were considered. In addition, the authors utilized articles from the gray literature and journals from Mexico and Ghana that are not Medline referenced. Studies surveyed point to road safety and other forms of injury prevention, as well as prehospital care, as likely priorities for developing countries. Nonetheless, hospital-based improvements can contribute to decreases in mortality and, especially, decreases in disability. For both prehospital and hospital based care, studies revealed several critical weak points to address in: (1) human resources (staffing and training); (2) physical resources (equipment, supplies, and infrastructure); and (3) administration and organization. The 'essential services' approach, which has contributed to progress in a variety of fields of international health, needs to be developed for the care of the injured. This would define the trauma treatment services that could realistically be made available to virtually every injured person. It would then address the inputs of human resources, physical resources, and administration necessary to assure these services optimally in the different geographic and socioeconomic environments worldwide. Finally, it would identify and target deficiencies in these inputs that need to be strengthened.

Health checkup and telemedical intervention program for preventive medicine in developing countries: verification study.

PubMed

Nohara, Yasunobu; Kai, Eiko; Ghosh, Partha Pratim; Islam, Rafiqul; Ahmed, Ashir; Kuroda, Masahiro; Inoue, Sozo; Hiramatsu, Tatsuo; Kimura, Michio; Shimizu, Shuji; Kobayashi, Kunihisa; Baba, Yukino; Kashima, Hisashi; Tsuda, Koji; Sugiyama, Masashi; Blondel, Mathieu; Ueda, Naonori; Kitsuregawa, Masaru; Nakashima, Naoki

2015-01-28

The prevalence of non-communicable diseases is increasing throughout the world, including developing countries. The intent was to conduct a study of a preventive medical service in a developing country, combining eHealth checkups and teleconsultation as well as assess stratification rules and the short-term effects of intervention. We developed an eHealth system that comprises a set of sensor devices in an attaché case, a data transmission system linked to a mobile network, and a data management application. We provided eHealth checkups for the populations of five villages and the employees of five factories/offices in Bangladesh. Individual health condition was automatically categorized into four grades based on international diagnostic standards: green (healthy), yellow (caution), orange (affected), and red (emergent). We provided teleconsultation for orange- and red-grade subjects and we provided teleprescription for these subjects as required. The first checkup was provided to 16,741 subjects. After one year, 2361 subjects participated in the second checkup and the systolic blood pressure of these subjects was significantly decreased from an average of 121 mmHg to an average of 116 mmHg (P<.001). Based on these results, we propose a cost-effective method using a machine learning technique (random forest method) using the medical interview, subject profiles, and checkup results as predictor to avoid costly measurements of blood sugar, to ensure sustainability of the program in developing countries. The results of this study demonstrate the benefits of an eHealth checkup and teleconsultation program as an effective health care system in developing countries.

The Contribution of East Asian Countries to Internationally Published Asian Higher Education Research: The Role of System Development and Internationalization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jung, Jisun; Horta, Hugo

2015-01-01

Studies of higher education by scholars based in Asia have been growing in volume, following worldwide trends. To a large extent, this growth has been driven by East Asian countries, but little is known about the characteristics of the contribution of these countries. This study analyses their overall and specific contribution. The paper concludes…

Evaluating the Effects of Vocational Training in Africa (based on the "African Economic Outlook 2008"), OECD Development Centre Policy Insights, No. 61

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kingombe, Christian

2008-01-01

The impact of vocational training on economic growth and poverty reduction in African countries is unknown. Without such knowledge, however, countries and donors cannot formulate appropriate policies. Even the 35 countries surveyed in the 2008 "African Economic Outlook" can only supply approximate data. More and better data are needed to…

The Use of Museum Based Science Centres to Expose Primary School Students in Developing Countries to Abstract and Complex Concepts of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saidi, Trust; Sigauke, Esther

2017-01-01

Nanotechnology is an emerging technology, and it is regarded as the basis for the next industrial revolution. In developing countries, nanotechnology promises to solve everyday challenges, such as the provision of potable water, reliable energy sources and effective medication. However, there are several challenges in the exploitation of…

Urban bioclimatology in developing countries.

PubMed

Jauregui, E

1993-11-15

A brief review of the literature on urban human bioclimatology in the tropics is undertaken. Attempts to chart human bioclimatic conditions on the regional/local scale have been made in several developing countries. The effective temperature scheme (with all its limitations) is the one that has been most frequently applied. The possibilities of application of bioclimatic models based on human heat balance for the tropical urban environment are discussed.

Tribal Alliances: Ways, Means, and Ends to Successful Strategy

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-08-01

development of civil society (presence of NGOs, governmental institutions, independent community-level groups) in a country may also be a consideration...government civilians to reflect and use their career experience to explore a wide range of strategic issues. To assure that the research developed by Army...military area of operations, particularly in countries in the Middle East that are lacking adequate traditional state-based public administrative

Compliance with infection prevention and control in oral health-care facilities: a global perspective.

PubMed

Oosthuysen, Jeanné; Potgieter, Elsa; Fossey, Annabel

2014-12-01

Many publications are available on the topic of compliance with infection prevention and control in oral health-care facilities all over the world. The approaches of developing and developed countries show wide variation, but the principles of infection prevention and control are the same globally. This study is a systematic review and global perspective of the available literature on infection prevention and control in oral health-care facilities. Nine focus areas on compliance with infection-control measures were investigated: knowledge of infectious occupational hazards; personal hygiene and care of hands; correct application of personal protective equipment; use of environmental barriers and disposable items; sterilisation (recirculation) of instruments and handpieces; disinfection (surfaces) and housekeeping; management of waste disposal; quality control of dental unit waterlines, biofilms and water; and some special considerations. Various international studies from developed countries have reported highly scientific evidence-based information. In developed countries, the resources for infection prevention and control are freely available, which is not the case in developing countries. The studies in developing countries also indicate serious shortcomings with regard to infection prevention and control knowledge and education in oral health-care facilities. This review highlights the fact that availability of resources will always be a challenge, but more so in developing countries. This presents unique challenges and the opportunity for innovative thinking to promote infection prevention and control. © 2014 FDI World Dental Federation.

Spatial and Temporal Trends in Global Emissions of Nitrogen Oxides from 1960 to 2014.

PubMed

Huang, Tianbo; Zhu, Xi; Zhong, Qirui; Yun, Xiao; Meng, Wenjun; Li, Bengang; Ma, Jianmin; Zeng, Eddy Y; Tao, Shu

2017-07-18

The quantification of nitrogen oxide (NO x ) emissions is critical for air quality modeling. Based on updated fuel consumption and emission factor databases, a global emission inventory was compiled with high spatial (0.1° × 0.1°), temporal (monthly), and source (87 sources) resolutions for the period 1960 to 2014. The monthly emission data have been uploaded online ( http://inventory.pku.edu.cn ), along with a number of other air pollutant and greenhouse gas data for free download. Differences in source profiles, not global total quantities, between our results and those reported previously were found. There were significant differences in total and per capita emissions and emission intensities among countries, especially between the developing and developed countries. Globally, the total annual NO x emissions finally stopped increasing in 2013 after continuously increasing over several decades, largely due to strict control measures taken in China in recent years. Nevertheless, the peak year of NO x emissions was later than for many other major air pollutants. Per capita emissions, either among countries or over years, follow typical inverted U-shaped environmental Kuznets curves, indicating that the emissions increased during the early stage of development and were restrained when socioeconomic development reached certain points. Although the trends are similar among countries, the turning points of developing countries appeared sooner than those of developed countries in terms of development status, confirming late-move advantages.

Exploring substance use normalization among adolescents: a multilevel study in 35 countries.

PubMed

Sznitman, Sharon R; Kolobov, Tanya; Bogt, Tom Ter; Kuntsche, Emmanuel; Walsh, Sophie D; Boniel-Nissim, Meyran; Harel-Fisch, Yossi

2013-11-01

The substance use normalization thesis predicts that adolescent substance users are less likely to report substance use risk factors in high than in low prevalence countries. This study tests whether national population-level alcohol, cigarette and cannabis prevalence rates moderate the strength of the relationship between individual level social and behavioral risk factors and individual level alcohol, cigarette and cannabis use. Data from 2009/2010 Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children Study (N = 68,045, age = 15) from 35 countries was analyzed using logistic Hierarchical Linear Modeling. As expected based on low cannabis prevalence rates in all countries studied, no evidence of normalization was found for recent cannabis use. Also in line with the normalization thesis, results show that for substance use that reaches above 40% in at least some of the countries studied (drunkenness, alcohol and cigarette use), adolescents who reported use are less likely to report social and behavioral risk factors in high prevalence countries than in low prevalence countries. However, support for the normalization thesis was only partial in that results show that in models where evidence for normalization was found, there are risk factors that predict substance use to an equal degree regardless of country level prevalence rates. The current research shows that the normalization thesis is a useful framework for understanding the contextual aspects of adolescent alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use. The study has implications for drug prevention as it suggests that selective prevention efforts may be particularly useful in low prevalence countries where screening based on risk factors may usefully identify adolescents at most risk for developing drug use problems. This approach may be less useful in high prevalence countries where screening based on risk factors is less likely to satisfactorily identify those at risk for developing drug use problems. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Role of calcium supplementation during pregnancy in reducing risk of developing gestational hypertensive disorders: a meta-analysis of studies from developing countries

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Hypertension in pregnancy stand alone or with proteinuria is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality and morbidity in the world. Epidemiological and clinical studies have shown that an inverse relationship exists between calcium intake and development of hypertension in pregnancy though the effect varies based on baseline calcium intake and pre-existing risk factors. The purpose of this review was to evaluate preventive effect of calcium supplementation during pregnancy on gestational hypertensive disorders and related maternal and neonatal mortality in developing countries. Methods A literature search was carried out on PubMed, Cochrane Library and WHO regional databases. Data were extracted into a standardized excel sheet. Identified studies were graded based on strengths and limitations of studies. All the included studies were from developing countries. Meta-analyses were generated where data were available from more than one study for an outcome. Primary outcomes were maternal mortality, eclampsia, pre-eclampsia, and severe preeclampsia. Neonatal outcomes like neonatal mortality, preterm birth, small for gestational age and low birth weight were also evaluated. We followed standardized guidelines of Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group (CHERG) to generate estimates of effectiveness of calcium supplementation during pregnancy in reducing maternal and neonatal mortality in developing countries, for inclusion in the Lives Saved Tool (LiST). Results Data from 10 randomized controlled trials were included in this review. Pooled analysis showed that calcium supplementation during pregnancy was associated with a significant reduction of 45% in risk of gestational hypertension [Relative risk (RR) 0.55; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.36-0.85] and 59% in the risk of pre-eclampsia [RR 0.41; 95 % CI 0.24-0.69] in developing countries. Calcium supplementation during pregnancy was also associated with a significant reduction in neonatal mortality [RR 0.70; 95 % CI 0.56-0.88] and risk of pre-term birth [RR 0.88, 95 % CI 0.78-0.99]. Recommendations for LiST for reduction in maternal mortality were based on risk reduction in gestational hypertensive related severe morbidity/mortality [RR 0.80; 95% CI 0.70-0.91] and that for neonatal mortality were based on risk reduction in all-cause neonatal mortality [RR 0.70; 95% CI 0.56-0.88]. Conclusion Calcium supplementation during pregnancy is associated with a reduction in risk of gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia neonatal mortality and pre-term birth in developing countries. PMID:21501435

The metrics and correlates of physician migration from Africa.

PubMed

Arah, Onyebuchi A

2007-05-17

Physician migration from poor to rich countries is considered an important contributor to the growing health workforce crisis in the developing world. This is particularly true for Africa. The perceived magnitude of such migration for each source country might, however, depend on the choice of metrics used in the analysis. This study examined the influence of choice of migration metrics on the rankings of African countries that suffered the most physician migration, and investigated the correlates of physician migration. Ranking and correlational analyses were conducted on African physician migration data adjusted for bilateral net flows, and supplemented with developmental, economic and health system data. The setting was the 53 African birth countries of African-born physicians working in nine wealthier destination countries. Three metrics of physician migration were used: total number of physician émigrés; emigration fraction defined as the proportion of the potential physician pool working in destination countries; and physician migration density defined as the number of physician émigrés per 1000 population of the African source country. Rankings based on any of the migration metrics differed substantially from those based on the other two metrics. Although the emigration fraction and physician migration density metrics gave proportionality to the migration crisis, only the latter was consistently associated with source countries' workforce capacity, health, health spending, economic and development characteristics. As such, higher physician migration density was seen among African countries with relatively higher health workforce capacity (0.401 < or = r < or = 0.694, p < or = 0.011), health status, health spending, and development. The perceived magnitude of physician migration is sensitive to the choice of metrics. Complementing the emigration fraction, the physician migration density is a metric which gives a different but proportionate picture of which African countries stand to lose relatively more of its physicians with unchecked migration. The nature of health policies geared at health-worker migration can be expected to depend on the choice of migration metrics.

New approaches to ranking countries for the allocation of development assistance for health: choices, indicators and implications

PubMed Central

Ottersen, Trygve; Grépin, Karen A; Henderson, Klara; Pinkstaff, Crossley Beth; Norheim, Ole Frithjof; Røttingen, John-Arne

2018-01-01

Abstract The distributions of income and health within and across countries are changing. This challenges the way donors allocate development assistance for health (DAH) and particularly the role of gross national income per capita (GNIpc) in classifying countries to determine whether countries are eligible to receive assistance and how much they receive. Informed by a literature review and stakeholder consultations and interviews, we developed a stepwise approach to the design and assessment of country classification frameworks for the allocation of DAH, with emphasis on critical value choices. We devised 25 frameworks, all which combined GNIpc and at least one other indicator into an index. Indicators were selected and assessed based on relevance, salience, validity, consistency, and availability and timeliness, where relevance concerned the extent to which the indicator represented country’s health needs, domestic capacity, the expected impact of DAH, or equity. We assessed how the use of the different frameworks changed the rankings of low- and middle-income countries relative to a country’s ranking based on GNIpc alone. We found that stakeholders generally considered needs to be the most important concern to be captured by classification frameworks, followed by inequality, expected impact and domestic capacity. We further found that integrating a health-needs indicator with GNIpc makes a significant difference for many countries and country categories—and especially middle-income countries with high burden of unmet health needs—while the choice of specific indicator makes less difference. This together with assessments of relevance, salience, validity, consistency, and availability and timeliness suggest that donors have reasons to include a health-needs indicator in the initial classification of countries. It specifically suggests that life expectancy and disability-adjusted life year rate are indicators worth considering. Indicators related to other concerns may be mainly relevant at different stages of the decision-making process, require better data, or both. PMID:29415238

Exploring Modular Architecture for Nano Satellite and Opportunity for Developing Countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rhaman, M. K.; Monowar, M. I.; Shakil, S. R.; Kafi, A. H.; Antara, R. S. I.

2015-01-01

SPACE Technology has the potential to provide information, infrastructure and inspiration that meets national needs in developing countries like Bangladesh. Many countries recognize this; in response they are investing in new national satellite programs to harness satellite services. Technology related to space is one example of a tool that can contribute to development both by addressing societal challenges and by advancing a nation's technological capability. To cope up with the advanced world in space technology Bangladesh seems to be highly potential country for satellite, Robotics, embedded systems and renewable energy research. BRAC University, Bangladesh is planning to launch a nano satellite with the collaboration of KIT, Japan. The proposed nano satellite project mission is to experiment about social, commercial and agricultural survey needs in Bangladesh. Each of the proposed applications of the project will improve the lives of millions of people of Bangladesh and it will be a pathfinder mission for the people of this country. Another intention of this project is to create a cheap satellite based remote sensing for developing countries as the idea of large space systems is very costly for us therefore we have decided to make a Nano-satellite.

Agricultural Trade Networks and Patterns of Economic Development

PubMed Central

Shutters, Shade T.; Muneepeerakul, Rachata

2012-01-01

International trade networks are manifestations of a complex combination of diverse underlying factors, both natural and social. Here we apply social network analytics to the international trade network of agricultural products to better understand the nature of this network and its relation to patterns of international development. Using a network tool known as triadic analysis we develop triad significance profiles for a series of agricultural commodities traded among countries. Results reveal a novel network “superfamily” combining properties of biological information processing networks and human social networks. To better understand this unique network signature, we examine in more detail the degree and triadic distributions within the trade network by country and commodity. Our results show that countries fall into two very distinct classes based on their triadic frequencies. Roughly 165 countries fall into one class while 18, all highly isolated with respect to international agricultural trade, fall into the other. Only Vietnam stands out as a unique case. Finally, we show that as a country becomes less isolated with respect to number of trading partners, the country's triadic signature follows a predictable trajectory that may correspond to a trajectory of development. PMID:22768310

English in Action: School Based Teacher Development in Bangladesh

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Power, Tom; Shaheen, Robina; Solly, Mike; Woodward, Clare; Burton, Sonia

2012-01-01

In the Least Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs), School Based Teacher Development (SBTD) is sometimes advocated as a potential mechanism for improving the classroom practices experienced by millions of children in a complete school system, as quickly as possible. Robust evidence is required for approaches to be implemented with some…

Modelling linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid requirements for infants and young children in developing countries.

PubMed

Yang, Zhenyu; Huffman, Sandra L

2013-01-01

Essential fatty acids (EFAs), linoleic acid (LA) and α-linolenic acid (ALA), play a critical role in the growth and development of infants and young children. However, national guidelines for recommended intakes of EFAs are lacking in most developing countries. The objective of this study was to convert international EFA recommendations based on % of daily energy intake to recommended daily amounts for children aged 6-23 months in developing countries. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports adequate intakes (AIs) for ALA as 0.4-0.6% of energy intake for children 6-23 months of age and as 3.0-4.5% of energy intake for LA. In order to estimate energy intakes, FAO daily energy requirements based on body weight were used. The daily AI amounts for these EFAs were calculated using the median body weight of the World Health Organization (WHO) Growth Standard population and median body weights with varying levels of malnutrition. The AI for ALA is equivalent to 0.3-0.4, 0.3-0.5 and 0.4-0.6 g day(-1), and the AI for LA is equivalent to 2.1-3.1, 2.4-3.5 and 2.8-4.3 g day(-1) for children aged 6-8, 9-11 and 12-23 months, respectively. While the lower median body weights of children in developing countries and associated reduced energy intake recommendations give lower estimated EFA requirements, recommendations based on median body weights in the WHO Reference Growth Standard is suggested. The upper levels of these calculated AIs are lower than or equal to those in North America (ALA: 0.5 and 0.7 g day(-1); LA: 4.6 and 7 g day(-1) for children aged 6-12 months and 1-3 years, respectively). The FAO AIs (g day(-1)) calculated here for ALA and LA can serve as a guideline for developing countries for setting national standards. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

First Progress Report--Victorian Country Education Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Victoria Education Dept. (Australia).

The Victorian Country Education Project (CEP), a pilot project searching for new ways of bringing beneficial educational experiences to disadvantaged rural areas, successfully achieved its aims of establishing community-based programs involving varied groups and people in developing solutions to local educational problems. A central Planning…

The pluralization of the international: Resistance and alter-standardization in regenerative stem cell medicine

PubMed Central

Rosemann, Achim; Chaisinthop, Nattaka

2016-01-01

The article explores the formation of an international politics of resistance and ‘alter-standardization’ in regenerative stem cell medicine. The absence of internationally harmonized regulatory frameworks in the clinical stem cell field and the presence of lucrative business opportunities have resulted in the formation of transnational networks adopting alternative research standards and practices. These oppose, as a universal global standard, strict evidence-based medicine clinical research protocols as defined by scientists and regulatory agencies in highly developed countries. The emergence of transnational spaces of alter-standardization is closely linked to scientific advances in rapidly developing countries such as China and India, but calls for more flexible regulatory frameworks, and the legitimization of experimental for-profit applications outside of evidence-based medical care, are emerging increasingly also within more stringently regulated countries, such as the United States and countries in the European Union. We can observe, then, a trend toward the pluralization of the standards, practices, and concepts in the stem cell field. PMID:26983174

Impact of health research capacity strengthening in low- and middle-income countries: the case of WHO/TDR programmes.

PubMed

Minja, Happiness; Nsanzabana, Christian; Maure, Christine; Hoffmann, Axel; Rumisha, Susan; Ogundahunsi, Olumide; Zicker, Fabio; Tanner, Marcel; Launois, Pascal

2011-10-01

Measuring the impact of capacity strengthening support is a priority for the international development community. Several frameworks exist for monitoring and evaluating funding results and modalities. Based on its long history of support, we report on the impact of individual and institutional capacity strengthening programmes conducted by the UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) and on the factors that influenced the outcome of its Research Capacity Strengthening (RCS) activities. A mix of qualitative and quantitative methods (questionnaires and in-depth interviews) was applied to a selected group of 128 individual and 20 institutional capacity development grant recipients that completed their training/projects between 2000 and 2008. A semi-structured interview was also conducted on site with scientists from four institutions. Most of the grantees, both individual and institutional, reported beneficial results from the grant. However, glaring inequities stemming from gender imbalances and a language bias towards English were identified. The study showed that skills improvement through training contributed to better formulation of research proposals, but not necessarily to improved project implementation or communication of results. Appreciation of the institutional grants' impact varied among recipient countries. The least developed countries saw the programmes as essential for supporting basic infrastructure and activities. Advanced developing countries perceived the research grants as complementary to available resources, and particularly suitable for junior researchers who were not yet able to compete for major international grants. The study highlights the need for a more equitable process to improve the effectiveness of health research capacity strengthening activities. Support should be tailored to the existing research capacity in disease endemic countries and should focus on strengthening national health research systems, particularly in the least developing countries. The engagement of stakeholders at country level would facilitate the design of more specific and comprehensive strategies based on local needs.

Impact of Health Research Capacity Strengthening in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: The Case of WHO/TDR Programmes

PubMed Central

Minja, Happiness; Nsanzabana, Christian; Maure, Christine; Hoffmann, Axel; Rumisha, Susan; Ogundahunsi, Olumide; Zicker, Fabio; Tanner, Marcel; Launois, Pascal

2011-01-01

Background Measuring the impact of capacity strengthening support is a priority for the international development community. Several frameworks exist for monitoring and evaluating funding results and modalities. Based on its long history of support, we report on the impact of individual and institutional capacity strengthening programmes conducted by the UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) and on the factors that influenced the outcome of its Research Capacity Strengthening (RCS) activities. Methodology and Principal Findings A mix of qualitative and quantitative methods (questionnaires and in-depth interviews) was applied to a selected group of 128 individual and 20 institutional capacity development grant recipients that completed their training/projects between 2000 and 2008. A semi-structured interview was also conducted on site with scientists from four institutions. Most of the grantees, both individual and institutional, reported beneficial results from the grant. However, glaring inequities stemming from gender imbalances and a language bias towards English were identified. The study showed that skills improvement through training contributed to better formulation of research proposals, but not necessarily to improved project implementation or communication of results. Appreciation of the institutional grants' impact varied among recipient countries. The least developed countries saw the programmes as essential for supporting basic infrastructure and activities. Advanced developing countries perceived the research grants as complementary to available resources, and particularly suitable for junior researchers who were not yet able to compete for major international grants. Conclusion The study highlights the need for a more equitable process to improve the effectiveness of health research capacity strengthening activities. Support should be tailored to the existing research capacity in disease endemic countries and should focus on strengthening national health research systems, particularly in the least developing countries. The engagement of stakeholders at country level would facilitate the design of more specific and comprehensive strategies based on local needs. PMID:22022630

Population growth, human development, and deforestation in biodiversity hotspots.

PubMed

Jha, S; Bawa, K S

2006-06-01

Human population and development activities affect the rate of deforestation in biodiversity hotspots. We quantified the effect of human population growth and development on rates of deforestation and analyzed the relationship between these causal factors in the 1980s and 1990s. We compared the averages of population growth, human development index (HDI, which measures income, health, and education), and deforestation rate and computed correlations among these variables for countries that contain biodiversity hotspots. When population growth was high and HDI was low there was a high rate of deforestation, but when HDI was high, rate of deforestation was low, despite high population growth. The correlation among variables was significant for the 1990s but not for the 1980s. The relationship between population growth and HDI had a regional pattern that reflected the historical process of development. Based on the changes in HDI and deforestation rate over time, we identified two drivers of deforestation: policy choice and human-development constraints. Policy choices that disregard conservation may cause the loss of forests even in countries that are relatively developed. Lack of development in other countries, on the other hand, may increase the pressure on forests to meet the basic needs of the human population. Deforestation resulting from policy choices may be easier to fix than deforestation arising from human development constraints. To prevent deforestation in the countries that have such constraints, transfer of material and intellectual resources from developed countries may be needed. Popular interest in sustainable development in developed countries can facilitate the transfer of these resources.

Inequality, poverty and development.

PubMed

Ahluwalia, M S

1976-12-01

Dicussion explores the nature of the relationship between the distribution of income and the process of development on the basis of cross country data on income inequality. The results presented are based on a sample of 60 countries, including 40 developing countries, 14 developed countries, and 6 socialist countries. The approach adopted is essentially exploratory. Multivariate regression analysis was used to estimate cross country relationships between the income shares of different percentile groups and selected variables reflecting aspects of the development process which are likely to influence income inequality. The estimated equations are then used as a basis for broad generalizations about the relationship between income distribution and development. There was strong support for the proposition that relative inequaltiy increases substantially in the early stages of development, with a reversal of this tendency in the later stages. The propositions held whether the sample was restricted to developing countries or expanded to include developed and socialist countries. The process was most prolonged for the poorest group. There were a number of processes occurring "pari passu" with development which were correlated with income inequality and which can plausibly be interpreted as causal. These were intersectoral shifts in the structure of production, expansion in education attainment and skill level of the labor force; and reduction in the growth of population. The operation of these processes appeared to explain some of the improvement in income distribution observed in the later stages of development, but they did not serve to explain the marked deterioration observed in the earlier stages. The cross section results failed to support the stronger hypothesis that the deterioration in relative inequality reflected a prolonged absolute impoverishment of large sections of the population in the course of development. The cross country pattern showed average absolute incomes of the lower percentile groups rising as per capita gross national product rises, although slower than for upper income groups. The cross section results failed to support the view that a faster rate of growth is systematically associated with higher inequality than can be expected given the state of development realized. An appendix identifies data sources and problems.

Remanufacturing Aided Added-Value Creation, Innovations Meeting to Deliver Sustainable Manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tariq Abullah, Ziyad; Guo, Shun Sheng; Yun, Sheng Bu

2015-05-01

End-of-life scrap steel such as vehicles bulks and bodies, steel wheel and shells are easily land filled at the end-of-life when treated in a developing country with non-industrial infrastructure. Research idea is about composite shape steel remanufacturing to be sheet steel for construction application through nested recovered pieces of scrap steel within new sheet steel base to meet innovation value creation of remanufactured steel and innovation eco-design of steel products to close supply chain through linkage developed and developing countries of non-industrial infrastructure economy. That can be satisfied through comprehensive business- education-training model conduction firstly at the developing countries to reduce costs and change the intensive labour remanufacturing paradigm collaboratively. Sustainable remanufacturing business model can be applied based on infrastructure of educational institutions such as institutes of technology to adopt environmental, economic, and social developments as triple bottom line sustainability. Such innovation value creation is driven by eco-design and eco-innovation enabling where the meet to deliver human development, employment, and education conscious environment and bench mark recommendations of development directions for upgrading to apply business that allows eco-societies to emerge, through cooperative steel scrap processing.

Liver transplantation around the world.

PubMed

Trotter, James F

2017-04-01

In the past few years, there have been important changes in the development of liver transplantation around the world. In particular, several emerging countries have rapidly developed transplant programs. There have also been important changes in liver allocation, utilization of donors by cardiac death, and living donors. A review of the practices in different countries around the world will help provide the reader with a better appreciation of their own program as well as the recognition of potential areas of improvement based on the experience of their colleagues. A recent series of articles has been published in the journal Liver Transplantation summarizing the practice of liver transplantation from representative countries around the world. The volume of liver transplant varies widely by country and there has been an important growth in volume in emerging countries. Most liver transplant candidates are prioritized for surgery by the Model for Endstage Liver Disease score and with the exception of Germany and the USA most patients are transplanted at Model for Endstage Liver Disease score from 18 to 20. Hepatitis C is the most common indication for liver transplant with the notable exception of several European countries. Innovative strategies to incentivize donation have been developed in several countries.

Incentive-Based Conservation Programs in Developing Countries: A Review of Some Key Issues and Suggestions for Improvements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spiteri, Arian; Nepalz, Sanjay K.

2006-01-01

Biodiversity conservation in developing countries has been a challenge because of the combination of rising human populations, rapid technological advances, severe social hardships, and extreme poverty. To address the social, economic, and ecological limitations of people-free parks and reserves, incentives have been incorporated into conservation programs in the hopes of making conservation meaningful to local people. However, such incentive-based programs have been implemented with little consideration for their ability to fulfill promises of greater protection of biodiversity. Evaluations of incentive-based conservation programs indicate that the approach continually falls short of the rhetoric. This article provides an overview of the problems associated with incentive-based conservation approaches in developing countries. It argues that existing incentive-based programs (IBPs) have yet to realize that benefits vary greatly at different “community” scales and that a holistic conceptualization of a community is essential to incorporate the complexities of a heterogeneous community when designing and implementing the IBPs. The spatial complexities involved in correctly identifying the beneficiaries in a community and the short-term focus of IBPs are two major challenges for sustaining conservation efforts. The article suggests improvements in three key areas: accurate identification of “target” beneficiaries, greater inclusion of marginal communities, and efforts to enhance community aptitudes.

The ethics of intellectual property rights in an era of globalization.

PubMed

Shah, Aakash Kaushik; Warsh, Jonathan; Kesselheim, Aaron S

2013-01-01

Since the 1980s, developed countries, led by the United States and the countries of the European Union, have sought to incorporate intellectual property rights provisions into global trade agreements. These countries successfully negotiated the World Trade Organization's 1994 Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), which required developing countries to adopt intellectual property provisions comparable to developed countries. In this manuscript, we review the policy controversy surrounding TRIPS and examine the two main ethical arguments articulated in its support--a theory of natural rights and a utilitarian argument. We contend that these theories provide insufficient bases for an intellectual property rights regime that compromises access to essential medicines in the developing world. While the policy community has engaged in active debate around the policy effects of TRIPS, scholars have not thoroughly considered the full ethical underpinnings of those policy arguments. We believe that a more robust understanding of the ethical implications of the agreement should inform policy discussions in the future. © 2013 American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics, Inc.

Nursing shortages and international nurse migration.

PubMed

Ross, S J; Polsky, D; Sochalski, J

2005-12-01

The United Kingdom and the United States are among several developed countries currently experiencing nursing shortages. While the USA has not yet implemented policies to encourage nurse immigration, nursing shortages will likely result in the growth of foreign nurse immigration to the USA. Understanding the factors that drive the migration of nurses is critical as the USA exerts more pull on the foreign nurse workforce. To predict the international migration of nurses to the UK using widely available data on country characteristics. The Nursing and Midwifery Council serves as the source of data on foreign nurse registrations in the UK between 1998 and 2002. We develop and test a regression model that predicts the number of foreign nurse registrants in the UK based on source country characteristics. We collect country-level data from sources such as the World Bank and the World Health Organization. The shortage of nurses in the UK has been accompanied by massive and disproportionate growth in the number of foreign nurses from poor countries. Low-income, English-speaking countries that engage in high levels of bilateral trade experience greater losses of nurses to the UK. Poor countries seeking economic growth through international trade expose themselves to the emigration of skilled labour. This tendency is currently exacerbated by nursing shortages in developed countries. Countries at risk for nurse emigration should adjust health sector planning to account for expected losses in personnel. Moreover, policy makers in host countries should address the impact of recruitment on source country health service delivery.

Controlling water pollution in developing and transition countries--lessons from three successful cases.

PubMed

Kathuria, Vinish

2006-03-01

The policy prescription for solving environmental problems of developing countries and countries-in-transition (CIT) is slowly getting polarized into two viewpoints. One group of researchers and policy advocates including multilateral organizations upholds extensive use of market based instruments (MBIs) in these countries. The other group argues that institutions need to be built first or the policy makers should select the incremental or tiered approach taking into account the existing capabilities. The group also insists that the financial, institutional and political constraints make environmental regulation in these countries more problematic than in industrialized countries. In the short-run, the immediate needs of the developing countries can be addressed effectively by learning lessons from the difficulties encountered by a few successful cases and accordingly evolving an appropriate policy instrument. In this paper an attempt has been made to highlight three such cases from three different parts of the world--Malaysia (Asia-pacific), Poland (Eastern Europe) and Colombia (Latin America). The paper looks into what policy instruments led to a fall in water pollution levels in these countries and what role did MBIs play in this pollution mitigation? The case studies suggest that it is a combination of instruments--license fee, standards, charge and subsidies--reinforced by active enforcement that led to an overall improvement in environment compliance.

When South meets South.

PubMed

Wulf, D

1997-01-01

This article describes the establishment of a new organization, Partners in Population and Development, which promotes collaboration between developing countries. The organization was an outcome of the 1994 Cairo Conference on Population and Development. The basic aim is to share technical knowledge and experience between developing countries. In rural Ha Tay province in northern Vietnam, for example, a community mapping technique for tracking contraceptive use was implemented. The mapping technique was first developed in Indonesia and transferred to Vietnam via the Indonesian national family planning coordinating board. A Bangkok-based nongovernmental group was working in Ninh Binh province with income generation among rice workers as part of a reproductive health program. Partners in Population and Development includes high ranking government officials responsible for national family planning programs from Colombia, Egypt, Kenya, Indonesia, Mexico, Morocco, Thailand, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe. In 1996, a permanent secretariat was established in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The secretariat includes a small staff consisting of an executive director and three deputies from developing countries. The secretariat will act as a clearinghouse and coordinating unit between countries and projects. The office will answer field requests for assistance and help identify potential sources of donor support. The office will operate on funding from the UN Population Fund, the World Bank, and the Rockefeller Foundation. The Partnership will diffuse the appearance that developed countries are "demographic imperialists" and offer sound financial political advice. Projects will emphasize appropriateness and sustainability. The aim is to build bridges between countries where there are barriers and to extend services beyond regional borders.

Prevention of cervical cancer in HIV-seropositive women from developing countries: a systematic review protocol.

PubMed

Mapanga, Witness; Elhakeem, Ahmed; Feresu, Shingairai A; Maseko, Fresier; Chipato, Tsungai

2017-04-24

Over 85% of cervical cancer cases and deaths occur in developing countries. HIV-seropositive women are more likely to develop precancerous lesions that lead to cervical cancer than HIV-negative women. However, the literature on cervical cancer prevention in seropositive women in developing countries has not been reviewed. The aim of this study is to systematically review cervical cancer prevention modalities available for HIV-seropositive women in developing countries. This protocol was developed by following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA-P) statement, and the systematic review will be reported in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Embase, MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL and Cochrane Library will be searched from inception up to date of final search, and additional studies will be located through citation and reference list tracking. Eligible studies will be randomised controlled trials, prospective and retrospective cohort studies, case-control and cross-sectional studies carried out in developing countries. Studies will be included if they are published in English and examine cervical cancer prevention modalities in HIV-seropositive women. Results will be summarised in tables and, where appropriate, combined using meta-analysis. This review will address the gap in evidence by systematically reviewing the published literature on the different prevention modalities being used to prevent cervical cancer in HIV-seropositive women in developing countries. The findings may be used to inform evidence-based guidelines for prevention of cervical cancer in seropositive women as well as future research. PROSPERO CRD42017054678 .

Assessing variation in tolerance in 23 Muslim-majority and Western countries.

