Main Transmission Mechanism Research Articles

The Impact of Financial Crisis on Developing Countries

The paper analyses the impact of the global economic crisis of 2007–2009 on the developing countries of a sample of four counties (South Africa, India, Brazil and China). Within the context of globalisation, the evolution of the financial crisis is outlined and its impact on the global economy identified, and the main transmission mechanisms by which the crisis spread to the developing world is discussed. By contrast, although developing countries did not make this crisis, it has become all too clear that they are in the firing line when it comes to suffering its effects and the current financial crisis had a significant effect on economic developments in developing economies.

(Transmission Channels of the Global Financial Crisis)

Bulgarian Abstract: Статията изследва основните трансмисионни механизми на световната финансова криза.English Abstract: The article examines the main transmission mechanisms of the global financial crisis.

Shocks, Vulnerability and Therapy

Abstract: The global financial crisis of 2008 has left lasting effects on the structure of financial markets, international capital flows, and the cost of capital for developing countries. This paper explains how the crisis originated, and the underlying factors that turned a relatively small collapse in the US subprime mortgage market into a global crisis. It then explores similarities and differences between the current crisis and past experiences. That comparison highlights the main determinants and transmission mechanisms involved, which can help design a better response to the current situation on the one hand, and to prevent future crises or minimize their impact on the other. Finally, the paper discusses structural policies that make countries more resilient to external shocks and also reduce the incidence of home‐grown crises.

Prevenção referente às modalidades alternativas de transmissão do trypanosoma cruzi no Brasil

Vectorial, transfusion and congenital are considered the main transmission mechanisms in human Chagas disease. Alternative mechanisms are accidental, oral and by organ transplantation. Other hypothetic mechanisms could be by other vectors, sexual, criminal and by means of marsupial anal secretions. The present accorded strategies for prevention are: CONGENITAL: early case detection and immediate treatment. If possible, start during the pre natal period, throughout mothers serology, performing parasitological tests in the new born from positive women. For positive cases, immediate treatment; for those negative babies, conventional serology at the 8th month, treating specifically those with positive results. ACCIDENTAL TRANSMISSION: Rigorous training and utilization of protection equipments. IF accident occurs, immediate disinfection, conventional serology and beginning of specific treatment by ten days. Revision of the serology after 30 days: if positive, extend the treatment until the total dose (60 days or more). ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION: previous serology for donor and receptor. When the former is infected and the last negative, cancel the surgery or install the specific treatment by ten days before the surgery for the donor, followed by the receptor during ten days after the transplantation. ORAL TRANSMISSION: Specific measures are not available, food hygiene is recommended, including the cooking of meats delivered from possible reservoirs. Nowadays, the detection and immediate treatment of the case is recommended, followed by active research of new cases around the detected one.

Etninės kultūros perdavimas: teorinis ir praktinis aspektas

DocentėSocialinių mokslų (edukologijos) daktarėVilniaus universiteto Edukologijos katedraUniversiteto g. 1/9, LTLT-01513 VilniusTel. (8 5) 266 76 25El. paštas: irena.stonkuviene@fsf.vu.ltStraipsnyje aptariami kultūrinio perdavimo, kaip ne tik antropologinio, bet ir edukologinio, konstrukto, modeliai. Remiantis empirinio tyrimo rezultatais, analizuojama pagrindinio kultūros perdavimo mechanizmo – tradicijos – situacija XXI a. Lietuvoje. Aptariami mokinių ir mokytojų, skirtingų kartų šeimos narių (vaikų, tėvų ir senelių) požiūriai į etninę kultūrą ir tradicijas. Siekiant atskleisti galimus skirtingų kartų prieštaravimus, į tradiciją žvelgiama per sava–svetima prizmę, šias kategorijas suvokiant ne tik erdvės, bet ir laiko kontekste.

