Respective Countries Research Articles

Opinions on advanced practice among diagnostic and therapeutic radiographers: Survey results of an European congress of radiology study

IntroductionThe exploration of Advanced Practice (AP) in both diagnostic and therapeutic radiography has become a prominent topic of discussion within the radiographic community, prompting an investigation into radiographers' perceptions and the current global status of advanced roles. This study aimed collect data on radiography and radiation therapy AP career paths, and understand radiographers' perceptions of advanced practice at the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) 2020. MethodsA concise, 15-question web-based survey was distributed through the EFRS Research Hub during ECR 2020. Topics covered included respondents' demographics, educational background, current radiography skills, the landscape of AP in radiography, potential progression avenues in their countries, and key benefits linked to role advancement. ResultsThe survey garnered responses from 83 radiographers, with a predominant 79.5% (n = 66) representing Europe. Information on the total number of participants approached during the ECR and thus the resulting response rate is not available. Among the findings, a meaningful portion (30%, n = 25) of participants indicated the absence of AP opportunities in their respective country. Notably, an overwhelming majority (97.5%, n = 81) expressed a personal willingness to embrace AP roles. Areas of particular interest to the respondents included radiography reporting (38.6%, n = 32), performing ultrasound examination (13.2%, n = 11), conducting interventional procedures (13.2%, n = 11) and engaging in radiography research (10.8%, n = 9). ConclusionThe study indicates a keen interest among surveyed radiographers in pursuing AP, emphasizing the necessity for role recognition. Education, research and job satisfaction emerged as pivotal for AP progression. Despite this, AP availability in Europe is limited. Implication for practiceThere is a need to recognize and address barriers, provide targeted education and training, and promote job satisfaction to facilitate the development of AP in radiography.

Ideological ambiguity and political spectrum

This study examines the relationship between ambiguity and the ideological positioning of political parties across the political spectrum. We identify a strong non-monotonic (inverted U-shaped) relationship between party ideology and ambiguity within a sample of 202 European political parties. This pattern is observed across all ideological dimensions covered in the data. To explain this pattern, we argue that centrist parties are perceived as less risky by voters compared to extremist parties, giving them an advantage in employing ambiguity to attract more voters at a lower cost. We support our explanation with additional evidence from electoral outcomes and economic indicators in the respective party countries.

Sweden's excess mortality in 2020-2022 and reporting in the media.

The aim was to scrutinize the report in March 2023 that Sweden's excess mortality was lowest in 2020-2022 compared with other European Union and Nordic countries, a report that received great national and international attention. Comparison of excess mortality in Sweden and Norway. Excess mortality for 2020-2022 was calculated for Sweden and Norway, the country with per-capita excess mortality closest to Sweden's, compared with the average mortality for 2017-2019 in the respective country, following the definitions by Statistics Sweden reported in a daily newspaper. Excess mortality is a measure with low misclassification compared with other pandemic outcome measures. Following the definitions, total excess mortality for the years 2020-2022 was 11,897 individuals in Sweden and 6089 in Norway. However, the distributions of excess mortality across the 3 years strongly differed. In Sweden, 60% of excess mortality was observed in 2020, 8% in 2021 and 32% in 2022. In sharp contrast, 0% of excess mortality was observed in Norway in 2020, 20% in 2021 and 80% in 2022. If the relative distribution of excess mortality in Sweden had been the same as in Norway in 2020-2022, approximately 7000 individuals who died in 2020 would instead have died as excess mortality in 2022, saving approximately 14,000 person-years in Sweden. The report disregards residual confounding due to the broad definition of the period 2020-2022. Mass media should avoid one-sided reporting.