PubMed

Milligan, Scott; Andersen, Robert; Brym, Robert

2014-08-01

Scholars disagree over whether Islam hinders the development of liberal democracy in Muslim-majority countries. We contribute to this debate by assessing the influence of Islam at the individual and national levels on ethnic, racial, and religious tolerance in 23 countries. Our analyses are based on a set of multilevel models fitted to World Values Survey data and national-level contextual information from various sources. Our findings suggest that people living in Muslim-majority countries tend to be less tolerant than are those living in Western countries. Although a significant part of this difference is attributable to variation in level of economic development and income inequality, Muslim countries remain less tolerant even after controlling for these factors. On the other hand, controlling for other individual-level factors, nonpracticing Muslims in Western countries are more tolerant than are all others in both Muslim-majority and Western countries. This finding challenges common claims about the effects of Islam as a religion on tolerance, suggesting that it is Islamic political regimes--not Islam itself--that pose problems for social tolerance.

KNOW ESSENTIALS: a tool for informed decisions in the absence of formal HTA systems.

PubMed

Mathew, Joseph L

2011-04-01

Most developing countries and resource-limited settings lack robust health technology assessment (HTA) systems. Because the development of locally relevant HTA is not immediately viable, and the extrapolation of external HTA is inappropriate, a new model for evaluating health technologies is required. The aim of this study was to describe the development and application of KNOW ESSENTIALS, a tool facilitating evidence-based decisions on health technologies by stakeholders in settings lacking formal HTA systems. Current HTA methodology was examined through literature search. Additional issues relevant to resource-limited settings, but not adequately addressed in current methodology, were identified through further literature search, appraisal of contextually relevant issues, discussion with healthcare professionals familiar with the local context, and personal experience. A set of thirteen elements important for evidence-based decisions was identified, selected and combined into a tool with the mnemonic KNOW ESSENTIALS. Detailed definitions for each element, coding for the elements, and a system to evaluate a given health technology using the tool were developed. Developing countries and resource-limited settings face several challenges to informed decision making. Models that are relevant and applicable in high-income countries are unlikely in such settings. KNOW ESSENTIALS is an alternative that facilitates evidence-based decision making by stakeholders without formal expertise in HTA. The tool could be particularly useful, as an interim measure, in healthcare systems that are developing HTA capacity. It could also be useful anywhere when rapid evidence-based decisions on health technologies are required.

Opinions of researchers based in the UK on recruiting subjects from developing countries into randomized controlled trials.

PubMed

Newton, Sam K; Appiah-Poku, John

2007-12-01

Explaining technical terms in consent forms prior to seeking informed consent to recruit into trials can be challenging in developing countries, and more so when the studies are randomized controlled trials. This study was carried out to examine the opinions of researchers on ways of dealing with these challenges in developing countries. Recorded in-depth interviews with 12 lecturers and five doctoral students, who had carried out research in developing countries, at a leading school of public health in the United Kingdom. A purposive, snowballing approach was used to identify interviewees. Researchers were divided on the feasibility of explaining technical trials in illiterate populations; the majority of them held the view that local analogies could be used to explain these technical terms. Others were of the opinion that this could not be done since it was too difficult to explain technical trials, such as randomized controlled trials, even to people in developed countries. Researchers acknowledged the difficulty in explaining randomized controlled trials but it was also their perception that this was an important part of the ethics of the work of scientific research involving human subjects. These difficulties notwithstanding, efforts should be made to ensure that subjects have sufficient understanding to consent, taking into account the fact that peculiar situations in developing countries might compound this difficulty.

Potential emissions reduction in road transport sector using biofuel in developing countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liaquat, A. M.; Kalam, M. A.; Masjuki, H. H.; Jayed, M. H.

2010-10-01

Use of biofuels as transport fuel has high prospect in developing countries as most of them are facing severe energy insecurity and have strong agricultural sector to support production of biofuels from energy crops. Rapid urbanization and economic growth of developing countries have spurred air pollution especially in road transport sector. The increasing demand of petroleum based fuels and their combustion in internal combustion (IC) engines have adverse effect on air quality, human health and global warming. Air pollution causes respiratory problems, adverse effects on pulmonary function, leading to increased sickness absenteeism and induces high health care service costs, premature birth and even mortality. Production of biofuels promises substantial improvement in air quality through reducing emission from biofuel operated automotives. Some of the developing countries have started biofuel production and utilization as transport fuel in local market. This paper critically reviews the facts and prospects of biofuel production and utilization in developing countries to reduce environmental pollution and petro dependency. Expansion of biofuel industries in developing countries can create more jobs and increase productivity by non-crop marginal lands and wastelands for energy crops plantation. Contribution of India and China in biofuel industry in production and utilization can dramatically change worldwide biofuel market and leap forward in carbon cut as their automotive market is rapidly increasing with a souring proportional rise of GHG emissions.

Making Nature-based Tourism Contribute to Sustainable Development: A Policy Framework

Treesearch

Jan Laarman; Hans Gregersen

1994-01-01

Revenues from ecotourism or nature-based tourism in 1988 were estimated as one-fourth the total of some $55 billion earned from tourism in developing countries. Ecotourism provides substantial flows of hard currencies to several economies of the developming world.

JPRS Report. Soviet Union: World Economy & International Relations, No. 7, July 1989.

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-11-09

developing countries is based not so much on a national industrial bourgeoisie (which in principle should be the agent of capitalist development...as on the bureaucratic bour- geoisie, which represents the state-capitalist structure (a kind of "surrogate" bourgeoisie ). The socialist tendency...countries of Tropical Africa. The industrial bourgeoisie is financially weak, is not inclined to take risks, lacks authority, and is inexperienced and

Innovative Approaches to Continuous Professional Development (CPD) in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in Europe: Findings from a Comparative Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jensen, Bente; Iannone, Rosa Lisa

2018-01-01

This article explores innovation as an aspect of in-service continuous professional development (CPD) in ECEC. Based on a literature review and a cross-country analysis conducted in ten European countries, we found that innovation in CPD was understood as a way to improving quality in ECEC. CPD no longer solely deals with practitioners' knowledge…

Institutional Responses on Strengthened Intellectual Property Rights in Agriculture and Needs' Assessment on Intellectual Property Management of Public Research Institutions in Asian Developing Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Payumo, Jane; Grimes, Howard

2011-01-01

Intellectual property rights (IPRs) are being introduced or strengthened in developing countries as a result of international agreements such as the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) of the World Trade Organization (WTO). This study conducted a web-based survey to gain perspective on the impact of IPRs to…

2016 RAD-AID Conference on International Radiology for Developing Countries: Gaps, Growth, and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

PubMed

Mollura, Daniel J; Soroosh, Garshasb; Culp, Melissa P

2017-06-01

The 2016 RAD-AID Conference analyzed the accelerated global activity in the radiology community that is transforming medical imaging into an effective spearhead of health care capacity building in low- and middle-income countries. Global health efforts historically emphasized disaster response, crisis zones, and infectious disease outbreaks. However, the projected doubling of cancer and cardiovascular deaths in developing countries in the next 15 years and the need for higher technology screening and diagnostic technologies in low-resource regions, as articulated by the United Nations' new Sustainable Development Goals of 2016, is heightening the role of radiology in global health. Academic US-based radiology programs with RAD-AID chapters achieved a threefold increase in global health project offerings for trainees in the past 5 years. RAD-AID's nonprofit radiology volunteer corps continue to grow by more than 40% yearly, with a volunteer base of 5,750 radiology professionals, serving in 23 countries, donating close to 20,000 pro bono hours globally in 2016. As a high-technology specialty interfacing with nearly all medical and surgical disciplines, radiology underpins vital health technology infrastructure, such as digital imaging archives, electronic medical records, and advanced diagnosis and treatment, essential for long-term future health care capacity in underserved areas of the world. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Innovative Approaches to Increase Access to Medicines in Developing Countries

PubMed Central

Stevens, Hilde; Huys, Isabelle

2017-01-01

Access to essential medicines is problematic for one third of all persons worldwide. The price of many medicines (i.e., drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics) is unaffordable to the majority of the population in need, especially in least-developed countries, but also increasingly in middle-income countries. Several innovative approaches, based on partnerships, intellectual property, and pricing, are used to stimulate innovation, promote healthcare delivery, and reduce global health disparities. No single approach suffices, and therefore stakeholders need to further engage in partnerships promoting knowledge and technology transfer in assuring essential medicines to be manufactured, authorized, and distributed in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in an effort of making them available at affordable and acceptable conditions. PMID:29270407

Individual capacity-building approaches in a global pharmaceutical systems strengthening program: a selected review.

PubMed

Konduri, Niranjan; Rauscher, Megan; Wang, Shiou-Chu Judy; Malpica-Llanos, Tanya

2017-01-01

Medicines use related challenges such as inadequate adherence, high levels of antimicrobial resistance and preventable adverse drug reactions have underscored the need to incorporate pharmaceutical services to help achieve desired treatment outcomes, and protect patients from inappropriate use of medicines. This situation is further constrained by insufficient numbers of pharmaceutical personnel and inappropriate skill mix. Studies have addressed individual capacity building approaches of logistics, supply chain or disease specific interventions but few have documented those involving such pharmacy assistants/professionals, or health workers/professionals charged with improving access and provision of pharmaceutical services. We examined how different training modalities have been employed and adapted to meet country-specific context and needs by a global pharmaceutical systems strengthening program in collaboration with a country's Ministry of Health and local stakeholders. Structured, content analysis of training approaches from twelve selected countries and a survey among conveniently selected trainees in Bangladesh and Ethiopia. Case-based learning, practice and feedback, and repetitive interventions such as post-training action plan, supportive supervision and mentoring approaches are effective, evidence-based training techniques. In Ethiopia and Bangladesh, over 94% of respondents indicated that they have improved or developed skills or competencies as a result of the program's training activities. Supportive supervision structures and mentorship have been institutionalized with appropriate management structures. National authorities have been sensitized to secure funding from domestic resources or from the global fund grants for post-training follow-up initiatives. The Pharmaceutical Leadership Development Program is an effective, case-based training modality that motivates staff to develop quality-improvement interventions and solve specific challenges. Peer-to-peer learning mechanisms than traditional didactic methods was a preferred intervention among high level government officials both within country and between countries. Interventions must involve local institutions in the design and delivery of content for both pre-service and in-service training as well as web-based methods where feasible. Such efforts would meet the changing demand in the pharmaceutical system, and promote the ownership of the human capacity development interventions. The cost-effective partnership with universities demonstrate that competency based pre-service training will prepare the future pharmaceutical workforce with a critical foundation of knowledge and skills required to meet the growing demand for patient-centered pharmaceutical services in resource-constrained countries.

Characterization of urban waste management practices in developing Asian countries: A new analytical framework based on waste characteristics and urban dimension.

PubMed

Aleluia, João; Ferrão, Paulo

2016-12-01

This paper characterizes municipal solid waste (MSW) management practices in developing Asia, with a focus on low and middle-income countries. The analysis that is conducted supports a proposed framework that maps out the trends observed in the region in relation to two parameters, waste compositions and urban dimension, which was prepared based on a set of national and urban case studies. The management of MSW in developing Asian countries is driven, first and foremost, by a public health imperative: the collection and disposal of waste in order to avoid the spread of disease vectors from uncollected waste. This comes, however, at a high cost, with local government authorities in these countries spending up to 50% of their budgets in the provision of these services. Little or no value is derived from waste, which is typically seen as a liability and not as a resource that can be harnessed. On the other hand, in many cities in developing Asia there is an informal sector that ekes out a living from the recovery of recyclable materials found in waste. Members of this "informal waste sector" are especially active in areas that are not served by formal waste collection systems, such as slums or squatter areas. A distinctive element shared among many cities in developing Asian countries concerns the composition of the municipal solid waste. MSW in those countries tends to be richer in biodegradable organic matter, which usually accounts for more than 50% of the total waste composition, suggesting that biological methods are more appropriate for treating this organic fraction. Conversely, thermal combustion technologies, which are extensively applied in high-income countries, are technically and economically challenging to deploy in light of the lower calorific value of waste streams which are rich in organics and moisture. Specific approaches and methods are therefore required for designing adequate waste management systems in developing Asian countries. In addition, despite some common characteristics shared among cities in developing Asia, their specific circumstances can significantly vary, even within the same country, calling for the need for context-specific waste management approaches. Set against this background, this paper proposes a guiding framework in the form of a matrix that maps out approaches observed in the management of municipal solid waste in cities of developing Asian countries as a function of the city dimension, share of organics on waste streams, and wealth generated by the city. The cities of Surabaya (Indonesia), Bangalore (India), Quy Nhon (Viet Nam), and Matale (Sri Lanka) are showcased as good practices in the region in the management of solid waste, with their experiences used to illustrate the framework laid out in the matrix. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

New opportunities offered by Cubesats for space research in Latin America: The SUCHAI project case

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diaz, M. A.; Zagal, J. C.; Falcon, C.; Stepanova, M.; Valdivia, J. A.; Martinez-Ledesma, M.; Diaz-Peña, J.; Jaramillo, F. R.; Romanova, N.; Pacheco, E.; Milla, M.; Orchard, M.; Silva, J.; Mena, F. P.

2016-11-01

During the last decade, a very small-standardized satellite, the Cubesat, emerged as a low-cost fast-development tool for space and technology research. Although its genesis is related to education, the change in paradigm presented by this satellite platform has motivated several countries, institutions, and companies to invest in a variety of technologies, aimed at improving Cubesat capabilities, while lowering costs of space missions. Following that trend, Latin American institutions, mostly universities, has started to develop Cubesat missions. This article describes some of the Latin American projects in this area. In particular, we discuss the achievements and scientific grounds upon which the first Cubesat projects in Chile were based and the implications that those projects have had on pursuing satellite-based research in the country and in collaboration with other countries of the region.

Peculiarities of Professional Training Standards Development and Implementation within Competency-Based Approach: Foreign Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Desyatov, Tymofiy

2015-01-01

The article analyzes the development of competency-based professional training standards and their implementation into educational process in foreign countries. It determines that the main idea of competency-based approach is competency-and-active learning, which aims at complex acquirement of diverse skills and ways of practice activities via…

An international technology platform for influenza vaccines.

PubMed

Hendriks, Jan; Holleman, Marit; de Boer, Otto; de Jong, Patrick; Luytjes, Willem

2011-07-01

Since 2008, the World Health Organization has provided seed grants to 11 manufacturers in low- and middle-income countries to establish or improve their pandemic influenza vaccine production capacity. To facilitate this ambitious project, an influenza vaccine technology platform (or "hub") was established at the Netherlands Vaccine Institute for training and technology transfer to developing countries. During its first two years of operation, a robust and transferable monovalent pilot process for egg-based inactivated whole virus influenza A vaccine production was established under international Good Manufacturing Practice standards, as well as in-process and release assays. A course curriculum was designed, including a two-volume practical handbook on production and quality control. Four generic hands-on training courses were successfully realized for over 40 employees from 15 developing country manufacturers. Planned extensions to the curriculum include cell-culture based technology for viral vaccine production, split virion influenza production, and generic adjuvant formulation. We conclude that technology transfer through the hub model works well, significantly builds vaccine manufacturing capacity in developing countries, and thereby increases global and equitable access to vaccines of high public health relevance. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Learning experiences in population education: proposed guidelines and core messages.

PubMed

1984-01-01

As a result of the 1984 Regional Workshop for the Development of Packages of Adequate Learning Requirements in Population Education, the participants tackled the problem of non-institutionalization of population education into the formal and non-formal educational curricula in their countries. Based on their deliberations, several sets of guidelines and core messages were formulated to provide countries with a more definite direction that will hopefully ensure the functional and effective integration of population education in their respective national school and out-of-school curriculum system. Useful packages of learning materials in population education should help realize the country's population policy and goals within the broader framework of socioeconomic development, and the content of the package should comprehensively cover the core messages of the country's Population Information, Education and Communication (IEC) Program. The population knowledge base of the package should be accurate and relevant; the package should provide for graphic and visual presentation and for assessment of effects on the target groups. Proposed core messages in population education discuss the advantages of small family size and delayed marriage, and aspects of responsible parenthood. Other messages discuss population resource development and population-related beliefs and values.

Biomedical laboratory science education: standardising teaching content in resource-limited countries.

PubMed

Arneson, Wendy; Robinson, Cathy; Nyary, Bryan

2013-01-01

There is a worldwide shortage of qualified laboratory personnel to provide adequate testing for the detection and monitoring of diseases. In an effort to increase laboratory capacity in developing countries, new skills have been introduced into laboratory services. Curriculum revision with a focus on good laboratory practice is an important aspect of supplying entry-level graduates with the competencies needed to meet the current needs. Gaps in application and problem-solving competencies of newly graduated laboratory personnel were discovered in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Kenya. New medical laboratory teaching content was developed in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Kenya using national instructors, tutors, and experts and consulting medical laboratory educators from the United States of America (USA). Workshops were held in Ethiopia to create standardised biomedical laboratory science (BMLS) lessons based on recently-revised course objectives with an emphasis on application of skills. In Tanzania, course-module teaching guides with objectives were developed based on established competency outcomes and tasks. In Kenya, example interactive presentations and lesson plans were developed by the USA medical laboratory educators prior to the workshop to serve as resources and templates for the development of lessons within the country itself. The new teaching materials were implemented and faculty, students and other stakeholders reported successful outcomes. These approaches to updating curricula may be helpful as biomedical laboratory schools in other countries address gaps in the competencies of entry-level graduates.

Principles and Framework for eHealth Strategy Development

PubMed Central

Mars, Maurice

2013-01-01

Significant investment in eHealth solutions is being made in nearly every country of the world. How do we know that these investments and the foregone opportunity costs are the correct ones? Absent, poor, or vague eHealth strategy is a significant barrier to effective investment in, and implementation of, sustainable eHealth solutions and establishment of an eHealth favorable policy environment. Strategy is the driving force, the first essential ingredient, that can place countries in charge of their own eHealth destiny and inform them of the policy necessary to achieve it. In the last 2 years, there has been renewed interest in eHealth strategy from the World Health Organization (WHO), International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the African Union, and the Commonwealth; yet overall, the literature lacks clear guidance to inform countries why and how to develop their own complementary but locally specific eHealth strategy. To address this gap, this paper further develops an eHealth Strategy Development Framework, basing it upon a conceptual framework and relevant theories of strategy and complex system analysis available from the literature. We present here the rationale, theories, and final eHealth strategy development framework by which a systematic and methodical approach can be applied by institutions, subnational regions, and countries to create holistic, needs- and evidence-based, and defensible eHealth strategy and to ensure wise investment in eHealth. PMID:23900066

Principles and framework for eHealth strategy development.

PubMed

Scott, Richard E; Mars, Maurice

2013-07-30

Significant investment in eHealth solutions is being made in nearly every country of the world. How do we know that these investments and the foregone opportunity costs are the correct ones? Absent, poor, or vague eHealth strategy is a significant barrier to effective investment in, and implementation of, sustainable eHealth solutions and establishment of an eHealth favorable policy environment. Strategy is the driving force, the first essential ingredient, that can place countries in charge of their own eHealth destiny and inform them of the policy necessary to achieve it. In the last 2 years, there has been renewed interest in eHealth strategy from the World Health Organization (WHO), International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the African Union, and the Commonwealth; yet overall, the literature lacks clear guidance to inform countries why and how to develop their own complementary but locally specific eHealth strategy. To address this gap, this paper further develops an eHealth Strategy Development Framework, basing it upon a conceptual framework and relevant theories of strategy and complex system analysis available from the literature. We present here the rationale, theories, and final eHealth strategy development framework by which a systematic and methodical approach can be applied by institutions, subnational regions, and countries to create holistic, needs- and evidence-based, and defensible eHealth strategy and to ensure wise investment in eHealth.

Development of Entry-Level Competence Tests: A Strategy for Evaluation of Vocational Education Training Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schutte, Marc; Spottl, Georg

2011-01-01

Developing countries such as Malaysia and Oman have recently established occupational standards based on core work processes (functional clusters of work objects, activities and performance requirements), to which competencies (performance determinants) can be linked. While the development of work-process-based occupational standards is supposed…

How Do Countries' Health Information Systems Perform in Assessing Asylum Seekers' Health Situation? Developing a Health Information Assessment Tool on Asylum Seekers (HIATUS) and Piloting It in Two European Countries.

PubMed

Bozorgmehr, Kayvan; Goosen, Simone; Mohsenpour, Amir; Kuehne, Anna; Razum, Oliver; Kunst, Anton E

2017-08-08

Background: Accurate data on the health status, health behaviour and access to health care of asylum seekers is essential, but such data is lacking in many European countries. We hence aimed to: (a) develop and pilot-test an instrument that can be used to compare and benchmark the country health information systems (HIS) with respect to the ability to assess the health status and health care situation of asylum seekers and (b) present the results of that pilot for The Netherlands (NL) and Germany (DE). Materials and Methods : Reviewing and adapting existing tools, we developed a Health Information Assessment Tool on Asylum Seekers (HIATUS) with 50 items to assess HIS performance across three dimensions: (1) availability and detail of data across potential data sources; (2) HIS resources and monitoring capacity; (3) general coverage and timeliness of publications on selected indicators. We piloted HIATUS by applying the tool to the HIS in DE and NL. Two raters per country independently assessed the performance of country HIS and the inter-rater reliability was analysed by Pearson's rho and the intra-class correlation (ICC). We then applied a consensus-based group rating to obtain the final ratings which were transformed into a weighted summary score (range: 0-97). We assessed HIS performance by calculating total and domain-specific HIATUS scores by country as well as absolute and relative gaps in scores within and between countries. Results : In the independent rating, Pearson's rho was 0.14 (NL) and 0.30 (DE), the ICC yielded an estimated reliability of 0.29 (NL) and 0.83 (DE) respectively. In the final consensus-based rating, the total HIATUS score was 47 in NL and 15 in DE, translating into a relative gap in HIS capacity of 52% (NL) and 85% (DE) respectively. Shortfalls in HIS capacity in both countries relate to the areas of HIS coordination, planning and policies, and to limited coverage of specific indicators such as self-reported health, mental health, socio-economic status and health behaviour. The relative gap in the HIATUS component "data sources and availability" was much higher in Germany (92%) than in NL (28%). Conclusions : The standardised tool (HIATUS) proved useful for assessment of country HIS performance in two countries by consensus-based rating. HIATUS revealed substantial limitations in HIS capacity to assess the health situation of asylum seekers in both countries. The tool allowed for between-country comparisons, revealing that capacities were lower in DE relative to NL. Monitoring and benchmarking gaps in HIS capacity in further European countries can help to strengthen HIS in the future.

Global atmospheric emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from 1960 to 2008 and future predictions.

PubMed

Shen, Huizhong; Huang, Ye; Wang, Rong; Zhu, Dan; Li, Wei; Shen, Guofeng; Wang, Bin; Zhang, Yanyan; Chen, Yuanchen; Lu, Yan; Chen, Han; Li, Tongchao; Sun, Kang; Li, Bengang; Liu, Wenxin; Liu, Junfeng; Tao, Shu

2013-06-18

Global atmospheric emissions of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from 69 major sources were estimated for a period from 1960 to 2030. Regression models and a technology split method were used to estimate country and time specific emission factors, resulting in a new estimate of PAH emission factor variation among different countries and over time. PAH emissions in 2007 were spatially resolved to 0.1° × 0.1° grids based on a newly developed global high-resolution fuel combustion inventory (PKU-FUEL-2007). The global total annual atmospheric emission of 16 PAHs in 2007 was 504 Gg (331-818 Gg, as interquartile range), with residential/commercial biomass burning (60.5%), open-field biomass burning (agricultural waste burning, deforestation, and wildfire, 13.6%), and petroleum consumption by on-road motor vehicles (12.8%) as the major sources. South (87 Gg), East (111 Gg), and Southeast Asia (52 Gg) were the regions with the highest PAH emission densities, contributing half of the global total PAH emissions. Among the global total PAH emissions, 6.19% of the emissions were in the form of high molecular weight carcinogenic compounds and the percentage of the carcinogenic PAHs was higher in developing countries (6.22%) than in developed countries (5.73%), due to the differences in energy structures and the disparities of technology. The potential health impact of the PAH emissions was greatest in the parts of the world with high anthropogenic PAH emissions, because of the overlap of the high emissions and high population densities. Global total PAH emissions peaked at 592 Gg in 1995 and declined gradually to 499 Gg in 2008. Total PAH emissions from developed countries peaked at 122 Gg in the early 1970s and decreased to 38 Gg in 2008. Simulation of PAH emissions from 2009 to 2030 revealed that PAH emissions in developed and developing countries would decrease by 46-71% and 48-64%, respectively, based on the six IPCC SRES scenarios.

Global atmospheric emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from 1960 to 2008 and future predictions

PubMed Central

Shen, Huizhong; Huang, Ye; Wang, Rong; Zhu, Dan; Li, Wei; Shen, Guofeng; Wang, Bin; Zhang, Yanyan; Chen, Yuanchen; Lu, Yan; Chen, Han; Li, Tongchao; Sun, Kang; Li, Bengang; Liu, Wenxin; Liu, Junfeng; Tao, Shu

2013-01-01

Global atmospheric emissions of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from 69 major sources were estimated for a period from 1960 to 2030. Regression models and a technology split method were used to estimate country and time specific emission factors, resulting in a new estimate of PAH emission factor variation among different countries and over time. PAH emissions in 2007 were spatially resolved to 0.1°× 0.1° grids based on a newly developed global high-resolution fuel combustion inventory (PKU-FUEL-2007). The global total annual atmospheric emission of 16 PAHs in 2007 was 504 Gg (331-818 Gg, as interquartile range), with residential/commercial biomass burning (60.5%), open-field biomass burning (agricultural waste burning, deforestation, and wildfire, 13.6%), and petroleum consumption by on-road motor vehicles (12.8%) as the major sources. South (87 Gg), East (111 Gg), and Southeast Asia (52 Gg) were the regions with the highest PAH emission densities, contributing half of the global total PAH emissions. Among the global total PAH emissions, 6.19% of the emissions were in the form of high molecular weight carcinogenic compounds and the percentage of the carcinogenic PAHs was higher in developing countries (6.22%) than in developed countries (5.73%), due to the differences in energy structures and the disparities of technology. The potential health impact of the PAH emissions was greatest in the parts of the world with high anthropogenic PAH emissions, because of the overlap of the high emissions and high population densities. Global total PAH emissions peaked at 592 Gg in 1995 and declined gradually to 499 Gg in 2008. Total PAH emissions from developed countries peaked at 122 Gg in the early 1970s and decreased to 38 Gg in 2008. Simulation of PAH emissions from 2009 to 2030 revealed that PAH emissions in developed and developing countries would decrease by 46-71% and 48-64%, respectively, based on the six IPCC SRES scenarios. PMID:23659377

Socio-Economic and Health Access Determinants of Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening in Low-Income Countries: Analysis of the World Health Survey

PubMed Central

Akinyemiju, Tomi F.

2012-01-01

Background Breast and Cervical cancer are the two most common cancers among women in developing countries. Regular screening is the most effective way of ensuring that these cancers are detected at early stages; however few studies have assessed factors that predict cancer screening in developing countries. Purpose To assess the influence of household socio-economic status (SES), healthcare access and country level characteristics on breast and cervical cancer screening among women in developing countries. Methods Women ages 18–69 years (cervical cancer screening) and 40–69 years (breast cancer screening) from 15 developing countries who participated in the 2003 World Health Survey provided data for this study. Household SES and healthcare access was assessed based on self-reported survey responses. SAS survey procedures (SAS, Version 9.2) were used to assess determinants of breast and cervical cancer screening in separate models. Results 4.1% of women ages 18–69 years had received cervical cancer screening in the past three years, while only 2.2% of women ages 40–69 years had received breast cancer screening in the past 5 years in developing countries. Cancer screening rates varied by country; cervical cancer screening ranged from 1.1% in Bangladesh to 57.6% in Congo and breast cancer screening ranged from 0% in Mali to 26% in Congo. Significant determinants of cancer screening were household SES, rural residence, country health expenditure (as a percent of GDP) as well as healthcare access. Discussion A lot more needs to be done to improve screening rates for breast and cervical cancer in developing countries, such as increasing health expenditure (especially in rural areas), applying the increased funds towards the provision of more, better educated health providers as well as improved infrastructure. PMID:23155413

Attention to Local Health Burden and the Global Disparity of Health Research

PubMed Central

Evans, James A.; Shim, Jae-Mahn; Ioannidis, John P. A.

2014-01-01

Most studies on global health inequality consider unequal health care and socio-economic conditions but neglect inequality in the production of health knowledge relevant to addressing disease burden. We demonstrate this inequality and identify likely causes. Using disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for 111 prominent medical conditions, assessed globally and nationally by the World Health Organization, we linked DALYs with MEDLINE articles for each condition to assess the influence of DALY-based global disease burden, compared to the global market for treatment, on the production of relevant MEDLINE articles, systematic reviews, clinical trials and research using animal models vs. humans. We then explored how DALYs, wealth, and the production of research within countries correlate with this global pattern. We show that global DALYs for each condition had a small, significant negative relationship with the production of each type of MEDLINE articles for that condition. Local processes of health research appear to be behind this. Clinical trials and animal studies but not systematic reviews produced within countries were strongly guided by local DALYs. More and less developed countries had very different disease profiles and rich countries publish much more than poor countries. Accordingly, conditions common to developed countries garnered more clinical research than those common to less developed countries. Many of the health needs in less developed countries do not attract attention among developed country researchers who produce the vast majority of global health knowledge—including clinical trials—in response to their own local needs. This raises concern about the amount of knowledge relevant to poor populations deficient in their own research infrastructure. We recommend measures to address this critical dimension of global health inequality. PMID:24691431

Attention to local health burden and the global disparity of health research.

PubMed

Evans, James A; Shim, Jae-Mahn; Ioannidis, John P A

2014-01-01

Most studies on global health inequality consider unequal health care and socio-economic conditions but neglect inequality in the production of health knowledge relevant to addressing disease burden. We demonstrate this inequality and identify likely causes. Using disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for 111 prominent medical conditions, assessed globally and nationally by the World Health Organization, we linked DALYs with MEDLINE articles for each condition to assess the influence of DALY-based global disease burden, compared to the global market for treatment, on the production of relevant MEDLINE articles, systematic reviews, clinical trials and research using animal models vs. humans. We then explored how DALYs, wealth, and the production of research within countries correlate with this global pattern. We show that global DALYs for each condition had a small, significant negative relationship with the production of each type of MEDLINE articles for that condition. Local processes of health research appear to be behind this. Clinical trials and animal studies but not systematic reviews produced within countries were strongly guided by local DALYs. More and less developed countries had very different disease profiles and rich countries publish much more than poor countries. Accordingly, conditions common to developed countries garnered more clinical research than those common to less developed countries. Many of the health needs in less developed countries do not attract attention among developed country researchers who produce the vast majority of global health knowledge--including clinical trials--in response to their own local needs. This raises concern about the amount of knowledge relevant to poor populations deficient in their own research infrastructure. We recommend measures to address this critical dimension of global health inequality.

Substance Abuse Disorders Treatment in El Salvador: Analysis of Policy-Making-Related Failure

PubMed Central

Dickson-Gómez, Julia

2016-01-01

Illicit drug use and substance abuse disorders have increased dramatically in developing countries during recent decades. Sadly, treatment for people diagnosed as manifesting and/or attributed with substance abuse disorders in developing countries is usually inadequate to meet demand, not evidence based, and of poor quality. In response, international health organizations have developed best-practice guidelines for substance user treatment in developing countries, although little research has evaluated their implementation. This opinion piece will examine one such effort to improve substance user treatment in El Salvador. It will be argued that the program failed (2007–2008) because of a lack of political will by the Salvadoran government through their Ministry of Health to effectively supervise, monitor, and subsidize substance user treatment. PMID:23186469

The Pedagogy of Education Policy Formulation: Working from Policy Assets

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sack, Richard; Marope, Mmantsetsa

2007-01-01

This article explores a "pedagogical" approach to education policy formulation in developing countries. This constitutes a process that shows promise in promoting the "ownership" necessary for sustainable policies and programs, especially when they rely on external financing. Based on case studies from 26 countries focused on "what works," the…

The Cultural Construction of Child Development: Creating Institutional and Cultural Intersubjectivity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fleer, Marilyn

2006-01-01

Since its inception in the early nineteenth century, early childhood education has moved beyond European communities and become institutionalized in countries such as Australian, India, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore. At the same time, many European countries have experienced migration, and now have broadly based culturally and linguistically…

Cultivating College Students' National Culture Identity Based on English Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yuan, Yang; Fang, Lu

2016-01-01

Our country is a multi-ethnic country with plentiful national culture achievements, and the development of the national culture shows a trend of diversity, so cultural identity construction is particularly important. Article analyzes the concept of national identity, the relation between cultural identity and ethnic identity, the present situation…

Latin American space activities based on different infrastructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gall, Ruth

The paper deals with recent basic space research and space applications in several Latin-American countries. It links space activities with national scientific and institutional infrastructures and stresses the importance of interdisciplinary space programs, that can play a major role in the developing countries achievement of self reliance in space matters.

Your Country 1 & 2!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kohnke, Lucas

2011-01-01

This article describes two lesson plans based on the theme: "Your Country," developed using Gilly Salmon's 5 step model in creating e-tivities. The lesson plan model contains five steps that include: (1) Access and motivation where learners will gain experience in using technology, relevant and authentic tasks which will provide explicit…

Poverty Alleviation: Insights and Strategies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharma, Motilal

The development theory for progress in the countries of the Third World must be based on the aspirations of the common people; the majority poor. The poor cannot simply be provided with resources; they must also be psychologically, socially, and economically empowered. The most important conflict in poor countries is between urban and rural…

The biotech equipment and supplies sector in Europe-is it European?

PubMed

Reiss, Thomas; Woerner, Stefan

2002-09-11

Socio-economic research on biotechnology is dealing mainly with the sectors of biopharmaceuticals, agro-food or environmental technologies. In contrast, the equipment and supplies sector seems to be largely ignored. This is surprising because this sector provides important input in terms of technology and material for the development of biotechnology in general. Our comparative analysis of the sector in eight countries indicates that there exists no specific science base for the sector and that it is largely neglected by public research funding. Commercial activities are concentrated in countries with a large general science base in biotechnology and strong multinational pharmaceutical or chemical companies. There is a rather broad diversity in the way the sector has developed in the eight countries. Our data support the notion that national peculiarities seem dominant for explaining this picture. We anticipate growing business opportunities for European firms to step into large markets of equipment and supplies for functional genomics and protein analyses where Europe maintains a strong science base.

Dominance and leadership in research activities: Collaboration between countries of differing human development is reflected through authorship order and designation as corresponding authors in scientific publications

PubMed Central

Park, Jinseo; Huamaní, Charles; Ramos, José M.

2017-01-01

Introduction Scientific collaboration is an important mechanism that enables the integration of the least developed countries into research activities. In the present study, we use the order of author signatures and addresses for correspondence in scientific publications as variables to analyze the interactions between countries of very high (VHHD), high (HHD), medium (MHD), and low human development (LHD). Methodology We identified all documents published between 2011 and 2015 in journals included in the Science Citation Index-Expanded categories’ of Tropical Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Parasitology, and Pediatrics. We then classified the countries participating in the publications according to their Human Development Index (HDI), analyzing the international collaboration; positioning and influence of some countries over others in cooperative networks; their leadership; and the impact of the work based on the HDI and the type of collaboration. Results We observed a high degree of international collaboration in all the areas analyzed, in the case of both LHD and MHD countries. We identified numerous cooperative links between VHHD countries and MHD/LHD countries, reflecting the fact that cooperative links are an important mechanism for integrating research activities into the latter. The countries with large emerging economies, such as Brazil and China stand out due to the dominance they exert in the collaborations established with the United States, the UK, and other European countries. The analysis of the leadership role of the countries, measured by the frequency of lead authorships, shows limited participation by MHD/LHD countries. This reduced participation among less developed countries is further accentuated by their limited presence in the addresses for correspondence. We observed significant statistical differences in the degree of citation according to the HDI of the participating countries. Conclusions The order of signatures and the address for correspondence in scientific publications are bibliographic characteristics that facilitate a precise, in-depth analysis of cooperative practices and their associations with concepts like dominance or leadership. This is useful to monitor the existing balance in research participation in health research publications. PMID:28792519

Cultural adaptation process for international dissemination of the strengthening families program.