Oil Price Shocks and Labor Market Fluctuations

We examine the impact of real oil price shocks on labor market flows in the U.S. We first use smooth transition regression (STAR) models to investigate to what extent oil prices can be considered as a driving force of labor market fluctuations. Then we develop and calibrate a modified version of Pissarides' (2000) model with energy costs, which we simulate in response to shocks mimicking the behavior of the actual oil price shocks. We find that (i) these shocks are an important driving force of job market flows; (ii) the job finding probability is the main transmission mechanism of such shocks; and (iii) they bring a new amplification mechanism for the volatility of the labor market, and should thus be seen as complementary of labor productivity shocks. Overall we conclude that shocks in oil prices cannot be neglected in explaining cyclical labor adjustments in the U.S.

Shocks, Crises, and Their Determinants

The current global financial crisis is the most serious both in terms of magnitude and in terms of scope since the Great Depression. No country has been immune to the economic slowdown. In advanced economies, the financial crisis and the global recession that followed the burst of the global financial bubble have brought severe consequences in terms of employment and output. In developing countries, output contraction, growth slowdown, and rising unemployment have come hand in hand with higher borrowing costs, sluggish export growth, and a significant reduction in international capital flows. As a result, poverty has increased. The global financial crisis has left lasting effects on the structure of financial markets, international capital flows, and the cost of capital for developing countries. The efforts of governments and international financial institutions to buffer the impact of the crisis have been quick and aimed in the right direction. However, many risks remain for the road to recovery. This paper provides a brief explanation of how the current global financial crisis originated, and the underlying factors that turned a relatively small collapse in the subprime mortgage market in the United States into a global crisis. It also explores similarities and differences between the current crisis and past experiences. This comparison can provide a better understanding of the main determinants and transmission mechanisms involved, which can help in the design of a better response to the current situation on the one hand, and in the prevention of future crises or minimizations of their impact on the other. Finally, the paper discusses lessons that can be learned for developing countries, focusing on the policies that governments can implement to mitigate the effects of crises and factors that are important for reducing the risks of experiencing a crisis.

Staphylococcus aureus resistente a la meticilina de origen comunitario

Recently, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has emerged as a cause of community-acquired (CA) infections among patients without established risk factors for MRSA. CA-MRSA strains mainly cause mild skin and soft tissue infections in otherwise healthy children and young adults, but can also cause severe necrotizing fasciitis and pneumonia. In contrast to nosocomial MRSA, CA-MRSA are, in general, susceptible to multiple antimicrobials and present a different genotype. Most CA-MRSA strains share the staphylococcal chromosomal cassette (SCCmec) type IV and produce Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL), a cytotoxin that causes leukocyte destruction and tissue necrosis. At present, the predominant clone is the USA300 clone, which is widely disseminated in the United States, Europe and Australia. In Spain, the predominant clone is related to the USA300 clone. The main mechanism of transmission is close person-to-person contact, although household pets and farm animals have also been implicated. In patients with purulent skin and soft tissue infections, the mainstay of treatment is incision and drainage. Antimicrobials are indicated in patients not responding to appropriate drainage. Clindamycin, trimethoprimsulfamethoxazole or tetracyclines can be administered, while the use of fluoroquinolones should be avoided due to the rapid emergence of resistance. For severe infections, vancomycin should be used. Other alternatives are linezolid or daptomycin (only if there is no pulmonary involvement). Adequate hygiene practices are the most efficient measure to prevent spread.

Sound path(s) to the ear protected by double hearing protection

Studies have shown that the attenuation performance of double hearing protection is limited by bone or tissue conduction. We present the first results of a program to determine the different paths of the sound to the ear when a person is protected by double hearing protection. In order to determine the contribution of the noise signal passing by secondary sound paths (bone or tissue conduction) into the volume of the ear canal behind the earplug, identical tests have been performed on humans and artificial heads. Time delay and attenuation through the hearing protection (NR) were measured on the ipsi‐ and contra‐lateral side of the head. The measurements show differences in time delay and attenuation between artificial heads and humans which indicate that the main transmission mechanism is different. They also give a strong indication that the path of the acoustic signal depends on the angle of arrival when using double HP. This may partly explain the poor sound localization performance when using double HP that was reported by Brungart (2002). The single HP, and the double HP were then used in a sound localization experiment. The localization performance of these conditions will be presented along with the related parameters.

