Time Bomb Research Articles

Covid-19: Health needs of sex workers are being sidelined, warn agencies.

Agencies have criticised the lack of action to protect the health needs of sex workers during the pandemic, with the English Collective of Prostitutes (ECP) warning of a “ticking time bomb of health problems.” Sex workers are at heightened risk of ill health,1 substance misuse, and violence,2 said the ECP, and unless the services they rely on resume normal operation soon and sex workers’ financial hardship is tackled, their health problems will multiply. National Ugly Mugs, a sex worker safety scheme, told The BMJ that a survey of its members in late April found that they were struggling to access sexual health and family planning services, hygiene products, and antibiotics during the …

Will the Leveraged Loan Market Trigger a Financial Pandemic? Understanding Cov-Lite Loans, CLOs and EBITDA Add-Backs

Even before the coronavirus plunged the world's financial markets, analysts and regulators had been describing the $1.2 to 1.5 trillion leveraged loan market as a ticking time bomb likely to play a role in causing the next financial crisis. Many have been denouncing problematic fundamentals in the current leveraged loan market and comparing them to those that caused the 2007 subprime mortgage crisis to spread into a full-blown financial crisis towards the second half of 2008. Two legal innovations in the world of corporate finance are the main anticipated culprits of a future financial meltdown: covenant-lite (or “cov-lite”) loans and Collateralized Loan Obligations (CLOs). Our paper argues that concerns of a systemic breakdown in the financial system as a result of cov-lite loans and CLOs may be overstated. To do this, we first draw from a seminal working paper by researchers at the Federal Reserve of Philadelphia that demonstrate that cov-lite loans are almost universally part of a syndication structure that binds borrowers to compliance with financial covenants. Secondly, the paper succinctly explains CLOs and compares them with similar structured finance and securitization products, such as Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDOs), CDO-squared and CDO-cubed, as well as with derivatives, such as synthetic CDOs and Credit Default Swaps (CDSs), all of which played a role in obscuring financial market fundamentals in the lead-up to the great financial crisis. Third, the paper briefly analyzes the latest stress test results and financial stability reports by regulators in charge of monitoring systemic risk in the banking and wider financial systems. Finally, the paper explores EBITDA add-backs, a product of contract law and accounting that have played an increasing role in large Leveraged Buyout (LBO) deals and could distort a lender's credit monitoring functions, but concludes that they are currently ignored in the ratings analysis of leveraged loans and CLOs.

Pre-diabetes and cardiovascular risk: detonating the time bomb

Pre-diabetes carries a cardiovascular risk. Beverley Bostock-Cox considers the interventions that can improve this risk in people with pre-diabetes Pre-diabetes is a state of impaired glucose regulation where the body moves from normal levels of blood glucose to a position where increasing levels of insulin resistance result in higher and harmful sugar levels in the bloodstream. As its name suggests, it is a precursor of type 2 diabetes. Cardiovascular risk is also likely to be higher, mainly because of the links between hyperglycaemia and other known cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension and dyslipidaemia. In people with pre-diabetes, the aim should be to treat all the modifiable risk factors through lifestyle interventions, especially by encouraging weight loss and increasing physical activity levels. Pharmacological interventions can be considered in addition to lifestyle change.

Prostitution in Armed Conflict Contexts in Colombia

This article presents two cases of victimization of female sex workers in the armed conflict context in the cities of Manzanares and Samaná, Caldas. In methodological terms, the research was presented from a qualitative perspective that establishes a centrality of the survivors and witnesses’ testimony and narrative of the facts that allow the key reconstruction of historical memory. The findings allow to infer that tolerance zones, bars, and canteens where prostitution is exercised are configured in small mountain villages, border places, thresholds between urban and rural areas, red zones and time bombs as they constitute centers of information circulation and social regulation by regular and irregular armies, making them a perfect target for actions of social cleansing and forced displacement based on stigma and the signaling of cooperation to opposing armies.

BUREAUCRATIC DISRUPSION AND THREATS OF UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE INDSUTRI 4.0 REVOLUTION

The rapid technological advances in the Industrial Revolution 4.0 era resulted in various technological developments that were increasingly innovative and varied. Starting from this then innovation about artificial intelligence or Artificial Intelligence began to attract many parties including the government itself to use it in the life of the bureaucracy in this country. This was then compounded by the development of the Internet of Things and Big Data which added to the government's desire to modernize the bureaucracy but was threatened by the disruption that would change all the old orders used and upheld. Disruption in the body of the bureaucracy and the future will be a time bomb on the problems it carries which will have an impact on unemployment problems involving the unemployed state people and people who were originally part of the State Civil Apparatus, and this matter a challenge going forward for the government how to respond to a comprehensive change in the era of the industrial revolution 4.0 to be able to run a modern government with sophisticated technology while still prioritizing the conditions of its people.Keywords: Industrial Revolution 4.0, Disruption, Unemployment.

