scholarly journals International Real Estate Review

2007 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 151-170
Author(s):  
Cynthia Holmes ◽  
◽  
Michael LaCour-Little ◽  

We combine loan data from distinct sources to compare and contrast multifamily mortgage lending in Canada and the U.S. After a general comparison of the multifamily housing markets in the two countries, we focus on loan pricing and non-price contract terms in the two environments. We find longer loan terms in the U.S. compared to Canada and attribute this to the greater liquidity available from a more established secondary mortgage market. We also find that while nominal rates are higher in Canada, mortgage spreads are actually lower, a result likely due to contract features that raise the cost of default for borrowers and restrict prepayments". In terms of loan performance, we found greater prepayment risk in U.S. mortgages and greater default risk in Canadian mortgages, although findings regarding default are limited by small sample size.

Author(s):  
Shekhar Neema ◽  
Disha Dabbas ◽  
S. Radhakrishnan ◽  
Arun Kumar Yadav

Background and Aims: Biologics are a relatively new class of highly effective drugs in the management of psoriasis. They act on specific immune processes, achieve rapid and sustained clearance and do not cause target organ damage unlike conventional systemic therapy. It appears that their use in our country is not as widespread as in developed nations despite these benefits ; their prohibitive cost may be a major factor for the limited usage. This survey aimed to find out the extent of use and factors hindering usage of biologics for the management of psoriasis by Indian dermatologists. Methods: It was a cross-sectional questionnaire based study. The questionnaire was designed after a focussed group discussion, followed by validation. The survey was sent in the form of a link to Indian dermatologists. The responses were recorded in excel-sheet and the data was analyzed by SPSS ver 25. Results: Of the 310 participants who took part, 287 completed the survey. Two hundred (70%) were users of biologics, while 87 (30%) had never used them. Cost was the major factor which prevented biologic use. Majority of the respondents used biologics in less than 2 cases per month. Secukinumab was the most common biologic used followed by etanercept. The factors which determined choice of biologics were convenience, cost, previous experience, co-morbid conditions and recommendations by an expert. Limitations: A small sample size was the limitation of the study. Dermatologists who do not use biologics may be under-represented in the study. Conclusions: Biologics are not used optimally by Indian dermatologists for management of psoriasis. The cost, fear of adverse effects, lack of awareness and inadequate felt need are major factors which prevent their regular use.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 17-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Griffin ◽  
Elaina Osterbur

The aim of the study is to investigate the patient perceptions on the cost, quality, and access of health care services in Piura, Peru. Although one of the largest cities in Peru, Piura has one of the lowest densities of health care workers in the country which greatly impacts the population’s ability to receive medical treatment. Lack of financial resources and health literacy, among other health disparities exist. Modeled after CAHPS Health Plan Adult Commercial Survey 5.0 and the Patient Satisfaction Survey, a forty-four question English and Spanish survey was created with questions to study healthcare variables. As a correlational study with convenience sampling, the survey was administered to both patients and medical providers in eight city health centers. Over a period of twelve days, 107 surveys were collected. After eliminating subjects who did not meet the study criteria, 92 patients and 13 medical providers were included in the study. Findings from medical providers are not reported because of the small sample size. The results of this study suggests that 32% of subjects do not have health insurance, 24% of subjects rated their healthcare received as average, 18% of participants rated their healthcare as the best possible on a scale of zero to ten, and 29% of subjects had to wait an average of seven days for access to healthcare services when care is urgent. The results of this analysis can be used to better understand the Peruvian healthcare system and educate the Piura community and the Parish Santísimo Sacramento as they continue to improve and expand their health care services. KEYWORDS: Cost; Quality; Access; Healthcare; Piura; Peru; Satisfaction; Parroquia Santísimo Sacramento; EsSalud; SIS; MINSA


Author(s):  
Cind Du Bois ◽  
Caroline Buts

The flow of foreign fighters leaving for Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic has slowed, but they often still pose a serious threat, either by encouraging others toward violence or by directly assisting themselves in a terrorist attack after their return. This article studies the effect of a country’s active involvement in a conflict zone on the flow of foreign fighters. Specifically, we test whether a nation’s participation in the international coalition against Daesh influences its number of foreign fighters. Despite the small sample size resulting from limited official data on foreign fighters, we report several interesting insights for cautious interpretation and only regarding the countries included. Findings from a negative binomial model suggest that a country’s active international role against Daesh also increases the foreign fighters coming from that country. Hence, it is important to keep in mind that the cost of a military intervention can be higher than the cost of the operation itself. Policymakers should also account for the cost of the increased number of foreign fighters and the resulting threat.


2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toby C. Daglish ◽  
Jon A. Garfinkel ◽  
Jarjisu Sa-Aadu
Keyword(s):  

Author(s):  
Anthony A Defusco ◽  
Stephanie Johnson ◽  
John Mondragon

Abstract This article studies how credit markets respond to policy constraints on household leverage. Exploiting a sharp policy-induced discontinuity in the cost of originating certain high-leverage mortgages, we study how the Dodd–Frank “Ability-to-Repay” rule affected the price and availability of credit in the U.S. mortgage market. Our estimates show that the policy had only moderate effects on prices, increasing interest rates on affected loans by 10–15 basis points. The effect on quantities, however, was significantly larger; we estimate that the policy eliminated 15% of the affected market completely and reduced leverage for another 20% of remaining borrowers. This reduction in quantities is much greater than would be implied by plausible demand elasticities and indicates that lenders responded to the policy not only by raising prices but also by exiting the regulated portion of the market. Heterogeneity in the quantity response across lenders suggests that agency costs may have been one particularly important market friction contributing to the large overall effect as the fall in lending was substantially larger among lenders relying on third-parties to originate loans. Finally, while the policy succeeded in reducing leverage, our estimates suggest this effect would have only slightly reduced aggregate default rates during the housing crisis.