Equity impact of HPV vaccination on lifetime projections of cervical cancer burden among cohorts in 84 countries by global, regional, and income levels, 2010–22: a modelling study

While human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines have been available since 2006, the coverage has varied among countries. Our aim is to analyse the equity impact of HPV vaccination on the lifetime projections of cervical cancer burden among vaccinated cohorts of 2010-22 in 84 countries. We used WHO and UNICEF estimates of national immunisation coverage for HPV vaccination in 84 countries during 2010-22. We used PRIME (Papillomavirus Rapid Interface for Modelling and Economics) to estimate the lifetime health impact of HPV vaccination on cervical cancer burden in terms of deaths, cases, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) averted by vaccination in their respective countries. We generated concentration indices and curves to assess the equity impact of HPV vaccination across 84 countries. The health impact of HPV vaccination varied across the 84 countries and ranged from Switzerland to Tanzania at 2 to 34 deaths, 4 to 47 cases, and 40 to 735 DALYs averted per 1000 vaccinated adolescent girls over the lifetime of the vaccinated cohorts of 2010-22. The concentration index for the distribution of average coverage during 2010-22 among the 84 countries ranked by vaccine impact was 0.33 (95% CI: 0.27-0.40) and highlights the wide inequities in HPV vaccination coverage. Our findings suggested that countries with a relatively higher cervical cancer burden and thereby a relatively higher need for HPV vaccination had relatively lower coverage during 2010-22. Further, there were significant inequities in HPV vaccination coverage within the Americas, Europe, and Western Pacific regions, and in high- and low-income countries with a pro-advantaged and regressive distribution favouring countries with lower vaccine impact. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Unintended pregnancy and contraception use among African women living with HIV: Baseline analysis of the multi-country US PEPFAR PROMOTE cohort.

About 90% of unintended pregnancies are attributed to non-use of effective contraception-tubal ligation, or reversible effective contraception (REC) including injectables, oral pills, intra-uterine contraceptive device (IUCD), and implant. We assessed the prevalence of unintended pregnancy and factors associated with using RECs, and Long-Acting-Reversible-Contraceptives (LARCs)-implants and IUCDs, among women living with HIV (WLHIV) receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). We conducted cross-sectional analyses of the US-PEPFAR PROMOTE study WLHIV on ART at enrollment. Separate outcome (REC and LARC) modified-Poisson regression models were used to estimate prevalence risk ratio (PRR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). Of 1,987 enrolled WLHIV, 990 (49.8%) reported their last/current pregnancy was unintended; 1,027/1,254 (81.9%) non-pregnant women with a potential to become pregnant reported current use of effective contraception including 215/1,254 (17.1%) LARC users. Compared to Zimbabwe, REC rates were similar in South Africa, aPRR = 0.97 (95% CI: 0.90-1.04), p = 0.355, lower in Malawi, aPRR = 0.84 (95% CI: 0.78-0.91), p<0.001, and Uganda, 0.82 (95% CI: 0.73-0.91), p<0.001. Additionally, REC use was independently associated with education attained, primary versus higher education, aPRR = 1.10 (95% CI: 1.02-1.18), p = 0.013; marriage/stable union, aPRR = 1.10 (95% CI: 1.01-1.21), p = 0.039; no desire for another child, PRR = 1.10 (95% CI: 1.02-1.16), p = 0.016; infrequent sex (none in the last 3 months), aPRR = 1.24 (95% CI: 1.15-1.33), p<0001; and controlled HIV load (≤ 1000 copies/ml), PRR = 1.10 (95% CI: 1.02-1.19), p = 0.014. LARC use was independently associated with country (Zimbabwe ref: South Africa, PRR = 0.39 (95% CI: 0.26-0.57), p<0.001; Uganda, PRR = 0.65 (95% CI: 0.42-1.01), p = 0.054; and Malawi, aPRR = 0.87 (95% CI: 0.64-1.19), p = 0.386; HIV load (≤ 1000 copies/ml copies/ml), aPRR=1.73 (95% CI: 1.26-2.37), p<0.001; and formal/self-employment, aPRR = 1.37 (95% CI: 1.02-1.91), p = 0.027. Unintended pregnancy was common while use of effective contraception methods particularly LARCs was low among these African WLHIV. HIV viral load, education, sexual-activity, fertility desires, and economic independence are pertinent individual-level factors integral to the multi-level barriers to utilization of effective contraception among African WLHIV. National programs should prioritize strategies for effective integration of HIV and reproductive health care in the respective African countries.