Sincretismos e os desafios da atualidade

Media and Communication Science development have taken scholars to opt for a more immaterial and abstract concept of culture. Other big changes have occurred in society, marking the world of the 20th century and shaking believes and principles of the Modernity. Cultural industry change, at global level, has submitted different cultures to an intense process of integration and homogenization intensifying the development of a technological culture. Education, main social mechanism of culture elaboration and transmission, was forced to follow new pedagogic parameters and make use of new languages to diffuse the culture of our time. Relationships among culture, media and education are this issue’s keynote.

Introduction: Globalization–Poverty Channels and Case Studies from Sub-Saharan Africa

In 2004 the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) embarked on a large-scale research project on the ‘Impact of Globalization on the World’s Poor’ co-directed by Machiko Nissanke and Erik Thorbecke. The first conference was essentially conceptual in nature, meant to understand better the various mechanisms and channels through which globalization affects the poor either directly or indirectly. The other three conferences focused on each of the major regions of the developing world: Asia, Africa and Latin America. Theobjectivesofthisintroductionarethreefold:first,toreviewbrieflyhow the forces of globalization influence poverty in general; second, to describe and discuss the main transmission channels and mechanisms; and third to analyze the impact of globalization on Africa and present an overview of the six Africa case studies included in this issue. 1. The Impact of Globalization on the World’s Poor Globalization provides a strong potential for a major reduction in poverty in the developing world because it creates an environment conducive to fastereconomicgrowthandtransmissionofknowledge. 1 However,structural factors and policies within the world economy and national economies have impeded the full transmission of the benefits of the various channels of globalization for poverty reduction. In particular sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) hasbeenrelativelylessaffectedbytheforcesofglobalizationthanotherparts of the world. World income distribution continues to be very unequal and many poor countries particularly in Africa are stagnating. Moreover, there is much empirical evidence that openness contributes to more within-country

The epidemiologic profile and prevalence of cardiopathy in Trypanosoma cruzi infected blood donor candidates, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil

To describe the epidemiologic profile and prevalence of cardiopathy in 163 Trypanosoma cruzi serum positive blood donor candidates, a descriptive study was carried out between August, 1996 and November, 1997 at the Londrina State University Chagas Disease Outpatient Clinic. The profile found was: young, average age 42.95 +/- 8.62 years; male (65%); Caucasian (84%); low level of schooling; low family income; agricultural worker (26%); born in the state of Paraná (67%); from rural areas (85%); migrated to the city (85%); and the vector as the main mechanism of transmission. During the clinical characterization a chronic cardiac form was found in 38% of the patients and classified as cardiac suggestive form in 21% and little suggestive of Chagas disease in 17%. No significant difference was found among age group distribution, sex and the presence of cardiac symptoms in patients with or without cardiopathy. This study emphasizes the importance of expanding medical services to areas with a greater prevalence of infected individuals, in a hierarchical manner and aiming at decentralization.

The school‐to‐work transition in England and Wales

PurposeAims to consider whether the expansion of post‐compulsory education has led to greater benefits for members of one socio‐economic group than another.Design/methodology/approachUses a multinomial logit model of the choice of first destination, using the Youth Cohort Survey data for England and Wales, from 1985 to 1992.FindingsWhilst prior attainment has the strongest influence on selecting academic further education, participation rates into post‐compulsory education have also increased for young people of average ability. Interaction effects clearly show that for even the most able, the socio‐economic status of parents is an important influence on the choice of destination. The greatest benefit from the increased provision of post‐compulsory education after conditioning for ability has been to young people from high socio‐economic groups.Originality/valueProvides analysis, following investigation, of the main transmission mechanisms that determine choice at age 16.