PubMed

Kumpfer, Karol L; Pinyuchon, Methinin; Teixeira de Melo, Ana; Whiteside, Henry O

2008-06-01

The Strengthening Families Program (SFP) is an evidence-based family skills training intervention developed and found efficacious for substance abuse prevention by U.S researchers in the 1980s. In the 1990s, a cultural adaptation process was developed to transport SFP for effectiveness trials with diverse populations (African, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Native American). Since 2003, SFP has been culturally adapted for use in 17 countries. This article reviews the SFP theory and research and a recommended cultural adaptation process. Challenges in international dissemination of evidence-based programs (EBPs) are discussed based on the results of U.N. and U.S. governmental initiatives to transport EBP family interventions to developing countries. The technology transfer and quality assurance system are described, including the language translation and cultural adaptation process for materials development, staff training, and on-site and online Web-based supervision and technical assistance and evaluation services to assure quality implementation and process evaluation feedback for improvements.

Quantitative Effectiveness Analysis of Solar Photovoltaic Policies, Introduction of Socio-Feed-in Tariff Mechanism (SocioFIT) and its Implementation in Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mustafaoglu, Mustafa Sinan

Some of the main energy issues in developing countries are high dependence on non-renewable energy sources, low energy efficiency levels and as a result of this high amount of CO2 emissions. Besides, a common problem of many countries including developing countries is economic inequality problem. In the study, solar photovoltaic policies of Germany, Japan and the USA is analyzed through a quantitative analysis and a new renewable energy support mechanism called Socio Feed-in Tariff Mechanism (SocioFIT) is formed based on the analysis results to address the mentioned issues of developing countries as well as economic inequality problem by using energy savings as a funding source for renewable energy systems. The applicability of the mechanism is solidified by the calculations in case of an implementation of the mechanism in Turkey.

Recombinase polymerase amplification: Emergence as a critical molecular technology for rapid, low-resource diagnostics.

PubMed

James, Ameh; Macdonald, Joanne

2015-01-01

Isothermal molecular diagnostics are bridging the technology gap between traditional diagnostics and polymerase chain reaction-based methods. These new techniques enable timely and accurate testing, especially in settings where there is a lack of infrastructure to support polymerase chain reaction facilities. Despite this, there is a significant lack of uptake of these technologies in developing countries where they are highly needed. Among these novel isothermal technologies, recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) holds particular potential for use in developing countries. This rapid nucleic acid amplification approach is fast, highly sensitive and specific, and amenable to countries with a high burden of infectious diseases. Implementation of RPA technology in developing countries is critically required to assess limitations and potentials of the diagnosis of infectious disease, and may help identify impediments that prevent adoption of new molecular technologies in low resource- and low skill settings. This review focuses on approaching diagnosis of infectious disease with RPA.

Implementation of lung cancer CT screening in the Nordic countries.

PubMed

Pedersen, Jesper Holst; Sørensen, Jens Benn; Saghir, Zaigham; Fløtten, Øystein; Brustugun, Odd Terje; Ashraf, Haseem; Strand, Trond-Eirik; Friesland, Signe; Koyi, Hirsh; Ek, Lars; Nyrén, Sven; Bergman, Per; Jekunen, Antti; Nieminen, Eeva-Maija; Gudbjartsson, Tomas

2017-10-01

We review the current knowledge of CT screening for lung cancer and present an expert-based, joint protocol for the proper implementation of screening in the Nordic countries. Experts representing all the Nordic countries performed literature review and concensus for a joint protocol for lung cancer screening. Areas of concern and caution are presented and discussed. We suggest to perform CT screening pilot studies in the Nordic countries in order to gain experience and develop specific and safe protocols for the implementation of such a program.

Human rights conflicts experienced by nurses migrating between developed countries.

PubMed

Palese, Alvisa; Dobrowolska, Beata; Squin, Anna; Lupieri, Giulia; Bulfone, Giampiera; Vecchiato, Sara

2017-11-01

Some developed countries have recently changed their role in the context of international recruitment, becoming donors due to socio-economical and political factors such as recessions. This is also the case in Italy, where there has been a flow of immigrant nurses out of the country that has been documented over the past several years. In a short time, it has become a donor country to other developed European countries, such as the United Kingdom. To advance knowledge in the context of human rights conflicts and ethical implications of the decision-making process of nurses who migrate between developed countries, such as from Italy to the United Kingdom, during times of recession. A case study based on the descriptive phenomenological approach was undertaken in 2014. Participants and research context: A total of 26 Italian newly graduated nurses finding a job in the United Kingdom were interviewed via Skype and telephone. Ethical considerations: The Internal Review Board of the University approved the project. In accordance with the descriptive phenomenological approach undertaken, three main themes emerged: (1) escaping from the feeling of being refused/rejected in order to be desired, (2) perceiving themselves respected, as a person and as a nurse, in a growth project and (3) returning if the country changes its strategy regarding nurses. Ethical implications in the context of human rights, such as autonomy of the decision, social justice and reciprocal obligation, non-maleficence and double effect, have been discussed. The call for investing in nurses and nurses' care in developed countries facing recession is urgent. Investing in nurses means respecting individuals and citizens who are at risk of developing health problems during the recession.

Trends in global approvals of biotech crops (1992–2014)

PubMed Central

Aldemita, Rhodora R; Reaño, Ian Mari E; Solis, Renando O; Hautea, Randy A

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT With the increasing number of genetically modified (GM) events, traits, and crops that are developed to benefit the global population, approval of these technologies for food, feed, cultivation and import in each country may vary depending on needs, demand and trade interest. ISAAA established a GMO Approval Database to document global approvals of biotech crops. GM event name, crops, traits, developer, year of approval for cultivation, food/feed, import, and relevant dossiers were sourced from credible government regulatory websites and biosafety clearinghouses. This paper investigates the trends in GM approvals for food, feed and cultivation based on the number of approving countries, GM crops, events, and traits in the last 23 y (1992–2014), rationale for approval, factors influencing approvals, and their implications in GM crop adoption. Results show that in 2014, there was an accumulative increase in the number of countries granting approvals at 29 (79% developing countries) for commercial cultivation and 31 (70% developing countries) for food and 19 (80% developing developing) for feed; 2012 had the highest number of approving countries and cultivation approvals; 2011 had the highest number of country approvals for feed, and 2014 for food approvals. Herbicide tolerance trait had the highest events approved, followed by insect tolerance traits. Approvals for food product quality increased in the second decade. Maize had the highest number of events approved (single and stacked traits), and stacked traits product gradually increased which is already 30% of the total trait approvals. These results may indicate understanding and acceptance of countries to enhance regulatory capability to be able to benefit from GM crop commercialization. Hence, the paper provided information on the trends on the growth of the GM crop industry in the last 23 y which may be vital in predicting future GM crops and traits. PMID:26039675

Trends in global approvals of biotech crops (1992-2014).

PubMed

Aldemita, Rhodora R; Reaño, Ian Mari E; Solis, Renando O; Hautea, Randy A

2015-01-01

With the increasing number of genetically modified (GM) events, traits, and crops that are developed to benefit the global population, approval of these technologies for food, feed, cultivation and import in each country may vary depending on needs, demand and trade interest. ISAAA established a GMO Approval Database to document global approvals of biotech crops. GM event name, crops, traits, developer, year of approval for cultivation, food/feed, import, and relevant dossiers were sourced from credible government regulatory websites and biosafety clearinghouses. This paper investigates the trends in GM approvals for food, feed and cultivation based on the number of approving countries, GM crops, events, and traits in the last 23 y (1992-2014), rationale for approval, factors influencing approvals, and their implications in GM crop adoption. Results show that in 2014, there was an accumulative increase in the number of countries granting approvals at 29 (79% developing countries) for commercial cultivation and 31 (70% developing countries) for food and 19 (80% developing developing) for feed; 2012 had the highest number of approving countries and cultivation approvals; 2011 had the highest number of country approvals for feed, and 2014 for food approvals. Herbicide tolerance trait had the highest events approved, followed by insect tolerance traits. Approvals for food product quality increased in the second decade. Maize had the highest number of events approved (single and stacked traits), and stacked traits product gradually increased which is already 30% of the total trait approvals. These results may indicate understanding and acceptance of countries to enhance regulatory capability to be able to benefit from GM crop commercialization. Hence, the paper provided information on the trends on the growth of the GM crop industry in the last 23 y which may be vital in predicting future GM crops and traits.

Multi-disciplinary assessments of climate change impacts on agriculture to support adaptation decision making in developing countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujisawa, Mariko; Kanamaru, Hideki

2016-04-01

Many existing climate change impact studies, carried out by academic researchers, are disconnected from decision making processes of stakeholders. On the other hand many climate change adaptation projects in developing countries lack a solid evidence base of current and future climate impacts as well as vulnerabilities assessment at different scales. In order to fill this information gap, FAO has developed and implemented a tool "MOSAICC (Modelling System for Agricultural Impacts of Climate Change)" in several developing countries such as Morocco, the Philippines and Peru, and recently in Malawi and Zambia. MOSAICC employs a multi-disciplinary assessment approach to addressing climate change impacts and adaptation planning in the agriculture and food security sectors, and integrates five components from different academic disciplines: 1. Statistical downscaling of climate change projections, 2. Yield simulation of major crops at regional scale under climate change, 3. Surface hydrology simulation model, 4. Macroeconomic model, and 5. Forestry model. Furthermore MOSAICC has been developed as a capacity development tool for the national scientists so that they can conduct the country assessment themselves, using their own data, and reflect the outcome into the national adaptation policies. The outputs are nation-wide coverage, disaggregated at sub-national level to support strategic planning, investments and decisions by national policy makers. MOSAICC is designed in such a way to promote stakeholders' participation and strengthen technical capacities in developing countries. The paper presents MOSAICC and projects that used MOSAICC as a tool with case studies from countries.

SLIPTA e-Tool improves laboratory audit process in Vietnam and Cambodia

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Thuong T.; McKinney, Barbara; Pierson, Antoine; Luong, Khue N.; Hoang, Quynh T.; Meharwal, Sandeep; Carvalho, Humberto M.; Nguyen, Cuong Q.; Nguyen, Kim T.

2014-01-01

Background The Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA) checklist is used worldwide to drive quality improvement in laboratories in developing countries and to assess the effectiveness of interventions such as the Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA) programme. However, the paper-based format of the checklist makes administration cumbersome and limits timely analysis and communication of results. Development of e-Tool In early 2012, the SLMTA team in Vietnam developed an electronic SLIPTA checklist tool. The e-Tool was pilot tested in Vietnam in mid-2012 and revised. It was used during SLMTA implementation in Vietnam and Cambodia in 2012 and 2013 and further revised based on auditors’ feedback about usability. Outcomes The SLIPTA e-Tool enabled rapid turn-around of audit results, reduced workload and language barriers and facilitated analysis of national results. Benefits of the e-Tool will be magnified with in-country scale-up of laboratory quality improvement efforts and potential expansion to other countries. PMID:29043190

Cross-country analysis of strategies for achieving progress towards global goals for women's and children's health.

PubMed

Ahmed, Syed Masud; Rawal, Lal B; Chowdhury, Sadia A; Murray, John; Arscott-Mills, Sharon; Jack, Susan; Hinton, Rachael; Alam, Prima M; Kuruvilla, Shyama

2016-05-01

To identify how 10 low- and middle-income countries achieved accelerated progress, ahead of comparable countries, towards meeting millennium development goals 4 and 5A to reduce child and maternal mortality. We synthesized findings from multistakeholder dialogues and country policy reports conducted previously for the Success Factors studies in 10 countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Nepal, Peru, Rwanda and Viet Nam. A framework approach was used to analyse and synthesize the data from the country reports, resulting in descriptive or explanatory conclusions by theme. Successful policy and programme approaches were categorized in four strategic areas: leadership and multistakeholder partnerships; health sector; sectors outside health; and accountability for resources and results. Consistent and coordinated inputs across sectors, based on high-impact interventions, were assessed. Within the health sector, key policy and programme strategies included defining standards, collecting and using data, improving financial protection, and improving the availability and quality of services. Outside the health sector, strategies included investing in girls' education, water, sanitation and hygiene, poverty reduction, nutrition and food security, and infrastructure development. Countries improved accountability by strengthening and using data systems for planning and evaluating progress. Reducing maternal and child mortality in the 10 fast-track countries can be linked to consistent and coordinated policy and programme inputs across health and other sectors. The approaches used by successful countries have relevance to other countries looking to scale-up or accelerate progress towards the sustainable development goals.

Provider payment in community-based health insurance schemes in developing countries: a systematic review

PubMed Central

Robyn, Paul Jacob; Sauerborn, Rainer; Bärnighausen, Till

2013-01-01

Objectives Community-based health insurance (CBI) is a common mechanism to generate financial resources for health care in developing countries. We review for the first time provider payment methods used in CBI in developing countries and their impact on CBI performance. Methods We conducted a systematic review of the literature on provider payment methods used by CBI in developing countries published up to January 2010. Results Information on provider payment was available for a total of 32 CBI schemes in 34 reviewed publications: 17 schemes in South Asia, 10 in sub-Saharan Africa, 4 in East Asia and 1 in Latin America. Various types of provider payment were applied by the CBI schemes: 17 used fee-for-service, 12 used salaries, 9 applied a coverage ceiling, 7 used capitation and 6 applied a co-insurance. The evidence suggests that provider payment impacts CBI performance through provider participation and support for CBI, population enrolment and patient satisfaction with CBI, quantity and quality of services provided and provider and patient retention. Lack of provider participation in designing and choosing a CBI payment method can lead to reduced provider support for the scheme. Conclusion CBI schemes in developing countries have used a wide range of provider payment methods. The existing evidence suggests that payment methods are a key determinant of CBI performance and sustainability, but the strength of this evidence is limited since it is largely based on observational studies rather than on trials or on quasi-experimental research. According to the evidence, provider payment can affect provider participation, satisfaction and retention in CBI; the quantity and quality of services provided to CBI patients; patient demand of CBI services; and population enrollment, risk pooling and financial sustainability of CBI. CBI schemes should carefully consider how their current payment methods influence their performance, how changes in the methods could improve performance, and how such effects could be assessed with scientific rigour to increase the strength of evidence on this topic. PMID:22522770

Maximum Regional Emission Reduction Potential in Residential Sector Based on Spatial Distribution of Population and Resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winijkul, E.; Bond, T. C.

2011-12-01

In the residential sector, major activities that generate emissions are cooking and heating, and fuels ranging from traditional (wood) to modern (natural gas, or electricity) are used. Direct air pollutant emissions from this sector are low when natural gas or electricity are the dominant energy sources, as is the case in developed countries. However, in developing countries, people may rely on solid fuels and this sector can contribute a large fraction of emissions. The magnitude of the health loss associated with exposure to indoor smoke as well as its concentration among rural population in developing countries have recently put preventive measures high on the agenda of international development and public health organizations. This study focuses on these developing regions: Central America, Africa, and Asia. Current and future emissions from the residential sector depend on both fuel and cooking device (stove) type. Availability of fuels, stoves, and interventions depends strongly on spatial distribution. However, regional emission calculations do not consider this spatial dependence. Fuel consumption data is presented at country level, without information about where different types of fuel are used. Moreover, information about stove types that are currently used and can be used in the future is not available. In this study, we first spatially allocate current emissions within residential sector. We use Geographic Information System maps of temperature, electricity availability, forest area, and population to determine the distribution of fuel types and availability of stoves. Within each country, consumption of different fuel types, such as fuelwood, coal, and LPG is distributed among different area types (urban, peri-urban, and rural area). Then, the cleanest stove technologies which could be used in the area are selected based on the constraints of each area, i.e. availability of resources. Using this map, the maximum emission reduction compared with current emission in residential sector can be estimated, based on the cleanest plausible fuels and stove availability.

Provider payment in community-based health insurance schemes in developing countries: a systematic review.

PubMed

Robyn, Paul Jacob; Sauerborn, Rainer; Bärnighausen, Till

2013-03-01

Community-based health insurance (CBI) is a common mechanism to generate financial resources for health care in developing countries. We review for the first time provider payment methods used in CBI in developing countries and their impact on CBI performance. We conducted a systematic review of the literature on provider payment methods used by CBI in developing countries published up to January 2010. Information on provider payment was available for a total of 32 CBI schemes in 34 reviewed publications: 17 schemes in South Asia, 10 in sub-Saharan Africa, 4 in East Asia and 1 in Latin America. Various types of provider payment were applied by the CBI schemes: 17 used fee-for-service, 12 used salaries, 9 applied a coverage ceiling, 7 used capitation and 6 applied a co-insurance. The evidence suggests that provider payment impacts CBI performance through provider participation and support for CBI, population enrolment and patient satisfaction with CBI, quantity and quality of services provided and provider and patient retention. Lack of provider participation in designing and choosing a CBI payment method can lead to reduced provider support for the scheme. CBI schemes in developing countries have used a wide range of provider payment methods. The existing evidence suggests that payment methods are a key determinant of CBI performance and sustainability, but the strength of this evidence is limited since it is largely based on observational studies rather than on trials or on quasi-experimental research. According to the evidence, provider payment can affect provider participation, satisfaction and retention in CBI; the quantity and quality of services provided to CBI patients; patient demand of CBI services; and population enrollment, risk pooling and financial sustainability of CBI. CBI schemes should carefully consider how their current payment methods influence their performance, how changes in the methods could improve performance, and how such effects could be assessed with scientific rigour to increase the strength of evidence on this topic.

Plumbing the brain drain.

PubMed

Saravia, Nancy Gore; Miranda, Juan Francisco

2004-08-01

Opportunity is the driving force of migration. Unsatisfied demands for higher education and skills, which have been created by the knowledge-based global economy, have generated unprecedented opportunities in knowledge-intensive service industries. These multi-trillion dollar industries include information, communication, finance, business, education and health. The leading industrialized nations are also the focal points of knowledge-intensive service industries and as such constitute centres of research and development activity that proactively draw in talented individuals worldwide through selective immigration policies, employment opportunities and targeted recruitment. Higher education is another major conduit of talent from less-developed countries to the centres of the knowledge-based global economy. Together career and educational opportunities drive "brain drain and recirculation". The departure of a large proportion of the most competent and innovative individuals from developing nations slows the achievement of the critical mass needed to generate the enabling context in which knowledge creation occurs. To favourably modify the asymmetric movement and distribution of global talent, developing countries must implement bold and creative strategies that are backed by national policies to: provide world-class educational opportunities, construct knowledge-based research and development industries, and sustainably finance the required investment for these strategies. Brazil, China and India have moved in this direction, offering world-class education in areas crucial to national development, such as biotechnology and information technology, paralleled by investments in research and development. As a result, only a small proportion of the most highly educated individuals migrate from these countries, and research and development opportunities employ national talent and even attract immigrants.

Modelling the elements of country vulnerability to earthquake disasters.

PubMed

Asef, M R

2008-09-01

Earthquakes have probably been the most deadly form of natural disaster in the past century. Diversity of earthquake specifications in terms of magnitude, intensity and frequency at the semicontinental scale has initiated various kinds of disasters at a regional scale. Additionally, diverse characteristics of countries in terms of population size, disaster preparedness, economic strength and building construction development often causes an earthquake of a certain characteristic to have different impacts on the affected region. This research focuses on the appropriate criteria for identifying the severity of major earthquake disasters based on some key observed symptoms. Accordingly, the article presents a methodology for identification and relative quantification of severity of earthquake disasters. This has led to an earthquake disaster vulnerability model at the country scale. Data analysis based on this model suggested a quantitative, comparative and meaningful interpretation of the vulnerability of concerned countries, and successfully explained which countries are more vulnerable to major disasters.

Development and technology transfer of Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccines for developing countries.

PubMed

Beurret, Michel; Hamidi, Ahd; Kreeftenberg, Hans

2012-07-13

This paper describes the development of a Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) conjugate vaccine at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment/Netherlands Vaccine Institute (RIVM/NVI, Bilthoven, The Netherlands), and the subsequent transfer of its production process to manufacturers in developing countries. In 1998, at the outset of the project, the majority of the world's children were not immunized against Hib because of the high price and limited supply of the conjugate vaccines, due partly to the fact that local manufacturers in developing countries did not master the Hib conjugate production technology. To address this problem, the RIVM/NVI has developed a robust Hib conjugate vaccine production process based on a proven model, and transferred this technology to several partners in India, Indonesia, Korea and China. As a result, emerging manufacturers in developing countries acquired modern technologies previously unavailable to them. This has in turn facilitated their approach to producing other conjugate vaccines. As an additional spin-off from the project, a World Health Organization (WHO) Hib quality control (QC) course was designed and conducted at the RIVM/NVI, resulting in an increased regulatory capacity for conjugate vaccines in developing countries at the National Regulatory Authority (NRA) level. For the local populations, this has translated into an increased and sustainable supply of affordable Hib conjugate-containing combination vaccines. During the course of this project, developing countries have demonstrated their ability to produce large quantities of high-quality modern vaccines after a successful transfer of the technology. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of tobacco control policies in the Eastern Mediterranean countries based on Tobacco Control Scale scores.

PubMed

Heydari, G; Talischi, F; Masjedi, M R; Alguomani, H; Joossens, L; Ghafari, M

2012-08-01

This cross-sectional survey aimed to provide an overview of tobacco control strategies in the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). A questionnaire to collate data on implementation of 6 major policies was developed based on the previously published Tobacco Control Scale and using MPOWER measures of the WHO Tobacco Free Initiative and the Tobacco Atlas. Only 3 of the 21 countries scored higher than 50 out of 100: Islamic Republic of Iran (61), Jordan (55) and Egypt (51) More than half of countries scored less than 26. Highest scores were achieved by Afghanistan in cigarette pricing, Oman in smoking bans in public places, Islamic Republic of Iran in budgeting, prohibition of advertisements and health warnings against smoking and Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia and Kuwait in tobacco cessation programmes. The low mean total score in EMR countries (29.7) compared with European countries (47.2) highlights the need for better future planning and policy-making for tobacco control in the Region.

Intelligence in Bali--A Case Study on Estimating Mean IQ for a Population Using Various Corrections Based on Theory and Empirical Findings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rindermann, Heiner; te Nijenhuis, Jan

2012-01-01

A high-quality estimate of the mean IQ of a country requires giving a well-validated test to a nationally representative sample, which usually is not feasible in developing countries. So, we used a convenience sample and four corrections based on theory and empirical findings to arrive at a good-quality estimate of the mean IQ in Bali. Our study…

Recommended advanced techniques for waterborne pathogen detection in developing countries.

PubMed

Alhamlan, Fatimah S; Al-Qahtani, Ahmed A; Al-Ahdal, Mohammed N

2015-02-19

The effect of human activities on water resources has expanded dramatically during the past few decades, leading to the spread of waterborne microbial pathogens. The total global health impact of human infectious diseases associated with pathogenic microorganisms from land-based wastewater pollution was estimated to be approximately three million disability-adjusted life years (DALY), with an estimated economic loss of nearly 12 billion US dollars per year. Although clean water is essential for healthy living, it is not equally granted to all humans. Indeed, people who live in developing countries are challenged every day by an inadequate supply of clean water. Polluted water can lead to health crises that in turn spread waterborne pathogens. Taking measures to assess the water quality can prevent these potential risks. Thus, a pressing need has emerged in developing countries for comprehensive and accurate assessments of water quality. This review presents current and emerging advanced techniques for assessing water quality that can be adopted by authorities in developing countries.

New strategies for providing hormonal contraception in developing countries.

PubMed

Townsend, John W; Sitruk-Ware, Regine; Williams, Katherine; Askew, Ian; Brill, Klaus

2011-05-01

Even with progress in increasing access to effective contraception over the past decades, and the growing range of contraceptive methods available on the market, women in developing countries continue to report an unmet need for family planning. This constraint continues to challenge reproductive health policies and programs, while the momentum of population growth and the young age structure in developing countries leads to larger numbers of potential contraceptive users and increasing global demand in contraceptive markets. Of late, there is a renewed focus on increasing access to long-acting hormonal methods to effectively meet this need, establishing and effectively implementing new service delivery strategies. A number of processes have profoundly affected the procurement and use of hormonal contraceptive methods in developing countries: a supportive policy environment, evidence-based practices and an increasing diversity of delivery strategies play a significant part in increasing number of contraceptive users and the demand for hormonal contraception. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Outcome of schizophrenia: some transcultural observations with particular reference to developing countries.

PubMed

Kulhara, P

1994-01-01

The present paper provides a description of data based and methodologically sound studies of outcome of schizophrenia from developing and non-Western countries and compares the results. Major studies reviewed include the 2- and 5-year follow-up of the cohort of the International Pilot Study of Schizophrenia, the patients of the World Health Organization Collaborative Study on the Determinants of Outcome of Severe Mental Disorders, a few Indian studies including the study sponsored by the Indian Council of Medical Research and some studies from Colombia and South-East Asia. The studies are compared in terms of the quality of methodology and the rate of attrition. Although the outcome criteria of these studies are not similar, it is obvious that the outcome of schizophrenia in developing countries is generally more favourable. The reasons for this are far from clear. Research concerning the issues pertaining to better outcome of schizophrenia in developing countries in the context of socio-cultural differences in woefully lacking. This is an area that deserves research attention.

Institutions and national development in Latin America: a comparative study

PubMed Central

Portes, Alejandro; Smith, Lori D.

2013-01-01

We review the theoretical and empirical literatures on the role of institutions on national development as a prelude to present a more rigorous and measurable definition of the concept and a methodology to study this relationship at the national and subnational levels. The existing research literature features conflicting definitions of the concept of “institutions” and empirical tests based mostly on reputational indices, with countries as units of analysis. The present study’s methodology is based on a set of five strategic organizations studied comparatively in five Latin American countries. These include key federal agencies, public administrative organizations, and stock exchanges. Systematic analysis of results show a pattern of differences between economically-oriented institutions and those entrusted with providing basic services to the general population. Consistent differences in institutional quality also emerge across countries, despite similar levels of economic development. Using the algebraic methods developed by Ragin, we test six hypotheses about factors determining the developmental character of particular institutions. Implications of results for theory and for methodological practices of future studies in this field are discussed. PMID:26543407

Consistency assessment with global and bridging development strategies in emerging markets.

PubMed

Li, Gang; Chen, Josh; Quan, Hui; Shentu, Yue

2013-11-01

Global trial strategy with the participation of all major regions including countries from emerging markets surely increases new drug development efficiency. Nevertheless, there are circumstances in which some countries in emerging markets cannot join the original global trial. To evaluate the extrapolability of the original trial results to a new country, a bridging trial in the country has to be conducted. In this paper, we first evaluate the efficiency loss of the bridging trial strategy compared to that of the global trial strategy as a function of between-study variability from consistency assessment perspective. The provided evidence should encourage countries in emerging markets to make a greater effort to participate in the original global trial. We then discuss sample size requirement for desired assurance probability for consistency assessment based on various approaches for both global and bridging trial strategies. Examples are presented for numerical demonstration and comparisons. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Community Mental Health Services in Latin America for People with Severe Mental Disorders

PubMed Central

Minoletti, Alberto; Galea, Sandro; Susser, Ezra

2013-01-01

Mental disorders are highly prevalent in Latin American countries and exact a serious emotional toll, yet investment in public mental health remains insufficient. Most countries of the region have developed national and local initiatives to improve delivery of mental health services over the last 22 years, following the technical leadership of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO). It is especially notable that PAHO/WHO facilitated the development of national policies and plans, as well as local programs, to deliver specialized community care for persons with severe mental disorders. Nevertheless, at present, the majority of Latin American countries maintain a model of services for severe mental disorders based primarily on psychiatric hospitals that consume most of the national mental health budget. To accelerate the pace of change, this article emphasizes the need to develop cross-country regional initiatives that promote mental health service development, focusing on severe mental disorders. As one specific example, the authors describe work with RedeAmericas, which has brought together an interdisciplinary group of international investigators to research regional approaches and train a new generation of leaders in public mental health. More generally, four regional strategies are proposed to complement the work of PAHO/ WHO in Latin America: 1) to develop multi-country studies on community services, 2) to study new strategies and interventions in countries with more advanced mental health services, 3) to strengthen advocacy groups by cross-country interchange, and 4) to develop a network of well-trained leaders to catalyze progress across the region. PMID:25339792

Examining the Moderating Effect of Individual-Level Cultural Values on Users' Acceptance of E-Learning in Developing Countries: A Structural Equation Modeling of an Extended Technology Acceptance Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tarhini, Ali; Hone, Kate; Liu, Xiaohui; Tarhini, Takwa

2017-01-01

In this study, we examine the effects of individual-level culture on the adoption and acceptance of e-learning tools by students in Lebanon using a theoretical framework based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). To overcome possible limitations of using TAM in developing countries, we extend TAM to include "subjective norms" (SN)…

John Wheatley Award Talk: Promoting Under-Represented Physicists in Asian and Arab Countries and Muslim Women in Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nahar, Sultana

2013-04-01

Physics fascinates people's minds regardless of their geographic location. Often the best students choose the challending profession of physics. Physicists in developing countries in Asia and Arab countries work mostly on their own with limited resources or external collaboration and some do extraordinarily well. However, these dedicated individuals need the support and interactive modalities with their fellow physicists, particularly from developed countries, for coherent and rapid advances in knowledge, discoveries and inventions. My main objective is to promote and motivate physics education and research in developing and Arab countries to a level of excellence commensurate with that at U.S. institutions, and to facilitate connection through the strong network of APS. I have developed a general STEM based program. Another focus of this initiative is the very weak community of Muslim women in science, who have have remained behind owing to surrounding circumstances. To encourage them in scientific professions, and to enable them to nurture their intellectuality, we have formed a network called the International Society of Muslim Women in Science. It now has 85 enthusiastic and aspiring members from 21 countries. I will discuss these and the special needs of the these under-represented scientists, and how APS might lend them its valuable support.

Network Analytical Tool for Monitoring Global Food Safety Highlights China

PubMed Central

Nepusz, Tamás; Petróczi, Andrea; Naughton, Declan P.

2009-01-01

Background The Beijing Declaration on food safety and security was signed by over fifty countries with the aim of developing comprehensive programs for monitoring food safety and security on behalf of their citizens. Currently, comprehensive systems for food safety and security are absent in many countries, and the systems that are in place have been developed on different principles allowing poor opportunities for integration. Methodology/Principal Findings We have developed a user-friendly analytical tool based on network approaches for instant customized analysis of food alert patterns in the European dataset from the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed. Data taken from alert logs between January 2003 – August 2008 were processed using network analysis to i) capture complexity, ii) analyze trends, and iii) predict possible effects of interventions by identifying patterns of reporting activities between countries. The detector and transgressor relationships are readily identifiable between countries which are ranked using i) Google's PageRank algorithm and ii) the HITS algorithm of Kleinberg. The program identifies Iran, China and Turkey as the transgressors with the largest number of alerts. However, when characterized by impact, counting the transgressor index and the number of countries involved, China predominates as a transgressor country. Conclusions/Significance This study reports the first development of a network analysis approach to inform countries on their transgressor and detector profiles as a user-friendly aid for the adoption of the Beijing Declaration. The ability to instantly access the country-specific components of the several thousand annual reports will enable each country to identify the major transgressors and detectors within its trading network. Moreover, the tool can be used to monitor trading countries for improved detector/transgressor ratios. PMID:19688088

The role of food-security solutions in the protection of natural resources and environment of developing countries.

PubMed

Lashgarara, Farhad; Mirdamadi, Seyyed Mehdi; Hosseini, Seyyed Jamal Farajollah; Chizari, Mohammad

2008-10-01

The majority of the countries of the world, especially developing countries, face environmental problems. Limitations of basic resources (water and soil) and population growth have been the cause of these environmental problems that countries are confronted with. Developing countries have numerous problems, including destruction of forests, vegetable and animal species, and pollution of the environment. Damage to natural resources and the environment can influence the food-security situation. One of the main millennium development goals (MDGs) is protection of the environment and people's health. This cannot obtained unless there is ensured food security. Food security has been defined as a situation when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food needed to maintain a healthy and active life. At the same time, with ensured food security, we can hope to protect the natural resources and environment. The methodology used is descriptive-analytical, and its main purpose is determining the importance and role of food-security solutions in the reduction of environmental hazards and improvement of natural resources and the environmental situation in developing countries. Therefore, some of the most important food-security solutions that can play an important role in this relation were discussed, including conventional research-based technology, biotechnology, information and communication technologies (ICTs), alternative energy sources, and food irradiation.

Pathways To Scaling-Up in Community Based Rehabilitation Agencies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyce, W.; Johnston, C.; Thomas, M.; Enns, H.; Naidu, D. M.; Tjandrakusuma, H.

1997-01-01

Scaling-up (the expansion or development of organizational activities of nongovernmental agencies to achieve greater impact) in community-based rehabilitation is described by using case study materials from industrialized and less-developed countries (India, Canada, and Indonesia) and focusing on differences in structural characteristics of…

Benchmarking health IT among OECD countries: better data for better policy

PubMed Central

Adler-Milstein, Julia; Ronchi, Elettra; Cohen, Genna R; Winn, Laura A Pannella; Jha, Ashish K

2014-01-01

Objective To develop benchmark measures of health information and communication technology (ICT) use to facilitate cross-country comparisons and learning. Materials and methods The effort is led by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Approaches to definition and measurement within four ICT domains were compared across seven OECD countries in order to identify functionalities in each domain. These informed a set of functionality-based benchmark measures, which were refined in collaboration with representatives from more than 20 OECD and non-OECD countries. We report on progress to date and remaining work to enable countries to begin to collect benchmark data. Results The four benchmarking domains include provider-centric electronic record, patient-centric electronic record, health information exchange, and tele-health. There was broad agreement on functionalities in the provider-centric electronic record domain (eg, entry of core patient data, decision support), and less agreement in the other three domains in which country representatives worked to select benchmark functionalities. Discussion Many countries are working to implement ICTs to improve healthcare system performance. Although many countries are looking to others as potential models, the lack of consistent terminology and approach has made cross-national comparisons and learning difficult. Conclusions As countries develop and implement strategies to increase the use of ICTs to promote health goals, there is a historic opportunity to enable cross-country learning. To facilitate this learning and reduce the chances that individual countries flounder, a common understanding of health ICT adoption and use is needed. The OECD-led benchmarking process is a crucial step towards achieving this. PMID:23721983

Measuring the intangibles: a metrics for the economic complexity of countries and products.

PubMed

Cristelli, Matthieu; Gabrielli, Andrea; Tacchella, Andrea; Caldarelli, Guido; Pietronero, Luciano

2013-01-01

We investigate a recent methodology we have proposed to extract valuable information on the competitiveness of countries and complexity of products from trade data. Standard economic theories predict a high level of specialization of countries in specific industrial sectors. However, a direct analysis of the official databases of exported products by all countries shows that the actual situation is very different. Countries commonly considered as developed ones are extremely diversified, exporting a large variety of products from very simple to very complex. At the same time countries generally considered as less developed export only the products also exported by the majority of countries. This situation calls for the introduction of a non-monetary and non-income-based measure for country economy complexity which uncovers the hidden potential for development and growth. The statistical approach we present here consists of coupled non-linear maps relating the competitiveness/fitness of countries to the complexity of their products. The fixed point of this transformation defines a metrics for the fitness of countries and the complexity of products. We argue that the key point to properly extract the economic information is the non-linearity of the map which is necessary to bound the complexity of products by the fitness of the less competitive countries exporting them. We present a detailed comparison of the results of this approach directly with those of the Method of Reflections by Hidalgo and Hausmann, showing the better performance of our method and a more solid economic, scientific and consistent foundation.