The shipping industry under the EU Green Deal: An Input-Output impact analysis

In 2021, the European Commission introduced the ‘Fit for 55’ package, a set of policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 55% by the year 2030. This initiative, aligned with the European Green Deal, seeks to make Europe a climate-neutral continent by 2050. A pivotal aspect of ‘Fit for 55’ is the proposed extension of the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) to the shipping industry. According to the European Commission, water transport accounts for 2.5% of global GHG emissions, while the shipping industry accounts for 13% of the EU’s GHG emissions from transportation.This stringent new shipping policy makes it imperative to determine how the world’s economy will respond, considering three distinct implementation proposals with different rates of policy introduction. Evaluating the short-term impacts of the policy is crucial to ensuring that the sustainability initiative is not only ambitious but also pragmatic and adaptable to the realities. To assess the implications, this paper uses the Leontief price model, the environmental input–output (EIO) model, and the OECD Inter-Country Input-Output (ICIO) Table for 2018, which contains information for 45 sectors. The focus is on EU countries and its Top 10 Trading Countries.Our findings show that a short-term trade-off exists between economic and environmental goals and that environmental gains incur economic losses for key stakeholders. They also show that the impact of this policy is felt more by producers in the EU and consumers in non-EU countries than by other agents in the respective countries. Lastly, a recommendation from our study is that the policy should be phased in progressively to provide economic agents with the necessary adjustment time and thus minimize economic losses.

Our ancestors: the Cimbri, Goths and Sarmatians. Three ethnogenetic legends in early modern Europe

ABSTRACT The study presented here is an attempt at a comparative analysis of three early modern phenomena in the history of ideas and culture: three ethnogenetic theories about the origins of the Swedish (Gothic) and Polish (Sarmatian) nations and states, as well as that of the Danes, originating from the ancient Cimbri. First, they will be compared as historiographic concepts characteristic of early modern knowledge. The next part of the paper concerns modifications to these theories made in national historiographies and the broader visions of the history of the respective countries based on them. The last part of the study presents how these ideas function at the political level, both in relation to broader visions of political reality and political practice. The analysis suggests that while in the case of the 16th-century historical concepts of origo gentis, there are more similarities than differences, the subsequent stages of development show increasing differentiation: the ideas of Sarmatian ethnogenesis underwent greater changes than others. However, there are similarities in the way Gothic and Sarmatian ideas functioned in political life and politics during that period in Sweden and Poland, respectively. The weakest point is the influence of Cimbrian ethnogenesis on the politics of Denmark at that time.

Exploring national identity and collective memory across cultures: comparison of Indonesia and France

The present exploratory research compared how Indonesian and French participants defined national identity and the collective memories associated with their respective countries. This was examined in two studies using a mixed methods approach. Results show that Indonesian and French participants considered being born in the country as an important element in defining someone as French or Indonesian, respectively. Indonesian participants also mentioned being descendants of Indonesians as part of being Indonesian, in contrast to French participants who instead mentioned adherence to French ideology and values to be considered as French. Indonesian participants also recalled more positive past events related to their country (i.e., they have more positive collective memories) and showed more positive emotional attachment to their country, such as pride, than did the French. The French recalled memories that date further in the past compared to Indonesian participants. Discussion centers on the cultural dimensions (i.e., collectivist vs. individualistic) that have been shown to influence the importance of the ingroups, including nations as studied here, in individuals' self-perception, as proposed by Social Identity Theory.

