Modelling the effect of climate change on prevalence of malaria in western Africa

Malaria is a leading cause of infectious disease and death worldwide. As a common example of a vector‐borne disease, malaria could be greatly affected by the influence of climate change. Climate impacts the transmission of malaria in several ways, affecting all stages of the disease's development. Using various weather‐related factors that influence climate change, this study utilizes statistical analysis to determine the effect of climate change on reported malaria rates in an African region with endemic malaria. It examines the relationship between malaria prevalence and climate in western Africa using spatial regression modeling and tests for correlation. Our analysis suggests that minimal correlation exists between reported malaria rates and climate in western Africa. This analysis further contradicts the prevailing theory that climate and malaria prevalence are closely linked and negates the idea that climate change will increase malaria transmission in this region.     

Correlates of rural black poverty

Conclusion The misery of America’s rural black farmers and farm workers continue as a reproach to the nation; black farmers and farm workers, numbering about 328,000 in 1970, have not adequately shared in the enormous productivity of American agriculture and in the rising prosperity of the nation.Despite modest steps to improve their level of living, they remain, by and large, at subpoverty-income levels, lacking adequate health care, ill-housed, malnourished, and poorly educated.6 The annual migration rate of rural black youth is insignificantly lower today than during the great migration flows following the world wars; this is a testimony to the barrenness of the alternative lifestyle under which they might live.     

Disclosing elements of disclosure: a test of legitimacy theory and company ethics

This paper focuses on some of the ethical issues related to voluntary disclosure of qualitative information by Canadian public companies. Drawing on various organizational theories, we examine some of the ways that companies can symbolically manage legitimacy through disclosure. Press releases of a sample of companies that received cease‐trading orders were analysed for their use of language. We found that high‐risk companies attempted to manage legitimacy by selectively releasing information and by using ambiguous language. Moreover, some companies behaved unethically by using language that suggested a positive future despite the imminent release of a cease‐trading order. These findings have implications for organizational and accounting theorists and stakeholders in the corporate, fiduciary, and investment communities. Copyright © 2008 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Exchange Rate Pass-through: How Much do Exchange Rate Changes Affect the Prices of Australian Exports?

Australia is generally held to be a small open economy with a high proportion of commodity exports. It is therefore regarded as a 'price taker' in international markets, and pass-through on exports is expected to be zero. This paper uses the Johansen Multivariate Cointegration technique to estimate the pass-through of exchange rate changes to the destination-currency prices of aggregate Australian exports. The results demonstrate a stable long-run pass-through level of 60 per cent, which refutes the 'small-country' assumption of Australian exporters as price takers. These findings have important implications for Australia's terms of trade and current account deficit     

A case-control comparison of direct healthcare-provider medical costs of chronic idiopathic constipation and irritable bowel syndrome with constipation in a community-based cohort

Objective: Patients with constipation account for 3.1 million US physician visits a year, but care costs for patients with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) or chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) compared to the general public have received little study. The study aim was to describe healthcare utilization and compare medical costs for patients with IBS-C or CIC vs matched controls from a community-based sample.

Methods: A nested case-control sample (IBS-C and CIC cases) and matched controls (1:2) for each case group were selected from Olmsted County, MN, individuals responding to a community-based survey of gastrointestinal symptoms (2008) who received healthcare from a participating Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP) provider. Using REP healthcare utilization data, unadjusted and adjusted standardized costs were compared for the 2- and 10-year periods prior to the survey for 115 IBS-C patients and 230 controls and 365 CIC patients and 730 controls. Two time periods were chosen as these conditions are episodic, but long-term.

Results: Outpatient costs for IBS-C ($6,800) and CIC ($6,284) patients over a 2-year period prior to the survey were significantly higher than controls ($4,242 and $5,254, respectively) after adjusting for co-morbidities, age, and sex. IBS-C outpatient costs ($25,448) and emergency room costs ($6,892) were significantly higher than controls ($21,024 and $3,962, respectively) for the 10-year period prior. Unadjusted data analyses of cases compared to controls demonstrated significantly higher imaging costs for IBS-C cases and procedure costs for CIC cases over the 10-year period.

Limitations: Data were collected from a random community sample primarily receiving care from a limited number of providers in that area.

Conclusions: Patients with IBS-C and CIC had significantly higher outpatient costs for the 2-year period compared with controls. IBS-C patients also had higher ER costs than the general population.     

Segmenting mainland Chinese residents based on experience,intention and desire to visit Hong Kong

The general consensus among marketers is that the People's Republic of China will have an enormous impact on the world's economy. However, much of this discussion is centred on China's strength as a centre of manufacturing and exports. The increase in affluence in pockets of China's 1.3 billion residents has also been the focus of firms interested in this large and virtually untapped consumer market. However, relatively little attention has been given to this market as potential sources of tourists. The purpose of this study was to profile the important visitor segments from mainland China who had previously visited, had the intention to visit or desired to visit Hong Kong—a destination traditionally priced and positioned for Western markets. Based on a sample of 470 Chinese from three cities in the mainland, the distinctive characteristics of tourists who had previously visited Hong Kong and who had strong intentions or interest to visit in the future were identified. It is hoped that this information will help tourism marketing professionals not only gain insights as to the potential of China as a source of visitors, but also highlight a useful approach to the market segmentation process. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The pass-through of exchange rate changes to the prices of Australian exports of dairy and livestock products

Agricultural exports are usually assumed to operate in perfectly competitive international markets, but many are subject to non-tariff barriers to trade that can affect the degree of pass-through of exchange rate changes to foreign currency prices. The present study uses multivariate cointegration techniques to examine the effects of exchange rate changes on the prices of Australian exports of milk products, cheese, beef, sheepmeat, and hides and skins. The results indicate that Australian dairy exports operate in competitive markets in which pass-through is complete, but there is no stable long-run relationship between exchange rates and prices for any of the other livestock products.     

Demographic trends and saving propensities “A revisit with life cycle theory”

Atlantic Economic Journal -