Measuring the Intangibles: A Metrics for the Economic Complexity of Countries and Products

PubMed Central

Cristelli, Matthieu; Gabrielli, Andrea; Tacchella, Andrea; Caldarelli, Guido; Pietronero, Luciano

2013-01-01

We investigate a recent methodology we have proposed to extract valuable information on the competitiveness of countries and complexity of products from trade data. Standard economic theories predict a high level of specialization of countries in specific industrial sectors. However, a direct analysis of the official databases of exported products by all countries shows that the actual situation is very different. Countries commonly considered as developed ones are extremely diversified, exporting a large variety of products from very simple to very complex. At the same time countries generally considered as less developed export only the products also exported by the majority of countries. This situation calls for the introduction of a non-monetary and non-income-based measure for country economy complexity which uncovers the hidden potential for development and growth. The statistical approach we present here consists of coupled non-linear maps relating the competitiveness/fitness of countries to the complexity of their products. The fixed point of this transformation defines a metrics for the fitness of countries and the complexity of products. We argue that the key point to properly extract the economic information is the non-linearity of the map which is necessary to bound the complexity of products by the fitness of the less competitive countries exporting them. We present a detailed comparison of the results of this approach directly with those of the Method of Reflections by Hidalgo and Hausmann, showing the better performance of our method and a more solid economic, scientific and consistent foundation. PMID:23940633

Benchmarking health IT among OECD countries: better data for better policy.

PubMed

Adler-Milstein, Julia; Ronchi, Elettra; Cohen, Genna R; Winn, Laura A Pannella; Jha, Ashish K

2014-01-01

To develop benchmark measures of health information and communication technology (ICT) use to facilitate cross-country comparisons and learning. The effort is led by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Approaches to definition and measurement within four ICT domains were compared across seven OECD countries in order to identify functionalities in each domain. These informed a set of functionality-based benchmark measures, which were refined in collaboration with representatives from more than 20 OECD and non-OECD countries. We report on progress to date and remaining work to enable countries to begin to collect benchmark data. The four benchmarking domains include provider-centric electronic record, patient-centric electronic record, health information exchange, and tele-health. There was broad agreement on functionalities in the provider-centric electronic record domain (eg, entry of core patient data, decision support), and less agreement in the other three domains in which country representatives worked to select benchmark functionalities. Many countries are working to implement ICTs to improve healthcare system performance. Although many countries are looking to others as potential models, the lack of consistent terminology and approach has made cross-national comparisons and learning difficult. As countries develop and implement strategies to increase the use of ICTs to promote health goals, there is a historic opportunity to enable cross-country learning. To facilitate this learning and reduce the chances that individual countries flounder, a common understanding of health ICT adoption and use is needed. The OECD-led benchmarking process is a crucial step towards achieving this.

Registry based trauma outcome: perspective of a developing country.

PubMed

Zafar, H; Rehmani, R; Raja, A J; Ali, A; Ahmed, M

2002-09-01

To report trauma outcome from a developing country based on the Trauma and Injury Severity Scoring (TRISS) method and compare the outcome with the registry data from Major Trauma Outcome Study (MTOS). Registry based audit of all trauma patients over two years. Emergency room of a teaching university hospital. 279 injured patients meeting trauma team activation criteria including all deaths in the emergency room. TRISS methodology to compare expected and observed outcome. W, M, and Z statistics and comparison with MTOS data. 279 patients meeting the trauma triage criteria presented to the emergency room, 235 (84.2%) were men and 44 (15.8%) women. Blunt injury accounted for 204 (73.1%) and penetrating for 75 (26.9%) patients. Seventy two patients had injury severity score of more than 15. Only 18 (6.4%) patients were transported in an ambulance. A total of 142 (50.9%) patients were transferred from other hospitals with a mean prehospital delay of 7.1 hours. M statistic of our study subset was 0.97, indicating a good match between our patients and MTOS cohort. There were 18 deaths with only one unexpected survivor. The expected number of deaths based on MTOS dataset should have been 12. Present injury severity instruments using MTOS coefficients do not accurately correlate with observed survival rates in a developing country.

USGS international activities in coal resources

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1999-01-01

During the last 30 years the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been engaged in coal exploration and characterization in more that 30 foreign countries, including India, Pakistan, China, Turkey, several Eastern European countries, Russia, and other former Soviet Union countries. Through this work, the USGS has developed an internationally recognized capability for assessing coal resources and defining their geochemical and physical characteristics. More recently, these data have been incorporated into digital databases and Geographic Information System (GIS) digital map products. The USGS has developed a high level of expertise in assessing the technological, economic, environmental, and human health impacts of coal occurrences and utilization based on comprehensive characterization of representative coal samples.

The Effectiveness of a Guided Inquiry-Based, Teachers' Professional Development Programme on Saudi Students' Understanding of Density

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Almuntasheri, S.; Gillies, R. M.; Wright, T.

2016-01-01

Despite a general consensus on the educational effectiveness of inquiry-based instruction, the enacted type of inquiry in science classrooms remains debatable in many countries including Saudi Arabia. This study compared guided-inquiry based teachers' professional development to teacher-directed approach in supporting Saudi students to understand…

The role of efficacy and moral outrage norms in creating the potential for international development activism through group-based interaction.

PubMed

Thomas, Emma F; McGarty, Craig A

2009-03-01

This paper adopts an intergroup perspective on helping as collective action to explore the ways to boost motivation amongst people in developed countries to join the effort to combat poverty and preventable disease in developing countries. Following van Zomeren, Spears, Leach, and Fischer's (2004) model of collective action, we investigated the role of norms about an emotional response (moral outrage) and beliefs about efficacy in motivating commitment to take action amongst members of advantaged groups. Norms about outrage and efficacy were harnessed to an opinion-based group identity (Bliuc, McGarty, Reynolds, & Muntele, 2007) and explored in the context of a novel group-based interaction method. Results showed that the group-based interaction boosted commitment to action especially when primed with an (injunctive) outrage norm. This norm stimulated a range of related effects including increased identification with the pro-international development opinion-based group, and higher efficacy beliefs. Results provide an intriguing instance of the power of group interaction (particularly where strengthened with emotion norms) to bolster commitment to positive social change.

Architectures of small satellite programs in developing countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wood, Danielle; Weigel, Annalisa

2014-04-01

Global participation in space activity is growing as satellite technology matures and spreads. Countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America are creating or reinvigorating national satellite programs. These countries are building local capability in space through technological learning. This paper analyzes implementation approaches in small satellite programs within developing countries. The study addresses diverse examples of approaches used to master, adapt, diffuse and apply satellite technology in emerging countries. The work focuses on government programs that represent the nation and deliver services that provide public goods such as environmental monitoring. An original framework developed by the authors examines implementation approaches and contextual factors using the concept of Systems Architecture. The Systems Architecture analysis defines the satellite programs as systems within a context which execute functions via forms in order to achieve stakeholder objectives. These Systems Architecture definitions are applied to case studies of six satellite projects executed by countries in Africa and Asia. The architectural models used by these countries in various projects reveal patterns in the areas of training, technical specifications and partnership style. Based on these patterns, three Archetypal Project Architectures are defined which link the contextual factors to the implementation approaches. The three Archetypal Project Architectures lead to distinct opportunities for training, capability building and end user services.

Methods of Implementation of Evidence-Based Stroke Care in Europe: European Implementation Score Collaboration.

PubMed

Di Carlo, Antonio; Pezzella, Francesca Romana; Fraser, Alec; Bovis, Francesca; Baeza, Juan; McKevitt, Chris; Boaz, Annette; Heuschmann, Peter; Wolfe, Charles D A; Inzitari, Domenico

2015-08-01

Differences in stroke care and outcomes reported in Europe may reflect different degrees of implementation of evidence-based interventions. We evaluated strategies for implementing research evidence into stroke care in 10 European countries. A questionnaire was developed and administered through face-to-face interviews with key informants. Implementation strategies were investigated considering 3 levels (macro, meso, and micro, eg, policy, organization, patients/professionals) identified by the framing analysis, and different settings (primary, hospital, and specialist) of stroke care. Similarities and differences among countries were evaluated using the categorical principal components analysis. Implementation methods reported by ≥7 countries included nonmandatory policies, public financial incentives, continuing professional education, distribution of educational material, educational meetings and campaigns, guidelines, opinion leaders', and stroke patients associations' activities. Audits were present in 6 countries at national level; national and regional regulations in 4 countries. Private financial incentives, reminders, and educational outreach visits were reported only in 2 countries. At national level, the first principal component of categorical principal components analysis separated England, France, Scotland, and Sweden, all with positive object scores, from the other countries. Belgium and Lithuania obtained the lowest scores. At regional level, England, France, Germany, Italy, and Sweden had positive scores in the first principal component, whereas Belgium, Lithuania, Poland, and Scotland showed negative scores. Spain was in an intermediate position. We developed a novel method to assess different domains of implementation in stroke care. Clear variations were observed among European countries. The new tool may be used elsewhere for future contributions. © 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.

Quality assurance, benchmarking, assessment and mutual international recognition of qualifications.

PubMed

Hobson, R; Rolland, S; Rotgans, J; Schoonheim-Klein, M; Best, H; Chomyszyn-Gajewska, M; Dymock, D; Essop, R; Hupp, J; Kundzina, R; Love, R; Memon, R A; Moola, M; Neumann, L; Ozden, N; Roth, K; Samwel, P; Villavicencio, J; Wright, P; Harzer, W

2008-02-01

The aim of this report is to provide guidance to assist in the international convergence of quality assurance, benchmarking and assessment systems to improve dental education. Proposals are developed for mutual recognition of qualifications, to aid international movement and exchange of staff and students including and supporting developing countries. Quality assurance is the responsibility of all staff involved in dental education and involves three levels: internal, institutional and external. Benchmarking information provides a subject framework. Benchmarks are useful for a variety of purposes including design and validation of programmes, examination and review; they can also strengthen the accreditation process undertaken by professional and statutory bodies. Benchmark information can be used by institutions as part of their programme approval process, to set degree standards. The standards should be developed by the dental academic community through formal groups of experts. Assessment outcomes of student learning are a measure of the quality of the learning programme. The goal of an effective assessment strategy should be that it provides the starting point for students to adopt a positive approach to effective and competent practice, reflective and lifelong learning. All assessment methods should be evidence based or based upon research. Mutual recognition of professional qualifications means that qualifications gained in one country (the home country) are recognized in another country (the host country). It empowers movement of skilled workers, which can help resolve skills shortages within participating countries. These proposals are not intended to be either exhaustive or prescriptive; they are purely for guidance and derived from the identification of what is perceived to be 'best practice'.

Forecasting the global shortage of physicians: an economic- and needs-based approach

PubMed Central

Liu, Jenny X; Kinfu, Yohannes; Dal Poz, Mario R

2008-01-01

Abstract Objective Global achievements in health may be limited by critical shortages of health-care workers. To help guide workforce policy, we estimate the future demand for, need for and supply of physicians, by WHO region, to determine where likely shortages will occur by 2015, the target date of the Millennium Development Goals. Methods Using World Bank and WHO data on physicians per capita from 1980 to 2001 for 158 countries, we employ two modelling approaches for estimating the future global requirement for physicians. A needs-based model determines the number of physicians per capita required to achieve 80% coverage of live births by a skilled health-care attendant. In contrast, our economic model identifies the number of physicians per capita that are likely to be demanded, given each country’s economic growth. These estimates are compared to the future supply of physicians projected by extrapolating the historical rate of increase in physicians per capita for each country. Findings By 2015, the global supply of physicians appears to be in balance with projected economic demand. Because our measure of need reflects the minimum level of workforce density required to provide a basic health service that is met in all but the least developed countries, the needs-based estimates predict a global surplus of physicians. However, on a regional basis, both models predict shortages for many countries in the WHO African Region in 2015, with some countries experiencing a needs-based shortage, a demand-based shortage, or both. Conclusion The type of policy intervention needed to alleviate projected shortages, such as increasing health-care training or adopting measures to discourage migration, depends on the type of shortage projected. PMID:18670663

Global sulfur emissions from 1850 to 2000.

PubMed

Stern, David I

2005-01-01

The ASL database provides continuous time-series of sulfur emissions for most countries in the World from 1850 to 1990, but academic and official estimates for the 1990s either do not cover all years or countries. This paper develops continuous time series of sulfur emissions by country for the period 1850-2000 with a particular focus on developments in the 1990s. Global estimates for 1996-2000 are the first that are based on actual observed data. Raw estimates are obtained in two ways. For countries and years with existing published data I compile and integrate that data. Previously published data covers the majority of emissions and almost all countries have published emissions for at least 1995. For the remaining countries and for missing years for countries with some published data, I interpolate or extrapolate estimates using either an econometric emissions frontier model, an environmental Kuznets curve model, or a simple extrapolation, depending on the availability of data. Finally, I discuss the main movements in global and regional emissions in the 1990s and earlier decades and compare the results to other studies. Global emissions peaked in 1989 and declined rapidly thereafter. The locus of emissions shifted towards East and South Asia, but even this region peaked in 1996. My estimates for the 1990s show a much more rapid decline than other global studies, reflecting the view that technological progress in reducing sulfur based pollution has been rapid and is beginning to diffuse worldwide.

The Impact of Services on Economic Complexity: Service Sophistication as Route for Economic Growth

PubMed Central

Utkovski, Zoran; Kocarev, Ljupco

2016-01-01

Economic complexity reflects the amount of knowledge that is embedded in the productive structure of an economy. By combining tools from network science and econometrics, a robust and stable relationship between a country’s productive structure and its economic growth has been established. Here we report that not only goods but also services are important for predicting the rate at which countries will grow. By adopting a terminology which classifies manufactured goods and delivered services as products, we investigate the influence of services on the country’s productive structure. In particular, we provide evidence that complexity indices for services are in general higher than those for goods, which is reflected in a general tendency to rank countries with developed service sector higher than countries with economy centred on manufacturing of goods. By focusing on country dynamics based on experimental data, we investigate the impact of services on the economic complexity of countries measured in the product space (consisting of both goods and services). Importantly, we show that diversification of service exports and its sophistication can provide an additional route for economic growth in both developing and developed countries. PMID:27560133

Considering long-term care insurance for middle-income countries: comparing South Korea with Japan and Germany.

PubMed

Rhee, Jong Chul; Done, Nicolae; Anderson, Gerard F

2015-10-01

Financing and provision of long-term care is an increasingly important concern for many middle-income countries experiencing rapid population aging. We examine three countries (South Korea, Japan, and Germany) that use social insurance to finance medical care and have developed long-term care insurance (LTCI) systems. These countries have adopted different approaches to LTCI design within the social insurance framework. We contrast their financing systems and draw lessons regarding revenue generation, benefits design, and eligibility. Based on this review, it seems important for middle-income countries to start developing LTCI schemes early, before aging becomes a significant problem and substantial revenues are needed. Early financing also ensures that the service delivery system has time to adapt because most middle-income countries lack the infrastructure for providing long-term care services. One approach is to start with a limited benefit package and strict eligibility rules and expanded the program as the country develops sufficient experience and more providers became available. All three countries use some form of cost-sharing to discourage service overuse, combined with subsidies for poor populations to maintain appropriate access. A major policy choice is between cash benefits or direct provision of services and the approach will have a large impact on the workforce participation of women. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Diagnosis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae Using Molecular Beacon

PubMed Central

Patel, Achchhe Lal; Sonkar, Subash Chandra; Kumari, Indu; Saluja, Daman

2015-01-01

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is an important sexually transmitted diseases (STD) causing pathogen worldwide. Due to absence of an affordable diagnostic assay, routine screening of gonococcal infection becomes impossible in developing countries where infection rates are maximum. Treatment is given on the basis of symptoms alone which leads to spread of infection. Thus, development of a rapid, sensitive, specific, and PCR based visual diagnostic assay suitable for developing countries, required for better disease management, is aimed at in present study. Endocervical swabs were collected from patients visiting gynecology department of various hospitals in Delhi. In-house PCR based assay was developed and modified to visual assay using molecular beacon for end-point detection. It was evaluated against Roche AMPLICOR NG kit and rmp gene. Specificity of beacon was confirmed by competition experiments. Diagnostic test was 98.21% specific and 99.59% sensitive whereas negative and positive predicted value were 99.40% and 98.78%, respectively. We also observed that twice the concentration (2X) of premix was stable at 4°C for 4 months and dry swab samples gave concordant results with that of wet swabs. These features make the test best suitable for routine diagnosis of genital infections in developing countries. PMID:25802857

Enhancing emergency care in low-income countries using mobile technology-based training tools.

PubMed

Edgcombe, Hilary; Paton, Chris; English, Mike

2016-12-01

In this paper, we discuss the role of mobile technology in developing training tools for health workers, with particular reference to low-income countries (LICs). The global and technological context is outlined, followed by a summary of approaches to using and evaluating mobile technology for learning in healthcare. Finally, recommendations are made for those developing and using such tools, based on current literature and the authors' involvement in the field. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Building capacity in health research in the developing world.

PubMed Central

Lansang, Mary Ann; Dennis, Rodolfo

2004-01-01

Strong national health research systems are needed to improve health systems and attain better health. For developing countries to indigenize health research systems, it is essential to build research capacity. We review the positive features and weaknesses of various approaches to capacity building, emphasizing that complementary approaches to human resource development work best in the context of a systems and long-term perspective. As a key element of capacity building, countries must also address issues related to the enabling environment, in particular: leadership, career structure, critical mass, infrastructure, information access and interfaces between research producers and users. The success of efforts to build capacity in developing countries will ultimately depend on political will and credibility, adequate financing, and a responsive capacity-building plan that is based on a thorough situational analysis of the resources needed for health research and the inequities and gaps in health care. Greater national and international investment in capacity building in developing countries has the greatest potential for securing dynamic and agile knowledge systems that can deliver better health and equity, now and in the future. PMID:15643798

Building capacity in health research in the developing world.

PubMed

Lansang, Mary Ann; Dennis, Rodolfo

2004-10-01

Strong national health research systems are needed to improve health systems and attain better health. For developing countries to indigenize health research systems, it is essential to build research capacity. We review the positive features and weaknesses of various approaches to capacity building, emphasizing that complementary approaches to human resource development work best in the context of a systems and long-term perspective. As a key element of capacity building, countries must also address issues related to the enabling environment, in particular: leadership, career structure, critical mass, infrastructure, information access and interfaces between research producers and users. The success of efforts to build capacity in developing countries will ultimately depend on political will and credibility, adequate financing, and a responsive capacity-building plan that is based on a thorough situational analysis of the resources needed for health research and the inequities and gaps in health care. Greater national and international investment in capacity building in developing countries has the greatest potential for securing dynamic and agile knowledge systems that can deliver better health and equity, now and in the future.

Trauma system evaluation in developing countries: applicability of American College of Surgeons/Committee on Trauma (ACS/COT) basic criteria.

PubMed

Latifi, Rifat; Ziemba, Michelle; Leppäniemi, Ari; Dasho, Erion; Dogjani, Agron; Shatri, Zhaneta; Kociraj, Agim; Oldashi, Fatos; Shosha, Lida

2014-08-01

Trauma continues to be a major health problem worldwide, particularly in the developing world, with high mortality and morbidity. Yet most developing countries lack an organized trauma system. Furthermore, developing countries do not have in place any accreditation process for trauma centers; thus, no accepted standard assessment tools exist to evaluate their trauma services. The aims of this study were to evaluate the trauma system in Albania, using the basic trauma criteria of the American College of Surgeons/Committee on Trauma (ACS/COT) as assessment tools, and to provide the Government with a situational analysis relative to these criteria. We used the ACS/COT basic criteria as assessment tools to evaluate the trauma system in Albania. We conducted a series of semi-structured interviews, unstructured interviews, and focus groups with all stakeholders at the Ministry of Health, at the University Trauma Hospital (UTH) based in Tirana (the capital city), and at ten regional hospitals across the country. Albania has a dedicated national trauma center that serves as the only tertiary center, plus ten regional hospitals that provide some trauma care. However, overall, its trauma system is in need of major reforms involving all essential elements in order to meet the basic requirements of a structured trauma system. The ACS/COT basic criteria can be used as assessment tools to evaluate trauma care in developing countries. Further studies are needed in other developing countries to validate the applicability of these criteria.

Criteria for clinical audit of the quality of hospital-based obstetric care in developing countries.

PubMed Central

Graham, W.; Wagaarachchi, P.; Penney, G.; McCaw-Binns, A.; Antwi, K. Y.; Hall, M. H.

2000-01-01

Improving the quality of obstetric care is an urgent priority in developing countries, where maternal mortality remains high. The feasibility of criterion-based clinical audit of the assessment and management of five major obstetric complications is being studied in Ghana and Jamaica. In order to establish case definitions and clinical audit criteria, a systematic review of the literature was followed by three expert panel meetings. A modified nominal group technique was used to develop consensus among experts on a final set of case definitions and criteria. Five main obstetric complications were selected and definitions were agreed. The literature review led to the identification of 67 criteria, and the panel meetings resulted in the modification and approval of 37 of these for the next stage of audit. Criterion-based audit, which has been devised and tested primarily in industrialized countries, can be adapted and applied where resources are poorer. The selection of audit criteria for such settings requires local expert opinion to be considered in addition to research evidence, so as to ensure that the criteria are realistic in relation to conditions in the field. Practical methods for achieving this are described in the present paper. PMID:10859855

Guide to investment and trade in the forest-product sectors of Southeast Asia: Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Working paper

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krutilia, K.

1988-01-01

Declining timber resources, an increase in value-added wood-base processing, new export markets, and a growing stress on joint ventures have been key factors in the rapid evolution since 1975 of Southeast Asia's forest products industry. The report profiles the industry and its prospects in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia, each of which differs with respect to stage of wood-industry development and investment climate. The countries' forest management policies, timber resources, and the status of their wood-based processing industries are reviewed first, followed by an overview of the business environment in each country, the latter covering policies toward foreign investment (includingmore » the increasingly important investments from other less-developed countries), investment licensing and regulation, taxation, exporting/importing regulations, and policies governing currency and capital controls. Includes a 5-page list of references and a short annotated bibliography.« less

SLIPTA e-Tool improves laboratory audit process in Vietnam and Cambodia.

PubMed

Nguyen, Thuong T; McKinney, Barbara; Pierson, Antoine; Luong, Khue N; Hoang, Quynh T; Meharwal, Sandeep; Carvalho, Humberto M; Nguyen, Cuong Q; Nguyen, Kim T; Bond, Kyle B

2014-01-01

The Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA) checklist is used worldwide to drive quality improvement in laboratories in developing countries and to assess the effectiveness of interventions such as the Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA) programme. However, the paper-based format of the checklist makes administration cumbersome and limits timely analysis and communication of results. In early 2012, the SLMTA team in Vietnam developed an electronic SLIPTA checklist tool. The e-Tool was pilot tested in Vietnam in mid-2012 and revised. It was used during SLMTA implementation in Vietnam and Cambodia in 2012 and 2013 and further revised based on auditors' feedback about usability. The SLIPTA e-Tool enabled rapid turn-around of audit results, reduced workload and language barriers and facilitated analysis of national results. Benefits of the e-Tool will be magnified with in-country scale-up of laboratory quality improvement efforts and potential expansion to other countries.

A New EO-Based Indicator for Assessing and Monitoring Climate-Related Vegetation Stress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCormick, Niall; Gobron, Nadine

2016-08-01

This paper describes a study in which a new environmental indicator, called Annual Vegetation Stress (AVS), has been developed, based on annual anomalies of satellite-measured Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR ), and used to map the area affected annually by vegetation stress during the period 2003-2014, for 108 selected developing countries. Analysis of the results for six countries in the "tropical and subtropical forests" ecoregion, reveals good correspondence between high AVS values, and the occurrence of climatic extremes (droughts) and anthropogenic disturbance (deforestation). The results for Equatorial Guinea suggest that the recent trend of large-scale droughts and rainfall deficits in Central and Western Africa, contribute to increased vegetation stress in the region's tropical rainforests. In East Timor there is evidence of a "biological lag" effect, whereby the main impacts of drought on the country's seasonally dry tropical forests are delayed until the year following the climate event.

The role of the third world academy of sciences (TWAS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassan, M. H. A.

The Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) is a non-governmental organization founded in 1983 and officially launched by the former Secretary General of the United Nations in 1985. TWAS has united the most eminent scientists from the South. It currently has 350 members from 55 developing countries, including the 9 living Nobel Laureates of Third World origin. The main mission of TWAS is to promote scientific excellence for sustainable development in the South. In 1988, TWAS facilitated the establishment of the Third World Network of Scientific Organizations (TWNSO), a non-governmental alliance of over 133 scientific organizations, including 27 Ministries of Science and Technology and Higher Education, 42 Research Councils and 36 Academies from 70 Third World countries. TWNSO's mission is to assist in building political and scientific leadership for science- based economic development in the South and in promoting broad-based South-South and South-North partnerships in areas of science and technology critical to sustainable development. TWAS and TWNSO have established a number of programmes that can benefit scientists in developing countries conducting ground-based experiments for the utilization of global satellite data. These programmes include the awarding of research grants to promising space scientists to enable them to purchase equipment and spare parts needed for their experimental work, and the awarding of fellowships to space scientists in the South for research and training in other space research institutions in the South. In addition, TWNSO has recently launched a major South-South collaboration programme which will provide competitive research grants to joint research projects (including those related to the utilization of global satellite data) involving 2-3 competent institutions from different countries in the South.

Amendment of water quality standards in China: viewpoint on strategic considerations.

PubMed

Zhao, Xiaoli; Wang, Hao; Tang, Zhi; Zhao, Tianhui; Qin, Ning; Li, Huixian; Wu, Fengchang; Giesy, John P

2018-02-01

Water quality standards (WQS) are the most important tool for protection of quality of aquatic environments in China and play a decisive role in the management of China's aquatic environments. Due to limited scientific information available previously, WQS were developed largely based on water quality criteria (WQC) or WQS recommended by developed countries, which may not be suitable for current circumstances in China. The Chinese government recently initiated the revision of Environmental Quality Standards for Surface Water (EQSSW) (GB3838-2002) to meet the challenge of environmental protection. This review analyzed how the WQS developed and applied in China differ from those of more developed countries and pointed out that the lack of strong scientific bases for China's WQC pose major limitations of current WQS. We focus on discussing the six aspects that require high attention on how to establish a national WQC system to support the revision of WQS (Table 1) such as development of methodology, refining water function zoning, establish priority pollutants list, improving protection drinking water sources, development of site-specific water quality criteria, and field toxicity test. It is essential that China and other developing countries established a relatively mature system for promulgating, applying, and enforcing WQC and to implement a dynamic system to incorporate most recent research results into periodically updated WQS.

Initiatives and strategies for development of nanotechnology in nations: a lesson for Africa and other least developed countries

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

It is a known fact that the progress and development of different nations of the world is strongly connected with the type of materials under their use. This paper highlighted the development of nanotechnology in some selected countries of the world through a careful review of their road maps by way of public and private initiatives, funding/investment profile, human resources development, industrial potentials, and focus in order to draw inferences. The peculiar challenges and opportunities for some African nations and other least developed countries (LDC) were drawn for their economic and technological developments. This investigation was simply based on open access literatures. The review showed that although nanotechnology is new globally, most countries of the world have had growing public and private investments aimed at bringing about new materials and systems that can impact positively on their economy and ensure their global competitiveness and sustainability. The global scenario suggests the crucial role of cooperation in a multidisciplinary collaboration/partnership between government ministries, agencies, institutions, and private sector/donor agencies in order to pool enough resource capital required for activities in nanotechnology. PMID:24650295

Initiatives and strategies for development of nanotechnology in nations: a lesson for Africa and other least developed countries.

PubMed

Ezema, Ikechukwu C; Ogbobe, Peter O; Omah, Augustine D

2014-03-20

It is a known fact that the progress and development of different nations of the world is strongly connected with the type of materials under their use. This paper highlighted the development of nanotechnology in some selected countries of the world through a careful review of their road maps by way of public and private initiatives, funding/investment profile, human resources development, industrial potentials, and focus in order to draw inferences. The peculiar challenges and opportunities for some African nations and other least developed countries (LDC) were drawn for their economic and technological developments. This investigation was simply based on open access literatures. The review showed that although nanotechnology is new globally, most countries of the world have had growing public and private investments aimed at bringing about new materials and systems that can impact positively on their economy and ensure their global competitiveness and sustainability. The global scenario suggests the crucial role of cooperation in a multidisciplinary collaboration/partnership between government ministries, agencies, institutions, and private sector/donor agencies in order to pool enough resource capital required for activities in nanotechnology.

Initiatives and strategies for development of nanotechnology in nations: a lesson for Africa and other least developed countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ezema, Ikechukwu C.; Ogbobe, Peter O.; Omah, Augustine D.

2014-03-01

It is a known fact that the progress and development of different nations of the world is strongly connected with the type of materials under their use. This paper highlighted the development of nanotechnology in some selected countries of the world through a careful review of their road maps by way of public and private initiatives, funding/investment profile, human resources development, industrial potentials, and focus in order to draw inferences. The peculiar challenges and opportunities for some African nations and other least developed countries (LDC) were drawn for their economic and technological developments. This investigation was simply based on open access literatures. The review showed that although nanotechnology is new globally, most countries of the world have had growing public and private investments aimed at bringing about new materials and systems that can impact positively on their economy and ensure their global competitiveness and sustainability. The global scenario suggests the crucial role of cooperation in a multidisciplinary collaboration/partnership between government ministries, agencies, institutions, and private sector/donor agencies in order to pool enough resource capital required for activities in nanotechnology.

The "German Children" of Mozambique: Long-Term Legacies of a Socialist Educational Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muller, Tanja R.

2012-01-01

State-led education policies that centre on citizenship formation and are based on socialist-inspired values have been found in many newly independent post-colonial regimes. Such policies have led to a number of educational exchange programmes between developing countries and former "Eastern Bloc" countries. This paper looks at an…

Managerial Selection Decisions in Multinational Corporations: Teaching International Business Using Problem-Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zisk, Daniel S.; Owyar-Hosseini, Marion M.; DuBose, Philip B.

2015-01-01

Companies face many challenges as they staff managerial positions in overseas operations, including decisions on whether to staff using expatriates, host-country nationals, or third-country nationals. We developed an exercise--designed to help students understand the differences between these three groups of employees--that requires students to…

Experiences of School Principals with Newcomers from War-Affected Countries in Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okoko, Janet Mola

2011-01-01

This article is based on the results of an exploratory study of experiences of 2 urban school principals about leading schools with immigrants from war-affected countries in Africa. It examines how they perceived their preparation for multicultural leadership, and explores lessons that leadership development institutions can learn from their…

Preparing the Host Country Workforce for Expatriate Managers: The Neglected Other Side of the Coin.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vance, Charles M.; Ring, Peter Smith

1994-01-01

Using an instructional systems development approach, ways to prepare the host country workforce for the assignment of an expatriate manager are discussed. The model is based on a number of perspectives: exchange theory, participatory management, corporate social responsibility, communication theory, and strategic human resource planning. (SK)

Measurement of Job Motivation in TEDS-M: Testing for Invariance across Countries and Cultures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laschke, Christin; Blömeke, Sigrid

2016-01-01

The paper presents the challenges of cross-country and cross-cultural research on the motivation to become a mathematics teacher based on data from the "Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics" ("TEDS-M"). Referring to studies from cross-cultural psychology, measurement invariance (MI) of constructs representing…

The Impact of Computerization on Archival Finding Aids: A RAMP Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kitching, Christopher

This report is based on a questionnaire sent to 32 selected National Archives and on interviews with archivists from eight countries. Geared to the needs of developing countries, the report covers: (1) the impact of computerization on finding aids; (2) advantages and problems of computerization, including enhanced archival control, integration of…

A review of acute and chronic peritoneal dialysis in developing countries

PubMed Central

Abraham, Georgi; Varughese, Santosh; Mathew, Milly; Vijayan, Madhusudan

2015-01-01

Various modalities of renal replacement therapy (RRT) are available for the management of acute kidney injury (AKI) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). While developed countries mainly use hemodialysis as a form of RRT, peritoneal dialysis (PD) has been increasingly utilized in developing countries. Chronic PD offers various benefits including lower cost, home-based therapy, single access, less requirement of highly trained personnel and major infrastructure, higher number of patients under a single nephrologist with probably improved quality of life and freedom of activities. PD has been found to be lifesaving in the management of AKI in patients in developing countries where facilities for other forms of RRT are not readily available. The International Society of Peritoneal Dialysis has published guidelines regarding the use of PD in AKI, which has helped in ensuring uniformity. PD has also been successfully used in certain special situations of AKI due to snake bite, malaria, febrile illness, following cardiac surgery and in poisoning. Hemodialysis is the most common form of RRT used in ESRD worldwide, but some countries have begun to adopt a ‘PD first’ policy to reduce healthcare costs of RRT and ensure that it reaches the underserved population. PMID:26034593

Geneva-Seattle collaboration in support of developing country vaccine manufacturing.

PubMed

Stevenson, Michael A

2018-04-01

Vaccines were once produced almost exclusively by state-supported entities. While they remain essential tools for public health protection, the majority of the world's governments have allowed industry to assume responsibility for this function. This is significant because while the international harmonisation of quality assurance standards have effectively increased vaccine safety, they have also reduced the number of developing country vaccine producers, and Northern multinational pharmaceutical companies have shown little interest in offering the range of low-priced products needed in low and middle-income-country contexts. This article examines how public-private collaboration is relevant to contemporary efforts aimed at strengthening developing country manufacturers' capacity to produce high-quality, low-priced vaccines. Specifically, it casts light on the important and largely complimentary roles of the World Health Organization, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Seattle-based non-profit PATH, in this process. The take away message is that external support remains critical to ensuring that developing country vaccine manufacturers have the tools needed to produce for both domestic and global markets, and the United Nations supply chain, and collaboration at the public-private interface is driving organisational innovation focused on meeting these goals.

Public health laboratory quality management in a developing country.

PubMed

Wangkahat, Khwanjai; Nookhai, Somboon; Pobkeeree, Vallerut

2012-01-01

The article aims to give an overview of the system of public health laboratory quality management in Thailand and to produce a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis that is relevant to public health laboratories in the country. The systems for managing laboratory quality that are currently employed were described in the first component. The second component was a SWOT analysis, which used the opinions of laboratory professionals to identify any areas that could be improved to meet quality management systems. Various quality management systems were identified and the number of laboratories that met both international and national quality management requirements was different. The SWOT analysis found the opportunities and strengths factors offered the best chance to improve laboratory quality management in the country. The results are based on observations and brainstorming with medical laboratory professionals who can assist laboratories in accomplishing quality management. The factors derived from the analysis can help improve laboratory quality management in the country. This paper provides viewpoints and evidence-based approaches for the development of best possible practice of services in public health laboratories.

Wartime Transitions: Historical Case Analyses Applied to the US Campaign in Afghanistan (2001 to Present)

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-25

operate independently without external nation support; (3) a custom approach is necessary in security forces development based on political requirements...independently without external nation support; (3) a custom approach is necessary in security forces development based on political requirements...interventions both successful and unsuccessful, that an external country must craft a custom approach to develop local security forces based on the

A Training Strategy for Personnel Working in Developing Countries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McConkey, Roy; O'Toole, Brian

1998-01-01

Describes the training strategy developed by the Community Based Rehabilitation Programme in Guyana. The strategy has three components: the identification of training needs of families and support workers, the production of video-based training packages on specific topics, and the utilization of available personnel to act as local tutors.…

Home-based therapy for severe acute malnutrition with ready-to-use food

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Severe acute malnutrition is a devastating condition afflicting children under 5 years in many developing countries, but concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa. This paper examines the development of home-based lipid-nutrient therapeutic foods for the treatment of acute malnutrition in sub-Saharan Afric...

Disaster Risk Reduction in Myanmar: A Need for Focus on Community Preparedness and Improved Evaluation of Initiatives.

PubMed

Smith, Andrew D; Chan, Emily Y Y

2017-11-20

Myanmar is a country in political and economic transition. Facing a wide-variety of natural hazards and ongoing conflict, the country's under-developed infrastructure has resulted in high disaster risk. Following the devastation of Cyclone Nargis in 2008 and increased global focus on disaster management and risk reduction, Myanmar has begun development of national disaster policies. Myanmar's Action Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction addressed multiple stages of disaster development and has made progress towards national projects, however, has struggled to implement community-based preparedness and response initiatives. This article analyses Myanmar's disaster strategy, though the use of a disaster development framework and suggests areas for possible improvement. In particular, the article aims to generate discussion regarding methods of supporting objective evaluation of risk reduction initiatives in developing countries. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;page 1 of 5).

