Deindustrialization and Unsustainable Debt in Middle-Income Countries: The Case of Puerto Rico

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Caraballo-Cueto ◽  
Juan Lara
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Debt Crisis ◽  
Sharp Decrease ◽  
Municipal Bond ◽  
Federal Programs ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Weak Evidence ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject

Abstract Puerto Rico recently became the largest bankruptcy case in the history of the U.S. municipal bond market. This debt crisis has not been the subject of significant scrutiny in the economic literature, though many researchers focus on case studies, such as Greece and Argentina, to analyze a country’s indebtedness. The underlying economic factors that influence unsustainable debt in upper middle-income countries are generally understudied. We attempted to contribute to filling these gaps in the related literature. Using econometric analysis, we found that Puerto Rico’s government indebtedness is, to a large extent, connected to a sharp decrease in manufacturing employment (i.e. deindustrialization) suffered by this economy, and weak evidence that it was caused by an excessive government payroll or overgenerous federal programs. In light of our empirical results, we discussed how the consequences of deindustrialization ultimately led to increase government borrowing.

scholarly journals Prevalence of MDR organism (MDRO) carriage in children and their household members in Siem Reap Province, Cambodia

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shweta R Singh ◽  
Bunsoth Mao ◽  
Konstantin Evdokimov ◽  
Pisey Tan ◽  
Phana Leab ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Final Analysis ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Siem Reap ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Significant Public Health ◽  
History Of

Abstract Background The rising incidence of infections caused by MDR organisms (MDROs) poses a significant public health threat. However, little has been reported regarding community MDRO carriage in low- and middle-income countries. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study in Siem Reap, Cambodia comparing hospital-associated households, in which an index child (age: 2–14 years) had been hospitalized for at least 48 h in the preceding 2–4 weeks, with matched community households on the same street, in which no other child had a recent history of hospitalization. Participants were interviewed using a survey questionnaire and tested for carriage of MRSA, ESBL-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-E) and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) by culture followed by antibiotic susceptibility testing. We used logistic regression analysis to analyse associations between collected variables and MDRO carriage. Results Forty-two pairs of households including 376 participants with 376 nasal swabs and 290 stool specimens were included in final analysis. MRSA was isolated from 26 specimens (6.9%). ESBL-producing Escherichia coli was detected in 269 specimens (92.8%) whereas ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae was isolated from 128 specimens (44.1%), of which 123 (42.4%) were co-colonized with ESBL-producing E. coli. Six (2.1%) specimens tested positive for CPE (4 E. coli and 2 K. pneumoniae). The prevalence ratios for MRSA, ESBL-producing E. coli and ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae carriage did not differ significantly in hospital-associated households and hospitalized children compared with their counterparts. Conclusions The high prevalence of ESBL-E across both household types suggests that MDRO reservoirs are common in the community. Ongoing genomic analyses will help to understand the epidemiology and course of MDRO spread.

scholarly journals Modelling the COVID-19 pandemic in context: an international participatory approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (12) ◽  
pp. e003126
Author(s):  
Ricardo Aguas ◽  
Lisa White ◽  
Nathaniel Hupert ◽  
Rima Shretta ◽  
Wirichada Pan-Ngum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Models ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Participatory Approach ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Containment Measures ◽  
History Of ◽  
High Degree ◽  
The Mathematical Model

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on multiple levels of society. Not only has the pandemic completely overwhelmed some health systems but it has also changed how scientific evidence is shared and increased the pace at which such evidence is published and consumed, by scientists, policymakers and the wider public. More significantly, the pandemic has created tremendous challenges for decision-makers, who have had to implement highly disruptive containment measures with very little empirical scientific evidence to support their decision-making process. Given this lack of data, predictive mathematical models have played an increasingly prominent role. In high-income countries, there is a long-standing history of established research groups advising policymakers, whereas a general lack of translational capacity has meant that mathematical models frequently remain inaccessible to policymakers in low-income and middle-income countries. Here, we describe a participatory approach to modelling that aims to circumvent this gap. Our approach involved the creation of an international group of infectious disease modellers and other public health experts, which culminated in the establishment of the COVID-19 Modelling (CoMo) Consortium. Here, we describe how the consortium was formed, the way it functions, the mathematical model used and, crucially, the high degree of engagement fostered between CoMo Consortium members and their respective local policymakers and ministries of health.

New perspectives on brain death

2020 ◽  
pp. jnnp-2020-323952
Author(s):  
Matthew P. Kirschen ◽  
Ariane Lewis ◽  
Michael Rubin ◽  
Pedro Kurtz ◽  
David M Greer
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Brain Death ◽  
Medical Futility ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Brainstem Death ◽  
Legal Challenges ◽  
The Subject ◽  
American Academy Of Neurology

Brain death, or death by neurological criteria (BD/DNC), has been accepted conceptually, medically and legally for decades. Nevertheless, some areas remain controversial or understudied, pointing to a need for focused research to advance the field. Multiple recent contributions have increased our understanding of BD/DNC, solidified our practice and provided guidance where previously lacking. There have also been important developments on a global scale, including in low-to-middle income countries such as in South America. Although variability in protocols and practice still exists, new efforts are underway to reduce inconsistencies and better train practitioners in accurate and sound BD/DNC determination. Various legal challenges have required formal responses from national societies, and the American Academy of Neurology has filled this void with much needed guidance. Questions remain regarding concepts such as ‘whole brain’ versus ‘brainstem’ death, and the intersection of BD/DNC and rubrics of medical futility. These concepts are the subject of this review.