Molecular mechanisms affecting HTLV type 1-dependent fusion at the cell membrane: implications for inhibiting viral transmission.

Infection with human T cell leukemia virus type 1 is detected by screening programs and contact follow-up procedures. Where chronic infection results in overt pathology, this is treated largely symptomatically and control of transmission relies on physical and educational constraints. The poor infectious transmission rate of HTLV-1 has long been described but to date has not been exploited in preventative measures to combat the spread of the virus. We undertook to investigate some of the molecular steps involved in HTLV-1 cell-cell fusion, the main mechanism of transmission. We showed that poor transmission may relate in part to an inefficiency in adopting and maintaining a fusion competent conformation of the HTLV-1 envelope TM protein. In cell-cell fusion, this deficiency can be complemented by accessory molecules on both infected and target cells that stabilize the envelope/receptor interaction. In virion-cell fusion, this is less likely, leading to an inefficient interaction and poor infectious transmission by cell-free virus. A discussion of the accessory molecules involved in HTLV-1 fusion is presented. This weak envelope-dependent interaction with target cells in the host can be potently disrupted by peptides that destabilize the TM protein structure and significantly inhibit HTLV-1 fusion. These observations may be useful in the design of therapeutic agents to prevent HTLV-1 transmission.

Statistical Power Flow Analysis of an Imperfect Ribbed Cylinder

Prediction of the noise transmitted from machinery and flow sources on a submarine to the sonar arrays poses a complex problem. Vibrations in the pressure hull provide the main transmission mechanism. The pressure hull is characterised by a very large number of modes over the frequency range of interest (at least 100,000) and by high modal overlap, both of which place its analysis beyond the scope of finite element or boundary element methods. A method for calculating the transmission is presented, which is broadly based on Statistical Energy Analysis, but extended in two important ways: (1) a novel subsystem breakdown which exploits the particular geometry of a submarine pressure hull; (2) explicit modelling of energy density variation within a subsystem due to damping. The method takes account of fluid–structure interaction, the underlying pass/stop band characteristics resulting from the near-periodicity of the pressure hull construction, the effect of vibration isolators such as bulkheads, and the cumulative effect of irregularities (e.g., attachments and penetrations).

Sequence analysis of SRSV in fecal specimens from an epidemic of infantile gastroenteritis, October to December 1995, Japan

From October to December in 1995, an epidemic of infantile gastroenteritis occurred all over Japan except in Hokkaido and Okinawa prefectures. The number of infected infants and young children was estimated to be over 5 million cases [Editorial, IASR 1996]. The stool specimens from patients were examined for the presence of small round structured viruses (SRSVs) by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and nucleotide sequencing of parts of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase region. Thirty-five of 87 stool specimens examined gave positive results. Genomic variation was investigated by sequence analysis of a 327 bp cDNA region. The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of the ten strains segregated into two distinct groups; one showed 96.0-100% nucleotide and 99.1-100% amino acid identity, the others showed 91.4-99.7% nucleotide and 93.5-100% identity. The main mechanism of transmission remains unknown. However, these data suggest the possibility of person-to-person spread by two or more kinds of SRSV.

Sequence analysis of SRSV in fecal specimens from an epidemic of infantile gastroenteritis, October to December 1995, Japan

From October to December in 1995, an epidemic of infantile gastroenteritis occurred all over Japan except in Hokkaido and Okinawa prefectures. The number of infected infants and young children was estimated to be over 5 million cases [Editorial, IASR 1996]. The stool specimens from patients were examined for the presence of small round structured viruses (SRSVs) by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and nucleotide sequencing of parts of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase region. Thirty-five of 87 stool specimens examined gave positive results. Genomic variation was investigated by sequence analysis of a 327 bp cDNA region. The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of the ten strains segregated into two distinct groups; one showed 96.0–100% nucleotide and 99.1–100% amino acid identity, the others showed 91.4–99.7% nucleotide and 93.5–100% identity. The main mechanism of transmission remains unknown. However, these data suggest the possibility of person-to-person spread by two or more kinds of SRSV. J. Med. Virol. 52:377–380, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Transport of macroparticles in magnetized plasma ducts