Progress towards early detection services for infants with hearing loss in developing countries

PubMed Central

Olusanya, Bolajoko O; Swanepoel, De Wet; Chapchap, Mônica J; Castillo, Salvador; Habib, Hamed; Mukari, Siti Z; Martinez, Norberto V; Lin, Hung-Ching; McPherson, Bradley

2007-01-01

Background Early detection of infants with permanent hearing loss through infant hearing screening is recognised and routinely offered as a vital component of early childhood care in developed countries. This article investigates the initiatives and progress towards early detection of infants with hearing loss in developing countries against the backdrop of the dearth of epidemiological data from this region. Methods A cross-sectional, descriptive study based on responses to a structured questionnaire eliciting information on the nature and scope of early hearing detection services; strategies for financing services; parental and professional attitudes towards screening; and the performance of screening programmes. Responses were complemented with relevant data from the internet and PubMed/Medline. Results Pilot projects using objective screening tests are on-going in a growing number of countries. Screening services are provided at public/private hospitals and/or community health centres and at no charge only in a few countries. Attitudes amongst parents and health care workers are typically positive towards such programmes. Screening efficiency, as measured by referral rate at discharge, was generally found to be lower than desired but several programmes achieved other international benchmarks. Coverage is generally above 90% but poor follow-up rates remain a challenge in some countries. The mean age of diagnosis is usually less than six months, even for community-based programmes. Conclusion Lack of adequate resources by many governments may limit rapid nationwide introduction of services for early hearing detection and intervention, but may not deter such services altogether. Parents may be required to pay for services in some settings in line with the existing practice where healthcare services are predominantly financed by out-of-pocket spending rather than public funding. However, governments and their international development partners need to complement current voluntary initiatives through systematic scaling-up of public awareness and requisite manpower development towards sustainable service capacities at all levels of healthcare delivery. PMID:17266763

Elaborating the History of Our Cementing Societies: An in-Use Stock Perspective.

PubMed

Cao, Zhi; Shen, Lei; Løvik, Amund N; Müller, Daniel B; Liu, Gang

2017-10-03

Modern cities and societies are built fundamentally based on cement and concrete. The global cement production has risen sharply in the past decades due largely to urbanization and construction. Here we deployed a top-down dynamic material flow analysis (MFA) model to quantify the historical development of cement in-use stocks in residential, nonresidential, and civil engineering sectors of all world countries. We found that global cement production spreads unevenly among 184 countries, with China dominating the global production and consumption after the 1990s. Nearly all countries have shown an increasing trend of per capita cement in-use stock in the past century. The present per capita cement in-use stocks vary from 10 to 40 tonnes in major industrialized and transiting countries and are below 10 tonnes in developing countries. Evolutionary modes identified from historical patterns suggest that per capita in-use cement stock growth generally complies with an S-shape curve and relates closely to affluence and urbanization of a country, but more in-depth and bottom-up investigations are needed to better understand socioeconomic drivers behind stock growth. These identified in-use stock patterns can help us better estimate future demand of cement, explore strategies for emissions reduction in the cement industry, and inform CO 2 uptake potentials of cement based products and infrastructure in service.

Estimating regional centile curves from mixed data sources and countries.

PubMed

van Buuren, Stef; Hayes, Daniel J; Stasinopoulos, D Mikis; Rigby, Robert A; ter Kuile, Feiko O; Terlouw, Dianne J

2009-10-15

Regional or national growth distributions can provide vital information on the health status of populations. In most resource poor countries, however, the required anthropometric data from purpose-designed growth surveys are not readily available. We propose a practical method for estimating regional (multi-country) age-conditional weight distributions based on existing survey data from different countries. We developed a two-step method by which one is able to model data with widely different age ranges and sample sizes. The method produces references both at the country level and at the regional (multi-country) level. The first step models country-specific centile curves by Box-Cox t and Box-Cox power exponential distributions implemented in generalized additive model for location, scale and shape through a common model. Individual countries may vary in location and spread. The second step defines the regional reference from a finite mixture of the country distributions, weighted by population size. To demonstrate the method we fitted the weight-for-age distribution of 12 countries in South East Asia and the Western Pacific, based on 273 270 observations. We modeled both the raw body weight and the corresponding Z score, and obtained a good fit between the final models and the original data for both solutions. We briefly discuss an application of the generated regional references to obtain appropriate, region specific, age-based dosing regimens of drugs used in the tropics. The method is an affordable and efficient strategy to estimate regional growth distributions where the standard costly alternatives are not an option. Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Towards an anthropometric history of latin America in the second half of the twentieth century.

PubMed

Challú, Amílcar E; Silva-Castañeda, Sergio

2016-12-01

We examine the evolution of adult female heights in twelve Latin American countries during the second half of the twentieth century based on demographic health surveys and related surveys compiled from national and international organizations. Only countries with more than one survey were included, allowing us to cross-examine surveys and correct for biases. We first show that average height varies significantly according to location, from 148.3cm in Guatemala to 158.8cm in Haiti. The evolution of heights over these decades behaves like indicators of human development, showing a steady increase of 2.6cm from the 1950s to the 1990s. Such gains compare favorably to other developing regions of the world, but not so much with recently developed countries. Height gains were not evenly distributed in the region, however. Countries that achieved higher levels of income, such as Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico, gained on average 0.9cm per decade, while countries with shrinking economies, such as Haiti and Guatemala, only gained 0.25cm per decade. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Land-use and alternative bioenergy pathways for waste biomass.

PubMed

Campbell, J E; Block, E

2010-11-15

Rapid escalation in biofuels consumption may lead to a trade regime that favors exports of food-based biofuels from tropical developing countries to developed countries. There is growing interest in mitigating the land-use impacts of these potential biofuels exports by converting biorefinery waste streams into cellulosic ethanol, potentially reducing the amount of land needed to meet production goals. This increased land-use efficiency for ethanol production may lower the land-use greenhouse gas emissions of ethanol but would come at the expense of converting the wastes into bioelectricity which may offset fossil fuel-based electricity and could provide a vital source of domestic electricity in developing countries. Here we compare these alternative uses of wastes with respect to environmental and energy security outcomes considering a range of electricity production efficiencies, ethanol yields, land-use scenarios, and energy offset assumptions. For a given amount of waste biomass, we found that using bioelectricity production to offset natural gas achieves 58% greater greenhouse gas reductions than using cellulosic ethanol to offset gasoline but similar emissions when cellulosic ethanol is used to offset the need for more sugar cane ethanol. If bioelectricity offsets low-carbon energy sources such as nuclear power then the liquid fuels pathway is preferred. Exports of cellulosic ethanol may have a small impact on the energy security of importing nations while bioelectricity production may have relatively large impacts on the energy security in developing countries.

Petroleum Based Development and the Private Sector: A Critique of the Saudi Arabian Industrialization Strategy

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-01-01

1985 2. REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED 00-00-1985 to 00-00-1985 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Petroleum Based Development and the Private Sector : A...PETROLEUM BASED DEVELOPMENT AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR : A CRITIQUE OF THE SAUDI ARABIAN INDUSTRIALIZATION STRATEGY By Robert E. Looney In almost every country...providing incentives and external economies to the private sector to establish a number of industries supplying the basic consumer and development needs of

[Overpopulation is bad, but excessive consumption is worse].

PubMed

Susuki, D

1993-12-01

The notion that consumption in developed countries is the main cause of ecological deterioration and planetary contamination is contested by many who assert that overpopulation in the developing world is the main factor. But the great disparity in income and consumption between rich and poor countries cannot be ignored. Each Canadian consumes 16 to 20 times more than an inhabitant of India or China and 60 to 70 times more than an inhabitant of Bangladesh. Consequently, the 1.1 billion inhabitants of industrialized countries cause ecological effects equivalent to what would be produced by 17 to 70 billion inhabitants of developing countries. The planet could not support 5.5 billion persons consuming at the rate of the 1.1 billion in the developed world. Consumption has been encouraged by the government and businesses in the U.S. and is an important factor in the health of the economy. But increases in consumption are not sustainable indefinitely. Much of current consumption results from inefficiency and waste. The life style of the developed countries has a high price in violence, alienation, alcoholism, vandalism, loneliness, pollution, and disturbance of the family and neighborhood. Becoming content with less consumption and striving for a future based on communities with greater self-confidence and self-sufficiency is a reasonable goal from both ecological and social points of view.

Development and validation of a multilateral index to determine economic status in developing countries: the Patient Financial Eligibility Tool (PFET).

PubMed

Saba, Joseph; Audureau, Etienne; Bizé, Marion; Koloshuk, Barbara; Ladner, Joël

2013-04-01

The objective was to develop and validate a multilateral index to determine patient ability to pay for medication in low- and middle-income countries. Primary data were collected in 2009 from 117 cancer patients in China, India, Thailand, and Malaysia. The initial tool included income, expenditures, and assets-based items using ad hoc determined brackets. Principal components analysis was performed to determine final weights. Agreement (Kappa) was measured between results from the final tool and from an Impact Survey (IS) conducted after beginning drug therapy to quantify a patient's actual ability to pay in terms of number of drug cycles per year. The authors present the step-by-step methodology employed to develop the tool on a country-by-country basis. Overall Cronbach value was 0.84. Agreement between the Patient Financial Eligibility Tool (PFET) and IS was perfect (equal number of drug cycles) for 58.1% of patients, fair (1 cycle difference) for 29.1%, and poor (>1 cycle) for 12.8%. Overall Kappa was 0.76 (P<0.0001). The PFET is an effective tool for determining an individual's ability to pay for medication. Combined with tiered models for patient participation in the cost of medication, it could help to increase access to high-priced products in developing countries.

Health workforce metrics pre- and post-2015: a stimulus to public policy and planning.

PubMed

Pozo-Martin, Francisco; Nove, Andrea; Lopes, Sofia Castro; Campbell, James; Buchan, James; Dussault, Gilles; Kunjumen, Teena; Cometto, Giorgio; Siyam, Amani

2017-02-15

Evidence-based health workforce policies are essential to ensure the provision of high-quality health services and to support the attainment of universal health coverage (UHC). This paper describes the main characteristics of available health workforce data for 74 of the 75 countries identified under the 'Countdown to 2015' initiative as accounting for more than 95% of the world's maternal, newborn and child deaths. It also discusses best practices in the development of health workforce metrics post-2015. Using available health workforce data from the Global Health Workforce Statistics database from the Global Health Observatory, we generated descriptive statistics to explore the current status, recent trends in the number of skilled health professionals (SHPs: physicians, nurses, midwives) per 10 000 population, and future requirements to achieve adequate levels of health care in the 74 countries. A rapid literature review was conducted to obtain an overview of the types of methods and the types of data sources used in human resources for health (HRH) studies. There are large intercountry and interregional differences in the density of SHPs to progress towards UHC in Countdown countries: a median of 10.2 per 10 000 population with range 1.6 to 142 per 10 000. Substantial efforts have been made in some countries to increase the availability of SHPs as shown by a positive average exponential growth rate (AEGR) in SHPs in 51% of Countdown countries for which there are data. Many of these countries will require large investments to achieve levels of workforce availability commensurate with UHC and the health-related sustainable development goals (SDGs). The availability, quality and comparability of global health workforce metrics remain limited. Most published workforce studies are descriptive, but more sophisticated needs-based workforce planning methods are being developed. There is a need for high-quality, comprehensive, interoperable sources of HRH data to support all policies towards UHC and the health-related SDGs. The recent WHO-led initiative of supporting countries in the development of National Health Workforce Accounts is a very promising move towards purposive health workforce metrics post-2015. Such data will allow more countries to apply the latest methods for health workforce planning.

Historical review of missile aerodynamic developments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spearman, M. Leroy

1989-01-01

The development of missiles from early history up to about 1970 is discussed. Early unpowered missiles beyond the rock include the spear, the bow and arrow, the gun and bullet, and the cannon and projectile. Combining gunpowder with projectiles resulted in the first powered missiles. In the early 1900's, the development of guided missiles was begun. Significant advances in missile technology were made by German scientists during World War II. The dispersion of these advances to other countries following the war resulted in accelerating the development of guided missiles. In the late 1940's and early 1950's there was a proliferation in the development of missile systems in many countries. These developments were based primarily on experimental work and on relatively crude analytical techniques. Discussed here are some of the missile systems that were developed up to about 1970; some of the problems encountered; the development of an experimental data base for use with missiles; and early efforts to develop analytical methods applicable to missiles.

A health priority for developing countries: the prevention of chronic fetal malnutrition.

PubMed

Villar, J; Altobelli, L; Kestler, E; Beliźan, J

1986-01-01

A prospective study of 3557 consecutively born neonates from a lower middle class district in Guatemala City documented a 23.8% incidence of intrauterine growth retardation due to fetal malnutrition. Those infants whose weights are below the 10th percentile of a sex- and race-specific birthweight and gestational age distribution, based on a developed country population, were considered to manifest intrauterine growth retardation. Ponderal index values were then used to further classify this population as having chronic fetal malnutrition (above the 10th percentile of the standard distribution) or subacute fetal malnutrition (below the 10th percentile); the incidences of these conditions were 79.1% and 20.8%, respectively. The results of numerous studies carried out in various populations suggest that developing countries have a higher incidence of chronically malnourished infants within the intrauterine growth retardation population, while subacute fetal malnutrition is more prevalent in developed countries. Moreover, it has been shown that chronically malnourished infants do not recover from their intrauterine damage and score the lowest in mental development tests even up to school age. They remain lighter, shorter, and with a smaller head circumference until at least 3 years of age. Based on the incidence rates ascertained in this study, it can be estimated that at least 2 million infants born each year in Latin America are at risk of chronic intrauterine growth retardation. Screening programs are needed to identify at-risk mothers early in pregnancy so that medical and nutritional interventions can be implemented.

Use of a United States-based laboratory as a hematopathology reference center for a developing country: logistics and results.

PubMed

Deetz, C O; Scott, M G; Ladenson, J H; Seyoum, M; Hassan, A; Kreisel, F H; Nguyen, T T; Frater, J L

2013-02-01

With proper logistical support and sponsorship, a laboratory in an industrialized nation might be able to act as a reference laboratory for clinicians based in a developing country. We built on previous experience in the clinical laboratory to see whether a specialized histopathology service (hematopathology) could be provided to a developing country without the expertise or experience to do it in country. Over an 13-year period, 582 cases from 579 individuals were analyzed. Principal pathologic findings included acute leukemia in 84 cases (14%), dyspoiesis in one or more of the hematopoietic lineages in 65 cases (11%, including three cases with high-grade myelodysplasia), 23 cases (4%) with findings suspicious for a chronic myeloproliferative disorder, 35 cases (6%) with findings suspicious for a lymphoproliferative disorder, and infectious organisms (presumably Leishmania in most instances) in 9 (1%) of cases. Specimens from 45 cases (8%) were unsatisfactory owing to extreme hemodilution and/or specimen degeneration. With proper support, a medical laboratory in an industrialized nation may serve as a reference facility for a developing nation. The use of existing infrastructure may be remarkably effective to achieve optimal turnaround time. Although the lack of ancillary studies and follow-up biopsies limit the ability to achieve a definitive diagnosis in many cases, this must be viewed in the context of the limited ability to diagnose or manage hematopoietic neoplasia in developing nations. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Biomedical laboratory science education: standardising teaching content in resource-limited countries

PubMed Central

Robinson, Cathy; Nyary, Bryan

2013-01-01

Background There is a worldwide shortage of qualified laboratory personnel to provide adequate testing for the detection and monitoring of diseases. In an effort to increase laboratory capacity in developing countries, new skills have been introduced into laboratory services. Curriculum revision with a focus on good laboratory practice is an important aspect of supplying entry-level graduates with the competencies needed to meet the current needs. Objectives Gaps in application and problem-solving competencies of newly graduated laboratory personnel were discovered in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Kenya. New medical laboratory teaching content was developed in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Kenya using national instructors, tutors, and experts and consulting medical laboratory educators from the United States of America (USA). Method Workshops were held in Ethiopia to create standardised biomedical laboratory science (BMLS) lessons based on recently-revised course objectives with an emphasis on application of skills. In Tanzania, course-module teaching guides with objectives were developed based on established competency outcomes and tasks. In Kenya, example interactive presentations and lesson plans were developed by the USA medical laboratory educators prior to the workshop to serve as resources and templates for the development of lessons within the country itself. Results The new teaching materials were implemented and faculty, students and other stakeholders reported successful outcomes. Conclusions These approaches to updating curricula may be helpful as biomedical laboratory schools in other countries address gaps in the competencies of entry-level graduates. PMID:29043162

Cross-country analysis of strategies for achieving progress towards global goals for women’s and children’s health

PubMed Central

Ahmed, Syed Masud; Rawal, Lal B; Chowdhury, Sadia A; Murray, John; Arscott-Mills, Sharon; Jack, Susan; Hinton, Rachael; Alam, Prima M

2016-01-01

Abstract Objective To identify how 10 low- and middle-income countries achieved accelerated progress, ahead of comparable countries, towards meeting millennium development goals 4 and 5A to reduce child and maternal mortality. Methods We synthesized findings from multistakeholder dialogues and country policy reports conducted previously for the Success Factors studies in 10 countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Nepal, Peru, Rwanda and Viet Nam. A framework approach was used to analyse and synthesize the data from the country reports, resulting in descriptive or explanatory conclusions by theme. Findings Successful policy and programme approaches were categorized in four strategic areas: leadership and multistakeholder partnerships; health sector; sectors outside health; and accountability for resources and results. Consistent and coordinated inputs across sectors, based on high-impact interventions, were assessed. Within the health sector, key policy and programme strategies included defining standards, collecting and using data, improving financial protection, and improving the availability and quality of services. Outside the health sector, strategies included investing in girls’ education, water, sanitation and hygiene, poverty reduction, nutrition and food security, and infrastructure development. Countries improved accountability by strengthening and using data systems for planning and evaluating progress. Conclusion Reducing maternal and child mortality in the 10 fast-track countries can be linked to consistent and coordinated policy and programme inputs across health and other sectors. The approaches used by successful countries have relevance to other countries looking to scale-up or accelerate progress towards the sustainable development goals. PMID:27147765

Crowd-Sourcing Management Activity Data to Drive GHG Emission Inventories in the Land Use Sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paustian, K.; Herrick, J.

2015-12-01

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the land use sector constitute the largest source category for many countries in Africa. Enhancing C sequestration and reducing GHG emissions on managed lands in Africa has to potential to attract C financing to support adoption of more sustainable land management practices that, in addition to GHG mitigation, can provide co-benefits of more productive and climate-resilient agroecosystems. However, robust systems to measure and monitor C sequestration/GHG reductions are currently a significant barrier to attracting more C financing to land use-related mitigation efforts.Anthropogenic GHG emissions are driven by a variety of environmental factors, including climate and soil attributes, as well as human-activities in the form of land use and management practices. GHG emission inventories typically use empirical or process-based models of emission rates that are driven by environmental and management variables. While a lack of field-based flux and C stock measurements are a limiting factor for GHG estimation, we argue that an even greater limitation may be availabiity of data on the management activities that influence flux rates, particularly in developing countries in Africa. In most developed countries there is a well-developed infrastructure of agricultural statistics and practice surveys that can be used to drive model-based GHG emission estimations. However, this infrastructure is largely lacking in developing countries in Africa. While some activity data (e.g. land cover change) can be derived from remote sensing, many key data (e.g., N fertilizer practices, residue management, manuring) require input from the farmers themselves. The explosive growth in cellular technology, even in many of the poorest parts of Africa, suggests the potential for a new crowd-sourcing approach and direct engagement with farmers to 'leap-frog' the land resource information model of developed countries. Among the many benefits of this approach would be high resolution management data to support GHG inventories at multiple scales. We present an overall conceptual model for this approach and examples from on-going projects in Africa employing direct farmer engagement, cellular technology and apps to develop this information resource.

The precautionary principle and other non-tariff barriers to free and fair international food trade.

PubMed

Lupien, John R

2002-07-01

International food trade and world population are growing rapidly. National legislation has been enacted and implemented in many countries to assure good quality and safe foods to meet increased demand. No country is fully self-sufficient in domestic food production to meet population demands, and all require some food imports. Current international food trade agreements call for free and fair food trade between all countries, developed and developing. National food legislation and food production, processing and marketing systems have evolved in most countries to ensure better quality and safer foods. At the international level the work of the FAO/ WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) and the World Trade Organization Agreements on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and related Uruguay Round agreements have been agreed to by over 140 countries with the aim to promoting the free and fair trade of good quality and safe foods between all countries. The SPS and TBT agreements rely on science-based Codex standards, guidelines, and recommendations as benchmarks for judging international food trade disputes. A number of non-tariff barriers to trade, often related to agricultural subsidies and other food trade payments in developed countries, continue to give rise to complaints to WTO. They also continue to prevent free and fair trade, particularly for developing countries in international food trade. A number of these non-tariff barriers to trade are briefly examined, along with other domestic and international food trade problems, and recommendations for improvements are made.

Centre-based day care for children younger than five years of age in low- and middle-income countries.

PubMed

Brown, Taylor W; van Urk, Felix C; Waller, Rebecca; Mayo-Wilson, Evan

2014-09-25

Because of poverty, children and families in low- and middle-income countries often face significant impediments to health and well-being. Centre-based day care services may influence the development of children and the economic situation of parents by providing good quality early childhood care and by freeing parents to participate in the labour force. To assess the effects of centre-based day care without additional interventions (e.g. psychological or medical services, parent training) on the development, health and well-being of children and families in low- and middle-income countries (as defined by the World Bank 2011). In April 2014, we searched CENTRAL, Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, ERIC and 16 other sources, including several World Health Organization (WHO) regional databases. We also searched two trials registers, websites of government and non-government agencies and reference lists of relevant studies. We included randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials and prospective non-randomised studies with contemporaneous control groups and assessments both before and after intervention. We considered non-randomised controlled trials, as centre-based care in low- and middle-income countries is unlikely to be studied using randomised controlled trials (Higgins 2011). We included the following outcomes: child intellectual development, child psychosocial development, maternal and family outcomes and incidence of infectious diseases. Two review authors independently assessed risk of bias and extracted data from the single included study. Only one trial, involving 256 children, met the inclusion criteria for this review. This study was assessed as having high risk of bias because of non-random allocation, incomplete outcome data and insufficient control of confounding factors. Results from this study suggest that centre-based day care may have a positive effect on child cognitive ability compared with no treatment (care at home) (assessed using a modified version of the British Ability Scale-II (BAS-II) (standardised mean difference (SMD) 0.74, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.48 to 1.00, 256 participants, 1 study, very low-quality evidence). This study did not measure other variables relevant to this review. The single study included in this review provides limited evidence on the effects of centre-based day care for children younger than five years of age in low- and middle-income countries. This study was at high risk of bias and may have limited generalisability to other low- and middle-income countries. Many of the studies excluded from this review paired day care attendance with co-interventions that are unlikely to be provided in normal day care centres. Effectiveness studies on centre-based day care without these co-interventions are few, and the need for such studies is significant. In future studies, comparisons might include home visits or alternative day care arrangements.

Resource costing for multinational neurologic clinical trials: methods and results.

PubMed

Schulman, K; Burke, J; Drummond, M; Davies, L; Carlsson, P; Gruger, J; Harris, A; Lucioni, C; Gisbert, R; Llana, T; Tom, E; Bloom, B; Willke, R; Glick, H

1998-11-01

We present the results of a multinational resource costing study for a prospective economic evaluation of a new medical technology for treatment of subarachnoid hemorrhage within a clinical trial. The study describes a framework for the collection and analysis of international resource cost data that can contribute to a consistent and accurate intercountry estimation of cost. Of the 15 countries that participated in the clinical trial, we collected cost information in the following seven: Australia, France, Germany, the UK, Italy, Spain, and Sweden. The collection of cost data in these countries was structured through the use of worksheets to provide accurate and efficient cost reporting. We converted total average costs to average variable costs and then aggregated the data to develop study unit costs. When unit costs were unavailable, we developed an index table, based on a market-basket approach, to estimate unit costs. To estimate the cost of a given procedure, the market-basket estimation process required that cost information be available for at least one country. When cost information was unavailable in all countries for a given procedure, we estimated costs using a method based on physician-work and practice-expense resource-based relative value units. Finally, we converted study unit costs to a common currency using purchasing power parity measures. Through this costing exercise we developed a set of unit costs for patient services and per diem hospital services. We conclude by discussing the implications of our costing exercise and suggest guidelines to facilitate more effective multinational costing exercises.

International comparison of experience-based health state values at the population level.

PubMed

Heijink, Richard; Reitmeir, Peter; Leidl, Reiner

2017-07-07

Decision makers need to know whether health state values, an important component of summary measures of health, are valid for their target population. A key outcome is the individuals' valuation of their current health. This experience-based perspective is increasingly used to derive health state values. This study is the first to compare such experience-based valuations at the population level across countries. We examined the relationship between respondents' self-rated health as measured by the EQ-VAS, and the different dimensions and levels of the EQ-5D-3 L. The dataset included almost 32,000 survey respondents from 15 countries. We estimated generalized linear models with logit link function, including country-specific models and pooled-data models with country effects. The results showed significant and meaningful differences in the valuation of health states and individual health dimensions between countries, even though similarities were present too. Between countries, coefficients correlated positively for the values of mobility, self-care and usual activities, but not for the values of pain and anxiety, thus underlining structural differences. The findings indicate that, ideally, population-specific experience-based value sets are developed and used for the calculation of health outcomes. Otherwise, sensitivity analyses are needed. Furthermore, transferring the results of foreign studies into the national context should be performed with caution. We recommend future studies to investigate the causes of differences in experience-based health state values through a single international study possibly complemented with qualitative research on the determinants of valuation.

Does Gender Matter? Female Representation on Corporate Boards and Firm Financial Performance--A Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Pletzer, Jan Luca; Nikolova, Romina; Kedzior, Karina Karolina; Voelpel, Sven Constantin

2015-01-01

In recent years, there has been an ongoing, worldwide debate about the representation of females in companies. Our study aimed to meta-analytically investigate the controversial relationship between female representation on corporate boards and firm financial performance. Following a systematic literature search, data from 20 studies on 3097 companies published in peer-reviewed academic journals were included in the meta-analysis. On average, the boards consisted of eight members and female participation was low (mean 14%) in all studies. Half of the 20 studies were based on data from developing countries and 62% from higher income countries. According to the random-effects model, the overall mean weighted correlation between percentage of females on corporate boards and firm performance was small and non-significant (r = .01, 95% confidence interval: -.04, .07). Similar small effect sizes were observed when comparing studies based on developing vs. developed countries and higher vs. lower income countries. The mean board size was not related to the effect sizes in studies. These results indicate that the mere representation of females on corporate boards is not related to firm financial performance if other factors are not considered. We conclude our study with a discussion of its implications and limitations.

Does Gender Matter? Female Representation on Corporate Boards and Firm Financial Performance - A Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Pletzer, Jan Luca; Nikolova, Romina; Kedzior, Karina Karolina; Voelpel, Sven Constantin

2015-01-01

In recent years, there has been an ongoing, worldwide debate about the representation of females in companies. Our study aimed to meta-analytically investigate the controversial relationship between female representation on corporate boards and firm financial performance. Following a systematic literature search, data from 20 studies on 3097 companies published in peer-reviewed academic journals were included in the meta-analysis. On average, the boards consisted of eight members and female participation was low (mean 14%) in all studies. Half of the 20 studies were based on data from developing countries and 62% from higher income countries. According to the random-effects model, the overall mean weighted correlation between percentage of females on corporate boards and firm performance was small and non-significant (r = .01, 95% confidence interval: -.04, .07). Similar small effect sizes were observed when comparing studies based on developing vs. developed countries and higher vs. lower income countries. The mean board size was not related to the effect sizes in studies. These results indicate that the mere representation of females on corporate boards is not related to firm financial performance if other factors are not considered. We conclude our study with a discussion of its implications and limitations. PMID:26086454

Disaster nephrology: medical perspective.

PubMed

Atef-Zafarmand, Alireza; Fadem, Steve

2003-04-01

Disaster medicine is an extension of emergency medicine involving mass casualties and use of the best available techniques in search and rescue. To achieve the best results extensive predisaster preparedness is mandatory. Earthquakes have caused the loss of more than 1 million lives in the 20th century. Evidence-based medicine confirms that these deaths were mostly preventable based on experience in developed countries. The key to success is implementing building codes and structural reinforcement. In earthquakes as well as in collapse of buildings in bomb blasts, loss of life is either because of the direct effect of trauma or to the metabolic consequences of rhabdomyolysis and complications of its management. Hyperkalemia and infection are the commonest causes of death in victims who survive the direct effect of trauma. Acute renal failure, a grave complication of rhabdomyolysis, is mostly preventable by timely rehydration and bicarbonate therapy. Mannitol therapy can be very efficient in reducing the severity of muscle damage and its sequelae. Fasciotomy can be limb saving if it is done in the early hours, although a firm guideline is still lacking. Although each country is responsible for improving the structure of buildings and organizing an efficient disaster response, national and international organizations in developed countries should give high priority to communicating with developing countries to encourage their preparedness. Copyright 2003 by the National Kidney Foundation, Inc.

The Point-of-Care Laboratory in Clinical Microbiology

PubMed Central

Michel-Lepage, Audrey; Boyer, Sylvie; Raoult, Didier

2016-01-01

SUMMARY Point-of-care (POC) laboratories that deliver rapid diagnoses of infectious diseases were invented to balance the centralization of core laboratories. POC laboratories operate 24 h a day and 7 days a week to provide diagnoses within 2 h, largely based on immunochromatography and real-time PCR tests. In our experience, these tests are conveniently combined into syndrome-based kits that facilitate sampling, including self-sampling and test operations, as POC laboratories can be operated by trained operators who are not necessarily biologists. POC laboratories are a way of easily providing clinical microbiology testing for populations distant from laboratories in developing and developed countries and on ships. Modern Internet connections enable support from core laboratories. The cost-effectiveness of POC laboratories has been established for the rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis and sexually transmitted infections in both developed and developing countries. PMID:27029593

Programmatic pathways to child survival: results of a multi-country evaluation of Integrated Management of Childhood Illness.

PubMed

Bryce, Jennifer; Victora, Cesar G; Habicht, Jean-Pierre; Black, Robert E; Scherpbier, Robert W

2005-12-01

To summarize the expectations held by World Health Organization programme personnel about how the introduction of the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) strategy would lead to improvements in child health and nutrition, to compare these expectations with what was learned from the Multi-Country Evaluation of IMCI Effectiveness, Cost and Impact (MCE-IMCI), and to discuss the implications of these findings for child survival policies and programmes. The MCE-IMCI study designs were based on an impact model developed in 1999-2000 to define how IMCI would be implemented at country level and below, and the outcomes and impact it would have on child health and survival. MCE-IMCI studies included: feasibility assessments documenting IMCI implementation in 12 countries (1999-2001); in-depth studies using compatible designs in Bangladesh, Brazil, Peru, Tanzania and Uganda; and cross-site analyses addressing the effectiveness of specific subsets of IMCI activities. The IMCI strategy was successfully introduced in the great majority of countries with moderate to high levels of child mortality in the period from 1996 to 2001. Seven years of country-based evaluation, however, indicates that some of the basic expectations underlying the development of IMCI were not met. Four of the five countries (the exception is Tanzania) had difficulties in expanding the strategy at national level while maintaining adequate intervention quality. Technical guidelines on delivering interventions at family and community levels were slow to appear, and in their absence countries stalled in their efforts to increase population coverage with essential interventions related to care-seeking, nutrition, and correct care of the sick child at home. The full weight of health system limitations on IMCI implementation was not appreciated at the outset, and only now is it clear that solutions to larger problems in political commitment, human resources, financing, integrated or at least coordinated programme management, and effective decentralization are essential underpinnings of successful efforts to reduce child mortality. This analysis highlights the need for a shift if child survival efforts are to be successful. Delivery systems that rely solely on government health facilities must be expanded to include the full range of potential channels in a setting and strong community-based approaches. The focus on process within child health programmes must change to include greater accountability for intervention coverage at population level. Global strategies that expect countries to make massive adaptations must be complemented by country-level implementation guidelines that begin with local epidemiology and rely on tools developed for specific epidemiological profiles.

De novo establishment and cost-effectiveness of Papanicolaou cytology screening services in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

PubMed

Suba, E J; Nguyen, C H; Nguyen, B D; Raab, S S

2001-03-01

Cervical carcinoma is the leading cause of cancer-related death among women in the developing world. The absence of cervical screening in Vietnam and other developing countries is due in large part to the perceived expense of implementing Papanicolaou cytology screening services, although, to the authors' knowledge, the cost-effectiveness of establishing such services has never been studied in a developing country. Using decision analytic methods, the authors assessed cost-effectiveness of Pap screening from a societal perspective in Vietnam, the world's 9th most populous developing country (estimated 1999 population, 79 million). Outcomes measured included life expectancy, cervical carcinoma incidence, cost per woman, and cost-effectiveness. Total costs to establish a nationwide 5-year interval Pap screening program in Vietnam will average less than $148,400 annually during the 10-year time period assumed necessary to develop the program and may be considerably lower if only high risk geographic areas are targeted. Maintenance costs will average less than $0.092 annually per woman in the target screening population. Assuming 70% program participation, cervical carcinoma incidence will decrease from 26 in 100,000 to 14.8 in 100,000, and cost-effectiveness will be $725 per discounted life-year. Several assumptions used in this analysis constitute biases against the effectiveness of Pap screening, which in reality may be significantly more cost-effective than reported here. Contrary to widespread belief, Pap screening in developing countries such as Vietnam is extraordinarily inexpensive and appears to be cost-effective. Because prospects are uncertain regarding useful alternatives to the Pap test, the evidence-based argument for establishing conventional Pap screening services in developing countries such as Vietnam is compelling. Population-based conventional Pap screening services have been established de novo in Vietnam and are now operational. Copyright 2001 American Cancer Society.

Plumbing the brain drain.

PubMed Central

Saravia, Nancy Gore; Miranda, Juan Francisco

2004-01-01

Opportunity is the driving force of migration. Unsatisfied demands for higher education and skills, which have been created by the knowledge-based global economy, have generated unprecedented opportunities in knowledge-intensive service industries. These multi-trillion dollar industries include information, communication, finance, business, education and health. The leading industrialized nations are also the focal points of knowledge-intensive service industries and as such constitute centres of research and development activity that proactively draw in talented individuals worldwide through selective immigration policies, employment opportunities and targeted recruitment. Higher education is another major conduit of talent from less-developed countries to the centres of the knowledge-based global economy. Together career and educational opportunities drive "brain drain and recirculation". The departure of a large proportion of the most competent and innovative individuals from developing nations slows the achievement of the critical mass needed to generate the enabling context in which knowledge creation occurs. To favourably modify the asymmetric movement and distribution of global talent, developing countries must implement bold and creative strategies that are backed by national policies to: provide world-class educational opportunities, construct knowledge-based research and development industries, and sustainably finance the required investment for these strategies. Brazil, China and India have moved in this direction, offering world-class education in areas crucial to national development, such as biotechnology and information technology, paralleled by investments in research and development. As a result, only a small proportion of the most highly educated individuals migrate from these countries, and research and development opportunities employ national talent and even attract immigrants. PMID:15375451

Importance of public participation in decision-making process in healthcare system illustarted with an example of the development of American and Polish scope of health benefit basket.

PubMed

Kolasa, Katarzyna; Hermanowski, Tomasz; Borek, Ewa

2013-01-01

The process of the development of health benefit basket may serve as a good example of decision-making process in the healthcare system which is based on public participation. Comparative analysis of development and implementation of health benefit basket in Poland and the USA. On a basis of the literature review, following questions were studied, i.e.: What is the origin of health benefit basket development in the USA and Poland? What was the role of pubic opinion in determining the range of health benefit basket in both countries? What criteria were employed to determine the range of health benefit basket in both countries? What conclusions can be drawn for Poland from the USA experience of determining the range of health benefit basket? Irrespective of the similarities in the origin of health benefit basket development, both countries approached this issue differently. In the USA, the approach based on social dialogue and patient's perspective was selected while in Poland the perspective of public payer predominated. The transparency of principles and social dialogue constitute the fundamental elements of effective process of health benefit basket development and implementation which is both required and generally unpopular modification.