Human Rights for Justice

The persons who occupy public office—including those created by the Constitution of Ghana 1992 and any other enactments—and private organizations and institutions that perform public functions or receive public resources are accountable to the citizenry, particularly those whose taxes are used to set up public offices and pay their salaries either in whole or in part, or to provide or support private bodies to perform public functions. The term “public institutions” has a broader meaning within the context of access and the right to information than its ordinary meaning. The technical meaning of “public institutions” within the context of the right to information covers institutions created by the Constitution, any other enactments and private organizations or institutions that perform public functions or receive public resources. The author uses “public institutions” in its technical sense in this article to avoid repetition of private institutions or organizations that provide public services or receive public resources. In most cases, public institutions fail to observe the culture of accountability and transparency and decide on the types of information to disclose and those not to be disclosed, to render the citizenry impotent to hold them accountable. The persons who occupy offices in public institutions hold those offices in trust for the citizenry, and, as trustees and fiduciaries they are required to be accountable, transparent, prudent, faithful, honest and not to commingle their personal properties with the properties that they hold in trust for their citizenry. Discretion was hitherto exercised by public institutions as to the information which may be disclosed to the public or not did not have statutory backing, as a result of which some of them have acted capriciously. In order to make the officers of public institutions accountable and transparent, most states have enacted Right to Information Acts to give statutory backing to persons who may seek information from occupiers of public institutions to ensure that they discharge their mandates as trustees and are accountable to the nationals of their respective countries. Furthermore, the enactments on right to information are intended to give a clear exemption to information that cannot be disclosed with the sole aim of protecting the public interest in democratic societies in accordance with the Oath of Secrecy taken by public officers and which prevents them from revealing matters that shall be brought under their consideration or knowledge through the discharge of their official duties. This article discusses the international law position of the right to information, taking into account the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 1965, the European Convention on Human Rights 1950, the American Convention on Human Rights 1969 and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights 1981; and further discusses the Right to Information Act 2019 (Act 989) in Ghana and its effectiveness in promoting the culture of accountability, transparency and faithfulness within the public space; and, furthermore, assesses its impact on democracy and the justification for some of the exemptions provided by law to protect public interest in democratic countries. The right to freedom of expression includes the freedom to seek, receive, hold opinions and impart information and ideas without public interference, except for restrictions imposed by the state which have been enacted into law and are necessary. The laws that are necessary in a democratic society to restrict freedom of expression must take into account the interests of national security or public order, territorial integrity or public safety, the protection of health or morals, the respect of the rights or reputation of others, the prevention of crime or disorder, and the disclosure of information received in confidence, and for the maintenance of the authority and impartiality of the courts.1 There will also be a brief discussion on freedom of information and access to information concerning the environment held by public officers and private institutions and organizations that provide public functions. Keywords: freedom of expression; international law; freedom of information; journalism; Ghana.

Why Do Real Wages Stagnate in Japan and Korea?

Abstract This study investigates the reasons behind the slowdown in real wages for Japan and Korea based on the aggregate and industry-level data for the respective countries. The findings suggest the following. First, both at the aggregate and industry level, there is a significant slowdown in both countries in the post-1995 period regarding labor productivity, which explains the overall slowdown in real wages. Second, the main reason for the gap between the growths in real wages and labor productivity is found to be the changes in the labor's terms of trade, which is defined as the consumer price index to GDP deflator ratio. Thus, the wage–labor productivity gap is not systematically connected to changes in labor income shares. Finally, the fall in the labor's terms of trade may be potentially related to an emphasis on exports and strong technological upgrading toward higher productivity growth products in both countries’ economic development.

한국과 미국의 대표 경제 학술지에 대한 토픽분석

American Economic Review in the United States and the Korean Journal of Economic Studies in Korea are both leading academic journals representing their respective countries in the field of economics. Founded in 1911 by the American Economic Association, American Economic Review, the monthly published journal is renowned as the most prestigious journal in the field of economics. On the other hand, the Korean Journal of Economic Studies, initiated by the Korean Economic Association in 1953, holds the longest tradition and authority in the field of economics in South Korea. In this study, we analyzed recent economic trends by examining abstracts published in the past three years, using these two countries' representative economic journals. The analysis involved web scraping 53 Korean abstracts (the Korean Journal of Economic Studies) and 320 English abstracts (American Economic Review) from 2021 to 2023, acquired from the online journal websites of both countries. To facilitate the interpretation of topic analysis, we applied selected topic-specific association rules to derive more refined insights. The results of the analysis revealed that the Korean journal encompasses seven topics, whereas the American journal covers five topics. The interpretation of these topics indicated that household income and regional economic themes are prevalent in the Korean Journal of Economic Studies, while topics related to the labor market and general equilibrium models are prominent in the American Economic Review.