ILR Review ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 552-563 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis R. Maki

This paper presents a method for testing whether the volume of strike activity in a unionized firm or industry is affected by the cost of such activity as measured by output lost, and applies that method to Canadian data at the one-digit SIC level. Output losses are estimated through bivariate transfer function analysis of time series data, and rank correlations between these estimates and a measure of strike activity are then calculated across industries. The results support the hypothesis that strike activity varies inversely with the cost of strikes, but this evidence is not strong, possibly due to the small sample size used in the cross-section analysis.


Author(s):  
Conly L. Rieder ◽  
S. Bowser ◽  
R. Nowogrodzki ◽  
K. Ross ◽  
G. Sluder

Eggs have long been a favorite material for studying the mechanism of karyokinesis in-vivo and in-vitro. They can be obtained in great numbers and, when fertilized, divide synchronously over many cell cycles. However, they are not considered to be a practical system for ultrastructural studies on the mitotic apparatus (MA) for several reasons, the most obvious of which is that sectioning them is a formidable task: over 1000 ultra-thin sections need to be cut from a single 80-100 μm diameter egg and of these sections only a small percentage will contain the area or structure of interest. Thus it is difficult and time consuming to obtain reliable ultrastructural data concerning the MA of eggs; and when it is obtained it is necessarily based on a small sample size.We have recently developed a procedure which will facilitate many studies concerned with the ultrastructure of the MA in eggs. It is based on the availability of biological HVEM's and on the observation that 0.25 μm thick serial sections can be screened at high resolution for content (after mounting on slot grids and staining with uranyl and lead) by phase contrast light microscopy (LM; Figs 1-2).


Crisis ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Ruthmarie Hernández-Torres ◽  
Paola Carminelli-Corretjer ◽  
Nelmit Tollinchi-Natali ◽  
Ernesto Rosario-Hernández ◽  
Yovanska Duarté-Vélez ◽  
...  

Abstract. Background: Suicide is a leading cause of death among Spanish-speaking individuals. Suicide stigma can be a risk factor for suicide. A widely used measure is the Stigma of Suicide Scale-Short Form (SOSS-SF; Batterham, Calear, & Christensen, 2013 ). Although the SOSS-SF has established psychometric properties and factor structure in other languages and cultural contexts, no evidence is available from Spanish-speaking populations. Aim: This study aims to validate a Spanish translation of the SOSS-SF among a sample of Spanish-speaking healthcare students ( N = 277). Method: We implemented a cross-sectional design with quantitative techniques. Results: Following a structural equation modeling approach, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported the three-factor model proposed by Batterham and colleagues (2013) . Limitations: The study was limited by the small sample size and recruitment by availability. Conclusion: Findings suggest that the Spanish version of the SOSS-SF is a valid and reliable tool with which to examine suicide stigma among Spanish-speaking populations.


Crisis ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Brooke A. Ammerman ◽  
Sarah P. Carter ◽  
Heather M. Gebhardt ◽  
Jonathan Buchholz ◽  
Mark A. Reger

Abstract. Background: Patient disclosure of prior suicidal behaviors is critical for effectively managing suicide risk; however, many attempts go undisclosed. Aims: The current study explored how responses following a suicide attempt disclosure may relate to help-seeking outcomes. Method: Participants included 37 veterans with a previous suicide attempt receiving inpatient psychiatric treatment. Veterans reported on their most and least helpful experiences disclosing their suicide attempt to others. Results: Veterans disclosed their suicide attempt to approximately eight individuals. Mental health professionals were the most cited recipient of their most helpful disclosure; romantic partners were the most common recipient of their least helpful disclosures. Positive reactions within the context of the least helpful disclosure experience were positively associated with a sense of connection with the disclosure recipient. Positive reactions within the most helpful disclosure experience were positively associated with the likelihood of future disclosure. No reactions were associated with having sought professional care or likelihood of seeking professional care. Limitations: The results are considered preliminary due to the small sample size. Conclusion: Findings suggest that while positive reactions may influence suicide attempt disclosure experiences broadly, additional research is needed to clarify factors that drive the decision to disclose a suicide attempt to a professional.


Crisis ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Hallensleben ◽  
Lena Spangenberg ◽  
Thomas Forkmann ◽  
Dajana Rath ◽  
Ulrich Hegerl ◽  
...  

Abstract. Background: Although the fluctuating nature of suicidal ideation (SI) has been described previously, longitudinal studies investigating the dynamics of SI are scarce. Aim: To demonstrate the fluctuation of SI across 6 days and up to 60 measurement points using smartphone-based ecological momentary assessments (EMA). Method: Twenty inpatients with unipolar depression and current and/or lifetime suicidal ideation rated their momentary SI 10 times per day over a 6-day period. Mean squared successive difference (MSSD) was calculated as a measure of variability. Correlations of MSSD with severity of depression, number of previous depressive episodes, and history of suicidal behavior were examined. Results: Individual trajectories of SI are shown to illustrate fluctuation. MSSD values ranged from 0.2 to 21.7. No significant correlations of MSSD with several clinical parameters were found, but there are hints of associations between fluctuation of SI and severity of depression and suicidality. Limitations: Main limitation of this study is the small sample size leading to low power and probably missing potential effects. Further research with larger samples is necessary to shed light on the dynamics of SI. Conclusion: The results illustrate the dynamic nature and the diversity of trajectories of SI across 6 days in psychiatric inpatients with unipolar depression. Prediction of the fluctuation of SI might be of high clinical relevance. Further research using EMA and sophisticated analyses with larger samples is necessary to shed light on the dynamics of SI.


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