The importance of trials for global mental health

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Thornicroft ◽  
Vikram Patel
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Global Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Research ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
History Of ◽  
Research Continuum ◽  
Key Terms

This chapter sets the scene for the book as a whole by defining key terms, giving a brief history of randomized controlled trails (RCTs) in mental health research, explaining why RCTs can produce strong forms of evidence, and by locating trials within the translational research continuum. The authors describe criteria with which to judge the quality of pragmatic RCTs. Finally the authors discuss how the results of trials can be used to inform policy, investment, and service delivery decisions in low and middle income countries.

scholarly journals Addressing the Linkages between Gender and Transport in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (17) ◽  
pp. 4555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanu Priya Uteng ◽  
Jeff Turner
Keyword(s):  
Gender Equality ◽  
Millennium Development Goals ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
History Of ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Research And Policy ◽  
Low And Middle Income

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) specifies gender equality and sustainable development as their two central priorities. An area of critical importance for sustainable and gender-fair development is mobility and transport, which has so far been neglected and downplayed in research and policy making both at the national and global levels. Rooted in the history of the topic and the emerging ideas on smart, green and integrated transport, this paper presents a literature review of on gender and transport in the low- and middle-income countries. The paper presents a host of cross-cutting topics with a concentrated focus on spatial and transport planning. The paper further identifies existing research gaps and comments on the new conceptualizations on smart cities and smart mobilities in the Global South. Due attention is paid to intersections and synergies that can be created between different development sectors, emerging transport modes, data and modeling exercises, gender equality and sustainability.

Automated Detections of Carcinogenic Compounds in Estuaries: A Short Review

2014 ◽  
Vol 699 ◽  
pp. 885-890
Author(s):  
Teh Sabariah Abd Manan ◽  
Amirhossein Malakahmad
Keyword(s):  
Dna Damage ◽  
Optical Sensor ◽  
Short Review ◽  
Automated Detection ◽  
Detection Methods ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Photoelectrochemical Sensor ◽  
Rivers And Lakes ◽  
History Of

Cancer accounted around 13% of all deaths in 2008. About 70% of all cancer deaths occurred in low and middle income countries. Deaths from cancer worldwide are projected to continue to rise to over 13.1 million in 2030. Previous reports indicated that reservoir such as rivers and lakes contain various carcinogenic compounds. The carcinogens are being transported from the release points to the intake points. To avoid this phenomenon happen, the fast and accurate detection of carcinogens concentrations in water is crucial. This review presents automated detection methods of carcinogenic compounds in watercourses. Automated detections, particularly the application of sensors, have a relatively higher speed and sensitivity compared to chemical and biological approaches. However, sensors application limits on its functions. This review gives a description on the history of automated detections and various types of sensors such as automated optical sensor, submersible ultraviolet fluorometer sensor, photoelectrochemical sensor with the detection of DNA damage and trihalomethanes (THMs) sensor for detection of carcinogenic compounds. Sensors are varied according to specific types of carcinogens.

scholarly journals Hypothesis: social defeat is a risk factor for schizophrenia?

2007 ◽  
Vol 191 (S51) ◽  
pp. s9-s12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Paul Selten ◽  
Elizabeth Cantor-Graae
Keyword(s):  
Social Factors ◽  
Social Defeat ◽  
Hearing Impairments ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Mesolimbic Dopamine System ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Baseline Activity ◽  
History Of ◽  
Low Iq ◽  
Neuroreceptor Imaging

SummaryThe increased schizophrenia risks for residents of cities with high levels of competition and for members of disadvantaged groups (for example migrants from low- and middle-income countries, people with low IQ, hearing impairments or a history of abuse) suggest that social factors are important for aetiology. Dopaminergic dysfunctioning is a key mechanism in pathogenesis. This editorial is a selective literature review to delineate a mechanism whereby social factors can disturb dopamine function in the brain. Experiments with rodents have shown that social defeat leads to dopaminergic hyperactivity and to behavioural sensitisation, whereby the animal displays an enhanced behavioural and dopamine response to dopamine agonists. Neuroreceptor imaging studies have demonstrated the same phenomena in patients with schizophrenia who had never received antipsychotics. In humans, the chronic experience of social defeat may lead to sensitisation (and/or increased baseline activity) of the mesolimbic dopamine system and thereby increase the risk for schizophrenia

scholarly journals The burden of non-TB lung disease presenting to TB clinics in The Gambia: preliminary data in the Xpert® MTB/Rif era

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 166-168
Author(s):  
S. Jayasooriya ◽  
A. Jobe ◽  
S. Badjie ◽  
O. Owolabi ◽  
A. Rachow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Service ◽  
The Gambia ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Health Service Provision ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
History Of ◽  
Negative Sputum ◽  
Lost To Follow Up ◽  
Hiv 1

In some low and middle-income countries, 10–20% of patients presenting with a persistent cough have tuberculosis (TB). Once TB is excluded, health service provision for alternative diagnoses is limited. We prospectively studied patients with two Xpert-negative sputum results presenting to a TB clinic in The Gambia. Of 239 patients, 108 did not have TB; 65/102 (6 were lost to follow-up) had alternative diagnoses, 24.6% of which were non-respiratory; 37/102 had no diagnosis, 27.0% of whom were HIV-1-positive; 37.8% had a history of TB and 24.3% smoked. We highlight the need for general health service integration with TB platforms and exploration of non-TB patients with chronic respiratory symptoms.

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