Congress battles will delay US infrastructure package

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Learning Curve ◽  
Metropolitan Areas ◽  
Trucking Industry ◽  
Steep Learning Curve ◽  
Content Type ◽  
White House ◽  
Us States ◽  
Federal Highway ◽  
Fiscal Risks

Significance No progress has been made on infrastructure spending after the White House pledged in April to publish its plan. Impacts Transport PPP deals will increase, concentrated in metropolitan areas and bypassing many Southern and Midwestern states. Most US states face a steep learning curve for effective PPP implementation, creating fiscal risks if they sponsor deals that fail. Toll and infrastructure funds such as Australia’s Transurban and Macquarie, Spain’s Cintra and Canada’s Brookfield will win business. Efforts to lift the 1956 federal highway tolling ban are likely to be blocked by the trucking industry.

Japan arms industry will learn from submarine setback

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Learning Curve ◽  
Development Projects ◽  
Steep Learning Curve ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Joint Development ◽  
French Firm ◽  
Arms Exports ◽  
Arms Export

Subject Japan's failure in an Australian submarine procurement deal. Significance Canberra has awarded a 39-billion-dollar submarine contract to the French firm DCNS despite a Mitsubishi-Kawasaki consortium bid from Japan being seen as the front-runner. The surprise loss is a blow to Japan's arms export push and highlights the difficulty of entering the higher end of the global arms market, and the steep learning curve required to compete successfully. Impacts Tokyo will expand the number of bilateral defence technology agreements. India may be the next priority market for Japanese arms exports. Japan-Australia security ties will remain strong and are likely to strengthen. Joint development projects with firms from other countries may become more attractive.

Somalia’s peacekeeping transition faces dilemmas

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Learning Curve ◽  
Security Architecture ◽  
Operating Environment ◽  
Steep Learning Curve ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Domestic Security ◽  
The Future ◽  
External Actors ◽  
Advisory Role

Significance The report and the reactions to it have raised serious questions about the future of peacekeeping in Somalia. Impacts Peacekeepers playing a larger role in service delivery may disincentivise Somali authorities from taking responsibility for these tasks. New troop contributors could refresh AMISOM’s flagging fortunes, but would face a steep learning curve in a tough operating environment. External actors could play a vital advisory role in support of Somali efforts to overhaul the domestic security architecture.

US Supreme Court ruling will not deter White House

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Court Ruling ◽  
Supreme Court Ruling ◽  
Executive Orders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
White House ◽  
Us States ◽  
Environmental Initiatives ◽  
Us Supreme Court ◽  
Environmental Legacy

Significance About half of all US states joined power-generation and mining interests in challenging EPA procedures. The Court held that the agency, when it is determining whether or not to regulate, must conduct a review of the costs of regulation at the outset, rather than at a later stage of the process. As Congress is unable to pass legislation, the courts are the main check on President Barack Obama's plan to use executive orders and regulation to pursue an environmental legacy. Impacts Plants that had received temporary waivers will likely nonetheless implement their pre-existing compliance plans. States will continue to litigate to try to derail pending and expected climate change and other environmental initiatives. Coal will become an export commodity, as US power plants move away from it.

US states will lead ‘forever chemicals’ crackdown

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Federal Government ◽  
Environmental Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
White House ◽  
Us States ◽  
State Initiatives ◽  
Polyfluoroalkyl Substances ◽  
Water Proof ◽  
Perfluoroalkyl And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances

Significance The bill is intended to institute comprehensive, nation-wide regulation of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). However, the White House has said that it would veto the bill. PFAS substances are used to coat items to make them grease-, stain- or water-proof. Concern is growing about PFAS longevity (hence ‘forever chemicals’) and their potentially damaging environmental effects. Impacts The federal government will not support broad-ranging PFAS legislation, although it has legislated to limit military use of some PFAS. States will take the lead in devising and implementing PFAS-related measures. State initiatives to manage PFAS will include requiring firms’ disclosures, clean-up, monitoring and bans.

scholarly journals Laparoscopic pectopexy: the learning curve and comparison with laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Chi Chuang ◽  
Yu Min Chou ◽  
Ling Ying Wu ◽  
Tsai Hwa Yang ◽  
Wen Hsin Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Learning Curve ◽  
Operation Time ◽  
Synthetic Mesh ◽  
Laparoscopic Sacrocolpopexy ◽  
Apical Prolapse ◽  
Steep Learning Curve ◽  
Surgical Method ◽  
Surgical Field ◽  
Uncontrolled Bleeding

Abstract Introduction and hypothesis In addition to laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy (LS), laparoscopic pectopexy (LP) is a novel surgical method for correcting apical prolapse. The descended cervix or vaginal vault is suspended with a synthetic mesh by fixing the bilateral mesh ends to the pectineal ligaments. This study was aimed at developing a learning curve for LP and to compare it with results with LS. Methods We started laparoscopic/robotic pectopexy in our department in August 2019. This retrospective study included the initial 18 consecutive women with apical prolapse receiving LP and another group undergoing LS (21 cases) performed by the same surgeon. The medical and video records were reviewed. Results The age was older in the LP group than in the LS group (65.2 vs 53.1 years). The operation time of LP group was significantly shorter than that of the LS group (182.9 ± 27.2 vs 256.2 ± 45.5 min, p < 0.001). The turning point of the LP learning curve was observed at the 12th case. No major complications such as bladder, ureteral, bowel injury or uncontrolled bleeding occurred in either group. Postoperative low back pain and defecation symptoms occurred exclusively in the LS group. During the follow-up period (mean 7.2 months in LP, 16.2 months in LS), none of the cases had recurrent apical prolapse. Conclusions Laparoscopic pectopexy is a feasible surgical method for apical prolapse, with a shorter operation time and less postoperative discomfort than LS. LP may overcome the steep learning curve of LS because the surgical field of LP is limited to the anterior pelvis and avoids encountering the critical organs.

Misusing historical analogies limits US policy options

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Middle East ◽  
The United States ◽  
Policy Options ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
White House ◽  
Decision To Leave ◽  
Us Military ◽  
The Future

Significance The Vietnam analogy implies that President Joe Biden’s decision to leave Afghanistan will have deeply negative consequences for the United States. However, Afghanistan is not Vietnam and the Biden withdrawal needs to be considered within the wider context of his administration’s review of US commitments abroad. Impacts The White House will be pressured to clarify the future of other US military commitments, particularly in Iraq. Biden will seek to reassure allies, particularly those in NATO, that his commitment to multilateralism will not diminish. Biden may seek an opportunity for a military show of force, possibly in the Middle East, to refute accusations of weakness.

Pandemic spending demands raise fiscal risks in Chile

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Content Type ◽  
Fiscal Risks

Headline CHILE: Pandemic spending demands raise fiscal risks

The White House is finalising its infrastructure push

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
White House

Headline UNITED STATES: Infrastructure push is taking shape

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