PREFERENCE OF INVESTORS TOWARDS POST OFFICE SAVING SCHEMES

Background/Purpose:Post office saving schemes are backed by the government of the respective country, providing a high level of safety and security for investors funds.Some post office saving schemes may offer tax benefits, such as exemptions on the interest earned or deductions under specific sections of the tax code. Post office saving schemes, such as fixed deposits or recurring deposits, can be suitable for individuals with long-term savings goals, such as planning for education, marriage, or retirement.It is essential for investors to carefully evaluate their financial objectives and consider factors like inflation, liquidity needs, and overall portfolio diversification before choosing post office saving schemes as their primary investment avenue. Objective: To analyze the preference of investors towards different post office saving schemes. Design/Methodology/Approach: Primary data is collected through a structured questionnaire. The area of research is confined to Durg district only. Descriptive analysis has been done to analyze the research questions. Originality/Value: This paper outlines the perception of an individual towards the different saving schemes provided by the Post office. Findings/Results:An investment is a pledge of a persons current assets that allows him to receive future income through interest, dividends, rent, wages, pension benefits, or capital appreciation.

‘Mamie Djihad’ and ‘the white widow’: constructing French and British national identities in terrorist times of crisis

ABSTRACT This article considers the media representation of two women who left the west for Islamic State (IS) in the mid-2010s: from France, Christine Rivière, nicknamed “Mamie Djihad” (Granny Jihad); and from Britain, Sally Jones, known as “The White Widow”. Both were white, middle-aged mothers, born and raised in their respective countries, who converted late in life and left behind established lives and (adult) children to join IS. While much has been written on the migration of western women to IS territory, scholarship has focused on younger women and girls who have been represented as groomed and vulnerable to IS propaganda. These two “unlikely jihadists” profoundly unsettled commonsense ideas about who was vulnerable to radicalisation, and, more troublingly, their defections could potentially be read as statements on the desirability of life in the west vis-à-vis IS’s model. Using Critical Discourse Analysis of leading French and British news media, the article demonstrates how journalists represented both women as always-already outside their respective nations through two key narratives: a gendered discourse of abject motherhood and an intersectional discourse that constructed them as abject inside Others. These narratives worked to suture the ideological rupture caused by these women, who were at first glance typically French/British, by demonstrating that they had actually always been on the margins of the national community and had always been dangerous to the nation.

‘Everything is different here…’: The effects of mismatched mobility cultures and differential capacities on the urban vélomobility practices of refugee and asylum seeking women in Germany

This qualitative case study delves into the subjective urban spatial experiences of asylum-seeking and refugee women and their vélomobility practices in their respective countries and in Germany. The study aims to address the following questions: How do these women perceive the vélomobility culture in their country of origin compared to the mobility culture in Germany? How has their transition to a new mobility culture and the acquisition of vélomobility capital influenced their daily mobility attitudes and mode choices? The study draws on the Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus, field, doxa and hysteresis effect as analytical framework. The findings highlight a significant disparity between the habitus of female refugees and the urban mobility culture of their host country. This research underscores the importance of offering opportunities and building capacities for forced immigrants through targeted intervention programs and initiatives, particularly during the early stages of their resettlement.

An Entrepreneurial Lens on Backshoring Implementation by SMEs

AbstractUsing the lenses of internationalization process theory and of effectuation theory, this study investigates how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) implement backshoring initiatives. A qualitative multiple case study is developed involving six SMEs that have relocated from China back to their respective home countries. The analysis illuminates SMEs’ perspectives on the uncertainty perceived when returning to the home country and on how SMEs dynamically manage their domestic commitment and network of relations. The study also sheds light on the different alternative approaches they employ during different phases of the backshoring process and on the outcomes of these initiatives. Notably, the study demonstrates that the conceptual frameworks commonly employed in the literature to explain internationalization can effectively be extended to the domain of backshoring. Successful backshoring for SMEs hinges on their accurate perception of domestic uncertainty and their dynamic utilization of both planning and effectuation implementation strategies. Conversely, the failure of backshoring initiatives can be traced back to SMEs’ misperception of their position within the domestic business network, a cognitive bias that can lead to suboptimal decisions and outcomes.

Identity, Cultural Heritage and the Politics of Sovereignty: Narrating Turkey and Greece Through Ayasofya

ABSTRACT The article examines how Turkey’s decision to reconvert the Ayasofya Museum into a mosque in June 2020 has shaped the ‘self’ and ‘other’ perceptions of the Greek and Turkish politicians of their respective countries by instrumentalizing the concept of sovereignty. We argue that what has been termed ‘the right to sovereignty’ by Turkey’s leadership through the reconversion of Ayasofya—from a museum to a mosque—is indeed a ‘sovereignty performance’. What is more, we deconstruct how ‘sovereignty performances’ centred on the conversion of Ayasofya produced by Turkey and Greece came to define, narrate and naturalize the essence and standards of ‘national’ and ‘foreign/international’ legitimizing mutual and respective identity perceptions held for themselves and each other.