The cathode spot of a vacuum are produces a highly ionized energetic plasma jet of vaporized cathode material which may be directed to a substrate to form a high-quality coating or thin film, and a spray of molten droplets, referred to as macroparticles (MPs). The plasma flux can be concentrated by magnetic collimation, while the MP spray can be filtered from the plasma jet by guiding the plasma around an obstacle using a magnetic field. In the present work, the motion of the individual electrically charged MP in the straight and quarter torus plasma guides is studied, taking into account MP charging by interaction with the plasma. The influence of the electric field in the plasma, which depends on the magnetic field, on the charged MP motion is calculated. The fraction of the MPs transmitted through the toroidal plasma guide was calculated as a function of the wall potential and MP velocity for different minor to major torus radius ratios r/R. The guide wall potential has a strong effect on the transmission of MPs having velocities in the 25-100 m/s range. In the case in which r/R=0.1, with the duct at floating potential, the fraction of the MPs transmitted through the torus approaches 100% for 0.1 /spl mu/m Ti MPs having an initial velocity parallel to the duct wall. The main mechanism of MP transmission through curved ducts is repeated electrostatic reflection of the charged MP from the wall. The calculation of the MP transmission through the magnetized straight duct was compared with experiment, where a significant reduction of the MPs was obtained with an increasing of the axial magnetic field. The calculated MP transmission was close to that previously measured for 0.1 /spl mu/m MPs with 70 m/s and for 0.5 /spl mu/m MPs with 20 m/s directed velocities.

2J(SeSe) couplings in diseleno-substituted alkenylic compounds. A CLOPPA-IPPP analysis

A CLOPPA-IPPP analysis of 2 J(SeSe) couplings in two cyclic diseleno-substituted alkenylic compounds is performed. The total FC, PSO, DSO, and SD components of these couplings are evaluated within the RPA-INDO approximation, and total values are compared to the experimental values. The PSO interaction yields large values in both cases. Particularly, it is the dominant interaction in the cyclic plane compound. For this case, an analysis of the main transmission mechanisms of the SO term is performed in terms of localized molecular orbitals (LMOs) representing chemical functions. It is seen that the coupling is mainly transmitted by the occupied and vacant LMOs associated with the Se atoms. The influence of the π-type Se lone pairs is negligible, while the inplane Se lone pairs play an important role. Additivity of pathways is also analyzed: a “direct” and an “indirect” nonadditivity of paths are defined. A high direct nonadditivity is observed. A curious influence of the occupied π vinylic MO in the indirect nonadditivity is shown. Even though it is known that in several geminal couplings the DSO term yields an important contribution, it has a value of only about 10 −2 Hz in the present case.

Hepatitis B infection in Vanuatu: age of acquisition of infection and possible routes of transmission.

Seroepidemiological studies of hepatitis B were carried out on diverse groups of children (477) and adults (629) from the Pacific Island country of Vanuatu. In children under 14 years, prevalences of HBsAg and of all markers were 6% and 53.3% respectively; in adults greater than or equal to 20 years the prevalences were 15% and 70%. Age specific prevalence of hepatitis B infection (all markers) was low in infancy (less than 1 year) but rose sharply afterwards, suggesting that the main mechanism of transmission was horizontal spread. This finding is consistent with other developing country studies from the Pacific Islands and elsewhere. In view of the main ages and mechanisms of transmission of hepatitis B in children in developing countries and the need for simple and inexpensive immunisation strategies in this context, it is recommended that mass vaccination of all infants with hepatitis B vaccine be undertaken in hyperendemic areas.