A study on the development of automatic economic profit and loss calculation system for maritime boundary delimitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwak, G.; Kim, K.; Park, Y.

2014-02-01

As the maritime boundary delimitation is important for the purpose of securing marine resources, in addition to the aspect of maritime security, interest in maritime boundary delimitation to help national benefits are increasing over the world. In Korea, the importance of maritime boundary delimitation with the neighbouring countries is also increasing in practice. The quantity of obtainable marine resources depending on maritime boundary acts as an important factor for maritime boundary delimitation. Accordingly, a study is required to calculate quantity of our obtainable marine resources depending on maritime boundary delimitation. This study intends to calculate obtainable marine resources depending on various maritime boundary scenarios insisted by several countries. It mainly aims at developing a GIS-based automation system to be utilized for decision making of the maritime boundary delimitation. For this target, it has designed a module using spatial analysis technique to automatically calculate profit and loss waters area of each country upon maritime boundary and another module to estimate economic profits and losses obtained by each country using the calculated waters area and pricing information of the marine resources. By linking both the designed modules, it has implemented an automatic economic profit and loss calculation system for the GIS-based maritime boundary delimitation. The system developed from this study automatically calculate quantity of the obtainable marine resources of a country for the maritime boundary to be added and created in the future. Thus, it is expected to support decision making for the maritime boundary negotiators.

Measuring Gender (In)Equality: Introducing the Gender, Institutions and Development Data Base (GID). OECD Development Centre Working Paper No. 247

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jutting, Johannes P.; Morrisson, Christian; Dayton-Johnson, Jeff; Drechsler, Denis

2006-01-01

Efforts to establish, test and analyse hypotheses regarding cross-country variations in women's economic status are hampered by the lack of a readily accessible and easily used information resource on the various dimensions of gender inequality. Addressing this gap, this paper introduces the Gender, Institutions and Development data base (GID)…

Quantifying the Effect of Macroeconomic and Social Factors on Illegal E-Waste Trade.

PubMed

Efthymiou, Loukia; Mavragani, Amaryllis; Tsagarakis, Konstantinos P

2016-08-05

As illegal e-waste trade has been significantly growing over the course of the last few years, the consequences on human health and the environment demand immediate action on the part of the global community. Though it is argued that e-waste flows from developed to developing countries, this subject seems to be more complex than that, with a variety of studies suggesting that income per capita is not the only factor affecting the choice of regions that e-waste is illegally shipped to. How is a country's economic and social development associated with illegal e-waste trade? Is legislation an important factor? This paper aims at quantifying macroeconomic (per capita income and openness of economy) and social (human development and social progress) aspects, based on qualitative data on illegal e-waste trade routes, by examining the percentage differences in scorings in selected indicators for all known and suspected routes. The results show that illegal e-waste trade occurs from economically and socially developed regions to countries with significantly lower levels of overall development, with few exceptions, which could be attributed to the fact that several countries have loose regulations on e-waste trade, thus deeming them attractive for potential illegal activities.

Health: an essential component of long-term economic and social development.

PubMed

Drobny, A

1977-01-01

Isolated growth of the economy in a developing country, without due consideration of social aspects, does not necessarily increase the welfare of all its population. In such cases, there will always be a large group with poor education and negligible health care. Health services in these countries should not try to duplicate those of the technologically developed nations and should be more health-oriented than disease-oriented. This entails wider utilization of auxiliary and paramedical personnel and, above all, community involvement. At the same time, the teaching of medicine should be based on the needs of the country rather than try to emulate developed countries' programmes, which can only result in dissatisfaction among physicians and/or in emigration. The Inter-American Development Bank considers that health is a component of long-term economic development; it is therefore fostering and participating in the expansion of rural health services with strong emphasis placed on community participation. In this process health education, both of the public and of local and national authorities, is paramount. Of particular importance is the interaction of health officials and the community itself in order to enlist the rural dweller in spontaneous and active participation that will ensure the success of health programmes.

An evaluation of a computer based education program for the diagnosis and management of dementia in primary care. An international study of the transcultural adaptations necessary for European dissemination.

PubMed

Degryse, J; De Lepeleire, J; Southgate, L; Vernooij-Dassen, M; Gay, B; Heyrman, J

2009-05-01

The aim of this study is to make an inventory of the changes that are needed to make an interactive computer based training program (ICBT) with a specific educational content, acceptable to professional communities with different linguistic,cultural and health care backgrounds in different European countries. Existing educational software, written in two languages was reviewed by GPs and primary care professionals in three different countries. Reviewers worked through the program using a structured critical reading grid. A 'simple' translation of the program is not sufficient. Minor changes are needed to take account of linguistic differences and medical semantics. Major changes are needed in respect of the existing clinical guidelines in every country related to differences in the existing health care systems. ICTB programs cannot easily be used in different countries and cultures. The development of a structured educational program needs collaboration between educationalists, domain experts, information technology advisers and software engineers. Simple validation of the content by local expert groups will not guarantee the program's exportability. It is essential to involve different national expert groups at every phase of the development process in order to disseminate it in other countries.

Preventing preterm births: analysis of trends and potential reductions with interventions in 39 countries with very high human development index.

PubMed

Chang, Hannah H; Larson, Jim; Blencowe, Hannah; Spong, Catherine Y; Howson, Christopher P; Cairns-Smith, Sarah; Lackritz, Eve M; Lee, Shoo K; Mason, Elizabeth; Serazin, Andrew C; Walani, Salimah; Simpson, Joe Leigh; Lawn, Joy E

2013-01-19

Every year, 1·1 million babies die from prematurity, and many survivors are disabled. Worldwide, 15 million babies are born preterm (<37 weeks' gestation), with two decades of increasing rates in almost all countries with reliable data. The understanding of drivers and potential benefit of preventive interventions for preterm births is poor. We examined trends and estimate the potential reduction in preterm births for countries with very high human development index (VHHDI) if present evidence-based interventions were widely implemented. This analysis is to inform a rate reduction target for Born Too Soon. Countries were assessed for inclusion based on availability and quality of preterm prevalence data (2000-10), and trend analyses with projections undertaken. We analysed drivers of rate increases in the USA, 1989-2004. For 39 countries with VHHDI with more than 10,000 births, we did country-by-country analyses based on target population, incremental coverage increase, and intervention efficacy. We estimated cost savings on the basis of reported costs for preterm care in the USA adjusted using World Bank purchasing power parity. From 2010, even if all countries with VHHDI achieved annual preterm birth rate reductions of the best performers for 1990-2010 (Estonia and Croatia), 2000-10 (Sweden and Netherlands), or 2005-10 (Lithuania, Estonia), rates would experience a relative reduction of less than 5% by 2015 on average across the 39 countries. Our analysis of preterm birth rise 1989-2004 in USA suggests half the change is unexplained, but important drivers include non-medically indicated labour induction and caesarean delivery and assisted reproductive technologies. For all 39 countries with VHHDI, five interventions modelling at high coverage predicted a 5% relative reduction of preterm birth rate from 9·59% to 9·07% of livebirths: smoking cessation (0·01 rate reduction), decreasing multiple embryo transfers during assisted reproductive technologies (0·06), cervical cerclage (0·15), progesterone supplementation (0·01), and reduction of non-medically indicated labour induction or caesarean delivery (0·29). These findings translate to roughly 58,000 preterm births averted and total annual economic cost savings of about US$3 billion. We recommend a conservative target of a relative reduction in preterm birth rates of 5% by 2015. Our findings highlight the urgent need for research into underlying mechanisms of preterm births, and development of innovative interventions. Furthermore, the highest preterm birth rates occur in low-income settings where the causes of prematurity might differ and have simpler solutions such as birth spacing and treatment of infections in pregnancy than in high-income countries. Urgent focus on these settings is also crucial to reduce preterm births worldwide. March of Dimes, USA, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and National Institutes of Health, USA. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A concept for routine emergency-care data-based syndromic surveillance in Europe.

PubMed

Ziemann, A; Rosenkötter, N; Garcia-Castrillo Riesgo, L; Schrell, S; Kauhl, B; Vergeiner, G; Fischer, M; Lippert, F K; Krämer, A; Brand, H; Krafft, T

2014-11-01

We developed a syndromic surveillance (SyS) concept using emergency dispatch, ambulance and emergency-department data from different European countries. Based on an inventory of sub-national emergency data availability in 12 countries, we propose framework definitions for specific syndromes and a SyS system design. We tested the concept by retrospectively applying cumulative sum and spatio-temporal cluster analyses for the detection of local gastrointestinal outbreaks in four countries and comparing the results with notifiable disease reporting. Routine emergency data was available daily and electronically in 11 regions, following a common structure. We identified two gastrointestinal outbreaks in two countries; one was confirmed as a norovirus outbreak. We detected 1/147 notified outbreaks. Emergency-care data-based SyS can supplement local surveillance with near real-time information on gastrointestinal patients, especially in special circumstances, e.g. foreign tourists. It most likely cannot detect the majority of local gastrointestinal outbreaks with few, mild or dispersed cases.

Analyses of fatalities from natural catastrophes in different income groups over time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grimm, Tobias

2017-04-01

Identifying not only economic and insured losses but also numbers of fatalities from natural catastrophes provides new information on resilience and prevention measures in the countries affected. In this talk, we examine how fatalities from Munich Re's NatCatSERVICE database, caused by natural disasters have developed. In addition to the standard approach based on fatalities by country, we introduced a new measure, "fatalities per million inhabitants", and factored in population development over time. The World Bank definition was used to determine the wealth classification of individual countries. This methodology enables us to compare countries with different population sizes and thus produce an index for humanitarian impact. The analyses are key information on ascertaining whether prevention measures or early-warning systems have in fact reduced the number of fatalities in recent decades (1980-2016).

How women are treated during facility-based childbirth: development and validation of measurement tools in four countries - phase 1 formative research study protocol.

PubMed

Vogel, Joshua P; Bohren, Meghan A; Tunçalp, Özge; Oladapo, Olufemi T; Adanu, Richard M; Baldé, Mamadou Diouldé; Maung, Thae Maung; Fawole, Bukola; Adu-Bonsaffoh, Kwame; Dako-Gyeke, Phyllis; Maya, Ernest Tei; Camara, Mohamed Campell; Diallo, Alfa Boubacar; Diallo, Safiatou; Wai, Khin Thet; Myint, Theingi; Olutayo, Lanre; Titiloye, Musibau; Alu, Frank; Idris, Hadiza; Gülmezoglu, Metin A

2015-07-22

Every woman has the right to dignified, respectful care during childbirth. Recent evidence has demonstrated that globally many women experience mistreatment during labour and childbirth in health facilities, which can pose a significant barrier to women attending facilities for delivery and can contribute to poor birth experiences and adverse outcomes for women and newborns. However there is no clear consensus on how mistreatment of women during childbirth in facilities is defined and measured. We propose using a two-phased, mixed-methods study design in four countries to address these research gaps. This protocol describes the Phase 1 qualitative research activities. We will employ qualitative research methodologies among women, healthcare providers and administrators in the facility catchment areas of two health facilities in each country: Ghana, Guinea, Myanmar and Nigeria. In-depth interviews (IDIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) will be conducted among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) to explore their perceptions and experiences of facility-based childbirth care, focused on how they were treated by healthcare workers and perceived factors affecting how they were treated. IDIs will also be conducted with healthcare providers of different cadres (e.g.: nurses, midwives, medical officers, specialist obstetricians) and facility administrators working in the selected facilities to explore healthcare providers' perceptions and experiences of facility-based childbirth care and how staff are treated, colleagues and supervisors. Audio recordings will be transcribed and translated to English. Textual data will be analysed using a thematic framework approach and will consist of two levels of analysis: (1) conduct of local analysis workshops with the research assistants in each country; and (2) line-by-line coding to develop a thematic framework and coding scheme. This study serves several roles. It will provide an in-depth understanding of how women are treated during childbirth in four countries and perceived factors associated with this mistreatment. It will also provide data on where and how an intervention could be developed to reduce mistreatment and promote respectful care. The findings from this study will contribute to the development of tools to measure the prevalence of mistreatment of women during facility-based childbirth.

A New Approach for Analysing National Innovation Systems in Emerging and Developing Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seidel, Uwe; Muller, Lysann; Meier zu Kocker, Gerd; Filho, Guajarino de Araujo

2013-01-01

This paper presents a tool for the indicator-based analysis of national innovation systems (ANIS). ANIS identifies the economic strengths and weaknesses of a country-wide, regional or local system and includes a comprehensive examination and evaluation of the status of existing innovation systems. The use of a particular form of expert interviews…

GLOBE Study Culture Clusters: Can They Be Found in Importance Ratings of Managerial Competencies?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Jeremy Michael; Quast, Louis N.; Jang, Soebin; Wohkittel, Joseph; Center, Bruce; Edwards, Katherine; Bovornusvakool, Witsinee

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore patterns of importance ratings of managerial competencies in 22 countries in different regions around the globe, to guide specificity in assessing and developing managers in multiple geographies. Additionally, this study examined the utility of clustering countries based on shared culture, as…

Teacher Training Intervention for Early Identification of Common Child Mental Health Problems in Pakistan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hussein, S. A.; Vostanis, P.

2013-01-01

School-based interventions involving teacher training programmes have been shown to benefit teachers' ability to identify and manage child mental health problems in developed countries. However, very few studies have been conducted in low-income countries with limited specialist services. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of the…

South-South Collaboration: Cuban Teachers in Jamaica and Namibia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hickling-Hudson, Anne

2004-01-01

Cuba has concentrated more than most developing countries on building a sound educational system, and as a result, it has been able to collaborate with other countries in their efforts to improve educational planning and practice. Based on recent research in the field, this paper examines the work of Cuban teachers in schools and sports programmes…

Children's Reading in Low-Income Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagner, Daniel A.

2017-01-01

Children around the world, especially in low-income countries, lack equal opportunities to develop the early skills on which school-based learning takes place. Indeed, global data show that there are hundreds of millions of children with very low reading scores, even after many of them have gone to school for two or more years. Current research…

Bebras--A Sustainable Community Building Model for the Concept Based Learning of Informatics and Computational Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dagiene, Valentina; Stupuriene, Gabriele

2016-01-01

As an international informatics contest, or challenge, Bebras has started the second decade of its existence. The contest attracts more and more countries every year, recently there have been over 40 participating countries. From a single contest-focused annual event Bebras developed to a multifunctional challenge and an activities-based…

Early Adolescent Sexual Initiation and Physical/Psychological Symptoms: A Comparative Analysis of Five Nations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madkour, Aubrey Spriggs; Farhat, Tilda; Halpern, Carolyn Tucker; Godeau, Emmanuelle; Nic Gabhainn, Saoirse

2010-01-01

Although most people in developed countries experience sexual initiation during adolescence, little is known about inter-country variability in the psychosocial correlates of early initiation. Population-based samples of 15-year-olds (n = 6,111, 52% female) who participated in the Health Behaviors in School-Aged Children Study (Finland, Scotland,…

Multi-Grade Teaching: A Review of Research and Practice. Education Research Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Little, Angela

The single-grade model of education, based on the division of labor in industry, has come to dominate the school, class, and curriculum organization used by central authorities. Although the multi-grade model is common in developing countries and in rural areas of industrialized countries, the knowledge required for effective multi-grade teaching…

Results for Learning Report 2012: Fostering Evidence-Based Dialogue to Monitor Access and Quality in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cortese, Lauren; Crouch, Luis; Pinto, Nancy; Salgado, Vania; Schmidt, Caroline; Soman, Kouassi; Thiam, Mamadou; Chaluda, Ania; Omoeva, Carina

2012-01-01

The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) works with low-income countries around the world to help them provide basic education of good quality to all of their children. Countries develop education sector plans that set clear targets and commitments; their partners including donors, multilateral agencies, civil society and the private sector…

Public Educational Expenditures in Industrialized Countries: An Analytical Comparison. MacArthur/Spencer Series Number 19.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ram, Rati

Educational expenditures in 18 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries for the years 1975 and 1985 are investigated in this report. Data collection is based on analysis of UNESCO's 1989 "Statistical Yearbook" and OECD data. Although data deficiencies allow only a broad assessment, a conclusion is that…

ICCS 2009 European Report: Civic Knowledge, Attitudes, and Engagement among Lower-Secondary Students in 24 European Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerr, David; Sturman, Linda; Schulz, Wolfram; Burge, Bethan

2010-01-01

The International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) studied the ways in which countries prepare their young people to undertake their roles as citizens. ICCS was based on the premise that preparing students for citizenship involves helping them develop relevant knowledge and understanding and form positive attitudes toward being a…

Control Measures Used during Lymphogranuloma Venereum Outbreak, Europe

PubMed Central

Hulscher, Marlies E.J.L.; Vos, Dieuwke; van de Laar, Marita J.W.; Fenton, Kevin A.; van Steenbergen, Jim E.; van der Meer, Jos W.M.; Grol, Richard P.T.M.

2008-01-01

To assess the response to the reemergence of lymphogranuloma venereum, we conducted a cross-sectional survey by administering a structured questionnaire to representatives from 26 European countries. Responses were received from 18 countries. The ability to respond quickly and the measures used for outbreak detection and control varied. Evidence-based criteria were not consistently used to develop recommendations. We did not develop criteria to determine the effectiveness of the recommendations. The degree of preparedness for an unexpected outbreak, as well as the ability of countries to respond quickly to alerts, varied, which indicates weaknesses in the ability to control an outbreak. More guidance is needed to implement and evaluate control measures used during international outbreaks. PMID:18394274

Alexandra Masaitis, UNR NV, USA. PhD Grad St. Principles of Adoption of the Successful Environmental Policies and Practices Used in Developed Countries into the Russian Mining Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masaitis, A.

2012-12-01

The successful implementation of the environmental policies in the mining industry is of a paramount importance, as it not only prevents both local and trans-border pollution but also guarantees a clean and healthy environment for the people regardless of their place of habitation. It is especially important to encourage the progress of the environmental policy implementation in less regulated countries such as the Russia because such countries have resource-oriented economy based on development of nonrenewable resources. Poor environmental practices in such countries will lead to local environmental crises that could eventually spill into surrounding countries including the most economically advanced. This abstract is a summary of a two-year research project attempted (1) to determine deficiencies of the Russian mining sector ecological policies and (2) to suggest substitute policies from developed countries that could be adapted to the Russian reality. The following research methods were used: 1. The method of the system analysis, where the system is an interaction of the sets of environmental policies; 2. The comparative method of inquiry, 3. Quantitative data analysis, where data was collected from "The collection of statistic data", the US EPA open reports, and the USGS Reports; 4. Review of the Norilsk Nickel Company annual reports. The following results were obtained: Identified the systemic crisis of the ecological environmental policies in the Russian mining sector based on the development of nonrenewable resources, in the absence of the ecological interest by the mining companies that lack mechanisms of environmental and public health protection, the lack of insurance policy, the lack of risk assessment, and in the presence of the audit and monitoring that do not address the local conditions. Based on the above, the following concepts were thought of to improve the environmental conditions in the Russian mining sector: 1. Was developed the Regional Environmental Management principle based on the local conditions; 2. Devised were criteria for the risk assessment for mining operations in Russia. Where the fundamental principals were public health, environmental and biodiversity impact, long- and short- term rehabilitation plans, compliance with international standards and norms. Every criterion has grade level of probability that directly affects quarterly fees. 3. Developed was the mechanism of the economic motivation to make mining operations "environmentally friendly" that includes defrayal of expenses from both direct and indirect damages. 4. Identified were spheres of possible cooperation between mining companies, government organizations, and the NGOs. These include development of standards for Good Neighbor Agreement, exchange of environmental information, international exchange of successful environmental, health, and safety practices. The study showed the necessity for the Russian Federation mining industry to adopt the more successful environmental policies and practices used in developed countries. To achieve this goal the Regional Environmental Management principle, the risk assessment criteria, the mechanism of the economic motivation, and the principles for international cooperation can play an extremely important role.

Ethics in international health research: a perspective from the developing world.

PubMed Central

Bhutta, Zulfiqar Ahmed

2002-01-01

Health research plays a pivotal role in addressing inequities in health and human development, but to achieve these objectives the research must be based on sound scientific and ethical principles. Although it is accepted that ethics play a central role in health research in developing countries, much of the recent debate has focused on controversies surrounding internationally sponsored research and has taken place largely without adequate participation of the developing countries. The relationship between ethical guidelines and regulations, and indigenously sponsored and public health research has not been adequately explored. For example, while the fundamental principles of ethical health research, such as community participation, informed consent, and shared benefits and burdens, remain sacrosanct other issues, such as standards of care and prior agreements, merit greater public debate within developing countries. In particular, the relationship of existing ethical guidelines to epidemiological and public health research merits further exploration. In order to support health research in developing countries that is both relevant and meaningful, the focus must be on developing health research that promotes equity and on developing local capacity in bioethics. Only through such proactive measures can we address the emerging ethical dilemmas and challenges that globalization and the genomics revolution will bring in their wake. PMID:11953789

Poverty reduction and Millennium Development Goals: recognizing population, health, and environment linkages in rural Madagascar.

PubMed

Gaffikin, Lynne; Ashley, Jeffrey; Blumenthal, Paul D

2007-10-23

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), committed to by all 191 United Nations member states, are rooted in the concept of sustainable development. Although 2007 (midway) reports indicated that programs are under way, unfortunately many countries are unlikely to reach their goals by 2015 due to high levels of poverty. Madagascar is one such example, although some gains are being made. Attempts of this island nation to achieve its MDGs, expressed most recently in the form of a Madagascar Action Plan, are notable in their emphasis on (1) conserving the country's natural resource base, (2) the effect of demographic trends on development, and (3) the importance of health as a prerequisite for development. Leadership in the country's struggle for economic growth comes from the president of the Republic, in part, through his "Madagascar Naturally" vision as well as his commitment to universal access to family planning, among other health and development interventions. However, for resource-limited countries, such as Madagascar, to get or stay "on track" to achieving the MDGs will require support from many sides. "Madagascar cannot do it alone and should not do it alone." This position is inherent in the eighth MDG: "Develop a global partnership for development." Apparently, it takes a village after all - a global one.

Software Agents as Facilitators of Coherent Coalition Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-06-01

In this regard, an important output from DARPA’s CoABS programme is the CoABS Grid - a middleware layer based on Java / Jini technology that provides...2 The C3I Group, Technical Panel 9. 6 developed between two countries who are fighting for control of Binni. To the north is Gao - which has...well developed and fundamentalist country. Gao has managed to annex an area of land, called it Binni and has put in its own puppet government. This

A smart phone/tablet based mobile health care system for developing countries.

PubMed

Vaidya, Avinash S; Srinivas, M B; Himabindu, P; Jumaxanova, Daria

2013-01-01

Increasing cost of health care in developing countries is placing heavy financial burden on its populations. With the advent of mobile and tablet technologies however, it is possible to reduce this burden to some extent through tele-healthcare. In this paper, authors describe their effort to design portable diagnostic devices that can communicate to smart phones and tablets there by making tele-healthcare possible. A possible architecture of their model is presented and components thereof discussed.

A profile of students receiving counselling services at a university in post-apartheid South Africa.

PubMed

Bowman, Brett; Payne, Jarrod

2011-12-01

The purpose of this study was to describe a profile of students seeking counselling at a racially diverse university in post-apartheid South Africa as a means to demonstrate the importance of routinely collecting and analysing student counselling data at university-based centres across the country. Student data were extracted from the only two counselling centres based at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg that provided services to 831 students during 2008. The 26 243 students that did not seek counselling during this period formed the comparison group. These data were analysed using logistic regression. Black, female and students within the 21-25 year age category were more likely to receive counselling, and presenting problems varied by population group. Given the country's past and continued levels of social asymmetry, we argue that the development of standardised university-based reporting systems able to describe the characteristics and presenting problems of students seeking counselling across South African universities should be prioritised by its higher education sector. Timely access to information of this kind is crucial to the generation of evidence-based mental health interventions in a population that is especially important to the country's development vision.

Developing an international scoring system for a consensus-based social cognition measure: MSCEIT-managing emotions.

PubMed

Hellemann, G S; Green, M F; Kern, R S; Sitarenios, G; Nuechterlein, K H

2017-10-01

Measures of social cognition are increasingly being applied to psychopathology, including studies of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Tests of social cognition present unique challenges for international adaptations. The Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test, Managing Emotions Branch (MSCEIT-ME) is a commonly-used social cognition test that involves the evaluation of social scenarios presented in vignettes. This paper presents evaluations of translations of this test in six different languages based on representative samples from the relevant countries. The goal was to identify items from the MSCEIT-ME that show different response patterns across countries using indices of discrepancy and content validity criteria. An international version of the MSCEIT-ME scoring was developed that excludes items that showed undesirable properties across countries. We then confirmed that this new version had better performance (i.e. less discrepancy across regions) in international samples than the version based on the original norms. Additionally, it provides scores that are comparable to ratings based on local norms. This paper shows that it is possible to adapt complex social cognitive tasks so they can provide valid data across different cultural contexts.

Authentic Project-Based Design of Professional Development for Teachers Studying Online and Blended Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dabner, Nicki; Davis, Niki; Zaka, Pinelopi

2012-01-01

Online learning and teaching is rapidly increasing in many countries, including high schools in the USA and teacher education worldwide. Online and blended approaches to professional and organizational development are, therefore, becoming essential to enable effective and equitable education. Authentic project-based learning to support the…

Developing Food-Based Dietary Guidelines to Promote Healthy Diets and Lifestyles in the Eastern Caribbean

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albert, Janice L.; Samuda, Pauline M.; Molina, Veronika; Regis, Theresa Marietta; Severin, Merlyn; Finlay, Betty; Prevost, Jacqueline Lancaster

2007-01-01

Obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes are becoming leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the Eastern Caribbean countries of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Grenada, and Dominica. To promote healthful diets and lifestyles and encourage behavioral changes, Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG) were developed for the…

School-Based Management Developments and Partnership: Evidence from Indonesia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bandur, Agustinus

2012-01-01

School-based management (SBM) with devolution of authority and responsibility to school level decision-makers has become the most prominent feature of public school management systems in most countries around the world. This article provides the global trends and current developments in SBM in Indonesia with an emphasis on how SBM has created…

Early childhood development in Africa: interrogating constraints of prevailing knowledge bases.

PubMed

Pence, Alan R; Marfo, Kofi

2008-04-01

The past two decades have been characterized by renewed attention to the importance of early childhood development (ECD) policies and services in the world's richest and most industrialized countries. During the same period, we have witnessed unprecedented efforts to place ECD policies on the national development planning agenda of the economically less advantaged countries of the Majority World. This paper is premised on the concern that the purposes that have led bilateral and multilateral international agencies to promote and support ECD services in Africa may also be paving the way for uncritical adoption of program and service delivery models grounded in value systems and knowledge bases that may not be appropriate for the continent. We present two critiques to highlight the dangers of ignoring the sociocultural contexts of the knowledge bases that inform ECD policies and practices. We describe one capacity-building effort, under the auspices of the Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU), to promote culturally relevant knowledge and prepare leadership personnel for Africa's emerging ECD movement. Finally, based on an exercise designed for an ECDVU cohort to engage and reflect on critiques of mainstream research and theorizing on child development, we share insights that are suggestive of the ways in which African perspectives can contribute to and enrich a global knowledge base on child development.

Financing healthcare in Gulf Cooperation Council countries: a focus on Saudi Arabia

PubMed Central

Alkhamis, Abdulwahab; Hassan, Amir; Cosgrove, Peter

2014-01-01

Background This paper presents an analysis of the main characteristics of the Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) health financing systems and draws similarities and differences between GCC countries and other high-income and low-income countries, in order to provide recommendations for healthcare policy makers. The paper also illustrates some financial implications of the recent implementation of the Compulsory Employment-based Health Insurance (CEBHI) system in Saudi Arabia. Methods Employing a descriptive framework for the country-level analysis of healthcare financing arrangements, we compared expenditure data on healthcare from GCC and other developing and developed countries, mostly using secondary data from the World Health Organization health expenditure database. The analysis was supported by a review of related literature. Results There are three significant characteristics affecting healthcare financing in GCC countries: (i) large expatriate populations relative to the national population, which leads GCC countries to use different strategies to control expatriate healthcare expenditure; (ii) substantial government revenue, with correspondingly high government expenditure on healthcare services in GCC countries; and (iii) underdeveloped healthcare systems, with some GCC countries’ healthcare indicators falling below those of upper-middle-income countries. Conclusion Reforming the mode of health financing is vital to achieving equitable and efficient healthcare services. Such reform could assist GCC countries in improving their healthcare indicators and bring about a reduction in out-of-pocket payments for healthcare. PMID:23996348

Smart Grids and their Applicability for the Development of the Electricity Sector for Colombia in the year 2050

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viola, J.; Aceros, C.

2016-07-01

Smart Grids are a technology that can be used to implement a sustainable energy scheme of a country. Therefore, this paper proposes the development of a prospective analysis of Smart Grids as a tool to ensure energetic security in Colombia in 2050. Using LEAP software, a base scenario for Colombian energy demand has developed according to current policies, with a time horizon from 2012 to 2050. The energy analysis is based on three scenarios, taking into account the impact of cogeneration in the residential and industrial sector using renewable energy and the power quality indicators. The results show that the implementation of Smart Grids generate energy savings and increasing the coverage of the national electricity system, ensuring energetic security of the country by 2050.

Research on the coordination framework for water resources utilization on the interests of mutual compensation in Lancang-Mekong River

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Y.; Fang, D., VI; Xu, J.; Dong, Q.

2017-12-01

The Lancang-Mekong River is an important international river, cascaded hydropower stations development in which attracts the attention of downstream countries. In this paper, we proposed a coordination framework for water resources utilization on the interests of mutual compensation to relieve the conflict of upstream and downstream countries. Firstly, analyze the benefits and risks caused by the cascaded hydropower stations development and the evolution process of water resources use conflict between upstream and downstream countries. Secondly, evaluate the benefits and risks of flood control, water supply, navigation and power generation based on the energy theory of cascaded hydropower stations development in Lancang-Mekong River. Thirdly, multi-agent cooperation motivation and cooperation conditions between upstream and downstream countries in Lancang-Mekong River is given. Finally, the coordination framework for water resources utilization on the interests of mutual compensation in Lancang-Mekong River is presented. This coordination framework for water resources utilization can increase comprehensive benefits in Lancang-Mekong River.

The World Health Organization STEPwise Approach to Noncommunicable Disease Risk-Factor Surveillance: Methods, Challenges, and Opportunities

PubMed Central

Guthold, Regina; Cowan, Melanie; Savin, Stefan; Bhatti, Lubna; Armstrong, Timothy; Bonita, Ruth

2016-01-01

Objectives. We sought to outline the framework and methods used by the World Health Organization (WHO) STEPwise approach to noncommunicable disease (NCD) surveillance (STEPS), describe the development and current status, and discuss strengths, limitations, and future directions of STEPS surveillance. Methods. STEPS is a WHO-developed, standardized but flexible framework for countries to monitor the main NCD risk factors through questionnaire assessment and physical and biochemical measurements. It is coordinated by national authorities of the implementing country. The STEPS surveys are generally household-based and interviewer-administered, with scientifically selected samples of around 5000 participants. Results. To date, 122 countries across all 6 WHO regions have completed data collection for STEPS or STEPS-aligned surveys. Conclusions. STEPS data are being used to inform NCD policies and track risk-factor trends. Future priorities include strengthening these linkages from data to action on NCDs at the country level, and continuing to develop STEPS’ capacities to enable a regular and continuous cycle of risk-factor surveillance worldwide. PMID:26696288

Distance learning--an educational tool for developing countries.

PubMed

Dobson, M B

2000-01-01

Many anaesthetists in small hospitals and developing countries have poor access to educational materials. The use of electronic means of publication and distribution, combined with the concepts of distance learning, can lead to better levels of knowledge and clinical practice. A project based on these principles has been set up in Zimbabwe, and is proving helpful to both trainers and trainees. All District Hospitals have been visited, and trainees in them identified. A survey has been completed to identify the subject areas in which training is most necessary. Trainees have been provided with reference materials on CD-ROM which they can access by computer (each hospital has a computer). Specialist anaesthesiologists in the country are producing interactive tutorials which can be sent out by e-mail to every hospital, and these are backed up by a programme of regular visits, seminars and clinical teaching. The programme is proving helpful to both trainees and tutors, and has the potential to be used in the future in other developing countries.

The World Health Organization STEPwise Approach to Noncommunicable Disease Risk-Factor Surveillance: Methods, Challenges, and Opportunities.

PubMed

Riley, Leanne; Guthold, Regina; Cowan, Melanie; Savin, Stefan; Bhatti, Lubna; Armstrong, Timothy; Bonita, Ruth

2016-01-01

We sought to outline the framework and methods used by the World Health Organization (WHO) STEPwise approach to noncommunicable disease (NCD) surveillance (STEPS), describe the development and current status, and discuss strengths, limitations, and future directions of STEPS surveillance. STEPS is a WHO-developed, standardized but flexible framework for countries to monitor the main NCD risk factors through questionnaire assessment and physical and biochemical measurements. It is coordinated by national authorities of the implementing country. The STEPS surveys are generally household-based and interviewer-administered, with scientifically selected samples of around 5000 participants. To date, 122 countries across all 6 WHO regions have completed data collection for STEPS or STEPS-aligned surveys. STEPS data are being used to inform NCD policies and track risk-factor trends. Future priorities include strengthening these linkages from data to action on NCDs at the country level, and continuing to develop STEPS' capacities to enable a regular and continuous cycle of risk-factor surveillance worldwide.

Estimating Casualties for Large Earthquakes Worldwide Using an Empirical Approach

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jaiswal, Kishor; Wald, David J.; Hearne, Mike

2009-01-01

We developed an empirical country- and region-specific earthquake vulnerability model to be used as a candidate for post-earthquake fatality estimation by the U.S. Geological Survey's Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response (PAGER) system. The earthquake fatality rate is based on past fatal earthquakes (earthquakes causing one or more deaths) in individual countries where at least four fatal earthquakes occurred during the catalog period (since 1973). Because only a few dozen countries have experienced four or more fatal earthquakes since 1973, we propose a new global regionalization scheme based on idealization of countries that are expected to have similar susceptibility to future earthquake losses given the existing building stock, its vulnerability, and other socioeconomic characteristics. The fatality estimates obtained using an empirical country- or region-specific model will be used along with other selected engineering risk-based loss models for generation of automated earthquake alerts. These alerts could potentially benefit the rapid-earthquake-response agencies and governments for better response to reduce earthquake fatalities. Fatality estimates are also useful to stimulate earthquake preparedness planning and disaster mitigation. The proposed model has several advantages as compared with other candidate methods, and the country- or region-specific fatality rates can be readily updated when new data become available.

Analysis of typical world countries' wind power and PV industry policies and their enlightenment to China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Ming; Yang, Lijun; Qiu, Hongji; Li, Yuanfei; Peng, Lilin

2017-01-01

The wind power and PV are the key fields of clean energy development in China in recent years. However, there are still many aspects of problems in wind power and PV industries at present, such as the insufficient consumptive ability and the limitation of market competition capability. The effective leading and support of government in the aspect of policies is especially needed in order to solve these problems. Based on the analysis of main policies system of wind power and PV in our country, Spain, the United Kingdom and Germany are chosen as typical countries because of their wind power and PV industries are relatively developed. Their policies of wind power and PV industries are studied respectively from five aspects, namely macroscopic laws, development planning, administrative policies, fiscal and tax policies and price policies. Then the comparison among typical countries and China is made and the exiting problems in China's policies of wind power and PV industries are summed up. Finally, the suggestions to promote China's wind power and PV industries development are presented.

Co-existence of GM, conventional and organic crops in developing countries: Main debates and concerns.