Exploring the Differences in Innovative Work Behavior and Workforce Agility Between Korean and Indonesian Employees: A Cross-cultural Study in a South Korea FDI Company

The expansion of South Korean foreign direct investment companies in Indonesia has led to the possibility of cultural challenges arising among workers in multinational corporations. Additionally, there are notable differences in the innovation and agility indexes of Indonesia and South Korea in 2022. These disparities in performance may perpetuate stereotypes that suggest that innovation and agility are unique qualities exhibited by employees from each respective country. The objective of this study is to investigate whether there exist variations in the innovative work behavior and workforce agility of Indonesian and South Korean employees who work in the same organization as part of cross-cultural research. The theoretical framework for this research is Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory, specifically the dimensions of long-term orientation and Stereotype Threat Theory, which are used to explain the phenomenon. This study used a quantitative approach and had 30 participants who worked at a South Korean FDI company. The participants were chosen through convenience sampling. The research tools included the innovative work behavior scale and the workforce agility scale. Data were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U-Test and descriptive analysis. Based on the research findings, it appears that employees from different cultural backgrounds working in the same organization do not exhibit significant differences in terms of their innovative work behavior and workforce agility. This was observed in a case study conducted at a South Korean FDI company located in East Java.&#x0D; Keywords: Indonesia, innovative work behavior, South Korea, workforce agility

The “Visegrad Inititative “VIS-À-VIS“ Open Balkan Inititative” in the process of European Integration

Following the collapse of the communist regimes, in Central European countries, the belief that collaborative efforts could facilitate both social transformation and European integration, served as a key motivation for establishing of the Visegrad Group (V4), comprising of Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. In Southeastern Europe, given the war conflicts that occurred during the 1990s, in 1999, the EU Council initiated the Stabilization and Association Process (SAP) to encourage Western Balkans countries (WB) to cooperate among themselves and confirmed their eligibility for EU membership. After the V4 countries joined the EU, the Visegrad Declaration on cooperation in 2004 emphasized the idea of supporting the European integration of neighboring regions, including the Western Balkan region. From 2004 to the present day, the WB countries have applied for EU membership, and they have been granted EU candidate country status. In 2014 they became a part of the Berlin process (BP)initiative and for three of them – Albania, North Macedonia (N. Macedonia) and Serbia – accession negotiations with EU have already been opened. These three countries launched the Mini Schengen initiative in 2019, which was transformed into Open Balkan initiative (OB3) in 2021. Since that both Visegrad and Open Balkan in itiatives aim to enhance interstate cooperation and facilitate European integration process for their respective countries, the purpose of this paper is to consider the role of regional organizations and initiatives in accelerating the integration process, to examine whether the OB3 can draw valuable lessons from V4 experience and to elucidate how V4 supports the integration process of OB3.

