Lymphatic filariasis elimination in the Dominican Republic: History, progress, and remaining steps

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a mosquito-transmitted parasitic disease that is a leading cause of disability globally. The island of Hispaniola, which the Dominican Republic shares with Haiti, accounts for approximately 90% of LF cases in the Americas region. In 1998, the Dominican Ministry of Public Health created the Program to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (PELF) with the goal of eliminating LF transmission by 2020. Baseline mapping revealed 19 (12% of total) endemic municipalities clustered into three geographic foci (Southwest, La Ciénaga and East), with a total at-risk population of 262,395 people. Beginning in 2002, PELF sequentially implemented mass drug administration (MDA) in these foci using albendazole and diethylcarbamazine (DEC). In total, 1,174,050 treatments were given over three to five annual rounds of house-to-house MDA per focus with a median coverage of 81.7% (range 67.4%–92.2%). By 2018, LF antigen prevalence was less than 2% in all foci, thus meeting criteria to stop MDA and begin post-treatment surveillance (PTS). This success has been achieved against a shifting landscape of limited domestic funding, competing domestic public health priorities, and sporadic external donor support. Remaining steps include the need to scale-up morbidity management and disability prevention services for LF and to continue PTS until LF transmission is interrupted across Hispaniola.

Sanitation Challenge for Ghana (SC4Gh): motivating local authorities through innovation prizes to achieve SDG6

As part of the UK Government-funded Ideas to Impact programme, the Sanitation Challenge for Ghana (SC4Gh) ran from 2015 to 2019 aiming to incentivize local authorities in Ghana to prioritize resources to improve municipal sanitation services towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6. The paper reviews the overall results of the SC4Gh and discusses selected results for the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) involved. The most notable outcome was that MMDAs involved were able to make significant improvements across the sanitation value chain with limited technical support and no upfront external donor funding. Another important outcome was the empowering aspect of the prize process which enabled MMDAs to innovate their plans based upon their own ideas to improve sanitation services. The prize process was an unprecedented opportunity for MMDAs throughout the country to participate in an international programme, resulting in encouraging results particularly from smaller, less well-resourced MMDAs in remote parts of Ghana who secured prizes in both stages of the Challenge.

Fundamental aspects of heterogeneous Ziegler–Natta olefin polymerization catalysis: an experimental and computational overview

Using an internal/external donor containing MgCl2-supported Ziegler–Natta catalyst is one of the important processes for polyolefin production.

Thinking Outside the Box: Deepening Private Sector Investments in Fiji’s Nationally Determined Contributions through Scenario Analysis

Private finance is seen as the financing panacea for resourcing the nationally determined contributions (NDC) submitted by 170 countries to the United Nations (UN) system. Mobilizing private investment is challenging, especially for vulnerable Pacific Island Countries (PICs). Fifteen PICs have already submitted ambitious NDC targets, in which transition towards a sustainable energy environment through investment in renewable energy (RE) is central. Presently, RE investments in PICs are primarily external donor financed, however, reliance on limited and uncertain external finance is unlikely to deliver the required energy transition. A future scenario methodology was used, with Fiji as a case-study; the analysis provided insight into alternative trajectories towards transition. Based on the scenario analysis, an NDC resource mobilization framework was developed. Conclusions suggest that donors should re-orientate their priorities from investments in RE installations, towards investments that upgrade the current RE readiness levels and promote a long-term perspective of “organically growing” the local private RE sector. Channeling resources to target initiatives that will endogenously grow the domestic private sector is critical for PICs, as well as other developing countries, which represent a majority of the NDCs, and which are projected to dominate global growth in energy demand for decades to come.

Silyl diol ester as a new selectivity control agent in MgCl2-supported Ziegler–Natta systems for propylene polymerization: catalyst structure and polymer properties

In this study, bis(benzoyloxy)dimethylsilane (SDE) was developed as a non-phthalate selectivity control agent (internal donor (ID) and external donor (ED)) in MgCl2-supported Ziegler–Natta (ZN) systems for polypropylene polymerization.

ADMINISTRATIVE AND LEGAL PRINCIPLES OF ACTIVITIES OF THE CONTROLLING BODIES ON THE USE OF INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FUNDS

Discussions have been ongoing throughout the year in the Ukrainian and European scientific environment regarding the presentation of the economic assistance package of the West for Ukraine, the so-called "Marshall Plan", presented by the Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius in autumn 2017. According to him, Ukraine will receive 5 billion euros in investments into the national economy annually. This amount of assistance, calculated by European experts, will boost the Ukrainian economy by 6-8% each year. [1] But, unfortunately, we, like most Ukrainian citizens, are skeptical about the possibility of such assistance coming to our country, and even more pessimistic are the forecasts about the possible positive effect of its use. There are many reasons for such skepticism. On the one hand, it is the Ukrainian and European bureaucracy, and on the other, there is no effective mechanism for receiving, distributing and controlling the use of international assistance by Ukrainian state bodies. Therefore, according to most domestic experts, until these problems in the use of international assistance in Ukraine are solved, it is unlikely to be able to implement the initiative of former Lithuanian Prime Minister Andris Kubilius. Even Kubilius himself has repeatedly stated that in order for this plan to become a reality, Kyiv must develop a clear list of priority projects prepared at a high technical level, for which financial resourceswould go. [2] The first step, according to European and Ukrainian experts, was to create a special agency in Ukraine, which would be engaged in the preparation of such projects. Considering that almost nothing has been done by the Ukrainian Government in this direction for almost a year, so the time to receive financial assistance under the Marshall Plan is delayed. However, the absence of an agency is only the tip of the iceberg, the biggest problem for Ukraine is the lack of a clear administrative and legal mechanism for attracting, distributing and, most importantly, effective control over the use of international assistance. It is the results of the study of this problem that we devoted our article to. Despite the globalization processes in the world, external financial assistance is gradually gaining in popularity and becoming an effective tool for improving the welfare of the population and the economic development of developing countries or pursuing democratic reforms, Ukraine is falling behind in a number of subjective factors. . Investigating the emergence of the Institute for External Donor Assistance, it can be noted that this process became widespread in the 1960s and at the beginning of the 21st century, after the adoption by 193 member states of the United Nations and at least 23 international organizations of the Declaration. of the UN Millennium, it received a new impetus and began to pass under the auspices of the Millennium Development Goals. They envisaged the cooperation of countries with international financial institutions for the transformation of their economy, the introduction of the latest innovative technologies, changes in economic, political and social nature and as a result of improving the life of the population and overcoming poverty. [3] In this article, we draw attention to the fact that in modern international economic relations, there are two approaches to donor assistance, which were formulated by certain historical processes taking place in the world economy. The first approach is called by scientists as “integrative”. It is based on the implementation of strict standards, which are translated into the language of specific requirements and measures, which in its turn are laid down in the plan calendar of reforms. At the present stage, this approach is applied in the countries which are candidates for EU membership. It is always successful because the assistance implemented in the enlargement countries provides a strategic framework for the transformation processes, while enlargement countries are required to adopt EU institutional standards and develop the necessary infrastructures. The second form of international assistance is more like charity and it does not contribute to the donors’ long-term responsibility for results. Assistance is provided to poor developing and emerging countries, but this assistance is never successful. Keywords: international technical assistance, international financial assistance, state control.