PubMed

Azadi, Hossein; Taube, Friedhelm; Taheri, Fatemeh

2017-06-05

The co-existence approach of GM crops with conventional agriculture and organic farming as a feasible agricultural farming system has recently been placed in the center of hot debates at the EU-level and become a source of anxiety in developing countries. The main promises of this approach is to ensure "food security" and "food safety" on the one hand, and to avoid the adventitious presence of GM crops in conventional and organic farming on the other, as well as to present concerns in many debates on implementing the approach in developing countries. Here, we discuss the main debates on ("what," "why," "who," "where," "which," and "how") applying this approach in developing countries and review the main considerations and tradeoffs in this regard. The paper concludes that a peaceful co-existence between GM, conventional, and organic farming is not easy but is still possible. The goal should be to implement rules that are well-established proportionately, efficiently and cost-effectively, using crop-case, farming system-based and should be biodiversity-focused ending up with "codes of good agricultural practice" for co-existence.

Comparative and sociological perspectives on Third World development and education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simkin, Keith

1981-12-01

Insofar as there has been any coherent theoretical basis for orthodox comparative education during the 1970's, it has derived from American modernisation theories of the 1960's. The weak explanatory power of these theories and the inability of most Third World countries to solve their educational problems have led to a growing pessimism about educational planning and increasing attention to nonformal, lifelong and distance education programs concerned with literacy and rural development. New intellectual currents during the 1970's created several alternatives to orthodox comparative education. The most important of these, based on dependency theory, has partly reduced the ethnocentrism of comparative research, but national traditions are still strongly entrenched. Comparative education based on either modernisation or dependency theories is still ill-equipped to provide Third World countries with either an understanding of the international context of their educational problems or an appropriate set of guidelines for educational planning. Both orthodox and radical varieties of comparative education are forms of cultural imperialism, against which Third World countries need to develop their own, more appropriate, traditions of comparative research.

Stakeholders' perceptions on competency and assessment program of entry-level pharmacists in developing countries.

PubMed

Asante, Isaac; Andoh, Irene; Muijtjens, Arno M M; Donkers, Jeroen

2017-05-01

To assess the stakeholders' perceptions on the competency of entry-level pharmacists and the use of written licensure examination as the primary assessment for licensure decisions on entry-level pharmacists who have completed the Pharmacy Internship Program 1 (PIP) in developing countries. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among stakeholders in which they completed a web-based 21-item pre-tested questionnaire to determine their views regarding the competency outcomes and assessment program for entry-level pharmacist. The stakeholders rated the entry-level pharmacists to possess all competencies except research skills. Stakeholders suggested improvement of the program by defining the competency framework and training preceptors. However, stakeholders disagree on using written examination as the primary assessment for licensure decision and suggested the incorporation of other performance-based assessments like preceptor's assessment reports. Stakeholders are uncertain on entry-level pharmacists in developing countries possessing adequate research competencies and think their assessment program for licensure need more than written examination to assess all required competencies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An integrated approach to modeling resource utilization for rural communities in developing countries.

PubMed

Hartter, Joel; Boston, Kevin

2007-10-01

Resource consumption in developing countries has been the focus of a considerable amount of research. What has been understudied however, has been the feedback affects of resource consumption on resource availability to both households and communities. Heavy reliance on natural resources and intensive smallholder agriculture common to many rural communities in developing countries has forced people to fulfill short-term needs to the detriment of long-term ecological and livelihood sustainability. This paper introduces a conceptual framework to examine how individuals and households fulfill daily caloric needs and the aggregate effects on resource availability and consumption. Data were collected from a large number of published case studies of rural land-use dynamics, growth and yield models, and human livelihoods were reviewed from scientific journals, reports published by NGOs, and government reports. Using inputs defined by the user, the model tracks annual fuelwood and agricultural land use based on meeting individual energy demands. A case-study-based analysis was patterned after smallholder agriculturalists at the family and community level. Three scenarios are presented in this paper using data from Uganda to illustrate the application of this model.

Effect of culture on acceptance of telemedicine in Middle Eastern countries: case study of Jordan and Syria.

PubMed

Alajlani, Mohannad; Clarke, Malcolm

2013-04-01

We investigated issues that affect the use and adoption of telemedicine in Middle Eastern countries, taking the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Syrian Arab Republic as case studies. Our study is based on interviews with key stakeholders (including doctors, technicians, engineers, and decision makers) and questionnaires administered to key stakeholders (including patients), ensuring opinion was gained from people from a full range of backgrounds and roles in the healthcare system. We found doctor and patient resistance was a major issue preventing the adoption of telemedicine in both countries, followed by poor infrastructure, lack of funding, and lack of information technology training. Our research identifies that culture is a greater issue than technical matters for the adoption of telemedicine in Middle Eastern countries. Based on our preliminary results we developed a guideline framework for each country that might be applied to telemedicine projects at the pre-implementation phase. The proposed guideline framework was validated through a return visit to the stakeholders and seeking further opinion.

Web-based medical facilitators in medical tourism: the third party in decision-making.

PubMed

Wagle, Suchitra

2013-01-01

The emergence of web-based medical tourism facilitators (MTFs) has added a new dimension to the phenomenon of cross-border travel. These facilitators are crucial connectors between foreign patients and host countries. They help patients navigate countries, doctors and specialties. However, little attention has been paid to the authenticity of information displayed on the facilitators' web portals, and whether they follow ethical guidelines and standards. This paper analyses the available information on MTF portals from an ethics perspective. It compares 208 facilitators across 47 countries for the services offered. Data were collected from the databases of the Medical Tourism Association and World Medical Resources. India was the most common destination country linked to 81 facilitators. The five countries with the maximum number of facilitators were the USA, the UK, India, Canada and Poland. This paper identifies concerns regarding the information displayed about patients' safety, and the maintenance of confidentiality. There is a need to develop ethical standards for this field.

Optimising design and cost-effective implementation of future pan-African dietary studies: a review of existing economic integration and nutritional indicators for scenario-based profiling and clustering of countries.

PubMed

Aglago, Elom K; Landais, Edwige; Zotor, Francis; Nicolas, Genevieve; Gunter, Marc J; Amuna, Paul; Slimani, Nadia

2018-02-01

Most of the African countries are undergoing a complex nutrition and epidemiologic transition associated with a rapid increase in the prevalence of diverse non-communicable diseases. Despite this alarming situation, the still limited and fragmented resources available in Africa impede the implementation of effective action plans to tackle the current and projected diet-disease burden. In order to address these common needs and challenges, the African Union is increasingly supporting continental approaches and strategies as reflected in the launching of the Agenda 2063 and the African regional nutrition strategy 2015-2025, among others. To assure the successful implementation of pan-African nutritional and health initiatives, cost-effective approaches considering similarities/disparities in economy, regional integration, development and nutritional aspects between countries are needed. In the absence of pre-existing models, we reviewed regional economic integration and nutritional indicators (n 13) available in international organisations databases or governmental agencies websites, for fifty-two African countries. These indicators were used to map the countries according to common languages (e.g. Arabic, English, French, Portuguese), development status (e.g. human development index), malnutrition status (e.g. obesity) and diet (e.g. staples predominantly based on either cereals or tubers). The review of the indicators showed that there exist similarities between African countries that can be exploited to benefit the continent with cross-national experiences in order to avoid duplication of efforts in the implementation of future pan-African health studies. In addition, including present and future nutrition surveillance programmes in Africa into national statistical systems might be cost-effective and sustainable in the longer term.

European postgraduate training in geriatric medicine: data of a systematic international survey.

PubMed

Singler, Katrin; Holm, Ellen Astrid; Jackson, Thomas; Robertson, Gillian; Müller-Eggenberger, Eva; Roller, Regina Elisabeth

2015-10-01

High-quality education and training standards in geriatric medicine are important to develop the profession of geriatric medicine. The objective of the study was to give a structured update on postgraduate specialty training in geriatric medicine throughout Europe to assess the need for further developments in postgraduate education. The study was performed as a cross-sectional structured quantitative online survey with qualitative comments. The survey content covered organization, content and educational aspects of specialty training in geriatric medicine in European countries. After piloting, the questionnaire was sent to experts in geriatric medicine with a special interest in postgraduate training who are members of one of the following organizations; European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS), European Academy for the Medicine of Aging (EAMA), and European Union Geriatric Medicine Society (EUGMS). Respondents to the survey represented 31 European countries. Geriatric medicine is recognized as an independent postgraduate specialty in 61.3 % (19/31) and as a subspecialty in 29.0 % (9/31) of the countries. In 5 of the 31 countries geriatric medicine is not recognized at all. Nearly all countries offering postgraduate training in geriatric medicine have written, competence-based curricula covering different learning domains. 20/31 countries (64.5 %) have some kind of specialist assessment. The survey tries to give an actual condensed picture of postgraduate specialty training in geriatric medicine across Europe. Results show a consistent improvement in the recognition of geriatric medicine as independent specialty over the last decade. Continuous development of specialty training in geriatric medicine is required to medical address the public health needs of an aging population. Competence-based educational models including adequate forms of assessment should be targeted throughout Europe. To emphasize the importance of postgraduate geriatric training, it should be a mission to harmonize training standards across Europe.

Dengue Contingency Planning: From Research to Policy and Practice.

PubMed

Runge-Ranzinger, Silvia; Kroeger, Axel; Olliaro, Piero; McCall, Philip J; Sánchez Tejeda, Gustavo; Lloyd, Linda S; Hakim, Lokman; Bowman, Leigh R; Horstick, Olaf; Coelho, Giovanini

2016-09-01

Dengue is an increasingly incident disease across many parts of the world. In response, an evidence-based handbook to translate research into policy and practice was developed. This handbook facilitates contingency planning as well as the development and use of early warning and response systems for dengue fever epidemics, by identifying decision-making processes that contribute to the success or failure of dengue surveillance, as well as triggers that initiate effective responses to incipient outbreaks. Available evidence was evaluated using a step-wise process that included systematic literature reviews, policymaker and stakeholder interviews, a study to assess dengue contingency planning and outbreak management in 10 countries, and a retrospective logistic regression analysis to identify alarm signals for an outbreak warning system using datasets from five dengue endemic countries. Best practices for managing a dengue outbreak are provided for key elements of a dengue contingency plan including timely contingency planning, the importance of a detailed, context-specific dengue contingency plan that clearly distinguishes between routine and outbreak interventions, surveillance systems for outbreak preparedness, outbreak definitions, alert algorithms, managerial capacity, vector control capacity, and clinical management of large caseloads. Additionally, a computer-assisted early warning system, which enables countries to identify and respond to context-specific variables that predict forthcoming dengue outbreaks, has been developed. Most countries do not have comprehensive, detailed contingency plans for dengue outbreaks. Countries tend to rely on intensified vector control as their outbreak response, with minimal focus on integrated management of clinical care, epidemiological, laboratory and vector surveillance, and risk communication. The Technical Handbook for Surveillance, Dengue Outbreak Prediction/ Detection and Outbreak Response seeks to provide countries with evidence-based best practices to justify the declaration of an outbreak and the mobilization of the resources required to implement an effective dengue contingency plan.

The scope of cell phones in diabetes management in developing country health care settings.

PubMed

Ajay, Vamadevan S; Prabhakaran, Dorairaj

2011-05-01

Diabetes has emerged as a major public health concern in developing nations. Health systems in most developing countries are yet to integrate effective prevention and control programs for diabetes into routine health care services. Given the inadequate human resources and underfunctioning health systems, we need novel and innovative approaches to combat diabetes in developing-country settings. In this regard, the tremendous advances in telecommunication technology, particularly cell phones, can be harnessed to improve diabetes care. Cell phones could serve as a tool for collecting information on surveillance, service delivery, evidence-based care, management, and supply systems pertaining to diabetes from primary care settings in addition to providing health messages as part of diabetes education. As a screening/diagnostic tool for diabetes, cell phones can aid the health workers in undertaking screening and diagnostic and follow-up care for diabetes in the community. Cell phones are also capable of acting as a vehicle for continuing medical education; a decision support system for evidence-based management; and a tool for patient education, self-management, and compliance. However, for widespread use, we need robust evaluations of cell phone applications in existing practices and appropriate interventions in diabetes. © 2011 Diabetes Technology Society.

The Scope of Cell Phones in Diabetes Management in Developing Country Health Care Settings

PubMed Central

Ajay, Vamadevan S; Prabhakaran, Dorairaj

2011-01-01

Diabetes has emerged as a major public health concern in developing nations. Health systems in most developing countries are yet to integrate effective prevention and control programs for diabetes into routine health care services. Given the inadequate human resources and underfunctioning health systems, we need novel and innovative approaches to combat diabetes in developing-country settings. In this regard, the tremendous advances in telecommunication technology, particularly cell phones, can be harnessed to improve diabetes care. Cell phones could serve as a tool for collecting information on surveillance, service delivery, evidence-based care, management, and supply systems pertaining to diabetes from primary care settings in addition to providing health messages as part of diabetes education. As a screening/diagnostic tool for diabetes, cell phones can aid the health workers in undertaking screening and diagnostic and follow-up care for diabetes in the community. Cell phones are also capable of acting as a vehicle for continuing medical education; a decision support system for evidence-based management; and a tool for patient education, self-management, and compliance. However, for widespread use, we need robust evaluations of cell phone applications in existing practices and appropriate interventions in diabetes. PMID:21722593

EUPOS and SLR Contribution to GOCE Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balodis, J.; Caunite, M.; Janpaule, I.; Kenyeres, A.; Rubans, A.; Silabriedis, G.; Rosenthal, G.; Zarinsjh, A.; Zvirgzds, J.; Abel, M.

2010-12-01

After the interest of geodesists from several East European countries on successful use of SAPOS in Germany the European Position Determination System EUPOS® project has been established at 2002 under the leadership of Gerd Rosenthal, Berlin State Department of Urban Development. Currently the ground based GNSS augmentation system EUPOS® sub-networks has been developed successfully in 17 countries and the wish to join has been expressed by several other countries. EUPOS® is widely used in many practical applications. Two proposals - "EUPOS® Contribution to GOCE Mission" (Id 4307), "GOCE Observations using SLR for LEO satellites" (Id 4333), were submitted to ESA when ESA in autumn 2006 invited research people to submit proposals for GOCE mission applications. The report is presented in this article on the work which has been done in EUPOS® community and at the University of Latvia. During last 3 years the EUPOS® sub- networks has been completed (Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, they tied to the National levelling networks, detailed system behaviour has been depicted on the bases of EUPOS®-Riga network. The development of the SLR for LEO satellites is presented. Initially it was developed for GOCE spacecraft positioning. However, SLR till now was able to observe satellites at night.

Promoting North-South partnership in space data use and applications: Case study - East African countries space programs/projects new- concepts in document management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mlimandago, S.

This research paper have gone out with very simple and easy (several) new concepts in document management for space projects and programs which can be applied anywhere both in the developing and developed countries. These several new concepts are and have been applied in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda and found out to bear very good results using simple procedures. The intergral project based its documentation management approach from the outset on electronic document sharing and archiving. The main objective of having new concepts was to provide a faster and wider availability of the most current space information to all parties rather than creating a paperless office. Implementation of the new concepts approach required the capturing of documents in an appropriate and simple electronic format at source establishing new procedures for project wide information sharing and the deployment of a new generation of simple procedure - WEB - based tools. Key success factors were the early adoption of Internet technologies and simple procedures for improved information flow new concepts which can be applied anywhere both in the developed and the developing countries.

How community physical, structural, and social stressors relate to mental health in the urban slums of Accra, Ghana.

PubMed

Greif, Meredith J; Nii-Amoo Dodoo, F

2015-05-01

Urban health in developing counties is a major public health challenge. It has become increasingly evident that the dialog must expand to include mental health outcomes, and to shift focus to the facets of the urban environment that shape them. Population-based research is necessary, as empirical findings linking the urban environment and mental health have primarily derived from developed countries, and may not be generalizable to developing countries. Thus, the current study assesses the prevalence of mental health problems (i.e., depression, perceived powerlessness), as well as their community-based predictors (i.e., crime, disorder, poverty, poor sanitation, local social capital and cohesion), among a sample of 690 residents in three poor urban communities in Accra, Ghana. It uncovers that residents in poor urban communities in developing countries suffer from mental health problems as a result of local stressors, which include not only physical and structural factors but social ones. Social capital and social cohesion show complex, often unhealthy, relationships with mental health, suggesting considerable drawbacks in making social capital a key focus among policymakers. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Leading countries in mental health research in Latin America and the Caribbean.

PubMed

Razzouk, Denise; Zorzetto, Ricardo; Dubugras, Maria Thereza; Gerolin, Jerônimo; Mari, Jair de Jesus

2007-06-01

The prevalence and burden of mental disorders have been growing in Latin-American and the Caribbean countries and research is an important tool for changing this scenario. The objective of this paper is to describe the development of mental health research in Latin American and the Caribbean countries from 1995 to 2005. The indicators of productivity were based on the ISI Essential Science Indicators database. We compared the number of papers and citations, as well as the number of citations per paper between 1995 and 2005 for each country ranked in the Essential Science Indicators. Eleven Latin-American countries were ranked in the ISI database and six of them demonstrated a higher level of development in mental health research: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela. Mexico produced the largest number of papers, while Brazil showed a larger number of citations per paper. Mental health research is still incipient in Latin American and the Caribbean countries, and many challenges remain to be overcome. Also, it is necessary to establish the research priorities, to allocate more funding, and to improve researchers training in research method and design.

Designing a carbon market that protects forests in developing countries.

PubMed

Niesten, Eduard; Frumhoff, Peter C; Manion, Michelle; Hardner, Jared J

2002-08-15

Firmly incorporated into the Kyoto Protocol, market mechanisms offer an innovative and cost-effective means of controlling atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases. However, as with markets for many other goods and services, a carbon market may generate negative environmental externalities. Possible interpretations and application of Kyoto provisions under COP-6bis and COP-7 raise concerns that rules governing forestry with respect to the Kyoto carbon market may increase pressure on native forests and their biodiversity in developing countries. In this paper, we assess the following two specific concerns with Kyoto provisions for forestry measures. First, whether, under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), by restricting allowable forestry measures to afforestation and reforestation, and explicitly excluding protection of threatened native forests, the Kyoto Protocol will enhance incentives for degradation and clearing of forests in developing countries; second, whether carbon crediting for forest management in Annex I (industrialized) regions under Article 3.4 creates a dynamic that can encourage displacement of timber harvests from Annex I countries to developing nations. Given current timber extraction patterns in developing regions, additional harvest pressure would certainly entail a considerable cost in terms of biodiversity loss. In both cases, we find that the concerns about deleterious impacts to forests and biodiversity are justified, although the scale of such impacts is difficult to predict. Both to ensure reliable progress in managing carbon concentrations and to avoid unintended consequences with respect to forest biodiversity, the further development of the Kyoto carbon market must explicitly correct these perverse incentives. We recommend several steps that climate policymakers can take to ensure that conservation and restoration of biodiversity-rich natural forests in developing countries are rewarded rather than penalized. To correct incentives to clear natural forests through CDM crediting for afforestation and reforestation, we recommend for the first commitment period that policymakers establish an early base year, such as 1990, such that lands cleared after that year would be ineligible for crediting. We further recommend an exception to this rule for CDM projects that are explicitly designed to promote natural forest restoration and that pass rigorous environmental impact review. Restoration efforts are typically most effective on lands that are adjacent to standing forests and hence likely to have been recently cleared. Thus, we recommend for these projects establishing a more recent base year, such as 2000. For the second and subsequent commitment periods, we recommend that climate policymakers act to restrain inter-annex leakage and its impacts by ensuring that crediting for forest management in industrialized countries is informed by modelling efforts to anticipate the scale of leakage associated with different Annex I 'Land use, land-use change and forestry' policy options, and coupled with effective measures to protect natural forests in developing countries. The latter should include expanding the options permitted under the CDM to carbon crediting for projects that protect threatened forests from deforestation and forest degradation. Ultimately, carbon market incentives for forest clearing can be reduced and incentives for forest conservation most effectively strengthened by fully capturing carbon emissions associated with deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries under a future emissions cap. Finally, we note that these recommendations have broader relevance to any forest-based measures to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions developed outside of the specific context of the Kyoto Protocol.

Antimicrobial resistance in South East Asia: time to ask the right questions.

PubMed

Kakkar, Manish; Chatterjee, Pranab; Chauhan, Abhimanyu Singh; Grace, Delia; Lindahl, Johanna; Beeche, Arlyne; Jing, Fang; Chotinan, Suwit

2018-01-01

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as a major public health concern, around which the international leadership has come together to form strategic partnerships and action plans. The main driving force behind the emergence of AMR is selection pressure created due to consumption of antibiotics. Consumption of antibiotics in human as well as animal sectors are driven by a complex interplay of determinants, many of which are typical to the local settings. Several sensitive and essential realities are tied with antibiotic consumption - food security, livelihoods, poverty alleviation, healthcare access and national economies, to name a few. That makes one-size-fits-all policies, framed with the developed country context in mind, inappropriate for developing countries. Many countries in the South East Asian Region have some policy structures in place to deal with AMR, but most of them lack detailed implementation plans or monitoring structures. In this current debates piece, the authors argue that the principles driving the AMR agenda in the South East Asian countries need to be dealt with using locally relevant policy structures. Strategies, which have successfully reduced the burden of AMR in the developed countries, should be evaluated in the developing country contexts instead of ad hoc implementation. The Global Action Plan on AMR encourages member states to develop locally relevant National Action Plans on AMR. This policy position should be leveraged to develop and deploy locally relevant strategies, which are based on a situation analysis of the local systems, and are likely to meet the needs of the individual member states.

Predictors of Desire to Institutionalization in Dementia Caregivers From a Developing Country.

PubMed

Sinha, Preeti; Yohannan, Sherin; Thirumoorthy, A; Sivakumar, Palanimuthu Thangaraju

2017-08-01

Older adults with dementia have higher rates of institutionalization than those without dementia. Desire to institutionalization (DTI) is an important factor influencing the actual institutionalization but is less well studied. This cross-sectional study examines the DTI with the scale of same name developed by Morycz, in 1985, in a sample of 50 caregivers of patients with dementia in a tertiary clinical care setting in a developing country. Caregiver burden associated with personal strain (by factor analyzed Zarit Burden Interview scale), and stress perceived out of caregiving (by Perceived Stress Scale) predicted higher DTI. Besides, those who were married had lower DTI scores. The factors which didn't affect DTI were total caregiver burden, family and social support, age of patient and caregiver, education of caregiver, severity and duration of dementia, and treatment duration. These results were different from those of developed country-based DTI studies and may indicate sociocultural differences.

How Effective Have Thirty Years of Internationally Driven Conservation and Development Efforts Been in Madagascar?

PubMed

Waeber, Patrick O; Wilmé, Lucienne; Mercier, Jean-Roger; Camara, Christian; Lowry, Porter P

2016-01-01

Conservation and development are intricately linked. The international donor community has long provided aid to tropical countries in an effort to alleviate poverty and conserve biodiversity. While hundreds of millions of $ have been invested in over 500 environmental-based projects in Madagascar during the period covered by a series of National Environmental Action Plans (1993-2008) and the protected areas network has expanded threefold, deforestation remains unchecked and none of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) established for 2000-2015 were likely be met. Efforts to achieve sustainable development had failed to reduce poverty or deliver progress toward any of the MDGs. Cross-sectorial policy adjustments are needed that (i) enable and catalyze Madagascar's capacities rather than deepening dependency on external actors such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and donor countries, and that (ii) deliver improvements to the livelihoods and wellbeing of the country's rural poor.

A Risk Analysis Approach to Prioritizing Epidemics: Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa as a Case Study

PubMed Central

Chughtai, Abrar Ahmad; MacIntyre, C. Raina

2017-01-01

Abstract The 2014 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak affected several countries worldwide, including six West African countries. It was the largest Ebola epidemic in the history and the first to affect multiple countries simultaneously. Significant national and international delay in response to the epidemic resulted in 28,652 cases and 11,325 deaths. The aim of this study was to develop a risk analysis framework to prioritize rapid response for situations of high risk. Based on findings from the literature, sociodemographic features of the affected countries, and documented epidemic data, a risk scoring framework using 18 criteria was developed. The framework includes measures of socioeconomics, health systems, geographical factors, cultural beliefs, and traditional practices. The three worst affected West African countries (Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia) had the highest risk scores. The scores were much lower in developed countries that experienced Ebola compared to West African countries. A more complex risk analysis framework using 18 measures was compared with a simpler one with 10 measures, and both predicted risk equally well. A simple risk scoring system can incorporate measures of hazard and impact that may otherwise be neglected in prioritizing outbreak response. This framework can be used by public health personnel as a tool to prioritize outbreak investigation and flag outbreaks with potentially catastrophic outcomes for urgent response. Such a tool could mitigate costly delays in epidemic response. PMID:28810081

Patterns of authorship on community health workers in low-and-middle-income countries: an analysis of publications (2012-2016).

PubMed

Schneider, Helen; Maleka, Nelisiwe

2018-01-01

Studies of authorship provide a barometer of local research capacity and ownership of research, considered key to defining appropriate research priorities, developing contextualised responses to health problems and ensuring that research informs policy and practice. This paper reports on an analysis of patterns of research authorship of the now substantial literature on community health workers (CHWs) in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) for the 5-year period: 2012-2016. A search of five databases identified a total of 649 indexed publications reporting on CHWs in LMICs and meeting the inclusion criteria. The country, region and income classification of studies, affiliations (country, organisation) of lead (first) and last authors, proportions of all authors locally affiliated, programme area (eg, maternal child health) and funding source were extracted. The 649 papers reported experiences from 51 countries, 55% from middle-income countries (MICs) and 32% from low-income countries (LICs), with the remaining 13% multicountry studies. Overall, 47% and 54% of all the papers had a high-income country (HIC) lead and last author, respectively. Authorship followed three patterns: (1) a concentrated HIC pattern, with US-based authors numerically dominating LIC-based and multicountry studies; (2) an MIC pattern of autonomy, with a handful of countries-India, South Africa and Brazil, in particular-leading >70% of their CHW publications and (3) a pattern of unevenness among LICs in their lead authorship of publications varying from 14% (Malawi) to 54% (Uganda). Region, programme area and funding source were all associated with the distribution of authorship across country income categories. The findings in this analysis mirror closely that of other authorship studies in global health. Collectively these provide a common message-that investments in global health programmes in the Millennium Development Goal era may have benefited health but not necessarily capacity for knowledge generation in LMICs.

Competition, regulation, and energy efficiency options in the electricity sector: Opportunities and challenges in developing countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phadke, Amol Anant

This dissertation explores issues related to competition in and regulation of electricity sectors in developing countries on the backdrop of fundamental reforms in their electricity sectors. In most cases, electricity sector reforms promoted privatization based on the rationale that it will lower prices and improve quality. In Chapter 2, I analyze this rationale by examining the stated capital cost of independent (private) power producer's (IPPs) power projects in eight developing countries and find that the stated capital cost of projects selected via competitive bidding is on an average about 40% to 60% lower than that of the projects selected via negotiations, which, I argue, represents the extent to which the costs of negotiated projects are overstated. My results indicate that the policy of promoting private sector without an adequate focus on improving competition or regulation has not worked in most cases in terms of getting competitively priced private sector projects. Given the importance of facilitating effective competition or regulation, In Chapter 3, I examine the challenges and opportunities of establishing a competitive wholesale electricity market in a developing country context. I model a potential wholesale electricity market in Maharashtra (MH) state, India and find that it would be robustly competitive even in a situation of up-to five percent of supply shortage, when opportunities for demand response are combined with policies such as divestiture and requiring long-term contracts. My results indicate that with appropriate policies, some developing countries could establish competitive wholesale electricity markets. In Chapter 4, I focus on the demand side and analyze the cost effectiveness of improving end-use efficiency in an electricity sector with subsidized tariffs and electricity shortages and show that they offer the least expensive way of reducing shortages in Maharashtra State, India. In Chapter 5, I examine the costs of reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the Indian power sector and find that the costs are higher than those in the US because of mark-ups in the Indian gas based power projects. Overall, this dissertation shows the importance of facilitating effective competition and regulation and pursuing end-use efficiency improvements in electricity sectors of developing countries.

An Evidence Framework for Off-Patent Pharmaceutical Review (EFOR) for Health Technology Assessment in Emerging Markets.

PubMed

Brixner, Diana; Kaló, Zoltán; Maniadakis, Nikos; Kim, Kyoo; Wijaya, Kalman

2018-03-29

This article introduces an Evidence Framework for Off-Patent Pharmaceutical Review (EFOR), which establishes value-based criteria in a template that manufacturers use to provide evidence showing how their products meet those criteria. Health authorities in emerging markets can then use the evidence presented in the EFOR to evaluate off-patent pharmaceuticals (OPPs) in a consistent, transparent, and evidence-based manner to support policy decisions, including pricing, reimbursement, formulary listing, and drug procurement. A literature search found no multi-criteria evidence framework for evaluating OPPs in emerging markets. An International Outcomes Research Board (IORB) of academia and industry experts conducted extensive research, meetings, and workshops to define high-priority criteria to incorporate into an evidence-based health technology assessment (HTA) tool using the multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) technique. The resulting framework was further tailored for country-specific needs in workshops in three emerging countries (Kazakhstan, Vietnam, and Indonesia). The IORB defined nine criteria four categories (Product, Manufacturing, Service, and Value Assessment), which OPP manufacturers can use to provide evidence for reimbursement and health policy decision making. Then the IORB developed the EFOR as a base case document, which can be adapted and used as a template by health authorities in emerging countries. Emerging countries have a significant need for an HTA tool that balances affordability with accurate evidence showing the value differentiation of OPPs. The value attributes in this setting often are different from those in developed markets, which emphasize new products and have high regulation and manufacturing standards. The EFOR is an easy-to-use, adaptable framework that emerging countries can use to increase the consistency, transparency, and effectiveness of drug decision making. The open source EFOR is available as Supplemental Materials. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

The role of micro health insurance in providing financial risk protection in developing countries--a systematic review.

PubMed

Habib, Shifa Salman; Perveen, Shagufta; Khuwaja, Hussain Maqbool Ahmed

2016-03-22

Out of pocket payments are the predominant method of financing healthcare in many developing countries, which can result in impoverishment and financial catastrophe for those affected. In 2010, WHO estimated that approximately 100 million people are pushed below the poverty line each year by payments for healthcare. Micro health insurance (MHI) has been used in some countries as means of risk pooling and reducing out of pocket health expenditure. A systematic review was conducted to assess the extent to which MHI has contributed to providing financial risk protection to low-income households in developing countries, and suggest how the findings can be applied in the Pakistani setting. We conducted a systematic search for published literature using the search terms "Community based health insurance AND developing countries", "Micro health insurance AND developing countries", "Mutual health insurance AND developing countries", "mutual OR micro OR community based health insurance" "Health insurance AND impact AND poor" "Health insurance AND financial protection" and "mutual health organizations" on three databases, Pubmed, Google Scholar and Science Direct (Elsevier). Only those records that were published in the last ten years, in English language with their full texts available free of cost, were considered for inclusion in this review. Hand searching was carried out on the reference lists of the retrieved articles and webpages of international organizations like World Bank, World Health Organization and International Labour Organization. Twenty-three articles were eligible for inclusion in this systematic review (14 from Asia and 9 from Africa). Our analysis shows that MHI, in the majority of cases, has been found to contribute to the financial protection of its beneficiaries, by reducing out of pocket health expenditure, catastrophic health expenditure, total health expenditure, household borrowings and poverty. MHI also had a positive safeguarding effect on household savings, assets and consumption patterns. Our review suggests that MHI, targeted at the low-income households and tailored to suit the cultural and geographical structures in the various areas of Pakistan, may contribute towards providing protection to the households from catastrophe and impoverishment resulting from health expenditures. This paper emphasizes the need for further research to fill the knowledge gap that exists about the impact of MHI, using robust study designs and impact indicators.

A framework for evaluating national space activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wood, Danielle; Weigel, Annalisa

2012-04-01

Space technology and resources are used around the world to address societal challenges. Space provides valuable satellite services, unique scientific discoveries, surprising technology applications and new economic opportunities. Many developing countries formally recognize the advantages of space resources and pursue national level activity to harness them. There is limited data or documentation on the space activities of developing countries. Meanwhile, traditional approaches to summarize national space activity do not necessarily capture the types of activity that developing countries pursue in space. This is especially true if they do not have a formal national space program or office. Developing countries pursue national space activity through activities of many types—from national satellite programs to commercial use of satellite services to involvement with international space institutions. This research aims to understand and analyze these trends. This paper introduces two analytical frameworks for evaluating space activity at the national level. The frameworks are specifically designed to capture the activity of countries that have traditionally been less involved in space. They take a broad view of space related activity across multiple societal sectors and disciplines. The discussion explains the approach for using the frameworks as well as illustrative examples of how they can be applied as part of a research process. The first framework is called the Mission and Management Ladders. This framework considers specific space projects within countries and ranks them on "Ladders" that measure technical challenge and managerial autonomy. This first method is at a micro level of analysis. The second framework is called the Space Participation Metric (SPM). The SPM can be used to assign a Space Participation score to countries based on their involvement in various space related activities. This second method uses a macro level of analysis. The authors developed both frameworks as part of a long term research program about the space activities of developing countries. This aspect of the research focuses on harnessing multiple techniques to summarize complex, multi-disciplinary information about global space activity.

National Hospital Management Portal (NHMP): a framework for e-health implementation.

PubMed

Adetiba, E; Eleanya, M; Fatumo, S A; Matthews, V O

2009-01-01

Health information represents the main basis for health decision-making process and there have been some efforts to increase access to health information in developing countries. However, most of these efforts are based on the internet which has minimal penetration especially in the rural and sub-urban part of developing countries. In this work, a platform for medical record acquisition via the ubiquitous 2.5G/3G wireless communications technologies is presented. The National Hospital Management Portal (NHMP) platform has a central database at each specific country's national hospital which could be updated/accessed from hosts at health centres, clinics, medical laboratories, teaching hospitals, private hospitals and specialist hospitals across the country. With this, doctors can have access to patients' medical records more easily, get immediate access to test results from laboratories, deliver prescription directly to pharmacists. If a particular treatment can be provided to a patient more effectively in another country, NHMP makes it simpler to organise and carry out such treatment abroad.

Information Technology for Economic and Social Benefit--Options for Bangladesh.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhuiyan, Farhad Ali

2002-01-01

Considers how information technology (IT) can help socioeconomic growth of developing countries based on experiences in Bangladesh. Topics include Bangladesh's development plans; future economic growth trends triggered by IT; emerging technologies; intellectual and societal development; industrial revolutions; telematics; regional and world…

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lilley, Art; Pandey, Bikash; Karstad, Elsen

The document explores the linkages between renewable energy, poverty alleviation, sustainable development, and climate change in developing countries. In particular, the paper places emphasis on biomass-based energy systems. Biomass energy has a number of unique attributes that make it particularly suitable to climate change mitigation and community development applications.

Educational inequalities in obesity and gross domestic product: evidence from 70 countries.

PubMed

Kinge, Jonas Minet; Strand, Bjørn Heine; Vollset, Stein Emil; Skirbekk, Vegard

2015-12-01

We test the reversal hypothesis, which suggests that the relationship between obesity and education depends on the economic development in the country; in poor countries, obesity is more prevalent in the higher educated groups, while in rich countries the association is reversed-higher prevalence in the lower educated. We assembled a data set on obesity and education including 412,921 individuals from 70 countries in the period 2002-2013. Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita was used as a measure of economic development. We assessed the association between obesity and GDP by education using a two-stage mixed effects model. Country-specific educational inequalities in obesity were investigated using regression-based inequality indices. The reversal hypothesis was supported by our results in men and women. Obesity was positively associated with country GDP only among individuals with lower levels of education, while this association was absent or reduced in those with higher levels of education. This pattern was more pronounced in women than in men. Furthermore, educational inequalities in obesity were reversed with GDP; in low-income countries, obesity was more prevalent in individuals with higher education, in medium-income and high-income countries, obesity shifts to be more prevalent among those with lower levels of education. Obesity and economic development were positively associated. Our findings suggest that education might mitigate this effect. Global and national action aimed at the obesity epidemic should take this into account. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Differences in the availability of medicines for chronic and acute conditions in the public and private sectors of developing countries.