Socio-economic Effect of COVID-19 on the Global Economy

Epidemics and pandemics have been part of human existence since time immemorial. Although the foregoing terms are often used interchangeably, they have distinctive meanings in the scientific world. The world has been plagued with a significant number of epidemics and pandemics in prior and recent years. Earlier news on the outbreak of COVID-19 was received with scepticism by leaders and citizens of several advanced, emerging and developing economies around the world. Most global leaders doubted the exponential effect of COVID-19 on their respective countries and on the global economy as a whole. The purpose of this research was to examine the impact of COVID-19 on global economic activities and output. The research relied on the quantitative approach to scientific inquiry. Specifically, a cross-sectional design was adapted and used in the study. This enabled the researchers to gather relevant research data over a specific period of time. Data required for the conduct of the study were obtained mainly from secondary sources. These included peer-reviewed articles published in journals, research papers, textbooks, and newspaper publications; Google Search Engine including Worldometers.info, Africanews.com, and Weforum.org; financial websites such as Tradingeconomics.com; and electronic databases of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and World Economic Outlook, among other significant sources. Annual data on global gross domestic products from 1990 through 2019, data on the top twenty global economies from 2019 through 2021 and available data on the COVID-19 pandemic as of 20th April 2020 were used in the study. Regression models and descriptive statistics were used to describe the research variables; and to evaluate their behaviour over the stated time frame on the global economy. Findings from the research revealed a positive but non-significant relationship between fiscal year and global GDP (p = 1.12239, p &gt; 0.05). The results suggested that the fiscal year alone has no significant influence on global GDP. Rather, internal and external environmental factors in a given financial year, such as Tsunamis, tornadoes, earthquakes, bushfires, hurricanes, and pandemic outbreaks (such as COVID-19), influence global GDP and its attendant growth. The findings revealed Ghana’s estimated economic losses from COVID-19 (GH¢15 billion) are equivalent to 4.27% of projected GDP (GH¢351.19 billion) for 2020 and equivalent to 4.34% of GDP (GH¢346 billion) for 2019, while estimated global economic losses from the pandemic (US$2.7 trillion) ranged from 3.05% to 3.06% of projected global GDP (US$88.574 trillion or US$88.312 trillion) for 2020. Almost all African economies are struggling to patch the economic holes created by the menacing COVID-19 pandemic. Since the non-occurrence of a similar or higher magnitude pandemic in the near and distant future cannot be guaranteed, the researchers recommended the need for leaders of various economies to put the necessary contingency measures and structures in place to avert devastating effects, should any pandemic occur. Experiences from the Ebola and Coronavirus outbreaks are expected to serve as strong practical case studies for the Africa Centre for Disease Control (ACDC) to improve its response rate to epidemic and pandemic outbreaks on the continent. The ACDC should be able to advise member countries on the state-of-the-art medical facilities required to facilitate treatments for epidemic and pandemic outbreaks. There is a need for inter-country collaboration. That is, African countries that are “handicapped” in medical facilities and equipment should collaborate with those that are endowed with and also share expertise to save the continent from socio-economic dissipation. The World Health Organisation (WHO) must continue to monitor health conditions and situations in countries and territories and provide early signals to enhance the preparedness and responsiveness of various economies. Member countries must provide the necessary logistics and technological assistance so WHO could improve on its existing structures and mechanisms for “systematic disease surveillance and reporting.”

The prevalence and comorbidity of mental health and substance use disorders in Scandinavian prisons 2010-2019: a multi-national register study.

Mental health disorders are common among people in prison, but their prevalence in the Scandinavian prison population remain unclear. In this multinational register study, we examined the prevalence of mental health disorders and the comorbidity of substance use disorders (SUDs) with other mental health disorders in this population. Further, we investigated how the prevalence of mental disorders at prison entry had changed in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden over the study period. The three study cohorts included all individuals, aged 19 or older, whom had been imprisoned in Norway (2010-2019), Denmark (2011-2018), and Sweden (2010-2013). Mental disorders were defined as ICD-10 diagnoses (F-codes) registered in the national patient registers. The study prevalence was estimated based on recorded diagnoses during the entire study follow-up period in each respective country. The one-year prevalence of mental disorders was estimated for each calendar year for individuals entering prison during that year. The Scandinavian prison cohorts included 119 507 individuals released 191 549 times during the study period. Across all three countries a high proportion of both women (61.3%-74.4%) and men (49.6%-57.9%) had at least one mental health disorder during the observation period. The most prevalent disorders were SUDs (39.1%-44.0%), depressive disorder (8.1%-17.5%), and stress related disorder (8.8%-17.1%). Women (31.8%-41.1%) had higher levels of mental health and substance use comorbidities compared to men (20.8%-27.6%). The one-year prevalence of any mental health disorder increased over time with a 33% relative increase in Norway, 8% in Denmark, and 10% in Sweden. The proportion of individuals entering prison with a comorbid SUD and other mental disorder had also increased. While the incarceration rate has been decreasing during the past decade in the Scandinavian countries, an increasing proportion of people entering prison have a diagnosed mental health disorder. Our results suggest that prisons should provide adequate treatment and scale up services to accommodate the increasing proportion of people with complex health needs among incarcerated people.