The Effect of Migration Experiences on Wellbeing Among Ageing Migrants in Italy

Ageing and migration are two of Europe’s fundamental demographic processes, challenging a wide range of social policies. Their intersection generates a wide taxonomy of types of individuals, from the most well-off and active ones to those more deprived and marginalised and for whom being old and having a migration background represents a double jeopardy. Yet in discussions of the ‘demographic time bomb’ of ageing, the special circumstances of ageing migrants are rarely recognised. Thus far, in Europe, very little is known about ageing populations with a migratory background, and this is even more true for Italy, that turned into an immigration country only in the late 1980s and where older migrants are a neglected, although growing, group in the Italian population. In this paper, we unpack ageing migrants’ wellbeing by focusing on life satisfaction, as a broader indicator of individual’s wellbeing; in particular, we analyse the effect of migration experiences on migrants’ perception of the quality of life in old age. We use data from the Social Condition and Integration of Foreign Citizens survey (2011–2012) and build several indicators related to different structural and socio-cultural dimensions of integration to analyse different patterns of association with life satisfaction among different groups of ageing migrants in Italy. Our study has important implications form both theoretical and policy perspective as it contributes to the advancement of original knowledge on the factors that shape wellbeing in later life in a context of migration.

The Anglophone question: between a “regime-made disaster” and the ethnic politics of a fragmented nation

During the 2018 annual meeting of the African Studies Association, the North American Association of Scholars on Cameroon organized a roundtable on the Anglophone crisis. The question we were charged with exploring in this roundtable read as follows: “Did the ‘Anglophone’ Protest of 2016–2017 Represent a Significant Turning Point in the Struggle for Rights in Cameroon's English-Speaking Regions?” The rights of English-Speaking Cameroonians, I suggested, are inextricability linked with the rights of all Cameroonians. In this contribution, I argue that this crisis is a “regime-made disaster.” The history of the emergence of the Cameroonian State into its current configuration compels us to acknowledge the gravity of the Anglophone problem. However, the linguistic divide is only part of the problem. The political bricolage of the last six decades, through insidious practices such as the ethnic-based quota system and the artificial distinction between “autochthones/autochthonous” and “allogènes/aliens,” has created an ethnic time bomb that could explode into an ethnic conflagration at any time. I argue that resolving the linguistic divide without addressing fundamental issues posed by the ethnic divide would fail to restore Cameroonians to their full citizenship, irrespective of the legal configuration of the State.

On Leaving Clinical Medicine.

But before I even started my first rotation, I met a new companion: an invisible ticking time bomb.

ISLAMIC SOCIAL FUNDS: ENABLING THE UNABLE TO BE ABLE

The low level of financial inclusion for the poor becomes a time bomb amid Islamic finance growth as an alternative and way of life, particularly for those who believe in the application of Islamic tenets in finance. Further, the evolving of fully-fledged Islamic Financial Non-Bank Institutions, particularly Islamic Microfinance Financial Institutions (IMFIs) are one of the myriad ways in alleviating poverty. Indonesia, with the highest number of the Muslim population in the world, can reduce the poverty percentage by using Islamic social funds, namely infaq, zakah, shadaqoh and waqf. This study sheds light on how to optimise the Islamic social fund benefit for improving the poor’s quality of life; both by injecting money to provide them with a business skill and to feed people them who are poor. We use meta-analysis method to recap different findings related to maximise the usage of Islamic social funds across a different point of view, hence a fit mechanism is found to be applied. It found that Islamic social funds can be used to sustain the fund whilst enabling the poor for generating income by integrating the fund with economics activities.

Toxic time bombs: Frequent detection of anticoagulant rodenticides in urban reptiles at multiple trophic levels

Anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) are regularly used around the world to control pest mammals. Second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) are highly persistent in biological tissue and have a high potential for bioaccumulation and biomagnification. Consequently, exposure and poisoning of non-target organisms has been frequently documented, especially in countries with unregulated AR sales and usage. Most of this research has focussed on rodent-predators, usually raptors and predatory mammals, although exposure has also been documented in invertebrates and insectivorous fauna. Few studies have explored non-target exposure in reptiles, despite species sharing similar trophic positions and dietary preferences to other exposed fauna. We tested three abundant urban reptile species in Perth, Western Australia that differ in diet and trophic tiers for multiple AR exposure, the dugite Pseudonaja affinis (rodent-predator), the bobtail Tiliqua rugosa (omnivore) and the tiger snake Notechis scutatus occidentalis (frog-predator). We found frequent exposure in all three species (91% in dugites, 60% in bobtails and 45% in tiger snakes). Mean combined liver concentrations of ARs of exposed individuals were 0.178 mg/kg in dugites, 0.040 mg/kg in bobtails and 0.009 mg/kg in tiger snakes. High exposure frequency and liver concentration was expected for the dugite. Exposure in the other species is more surprising and implies widespread AR contamination of the food web. We discuss the likelihood of global AR exposure of urban reptiles, highlight the potential for reptiles to be important vectors of ARs in the food web and highlight implications for humans consuming wild reptiles.