PubMed

Cameron, Alexandra; Roubos, Ilse; Ewen, Margaret; Mantel-Teeuwisse, Aukje K; Leufkens, Hubertus G M; Laing, Richard O

2011-06-01

To investigate potential differences in the availability of medicines for chronic and acute conditions in low- and middle-income countries. Data on the availability of 30 commonly-surveyed medicines - 15 for acute and 15 for chronic conditions - were obtained from facility-based surveys conducted in 40 developing countries. Results were aggregated by World Bank country income group and World Health Organization region. The availability of medicines for both acute and chronic conditions was suboptimal across countries, particularly in the public sector. Generic medicines for chronic conditions were significantly less available than generic medicines for acute conditions in both the public sector (36.0% availability versus 53.5%; P = 0.001) and the private sector (54.7% versus 66.2%; P = 0.007). Antiasthmatics, antiepileptics and antidepressants, followed by antihypertensives, were the drivers of the observed differences. An inverse association was found between country income level and the availability gap between groups of medicines, particularly in the public sector. In low- and lower-middle income countries, drugs for acute conditions were 33.9% and 12.9% more available, respectively, in the public sector than medicines for chronic conditions. Differences in availability were smaller in the private sector than in the public sector in all country income groups. Current disease patterns do not explain the significant gaps observed in the availability of medicines for chronic and acute conditions. Measures are needed to better respond to the epidemiological transition towards chronic conditions in developing countries alongside current efforts to scale up treatment for communicable diseases.

Multinational evidence-based recommendations for pain management by pharmacotherapy in inflammatory arthritis: integrating systematic literature research and expert opinion of a broad panel of rheumatologists in the 3e Initiative

PubMed Central

Colebatch, Alexandra N.; Buchbinder, Rachelle; Edwards, Christopher J.; Adams, Karen; Englbrecht, Matthias; Hazlewood, Glen; Marks, Jonathan L.; Radner, Helga; Ramiro, Sofia; Richards, Bethan L.; Tarner, Ingo H.; Aletaha, Daniel; Bombardier, Claire; Landewé, Robert B.; Müller-Ladner, Ulf; Bijlsma, Johannes W. J.; Branco, Jaime C.; Bykerk, Vivian P.; da Rocha Castelar Pinheiro, Geraldo; Catrina, Anca I.; Hannonen, Pekka; Kiely, Patrick; Leeb, Burkhard; Lie, Elisabeth; Martinez-Osuna, Píndaro; Montecucco, Carlomaurizio; Østergaard, Mikkel; Westhovens, Rene; Zochling, Jane; van der Heijde, Désirée

2012-01-01

Objective. To develop evidence-based recommendations for pain management by pharmacotherapy in patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA). Methods. A total of 453 rheumatologists from 17 countries participated in the 2010 3e (Evidence, Expertise, Exchange) Initiative. Using a formal voting process, 89 rheumatologists representing all 17 countries selected 10 clinical questions regarding the use of pain medications in IA. Bibliographic fellows undertook a systematic literature review for each question, using MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL and 2008–09 European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR)/ACR abstracts. Relevant studies were retrieved for data extraction and quality assessment. Rheumatologists from each country used this evidence to develop a set of national recommendations. Multinational recommendations were then formulated and assessed for agreement and the potential impact on clinical practice. Results. A total of 49 242 references were identified, from which 167 studies were included in the systematic reviews. One clinical question regarding different comorbidities was divided into two separate reviews, resulting in 11 recommendations in total. Oxford levels of evidence were applied to each recommendation. The recommendations related to the efficacy and safety of various analgesic medications, pain measurement scales and pain management in the pre-conception period, pregnancy and lactation. Finally, an algorithm for the pharmacological management of pain in IA was developed. Twenty per cent of rheumatologists reported that the algorithm would change their practice, and 75% felt the algorithm was in accordance with their current practice. Conclusions. Eleven evidence-based recommendations on the management of pain by pharmacotherapy in IA were developed. They are supported by a large panel of rheumatologists from 17 countries, thus enhancing their utility in clinical practice. PMID:22447886

Health workforce development: a needs assessment study in French speaking African countries.

PubMed

Chastonay, Philippe; Moretti, Roberto; Zesiger, Véronique; Cremaschini, Marco; Bailey, Rebecca; Pariyo, George; Kabengele, Emmanuel Mpinga

2013-05-01

In 2006, WHO alerted the world to a global health workforce crisis, demonstrated through critical shortages of health workers, primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa (WHO in World Health Report, 2006). The objective of our study was to assess, in a participative way, the educational needs for public health and health workforce development among potential trainees and training institutions in nine French-speaking African countries. A needs assessment was conducted in the target countries according to four approaches: (1) Review at national level of health challenges. (2) Semi-directed interviews with heads of relevant training institutions. (3) Focus group discussions with key-informants. (4) A questionnaire-based study targeting health professionals identified as potential trainees. A needs assessment showed important public health challenges in the field of health workforce development among the target countries (e.g. unequal HRH distribution in the country, ageing of HRH, lack of adequate training). It also showed a demand for education and training institutions that are able to offer a training programme in health workforce development, and identified training objectives and core competencies useful to potential employers and future trainees (e.g. leadership, planning/evaluation, management, research skill). In combining various approaches our study was able to show a general demand for health managers who are able to plan, develop and manage a nation's health workforce. It also identified specific competencies that should be developed through an education and training program in public health with a focus on health workforce development.

Pacific-Australia Climate Change Science and Adaptation Planning program: supporting climate science and enhancing climate services in Pacific Island Countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuleshov, Yuriy; Jones, David; Hendon, Harry; Charles, Andrew; Shelton, Kay; de Wit, Roald; Cottrill, Andrew; Nakaegawa, Toshiyuki; Atalifo, Terry; Prakash, Bipendra; Seuseu, Sunny; Kaniaha, Salesa

2013-04-01

Over the past few years, significant progress in developing climate science for the Pacific has been achieved through a number of research projects undertaken under the Australian government International Climate Change Adaptation Initiative (ICCAI). Climate change has major impact on Pacific Island Countries and advancement in understanding past, present and futures climate in the region is vital for island nation to develop adaptation strategies to their rapidly changing environment. This new science is now supporting new services for a wide range of stakeholders in the Pacific through the National Meteorological Agencies of the region. Seasonal climate prediction is particularly important for planning in agriculture, tourism and other weather-sensitive industries, with operational services provided by all National Meteorological Services in the region. The interaction between climate variability and climate change, for example during droughts or very warm seasons, means that much of the early impacts of climate change are being felt through seasonal variability. A means to reduce these impacts is to improve forecasts to support decision making. Historically, seasonal climate prediction has been developed based on statistical past relationship. Statistical methods relate meteorological variables (e.g. temperature and rainfall) to indices which describe large-scale environment (e.g. ENSO indices) using historical data. However, with observed climate change, statistical approaches based on historical data are getting less accurate and less reliable. Recognising the value of seasonal forecasts, we have used outputs of a dynamical model POAMA (Predictive Ocean Atmosphere Model for Australia), to develop web-based information tools (http://poama.bom.gov.au/experimental/pasap/index.shtml) which are now used by climate services in 15 partner countries in the Pacific for preparing seasonal climate outlooks. Initial comparison conducted during 2012 has shown that the predictive skill of POAMA is consistently higher than skill of statistical-based method. Presently, under the Pacific-Australia Climate Change Science and Adaptation Planning (PACCSAP) program, we are developing dynamical model-based seasonal climate prediction for climate extremes. Of particular concern are tropical cyclones which are the most destructive weather systems that impact on coastal areas of Australia and Pacific Island Countries. To analyse historical cyclone data, we developed a consolidate archive for the Southern Hemisphere and North-Western Pacific (http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/history/tracks/). Using dynamical climate models (POAMA and Japan Meteorological Agency's model), we work on improving accuracy of seasonal forecasts of tropical cyclone activity for the regions of Western Pacific. Improved seasonal climate prediction based on dynamical models will further enhance climate services in Australia and Pacific Island Countries.

Donor funding for family planning: levels and trends between 2003 and 2013.

PubMed

Grollman, Christopher; Cavallaro, Francesca L; Duclos, Diane; Bakare, Victoria; Martínez Álvarez, Melisa; Borghi, Josephine

2018-05-01

The International Conference on Population and Development in 1994 set targets for donor funding to support family planning programmes, and recent initiatives such as FP2020 have renewed focus on the need for adequate funding to rights-based family planning. Disbursements supporting family planning disaggregated by donor, recipient country and year are not available for recent years. We estimate international donor funding for family planning in 2003-13, the period covering the introduction of reproductive health targets to the Millennium Development Goals and up to the beginning of FP2020, and compare funding to unmet need for family planning in recipient countries. We used the dataset of donor disbursements to support reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health developed by the Countdown to 2015 based on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Creditor Reporting System. We assessed levels and trends in disbursements supporting family planning in the period 2003-13 and compared this to unmet need for family planning. Between 2003 and 2013, disbursements supporting family planning rose from under $400 m prior to 2008 to $886 m in 2013. More than two thirds of disbursements came from the USA. There was substantial year-on-year variation in disbursement value to some recipient countries. Disbursements have become more concentrated among recipient countries with higher national levels of unmet need for family planning. Annual disbursements of donor funding supporting family planning are far short of projected and estimated levels necessary to address unmet need for family planning. The reimposition of the US Global Gag Rule will precipitate an even greater shortfall if other donors and recipient countries do not find substantial alternative sources of funding.

Donor funding for family planning: levels and trends between 2003 and 2013

PubMed Central

Grollman, Christopher; Cavallaro, Francesca L; Duclos, Diane; Bakare, Victoria; Martínez Álvarez, Melisa; Borghi, Josephine

2018-01-01

Abstract The International Conference on Population and Development in 1994 set targets for donor funding to support family planning programmes, and recent initiatives such as FP2020 have renewed focus on the need for adequate funding to rights-based family planning. Disbursements supporting family planning disaggregated by donor, recipient country and year are not available for recent years. We estimate international donor funding for family planning in 2003–13, the period covering the introduction of reproductive health targets to the Millennium Development Goals and up to the beginning of FP2020, and compare funding to unmet need for family planning in recipient countries. We used the dataset of donor disbursements to support reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health developed by the Countdown to 2015 based on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Creditor Reporting System. We assessed levels and trends in disbursements supporting family planning in the period 2003–13 and compared this to unmet need for family planning. Between 2003 and 2013, disbursements supporting family planning rose from under $400 m prior to 2008 to $886 m in 2013. More than two thirds of disbursements came from the USA. There was substantial year-on-year variation in disbursement value to some recipient countries. Disbursements have become more concentrated among recipient countries with higher national levels of unmet need for family planning. Annual disbursements of donor funding supporting family planning are far short of projected and estimated levels necessary to address unmet need for family planning. The reimposition of the US Global Gag Rule will precipitate an even greater shortfall if other donors and recipient countries do not find substantial alternative sources of funding. PMID:29534176

International variability in 20 m shuttle run performance in children and youth: who are the fittest from a 50-country comparison? A systematic literature review with pooling of aggregate results.

PubMed

Lang, Justin J; Tremblay, Mark S; Léger, Luc; Olds, Tim; Tomkinson, Grant R

2018-02-01

To describe and compare 20 m shuttle run test (20mSRT) performance among children and youth across 50 countries; to explore broad socioeconomic indicators that correlate with 20mSRT performance in children and youth across countries and to evaluate the utility of the 20mSRT as an international population health indicator for children and youth. A systematic review was undertaken to identify papers that explicitly reported descriptive 20mSRT (with 1-min stages) data on apparently healthy 9-17 year-olds. Descriptive data were standardised to running speed (km/h) at the last completed stage. Country-specific 20mSRT performance indices were calculated as population-weighted mean z-scores relative to all children of the same age and sex from all countries. Countries were categorised into developed and developing groups based on the Human Development Index, and a correlational analysis was performed to describe the association between country-specific performance indices and broad socioeconomic indicators using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. Performance indices were calculated for 50 countries using collated data on 1 142 026 children and youth aged 9-17 years. The best performing countries were from Africa and Central-Northern Europe. Countries from South America were consistently among the worst performing countries. Country-specific income inequality (Gini index) was a strong negative correlate of the performance index across all 50 countries. The pattern of variability in the performance index broadly supports the theory of a physical activity transition and income inequality as the strongest structural determinant of health in children and youth. This simple and cost-effective assessment would be a powerful tool for international population health surveillance. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

An Alternative Collaborative Supervision Practice between University-Based Teachers and School-Based Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steele, Annfrid R.

2017-01-01

There is an increased focus in teacher education on research-based teaching as a means to develop a more research-based professional knowledge. However, research from several Western countries shows that neither school-based nor university-based teachers are familiar with how to integrate research-based knowledge in professional teacher practice.…

78 FR 46792 - Federal Acquisition Regulation; Least Developed Countries That Are Designated Countries

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-01

... 9000-AM62 Federal Acquisition Regulation; Least Developed Countries That Are Designated Countries... States Trade Representative (USTR) to the list of least developed countries that are designated countries...) allows the President to designate least developed countries as eligible countries under the Trade...

Terrain Perception for DEMO III

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manduchi, R.; Bellutta, P.; Matthies, L.; Owens, K.; Rankin, A.

2000-01-01

The Demo III program has as its primary focus the development of autonomous mobility for a small rugged cross country vehicle. In this paper we report recent progress on both stereo-based obstacle detection and terrain cover color-based classification.

Estimating the size of key populations at higher risk of HIV infection: a summary of experiences and lessons presented during a technical meeting on size estimation among key populations in Asian countries

PubMed Central

Calleja, Jesus Maria Garcia; Zhao, Jinkou; Reddy, Amala; Seguy, Nicole

2014-01-01

Problem Size estimates of key populations at higher risk of HIV exposure are recognized as critical for understanding the trajectory of the HIV epidemic and planning and monitoring an effective response, especially for countries with concentrated and low epidemics such as those in Asia. Context To help countries estimate population sizes of key populations, global guidelines were updated in 2011 to reflect new technical developments and recent field experiences in applying these methods. Action In September 2013, a meeting of programme managers and experts experienced with population size estimates (PSE) for key populations was held for 13 Asian countries. This article summarizes the key results presented, shares practical lessons learnt and reviews the methodological approaches from implementing PSE in 13 countries. Lessons learnt It is important to build capacity to collect, analyse and use PSE data; establish a technical review group; and implement a transparent, well documented process. Countries should adapt global PSE guidelines and maintain operational definitions that are more relevant and useable for country programmes. Development of methods for non-venue-based key populations requires more investment and collaborative efforts between countries and among partners. PMID:25320676

System Requirement Analyses for Ubiquitous Environment Management System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, Sang Boem; Gil, Kyung Jun; Choe, Ho Rim; Eo, Yang Dam

We are living in new stage of society. U-City introduces new paradigm that cannot be archived in traditional city to future city. Korea is one of the most active countries to construct U-City based on advances of IT technologies - especially based on high-speed network through out country [1]. Peoples are realizing ubiquitous service is key factor of success of U-City. Among the U-services, U-security service is one of the most important services. Nowadays we have to concern about traditional threat and also personal information. Since apartment complex is the most common residence type in Korea. We are developing security rules and system based on analyses of apartment complex and assert of apartment complex. Based on these analyses, we are developing apartment complex security using various technologies including home network system. We also will discuss basic home network security architecture.

What are the forests worth?

PubMed

Fellows, L

1992-05-30

The Earth is a finite environment, thus growth cannot occur indefinitely. Eventually we will run out of space, resources, or anything else that is also finite. Once this fact is recognized, it becomes clear that we must develop in a sustainable way so that we can endure into the future. Overpopulation, vegetation destruction, and pollution are all serious threats to our finite environment. Traditionally, change has been to expensive and politically destabilizing. However, extensive changes in our modes of living must be made so that they become sustainable. In both developed and developing countries, consumptive growth must be replaced with sustainable development. Many developing countries are currently selling their natural resources to the developed countries. When they run out of resources, they will be truly poor. All governments must recognize the value of forests. It is estimated that in terms of medical uses for forest products alone, they will be worth US$11-12 billion (1990 dollars) by 2050. This constitutes a large portion of developing countries economies. Also, 80% of the population of developing countries rely on natural, traditional medicines made from forest products. Even in the US 25% of prescription drugs are based on phytochemicals. Now the drug companies are actively pursuing these resources for their products. It is estimated that 95% of the world species have not been assayed for their chemical value. Technology and money are not the obstacles to sustainable development and forest conservation. It is will and attitude that must be radically changed in order to protect the forests for the ecological and economic value.

Financing healthcare in Gulf Cooperation Council countries: a focus on Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

Alkhamis, Abdulwahab; Hassan, Amir; Cosgrove, Peter

2014-01-01

This paper presents an analysis of the main characteristics of the Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) health financing systems and draws similarities and differences between GCC countries and other high-income and low-income countries, in order to provide recommendations for healthcare policy makers. The paper also illustrates some financial implications of the recent implementation of the Compulsory Employment-based Health Insurance (CEBHI) system in Saudi Arabia. Employing a descriptive framework for the country-level analysis of healthcare financing arrangements, we compared expenditure data on healthcare from GCC and other developing and developed countries, mostly using secondary data from the World Health Organization health expenditure database. The analysis was supported by a review of related literature. There are three significant characteristics affecting healthcare financing in GCC countries: (i) large expatriate populations relative to the national population, which leads GCC countries to use different strategies to control expatriate healthcare expenditure; (ii) substantial government revenue, with correspondingly high government expenditure on healthcare services in GCC countries; and (iii) underdeveloped healthcare systems, with some GCC countries' healthcare indicators falling below those of upper-middle-income countries. Reforming the mode of health financing is vital to achieving equitable and efficient healthcare services. Such reform could assist GCC countries in improving their healthcare indicators and bring about a reduction in out-of-pocket payments for healthcare. © 2013 The Authors. International Journal of Health Planning and Management published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Pediatric clinical drug trials in low-income countries: key ethical issues.

PubMed

MacLeod, S M; Knoppert, D C; Stanton-Jean, M; Avard, D

2015-02-01

Potential child participants in clinical research trials in low-income countries are often vulnerable because of poverty, high morbidity and mortality, inadequate education, and varied local cultural norms. However, vulnerability by itself must not be accepted as an obstacle blocking children from the health benefits that may accrue as an outcome of sound clinical research. As greater emphasis is placed on evidence-based treatment of children, it should be anticipated that there will be a growing call for agreement on principles to guide clinical investigations in low-income countries. There is now general acceptance of the view that children must be protected from non-evidence-based interventions and from substandard treatments. The questions remaining relate to how best to stimulate clinical research activity that will serve the needs of infants, children, and youth in developing countries and how best to assign priority to ethically sound research that will meet their clinical requirements. In low-income countries, 39 % of citizens are 13 years of age or younger, and consequently it is certain that clinical investigations of some new therapeutic products will be conducted there more frequently. This review offers some suggestions for approaches that will help to achieve more effective ethical consideration, including (1) improving the quality of research ethics boards; (2) fostering collaborative partnerships among important stakeholders; (3) making concerted efforts to build capacity; (4) improving the quality of the consent and waiver process; and (5) developing improved governance for harmonized ethics platforms. Continuing support by international organizations is required to sustain the establishment and maintenance of stronger research ethics boards to protect children enrolled in clinical trials. This review underscores the importance of developing a culture of solidarity and true partnership between developed and low-income country organizations, which will allow all those involved, and especially child patients, to benefit from the advancement of therapeutics.

Disease control priorities in developing countries: health policy responses to epidemiological change.

PubMed Central

Jamison, D T; Mosley, W H

1991-01-01

Health systems in developing countries are facing major challenges in the 1990s and beyond because of a growing epidemiological diversity as a consequence of rapid economic development and declining fertility. The infectious and parasitic diseases of childhood must remain a priority at the same time the chronic diseases among adults are emerging as a serious problem. Health policymakers must engage in undertaking an epidemiological and economic analysis of the major disease problems, evaluating the cost-effectiveness of alternative intervention strategies; designing health care delivery systems; and, choosing what governments can do through persuasion, taxation, regulation, and provision of services. The World Bank has commissioned studies of over two dozen diseases in developing countries which have confirmed the priority of child survival interventions and revealed that interventions for many neglected and emerging adult health problems have comparable cost-effectiveness. Most developing countries lack information about most major diseases among adults, reflecting lack of national capacities in epidemiological and economic analyses, health technology assessment, and environmental monitoring and control. There is a critical need for national and international investment in capacity building and essential national health research to build the base for health policies. PMID:1983911

Health promotion in Kenya: a volunteer nurse's experience.

PubMed

Kater, Vered; Liebergall, Michal

2010-01-01

This article presents a case study describing how nurses can improve the health behaviors of people living in developing countries. Difficulties and potential solutions are presented. Health promotion allows people to exert control over their health to improve it. A primary difficulty of health promotion in developing countries is communication between care providers and patients. One solution is the utilization of an interpreter; however, in the present study, no professional interpreters were available, thereby complicating the comprehension of new health-related concepts. Another challenge is to understand the patients' perspectives as related to healthcare values. Additionally, as a result of a dearth of evidence-based research in developing countries, difficulties arise in implementing, assessing, and evaluating health promotion programs. Despite these obstacles, nurses continue to travel to developing countries to promote health. Recommendations include respect for a community's health values and incorporation of these values into healthcare planning. To be accepted as a teacher by the local population, the nurse must be able to set aside his/her personal beliefs relating to healthcare, well-being, and disease. Health promotion initiatives should include the means for implementation, thereby enabling the local population to develop skills that will allow them to carry out health promotion projects.

Review: Sustainability of crossbreeding in developing countries; definitely not like crossing a meadow….

PubMed

Leroy, G; Baumung, R; Boettcher, P; Scherf, B; Hoffmann, I

2016-02-01

Crossbreeding, considering either terminal or rotational crossing, synthetic breed creation or breed replacement, is often promoted as an efficient strategy to increase farmers' income through the improvement of productivity of local livestock in developing countries. Sustainability of crossbreeding is however frequently challenged by constraints such as poor adaptation to the local environment or lack of logistic support. In this review, we investigate factors that may influence the long-term success or the failure of crossbreeding programs, based on the scientific literature and country reports submitted for The Second Report on the State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Crossbreeding activities vary widely across species and countries. Its sustainability is dependent on different prerequisites such as continual access to adequate breeding stock (especially after the end of externally funded crossbreeding projects), the opportunity of improved livestock to express their genetic potential (e.g. through providing proper inputs) and integration within a reliable market chain. As formal crossbreeding programs are often associated with adoption of other technologies, they can be a catalyst for innovation and development for smallholders. Given the increasing global demand for animal products, as well as the potential environmental consequences of climate change, there is a need for practical research to improve the implementation of long-term crossbreeding programs in developing countries.

A global, cross cultural study examining the relationship between employee health risk status and work performance metrics.

PubMed

Howarth, Ana; Quesada, Jose; Mills, Peter R

2017-01-01

Health risk assessments (HRA) are used by many organisations as a basis for developing relevant and targeted employee health and well-being interventions. However, many HRA's have a western-centric focus and therefore it is unclear whether the results can be directly extrapolated to those from non-western countries. More information regarding the differences in the associations between country status and health risks is needed along with a more global perspective of employee health risk factors and well-being overall. Therefore we aimed to i) quantify and compare associations for a number of health risk factors based on country status, and then ii) explore which characteristics can aid better prediction of well-being levels and in turn workplace productivity globally. Online employee HRA data collected from 254 multi-national companies, for the years 2013 through 2016 was analysed (n = 117,274). Multiple linear regression models were fitted, adjusting for age and gender, to quantify associations between country status and health risk factors. Separate regression models were used to assess the prediction of well-being measures related to productivity. On average, the developing countries were comprised of younger individuals with lower obesity rates and markedly higher job satisfaction compared to their developed country counterparts. However, they also reported higher levels of anxiety and depression, a greater number of health risks and lower job effectiveness. Assessment of key factors related to productivity found that region of residency was the biggest predictor of presenteeism and poor pain management was the biggest predictor of absenteeism. Clear differences in health risks exist between employees from developed and developing countries and these should be considered when addressing well-being and productivity in the global workforce.

Association between economic fluctuations and road mortality in OECD countries.

PubMed

Chen, Gang

2014-08-01

Using longitudinal data from 32 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries (1970-2010), this article investigates association between annual variations in road mortality and the economic fluctuations. Two regression models (fixed-effects and random-coefficients) were adopted for estimation. The cross-country data analyses suggested that road mortality is pro-cyclical and that the cyclicality is symmetric. Based on data from 32 OECD countries, an increase of on average 1% in economic growth is associated with a 1.1% increase in road mortality, and vice versa. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

International telepharmacy education: another venue to improve cancer care in the developing world.

PubMed

Alfaar, Ahmad S; Kamal, Sherif; Abouelnaga, Sherif; Greene, William L; Quintana, Yuri; Ribeiro, Raul C; Qaddoumi, Ibrahim A

2012-01-01

In developed countries, pharmacists play a crucial role in designing and implementing cancer treatments as part of a multidisciplinary oncology team. However, developing countries have a shortage of pharmacists, and their role is generally limited to dispensing and selling drugs. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of providing clinical pharmacy educational activities via international teleconferencing to improve cancer care in developing countries. Meticulous preparation and intense promotion of the workshop were done in Egypt before the telepharmacy conferences began. Multiple connectivity tests were performed to resolve technical problems. Nine telepharmacy conferences were delivered during 3-h sessions that were held on three consecutive days. Talks were subsequently made available via Web streaming. Attendees were requested to complete a survey to measure their satisfaction with the sessions. The teleconference was attended by a total of 345 persons, and it was subsequently reviewed online via 456 log-in sessions from 10 countries. Technical issues (e.g., poor auditory quality) were resolved on the first day of the event. The rate of attendees' responses on the survey was 30.1%, and satisfaction with the event was generally good. Telecommunication is a relatively inexpensive approach that may improve pharmacy practices, especially those used to treat patients with cancer in developing countries. Special attention to patient-based telepharmacy education, including the use of cost-effective technology, should be considered.

[Neonatal and pediatirc intensive care in developing countries. Myth or reality? Luxury or necessity? From theory to practice].

PubMed

Alaoui, I

2003-01-01

Neonatal and pediatric intensive care poses a major challenge in developing countries where the socio-economic level is low and health care resources are limited. Given the large size of the pediatric population as well as of great socio-cultural and symbolic importance of the child, there is a natural, compelling need for management of serious diseases in newborns and infants. The lack of timely disease prevention and treatment accounts in part for the frequency and severity of cases. Thus the status of intensive care units can exist in this setting is a pertinent question. The purpose of this study was to attempt to answer this question by surveying neonatal and pediatric care in developing countries based on experience in Morocco over the last 25 years.

A Research on the Construction of University R&D Management Team in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jia, Ning

2007-01-01

The system of Chinese universities R&D as a branch of the system of the whole country R&D, has a great effect on the development and innovation of the country's science and technique. Consequently, it's important to construct an effective management team with high diathesis for University R&D management. Based on the statistics of the…

A Typology of Work-Family Arrangements among Dual-Earner Couples in Norway

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kitterod, Ragni Hege; Lappegard, Trude

2012-01-01

A symmetrical family model of two workers or caregivers is a political goal in many western European countries. We explore how common this family type is in Norway, a country with high gender-equality ambitions, by using a multinomial latent class model to develop a typology of dual-earner couples with children based on the partners' allocations…

15 CFR 744.6 - Restrictions on certain activities of U.S. persons.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... REGULATIONS CONTROL POLICY: END-USER AND END-USE BASED § 744.6 Restrictions on certain activities of U.S... item where that person knows that such item: (A) Will be used in the design, development, production, or use of nuclear explosive devices in or by a country listed in Country Group D:2 (see supplement no...

Scholarly Productivity in Developing Countries: An Analysis of Levels and Patterns among Doctoral Holders in Uganda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wamala, Robert; Ssembatya, Vincent A.

2013-01-01

Doctoral holders are considered to be key actors in the creation of innovation and knowledge. However, this generalization may not hold true for doctoral holders in all countries. This study sought to assess the scholarly productivity of these highly qualified individuals in Uganda. The investigation is based on data sourced from the 2012 Careers…

A Comprehensive Review of the Status of Early Childhood Development in the Middle East and North Africa.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khattab, Mohammad Salih

This report reviews the status of early childhood education (ECE) programs in UNICEF's Middle East and North Africa region. The report compiles information about ECE programs in 18 countries based on a questionnaire sent to UNICEF country offices and other sources. The introduction sets out the economic and social rationales for investing in early…

Evidence of the Internationalization of Clinical Endoscopy Based on Journal Metrics.

PubMed

Huh, Sun

2015-07-01

This study aims to verify the internationalization of Clinical Endoscopy based on journal metrics after the change to English-only in 2011. The results of this study serve as a starting point for developing strategies to develop Clinical Endoscopy into a top-tier international journal. The following journal metrics were analyzed from the journal's homepage or the Web of Science: the number of citable articles, number of countries of affiliation of the contributors, the number of articles supported by research grants, total citations, impact factor, citing journals, countries of citing authors, and the Hirsch index. The number of citable articles in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 was 22, 81, 120, and 95, respectively. The authors were from 11 countries. Twenty-one out of 55 original articles were supported by research grants. The total citations in 2012, 2013, and 2014 were 2, 85, and 213, respectively. The impact factor was 0.670 in 2013 and 0.940 in 2014. The number of countries citing authors were from was 61. The Hirsch index was 6. The above results demonstrate that Clinical Endoscopy became an international journal, contributing to the propagation of valuable research results through an open access publishing model.

Adoption of Electronic Health Records: A Roadmap for India

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Objectives The objective of the study was to create a roadmap for the adoption of Electronic Health Record (EHR) in India based an analysis of the strategies of other countries and national scenarios of ICT use in India. Methods The strategies for adoption of EHR in other countries were analyzed to find the crucial steps taken. Apart from reports collected from stakeholders in the country, the study relied on the experience of the author in handling several e-health projects. Results It was found that there are four major areas where the countries considered have made substantial efforts: ICT infrastructure, Policy & regulations, Standards & interoperability, and Research, development & education. A set of crucial activities were identified in each area. Based on the analysis, a roadmap is suggested. It includes the creation of a secure health network; health information exchange; and the use of open-source software, a national health policy, privacy laws, an agency for health IT standards, R&D, human resource development, etc. Conclusions Although some steps have been initiated, several new steps need to be taken up for the successful adoption of EHR. It requires a coordinated effort from all the stakeholders. PMID:27895957

Age- and sex-specific analysis of homicide mortality as a function of economic development: a cross-national comparison.

PubMed

Moniruzzaman, Syed; Andersson, Ragnar

2005-01-01

This study examined the association between homicide rates and GNP per capita (as a measure of economic development) among all age- and sex-specific groups in 53 countries. Cross-sectional data on homicide rates by age- and sex- specific groups were obtained for 53 countries from World Health Statistics Annual 1996. The association between homicide rates and economic development was studied by using two methods: (1) with regression analysis and (2) by categorizing the data into four income-based country groups and then comparing the differences in their mean values. Results indicate that there was a negative correlation between homicide rates and economic development. The association between homicide rates and country GNP per capita became stronger with increasing age. Pearson's product moment correlation coefficient was strongest among older age groups (65+year) in both sexes (male, r = -0.77 and female, r = -0.71). The correlation was weakest and positive among 1- to 4-year-old children (males, r = 0.17 and females, r = 0.07). The homicide rate among females was highest for <1-year-old children in low income countries (LICs) (12.8 per 100,000). Lower middle-income countries are in the stage of high priority where both homicide rates and homicide as percentage of total death are high, and its impact was greatest for young males. However, infanticide as a public health problem seems highly concentrated in the poorest countries, while homicide among small children, 1-4 years old, appears to be a universal phenomenon across all nations.

Worldwide genetic variability of the Duffy binding protein: insights into Plasmodium vivax vaccine development.

PubMed

Nóbrega de Sousa, Taís; Carvalho, Luzia Helena; Alves de Brito, Cristiana Ferreira

2011-01-01

The dependence of Plasmodium vivax on invasion mediated by Duffy binding protein (DBP) makes this protein a prime candidate for development of a vaccine. However, the development of a DBP-based vaccine might be hampered by the high variability of the protein ligand (DBP(II)), known to bias the immune response toward a specific DBP variant. Here, the hypothesis being investigated is that the analysis of the worldwide DBP(II) sequences will allow us to determine the minimum number of haplotypes (MNH) to be included in a DBP-based vaccine of broad coverage. For that, all DBP(II) sequences available were compiled and MNH was based on the most frequent nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms, the majority mapped on B and T cell epitopes. A preliminary analysis of DBP(II) genetic diversity from eight malaria-endemic countries estimated that a number between two to six DBP haplotypes (17 in total) would target at least 50% of parasite population circulating in each endemic region. Aiming to avoid region-specific haplotypes, we next analyzed the MNH that broadly cover worldwide parasite population. The results demonstrated that seven haplotypes would be required to cover around 60% of DBP(II) sequences available. Trying to validate these selected haplotypes per country, we found that five out of the eight countries will be covered by the MNH (67% of parasite populations, range 48-84%). In addition, to identify related subgroups of DBP(II) sequences we used a Bayesian clustering algorithm. The algorithm grouped all DBP(II) sequences in six populations that were independent of geographic origin, with ancestral populations present in different proportions in each country. In conclusion, in this first attempt to undertake a global analysis about DBP(II) variability, the results suggest that the development of DBP-based vaccine should consider multi-haplotype strategies; otherwise a putative P. vivax vaccine may not target some parasite populations.

Mitigation of carbon dioxide from the Indonesia energy system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Adi, A.C.; Nurrohim, A.; Hidajat, M.N.

1996-12-31

Energy consumption in Indonesia is growing fast in line with the development of national economy. During (1990 - 1993) the emission of CO{sub 2} gas coming from energy sector increased from 150 million tones to 200 million tones in 1993. Whereas, the total methane emission from the oil, gas and coal sub-sector reached 550 kilo tones in 1991 and increased to 670 kilo tones in 1994. This amount of CO{sub 2} and Methane from energy sector was 26% and 10 % respectively of the total emission of Indonesia. Based on the last two decades of Indonesia`s economic growth experience, asmore » a developing country this high economic growth rate of Indonesia in the future will be kept until reaching the newly industrialized country level, which is more than 6% annually in the next decade. This high growth rate economic projection will also added the level of GHG emission in the future. As a developing country Indonesia is one of the fast growing countries. The GDP growth in the year 1995 was more than 7 percent, therefore growth rate of energy consumption in this country also rose following the economic growth.« less

How did national life expectation related to school years in developing countries - an approach using panel data mining.

PubMed

Jian, Wen-Shan; Huang, Chen-Ling; Iqbal, Usman; Nguyen, Phung-Anh; Hsiao, George; Li, Hsien-Chang

2014-03-01

The purpose of the study was to probe into the changes in life expectancy associated with schooling years found by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The study was based on the OECD database from the period 2000 to 2006. The data of thirty countries were constructed to allow comparisons over time and across these countries. Panel data analysis was used to estimate the relationship of national education, as defined as school years, with life expectancy. The control factors considered were numbers of practicing physicians, practicing nurses, hospital beds, and GDP. We used fixed effects of both country and time through linear regression, the coefficient of school years in relation to life expectancy was statistically significant but negative. This finding is not in accord with the hypothesis that investing in human capital through education stimulates better health outcomes. Within developing countries, educational attainment is no longer keeping the same pace with life expectancy as before. Therefore, we suggest that an effective education policy should cover diverse topics, for example, balancing economic growth and mental hygiene, to improve national life expectancy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Identification of Factors Affecting the Development and Practice of School-Based Counseling in Different National Contexts: A Grounded Theory Study Using a Worldwide Sample of Descriptive Journal Articles and Book Chapters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Ian; Lauterbach, Alexandra; Carey, John

2015-01-01

A grounded theory methodology was used to analyze articles and book chapters describing the development and practice of school-based counseling in 25 different countries in order to identify the factors that affect development and practice. An 11-factor analytic framework was developed. Factors include: Cultural Factors, National Needs, Larger…