From drug abuse to lesbianism: an educational undertone

The issue of drug abuse and the resultant effects has been on the limelight in recent times.Hence, this paper examined from drug abuse to lesbianism: an educational undertone. The paper highlighted the meaning of drugs and what constitutes drug abuse. It identified the ever several dangers associated with drug abuse in tertiary institutions in Nigeria, where lesbianism was spotted as a major fallout of the negative impacts of drugs on female undergraduates.Furthermore, the act of lesbianism was evaluated, where the modus operandi and factors of the lesbians were showcased. In the end, the paper conceived some therapy that could help in the curtailing or eradicating of this menace in our institutions of higher learning. Among the recommendations of the paper were that every management of tertiary institutions must recognize this as a time bomb waiting for explosion and that sex education should be institutionalized as a GST or GNS course for all freshmen in our institutions. This would go a long way in checkmating this time bomb from exploding.

Time Bomb Game: Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Fun and Challenging Game Reviewing the Structural Theory of Organic Compounds

This report provides information about a free-of-charge, trilingual (Portuguese, Spanish, and English) game-based application that engages high school and undergraduate students in reviewing the structural theory of organic compounds in a challenging way. In Time Bomb Game, students must disarm a time bomb on their own by correctly answering random questions from a database with 621 questions. Students and professors have tested and evaluated the app, and the results revealed that the game design, content, playability, and usefulness are helpful as a complementary didactic tool to provide students with the required theoretical knowledge.

Peak inequality: Britain’s ticking time bomb

Peak inequality: Britain’s ticking time bomb

Turning a Blind Eye to African Refugees and Immigrants in a Tourist City: A Case-study of Blame-shifting in Cape Town

What role do municipalities play in limiting xenophobia in all its forms and what should these bodies do in promoting the integration of African immigrants? This paper analyzes a case study of Cape Town's policies and programs concerning African immigrants and refugees following the 2008 xenophobic crisis, up to 2016. Municipalities as a separate sphere of the government have their own space to address socio-political problems and to shape local alliances and urban life. Despite being a tourist-led, gentrifying city which substantially draws on vulnerable African immigrant labor, Cape Town's leaders and businesses, however, have no explicit policies or programs to address xenophobia a ticking time bomb; and they tend to shift the blame to other actors. City leaders and employers see African immigrants in an instrumental way (as mere labor; a financial burden and not as potential citizens). This paper focuses on local government's definition of the foreign immigrant problem and its poor record of reducing the drivers of xenophobic conflicts in South African cities, recognizing that while cities are not the only players, they certainly are the closest to the problem. The paper concludes that the city needs a proactive, comprehensive approach, recognizing migrants and their organizations, especially foreign workers, legal immigrants and refugees, as key city builders, stakeholders and potential citizens in the city. The paper draws on interviews with city officials, migrants and asylum seekers in the City of Cape Town.

Assessment of Farmers-Herders Conflict in Nigeria : Open Grazing a Ticking Time Bomb

Assessment of Farmers-Herders Conflict in Nigeria : Open Grazing a Ticking Time Bomb

Management of Traumatic Central Cord Syndrome with Ossification of Posterior Longitudinal Ligament and Congenital Narrowing of Canal Stenosis: A case report

Background. Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is a time bomb cervical disease characterized as a bony occupation in the narrowed canal which frequently presenting no symptoms. Traumatic central cord syndrome (TCCS) is the most frequent incomplete neck injury. The symptoms include a disproportionately more significant motor deficit of upper limbs than lower limbs with varying degrees of sensory loss below the level of the lesion and sacral sparing with or without bladder involvement. TCCS is often associated with hyperextension injury of the cervical spine and might occur after minor trauma without bony injury in patients with preexisting pathology of cervical spondylosis (CS) or canal stenosis. This article reported a case of TCCS with OPPL and congenital narrowing of canal stenosis. Method. We reported a case of a man 55 years old with spinal cord injury central cord syndrome type with disproportionate paresis, congenital cervical canal stenosis, ossifications of the posterior longitudinal ligament. We closed the comminuted fracture of the left clavicle. The patient underwent decompression surgery by laminoplasty on C3-C6 and open reduction with plate screw fixation on the left clavicle. Results. One week post-operation, the patient felt improvement on upper and lower motor function with increased sensitivity. Conclusion. Despite the controversies between surgery and conservative management regarding the treatment of cervical spine injuries with congenital canal stenosis and ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament, we found the decompression and laminoplasty giving positive results to patients.

Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19): Invoking Force Majeure and Doctrine of Frustration: An Analysis From an Indian Law Perspective

The on-going global Coronavirus disease (“COVID-19”) pandemic, has affected a countless number of people around the world, businesses, and the global economies alike and is certainly nothing short of a ticking time bomb. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic after noting that COVID-19 has increased 13-fold in countries other than China. A few state governments in India have also termed COVID-19 as an epidemic. In testing times like these, India, currently amidst an unprecedented nationwide lock-down, which has subsequently been extended until May 3, 2020 and has resulted in a temporary or partial shutdown of most business(es)-in India—whether they be small, medium or big business houses, with the exception of only a list of services notified by the relevant governmental authorities which have been deemed to be and are categorized as ‘essential services’ and allowing functioning of select additional activities (such as allowing manufacturing activities in certain sectors to take place), which have also only been permitted to start from April 20, 2020.

The role of green energy as a filter in reviving the industrial spaces using the green microalgae technology as a landscape feature (Rainbow of the land) (A practical case study of industrial area, German)-Article Review

This research is focused on a modern technique and offers a framework that maximizes the concept of the efficient landscape that focused on microalgae technology. Industrial areas have become a threat to most of the countries; particularly unused industrial areas represent a wide area. as a result, it has become a time bomb, so scientists and designers have gone to search for the most efficient ways of using green microalgae to solve this issue and combine it with the elements of landscape features where green microalgae can be grown within open ponds (Open Race Way Ponds) in the industrial areas to become a tool with two advantages: organic green fuel (Productive Landscape),also algae represents an aesthetic view through the various green color tones and movement of microalgae in its various colors drawing a rainbow on the ground and you will saw it on its natural green radiation at night (Natural Green (Nightscape)). All of this needs wastewater or salty water and carbon dioxide, solar radiation as inputs for algae breeding, i.e. waste transfer to useful urban potentials (Positive to Negative and thus the industrial spaces will be converted to human spaces and this represent the main objective for the research that radiate vitality day and night and become a source of oxygen, where algae produce 6 times the oxygen of trees. Through this research, a framework will be presented to use these strains in the spaces of industrial areas as a new approach in the landscape trends and theme.

KEPASTIAN HUKUM BAGI KONSUMEN TERHADAP KERUGIAN YANG DITIMBULKAN OLEH DRIVER GO-JEK BERDASARKAN HUKUM PERLINDUNGAN KONSUMEN


 At present in Indonesia there are no specific rules regarding Go-jek as online transportation service. Motorcycle which is the main tool in the business of online and conventional motorcycle taxi services (base) according to Article 47 paragraph (3) of Law Number 22 Year 2009 concerning Traffic and Road Transportation is not included in the group of public motor vehicles because those belonging to the group of public motor vehicles are passenger cars, bus cars and freight cars meaning motorcycles may not be used as public transport vehicles. The use of motorbikes as a means of public transportation without a basis or a clear legal umbrella is feared tobecome a time bomb in the community related to the obligations and rights that should be implemented and obtained by drivers and service users. The focus of this paper is related to the need for legal assurance for consumers who use Go-jek service, specifically the responsibility of Go-jek drivers to consumers in the event of an accident or misuse of the consumer's personal identity. Therefore, in accordance with Law No. 8 of 1999 concerning Consumer Protection, there is a need for regulations that protect consumers as users of Go-jek transportation services, because drivers as Go-jek drivers certainly are not free from mistakes when carrying out their duties.
 Keywords: Go-jek Driver, Consumer Protection, Motorcycle Taxi.

Comprehensive Cardiac Rehabilitation as a Therapeutic Strategy for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are referred to as “time bombs”. The only way to prevent AAA rupture is elective repair beforehand using surgical replacement or an endovascular procedure. Non-surgical strategies to prevent AAA expansion are under intense investigation. At each AAA stage, that is, occurrence, expansion, and rupture, the mechanisms and risk factors are different, as discussed in this review. Based on the mechanism and risk factors for AAA expansion, the most effective strategy against AAA expansion need to be identified, but so far none has. Exercise is known to be essential for preventing atherosclerosis related to the coexistence of AAA and CAD, but some doctors are hesitant to prescribe exercise programs to AAA patients given that BP elevation during exercise can cause AAA expansion or rupture. In our retrospective study and prospective study on the safety and effectiveness of exercise for AAA patients, the protective role of mild-moderate exercise against expansion of small AAA was clearly shown. The stability of AAA on exercise might be related to reduced inflammatory activity in the aortic wall, stabilized elevation in BP during exercise, increased aortic blood flow, upregulation of transforming growth factor-β1, moderated BMI and/or fat, or improved endothelial function. Until a revolutionary drug emerges that can regress AAA, cardiac rehabilitation remains the best strategy for preventing AAA expansion and rupture.